The Gospel According To Proverbs II

If fear of your Bibles with you open them. Please to Proverbs chapter one. Proverbs chapter one. Remember we are in the middle of a series. The series is the Gospel according to Proverbs, the Gospel according to Proverbs. Recently, I had an experience that was a rather unusual one and one that I won't soon forget traveling back to the US, and oftentimes when I arrive, one of the things that I'll sometimes forget is to make sure I know who it is is going to be receiving me. And that can be that that can be a difficult circumstance, especially when in foreign countries where I don't speak the language. That that's been rather difficult in the past. It's difficult when you arrive somewhere and there's some place that you're supposed to go, and you look at the signs and they're written in a different language, and you know that they're telling you where you're supposed to go, but you have no idea what and you, if you're like me, then you just stare at the sign, believing that if you look at it long enough, it will be anybody. Anybody. You don't have to admit it, but if you look at it long enough. That's like, if you're talking to people and they don't understand you, what do we do? We slow down, as though speaking a foreign language more slowly will make it understandable. And so I've had that experience before. There's nothing quite like that experience of being where that's unfamiliar, not understanding the language, and not knowing where you're supposed to go or what you're supposed to do, what we would prefer. Is this the experience I had on my last trip. I arrived at Lax and I got a message. As soon as I turned my phone on, I looked at the message, and the person who coordinates my my traveling in the US said, the guy who's going to pick you up is a short Asian man with blue hair. So I wrote back, I said, wait, are you is this correct? Is this a joke? Because it's a Nope, it's a short Asian man with blue, spiky hair. And so get there. We get off the plane. It's Lax, Los Angeles. People just pile everywhere looking to meet their loved ones, and people craning their next trying to find each other. And as soon as I came out, I knew exactly who I was looking for, and there he was a short Asian man with spiky blue hair. I much preferred that to being lost in a foreign country where I did not understand the language and had no idea who was coming to get me. Well, what on earth does this have to do with the Book of Proverbs. Well, I'm glad you asked. As we think through the Book of Proverbs, we looked on last time at a warning and this picture of warning our sons. And remember when we talk about sons and proverbs, proverbs written from a father to a son. But it's understood that this refers to our sons and our daughters. Amen. But not just to our sons and our daughters, but to all of those whom we would disciple, whom we would mentor whom we would raise up in the faith. And we talked about warning them, especially in the face of enticing sinners. But today I want us to look at how we teach them to recognize wisdom. Our desire for those who we mentor whom we disciple. Our desire as parents for our children ought to be that when it comes to them looking for wisdom, that it is less like the experience of being in a foreign land, looking at a foreign language, and not knowing where we're going or who we're looking for. But much more like the experience of listen. You're looking for someone who doesn't look like anyone else in the place, and you will know them when you see them. And when we look at Proverbs chapter one, beginning at verse twenty, we see that it ought to be like the latter and not like the former, But unfortunately it is not. Proverbs Chapter one, beginning of verse twenty, Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets. She raises her voice at the head of the noisy streets. She cries out at the entrance of the city gates, she speaks. If that's the case, then it would seem like Solomon is saying to his son, you will recognize Wisdom. Wisdom will be the short Asian man with spiky blue hair, easy to find, easy to see. But if we continue on, and if we read the rest of the Book of Proverbs, what you will find is looking for Wisdom is more like being in the foreign airport with signs in a language that you do not understand, and having no idea where you should go or whom you should be looking for. But why why is it so hard to find this one, who it would seem is standing there in playing sight. There's a number of reasons. Let me give you four, four reasons that wisdom is hard to find, which is why we have to train our sons and daughters, train young immature Christians in the art of finding wisdom. Number one, because our sin nature alienates us from wisdom. Our sin nature alienates us from wisdom. We are not inclined to look for wisdom. We are actually inclined to run away from her. We are inclined toward folly, which is the amazing and sad truth. When you read the Book of Proverbs, we read about Dame Folly, and everything about her says, run away from her, get away from her. We read about Lady Wisdom, and everything about her says, that's where you want to be. But the reality, because of our sinful nature, is we are drawn to Dame Folly, and we are suspect of Lady Wisdom. So we have to be taught what to look forward. Number two because the world, the flesh, and the devil alienate us from wisdom. The world, the flesh, and the devil alienate us from wisdom. Ephesians, chapter two. Those first few verses, they're very familiar to us. But listen to them. You were dead, and the trespasses, and your trespassis and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the Prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience. That's key. He's at work, is not passive among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind, the world and the flesh and the devil teaching us what to think, when to think, how to think, what to think about, conditioning us, shaping us, and fashioning us, so that we are more inclined to Dame Folly than we are to Lady Wisdom. This world that we live in, this world that gives us our world view, our flesh inclined because of our sinful nature, having desires and passions that are contrary to truth and to righteousness. And the devil, who is real, who is alive, who is active, who is at work in the sons of disobedience, and you put these three things together, the world and the flesh and the devil, and all of a sudden, though lady Wisdom is there and playing sight, we can't see her. Thirdly, because sinners entice us away from wisdom. Not only the world, the flesh, and the devil, not only our own sin natures, but others entice us away. Sinners draw us away. We saw that on last week Proverbs chapter one and verse ten. A sudden when sinners entice you, and that's what they will do. They will entice you. Fourthly, because we seek wisdom apart from Christ. Because we seek wisdom apart from Christ. This is another reason that wisdom eludes us, because we seek wisdom apart from Christ. If we're going to define wisdom, we've been talking about this and trying to think about how to define it, especially how to help little ones understand it or younger ones or immature ones understand it. And if we were going to have sort of a working definition to fit this series and where we're trying to go, it would be this wisdom is the righteous application of true knowledge, the righteous application of true knowledge. And again I distinguish between true knowledge and false knowledge. If the things that we know are not the truth, then applying them will never be righteous. Amen. If we're rooted and grounded in something that's not true, then the application can never be righteous. For example, if we're wrong about who God is, and yet we take some principles from the Book of Proverbs and try to apply those Books of Proverbs, will never apply them in a righteous way because it's not true knowledge. You see, If we're wrong about this world that God has created, or the fact that God has created the world, then our application will never be righteous because our knowledge is not true. But then on the other side, if we have true knowledge, it must be applied in a way not us that makes sense, but in a way that is righteous, in a way that accords with the God of all creation. Remember, we told told you that there are two great enemies to the Gospel. Enemy number one is legalism. Legalism says you are right with God to the degree that you keep the law. Legalism is an enemy of the Gospel, first of all because it's a lie. Secondly, because it's an unachievable goal. You cannot will not keep the law. Amen. Paul tells us in Relations that the law is a tutor. It's a mirror. It helps us to see our sinfulness, and it points us to our need for Christ. You cannot do not and will not keep the law. James makes it very clear. If we keep the whole law but stumble at one point, we are guilty of all of it. You cannot do not and will not keep the law. The third reason that legalism is an enemy of the Gospel is because legalism basically blasphemes the blood of Christ. If you could be right with God by keeping the law, then you believe that Christ died in vain. His death was not necessary if all you need to do is keep the law. But the other enemy of the Gospel, the more common enemy of the Gospel, is moralism. Moralism that says Jesus is merely our moral example, and all God wants from you is for you to just be a good person. And the Book of Proverbs is like a petri dish for moralism. The Book of Proverbs is there, and those who read Proverbs wrongly and understand Proverbs wrongly are prone to walk in moralism and look at the Book of Proverbs as just some principles that are divorced from Christ and are there for you to just be a good person, which means that we try to find wisdom apart from Jesus, which ought not ever be the case. We looked at this in the opening of our service. We looked at the first couple of verses there in the book of Colossians. I want us to look at the verse three verses there in Colossians chapter two. Again, Colossians chapter two, look at those first three verses. For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you, and for all of those at Lairdicea, and for all who have not seen me face to face, that their hearts may be encouraged being knit together in love to reach all the riches of full assurance, of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ. Which means that there is no wisdom found anywhere outside of Christ. Which means that if we just take the Book of Proverbs as though it was mere principles, and do not rooted and ground it in the Gospel, and do not root it and ground it in Christ, then in the end, it is mere moralism and is the enemy of the Gospel. And unfortunately, as we've said every step of the way in this series, for most of us, the way we have read the Book of Proverbs, and the way we have used the Book of Proverbs historically is pure moralism. You snatch the proverbs kicking and screaming out of context, do not root them and ground them in the person and work of Christ, and use them just as mere principles to have a good life, principles to have a good business, principles to be a successful person. And it ends up being pure moralism and in running you in the exact opposite direction from the Gospel, because moralism too is an enemy of the Gospel. Because of Christ just lived to be a mere example of how you can be a good and moral person. Once again, he died in vain. But we know that that's not the case. We know that scriptures clearly teach us that Christ died for sin, once for all, for the unjust, in order that he might bring us back to God. We know, and we've said time and time again, Isaiah's made it clear all way, Like sheep had gone astray, each of us had turned to his own way, But God hath laid upon him the iniquity of us all. Paul once again reminds us that God made him to be sin, who knew no sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him. Righteousness is found in Christ. Wisdom and knowledge are found in Christ. So we must never run to the book of Proverbs and rip the proverbs kicking and screaming out of their contexts, because you will never righteously apply true knowledge apart from the righteous One in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Who is Jesus Christ. So, then, in mind, look here at these two verses and see if we can understand how it is that we seek wisdom rightly, How it is that wisdom is distinguished, How it is that wisdom can become in the world as clear as a short Asian man with spiky blue hair. First, wisdom is distinguished by her speech. Wisdom is distinguished by her speech. Notice what we find there in verses twenty and twenty one of Chapter one of Proverbs, Wisdom cries allowed. Compare this to verse ten, when sinners entice. You notice that the sinner's speech is manipulative and dishonest, and must operate in secret. When you're being enticed. People don't usually entice you out loud. When you're being enticed. Usually people do this. Usually when you're being enticed to sin, people look around to make sure no one is listening, and then they get real close so they can tell you where nobody else can hear. But compare that to wisdom. Wisdom cries aloud, Wisdom raises her voice, Wisdom cries out, Wisdom speaks. Do you notice the difference here? When you learn the distinction, she becomes clear. When you learn the distinction, you recognize that we are in the midst of a place where everyone else is whisper everyone else is being quiet, everyone else is hiding. But lady Wisdom is standing tall, crying aloud. She is standing tall, raising her voice. She is standing tall, crying out, And she is standing tall, speaking clearly, not in hushed tones. Wisdom has no fear and no need of it. Wisdom has no shame and no need of it. Wisdom is distinct in this regard. So, if we are going to teach our children, if we are going to be like Solomon to teach our sons to find wisdom to recognize wisdom. The first thing that we teach them is this, Wisdom speaks clearly, She speaks without fear, she speaks publicly. Now this would seem to be enough. However, our adversary, the devil, is no food, and our adversary, the devil, recognizes that one of the distinctions of wisdom is that she speaks openly, She speaks clearly, she speaks loudly, she speaks proudly. So what our adversary, the devil attempts to do is always to counterfeit wisdom. Amen, he disguises himself as an angel of light. He knows what wisdom looks like, and so he disguises himself as wisdom. And one of the ways that he disguises himself as wisdom is this he twists the truth so that we call evil good and good evil. What do you mean? Do you notice how more and more today sin is being lauded and applauded. Do you notice how more and more today things that people used to and still ought to be ashamed of, they proclaim openly and loudly and proudly, almost like their lady wisdom. A great example of this can be seen, for example, in the homosexual movement, especially a couple of months ago. People didn't understand why why is it, you know that, why was it that in June there was all of this unusual celebration of gay pride. And the reason is this that the gay Pride marches and the great gay Pride movement was born in nineteen sixty nine. Why nineteen sixty nine Because in nineteen sixty nine there was this raid of a mafia owned nightclub that was known for extortion among other things, but it was also a gay club called the Stone Wall, and the police raided the Stone Wall. But after the raid of the Stone Wall, the homeseexuals, who usually hid in the darkness, decided that they would oppose this raid, and they began a series of riots known as the Stonewall Riots. And the homosexual community saw this as their participation in the civil rights movement of the nineteen sixties in the US, and so Stonewall gave rise to the first gay Pride parades. So this summer in June was the fiftieth anniversary of Stonewall, and all of the gay Pride parades around the world were fiftieth anniversary Gay Pride parades, and so companies like Oreo. For example, I don't know if you even saw this, there was an Oreo cookie in June that was a rainbow cookie. Why because of the gay Pride rainbow. Google had a rainbow on Google when you did your search. Why because gay Pride Google. On that month, embassies around the world, mainly not in African countries, but embassies of Western countries all over the world were decorated with the rainbow. I happened to be in Rome in June and we passed by on a tour the US embassy, and the US embassy there in Rome was decorated with the Gay Pride rainbow. Speaking aloud in the streets as though, Lady Wisdom, so the adversary is counterfeiting, which means that we have to have more than just that single thing to look for. But there is a second thing. Wisdom is not only distinguished by her speech, but Wisdom is also distinguished by her motives. Notice the motives of Wisdom, And if you remember on the last message, remember the motives of the sinner verse eleven. They lie in wait for blood, They ambush the innocent without reason. These were the motives of the sinner. But what are wisdom's motives. Well, if you look earlier Proverbs one, verse two, to know wisdom and instruction to understand words of insight verse three, to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice and equity, verse four, to give guidance to the simple knowledge and discretion to the youth. Those are the goals of wisdom. Wisdom's goal is life, but the sinner's goal, Folly's goal is death and destruction. John Chapter ten and verse ten. Jesus says, the thief comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy. I come that they might have life, and have it more abundantly. John chapter ten, verses twenty seven to twenty nine. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me, and I give them eternal life. I give them eternal life. So Lady Wisdom speaks clearly, she speaks proudly and without shame, and the adversary attempts to mimic that and to mirror that. But there is a second distinction, that when Lady Wisdom speaks, she speaks life. When Lady Wisdom speaks, she speaks abundant life. When Lady Wisdom speaks, she speaks eternal life. But the adversary attempts to mimic this as well. But what the adversary does is speaks life right here, right now, in the moment. The adversary says, have your best life now, when Wisdom says, your best life is in the age to come. The adversary says, have life that you want, that you define, Have life that satisfies you, and that satisfies you immediately. But Wisdom says, there is a life that is more significant than what satisfies you. In the here and the noun, there was a life that is abundant. There is a life that is eternal. And so as we turn our sons to recognize Wisdom, we turn our sons to recognize the one who speaks openly and speaks proudly, but also the one whose motives are that of life that is abundant and eternal. Everything else is fraud. Thirdly, Wisdom is also distinguished not only by her speech and by her motives, but she is distinguished by her paths. If you remember, we were warned not to walk in the way of those sinners in chapter one and verse fifteen, to hold back your foot from their paths, but notice Wisdom's paths. She speaks aloud in the street, She raises her voice in the markets. She cries out at the head of a noisy street, and she speaks at the entrance of the city gates. But I want you to notice something. I want you to notice that if we are to understand Proverbs rightly, and if we are to understand that the wise son of Proverbs is none other than Christ himself, then I would argue that Wisdom cries aloud in the streets, not just of any city, but the celestial city. To borrow a term from Pilgrim's progress, she raises her voice in the markets, but not vanity fair. Again, to borrow from Pilgrim's progress. She cries out at the head of the noisy street, and she speaks at the entrance of the city gates. But to what city? To God's city, to God's City Matthew sixteen, twenty four and twenty five. Then Jesus told his disciples, if anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it. But whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. That is her patent. Her path leads you to the narrow gate, not to the broad one that leads to destruction. John fourteen six Jesus said to him, I am the Way and the Truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. There are paths that are to be avoided. There are paths from which we are to run. But when we understand that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ, then we recognize that, Lady Wisdom, your eyes aloud, at the entrance of the narrow gate, at the entrance of the street path, at the entrance of the path to the celestial city, where we find life that is abundant, and life that is eternal. And finally, not only is Wisdom distinguished by her speech, and by her motives, and by her path, but she's also distinguished by her end. Chapter one, verses seventeen to nineteen. If you'll remember, gave us a picture of the end of the sinner who is pursuing folly. For in vain is a net spread in the sight of any bird. But these men lie in wait for their own blood. They set an ambush for their own lives. Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain. It takes away the life of its possessors. Their end is destruction. But what about Wisdom, where is her end? Look at Chapter one, verses five and six. Let the wise here and increase in learning. And the one who understands obtained guidance to understand a proverb, and the same the words of the wives and their riddles. Wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord, and it ends with learning, guidance and understanding, with the righteous application of true knowledge, which is only found in Christ, which is only found in the wise son, who is the righteous son. This distinction between Lady Wisdom and Dame Folly is often seen in the Book of Proverbs by Dame Folly being portrayed as a harlot, as an adulteress, as a prostitute. And that's exactly what we find, for example, in chapter five. Look at Proverbs Chapter five, verses one through six, and I want you to listen for a few things. Listen for her path, her speech, her motives, and her end. My son, be attentive to my wisdom, and cline your ear to my understanding, that you may keep discretion, and your lips may guard knowledge. So there's the picture of wisdom. Recognize wisdom. What's the opposite for the lips of a forbidden woman? Drip honey and her speech is smoother than oil. But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp, sharp as a two edged sword. Her feet go down to death. Her lips follow the path to she owed. She does not ponder the path of life. Her ways wander and she does not know it. What is the difference her speech, her motives, her path, and her end. That's the difference. So what do we looking for. We're looking for right speech, right motives, right path, and right end. It is a lengthy passage, but it's worth reading. First Corinthians, chapter one, beginning in verse twenty. It sets out this distinction quite clear, and it sets out this distinction from the perspective of those who are in Christ. First Corinthians, chapter one, beginning in verse twenty, and we'll read to the end of the chapter. Again, a lengthy passage, but absolutely worth the time. It reads, where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish? The wisdom of the world. For since in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God. Through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs, and Greeks seek wisdom. But we preach Christ crucified a stumbling block to Jews and folly to gentiles. But to those who are called both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For consider your calling, brothers. Not many of you were wise according to worldly standards. Not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise. God shows what is weak in the world to shame the strong. God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not to bring to nothing, things that are so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of Him you are in Christ, Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption. So that, as it is written, let the one who boasts boast in the Lord notice verse thirty. Because of him, you are in Christ, Jesus who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. Where do we find this? In Christ? Christ is the wisdom of God. Christ is the personification of wisdom. And not only is he the personification of wisdom, but Christ is our perfect example of the wise son. If you want to know what wisdom is, find it in Christ and be found in Christ. If you want to know what the application of wisdom looks like, look at Christ. For Christ is the perfect picture of the righteous application of true knowledge. He is the wise son wherein all wisdom is found, and he is the one who will lead us into that wisdom. We read Psalm twenty three, and I think it's appropriate. What are we saying Psalm twenty three? And I think it's very appropriate that we did that, because in the midst of all of this, teaching our sons to recognize wisdom, teaching our sons to distinguish her voice, in the midst of all of this is ultimately teaching them to be found in Christ and be led by the good Shepherd. Remember we talked about or we referred to John chapter ten when Jesus talking about his sheep, hearing his voice and him giving them eternal life. What a wonderful picture of that we have in Psalm twenty three, The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me and paths of righteousness for his Name's sake. Remember, how do we distinguish wisdom from folly her path? Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. You're Rod and your staff. They come of me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil. My cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. We must learn to recognize wisdom. We must learn to distinguish her voice, her motives, her path, and her end. We must learn that wisdom is found only in Christ. But here's the good news. We don't have to find wisdom alone. When we find Christ, we find wisdom and we find the good shepherd, who is wisdom and who will guide us to wisdom. Who will be our wisdom, and who will make us wise as we are conformed to His very image. May God grant us repentance and faith. May He open our eyes to see our need for wisdom, to see how prone we are to folly. And as He grants us repentance and faith, may we turn from self reliance and from following the paths of unrighteousness, turned to the cross, cling to Christ our good shiphard who will guide us into all wisdom because He is all wisdom, and who will make us wise because we will be conformed to His very image. May God grant us this may granted for Christ's sake. Amen,