[0:00] And so we turn tonight to Proverbs chapter 8 to be led by our good shepherd into wisdom's ways. Wisdom's path.
[0:13] And so wisdom calls to us. Proverbs chapter 8. Does not wisdom call out?
[0:24] Does not understanding raise her voice on the heights along the way where the paths meet? She takes her stand beside the gates leading into the city at the entrances.
[0:36] She cries aloud to you, oh, man, I call out. I raise my voice to all mankind. You who are simple gain prudence. You who are foolish gain understanding.
[0:49] Listen, for I have worthy things to say. I open my lips to speak what is right. My mouth speaks what is true. For my lips detest wickedness.
[1:01] All the words of my mouth are just. None of them is crooked or perverse. To the discerning, all of them are right. They are faultless to those who have knowledge.
[1:14] Choose my instruction instead of silver. Knowledge rather than choice gold. For wisdom is more precious than rubies and nothing you desire can compare with her.
[1:26] I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence. I possess knowledge and discretion. To fear the Lord is to hate evil. I hate pride and arrogance.
[1:39] Evil behavior and perverse speech. Counsel and sound judgment are mine. I have understanding and power. By me kings reign and rulers make laws that are just.
[1:53] By me princes govern and all nobles who rule on earth. I love those who love me and those who seek me find me. With me are riches and honor, enduring wealth and prosperity.
[2:07] My fruit is better than fine gold. What I yield surpasses choice silver. I walk in the way of righteousness along the paths of justice. Bestowing wealth on those who love me and making their treasuries full.
[2:24] The Lord brought me forth as the first of his works. Before his deeds of old, I was appointed from eternity. From the beginning, before the world began.
[2:35] When there were no oceans, I was given birth. When there were no springs abounding with water. Before the mountains were settled in place.
[2:45] Before the hills, I was given birth. Before he made the earth or its fields or any of the dust of the world. I was there when he set the heavens in place.
[2:57] When he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep. When he established the clouds above and fixed securely the fountains of the deep. When he gave the sea its boundary so that the waters would not overstep his command.
[3:12] And when he marked out the foundations of the earth. Then I was the craftsman at his side. I was filled with delight day after day, rejoicing always in his presence.
[3:25] Rejoicing in his whole world and delighting in mankind. Now then, my sons, listen to me. Blessed are those who keep my ways.
[3:36] Listen to my instruction and be wise. Do not ignore it. Blessed is the man who listens to me. Watching daily at my doors. Waiting at my doorway.
[3:48] For whoever finds me, finds life. And receives favor from the Lord. But whoever fails to find me, harms himself. All who hate me, love death.
[4:03] Come Pastor Jason. In Proverbs chapter 7, we got a close up HD look at the adulteress.
[4:15] She's wooing, seducing young men. And a young man in particular to join her. To give himself to her. It's all lies. It's all subterfuge.
[4:27] It's all flattery. Slaughter. Her house is a highway to the grave. But she says, let's drink deep of love.
[4:38] She's promising love, but it's poison. That's Proverbs chapter 7. We see the adulteress's seduction.
[4:49] Well, in chapter 8, Lady Wisdom has her opportunity, has her chance to convince, to woo, to seduce young men to join her.
[5:01] To give themselves to her, to love her. She's saying the very same thing in a very different way. She's saying, love me. Choose me.
[5:12] Let's drink deep of love together. Listen to me. Lady Wisdom is doing her very best to persuade you, whoever you are, to follow her, to listen and follow her.
[5:26] She's not indifferent. This is what I find very encouraging about this chapter. Wisdom is not indifferent to whether you take her or not.
[5:37] Look at verse 31. She delights in mankind. She delights in mankind.
[5:48] In creation, she delighted to see creatures, beings like you that could appreciate her, that could enjoy her, that could know her, that could love her.
[5:59] She delighted in mankind. That word means dance. It means laugh. It is not a subtle amusement. It's an extreme. She isn't just a little pleased with mankind's creations.
[6:12] She's transported with joy because in you and in me, as creatures made in the image of God, we can know her.
[6:24] We can love her. We can dance and play with her. They thrill her and she can thrill them. Verse 17 says, I love those who love me.
[6:35] Again, lady wisdom is not indifferent to your affections. Lady wisdom is not indifferent to what you do with her. She's not standoffish.
[6:46] She's not a snob. She wants your affection. She wants you to pay attention to her. And let me make this plain and clear. Ultimately, this is talking about Jesus Christ.
[7:02] Jesus Christ isn't indifferent to you, to what you do with him. Because while he isn't perfectly described here in chapter 8, he is the perfect fulfillment of Proverbs or of wisdom in chapter 8.
[7:23] He's Proverbs chapter 8, all grown up, walking, breathing on the earth. She calls out. He calls out.
[7:34] She was with God in the beginning. We've read that. John chapter 1 begins, and it's almost a meditation on what we see here in Proverbs chapter 8.
[7:46] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made. Without him nothing was made that has been made.
[7:58] In him was life, and that life was the light of men. Whoever finds her finds life. And the very same thing, he who has the Son has life.
[8:13] She was God's constant companion in creation. The word craftsman in verse 30. It's an unusual word.
[8:26] It might not be craftsman. It might be continually with him. And I think that fits the context better. What this is saying is that all along the way, as God was creating, wisdom was constantly with him.
[8:43] And then we go to Colossians chapter 1, and it says, He is the image of the invisible God. He's the mirrored reflection of who God is. And he was with him.
[8:56] The firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created. Things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible. He is before all things. That's one of the key words in Proverbs chapter 8.
[9:10] Is before. He's before the hills. Before the mountains. Before all these things. So wisdom is only personified in Proverbs chapter 8.
[9:22] Wisdom isn't really a person in chapter 8 calling in the streets. At least not yet. But the New Testament has to tell us that wisdom will be a real person.
[9:37] Walking in the streets. And calling for people to hear and to listen. Jesus Christ raised his voice and said, Come to me. Learn from me.
[9:48] Jesus Christ is the wisdom of God. So if we look at it from the total biblical perspective. Using the Old Testament. The New Testament. We see that Proverbs chapter 8 is an evangelistic text.
[10:03] It's a text with good news. With good news for you. With good will behind it. Just as when we preach the gospel.
[10:13] We are really preaching that God has good will. Towards sinners. He wants to save them. He wants to redeem them. Proverbs chapter 8 is an evangelistic text.
[10:24] So here's good news. The wisdom of God wants you to know him. Wants you to love him. Wants you to embrace him. And you can have him. And it doesn't matter who you are.
[10:36] It doesn't matter how far along the road you've gone. To the fools. The dullards. He gives himself. The confused. The untutored. The simple.
[10:47] He says, take me. Learn from me. And so Proverbs chapter 8 is pointing us to what Christ wants to make of us. What he is promising and giving to us.
[10:59] To what Christ wants to make of you. Our sanctification. Our glorification. That we heard about in Romans chapter 8 this morning.
[11:12] It has to do with our moral character. Whether we're upright. Righteous. Or not. And needing to grow in that way.
[11:22] Our glorification is when we are made like Christ in every way. Including in his wisdom. Because. Christ is filling us and preparing us.
[11:36] To reign and to rule with him forever. You see that in Revelation near the end. Our sanctification. Our glorification is all preparation.
[11:47] For getting us ready to do what's in front of us forever and ever. To rule. And we need wisdom for that. And so wisdom isn't indifferent. She wants you to take her.
[12:02] She wants you to eagerly take her. To tend to her. To love her. To pursue her. To find her. And so let's do that. And let's do that together. We want to grow in this grace of wisdom.
[12:14] And so let's set our minds and our hearts to do that. Let's become wise together. Together. Tonight. Proverbs 8 breaks down into four parts. And there are four pairs. Four parts.
[12:24] And there are four pairs. And the first section. The first pair. Is wisdom. Calls and commands. Wisdom calls and commands.
[12:35] So if you're taking notes. That's the first pair. Wisdom calls and commands. So wisdom climbs up to the highest places. To the most obvious. Where she can easily be seen.
[12:46] On top of the walls. On the high places. On top of the city gate. Now there are crowds of people. That's the scene you need to have in your mind. There are crowds of people. This is not out in the country somewhere.
[12:57] This is in the city. There's merchants. And there's travelers. And there's pilgrims. And there's children playing. There's soldiers. And judges. And men.
[13:08] And women. And boys. And girls. Someone like you. Is in the scene. They're all milling around. They're all going their way.
[13:18] Children singing. And dancing. Jesus talked about children singing in the streets. That was something that he knew. There's teachers teaching. There's soldiers on guard. There's rulers hearing cases.
[13:29] There's merchants making deals. There's soldiers planning. There's women buying food. Men pulling wagons. And in the middle of real life.
[13:41] Where you live. The things that you do. Whatever that might be. Over all that noise. Wisdom calls. She sings.
[13:52] She raises her voice. So men. Women. Young. Old. Rich. Poor. Simple. Naive. Untutored. You haven't been taught.
[14:04] Listen. Fools. If you're. It's talking about people that are dull. Morally. Morally. Clueless people. She says. Listen to me.
[14:15] Hear me. And we look. We look at this woman. Who is standing. And grabbing all of our attention. And we see her. And she's radiant. And she's glorious.
[14:26] She's a refined. Gorgeous. Woman. A queen. And she's talking. With us. She says. She has worthy things to say.
[14:36] That's noble things. She's a noble woman. With noble things to say. And yet. Here she is. She's talking to. People like you and me. So we want to see her.
[14:49] Humiliation. You see how Christ like she is. We've read chapter 8. Proverbs 8. We've seen. She's been with God. She was his companion.
[15:01] She was there at creation. And when the Lord. Carved out. The oceans. And. Marked off the hills. And made a place for men. And women. And animals. To live.
[15:11] And to thrive. And to enjoy. His creation. So she's exalted. From ancient times. Remember. Before the oceans. Before the hills. Before the mountains.
[15:22] She's from of old. So. Whoever you are. She wants you though. She's talking to you. This glorious person. Is speaking to you.
[15:35] And I told you. She is Christ like. There is neither male nor female. Rich nor poor. Jew. Greek. Barbarian. Scythian. Slaver free. Christ calls all.
[15:47] Respective. Or irrespective. Of. Of your standing. Of your gender. Of your job. God. Calls you. To himself. So are you.
[16:02] Are you. Coming when the dinner bell rings. She's calling. Are you. Are you moving. Towards her. It's more than a call. She commands. This. This first pair. As she calls.
[16:12] And she commands. She says. These things. That. She expects. To be. Obeyed. She says. Here. Listen. Take to heart.
[16:29] If you aren't growing. In wisdom. You are disobeying. If you aren't growing. In wisdom. I'll repeat this. You are disobeying.
[16:40] If you are pursuing. Wisdom. It's not that you're missing. On the extra credit. Of being a disciple. Of Jesus Christ. That if you have your. Certain things.
[16:51] All in a row. That that's all that you need. And this wisdom business. Is just extra credit. No. This is. These are commands. Everything wisdom. Has to say. Is true. It's dependable.
[17:04] And so we need to listen. To it. Verse seven. Eight. Chapter eight. Verse seven. Says. She detests wickedness. Again. This is why.
[17:14] We need to listen to her. So far from. Saying something. That is untrue. She detests. Even the thoughts. Of some sort of wicked. Untrue. Thing. Coming across her mouth.
[17:26] She despises. Anything. That even smacks. Of a lie. So. And then she says. Everyone who is wise. Will attest. To what I'm saying.
[17:36] My words are perfect. My words are true. They've listened to me. They've learned from me. They've lived their life. And now looking back.
[17:46] And looking on this. They can say. You know what? What she had to say. Was true. And so you need to listen to her. And what she says. Is precious. She's going to give us something. That. Something of the mind of God.
[17:58] This is not useless. Philosophy. This is insight. That penetrates. Right down. Into the heart of things. She's going to take off. The back of the. The watch. If you will.
[18:08] And show us. Some of the gears. This is how life works. And she's going to teach us. What this means. And she's calling. And she's commanding. She's wooing.
[18:19] And she's warning. As we're going to see. For you to listen to her. She has truth. And she wants your attention. So that's wisdom's call and command.
[18:30] Now our second pair. Wisdom equips. And enriches. Wisdom equips. And enriches. She equips. She can equip you.
[18:41] She can prepare you. She can arm you. That's what I mean. She can equip you. To do the things. That God made you for. To carry out the calling.
[18:51] That God has given you. Now. In general. We can see. What has God made you for? If we go back to Genesis. Chapter 1 and 2.
[19:02] We see God's intentions. For all of mankind. Mind. It was that man would have dominion. Again. That's rule. That's authority.
[19:14] They were meant to have dominion. To rule. To exercise authority. To subdue the earth. And fill it. God's intention for Adam and Eve. And all of his children. Originally was.
[19:25] For them to take. What was in the garden. Of Eden. This holy. Perfect place. And then spread it. To the ends. Of the earth. To make the whole world.
[19:37] This garden. Where God and man met. So. It was. In that form. It was to take the kingdom of God. And to spread it. To the ends of the earth.
[19:49] So. That's. Your. God given. Goal. That is. A big. Thing. I think. We think too little. Of our lives. We think too little. Of what God has given us to do.
[20:00] This is your God given goal. This is your high calling. And so. What do you need. For that kind of calling. Now. It's going to look different. For each of us. Your job fits in here.
[20:11] Your. Your. Your place in society. Where. Like. There's all sorts of differences. But the overall thing is. You. You. You were meant to have dominion. And so. What do you need.
[20:22] If you are going to fulfill. That calling. You're going to do this. For the glory of God. You're going to need. What Solomon. Realized. He was going to need. He hadn't been king.
[20:36] For very long. But Solomon knew. What to ask the Lord for. When the Lord said. I'll give you anything. And Solomon said. Make me wise.
[20:47] That I might rule these people. Give me an understanding heart. So. Wisdom equips you to rule. Look at verses 12 through 16. Look at just the words.
[20:58] We're not going to go into any detail. But do you see. How wisdom says. This is what I have to offer you. Prudence. That's an old fashioned word.
[21:09] It means cleverness though. Prudence. Knowledge. Discretion. Discretion is knowing how to see things for what they are. Knowing when to.
[21:19] When to speak. And when to be silent. To cut a narrow road. Make hard decisions. Do we need that sometimes? Do you need that sometimes?
[21:30] Discretion. To know what to say. Or what not to say. To know what to think about something. The fear of the Lord. Counsel. Sound judgment. Understanding.
[21:42] Power. By me. King's reign. She says. By me. Rulers. Make laws that are just. Trust. And so. Is that just for Solomon. And kings.
[21:54] And princes. That she talks about. And governors. No. That's for moms and dads. That's for managers at work. That's for employees at work. That's for every son of Adam.
[22:05] Or daughter of Eve. Young person. That is for you. The world wants to lower you down. And to say. You're just nothing. But the scrubby little consumer. And fill your mind with fluff.
[22:16] And stuff. But God says. You know what? I made you. To rule. I made you to have dominion. I made you to rule.
[22:27] For me. And I'm ready to equip you. With whatever you need. Prudence. Wisdom. Discretion. All of the rest. So we're all called to rule in some way.
[22:38] We're all given dominion over something. Even the smallest child. Is learning. When they pick up their. That mom says. Now you need to put your toys in the toy box. They're learning.
[22:49] To rule. They're learning to govern their space. And themselves. So the smallest child. All the way to the emperor of China. Is given dominion.
[23:00] And wisdom says. I can equip you. To do what you need to do. I can equip you. I can give you. What you need. For your life. For the place that God has called you.
[23:11] And the station he's given you. The responsibilities. Responsibilities he's given you. Whatever that is. I can give it to you. Insight. Prudence. Fear of the Lord.
[23:27] But it's more than equipping. It's enriching. Enriching. Wisdom blesses us. With the wealth. That we need. Maybe not.
[23:38] All the wealth that we want. And our greed. But all the wealth that we need. Wisdom blesses us. With financial resources. Again. We cannot be more spiritual.
[23:49] Than the Bible. Or think. Less of these things. The. Lady wisdom. The Lord himself. Is trying to. Woo us. And to say. This is.
[23:59] This is a good thing. And she says. With me are riches. And honor. Enduring wealth. And prosperity. Bestowing wealth. On those who love me.
[24:09] And making their treasuries full. So you marry wisdom. And you marry a woman. Who fills up your bank account. And she just keeps on doing it. Paul says.
[24:22] Well I guess what we want to say is. Isn't the love of. Money. The root of all kinds of evil. And so is this really a blessing.
[24:34] And Paul himself says that many have. Out of their greed. They've wandered from the faith. And they pierced themselves through. With many griefs. The love of money.
[24:45] Instead of bringing blessing. Brings grief. And heartache. And pain. But wisdom says. I can make you the kind of person. That understands both the worth of wealth.
[24:56] And the worthlessness of wealth. What is money good for? And what is it useless for? Wisdom makes us the kind of person. That sees money and finances. For what they are.
[25:07] And what they're not. And helps us to relate to them. So wisdom makes you the kind of person. That God can give money to. And it doesn't destroy you. It doesn't hurt you.
[25:19] Wisdom brings you wealth. And blessing with no sorrow. Added to it. In the fellowship of the ring.
[25:30] I'm reading it. Again. Because. Whatever. I'm useless. I guess. I need to do better in my reading. In the fellowship of the ring. Galadriel.
[25:40] Is the wisest. And the most beautiful. And. Elf. In the whole. All of Middle Earth. She gives rich gifts. She's certainly. Very much. An echo. Of.
[25:51] Of lady wisdom. And she says. To Gimeli. The dwarf. Who's. You know. Traveling with Frodo. And the rest. She says. Gimeli. Son of gloin. Your hands. Shall flow.
[26:01] With gold. And yet. Over you. Gold. Shall have no dominion. Your hands. Will flow. With gold. And yet. Over you. Gold. Will have no. Dominion.
[26:12] I think. That's. Very much. What wisdom's. Blessing. Of wealth. Is. Your hands. You'll have money. And yet. That money. Will not. Control you.
[26:24] It will not. Turn you. For evil. Instead. It will be your servant. It will be your tool. The very thing you use. To carry out. God's. Calling. So not your.
[26:36] Destroyer. But you're. A blessing. And so she. She equips. And then she enriches. So brothers and sisters. And young people.
[26:48] This should make us. As we're going through this. This should make us. Want to get. Into the heart. Of the book of proverbs. We've been.
[27:00] In these. In this. Long introduction. This getting us. Ready. To this. This. These basic ideas. And a lot of it. Has been. Saying. This stuff is good.
[27:11] You should want this stuff. Pursue this. Seek this. So. As we. As we go through. Proverbs chapter 8. This should make us. Want to get. Into the heart.
[27:21] Of the book of proverbs. This should make us. Want to dig in. We're going to see. Lord willing. Next week. Proverbs chapter 9. Which. Shows us. Lady wisdom. Spreading.
[27:32] A feast. And inviting. People to eat. The feast. Is proverbs. 10 through. 31. We should want to dig in.
[27:44] And so. Are you hungry? She. She equips. She enriches. She's calling. She's commanding. Are you hungry? Three. Third pair. Wisdom is hardwired.
[27:55] And happy. She's hardwired. Into creation. She was the first. Of his creations. And again. The key word. Is before. Before the oceans. Before the mountains. Before the hills.
[28:05] Before the earth. When the Lord. Was carving out the heavens. And he's laying. The foundations. Of the earth. When he's attaching. And fastening. The heavens. When he's preparing. His throne room.
[28:16] In heaven. Wisdom was there. Wisdom was in it. All. And so. Why is wisdom. So trustworthy. And true. And desirable.
[28:28] It. Invaluable. It's because. When you have wisdom. You have the very thing. That God used. To make the whole earth. That.
[28:38] That is in. All of creation. That's interwoven. Into all of reality. Into our relationships. With one another. Into. How.
[28:49] Finances work. What we just talked about. How relationships work. How. We should. Relate to. One another. Sexually. Physically. What do we do. With our mouths. We're getting down.
[29:00] To. What. Is at the bottom. Of things. And again. Wisdom. Is hardwired. Into all of creation. So we're getting. Into the heart. And when you understand.
[29:11] That. When you start. Understanding. How things. Work. Well. That's the difference. Between me. And.
[29:22] Some of you. What I mean. Is. So my. My computer. Won't work. And you know. What I can do. About it. Some very. Surface. Kinds of things.
[29:33] Right. My computer. Is not working. I have about. Three options. I can press. The reset button. I can. Unplug it. And let it sit. For about. Two minutes. Or five minutes. And.
[29:43] And pray. I can. Delete. A few programs. I can run. A virus scan. And if those things. Don't work. I don't know.
[29:55] I've got. I need help. Very. Surfacey. That's all. I can do. But some of you. Know how to get. Into. The guts. Of the computer. Even the hardware.
[30:08] Like you can. Flip. My laptop. Over. And unscrew. The back. And fix something. On the back. Or. Or you can open up. Programs. And run scans. And look at. What this thing. Is doing.
[30:19] And all these numbers. And codes. And things like that. And you can understand. That. You have. Wisdom. You get to see. And understand. The heart.
[30:29] Of things. So I can hardly. Use my computer. As a. Illustration. In a sermon. I don't know it. So. Well. I'm a computer. Fool. But wisdom.
[30:39] Is seeing. And understanding. The blueprints. Of. Creation. Of relationships. Of how things work. You know.
[30:49] I've heard. I've seen. I've seen. These articles. About these scientists. Using this thing. Called CRISPR. And they know. How to do. Gene splicing. And they're cutting.
[31:01] Bits and ends. Of genes off. And attaching it. To other things. And. I don't know. About that. Seems like. Frankenstein. Level stuff. To me. But. That is. Wisdom.
[31:11] Of some kind. To be able. To work on something. So tiny. And to know. What to do. And how to split it. And then how to. Attach it together. That's wisdom.
[31:24] Do you want. That kind of. Level. Of skill. In living. Proverbs. Is offering. That to you. With living.
[31:35] The life. The way. It was supposed to be. Well. You get wisdom. Because wisdom. Is hardwired. Into creation. And then. It's happy. It's hardwired.
[31:46] And happy. If there is. Any emotion. That wisdom. Wears. Most often. It is. Happiness. It's blessing.
[31:56] It's a smile. Lady wisdom. Is not. An ill-tempered. Sour. Woman. Wisdom. Doesn't. Spoil us. Either. Like. It doesn't.
[32:07] Make us. So that. It seems. That we just. Drink some. Bad milk. Joy. Breaks out. Anytime. That we. Use wisdom.
[32:18] Joy. Breaks out. In our families. In our personal lives. In our church. In our community. Whenever. We. Use wisdom. There's real joy. In seeing. And knowing. How things work. Again.
[32:29] Back to my computer illustration. When I. Like. Have some insight. And I can. Able to figure it out. Well. There's joy. In learning. And there's also joy. In fixing. The very first proverb.
[32:40] In the main section. Is chapter 10. Verse 1. Is. A wise son. Brings joy. To his father. Wisdom.
[32:52] Brings. Joy. Wisdom. Produces. Joy. God was happy. When he created. The world. He said again.
[33:02] And again. Oh. It's good. That. That wasn't merely. Just some sort of. Moral judgment. That he's giving. In a. You know. Sort of. Antiseptic.
[33:13] Way. He was. Delighting. In how. Good. This was. That word. That we see. In verse 31. I was filled with delight. Day after day. Rejoicing.
[33:24] Always in his presence. Rejoicing. In his whole world. And delighting. In mankind. That word. Is used. In Isaiah. To talk about. A gardener. Who plants. A vineyard. Now.
[33:35] If you have. Planted. Something. If you have. Planted. A garden. And you go out. In. Whenever. August. Or September. And. You're walking. Through your garden.
[33:47] And the weeds. Are all gone. And the dirt. Is brown. And the. There's. The plants. Are just doing well. And they're all. Lined up in a row. And it's beautiful. Don't you have this sense of joy.
[33:59] And contentment. That's what. This is talking about. This is what wisdom will give you. So that. As you are working. As you are living.
[34:11] You have this sense of. This is good. This is good. What God is doing. What God has taught me. That's what Jesus Christ. That's what Jesus Christ. Experienced in creation. As.
[34:22] God made. Man. God loves his world. He loves mankind. And he loves it. When we say to him. Lord. I'll be your garden. Recreate me.
[34:34] Take the weeds out of me. Straighten my rows. Make my soil better. Take out the weeds of folly. And give me the fruit of wisdom. God rejoices. When one sinner repents.
[34:46] When one sinner repents. I was struck. In reading. The gospel of Luke. Not too long ago. Zachariah. John the Baptist father. Says of his son.
[34:57] He says. John the Baptist. Is going to turn the disobedient. To the wisdom of righteousness. That struck me. It doesn't say.
[35:08] To the disobedience. To righteousness. He goes even a step further. And he says. John the Baptist. Is going to teach them. And turn them. From disobedience. To a whole new way.
[35:19] Of thinking. And appreciation. Of wisdom. Of righteousness. And so. When we turn. When we repent. We are turning. From folly. To wisdom. And when we do.
[35:30] God rejoices. Wisdom is a joyful thing. So. Proverbs. Is inviting you. Into your master's. Joy. To experience.
[35:43] What. It was like. For him to create. In seven days. And. Or six days. And to say. Oh. It is good. To. To see. And experience. The joy.
[35:54] Of righteousness. And goodness. So. It's hardwired. And it's happy. Here's the last pair. Wisdom. Woos. And warns.
[36:04] It woos. And warns. This is the. The last section. Verses. 32. And on. And it says. Now then. My sons. Listen to me. And the key word.
[36:16] In this little section. Is. It's a beatitude. Blessed. Happy. Things are. Will go your way. God is for you. Blessed are those.
[36:27] Who keep my ways. Blessed is the man. Who listens to me. Watching daily. At my doors. Verse. 35. He receives. Favor. From. The Lord.
[36:38] She says. I will give you. My joy. You just. Listen to me. I'm wooing you. If you listen to me. If you attend to me.
[36:48] Day after day. I'll bless you. You find me. You find life. She's inviting us. She's encouraging us. She's wooing us. To this rich. Full.
[36:59] Blessed. Life. Again. Christ doesn't make. Anyone poor. For believing. Christ does not. Impoverish. Anyone who comes to him.
[37:11] It was for our sakes. That he who was rich. Became poor. In order to make us. Rich. He. He isn't inviting us. To. Make our lives. A miserable wreck.
[37:24] And. What Proverbs is saying. Is nothing else. Is even close. To what it's like. To have him. To have wisdom. And maybe you think.
[37:35] Well if I take Jesus. If I take this wisdom. This fear of the Lord. This faith. And reliance upon him. Which begins. By believing. In Jesus Christ.
[37:46] And. And giving my life. To him. That he's now the Lord. He's the Savior. I'm going to do what he says. Maybe you think. If I do that. If I make him everything.
[37:57] That will make me. Miserable. That will ruin my life. That will hurt too much. And what Proverbs 8. Ends with.
[38:08] Is the sad. Irony. That if you try to protect yourself. From wisdom. From Jesus Christ. If you try to protect yourself. From him.
[38:18] If you hold him off. Then you are actually doing. Violence. To yourself. You will be poorer. You will be hurting. You will harm yourself.
[38:29] You are embracing. Death. And so young people. In humility. We have to say. I don't know. Lord. You know. Teach me.
[38:39] I need to learn. Now that hurts our pride. When we have to admit. You know what? I have to learn. I have to learn to learn. I have to learn. To trust. I have to learn. To start thinking differently.
[38:51] I am not as smart. And I am not as wise. As I thought I was. That hurts. That kind of humility. Is difficult. To swallow. But what.
[39:03] Proverbs 8. Is saying. Is that is life. That is where life begins. That is the first step. And it gets brighter. And brighter. As the days go on. But pride. That.
[39:13] While that feels good. It feels so good. To think. We know. We are smarter. We have got this covered. Proverbs 8. Says it is death.
[39:27] All those who hate me. They love. Death. They love. Destruction. They don't even mean to. But they do. And so.
[39:38] I just want you to think about. Someone that you know. I don't know who that particular person is. But I want you to think about. Someone that you know. Who's rejected Jesus.
[39:50] Who's rejected wisdom. They could have had wisdom. But they didn't want it. They didn't need it. What of them now.
[40:04] What of them now. Let's put this all to. A test case. Take an honest look. That person.
[40:15] Are they really living? Is life really working for them? Are they deeply happy? Deeply satisfied.
[40:28] When you think of them. Would you say. They are a blessed person. Joyful. There's something about them. That is so attractive.
[40:40] Are they? Maybe you need to go home. And think about that. Have they found life? I mean.
[40:51] They think they're so wise. Are they? Is it really working out for them? And. If you are doing that. Rejecting Jesus. Rejecting wisdom.
[41:03] Have you found life? Whoever has the son. Has life. And the God. The son of God says here.
[41:16] Take me. Take me. And you can live. Let's pray. Heavenly father. Heavenly father. Heavenly father. We thank you for the gift of Jesus Christ.
[41:27] He was in heaven. And you sent him to earth. And you shared him with us. And you have given us wisdom. In your word. And through Jesus Christ.
[41:38] And by the spirit of wisdom. And counsel. We thank you. For what you are doing. In our lives. To make us wise. And I pray that each one of us.
[41:50] Would humble ourselves. And pursue. Wisdom. And humility. And the fear of the Lord. However far. We've gone down this road.
[42:03] How much of our wisdom. We have gained. Oh. There is so much more. There's so much more. To explore. And to understand. And to know.
[42:13] And to appreciate. There's so much more. For us. To apply. To our daily lives. To apply. To our relationships. To apply. To our conversations.
[42:24] And we see in ourselves. Sometimes we. We. Know better. But in the moment. We don't do better. We don't think about. What we should have said. And so.
[42:36] We still have further to go. Please remind us. Of what we do now. This week. And please. Please teach us more.
[42:48] Show us more. Help us. We are your children. And we are ignorant. And we are needy. And so please.
[42:59] Make something of us. Make something of. Us. So that we are like. Jesus Christ. Our Savior. And our Lord. That we would be. Images and reflections. Of him.
[43:10] In this earth. We pray this for his name. Amen.