Pastor Jon’s Sermon Notes
GODLY WISDOM VS WORLDLY WISDOM
“Listen to your heart, there’s nothing else you can do” (DHT “Listen to your heart”)
-This the cry of a generation: follow your heart & you can’t go wrong!
-From Disney to the Bachelor, we’re told to follow our hearts to make the best decisions!
-Who should you date, marry, career path, stay married: “what does your heart say?”
-Even Xn counsel seems to often be a mix of bible verses & follow your heart
*That is FOOLISH b/c left to ourselves we choose WRONGLY b/c we have sinful hearts!
-We don’t see the world rightly & left to ourselves we’ll ruin our lives
-Proverbs 30 acknowledges that human wisdom is folly & need to look to God/His Word
1. FOLLOWING YOUR HEART IS FOOLISH & DESTRUCTIVE
*The world says to follow your heart (self reliance), but the Bible says that is FOOLISH
*Prov 28:26 “Whoever trusts in his own heart is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.”
-It is WRONG to follow your heart b/c your heart is SINFUL
-Prov 20:9 “Who can say, ‘I have made my heart pure; I am clean from my sin’?” (no 1!)
-B/c of our sinful/impure condition we don’t choose rightly > we don’t see things rightly
-Deadly > won’t be “delivered”/saved!
*There are some things we can still see in our sin condition like “laziness leads to poverty…”
-BUT, there are things that are wise to God that are foolishness to men (1 Cor 1)
-AND, there are things that are foolish to God that we think are WISE
-Our logic is contaminated by sin & foolishness & way of world around us
-We don’t even see it > wisdom of this age makes sense to us b/c all we know
-Illust: Watched a movie grandparents would’ve considered hard core porn????
*Plenty of examples: to be wise in God’s eyes will mean that we look weird to the world
-Sleep together & live together before you get married (no cov). How else will you know?
-God: that’s destructive (we can see this but choose to ignore it)
-STD’s, heartbreak from pressure/guilt, co-habitation DOESN’T WORK (higher divorce %)
-World: if want to be rich then need to be stingy & keep things for self > don’t give away!
-Prov 11:24 “1 who gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, & only suffers want.”
-World: If someone wrongs you, then defend yourself, hold a grudge, revel in their failures, etc.
-Prov 24:17 “Do not rejoice when your enemy falls…”
-Prov 25:21-22 “If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink…” (do good to enemy/forgive/pray for)
-World: $ will make you happy/get as much as you can!
-Prov 11:28 “Whoever trusts in his riches will fall…”
-Prov 13:25 “The righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite” (be content!)
-Prov 15:16 “Better is a little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure & trouble with it.”
–(God: you’ll be happier w/ less > Chandler never heard a kid say…)
-World: If you want to get ahead you need to promote yourself/brag
-Prov 27:2 “Let another praise you, & not your own mouth..”
-World: get what you want now & pay for it later (spend $ you don’t have)
-God: that’s dumb (and we can even see that…)
-World: people are basically good at heart (if not it’s fault of upbringing/environment)
-God says NO ONE is pure in heart (20:9)
-World: don’t discipline/be hard on your kids, be friends w/ them, don’t say “no”…you don’t want them to be maladjusted do you?
-Prov 13:24 “He who loves [his son] is diligent to discipline him.”
-World: follow your heart when it comes to dating, friends you have, the style you have, the lifestyle you lead…don’t listen to parents, pastors, teachers, etc. (be your SELF)
-God says that’s foolish > submit to your parents > listen to counsel (not just “yes” men)
-World: go along to get along; don’t rock the boat; don’t jeopardize a friendship by having a difficult conversation…who are you to “judge” them anyways?!
-Prov 27:5 “Better open rebuke than hidden love”
*Some of these things, if we step back, we can see how they’re foolish
*Others we can’t see (ie. bragging), but God says they’re foolish & we will be held accountable for them!
-This is B/C we don’t see the world rightly, & big PROBLEM is that we DON’T know it
-We’re wise in our own eyes (epitome of folly; Prov 21:2)
-Folly isn’t silliness as much as it’s LIKE colorblindness (MY HOUSE)
-You aren’t able to see things the way they really are (can’t perceive order)
-Self-deceived & can’t see that you aren’t RIGHT, so go against grain & hurt yourself & others
*There is a way that seems right to a man but in the end it leads to death (14:12; 16:25)
-What seems right course to you leads to ruin/death b/c not seeing things clearly!
-Left to ourselves we WILL choose the wrong way (folly bound up in heart of a child)
–ILLUST: Kids NOT sharing > also true for us > self-decieved? (lethal blindness)
-Prov 12:15 “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice”
-Foolish is to think your way is always right & to not listen to the counsel in your life
-Parent, pastor, a godly friend, etc.
*We need to be called away from trusting in ourselves to trusting the Lord
-Prov 3:5 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, & do not lean on your own understanding”
-Two sides of same coin (Trust God NOT yourself) > Be not wise in your own eyes (3:7)
-Folly = thinking you’re wise/thinking your way is always right (lack of humility)
*AND, this kind of pride & self-deception is DEADLY DANGEROUS
*Prov 26:12 “Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There’s more hope for a fool than for him.”
-Worse than a fool b/c of your cockiness (some don’t even see their cockiness)
-NO hope > deadly consequences > go against grain & hurt yourself
-APP: plans fail b/c didn’t get advice; wreck family (); STD; heartbreak
-Run family into ground, become miserable person, kids out of control, etc.
-B/c trust yourself & care too much what others think of you
*Prov 29:25 “The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is SAFE.”
-Fear man rather than God: want to be liked/accepted so make dumb decisions (xmas lights)
*TRANS > don’t look to self > so where do we look for wisdom in decision-making?
2. INSTEAD, FOLLOW GOD & HIS WORD
*Wisdom is found in God (after all He made the world & knows how it works) > look to Him/His Word
-Boil down Proverbs: Trust God NOT yourself!
-The Fear of the Lord is the KEY component to wisdom (1:7; 9:10; etc.)
*What does this mean? 2 parts: 1) Trust God & Trust His Word
-Fear of Y = reverent awe & dependence on Him that leads to obeying Him
-Includes fearing Him who can cast soul & body into Hell (healthy fear)
*Can be boiled down: Trust in the Lord w/ all your heart & lean not own understanding!
-This requires HUMILITY (almost synonymous w/ Fear of Y > 15:31-33)
-1st step to wisdom = realizing you’re NOT wise; don’t know it all; not always right!
-Wisdom = humble enough to admit you don’t know everything, that you make mistakes…
-AND, then submit yourself to God & wise counsel (correct wise men & he’ll be wiser; 9:8-10)
-Prov 11:2 “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.”
-Prov 16:18-20 “Pride goes before destruction…and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord”
*Fear of the Lord & knowledge of God (2:5) seem to be parallel > personal relationship!
-Fear Him B/C He is the one who gives Wisdom (we’ve said this)
-AND, it comes from HIS mouth > which means the WORD of God!
-Fearing/knowing Him means going to His Word (submit to it as authority for your life)
*Prov 30:1-6: Agur acknowledges that he is NOT wise > wisdom lies in heaven w/ God
-NO one has gone up to Him to get it! (wisdom starts w/ recognizing own ignorance)
-It belongs to His SON (Jesus)
-It is to be found in the WORD (and the Word is personal) vv. 5-6
-Don’t ADD to his words > the Scriptures are sufficient in & of themselves
-APP: need something else besides it/
*Need the word to shape your thinking (worldview) so observe world thru this lens (Word & WORD)
-Otherwise you can’t see how corrupted the world is around you
-See this throughout Proverbs: keep the commands, look to the law, look to the Prophets
-APP: needs to be written on your heart thru conversion, BUT our task…
-Bind them on neck, heart, fingers: something wear on fingers to remind them of Scripture
-Wear a rubber band w/ a reference on it…memorize & mediate on Scritpure (saturates you)!
*This is life-giving (positive consequences)
*Prov 28:14 “Blessed is the 1 who fears the Lord always, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity” (blessing, but if reject Y then disastrous!)
-It prolongs life (10:27), whereas folly can ruin life or lead to premature death
-It has positive consequences on family > In fear of Y children have a refuge (14:26)
-19:23 leads to not having anxiety b/c satisfied/resting in the Lord
-APP: honor (good name/rep), joy, eternal life, etc.
3. AND, FOLLOW GODLY INSTRUCTION & COUNSEL
*Godly wisdom is often mediated thru human agents: parents, counselors, authority figures, pastors, etc
-Folly is NOT submitting to these agents (b/c don’t think need it/think you’re right)
-Wisdom is submitting to godly counsel wherever it comes from (must accord w/ Word)
-You humbly submit B/C you know you need it & need to learn more & learn from mistakes
-Prov 10:8 “The wise of heart will receive commandments, but a babbling fool will come to ruin”
-correction for your BEST > NOT in self interest to ignore counsel as much as you think it is!
*The 1st place you submit is to your PARENTS (as to the Lord’s authority): 1:8; 2:1; 3:1; 4:1, 10, etc.
*Prov 13:1 “A wise son hears his father’s instruction, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke”
-God placed this authority in your life FOR YOUR GOOD!
-Wise children heed their parents’ counsel; fools don’t listen to their parents
-Fools think their parents are unwise & outdated! (you’ll learn one day)
-Mark Twain, “”When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.”
-Objection: what if parents are ungodly? (STILL submit; Rm 13; unless force you to disobey God)
-They’ve got more experience (parents, get wise…same experience 20 times…learn)
*Outside of parent to child, in our lives even as grown-ups there are authority figures & counselors
-Pastors (Heb 13), bosses, teachers, peers/advisors/counselors in church family (for good)
-Godly friends who will tell you what you need to hear NOT just what you want to hear
-Should WANT correction b/c for your good! (need community) > church family!
-Prov 15:22 “Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed”
-Your own opinion is not sufficient (2 heads better than one)
*Consequences: NOT listening harms you & others (lead them astray by folly/sin; 10:17)
CONCLUSION- We are programmed to reject the voice of God & listen to the wrong voice, usually ours
*It has been this way since EDEN > Voice of Serpent got Eve to go after what her own eyes said was right
-She rejected the Word of God & instead listened to the voice of the serpent & her own eyes!
-Trusting yourself & listening to Satan go together!
-She sought wisdom/knowledge apart from the Word of God, & it was destructive (death)
-She became the one who decided what is good & evil instead of listening to God
-AND, we’ve been doing it EVER since!!! (all of us have chosen to disobey God’s Word)
-Choosing the wisdom of the world over the Word of God
-BUT, there was one man who didn’t give in to the temptation in the garden
-He said NOT what I WANT, but what you want > I’ll go to the cross
*READ 1 Cor 1 > This 1 lives life we couldn’t live (perfect trust), died the death we should’ve died (cross), & offers us forgiveness, his perfect righteousness, & transformation to his wise character
-Turn away from yourself & turn to Him!
