Understanding with Wisdom

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State Park - announcement 5/24 10 AM

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Q/A series of- handout

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You are as much serving God in looking after your own children, & training them up in God's fear, & minding the house, & making your household a church for God, as you would be if you had been called to lead an army to battle for the Lord of hosts. - Spurgeon

Call to Worship —Yod

Psalm 119:73–80 NKJV

73 Your hands have made me and fashioned me; Give me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments. 74 Those who fear You will be glad when they see me, Because I have hoped in Your word. 75 I know, O Lord, that Your judgments are right, And that in faithfulness You have afflicted me. 76 Let, I pray, Your merciful kindness be for my comfort, According to Your word to Your servant. 77 Let Your tender mercies come to me, that I may live; For Your law is my delight. 78 Let the proud be ashamed, For they treated me wrongfully with falsehood; But I will meditate on Your precepts. 79 Let those who fear You turn to me, Those who know Your testimonies. 80 Let my heart be blameless regarding Your statutes, That I may not be ashamed.

Sermon:

Good morning, Church! What a blessing it is to gather together once again. We are in week three of our current sermon series called Street Smart: Wisdom From the Book of Proverbs. We have been discovering all the ways that the book of Proverbs gives us instruction to live a full life in Christ. The world is not an easy place to navigate, but we have been given all that we need to live smart and prudent lives in the Word of God.

Two weeks ago, we learned the secret to developing wisdom. Rather than being foolish and making avoidable mistakes along the way, we can embrace a healthy fear of God. When we live in the awe and wonder of the power and position God has before us, we are empowered to make wiser choices and repent of our mistakes.

Last week we learned about the beginning of wisdom. We uncovered a new piece of wisdom that can change our lives. Proverbs teaches that what we allow in is what we become. Our lives are largely a result of the influences we allow into our hearts.

This week we acknowledge a very important fact in the pursuit of wisdom: In order to develop godly wisdom, we have to first recognize that we don’t have any in and of ourselves.

Wisdom and knowledge are both recurring themes in the Bible—they are related but not synonymous. The dictionary defines wisdom as “the ability to discern or judge what is true, right, or lasting.” Knowledge, on the other hand, is “information gained through experience, reasoning, or acquaintance.” Knowledge can exist without wisdom, but not the other way around. One can be knowledgeable without being wise.

STORY:

Let’s test our knowledge this morning. I am going to give you five different, simple pieces of trivia that you should know, but probably don’t. Everyone stand up. As long as you get the question right, you can keep standing. If you get it wrong, you must sit down. Are you ready?

How many items are in a baker’s dozen? A. 12 B. 13 C. 21 The correct answer is B: 13.

We are just getting warmed up. Next question. What is the largest ocean in the world? A. Pacific B. Arctic C. Atlantic.

The correct answer is A: Pacific. If you got it wrong, you have to sit down.

Next question.

What was the first animal to be sent into space? A. Monkey B. Dog C. Mouse.

The correct answer is B: Dog.

So far so good. Next question. In what city did the Olympics originate? A. Rome B. Chicago C. Athens.

The correct answer is C: Athens.

Last question. How many bones are there in the human body? A. 206 B. 113 C. 97.

The correct answer is A: 206. Anybody left standing?

So maybe we don’t have as much knowledge as we thought we had.

You see, in life there is the kind of knowledge that helps us win trivia nights. But in our day-to-day lives, God wants us to have knowledge of Him and what He expects of us. In order to obey Him, we have to have knowledge of the commands.

And then there is wisdom that helps us navigate the difficulties and challenges that come our way. Wisdom is developed by having a healthy fear of God—this kind of fear is expressed by an awe and wonder of who God is and acknowledging that the power He holds is so much greater than the limited power we hold.

POINT #1 – GOD’S KNOWLEDGE KNOWS NO LIMITS

One of God’s most fundamental demonstrations of power is His ability to know everything. The theological term for this is “omniscience.” God, by definition, is without limits. Therefore, there is nothing that is beyond His ability to understand and to know. We, however, are created beings that do not have the same kind of power as our creator. We know only in part. God knows in full.

The book of Proverbs speaks to this fact as a way of living with street smarts.

READ Proverbs 3:5-6

Proverbs 3:5–6 ESV

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

The foundation of a relationship with God always comes back to trust. When we trust someone, we are willing to follow, listen, and obey because we believe they have our best interests in mind. In the end, it always comes down to whether we trust God’s wisdom over our own sinful instincts. This verse has a promise within it. If you trust God with your whole heart and allow Him into every part of your life, He will make your paths straight.

STORY:

This is a lesson that every child has to learn as they grow up. There is no shortage of times that I have given my children some kind of advice, with a perspective that they don’t have. Almost every time, they think they know better. They trust that their six years on the earth has better prepared them to know when to touch the stove, wash their hands, or cross the street than my almost 40 years of successes and mistakes. Though my wisdom far exceeds theirs, they still must make the decision to trust me and obey in order to traverse the pitfalls of life as a young child.

Many times, we find ourselves in situations we simply have no answers for. What is the best way for us to respond? We get a diagnosis that does not have a good prognosis. We find ourselves in a relational mess with a friend. We lose a job that we have had for 15 years. We face temptation that could derail our lives. Where should we turn? Proverbs says that we can’t turn to our own understanding because it is too limited. Instead, we must turn to the Lord with all of our hearts. He will guide us and give us the way in which we should walk.

Some may see this as weakness. Many will say that we should be able to captain our own lives without the help of an invisible deity. However, I believe this is actually a sign of strength. Sometimes the most spiritual and faith-filled thing we can do is ask for help from God because we don’t know what to do next.

POINT #2 – ASK AND YOU SHALL RECEIVE

The first step to living a more faithful and full life is recognizing that God is more than willing to give us what we lack. Pride will keep us from reaching out to God for help, but humility will allow us to receive wisdom that goes beyond our earthly understanding. The book of James gives us the directions for how to grow in wisdom.

READ James 1:5-8

James 1:5–8 ESV

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

The author is addressing the difficulty that the early church was experiencing because of persecution and trials due to their faith. The question was, how do we endure in the face of such trouble? Wouldn’t it be easier to just quit and give up on following Jesus?

Illustration:

It is kind of like people who still drive around using maps in 2021. Now I am not saying that you will never end up in the right location by unfolding all that paper, but I am saying there is a much easier and more trustworthy way. If you own a smartphone, you have all you need. All you have to do is ask, “Siri or Alexa—give me directions to the nearest gas station, the grocery store, or to the mall.” When you ask, the directions are given. The key is being willing to follow the course.

James seems to make it just as straight forward as this. If you need help, just ask. The encouragement is that we have a God who has everything we need to stay true in our Christian walk. Whenever we find ourselves in a difficult position, it is as simple as asking for wisdom. The key is asking without doubt. Belief that God CAN is the only prerequisite to seeing God actually DO. When we allow doubt to creep in, we are like the waves of the ocean and are tossed back and forth.

The Greek word used in verse 8 is the word dipsuchos. It means to be double-minded or to be split in half. God is looking for people who trust Him. That trust gives them a firm foundation in the midst of a world that swirls around us.

POINT #3 – WISDOM FROM THE WORD

In many ways we find ourselves searching for wisdom and asking God for knowledge that has already been given to us. The quickest and most immediate way to find answers to the questions we have is actually to open up the Bible and study the wisdom that is offered within it. Like the book of Proverbs, the book of Psalms is another Old Testament piece of wisdom literature. It is full of godly guidance for us to live by. The author tells us about the value of God’s word in learning to have street smarts.

READ Psalm 119:105

Psalm 119:105 ESV

105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

There is an image given in this verse that really helps capture the wisdom that comes from reading the scriptures. The Bible is like a lamp for our feet. As we live in dark days that challenge us on every side, the Bible reveals to us how we should walk. (Consider having a flashlight on stage and point it to the ground in front of you as you teach this portion.)

How do we handle the sting of disappointment in ourselves? The Bible tells us that the work that Jesus has begun in us, He will complete. How do we handle the pain of loss? The Bible tells us that we can rest on the fact that God will comfort us. How do we handle the search for purpose in our lives? The Bible tells us that we are God’s special possession and He has chosen us to represent Him in the world. How do I handle my sin? The Bible says that we should put it to death by nailing it to the cross of Christ.

The Bible is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. God has given us wisdom for our lives even before we ask. He has preserved it for us in His timeless Word. We can trust it and live by it.

The late theologian J.I. Packer said this, “Wisdom is the power to see and the inclination to choose the best and highest goal, together with the surest means of attaining it.”

Through Jesus, we have been given all we need to live with wisdom in the world and to practice true street smarts. First, we recognize that we don’t have all the knowledge we need to live well. Second, we ask God for what we lack. Third, we put to use the wisdom that God has already given us in His Word.

As we close in prayer, I want to invite you to place your hands in front of you with palms up. This is a posture of humility. We are going to ask God to take from us anything that gets in the way of us attaining the wisdom He offers, and with open hands, we receive His wisdom to live faithful lives.

Pray

Mother’s Day gift

Benediction

Say: As we close our service of worship dear brother and sister please stand for our benediction and receive by faith this blessing from God

1 Thessalonians 5:23–24 ESV

23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.