“THANKFUL FOR THE WISDOM OF GOD”
Proverbs 1:1-7
FBCF – 11/1/20
Jon Daniels
INTRO – November – one of fave months of yr. Temps cooler. Leaves continue to change. Flannel shirts, jackets, hoodies, sweaters, fire pits. Get ready for the holidays.
Since we are entering Nov., also going to enter a short sermon series for this month simply entitled, “Thankful For…”. Each Sunday, we will complete that statement w/ something for which we need to be thankful.
G.K. Chesterton: “The worst moment for an atheist is when he is really thankful & has no one to thank.” We’ve got SO much to be thankful for! We aren’t just thankful for temporal stuff of this world:
- A nice house that could burn down today
- Our health that can change in an instant
- Our jobs that we could unexpectedly lose
Our thankfulness goes so much deeper than those things. Our thankfulness is for things that last forever, things that the world could never be thankful for:
- Eternal life through Jesus Christ alone
- The everlasting love of God
- The everlasting, never-changing Word of God
- Our eternal home in heaven for those of us who know Christ
- The Gospel of Jesus alone that lasts forever
These are the things for which we need to be thankful b/c they will NEVER CHANGE when everything around us is changing! And another thing that will never change is the everlasting wisdom of God, which is what we are thankful for today.
EXPLANATION – Proverbs 1:1-7
Proverbs, along w/ Job, parts of Psalms, Ecclesiastes, & Song of Solomon make up the wisdom literature of the OT. Usually think of Psalms & Proverbs together.
- Psalms – How we relate to God
- Proverbs – How we relate to each other
Proverbs – very practical. Sermon from Proverbs series several yrs ago – “Practical Advice for Everyday Life,” b/c that’s exactly what you find in Proverbs. There aren’t very many topics that we encounter in life that aren’t covered somewhere in this book:
- Personal conduct
- Money & wealth
- Work ethic
- Politics
- Ambition
- Sexual relations
- Parenting
- Marriage
- Discipline
- Alcohol
- Revenge
- Charity
They’re all in there. And all of that advice is driven by the wisdom that comes from God.
It’s true that anybody can have some degree of wisdom, whether they’re a Christian or not. Lots of people who don’t believe in Jesus know how to handle their $ well, how to run a business, how to deal w/ adversity, how to handle tragedy w/ strength & dignity. Wisdom for living life is not exclusive to Christians.
But the Biblical truth that we stand on & that I’m preaching today is that we need to be thankful for God’s wisdom b/c it will last when all other worldly wisdom passes away. And that’s the application point for this message today.
APPLICATION – Let’s talk about this wisdom from God.
WHAT IS IT?
This wisdom that we find in v. 2 has to do w/ “skill.” Not just skill as in knowing how to do some specific job, although that is part of it.
- Exodus 28:2-3 – God said, “You shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory & for beauty. You shall speak to all the skillful, whom I have filled w/ a spirit of skill (same word), that they make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him for my priesthood.”
- The garment-makers’ skill in their work.
But there is more to this wisdom that just knowing how to do some specific thing well: change oil in a car – shoot a gun – bake a cake – build a house.
The wisdom that we are to thank God for today is the skills we have been given to choose the right course of action & the right way to live our lives to glorify God. It means having skill in the art of Godly living. This is the wisdom that we need today, the wisdom that we should be thankful for today, but, unfortunately, it’s the wisdom that so many people neglect & reject. Why are there so many who are like the “fools” [lit. “idiots’] in v. 7 who “despise wisdom & instruction”?
- B/c to accept God’s wisdom & live a truly Godly life means to accept a life of sacrifice, a life of selflessness, a life of going against the current of the world, sometimes even against our family & friends, & sometimes even against folks who are in the church.
- It means speaking out against things that others won’t speak out against.
- It means standing up for folks that no one else wants to stand up for.
- It means to “hear & increase in learning” & “obtain guidance” (v. 5). That takes a lifetime of commitment, hard work, & sacrifice, & so few are willing to do that.
But NOW MORE THAN EVER we need this wisdom from God. And THANK GOD, we can have it!
WHY SHOULD WE BE THANKFUL FOR IT?
B/c God knows we need it – Pretty obvious that God knows that we need it when He gives us a complete book filled w/ wisdom & instructions like we find in Proverbs.
- He knew that our faith was going to be tested so He gave us Proverbs 3:5-6 (preaching on this next week).
- He knew that our nation would be in the greatest turmoil that any of us have ever seen, so He gave us Proverbs 14:34 – “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.”
- He knew that we would struggle w/ our own pride & arrogance, so He gave us a warning in Proverbs 16:18 – “Pride goes before destruction…”
- He knew that sexual temptations would be a major source of struggle, so He gave us complete chapters about this w/ words like we find in Proverbs 6:32-33 – “He who commits adultery lacks sense; he who does it destroys himself. He will get wounds & dishonor, & his disgrace will not be wiped away.”
- He knew that our integrity would be severely tested, so He gave us Proverbs 28:6 – “Better is a poor man who walks in integrity, than a rich man who is crooked in his ways,” & Proverbs 28:18 – “Whoever walks in integrity will be delivered, but he who is crooked in his ways will suddenly fall.”
- He knew that RIGHT NOW, we are facing the reality that our children & grandchildren WILL BE LIVING IN A NATION that has & will continue to turn its back on God, & that they will face incredibly dark & difficult days. So He gave us Proverbs 6:20-22 – “My son, keep your father’s commandment, & forsake not your mother’s teaching. Bind them on your heart always; tie them around your neck. When you walk, they will lead you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; & when you awake, they will talk w/ you.”
We should be thankful that God loves us enough to give us the wisdom we need to face the
But here’s the question: Are you living & walking in God’s wisdom & instruction? Are you truly teaching your kids how to live for the Lord when NO ONE ELSE around them is? Can you honestly say Proverbs 6:22-23 to them?
- Things are changing dramatically in our nation right now. NO MATTER WHO IS ELECTED PRESIDENT THIS TUE, our nation has forsaken God, allowing the forces of Satan to grow stronger & stronger every day.
- “We are closer to either revival or judgment than we have ever been. There is not an alternative between these two. Either God’s people return to God w/ all our hearts, or God will judge our nation” (Henry Blackaby)
- Friend of mine & I were talking about the election. Texted him: “Either way – Trump or Biden – I believe judgment is coming, evil is going to continue to increase, the love of most will grow cold, & 2 Tim 3 & 4 will become more & more evident. I believe we’ve gone past the point of no return & our kids & grandkids are going to face unimaginable evil. We need to be preparing for it.”
- We teach our kids to hunt, fish, play sports, cheer, dance, play a musical instrument, but are we teaching them how to suffer?
- We prepare our kids to go off to college or go to work, but are we preparing them for persecution?
We need God’s wisdom & we should be thankful that He has provided it for us.
HOW DO WE GET IT?
Simple:
- Know Jesus
- Live for Jesus every moment of every day
v. 7 – “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom…” Then again in Proverbs 9:10 – “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, & the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.”
What is the “fear of the Lord”? The realization that you are living your life right before His face every moment of every day.
