WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.359 Gracious Heavenly Father, we ask that you would 00:00:02.359 --> 00:00:07.059 help us to listen carefully to your Word. We 00:00:07.059 --> 00:00:09.560 pray that you would change us as we listen to 00:00:09.560 --> 00:00:14.439 it and help us to commit to your Word and to 00:00:14.439 --> 00:00:17.679 wisdom that this may not just be a one -time 00:00:17.679 --> 00:00:20.359 thing today, but something we do for the rest 00:00:20.359 --> 00:00:23.519 of our life. And we ask this in Jesus' name. 00:00:24.140 --> 00:00:29.239 Amen. Well, when we lived in Broken Hill, one 00:00:29.239 --> 00:00:31.660 of the realities about Broken Hill, which we 00:00:31.660 --> 00:00:34.960 learnt pretty quickly, is that there are two 00:00:34.960 --> 00:00:39.039 seasons in Broken Hill. There's summer and winter. 00:00:39.740 --> 00:00:42.159 You get about two weeks where it's actually nice. 00:00:42.479 --> 00:00:45.840 It's either extremely hot or extremely cold. 00:00:46.600 --> 00:00:48.740 And so one of the things you have to do is make 00:00:48.740 --> 00:00:51.240 sure you've got a pulpit like Cairns. And so 00:00:51.240 --> 00:00:54.460 in summer, when it was really hot, we would take 00:00:54.460 --> 00:00:57.750 our kids for a swim. Here was our pool. We actually 00:00:57.750 --> 00:01:01.289 had a bunch of bees and wasps. So we set up some 00:01:01.289 --> 00:01:03.710 netting to try and keep them away. That's what 00:01:03.710 --> 00:01:06.329 all that is. But here's our pool back in Broken 00:01:06.329 --> 00:01:09.829 Hill. And normally it was pretty good. But if 00:01:09.829 --> 00:01:12.629 we took the pool cover off, do you know what 00:01:12.629 --> 00:01:16.969 would happen on those hot days? It would be extremely 00:01:16.969 --> 00:01:19.870 cold in the pool. Actually, any time we took 00:01:19.870 --> 00:01:22.689 the pool cover off, it would be extremely cold. 00:01:22.969 --> 00:01:26.510 And for our kids, it meant they got stuck in 00:01:26.510 --> 00:01:30.129 paralysis. Because here's what they'd do. They'd 00:01:30.129 --> 00:01:32.950 go up to the pool and they'd dip their toe in 00:01:32.950 --> 00:01:36.810 the water. And they'd go, too cold! And they 00:01:36.810 --> 00:01:40.170 wouldn't jump in. And they'd stay outside and 00:01:40.170 --> 00:01:43.549 they'd miss out on the fun. And so you know the 00:01:43.549 --> 00:01:46.909 trick. Do you know the trick with the pool? You 00:01:46.909 --> 00:01:50.790 have to dive in, don't you? Feet first. And then 00:01:50.790 --> 00:01:53.349 you're not cold once you're in. or you need a 00:01:53.349 --> 00:01:54.989 parent to throw you in. I don't know, one of 00:01:54.989 --> 00:01:57.930 the two. But some way, you've got to get in that 00:01:57.930 --> 00:02:03.250 pool, don't you? Well, in life, there are big 00:02:03.250 --> 00:02:05.790 long -term decisions that we all make that are 00:02:05.790 --> 00:02:08.189 a bit like that, aren't there? Let me give you 00:02:08.189 --> 00:02:11.689 one example. One example is marriage. It's tricky 00:02:11.689 --> 00:02:15.610 to work out who to marry. And dating is kind 00:02:15.610 --> 00:02:18.370 of dipping your toe in the water to see if it's 00:02:18.370 --> 00:02:22.740 good. Is this a good fit? Okay, well... I'm just 00:02:22.740 --> 00:02:26.800 dipping my toe in. But marriage is where you 00:02:26.800 --> 00:02:29.500 jump in feet first, isn't it? You say, I'm going 00:02:29.500 --> 00:02:32.219 to share my life with someone, commit to them 00:02:32.219 --> 00:02:35.680 through the ups and downs for life. And many 00:02:35.680 --> 00:02:37.479 people today, they won't commit because they 00:02:37.479 --> 00:02:39.539 don't want to be stuck. They don't want to be 00:02:39.539 --> 00:02:43.699 tied down. They want to keep things casual. So 00:02:43.699 --> 00:02:48.360 they say, maybe forever. But at some point, to 00:02:48.360 --> 00:02:50.659 get the best out of it, you have to commit, don't 00:02:50.659 --> 00:02:55.020 you? Well, I want to suggest that's what's been 00:02:55.020 --> 00:02:58.979 going on as we've been reading proverbs. Reading 00:02:58.979 --> 00:03:02.340 proverbs is a bit like dating wisdom. I don't 00:03:02.340 --> 00:03:04.199 know if you realise that you've been dating wisdom 00:03:04.199 --> 00:03:07.439 this last term, but you have. And we've been 00:03:07.439 --> 00:03:11.340 seeing if wisdom is a good fit for us. But there 00:03:11.340 --> 00:03:15.379 comes a point where we have to commit. Where 00:03:15.379 --> 00:03:20.360 we go, will I stick with wisdom or will we move 00:03:20.360 --> 00:03:23.500 on? I can't just keep flirting with wisdom forever. 00:03:25.300 --> 00:03:28.319 And this last chapter of Proverbs is trying to 00:03:28.319 --> 00:03:31.000 show us that this is the most important decision 00:03:31.000 --> 00:03:34.960 ever. Our passage is saying committing to wisdom, 00:03:35.300 --> 00:03:38.860 having it in your life, is the best decision 00:03:38.860 --> 00:03:41.259 you can make. Here's our big idea for today. 00:03:42.900 --> 00:03:48.669 Commit to wisdom, you will not regret it. That's 00:03:48.669 --> 00:03:50.389 what I'm hoping you'll take away from today. 00:03:50.530 --> 00:03:54.449 Commit to wisdom, you will not regret it. And 00:03:54.449 --> 00:03:56.490 it's a fitting end to the book, as we've been 00:03:56.490 --> 00:04:00.030 dating wisdom. It's saying to us now, marry wisdom, 00:04:00.270 --> 00:04:06.009 commit, jump in feet first. And it closes the 00:04:06.009 --> 00:04:09.469 book by giving us three ways in which wisdom 00:04:09.469 --> 00:04:12.569 is awesome, to really try and get us across the 00:04:12.569 --> 00:04:15.090 line that we will commit. So here are the three 00:04:15.090 --> 00:04:20.439 ways. wisdom prevents awful ruin, wisdom brings 00:04:20.439 --> 00:04:25.040 rich blessings, and wisdom beats everything else. 00:04:25.959 --> 00:04:27.879 So let's have a look at each of these. Firstly, 00:04:28.579 --> 00:04:33.500 wisdom prevents awful ruin. It protects you from 00:04:33.500 --> 00:04:36.980 the ruin of folly and all the awful things that 00:04:36.980 --> 00:04:40.240 go along with folly. Have a look at verses one 00:04:40.240 --> 00:04:42.420 to nine with me if you've got your Bible there. 00:04:43.459 --> 00:04:47.040 The sayings of King Lemuel. and inspired utterance 00:04:47.040 --> 00:04:50.339 his mother taught him. Listen, my son, listen, 00:04:50.459 --> 00:04:53.279 son of my womb, listen, my son, the answer to 00:04:53.279 --> 00:04:56.139 my prayers, do not spend your strength on women, 00:04:56.540 --> 00:04:59.839 your vigor on those who ruin kings. It is not 00:04:59.839 --> 00:05:02.379 for kings the mule, it is not for kings to drink 00:05:02.379 --> 00:05:05.300 wine, not for rulers to crave beer, lest they 00:05:05.300 --> 00:05:08.279 drink and forget what has been decreed and deprive 00:05:08.279 --> 00:05:11.529 all the oppressed of their rights. Let beer be 00:05:11.529 --> 00:05:14.290 for those who are perishing. Wine for those who 00:05:14.290 --> 00:05:16.910 are in anguish. Let them drink and forget their 00:05:16.910 --> 00:05:20.910 poverty and remember their misery no more. Speak 00:05:20.910 --> 00:05:22.829 up for those who cannot speak for themselves. 00:05:22.930 --> 00:05:25.449 For the rights of all who are destitute, speak 00:05:25.449 --> 00:05:28.750 up and judge fairly. Defend the rights of the 00:05:28.750 --> 00:05:33.970 poor and needy. Now, King LeMule's mum is doing 00:05:33.970 --> 00:05:37.560 some fantastic parenting here, isn't she? She's 00:05:37.560 --> 00:05:42.500 preparing her son to fulfil his calling, to lead 00:05:42.500 --> 00:05:46.480 wisely and fairly, to care for the poor, the 00:05:46.480 --> 00:05:50.500 needy and the vulnerable. And she's warning him 00:05:50.500 --> 00:05:55.680 that what will undermine him is anethetising 00:05:55.680 --> 00:06:00.360 himself. Whether it's through lots of relationships 00:06:00.360 --> 00:06:04.399 with women, whether it's through alcohol, anethetising 00:06:04.399 --> 00:06:07.910 himself will actually stop him being the sort 00:06:07.910 --> 00:06:14.029 of ruler and person that he needs to be. She's 00:06:14.029 --> 00:06:17.350 warning him about using women and alcohol like 00:06:17.350 --> 00:06:21.730 opioids and painkillers, that they just help 00:06:21.730 --> 00:06:24.509 him forget everything, which will cloud his judgment 00:06:24.509 --> 00:06:29.689 and steal his focus. And such folly wouldn't 00:06:29.689 --> 00:06:33.990 just hurt him, but it would hurt the people under 00:06:33.990 --> 00:06:37.379 his care. Did you see that bit there where it 00:06:37.379 --> 00:06:41.439 says down in verse 6, let beer be for those who 00:06:41.439 --> 00:06:43.540 are perishing, wine for those who are in anguish? 00:06:44.560 --> 00:06:47.519 You know, it's not saying that yes, we should 00:06:47.519 --> 00:06:49.980 go and just hand out wine and beer to all those 00:06:49.980 --> 00:06:53.279 who are struggling. It's a biting sarcasm here. 00:06:54.139 --> 00:06:56.500 It's saying let them get drunk, not you, you 00:06:56.500 --> 00:07:00.420 ruler. The least you could do is let them have 00:07:00.420 --> 00:07:03.420 some painkillers and opioids to just forget about 00:07:03.420 --> 00:07:07.000 their pain for a while. Don't you go off drinking? 00:07:07.519 --> 00:07:09.199 Actually, you know, it would be better than that. 00:07:09.259 --> 00:07:11.959 Go and rule well so they don't have things to 00:07:11.959 --> 00:07:16.879 worry about and be upset about. But this is what 00:07:16.879 --> 00:07:19.100 happens though, isn't it? When one isn't committed 00:07:19.100 --> 00:07:25.220 to wisdom, they become committed to escape. And 00:07:25.220 --> 00:07:29.019 they hurt themselves and those under their care. 00:07:29.680 --> 00:07:32.920 And that's what Lemuel's mum is warning him not 00:07:32.920 --> 00:07:38.269 to do here. Be someone who is alert and awake 00:07:38.269 --> 00:07:43.550 and ready to care for others. I remember years 00:07:43.550 --> 00:07:46.730 ago when we lived in Perth, Ethan started his 00:07:46.730 --> 00:07:50.149 first day of school and he got to know this other 00:07:50.149 --> 00:07:53.910 kid and they became really good friends and as 00:07:53.910 --> 00:07:56.350 we got to know this other kid's mum, we found 00:07:56.350 --> 00:08:00.069 out she had a very sad story. She was a recovered 00:08:00.069 --> 00:08:04.160 drug addict and at one point she'd actually had 00:08:04.160 --> 00:08:07.639 her kids taken away because her addiction got 00:08:07.639 --> 00:08:12.819 so bad. Her desire to escape the pain of her 00:08:12.819 --> 00:08:18.420 life stopped her being a functional parent. That's 00:08:18.420 --> 00:08:22.300 so sad, isn't it? And thankfully that was the 00:08:22.300 --> 00:08:25.519 wake -up call she needed to stop taking drugs. 00:08:26.879 --> 00:08:29.579 But she had to see that her addiction hurt so 00:08:29.579 --> 00:08:32.259 many, her kids, her wider family, her neighbourhood. 00:08:33.410 --> 00:08:37.909 Anecetising yourself is not harmless. It removes 00:08:37.909 --> 00:08:41.730 our judgement and stops us caring for people 00:08:41.730 --> 00:08:48.289 as we should. And what about us? Are we anaesthetising 00:08:48.289 --> 00:08:51.710 ourselves at great cost to ourselves and others? 00:08:53.169 --> 00:08:55.909 See, our culture today has normalised numbing 00:08:55.909 --> 00:08:59.470 anything painful, uncomfortable or unsettling. 00:09:01.200 --> 00:09:04.320 We do it today with unbridled sexual gratification 00:09:04.320 --> 00:09:07.899 or excessive alcohol But there's other ways we 00:09:07.899 --> 00:09:11.159 do it today isn't there with online retail therapy 00:09:11.159 --> 00:09:19.259 sugar screens sport I Think these days we become 00:09:19.259 --> 00:09:22.019 so tired and stressed that we chase anything 00:09:22.019 --> 00:09:26.799 that feels good even if it clouds our judgement, 00:09:27.259 --> 00:09:29.639 even if it drags us from responsibilities or 00:09:29.639 --> 00:09:33.919 stops us sitting with important problems. Now, 00:09:34.059 --> 00:09:35.879 don't get me wrong, I'm not saying let's just 00:09:35.879 --> 00:09:38.340 be all grumpy people all the time. There is a 00:09:38.340 --> 00:09:40.759 time and a place to enjoy yourself and enjoy 00:09:40.759 --> 00:09:44.360 good things, but if we're always looking to anethetise 00:09:44.360 --> 00:09:49.200 ourselves from life, we've got to ask why are 00:09:49.200 --> 00:09:53.320 we doing that? Who are we hurting by doing that? 00:09:54.639 --> 00:10:00.940 How are we going to change? See, committing to 00:10:00.940 --> 00:10:05.399 wisdom means balance. It's enjoying the good, 00:10:06.480 --> 00:10:11.320 not consistently self -indulging to escape. It 00:10:11.320 --> 00:10:14.960 means processing pain healthily and handling 00:10:14.960 --> 00:10:20.320 our responsibilities. Such wisdom prevents ruin. 00:10:22.220 --> 00:10:28.100 and it's a good way to live. So that's what committing 00:10:28.100 --> 00:10:32.779 wisdom looks like. It prevents ruin, but it's 00:10:32.779 --> 00:10:34.960 not the only thing that happens when you commit 00:10:34.960 --> 00:10:37.659 to wisdom. Here's the other thing that happens. 00:10:38.980 --> 00:10:44.399 Wisdom brings rich blessings. Wisdom brings rich 00:10:44.399 --> 00:10:47.320 blessings. Have a look with me at verses 10 to 00:10:47.320 --> 00:10:55.340 12. She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband 00:10:55.340 --> 00:10:58.240 has full confidence in her and lacks nothing 00:10:58.240 --> 00:11:01.980 of value. She brings him good, not harm, all 00:11:01.980 --> 00:11:05.879 the days of her life. Now this is an incredible 00:11:05.879 --> 00:11:09.399 passage. The wife of noble character going all 00:11:09.399 --> 00:11:12.440 the way from verses 10 to 31. And it's actually 00:11:12.440 --> 00:11:15.679 an acrostic poem. So in the Hebrew alphabet, 00:11:16.179 --> 00:11:18.440 each letter of the Hebrew alphabet is used here 00:11:18.440 --> 00:11:21.539 at the start of each line. So this is literally 00:11:21.539 --> 00:11:28.059 the A to Z on how wise this wife is. And it's 00:11:28.059 --> 00:11:30.580 all about the themes of the book that we've been 00:11:30.580 --> 00:11:33.759 reading. It's all about, I mean, she's industrious, 00:11:33.960 --> 00:11:36.720 she's entrepreneurial, she's charitable, she's 00:11:36.720 --> 00:11:39.659 got wise speech, she's fearless, all things that 00:11:39.659 --> 00:11:42.440 we've come across through the Book of Proverbs. 00:11:43.870 --> 00:11:46.330 And the effect that it's meant to have on us 00:11:46.330 --> 00:11:48.409 is that, you know, you've got to remember Proverbs 00:11:48.409 --> 00:11:51.549 was written for young nobles in the royal court. 00:11:52.549 --> 00:11:55.830 They're meant to read this and go, wow, she's 00:11:55.830 --> 00:12:00.129 really attractive. It'd be so good to be married 00:12:00.129 --> 00:12:05.429 to a woman like this. So where do you find her? 00:12:06.570 --> 00:12:10.889 Does she go to our church? Is she at the church 00:12:10.889 --> 00:12:14.990 down the road? Maybe if you were married, you 00:12:14.990 --> 00:12:17.070 should say to your wife later, oh, it's you, 00:12:17.250 --> 00:12:19.809 sweetheart. That would be a wise thing to do. 00:12:21.629 --> 00:12:25.509 But where is this woman? It's hard to find. Because 00:12:25.509 --> 00:12:29.809 this is lady wisdom. Remember earlier in Proverbs 00:12:29.809 --> 00:12:32.809 we met lady wisdom and lady folly? This is, I 00:12:32.809 --> 00:12:36.789 think, lady wisdom personified as a woman in 00:12:36.789 --> 00:12:40.720 the real world. Because again, it's summing up 00:12:40.720 --> 00:12:43.519 the earlier themes of the Book of Proverbs. It's 00:12:43.519 --> 00:12:45.840 tying those threads together of everything that 00:12:45.840 --> 00:12:49.340 we've looked at. And so the author is painting 00:12:49.340 --> 00:12:53.100 a picture here of what you'll get, your future, 00:12:53.840 --> 00:12:58.460 if you marry, if you commit to wisdom. I think 00:12:58.460 --> 00:13:01.240 this is bigger than just he is an ideal wife. 00:13:01.480 --> 00:13:03.240 I think there's some element of that, but I think 00:13:03.240 --> 00:13:05.980 it's bigger than that. This is what you'll get 00:13:05.980 --> 00:13:11.250 if you commit. or married to lady wisdom. It's 00:13:11.250 --> 00:13:13.970 a bit like this. One day, my boys will bring 00:13:13.970 --> 00:13:17.450 home a girl to meet us. That's going to be a 00:13:17.450 --> 00:13:19.629 new stage for us. I mean, we only had Ethan just 00:13:19.629 --> 00:13:21.789 become a teenager the other day. It's going to 00:13:21.789 --> 00:13:24.990 be a big stage when that happens. But when that 00:13:24.990 --> 00:13:27.529 happens, there'll be so many love chemicals going 00:13:27.529 --> 00:13:29.870 off in their brains that they're not going to 00:13:29.870 --> 00:13:32.009 be thinking objectively, especially if the girl 00:13:32.009 --> 00:13:35.309 they bring home is really good looking. So one 00:13:35.309 --> 00:13:38.330 lesson I'm hoping to instil in them before this 00:13:38.330 --> 00:13:43.490 and remind them of then is I'll say, make sure 00:13:43.490 --> 00:13:48.590 you meet her parents. Because her parents will 00:13:48.590 --> 00:13:51.990 give you a partial glimpse into your future if 00:13:51.990 --> 00:13:55.929 you choose to commit to her. I mean, it's not 00:13:55.929 --> 00:13:58.149 perfect, people can do the work, sort themselves 00:13:58.149 --> 00:14:01.129 out, be different, but there's some wisdom in 00:14:01.129 --> 00:14:04.860 that. because her parents gave her the blueprint 00:14:04.860 --> 00:14:08.639 for relationship. And so their dynamic will be 00:14:08.639 --> 00:14:11.879 a pretty good indicator of what your relationship 00:14:11.879 --> 00:14:16.320 will look like in the future. Well, in the same 00:14:16.320 --> 00:14:19.320 way that I'm gonna try and do that, well, that's 00:14:19.320 --> 00:14:21.120 kind of what's going on here. The description 00:14:21.120 --> 00:14:24.840 of wisdom is saying, hey, here's your future. 00:14:25.580 --> 00:14:28.240 If you marry Lady Wisdom, this is what it's gonna 00:14:28.240 --> 00:14:31.559 be like. And it's going to be even more certain, 00:14:31.679 --> 00:14:34.299 more sure. This is like looking into a crystal 00:14:34.299 --> 00:14:38.279 ball. If you commit to wisdom, you can bank on 00:14:38.279 --> 00:14:43.820 it being so good for you. Now, we've got to remember 00:14:43.820 --> 00:14:48.000 there's some nuance here. It's not saying, well, 00:14:48.000 --> 00:14:51.059 you commit to wisdom, life is going to be easy 00:14:51.059 --> 00:14:56.879 and rosy. Jesus committed to wisdom more than 00:14:56.879 --> 00:15:00.539 anyone in the history of humanity. and it got 00:15:00.539 --> 00:15:05.100 him crucified. Ultimately, committing to wisdom 00:15:05.100 --> 00:15:09.039 is beneficial. I mean, Jesus dying on the cross 00:15:09.039 --> 00:15:12.399 meant that we were saved and that he was glorified. 00:15:13.919 --> 00:15:16.019 But it doesn't mean committing to wisdom will 00:15:16.019 --> 00:15:19.659 be easy, just like in any marriage. Committing 00:15:19.659 --> 00:15:23.240 to wisdom may be tough, but it will always be 00:15:23.240 --> 00:15:28.330 worth it in the end. And actually that's... where 00:15:28.330 --> 00:15:30.190 we need to understand how some of the wisdom 00:15:30.190 --> 00:15:34.409 literature interrelates with each other. So we've 00:15:34.409 --> 00:15:37.429 just done proverbs, which is all about the benefits 00:15:37.429 --> 00:15:40.149 of wisdom and how great wisdom is. But maybe 00:15:40.149 --> 00:15:42.590 one day we ought to go through Ecclesiastes, 00:15:43.049 --> 00:15:45.669 which is all about how life is meaningless and 00:15:45.669 --> 00:15:48.750 unfair and things don't always work the way we'd 00:15:48.750 --> 00:15:52.730 like them to. There's a fully -orbed way of seeing 00:15:52.730 --> 00:15:57.149 wisdom that we do need to understand here. But 00:15:57.149 --> 00:15:59.690 if we've established that if you commit to wisdom, 00:15:59.690 --> 00:16:01.789 it can be tough, even though it will ultimately 00:16:01.789 --> 00:16:05.049 be good, what are the real -world implications 00:16:05.049 --> 00:16:10.029 of that? Well, firstly, I want to say with this 00:16:10.029 --> 00:16:14.629 passage, it's not wise or fair for men to go 00:16:14.629 --> 00:16:17.330 around using this as a criteria for dating or 00:16:17.330 --> 00:16:20.769 for their spouse. You know, please don't go and 00:16:20.769 --> 00:16:22.570 evaluate your wife at the end of the week and 00:16:22.570 --> 00:16:24.549 say, well, sweetheart, you didn't live up to 00:16:24.549 --> 00:16:28.649 verse 17, okay? like that would not be wise. 00:16:30.909 --> 00:16:33.870 Especially if you're not aspiring to that yourself. 00:16:35.409 --> 00:16:38.389 Yes, we should have standards about who we marry 00:16:38.389 --> 00:16:40.649 and we should marry, if you're a Christian, marry 00:16:40.649 --> 00:16:44.230 a Christian and those sort of things. But we 00:16:44.230 --> 00:16:46.710 all need to seek to reach those same standards 00:16:46.710 --> 00:16:51.950 too, don't we? Men need to just as much be aspiring 00:16:51.950 --> 00:16:55.169 to be like this wife of noble character, just 00:16:55.169 --> 00:16:59.389 as much as any woman does. And we also got to 00:16:59.389 --> 00:17:02.929 remember this as an ideal. So if you find someone 00:17:02.929 --> 00:17:05.349 who's half as wise as this and you marry them 00:17:05.349 --> 00:17:10.069 that is a great gift from God. The main point 00:17:10.069 --> 00:17:14.230 here I don't think is who should you marry. I 00:17:14.230 --> 00:17:16.109 mean I think there is some of that but I don't 00:17:16.109 --> 00:17:18.009 think it's the main thing. I think this is saying 00:17:18.009 --> 00:17:21.250 wisdom is so wonderful you should put a ring 00:17:21.250 --> 00:17:27.710 on her finger. Commit to her. But secondly, it 00:17:27.710 --> 00:17:30.869 highlights the value of ordinary consistency. 00:17:33.289 --> 00:17:35.849 It's saying just normal everyday consistency 00:17:35.849 --> 00:17:40.450 is wise. I mean think about how, if you were 00:17:40.450 --> 00:17:42.410 writing proverbs, think about how you could have 00:17:42.410 --> 00:17:45.269 finished the book. You could have finished the 00:17:45.269 --> 00:17:48.650 book with wisdom as this spectacular general 00:17:48.650 --> 00:17:52.430 conquering lands and nations. You could have 00:17:52.430 --> 00:17:55.990 finished with wisdom as some philosophical genius 00:17:55.990 --> 00:17:59.470 wrestling with the deep and toughest things of 00:17:59.470 --> 00:18:04.049 life and the universe. But the book doesn't finish 00:18:04.049 --> 00:18:08.450 like that. It finishes with a wonderful woman 00:18:08.450 --> 00:18:14.150 doing everyday tasks. That's wisdom. Wisdom is 00:18:14.150 --> 00:18:17.190 found in consistently doing the ordinary things 00:18:17.190 --> 00:18:22.970 of life well. When you've changed your 16th nappy 00:18:22.970 --> 00:18:26.970 for the day, fed your kids and put them to bed, 00:18:27.750 --> 00:18:31.250 it's easy to long for something different and 00:18:31.250 --> 00:18:37.589 feel like this is not very meaningful. But your 00:18:37.589 --> 00:18:42.309 wisdom is keeping them alive. It's keeping your 00:18:42.309 --> 00:18:46.529 household running. There is great dignity and 00:18:46.529 --> 00:18:52.420 value in that. So much of wisdom is doing small, 00:18:52.539 --> 00:18:56.500 God -honouring things well, again and again and 00:18:56.500 --> 00:19:02.480 again, even if it's mundane. Do you remember 00:19:02.480 --> 00:19:05.559 these sheets that we got at the start of our 00:19:05.559 --> 00:19:08.799 series? One of the things on them, they had an 00:19:08.799 --> 00:19:12.519 action plan for change. Well, I want to suggest 00:19:12.519 --> 00:19:15.140 to you, you can make a huge impact if you just 00:19:15.140 --> 00:19:19.890 do one ordinary thing consistently. What would 00:19:19.890 --> 00:19:24.509 it be for you? Maybe it's just nailing down that 00:19:24.509 --> 00:19:29.569 daily devotion or a family devotion. Maybe it's 00:19:29.569 --> 00:19:33.089 reading a few pages each day of a Christian book. 00:19:34.210 --> 00:19:35.950 There's a little thing there you might want to 00:19:35.950 --> 00:19:37.910 check out if you want to read some good Christian 00:19:37.910 --> 00:19:39.289 books. I don't know, might have just come out 00:19:39.289 --> 00:19:43.549 today. Or you might want to build your capacity 00:19:43.549 --> 00:19:47.990 bit by bit, whether it's physical, whether it's 00:19:47.980 --> 00:19:51.579 being calmer, whether it's being more joyful, 00:19:51.819 --> 00:19:53.619 whatever it might be, building your capacity 00:19:53.619 --> 00:19:58.559 bit by bit, that's a good thing. Ordinary everyday 00:19:58.559 --> 00:20:04.660 consistency is wise and powerful. So let me ask, 00:20:04.680 --> 00:20:08.299 will you be consistently committed to wisdom? 00:20:11.299 --> 00:20:13.859 But there's one more reason Proverbs 31 gives 00:20:13.859 --> 00:20:17.599 us to why we should commit to wisdom. Here's 00:20:17.599 --> 00:20:23.779 our last reason. Wisdom beats everything else. 00:20:25.279 --> 00:20:30.180 Come with me to verses 28 to 31. So you've got 00:20:30.180 --> 00:20:32.420 wisdom in verse 27. She watches over the affairs 00:20:32.420 --> 00:20:34.880 of her household and does not eat the bread of 00:20:34.880 --> 00:20:37.779 idleness. And then here's the response. Her children 00:20:37.779 --> 00:20:41.099 arise and call her blessed, her husband also, 00:20:41.119 --> 00:20:45.069 and he praises her. Many women do noble things 00:20:45.069 --> 00:20:49.190 but you surpass them all. Charm is deceptive 00:20:49.190 --> 00:20:52.230 and beauty is fleeting but a woman who fears 00:20:52.230 --> 00:20:56.069 the Lord is to be praised. Honor her for all 00:20:56.069 --> 00:20:59.730 that her hands have done and let her works bring 00:20:59.730 --> 00:21:05.029 her praise at the city gate. So this ideal wife 00:21:05.029 --> 00:21:08.589 modeled after Lady Wisdom finishes the book with 00:21:08.589 --> 00:21:13.750 a chorus of praise. Her children, her husband, 00:21:13.869 --> 00:21:16.769 even the author of the book are all saying she's 00:21:16.769 --> 00:21:20.950 the best. She's better than all the others. This 00:21:20.950 --> 00:21:23.009 one characteristic's better than all the other 00:21:23.009 --> 00:21:26.829 characteristics. It's crying out to us, see her 00:21:26.829 --> 00:21:31.089 value. She's better than all other women. Wisdom's 00:21:31.089 --> 00:21:34.609 better than charm and beauty. Those things, they 00:21:34.609 --> 00:21:38.970 lie, they're shallow, but valuing wisdom and 00:21:38.970 --> 00:21:43.059 a very specific type of wisdom. Fearing the Lord. 00:21:43.859 --> 00:21:45.680 It matches the start of the book. Remember we 00:21:45.680 --> 00:21:47.880 started with fearing the Lord is the beginning 00:21:47.880 --> 00:21:50.039 of wisdom and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. 00:21:50.960 --> 00:21:54.539 Well, here we close the book with that same fear 00:21:54.539 --> 00:21:59.000 of the Lord. And it's saying desire and celebrate 00:21:59.000 --> 00:22:04.900 that above anything else. If you see fearing 00:22:04.900 --> 00:22:10.349 the Lord, wisdom as the best. You've grasped 00:22:10.349 --> 00:22:13.569 it. You've understood how good wisdom is and 00:22:13.569 --> 00:22:20.210 you'll stick with it. I couldn't go this week 00:22:20.210 --> 00:22:23.670 without a World Cup illustration of some kind, 00:22:24.970 --> 00:22:26.450 even though it was very tragic what happened 00:22:26.450 --> 00:22:30.210 to the Socceroos yesterday, but we won't go there. 00:22:33.440 --> 00:22:36.380 There's a lot of hurting people today and one 00:22:36.380 --> 00:22:42.299 really happy person. But years ago I used to 00:22:42.299 --> 00:22:45.559 play FIFA, the soccer video game with my kids 00:22:45.559 --> 00:22:50.099 and friends and each time I'd play you had to 00:22:50.099 --> 00:22:52.859 pick your team and I'd always try and pick my 00:22:52.859 --> 00:22:55.839 team thoughtfully because each team had different 00:22:55.839 --> 00:22:58.299 attributes and players had different attributes 00:22:58.299 --> 00:23:00.930 and abilities. Some were really good at kicking 00:23:00.930 --> 00:23:04.089 and tackling and passing and heading and dribbling. 00:23:05.029 --> 00:23:07.390 But there was always one I'd pick. Here's my 00:23:07.390 --> 00:23:10.750 tip for FIFA, if you want to know. Pick the ones 00:23:10.750 --> 00:23:15.450 who had speed. It was the most overpowered thing 00:23:15.450 --> 00:23:18.450 in the whole game. If you had a team with speed, 00:23:18.710 --> 00:23:20.710 you got the absolute best results because your 00:23:20.710 --> 00:23:23.289 guys would be going like that and the other ones 00:23:23.289 --> 00:23:25.410 would be there, you know, lingering behind, rolling 00:23:25.410 --> 00:23:28.519 along. It was awesome and it meant I'd probably 00:23:28.519 --> 00:23:30.779 won more games against my kids than I deserved 00:23:30.779 --> 00:23:38.000 to win. Now, Proverbs is saying here that valuing 00:23:38.000 --> 00:23:42.839 God's wisdom, God's wisdom, that's overpowered. 00:23:43.799 --> 00:23:47.940 That's like speed in FIFA. You should want that 00:23:47.940 --> 00:23:52.119 in your life more than anything. And we live 00:23:52.119 --> 00:23:55.640 in a culture that conditions us not to want that, 00:23:55.640 --> 00:24:01.420 don't we? We're taught to admire, be drawn to, 00:24:01.819 --> 00:24:06.400 aspire to, to devalue temporary, shallow, and 00:24:06.400 --> 00:24:12.400 external things. Looks, wit, intelligence, confidence, 00:24:12.660 --> 00:24:17.140 charisma, the fun person, we often see them as 00:24:17.140 --> 00:24:24.440 more valuable. But integrity, maturity, fear 00:24:24.440 --> 00:24:29.730 of the Lord, that sort of wisdom, It's so much 00:24:29.730 --> 00:24:34.450 better, isn't it? One who trusts God and takes 00:24:34.450 --> 00:24:39.329 Him seriously is far better off than anyone who's 00:24:39.329 --> 00:24:41.910 got anything else, because they've got eternity 00:24:41.910 --> 00:24:44.849 sorted out. They know the God of the universe. 00:24:46.529 --> 00:24:48.809 And that should change how we see everything. 00:24:49.069 --> 00:24:51.809 If you're single and you want to marry, value 00:24:51.809 --> 00:24:55.170 someone who has got that sort of wisdom, who 00:24:55.170 --> 00:24:59.380 trusts God and fears Him. And if you don't want 00:24:59.380 --> 00:25:03.660 to marry, pursue that sort of wisdom. Be devoted 00:25:03.660 --> 00:25:07.720 to that. Make that your goal in life. And if 00:25:07.720 --> 00:25:11.539 you are married, seek that yourself. Praise your 00:25:11.539 --> 00:25:16.240 spouse when they do that. That should be the 00:25:16.240 --> 00:25:21.220 thing we value above all else. Hey, if you're 00:25:21.220 --> 00:25:23.839 married, it's wise. Still praise your spouse 00:25:23.839 --> 00:25:26.869 for other things too. Like, yes, sweetheart, 00:25:26.950 --> 00:25:30.890 you are beautiful, but especially praise them 00:25:30.890 --> 00:25:34.190 for their wisdom and their trust in God. That's 00:25:34.190 --> 00:25:37.109 the wisest thing you can do and the best thing 00:25:37.109 --> 00:25:43.349 you can value. So let's wrap up. We asked, why 00:25:43.349 --> 00:25:46.329 should I commit to wisdom? And we saw three things. 00:25:47.250 --> 00:25:51.109 Wisdom prevents awful ruin. Wisdom brings rich 00:25:51.109 --> 00:25:54.900 blessings. And wisdom beats everything else. 00:25:55.059 --> 00:25:58.339 And so the take home from this is one big thing. 00:25:58.940 --> 00:26:04.980 Commit to wisdom. You will not regret it. But 00:26:04.980 --> 00:26:10.619 Brendan, how do we actually do that? Well, it's 00:26:10.619 --> 00:26:13.559 by committing ourselves to the wisest person 00:26:13.559 --> 00:26:19.779 in all of human history. Not Adam and Eve. They 00:26:19.779 --> 00:26:22.259 thought they were wise by doing their own thing. 00:26:22.569 --> 00:26:26.450 by taking the fruit and going, I'm going to be 00:26:26.450 --> 00:26:28.410 the lawmaker now. I'm going to be the decider, 00:26:28.490 --> 00:26:32.730 not God. I'm going to run life my own way. And 00:26:32.730 --> 00:26:37.630 that caused ruin and death, didn't it? It's actually 00:26:37.630 --> 00:26:43.410 not by committing ourselves to Solomon. I mean, 00:26:43.710 --> 00:26:45.690 Solomon's great. He's got wonderful wisdom that 00:26:45.690 --> 00:26:48.309 we've learned on here that God has inspired, 00:26:48.309 --> 00:26:52.700 but... If this is all we had, it's quite limited, 00:26:52.720 --> 00:26:57.559 isn't it? Because Solomon, I mean, he was committed 00:26:57.559 --> 00:26:59.819 to wisdom, but he gave up on it himself, didn't 00:26:59.819 --> 00:27:03.700 he? He married all those wives and started worshipping 00:27:03.700 --> 00:27:07.980 other gods. Actually, all humans are like this 00:27:07.980 --> 00:27:11.259 on our own. We reject God and we can't stick 00:27:11.259 --> 00:27:14.500 with him or his wisdom. The pull of folly is 00:27:14.500 --> 00:27:18.160 too strong and we don't want wisdom to tie us 00:27:18.160 --> 00:27:24.529 down. But there's one person who's not like this. 00:27:25.750 --> 00:27:31.710 The Lord Jesus. He's the king who did what King 00:27:31.710 --> 00:27:36.450 Lemuel's mum said. He didn't live a life avoiding 00:27:36.450 --> 00:27:40.910 pain, but wisely embraced it and processed it 00:27:40.910 --> 00:27:45.589 when it was necessary. He was a king who helped 00:27:45.589 --> 00:27:50.019 others in need. He was one who was committed 00:27:50.019 --> 00:27:54.339 and married to wisdom. He saw value in wisdom 00:27:54.339 --> 00:27:56.900 and stuck with it his whole life, even though 00:27:56.900 --> 00:27:59.440 it meant dying young in the most foolish -looking 00:27:59.440 --> 00:28:04.880 and humiliating way by a death on a cross. But 00:28:04.880 --> 00:28:08.200 he knew his death would save us from folly and 00:28:08.200 --> 00:28:12.279 its consequences. He knew that his death would 00:28:12.279 --> 00:28:15.799 give us all of wisdom's benefits so that we could 00:28:15.799 --> 00:28:20.190 have life forever with God. He rose again so 00:28:20.190 --> 00:28:22.750 that we could get his spirit so that we could 00:28:22.750 --> 00:28:26.509 live as new people Who are committed to wisdom 00:28:26.509 --> 00:28:30.170 who have new hearts that are committed to wisdom? 00:28:32.230 --> 00:28:36.069 See the way we commit to wisdom is by committing 00:28:36.069 --> 00:28:41.109 to Jesus And we do so no matter what life throws 00:28:41.109 --> 00:28:46.609 at us No matter how easy or good other ways of 00:28:46.609 --> 00:28:51.500 looking other ways of living look. We know that 00:28:51.500 --> 00:28:55.319 folly is a siren calling out to us, trying to 00:28:55.319 --> 00:29:00.200 draw us in so that we'll be shipwrecked. Flirting 00:29:00.200 --> 00:29:03.700 with folly is a dangerous game and if you do, 00:29:03.720 --> 00:29:08.880 one day you will lose. But committing to wisdom 00:29:08.880 --> 00:29:13.180 by committing to Jesus, well the risen Jesus 00:29:13.180 --> 00:29:19.150 shows that that will always pay off. So what's 00:29:19.150 --> 00:29:23.430 all of this mean for us? Well, for some of us, 00:29:23.769 --> 00:29:27.009 this is all new. And that's great, I'm glad you're 00:29:27.009 --> 00:29:30.130 here. Keep coming, keep getting to know Jesus. 00:29:30.750 --> 00:29:34.049 See if he's worth committing to. And we're here 00:29:34.049 --> 00:29:37.869 to help. We want you to learn about Jesus and 00:29:37.869 --> 00:29:42.990 find out more about him. But for some of us, 00:29:43.390 --> 00:29:46.289 we've been dipping our toe in for a long time. 00:29:47.110 --> 00:29:50.470 We've been coming to church for a while and that's 00:29:50.470 --> 00:29:55.329 great and keep coming. But eventually, you need 00:29:55.329 --> 00:29:58.529 to make a decision. You need to work out, will 00:29:58.529 --> 00:30:02.150 I commit to Jesus? Will I commit to wisdom in 00:30:02.150 --> 00:30:06.630 Jesus? If that's something you want to do, please 00:30:06.630 --> 00:30:10.190 come talk to me. We'd love to pray with you. 00:30:10.390 --> 00:30:12.910 We'd love to help you get baptised. We'd love 00:30:12.910 --> 00:30:16.160 to help you take that next step. of committing 00:30:16.160 --> 00:30:22.400 to Jesus. And for many of us, we are already 00:30:22.400 --> 00:30:26.519 committed to Jesus. We dove in feet first years 00:30:26.519 --> 00:30:32.319 ago. But there's always temptations to jump out 00:30:32.319 --> 00:30:35.920 of the water and step out, aren't there? There's 00:30:35.920 --> 00:30:38.480 always times where we take wisdom for granted. 00:30:40.460 --> 00:30:45.269 And so today is a reminder of the rich benefits 00:30:45.269 --> 00:30:50.890 of wisdom and of knowing the Lord Jesus. Thank 00:30:50.890 --> 00:30:56.690 God for those things. See folly for what it is. 00:30:58.150 --> 00:31:02.349 If you do those things, it will protect you from 00:31:02.349 --> 00:31:07.589 flirting with folly. So let me close by asking, 00:31:08.569 --> 00:31:13.599 where are you at with wisdom? Have you committed 00:31:13.599 --> 00:31:18.460 to her by committing to Jesus? Or are you holding 00:31:18.460 --> 00:31:25.359 back? Will you let something stop you from committing 00:31:25.359 --> 00:31:35.519 to wisdom? I hope you won't. Let's pray. Heavenly 00:31:35.519 --> 00:31:40.339 Father, please help us to commit ourselves to 00:31:40.339 --> 00:31:44.309 the Lord Jesus and thus commit ourselves to wisdom. 00:31:45.329 --> 00:31:50.190 Help us to keep going in Him, abounding in thanksgiving, 00:31:50.809 --> 00:31:54.670 growing more and more to know Him, to love Him, 00:31:54.789 --> 00:31:59.970 to cherish Him as we follow Him. Please, Father, 00:32:00.569 --> 00:32:04.509 help us to see how valuable it is to commit to 00:32:04.509 --> 00:32:08.509 Him all the days of our life. And we ask this 00:32:08.509 --> 00:32:11.369 in Jesus' precious name. Amen.