Sermon Notes 16 August 2009
« WISE UP » by David J. Cowley, Reader
Readings : Proverbs 9: 1-6 ; Ps. 34: 9-14 ; Eph. 5: 15-20 ; John 6: 51-58
Texts : Proverbs 9:10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom
We are daily bombarded, deluged with information and ideas and choices : e-mails, texts, downloads of music and lyrics, publicity, chat rooms, TV channels
So easy to find information on the net , it’s just at our finger tips – but truth, reliability, distinguishing the trivial from the important ? cf some people try to self-medicate using the resources of the net on medical matters – but there is a need distinguish objective information versus publicity and selling of “cures”
Groucho Marx : It’s so simple, a child of five would understand this. Send someone to fetch a child of five.
How to judge the validity and usefulness of knowledge ? How to make our choices in life ?
Information is not knowledge, and mere knowledge does not give wisdom
Dietrich Bonhoffer : To understand reality is not the same as to know about outward events. It is to perceive the essential nature of things. The best-informed man is not necessarily the wisest. ………. To recognize the significant in the factual is wisdom.
Immanuel Kant : Science is organized knowledge. Wisdom is an organized life.
Doc Childre and Deborah Rozman : It is no longer enough to be smart – all the technological tools in the world add meaning and value only if they enhance our core values, the deepest part of our heart.
Acquiring knowledge is no guarantee of practical, useful application. Wisdom implies a mature integration of appropriate knowledge, a seasoned ability to filter the inessential from the essential.
So what is wisdom ?
David Starr Jordan : Wisdom is knowing what to do next , skill is knowing how to do it and virtue is doing it I would want to include virtue within wisdom, as the Roman orator Cicero said : The function of wisdom is to discriminate between good and evil
It is the ability to distinguish what is valuable, valid, significant for a good life in practice
The OT book of Proverbs is all about Wisdom – get wisdom at all costs is its message. But it seems at first sight quite a secular compilation, more interested in success and in prosperity in this life, than in God. And people who couldn’t care less about God could well adopt many of the proverbs, as indicating the general rules about how life in practice works out in the street and in business affairs most of the time.
Here’s some examples of proverbs :
15:17 Better a meal of vegetables where there is love than a fattened calf with hatred
20:14 “It’s no good, it’s no good !” says the buyer, then off he goes and boasts about his purchase
21:9 Better to live on the corner of a house roof than live in a large house with a quarrelsome woman (who is as annoying as a constant drip of water ! )
24:26 An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips
10:1 A wise son brings joy to his father but a foolish son brings grief to his mother
9:17 (on marital infidelity) stolen water is sweet, food eaten in secret is delicious, but little do they know that the dead are there and her guests are in hell
Some proverbs observe the hard facts of life – bribes seem to work, money does buy friends of a sort etc, but never does Proverbs endorse success techniques that are immoral. Often there is wry humour and true-to-life feelings.
Is Proverbs yet another “How to succeed in life” book ?
If you take the book of Proverbs as a whole you will see that it teaches a lifestyle which depends on a healthy respect for God, which affects every aspect of life.
It even admits that this choice will not be made by many ; that it is easier to live carelessly and godlessly ; but ultimately those who do follow the advice and trust in God will not only negociate life successfully and in moral safety but will get to know God Himself ( Proverbs 2:5).
There is ample evidence that both Jesus and Peter the apostle loved the book of Proverbs and made many direct and indirect references to it in parables and pictures etc and adopted its teaching.
Proverbs is not a pragmatic, “what works is right”, secular wisdom. The book defines bad characters that we should avoid copying or being identified with !
Three kinds of problem people : the simple, the fools, the mockers Prov.1:22
The “simple” (relatively harmless to us) : they live without thinking of the consequences, are too lazy to change, and are easily led into evil.
The “fools” are smarter but have made a conscious decision to live solely as they choose, independent of God and of others advice.
The “mockers”, worst of all, are proud and public rebels against God. They mock God but God will mock them in the end ( Proverbs 1:26 )
Two kinds of wisdom confront each other in aims and motives :
worldly, as represented by the fools and mockersin their self-sufficient pragmatism for their own selfish ends
and godly 1 Cor.1:20-25 ; 2:5 ; 3:18-20
What are the recognizable characteristics of godly wisdom ?
James 3:17 gives a clear and practical answer : true godly wisdom is
# Pure, peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy, impartial and sincere
# Yet practical and down-to-earth, realistic - not an abstract philosophical musing (Matt.11:19)
“As wise as snakes but as harmless as doves” (Jesus)
# Backed by real deeds/actions which stand up to scrutiny ( not hypothetical ideas ) Js.3:13
# A love of the morally best things in life, in a lifelong quest
The importance of getting godly wisdom
Eph. 5 : 15(16) Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise – making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil
We live in difficult times where morality is often flouted and ignored. How then to live rightly when the tides of so many selfish or wrong influences sweep around us ?
How to get true wisdom – to be a wise Christian husband, mother, parent, friend, work colleague
# By going to the right source with the right attitude
Job 28:28 ; Prov.1:7 and 9:10 ; Prov.2:3-5
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”
“Fear” here is not fright or terror (as in a horror movie!) nor a cringing avoidance. Rather it means an awe and reverent respect for God, that we cannot take his power and righteousness lightly, and living in a good relationship with Him. This “fear of the Lord”, used frequently in the OT, leads to a deep sense of security ( Psalm 34:9 )
# By listening to the wisdom of others whose lives demonstrate truth and goodness
# By stopping talking about our opinions, and paying attention to God in His word
# By remaining humble, ready to learn
# By asking God simply and directly, James 1:5 ; Proverbs 2:6
“If any of you lacks wisdom he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given him”
What a wonderful promise. Wisdom is not reserved for a brainy elite or the rich or the powerful, the “successful” of this world’s estimation .
Prov.28:11 A rich man may be wise in his own eyes but a poor man who has discernment sees through him
But becoming wise requires self-discipline to study and humbly seek wisdom at every opportunity, and above all to love to please God
Compare King Solomon ( in his early days ! ) and his reputation for wisdom
Loved the Lord 1 Kings 3:3 Prayed for understanding 1 Kings 3:9,12
Wisdom God-given 1 Kings 4:29 with genuine humility 1 Kings 3:7
He was tested in matters of just administration 1 Kings 3:16-28 (two women each claiming the sole surviving newborn child ) and diplomacy 1 Kings 5:12 (making peace with Hiram of Tyre, thus promoting trade between them )
Complex issues occur in life : sometimes bewildering choices, what is best – and on what grounds will we decide ?
Two issues as examples, from two of my sons-in-law !
1) John, a sales engineer and manager, had to choose between a significant promotion in work with a substantial pay increase but which would have involved frequent moves from one country to another, and long hours – and the welfare and stability of his family life and contact with his children – he chose to decline the moves.
I do not say that it is wrong to move with a job etc, only that such issues require godly wisdom in giving proper weight to all the factors.
2) Robert became unemployed and in addition injured his back when a car went into the back of his car. He is attempting to retrain as a barber – desperate to get a permanent job in a hairdressing saloon. He was offered a part-time job in the interim by an undermanager, but with payments in cash under the table ( unofficial, not declared to Employment or Tax offices etc) –as a Christian he chose to decline this offer as being dishonest . Happily, within a few weeks, when the real boss came back from holidays she offered him a permanent, albeit part-time job, “all above board” ! It doesn’t always work out like that. In the long run God will honour him.
Conclusion
Get wisdom, by walking in a good relation with the Lord, “in the fear of the Lord”
The ultimate source of wisdom is Christ, the wisdom of God Col.2:3 ; 1 Cor.1:30
The utter contrast of the wisdom of God and that of fallen mankind is nowhere seen so clearly as in the Cross of Christ, His death for fallen mankind
I Cor. 1 : 18-25 ; 1 Cor.2: 5 et seq. ; 1 Cor. 3:18-20 outline the stark differences
Shortly, we will celebrate in the Eucharist that sacrifice made of himself by Jesus Christ.
It is sobering to remember that the Jewish people in general, and the “Greeks” representing the Gentile philosophies of worldly wisdom, reject the true wisdom of God in the crucified Christ as obnoxious or foolishness.
We still live in that sort of world, 2000 years later – and so must prove by our lives that God’s foolishness is wiser than the worldly wisdom of men. That our faith does not rest on men’s wisdom (clever thoughts), but on God’s power and wisdom for the good life in our world.
May we seek and grow in that wisdom which begins with “the fear of the Lord”.
