Godly Wisdom

Transcript

This transcript was generated automatically from the audio and may contain small errors.

How's everybody doing? Good? Good. Today, we're going to be in Proverbs chapter 1, if you want to go ahead and flip to that. And while you're doing that, I'll tell you guys a little bit about myself. I'm from a town called Huntsville, Texas, about an hour north of Houston. This is a town also known as Prison City. We have seven prisons in Huntsville. No, I was not in prison, and neither was my family, so you don't have to worry about that. A lot of kids when they're in school have snow days and things like that. Well in Huntsville every once in a while we had what we called breakout days where an inmate had escaped and so you got to stay home from school or the school was locked down and so you just got to watch movies. So growing up in Huntsville was an interesting life. I was born into a Southern Baptist family and when I say a Southern Baptist family it wasn't just

like we went to church on Sundays. No, my grandfather was a Southern Baptist pastor, my father an ordained minister and a music minister, and my uncle a Southern Baptist pastor as well. And so when I say I know the Baptist realm, I do. I was born into it. I was there when the church opened and there to close the doors. At the age of seven years old, I found God. I found Christ. I was set on fire for him. I wanted to share him with all my friends and all my teachers, everyone around me. Fast forward to middle school though, my church didn't really have a great youth program. And so I went because I was supposed to, but it wasn't really my thing. My brother Troy, my older brother, had a disease called muscular dystrophy. This meant that his muscles didn't produce dystrophin and so they didn't grow. And so we weren't able to go outside and throw a football or a baseball, we were able to

run around, but what we could do was play video games and so that's what we did. And in middle school that became my life, that's what I fell in love with. Fast forward to high school though, I joined the marching band and I began to play trumpet and you know it seems kind of fitting as my name is Gabriel, but I got a lot of jokes about that one. But it became my life. Trumpet was my love, it's what I wanted to do the most of. And as you look at my life, God was number one at first, the age of seven, but as As the years began to build, God began to drop down the list. It's not that I didn't want to do Him anymore or experience Him, it's just I wanted to do more of those things that gave me more immediate joy. Sophomore year of high school though, the church that we had attended my entire life decided that they wanted things differently. The pastor there decided he wanted to do things his own way and so he ran my father

off in my family. I had already been receiving the call when I would pray as a kid to preach. And now it was evident to me this is not what I wanted to do. I didn't want to be a preacher. I had heard the stories of the hurt in my grandfather's life and now I had seen it first hand from my father and my family. And so I ran from it. I dove further into video games. I became my life. I would play it eight hours a day just so that it would numb the pain. I began to look at things on the internet that my friends had told me about. But all those things did was leave me more broken than I already was. Junior year of high school, I was driving home from jazz band practice, and I had a really big truck. I had a 7-inch lift kit and 33-inch rims, and I lost control of the truck. It had been raining, and I overcorrect, and I hit a guardrail. The truck was so big that it flattened the guardrail, and it just shot off, and I went

airborne. And at first, you know, it was kind of cool, because I was like, wow, those cars are really tiny down there. But then the truck landed and rolled sideways down the hill. I crawled out of the passenger side window and up the hill, no bumps, no bruises, no scratches, and a state trooper that arrived on scene pulled me aside and said, kid, I don't know who you pray to, but you need to thank him because you should be dead. I've seen a lot of wrecks nowhere near this bad and people die. So at that point I was like, okay, obviously I'm here for a reason. God, what do you want me to do with my life? How can I repay you for saving me? And he said, preach. And I was like, ah, been there, no, I'm not going back to the ministry. I began to go back to church though because I figured, you know, it's the right thing to do. God saved me, so that's the least that I can do for him.

I graduate high school and I am accepted to Sam Houston State University as a nursing student. I figured, you know, I can make good money there, I wanted the American dream. I can have the big house, I can have the perfect family and the cool car. And so that's what I wanted. The semester before I start Sam Houston State University, my grandmother passes away in the ICU in front of me. And I think to myself, you know, I don't wanna do this every day. I don't wanna look around and see all the hurt. I wanna be able to help these people. So I decide to change. I'm like, okay, something different. I don't wanna be in the health field. So I decide I'll be a state trooper. I get a carry a gun, I get a cool car given to me, and you make pretty good money, so that's what I'm gonna do. Well, it occurs to me in my first semester of criminal justice at Sam Houston State University

that I don't wanna get shot. So I'm like, all right, well, this is depressing. Studying the criminal mind is not very fun. It is just awful. And so no offense to anyone who has a criminal justice degree, but it's boring. And so I decide, you know, God, what do you want me to do? And I come to the realization, you know, he keeps telling me to preach, but I don't want to do that. And my family and I watch a movie called Case for Christ. Now, I don't know what it was about the movie, but something in it told me, this is it. God's the only answer. I've been running from it for too long. So I broke down, I told my parents, you know, I'm supposed to be a pastor. And they looked at me and they go, yeah, we know. And I was like, you couldn't have told me that? You couldn't have pushed me towards it? And they're like, no, that's something you had to figure out for yourself.

So I began to change my degree into history. I began to join every church group that I could. I became an intern at the church. I began preaching at a retirement home. And the first sermon that I ever preached, I prepared for 30 minutes. I get up there and I'm so happy and I finish in five. And I'm standing there and I'm like, okay, well, that's it. And the old people just kind of stare at me and I was like, all right, well, yeah, cool. And, but even though it was five minutes, I realized those five minutes were the happiest I've ever been. Knowing that I was able to share something that God had spoken directly to me and he had given it to me for everyone else, that's what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. And so here I am. I moved away from Huntsville up to Fort Worth where I attend Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and I am a resident at First Baptist Burleson and I'm getting to preach to you

guys. Throughout my life, there's been something that stood out to me, no matter what time it was, even while I was running to God, and that was knowledge and wisdom. Why? Because to know what wisdom is, is to know what is right. To know knowledge is to choose correctly. I wish I looked at my school work back in the day in high school and college like that, but we all know how that is. I've always been fascinated though by simple quotes by philosophers because something so plain so obvious can cut so deep into who we are. Something so plain can cut into the very fabric of who you and I are and what makes us unique. For example, Frederick Nietzsche says to live is to suffer, but to survive is to find meaning within one's suffering. This is a statement that is so simple yet so deep at the same time. Why? Because it is true. To live is to have suffering in your life.

But we find purpose in Jesus and we have hope in Him that one day all the suffering will end. As I've studied some philosophers and their thoughts, I'm always brought back to the man who was more wise than Hume or Plato or Socrates, all put together and his name was Solomon. Solomon was the son of King David, the king of Israel, who you may remember Solomon's mother was Bathsheba whom David had an affair with and killed her husband to cover it up. Solomon came to power after the passing of his father David and he was given a kingdom, But more importantly, he was given the job of leading God's people. And God spoke to Solomon and he said, Solomon, you can have anything you want. Just ask me for anything. And Solomon goes, God, what I want is wisdom. I want to see the world through your eyes. God was so pleased with Solomon's answer that he gave this to him and all the worldly

riches because he didn't ask for them. His heart's true desire was knowledge. went on to write down his findings in life and to share his wisdom with the future generations of the world. And the name of this book is Proverbs. So if you will look with me at Proverbs chapter 1 verse 1. The Proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel, for gaining wisdom and instruction, for understanding words of insight, for receiving instruction and prudent behavior, doing what is right and just and fair, for giving prudence to those who were simple, knowledge and discretion to the young. Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the disearning get guidance for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise." Verses 1-6 are where Solomon tells us his purpose for writing this book. Why he wants to share the wisdom. He wants to give it to anyone who is willing to read it. And before

we continue, let me explain that Solomon's wisdom is different than that of the worldly philosophers that we know of. You see Solomon's wisdom was godly wisdom. He didn't just gain it through reading random books or anything. He was given it directly from God. This meant that Solomon didn't have to go through all the hurt and the pain that takes us normal humans to get to the right answer. He was able to just stare truth right in the face. And that's what he plans to share with us here. Look at verse 7, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction." Let me read that again. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. Is Solomon telling us here that when we don't listen to our peers when they're trying to help us correct something that we're fools? Is he saying that when we come to church just to say that we went and we don't pay attention

and we don't gather anything and grow, then we're being fools. Is he calling us fools when God uses a spouse or a friend or a coworker to try and correct some attitude in our life that is not right? Are we being foolish? Yes. That's exactly what he's saying and more. But you wanna know the real gut punch, the real kicker? Every single one of us was, is, and will be a fool. How so? How can you say that? You see, we know as Christians where the answers lie, but we don't seek them there. At least not first. We run to the world and everyone else, and we seek counsel from everyone else instead of the one person, the one place that we can find the answer to everything. I wish we could grasp the fullness of God, because if we could, we would not be headed in the way that we are right now. Our society has lost their fear of God. They begin to look at Him as this big man upstairs.

You know, I hate that term because it makes it seem as if He's not living in every single one of us, every second of every day. We go to verse 8, listen my son to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching. They are garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck. Now I don't want to spend too much time on these couple verses because we just talked about instruction, but I do want to point out one thing. What would it be like if we look at our parents' correction and their instructions as a garland to grace our head and a chain to a door in our neck.

For me, it's usually a, yeah, yeah, I know, mom, I know dad, I know these things. I'm grown up, I'm 22 years old, I'm on my own, I got it. But I wonder what it would be like if we looked at their instruction as a gift instead of a constant nag. However, parents, for you, that means you have a very important job. That means that you have to know what you're talking about. Otherwise, you can mislead your child. So don't lie or make something up, just say, hey, that's a really good question. Why don't we study this together or why don't we seek counsel on this together? Because a lie, a misleading, can lead to greater harm than no information at all. Look at verse 10. My son, if sinful men entice you, do not give in to them. If they say, come along with us, let's lie and wait for innocent blood, Let's ambush some harmless soul. Let's swallow them alive like the grave and whole,

like those who go down to the pit. We will get all sorts of valuable things and fill our houses with plunder. Cast lots with us. We will all share the loot. My son do not go along with them. Do not set foot on their paths. For their feet rush into evil. They are swift to shed blood. How useless to spread a net where every bird can see it. These men lie in wait for their own blood. They ambush only themselves. Such are the paths of all who go after ill-gotten gain. It takes away the life of those who get it.

Does this sound familiar? It should, because it seems like many ideas that are being floated around in our society today, just with a filter over them so they don't seem as harsh. Let me give you some examples. What about an elected official who serves their own purpose and lines their own pockets instead of helping the people who put them there? What about a thought process at work of lining your own pockets or helping yourself because, oh, the company has plenty, they won't miss it? Ladies and gentlemen, dishonesty will always catch up with us. And if not in this life, then on Judgment Day. We have to answer for everything and it's a very scary place to be. Look with me at verse 20. Out in the open, wisdom calls aloud. She raises her voice in the public square. On top of the wall, she cries out, at the city gate she makes her speech. How long will you who are simple love your simple ways?

How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge? Repent at my rebuke, then I will pour out my thoughts to you. I will make known to you my teachings. But since you refuse to listen when I call, and no one pays attention when I stretch out my hand, since you disregard all my advice and do not accept my rebuke, I in turn will laugh when disaster strikes you. I will mock when calamity overtakes you, when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind, when distress and trouble overwhelm you. Then they will call to me, but I will not answer. They will look for me but will not find me, since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the Lord. Since they would not accept my advice and spurn my rebuke, they will eat the fruit of their ways and be filled with the fruit of their schemes. For the waywardness of the simple will kill them and the complacency of fools will destroy

them. But whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease without fear from harm." You know many people in our society today ask, what's the problem? How can there still be so much hate, so much division at this time? I thought we would be past this by now. I mean, it's 2021, for Pete's sakes. How can there be such a difference in a stigma between the races and the generations?

The answer, my brothers and sisters, is the constant denial of wisdom. And not just any wisdom, but godly wisdom. This is not a new problem, though. This is an issue that has existed since the beginning of man. All this seems a little harsh though, don't you think? I mean we're reading from the Old Testament. "'Since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the Lord and spurned my rebuke.'" People wonder why the world does things that wouldn't happen if they just thought through what they were going to say or do before they did it. Yet the ones asking these questions are the same ones who are denying correction. Even though they choose to avoid logic, in the end we wonder why it didn't work out or why someone got hurt. But you know the real problem, the real sad part, we as Christians do the exact same thing. The ones who are given the Holy Spirit for godly wisdom continue to turn away from it.

And what's even worse is not only do we refuse logic like the rest of the world, but when we then proceed to question why God allowed something to happen in our lives. Instead of recognizing that our own mistakes caused our own pain, now I'm not saying that God doesn't use our mistakes, he clearly does. I'm not saying that he doesn't give us trials, he clearly does. My brother had muscular dystrophy, he died less than two years ago. It was no one's fault, that was this world. But the denial and rejection of wisdom in our churches is the problem with our country and with our world. And until the people who are given the wisdom accept it and begin to live it, then the world never will. So the next time we sit down and we watch the news and we wonder what is wrong, ask yourself, I wonder what the local church's outreach is in that community. And are we as a church who has resources helping other churches reach

their community as we reach ours? Because if you want to fix the world, then you have to do it with the one who created it, because he's the only one who has the patience and the resources to do it. Here's the good news though. We serve a God who says, you can't be perfect. You're going to be foolish. We're humans, we're broken. It's going to happen. But I love you so much that I'm going to pay the price. So he did, he came down in the form of a baby, and he grew up, and he paid that price. Death on a cross, torture until death. And then they stuck him in a tomb. But you see, that's not all he did. On the third day, the tomb was empty because he had risen. He didn't just pay the price so that we could know God. No, he defeated death so that we could be with God for eternity. So let me ask us, are we a people who wisdom will sit atop of the gate calling to and never

receive an answer from? Or are we a people who will answer in fear God? What needs to change today in your life? I know there are things that need to change in mind. My question for you church is what kind of church do you want to be? Will you be filled with God's wisdom or with the wisdom of this world? It's a question we all have to answer for ourselves. And it's a question that will depend on whether we allow God to use us to change the world or not. Pray with me. Heavenly Father, we come before you this morning. We thank you for your son Jesus. We thank you that we are able to be fools because you love us, because we can't help it, but you take care of us anyway. We ask for your wisdom and your knowledge so that you may be glorified and made known, so that this world can turn back to you. Help us Lord and give us our hearts for you. In Jesus name, Amen.

Every hour, my Savior, come to me