Untitled Sermon (18)

Title: Fatherly advice

Theme: Wisdom is to be treasured as a generational gift.

Text: Proverbs 4

Intro: Father’s Day

Mother’s day Prov 31 à Father’s Day “God as our Father”

Special days

I. Listen to obtain wisdom v1-4, 11, 20

a. The quality of your wisdom, depends on who you listen to

i. Worldly wisdom vs Godly wisdom

1. Wisdom and Folly Wisdom in the OT basically means knowing God, and folly is rejection of God. [1] (Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible)

a. Wisdom is eternal in nature

b. Folly is temporal in nature

c. James 3:13-17

d. Now, you see, wisdom is seeing not what is important now but what is important from God’s perspective.[2]

e. The master control of what guides our life, our decisions, our direction, the issues of life.

ii. Worldly wisdom is all around us (Prov 19:3)

1. Seek how to get ahead

a. Money

b. Fame

c. He who wins with the most toys wins

d. Self-absorbed

e. Immediate gratification

f. No though for tomorrow

g. Ecclesiastes 10:12-15

h. 2 Tim 3:1-5

iii. Godly wisdom is revealed to us through scriptures

1. Many wise council Proverbs 15:22

2. Must be godly council Proverbs 16:13

3. II Timothy 3:16

4. Not choosing what is right, but knowing what is right.

b. Solomon indicates that this wisdom comes from his parents v3

i. His son should not listen just because Solomon said it, but because his parents said it as well.

ii. His father David v3a

1. I Chronicles 28:9-10 from David

2. Ephesians 6:4

iii. His mother Bathsheba v3b

iv. Passed on to son and grandson

1. A lasting legacy

2. More important than money, skills, etc. is wisdom and character

3. Deuteronomy 6:4-9

4. It observed as much as taught

c. Godly wisdom needs to be passed on to each new generation.

i. Paul to Timothy about his mother and grandmother 2 Tim 1:5

ii. Discipling disciples 2 Timothy 2:2

iii. Faith of Abraham Isaac and Jacob

1. 2 Kings 13:23

2. 2 Chronicles 30:6

d. Repeats the instruction to listen v11, 20

e. Need to happen in the home Deuteronomy 6:4-9

i. Not something to be passed off

1. Church

2. Christian school

3. Christian college

4. Para-church organization

II. Get Wisdom v5-8

a. Seek godly wisdom v5, v7

b. Get insight v5, 7 (understanding)

i. The idea with these is that seeking, getting wisdom and insight takes work

1. Not passive

2. Pray for it

3. Takes pains to get it

4. Be diligent

ii. The repetition here seems to be to emphasize the importance

courtship in the pursuit of gaining wisdom

c. Do not forsake wisdom v6

i. She will protect you

d. Prize wisdom v8

i. Just as some prize wealth or fame, wisdom and understanding must be prized.

ii. (illustration of treasure…)

1. Tell men that a new lode has been found in some gulch or cannon, tell men that some Black Hills country is open for the digging of more gold; and all the armies cannot keep the emigrants from streaming thither from every quarter through the plains. Suffering from weariness and from hunger, and in the face of a thousand scalping dangers they will hunt for that gold. Tell men that in the mountains there are precious stones—opals, rubies, sapphires and the like—and how they will explore and explode the hills for them! And though but one in a thousand can gain them, yet each one of the thousand will think that he is to be the favored one. Now, we are told in the Word of God that this understanding of Him is more precious than rubies; that silver and gold are as nothing to it; and that we are to search for God, to seek after him, as for hidden treasures—as men search for the dearest objects of their desires.[3]

2. There is no city in the world, perhaps, where the treasures of art are more appreciated than Florence, Italy. It is told that an American visitor to the Pitti Palace, after viewing some of the paintings there, said to his guide: “Are these the great masterpieces that everyone tells me about? I don’t see much in them to arouse such enthusiasm.” “It is not these paintings that are on trial sir,” the guide answered, “but it is you who view them.” So it is with the Word of God. Sometimes we run across scoffers, men who sneer at divine revelation, who say that they cannot feel much enthusiasm about the Bible. But the Bible is not on trial. Whether men believe it or not, it is the Word of God, “which liveth and abideth forever” (1 Pet. 1:23).[4]

3.

III. The Reward of Wisdom v9-10, 12-13

a. A garland and crown v9

i. The image of a marriage feast is given substance with the bestowing of the tradition symbols of union by the bride (wisdom) on her protégé (groom). In this case the marriage symbolism of the crown of splendor (see Is 61:10) could be compared with the fragrant bridal garments in Song of Songs 4:11.[5]

b. Steps will not be hampered v12

i. Proverb 3:5-6

IV. Protect wisdom v14-19

a. Avoid the path of the wicked v14-15

i. Do not walk in the way of evil v14

1. A contrast to path of life in v12

ii. Do not go into it v15

1. Do not give the devil a foot hold Ephesians 4:27

2. Resist the devil and he will flee from you James 4:7

3. Avoid every form of evil I Thessalonians 5:22

4. Illustration: frog in kettle

iii. Turn from it v16

1. Ephesians 5:11

2. Matthew 5:13-16

b. Why? V16-17

i. Cannot sleep without committing evil v16

1. They desire to make someone stumble

a. We see this with the recent riots-they riot at night, not in daylight

b. Seems most crimes we hear about occur in the night hours

2. Their substance comes from wickedness and violence

a.

ii. X

c. Light vs darkness v 18-19

i. Righteousness is like a ray of light v18

1. Burn brighter and brighter

ii. The way of wickedness is like darkness v19

1. Darker and darker

2. Easier to stumble in the darkness

iii. Prov 3:23-4

V. Guard Wisdom v21-27

a. Store them v21-22

i. Keep them in your heart v21

1. Thy Word have I did in my heart Psalm 119:11

2. Heart is where the source of life is kept

ii. For they are life v22

1. A life without stumbling

2. A long life v10

3. It is sustaining

b. Be vigilant v23

i. Not a passive pursuit

ii. Requires the attitude of a guard-nothing comes through

1. Guard against what may attacking

a. Put on the whole armor of God Eph 6

b. X

2. Be vigilant for what is good.

c. Guard your life v24

i. Speech v24

1. Crooked speech Ephesians 4:29

2. Devious talk Romans 3:10-14

3. The tongue expresses the thoughts of the heart Matthew 12:34

4. Crude speech Ephesians 5:4

ii. Eyes v25

1. Keep your eyes forward

2. To the author and finisher of our faith

3. Avoid evil looking 2 Peter 2:14

4. Luke 11:34

iii. Feet v26-27

1. Think about where you are going

a. Avoid temptations that can make you stumble

2. Turn from evil

a. Don’t turn aside.

b. Proverbs 1:15-16

iv. Proverbs 6:16-19

1. Oh be careful little eyes

2.

Conclusion:

The pursuit of wisdom is a life long pursuit, from the cradle to the grave. When we stop pursing wisdom, evil wins. It is an ongoing pursuit.

Are you pursuing Wisdom or folly?

Are you valuing Wisdom? How do you show it?

Are you letting the distractions of life interfere with this pursuit of Wisdom?

treasure

[1] Elwell, W. A., & Beitzel, B. J. (1988). Ecclesiastes, Book Of. In Baker encyclopedia of the Bible (Vol. 1, p. 654). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.

[2] Rogers, A. (2017). What Is Wisdom? In Adrian Rogers Sermon Archive (Nu 13:16–33). Signal Hill, CA: Rogers Family Trust.

[3] AMG Bible Illustrations. (2000). Chattanooga: AMG Publishers.

[4] AMG Bible Illustrations. (2000). Chattanooga: AMG Publishers.

[5] Matthews, V. H., Chavalas, M. W., & Walton, J. H. (2000). The IVP Bible background commentary: Old Testament (electronic ed., Pr 4:9). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.