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Healed And Refreshed

Proverbs 3:5-8, ESV
Dr. Ed Pilapil Jr.
December 28, 2025
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Sermon Notes

Introduction

The wisdom of Proverbs is not abstract or detached, but deeply rooted in the Torah and the Old Testament narratives. It helps believers in Christ to live wisely in daily life. The main themes include trusting and fearing the LORD, turning away from evil, living wisely, taming the tongue, relationships, and community.

1. Trust Him and Not the Self

To trust in the LORD with all your heart means placing your full confidence in the covenant-keeping God who redeemed Israel from Egypt and who saves us through Christ Jesus. It is trusting who He is and trusting His Word, both His commands and His promises.

Proverbs 3:5: Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.

2. Straight Paths

Wisdom calls people to acknowledge Him in all their ways. In the Jewish context, it means remembering, respecting, and obeying the covenant. For believers in Christ, it is remembering, believing, and obeying the new covenant in all that they do.

Proverbs 3:6: In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

3. Biblical Wisdom

Biblical wisdom is defined by humility rather than self-confidence: fearing the LORD and turning from evil stands opposed to being wise in one’s own eyes. The promise of healing and refreshment shows that reverent obedience leads to life and wholeness, as living in submission to God’s order brings true well-being.

Proverbs 3:7-8: Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.

Application

  1. Let us fully trust the Triune God; let us believe and obey the Word. Our hope and salvation are in Christ’s gospel alone. As we fear and turn away from evil, may our paths be straight and bodies be healed.
  2. Let us also reject false forms of enlightenment: pseudo-intellectualism, modern gnostic thinking, crank confidence, the Dunning-Kruger effect, confirmation bias, parrot thinking, messianic self-importance, and self- taught arrogance. Instead, let us humbly submit to God’s Word.
  3. Let us also not trust emotional impulses such as self-pity, euphoria, despair, envy, anxiety, anger, fear, blame, or withdrawal from God’s people. Instead, let us bring our emotions under the authority of God’s Word and learn to respond in faith rather than impulse.

Study Guide

  1. What does it practically look like to trust the LORD with all your heart, and in what ways are you tempted to lean on your own understanding: intellectually, emotionally, or strategically?
  2. How does acknowledging the LORD in all your ways reshape your decision- making, and how does the promise of a “straight path” differ from simply expecting an easy outcome?
  3. How does being “wise in your own eyes” show up subtly in your life, and how does fearing the LORD and turning from evil lead to the kind of wholeness and renewal described in these verses?