Walking Wisely In the World

Hook- Where is the Wisdom?

Where is the wisdom story:

But what is wisdom? What would you all say wisdom is?

Human Definition: Knowledge Applied - IKnowledge is how to use a Gun…and wisdom is when to use it.

Biblical Wisdom Defined: Wisdom is ability to understand life from God’s perspective.

It is taking everything we know about Jesus, and the new life we gives in his death/resurrection, and seeing the world as he sees it.

So that’s why I want to spend a few weeks studying it. My goal for us tonight would be for us to have a conversation about

To know the foundation of all wisdom

To discuss where we need wisdom in our lives (Small Groups)

PRAYER

An Intro to Proverbs

The first 6 verses give the purpose of Proverbs.

v. 1-2 To give wisdom and instruction to the reader

v. 3 To instruct us how to live right, just, and fair lives

v. 4 To give wisdom to those who are still learning

v. 5 To give wisdom to those who have learned a lot

v. 6 To guide us into understanding the most complex parts of life.

Proverbs are there to help us…walk wisely through life and have success.

Not success as in material wealth or that idea of the American Dream. But instead to walk through life honoring our Creator, not hurting ourselves, not hurting others, and having a life-giving relationship with God.

This book is super practical in giving us guidance on the different situations we have in life.

So this book is important to us, why? BECAUSE WE ALL NEED WISDOM. We are all facing situations in life that we don’t understand and need help understanding. LIFE can be little fuzzy…what is right, what is wrong? Should I believe this should I believe that, should I participate in this or that.

Without Godly wisdom we are blind to walk through life. The knowledge of the Gospel and the wisdom God empowers us with…are like a set of glasses that transform the way we view the world. He becomes the lenses we see life through.

Godly wisdom is the ability to understand life from God’s perspective.

So how do we gain Godly wisdom?

How Do We Gain Wisdom?

In order to find out let’s find out let’s go to Prov. 1:7

1: Fear of the Lord

What does Fear of the Lord Mean?

What it doesn’t mean: Horror, dread, anxiousness

-Reverence/Respect

-Jonah 1:15-16 (Awestruck/Fear)

These men knew immediately their place in life. They were not the center of the world. They weren’t in control of their lives. They understood there was someone greater than they were and that someone made himself known. So they had a fear, a reverence, a respect, they were AWEstruck.

Understanding Your Place in Life

DO YOU KNOW YOUR PLACE IN LIFE?

All to often, you and I get caught up in our own life. Thinking that we are the authors of our story. That we are in control. But when bad things happen…we are alone.

If you don’t know something..then you’re not smart enough.

When we don’t do something as well as someone..we aren’t good enough.

Or if we don’t look a certain way, or follow a certain trend…then we aren’t living life fully…or we don’t matter at all.

But what is good news from Proverbs is that none of that is true.

The truth is...We have an all powerful, personal, loving spiritual being, we call God. Who loves us, is concerned with us, and wants us to live life to the fullest. Live life the way it was always designed…live life with HIM.

WIsdom is the understanding life through God’s perspective. Living Wisely is living life with God. He wants us to live knowing that Jesus has died/rose again to bring me new life, and in this new life we can begin to live in wisdom, truth, and freedom.

PROVERBS PRINCIPLE: We cannot have the knowledge of God or walk in Wisdom without the fear of the Lord. Without knowing our place in the universe.

“What the alphabet is to reading, notes to reading music, and numerals to mathematics, the fear of the Lord is to attaining the revealed knowledge of God (Theologian Bruce Waltke)

Freedom in a fear of the Lord

Fearing the Lord says that I am going to live with him and without the baggage of thinking, I am alone on this rock and I have to do it all myself.

I have to know everything, I have to keep up with the latest trends, I have to wear what my friends wear, do what everyone else does. It frees us to say, I have value and worth because my creator loves me and I am perfectly content living with and and for him.

Fearing the Lord is the beginning of living your whole life seeing the world through God’s lenses.

2: A Love for His Word

The second foundation

Things in life you hate and things you love

Ex. I hate the Green Bay Packers, I don’t associate with them, I don’t look at them, I definitely won’t support them. Meaning…I am not devoted at all to the Green Bay Packers.

What is something you hate, despise or dislike?

On the other hand, there are things that I love.

Ex. I love the Dallas Cowboys. I like to watch them play, I am invested in their players, I care about how they do, I cheer for them. I am devoted to following them.

What is something you love or devoted to?

The second part of Proverbs. 1:7, is saying…this…when you fear the lord you will love wise instruction.

2 Tim. 3:16 - All Scripture is from God and it is useful to instruct us.

The Bible doesn’t just fill us in on history or tell a good story. The Bible instructs on who God is and how we can be with him through his son Jesus!

This proverbs says, to hate wisdom and instruction is foolish. To hate his words in this book…is foolish.

You and I are fools to not have a desire or a devotion to studying God’s word. Why? Because it is reveals to us how we can have a relationship with our creator and how to walk wisely with him.

If we say, yes i fear the Lord…shouldn’t we want to and seek to know more about him?

To despise or hate the Bible’s instruction is like…saying, I love and admire my parents but I will not listen to a word they say.

If you don’t seek instruction from them…do you truly love them?

Proverbs says the same is true with God.

In order to walk wisely in this world..you must

Fear/Admire/Respect God

LIsten to his instruction.

And my friends…God wants us to walk wisely in this life. He wants us to have success. And Guess what…we need HIS wisdom to have success in life.

Where Do We Need Wisdom?

We all have places in life where we need to put on our “Wisdom Lenses” and see the world and its situations as God sees them. For example:

Relationships-

What happens when a friend stabs you in the back and ditches you.

How do you respond when a friend criticizes you for believing in God.

What do you do when you hurt your friends feelings and you don’t know how to resolve these issues.

Proverbs would say, the knowledge and wisdom you desire finds its foundations first in fearing the Lord, knowing that you have an wiser creator who loves you and wants to help you, and secondly, listening to instruction you find in the Bible.

How about family?

How do you respond when your parents say no…to that thing you have always wanted.

What do you do when your parents hurt you.

How do you respond when your brother or sister annoy you.

What does it mean to be a family and how can you love and care for your parents and siblings.

Proverbs would say, the knowledge and wisdom you desire finds its foundations first in fearing the Lord, knowing that you have an wiser creator who loves you and wants to help you, and secondly, listening to instruction you find in the Bible.

How about Dating many people want to have a relationship…but is it wise to have one right now?

Are the relationships you’re in right now healthy ones, relationships that honor God?

Do you have shame about past relationships?

How do you navigate through life with all of these desires?

Proverbs would say, the knowledge and wisdom you desire finds its foundations first in fearing the Lord, knowing that you have an wiser creator who loves you and wants to help you, and secondly, listening to instruction you find in the Bible.

Proverbs are there to help us…walk wisely through life and have success.

I want to close with an idea from Proverbs 3

-Proverbs 3:18 Wisdom is a tree of life to those who embrace her; happy are those who hold her tightly.

TREE OF LIFE. GARDEN OF EDEN LANGUAGE

God knows that the best life is a life lived with him

Therefore, will you, 1. Fear the Lord 2. Love his Word