Proverbs 3:13-18, "Happy is the man who finds wisdom and the man who gains understanding, for her proceeds are better than the profits of silver and her gain than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies, and all the things you may desire cannot compare with her. Length of days is in her right hand and her left hand riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her and happy are all who retain her".
Father, we thank you today for you word. We thank you for the wisdom that you have been giving us over these last few weeks and for the wisdom that you inspire and speak into our lives each time we simply ask.
Father, this morning we pray that this word be alive in us, that we would decrease and you would increase. In Jesus name, amen.
Just to encourage you this morning, not only are the messages now on the internet where you can read them, the messages are also on the internet where you can listen to them. Larry has just started doing that and there's a link on our website.
The Bible says that blessed is the man who finds wisdom (Happy is the man who finds wisdom). People search for happiness, they try to buy it, try to party it, try to do it any way that they can to have it. God says to really have happiness and completeness in our life we need to have his wisdom. The Bible says, "With all we have, to get wisdom". We read in our key verse when we started this series that "wisdom is the principal thing".
After you have received Christ as your savior, after you have given him your life, the thing that we need to seek for is the wisdom of God, the ways and the knowledge of God in our life. Matthew 13:44 describes the kingdom of God like this, "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field which a man found and hid and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field". Selling out for Jesus, understanding that if you can have the wisdom of God that you would really give everything in your life because of its benefit. In order to get the benefits of the Kingdom, we need to completely sell out to the Lord.
There's something that I believe that the Lord has been saying and really speaking into the life of this church and I believe he's speaking it all over the world. There is something that God is doing among his people, he is reminding us that in order to live for him we must give him everything. Everything surrendered to Jesus, every part of our life, nothing held back, understanding that he is worth it. Jesus is worth selling out for. I sold everything to give it to Jesus and the truth is I've come out far the better.
Many times Proverbs tells us to get wisdom. There's a price for it, there's a price that we pay to get wisdom. Many times we look at the cost of certain things that God has for us in the kingdom of God and we see the momentary discomfort and we see the little bit of inconvenience that it might cause but the truth is the benefits always far outweigh the cost. There is a cost. We need to remember that the wisdom of God is a sure thing. There is no such thing as gambling with God. How many know that if you lay it all on the line for Jesus, you're going to be ok. The truth is when you lay it on the line for anything else you're really not investing in something that is a sure thing.
The price of wisdom is two fold. First of all, to receive the value of wisdom we must yield to pay the price. The first one is instruction. Wisdom involves being teachable, allowing God to refine our thinking and to renew our living. It involves discipline, correction and learning. We talked about that a little bit last week, about allowing the Lord to discipline and to teach, to correct, to guide and to mold. How many of you have found that when you gave your life to Jesus and surrendered to him that quickly there was a molding process that started taking place? How many have found that molding process never stops? It really doesn't.
The second part of getting this wisdom involves devotion. Alot of Christians want to have all the fulness of God but with little commitment. They want to have everything that God has to offer without the fulness of the commitment to the Lord. Devotion involves the idea of loyalty to God and to his ways. It involves the idea of obeying his commands and allowing his desires to so fill us and laying everything at his feet so that nothing else would really matter besides the Lord.
Over the last couple of weeks there is something I ran across in the newspaper that I thought was really good and I actually forgot about it until yesterday. Usually when I read this guy in the Palm Beach Post, he used to be the religion editor for the Palm Beach Post and usually when I read his articles I want to call him up and argue with him. I really don't agree with a whole lot of what he has to say, I know that he's a liberal guy. As I was working over this sermon and it was stirring in my heart about devotion, I remembered the article he wrote about a 17 year old Jewish girl who just a couple weeks ago was at the tops as a young lady playing basketball. She's not a Christian but she serves God as a Jew. They were having the basketball tournament on the sabbath (Saturday) and she was going to go to this tournament and play and probably come out with a trophy being one of the top players in all of the community. But because this girl was committed to God she said, "I don't play on the Sabbath day, if you would just move this to sundown, 6:30 or 7:00, then I can play". The people said, "No". They wouldn't change the tournament and that girl stuck by her commitment and didn't play. That commitment to God, I believe, sent a wonderful example to that whole community and to her teammates.
Something that God has been laying on my heart, especially for our church, and as a pastor that's what I deal with and I preach to this church and get to minister and what a wonderful privilege it is. The one thing I believe the Lord has been stirring in my heart is the idea of devotion to God.
This guy had something good to say and I want to read this, not that I always agree with it but I liked it. He said, "Few Christian parents protest when we schedule sports on Sunday morning. The faithful routinely skip worship when they have house guests. That's because God in contemporary America and American practice seems to exist simply to serve our needs. The popular evangelical prosperity gospel capitalizes to the extreme on that bizarre theology. God's aim is to make you rich it proclaims and your success is a sign that God has done his job. For many people of faith, God exists to be useful, to answer prayers, heal illnesses, to do our bidding but demand little. Our will be done, our kingdom come. He said a young Jewish girl showed us the error of such thinking. She understood that many of us have it backward. Religions give thanks that we might be useful to God. She believes her discipline will honor God and that is the purpose of her being. She believes such obedience will lead her into the fulness of what it means to be human but honoring God is the point. The idea that life is somehow about giving thanks to the giver of life is rooted both in the Jewish passover and the Christian holy week but has all been lost in contemporary religion". I thought that was powerful.
The wisdom of God, receiving all that God has for us requires the cost of being fully committed. Listen, I'm not talking really about religious do's and dont's and somehow gaining our salvation through our works. What I believe God is calling his church back to again is to full commitment in every part of our life to Jesus. How many of you have found a difference in the ways people respond in the church today and the way it used to be when we were growing up? The way we used to serve God and give our all for Him. I believe that Jewish girl said this, "I know the value that there is in my life of surrendering everything to the Lord even if it costs me something". How many know God is honoring that girl today?
Those who sell out to the Lord recognize the value of wisdom. The truth is that nothing compares to all that God has for us. Verses 14 and 15 says, "For her proceeds are better than the profits of silver and her gain than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies and all the things you may desire cannot compare with her". I want to speak to us church, an American church, a church that really is a prosperous and blessed people, but even as Christians we need to understand that even in our own American society nothing else compares to the Lord. I want to tell you, as a Christian, even though our nation might be facing a recession and some are saying that we're in it, the truth is this, nothing compares to the Lord whether we live in all the bounty of everything that this country offers or we go through times of hardship. The wisdom of God will sustain us through every bit of that. It's important that we know it.
What is more valuable than gold? What is more valuable than everything else? It is the life that God has given us. We can have a full life through everything that God's word teaches. You could have all the gold in the world but if you're dead it's worthless. I want to tell you why gold is worthless when you're dead. One is because if you die without Jesus and you go to hell, your gold is going to melt there anyway. And If you die and you go to heaven, gold is so worthless in heaven they pave the streets with it. That's what God is saying. Everything that we value in this world pales in comparison to all that God has for us.
Ecclesiastes 7:12 says, "For wisdom is a defense, as money is a defense, but the excellence of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to those who have it". The truth is that wisdom, whether you are rich or poor, gives you a life that is able to be well lived in the work of God and in the will of God. You can have all the money in the world and still have a worthless life. You can have no money and have a worthless life. But the truth is if you have wisdom, whether you are rich or poor, you will have a valuable life because of that work of God in your life. It is one thing to live and quite another to have a life.
I believe that God wants his people to have a good life, it's his word. I'm not just talking about comfort because how many know you can be uncomfortable and be going through difficult circumstances and still have a good life? Those who have the wisdom of God understand that, It's his word alive and working inside of us.
1st Corinthians 1:30 tells us that Jesus is the wisdom of God. Colossians 3:4 tells us that He is our life. Jesus is the word made flesh, the life of God that has come to us, the word of God, so that we know how to rightly live and rightly apply his word to our life so that we can live in the life that he has for us.
First of all, the wisdom of God leads us to eternal life. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, it is that turning to God that starts a difference. But then after you come to Christ it is the wisdom of God that begins to produce the fruit of his life in us. There are treasures in the fruit of wisdom. One of the reasons I wanted to read that story about the girl to you is because as we begin to talk about the treasures of wisdom I want us to make sure that our perspective is correct. Some of the things I'm about to teach you this morning, alot of people have taken those portions and have run with them in a "Bless me" gospel. How many know the Lord will bless you through his word? Another reason I wanted to talk about what that girl did is because we need to surrender everything to him. It is when we have our priorities right that the blessings I'm about to teach you about really can begin to have their full effect and we keep everything as believers in right perspective.
There are treasures in the fruit of wisdom. Proverbs 8:19 says, "My fruit is better than gold, yes than fine gold, and my revenue than choice silver". There are many things that wisdom gives us, better than money. Wisdom is valuable like your job is valuable. How many know your paycheck is good but your job is better? Because if you get one paycheck it's nice but that job enables you to get more paychecks. That job is more valuable than that one paycheck. Wisdom is valuable. Without it, you have nothing.
Our athletes today love the lifestyle that their sport gives them but many of them value the lifestyle more than their career. The Miami Dolphins have seen a prime example of that with Ricky Williams. A talented man, a man who could run over people like a Mack truck, a guy who was given a shot at the big time but because he didn't heed the wisdom of God, he gave his life over to the worldly things and he wound up wasting what God had given him in his life. There are examples after examples of that happening in the world today.
Verses 16-18 says this, "Length of days is in her right hand and in her left hand riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness and all her paths are peace". Wisdom brings us a long life. It helps us to live right. Length of days is in her right hand.
Just this morning I was reading again in the paper and it's exciting to me because people are always discovering that what the word of God says is true and they write it down like it's new news. They were writing about centurinarians, those who have lived to be over 100 years old. One of the key factors to people living to be 100 years old is that they had a strong faith in God, they spent time in prayer, they spent time in the word and were people who attended church and loved Jesus with all their heart. They were writing it like this was the big secret but wisdom says there is long life. Those people who were living to be 100 were blessed because they had put God first and had used his word and it produced not only long life but a good life, an abundant life and a pleasant life. Honestly when I have talked to those who were over 100 years old, almost all who I have talked to have known Jesus and not one of them were complainers. These were people who talked about what God had done and about their faith. I would ask them, "What did you do to live this long?" They would say, "I did what the word said". How many want to have a long and healthy life? Then live for Jesus.
The Bible also says that wisdom brings us riches and honor. That word rich means wealth to accumulate. Wisdom gives us the ability to accumulate wealth. There are some people who would scream that this is wrong teaching. It is as if the only purpose of church is to help people get wealthy. How many know God wants us to be blessed? The truth is in America we are wealthy people. In America we've got things a little bit confused. We believe that wealthy means you've got a 6 million dollar mansion over on Jupiter island. As nice as that might me, that's a lot of rooms to clean.
Proverbs 8:21 says, "I may cause those who love me to inherit wealth that I may fill their treasuries". Proverbs 10:22 says, "The blessing of the Lord makes one rich and he adds no sorrow to it". Here's what's important to understand about this, not only will God bless us financially but God will sustain us financially. People are saying the nation is headed into a recession and it might be. Many have lost their jobs over the last couple of months. As a Christian, if you have the wisdom of God in your life then God gives us the ability to accumulate wealth. What does that mean? That means whether you are employed or unemployed God will give you the wisdom to feed your family. I'll talk about this another time, I can preach that sermon because I believe what God says for his people, that a wise man will leave an inheritance to his children's children. Not only does that mean your money will bless your kids but it will bless your grandkids. God gives us the ability to do that.
So many times in Christian churches what we're waiting for as we tithe that God is going to somehow drop this stuff in my lap, and we teach that. I remember there was a point when some people went out and they were buying cars on credit and then the bill came through and they couldn't understand why they couldn't pay the bill. How many know that wasn't wisdom, that was greed? But wisdom understands the ways of God. He gives us the ability to get the wealth, the ability to do those things. I can tell you this, when I have needed cars to drive, God has provided the finances. When I have needed food, God has always made a way, whether it was extra jobs for me to work or ideas that came in so I could do it or miracles that God provided. The Lord does it but that comes with the wisdom of God.
Sometimes wisdom not only does it with everything that man can do with human ability that God gives him but sometimes wisdom says to wait on God and God will meet the need. But you need to know the difference and wisdom knows the difference. When wisdom needs us to step out and do the work that God has called us to do or when to sit back and wait on God to provide the miracle. Sometimes it's a combination of both.
We want God to meet the needs but we must ask for the wisdom of how to do it. It gives us the ability to pursue it. Some people don't like that word in scripture for different reasons. Some people don't like it that God gives us the ability, for riches and honor come with wisdom. Some people don't like it because they feel that Christians have taken it and become so focused on the money aspect. How many know you can't serve both God and money? Wisdom understands that. Wisdom also understands that God gives us the ability to live a good and enjoyable life. If you don't believe what the word says, you'll never receive it.
Some of you have some needs in this room and if you'll seek the word of God and know the word of God, God will give you the wisdom to have those needs met. Not only will he supernaturally meet our needs but many times he supernaturally gives us the creative wisdom to go out and see those needs met. How many know it's still God doing the work?
Wisdom comes with a guarantee. Proverbs 3:21-26 says, "My son, let them not depart from your eyes. Keep sound wisdom and discretion so that they will be life to your soul and grace to your neck. Then you will walk safely in your way and your foot will not stumble. When you lie down, you will not be afraid. Yes you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet. Do not be afraid of sudden terror nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes, for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught".
The Bible says that wisdom will be life to your soul. First of all, there's the guarantee, if you will follow the ways of the Lord you will be saved and you're guaranteed a future. Secondly, it will be grace to your neck. Wisdom will bring us honor. We'll be able to live gracefully in the will and the purposes of God and to do it with style and with class. Wisdom comes to people but everyone has got their own style. God has got the word in your heart and in your life helping you to live for Jesus. When we're living in that wisdom, his wisdom helps us to look good, to look good in the eyes of God and to gain favor in our relationship with man.
The Bible says that wisdom will keep us from falling, it will keep us from falling into sin. It will keep us from falling and making mistakes in our own life. How many of you have ever found when you were about to make a choice that God would begin to speak to your heart and all of a sudden you knew that it was the wrong one and the way that you were going was going to make a disaster out of life. The Bible says that wisdom will keep you from falling. I love that. I love the wisdom of God when it comes into decision making. It will keep us out of trouble.
The Bible says that his wisdom will keep us confident. Look ar verses 25-26, to me these are so key to what wisdom does in our life. "Do not be afraid of sudden terror nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught".
So many people live in fear today. How many ever notice that when you read the paper sometimes you just need to put it down and wonder if it's ever going to get good. Everything that's done is based on fear. Our politicians motivate us by fear, our newspapers motivate us by fear, doctors motivate us by fear. The Bible says to not be afraid of sudden terror. Wisdom understands that God is protecting and God is doing a work. Wisdom says that when I get that report I don't need to be afraid because I know what the word of God says about my life. No matter what is going on in the world, it may come on me suddenly but the difference of having that confidence in God, if you've ever watched people with wisdom, these are people who don't panic. From someone pulling in front of them in a car to a sudden terror report from a doctor. Don't be afraid of sudden terror whether America falls. Although I pay attention to that stuff, our life is not based on that, even if something happened, wisdom says I do not need to fear.
The other verse says that wisdom will keep your foot from being caught. It will keep you from being tripped up. It will keep you from being snared by the things that the enemy or other people may try to get you into. The truth is that even if you get yourself caught up in something the wisdom of God will help you find a way out. So there is no fear. How many of you have ever been in situations of your own making, that you knew you trapped your own self into the midst of it? It's called being human. Wisdom says I know God will see me out of this. If I will listen to his voice, he will make a way.
Wisdom is a tool. So many people think that wisdom is a place of attainment. If you look at eastern religions, to them wisdom is a place that you arrive at and then somehow you're in this plane of consciousness that makes you able to be wise. Actually if you look at those things, they say that you can float and do all those goofy things. Listen, wisdom is not a place of attainment. Wisdom is a tool that is meant to be used. Wisdom is a tool like a hammer is a tool, like a screwdriver or a pair of pliers.
Proverbs 3:19-20 says, "The Lord by wisdom founded the earth, by understanding he established the heavens, by his knowledge the depths were broken up and the clouds dropped their dew". God knew how to do that and it was by wisdom that he created it. Wisdom is a tool. It is useless if you don't have it and it is useless if you don't use it but it is a wonderful thing when you have it and use it.
I want to say this again, wisdom is not just a higher intellectual attainment or a way of thinking. It is the creative practical knowledge of the spirit of God in our everyday living. How many of you have found that God's creative power not only was there to create the earth and all that is in it but his creative power is there in our life to help us to create the life that he has for us to live? It's important that we understand this.
Lastly, the Bible says that wisdom brings favor from God. Proverbs 8:35 says, "For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord". Favor means delight and pleasure. Listen, when we begin to live in the favor of God it brings pleasure to the Lord. How many of you like it when your kids make good decisions? After you've poured into them and taught them and trained them and you have spoken into their life then all of a sudden you begin to see them doing things with the knowledge that you gave them. You stand back in awe as you see them working through problems and beginning to make right choices and actually moving past the childish things. I remember watching my kids and I still enjoy it. Isn't it fun watching your kids? God enjoys it when he sees us, to see us grow in maturity and grow in the Lord.
There were points in my life where I was always having to go to Dad for information. The truth is a few months back I needed to work on a dryer and I called my Dad 1400 miles from home. He can do this stuff in his sleep. It was amazing, he can't see what I'm working on but he told me exactly what to do and he was right. I wish I had paid more attention to him when I was a teenager. I listen to him now and it saved me $200 for a service call. After I got on the phone with him, he said, "Now to put it back together you just have to do the reverse of what you just did, do you need me to stay on the phone with you?" "No Dad, I'll be alright". I hung up the phone, I got back in, put that thing together and everything worked just like it should. He called me back 2 days later because he hadn't heard from me. He asked, "How did it all go?" I said, "It's working just great, thanks Dad". He said, "You know, I'm proud of you. You didn't have to call me back".
There are times when you need to go to the Lord in prayer but here's what happens when you're wise. As you grow in Jesus and as you grow in the wisdom of the Lord, many times you're spending less time on your knees because you already spent time there and you spent time in the word. Now you're still spending that daily time with the Lord but you're not always asking about the same things over and over. You've been to him and God has taught you. It's amazing, some of those things I learned off the dryer, I've gone to other things and they're making sense. I'm still not good at it so if I need you and you're mechanical, please help me out when I call you.
Now those things begin to progress. The wisdom of God is just like that in our life, dealing with our families and our kids, dealing with aging parents.
How do you help them? Dealing with the situations that arise from day to day or just living for the Lord. There are so many benefits in the value that God gives us in wisdom. But remember, the greatest thing is it brings pleasure to God and God is so pleased when we get it and understand it and when we know it.
So many think when they come to Christ that the pinnacle is salvation and obatining that favor and it is. But how many know we keep growing in that favor with the Lord? We keep gaining in that favor with God. The truth is this, that the more I serve Jesus, the more I get it. The more I realize I don't get it, the more I realize how awesome he is, how marvelous he is. It's not a sense of having to earn it like somehow if I don't earn that favor from the Lord that I've failed. It is the wisdom of understanding that "God, there is so much more that you have for my life and I want it" and he is willing to give it.
