Growth Focus - Wisdom

What is wisdom?

There is the joke about the difference between knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, but wisdom is knowing not to put it in your fruit salad.

But we do live in that tension between torrents of information and data and a lack of understanding or confidence in knowing what to do with it. We can look up anything, we have great universities with large libraries, we have phones that can seemingly search a collective mind for knowledge, but these things do not correlate to having wisdom.

Like 1 Cor. 13 says, “And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.” (1 Corinthians 13:2, ESV)

If what we know is not rightly applied, then we know nothing.

As James puts it, we must be “be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” (James 1:22, ESV)

How to discern options and choose rightly for faithful living

In Christ, Scripture says we are that royalty—a royal priesthood. We are not spectators in God’s world. We are sons and daughters being trained for faithful dominion—faithful living under God.

You need wisdom to lead your home well.

You need wisdom to handle money without being owned by it.

You need wisdom to speak with a clean tongue.

You need wisdom to read your times without being swept into confusion.

Jesus says in Matthew, “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” (Matthew 10:16, ESV)

You are sheep who are being preyed upon, so you must be wise. There is a way to bite back through God given wisdom. Christ is that wisdom.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (Proverbs 1:7)

Remember, Proverbs is is training you. It is formation.

Can you receive correction?

Do you take reproof/correction as a mercy, or as an attack?

Who has the ability to correct you?

Apprenticeship or skill: wisdom is closer to learning a trade—watch, imitate, get corrected, repeat.

Proverbs is not telling you to merely admire wisdom.

“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.”” (Proverbs 4:7–9, ESV)

Get Wisdom:

The wise man sells everything for the treasure — because the treasure is Christ.

Diligence. Effort is part of faith. Wisdom is hard — but worth everything.

The wise hunger to learn. The fool despises knowledge.

Is wisdom available to you? — Wisdom cries out

“Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice; at the head of the noisy streets she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks:” (Proverbs 1:20–21, ESV)

And she is public.

She is in the street, in the markets.

Wisdom is not hidden.

You are not some special case. You are not running uphill with no help. She is there for you.

Which means ignorance is not the main issue.

Refusal is.

Wisdom says:

“How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple?” (Proverbs 1:22)

It targets procrastination spirituality.

Then Wisdom offers mercy:

“If you turn at my reproof… I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you.” (Proverbs 1:23)

Fear the Lord. He will bless you. Stop trying to negotiate or patchwork what problems you seem to have. Come to the source. Come to God through Christ. There he will abundantly bless you with wisdom and make his words known to you.

Get insight: The ability to see inside

The humble man embrace being exposed and being corrected.

We sing hymns here that expose his heart.

Prize her highly

Embrace her

Garland and a crown

Think about how people access wisdom. Some people go to university and try to get a PhD. Some people try to pay for special skills or special advice special council, but wisdom is accessible to everyone. She cries aloud in the streets she is able to be discerned and had emphases’s and she must be loved, and she must be heeded.

Lean into this and talk about why we sometimes do not have wisdom or think that we cannot get it.

There is a unique means to obtaining wisdom.

How do we access wisdom ? — Wisdom on saying “yes, sir” Obedience opens eyes

Fear of the Lord

1 cor wisdom - the wisdom of our age looked at God and said no thanks

They looked at the cross and thought that it was dumb and meaningless. They looked at the greatest act of love and thought they knew what love is. They thought that they were wiser than God. Fear the Lord! (Preach!)

Fear of the Lord is to hate evil

The word “instruction” includes correction and discipline. It assumes there will be moments that will sting.

Or, think about advice and the way we evaluate truth.

The one who says, “I’m just expressing my opinion,” seems humble. The one who speaks God’s Word seems prideful.

But the opposite is true.

The opinion-giver trusts himself. The Scripture-speaker submits to a higher authority.

It is not prideful to call others up to the scriptures. It is not prideful to submit yourself to them. It is not prideful to preach them. It is not prideful to engage the culture with the word of God. Just as it is not humble to keep silent. To hold the gospel as a private opinion. Wisdom loves and embraces the truth

Many people want your empathy, your support in your backing, but not your solutions.

Exegesis on James 3

“Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” (James 3:13–18, ESV)

Meekness of wisdom -

For The Ladies

For The Men

CONCLUSION — CHRIST, OUR WISDOM

How do you dial in when seeking wisdom?

To give an even tighter frame to what you are pursuing, where do we go?

We go to Christ. You pursue wisdom. You get wisdom, by pursuing Christ.

And Christ is always present. Which means that wisdom is always present.

For you, the opportunity to be wise is always before you.

Maybe you do not know what is ahead — two weeks, two years, how to restore a marriage, which path to take.

But you do know what is in front of you.

What decision is at your feet? Where are you delaying obedience? Where are you shaped by fear?

Even when you cannot see the outcome, you can trust wisdom — because it leads rightly.

Why?

Because Christ is before you.

“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13, ESV)

Wisdom is always present.

In hobbies. Finances. Family. Downtime. Scrolling. Thinking.

If you get the chance to choose, and you do, choose wisdom. In all of your doing get wisdom.