"The fear of God is the foundation of Wisdom and the knowledge of God stuff." Proverbs 9:10
Jesus teaches us more about the wisdom of God than anyone else. In John 7 we find a story that helps us understand why His followers must be wise about God stuff.
The people are celebrating a festival called the Feast of Shelters. It’s one of the more joyous festivals during the year and falls late in the harvest so there is plenty of food to go around. The Jews are celebrating deliverance from wandering in the desert before they were allowed into the promised land. Think of this celebration like Thanksgiving, but a week long; a week long feast with family and friends. Like any festival, there would’ve been entertainment in the streets, all kinds of vendors and games. Jesus goes to the temple and begins to teach. The people are amazed by his depth of understanding of Scripture, and they wonder how Jesus, someone with no education, knows so much about God stuff? And Jesus replies and says, "My message is not my own; it comes from God who sent me. Anyone who wants to do the will of God will know whether my teaching is from God or is merely my own. Those who speak for themselves want glory only for themselves, but a person who seeks to honor the one who sent him speaks truth, not lies."
Jesus teaches us that wisdom of God stuff has nothing to do with education and everything to do with obeying God. God gives wisdom to those who live for Him. There were those who already hated Jesus in the crowd; especially the politicians and Saturday School Teachers. They didn't like how Jesus was teaching that they were not as righteous as tax collectors and other sinners who repented. The more popular Jesus became, the more jealous they got. So they began to spread rumors that Jesus was a fake. Maybe he was even demon possessed they said. They didn't want anyone trusting what Jesus taught. Sounds a lot like politics today. Politicians routinely throw around accusations about their opponent and it doesn't matter if it's factual or not; it's effective politics to simply make the suggestion. Is Jesus a fake? This was the question on the minds of those who listened to him that day at the temple.
"My message is not my own; it comes from God who sent me."
God is the source of wisdom. Jesus points his listeners to God. The reason Jesus was able to teach with authority and know the Scriptures better than the teachers was because He obeyed God. God then gave Him the truth to share with others. This is why followers of Jesus are wise. Not because we're smarter than anyone else and not because we're more educated. We're wise because, like Jesus, we obey God. And because, like the one we follow, our source of truth comes from God.
Jesus tells us what wisdom is and where it comes from, and Jesus also tells us what wisdom does for those who love God. He tells a story in Matthew 7 that we've heard a thousand times. As a child, you probably sang about it in Sunday School a million times.
Jesus said wisdom is like a guy who settles down at Peggy's Cove and he wants to build a house. The ground is nothing but rock, but, he decides it's the safest place to build a home considering the storms that often find seaside homes like his. So he builds his house on the rock. When the inevitable storm comes and the wind, waves and rain beat on the house it stands because of the rock it was built on. But this other guy he decides that building a house at Peggy's Cove is going to take too much work. It's not easy to build a house on a solid rock, so he goes down the road to Cleveland Beach and builds his house on the sandy coast. When the storm comes and the wind, waves and rain beat on the house it crashes to the ground because his house was not built on a solid foundation. Matthew 7:24-27
For Jesus Followers here are two points about wisdom Jesus makes in this story:
It's wise to listen and obey God's Word and it's foolish not to
"Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock" Matthew 7:24
God tells us how He wants us to live. If you don’t know His Word, then you don’t know what He has shared with you. Ignorance is not bliss. God will not give you a pass for not knowing His expectations. This is why you have His Word in your hands. I've been given two traffic tickets since I moved to Nova Scotia. I haven't been stopped by a policeman in over 20 years. But in the last year I've been stopped three times and given two tickets. When we moved to Nova Scotia, to get my drivers license, I didn't need to read the driving manual or take a test. I simply surrendered my Iowa drivers license, paid the fee, and received my Nova Scotia license.
But guess what? The rules for driving are a little different here. In Iowa, at least at the time I lived there, it was against the law to text and drive, but, you could talk on your phone. Not here. If your phone is in your hand while you are driving, you get a ticket. Now, I protested, "NOT FAIR! I didn't know I couldn't talk on my phone." I even claimed the "dumb American" defense, which, has worked for me before, but, you can probably guess how interested the policeman was in my argument. Yeah. Not so much. Ignorance of the law is not a defense. The same is true for those who claim to follow Jesus. Jesus said, "if you love me, you will obey me." God gives wisdom to those who obey His Word. According to Jesus, you are wise if you listen and obey. And you're foolish if you don't.
It's wise to be confident that there is hope of an eternal life with God and it's foolish to live like there's not.
"Though the rain comes in torrents and the flood waters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock" Matthew 7:25
I heard this story years ago, and I don't know where I heard it, or who told it.
In the early 1800’s a traveling preacher was talking to a man he was seeking to convert. The preacher asked him, “What’s the most wonderful thing you have ever seen?”
The man thought for a moment and replied, “I remember while on a business trip to Canada I saw a black man leaning over the railing of the ferry. I know he was a slave because of his tattered clothes, and I noticed a brand on his arm. He was very excited and was leaning over the rail as far as he could trying to get a glimpse of the shore. Soon the shore came into view and the closer we got the more excited he became. When the ferry was several feet from docking the slave took a running jump over the railing into the water and ran to the shore. As soon as he reached land he was acting like a mad man, jumping up and down, screaming “I’m FREEEE, I’m FREEEE as loud as he could. I’ve never seen a man so full of joy. I would have to say that the image of that rejoicing runaway slave was the most wonderful sight I’ve ever seen.”
Jesus says in John 8:34,36 “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin. So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free."
A follower of Jesus is confident in their hope of eternal life. We are just like the slaves who found freedom on the shores of Canada so many years ago. We have found freedom in Jesus. At the foot of the cross we recognize we are free because of His sacrifice. Wisdom is discovered in obeying the One who saved us. Wisdom is a gift from God.
James puts it this way, "If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do." James 1:5-8
Jesus teaches that wisdom is about more than just making good decisions. Wisdom is a gift from God. I hope and pray that you will listen and obey these words of Jesus and make any change in your life you need to make in order to Seek Him first. I pray that you are wise. That God has blessed you with wisdom as you listen and obey His Word. That God has blessed you with wisdom as you confidently look forward to your eternity with Him, because life is a breath, a vapor, everything on earth is temporary.
I pray that if you are not a follower of Jesus, don’t wait for a more perfect time; because, there is no better time than right now.
Are you wise?
