The Path of Wisdom

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Welcome everyone!

Anyone memorize a Proverb this week?

“Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words”

“But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines brighter and brighter until the full day”

OPENING PRAYER

Lord, would you help us today to see the greatness of Your wisdom? Would you help us to put our worldly ways of thinking away and replace them with your ways. And would You help us to come to Your Word today as a life giving substance that is worthy of our complete devotion. We ask that you would not only give us understanding, but help us to apply these truths directly to our lives and be faithful to this Word today. Amen.

Sermon Introduction

The sermon today is about two paths in life. This is not a new theme in Proverbs, it is a major theme spread throughout the entire book, but really dominates Proverbs chapter 4.

All of us are on a path in this life. Some are simply following others, some are following their own philosophies and ideas, some the ideas of others, and some are following the wisdom and ways of God.

A path is not just a way to get somewhere, but a way that people have walked before. A path is beaten down, a place traveled by others. A Solomon here is writing to son about taking the right path! The path that has been traveled by men of God for years and years.

Every path has a destination. And the call in this sermon today is to consider the path that you are on! Look around you, look at the way that you live, look at the direction that you are going and discern your path in this life!

You may say, well things are going pretty good for me right now. That does not mean trouble is not waiting for us if we continue to walk down the wrong path!

The opposite is also true! Life may not be so easy right now, but if you are walking down the right path, it will get better. The path of wisdom may be leading you out of difficulty. Don’t change your path..

We want to be on the path of wisdom. The path that produces a life lived well. The path that pleases God and that leads us into the celestial Kingdom

What is the path of wisdom?

The Path of Wisdom is traveled by ALL wise people: LEARN FROM THEM

Proverbs 4:3–5 NASB95

When I was a son to my father, Tender and the only son in the sight of my mother, Then he taught me and said to me, “Let your heart hold fast my words; Keep my commandments and live; Acquire wisdom! Acquire understanding! Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth.

Proverbs 4:11–13 NASB95

I have directed you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in upright paths. When you walk, your steps will not be impeded; And if you run, you will not stumble. Take hold of instruction; do not let go. Guard her, for she is your life.

Explanation

I want you to think about what is going on here. Solomon is reminiscing about when he was a young man under the parenthood of his father. Who was the father of King Solomon? King David. The mighty great man of God, the man after God’s own heart.

I have no doubt that David was a wise man. His wisdom is clearly seen throughout his life. But I did not know that David’s wisdom was such an influence on the life of Solomon who was the wisest man who ever lived.

What would you tell your son who was going to be king over an entire nation? Son, rule well. Son show mercy on the people of this kingdom. Son, God told me you are to build Him a temple, so it well. Son, you take care of Joab after I’m gone.

When Solomon was young, tender (young) David poured into his son about the great treasure of wisdom. He taught him the value of wisdom. He taught him that wisdom would keep him, protect him, guide him, and bless him. HE TAUGHT HIS SON TO PURSUE WISDOM AND WISDOM WOULD GIVE HIM LIFE.

Did you ever wonder why Solomon asked God for wisdom instead of so many other things?

1 Kings 3:5–9 (NASB95)

In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream at night; and God said, “Ask what you wish me to give you.” Then Solomon said, “You have shown great lovingkindness to Your servant David my father, according as he walked before You in truth and righteousness and uprightness of heart toward You; and You have reserved for him this great lovingkindness, that You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.

“Now, O Lord my God, You have made Your servant king in place of my father David, yet I am but a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. “Your servant is in the midst of Your people which You have chosen, a great people who are too many to be numbered or counted. “So give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”

Solomon learned to love wisdom from when he was a boy because he saw it lived out in the life of his father King David!

He saw David lead his kingdom well, he saw King David live righteously, and His Father told him directly when he was a young man, PURSUE WISDOM!

BE WISE SOLOMON, AND YOU WILL NOT STUMBLE!

And now Solomon is following in the footsteps of his father and teaching his son the same.

Application:

Wisdom is generational! It is passed down from parents to children, from grandparents to grandchildren, from older men to younger men, from older women to younger women!

ALL WISE PEOPLE TRAVEL DOWN THE SAME PATH OF WISDOM!

You see someone who is wise, then learn from then!

Follow the principles they practice.

Look at the difference it has made in their lives!

I met a guy Saturday who made such an impact on me.

A ChristIan who had been blessed by his own generosity snd this is something God is working on in me right now.

And as he shared with me testimony after testimony it moved me to tears to see how God was working in his life and compelled me to become a more generous man.

Who do you see around you, that walks in wisdom, and has visible fruit of that in their life? Learn from them. Let their love of God’s wisdom inspire you to become wise.

It is foolish and prideful to always try to make our own path in life. I see so many who insist on doing things their own way, so they will be different, so they can be pioneers in life. THE PATH OF WISDOM IS TRAVELED BY ALL WISE PEOPLE BECAUSE THAT PATH IS ALWASY BASED OFF OF THE PRINCIPLES OF THE WORD OF GOD.

To those who are on the wise path: Teach others

Titus 2:2–5 NASB95

Older men are to be temperate, dignified, sensible, sound in faith, in love, in perseverance. Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.

Men and women have the responsibility in the church to pour into the next generation!

Men teaching men, women teaching women, not just in doctrine but in wise living!

QUESTION: Who are you pouring into? This is not just the calling of the pastor or the pastor’s wife, but he calling of the whole church.

And if you are new to Christ, get on the path of the wise.

There is CLARITY on the path of the righteous and DARKNESS on the path of the wicked

Proverbs 4:14–19 NASB95

Do not enter the path of the wicked And do not proceed in the way of evil men. Avoid it, do not pass by it; Turn away from it and pass on. For they cannot sleep unless they do evil; And they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone stumble. For they eat the bread of wickedness And drink the wine of violence. But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, That shines brighter and brighter until the full day. The way of the wicked is like darkness; They do not know over what they stumble.

Explanation

“The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn”

This is a metaphor being used the way of life for the righteous. It is a way of saying that those who live righteous lives are able to see where they are going.

Let’s first define the word “righteous”: it means just, devout, upright.

Those who are righteous have conformed themselves to the expectations of God.

They do what God says to do. They follow his commands and they live lives of holiness.

This is a term that describes the moral dimension of a person.

Their path “is like the light of dawn”

The light of dawn is the first glimpse of daylight early in the morning when the sun just begins to rise. There is just enough light for one to see ahead of him, and be able to make where to take the next step.

Deer Hunting Illustration

If you have ever been deer hunting you will understand this metaphor much better. A deer hunters goal is to get out into the woods and into the stand before the light of dawn ever happens. My dad is the best at this. He gets up at 2 or 3 and is ready to get in the woods at 4:30. Not me! If I could sleep until 5:30, hop in the truck and be in the stand at 6 I’m happy. I’ll take my chances of jumping up a deer on the way.

But normally the sake of my Dad, I will get there around 5 and we will walk out to the stand just as the daylight is beginning to show some contrast with the darkness behind us. No sun, just a little light. And we will begin walking out into the woods with a light and often I’ll use the light on my phone.

What is so cool, is if I wait until there is just that first break of dawn, I don’t need my phone. I can see the path in front of me, I can see most of the limbs and obstacles… And I can Make my way to the stand without a light because there is this faint glow in the woods, just enough to find my way through the woods and get to my stand.

SO IT IS LIKE THAT IN THIS LIFE WITH THE RIGHTEOUS! Because they have chosen the right way to live, because they have conformed to God’s expectations and are devoted to Him, they walk in the light.

They can see where they are going

They can see the obstacles, the hangups, the traps, the snares, the dangers, and when evil appears, when immorality comes for them, they can see it! They are not overtaken by it! They have light💡

It goes on, “that shines brighter and brighter until the full day”

Let’s go back to the woods

We just got in the deer stand and if a deer came within 20 yards it would be very risky to shoot it because you can just barely see it. All you can see is a silhouette maybe that blends in so good with the background that you cannot make out the outline of the deer.

But as time passes on everything begins to become visible. You can not only see where that deer was standing, but you can see the leaves that it moved as it walked. You can see the bark on the trees. You can see the paths that the deer have traveled on.

And around 7:30, the sun is shining through the trees and it is so bright you wish you had your sun glasses with you.

So it is for the righteous Men and women. They start out with just enough light to see. Barely enough to keep them from stumbling and falling into disaster. But as they continue down the way of righteousness, as they learn what God wants more and more, and as they repent and turn from sin they did not even realize, that ability to see increases and increases.

The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines brighter and brighter until the full day.

IN CONTRAST TO THAT: “The way of the wicked is like darkness, they do not know over what they stumble”

One more time, let’s head into the woods.

This time it’s 4:30 and there is no moon whatsoever. It’s pitch black. And now we head off into the woods and when we get out of the vehicle, we realize we have forgotten our lights. So in attempt to make it on time, we head to the deer stand without any light. And on the way we run into holes with water standing in them, we trip over logs, run into trees, get stuck by thorns and briars, and after an hours of going in circles, we realize we are never going to even find the deer stand becuase it is too dark to see.

So it is with the way of the wicked. Wicked is not killing people and mocking God, wicked describes all those who are not fully committed to God’s way. They have not conformed to God’s expectations. They do not walk according to God’s wisdom.

They are walking in darkness.

Some in circles, some stumbling over obstacles, some falling into holes and pits, and other literally losing their lives because they cannot see. Evil comes to them, overtakes them and they do not even realize it. Sin enters their lives with intent to destroy them and they welcome it with open arms because they cannot discern its nature. They see no connection between and death. And though they are trying to make it through this life, and maybe even a hope of heaven, they will not make it to their destiny because without light it is impossible.

Application

If you are sitting here this morning, and you are not absolutely committed to Jesus Christ you are walking in darkness. If you could not say by the way you live your life Monday through Saturday that you are a righteous person, then you are walking in darkness. And you are going to stumble and fall very hard And not even know what caused you to fall. Turn to Jesus today and turn from all the unrighteousness in your life and God will give you light to see.

If you are sitting here this morning, and you are absolutely committed to Jesus, and you live a righteous life, you are on a secure road with an ever increasing clarity! Your ability to see sin, pitfalls, evil, and danger is going to get better and better. And because of your ability to see, your life is going to get better and better. Do not change directions in your life. Stay on the righteous path!

Choosing the Path of Wisdom is a life-long endeavor

Proverbs 4:20–27 (NASB95)

My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your sight; Keep them in the midst of your heart. For they are life to those who find them And health to all their body. Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life. Put away from you a deceitful mouth And put devious speech far from you. Let your eyes look directly ahead And let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you. Watch the path of your feet And all your ways will be established. Do not turn to the right nor to the left; Turn your foot from evil.

Explanation

Solomon uses practical teaching of the parts of the body to help keep us STAY the right path.

“Incline your ear to my sayings”

The ear is what must receive the wise sayings of his father.

This means we must be open to instruction!

And be open to the wisdom of others!

Life is so much harder when we refuse to listen to

“do not let them depart from your sight”

This calls for the reading of the Proverbs.

Have your eyes focused on them, studying them so that you may possess them

“keep them in the midst of your heart”

The heart is the center of one’s life

Meaning that our steps flow from these principles

The path of wisdom does not just know what to do, but does what they say

And all these verbs speak of an ongoing endeavor in this life

Wisdom is not a class we simply take on Sunday mornings

It is not a study through the book of Proverbs and then we are wise

It is not a temporary pursuit!

IT IS A PATH THAT WE WALK DOWN!

AND IF WE DEPART FROM THIS PATH, WE THEN ENTER THE PATH OF FOOLISHNESS!

CONCLUSION

There is no third path

The temptation and lie that is so popular in our culture today, is that there is another way.

You don’t have to do all that stuff those religious nuts do

You don’t have to follow the Bible so meticulously!

You can have the best of both worlds and live a better life

There is another way to do Christianity!

Theres only two paths, one is the path of the wicked and the other path is the path of the righteous!

One leads to life and one leads to destruction!

Righteousness only comes through Jesus Christ. We cannot walk in unrighteousness and walk in the light no matter how many times you said the sinners prayer!

You must possess the light. Jesus said, John 8:12

John 8:12 NASB95

Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”

The path of wisdom is to follow Jesus, the Light of the world, conform your life to Him, obey Him, worship Him, give Him every aspect of your life, and you will enter the path of wisdom!

~PRAYER~