New Year Old Wisdom

Has anyone ever been to see a 3D movie?

Have you ever taking off your glasses at some point and saw that the screen was blurry and hard to watch? Like i’ve done that before and got a headache.

but as soon as you put the glasses back on, it changes how you see things.

The reality is that God has given us a similar kind of filter through which we can see life clearly.

You like how i did that huh?

It’s a lens through which we can see ourselves and the world around us. When you begin to look through this lens, life starts to come into focus.

The name of the filter, lens, or grid through which we can see life clearly is ...

WISDOM.

The reality is that the biblical picture of wisdom is far different from what most of us imagine.

If you have a Bible, turn to the middle and find a book called “Proverbs.”

Most of the book was written by King Solomon, who is known as the wisest person ever to have lived.

If you look in chapter 1 of Proverbs, you’ll see the purpose of this book.

Proverbs 1:1–3 ESV

1 The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel: 2 To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight, 3 to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity;

Imagine what would happen if every one of us lived a life of wisdom.

Imagine what our church and this community would look like if people lived disciplined and successful lives. (successful from a biblical and christian standpoint)

Imagine what our world would be like if people made choices that were always right, just, and fair!

This is what happens when people live a life marked by wisdom.

So, what is wisdom? I’m going to give you a simple definition that I want you to write down and remember.

Wisdom is seeing life CLEARLY through the lens of SCRIPTURE.

Like 3D glasses, wisdom gives us a different way to see life with greater focus and clarity.

Wisdom is sort of like gravity, an invisible force at work in the universe.

While we can’t see it, we can feel the effects of it all around us.

Wisdom is woven into the fabric of how God created the universe.

It has to do with a cause-and -effect pattern and is based on a moral code of right and wrong.

Keep this in mind, we don’t define morality, God does.

It’s rooted in the very character of God Himself, and it’s been around a long time. Listen to this old wisdom from the book of Proverbs.

Proverbs 2:1–6 ESV

1 My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, 2 making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; 3 yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, 4 if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, 5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. 6 For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;

From this passage, there are five important truths I want you to know about wisdom.

1. Wisdom comes from GOD.

In verse 6, it says, “The Lord gives wisdom.” Wisdom comes from God.

It was his idea from the beginning, and He wove it into the fabric of the world when He created this universe.

When people begin tapping into wisdom and making wise choices, they are tapping into something God created, whether they realize it or not.

So wisdom is rooted in God and in the way He designed things to work in this world.

2. Wisdom is not the same as KNOWLEDGE.

When we talk about wisdom, we’re not talking about the same thing as intellectual knowledge or information.

You can have all the knowledge in the world and be the smartest person in the room but have no wisdom at all.

Wisdom is more like the application of knowledge and living by a moral code of right and wrong.

Wisdom is essentially knowledge in action.

3. Wisdom is very PRACTICAL.

Wisdom is not some kind of mystical force.

Wisdom is incredibly practical and can be applied to lots of different areas of life every day.

While the book of Proverbs was written a long time ago, this old wisdom is so relevant to how we live today in this year, specifically for you all this summer.

Listen to these nuggets from Proverbs:

Proverbs 20:19 ESV

19 Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets; therefore do not associate with a simple babbler.

Proverbs 25:17 ESV

17 Let your foot be seldom in your neighbor’s house, lest he have his fill of you and hate you.

Proverbs 26:11 ESV

11 Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly.

Dog vomit is probably not something you thought we would be talking about today.

For those of you who have dogs, you can probably relate to this image.

Dogs do some gross things, and they repeat some of the same mistakes just like fools repeat their folly.

Wisdom says don’t live like that.

Wisdom also says don’t gossip and don’t pester your neighbors.

As you read through the book of Proverbs, you’ll see many more examples of this practical wisdom.

4. Wisdom should be PURSUED.

Look back to what we read in Proverbs 2.

What are the words used to describe how we should approach wisdom?

Listen. Treasure. Tune. Concentrate. Cry. Search. Seek.

Do these words describe your current approach to wisdom, or does anything need to change?

This passage is saying that we need to pursue wisdom as an all-out effort!

5. Wisdom has huge BENEFITS.

Proverbs 2:7–12 ESV

7 he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, 8 guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints. 9 Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path; 10 for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; 11 discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you, 12 delivering you from the way of evil, from men of perverted speech,

I love how this passage describes what happens when we walk with wisdom.

It says that God will give us “sound wisdom” or “common sense” and be a “shield” for us.

My guess is that most of you have found this to be true when you’re making wise choices, and you’ve missed it when your choices are less than wise.

I hope that gives you a better picture of what this old wisdom is all about and why it matters today.

Wisdom is seeing life clearly through the lens of Scripture.

It’s seeing God clearly. It’s seeing ourselves clearly. It’s seeing the world around us clearly as we look through the lens of Scripture.

The challenge for us today, as we begin the summer, is to be people who live wisely.

So I want to give you one big question that will help set the tone for this year.

I know the reality is that you’ll be making a million different choices this summer.

Some of those decisions may seem like no big deal, but they could be way bigger than you realize.

Others may seem like a huge deal now.

However, in the grand scheme of things, they may actually be pretty minor.

Either way, as you go through life this summer and make choices (big or small), I want for you to process those choices through a new lens this year by applying some old wisdom.

So here’s the BIG QUESTION that I want you to ask as you’re making decisions this year:

is it the WISE thing to do?

Not, “Is it the easy thing to do?”

Not, “Is it the popular thing to do?”

Not even, “Is it the convenient thing to do?”

Rather, “Is it the WISE thing to do?”

Turn to the person next to you and ask this question: “Is it the WISE thing to do?” Imagine what would happen if we asked this question whenever we made choices this year!

So, when it comes to the million different choices that you’re going to make this summer, I want you to ask this question.

If the question is, “Should I hang out with this group of friends?”

ask, “Is it the wise thing to do?”

If the question is, “Should I date this person?”

ask, “Is it the wise thing to do?”

If the question is, “Should I play this sport, take this job, join this club?”

ask, “Is it the wise thing to do?”

If the question is, “Should I send this text, post this pic, or click this link?”

ask, “Is it the wise thing to do?”

If the question is, “Should I watch this movie, listen to this song, or play this game?”

ask, “Is it the wise thing to do?”

How do you know if it’s wise? Remember our definition of wisdom.

It’s seeing life clearly through the lens of Scripture.

This means we should filter our daily choices through the lens of God’s Word.

You would be amazed at how much God’s Word speaks to life today.

The old wisdom of God’s Word talks about things like relationships, time, words, money, and authority.

It even has implications for how we should use technology.

The Bible also talks about work and rest, joy and sorrow, trials and temptation.

So the challenge in this summer is to apply the old wisdom of God’s Word to our lives today.

Whenever you’re making decisions, ask the big question: “Is it the wise thing to do?”

Begin to apply this filter to every area of your life and then you’ll be able to see life clearly through the lens of Scripture.

Here are three specific areas that I want to challenge you to begin pursuing this old wisdom this summer.

1. Pursue wisdom in your RELATIONSHIPS.

Proverbs 13:20 ESV

20 Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.

Whether it’s with friendships or in dating relationships, we need to be cautious with who we surround ourselves with.

Those people you allow into your closest circle have enormous influence over you.

If you hang out with wise people, they will rub off on you over time and you will become wise.

If you choose to hang out with foolish people, just know that harm is coming your way at some point.

Many of you have seen this principle play out already in your life.

It’s based on the old wisdom from God’s Word.

I want to challenge you this year to pursue wisdom in all of your relationships (friendships, dating relationships, with your family, teachers, etc.).

If your friends aren’t helping

GROW with CHRIST, then they’re helping your GO from Christ.

2. Pursue wisdom with your TIME.

Ephesians 5:15–16 ESV

15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

You will have lots of options and opportunities this summer.

Some of them will be really good, and others will be less than God’s best for you.

The reality is that you probably can’t do everything, and do it all well, so learn to be wise with your time.

Make the most of your time each day, each week and each month.

This period of time in your life will fly by quicker than what you realize, so pursue wisdom with how you spend your time this summer.

pursue time with God. Make an effort to still come to church.

3. Pursue wisdom with your WORDS.

Proverbs 18:20–21 ESV

20 From the fruit of a man’s mouth his stomach is satisfied; he is satisfied by the yield of his lips. 21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.

Your words matter more than you realize.

They have the power to bring life or death.

So choose your words carefully this year.

Sometimes you just need to hold your tongue and say nothing.

Be wise with your words as you speak to your parents, your friends, and anyone else you come across

Also be wise with your words in what you post for the whole world to see.

As we wrap up today,

I want to challenge you to ask this question:

is it the wise thing to do?

With your relationships?

With your time?

With your words?

In every area of your life, consider your choices through the lens of Scripture.

Imagine what could happen when we begin to approach life this way.

You would see things in your life with greater clarity and focus.

Proverbs 2 says that God will guard you and protect you. As we pursue this old wisdom from God’s Word, I really believe you could truly impact this summer and follow it into next school year.

So how does the Lord want for you to respond to this today?

Remember, wisdom is from God…but if you don’t have a relationship with God....well then how could you be wise?

Is it wise to risk your eternity on words you’ve said in the past or on the possibility of you making a decision in the future.

Some of you have been holding back, not giving it to God. Tell me…how wise is that?

If you’re not guaranteed another day, why would you risk your eternity?

If there has never been a time when you have put your trust in Jesus Christ as Lord, you can do that today.

For those who have already made this choice, how is the Lord calling you to respond and apply what you’ve heard?

Let’s be the kind of people who apply this old wisdom to our lives in this new year!