Wisdom and Blessing

Proverbs • Sermon • Submitted 7 years ago

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The bottom line is that we all must draw out wisdom for ourselves and pass wisdom on to others. When we do that we find Christ and then we will surely be blessed.

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Turn in your bible to Proverbs 3:13

Proverbs has so many things to say about wisdom, but before we start, I would like to take a look at where we have gone so far so that we can see how God has used this entire series to make us wiser people.

We have talked about:

- Friendship

- communication

- blessing

- Guilt and Shame

- Good counsel

- power of the tongue

- Conflict

- God’s discipline

- Compassion

- Contentment

All of those things are super important, and following them and being diligent about them will actually lead us to what we are talking about today.

Were talking about Wisdom, so lets define it.

Have people come up with their own definition of wisdom.

Jon’s Definition of Wisdom: Wisdom is applying to our lives the things that we understand to be true about God and His design for abundant life.

Many people think wisdom comes with age, but it doesn't...

Great Wisdom Requires Great Effort

Proverbs 3:13-

Proverbs 3:13–16 ESV

Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold. She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor.

V13

Blessed means that those who find wisdom and understanding are happy

Happiness is the pursuit of all of humanity, were all hedonist at our core, but many pursue happiness in things that wont have a good return on their investment

Investment is a good way to look at this, if you are going to be investing in something, you are going to search, look around, try to find the thing that will have the best return on your investment.

This proverb says that wisdom is found, that it must be searched for

V14

The gain that you get from wisdom is a gain that is worked for, it doesn't come easy

The word gain literally means to draw out

Think of someone who is drawing water out of a well

They must draw it out, then they must take the water home and apply it to their lives

So must we draw wisdom out and do the long walk to application

V15

Nothing that we desire can compare with her

Rubies are hard to come by, and they are beautiful, but their beauty pales in comparison with Wisdom.

Some might say well shouldn't we desire the Lord more than we desire wisdom, well the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, so by desiring Wisdom, you are actually desiring the only one who can give wisdom which is God himself.

V16

If you want a long happy life filled with blessing, then you should seek after the wisdom of God, and apply that wisdom with great effort. Now remember a proverb isn't a promise, but it is a probably, if you want a high probability that your life will be long, and happy, seeking after the wisdom of God is the way to get it, and I bet along the way you will realize that you are not actually happy because of your circumstances are changing, but because God is near you when you are wanting wisdom from Him. That is the long life, honor and riches that Verse 16 talks about.

“How does one draw out wisdom?”

Eric Lane a great Bible Commentary writer says that we must find the map to it...

“You have to find it, which involves setting out to look for it like buried treasure. For this you need a map indicating its location, that is, the word of God. Then, as with treasure, you have to draw it out (the literal meaning of gains), that is, you ask God to help you apply it to your heart and life.”

The Bible is filled with treasures galore, it is our treasure map to full and satisfied lives bursting with wisdom.

The effort that we put into finding wisdom will be well worth it because the end of that effort is a life filled with peace.

Peace is the Outcome of Wisdom

Pr3:

Proverbs 3:17–18 ESV

Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called blessed.

V17

Notice that Wisdom is personified as a HER, i mean common, who is more pleasant, men or women?? We all know its women.

We had the beast feast yesterday, it was fun, but beautiful and peaceful would not be how I describe it!

These are peace filled paths that we get the chance to walk in when we walk in wisdom.

We’ve read it before, but there is so much strife that follows the fool, but those who are wise are steadfast, and unshaken because they are not stirring up strife for themselves or for others.

This reminds me of When Jesus says that all can come to him and he will give us rest

Matthew 11:28–30 ESV

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

It is the wise person who comes to him when there is trouble, and he will lighten the burden and take the weight upon his own shoulders restoring you to the path of peace.

Peace comes from Christ,

There can be utter calamity around you, but Christ can still restore you to the path of pleasantness and peace, when you understand that he is in control and he loves you.

V18

Proverbs 3:18 ESV

She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called blessed.

Jesus is the tree of life that we hold fast to, and when we hold fast to Him, and the peace that He brings we will be happy, or as this passage says in verse 18 we are blessed.

Hold fast to this wisdom, with all of your might, don’t give in to your sinful desires because that is not wisdom, and it will not bring you peace.

Verse 18 talks about a tree of life, we know of another tree of life and it will bring the biggest blessing of all when we will be at final day in revelation 22 when we get the chance to see the tree of life that sits on either side of the crystal clear river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God and of the Lamb, the same tree that leaves are for the healing of the nations.

That will be a blessing to be in a perfect place that we never deserved, with perfect peace and no sadness, and this all because of Christ our King who is our wisdom brought us from here to there.

So Christ is the one who will get us there, but right now he is our current peace He is our current wisdom. What I find so interesting about this Proverb is that God is the one who is the example of wisdom for us.

Colossians 2:2–3 ESV

that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Col

. What I find so interesting about this Proverb is that God is the one who is the example of wisdom for us.

God is our Example of Wisdom

Proverbs 3:19–20 ESV

The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens; by his knowledge the deeps broke open, and the clouds drop down the dew.

God was intentional when He created the Heavens and the Earth.

Sitting on Spaceship earth yesterday The final scene is a globe like you're on the moon.

This goes against all who say that life is random chaos

To explore more of what God’s wisdom in creation is like lets look at proverbs 8:22...

Proverbs 8:22–31 ESV

“The Lord possessed me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of old. Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth. When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no springs abounding with water. Before the mountains had been shaped, before the hills, I was brought forth, before he had made the earth with its fields, or the first of the dust of the world. When he established the heavens, I was there; when he drew a circle on the face of the deep, when he made firm the skies above, when he established the fountains of the deep, when he assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his command, when he marked out the foundations of the earth, then I was beside him, like a master workman, and I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always, rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the children of man.

Pr 8:22-31

God was intentional about boundaries and about life, that is the example that we have in our own wisdom

God was intentional about boundaries and about life, that is the example that we have in our own wisdom, and the correct working of things that bring us life.

Is there order and intention in our lives? If not, let us learn from the wisdom of God that was intentional in all of His creation!

Colossians 2:2–3 ESV

God is our example of wisdom, and he sent Jesus who sent the Spirit so that we could partake in the wise ways of God, you see… Wisdom is incomplete until it is passed on

Wisdom is Incomplete Until it is Passed on

One of the way we pass on wisdom at vista is through our community groups or our begin groups.

We also pass it on through one on one discipleship.

Solomon passes on his wisdom through a father son disciple relationship.

Pr3

Proverbs 3:21–24 ESV

My son, do not lose sight of these— keep sound wisdom and discretion, and they will be life for your soul and adornment for your neck. Then you will walk on your way securely, and your foot will not stumble. If you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.

Solomon is passing on his wisdom to his son

Discipleship is key to the development of wisdom in both your own life and the life of others.

Fathers, disciple your sons, physical or spiritual sons

Jesus told us distinctly to go and make disciples

Matthew 28:18–20 ESV

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

18-

It is in the authority of Jesus that we go make disciples

Back to the proverb

It is up to the son to keep the wisdom

Proverbs 3:21–24 ESV

We teach them wisdom by teaching them to obey all that Christ commands. He designed life, we are wise when we live it His way!

We cant always make people observe the commands of God (which would make them wise)

It is up to the son to keep the wisdom

If you have ever discipled someone and it didn't go as planned and they went off the deep end doing their own thing, thats not your fault

You are passing on life to other people’s souls, and when they take it seriously they will truly be at peace to the point where as the proverb says, they will lie down and sleep in peace.

And what are we passing on?!?! What is the greatest wisdom that we could be passing on to others?!

Paul is passing on the God’s greatest wisdom…Christ!

Colossians 2:1–3 ESV

For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Colossians 2:2–3 ESV

The bottom line is that we all must draw out wisdom for ourselves and pass wisdom on to others. When we do that, we find Christ as the ultimate wisdom to be sought and then we will surely be blessed.