Sermon Tone Analysis

Songs of Worship

I Adore You - Phil Wickham

It Is Well With My Soul - Phil Wickham

I Am Thine, O Lord - Fanny Crosby

Jesus I Lift My Eyes - Jars Of Clay

Praise Him - Shane & Shane

I Surrender All - Newsboys

Call To Worship Scripture

Sermon Scripture

Wisdom is seeing God.

REVIEW:

Last week we discussed the providence of God.

That is how God provides and how His good and perfect will shall be accomplished by His great doing.

Now the providence of God will help us in our learning of the wisdom of God or the exersise of Godly wisdom.

Last Month at our Bibles study we introduced:

Wisdom: A Practical And Necessary Pursuit of/in Godliness

Scripture:

 Give me now wisdom and knowledge to go out and come in before this people, for who can govern this people of yours, which is so great?”

Give me now wisdom and knowledge to go out and come in before this people, for who can govern this people of yours, which is so great?”

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version.

(2016).

().

Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

Last Month Questions: asked what pursuits have caused us to desire wisdom, what is wisdom, how do you obtain wisdom & exercise wisdom?

We also looked at what is the opposite of wisdom and saw the necessity of wisdom.

Note: There was also a distinction made between worldly wisdom and godly wisdom.

We discussed godly wisdom.

Summary of Key Points:

Point 1: Often wisdom is seen as a necessary tool in order to reach or obtain another desire.

Meaning I desire wisdom in how to build a house…meaning, I desire the necessary know how to build a house.

Ultimately the desire when we view it this way is the house not wisdom.

Wisdom is simply a bridge to help us reach our ultimate desire.

As such our life becomes full of pursuits: toys/entertainments, job, relationship, house, comforts/pleasures…

However the Bible speaks of wisdom less as a bridge to something and more as an ultimate treasure, as a practical and necessary pursuit of the believer.

It is a desire, a pursuit which is seen as good and pleasing to God.

Though the obtaining of wisdom is seen in human learning, experience and study, the Bible displays wisdom as less of physical obtaining and more of a spiritual fruit or even a gift of grace, received from God when sought by man.

Point 2: Wisdom Defined: (vines): The knowledge and the ability to make the right choices at the opportune time.

The consistency of making the right choice is an indication of maturity and development.

(I would add that wisdom (godly) begins before knowledge with, the fear of the Lord, desire and humility of heart.

The haughty person cannot be wise and the one who does not desire will not obtain.

Though fear of the Lord is listed here as a prerequisite by Vines, it cannot be disconnected from wisdom any more than knowledge can.

Scripture marries it together with knowledge as to say, knowledge is never conceived without the fear of the Lord, and without this true knowledge wisdom is never known.

Point 3: Path To Wisdom:

Fear God

Desire godliness - what is right before God, what is true before God

Seek godliness

Find godliness in God

Walk in godliness

Point 4: Further Thought

Wisdom ask: “Is this pleasing in the sight of the Lord?” Wisdom seeks the answer to that question, and wisdom responds/acts accordingly being tied together with the pleasures of God.

Wisdom knows if it is pleasing in the sight of the Lord then no one can stand against it.

Thus scripture speaking of the one who is abiding in God in suffering and pleasure says:

 - What then shall we say to these things?

If God is for us, who can be against us?

 - What then shall we say to these things?

If God is for us, who can be against us?

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version.

(2016).

().

Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

Wisdom is contrary to the thoughts and opinions of man.

Wisdom does not set a pursuit and ask for God’s help.

Wisdom ask for God’s permission, power and strength in seeking God and the things of God.

Wisdom says, Thy Will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.

Wisdom is content in having only God and whatever it has is not its own but it ask wether in little or much, “give me the knowledge, understanding, and wisdom to accomplish Your Word and what you have willed with this thing, circumstance, or decision.”

Point 5:

The application began with answering:

1.

How does the Bible define and use the word wisdom?

2. What does the Bible say about wisdom?

* What is it?

- Where does it come from?

- How do I get it?

3. What is at the heart of wisdom?

Then the application is seen in answering these questions, what will you do?

Solomon abandon God and as such all of his gifts and riches that he received became vain.

What about you?

Will you walk in vanity or in wisdom.

Do you see true wisdom and understand the treasure that it is?

Are you willing to think, live and walk differently.

Are you willing to be counted a fool in this world to live by the wisdom of God?

The choice to seek true godly wisdom and apply it or not, is a great life impacting and even eternally impacting decision…CHOOSE WISLEY.

DIRECTION:

Wisdom then is a very broad topic.

Specific areas that I explained last time that proves labor some is found in being a spouse, ordering your home, raising/teaching/training your children, occupation, managing finances.

In all of these things (and more) if we are to be wise then we are seeking not to accomplish them but to ask, “what is pleasing in the sight of the Lord” and then do it no matter the struggle.

We are in pursuit of God in this wisdom venture.

Remember what Christian says in Pilgrim’s Progress:

“TO GO BACK IS DEATH; TO GO FORWARD IS FEAR OF DEATH AND LIFE EVERLASTING BEYOND IT.

I WILL YET GO FORWARD.”

This describes well not only the Christian life, but the pursuit of godly wisdom applied.

Job: Our Introduction To Wisdom Literature

What do you find that you most often use to determine success or wether or not something was a wise decision?

Why?

The fear of failure is a very real fear, and often can at the very least effect our decisions.

What gives the fear of failure so much power over us?

What others think What failure means Having to start over… Sometimes more than the ultimate success of a decision, the pathway to that success can determine our decision.

Sometimes we prefer the easy road of survival over the difficult road to prosper.

Has such a view ever effected your decision.

Example: To correct my child now means that I will have a lengthy battle of perseverance and be inconvenienced or it is a small thing and I can let it go and deal with it at another time.

As such, though we may feel it right to discipline our child we bend that right so as to not suffer ourselves.

On a larger scale we can ask why is it that the right decision seems more difficult that the wrong decision?

Or…why do the righteous suffer.

With what we have learned about wisdom and what we will see in the scriptures tonight, we see that wisdom or the pursuit of it has a way of revealing ourselves to ourselves.

How does looking at what you use to determine wisdom, what choices you make in the face of wisdom and such reveal things about yourself to yourself?