Hear and take hold of wisdom in the real world.

Sermon Transcript

What do you do when Jesus Christ disagrees with you? The late Tim Keller used to say, “If your god never disagrees with you, you might just be worshiping an idealized version of yourself.” What do you do when something God has said in his word doesn’t agree with what you feel in your heart or the pattern of your life?

One of the reasons why I raise the question is because some disagreement is probably coming. In January, after Advent, Citylight Church will pick back-up our study in Proverbs and we are going to take Proverbs chapters 10-31 by topic. And Proverbs 10-31 is both hyper-practical and hyper-specific. In Proverbs 10-31, we receive the wisdom of God concerning the day-to-day realities of our lives like who we marry, how we work, the way we speak, how we handle anger, manage emotions, steward money, respond to authority, parent children, and so forth. And if Proverbs 10-31 in particular, or God’s word in general, never disagrees with you, you might just be worshiping an idealized version of yourself. So, here is the question: How can we become the kind of people who, when God’s word disagrees with our gut-instinct, we are quick to adjust ourselves, rather than re-interpreting things in a way that makes it seem like God actually agrees with what we previously thought or how we’re currently living?

Proverbs 8 is in the Bible, at least in part, to answer that question. Proverbs 8 is in the Bible to help us settle that, by God’s grace and for his glory, we are going to be a wise church that joyfully hears and takes hold of God’s wisdom, rather than living by our wisdom. In Proverbs 8, wisdom herself is speaking. Notice in verse six she invites us to hear: Hear, for I will speak noble things… Then notice in verse ten she invites us to take: “Take my instruction instead of silver…” Now notice in verses 2-3 where wisdom calls to us: crossroads, gates, portals. The real world. That brings us to the big idea of our passage this morning is: Hear and take hold of wisdom in the real world. Hear and take hold of wisdom in the real world. Why should we do that instead of reinterpreting God’s wisdom to fit what we already think? Our passage provides three reasons to hear and take hold of wisdom in the real world: 1. Wisdom is calling there (8:1-11) 2. Wisdom gives success there (8:12-21) 3. Wisdom was there (8:22-36).

WISDOM IS CALLING THERE (VV. 1-11)

The first reason why we should hear and take hold of wisdom in the real world, even when God’s wisdom contradicts ours, is because wisdom is calling there. Proverbs 8:1-3 – Does not wisdom call? Does not understanding raise her voice? On the heights beside the way, at the crossroads she takes her stand; beside the gates in front of the town, at the entrance of the portals she cries aloud. Wisdom is calling to us in the real world. In other words, wisdom is practical. Wisdom is helpful. Wisdom is skill in navigating your complicated lives in the real world to the glory of God. Wisdom calls to us in the real world because wisdom is for navigating high-pressure jobs, complex relationships, frantic schedules, complicated and mundane parenting, long range planning, and the barrage of day-to-day decisions. Wisdom calls to you in your real world and says, “I could really be of some help to you. Would you hear and take hold of me.” Not only should we hear and take hold of wisdom because she calls to us in the real world, but because she calls to real world people, like you and me. Wisdom works for real people in the real world who will really listen. Proverbs 8:4-5 – “To you, O men, I call, and my cry is to the children of man. O simple ones, learn prudence; O fools, learn sense.” I love that. Even if we have a checkered past or a foolish present, anyone can hear and take hold of wisdom in the real world because that’s exactly where she calls flawed, foolish, simple people like you and me. You’re so not excluded. And not only does wisdom call to real people right in the midst of our real world lives, but everything wisdom says to us in the real world is truer and more beautiful than our intuitions. Proverbs 8:6–9 – Hear, for I will speak noble things, and from my lips will come what is right, [7] for my mouth will utter truth; wickedness is an abomination to my lips. [8] All the words of my mouth are righteous; there is nothing twisted or crooked in them. [9] They are all straight to him who understands, and right to those who find knowledge. Hear and take hold of wisdom in the real world because wisdom calls to real people in the real world with words that are noble, true, righteous, straight, and profoundly helpful.

Since the emphasis in verses 1-11 is on hearing wisdom where she calls in the real world, I want to give you two practical encouragements before we move to the second reason to hear and take hold of wisdom. First, watch what you hear from yourself. The prolific Christian author Paul Tripp writes, “No one is more influential in your life than you are. Because no one talks to you more than you do.” In his book Spiritual Depression, 20th century physician turned preacher Martyn Lloyd-Jones writes, “Have you realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself?” Do you hear Jesus from yourself? Do you speak the the life-giving commands of Jesus to yourself when tempted? Do you preach the good news of forgiveness of sins from Jesus to your heart when you feel guilty over sins you’ve confessed? Do you preach eternity to your heart when you feel stuck or hopeless? Second, be an intentional sermon listener. The primary way Christians have heard Christ and his wisdom over the last 2,000 years is by gathering with the church to hear sermons on the Lord’s Day. Intentional sermon listening begins with arriving at church expecting God to speak through the sermon. The first ingredient in good sermon listening is expecting God to speak; expecting God to speak. Read the passage for Sunday ahead of time, pray for the preacher, ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you, quiet your mind to hear God, and throughout the sermon remind your heart that you’re hearing from God’s word. Second, intentional sermon listening means admitting that God knows better than you. When you hear God’s word, pray for God’s Spirit to help you submit to what God says rather than reinterpreting it to suit your beliefs or lifestyle. Third, intentional sermon listening means being present week by week. We work through books of the Bible from beginning to end. You don’t want to miss parts. Hear and take hold of wisdom in the real world, first, because wisdom calls us there. Secondly, hear and take hold of wisdom in the real world because…

WISDOM GIVES SUCCESS THERE (VV. 12-21)

God’s wisdom works in the real world and gives us success there. Hear and take hold of wisdom, even when God’s wisdom contradicts you, because his wisdom works and brings success in the real world. What kind of success does wisdom offer? First, wisdom will make you morally successful. One of the challenges with wisdom is that when you hear and take hold of it, she often makes you successful. But success is tempting. I’m reading through 2 Chronicles as part of my morning Bible reading and I’m struck by the example of King Uzziah. He was incredibly wise and walked with God. The Lord gave him incredible success, but it went to his head and he turned from the Lord later in life and didn’t finish well. It’s tragic, common, and I don’t want that for us. When God’s wisdom makes you successful, keep hearing wisdom, keep hearing God’s word, keep submitting all of life to the lordship of Jesus Christ, and wisdom will protect you from the moral pitfalls that tempt people who have successful marriages, successful kids, successful careers, successful finances, and successful health. Those pitfalls are pride, arrogance, and perverted speech that puts down people who aren’t as smart, successful, or strategic as you. Proverbs 8:12-13 – “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, and I find knowledge and discretion. The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.” Wisdom makes us morally successful. Second, wisdom will make us successful leaders, and everyone is a leader because everyone influences others. In Proverbs 8:15-16, wisdom says, “By me kings reign, and rulers decree what is just; by me princes rule, and nobles, all who govern justly.” On these verses, Ray Ortlund writes, “Even in the tough world of human leadership, Christ is the secret to success. He knows his way around hardheaded deals and aggressive negotiations. He knows how to get things done with agility, versatility, keenness, competence. Oh, how we underrate his abilities and resources when everything is on the line! And for a church, success does not require human rules. Rules do not make people thrive. Success requires wise, seasoned, humble, mature, Christlike leaders. And in Christ you can become one of them.” Wisdom will make you a successful leader at home, in church, and at work. Hear and take hold. Third, wisdom will help you successfully leave a legacy. Proverbs 8:18 – Riches and honor are with me, enduring wealth and righteousness. God’s wisdom works for your finances. If your finances aren’t working, the very best thing that you can do is hear and take hold of what God says about money from cover-to-cover in the Bible. God’s wisdom brings riches and honor without riches or honor becoming your god, so that you can leave an inheritance to your children’s children, as Proverbs later says. But wisdom will help you leave an even better legacy than that. Proverbs 8:19 – My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold, and my yield than choice silver. What is better than gold? A life that outlasts gold. A life of godliness that pours out for the sake of others so that you have a spiritual legacy that lives on after you die. Wisdom will make you a disciple-maker such that at the end of your life there will be in your wake countless people to whom you’ve done intentional spiritual good and they’re more like Christ because of you.

In the last point we looked at a few ways to hear and take hold of wisdom. In this section of Proverbs 8, the emphasis is on the manner in which we should hear and take hold of wisdom. And the emphasis is that we should hear diligently. Proverbs 8:17 – I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me. To hear wisdom diligently is to go out of your way for it. How can you go out of your way, change your normal patterns and rhythms, so that you can hear more wisdom? How can you more diligently hear on Sundays? How can you use the glorious technology God has given to us to hear the wisdom of God’s word and godly sermons all week long? You can listen to the Bible or hear John Piper, Mark Dever, John MacArthur, or Kevin DeYoung preach nearly any time. Go out of your way, change, to hear and take hold of God’s wisdom. Go out of your way to let Jesus set you on a new trajectory. Finally, hear and take hold of wisdom in the real world because…

WISDOM WAS THERE (VV. 22-31)

Hear and take hold of wisdom in the real world because wisdom was there in the beginning when the world was created. Wisdom was there. Proverbs 8:22-23, 27 – “The LORD possessed me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of old. Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth…When he established the heavens, I was there; when he drew a circle on the face of the deep. Wisdom was here before we were. We hear and take hold of wisdom in the real world because wisdom was here long before us, wisdom was there when God made the real world.

What’s the point? Allow me to suggest two. First, if wisdom was there when the world was made, then wisdom was here before us and if wisdom was here before us then wisdom doesn’t come from within us. Sin has made us all fools. Wisdom isn’t within us waiting to be drawn out. We can’t heal ourselves spiritually or emotionally because wisdom doesn’t come from within. Wisdom comes from outside of us. Ray Ortlund writes, “The wisdom we need for our lives is not inside us; it is outside us. There is a reason why we have ears on the outside of our heads.” One implication from this truth is that if we have mental health struggles, we won’t be healed by having someone help us look deep within. Rather, we need wise words from God through wise people willing to bring God’s truth to our struggle. If you have mental health struggles, you don’t need a professional who thinks that the answers and the wisdom and the healing is within you to be drawn out. No, you need a church, pastors, counselors, and occasionally professionals who are eager to bring God’s wisdom from outside of you to what is broken within you. Finally, since wisdom was there in the real world first, we know from the New Testament that Jesus Christ is the embodiment of God’s wisdom. Of course, Proverbs 8 and its presentation of Lady Wisdom is poetry. We should never press poetry to the point that we mistakenly and heretically identify Jesus as a woman or as a created being. However, there are multiple New Testament passages that associate Jesus with the Lady Wisdom of Proverbs 8. Colossians 1:15-17 – He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. [16] For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. [17] And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Revelation 3:14 – “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation.’” 1 Corinthians 1:30b – And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God…When the real world was created, the Lord Jesus Christ was there! No wonder in 1 Corinthians 1, Paul says that Jesus Christ became to us wisdom from God when he took on flesh. All the wisdom in Proverbs, and every other part of the Bible is fulfilled in Him. To hear and take hold of wisdom is to take hold of Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.

There is a lot on the line when it comes to hearing and taking hold of the Lord Jesus Christ. Proverbs 8:35-36 – “For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the LORD, but he who fails to find me injures himself; all who hate me love death.” As you hear the Lord Jesus Christ call to you, there are only two options. Option one is that you can fail to find him. You can refuse his voice. You can refuse his voice through self-conscious rejection. “I won’t let him save me or lead me. I’m doing just fine, thank you very much.” You can also refuse him by subtly rationalizing and twisting what he says until there is no distinction between what he says and you say. You can call him Lord with your, but still refuse him with your heart. If you go that route, you will injure yourself now and taste death forever. That’s the broad way. Many walk it. But there is a better way. You can hear and take hold of Jesus Christ. You can come to the end of your wisdom and turn to Jesus Christ as your Lord. You can see the wisdom of God crucified in your place, for your sins, promising eternal forgiveness and salvation to all who rest in Him. You can lay hold of him and allow his voice to take over, setting the agenda and providing the wisdom for life. And if you do, then you will obtain favor and salvation from the Lord now and forever. Hear and take hold of him.