Making Room for Wisdom

Announcements:

OC Youth 3/11

Introduction

Today we are starting a new series

We’ve spent over a year in the gospel of Mark

And before we jump into another book—and another longer series—we are going to be taking the next 5 weeks to look at Wisdom literature in the Old Testament

Does anyone know the books in the OT that are considered wisdom literature?

Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs/Solomon

How many of you have read or are familiar with these books? — Are there any you particularly like?

And the reason we’ll be studying these books is because I believe there are timeless truths that have the potential to change our lives contained in these words

These books have changed my life—and I hope as we take time to go through them, that you would read them and be changed by them as well

I mean really… who doesn’t want to be wise?

I think there is a natural allure to books that classified as ‘wisdom literature’

But we’ll soon find out that these aren’t books of esoteric knowledge and hidden truths—but wisdom (in the Bible) is very practical

It’s not necessarily about knowing everything—but living the right way

Throughout the Bible there is a trio of words that often are found together: Knowledge, Understanding, and Wisdom

Knowledge — is the facts, knowing the truth

Understanding — is the ability to make meaning out of the facts

Wisdom — is knowing what to actually do in any given circumstance (armed with knowledge and understanding)

Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool as a knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom. — Charles Spurgeon

Wisdom is about living well

It is about going with the grain of the universe

Or more particularly with the grain of what God intended

Surfs Up

God is the creator and designer of the universe

Who could know how to live more than him? He made us and gives us our purpose

And we see when we go against the grain of God…

We end up making a mess of everything

So with all of that…

My aim is that we would not only grow in knowledge and understanding—but wisdom as we work through this series

That our eyes would be opened—and our lives would be changed—by God’s word

So today, we’re not quite jumping into the books yet… but we are going to be talking about making room for wisdom

We can talk all we want about wisdom—but if we don’t take the time to sit and listen to wisdom—it won’t have any impact

Scripture Reading

Proverbs 1:20–33 CSB

20 Wisdom calls out in the street; she makes her voice heard in the public squares. 21 She cries out above the commotion; she speaks at the entrance of the city gates: 22 “How long, inexperienced ones, will you love ignorance? How long will you mockers enjoy mocking and you fools hate knowledge? 23 If you respond to my warning, then I will pour out my spirit on you and teach you my words. 24 Since I called out and you refused, extended my hand and no one paid attention, 25 since you neglected all my counsel and did not accept my correction, 26 I, in turn, will laugh at your calamity. I will mock when terror strikes you, 27 when terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when trouble and stress overcome you. 28 Then they will call me, but I won’t answer; they will search for me, but won’t find me. 29 Because they hated knowledge, didn’t choose to fear the Lord, 30 were not interested in my counsel, and rejected all my correction, 31 they will eat the fruit of their way and be glutted with their own schemes. 32 For the apostasy of the inexperienced will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them. 33 But whoever listens to me will live securely and be undisturbed by the dread of danger.”

Outline:

What are we listening to?

Quieting our Hearts

Tuning into Wisdom

What are we listening to?

I just love this imagery we find in Proverbs

Wisdom is personified as a woman that is crying out in the streets to any who will respond

And we see that most people ignore this call

And when times get rough they try and seek wisdom—but it is too late—and she hides herself

I imagine (a simplification) of two roads

One leads safely to the destination

The other leads off of a cliff

And this woman is at the crossroads—telling anyone who can listen that even though everyone is going the second way—in the end it will lead to their death

And she’s pleading with these people—but few listen

And its not until they slip off the end of the cliff

When they are in free fall—before they realize—I chose the wrong path...

The problem we see here, and the problem we still face today—is one of listening

It’s not that wisdom cannot be found—it’s that people don’t heed its call

The question I want to pose today is: What are we listening to?

The hope and goal is God’s wisdom—but often that isn’t the case

We live in a world of noise—probably the noisiest and busiest that humanity has ever seen

“The noise of the modern world makes us deaf to the voice of God, drowning out the one input we most need” —John Mark Comer

So as we get started on a series on wisdom—the first thing we have to tackle is where are we sourcing our wisdom from?

Not all wisdom is good or Godly—and we all act on some sort of wisdom—but where is it coming from?

And again, wisdom is not just how we think or understand—but it boils down to how we actually live our lives

So what are some voices in our lives?

Friends trying to get us to fit in

Social Media leading us to constant comparison

Advertisements telling us what we need

Influencers selling us their vision of the best life

Seeking your parents approval

Even my voice and agenda today

Some voices are simply distractions—with no wisdom in sight

In short: Why do we do what we do?

We each have so many voices vying for our attention

This is what you need to do

This is what will make you fulfilled and happy

These are the things your should prioritize

What sources have influence over the way we think, talk, and act?

I want you to think about that

And it is a really difficult question to tackle—because often there are so many voices that it’s not just coming from one place

We are swimming in a sea of noise

And I think the first step isn’t just to study wisdom or learn more—but it is to make room for wisdom

Make space to hear the clear voice of God—through all of the noise

So it’s really not about identifying all of the sources—although that can be helpful

But it is about turning them all down—so we can hear from the Lord

It’s like an audio channel mixer

In the sanctuary for worship

And in there—everything is adding up cummativley to something beautiful

But imagine if there were several other channels of just noises that were playing during worship

It would be incredibly distracting and disorienting

So what we are in deep need of—is turning down those other channels

So that we might focus in on what the Lord has for us

Quieting Our Hearts

In our small groups last week—almost everyone said that silence and solitude was the hardest discipline for them

And as a result… I think for many of us… life becomes a constant stressful string of to-dos where we go from one thing to the next without slowing down—taking stock—and resting between tasks

We’re easier to be tossed to and fro without anchoring times with God

And one of the most difficult things about silence and solitude—is that it feels so unproductive

Why be silent when you can be in action?—There’s stuff to do!

But there is so much growth waiting for us—if we are willing to slow down

New Living Translation Psalm 62

Psalm 62:1

Lamentations 3:25-26 (NLT)

The LORD is good to those who depend on him,

to those who search for him.

So it is good to wait quietly

for salvation from the LORD.

When we wait—God works

Silence doesn’t mean unproductivity—it means that you are taking a step back—so that God can work more freely

Imagine if you’re cooking a meal with a world-class Michelin star chef

They can be teaching you—but if you never put down the knife and tools—you wont actually be able to learn much

There should be a dialogue

You work—I watch

You work—I help

I work—you help

I work—you watch

And the silly thing is—NOT being silent—can often be the most unproductive thing we can do

Not even a spiritual example but when I’m working

Theres times I can get done in 30 minutes what would take me 2 hours if I tried to power through

But Silence and solitude is a spiritual act

It is similar to—but different than mindfulness

Everyone is hopping on the train of mindfulness because studies show how beneficial it is

I think that mindfulness is getting half way there but not quite hitting the point

Mindfulness will slow us down and quiet our minds—but once our minds are empty, we must fill it with scripture, prayer, etc.

The point of silence and solitude is to connect with God—not just for the benefits you read about online

So what does this actually look like?

Its something that you need to practice, at first it isn’t easy

It’s like trying to get someone who is sedentary to run a mile with you

When you first try to be silent it might seem almost impossible

You have an urge to check your phone

You need to reply to someone

There’s some chore/errand that you need to do

There’s a distracting thought that pops up

Whatever it is, you need to let it go

Now is not the time

You are making room to spend with God

Imagine if you told me that there was something you really wanted to talk to me about, that you needed someone to listen to your story

And every couple of seconds I check my phone

Or I get up to do a task

Or I’m obviously distracted by some thoughts

You’d feel hurt—or unimportant

And we often do this to God

This is a time we are giving God our complete attention

And often as we do this—things come up that need addressing:

If you had a check engine light pop up while you’re driving—you’d have to slow down and stop the car before you could diagnose the problem

I think many of us live with the check engine light on—and we know it, but we are too afraid to stop

Out of sight—out of mind

It’ll go away eventually

But it will only make things worse if you don’t resolve the problem

So we have to slow down

And I’m not just saying this to say it Jesus did the same thing:

Remember he spent 40 days in the wilderness before his ministry started—not ‘doing ministry’ as we would think

Even after his long day of ministry

He needed to take a break from ‘doing’ in order to ground himself in his identity

Remember he was God’s “beloved son in whom he was well pleased” before he did anything for him

If Jesus needed to slow down and seek times of silence with his father—so do we

Tuning into Wisdom

I want you to think of whatever comes to mind when you think of someone that is wise

They probably aren’t in a hurry

They probably are thoughtful with their words

I can think of some of my mentors

And it’s not that they aren’t busy—but they aren’t rushed

When I talk to them it’s like the whole world slows down

They are completely present with me

My interactions with these people makes me want to be more like them

Is that something that you guys desire in your life? (really and honestly)

Calm and collected

Present with the people around you

Thoughtful with your words

Rooted in the wisdom of God

As we start this series—if this is an area you really desire to grow in—you’re going to have to put it to practice

We’re going to learn how to translate knowledge and understanding into wisdom

And it takes self-reflection, it takes times of silence and quieting our hearts and minds

It takes making room for wisdom

Because like any area of life—if you seek to grow in it—you set a game plan

You don’t become fluent in a language in one Duolingo session

You don’t become a marathon runner by going to the track once a month

You can’t become an artist if you don’t practice your craft

And you don’t become wise by listening to a sermon series on wisdom

And wisdom is calling out in the streets—to any that might listen—but will we respond?

Will we tune out the other voices to start and listen?

Slow down - Stream/birds

Small Group Questions:

Icebreaker: If you had to teach one subject at a High School, what would you teach?

What are sources of wisdom (good or bad) in the world around us? Where do we get ideas on how we should live and what we should do with our lives? (Friends, YouTube, Social Media, Family Tradition, The Bible, etc.)

What voices are the loudest in your life? What voices are the most distracting in your life?

Why do you find it difficult to slow down? Why is silence difficult for us to practice?