A. As you know, we are in a sermon series on the book of Proverbs called “God’s Wisdom: More Valuable Than Gold.”
1. So far in the series we have focused on how valuable God’s wisdom is and how the proper reverence and respect for God is the beginning of wisdom.
2. Last week, we talked about being wise in friendship which includes choosing our friends wisely and being a good friend to others.
3. Today, I want us to be impacted by the general principles and promises of wisdom.
B. We are in another election year and those of us who are old enough to have been through many elections know that politicians make many promises that they can’t keep.
1. Someone has said, “politicians wouldn’t promise the impossible, if people didn’t expect it.”
2. I like the story told of the African politician who visited a remote village and asked what their greatest needs were.
a. The village leader replied, “We have two basic needs, sir. Firstly, we have a hospital, but we have no doctor.”
b. On hearing this, politician took out his cellphone, made a call, and after speaking for a while he reassured the village leader that a doctor would be there the next day.
c. Then the politician asked about the second problem.
d. The village leader said, “Secondly sir, we need cellphone coverage in our village, for there is no cellphone coverage anywhere in this village.”
e. The politician had been caught because without reception no actual call had been made.
3. But in contrast to the promises of politicians and the promises of many others, God’s promises can always be counted on.
4. As we return to our study of the book of Proverbs and as we seek the wisdom of God, I want us to be assured that the principles and promises of God’s wisdom can be counted on.
5. Today, by looking at a number of verses from Proverbs, I hope that each of us will want to make every effort to get God’s wisdom and then put it into practice because of the promises that God’s wisdom offers.
6. Let’s explore these verses filled with the principles and promises of God’s wisdom.
C. In the first sermon from this series, we looked at Proverbs 2:1-5 where we see Solomon string together a number of contingent statements… “if you accept my words”… “if you call out for insight”… “if you search for it”… “then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.”
1. I want us to pick up from there and see the promises that come from having and using God’s wisdom.
2. Solomon wrote: 6 For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. 7 He stores up success for the upright; He is a shield for those who live with integrity 8 so that he may guard the paths of justice and protect the way of his faithful followers. 9 Then you will understand righteousness, justice, and integrity—every good path. 10 For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will delight you. 11 Discretion will watch over you, and understanding will guard you. (Proverbs 2:6-11)
3. Which promises from these verses resonate with you especially?
a. How about the promise from verse 6? God gives wisdom, knowledge and understanding.
b. Or how about the promise of verse 7? God’s wisdom leads to success for the upright – although the type of success is not specified.
c. The main promise that jumps out to me the most because it is repeated so many times is the promise of protection.
1. God’s wisdom gives us a measure of protection.
2. As we walk in God’s wisdom with integrity, God’s wisdom is a shield for us.
3. Discretion will watch over us and understanding will guard us.
4. Doesn’t all that sound good to you? It certainly does to me.
a. I need wisdom’s shield and protection.
b. I need God’s wisdom to guard me – How about you?
D. Let’s see how Solomon proceeds to clarify the way God’s wisdom guards and protects us.
1. Solomon wrote: 12 It will rescue you from the way of evil—from anyone who says perverse things, 13 from those who abandon the right paths to walk in ways of darkness, 14 from those who enjoy doing evil and celebrate perversion, 15 whose paths are crooked, and whose ways are devious. (Proverbs 2:12-15)
2. The NIV renders verses 12 and 13: “Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse, who leave the straight paths to walk in dark ways.”
3. Last week we talked about choosing our friends wisely and avoiding people whose ways are evil.
4. God’s wisdom helps us to know what is right and wrong and who is right and wrong so that we can limit their influence on us.
5. In that way God’s wisdom shields and protects us from allowing others to lead us astray and lead us down paths of evil and destruction.
E. Solomon continues: 16 It will rescue you from a forbidden woman, from a wayward woman with her flattering talk, 17 who abandons the companion of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God; 18 for her house sinks down to death and her ways to the land of the departed spirits. 19 None return who go to her; none reach the paths of life. (Proverbs 2:16-19)
1. The NIV renders verse 16: It will save you also from the adulteress, from the wayward wife with her seductive words…”
2. Since Solomon was writing to his son, he framed this important promise the way he did – God’s wisdom will save and rescue his son from wayward woman.
3. But God’s wisdom will also save and rescue daughters from wayward men.
4. All men and women, whether young or old, need God’s wisdom to protect them from sexual enticements of wayward men and women.
5. God knows how He has made us and knows how powerful sexual needs and attractions are.
6. God also knows how crafty our enemy is and how we can easily be taken in by flattering and seductive words, “I can make you happy…I’ve never felt about anyone else the way I feel about you…I promise you tonight and all the tomorrows that follow…”
7. Truth is that anyone who strays from God’s ways and designs are headed toward heartache and destruction.
8. What feels good in the moment can have disastrous long-term consequences.
9. God’s wisdom can guard and protect us from all of that.
10. When I was in high school, I dated two young ladies who tried to lead me into forbidden territory.
a. They made it clear that they were available and that they could make me very happy.
b. But thankfully God gave me the wisdom and strength to resist and remove myself from those situations and those relationships.
11. Later in our series, we will devote a sermon to the subject of being wise about sex and fidelity - wisdom about sex is sorely needed in our time.
F. As we move into chapter 3, Solomon continues with the further promises of wisdom: 1 My son, don’t forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commands; 2 for they will bring you many days, a full life, and well-being. 3 Never let loyalty and faithfulness leave you. Tie them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 Then you will find favor and high regard with God and people. (Proverbs 3:1-4)
1. Here we see that remembering and employing God’s wisdom will bring longer life and well-being.
2. It will also lead to the favor and high regard of God and of people.
3. It is obvious why God would be pleased by a life lived by God’s wisdom, but I believe that most people appreciate those who live by high standards.
4. Those who wouldn’t appreciate people living by standards and wisdom would be those who are living an ungodly and unlawful life.
G. Right after those promises at the beginning of Proverbs 3, Solomon moves into some important principles of wisdom: 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways know him, and he will make your paths straight. 7 Don’t be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil. (Proverbs 3:5-7)
1. These are foundational principles, not only for our study of Proverbs, but for our relationship with God.
2. First and foremost, our trust must be in the Lord and not in ourselves.
a. That’s such an important foundational principle.
b. If we think we know enough, or worse yet, if we think we know it all, then we are in trouble.
c. God is the one who truly knows it all and we need His wisdom and guidance.
3. The very best and wisest way that we can live starts with respecting the Lord and trusting Him with our whole heart.
a. The promise embedded in this principle is that God will make our path’s straight.
b. Trusting in our own understanding will lead to lots of wrong turns and dead ends, but God knows the right way and following His path straightens out the way.
H. Let’s jump to verses 21-26 in chapter 3: 21 Maintain sound wisdom and discretion. My son, don’t lose sight of them. 22 They will be life for you and adornment for your neck. 23 Then you will go safely on your way; your foot will not stumble. 24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid; you will lie down, and your sleep will be pleasant. 25 Don’t fear sudden danger or the ruin of the wicked when it comes, 26 for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from a snare. (Proverbs 3:21-26)
1. Notice the amazing promises listed here that result from maintaining God’s wisdom:
a. They will be life for you.
b. They will also be adornment for your neck – we all need a little bling don’t we? God’s wisdom will make us look good!
c. More importantly, God’s wisdom will give us safety and will keep us from stumbling.
d. Here’s my favorite of the promise in these verses: we will be able to sleep well at night.
1. Don’t you like a good night of sleep?
2. When we are walking in God’s ways we can sleep well because we won’t have to be looking over our shoulder; we won’t be afraid of getting caught and punished for the wrong things we are doing – because we aren’t doing wrong things!
2. Living an ungodly and unlawful life will eventually catch up with a person.
a. Crime and wickedness may be profitable for a while, but no one gets away with it forever.
b. The embezzler eventually gets caught.
c. The crime boss or gang leader or drug dealer eventually faces justice or is taken out by rival unlawful people.
3. But in contrast to that, those who walk in God’s wisdom and are righteous and honest and law abiding have nothing to fear and don’t have to look over their shoulders.
a. They can lie down and not be afraid and their sleep will be pleasant – Praise God!!
I. The final set of verses that I want us to explore today comes from the last section of chapter 4.
1. Solomon wrote: 20 My son, pay attention to my words; listen closely to my sayings. 21 Don’t lose sight of them; keep them within your heart. 22 For they are life to those who find them, and health to one’s whole body. 23 Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life. 24 Don’t let your mouth speak dishonestly, and don’t let your lips talk deviously. 25 Let your eyes look forward; fix your gaze straight ahead. 26 Carefully consider the path for your feet, and all your ways will be established. 27 Don’t turn to the right or to the left; keep your feet away from evil. (Proverbs 4:20-27)
2. Solomon began this section with a few commands that he had been repeating:
a. Son, pay attention to my words; listen closely to my sayings.
b. Don’t lose sight of them; keep them in your heart and mind.
c. Why? Because they are life, not that they just bring life – they are life and health.
3. Then Solomon gave a command for the first time: guard your heart.
a. Notice that he adds the emphasis “above all else” – in other words, this is a priority.
b. Why should we guard our hearts? Solomon says, because it is the source of life.
c. Ultimately, everything that happens in our lives proceeds from our hearts or our minds.
d. Jesus said that out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.
e. In other words, whatever is allowed to go into our hearts affects what comes out.
f. Garbage In, Garbage Out.
4. So, we must keep evil and ungodly thoughts and motives out of our hearts.
a. In contrast to that, God’s truths and wisdom must be held in our hearts and used to give us direction.
b. This will help us to speak honestly and truthfully.
5. The final principle and command of Solomon from this section is: Let your eyes look forward; fix your gaze straight ahead.
a. In other words, we must fix our eyes on God and on God’s wisdom.
b. We must stay on God’s paths and not turn to the right or to the left.
c. I like how the NIV translates verse 26: Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm.
d. We must not take squishy or unstable steps – those ways are questionable and slippery.
e. In the end, stepping away from God’s ways will not lead us where we really want to go.
J. I hope that the verses we have explored today will convince and confirm the blessings of God’s wisdom.
1. I hope that all of us will put our full trust in the Lord in in God’s Word.
2. I hope that none of us will trust our own understanding or think that we know more than God or think we know better than God.
3. I hope that all of us will always be teachable and that we will depend on God’s directions.
K. Dr. Tony Evans is a pastor, author and broadcaster, who founded and has been serving the Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, Texas since 1976.
1. He tells the humorous story of a time he tried to assemble a bicycle for one of his children for Christmas.
2. His wife urged him to read and follow the directions, but he didn’t want to bother with them.
3. He reasoned that he had a doctorate degree, so surely he could figure out how to put together a child’s bike without the instructions.
4. Dr. Evans wrote: “Eight hours later, with only the handlebars on, I decided to consult the instruction manual.”
L. There’s a story with a similar point told about a tennis professional who was teaching a first lesson to a brand-new student who happened to be an older man.
1. After watching the novice take several awkward swings at the ball, the coach began offering suggestions for improving his stroke.
2. But each time the pro made a suggestion, the older man immediately offered his own critiques as well as numerous excuses and justifications for his play.
3. After several such interruptions, the tennis professional stopped offering pointers and began nodding his head in agreement with everything the older student said.
4. When the hour-long lesson was over, a person who had been watching this strange lesson approached the tennis pro and asked: “Why in the world didn’t you straighten out that arrogant man?”
5. The pro smiled and replied, “I learned a long time ago that it’s a waste of time to try to sell answers to someone who wants only to buy echoes.”
6. I had never heard someone describe it that way, but it’s true: Some people just want to echoed back to them that what they say is right.
7. I hope that none of us are people who don’t want answers but only want echoes.
M. I don’t have to be a profit to predict difficulty and disaster for the person who won’t read the instruction manual and who won’t listen to the expert.
1. The best place to start on our journey toward being wise is acknowledging that God is the wisest of all – He’s the expert and He wrote the instruction manual.
2. If anyone will seek God’s wisdom, keep it in their hearts, and follow its directions, then they will be blessed.
3. They will experience life and peace and success.
4. They will walk and sleep in safety and security on straighter paths.
5. And they will be protected from the wicked and will be appreciated by the upright.
N. Aren’t you thankful for the principles and promises of God’s wisdom?
1. Keep them close. Never let them go. And be blessed by where they take you.
O. Proverbs is an Old Testament/Old Covenant book, but the principle of trusting in the Lord with all our heart has a unique New Testament/New Covenant application through our faith and our commitment to Jesus as our Savior and Lord.
1. If you haven’t yet committed your life to Jesus…
