Proverbs: The Wisdom of God In Christ (4 of 4)

Introduction

Open your Bibles this evening to Proverb Chapter 8. We will be reading the whole chapter of and focusing in on verse 32-36 this evening.

We come to the and of chapter 8

Let’s Read

Proverbs 8:1–36 ESV

Does not wisdom call? Does not understanding raise her voice? On the heights beside the way, at the crossroads she takes her stand; beside the gates in front of the town, at the entrance of the portals she cries aloud: “To you, O men, I call, and my cry is to the children of man. O simple ones, learn prudence; O fools, learn sense. Hear, for I will speak noble things, and from my lips will come what is right, for my mouth will utter truth; wickedness is an abomination to my lips. All the words of my mouth are righteous; there is nothing twisted or crooked in them. They are all straight to him who understands, and right to those who find knowledge. Take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold, for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her. “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, and I find knowledge and discretion. The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate. I have counsel and sound wisdom; I have insight; I have strength. By me kings reign, and rulers decree what is just; by me princes rule, and nobles, all who govern justly. I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me. Riches and honor are with me, enduring wealth and righteousness. My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold, and my yield than choice silver. I walk in the way of righteousness, in the paths of justice, granting an inheritance to those who love me, and filling their treasuries. “The Lord possessed me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of old. Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth. When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no springs abounding with water. Before the mountains had been shaped, before the hills, I was brought forth, before he had made the earth with its fields, or the first of the dust of the world. When he established the heavens, I was there; when he drew a circle on the face of the deep, when he made firm the skies above, when he established the fountains of the deep, when he assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his command, when he marked out the foundations of the earth, then I was beside him, like a master workman, and I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always, rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the children of man. “And now, O sons, listen to me: blessed are those who keep my ways. Hear instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it. Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors. For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord, but he who fails to find me injures himself; all who hate me love death.”

May God Bless the Reading of His Holy and Infallible Word

Let’s Pray

Transition

Verse 32 starts with, and now listen!

Body

Listen to Wisdom

Proverbs 8:32–33 ESV

“And now, O sons, listen to me: blessed are those who keep my ways. Hear instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it.

And now,

Now that the value of wisdom has been expounded who would be foolish enough to not pay attention.

Wisdom is gentle

Wisdom is persistent

Maiden wisdom comes with the more beautiful of handmaidens

Wisdom bring with her the greatest treasures

So Solomon writes, listen! Son’s all of you.

John Lovell and the DNA of a warrior

The lasting warrior are those that fight for virtue.

Desires of the flesh

Lust of the eyes

Pride of life

1 John 2:16

We will get back to the blessed part in verse 34

The call to be wise, what kind of wisdom, as we get into this section we will see its wisdom the brings life.

Remember, fighting the good fight, every effort to add to faith,

It takes work, hear the instruction here, do not neglect.

Transition

When? I should be intentional getting instruction from the wisdom of God sometimes, one time, daily. see verse 34.

The Word is Blessing

Proverbs 8:34 ESV

Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors.

Never ending watching and waiting on God’s wisdom.

Psalm one, blessed man

This watching and waiting daily is meditating on the Word

God’s word teaches us not to lean on our own understanding

God’s word teaches us about our inability to be righteous inherently

God’s word teaches us how to be eternally minded, reaching back to this Sunday.

Why everyday, because every day there are two options.

There is the fleshly, worldly, demonic wisdom (James 3:15)

There is the wisdom that is from above (James 3:15)

James tells us that the earthly, unspiritual, demonic wisdom lives in “jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.” (Jas 3:16, ESV)

“But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” (Jas 3:17–18, ESV)

Another way to put it is what Paul said in Galatians 5:19-24

“19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” (Ga 5:19–24, ESV)

The reason it is every day is that every day you have to make the choice

Am I taking up my cross, crucifying my flesh and walking with the Spirit?

More then every day,

How you respond to your spouse?

How you work at a job

moment by moment we have to be leaning away from our understanding and on to Christ.

Transition

The consequences or the character of person that leans on themselves become evident in verse 36. But before that verse 35 is alive with pointing the Christ as the great reason for all of it.

Life and Death is in the Wisdom of God Though Christ

Proverbs 8:35–36 ESV

For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord, but he who fails to find me injures himself; all who hate me love death.”

Jesus said, I am the way the truth and the live.

“22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” (1 Co 1:22–25, ESV)

The scriptures testify to us that Christ is the wisdom of God.

We get a little glimpse of what it felt like to be in the road the Emmaus

The wisdom of God himself, life himself, explaining himself from teh scriptures.

But we are not alone, Jesus said it was expedient that he go away so the Holy Sprint would come and guide us into all truth.

We need that truth because there are those in this world to whom the wisdom of God is foolishness and they love death.

Verse 36.

“but he who fails to find me injures himself; all who hate me love death.” (Pr 8:36, ESV)

You have heard both Gabe and myself use the term Culture of Death, we didn’t come up with that term. It is an absolutely accurate descriptor of a culture that hates Christ.

There are two different groups of people eluded to in this final verse.

“he who fails to find me injures himself.” (Pr 8:36, ESV)

That’s you and me when we neglect wisdom.

When we are not daily in the Word.

“watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors” (Pr 8:34, ESV)

Psalm 1.

Not planted like a tree

Even when we are lazy we are kept by Christ and even that injury is turned for our good.

The other person actively resists the wisdom of God “all who hate me love death.” (Pr 8:36, ESV)

They hate God.

Remember we started with talking about God’s attributes.

God is wisdom to hate God is to hate wisdom.

Do you have friends who are good people?

Jesus said you are with me or you are against me.

They work for your enemy, and he was a lier and a murder from the beginning (John 8:44, ESV)

Look at our world, its runs inextricably to death.

Conclusion

If we had not the wisdom of God on our side we should fear but Jesus said, I have over come the world.

Like martin Luther wrote,

A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing; our helper he, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing. For still our ancient foe does seek to work us woe; his craft and power are great, and armed with cruel hate, on earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing, were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God's own choosing. You ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is he; Lord Sabaoth his name, from age to age the same; and he must win the battle.

Never fear the world saint, rush to battle with it “this body they my kill, God’;s truth abidth still, his kingdom if forever.”

Benediction

Ephesians 3:20–21 ESV

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.