["Pomp and Circumstance"]
Come up to 413.
Stand up and stand up for Jesus.
Stand up.
Stand up for 413.
Thank you very much.
Stand up first.
Stand up. Stand up for Jesus
Preachers of the cross.
Let us lift high his royal banner, make us not suffer loss.
From victory unto victory, his army shall be heed.
Till every foe is made, which at Christ is Lord in me.
Send us enough for Jesus, the trumpet call obey.
For to the mighty conflict, this is glorious day.
We, heaven now surfing against the hunger flows,
with courage rise with danger, and strength to strength of no
arms.
Send us enough for Jesus, standing with strength alone.
Put on the flesh to fill you, keep your God trust your own.
Put on the lustful armor, and watch he come to pray.
When duty calls for change, be never wanting there.
Thank you.
Reverend Russell.
Blessed be thy name, O Lord.
Thank you for this evening's service, Lord.
For everyone that's here, Lord, and thank you
for the salvation we have today, Lord.
Thank you for being good, Lord, and that great news.
Bless the service, Lord, in Jesus' name.
Amen.
Can you please open up your song?
It's a song for 372.
Let the lower lights be worn, and you can have a song
for 372.
Sing it out.
God, he gives our fathers mercy, from his lighthouse
ever more.
But to us he gives the keeping of the lice
along the shore.
Let the lower lights be burning, send them
clean across the way.
So for faith, each shall receive it.
You may rest for you this day.
Dark the night of sin has settled.
Loud the angry billows roar.
Keep your eyes now watching on me,
for the lice along the shore.
Let the lower lights be burning, send them
clean across the way.
So for faith, each shall receive it.
You may rest for you this day.
Last, trim your feet, won't last, my brother.
So for still, our tender spots,
running bound to make the harbor in the darkest
day be lost.
Let the lower lights be burning, send them
clean across the way.
So for faith, each shall receive it.
You may rest for you this day.
All right, it's good to see everybody back this evening.
If you'd like a bulletin, go ahead and slip up your hand
and one will be brought to you.
And as always, we have the service times there
on the upper left-hand side.
Below that, we have the church-wide soul winning,
the regional soul winning, the salvation, the baptisms,
and the offerings.
Don't forget, next Sunday at 10 a.m.,
we'll be having our donuts in honor of those
celebrating the month of July, so come on out for that.
We have the annual mega conference schedule below that,
so a lot of great preaching will be taking place up in Tempe.
And if you want to get up there,
at least on the Wednesdays, I'm sure the church band
is certainly available if anybody would like to make
these times.
Also on the back, thank you everybody who prayed
for the Nigerian missions trip.
That was a great success with the 63 salvations.
Also, it sounds like everybody had a good time
on the Navajo soul winning trip.
Going out of the reservation is always an experience.
Whenever you go out there,
it's always a very unique experience.
It's also, you know, a lot of times,
it's very compelling.
Some of my most just compelling experiences have been there.
Such a burden can be gotten through going out
to some of these places.
It's amazing.
I don't want to sound disparaging of,
you know, these reservations and things like that,
but it truly is amazing to see the way
some people are still living, even in,
you know, just a few hundred miles from us.
I mean, I've spent a lot of time on the Navajo reservation
where there's people that still don't have electricity,
they don't have running water.
I've ran into elderly folks.
I think I was the first white man they ever saw.
They didn't speak English,
or at least that's what, you know,
some people here in Tucson pull that one on us,
but, you know, they probably didn't.
And, you know, going there,
going here, the Tota Odom,
these reservation,
so really open up your eyes,
you know, to the need that we have
to go out and preach the gospel to every creature
because, you know,
people simply aren't going to these places
and they're some of the most receptive places,
the most needful places,
and so it's great to see, you know,
66 soul owners out there doing that work,
so congratulations to everybody that did that.
Thank you.
And then also, below that,
don't forget this Thursday on the 4th,
we're going to be having hot dogs at 6 p.m.
before the service,
so there's about an hour before the service
if you'd like to come and have a hot dog or two
and some chips, you're welcome to do that.
We'll have chips, some dip,
as well as the toppings as well,
so if you want to bring a dish to pass,
feel free to do so, but it's certainly not required,
but if you want to come and show off,
you know, what a great cook you are,
we're always up for that too,
so let's go ahead and count up the soul winning
going back to Friday,
if there's anything to report,
going back to Friday,
and anything for Saturday,
obviously the people that were on the trip,
that's just getting rolled into the,
to the Tempe numbers,
is there anything for Saturday outside the groups?
Anything for the group today?
Two for today, praise the Lord.
Alright, well keep up the great work soul winning,
let's go ahead and sing one more song
before we get into the preaching tonight.
Alright, can you please open up your song,
it's a song number 65.
One, two, three, four, five, six.
Song number 65.
Just pull it up to your left.
Song number 65.
One, two, three, four, five, six.
Let us go over in the glory land,
out on the happy angel land.
Let us go over in the glory land.
Let us go over in the glory land,
there with the mighty host house band.
Let us go over in the glory land,
where the joyful one, my Lord, I'll sing.
Let us go over in the glory land,
where the angels sing together.
Let us go over in the glory land.
Let us go over in the glory land,
out on the happy angel land.
Let us go over in the glory land.
First over in the glory land, our Lord, the happy angel land.
First over in the glory land.
First over in the glory land, there with you, the mighty
host house land.
First over in the glory land.
OK, we're singing at this time
the offering play will go around.
As the offering play goes around,
Brother Gabriel has to reach for us in Proverbs 4.
Again, that is Proverbs chapter 4.
Proverbs chapter 4.
Proverbs chapter 4, verse 1 of the Bible reads,
Here, ye children, in the destruction of the Father,
I tend to no understanding, for I
forgive you of good doctrine, forsaking not my law.
For I was my father's son, tender and only beloved,
in the sight of my mother.
He taught me also, said unto me,
Let thine heart retain my words,
and keep my commandments, and live.
Get wisdom, get understanding.
Get it now, bear decline from the words of my mouth.
For sacred night, she shall preserve me,
love me, she shall keep me.
Wisdom is the principle.
Therefore, get wisdom.
For with all thy getting, get understanding.
Resolve me, she shall promote me,
to honor, thou dost embrace me.
She shall give thine head an ornament of grace,
the crown of glory shall she deliver to me.
Here, O my son, I receive my sayings,
and the years of thy life shall be many.
I have taught thee in the way of wisdom,
I have led thee in right paths.
Without goest, thy steps shall not be straight.
Without runnest, thou shalt not stumble.
Take fast full of destruction,
let her not go, keep, she is thy light.
Enter not into the path of awakening,
though not in the way of evil men.
Avoid her, pass not by her,
return from her, pass away.
For they sleep not, except they have done mission.
And their sleep is taken away,
lest they cause them to fall.
For they eat the bread of wickedness,
and drink the wine of violence.
For the path of the just is of the shining light
that shineeth more and more till the perfect day.
The way of the wicked is as darkness.
They know not of what they stumble.
My son, tend to my ways,
and climb thine ear into my sayings.
Do not depart from thine eyes,
keep them in the midst of thine heart.
There in life is those that find thee
and help with all their flesh.
Keep their heart, keep thy heart with all diligence,
for I admit all the issues of life.
Put away from thee your forward mouth,
and perverse lips put far from thee.
Let thine eyes look right on,
and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.
Ponder the path of thy feet,
let all thy ways be established.
Turn not to the right hand, nor to the left.
Remove thy foot from evil.
Amen.
So we're there in Proverbs chapter number four
and I want to draw attention here
to just the first several verses.
If you look there in verse five it says
get wisdom, get understanding, forget it not
neither decline from the words of my mouth
forsake her not and she will preserve thee
love her and she will keep thee
wisdom is the principle thing
and that's the title of the sermon tonight
wisdom is the principle thing
wisdom is something that we cannot
live our lives without
if we want to live lives
that are successful, if we want to live lives
that are blessed of God
if we want to be efficient and effective
in our lives as Christians
or whatever capacity
in life we have to have wisdom
wisdom is the principle thing
and the Bible puts such a premium here
and really that's what the word principle
means you think about like the term
prince you know the first the principle
think about the term guiding principles
you know these are the essential things that guide
us and lead us in our decision making
the principle thing in life the thing
that we need to focus on and make sure that we
have in life is wisdom
and again this wisdom
can also be likened to understanding
discernment, knowledge
you know we should be people who are gaining
wisdom, knowledge, experience
so that we have wisdom to guide us
and lead us through life
the Bible again emphasizes wisdom
repeatedly and the book of Proverbs
in particular is a book
that puts a great deal
of emphasis on wisdom
the Bible again says wisdom
is the principle thing
and therefore because wisdom is
the principle thing get wisdom
you know if we were to say hey this is what you
need this is what you have to have
you would just stand to reason that we would set about
getting that in our lives that we would make a point
of attaining whatever that is
if I said hey X here
is the most important thing in life you need to have
that hopefully we would take note of that
hopefully we would take heed to that and say
well then let me set about getting that and gaining
that and having that in my life
and wisdom is what the Bible
says is the principle thing
therefore get wisdom
don't live your life without wisdom
don't live your life as
others do who are just kind of stumbling
through life or just kind of fumbling through life
who are just kind of figuring it out
as they go along
who are just repeatedly making mistakes
and hopefully learning from them you know there's
so much suffering and agony we can spare
ourselves if we would just listen
to wise counsel if we would just listen to
the wisdom of God's word and just apply
it to our lives if we would just
find this source of wisdom take
it unto ourselves and begin to apply it to our lives
you know we would just spare ourselves a great
deal of unnecessary pain
that's why he's saying here
get wisdom and with
all thy getting get understanding
he's saying what you need
to have in life is not
a bunch of money you don't need to have
all these extravagant things
you don't have to get a bunch of toys you don't have to have
a bunch of time for hobbies and things
he's saying the most important thing
for you to have in life is
wisdom that wisdom is
profitable wisdom is what's going to
profit you more than anything else
in this life
and he goes on and likens wisdom unto
a woman he says exalt her in verse 8
and she shall promote thee
you know if you exalt wisdom you know she's
going to lift you up
if you make wisdom the principle
thing it's going to bring you up above
the rest of your peers you are going to
excel beyond
those around you you're going to stand out
people will take notice
exalt her and she
shall promote thee she shall bring
thee to honor when thou
dost embrace her
one place this is
particularly maybe applicable
is in the workplace
if we go to our jobs and actually
try to excel and actually try to get
wisdom and maybe do
extra curricular learning on the side
maybe we go and get that certification
that's not required of us but we just
think hey this would be profitable let me just go get
that get this certification get
that certification if we go ahead
and get wisdom get the understanding which is going to
make us better at our jobs you know somebody's
going to promote us somebody's
going to take notice and it's going to bring us unto honor
when the time comes around for that
promotion or whatever someone's going to say hey this guy
has been seeking wisdom this guy
has the knowledge he has the skills he has
the abilities he has the diligence
and he has the you know
self motivation to go out there and get wisdom
okay
exalt her and she shall promote
thee she shall bring thee to honor when thou
dost embrace her so wisdom
is a two way street okay
wisdom is there but we have to throw our arms
around wisdom and say I want this
and bring it into ourselves
she shall give to thine head an ornament
of grace a crown
of glory shall she deliver
to thee now we'll be back in Proverbs several
times tonight simply because
of the fact you can't preach about wisdom without
being in the book of Proverbs a great deal
there's so much that it says about it
but if you would go back to 1 Kings
chapter number 3 and we'll look at the author
at least in part the
you know the majority in part of
the book of Proverbs which is
King Solomon and we'll look at
the beginning of his reign here when he's
beginning to rule
in Israel
and he's built the temple and the temple
and God is
coming to him okay I'm trying to get us caught up here
in the story but very
quickly in 1 Kings chapter number 3 look at verse
1 it says and Solomon made affinity
with Pharaoh king of Egypt and took
Pharaoh's daughter and brought her into the city
of David until he made an end of building his own house
and the house of the Lord and the wall
of Jerusalem round about only
the people sacrificed in high places because
there was no house built
unto the name of the Lord until those days
look at verse 3 and Solomon loved the Lord
walking in the statutes of his
day
incense in high places and the king
went out to Gibeon to sacrifice there
for there was a great high place a thousand
burnt offerings and
did Solomon offer upon that altar
in Gibeon the Lord appeared
to Solomon in a dream so this high place
is not it's not heathen worship it's
where they're worshiping God is in this high place
and because of the sac
ask
what I shall give thee and Solomon
said thou has shown unto thy servant David my
father great mercy
and thou has kept for him this great kindness
that thou has given him a son to sit on his throne
as it is this day and now
oh my lord God what thou
hast made thy servant king instead
of David my father and I am
but a little child I know not how
to go out or come in
now he's not telling his servant an understanding
heart to judge thy people that I may
discern between good and bad
for who is able to judge this
and he says ask what
you want of me and says ask what you
want of me and I will give it you
and Solomon at least at this point has
enough wisdom to ask for more wisdom
right it's kind of like the old joke
if the genie grants you one wish
wish for more wishes right
he has the wisdom enough to ask hey give
me more wisdom give me more understanding
give me more discernment
and God is pleased
by this prayer and it says there
in verse 11 and God said and because
thou hast asked this thing and has not asked for
thyself long life neither
hast asked riches for thyself nor has
asked life of thine enemies but ask
for thyself understanding to discern judgment
behold I have done according to thy words
though I have given thee a wise and understanding
heart so that there are none there was none
like thee before like before thee
neither after thee shall any arise
like unto thee and I
have also given thee that which I was not asked
both riches and honor so that there shall be not any among the
kings like unto thee all thy days
he said I know you didn't ask for it
and that's what the carnal person
probably would have asked for riches power
the life of mine enemies I know you didn't ask
for that but I'm going to go ahead and give you the riches
I'm going to go ahead and give you the prosperity that you didn't ask for
and if thou wilt walk
in my ways to keep my statutes and my commandments
as thy father David did walk
then will I lengthen thy days so God
is pleased by this prayer and answers
this and you know the
same thing is applicable for us
today wisdom is
there wisdom is to be found
wisdom is not hidden away somewhere
tucked away somewhere you don't have to find some
esoteric knowledge you don't have to
find some long lost book that nobody
knows about to uncover
the wisdom that you need in this life
wisdom as it is as it says in Proverbs
is crying out in the streets
wisdom is apparent
wisdom is manifest
wisdom is available because God
is the source of all wisdom
so we have to ask ourselves
you know if we have
the ability to gain wisdom
you know why
don't we you know what is it going to take to get it from
God and
the first thing we need to understand is that wisdom
is the principle thing
quite simply the reason why a lot of people
live their lives without wisdom is just that they
don't value it
they just don't think it's important enough
they just don't think there's any value
in gaining knowledge gaining understanding
gaining wisdom
and they suffer
because of it
and that's unfortunate because wisdom is available
now I want to point out a few things
about wisdom here in this story
first of all I want us to notice in verse 3 it says
and Solomon loved the Lord
walking in the statutes of
David his father only he
sacrificed burnt incense in the high places
so he wasn't perfect and
nobody is but he did
love the Lord okay
and the Bible says if a man
loved God it is known
of him and God knows that
whether or not we truly love him
and what I want us to understand here is that
wisdom is preceded
by the love of God
you know if we want wisdom we have to
love God first of all
because we need wisdom in order to
live a life that is pleasing unto God
okay you need to have wisdom in order
to please God you need to know how
have the wisdom to know what God expects of you
in all these different areas
you have to have that and
the only reason you would ever get that is because you
want to do it everyone follow
and the only reason
you're going to want to do that is if you actually love God
you know the reason why
some people have such a take it or leave
it attitude when it comes to the word of God
even Christians
the reason why so many Christians today have such a
take it or leave it attitude towards
the things of God towards church
towards the Bible towards the clear commandments
to the word of God well they'll just do the
complete opposite where the Bible says the reason why
so many people are like that today is because
they don't love God
now they would never say that they would never verbalize
that they would never say oh you know I
don't love God but what did Jesus say
if you love me keep
my commandments
that is the love of God that we keep
his commandments
and that we love one another
so if you want to
please God and you want to have wisdom it has to
there has to be a genuine desire
to please God out of a heart that
loves God
so if we're lacking wisdom in our lives
if we're struggling and we're not we don't have
the discernment the knowledge that we need maybe we need to go
back and search our hearts and see
if the love of God is there or if our love
is waxed cold
go to Proverbs chapter number 2
keep something in 1 Kings 3 I'm going to draw several
applications out of 1 Kings 3 with the story
of Solomon
when the Lord appeared to him and asked him
what is it that you want from me I'll give it to you
and Solomon at least at that
point had enough wisdom to know that wisdom
was the principle thing that's what
he needed and the only
reason he asked for it is first of all
because he loved the Lord
he said in Proverbs chapter 2
verse 1 my son if thou wilt receive
my words and hide my commandments with thee
so that thou incline thine ear
unto wisdom and apply thy heart
unto understanding okay
so again we're getting the source of
wisdom right now my words
my commandments
this is the source of wisdom
right here
heart to understanding it's going to take effort
but notice verse 3
yea if thou criest after knowledge
and liftest up thy voice
for understanding if thou seekest her
as silver and searches for her
as for hid treasures
then thou shalt understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God
you know God
doesn't just hand out the wisdom
willy nilly
it's not just this flippant thing
with him and if we
want the wisdom that comes from God
we have to want it
you have to cry after it
you have to lift up your voice oh God
give me wisdom oh God help me
to understand give me discernment
make me a better father
make me a better pastor
make me a better soul winner
make me a better employee make me a better mother
give me the wisdom that I need
to excel in these areas
you know that's the kind of
fervent prayer that we have to have
towards God if we want these things
but a lot of times
people are just like wisdom
I can just
Google it
you know I'm sure the internet
has all the answers for me
you know I'll just search YouTube
I'll figure that out
and look I'm not saying we can't get profitable things
from these sources
but I mean that's kind of the attitude
that people have towards the wisdom that they need
they're just kind of
eh whatever
and as a result they live their lives
without wisdom without the knowledge of God
we have to cry after these things
there has to be a fervent desire for the wisdom
of God and that's only
going to come from a heart that loves
God
then thou shalt
understand the fear
of the Lord he said if thou seekest her
as silver
and as for hid treasures
look I have no doubt if I walked up to
one of you and slid a treasure map
across the table and said hey
you know there's it would probably wouldn't have to
be that much money
certainly not in my case
you know it
doesn't even have to be that whole lot
I mean a million would take the edge
off okay
but if someone was just like hey there's
even a few thousand dollars
I mean I won't bend over
for a quarter practically anymore but
you know if it folds I'm going for it
okay
but if I you know any amount really I mean how much
would it be for me to have to go invest in a
shovel and take my time off
to go you know dig for this treasure
you know if you did that to me I'd be
like I'm on it
try me
you know believe me go bury a shoebox full of twenties
and tell me where it is
and I'll prove to you that I mean business
okay but hey if someone can
you say hey here's a source of
great wealth here's a source
of you know
of invaluable knowledge
you know
would we go after it like we would a box
of you know a bushel full of fifties or whatever
someone hey here's
there's silver buried here
I mean look at the things people do for silver and gold
people dig
just unbelievable holes
into the earth looking for this stuff
and
the thing is you know God's wisdom isn't
it's not buried somewhere
it's right here
it's right on the surface a lot of times
obviously there's deep things in the Bible that
we have to mine out diligently
and through consistency
but he's saying you know
if you want knowledge if you really want wisdom
you have to seek it
it's not it doesn't come easy
and you know you can apply this
to the wisdom of God
or just life in general
if you want to have actual knowledge about a
subject you're going to have to do some actual
diligent study to know what you're talking about
wisdom
requires sacrifice that's the other
thing I want us to see here first of all you have to
have the love of God you have to have a love for the Lord
I mean Solomon he's saying
he loves the Lord his main concern is
God's people he wants to do a good job
for the Lord he understands how important his
role is and he wants
to make sure he leads the people righteously
so he's crying out for that
knowledge he's saying give me wisdom
but it doesn't
you know that's not enough wisdom requires
sacrifice you have to seek it as silver
you have to dig for it as if for a hid treasure
you're going to have to put some sweat into it
you know you're going to have to you're going to get some blisters
going for that treasure
look at verse four of
first Kings three he says
and the king went to Gibeon to
sacrifice there so what's
preceding this prayer for wisdom
the love of God
and the willingness to sacrifice
he went to Gibeon to sacrifice there
for that was the great high place a thousand
burnt offerings did Solomon offer
upon the altar
now I'm not suggesting we need
to go get a bunch of cattle
and you know go up on mount lemon and start
you know slaying some beasts to get wisdom from
God but the application
is this is that you're
going to have to make some sacrifice if you want
the wisdom of God in your life
and you know it's
yeah here it is it's you know there's
so much of it's right here in this book
but you're actually going to have to open
it up and read it
you're going to have to actually carve out time
out of your day to read this book
and there might even be things
that you should probably memorize
there should probably be
some things that you should just know and understand
out of this book and just make a part of who you are
you have to weave some of these
things into the fabric of your being
and that's going to take time and energy
and effort it's going to take sacrifice
you know you might have to turn the TV off
you might have to put the phone down you might have
to put the video game controller down you might
have to get off your bicycle kids or quit playing
you know put the basketball down for a little
while whatever it is
and I'm not saying you can't do anything else or have
time for anything else but you're not going to have
the wisdom of God if you don't sacrifice
anything to get it
it's not just going to come to you
it's like well if I just put the Bible on my head
long enough maybe somehow the words
will just seep through my skull and find
their way into my brain
this is not how it works
you actually have to drag your eyes across
the page and comprehend
what you're reading
you know and that's a point in and of itself
right there and I'm
certainly not ever trying to embarrass anybody
but the fact is that
if we have poor reading skills that's an
area we need to work on
if we read the Bible and we're struggling
just with understanding
the reading of it then you need to
sacrifice to learn how to become a better reader
read other
books read books about reading
if we have a hard time with
learning let's read books about learning
right?
well that sounds hard I know
but you know that's what
buried treasure is buried
it's underneath earth and rock
and stone like people have to dig that out of the way
it's difficult work
to go mine silver out of the earth
but people do it because they want it
because they see the value in it
and if we see the value if we love God and we see
the value of having the wisdom of God in our lives
we'll do whatever it takes to become
readers of it and better
readers of God's word
read to know and to understand what it's saying
so that we can apply it to our lives
and I only
say that because I know that's just a struggle
that some people have
and I'm not down on people that are like that
you know
sometimes the education system
fails us
and we have to go back and redo things that
unfortunately we didn't learn maybe earlier on in life
and
we should become more proficient
and efficient readers I believe that
it requires sacrifice
you're going to have to sacrifice
your time and effort
to get to mine the wisdom
out of this book
the next thing I want us to see
in 1 Kings chapter 3 and I've already kind of
alluded to this in verse 5
after Solomon goes and makes the
sacrifice in verse 4 after we
know in verse 3 that Solomon is one that loves
the Lord and is willing to sacrifice
it says in verse 5 that
in Gibeon the Lord appeared
to Solomon by a dream
in a dream by night
and God said ask what I shall give thee
what I want us to understand
is that wisdom is something that is offered
to us
wisdom again is not hiding
wisdom as it says there
is you know
is available God's saying
ask what you will
ask what you want from me and I'll give it you
what do you want Solomon?
I want wisdom
God's glad
He's like that's exactly what you need
that's what I want to give you
look at Proverbs chapter number 2 again
Proverbs chapter number 2 verse 6
for the Lord giveth wisdom
out of his mouth cometh
knowledge and understanding
I mean God is in heaven
God has written the Bible for us
God is just pouring out wisdom
God has just given us all the wisdom that we need
to live this life
and all we have to do is go get it
take the requisite time
to read and understand
to apply it to our lives
it's right there
God offers
wisdom to anyone who wants it
verse 7 he layeth up sound wisdom
for the righteous
I mean he's laying it up like in a storehouse
God's just got all this wisdom
he's like you want more?
you want more?
oh you've had enough do you need some more?
do you want more wisdom? God's weird
and there's no end to us
and there's no end to it
and honestly part of it
obviously a big part of
getting wisdom is just through the knowledge of this book
but it's also through the ministry of the Holy Spirit
which is something that a lot of people
don't give a lot of thought to
as we read this book
God will give us wisdom
the more we know the word of God
he will bring those things again
to our remembrance
people will ask us questions
people will ask us about situations
people will come to us for knowledge
and counsel and you know what?
God's word will just come out of us
we'll have that wisdom
laid up ourselves in our own hearts
in our own selves
in order to impart that wisdom to others
you know and part of it is
kind of supernatural
I don't want to get all mystical
up here
but there is a supernatural aspect I believe
to the wisdom of God
God will give you an answer
if you've been diligently seeking it
or maybe you know
if you're asking God for wisdom
and how to do something
God could just kind of help you to discern
and know how to do things
I believe that's very true
you're out on some job
and you run into some difficult situation
and you just pray, God give me wisdom how to do it
maybe God will just slow your heart rate down a little bit
so you can think clearly
God's not going to like
it's not like a set of instructions are going to float down from heaven
you know and be like, oh
right, all of a sudden
a certain part of the directions are highlighted
like, what's a miracle?
right, but God
you know you just might start thinking more clearly
oh if I get this bit
or if I, whatever it is
you know, you'll figure it, you might be able to figure it out
I mean God
filled men in the Old Testament with wisdom
in order to do certain physical tasks
when they built
the tabernacle, when they built the temple
you know, men were filled with wisdom
men that already had
ability and skill
were filled with wisdom and knowledge and how to
go about doing it
there wasn't like an actual blueprint
I believe supernaturally God kind of just showed
everybody how to do that
that's why we can't recreate these things from
the scripture
to an exact team, right
but God gives wisdom
that's the point I'm making
and part of it is, I believe, supernatural
which is amazing
to think that God would give
me wisdom, right
out of his mouth cometh knowledge
he layeth up sound
wisdom for the righteous
he is a buckler to them that walk up
uprightly, he keepeth the path of
judgment, he preserveth the way of his saints
then thou shalt understand
righteousness and judgment and equity
yea, every good path
go to Proverbs chapter number 22
you know, if God gives
you wisdom, you're going to have understanding
as he says there, you will understand
righteousness, judgment, and equity
yea, every good path
having the wisdom and the knowledge of God
will guide you in this life
when choices are put
before you, when decisions have to be made
when you have to go to the left hand or to the right
you're going to have the knowledge of God
the wisdom of God, if you've made the sacrifice
if you've put in the time
if you know the word of God, if you have the spirit of God
if you're filled with spirit, you'll make the right decision
and you'll do it with confidence
you know, sometimes
that's why a lot of people have a really
difficult time making a decision in life
because they just, they get
paralysis by analysis
they're not sure which one's right
they're like, this looks good, but this
I don't know, maybe this is the right, I don't know
if we have the wisdom and knowledge
of God, we'll understand
we'll understand every good path
oh, this is the right way, this is not the right way
we'll make wise decisions in life
God offers wisdom
He told Solomon, what do you want?
He says in James 1, if any of you lack wisdom
let him ask of God and it shall be given him
It says that God giveth to all men
liberally and abraitheth not
God's not going to get mad if you ask for wisdom
God's going to be pleased if you ask for wisdom
I think if God
sees you in the prayer closet
crying after wisdom, seeking wisdom
begging for it, if he sees you
in the Word, reading, being diligent
looking for the wisdom of God
applying into your life, God's going to be pleased by that
and give you more wisdom
He's not going to be upset by it, look at Proverbs 22
Verse 17
Bow down thine ear
and hear the words of the wise and apply
thine heart to knowledge
So we have to put in our part
We have to apply our hearts
For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep them within thee
withal shall be fitted in thy lips
You know, giving an answer in due season, how sweet it is
Right?
Isn't it nice when someone
comes to you and you have the answer?
It's not nice not having the answer
And look, we're not going to have the answer for everything
Sometimes people come to me with questions
and I just say, I don't know
I'm not sure
I'll give back to you, right?
Or I can direct them to someone else that would know
But isn't it nice when someone comes to you
and it's a pleasant thing
that that's been kept within you
and it's fitted in your lips
And people walk away and they go, thank you
Thank you for being able to help me with that question
Help me with that problem
Thank you for the wisdom that you have
Well, the only way you're going to get there
is if you do what?
Bow down thine ear
and you hear the words of the wise
and you apply your heart
to knowledge
Look at verse 20
Have not I written to thee excellent things
in counsel and knowledge?
That I might make thee know the certainty
of the words of truth
That thou mightest answer the words of truth
to them that send unto thee?
It's a hypothetical question
God has the answer
God has written unto us excellent things
in counsel and knowledge
God has given us the wisdom in his word
that we'd be able to know the certainty
of the words of truth
that we might be able to answer them
that send unto us
It's all right here
God has given us excellent things
in counsel and knowledge
And we have to take the time
to read it, to apply our hearts
to bow down our ears
But again, you have to bow down your ear
Wisdom is offered
and if you love God
you'll seek it
But wisdom requires humility
That's what we see in the story
if you still have something there
Again, keep something in Proverbs all night
But if you want to go back to 1 Kings 3
and Solomon said
Thou showed thy servant David
my father great mercy
according as he walked before thee
in truth and in righteousness
and in uprightness of heart with thee
and thou hast kept for him this great kindness
that thou hast given him a son
to set on his throne as it is this day
and now, O Lord,
thou hast made thy servant king
and said of David, my father
and notice these next words
and I am but a little child
and I know not how to go out
or come in
Now he's not literally a child, right?
Cause we read how he took a wife
you know, the daughter of Pharaoh, right?
So he's married man, he's a grown man
But here's a grown man, the king of Israel
You know, most likely the most powerful man
on the planet at this time
And he's saying, I'm a little child
What is that?
That's humility, my friend
And he's building up
to ask for wisdom
And he's admitting to God, I don't have it
You know, this is another reason why people
never get the wisdom that they need
Cause they're too proud to understand
how desperately they need it
They think they have all the answers
Well, I got all that figured out
You know, I don't need advice in marriage
I don't need advice on finances
I don't need advice on child-rearing
I got it all figured out already
I already figured that all out
And it's like, I know it's contrary
to what the Bible actually says, but you know
I guess I'm just smarter than God
And look, people would never say, again, say those words
but, you know, actions speak louder than words
You just watch the way people live their lives
the decisions they make
And it's like
Why are you saying and doing things
that are completely contrary to the Bible?
It's not wise
You know, it might be because
people have too much pride
They can't swallow their pride
and just say, I know not how
I don't know how to do this
You know, there's a good lesson, too
You know, you want to succeed on work
Be someone who's teachable
Be somebody who can actually be told
how to do something
and be told you're wrong
Cause you don't know everything
You show up on some job
I already know how to run all this structured cabling
Oh, you've done it before?
No. How hard could it be?
Way more complex
than you probably think
Right? Or whatever it is
You know, a lot of times
that's all employers are looking for
They're not interested
how much experience you have sometimes
sometimes they just want someone who can be told what to do
and how to do it
Just say, I know not how
Hey, I don't know how to do this, but I'm willing to learn
I'm a little child, teach me
You know, before we want
or before we can get, rather, wisdom
we have to have humility
There has to be an admission that we don't know
There has to be an admission
of our inability
You know, this is something
that, you know, people need to learn
to just be able to say, I don't know how to do it
And that can sometimes be kind of discouraging
to sit there and think, I don't know how to do this
But really, when you're there
when you're at that point where you're willing to admit
I don't know what I'm doing
I'm a little child, I know not how to do this
You're in the perfect position for God to step in and say
Well, let me show you
You're in the perfect position for somebody
who's more seasoned, who has the wisdom
who has the knowledge, who has the understanding
to come alongside you and say, now that you're
humble enough to receive
instruction and wisdom, and now I'll show you
But
wisdom is preceded by
humility
By an admission of an ability
Look at verse 8
I serve in the midst of this people
which thou hast chosen a great people
that cannot be numbered for multitude
What I want us to see here
is that wisdom is needed
Wisdom is needed
You know, I don't have to worry about
humbling myself
Because I really don't need the wisdom of God
I understand it's there, but I'll be fine without it
No, you won't
The Bible says in Proverbs 26
verse 12, if you're there you can turn there
I'll just read to you
Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit
there is more hope of a fool
than him
People who are wise in their own conceit
have no hope of having
any real wisdom in this life
But what I want us to see now
is that wisdom is something that is desperately
needed
Because Solomon said
he was in the midst of what a great
people that cannot be numbered
or counted for multitude
He's supposed to lead this nation
There's, you know, just all these people
that are looking to him for leadership, looking to him for guidance
looking for him to lead them
in righteousness and to show them how to
worship God and how to serve God as a nation
And he's saying, I don't know how to do it, God
And God said, well I'll show you
I'll give you the wisdom that you need
But he had to be able to
admit his inability
He had to be willing to admit the fact
that wisdom is something that's needed
Look at verse 9
He says, it says there, give therefore thy servant
an understanding heart to judge thy
people, that I may be, may
discern between good and bad
For who is able to judge
this so great a people, verse 10
And the speech pleased the Lord that Solomon
asked this thing, and God
said unto him, because thou hast not asked this thing
and hast not asked for thyself long life
neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast
hast the life of thine enemies
but hast asked for thyself
understanding to discern judgment
behold, I have done according
to thy words, though I have given thee a wise
and understanding heart
So there will none like thee before thee
neither after thee shall any arise like thee
You know, wisdom
is something that is needed to discern good and bad
And here we see in this passage, wisdom
being defined
That wisdom is being able to discern
between evil and good
It's able to
It's having the ability to make judgment
It's the ability to be able to
understand, okay
That's why wisdom is so important
To be able to discern between good and bad
To make
the right decision
I mean, think
of how dangerous that would be to not understand
between good and evil
Like, this is something we teach our children
hopefully, early on
Stove, hot, right?
This is a gun, do not play with it
You know, whatever, you know
We teach them safety, we teach them
this is bad, this will hurt you
Right? This is good, this will not
hurt you
And that doesn't end at childhood, obviously it does
when it comes to those childish things
But you know, we have our whole lives
to live, where we have to make decision
after decision, after decision, after decision
And we have to have the
ability, the wisdom, the understanding to be
able to discern between what is good
and what is bad
And that ability, that wisdom
comes from God
If you would,
well, we'll just wrap up
I know it's been a long weekend for some of you
but wisdom is discerned
is defined as discernment between good and evil
Bible says in Proverbs 14
Actually, you know what?
Go to Proverbs 28, let's look at it
It says in Proverbs 14
There is a way which
seemeth right unto a man
but the end thereof are the ways of death
This is why you need to have wisdom
so that you can discern between good and evil
Cause, you know, you could
live this life and say, well this seems right
this seems good, this sounds good, this
must be correct, and you could actually be going
down the wrong path, making
the wrong decision
Listening to bad advice
Listening to bad counsel and not even know it
and actually think it's good
Because you don't have wisdom, you don't have
knowledge, you don't have understanding
You don't have the wisdom that comes
from God, there's no humility, there's no
admission of inability
The Bible says there's a way which seemeth right
unto man but the end thereof are the ways of death
Oh, I don't need to listen to my parents
I don't need to listen to that preacher
I don't need to listen to the word of God
Cause I know
this is right. You know what? The ends of those
ways are death
Look at Proverbs 28 verse 26
He that trusteth in his own heart
is a fool
Well, you know, I'm just gonna follow my heart
I'm just gonna trust my heart tells me
differently. You're a fool
I mean
the Bible just says it, you're a fool
But whoso walketh wisely
he shall be delivered
You know, how do you walk wisely?
By having a word that has a light
unto your path and a lamp unto your feet
Having
a light that's gonna guide you
through this life
and the word of God
The other thing I want us to see in the
story is that not only is wisdom needed
but wisdom will be tested
Your wisdom will be tested
And that happens to Solomon immediately in the story
He asks for wisdom, God
gives it to him, and then it says in verse 16
Then came there two women
that were harlots
unto the king and stood before him
And everyone knows the story
This is one of the most famous stories in the Bible
Where there are two harlots
They both had young children
At the same time, pretty much
And the one overlaid her child and it died
And in the night she went and took
and switched the children
Then they woke up and said, oh, you killed your kid
by sleeping on it
And they had this dispute
Like, no, that's my child
And that's the dispute
And Solomon in his wisdom says, bring me a sword
and guide the living child and give each one a half
And on the surface
you say, that sounds ridiculous
But Solomon in his wisdom
knew that we're going to have to
follow through on that because the mother of the
living child would want to see it live
Rather than see it destroyed, she'd rather just
somebody else have it
She's not one of those people, if I can't have you
no one will
That's not her motto
And that was a very
wise thing
When people heard that, it spread abroad
and everyone understood the wisdom of God
Rather that Solomon had the wisdom of God
But the point I'm making is that
your wisdom will be tested
in life
The decisions that are coming to you
whether you like it or not
You are going to be drawn to crossroads
You're going to be drawn to places of decision in your life
You're going to have to be able to discern
between good and evil and if you don't
have wisdom, you will make the wrong decision
If you
If you do not have the knowledge of God
you will make the wrong decision
If you haven't been seeking her
as for silver and hid treasures
If you haven't been crying and lifting up your voice
If you haven't been in the word of God
and applying it, you will make the
wrong decision
If you're trusting in something
Right?
You're trusting either in your own heart
in which case you're a fool
or you're trusting in the knowledge
of God. You're saying, I'm a child
I don't have the ability, I don't have the humility
enough to admit that we don't have the wisdom
that we need, that we need it from God
and you'll make the right decision or you're trusting in your own heart
and you're going to make the wrong one
But my point is that your wisdom
will be tested
You're going to have to make a decision
every single one of us
And we're going to
you know, if we don't have the wisdom of God
we will make the wrong one. But the good news is
if you have the wisdom of God
if you make wisdom, the principle thing in your life
you'll make the right decisions
The last thing I want us to notice in the story is that wisdom is given in proportion to our need
If you look in 1 Kings chapter 4, look at verse 20
It says, and Judah and Israel were many
as the sand which is by the sea in multitude
eating and drinking and making merry
Must have been Baptists
So he's saying, look there's just so many of them
you couldn't even count them
They were like the sand of the sea
How much is that? Nobody knows
You can't calculate that
It would be a fool's errand to go and try and count how much sand there is
They're innumerable
And look at verse 29
And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding
exceeding much
and largestness of heart
even as the sand that is on the seashore
Now that just jumped out at me when I was reading this in my devotions
It says that God's people were like the sands of the sea
They were as the sand which is by the sea in multitude
That's who Solomon was seeing over
That's the situation he was in
having to rule over this huge group of people
But in turn God gave him the wisdom and understanding
exceeding much and largest of heart
Even as the sand of the sea
He said hey I'm going to give you the wisdom in proportion to your need
To me that's a comfort
Because wisdom will be tested
We're going to find ourselves in life going
I have to make a decision
I'm going to have to be responsible for the consequences of this decision
I'm going to have to lead my family
I'm going to have to lead my home
Whatever it is
That can be overwhelming sometimes
Especially if we don't have that wisdom
If we haven't been seeking it
We can become very apprehensive about whether or not we're making the right decision
But the good news is
Just like Solomon was giving as much wisdom as he needed
So will you and I
I'm not saying God's going to give us so much wisdom
That we're all going to go into competition with Elon Musk or something
Cause it's not necessary
But God will give you the wisdom that you need in this life
God will give you the wisdom in proportion to your need
If you see your need
If we have the humility to admit it
And I know that I said that was the last point
But I have just two more quick points
From the story
Cause who knows when I'll be back again
Look at verse 34
And there came of all people to hear the wisdom of Solomon
From all kings of the earth which had heard of his wisdom
You know
Wisdom is going to make you useful to other people
And I think this is something I've thought a lot about over the years
The reason why I think so many people feel so unfulfilled in life
Is because they make it all about them
And really the greatest joy we get out of life
Is when we
The greatest joy we get out of life is when we are helpful to others
When we're a people of utility
Right?
And this used to be something that was taught and practiced
Earlier on in our country
Where before the rise of mass consumerism
And it just became all about getting stuff for yourself
There was a great emphasis put upon being a useful person
Helping your neighbor
Who is a person of utility and has something to offer to society
Not just a consumer
Right?
The problem is today we're all take now
We're consuming media, we're consuming this, we're consuming entertainment
Which is all about us and all the stuff we can get and the things we can do
It's more this way
We're like gimme, gimme, gimme
Right?
But the real satisfaction in life comes when we can help other people
That's what I've found
And the more wisdom that we have the more people we can help
I mean they heard about the wisdom of Solomon, his wisdom was tested
And they came from all around
All people came to hear the wisdom of Solomon
From all the kings of the earth
I mean these great powerful men are coming to Solomon and saying let's hear what this guy has to say
How did he get there?
Solomon understood that wisdom is the principle thing
That's why he wrote it when he wrote the book of Proverbs
He said wisdom is the principle thing
Therefore with all thy getting get wisdom
It's gonna require that you love God
That you're willing to make that sacrifice
But it's worth it
Because your wisdom will be tested in this life
And you will or will not make the right decisions based upon that
It's worth it to make that sacrifice
Because you will actually be somebody that is useful to other people
If you have wisdom and knowledge and understanding
Let's go ahead and close the word of prayer
Lord again thank you for the wisdom that we can find in your word
Lord I pray it help us to be found daily
Reading it, meditating upon it, allowing it to guide us, to lead us, to make the right decisions
Lord help us to be a diligent people
That desire to serve you with our lives
And Lord to be able to do it with wisdom
Make us a useful people Lord
A useful people Lord for your glory
We ask these things in Christ's name Amen
Alright we'll go ahead and sing one more song before we are dismissed
Alright would you please open up your song books
This is song number 63
What a day that will be
This is song number 63
There is coming a day when no heartache shall come
Summer clouds in the sky
No more tears to give me up
All is peace forevermore
On that happy golden shore
What a day, what a day that will be
What a day that will be
When my Jesus I shall see
And I'll look upon his face
The one who saved me by his grace
When he takes me by the hand
And leads me through the promised land
What a day, glorious day that will be
There'll be no sorrow there
No more burdens to bear
No more sickness to gain
No more farting over there
And forever I will be
With the one who died for me
What a day, glorious day that will be
What a day that will be
When my Jesus I shall see
And I'll look upon his face
The one who saved me by his grace
When he takes me by the hand
And leads me through the promised land
What a day, glorious day that will be