A Virtuous Life
Notes
Transcript
This has been a week full of Conferences. This past week, we live-streamed the New Room Conference here in the Sanctuary and a handful of us were able to watch some of the sessions. For 11 years, New Room has been sowing the seeds for Awakening - knowing that it will take a great move of the Spirit to awaken people out of their spiritual slumber and stir the hearts of the lost - just as God has done in past times. We are beginning to see evidence of answered prayer. You may recall what is referred to now as the Asbury Outpouring back in February 2023, when some college students lingered after chapel service one day and the presence of God fell so heavily upon those gathered that soon people were traveling from all over to experience it. According to one write-up “news of the continuous services spread around the world, and attracted people to Wilmore from as far away as Russia and Japan. Media outlets arrived en masse to cover the spiritual awakening among young people. Countless reports of life change, salvation, and re-dedications to Christ were some of the amazing results of the Outpouring events.”
During each session of this year’s New Room conference, the organizers offered reports from the field - which were moments when a moderator would connect via ZOOM with a pastor or ministry leader somewhere in the world where the presence of God had shown up in some marvelous way. One of them was a leader in Australia who shared how God was at work in their youth ministry - kids with absolutely no Christian ties, were showing up in droves hungry to accept what Jesus has to offer. He shared the story of one girl who had a vivid dream where Jesus came to her and instructed her to read the Gospel of Matthew. In her dream, a Bible was opened up before her and she saw it was on the page titled “Gospel of Matthew”. She awoke startled and scared - not understanding what had just happened. In the dark, she thought to herself, I don’t even think we have a Bible in our home. She turned on the light, and there on the nightstand beside her bed was a Bible, opened to the book of Matthew. As you can imagine, she was freaked out. But she came to the church and received Jesus as her Lord.
The other Conference happening now is the Global Methodist Church General Conference in Costa Rica. We are now officially a denomination - no longer transitional or provisional - we are now a recognized and official movement after years of difficult, painful, challenging work. As I tuned into some of the proceedings so far, what is so evident is the genuine love and unity found among those assembled. As many attendees have reported - God is present.
His people are full of faith, hope and love. In fact, when I consider every speaker I have listened to, when I reflect on the worship I have participated in, what I see is a people who fear the Lord, desire to live for HIs glory, and are willing to pay the costs. A people filled with biblical wisdom.
Today is a continuation of last week’s message - a message of wisdom.
There are certain books of the Bible categorized as wisdom literature and of them, the book of Proverbs stands out as the primary source of biblical wisdom. The book of James serves a similar role in the New Testament.
The introduction to the book of Proverbs makes clear its purpose:
Proverbs 1:1–6 (ESV)
The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel: To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight, to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity; to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth— Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance, to understand a proverb and a saying, the words of the wise and their riddles.
As we discussed last week, in Proverbs, Biblical Wisdom is personified as a woman. She is walking along the streets - right out in the open -calling out loud for all to hear.
“How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge?
In the fourth chapter of Proverbs, we hear a father instructing his sons to pursue this woman named Wisdom:
Get wisdom; get insight; do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth. Do not forsake her, and she will keep you; love her, and she will guard you. The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight. Prize her highly, and she will exalt you; she will honor you if you embrace her. She will place on your head a graceful garland; she will bestow on you a beautiful crown.”
Lady Wisdom is described further in Prov 9:1-6
Wisdom has built her house; she has hewn her seven pillars. She has slaughtered her beasts; she has mixed her wine; she has also set her table. She has sent out her young women to call from the highest places in the town, “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!” To him who lacks sense she says, “Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed. Leave your simple ways, and live, and walk in the way of insight.”
Solomon also provides a warning - a word of caution against the antithesis of wisdom which is folly or foolishness. Again, the literary tool of personification is used. Folly is portrayed as a seductive and adulterous woman. She seduces those who pass by.
The woman Folly is loud; she is seductive and knows nothing. She sits at the door of her house; she takes a seat on the highest places of the town, calling to those who pass by, who are going straight on their way, “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!” And to him who lacks sense she says, “Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.” But he does not know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.
Everyone has a choice to make. Pursue wisdom or succumb to folly. To pursue something requires intentional action. It just doesn’t happen - you must move toward it. The succumb is easy, you simply don’t move forward. The way toward wisdom begins by fearing the Lord.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. For by me your days will be multiplied, and years will be added to your life. If you are wise, you are wise for yourself; if you scoff, you alone will bear it.
The book of Proverbs concludes with an epilogue. It is like watching an action movie and after the climatic scene has concluded and the dust has settled, we are shown the final chapter where we learn what happens to all the main characters. The bad guys are in prison, the good guys are enjoying the treasure they found, the protagonist is relaxing on a yacht some where in the Caribbean.
The book of Proverbs ends with the epilogue titled the “Wife of Noble Character” - it is what we heard in the reading this morning. That is the heading found in the New International Version of the Bible. The heading in the English Standard Version calls her “The Woman Who Fears the Lord” and the NKJV calls her the “Virtuous Wife.”
It is written as an acrostic poem, which means in the original Hebrew, each of the 22 verses begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet - the ABCs. This made it easier for people to memorize each line.
The writer therefore concludes the book of Wisdom teachings by painting this picture of a woman who has incorporated all of wisdom’s teachings into her life. As people memorized the ways in which she lived, it would shape the way they lived.
As one commentary puts it:
Proverbs 31 describes a “wife of noble character” as being strong, wise, entrepreneurial, hard-working, dignified, respected, faithful and fair.
She displays virtue which is high moral standards.
And even though this picture is of a wife, the lesson applies to everyone. One who pursues wisdom, one who fears the Lord, will live a virtuous life and in so doing, will receive blessings and honor.
Her children bless her; her husband praises her: “Many women act competently, but you surpass them all!”
As I was contemplating this passage - I asked myself, what the the virtues of a Christian life. I knew that in classical Christianity, there were seven virtues - but I could not recall them all so I did some some exploring which lead me back to C.S. Lewis’s book Mere Christianity. I remember reading this classic over 20 years ago after I had received Jesus as my Lord and Savior and submitted to his Lordship over my life.
C.S. Lewis was a brilliant scholar, writer and poet in the early 20th century England and was an atheist until his views were challenged by several scholarly friends, one being J.R.R Tolkien - author of the Lord of the Rings. After his conversion to Christianity, he became famous for writing the Chronicles of Narnia, the Screwtape Letters and non-fiction Christian apologetics including Mere Christianity.
In his book Mere Christianity, Lewis spends some time writing about Christian behavior and he explains moral rules this way:
“moral rules are like instructions for running the human machine. Each moral rule is there to prevent breakdowns, strains, or conflicts in the functioning of that machine. That’s why these rules may initially feel like they’re constantly going against our natural inclinations. When you’re learning to use a machine, the instructor keeps telling you, “No, don’t do it like that,” because there are many things that may seem natural to you but don’t actually work.”
He writes that morality as concerned with three things: harmony with others, internal harmony within ourselves, and the general purpose of human life - the reason for our existence. Are we living in the way that God intended for us to live in order to flourish?
Ancient Christian writers taught that there were seven virtues found in a moral life.
Four of seven were “Cardinal Virtues” - cardinal being the Latin word for “hinge of a door” - they are pivotal for true morality. These are virtues recognized by all civilized people.
Prudence - which refers to “practical common sense,” or reason, or even wisdom. Am I living in a way that is reasonable - am I taking the time to think through my actions and contemplating the potential consequences?
Temperance - the ability to enjoy pleasures in precisely the right amount, “going the right length and no further.” This requires self-control. Often associated with the use of alcohol, the classical understanding was much broader. For instance, do I spend way too much time on enjoying sports or gambling or leisure?
Justice - which is not just confined to legal matters, but includes correcting a common misperception, fairness, the practice of telling the truth, keeping promises, compromising, being straightforward with others, and committing ourselves to the truth in our understanding of the world.
Fortitude - the courage to face dangers in spite of our fears and also, the courage to remain committed under the pressure of pain and suffering.
Living a virtuous life hinges on the ideals of common sense, self control, living truthfully, and not shrinking in the face of danger or pressure.
In addition to these four virtues, the Christian adds three Theological Virtues that are found in the 13th chapter of 1 Corinthians - the love chapter.
In that chapter, the Apostle Paul describes what Christian love is. He also talks about things that will end one day, and that which is lasting.
When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
These are the three Theological Virtues
Faith - our seeking to draw near to a God we cannot see but know to be true. Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” Do we live by faith? Do we trust that God is God, that everything is under His dominion, that He provides all that we need for any given moment?
Hope - the confident waiting for what has been promised. Isaiah 40:31 “but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” Romans 15:4 “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” Are you keeping your spiritual eyes focused on what is to come? Now matter how dark the valley you may be walking through - do you hold onto the hope that is before you? Hope changes your whole outlook on life.
Love - the greatest of these is love. 1 Cor 13:4-8
1 Corinthians 13:4–8 (ESV)
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.
Are you filled with the love of God? Have you yielded everything to God and allowed him to pour into you His love? Colossians 3:14 “And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”
These virtues are the ideals that Christ followers are to pursue. Will we mess up - experience tells me yes - we will. Will we need the occasional course correction - yes, many times But Jesus is the Good Shepherd who leaves the 99 to find rescue the one. When we cry out to Him, repent of our foolishness, and ask Him to come and help us - He does.
Why? Because He loves us. He is the perfect expression of the highest ideal - love. Out of love for us, he suffered the cross. Out of love for us - he seeks the lost - even showing up in a teenage girl’s dream. Out of love for us, He never gives up and he will see us through to perfection.
Amen.
