Gracious Heavenly Father, we thank you that you
love us and you care for us. Please, Father,
as we look at your word now, help us to pay attention
to it and to grow in wisdom. We ask this in Jesus'
name. Amen. Well, I want to ask you a question.
If you could pick any TV character to be your
dad during your childhood, who would you pick?
If you could pick any TV character to be your
dad during your childhood, who would you pick?
Homer Simpson. Homer Simpson. Okay, so are you
sadistic or masochistic? Who would you pick?
Here's who I'd pick. Not Homer Simpson. I'd pick
Bandit. Have you seen Bandit from Bluey? This
is Bluey and Bingo's dad in the show Bluey. You
can't miss it. It is an amazing show. It's Australian
which makes it even better. But this cartoon
dog, Bandit, is the gold standard of parenting.
He actually won the Father of the Year award
in 2019 because he's inspired so many dads. Bandit
is an unusual character. He's gentle, he's patient,
he's caring. He takes the time to teach his kids
wisdom by heartfelt talks and by fun play Many
dads watch Bluey and think I wish I wore more
like bandit Many dads wish Bluey wasn't on so
they didn't feel so bad about not being more
like bandit Many women wish they could raise
kids with a man like bandit many kids wish they
had a dad like bandit and I reckon Many people
secretly wish they grew up with a dad like Bandit.
Because it is beneficial having a dad who teaches
you how the world works, isn't it? But not everyone
grows up with a dad who can do that. Some dads
don't themselves know how the world works. That
is a bit Homer Simpson -y, isn't it? They can't
teach to others what they don't know themselves.
Some dads can't connect with their kids. They
don't get along. Maybe they're absent because
of work. Some kids grow up without a dad because
their parents have died. Well, so many of us
grow up, we just grow up with big gaps of our
understanding because dad couldn't teach us,
but mum did her best, she did a great job, but
there are certain things you just wish your dad
would tell you, isn't there? And so we get to
adulthood finding there are things I wish I'd
been taught. especially by my dad. What wisdom
do you wish your dad had imparted to you? Well,
these chapters of Proverbs tell us the wisdom
that youth should get, that young people should
get. It shares fatherly wisdom that's even better
than what Bandit teaches. I know that's a hard
sell, because Bandit is pretty amazing. We've
got here 10 speeches by a wise father to his
son or sons. And really the heart of it is this.
Here's the big thing this passage is teaching
us. And it's going all the way from chapter one
all the way to chapter seven. And it's teaching
us wisdom gives rich blessings, but folly is
a deceptive trap. That's what I'm hoping you'll
take away from today. Wisdom gives reach blessings,
but folly is a deceptive trap. And if you see
that, if you believe that, then there's two things
you need to do in response to that, which is
what we're gonna look at. You need to get wisdom
above all else, and you need to guard yourself
against folly. So let's have a look at the first
one. Get wisdom above all else. If you've got
your Bible there, it'd be great to have a look
at chapter four of Proverbs, verses one to nine.
Let's read it again. It says, listen my sons
to a father's instruction. Pay attention and
gain understanding. I give you sound learning,
so do not forsake my teaching. For I too was
a son to my father, still tender and cherished
by my mother. Then he taught me and he said to
me, Take hold of my words with all your heart.
Keep my commands and you will live. Get wisdom.
Get understanding. Do not forget my words or
turn away from them. Do not forsake wisdom and
she will protect you. Love her and she will watch
over you. The beginning of wisdom is this. Get
wisdom. Though it costs you all you have, get
understanding. Cherish her and she will exalt
you. Embrace her and she will honour you. She
will give you a garland to grace your head and
present you with a glorious crown. Now, probably
the wisest thing a parent can teach their kid
is to value and seek wisdom. Why is that? Because
wisdom is not a one -off blessing. It's a blessing
that keeps paying out. It's like that old sort
of proverbial saying you might have heard, give
a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach
a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.
Now why does that work? Well because learning
is more valuable, isn't it? If you learn, you're
able to feed yourself and the benefit will be
ongoing. You just give someone a fish, well that's
it, you've fed them for a day, great. Teach them
to fish. Well, hey, that's going to go on for
ages, isn't it? Well, it's like that with wisdom
You could give someone the benefits of wisdom,
you know, it could could be something really
positive and really good But if you teach them
wisdom That's a benefit that's just going to
keep going and going and going You set someone
up well for life if you give them wisdom When
I was a kid, I remember going to the Australian
Mint just to check it out with my grandma, and
it was pretty cool seeing them print the money
there. Now, I must admit, as a kid, I was really
broken -hearted that they didn't hand out free
samples. But I remember thinking, as a kid, I
wish I had one of those machines. That'd be awesome,
wouldn't it? just print as much money as you
want and you're doing it at home so it probably
doesn't lift inflation and all of that um it'd
be so good anytime i want it i'll just print
another bunch of money oh you're a bit short
is there a bill that's cut i'll print some more
money how good would that be well that's the
way we're meant to think of wisdom wisdom is
like a blessing's printing machine if you have
wisdom It keeps benefiting you. It keeps printing
more blessing into your life. But the wisdom
here in Proverbs is not fundamentally life skills.
We saw that last week. And in these chapters
at its heart, wisdom is about fearing the Lord.
It's not just being that person who can get ahead
and be successful. It's actually about having
a faith that takes God seriously. That's wisdom.
Come with me in your Bible to Proverbs 3, 5 and
8. It says, trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding. In all
your ways submit to him and he will make your
path straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes,
fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring
health to your body and nourishment to your bones.
Trusting and obeying God is wisdom. Because in
the end, that pays off because this is God's
world. He's in charge of it all. To trust Him,
to obey Him, that's wisdom. And the benefits
are huge. If you trust God, you will get eternal
life. That's what we see in Jesus, don't we?
If you trust God, you will have life forever.
What better benefit could there possibly be?
But there are also great benefits in this life.
Knowing God, how his world works, it can benefit
your mental health. You can be a person who's
more secure in yourself. You might end up being
better at relationships. You might be able to
navigate office politics better. You might be
better at avoiding scammers. By learning wisdom,
you might get a really good work ethic. The list
could go on. There are just so many benefits
to wisdom. The ultimate is eternal life. But
can you see just how God's wisdom is so precious?
And if no one taught you that in your youth,
I'm really sorry. They should have. They should
have shown you that wisdom is precious. They
should have told you prioritize getting it. But
if... Even if no one did, you can start prioritising
that now, can't you? How would your week look?
How would it look different if getting wisdom
was your priority? Now, what things would change
in your calendar, in your diary? I always think
church, growth group, time with God. Those things
need to be in pen, not in pencil. That's a good
baseline, isn't it? And you know, there's exceptions
to Sikh and all of that. But those things need
to be in pen, not in pencil. If we're really
on about seeking God's wisdom, they're a priority.
But what else? Reading good Christian books.
listening to podcasts, watching videos that will
think more deeply into theology and the Bible,
having coffee with your friends, especially someone
who's a bit older and wiser, who can impart their
wisdom to you. These are all great ways to get
wisdom. But it's a mindset shift, isn't it? It's
going, am I doing that? Have I got a plan? to
effectively get wisdom. Is this a priority for
me? Is it for you? Get wisdom. Such rich benefit.
But that's not all we need to do. Our dads should
have taught us something else during our youth.
Here's the next thing they should teach us. Guard
yourself against folly. Guard yourself against
folly. If you've got a Bible there, come with
me to chapter 1, verses 8 to 19. Here's what
it says. Let's ambush some harmless soul. Let's
swallow them alive like the grave and whole like
those who go down to the pit. We will get all
sorts of valuable things and fill our houses
with plunder. Cast lots with us. We will all
share the loot. My son, do not go along with
them and do not set foot on their paths. For
their feet rush into evil. They are swift to
shed blood. How useless to spread a net where
every bird can see it. These men lie in wait
for their own blood. They ambush only themselves.
Such are the paths of all who go after ill -gotten
gain. It takes away the life of those who get
it. Now, this father gives examples here, many
examples of folly. Violence and greed are the
main focus. In these chapters he also warns against
deception, envy, laziness and adultery. It's
worth thinking, why does he need to give such
warnings? Isn't such folly just obvious? Well
no. Folly is hard to spot and see because it's
enticing and seductive. It promises a lot, but
delivers a little. Worse, folly is a trap that
brings ruin. Did you see the imagery there in
verses 17 to 19? How useless to spread a net
where every bird can see it. These men lie in
wait for their own blood they ambush only themselves.
I mean, he's saying the birds are wiser than
the fools. Because if you lay out a trap for
the birds and they see it, they're gonna stay
away from it. But these fools, they lay a trap
for themselves. They end up trapped by their
own schemes. They should have seen it, but they
couldn't. It's a bit like Monopoly. You know
in Monopoly, you build a trap? I'm giving away
all my Monopoly secrets now. But I like to put
one side of the board, I try and get as many
like... hotels and houses as I possibly can on
one side of the board, preferably nothing too
expensive or too cheap, just sort of, you know,
middle class white collar part of Monopoly board.
And then, you know, people come past and you're
like, oh yes, you know. But to do that, you know,
I try to sort of almost bankrupt myself to get
all that property there. And then, you know,
you're playing and you get that card. Has this
ever happened to you? Maybe it just happens to
me a lot. You get that card, repair all your
houses and hotels. Come on, you know? I was trying
to set this trap for others and I get hoisted
by my own petard. I get trapped myself. Or it's
like in chess, you know, I'm playing chess with
my son the other day, trying to lure in his queen
and all of a sudden, his bishop knocks out my
queen. I just didn't see it. It was so obvious,
but it was there. Maybe you're thinking, no,
Brendan, you're just not good at board games.
I don't know. But this is what all foolishness
is like. You might get away with it for a time,
but it'll eventually catch up with you. How do
I know? How do I know that it will catch up with
you? Because I look at Jesus' death and resurrection.
Think about the religious leaders who... orchestrated
for Jesus to be crucified. They were fools. They
set a trap for Jesus that he'd be crucified so
that they could come out on top so this pesky
rabbi who keeps interfering could be done away
with. And their trap backfired massively. Jesus
rose again from the dead. And Christianity exploded.
They didn't... Knock out this new belief system
It blew up it went massive But for them worst
of all is that Jesus rose again in his judge
of all and They didn't repent when that happened
Now folly would have stung in their life I mean
they would have gotten away with it for ages
They would have kept their privilege in position
for most of their lives. I'm sure But picture
them at Judgment Day. Their folly will catch
up when they're standing there before the risen
Lord Jesus, won't they? Jesus' resurrection proves
that folly is a trap. That it will one day catch
up with you and hurt you. And so we need to guard
ourselves against folly. How do we guard ourselves?
We've got to expose the lies that folly tells
and remember the truth Expose the lies and remember
the truth So your folly might be that you're
a slugger You think yeah another sickies fine
Bare minimum effort is best life is about maximising
pleasure. That's the sort of thing a slugger
does The lie is that you will get maximum bliss
if you do that. But the truth is, it will catch
up to you. Sluggards lose their jobs. They don't
get promoted. Sluggards are bad witnesses to
cheeses. Their health deteriorates. Often their
relationships struggle because they don't put
the work in. Sluggards really do suffer, and
that's just in this life. Or it might be your
folly might be flirting with adultery. You see
people and you go, oh, life would be so much
better if I was with them. They'd get me. If
I was together with them, I'd finally be happy.
That's the lie. Oh, there's this grass is greener
on the other side, kind of bliss over there.
But the truth is, your folly will catch up with
you. It will hurt your heart spiritually if you
go that way. It'll hurt your spouse and kids
if you go that way. And if you start a new relationship,
what's to say that the same problems you brought
into your current relationship aren't going to
be brought into the new one? No, the better way
the wise ways to change what you have. I love
how in Proverbs 5 it almost talks about having
an affair with your wife. See, it's a different
way. I'm going to put the priority on changing
what I already have. That's wise. Now, thinking
about this is self -reflection and it's hard
but it's important. Ask yourself, what sort of
folly entices you? We've all got something. What
sort of folly entices you? And what are you going
to do to guard yourself from it? Do you see it
as a deadly trap? Do you see how following the
path of wisdom is so much better? Sadly, Solomon
who wrote Proverbs didn't follow his own advice.
He's a cautionary tale, isn't he? See, when young,
God asked Solomon what he wanted and Solomon
asked for wisdom. And he oversaw the golden age
of Israel. He was there building the temple.
He wrote the book of Proverbs. He oversaw Israel's
immense prosperity. It was amazing. But sadly,
this wise king became very foolish. He stopped
getting wisdom above all else. He prioritised
marrying many foreign women above all else. Never
thought about, you know, Solomon with all his
wives and concubines, what saying goodnight would
have been like. Goodnight, goodnight, goodnight.
But also... He didn't guard himself against folly.
He let his wives and concubines turn his heart
away from God and he started worshipping Yahweh
and other gods. That was his weak point. Where's
your weakness? Where's your weak point? But sadly
it seems like he never repented because he stopped
believing the big thing he wrote in our chapters.
Wisdom gives rich blessings, but folly is a deceptive
trap. If there's one thing you take away from
today, I hope it's that. Wisdom gives rich blessings,
but folly is a deceptive trap. That's what we
need to believe. See Solomon couldn't follow
through. And in many ways, Solomon's a lot like
us, isn't he? But thankfully, there is another
who did follow through. Jesus in his youth did
what Solomon instructed. As we had it read, Luke
in his gospel describes it this way. And the
child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom.
And the favour, the grace of God was upon him.
And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature
and in favour with God and man. See Jesus believed
wisdom gives rich blessings but folly is a deceptive
trap. And so throughout his life Jesus treasured
wisdom and avoided folly. He grew up to be a
king wiser and greater than Solomon. He thought
and taught with a wisdom unparalleled in human
history. When tempted to folly, he didn't stray.
He lived perfectly. He lived a wise life. But
then he died on a cross. Why did he die the death
of a fool? Humiliated. Suffering. Crucified.
Well Jesus did that for you and for me. Jesus
experienced the worst ruin that folly brings.
He experienced hell on the cross so that we wouldn't
have to for our folly. Do you know those big
bear traps with the big claws? Well, that's like
folly, isn't it? It's a big trap. And what Jesus
does is when he dies on the cross, it's like
he's stepping on... the bear trap of sin and
folly and he springs that trap on himself in
order to save us. Because once the trap is sprung
it can't hurt you anymore can it? Well that's
what happened at the cross. Jesus guarded us
against folly in the greatest way possible. He
sprung the trap and he suffered and died so that
we wouldn't for eternity. But that's not all,
the blessings from his wise life have gone to
us. He gave them as a gift to us. We get eternal
glory for Jesus' wisdom and wise living. And
it doesn't stop there. Jesus gave his people
his spirit. So we have a renewed heart and a
renewed mind. Now we have a desire for wisdom
and a distaste for folly. And day by day, year
by year, God's Spirit grows us to be more wise
and to be more like Jesus. But even that's not
all. Jesus gave us the perfect example of living
by wisdom. What do you do when you face one of
those really tough, complex situations that requires
great discernment? You look to Jesus. See, Jesus
in the Gospels shows us what being wise really
looks like. When you look to Jesus, he just cuts
through the confusion, doesn't he? When you feel
the pull of folly's voice trying to bait you,
Jesus shows you how to resist. You look at him
when he was tempted. When people come with complex
situations and warped priorities, you look at
Jesus and you go, He sees it with crystal clarity.
Studying Jesus is the best way to get wisdom
and to guard against folly. Are you seeing that
in him? Are you going to him for wisdom? Let
me close. As a kid, I didn't see my dad much.
My parents were divorced. You know, I saw him
once a fortnight for the weekend. But he still
taught me some great life lessons. And I love
him. He's a great dad in many ways. He's not
a bandit, but you know, he's pretty good. But
I had big gaps of understanding. As I grew up,
I got hurt by my own naivety and folly. I wish
he had taught me. Get wisdom and guard against
folly. I wish he'd taught me that you can do
that by knowing Jesus. Thankfully Jesus saved
me from my folly and showed me the value of God's
wisdom. I'm so glad he did. Has he done that
for you? If he hasn't, ask him today. And if
he has... Don't stop being intentional. Get wisdom.
Guard yourself against folly. In the end, it
will pay off. Let's pray. Father, we want to
thank you so much for the Lord Jesus. Thank you
for the hope we have in him. Thank you for the
wisdom we have in him. Thank you that... When
he was a child, he obeyed you, that he was wise.
Thank you that he went into your house in order
to learn and listen. And thank you that he shows
us the way that we should go in getting wisdom
and guarding against folly. Thank you that he
died for all the times where we have been foolish
and unwise. Thank you that he has paid the price.
for our folly. Help us to see the danger of folly
and the joy and value of wisdom. And we ask this
in Jesus name. Amen.