WEBVTT 00:00:00.300 --> 00:00:04.139 Well, let's pray, let's ask God for help as we 00:00:04.139 --> 00:00:08.179 dig into his word now. Gracious Heavenly Father, 00:00:08.199 --> 00:00:12.640 we ask that you would help us to be wise, to 00:00:12.640 --> 00:00:16.660 grow in wisdom, to keep learning wisdom, and 00:00:16.660 --> 00:00:20.079 help us to understand what wisdom is all about. 00:00:20.679 --> 00:00:26.000 And we ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, one 00:00:26.000 --> 00:00:30.719 of the best presents that I've ever got was a 00:00:30.719 --> 00:00:36.780 trip to gin school. It's a place in Fremantle 00:00:36.780 --> 00:00:39.979 in Perth and there at gin school we learnt all 00:00:39.979 --> 00:00:44.600 about the science of distillation. You get to 00:00:44.600 --> 00:00:48.320 make your own bottle of unique flavoured gin. 00:00:49.380 --> 00:00:51.479 It was awesome. It was a great birthday present, 00:00:51.500 --> 00:00:55.719 better than socks and undies. I called my bottle 00:00:55.719 --> 00:01:03.240 of gin for Geneva. So, yeah. Anyway. But the 00:01:03.240 --> 00:01:05.980 best part of it was learning about the distilling 00:01:05.980 --> 00:01:09.260 process. Heating a fermented drink like white 00:01:09.260 --> 00:01:12.040 wine is what we did. And then we'd separate the 00:01:12.040 --> 00:01:14.239 different components and distill the alcohol 00:01:14.239 --> 00:01:16.900 from the other ingredients. And you'd get to 00:01:16.900 --> 00:01:18.959 the essence. You'd get to the real sort of more 00:01:18.959 --> 00:01:23.040 pure alcohol. And then you'd remix it with flavours 00:01:23.040 --> 00:01:26.680 to make gin. And actually, juniper berries is 00:01:26.680 --> 00:01:29.000 a big one because you can't, it's not gin if 00:01:29.000 --> 00:01:31.040 you don't have juniper berries. So there you 00:01:31.040 --> 00:01:35.799 go if you want to win gin trivia. But the reason 00:01:35.799 --> 00:01:39.879 I raise this is because distilling today is big 00:01:39.879 --> 00:01:44.239 business. But not just with alcohol. I know there's 00:01:44.239 --> 00:01:47.060 distill on the hill and narrow tracks, but not 00:01:47.060 --> 00:01:50.659 just with alcohol. There's a whole industry of 00:01:50.659 --> 00:01:56.819 distilling wisdom. People sharing the essence 00:01:56.819 --> 00:02:01.799 of how the world works. You've seen it. Books, 00:02:02.599 --> 00:02:08.400 podcasts, courses, reels, coaching. There's a 00:02:08.400 --> 00:02:12.800 marketplace that now exists today of people spruiking 00:02:12.800 --> 00:02:16.719 themselves and their particular ideology about 00:02:16.719 --> 00:02:21.650 the world. And business is booming. With social 00:02:21.650 --> 00:02:24.889 media and everything being online Anyone can 00:02:24.889 --> 00:02:27.849 access anything from all over the world and people 00:02:27.849 --> 00:02:31.129 love doing it because we want to be taught How 00:02:31.129 --> 00:02:35.849 to live our lives better? How do I use money 00:02:35.849 --> 00:02:38.909 better? How do I do? Relationships better. How 00:02:38.909 --> 00:02:41.870 do I run a business better? What's good for my 00:02:41.870 --> 00:02:44.210 health? You know people want to know all the 00:02:44.210 --> 00:02:49.919 answers to all these questions Especially Because 00:02:49.919 --> 00:02:55.800 life today is so complex. It's a skill to know 00:02:55.800 --> 00:02:59.219 what to do in differing situations, isn't it? 00:03:00.620 --> 00:03:05.960 Should I speak? Should I stay silent? Should 00:03:05.960 --> 00:03:09.939 I invest my money there? Should I just hang onto 00:03:09.939 --> 00:03:14.050 it and save it and put it in the bank? That's 00:03:14.050 --> 00:03:16.849 just a few, but life is complicated like that, 00:03:16.909 --> 00:03:19.550 isn't it? In one situation, that might be the 00:03:19.550 --> 00:03:21.469 best thing, but in another situation, that might 00:03:21.469 --> 00:03:24.090 be the best thing. It depends on the context, 00:03:24.789 --> 00:03:30.129 because life is complicated. But it's also complex, 00:03:30.129 --> 00:03:34.969 because there's so many competing, contradictory 00:03:34.969 --> 00:03:38.669 gurus out there, isn't there? It's a headache 00:03:38.669 --> 00:03:42.129 trying to navigate a world like ours. to work 00:03:42.129 --> 00:03:44.490 out who to listen to. One person will say this, 00:03:44.650 --> 00:03:46.689 one person will say that, they'll say something 00:03:46.689 --> 00:03:49.090 completely different from each other, but will 00:03:49.090 --> 00:03:51.689 be revered by many as, well, they're really wise. 00:03:52.810 --> 00:03:55.229 How do you work out which person to listen to? 00:03:55.750 --> 00:03:58.669 Which one should you follow on TikTok? Who do 00:03:58.669 --> 00:04:03.930 you listen to? Wouldn't it be great if we could 00:04:03.930 --> 00:04:09.310 just simplify wisdom? If we could just distill 00:04:09.310 --> 00:04:13.530 wisdom down to its Essence. Boil it down and 00:04:13.530 --> 00:04:19.750 just really understand how the world works. If 00:04:19.750 --> 00:04:25.089 we could, what would that essence be? What would 00:04:25.089 --> 00:04:30.509 be at the heart of wisdom? Well, it is possible 00:04:30.509 --> 00:04:34.949 to find. Actually, that's what Proverbs 1, 1 00:04:34.949 --> 00:04:39.389 -7 is seeking to teach us. See, Proverbs isn't 00:04:39.389 --> 00:04:43.009 actually a whole book of just life hacks. You 00:04:43.009 --> 00:04:44.610 know, oh yeah, here's what you do with your money, 00:04:44.709 --> 00:04:46.490 here's what you do parenting, here's what you... 00:04:46.490 --> 00:04:50.870 No. It's actually weaving a tapestry of wisdom 00:04:50.870 --> 00:04:55.069 to help us see and understand the world. But 00:04:55.069 --> 00:04:58.129 there's one thing, one essence, one thing that's 00:04:58.129 --> 00:05:02.110 tying it all together. And that's Proverbs 1 00:05:02.110 --> 00:05:07.019 .1 -7. And in light of the whole Bible's message, 00:05:07.060 --> 00:05:08.899 because remember Proverbs comes in a context 00:05:08.899 --> 00:05:12.279 of the whole Bible, here's what it's teaching 00:05:12.279 --> 00:05:20.420 us. Jesus will judge the world so wisdom is surrendering 00:05:20.420 --> 00:05:23.879 to him. That's what I hope you take away from 00:05:23.879 --> 00:05:28.939 today. Jesus will judge the world so wisdom is 00:05:28.939 --> 00:05:32.360 surrendering to him. And there's three things 00:05:32.360 --> 00:05:34.870 we're going to see. in Proverbs and then see 00:05:34.870 --> 00:05:38.930 how it relates to Jesus. So here's the first 00:05:38.930 --> 00:05:44.990 one. Wisdom starts with fearing God. Secondly, 00:05:45.629 --> 00:05:50.930 wisdom produces godly living. And thirdly, wisdom 00:05:50.930 --> 00:05:55.029 must not be assumed. Wisdom starts with fearing 00:05:55.029 --> 00:05:58.069 God, wisdom produces godly living, wisdom must 00:05:58.069 --> 00:06:00.949 not be assumed. So let's have a look at the first 00:06:00.949 --> 00:06:05.959 one. Wisdom starts with fearing God. And if you've 00:06:05.959 --> 00:06:08.399 got a Bible there, please keep it open to Proverbs 00:06:08.399 --> 00:06:13.860 1, 1 -7. So what is wisdom? Well, wisdom is understanding 00:06:13.860 --> 00:06:18.740 how the world works. But most fundamental to 00:06:18.740 --> 00:06:23.160 that is this is God's world, isn't it? If we're 00:06:23.160 --> 00:06:25.279 going to understand how this world works, we 00:06:25.279 --> 00:06:28.720 need to understand who God is. We've got to understand 00:06:28.720 --> 00:06:31.889 what He's doing in the world. And that's why 00:06:31.889 --> 00:06:35.170 we get verse seven. Have a look there. The fear 00:06:35.170 --> 00:06:39.410 of the Lord, the fear of Yahweh is the beginning 00:06:39.410 --> 00:06:44.129 of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. 00:06:46.089 --> 00:06:48.290 The essence of wisdom, the essence of knowledge 00:06:48.290 --> 00:06:54.129 is fearing Yahweh, fearing God. Now what's it 00:06:54.129 --> 00:06:58.850 mean by fear here? Well, it's a faith that takes 00:06:58.850 --> 00:07:02.959 God seriously. It's a faith that takes God seriously. 00:07:03.160 --> 00:07:09.459 It's having a healthy fear of who God is. I remember 00:07:09.459 --> 00:07:11.879 a little while ago going to the aquarium here 00:07:11.879 --> 00:07:14.920 in Cairns and we've done it many times with our 00:07:14.920 --> 00:07:17.639 kids in all sorts of places. I've noticed that 00:07:17.639 --> 00:07:19.819 when you go to the aquarium in Cairns, have you 00:07:19.819 --> 00:07:22.439 ever driven past it and on a rainy day there's 00:07:22.439 --> 00:07:25.259 always like all the people are at the aquarium 00:07:25.259 --> 00:07:27.680 in Cairns? Like it seems to be the big place 00:07:27.680 --> 00:07:31.350 to go but when we went to the aquarium You go 00:07:31.350 --> 00:07:33.370 around, you check out all the different fishies 00:07:33.370 --> 00:07:35.610 and things like that and I always love coming 00:07:35.610 --> 00:07:39.149 to the sharks, the big sharks. I think they've 00:07:39.149 --> 00:07:41.769 got some great white sharks, don't they? Yeah, 00:07:41.769 --> 00:07:44.730 that's my fave. You go see the great white sharks 00:07:44.730 --> 00:07:47.350 and you look overhead and here's what I think. 00:07:47.470 --> 00:07:51.029 I look at it and I go, I'm really glad I'm on 00:07:51.029 --> 00:07:54.670 this side of the glass. Don't you think that? 00:07:54.829 --> 00:07:56.649 I don't want to be in there in the tank with 00:07:56.649 --> 00:08:01.759 them. That's a healthy fear, isn't it? That's 00:08:01.759 --> 00:08:05.600 the sort of fear we should have toward God. I 00:08:05.600 --> 00:08:08.500 don't want to be on the wrong side of God. He's 00:08:08.500 --> 00:08:10.360 the God of the universe. He's holy. He's just. 00:08:10.519 --> 00:08:13.199 He's powerful. He rules over everything. He has 00:08:13.199 --> 00:08:15.800 every right to do whatever he wants with me. 00:08:16.160 --> 00:08:21.120 He's God. To be on the wrong side of God, that 00:08:21.120 --> 00:08:25.300 would be a dangerous thing. But because I'm in 00:08:25.300 --> 00:08:29.709 Jesus, because I'm saved by Him and have experienced 00:08:29.709 --> 00:08:32.950 and know His grace, I'm on the right side of 00:08:32.950 --> 00:08:35.529 the tank, aren't I? I'm on the right side of 00:08:35.529 --> 00:08:37.750 God, not because of my works, but because of 00:08:37.750 --> 00:08:41.590 what Jesus has done for me. That's having a healthy 00:08:41.590 --> 00:08:44.750 fear of God. I don't want to be somewhere else 00:08:44.750 --> 00:08:49.070 on the wrong side of God. But then we've got 00:08:49.070 --> 00:08:52.710 to ask the question, who is this God? You know, 00:08:53.070 --> 00:08:55.759 fearing God, well, It doesn't say that, it says 00:08:55.759 --> 00:09:01.480 fearing Yahweh. This is not some vague unmoved 00:09:01.480 --> 00:09:06.080 mover. No, this is the God of the Bible. That's 00:09:06.080 --> 00:09:10.419 who we fear. The one who revealed himself to 00:09:10.419 --> 00:09:14.799 Old Testament Israel. The God who made promises. 00:09:15.600 --> 00:09:18.100 The God who rescued his people from slavery. 00:09:19.360 --> 00:09:22.919 The God who protected King David and Solomon. 00:09:23.039 --> 00:09:25.240 I mean, we even get it there in verse 1. The 00:09:25.240 --> 00:09:27.879 Proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel. 00:09:28.600 --> 00:09:31.299 This is the God who's in the storyline of the 00:09:31.299 --> 00:09:37.100 whole Bible. It's that God who we fear. And for 00:09:37.100 --> 00:09:39.259 us, sitting this side of the cross, we know that 00:09:39.259 --> 00:09:43.039 God even more clearly. We know that this God 00:09:43.039 --> 00:09:47.720 is Trinity. We know that this God came in His 00:09:47.720 --> 00:09:54.419 Son into our world that Jesus is Yahweh. He taught 00:09:54.419 --> 00:09:56.659 things that were just out of this world, love 00:09:56.659 --> 00:09:59.000 your enemies, things that are just mind -blowing. 00:10:00.039 --> 00:10:02.679 He did the most amazing miracles, so much so 00:10:02.679 --> 00:10:05.320 that people came from all over to follow and 00:10:05.320 --> 00:10:10.080 worship Him. He died on the cross for our sins. 00:10:10.159 --> 00:10:14.480 He rose again as Lord of all to prove that He 00:10:14.480 --> 00:10:21.450 is Yahweh. Any wisdom that's disconnected from 00:10:21.450 --> 00:10:28.529 him is actually folly. It's wisdom with no foundation. 00:10:31.350 --> 00:10:34.190 Near where I grew up in Sydney is a suburb called 00:10:34.190 --> 00:10:38.269 Colloroy. It's a beautiful beachside suburb, 00:10:38.649 --> 00:10:41.509 luxury properties right there on the shoreline. 00:10:42.350 --> 00:10:46.080 But they've had constant problems. because the 00:10:46.080 --> 00:10:50.500 sand keeps eroding the foundation of the buildings. 00:10:50.860 --> 00:10:54.360 They're too close to the beach. And I remember 00:10:54.360 --> 00:10:58.860 one big storm and this pool, this particular 00:10:58.860 --> 00:11:01.840 swimming pool there, got completely washed away 00:11:01.840 --> 00:11:06.059 because it's just not stable. And so these buildings 00:11:06.059 --> 00:11:08.799 all the time are dangerously shifting. It's a 00:11:08.799 --> 00:11:10.539 real problem that they have to keep trying to 00:11:10.539 --> 00:11:14.779 work out. Now here's the thing, no matter how 00:11:14.779 --> 00:11:16.960 wonderful the building in Colloroy, you know, 00:11:16.960 --> 00:11:19.779 you can have the most luxury luxury of apartments 00:11:19.779 --> 00:11:24.039 with all the skill and wisdom to build it, it 00:11:24.039 --> 00:11:26.480 doesn't stand without a good foundation, does 00:11:26.480 --> 00:11:31.100 it? Now Jesus tells a parable that makes the 00:11:31.100 --> 00:11:36.679 same point about life. Two builders build houses. 00:11:36.799 --> 00:11:38.940 One builds their house on a rock, one builds 00:11:38.940 --> 00:11:42.960 it on the sand. And there's a storm that comes, 00:11:43.840 --> 00:11:47.500 the storm of God's judgment day. The one on the 00:11:47.500 --> 00:11:50.000 house who built his house on the rock, he stands. 00:11:50.259 --> 00:11:53.059 The one who built his house on the sand, it falls 00:11:53.059 --> 00:11:57.159 and it's a great disaster. And Jesus says, here's 00:11:57.159 --> 00:12:00.360 the point, if you follow my words, if you hear 00:12:00.360 --> 00:12:04.360 my words and do them, you're like the wise builder 00:12:04.360 --> 00:12:08.059 who built his house on the rock. You will stand 00:12:08.059 --> 00:12:12.779 at God's judgment. But if you don't you could 00:12:12.779 --> 00:12:15.399 have the most amazing house you could have built 00:12:15.399 --> 00:12:18.879 your life on all sorts of things and had a great 00:12:18.879 --> 00:12:24.580 life in many ways But it will fall ultimately 00:12:24.580 --> 00:12:32.919 If you don't build it on Jesus Being ready for 00:12:32.919 --> 00:12:39.240 when we die for when we meet our maker That's 00:12:39.240 --> 00:12:42.980 the wisest thing you can do, isn't it? That's 00:12:42.980 --> 00:12:48.940 the essence of wisdom. Are you, are your loved 00:12:48.940 --> 00:12:53.779 ones, ready for that day? You know, if you want 00:12:53.779 --> 00:12:56.379 it to be really wise, here's what you do. Firstly, 00:12:56.620 --> 00:12:58.740 getting a to -do list. A to -do list is great 00:12:58.740 --> 00:13:01.659 help. Get a to -do list, but here's what you 00:13:01.659 --> 00:13:04.259 do. Right at the top, every time you have a to 00:13:04.259 --> 00:13:09.940 -do list, Be ready for God's judgment. Write 00:13:09.940 --> 00:13:11.419 that on the top of your to -do list, because 00:13:11.419 --> 00:13:13.679 that's the thing you always need to be doing. 00:13:16.320 --> 00:13:20.360 That's wisdom, isn't it? It's seeing that as 00:13:20.360 --> 00:13:26.620 the priority of my life. So the essence of wisdom 00:13:26.620 --> 00:13:31.139 is fearing God. But it's not a fear, it's not 00:13:31.139 --> 00:13:35.360 a faith that doesn't... that's just... in your 00:13:35.360 --> 00:13:38.980 head. It's a fear and a faith that produces a 00:13:38.980 --> 00:13:41.360 new life. And that's the next thing we need to 00:13:41.360 --> 00:13:44.659 see about wisdom. Wisdom starts with fearing 00:13:44.659 --> 00:13:50.220 God, but wisdom produces godly living. Wisdom 00:13:50.220 --> 00:13:56.659 produces godly living. We often think of wisdom 00:13:56.659 --> 00:14:03.379 as very pragmatic. And in many ways it is. Yet, 00:14:03.549 --> 00:14:06.549 Because Jesus is Lord of all and will judge the 00:14:06.549 --> 00:14:11.269 universe, we need to surrender to him. That's 00:14:11.269 --> 00:14:13.470 what wisdom's about. That's the most pragmatic 00:14:13.470 --> 00:14:18.090 thing we can do. Look with me at verses two to 00:14:18.090 --> 00:14:22.850 three. For gaining wisdom and instruction, for 00:14:22.850 --> 00:14:25.889 understanding words of insight, for receiving 00:14:25.889 --> 00:14:28.409 instruction in prudent behaviour, doing what 00:14:28.409 --> 00:14:33.120 is right and just and fair. Now in the ESV in 00:14:33.120 --> 00:14:34.879 verse 3 there, you don't get prudent behaviour, 00:14:34.899 --> 00:14:38.139 you get wise dealing, which, you know, sounds 00:14:38.139 --> 00:14:40.279 like wisdom's about getting the best deal, very 00:14:40.279 --> 00:14:44.840 Donald Trump -like, isn't it? But the point here 00:14:44.840 --> 00:14:49.700 is that it's about acting with integrity. That's 00:14:49.700 --> 00:14:53.320 wisdom. It's not about getting ahead. Wisdom 00:14:53.320 --> 00:14:56.000 is about acting with integrity, doing what is 00:14:56.000 --> 00:14:58.740 right, doing what is good. Wisdom, if Jesus is 00:14:58.740 --> 00:15:02.610 going to judge everything, is about being Christ 00:15:02.610 --> 00:15:08.289 -like, from a place of faith. See, so much of 00:15:08.289 --> 00:15:12.629 Proverbs is showing us that wisdom is about trusting 00:15:12.629 --> 00:15:16.470 in God, having a real living trust in God that 00:15:16.470 --> 00:15:21.830 turns away from evil. See, wise people are people 00:15:21.830 --> 00:15:25.830 who trust God and live by principles. They go, 00:15:26.309 --> 00:15:28.230 what is it that God wants me to do? That's what 00:15:28.230 --> 00:15:30.710 I need to do. I trust him. I'll live his way. 00:15:32.080 --> 00:15:34.899 Whereas foolish people are purely pragmatic. 00:15:36.220 --> 00:15:41.039 They just do what works immediately, with no 00:15:41.039 --> 00:15:46.320 thought about where it's ultimately going. Many 00:15:46.320 --> 00:15:48.639 years ago I worked at Bendigo Bank in Sydney, 00:15:49.679 --> 00:15:53.419 and when we did training at the bank, we were 00:15:53.419 --> 00:15:56.200 told about a branch manager at one Bendigo who 00:15:56.200 --> 00:16:00.879 stole two million dollars. She wrote fake loans, 00:16:01.210 --> 00:16:04.789 She shifted term deposits around to hide them. 00:16:05.429 --> 00:16:07.730 And then she lived the high life on the weekends. 00:16:07.730 --> 00:16:11.490 She'd go and get limos and go to the casino and 00:16:11.490 --> 00:16:15.750 just live the high life. And eventually she couldn't 00:16:15.750 --> 00:16:19.570 sustain it. She got caught and did a huge amount 00:16:19.570 --> 00:16:23.789 of prison time. But I want to ask the question, 00:16:24.750 --> 00:16:31.269 what if she'd never gotten caught? You know, 00:16:31.289 --> 00:16:32.929 if you live in a universe where there's no God, 00:16:33.129 --> 00:16:36.529 no consequences, that would be a wise way to 00:16:36.529 --> 00:16:41.330 live, wouldn't it? If there is no God and we 00:16:41.330 --> 00:16:43.190 all just die and the person with the most toys 00:16:43.190 --> 00:16:46.769 wins, then hey, you know, she's got it right. 00:16:47.730 --> 00:16:50.629 Especially if she can get away with it. Or Vladimir 00:16:50.629 --> 00:16:53.710 Putin's got it right, isn't it? If he can get 00:16:53.710 --> 00:16:55.730 away with it, amass as much wealth as you can, 00:16:55.830 --> 00:17:03.379 enjoy life. But what if there is a God? What 00:17:03.379 --> 00:17:05.240 if there is a God who will judge everything? 00:17:05.319 --> 00:17:09.779 I mean that's not the world we live in. There 00:17:09.779 --> 00:17:12.900 is a God who judges. There is a God who will 00:17:12.900 --> 00:17:15.740 bring everything to account. Jesus conquered 00:17:15.740 --> 00:17:19.019 sin and death. He displayed his authority over 00:17:19.019 --> 00:17:23.220 everything. He said there will be a day of judgment 00:17:23.220 --> 00:17:27.660 and that the only escape is to trust in his death 00:17:27.660 --> 00:17:32.220 on the cross. That his death is like a sin spudge 00:17:32.220 --> 00:17:36.980 absorbing all our sins into himself. And that 00:17:36.980 --> 00:17:39.559 the only way we escape is if we trust that cross 00:17:39.559 --> 00:17:45.859 and if we surrender to Jesus. See, true pragmatism, 00:17:45.940 --> 00:17:49.299 pragmatism is actually really wise, is seeing 00:17:49.299 --> 00:17:54.339 ultimately that's where it's all going. That 00:17:54.339 --> 00:18:01.039 Jesus wins and will judge everything. And Jesus 00:18:01.039 --> 00:18:04.880 endorses this. In Luke 14, Jesus tells this parable 00:18:04.880 --> 00:18:07.740 about a king who goes to war against another 00:18:07.740 --> 00:18:10.700 king. And he's there and he looks at his army 00:18:10.700 --> 00:18:13.819 and he goes, oh man, this other king's got double 00:18:13.819 --> 00:18:16.880 the forces I've got. There's no way I'm gonna 00:18:16.880 --> 00:18:20.000 beat him. I'm gonna surrender and make peace 00:18:20.000 --> 00:18:23.740 with this king. And Jesus is saying, that's what 00:18:23.740 --> 00:18:28.519 it's like with us. We are nothing. Actually, 00:18:28.519 --> 00:18:31.059 it's not even double for us, is it? We are nothing 00:18:31.059 --> 00:18:37.900 compared with God. He's got infinite power. Be 00:18:37.900 --> 00:18:40.539 a fool's errand to take Him on, wouldn't it? 00:18:42.000 --> 00:18:47.200 The wise choice is to surrender to Him. And it's 00:18:47.200 --> 00:18:52.000 the same for us. You know, if you're a Christian, 00:18:52.880 --> 00:18:55.160 I reckon here's one thing that's really, really 00:18:55.160 --> 00:18:59.950 hard. We see other people around us living pragmatically. 00:19:00.950 --> 00:19:04.670 They lie. They sleep around. They take whatever 00:19:04.670 --> 00:19:09.970 they want. And it feels like you're being dumb. 00:19:11.329 --> 00:19:14.869 It feels like, man, I want to live the high life 00:19:14.869 --> 00:19:17.470 like them. You feel this pull. I want to copy 00:19:17.470 --> 00:19:22.410 them. And when you feel that pull, what you've 00:19:22.410 --> 00:19:24.990 got to do is step back and look at the bigger 00:19:24.990 --> 00:19:30.809 picture. Tell yourself, I'm doing what really 00:19:30.809 --> 00:19:36.970 works. Because I know where it's all going. And 00:19:36.970 --> 00:19:40.950 then keep going. Reframe it in your mind. See 00:19:40.950 --> 00:19:43.049 it differently by looking at that big picture. 00:19:43.450 --> 00:19:46.450 See where it's all going. You're doing the most 00:19:46.450 --> 00:19:49.589 pragmatic thing in the deepest possible way. 00:19:53.319 --> 00:19:56.119 So the essence of wisdom, it's a healthy fear 00:19:56.119 --> 00:19:59.920 of Jesus. It's a life that produces the fruit 00:19:59.920 --> 00:20:04.759 of faith. But there's one more aspect to it. 00:20:05.859 --> 00:20:10.359 Wisdom must not be assumed. Wisdom must not be 00:20:10.359 --> 00:20:14.519 assumed. You know what stops people becoming 00:20:14.519 --> 00:20:19.660 wise? They think they're wise enough already. 00:20:20.880 --> 00:20:23.940 Actually, that's the big sin in the book of Proverbs. 00:20:25.099 --> 00:20:28.140 The kind of worst thing you can do is to be wise 00:20:28.140 --> 00:20:32.940 in your own eyes, as Proverbs says. The essence 00:20:32.940 --> 00:20:38.000 of wisdom is to be humble and teachable. It's 00:20:38.000 --> 00:20:42.200 to live life with L -plates on and to never take 00:20:42.200 --> 00:20:46.589 them off. It's to have a hunger and a curiosity 00:20:46.589 --> 00:20:50.009 for God's wisdom whatever age or stage of life 00:20:50.009 --> 00:20:53.210 you might be in. Look with me at verses four 00:20:53.210 --> 00:20:57.630 to six. The book of Proverbs is for giving prudence 00:20:57.630 --> 00:21:00.309 to those who are simple, knowledge and discretion 00:21:00.309 --> 00:21:03.549 to the young. Let the wise listen and add to 00:21:03.549 --> 00:21:05.789 their learning and let the discerning get guidance 00:21:05.789 --> 00:21:09.029 for understanding Proverbs and parables, the 00:21:09.029 --> 00:21:14.640 sayings and riddles of the wise. Who's wisdom 00:21:14.640 --> 00:21:21.640 for in Proverbs? Everyone. The simple, the young. 00:21:21.880 --> 00:21:24.279 Because if you get your wisdom sorted when you're 00:21:24.279 --> 00:21:27.099 young and simple, it'll prevent a lot of regret 00:21:27.099 --> 00:21:31.460 later, won't it? And if you're wise and discerning, 00:21:31.700 --> 00:21:35.119 you too need more. Because you know our world 00:21:35.119 --> 00:21:39.539 is so complex. The more wisdom you have, the 00:21:39.539 --> 00:21:45.970 more it will benefit you. Fools in verse 7 despise 00:21:45.970 --> 00:21:49.569 wisdom. They think they know it all already. 00:21:50.809 --> 00:21:57.029 They don't see that they always need more. We 00:21:57.029 --> 00:21:59.109 did a bit of snorkeling while I was on holidays 00:21:59.109 --> 00:22:01.890 the other day. We went to Green Island which 00:22:01.890 --> 00:22:05.049 was pretty good. But I think back to when I went 00:22:05.049 --> 00:22:08.390 snorkeling many years ago when I was a kid and 00:22:08.390 --> 00:22:11.579 we went snorkeling on the outer reef. And I don't 00:22:11.579 --> 00:22:14.319 know, am I right? Is that better? It seems better 00:22:14.319 --> 00:22:19.000 to me. Anyway, I saw more people that day on 00:22:19.000 --> 00:22:22.099 the outer reef in tight clinging spandex than 00:22:22.099 --> 00:22:26.839 anyone ever should though. But some of us, when 00:22:26.839 --> 00:22:30.380 we were snorkeling, we knew that you had to have 00:22:30.380 --> 00:22:31.960 air, didn't you? That's the whole point of the 00:22:31.960 --> 00:22:35.359 snorkel. Breathe in the air. Some were scuba 00:22:35.359 --> 00:22:37.880 diving. What do they need to make sure they do? 00:22:38.279 --> 00:22:41.450 That their air is working. No matter what you 00:22:41.450 --> 00:22:44.589 were doing in the water, we all knew you needed 00:22:44.589 --> 00:22:47.630 air. If you didn't have enough air, what do you 00:22:47.630 --> 00:22:51.490 do? You go to the surface and get air. Young, 00:22:51.690 --> 00:22:55.609 old, big lungs, small lungs, new to snorkeling, 00:22:55.910 --> 00:22:58.569 a veteran of snorkeling, whatever it is, all 00:22:58.569 --> 00:23:02.089 of us made sure we always had air and plenty 00:23:02.089 --> 00:23:07.789 of it. We need to think of God's wisdom in the 00:23:07.789 --> 00:23:12.119 same way. You can never have too much. You always 00:23:12.119 --> 00:23:14.880 need more. This is the thing that sustains you 00:23:14.880 --> 00:23:19.819 and keeps you going. God's wisdom is that important. 00:23:22.660 --> 00:23:26.799 How's this play out in the real world? Well, 00:23:26.819 --> 00:23:29.259 we've all got to look in our hearts and guard 00:23:29.259 --> 00:23:34.740 against being wise in our own eyes. It's a big 00:23:34.740 --> 00:23:40.210 danger for all of us. It's a danger for me. It's 00:23:40.210 --> 00:23:43.029 easy as a pastor who's studied at Bible college 00:23:43.029 --> 00:23:45.769 and preached sermons week after week after week 00:23:45.769 --> 00:23:51.690 to just rest on my laurels. Think, yeah, yeah, 00:23:51.690 --> 00:23:55.710 I know it all already. No, I need to keep digging. 00:23:55.789 --> 00:23:58.069 I need to keep learning. I need to keep growing. 00:24:00.329 --> 00:24:02.430 It's easy for someone who's been a Christian 00:24:02.430 --> 00:24:05.670 for a while, who's heard a lot and read a lot 00:24:05.670 --> 00:24:08.599 and taught a lot. It's easy on a Sunday to just 00:24:08.599 --> 00:24:11.000 tune out, isn't it? Yeah, yeah, OK, what have 00:24:11.000 --> 00:24:13.859 I got this week? And what's in the oven at the 00:24:13.859 --> 00:24:16.519 moment? And you're thinking about 20 different 00:24:16.519 --> 00:24:20.420 things. I know one guy who used to count bricks 00:24:20.420 --> 00:24:25.400 in the church building. No, we need to be there, 00:24:25.559 --> 00:24:27.920 tuned in, zoned in, giving God our attention, 00:24:28.200 --> 00:24:32.960 because we need His wisdom. You could be a young 00:24:32.960 --> 00:24:35.980 adult who thinks, Oh, I've got a sharper grasp 00:24:35.980 --> 00:24:38.579 on things than these old timers. You know, I 00:24:38.579 --> 00:24:42.279 don't really need to listen to them. No, those 00:24:42.279 --> 00:24:46.480 are some folk who've lived life following Jesus 00:24:46.480 --> 00:24:50.480 and have great wisdom to offer you. Listen to 00:24:50.480 --> 00:24:52.720 the Bible. Listen to those who've walked with 00:24:52.720 --> 00:24:58.619 Jesus longer than you as well. Or it's easy to 00:24:58.619 --> 00:25:01.960 be the non -Christian who goes, I already know 00:25:01.960 --> 00:25:06.150 what the Bible says. I've studied at uni and 00:25:06.150 --> 00:25:09.130 thought about philosophy and some of these things 00:25:09.130 --> 00:25:13.069 or read a fair bit. I don't need to hear about 00:25:13.069 --> 00:25:14.809 this stuff or think about it anymore. I'm done 00:25:14.809 --> 00:25:20.910 with that. That's not a good place to be. That's 00:25:20.910 --> 00:25:27.589 being wise in your own eyes. Let me ask all of 00:25:27.589 --> 00:25:34.710 us today. Are you wise in your own eyes? Be a 00:25:34.710 --> 00:25:39.089 learner. Keep learning. Keep listening to God's 00:25:39.089 --> 00:25:44.349 Word. There's great treasure here as we get to 00:25:44.349 --> 00:25:51.250 know wisdom better. All right, let's recap. What's 00:25:51.250 --> 00:25:55.349 the essence of wisdom? Well, we saw three things. 00:25:56.430 --> 00:26:00.730 Wisdom starts with fearing God. It's taking the 00:26:00.730 --> 00:26:05.960 Lord Jesus seriously and heeding his word. Wisdom 00:26:05.960 --> 00:26:08.880 produces godly living. If we take Jesus seriously, 00:26:08.880 --> 00:26:11.740 if we trust him, we won't just do what works, 00:26:12.299 --> 00:26:15.160 but we'll do good works, won't we? Because actually, 00:26:15.160 --> 00:26:19.599 ultimately, that is what works. And then wisdom 00:26:19.599 --> 00:26:24.400 must not be assumed. You can't be wise when you're 00:26:24.400 --> 00:26:27.240 proud. You can't be wise when you think you know 00:26:27.240 --> 00:26:31.319 it all already. Wise people are humble learners. 00:26:31.789 --> 00:26:38.349 who sit before Jesus and listen to him. The essence 00:26:38.349 --> 00:26:44.089 of wisdom is faith, obedience and humility. Or 00:26:44.089 --> 00:26:48.329 you could sum it up as this. Jesus will judge 00:26:48.329 --> 00:26:55.349 the world so wisdom is surrendering to him. So 00:26:55.349 --> 00:26:59.829 what's that mean for us? Well, for some of us 00:26:59.829 --> 00:27:05.329 here, you might not be Christian. And I'm so 00:27:05.329 --> 00:27:06.849 glad you're here if you're not. We're really 00:27:06.849 --> 00:27:10.950 glad you've come to church today. But for you, 00:27:10.950 --> 00:27:13.089 I want to point you to the parable that we read 00:27:13.089 --> 00:27:16.829 earlier. Remember the one about a farmer who 00:27:16.829 --> 00:27:21.410 built bigger barns? In the world's eyes, he was 00:27:21.410 --> 00:27:26.210 very wise. He listened to all the podcasts. He 00:27:26.210 --> 00:27:29.210 talked to all the business gurus. He worked a 00:27:29.210 --> 00:27:35.029 lot out. He worked out how to get rich. He distilled 00:27:35.029 --> 00:27:37.710 a lot of business and farming wisdom down to 00:27:37.710 --> 00:27:41.990 its essence so that he could get ahead. He retired 00:27:41.990 --> 00:27:45.130 early. I mean, isn't that the dream? And very 00:27:45.130 --> 00:27:52.250 comfortably as well. Yet God called him a fool. 00:27:54.809 --> 00:27:58.609 Because this man didn't thank God. He spent his 00:27:58.609 --> 00:28:02.880 whole life ignoring God. He treated God as if 00:28:02.880 --> 00:28:08.660 he wasn't there. And God says he lost his soul. 00:28:11.500 --> 00:28:15.220 Knowing a lot, owning a lot, having the most 00:28:15.220 --> 00:28:19.619 toys at the end when you die, it's worth nothing. 00:28:21.119 --> 00:28:24.519 If you lose your soul for eternity, you've lost 00:28:24.519 --> 00:28:31.589 everything. Make sure you're foolproof. You might 00:28:31.589 --> 00:28:36.430 not agree with this Christianity stuff, but be 00:28:36.430 --> 00:28:40.730 so certain. If Jesus is right, you want to be 00:28:40.730 --> 00:28:43.609 sure that you've worked that out, don't you? 00:28:45.170 --> 00:28:48.190 Read a gospel with a Christian. Come grab a coffee 00:28:48.190 --> 00:28:53.329 with me. See who Jesus is. Work out if his claims 00:28:53.329 --> 00:29:02.069 are real or not. This is so important. But if 00:29:02.069 --> 00:29:05.109 you're a Christian, I want to speak to you. I 00:29:05.109 --> 00:29:08.390 want to say keep making your life foolproof. 00:29:10.509 --> 00:29:13.829 How? How do you make your life foolproof? Keep 00:29:13.829 --> 00:29:16.930 seeking wisdom. Come to church. If you miss church, 00:29:17.029 --> 00:29:20.150 listen to the sermon online. Join a growth group. 00:29:21.470 --> 00:29:24.970 But also don't live in a monastery. Tucked away 00:29:24.970 --> 00:29:28.980 from the world, engage with reality. Make sure 00:29:28.980 --> 00:29:31.500 reading the Bible and hearing God's Word is your 00:29:31.500 --> 00:29:34.640 priority, but yeah, listen to podcasts, read 00:29:34.640 --> 00:29:37.420 books, watch reels. There's great things to learn 00:29:37.420 --> 00:29:40.500 out there, as Augustine said, plunder the Egyptians. 00:29:40.619 --> 00:29:43.599 Like, we want to learn from the things of this 00:29:43.599 --> 00:29:47.920 world. But we always filter it through God's 00:29:47.920 --> 00:29:51.700 wisdom. We test and we glean what's helpful. 00:29:53.680 --> 00:29:58.519 And also we stand guard. Beware. There's lots 00:29:58.519 --> 00:30:00.819 out there that's trying to convince you of godless 00:30:00.819 --> 00:30:04.579 living. Keep coming to that bigger picture of 00:30:04.579 --> 00:30:07.440 where everything is going and that you need to 00:30:07.440 --> 00:30:12.900 be ready for when Jesus returns. But for the 00:30:12.900 --> 00:30:15.180 Christian, I've got another challenge as well. 00:30:17.339 --> 00:30:20.980 Get what you've learnt from your head to your 00:30:20.980 --> 00:30:24.660 heart. That's also really important when it comes 00:30:24.660 --> 00:30:28.579 to wisdom, isn't it? We act really foolish if 00:30:28.579 --> 00:30:33.000 all the stuff we learn lives in our head. We 00:30:33.000 --> 00:30:36.740 need information that leads to transformation. 00:30:39.299 --> 00:30:41.819 And so what we've got to do is like with distilling 00:30:41.819 --> 00:30:46.519 gin. We've got to take that essence and remix 00:30:46.519 --> 00:30:51.000 it. With gin you take that alcohol and you remix 00:30:51.000 --> 00:30:54.440 it with all these lovely herbs and other things 00:30:54.440 --> 00:30:57.579 and florals and stuff. We want to take the essence 00:30:57.579 --> 00:31:04.220 of wisdom and remix it back into our lives. Christians 00:31:04.220 --> 00:31:06.480 don't just distill the wisdom of the Bible to 00:31:06.480 --> 00:31:10.380 no Bible trivia. We mix it with our lives so 00:31:10.380 --> 00:31:15.000 we live wisely. And when you do that, it changes 00:31:15.000 --> 00:31:18.240 how you see the world. You start seeing what 00:31:18.240 --> 00:31:21.670 you believe. That's actually when you... being 00:31:21.670 --> 00:31:23.490 wise. Let me give you some examples and I'll 00:31:23.490 --> 00:31:25.769 close by giving you some examples of what this 00:31:25.769 --> 00:31:29.210 looks like. You get a new perspective on things. 00:31:31.009 --> 00:31:33.690 So our big thing is Jesus will judge the world 00:31:33.690 --> 00:31:36.269 so wisdom is surrendering to him. How's that 00:31:36.269 --> 00:31:38.170 change how you see things? Well all of a sudden 00:31:38.170 --> 00:31:41.049 your ambitions for your kids are different aren't 00:31:41.049 --> 00:31:45.470 they? Oh I really want my kids to go to the best 00:31:45.470 --> 00:31:48.210 school and go to uni and get the best job and 00:31:48.210 --> 00:31:53.359 I want them to thrive and No, actually, I want 00:31:53.359 --> 00:31:59.720 my kids to love and follow the Lord Jesus. That's 00:31:59.720 --> 00:32:02.740 the ambition I have for them. At one level, yeah, 00:32:02.740 --> 00:32:05.400 I want them to go well in their lives, but they 00:32:05.400 --> 00:32:08.599 can do whatever. I want them to follow Jesus. 00:32:08.859 --> 00:32:14.339 That's my ultimate ambition for them. Or it changes 00:32:14.339 --> 00:32:20.799 how you see wealth. True riches. Oh, that's heavenly 00:32:20.799 --> 00:32:23.880 riches, isn't it? It's being saved by Jesus and 00:32:23.880 --> 00:32:28.980 living for eternity with him in paradise. That 00:32:28.980 --> 00:32:33.480 changes how I see money. Do you know, all money 00:32:33.480 --> 00:32:38.059 is just like monopoly money. Eventually, you 00:32:38.059 --> 00:32:40.900 can't use it anymore, can you? You can't take 00:32:40.900 --> 00:32:43.640 it with you. It's only good while you're in the 00:32:43.640 --> 00:32:46.220 game. Well, that's the same with our money, isn't 00:32:46.220 --> 00:32:51.150 it? Yes, enjoy it. Yes, use it to survive, but 00:32:51.150 --> 00:32:53.230 see that it won't last. It can't give you the 00:32:53.230 --> 00:32:56.430 security that you long for. Only Jesus can do 00:32:56.430 --> 00:32:59.849 that. The real thing is to live for those true 00:32:59.849 --> 00:33:02.869 riches and use the money you have to help you 00:33:02.869 --> 00:33:08.589 and others get to that place. Or your worries. 00:33:09.349 --> 00:33:13.670 It changes how you fear things when you see this, 00:33:13.950 --> 00:33:19.420 the essence of wisdom. When you fear God, when 00:33:19.420 --> 00:33:24.799 you fear Jesus more than anything else, you stop 00:33:24.799 --> 00:33:29.079 being afraid of everything else, don't you? I've 00:33:29.079 --> 00:33:35.039 got that sorted. I trust Jesus. I'm saved. You 00:33:35.039 --> 00:33:37.079 know what? No matter what goes wrong in my life, 00:33:37.720 --> 00:33:40.799 I'm going to be okay ultimately because ultimately 00:33:40.799 --> 00:33:43.619 I'll be with Jesus forever. And actually I know 00:33:43.619 --> 00:33:46.839 Jesus... is ruling everything, reigning over 00:33:46.839 --> 00:33:50.119 everything, I can trust him as I live my life 00:33:50.119 --> 00:33:53.539 to provide for me, to guide me, even when life 00:33:53.539 --> 00:33:58.680 is going really hard. I don't need to be scared 00:33:58.680 --> 00:34:05.039 anymore. Can you see how when you get that essence 00:34:05.039 --> 00:34:11.500 of wisdom, it changes everything? Are you living 00:34:11.500 --> 00:34:16.389 life? with that essence of wisdom clear in your 00:34:16.389 --> 00:34:23.289 mind. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we want to 00:34:23.289 --> 00:34:26.409 thank you so much for the Lord Jesus. Thank you 00:34:26.409 --> 00:34:30.309 for the great hope we have in him. Thank you 00:34:30.309 --> 00:34:33.690 that one day all who trust in him, all who surrender 00:34:33.690 --> 00:34:40.030 to him, will be with him in eternity. Thank you 00:34:40.030 --> 00:34:46.010 that he died for all our sins. Help us to keep 00:34:46.010 --> 00:34:48.710 following Him, to keep trusting in Him, to keep 00:34:48.710 --> 00:34:54.730 learning about Him. Help us to be wise. And we 00:34:54.730 --> 00:34:57.210 ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.