WEBVTT 00:00:02.220 --> 00:00:06.580 Let's pray together. Father, we thank you again 00:00:06.580 --> 00:00:08.800 for this time that you've given to us week by 00:00:08.800 --> 00:00:11.119 week to come together to worship and to praise 00:00:11.119 --> 00:00:15.720 and to hear from you. We pray now as we attempt 00:00:15.720 --> 00:00:18.059 to open your word this morning that you have 00:00:18.059 --> 00:00:20.160 accompanied that word with the power of your 00:00:20.160 --> 00:00:23.179 Holy Spirit, that you'd enable me to proclaim 00:00:23.179 --> 00:00:26.079 all that you've given, that you'd enable us all 00:00:26.079 --> 00:00:28.420 to hear and to receive that which you have for 00:00:28.420 --> 00:00:32.140 us this morning. that we would apply it to ourselves, 00:00:32.159 --> 00:00:34.799 that we would appropriate it into our own lives. 00:00:35.920 --> 00:00:38.560 We ask again for the loss that they might be 00:00:38.560 --> 00:00:41.259 found of you this morning, that you would have 00:00:41.259 --> 00:00:44.619 mercy on some who were yet in their sins. And 00:00:44.619 --> 00:00:51.640 we ask it in Christ's name. Amen. Well, I arrived 00:00:51.640 --> 00:00:57.899 at the Roberts this morning, and it's my intention 00:00:58.200 --> 00:01:02.159 Lord willing, of course, to be here for a few 00:01:02.159 --> 00:01:11.500 weeks as we look at various Proverbs. So it's 00:01:11.500 --> 00:01:15.799 a book of wisdom. And this morning we're going 00:01:15.799 --> 00:01:19.359 to look here at the first chapter, about the 00:01:19.359 --> 00:01:22.599 first six or seven verses of the first chapter. 00:01:23.620 --> 00:01:26.879 Solomon is going to tell us about wisdom and 00:01:26.879 --> 00:01:30.430 he's going to tell us really the purpose of his 00:01:30.430 --> 00:01:33.609 writing all of these proverbs and that is to 00:01:33.609 --> 00:01:38.950 depart wisdom. So we need to know obviously what 00:01:38.950 --> 00:01:45.629 wisdom is and so on and so forth. But before 00:01:45.629 --> 00:01:49.109 we look at the proverb I want to look at Job 00:01:49.109 --> 00:02:00.030 and read what Job has to say about wisdom. So 00:02:00.030 --> 00:02:11.849 in chapter 28, chapter 28 beginning at verse 00:02:11.849 --> 00:02:24.870 12, but where shall wisdom be found and where 00:02:24.870 --> 00:02:28.930 is the place of understanding? Man knoweth not 00:02:28.930 --> 00:02:32.169 the price thereof, neither is it found in the 00:02:32.169 --> 00:02:37.250 land of the living. The depth saith, it is not 00:02:37.250 --> 00:02:41.349 in me, and the sea saith, it is not with me. 00:02:42.789 --> 00:02:46.830 It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver 00:02:46.830 --> 00:02:50.810 be weighed for the price thereof. It cannot be 00:02:50.810 --> 00:02:55.069 valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious 00:02:55.069 --> 00:03:00.180 onyx. or the sapphire. The gold and the crystal 00:03:00.180 --> 00:03:03.800 cannot equal it, and the exchange of it shall 00:03:03.800 --> 00:03:08.500 not be for jewels of fine gold. No mention shall 00:03:08.500 --> 00:03:12.080 be made of coral or of pearls, for the price 00:03:12.080 --> 00:03:17.620 of wisdom is above rubies. The topaz of Ethiopia 00:03:17.620 --> 00:03:21.520 shall not equal it, neither shall it be valued 00:03:21.520 --> 00:03:28.240 with pure gold. Whence then cometh it? Wisdom. 00:03:31.500 --> 00:03:35.419 And where is the place of understanding? Seeing 00:03:35.419 --> 00:03:39.259 it is hid from the eyes of all living and kept 00:03:39.259 --> 00:03:44.000 close from the fouls of the air. Then down to 00:03:44.000 --> 00:03:48.460 23, God understandeth the way thereof and he 00:03:48.460 --> 00:03:52.979 knoweth the place thereof. And in 28, and unto 00:03:52.979 --> 00:03:57.150 man he said, behold, The fear of the Lord, that 00:03:57.150 --> 00:04:02.430 is wisdom. And to depart from evil is understanding. 00:04:04.030 --> 00:04:11.689 So that's Job's view of wisdom. That's Job's 00:04:11.689 --> 00:04:15.270 and dare I say God's view of the importance of 00:04:15.270 --> 00:04:19.509 wisdom. It's above price. So the question for 00:04:19.509 --> 00:04:26.569 us is, how do we value wisdom? Have we considered 00:04:26.569 --> 00:04:32.350 the fact that wisdom is available to us? Have 00:04:32.350 --> 00:04:37.970 we considered the fact that we lack wisdom? It's 00:04:37.970 --> 00:04:41.990 a very important topic in the scriptures, and 00:04:41.990 --> 00:04:44.550 we all are familiar with the verse quoted there, 00:04:44.550 --> 00:04:46.610 that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of 00:04:46.610 --> 00:04:52.269 wisdom. But that's the beginning. What does that 00:04:52.269 --> 00:04:55.670 even mean? Well, wisdom... is to be found in 00:04:55.670 --> 00:05:00.410 Jesus Christ. Wisdom is to be found in the gospel. 00:05:01.569 --> 00:05:04.189 The gospel of God is the wisdom of God, the scriptures 00:05:04.189 --> 00:05:10.750 say. Jesus Christ is wisdom. And the respect, 00:05:10.970 --> 00:05:14.410 the fear, the respect that we have towards God, 00:05:14.629 --> 00:05:19.050 toward Jesus Christ, toward the gospel, and toward 00:05:19.050 --> 00:05:25.650 ourselves as we live before a holy God. determines 00:05:25.650 --> 00:05:29.350 really the state of our minds, the state of whether 00:05:29.350 --> 00:05:34.709 we have any wisdom or not. So it's the first 00:05:34.709 --> 00:05:41.589 sermon of the new year. So as I normally do, 00:05:41.790 --> 00:05:46.189 I ask questions concerning the new year. And 00:05:46.189 --> 00:05:49.170 so the first question that I've already asked 00:05:49.170 --> 00:05:52.350 is what do you think of wisdom? What value do 00:05:52.350 --> 00:05:56.079 you place on wisdom? Are you willing to pursue 00:05:56.079 --> 00:05:58.319 wisdom? Are you willing to give it the place 00:05:58.319 --> 00:06:02.420 that it is above Christ? Are you willing to take 00:06:02.420 --> 00:06:06.279 the stance of Job in your understanding of wisdom? 00:06:06.779 --> 00:06:10.339 Is that important? Is it that important? Is it 00:06:10.339 --> 00:06:15.040 that important for us to have the wisdom of God? 00:06:18.540 --> 00:06:22.000 You know, the world talks about resolutions at 00:06:22.000 --> 00:06:24.339 this time of the year, but do you have any goals? 00:06:25.779 --> 00:06:28.300 Have you got before God and prayed and thought 00:06:28.300 --> 00:06:32.120 and considered what would God have me to do this 00:06:32.120 --> 00:06:37.300 year? How can I improve myself this year? How 00:06:37.300 --> 00:06:40.660 can I better show my love to the Lord this year? 00:06:41.639 --> 00:06:45.899 What changes do I need to make this year? How 00:06:45.899 --> 00:06:52.170 can I make progress? in my confirmation unto 00:06:52.170 --> 00:06:58.290 the Lord. How can I gain more and more assurance 00:06:58.290 --> 00:07:02.149 of my standing before the Lord? All of these 00:07:02.149 --> 00:07:07.069 questions are valid. Do we ask any one of them? 00:07:08.529 --> 00:07:13.170 Have we been convicted of any sin that we need 00:07:13.170 --> 00:07:17.269 to repent of? We always say the Christian life 00:07:17.269 --> 00:07:24.610 is a life of repentance. Is it? Well, I ask you 00:07:24.610 --> 00:07:30.389 to consider. I know I fall far short in many 00:07:30.389 --> 00:07:33.990 areas and I repent in many areas and I hopefully 00:07:33.990 --> 00:07:40.889 you do too. That's what we are meant to do. We 00:07:40.889 --> 00:07:44.439 are meant to be confirming ourselves unto the 00:07:44.439 --> 00:07:47.740 Lord with our repentance and our receiving of 00:07:47.740 --> 00:07:52.839 the forgiveness from the Lord. Well, all these 00:07:52.839 --> 00:07:57.660 things take wisdom, folks. You can't answer these 00:07:57.660 --> 00:08:01.800 questions without wisdom. You can just go barely, 00:08:01.959 --> 00:08:05.980 barely down the road, like so many other Christians 00:08:05.980 --> 00:08:10.300 do, and you don't have to face these questions. 00:08:11.310 --> 00:08:15.209 But again that shows your real opinion of wisdom 00:08:15.209 --> 00:08:19.850 it shows your real opinion of how You are going 00:08:19.850 --> 00:08:25.370 to love the Lord Jesus Christ Jesus Christ is 00:08:25.370 --> 00:08:30.069 wisdom you despise wisdom you despise him If 00:08:30.069 --> 00:08:33.769 you say I don't need it you call him a liar If 00:08:33.769 --> 00:08:39.250 you say I have enough Your contrary description 00:08:45.240 --> 00:08:49.759 So let's read these verses and see if we can 00:08:49.759 --> 00:08:54.759 just, probably very briefly this morning, look 00:08:54.759 --> 00:09:02.639 at wisdom. So in verse two of the Proverbs, to 00:09:02.639 --> 00:09:05.700 know wisdom and instruction to perceive the words 00:09:05.700 --> 00:09:08.779 of understanding, to receive the instruction 00:09:08.779 --> 00:09:11.580 of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity, 00:09:12.480 --> 00:09:15.950 to give subtlety. to the simple, through the 00:09:15.950 --> 00:09:19.870 young man knowledge and discretion. A wise man 00:09:19.870 --> 00:09:22.730 will hear and will increase in learning, and 00:09:22.730 --> 00:09:25.450 a man of understanding shall attain unto wise 00:09:25.450 --> 00:09:30.610 counsels, to understand a proverb and the interpretation 00:09:30.610 --> 00:09:34.549 of the words of the wise and their dark sayings." 00:09:34.549 --> 00:09:37.129 That's why he wrote the book. Those are five 00:09:37.129 --> 00:09:43.029 reasons there, and they're five truths of wisdom. 00:09:43.600 --> 00:09:49.019 So we just want to take a quick look here. What's 00:09:49.019 --> 00:09:51.639 Solomon talking about? Well, he wants us to attain 00:09:51.639 --> 00:09:55.759 wisdom. What is it? Simply put, the simplest 00:09:55.759 --> 00:10:00.440 way I can put wisdom to you is to a proper application 00:10:00.440 --> 00:10:04.559 of the knowledge you possess. That's wisdom. 00:10:05.620 --> 00:10:08.519 When you can apply what you know, you are a wise 00:10:08.519 --> 00:10:15.360 man. If you can't make an application, then you 00:10:15.360 --> 00:10:21.500 don't know it. You only think that you do. To 00:10:21.500 --> 00:10:23.679 make an application of knowledge. What does that 00:10:23.679 --> 00:10:26.120 tell us about knowledge? You've got to have knowledge, 00:10:26.480 --> 00:10:28.779 folks. You've got to know the Word. You've got 00:10:28.779 --> 00:10:30.779 to know God. You've got to know Jesus Christ. 00:10:30.820 --> 00:10:33.460 You've got to know the Holy Spirit. You don't 00:10:33.460 --> 00:10:36.820 only know him intellectually, you know them personally. 00:10:37.320 --> 00:10:39.879 You know these truths to be personally true to 00:10:39.879 --> 00:10:44.149 you. You've appropriated those truths into your 00:10:44.149 --> 00:10:48.649 life. And you're wanting to spread it out. You're 00:10:48.649 --> 00:10:50.990 wanting to spread the word, spread the love. 00:10:52.429 --> 00:10:55.110 You're wanting to tell about it. You're wanting 00:10:55.110 --> 00:10:58.389 to demonstrate it by your life. You're wanting 00:10:58.389 --> 00:11:01.129 to demonstrate it by how you treat your fellow 00:11:01.129 --> 00:11:04.330 church members. What you think of one another. 00:11:05.450 --> 00:11:09.700 Do you love your church members enough? To think 00:11:09.700 --> 00:11:13.080 that how I act is going to have an effect upon 00:11:13.080 --> 00:11:18.759 them That's making an application folks God put 00:11:18.759 --> 00:11:22.259 us here He put us all together to love and to 00:11:22.259 --> 00:11:27.879 help and encourage one another You know that 00:11:27.879 --> 00:11:34.980 have you applied it How have you applied those 00:11:34.980 --> 00:11:38.159 are the questions If you're not asking questions 00:11:38.159 --> 00:11:40.460 in the Christian life, folks, you're missing 00:11:40.460 --> 00:11:45.299 it. We always ask questions. We always ask ourselves 00:11:45.299 --> 00:11:49.200 questions. We talk to ourselves. If we don't, 00:11:49.600 --> 00:11:53.399 we're not making any progress. We're not right. 00:11:54.440 --> 00:11:58.200 God does not have the opportunity that he should 00:11:58.200 --> 00:12:02.340 have to be in our lives unless we're talking 00:12:02.340 --> 00:12:07.120 about it to ourselves. What do you think about 00:12:07.120 --> 00:12:11.080 when you're by yourself? What do you think about 00:12:11.080 --> 00:12:16.080 when you're driving down the road? Well, these 00:12:16.080 --> 00:12:18.480 are some of the things that you could be thinking 00:12:18.480 --> 00:12:23.460 about. To answer the question in the most basic 00:12:23.460 --> 00:12:28.860 form, you show your love to one another by showing 00:12:28.860 --> 00:12:36.470 up for the meeting. It's not hard. Nothing should 00:12:36.470 --> 00:12:38.509 keep us from the meetings. And I don't mean Sunday 00:12:38.509 --> 00:12:42.730 morning. I mean Wednesday as well. I mean the 00:12:42.730 --> 00:12:46.789 women get together for prayer on Mondays. There's 00:12:46.789 --> 00:12:49.590 a women's ministry meeting. There's a men's ministry 00:12:49.590 --> 00:12:54.629 meeting. We have prayer first thing on Sunday 00:12:54.629 --> 00:12:56.570 morning. We have prayer first thing on Sunday 00:12:56.570 --> 00:13:00.950 morning because we think that's important. We 00:13:00.950 --> 00:13:03.789 think that is the proper way to start off a worship 00:13:03.789 --> 00:13:09.419 service. imploring God on behalf of one another 00:13:09.419 --> 00:13:13.759 and for His glory. We think that's an application. 00:13:13.779 --> 00:13:17.000 We think that's wisdom. We know God wants us 00:13:17.000 --> 00:13:19.779 to pray. We know He calls us to pray. He tells 00:13:19.779 --> 00:13:25.019 us so. He tells us that the apostles continued 00:13:25.019 --> 00:13:27.419 steadfastly in what? Well, one of the things 00:13:27.419 --> 00:13:32.559 was prayer. We think prayer is more important 00:13:32.559 --> 00:13:36.429 than Sunday school. Let's be blunt about it. 00:13:36.710 --> 00:13:39.730 Everybody has Sunday school first. Well, I mean, 00:13:39.769 --> 00:13:41.809 I'm not going to argue about it, but I am going 00:13:41.809 --> 00:13:44.230 to stand firm in my belief that prayer is far 00:13:44.230 --> 00:13:48.970 more important than Sunday school. Amen. Thank 00:13:48.970 --> 00:13:58.610 you, brother. To know wisdom and instruction, 00:13:58.850 --> 00:14:03.960 to perceive the words of understanding. So we 00:14:03.960 --> 00:14:08.960 have here then, what? Discipline or instruction. 00:14:12.019 --> 00:14:15.899 Character and discipleship. I don't know what 00:14:15.899 --> 00:14:19.279 words exactly you have in yours particular Bible, 00:14:20.419 --> 00:14:25.759 but discipleship is a disciple in its most literal 00:14:25.759 --> 00:14:29.759 understanding is a learner. That's what the word 00:14:29.759 --> 00:14:36.019 means in the original language, a learner. So 00:14:36.019 --> 00:14:42.899 are we learners? Do we want wisdom? Well, we 00:14:42.899 --> 00:14:47.960 have to be learners. So another question we could 00:14:47.960 --> 00:14:49.940 ask you in the beginning of the year, what have 00:14:49.940 --> 00:14:53.059 you learned? What new thing have you learned 00:14:53.059 --> 00:14:56.480 in the past year? And how have you applied it 00:14:56.480 --> 00:15:01.620 to your life? Are we really disciples if we don't 00:15:01.620 --> 00:15:06.320 ever learn anything? Well, that's a hard thing 00:15:06.320 --> 00:15:09.639 to do. It's hard to be a disciple, a follower 00:15:09.639 --> 00:15:13.279 of Jesus Christ, learning from Jesus Christ and 00:15:13.279 --> 00:15:17.100 never learning from Jesus Christ. I mean, you 00:15:17.100 --> 00:15:20.240 know, it's not ethereal. It's not up in the clouds. 00:15:20.519 --> 00:15:24.740 It's everyday life. What are you learning and 00:15:24.740 --> 00:15:31.059 how have you used it in your life? That's how 00:15:31.059 --> 00:15:35.230 we should be talking to ourselves. And if we're 00:15:35.230 --> 00:15:38.049 not doing it, we should start doing it. If we 00:15:38.049 --> 00:15:41.309 want wisdom. Now before we go any further with 00:15:41.309 --> 00:15:44.149 this, we know what James says about wisdom, right? 00:15:44.549 --> 00:15:47.830 We know, those of you who lack wisdom ask God 00:15:47.830 --> 00:15:52.450 for it. That's what he tells us, right? So all 00:15:52.450 --> 00:15:55.169 of this use of the word that we're going to be 00:15:55.169 --> 00:15:58.409 talking about today goes right along with the 00:15:58.409 --> 00:16:03.029 praying, praying for God to use it in our lives. 00:16:03.720 --> 00:16:06.779 We want wisdom. We're going to pursue wisdom. 00:16:06.779 --> 00:16:11.000 It's priceless It's a treasure that cannot be 00:16:11.000 --> 00:16:16.179 measured or possessed apart from God All these 00:16:16.179 --> 00:16:22.720 wise men of the world they're fools That's all 00:16:22.720 --> 00:16:28.980 they are they don't know God They can't be wise 00:16:30.860 --> 00:16:33.100 give them too much importance. They've got some 00:16:33.100 --> 00:16:36.480 good things to say, I'm sure of it. But it's 00:16:36.480 --> 00:16:41.820 far more important to know God and to be in pursuit 00:16:41.820 --> 00:16:48.559 of what God wants for us. A learner, a disciple. 00:17:11.599 --> 00:17:14.859 Okay, well, I had thought I had a bio verse I 00:17:14.859 --> 00:17:18.319 couldn't agree, but I know I do but I gonna have 00:17:18.319 --> 00:17:48.119 to live it up So, excuse me Okay, Isaiah 65 verse 00:17:48.119 --> 00:17:50.599 24, and don't try to turn there, just listen 00:17:50.599 --> 00:17:54.200 please, and it shall come to pass that before 00:17:54.200 --> 00:17:57.720 they call I will answer and while they are yet 00:17:57.720 --> 00:18:02.299 speaking I will hear. Now that's God telling 00:18:02.299 --> 00:18:05.779 us about our prayer lives. Is that the faith 00:18:05.779 --> 00:18:08.380 that we have? Is that the confidence that we 00:18:08.380 --> 00:18:11.549 approach God with? That verse that I just read 00:18:11.549 --> 00:18:22.369 to you, Isaiah 65, 24. Well, are you wise? That's 00:18:22.369 --> 00:18:25.990 how we pray, folks. That's how we approach God. 00:18:26.269 --> 00:18:29.509 That's the confidence that we have in Him, not 00:18:29.509 --> 00:18:33.309 in our prayers. It's the confidence that we have 00:18:33.309 --> 00:18:36.150 in our God. He wants us to pray. He delights 00:18:36.150 --> 00:18:39.539 in our prayer. If we pray for wisdom, is he going 00:18:39.539 --> 00:18:50.180 to deny us? No, he's not. Well, what would you 00:18:50.180 --> 00:18:54.259 say then? I've prayed for weeks for wisdom and 00:18:54.259 --> 00:18:59.740 I'm not getting anywhere. What is that? How do 00:18:59.740 --> 00:19:05.579 you explain that? Well, an old friend of mine... 00:19:06.599 --> 00:19:12.039 explain it to me this way. Let God be true and 00:19:12.039 --> 00:19:22.180 every man a liar. Did you get it? God said he's 00:19:22.180 --> 00:19:28.559 going to answer our prayers. You're a liar if 00:19:28.559 --> 00:19:31.779 you think that you can stand before me or anybody 00:19:31.779 --> 00:19:34.059 else and say that you've sought something from 00:19:34.059 --> 00:19:37.660 God that was legitimate. a legitimate expression 00:19:37.660 --> 00:19:39.900 of a promise of God and He didn't give it to 00:19:39.900 --> 00:19:46.779 you. You're a liar. That's all. You never really 00:19:46.779 --> 00:19:50.559 pursued anything. That's harsh. That's hard. 00:19:50.579 --> 00:19:56.420 I know. But we have to face the realities. Again, 00:19:56.720 --> 00:20:01.680 it's not ethereal. It's not... It's hard work 00:20:01.680 --> 00:20:07.579 to pray. It's hard work to get before God. You 00:20:07.579 --> 00:20:10.140 have to want it, you have to desire it above 00:20:10.140 --> 00:20:18.200 all else. What's going to be the situation that 00:20:18.200 --> 00:20:24.099 you find yourself in in this new year? Just more 00:20:24.099 --> 00:20:31.079 of the same old same old? In verse 3, to receive 00:20:31.079 --> 00:20:33.599 instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, 00:20:33.839 --> 00:20:43.259 and equity. All that means is you're going to 00:20:43.259 --> 00:20:48.539 inquire the necessities to live a prudent Christian 00:20:48.539 --> 00:20:54.000 life through wisdom. That's all it means. There 00:20:54.000 --> 00:20:57.059 is such a thing as a Christian worldview, a Christian 00:20:57.059 --> 00:21:00.730 life. There is such a thing as living out the 00:21:00.730 --> 00:21:05.250 truths of Scripture. And wisdom will supply that. 00:21:05.549 --> 00:21:10.869 Wisdom will give us that. That's godly wisdom. 00:21:11.029 --> 00:21:17.730 It's not worldly wisdom. In verse four, to give 00:21:17.730 --> 00:21:21.609 subtlety to the simple, to the young man knowledge 00:21:21.609 --> 00:21:25.930 and discretion. This is probably one of the most 00:21:25.930 --> 00:21:28.160 important verses in the Bible, but... Nobody 00:21:28.160 --> 00:21:40.960 knows it. To give subtlety, prudence, would be 00:21:40.960 --> 00:21:44.819 another word. You probably have prudence. What's 00:21:44.819 --> 00:21:50.259 that mean? Prudence. Well, if you're looking 00:21:50.259 --> 00:21:54.259 at, what is it? The, the, the, the, the horses? 00:21:57.160 --> 00:22:01.339 Yeah, thesaurus, yeah. It's watchfulness is one 00:22:01.339 --> 00:22:04.880 of the words that would come up, or prudence. 00:22:05.500 --> 00:22:12.319 Watchfulness. The simple. What's a simple? It's 00:22:12.319 --> 00:22:16.299 not a mental condition. It's just somebody that 00:22:16.299 --> 00:22:19.240 lacks knowing, lacks knowledge. They're ignorant. 00:22:19.819 --> 00:22:22.660 Ignorance is not a bad word. If you say somebody's 00:22:22.660 --> 00:22:26.190 ignorant, you're not saying they're stupid. They're 00:22:26.190 --> 00:22:29.089 just ignorant. They don't know enough. They don't 00:22:29.089 --> 00:22:31.450 have the knowledge that they need to do what 00:22:31.450 --> 00:22:37.490 they want to do. They're simple. But the thing 00:22:37.490 --> 00:22:40.730 about a simple person is they don't want to be 00:22:40.730 --> 00:22:47.349 simple. Because they're not stupid. They're not 00:22:47.349 --> 00:22:54.049 mentally handicapped. They want to progress. 00:22:55.339 --> 00:23:04.500 The simple. But they lack knowledge. And this 00:23:04.500 --> 00:23:07.460 knowledge here in this verse, as I said before, 00:23:08.059 --> 00:23:10.359 this knowledge is not simply head knowledge. 00:23:11.900 --> 00:23:17.200 This is a knowledge that is relational. And that's 00:23:17.200 --> 00:23:23.319 why the simple want to know more. They have a 00:23:23.319 --> 00:23:26.920 basic knowledge. of God. They're saved, in other 00:23:26.920 --> 00:23:32.079 words. They're saved men and women. They have 00:23:32.079 --> 00:23:35.019 a desire to know more of that one that loves 00:23:35.019 --> 00:23:40.400 them so much. That one whom they've decided to 00:23:40.400 --> 00:23:43.599 follow. They're a disciple. They're a learner. 00:23:44.359 --> 00:23:48.140 But they're simple. They don't know everything. 00:23:48.240 --> 00:23:53.420 They don't know hardly anything at all. Are they 00:23:53.420 --> 00:23:57.220 in a bad way? Well, they're not in a bad way. 00:24:00.079 --> 00:24:03.759 Because they're not going to stay there. That's 00:24:03.759 --> 00:24:08.759 what the verse is telling us. It says that wisdom 00:24:08.759 --> 00:24:12.740 will give watchfulness to the simple, to the 00:24:12.740 --> 00:24:18.319 young man, knowledge and discretion. Discretion, 00:24:18.440 --> 00:24:27.960 I guess I should... look at an alternative to 00:24:27.960 --> 00:24:30.480 that word. But discretion simply means that you're 00:24:30.480 --> 00:24:34.339 able to decide. You're able to make a decision 00:24:34.339 --> 00:24:36.519 between one thing and the other. You're able 00:24:36.519 --> 00:24:40.779 to plan. You're able to purpose out your life. 00:24:43.019 --> 00:24:50.740 Discretion. You can tell good from evil. But 00:24:50.740 --> 00:24:56.210 the simple. Everybody is welcome to this knowledge, 00:24:56.450 --> 00:25:00.269 this wisdom. Everybody is welcome in the University 00:25:00.269 --> 00:25:04.210 of Jesus Christ. You don't have any pre -courses 00:25:04.210 --> 00:25:07.410 to take. You don't have to qualify. You don't 00:25:07.410 --> 00:25:10.509 have to have a certain IQ. You don't have to 00:25:10.509 --> 00:25:14.609 have a certain education level at all. Everybody 00:25:14.609 --> 00:25:17.690 is welcome. That's the greatest news you could 00:25:17.690 --> 00:25:22.680 hear. God wants you to progress. He wants to 00:25:22.680 --> 00:25:27.799 give you wisdom. Do you want it? Are you dissatisfied 00:25:27.799 --> 00:25:33.440 just floating along? Do you want to have a life 00:25:33.440 --> 00:25:37.720 and live a life that is more and more glorious 00:25:37.720 --> 00:25:42.019 to the Lord Jesus Christ? For all that He's done 00:25:42.019 --> 00:25:47.839 for you, for all that He's done for us. Shouldn't 00:25:47.839 --> 00:25:50.839 we be striving after Him? Shouldn't we be striving 00:25:50.839 --> 00:25:55.400 to live a life that is pleasing to Him? Shouldn't 00:25:55.400 --> 00:25:58.200 we be less worried about ourselves and more about 00:25:58.200 --> 00:26:02.140 Jesus Christ? That's wisdom, folks, when you 00:26:02.140 --> 00:26:07.440 can begin to submit yourself to Him. Because 00:26:07.440 --> 00:26:11.700 that's what's doing right. That is watchfulness. 00:26:12.039 --> 00:26:15.430 Am I doing this for my good? Am I just worried 00:26:15.430 --> 00:26:18.089 about how I'm going to look, how I'm going to 00:26:18.089 --> 00:26:23.289 progress? Am I doing this for my kids to benefit 00:26:23.289 --> 00:26:26.910 me and my kids? Or am I doing this to benefit 00:26:26.910 --> 00:26:32.970 and to bring glory to God? Those are the questions, 00:26:33.190 --> 00:26:38.529 more questions, more questions. Wisdom, wisdom 00:26:38.529 --> 00:26:42.470 will give us the answer and everybody qualifies 00:26:42.470 --> 00:26:46.599 to receive it. Do you want it? Will you pray 00:26:46.599 --> 00:26:51.400 about it? Will you pursue it in the Word? Do 00:26:51.400 --> 00:26:54.259 you have a desire to know more about Lord Jesus 00:26:54.259 --> 00:26:58.640 Christ? Do you have a desire to have a better 00:26:58.640 --> 00:27:03.839 understanding of the Trinity? Whoa! Probably 00:27:03.839 --> 00:27:08.339 not many of us are in that position. Some of 00:27:08.339 --> 00:27:13.539 us may be, but that's glorious pursuit. It's 00:27:13.539 --> 00:27:15.759 under attack today, but I don't even know about 00:27:15.759 --> 00:27:20.599 it. But it is. So -called Christian scholars. 00:27:21.700 --> 00:27:25.700 That's another topic. We want wisdom. We want 00:27:25.700 --> 00:27:27.960 to pursue these things. And as a matter of fact, 00:27:28.000 --> 00:27:33.680 in the next verse, it says, a wise man will hear 00:27:33.680 --> 00:27:37.680 and will increase learning, and a man of understanding 00:27:37.680 --> 00:27:43.390 shall attain unto wise counsel. What is that 00:27:43.390 --> 00:27:46.509 telling us? Well, they're telling us that everybody 00:27:46.509 --> 00:27:49.670 has got to be a learner. Everybody. Everybody 00:27:49.670 --> 00:27:53.549 learns. Everybody increases in wisdom. Everybody 00:27:53.549 --> 00:27:56.990 who's a Christian, that is, and is a desiring 00:27:56.990 --> 00:28:01.210 God, and desiring a deeper relationship with 00:28:01.210 --> 00:28:04.630 the Lord Jesus Christ is ever learning and progressing 00:28:04.630 --> 00:28:24.849 in that pursuit. We never arrive. To understand 00:28:24.849 --> 00:28:28.690 the prover and the interpretation, the words 00:28:28.690 --> 00:28:33.589 of the wise and their dark sayings. So, in other 00:28:33.589 --> 00:28:39.869 words, it's a progression. To dig into the Trinity 00:28:39.869 --> 00:28:44.430 is a progression. You may not be ready for that, 00:28:45.009 --> 00:28:48.049 but that's what wisdom will do for you, enable 00:28:48.049 --> 00:28:53.509 you to pursue your desires. of a deeper knowledge 00:28:53.509 --> 00:28:58.029 of more wisdom a better relationship living a 00:28:58.029 --> 00:29:01.869 better life before god that's what that requires 00:29:01.869 --> 00:29:07.369 wisdom wisdom requires knowledge knowledge requires 00:29:07.369 --> 00:29:16.109 the word you have to be in the word and when 00:29:16.109 --> 00:29:23.470 we pursue those things god is right there Helping, 00:29:23.470 --> 00:29:29.069 instructing, guiding, directing, leading us onward. 00:29:30.690 --> 00:29:38.470 It's a glorious thing, folks. I want you to understand 00:29:38.470 --> 00:29:41.890 what the Bible is telling us here. God is revealing 00:29:41.890 --> 00:29:47.650 Himself in this way to know God. To know God 00:29:47.650 --> 00:30:01.490 is salvation. It's what the Bible says. It's 00:30:01.490 --> 00:30:12.430 a strong one, really, to convey the delight, 00:30:12.609 --> 00:30:18.839 the joy that's involved in pursuing wisdom. It's 00:30:18.839 --> 00:30:21.859 not like anything else. It's not like academics. 00:30:21.880 --> 00:30:25.380 It's not like going to school. It's relational. 00:30:26.720 --> 00:30:30.819 God is revealing himself. God is making us wise. 00:30:31.319 --> 00:30:35.099 God is enabling us to be more like Jesus Christ. 00:30:36.099 --> 00:30:40.460 Is that a wonder to anybody? That that would 00:30:40.460 --> 00:30:45.359 even be possible. Do we know ourselves well enough 00:30:45.359 --> 00:30:49.640 to be astonished with that truth? How can I be 00:30:49.640 --> 00:30:52.000 more and more like Jesus Christ? How is that 00:30:52.000 --> 00:30:57.019 possible for me? I'm too much of a sinner. I've 00:30:57.019 --> 00:30:59.960 still got too many rough edges. I still mess 00:30:59.960 --> 00:31:06.079 up. But it is possible. And that's what God wants 00:31:06.079 --> 00:31:10.099 me to pursue. And it's a joyous pursuit of God. 00:31:20.559 --> 00:31:24.460 So that's the importance of wisdom. It governs 00:31:24.460 --> 00:31:30.680 all of our lives. The less amount of wisdom we 00:31:30.680 --> 00:31:33.440 have, the more we're going to mess up. That's 00:31:33.440 --> 00:31:37.240 all there is to it. And when we mess up, we're 00:31:37.240 --> 00:31:40.759 going to repent. And when we repent, we're going 00:31:40.759 --> 00:31:43.500 to be forgiven. And we're going to amend our 00:31:43.500 --> 00:31:45.440 lives according to what we have just learned 00:31:45.440 --> 00:31:48.700 and experienced. That's Christianity. There is 00:31:48.700 --> 00:31:55.150 no other. And that's a glorious thing too. So, 00:31:56.069 --> 00:32:01.069 live up to your knowledge. Apply what you know. 00:32:03.130 --> 00:32:09.549 Gain wisdom. Gain knowledge. Improve yourself 00:32:09.549 --> 00:32:14.829 before the Lord. Have a desire to improve yourself. 00:32:16.849 --> 00:32:22.109 And do it. So then we read here the very first 00:32:22.109 --> 00:32:25.730 proverb here in verse seven. The fear of the 00:32:25.730 --> 00:32:28.349 Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools 00:32:28.349 --> 00:32:32.470 despise wisdom and instruction. So there you 00:32:32.470 --> 00:32:41.490 have it. The fear of the Lord, the respect, the 00:32:41.490 --> 00:32:45.529 acknowledgement of Jesus Christ as the Lord. 00:32:46.089 --> 00:32:50.069 The respect and love that we have to Him is the 00:32:50.069 --> 00:32:53.269 beginning of knowledge. Most people in this room 00:32:53.269 --> 00:33:00.789 have that beginning. Most people do. So we're 00:33:00.789 --> 00:33:05.549 all good there, right? We can expect more. Because 00:33:05.549 --> 00:33:11.369 we've started. We've made the first step. God 00:33:11.369 --> 00:33:14.700 has brought us to Himself. But fools despise 00:33:14.700 --> 00:33:18.619 wisdom and instruction. So all those people that 00:33:18.619 --> 00:33:20.599 are running around thinking that they're Christians, 00:33:21.640 --> 00:33:24.299 to be blunt, they're all thinking, oh, holly 00:33:24.299 --> 00:33:27.559 jolly, I'm a Christian. I walked an aisle 20 00:33:27.559 --> 00:33:32.400 years ago. I'm all good. But they've never taken 00:33:32.400 --> 00:33:35.700 a step forward. They're the same person they 00:33:35.700 --> 00:33:38.160 were when they were created or when they were 00:33:38.160 --> 00:33:43.230 converted. What are those people? they're fools 00:33:43.230 --> 00:33:48.910 they don't want wisdom and they make no effort 00:33:48.910 --> 00:33:51.890 to receive it so they obviously they're not in 00:33:51.890 --> 00:33:56.829 christ jesus right it said that's what it said 00:33:56.829 --> 00:34:02.170 the fools despise wisdom and instruction christians 00:34:02.170 --> 00:34:04.809 don't despise wisdom and instruction they love 00:34:04.809 --> 00:34:13.489 it they eat it up they go forward So let's go 00:34:13.489 --> 00:34:16.849 forward this year. Let's make great strides. 00:34:16.929 --> 00:34:19.730 Let's have confidence in God. Let's know that 00:34:19.730 --> 00:34:21.889 He's going to hear us and answer us before we 00:34:21.889 --> 00:34:28.690 even get done speaking. Right? Let's do it. Let's 00:34:28.690 --> 00:34:33.610 apply ourselves. Let's learn. Let's grow. Let's 00:34:33.610 --> 00:34:36.550 honor God more and more. Let's delight in Him 00:34:36.550 --> 00:34:39.949 more and more. What a wonderful year it's going 00:34:39.949 --> 00:34:43.099 to be. as we seek the Lord and serve him with 00:34:43.099 --> 00:34:45.179 all of our hearts. Amen.