Keith Battle - Proverbial - Part 3

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Yeah, just up here, I’m in Proverbs chapter 27. If you have a device or something with the Bible on it, turn to Proverbs chapter 27. I’m enjoying this series called «Proverbial» because what «Proverbial» is, is basically a look at Proverbs. There are five wisdom books in the Bible that are really poetic books: Psalms, Ecclesiastes, the book of Proverbs, Song of Solomon, and the book of Job. Those are the five poetic books, or books of wisdom. What I like about the book of Proverbs is that it’s like the go-to book if you don’t know where in the Bible to read. If you think, «I don’t know what I should read,» for a lot of us, this is the go-to book. You need to know what chapter corresponds with the date; if it’s the nineteenth, read Proverbs 19. Since there are 31 chapters, on any day of the month, it will correspond with what you can read in Proverbs. So, it’s really a cool book.

As I’m going through this series, there’s no rhyme or reason; none of these things are connected. I just read through Proverbs, and whatever jumps out at me, that’s what I talk to you all about. I’m sharing with you what I read and what I get out of it, and that’s it. So, I’m going to look at three verses: verse 2, verse 8, and verse 12. I want to discuss three things: humility in verse 2, breeding in verse 8, and planning in verse 12. There is no real connection between these three things; any connection is totally coincidental. It is not intentional, so don’t try to say, «Where’s the sermonic thread here?» There is none! I’m ADHD; I’m just talking about stuff that whatever jumps out at me, that’s what I’m going to throw at you.

So, let’s start with the first thing I want to discuss, which is in verse 2 of Proverbs 27: «Let someone else praise you, not your own mouth; a stranger, not your own lips.» When the Bible says, «Let somebody else praise you,» it emphasizes that it should not come from your own mouth. When it says «stranger,» it doesn’t mean someone who has no knowledge of who you are because if they are a total stranger, they can’t praise you; they wouldn’t know what to praise you for. What it’s saying is to make self-praise so foreign that it doesn’t come from your mouth. This is totally antithetical or in opposition to our culture. There is so much self-promotion going on in our world today. Everybody is slicing themselves up and showing how dope they are, how cool their hairstyles are, and how fantastic their fashion is. Everyone is self-promoting all the time: «Follow me and support me!» It’s so me-oriented that when you hear a verse like this—“Let another person praise you, and not your own mouth”—it’s a collision of cultures: a biblical worldview that says to be humble and sit down versus a secular worldview that says to promote yourself.

I understand sometimes that’s how you have to make money; you have to self-promote. However, there is something to be said about how important it is not to self-aggrandize or bloviate to promote yourself. Let somebody else give the praise and adoration. When it comes from a distance, it tends to be more authentic than when it comes from you or your circle because sometimes your circle may just be trying to flatter you. But usually, if somebody knows you well enough to recognize your value, that praise is the best you can depend on.

So, I want to give you three humility lessons. Everybody say «humility!» How many of you would say, «I’m a humble person?» How many would consider yourselves humble? Just humble. Alright, where were you before you said that? Yes, before you said this, you said, «I’m humble!» Well, you ain’t humble; that’s pride! «I’m humble; look at me, look how humble I am!» Well, now you wish you hadn’t said that. Paul knows I do this every year; I get people with the same thing every time. Most people notice and know that humility is the one characteristic that, as soon as you claim it, you just lost it. You can’t say it about yourself; somebody else has to say it.

So, here’s the first lesson I want to give to everybody who’s in business or trying to develop a product or service: I say this to people all the time in business and ministry: focus on your stake more than you focus on your sizzle. Focus more on your stake than on your sizzle. This is a sizzle-focused society. Everybody’s… What I mean when I’m talking about people who focus more on their sizzle than their stake is that they promote at a level that’s higher than their product. It’s like the person who blows up your phone, your email, and your social media inboxes saying, «Come to this! You’ve got to check out my program! You’ve got to come to this event!»