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ME: Intro - Sacred vs. Secular
Are you familiar with the phrase, “sacred vs. secular divide”?
It summarizes this tendency that has been observed in many self-proclaimed Christians,
To compartmentalize the sacred parts of our lives and the secular parts of our lives.
The sacred part of our lives are the spiritual part of our lives.
That may include church on Sunday mornings or praying before meals.
The secular part of our lives includes everything else.
We as people have this tendency because we see most of life as morally neutral.
We think God is concerned with those sacred parts of our lives,
But not so much concerned about the secular parts.
We think God cares about us having a good quiet time,
But does not really care about our jobs or schools,
Outside of us trying to be a good witness there.
We think God is concerned about us being a good witness at work,
But not as concerned about us showing up on time or completing our tasks on time.
Proverbs does well at bridging the gap between this sacred vs. secular divide.
It corrects our misunderstood compartmentalization.
These secular parts or our daily lives are not morally neutral.
That’s really what Proverbs is getting at.
Wisdom is not just these tips for daily life.
Repeatedly we come back to the point that Wisdom is a Person, Jesus Christ.
But this morning we also see wisdom is a path that we are to walk.
If you lack wisdom in any secular part of your life,
It is not just that you are a fool in that area,
Though you are,
It reveals a bigger problem.
That you have a problem with Jesus.
What do I mean by this?
I mean that since wisdom is a path,
And since there is no separation between the sacred parts of our lives,
And the secular parts of our lives,
When we lack wisdom in a secular part of our life,
We are walking away from Jesus on the path of foolishness.
That is problem we have with Jesus when we are foolish in what we pretend to be the secular part of our lives.
What does this look like?
Well it could be a short temper,
It could be violent and contentious arguments,
It could be going a little too far with a boyfriend or girlfriend,
It could not be finishing an assignment your boss gives you.
These are not just minor character flaws,
Or shortcomings in the secular part of your life.
These are markers along the path of foolishness,
That reveal you have a problem with Jesus,
Because you are walking away from Jesus.
Friends, if you find yourself walking down the wrong path,
You are not just compartmentalizing the secular part of your life,
You are moving toward death.
That is what we are being taught in Proverbs 4:1-19 this morning.
Our passage this morning teaches us about Problematic Words.
Chapter four is broken up into three sections of instructional sayings.
Each section begins with an introduction from a father to his son.
The first section in vs. 1-9 sees wisdom as a precious acquisition.
The second section in vs. 10-19 contrasts the wicked path against the path of life.
And the third section in vs. 20-27 presents the way of uprightness.
This morning, we will be focusing on the first two sections in vs. 1-19,
And Lord willing next week, we will focus on vs. 20-27.
So, our outline this morning is a simple one;
Connect with Wisdom (vs.
1-9)
Grow in Wisdom (vs.
10-19)
If you walk the foolish path, you’ve got a problem with Jesus
Wisdom tradition is something that is a part of a variety of cultures and religions.
Elsewhere in the OT, the author of Proverbs discusses wisdom traditions with people from other nations.
Showing that wisdom was shared across national and religious boundaries.
The wisdom tradition within God’s people,
Is used within the framework of the covenant relationship between God and His people.
WE: Connect with Wisdom (vs.
1-9)
So, the first thing we must understand about wisdom,
Is that it is deeply relational.
We must have a relationship with wisdom.
In other words,
As we see in vs. 1-9,
We must Connect with Wisdom.
Again, we hear our heavenly Father appealing to us to focus on and comprehend His instruction.
This instruction includes discipline.
So, pay attention to discipline and instruction,
That way you can gain understanding.
Wisdom is generally dispensed from a parent to a child.
In our case,
It is from our Heavenly Father to us.
He is saying to us, “Listen, I have good instructions for you, do not forget it!”
Vs. 2 shows that our Father gives us good precepts,
Or teaching.
This includes God’s law,
And it requires our receptivity as learners.
His curriculum is good!
A true child of God is obedient.
A tender child is teachable.
Solomon reflects on when he was a child,
Showing wisdom bridging three generations together.
Solomon is passing the wisdom he received from his parents,
Down to his child when he writes Proverbs.
Wisdom is passed on from generation to generation.
The wise continue this tradition by teaching their children what their parents taught them.
Age and experience are by no means on the same level as wisdom.
But they are important,
They are worthy of being regarded.
And those who love wisdom influence the generations after them by passing on a love for wisdom.
Instruction in wisdom should be a multigenerational thing.
Parents, you have been entrusted with the responsibility to pas this down to your children.
The question is not whether we will pass something down to the next generation or not,
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