True and False Confidence - Proverbs 21:29 - CALVARY CHAPEL OF JONESBORO

True and False Confidence - Proverbs 21:29

8/3/2012

A wicked man displays a bold face, But as for the upright, he makes his way sure. Proverbs 21:29

We have shown to us here two ways of confidence. What distinguishes them is two important things. The first is pretty obvious - which is that one involves a wicked man while the other is upright. The other is a little more subtle because it involves attitudes and ways that they approach the confidence that they have.

The wicked man, we are told, displays a bold face. A better way to say this is that he displays his confidence with arrogance. He is a man who is not open to rebuke or correction. He is not open to anyone opposing his ideas or where he stands. This is due to a hardened heart. His confidence is a show - and often is not based on fact but on being able to bull their way through life - making others back down due to their confidence - even if it was based on false premises.

The upright man is about truth. Note that the wicked man just "displays" a bold face. His confidence is an act that he keeps up before others. The upright man is interested in making his way "sure." He wants facts and a confidence that is based out of doing God's will and living in His ways. He makes his way sure by making it biblical, god-honoring, and god-glorifying. He seeks a God-oriented confidence not based on himself and being able to make others think he is confident. It is based on knowing God - and being confident that no matter what happens - if God is pleased he has done what needs to be done. He doesn't want to be "right" in his own mind, he wants to be right with and before God. What is important is being "sure" that God is pleased.

As I close today's post, I want to share a little about the word "sure" because is it such an important concept for us if we want to understand biblical confidence. The word "sure" is from a Hebrew word that speaks of a firm, strong foundation. Confidence in our lives is not based on our works - but on God's grace that changes us. Worldly confidence is founded on the shifting sands of achievement based on this world's standards. God, though, says that what will we be profited if we gain the whole world, yet lose our souls? The core of confidence is knowing that we are living for something (or in our case Someone) that will never be subject to the destruction of moth or rust - something that cannot be stolen or taken from us. Thus to live for what is "sure" is to live for what God's Word teaches us is eternal. And as my former pastor, brother Al in Auburn, said - that is the Word of God and the souls of men.

The wicked may put on a bold face in their lifestyles, their wealth, their short-lived happiness, and their godless choices, but these things are not sure. They WILL fade away. They WILL pass away. They WILL burn in the end. When time passes away and is exposed for the shadow world it truly is. When eternity establishes itself as the true substance - then we will iknow that the upright man made the right choice. He did not merely try to convince others of his confidence. He had a confidence rooted in God' grace, God's Word, and in God Himself, the Ultimate Reality.

2 Comments

Gina Westacott

10/20/2021 01:37:13 pm

Thanku for explaining all that to me im very gratefull. I PRAY THAT GOD USES YOU MUCH MORE THAT HE MAKES YOUR KNOWLEDGE ON THE BIBLE LOUD IN JESUS I PRAY

usha borde link

12/2/2024 05:13:06 am

Hi,

(Proverbs 21: 29) says,
' God directeth His ways to
the righteous.'

This is one way of a brief explanation with the explanatory verses, about righteous people _:
###########

[The similar words for
righteous are : Virtuous, Just man( Eccle.7:20) , upright in heart ( Psa. 94 : 15 )honest, innocent, faultless blameless,
guiltless,noble, honourable, sinless, pious, God fearing, sensible. & Godly people.]

(1 Peter 3 : 12) says :' The eyes of the Lord are over
the righteous & his ears
are open unto their prayers.'

(Proverbs 15: 8 )says, 'The prayer of the upright
is God's delight.'

(Proverbs 3 : 32)says, 'God's Secret is with the righteous.'

(Psalm 146 : 8) says,
'He loveth the righteous .'

( Psalm 14 : 5 )says, 'God is in the generation of the righteous.'

( Proverbs 21: 3)says, ' To do justice & judgment is more acceptable to Him than sacrifice.'

( Psalm 116: 15)says,'The death of God's saints is precious in the sight of
Him .' And,

(Psalm 5 :12 ) Says,'The righteous gets the blessings from God .' _:
########

These are the blessings _:

1) 'The righteous shall
flourish like the palm tree.'
( Psalm 92: 12)

2) ( Psalm 64 : 10 ).
'He shall be glad in God,
& shall trust in him ,'

3)' God shall never suffer the righteous to be moved, He shall sustain him. '(Psa.55 22

4)'LORD upholdeth the righteous.'( Psalm 37 : 17)

5)' HE knows how to
rescue godly people from their trials.' ( 2 Peter 2 : 9 )

6)'The righteous shall inherit the land & dwell therein for ever.' ( Psalm 37 : 29 )

7)' The righteous will shine forth as the sun in the king dom of Father.' (Matt. 13:43)

Question : Who can
become rightous ?
##############

Answer :

! ) 'Who worship God & do According to His will.'
(John 9 : 31)

!!) Who keeps faith on God.
(Romans 3:28).Gentiles i.e heathen can also become righteous by keeping faith.(Galatians. 3 : 8 )

!!!) 'He that hath clean hands & a pure heart ;who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.'(Psa.24 : 4-5 ) Who departs from evil.
( Proverbs 16 : 17 ) & do not putforth his hands to iniquity. ' (Psalm 125 : 3)

iv) Who does the works.
(James 2 : 24)
But not the works of
the Law.' ( Gal. 2 :16)

v) Who shows mercy.'
( Psalm 37 : 21)

The examples of righteous
people in the Bible :
############

1)Daniel & Job.
(Eze.14:14)(Gen. 6:9)
Noah,( Genesis 7: 1)
'The LORD said unto Noah, Come thou & all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me
in this generation.'

2) Lot: (2 Peter 2: 8)

3) Abraham, Isaac, David
& Solomon.

4) Priest Melchizedek .
(Gen. 14:18)

5) Joseph Of Arimathea,
(Lk.23:50)states, 'Behold, there was a man named Joseph, a counsellor; he
was a good man & a just.'

6) Abel. (Mt. 23:35)
(Hebrews 11:4)
'By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by
which he obtained witness that he was righteous.'

7) Joseph, Mary 's
husband. (Mt. 1:19)

8. Cornelius(Acts 10:22)
' Cornelius the centurion, a just man & one that feareth God & of good report
among all the nation of the Jews, was warned from
God by an holy angel.'

9.John The Baptist (Mk. 6:20)

10.Zacharias & his wife Elisabeth. (Luke 1:6)'And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments & ordinances of the Lord blameless.'

11. Elisabeth. (Lk. 1:5-6)

12. Simeon.(Lk.2:25) says,
'Behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon & the same
man was just & devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel & the Holy Ghost was upon him.'

13, Rahab (James 2:25)
<><><>
Pharisees were not righteous :Jesus said to them, 'Ye out wardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of
hypocrisy & iniquity.'
'( Matthew 23 : 28)

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