Series: Skillful living – the book of Proverbs Sermon Title: Wisdom is greater than treasure Passage: Proverbs 1:1-9 Preacher: Dan Weyerhaeuser Date: 6.12.16 Scale of 1-10, how much does your life matter to you? Do you care if things go well for you, or are you ok with unnecessary anguish and sorrow? If there were a guidebook that showed you the secrets to a meaningful life, would you read it? (I “Googled,” “Secret to life” and got 289 million results. People are looking for the secret to life!) As Christians, we are used to thinking that living a meaningful life is anchored in knowing God and following Him in character and godliness. We’d also say that a meaningful life is the result of working hard and having a positive impact in the lives of people in our world. YET sometimes, godly, hardworking people suffer because they don’t have something God designed them to have. They, and others close to them, suffer because they lack wisdom. One person said it bluntly… Everything happens for a reason. Sometimes the reason is you’re stupid and make bad decisions. How’d you like to have THAT on your wall at home?

The truth is that sometimes godly, hardworking people walk through difficult times of their own making because they don’t make wise life-choices. Can you imagine an oncologist who screens people for cancer all day long but never gets checked himself only to discover he has stage four colon cancer? Wisdom would prevent this! TRUTH: God calls us to live, not only Godly, hard working lives; he also calls us to live wisely… which is good for us! Gratefully He gave us the book of Proverbs is to teach us just that. We begin looking at this great book today. The book takes its name from the first verse. Prov. 1:1 The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel: There are three introductory observations to make from this verse: FIRST, the book is full of proverbs. A proverb is a short saying in the place of many words. One writer has said, “This book is filled with short sentences drawn from long experiences (Unknown, quoted by Swindoll).” The word proverb means to “compare.” This is how Proverbs teaches us. Sometimes a proverb compares two different things (15:16 “Better is a little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and turmoil with it” or 13:1“A wise son accepts his father’s discipline, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.”). Sometimes a proverb compares two similar things (17:17 “A friend loves at all times and a brother is born for adversity”). What’s clear is that these short sayings contain VOLUMES of truth! (15:16 “Better is a little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and turmoil with it.”) SECOND observation comes from WHEN the book was written. In the Old Testament story, Abraham’s family ((Gen 12) had become a nation in Egypt. (Exodus-Deuteronomy) the nation had been led by Moses to meet God at Sinai where they met and began to worship God. (Joshua) Joshua had led Israel into the Promise land where the nation settled. (1-2 Samuel) David defeated the enemies of God’s people and secured Jerusalem, the city of God. (1 Kings) Solomon built the temple of God and brought peace to the nation like never before. KEY: During Solomon’s early years, Jerusalem more closely resembled heaven than any place or time on earth since Adam and Eve fell. POINT: Proverbs show us very practically how to live in this world like we would in heaven! The THIRD observation from v. 1 is WHO wrote the book and where he got this wisdom. 1 Kings 3, Solomon was 20 years old when he was installed as king of Israel. He was in a GREAT place with God at the time. We read… 1Kings 3:3 Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of David his father… Solomon started so well! And right from the start, he wanted exactly the right thing. Watch this unfold… 5 At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, “Ask what I shall give you.” Solomon would be leading God’s people and God wanted to equip him for his calling. 6 And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant David my father, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you.

 

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And you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit on his throne this day. 7 And now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude. 9 Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?” Solomon asked God for wisdom so he could lead God’s people well! Solomon knew wisdom belonged to God and he needed God to give it to him! THIS got God’s attention. 10 It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. 11 And God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, 12 behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you. Solomon would be the wisest man who ever lived! Everybody saw it. Kings from all over the world travelled to meet Solomon and learn from him. In 1 Kings 10 the Queen of Sheba said she hadn’t believed what she had heard about Solomon’s wisdom but then realized he was twice as wise as the rumors. She actually declared, “Blessed be the LORD your God who has delighted in you and set on the throne of Israel!” She had no explanation for his wisdom other than that the God of Israel had given it to him.

Good news… the wisdom God gave Solomon is found in this book, and the reason it is here is to teach US wisdom! This is what we begin today. The book presses us to… Discipleship lesson: Get wisdom because it is more precious than treasure! That’s a diagnostic statement. If you could have treasure OR wisdom, which would you choose? If you don’t JUMP at wisdom, then you don’t understand its value. Solomon had treasure (he was comparatively the richest man in human history) and HE said wisdom is more precious by far. Do you believe Him? He wrote this book so that you would have it too. 1:1-9 is how he starts. We will see… 1) What wisdom is, 2) Who gets wisdom, 3) Where wisdom begins, & 4) Why wisdom matters. READ. 1. What “wisdom” is (V. 2-4) If I asked people in Gurnee Mills, “What qualifies a person to be considered wise?” I’m guessing most people would say something like, “A wise person knows a lot.” “A wise person has acquired a great deal of information.” TRUTH: Biblical wisdom INCLUDES acquiring information, but it actually means more than that just that. V. 2-4 Show us some of the things you gain when you are wise. Solomon will use a number of different words to explain to us what wisdom is. To begin with, a) Wisdom is an orientation of thinking. V. 2 says Solomon gave us Proverbs… 2 To know wisdom and instruction, The word wisdom means “masterful understanding and skill.” A wise person has a masterful understanding of what is going on around her. It is more than knowing a great deal. It is having a certain orientation of thinking. This book tries to get us to see the world and life in a certain way. Chuck Swindoll is helpful when he says… Wisdom is looking at life from God’s point of view.

How does GOD think about us and our world? THAT’s wisdom and that’s how this book is trying to get us think. b) Wisdom spots coming dangers. Solomon also gave us this book so that we would know instruction. The root of this word is “warning.” This book will help us see dangers coming from certain choices so that we will stay away from them! Like a pilot uses radar to avoid flying through thunder storms, this book helps us steer clear of things that seem good, but will harm us. For example, this book helps us see the dangers of lust! 6:23 For these commands are a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the corrections of discipline are the way to life, 24 keeping you from the immoral woman, from the smooth tongue of the wayward wife. This book will help a man steer clear of a woman who is so hungry for attachment that she give up anything to get his love and vice versa! We need this warning because it’s a real danger. Solomon says… Do not lust in your heart after her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes,

  Do not desire her beauty in your heart! Ponder something in your heart and it is only a matter of time before you experience it in your life. Do not look at her, do not think about her, do not meditate upon her. DON’T DO IT! Why? Here’s the warning… 27 Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned? 28 Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched? You WILL get burned and if there are other people in your life, THEY will be too! This is instruction!

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I know of a man who was an accountant with Arthur Anderson years ago. He was brilliant, adept in his field, with a huge future in front of him. But he could not get the victory over lust. The firm finally released him from his job over an incident because he could not conquer the problem of his eyes. It was said of “Mark Anthony” by his tutor that he would not think seriously about his life. “O Marcus, O colossal child… able to conquer the world, but unable to conquer a temptation.”

This book will give you instruction! c) Wisdom sees root causes. Solomon gave us Proverbs… to understand words of insight, This word insight means to “separate” or “distinguish”… to “untangle.” Anyone ever been fishing and had to “untangled” a fishing reel? It’s a mess of line. You don’t just start pulling at it… you look for the right loop to pull to untangle it.

Insight is the skill of seeing a complicated, tangled situation and discerning the root causes going on underneath. Solomon wants to give you insight. d) Wisdom is living skillfully. Readers will 3 …receive instruction in wise dealing, KEY: Wisdom is not so much ACQUIRING information as it is about USING the information you have. This is the key difference between being “smart” and being “wise.” That’s why a great definition for wisdom is: Wisdom = Skillful living

Here’s an example of wise dealing. Prov. 18:17 The first to present his case seems right, till another comes forward and questions him. In High School, my sister had a James Taylor album. I asked if I could use it to make a copy. It seemed like a no brainer question to me, but she said “no.” I was stunned! “Why not?” She said, “Because!” I couldn’t believe that she was being so selfish she wouldn’t share her record! My first view of the situation seemed right! But wisdom is wise in dealing with people and recognizes that things are not always as they seem at first. Finally she came clean with the reason. “You can’t use my record because your birthday is next week and I bought you a copy for your birthday!” WOW!

The wise reserve judgment. They’re not skeptical, but they are discerning! They ask themselves if there is more to a person’s story or a circumstance than meets the eye before they draw conclusions. TRUHT, skillful living is DIFFERENT from the world in which we live. We live in a world swirling with inequality, injustice, and unrighteousness! But in the MIDST of that world, God’s people practice wise dealing… in righteousness, justice, and equity; Proverbs goes with you to school and work and into your bedroom at night and your car in the morning and shows you what skillful living in those places very practically looks like. This book will help you be wise in your dealings. e) Wisdom is living with your eyes open. 4 (This book)…give(s) prudence to the simple, The prudent see where they are going. They spot danger and avoid it. This book’s purpose is to help us live with our eyes open, to skillfully navigate circumstances! It will give… knowledge and discretion to the youth— Knowledge here in the original language is not book-knowledge, but life-experience knowledge. This book will give young people life-experience learning before they’ve had the life-experience. It also gives discretion. The original word here means purposefulness. This book will teach you how to live purposely, not aimlessly! WHAT A GIFT! Proverbs wants to give you wisdom! Solomon next addresses…

 

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2. Who gets wisdom? (v. 5-6) Wisdom is available for everybody, but not everyone gets it. Why? As we read v. 5-6, we see it. 5 Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance, 6 to understand a proverb and a saying, the words of the wise and their riddles. This is VERY helpful but it is counter-intuitive! You would think that those who are wise ALREADY HAVE wisdom. That’s why WE say they are wise. But here, the wise do not already HAVE learning… the wise hear and increase in learning and obtain guidance. KEY: The wise are not those who know everything. You might feel like lots of people around you know more than you do. This doesn’t make them wise. The people that are wise are the ones who are SEEKING to know more. The wise are those who are learning, who are listening, who are teachable! The people who get wisdom are the ones who know they don’t have it all yet!

When I was a teenager, I spent a couple of weeks clearing a section of forest near where I grew up. I pulled down grapvines, dropped some dead trees, chopped up some fallen trees, and piled up a debris pile about the size of severall large cars. My instructions were to burn the pile. I hadn’t done anything like this before, so I took my best guess. I got about 5 gallons of gas… and doused the whole pile. Then I stood there for a while… hunting for some matches to start it with. After about a minute… I lit a match and tossed it towards the pile. Nothing. I stepped closer, lit a match, and tossed it towards the pile. Nothing. I took a step closer, lit a match, and THAT time something happened! Aircraft on approach to the St. Louis airport and pedestrians in a 20-mile radius saw this gigantic pillar of smoke. (Ok… a slight exaggeration, but that’s what it felt like!) There was this dramatic, powerful, searing “fawoomph” that shook me as the fumes ignited and a pillar of fire exploded 3 stories high. There was so much fire that in fact a mushroom cloud did billow up and I imagined the woods I was in all burning to the ground, which gratefully did not happened. KEY: I hadn’t admitted I didn’t know how to safely burn a debris pile. I needed instruction and didn’t seek it. I acted the role of a fool. The wise are not those who know everything. The wise are those who ask for help when they don’t know what to do.

The wise are constantly learning. Read this book wanting to be instructed, wanting to be helped, wanting to learn how to be skillful in your choices...and God will do this for you. POINT: God gives wisdom to those seeking it! 3. Where wisdom begins (v. 7) This is critical to understanding this book. I said this book is trying to get you to look at our world in a certain way. The core of that world-view is v. 7… 7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; 14 times in the book, we will hear this critical statement. If there is a God, if He made the world and us in it, if HE is the satisfaction our hearts long for (and they will remain restless until they find rest in Him), then you CANNOT ignore God in how you think about the world. If there IS a God and you choose to ignore him, you are a fool. That’s what Solomon means when he says… fools despise wisdom and instruction. What does it mean to fear the Lord? It does NOT mean we do not trust grace! Christian, God’s disposition towards you is grace, because of Christ! You can be assured that HE loves you and welcomes you because Christ died for you! YET… it is not exactly right to say that the fear of God is just respect. This is the ALMIGHTY we’re talking about. My experience of “fear” on Jet Ski getting close to an ocean going tanker. What would it be like to be near the God Who holds the waters in the hallow of His hand, Who measures the heavens with the breadth of His fingers? Isaiah says that compared to Him, the nations are fine dust on the scale and less than nothing! GRATEFULLY through Christ He welcomes us and loves us when we repent and believe. BUT, He never stops being God.

Therefore the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom! How do we orient ourselves towards our world if we are to fear Him? 1) For one thing, we recognize that the universe is God’s creation. The whole world was created by the LORD. Where else did it come from? Why is there something rather than nothing? If there is not God, you have to say, “First there was nothing, and then it exploded!” You would never think your CAR spontaneously came into being. And we are infinitely more complex than your car. And when you use your car, doesn’t it help to work with how the designer built it? (Gas goes in the gas tank, not the radiator!) This speaks to another implication: 2) God created the world by wisdom. Prov. 3:19 The LORD by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens;

 

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The world in which we live is NOT random or meaningless. The order God established provides the ground for human significance. It is sustained and governed, not by an impersonal force but a personal God. THEREFORE 3) We live constantly before Him… Prov. 5:21 For a man’s ways are in full view of the LORD, and he examines all his paths. The point of this is not fear that God sees and therefore I’m in danger. Through Christ He’s my father. Fearing the LORD means remembering that He is watching and present and all of life is an opportunity to please Him and trust Him and live for Him. We worship Him in all things when we remember that we live before Him and for Him in everything! In this way, the proverbs of the Bible are not just wisdom sayings – “A stitch in time saves nine” and “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” They are practical descriptions of living in the world GOD has made and of which HE is Lord! We might say… Biblical Wisdom is skillfully living in alignment with God’s design

Our entire series will trace themes through the book. What is skillful living look like when it comes to our anger, or sexual temptation, in our marriage, or with our parents or children? What is a wise way to speak? How do we treat the poor? What is a wise use of our money? How should we think of friends? 4. Why wisdom matters (v. 8-9) Solomon writes this like a father speaking to his son as he puts him to bed at night. With the same earnestness of a father wanting to instruct his child about how to navigate life, HE speaks to us wisdom through this book to help us navigate life wisely! 8 Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching, (Why?) 9 for they are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck. A garland was an award given to a victor in a race. A pendant is the emblem of someone honored. If you hear the wisdom of God through this book and by grace live it, you will win the race of life and be an honored person because you will have lived skillfully in alignment with God’s design! Response: 1) Want wisdom! Do you want it? James 1 famously says we do not have wisdom because we do not… ask. But asking for wisdom is asking for clarity about how to live differently. The assumption is that we want to make different life-choices! He gives wisdom to those who will live differently. Do you want it? Take spending habits. Is saving good? Wisdom says that saving is not what I do with what’s left over after my spending. Spending is what I do with what’s left over after my saving. Living THAT way is different!

It pleases God when we want wisdom! Ask Him for it. Be here for this series! TRUTH: Wisdom will lead you to honor and know Christ! Why do I say that? Because in the New Testament we read: Col 2:3 In Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. The greatest expression of wisdom of God is Christ and if we want wisdom, we will seek Him! TRUTH: The Queen of Sheba testified to Solomon’s wisdom in this world, but she will rise at the judgment to condemn people for not listening to Christ’s superior wisdom (Matt. 12:46). POINT: Wisdom leads us to Christ! TRUHT: If you have never received Jesus Christ who is God’s gift to us... accept into your life, the living Word, the wisdom of God incarnate… Spend time in the written word with the living Word… and God will give you wisdom for your life! 2) Read proverbs: Many who have gone before us have read a Proverb a day for years. There are 31… just read the chapter that corresponds with the date. Today, read Proverbs 12. Read through this book several times that way, and SEE if you don’t gain a new perspective!

 

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Small Group Notes

SMALL GROUP QUESTIONS Getting to know each other: We’ve all made foolish decisions. Would any of us be willing to share ones we’ve made?

Proverbs 1:1-9 Personal Study: As you study (read, reread, consider, ponder, reread) the passage, list observations you make from the text. What is the main point of this passage? How is the theme developed? What “Aha’s” come to you as you read? What questions come to mind? How do you respond the God seen in these verses? Bring your observations and questions to your Small Group this week! —————————

Group Questions 1. Do you have any opinions about the book of Proverbs? 2. V. 1 What do we learn about the book from the first verse? 3. V. 2-4 What will the book of Proverbs be trying to do in our lives? 4. In our culture, “wisdom” describes how much a person knows. In Proverbs the focus is not so much in the “acquiring” of knowledge, but the “applying” of knowledge. How are these different? 5. Is it possible to know a lot and be foolish? Share an example? 6. V. 5-6 What things do we see the “wise” and the “one who understands” doing? 7. Does it surprise you that the “wise… increase in understanding”? Don’t the wise already have understanding? How does this change how we think about being wise? 8. V. 7 What is the source of true wisdom? Can anyone explain this passage? 9. The “framework” of Solomon is that God is wise, and made the world in wisdom. Biblical wisdom is living skillfully in alignment with God’s design in the world. How does living like this change things for us? 10. V. 8-9 What do we learn about wisdom here? 11. What has Solomon promised us in v. 1-9? Is this something you want? 12. For fun, does anyone have a favorite proverb they would like to share with the group?

 

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Small Group Leader Notes June 12, 2016 From Pastor Dan… Hello Small Group Leaders and anyone else using these notes, “We have lift-off!” Today we begin our new study in the book of Proverbs. Truthfully, I am finding unexpected and different joy in this series as I have worked on it. It is as if the book accesses different portions of my brain than many other books in the Bible. I trust God will use this study to help us live skillfully as Christians in the world. If you are looking for a resource to support your study, there are a couple I would recommend: • Derek Kidner, Proverbs (TOTC) is a classic, not too long, but very helpful • Erick Lane, Proverbs (Everyday Wisdom for Everyone) in the Focus on the Bible series. Brief treatment of the book, but from a fresh perspective. • Daniel Estes, Hear, my Son from New Studies in Biblical Theology help frame the themes of Proverbs in the overall story line of the Bible. A few things for your group: • 24/7 Prayer Room. • Congregational Meeting report: P. 6 describes 9 different ways we are pushing out communications at Lakeland. You could help us to share that page with your group and help us teach our folks where to look to find out what is going on. P. 7 describes “Bring a friend” events coming up this summer your group might participate in. May God’s grace and peace be yours, my friend! Warmly, Dan

Our Scripture Study… Series: Message #: Sermon Title: Passage: Preacher: Date:

Skillful Living 1 Wisdom is greater than treasure Proverbs 1:1-9 Dan Weyerhaeuser 2016-6-15

 

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Small Group Notes SMALL GROUP QUESTIONS Getting to know each other: We’ve all made foolish decisions. Would any of us be willing to share ones we’ve made? The point of asking this question of course is to get us thinking about wise and foolish decisions we make in our lives. Transition: In our lives we can choose wisely and foolishly. Question: If you could have a source book that showed you what wise life-choices to make in practical ways while living live in this world, would you want them? If so, this book is for you.

Proverbs 1:1-9 Personal Study: As you study (read, reread, consider, ponder, reread) the passage, list observations you make from the text. What is the main point of this passage? How is the theme developed? What “Aha’s” come to you as you read? What questions come to mind? How do you respond the God seen in these verses? Bring your observations and questions to your Small Group this week! —————————

Group Questions 1. Do you have any opinions about the book of Proverbs? As you step into this study, begin by asking people’s impressions of the book. Some may have never read it (which is totally alright), others may have tried it and not liked it, some may read it every day. Let your folks share what their impressions have been as they come to this book.

2. V. 1 What do we learn about the book from the first verse? It was written (or compiled since not all the proverbs were written by him) by Solomon. He reigned after David his father. Two things you could develop: 1) The timing of the writing of the book: It was put together after the nation is not in the land, the temple constructed, the promise of God fulfilled. AT the crescendo of God’s establishing His people, this book shows us how to live wisely as God’s people in the world. 2) The story of Solomon gaining wisdom: Read 1 Kings 3:1-14 for the story on how Solomon came to possess such wisdom. You might ask, “Why did Solomon ask for wisdom?” “What could he have asked for?” What does this tell us about him at the time?” “How did God respond to Solomon’s request?” etc.

3. V. 2-4 What will the book of Proverbs be trying to do in our lives? The book of proverbs will be trying to get us to become wise! To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight, to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity, to give prudence to the simple and knowledge and discretion to the youth. NOTE: See point 1 in the manuscript above for the meaning of “wisdom,” “instruction,” “insight,” “Prudence,” “knowledge,” and “discretion.”

4. In our culture, “wisdom” describes how much a person knows. In Proverbs the focus is not so much in the “acquiring” of knowledge, but the “applying” of knowledge. How are these different? This is a group reflection question. But a simple example is this – if an oncologist knows the danger of cancer, but does not himself get checked for cancer, he may be an MD but he is a fool. Wisdom is living… making life-choices in keeping with wisdom.

5. Is it possible to know a lot and be foolish? Share an example? This question is an elaboration of # 4.

6. V. 5-6 What things do we see the “wise” and the “one who understands” doing?

 

They are “hearing” and “increasing in learning” as well as “obtaining guidance.”

 

9   7. Does it surprise you that the “wise… increase in understanding”? Don’t the wise already have understanding? How does this change how we think about being wise? In the Bible, it is clear that only One person knows everything (God!) The wise therefore are not those who know everything, but are those who are still learning. The wise are the ones who seek advice, not those who think they don’t need any. The wise are teachable.

8. V. 7 What is the source of true wisdom? Can anyone explain this passage? The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The framework for thinking wisely is looking at the world as a place made by God and over which He rules. MORE, Have someone read 3:19 where we learn that God founded the world by wisdom. Therefore wisdom is the operating system of our world. While it is broken in many ways by our sin, things operate by principles established by God.

9. The “framework” of Solomon is that God is wise, and made the world in wisdom. Biblical wisdom is living skillfully in alignment with God’s design in the world. How does living like this change things for us? This is a group reflection question.

10. V. 8-9 What do we learn about wisdom here? A garland placed around your neck and a pendant are awards given to athletic victors and emblems of people of significance. POINT: Proverbs will help you live your whole live well and be an emblem of significance.

11. What has Solomon promised us in v. 1-9? Is this something you want? The book of Proverbs will teach us wisdom.

12. For fun, does anyone have a favorite proverb they would like to share with the group?