Dig Deeper

Introduction

Welcome back, church! I’m excited to be with you today as we continue the series we started last week called “Fool’s Gold.” In this series, we are learning about wisdom. What is it? Where can we find it? How do we apply it?

And today, I want us to spend a few moments learning how to dig deeper in our pursuit of wisdom.

STORY: The California Gold Rush (1848–1855) was a gold rush that began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California from the rest of the United States and abroad. The sudden influx of gold into the money supply reinvigorated the American economy, and the sudden population increase allowed California to go rapidly to statehood, in the Compromise of 1850.

At the heights of the California Gold Rush, people could not find gold simply by looking on the surface when they searched for it. They had to dig deep. They had to wade through rivers, pan it out, dig mines into mountains, etc... This is in part why gold was and is so valuable.

And today is the day we dig deeper together to find something even more valuable than gold. If you have a Bible or Bible app with you, turn with me to the book of Job.

Main Teaching

This is a fantastic book I would highly encourage you to read this week. It talks about a servant of God named Job. Job was someone who was upright and sought to live a life in step with God. But after Satan takes some things away from Job, Job and his friends have an ongoing dialogue about it. We are reading from a passage in Job 28, where he is speaking about wisdom and understanding. And starting in verse 12, here’s what he says:

Read Job 28:12-23

Job 28:12–23 ESV

“But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? Man does not know its worth, and it is not found in the land of the living. The deep says, ‘It is not in me,’ and the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’ It cannot be bought for gold, and silver cannot be weighed as its price. It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, in precious onyx or sapphire. Gold and glass cannot equal it, nor can it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold. No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal; the price of wisdom is above pearls. The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it, nor can it be valued in pure gold. “From where, then, does wisdom come? And where is the place of understanding? It is hidden from the eyes of all living and concealed from the birds of the air. Abaddon and Death say, ‘We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.’ “God understands the way to it, and he knows its place.

Within this passage, there are a few different things I want to highlight for us. Job tells us where to find wisdom. But, before we can know where to find it, we have to learn where it’s not and what it’s not. So first, where is wisdom not found?

Wisdom is Not Found Among the Living

In this passage, Job is talking to us about the source of wisdom. He makes it clear in verse 13 that wisdom is not found among the living (that means you and I). The reason we can’t produce wisdom on our own is because of our fallen nature. Our understanding is limited and tainted at the same time.

Read Romans 3:23

Romans 3:23 ESV

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Paul makes it clear in this passage that every single human being has sinned and has fallen short of God’s glorious standard. It started all the way back in Genesis 3, when Adam and Eve (the first human beings) decided to disobey God’s commands and eat from a certain tree in the Garden of Eden. From this moment on, human beings were infected with this disease called sin. Which means, as Romans says, we have all sinned and disobeyed God.

But how crazy it is how Job, the man speaking in our main passage about wisdom, falls into this category displayed in Romans 3:23. The Bible tells us earlier in the book of Job that he was blameless. In fact, God Himself even says Job is, “the finest man in all the earth.” But even this man was not the source of wisdom. However, Job shows us we can still gain wisdom and grow in wisdom, even though we can’t create it on our own. This leads to the second thing I want to say today from our text, having to do with what wisdom is not…

Wisdom is not Able to be Purchased

Job shows us the true worth of wisdom in chapter 28. He says wisdom cannot be purchased with silver or gold, and that the price of wisdom is far beyond rubies. The thing we are searching for, wisdom, cannot be bought with a price because it is priceless. And many in our world today desire to have wisdom and understanding, but they do not understand money cannot buy wisdom.

It’s not in the clearance rack at Wal-Mart.

It’s not available through next day shipping.

And for all the inventory that Amazon has, you won’t find bottled wisdom available in her catalog.

To highlight this reality consider Matthew 19, where we read the story of a rich man coming to Jesus and asking him this simple question, “What must I do to receive eternal life?”

Read Matthew 19:16-22

Matthew 19:16–22 ESV

And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

This rich man was saddened because he was told to sell all he had. Maybe for the first time in his life, he realized money and the possessions he owned could not give him what he actually wanted.

In the same way, money can’t buy wisdom, nor can any amount of possessions be traded in exchange for wisdom. It must be gained through a long process of faith and trust. And In what or in whom, you may ask, can I obtain this all-elusive wisdom. This brings us to our final point:

Only God Understands the Way

In the final verse of our passage from Job 28 we read these words, “God alone understands the way to wisdom, He knows where it can be found.” (Job 28:23) God is the one who created all we see around us. Back in Genesis 1-2, before sin comes into the picture, we read about all God created. And in this account of creation, we see there is an order to all He created. He designed everything to serve specific purposes. But wisdom he kept for Himself to distribute. Therefore, we know God holds the keys to finding wisdom. And what must we do to get it? I believe it requires us to simply ask Him for it.

STORY: Yet I know there are times when I ask those around me for favors. This past week, I was feeling lazy and gave Lydia two task: throw away the yogurt container in the trash and the spoon in the sink. Well… she did one of the tasks correctly. Not hearing the pinging noise of the spoon dropping. I got up and pulled the spoon out of the trash.

There’s a verse about asking in Matthew 7, verse 7. This is Jesus speaking in His Sermon on the Mount, and here is what He says:

Read Matthew 7:7

Matthew 7:7 ESV

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

Now, I want to clarify. If I ask God for a Tesla right now, chances are He will not give me a Tesla. Is this because He doesn’t have the power to give me one? Of course not. But, a Tesla isn’t really something I need. You see, when Jesus invites us to ask God for things, He doesn’t limit what we ask for. However, I believe that as we grow closer to God Himself, we will understand more of His will for our lives. We will begin to see what He desires we have. And one of these things is wisdom.

In order to find wisdom, we have to go beyond a surface level in our faith. We must be willing to dig deeper in our relationship with God. Maybe for you, this looks like spending more time in prayer this week, asking God for things and thanking Him for what He’s given you. Maybe for you, this looks like spending more time in God’s Word this week. When you do, you learn more about who God is and who God says you are. These steps take us beyond a surface level relationship with Jesus Christ and into a more full and intimate relationship with Him.

Developing this kind of intimate relationship takes time, it’s a process.

The Life of Faith is a Process

Have you ever heard someone say that faith is a marathon not a sprint? It’s a long process, it’s difficult, and it takes consistent training, effort, intention, etc…

But, I think faith is actually more like an ultra-running 100 mile race that continues throughout your life. There are perilous dangers, treacherous terrains to manage, hunger, thirst, exhaustion, on and on the list goes. A 100-mile run tests even the most capable of human endurance… but one thing is sure. All who compete must learn to trust the process, their coaches, and their training.

Similarly, the life of faith will test the most able of us. The most prayerful of us. The pillars of life-long faith you look up to and the brand new believers in the room. Faith is a process, and we must learn to trust the divine creator of the cosmos to lead and guide us according to His will.

It’s also helpful to learn to ask for help when we need it. We need to develop a prayer life and a consistent rhythm of getting alone with the Lord. In these times of solitude we can bring our questions, concerns, literally everything to Him in boldness and confidence.

This is how we dig deep, how we press in, and how we obtain wisdom.

Conclusion

The book of James says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” (James 1:5) This truth goes back to the passage I just shared with you from Matthew 7:7. God is a good Father who wants to give His kids what they need. Not everything we want, but everything we need.

And if you need wisdom, He says you can ask Him freely. He won’t look for any fault in you, He will give you the wisdom you need and He’ll give generously.

Consider spending more time in prayer this week.

Dig into the word, into the gospels, and into the Proverbs.

Seek wisdom, knowledge and understanding.

And remember, faith is more like a 100 mile race than a marathon, and there will be long seasons that are more difficult than others. But God is faithful to see you through, and faithful to give you all you need for the journey.

Let’s pray together.