The Beginning of Wisdom

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The Beginning of Wisdom

Proverbs 1:1-33; September 8, 2024; Don Willeman

September 8, 2024 • Don Willeman • Proverbs 1

QUOTES FOR REFLECTION

“Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.”

~Miles Kington (1941-2008), British journalist, musician, and broadcaster

“The wise person doesn’t give the right answers, but poses the right questions.”

~Claude Lévi-Strauss (1908-2009), French anthropologist

“The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.”

~Socrates (c. 470-399 BC), famed Athenian philosopher

“The endless cycle of idea and action,

Endless invention, endless experiment,

Brings knowledge of motion, but not of stillness;

Knowledge of speech, but not of silence;

Knowledge of words, and ignorance of the Word.

All our knowledge brings us nearer to our ignorance,

All our ignorance brings us nearer to death,

But nearness to death no nearer to GOD.

Where is the Life we have lost in living?

Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?

Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?

The cycles of Heaven in twenty centuries

Bring us farther from GOD and nearer to the Dust.”

~T. S. Eliot (1888-1965), The Rock (1934)

“If you are filled with pride, then you will have no room for wisdom.”

~African Proverb

“A humble knowledge of myself is a surer way to God than a search after learning."

~Thomas à Kempis (c. 1380-1471), German-Dutch priest

“There comes a moment when people who have been dabbling in religion (‘Man’s search for God’!) suddenly draw back. Supposing we really found Him? We never meant it to come to that! Worse still, supposing He had found us?”

~C.S. Lewis (1898-1963), literary scholar

SERMON PASSAGE

Proverbs 1:1-33 (ESV)

Proverbs 1

1 The proverbs of Solomon, son of David,

king of Israel:

2 To know wisdom and instruction,

to understand words of insight,

3 to receive instruction in wise dealing,

in righteousness, justice, and equity;

4 to give prudence to the simple,

knowledge and discretion to the youth—

5 Let the wise hear and increase in learning,

and the one who understands obtain guidance,

6 to understand a proverb and a saying,

the words of the wise and their riddles.

7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;

fools despise wisdom and instruction.

8 Hear, my son, your father’s instruction,

and forsake not your mother’s teaching,

9 for they are a graceful garland for your head

and pendants for your neck.

10 My son, if sinners entice you,

do not consent.

11 If they say, “Come with us,

let us lie in wait for blood;

let us ambush the innocent without reason;

12 like Sheol let us swallow them alive,

and whole, like those who go down to the pit;

13 we shall find all precious goods,

we shall fill our houses with plunder;

14 throw in your lot among us;

we will all have one purse”—

15 my son, do not walk in the way with them;

hold back your foot from their paths,

16 for their feet run to evil,

and they make haste to shed blood.

17 For in vain is a net spread

in the sight of any bird,

18 but these men lie in wait for their own blood;

They set an ambush for their own lives.

19 Such are the ways of everyone

who is greedy for unjust gain;

it takes away the life of its possessors.

20 Wisdom cries aloud in the street,

in the markets she raises her voice;

21 at the head of the noisy streets she cries out;

at the entrance of the city gates she speaks:

22 “How long, O simple ones,

will you love being simple?

How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing

and fools hate knowledge?

23 If you turn at my reproof,

behold, I will pour out my spirit to you;

I will make my words known to you.

24 Because I have called and you refused to listen,

have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded,

25 because you have ignored all my counsel

and would have none of my reproof,

26 I also will laugh at your calamity;

I will mock when terror strikes you,

27 when terror strikes you like a storm

and your calamity comes like a whirlwind,

when distress and anguish come upon you.

28 Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer;

they will seek me diligently but will not find me.

29 Because they hated knowledge

and did not choose the fear of the Lord,

30 would have none of my counsel

and despised all my reproof,

31 therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way,

and have their fill of their own devices.

32 For the simple are killed by their turning away,

and the complacency of fools destroys them;

33 but whoever listens to me will dwell secure

and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.”

Proverbs 9

10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,

and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.

Wisdom and Emotions: Sorrow and Joy

December 29, 2024 • Ryan Bouton • Proverbs 1:10–13, Proverbs 15:13–16, Luke 2:8–11, Psalm 37:4, Proverbs 12:25

QUOTES FOR REFLECTION “It is a Christian duty, as you know, for everyone to be as happy as he can.” ~ C.S. Lewis in A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken “Perhaps his purpose is simply to draw us closer to himself in conscious communion with him; for it is often the case, as all the saints know, that fellowship with the Father and the Son is most vivid and sweet, and Christian joy is greatest, when the cross is heaviest.” ~ J. I. Packer, Knowing God “Man’s happiness was never meant to be determined by his circumstances, and that is the fatal blunder that we all tend to make… We must come back to the soul and to God who made it. We were made for Him, we are meant for Him, we have a correspondence with Him, and we will never come to rest until, like that needle on the compass, we strike that northern point, and there we come to rest – nowhere else.” ~ Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981), Welsh minister and medical doctor “The mass of men have been forced to be gay about the little things, but sad about the big ones. Nevertheless (I offer my last dogma defiantly) it is not native to man to be so. Man is more himself, man is more manlike, when joy is the fundamental thing in him, and grief the superficial. Melancholy should be an innocent interlude, a tender and fugitive frame of mind; praise should be the permanent pulsation of the soul. Pessimism is at best an emotional half-holiday; joy is the uproarious labor by which all things live.” ~ G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy “But in this world everything is upside down. That which, if it could be prolonged here, would be a truancy, is likest that which in a better country is the End of ends. Joy is the serious business of Heaven.” ~ C.S. Lewis, Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer SERMON PASSAGE selected passages (ESV) Psalm 37 4 Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Proverbs 12 25 Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad. Proverbs 13 9 The light of the righteous rejoices, but the lamp of the wicked will be put out…. 12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life. Proverbs 14 10 The heart knows its own bitterness, and no stranger shares its joy. 11 The house of the wicked will be destroyed, but the tent of the upright will flourish. 12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. 13 Even in laughter the heart may ache, and the end of joy may be grief…. 30 A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot. Proverbs 15 13 A glad heart makes a cheerful face, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is crushed. 14 The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge, but the mouths of fools feed on folly. 15 All the days of the afflicted are evil, but the cheerful of heart has a continual feast. 16 Better is a little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble with it…. 30 The light of the eyes rejoices the heart, and good news refreshes the bones. Proverbs 25 25 Like cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country. Luke 2 8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. John 16 24 Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

The Good News of Christmas

December 24, 2024 • Don Willeman • Proverbs 25:25, Luke 2:10–11, Proverbs 12:25

QUOTES FOR REFLECTION “When the Father’s Wisdom wanted to communicate His love He spoke it in one final perfect Word. “And so the Light became alive, and manna became Man Eternity stepped into time, so we could understand.” ~Michael Card, musical artist “‘Evangelion’ (that we call the gospel) is a Greek word, and signifies good, merry, glad and joyful tidings, that makes a man’s heart glad, and makes him sing, dance and leap for joy.” ~William Tyndale (1494-1536), English, scholar, reformer, and Bible translator “Many people visualize a God who sits comfortably on a distant throne, remote, aloof, uninterested, and indifferent to the needs of mortals, until, it may be, they can badger him into taking action on their behalf. Such a view is wholly false. The Bible reveals a God who, long before it even occurs to man to turn to him, while man is still lost in darkness and sunk in sin, takes the initiative, rises from his throne, lays aside his glory, and stoops to seek until he finds him.” ~John R.W. Stott (1921-2011), Anglican priest and theologian “The Son of God did not want to be seen and found in heaven. Therefore he descended from heaven into this humility and came to us in our flesh, laid himself into the womb of his mother and into the manger and went on to the cross. This was the ladder that he placed on earth so that we might ascend to God on it. This is the way you must take.” ~Martin Luther (1483-1546), German reformer “For whatever reason God chose to make man as he is— limited and suffering and subject to sorrows and death—He had the honesty and the courage to take His own medicine.… He has kept His own rules and played fair. He can exact nothing from man that He has not exacted from Himself. He has Himself gone through the whole of human experience, from the trivial irritations of family life and the cramping restrictions of hard work and lack of money to the worst horrors of pain and humiliation, defeat, despair and death. When He was a man, He played the man. He was born in poverty and died in disgrace and thought it well worthwhile.” ~Dorothy L. Sayers (1893-1957), novelist and playwright SERMON PASSAGE Luke 2:10-11, Proverbs 12:25, Proverbs 25:25 (ESV) Luke 2 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. Proverbs 12 25 Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad. Proverbs 25 25 Like cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country.

The Wisdom of God and the Scandal of the Cross

December 22, 2024 • Noah Crane

QUOTES FOR REFLECTION “Now it is not sufficient for anyone, and does him no good to recognize God in his glory and majesty, unless he recognizes him in the shame and humility of the cross.” ~Martin Luther, 16th century German theologian and reformer “For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” ~1 Corinthians 2:2 “If thou hast but a spark of true faith in Jesus Christ, it is better than a whole volcano full of worldly wisdom.” ~Charles Spurgeon, 19th century British Preacher “O that old rugged cross, so despised by the world, has a wondrous attraction for me; for the dear Lamb of God left his glory above to bear it to dark Calvary.” ~“The Old Rugged Cross” by George Bennard SERMON PASSAGE Proverbs 3:7, Proverbs 16:2, 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 (ESV) Proverbs 3 7 Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. Proverbs 16 2 All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit. 1 Corinthians 1 18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.” 20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”