Four Vices Proverbs Warns Us To Root Out

Scripture References

Primary text

• Proverbs 20

Other references

• Deuteronomy 4:24
• Zechariah 8:2
• 2 Corinthians 11:2
• Mark 7:21-23
• James 3:16
• Galatians 5
• Proverbs 14:30
• Proverbs 23:17
• Proverbs 23:20-21
• Proverbs 24:17
• Proverbs 24:29
• Proverbs 25:21-22
• Proverbs 29:22
• Proverbs 31
• Numbers 11:1
• Psalm 30:5
• Romans 12:19
• 1 Corinthians 6:12
• Ephesians 1:3
• Ephesians 4:26-27

Overview

Returning to Proverbs, the pastor highlighted how the book names both virtues to imitate and vices to abandon. From a longer list of twelve failings he chose four—envy, drunkenness, revenge, and anger—showing how each is exposed and corrected in Scripture. The call: examine our hearts, confess what the Spirit reveals, and let God make us more like Jesus.

Main Points

Envy

• Definition: wanting what someone else has or wishing to be who someone else is; always tied to covetousness.
• Jealousy vs. envy: jealousy can contain a protective “jealous for” element (God for Israel; Paul for Corinth), but envy is condemned throughout the Bible.
• Biblical warnings
  • Satan envied God and was cast out.
  • Adam and Eve envied what they thought God withheld.
  • Cain’s envy of Abel led to murder.
  • Jesus (Mark 7) and James (Jas 3) call envy evil; Paul lists it among acts of the flesh (Gal 5).
• Proverbs’ counsel
  • 14:30 – envy “rots the bones.”
  • 23:17 – don’t envy sinners; fear the Lord instead.
• Remedy: rest in identity and blessing in Christ (Eph 1:3). Knowing we are already “blessed … with every spiritual blessing” frees us from comparison.

Drunkenness

• Scripture does not forbid drinking but repeatedly condemns intoxication; defining the line is difficult (legal limits vary—0.08%, 0.05%, even 0.01% abroad).
• Because only abstinence guarantees sobriety, many believers set a self-imposed no-alcohol standard (1 Cor 6:12: “I will not be mastered by anything”).
• Proverbs’ repeated cautions
  • 20:1 – “Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler.”
  • 23:20-21, 29-35 – vivid portrait of hangovers, bruises, hallucinations, addiction, and poverty.
  • 31 – the single “positive” word: give drink to the dying or those in anguish.
• Real-life damage
  • Story: Pastor’s brilliant physician cousin died of alcohol poisoning.
  • Statistics: alcohol-related deaths every 30 minutes; ¾ of spousal-abuse incidents; youth deaths far outpace other drugs (MADD data).
• Call: honestly ask whether alcohol is controlling us; if so, reel it in or abstain entirely.

Revenge

• Instinct says, “I’ll pay them back,” but Proverbs and Romans urge the opposite.
  • Prov 24:29 – don’t say, “I’ll do to him as he did to me.”
  • Prov 24:17 – don’t gloat when an enemy falls.
  • Rom 12:19 – “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.
  • Prov 25:21-22 – feed and refresh your enemy; kindness “heaps burning coals” (divine judgment) while God rewards you.
• Principle: relinquish the score-keeping ledger and let God handle justice. Our job is gracious kindness.

Anger

• Not all anger is sin (Jesus in the temple; God’s righteous anger, Num 11, Ps 30).
• Danger lies in uncontrolled anger that harms others.
  • Explosive anger: public outbursts (e.g., the diner who berates the waitress).
  • Implosive anger: bottled-up resentment that finally erupts (e.g., the employee who returns with a gun).
• New-covenant guardrails
  • Eph 4:26-27 – “In your anger do not sin… do not give the devil a foothold.” Deal with it before the next day.
• Proverbs’ wisdom
  • 14:16-17 – a fool is hot-headed and reckless.
  • 29:22 – an angry person commits many sins.
  • 29:11 – fools give full vent; the wise stay under control.
• Practical step: identify triggers, submit emotions to the Spirit, seek reconciliation quickly.

Key Truths

• Envy signals a misplaced identity; satisfaction in Christ disarms it.
• Alcohol may be permissible, but its potential to mock, brawl, and master us demands extreme caution.
• Vengeance belongs to God alone; returning evil with kindness frees us and invites His justice.
• Anger handled quickly and righteously can honor God; anger nursed or unleashed invites sin and Satan’s foothold.

Response

• Ask the Holy Spirit to expose any envy, drunkenness, revenge, or anger lurking in your heart.
• Affirm aloud the blessings you already possess in Christ.
• Set clear, accountable boundaries around alcohol—up to and including abstinence.
• Choose one person who has wronged you; pray blessing over them and look for a tangible act of kindness.
• When anger rises, pause, pray, and address it before the day ends—seek forgiveness where needed.

Closing

The sermon ended with an invitation to honest self-examination: if these vices are present, confess and purge them; if not, stay vigilant and avoid them. Only the Spirit can transform our character, making us more like Jesus as we yield each area to Him.

Prayer

The pastor closed by asking the Lord to reveal, forgive, and remove these vices, to strengthen self-control, and to shape us into Christ-likeness, trusting God to do His good work in every heart.