Wisdom Is a Grace.

Steve Gentry

[0:07] We’ll go ahead and have a seat. Welcome to Village Church. If this is your first time here, [0:11] my name is Steve, one of the pastors here at Village Church, and as always, I’m thankful and [0:14] grateful to see each and every one of you. If you have a Bible, go ahead and open it to Proverbs [0:19] chapter 1. We’re going to be hopefully getting through the first seven verses of that chapter, [0:25] and we’re starting a new series this morning on the book of Proverbs. Now, we’re not going to go [0:31] verse by verse through the book of Proverbs, but we’re going to cover the book thematically.

[0:38] And so, week by week, we’re going to tackle a different issue that is spread throughout [0:44] the final, really, 24 chapters of the book of Proverbs with the first nine chapters serving [0:49] really as a way of introduction. And so, we’re going to be skipping around in those first [0:54] nine chapters this morning, but the first seven verses of the book of Proverbs serve [1:00] as really an introduction as to what the entire book is about. Proverbs is a unique book of the [1:08] Bible. There really isn’t another book or letter in the scriptures like it, but just like every

[1:14] other book, the key to understanding the book of Proverbs is to understand that it is ultimately [1:20] about the gospel of Jesus Christ. What is unique about the book of Proverbs is it is a collection [1:26] of wise sayings that are meant to prepare your mind to have the discernment to live life the way [1:35] that God has designed for us to live it. Proverbs is not a narrative of history. [1:42] Proverbs is not a narrative of the events of the gospel. It is not a book of prescriptions [1:48] and commands. Rather, Proverbs is about building the kind of life in which you will easily trust

[1:56] the gospel and be able to make the right decisions about things that are less clear. [2:02] It would not be wrong to say that the book of Proverbs is about growing from a child [2:07] to an adult that can handle what many people refer to as the gray areas of life. I don’t like [2:14] calling anything in life a gray area because that is a way of almost excusing yourself [2:21] from having to make a right or a wrong decision. And the book of Proverbs, I think, is a great [2:27] evidence of that. But if you have to call something a gray area, understand that what Proverbs is

[2:33] about is being able to make the right decision in things that are not as clear as some things are. [2:43] Some things aren’t as easy as black or white. It’s not as easy as saying what is exactly right and [2:49] what is exactly wrong. That is what Proverbs is about. That in every unique situation of life, [2:57] you need to prepare yourself to have the kind of discernment to make the right decision. [3:04] So in that vein, Proverbs is about building your discernment by continuously setting a pattern [3:10] of right decisions so that when the harder decisions of life come and the unique situational

[3:18] decisions of life come, you will be able to make the right decision. You are going to have to make [3:26] tough decisions in your life. That is not optional. No human being lives a long life [3:34] without having to face tough situations, tough places, hard moments where, quite frankly, [3:41] you’re not sure what the right thing to do is, where you have the decision between [3:46] two or more things and you say, there are multiple ways that I could see as good. [3:53] But what Proverbs hones in on is knowing what is best in every individual situation

[4:01] and having the rhythm set in your life so that what is not obvious to other people in every [4:09] situation is obvious to you. You’re going to see some language in Proverbs that maybe you’re not [4:17] familiar with. You’re going to see a lot of that today, but ultimately Proverbs hones down on one [4:22] of two categories in life. And it doesn’t really paint much of an in-between. Proverbs says you [4:27] are either wise or you are a fool. It doesn’t make a lot of apology for that. You’re either [4:34] making wise decisions or you are making foolish decisions. My favorite television show is Live PD.

[4:42] Live PD is a three to six hour marathon every week of fools making bad decisions [4:50] over bad decisions, over bad decisions, over bad decisions, and then usually blaming someone [4:57] else for those bad decisions. Last night I was watching Live PD and I did it on purpose last [5:03] night because last night I was like, I want a fresh example. I knew Live PD was going to [5:08] give me one. And so last night there were these two young men. They got pulled over [5:13] and there was a bag of marijuana and they happened to be in a state where marijuana is illegal.

[5:18] And one guy was mad at the other guy because he wouldn’t say that the marijuana was his because [5:23] the other guy was on parole. And if that marijuana gets pinned on him, he’s got to go back to prison. [5:28] And he’s like, you’re a terrible friend because you won’t take responsibility for this marijuana. [5:33] This is all your fault. To which the cop said, I’ve known this guy since he was in high school. [5:40] And the guy was in his mid twenties at that point. He said, what’s very important for understanding [5:44] the book of Proverbs. And I was so thankful he’d said it. He said, he’s not a bad guy.

[5:52] He just makes a lot of bad decisions.

[5:57] That’s what the book of Proverbs is about. It’s about forming the kind of life where you do not [6:06] set a pattern of bad decisions that build on top of one another that lead to a life filled with [6:14] calamity. You do not typically just end up on the side of the road in handcuffs, bag of marijuana [6:25] on the hood of your car, trying to get your friend to take the fall. You don’t just happen [6:31] upon that situation. And we need to be honest about that. Bad decision after bad decision [6:40] after bad decision leads you to that place where you’re just looking for someone, anyone

[6:50] to blame who can take the fall when it gets too difficult for you. What if though there was a way [7:00] to build a rhythm in life where you’re not going to get there? Where you’re going to build a record [7:09] of right decision after right decision after right decision so that when you see something [7:14] like that, it is so far from your reality. It is so far removed that you can’t imagine [7:21] being in that position. I’ll tell you, that’s what the book of Proverbs is. And let’s look [7:27] starting in verse 1. The Proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel, to know wisdom and

[7:35] instruction, to understand words of insight, to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, [7:44] justice, and equity, to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth. [7:52] Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance. [7:59] To understand a proverb and a saying, the words of the wise and their riddles. [8:05] The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. Fools despise wisdom and instruction. [8:16] And I just this morning kind of want to go through those seven verses to begin to set up

[8:22] the rest of the series so that we can build wise lives. Number one, this morning Proverbs calls us [8:28] to think. Proverbs calls us to think. You might say, that sounds so simple, but it is a discipline [8:38] that many find too hard. We are very used in this culture, and quite frankly it can be said to be [8:47] getting worse and worse, to not want to spend time thinking, but instead to make decisions as fast as [8:55] our phone will move. To make decisions about complicated things in life. To not have to think [9:02] too hard, because we want to know what is right and wrong before the hot pocket is done in the

[9:08] microwave. Which by the way, if you’re microwaving a hot pocket, you’re already living a foolish [9:13] life. It’s always a bad decision, friends. Wisdom is literally the gospel reshaping you for daily [9:24] living. The book begins with the end in mind. It says the point of the matter is to know wisdom [9:30] and instruction and to understand words of insight. That right there is the key. The world around [9:36] you wants your wisdom to be conditioned by experience. And this is something that many [9:43] people will tell you, and it just happens to work out for some people. But for the fool, understand

[9:50] that their foolishness is also conditioned by experience. You will be told to live and learn. [9:59] But I want you to hone in on right now is that the Proverbs give you the opposite advice. [10:05] The Proverbs begin by saying learn and live. The opposite. It says that before you are cast out [10:15] into a world to have to make complicated, hard decisions, there is a way to learn [10:24] how to make the right decisions in your life. The entire concept behind Solomon’s wisdom from the [10:31] Holy Spirit in this book is that God gives each of us the potential to know in advance what will

[10:38] succeed and what will lead to our ruin. And he’s very much telling us that biblical wisdom is the [10:45] key to life. Now, he’s also clear from the start. This is about instruction. This is about being [10:52] taught. You do not just naturally end up a wise person. You have to learn wisdom. You need to be [11:00] instructed as to what wisdom is. Instruction then is you understanding that you have a need to get [11:09] smarter. Not just with facts but with wisdom. You need to be taught good discernment. [11:17] One of the greatest shortcomings of our culture is in growing in discernment. We are unwise because

[11:25] we are impatient. We want everything to be fast. We want instant gratification in every area of life [11:32] from money to sex to relationships and on and on and on. If it doesn’t happen fast, [11:40] we try to make it happen fast. And that is where we go wrong. When you don’t know what the right [11:48] thing to do is, guess what? Usually it’s don’t do anything. Usually it’s wait. Usually it’s spend [11:56] some time learning. Spend some time knowing what the right thing to do. Spend some time receiving [12:03] instruction so that you will not have to learn everything the hard way. For so many people say,

[12:11] oh, I’m the kind of person, I’ve got to learn everything the hard way. No, you don’t. [12:17] Proverbs is clear. You don’t have to learn everything the hard way. [12:21] You can learn and then be geared with a rhythm of success in your life where you will not avoid [12:30] pain and suffering. You will not avoid calamity, but you can avoid calamity because you’re foolish. [12:38] You can avoid the type of calamity that just comes into life because you are making bad decisions. [12:47] And our culture believes that you can’t avoid that, but you can avoid that. Proverbs invites

[12:55] us to slow down and learn how to think about five, 10, 20, even maybe 40 years from now. [13:05] And how the decisions you make today are going to impact your future. See, the details of our lives [13:12] build character in the small things of life. Your life will be determined by a million small [13:20] decisions, and you need to grow into that. See, it’s not the huge monumental decisions that are [13:27] going to determine the success and failure of your life. It’s a million tiny decisions day in [13:34] and day out that you make that lead to the more difficult decisions of life. But when you start

[13:41] to get all of the smaller details of life wrong, you are setting yourself up to make [13:48] bad decisions when the harder things of life come. And understand that Jesus wants you to be wise.

[13:58] See, I think sometimes people get themselves into this notion that Jesus’s death and resurrection [14:04] somehow nullify the book of Proverbs. That because of the resurrection, all that wisdom stuff from [14:11] the Old Testament, you don’t have to think through all of that. No, Jesus didn’t die to nullify the [14:15] book of Proverbs. Jesus wrote the book of Proverbs. Jesus wants us to always have in mind what wisdom [14:21] and foolishness looks like. Look at what Jesus says in Matthew chapter 27 verse 24. He says, [14:26] everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them, what will he be like? A wise man.

[14:35] And Jesus wants you to learn wisdom. Jesus wants you to learn the type of wisdom [14:40] so that when you have the decision, do I follow Jesus or do I not follow Jesus? [14:46] And in this example in Matthew 7, Jesus likens it between the man who builds his, [14:50] the foundation of his home on a rock and a man who builds the foundation of his home on the sand.

[14:56] It can be built into your life to have the type of rhythm where you look at that and you say, [15:01] well, duh, I’m going to build my house on a rock. To where when Jesus says, well, the way to build [15:07] your house on the rock is to trust in the gospel, trust in the work of Jesus Christ. And you say, [15:13] well, man, I’ve built into my life a rhythm of trusting the scripture. I’ve built into my life [15:18] a rhythm of making small decisions rightly according to the counsel of God. And if that [15:23] is where God is leading all of human history, that is where I’m going to lead my life.

[15:27] Do you know that that is the role of every parent in the life of every child in a Christian home?

[15:34] You are meant by God to condition your children to trust the gospel of Jesus Christ. Now you have [15:43] to leave the results up to the Lord. There’s no guarantees, but your calling is to condition [15:50] your child to make godly decisions in the small things of life so that when the opportunity comes [15:56] to where you say, do I build my house on the rock or do I build my house on the sand? You [16:00] have equipped them to build their house on the rock. Jesus wants you to be wise. [16:07] Wisdom, then, according to this book, is skill, expertise, and competence that just understands

[16:17] how life works and how to achieve successful results. That’s what wisdom is. It also understands [16:26] how then to define what success is because the scriptures are going to define success [16:31] completely different than everyone else in life. The world is not going to define success by the [16:37] way that the scripture defines success. Scripture is going to give you keen insight to what success [16:44] is, and that’s why they use such specific language. Wisdom, then, is available to everyone in exactly [16:51] the same way. Don’t believe anybody that says anything contrary to that. So the word insight

[16:58] is vital. You know what insight is? Insight means that the non-obvious can become obvious.

[17:09] Have you ever met someone, they just make the right decision about everything, [17:13] and they do it way faster than you do? It’s frustrating. Say, how do they know what to do [17:19] immediately? How do they understand what they should do in each and every situation? [17:24] Do you want to know how? Because they’ve built a rhythm. Because they’ve built a rhythm in [17:29] their life where they’re disciplined to look into everything, and they have a keen insight [17:34] so that what is not obvious to you is obvious to them. Do you know the greatest example of this

[17:40] in some situations? When children don’t understand the insight of their parents. [17:47] If you have children, did you ever understand anything that they didn’t quite get why you were [17:53] doing things the way that you did? When I was growing up, I would trick my father into taking [17:59] me to Toys R Us. Now, Toys R Us doesn’t exist, I don’t think anymore. So kids, there used to be [18:05] a store that was literally filled with toys. All the toys, everything you could imagine, [18:13] it was all there. And I would just trick my dad, I would guilt him, and he would take me.

[18:20] And I had a plan. My plan was very simple. He’s going to buy me things. And I’m going to make him. [18:30] My parents, they lovingly remind me to this day that I used to always look at my dad and say, [18:36] I don’t understand the problem, just write a check. This is back in the 80s. People still did that. [18:43] I would say, I see you write checks all the time. Just write a check. Because in my mind, [18:51] just writing a check was the same as creating money. That all that you had to do to create [18:57] all the money in the world was to write this magic piece of paper out and hand it to the cashier.

[19:02] And they would literally let you have whatever you wanted. But my dad would always say, [19:07] that’s not how things work. Because it was not obvious to me. It was obvious to him. My father [19:16] had insight into something that I did not have insight to. And I will tell you, I’m 39 years old [19:25] now, I have insight into how bank accounts work now. And I’m like, I’m glad he didn’t write all [19:31] those checks. I was able to go to college because he didn’t write all those checks [19:35] when I was younger. See, people with insight don’t surrender to people who don’t have insight.

[19:45] People with insight don’t surrender to people who don’t have insight. See, your children first will [19:52] try to get you to surrender to their will, even though you have insight. But it’s not just your [19:57] children. There are foolish people around you every day. Some of them are immediate family. [20:06] Some of them are extended family. Some of them are coworkers. Some of them are friends that you’ve [20:11] had since high school, middle school, elementary school. Some of them are people that you just met. [20:17] And maybe you’re in a position in life where you’re just falling into a crowd because of a

[20:21] life situation, but you’re going to be bombarded day in and day out with people who don’t have the [20:28] same insight that you do. And there’s always going to be temptation to give in, to just go along. [20:34] People with insight don’t do that. People with insight hold their ground because they refuse to [20:40] make unwise decisions. Look at Proverbs chapter 1 verse 22. Solomon writes, he says,

[20:51] they’re scoffing and fools hate knowledge.

[21:03] Simple means that you can’t handle life. Simple means that you are unprepared. [21:11] Simple means you are naive and ignorant. No one wants to be called simple, but here’s the fact [21:19] of life. Everyone starts that way. Everyone starts simple, but the key is, you know, stay that way. [21:31] It’s a choice that you make. You can choose to stay simple and that will lead to your fall. [21:38] He says that if you will receive the instruction and wise dealing, you will cease to be simple. [21:44] You will grow, but are you willing to grow? Are you willing to think? Number two,

[21:51] Proverbs calls us to grow beyond our ignorance. Proverbs calls us to not stay simple. You are [21:59] either becoming wise in life or you are becoming foolish in life. There is no third option, but no [22:05] one wants to hear that they are ignorant. No one likes to hear that they’re naive. Nobody likes to

[22:21] be called simple. You’re not going to grow. You’re going to grow. You’re going to grow. [22:26] You’re going to grow. You’re going to grow. You’re going to grow. You’re going to grow. You’re going [22:28] to grow. You’re going to grow. You’re going to grow. You’re going to grow. You’re going to grow. [22:28] You’re going to grow. You’re going to grow. You’re going to grow. You’re going to grow. You’re going [22:32] to grow. You’re going to grow. You’re going to grow. You’re going to grow. You’re going to grow. [22:43] Oh, this bad decision led to that tough situation. Oh, this bad decision led to that tough situation.

[22:48] And you begin to see a person whose pattern is bad decision after bad decision. And that’s why [22:54] they are in the position that they are in. But the key is, is how will you respond if you are [23:00] making bad decisions and you have to be confronted with the key fact? You’re making bad decisions [23:05] because you’re ignorant. A wise person responds and says, you know what? [23:12] The results of my decisions show that you’re right. A fool says, how dare you judge me?

[23:21] She’s the fool that rebukes that type of judgment. It’s not wisdom that leads you to rebuke that type [23:28] of judgment. Proverbs chapter one, verse four, gives you a jumping off point. And it tells you [23:35] that growing in wisdom is going to require humility. It is a place from which you need to [23:40] grow. If your life does not measure up to God’s design, then yes, you are foolish. [23:46] The answer is not to blame others. The answer is not to resent God. What does this text say? The [24:04] situation. Verse six says, for the Lord gives wisdom from his mouth comes knowledge and

[24:10] understanding. He stores up sound wisdom for the upright. He is a shield to those who walk in [24:16] integrity, guarding the paths of justice, watching over the way of the saints. Then you will [24:22] understand righteousness and justice and equity. Every good path for wisdom will come into your [24:29] heart and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Discretion will watch over you. Understanding [24:36] will guard you. Wisdom prevents you from making decisions that lead to your destruction.

[24:47] Do you know what the good news about that text is? God’s wisdom is available to everyone. [24:54] God’s wisdom is available to everyone to go in the right direction. And he promises that it will [24:59] lead to a better life. It might not be the life that you wish you had, but it will be a life of [25:08] wisdom at the level that you are in, and you will succeed in the circumstances that surround you. [25:15] See, you don’t always get the choice as to what circumstances surround you. Things are going to [25:21] come in your life all the time that you didn’t choose, that you didn’t sovereignly say, show up

[25:25] my doorstep one day. But Proverbs gives you the wisdom so that whatever circumstance you [25:30] find yourself in, you will be able to achieve a level of success in those specific circumstances. [25:38] But the opposite is Proverbs 1 32. He says, for the simple are killed by their turning away [25:47] and the complacency of fools destroys them. See that warning?

[25:56] The simple who choose to stay that way, you say wisdom is not the way for me. I’m just going to [26:03] make bad decision after bad decision. This is ultimately it’s going to lead to death [26:07] and destruction. But the opposite of that is to heed wise instruction. It’s to receive it. [26:16] See, you’re going to be destroyed if you won’t listen to anybody. Have you ever met somebody [26:20] that just they won’t listen to reason? I’ve met a lot of people like that and I hate it. [26:25] I hate it. I hate to see somebody marching towards their destruction and you tell them,

[26:31] you plead with them, you beg with them, heed wise counsel, listen to me. Literally, [26:38] I’ve been in a situation where I’ve said, don’t do this specific thing. It’s like putting a [26:46] five year old in a room with a red button in the center and saying, whatever you do, [26:50] don’t touch the button. And they say, I love the button. Gotta have the button.

[27:00] Sometimes even as adults, we are like that five year old with the red button. Somebody says, [27:05] don’t and everything in our mind says, oh, but I got it. [27:10] And so we make bad decisions that lead to our downfall. See, God grants you the ability to be [27:18] shrewd in life. Look in the text again. Verse four, he says to give prudence, excuse me, prudence [27:25] to the simple. What is prudence? Prudence literally means in the original Hebrew, [27:30] discretion in practical affairs. It means that you know what to do in all types of practical

[27:40] everyday situations. It is often translated in other versions as shrewdness. It is the ability [27:48] to wade through the waters of life with an ability to find right places to go, the right [27:54] people to know, and the right directions to turn. I’m gonna say those three again. [27:59] It is the ability to find the right places to go, the right people to know, and the right [28:06] directions to turn. That is what a shrewd life is. You know, it takes shrewdness to when you [28:16] that there’s water leaking through the ceiling to make it stop, to go up and say, first, where is

[28:25] the leak? Secondly, can I stop it myself? Thirdly, I gotta call a professional. It takes shrewdness,

[28:37] discretion in the things of everyday life to know what to do in these situations. What am I equipped [28:44] to do? What are others equipped to do? And how can I make right decisions in the midst of all [28:51] of life’s situations? But for some of us, when those situations come, we panic, we shut down, [28:59] and we do nothing. And so a leak turns into a flood, turns into a disaster. That’s an analogy [29:09] that doesn’t just apply to your roof. It applies to the everyday situations in life. But what if [29:16] there is a way to build a rhythm in your life so that when the leaks come, you don’t panic.

[29:24] You immediately address the situation with wisdom and shrewdness. Discretion is the ability to see [29:31] temptations and foolishness coming and having the character to rise above it. Discretion means [29:39] that you aren’t easily fooled. You are too wise to be tricked into foolishness. That email is not [29:46] really from a Nigerian prince. It’s a form of discretion. I shouldn’t click on that link for [29:56] a million dollars. That takes a level of discretion. Now I know that’s a silly example, but if you [30:05] build a rhythm of good decisions in your life, where you build a rhythm of finding wise people

[30:11] and saying, help me learn wisdom and how to address the things in life, you will not just [30:18] be wise at the level of knowing that that email is not from a Nigerian prince. But instead, [30:24] I shouldn’t go this direction. I shouldn’t go that direction. I shouldn’t buy a jet ski [30:31] with the payment that I need to make on my house.

[30:36] You will begin to form that discretion, which by the way, that’s wisdom. I see people all the time [30:44] in a fifty thousand dollar truck in front of my single wide trailer. Friends, that’s not wise.

[30:57] Wisdom gives you the ability to have the discretion to know how to invest money. It [31:04] doesn’t mean you’re going to be the wealthiest guy on the block, the wealthiest guy in your family, [31:09] the wealthiest guy in your house. Sometimes I think my kids have more money than I do. [31:14] But it means that whatever money you do earn, whatever money God does bless you with, [31:20] you know how to use it wisely and you make a house payment before you go to Ruth’s Chris. [31:29] You know which decision is right and which decision is wrong. The foolish frequently speak

[31:39] of how it isn’t their fault. It’s not my fault. That is the mantra of the fool. The wise have [31:49] discretion to avoid folly because they receive wisdom. They make good decisions and when they [31:55] make mistakes, they take personal responsibility. Proverbs nine, nine notes, give instruction to a [32:03] wise man and he will be still wiser, teach a righteous man and he will increase in learning. [32:10] A wise man always seeks to grow wiser. A wise man understands that there is no ceiling on the [32:19] road. When you are wise, you just keep wanting to grow. Proverbs eight, five notes that prudence

[32:25] and sense are learned. Oh, simple ones learn prudence. Oh, fools learn sense.

[32:35] So the common sense that aids you in not making bad decisions, guess what? It is a godly [32:40] discipline to learn in life. See, to make disciples of Jesus Christ, you need to be a wise person. [32:50] Because you’ll never disciple someone above the level of your own wisdom. [32:55] You will never disciple someone above the level of your own wisdom. You need wisdom for your career. [33:03] You need wisdom for choosing a spouse. You need wisdom for being a good spouse or parent. You need [33:08] wisdom for balancing the checkbook. You need wisdom to know, should I buy this house? Should I buy

[33:13] that house? The bank has approved me for this, but I only think I can afford this. You need wisdom [33:19] to know, do I join a community group? You need the wisdom to know, is this community group leader [33:23] crazy? You need the wisdom to know, do I join a discipleship group? And you need the wisdom to [33:29] say, the people in this discipleship group are codependent. I’m going to form my own.

[33:34] See, you need wisdom every single day of your life for every single situation. And some of you, [33:42] let’s be honest, you’re avoiding having to grow in that area. And it’s to your own detriment. [33:49] It’s hurting you. You need to learn to make good decisions. Proverbs 14, 6 then is a warning. He [33:55] says, a scoffer seeks wisdom in vain, but knowledge is easy for a man of understanding. [34:01] It states that there is a situation that you can find yourself in which wisdom cannot be [34:06] learned any longer. A simple man can turn into a scoffer. A scoffer treats wisdom and wise people

[34:16] with contempt. A scoffer resents wise people because they succeed where the scoffer fails. [34:24] A scoffer invests poorly, lives rebelliously, acts like the rules doesn’t apply to them. [34:31] And when they hit rock bottom and face the consequences for their action, [34:35] they blame everyone else. And they even scream, who are you to judge me?

[34:43] Don’t be a scoffer. They can’t find wisdom because they refuse to take responsibility [34:51] for their actions. Friends, he goes on. He says, understanding that he keeps moving on, giving us [34:59] important terms. Understanding is that person, note this, understanding is that person, [35:07] younger people note this, understanding is that person who obeys their parents,

[35:13] invests wisely rather than taking the easy way out and forms a rhythm and life of wise decisions.

[35:23] That’s what understanding will give you. Now there’s a difference in the type of [35:27] life that’s easy. We’re talking about here. It’s not that life is easy. It’s just that when they [35:34] don’t, excuse me, it’s just that they don’t have a hard time choosing hard work that will pay off [35:39] in the end over cutting corners. People with understanding sacrifice for what matters rather [35:46] than using the excuse, it’s too hard.

[35:53] Just because it’s hard

[35:56] doesn’t mean it’s not wise. Wisdom chooses the hard path when the return is great. [36:05] Fools choose the easy way out in every situation. Number three, [36:09] Proverbs calls us into a right relationship with God. Proverbs calls us into a right relationship [36:15] with God. This is the theme of Proverbs. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. [36:23] That is the theme of the entire book of Proverbs. If you want to build a life of wisdom, [36:27] you must begin with fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord is openness to him. The fear of the Lord

[36:33] is eagerness to please him. The fear of the Lord is humility to be instructed by him. Fools will [36:43] do this. They rebel against God and then blame God when they have to pay for their sin. [36:51] Proverbs 15-33 puts it this way, the fear of the Lord is instruction and wisdom. Humility comes [36:59] before honor. Humility comes before honor. That’s a bold statement. That is how you grow in wisdom. [37:09] It’s the willingness to turn from evil and be challenged by the power of the God you are [37:14] submitting to. You will surrender to his will and love God for his will because you see that every

[37:21] command, every demand for submission, every moment of his will leads to the gospel of Jesus Christ. [37:29] To believe the gospel is to fear the Lord. That is how you build a life of knowledge and wisdom. [37:35] Jesus says this in Matthew chapter 12 verse 42, speaking of Solomon. He says, [37:41] the queen of the south, queen of Egypt at that time, will rise up at the judgment [37:45] with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of [37:51] Solomon. Proverbs, what does he say? Behold, something greater than Solomon is here.

[37:59] Proverbs. See, Jesus is telling them, where do you think Proverbs came from? [38:06] It came from God. It came from Jesus. See, for all Solomon’s wisdom, he was simply a forerunner [38:13] seeking to give the wisdom to trust God, and in doing that, God will command you and you will obey. [38:20] God will point your life in a direction that you should choose and a way in which you should go, [38:25] you will always be able to have all of the wisdom that God has to offer you. Now, I want to warn [38:31] you, this is ultimately about worship. Wisdom is worship. Discernment, worship. Discretion,

[38:43] worship. Understanding, worship. Insight, worship. If you are foolish and you refuse to turn from [38:51] foolish ways, you cannot worship. That’s what Solomon’s trying to tell us. That’s what Jesus [38:58] is rooting us down into. You cannot follow Jesus and be a fool at the same time. Why do we not [39:04] understand that? If you’re making foolish decision after foolish decision after foolish decision, [39:09] and you say, I’m following Jesus, what are you saying about Jesus? You’re saying that he’s a [39:15] fool. Jesus is no fool, friend. When you refuse to obey God’s wisdom, that means you don’t desire

[39:23] to bring him glory. Wisdom grows in the same way God’s revelation did. The more God unveils, [39:31] the greater he gets until ultimately he showed all of his wisdom led to the cross and to the [39:37] resurrection. And when you see that plan unfolded, you say, what a wise God. His wisdom is greater [39:43] than mine. And then you say, I want that type of wisdom. I want to lead that type of life. Friend, [39:50] does your life reveal great wisdom? I hope so. But maybe it doesn’t. Maybe you’re walking down [39:59] a road of foolishness. And here’s what I want to tell you. Good news. It’s okay to be ignorant.

[40:06] It really is. I won’t assure you of that, but it’s not okay to stay there. That’s the message of the [40:14] book of Proverbs. Everyone starts somewhere. The choice you have is do I want to stay ignorant or [40:22] do I want to grow wise? If you’re walking down a path of foolishness, repent of your sin, [40:29] fear the Lord, trust in Jesus. And over this series, let’s begin to build a life of wisdom. [40:39] Every Sunday we reflect on the Lord’s Supper. And this Sunday is no different because the Lord’s [40:44] Supper is ultimately about a revelation of the wisdom of God. The bread on the plates in the

[40:50] front and in the back represent the broken body of Jesus. The cup represents his shed blood and [40:55] everything God did in human history led right there to the cross of Jesus Christ. [41:00] If you’re here this morning and you say, I believe the gospel in just a moment, [41:05] I’m going to call you. I’m going to say, hey, proclaim your faith to everyone in this room. [41:09] When you proclaim that type of faith, you proclaim, you know what? God has changed me and God is [41:14] changing me. And so when we eat and drink today, let’s proclaim to everyone, you know what? I don’t

[41:20] have all the wisdom in the world and maybe I am making some foolish decisions, but by God, [41:25] I want to receive instruction. I want to grow in knowledge of the fear of the Lord. [41:32] And that’s what we’ll do over the next few weeks. When you’re ready, come.