September 27, 2015
Bad
choices are very destructive.
What does it take to make good
choices? Wisdom
How Does Proverbs Decribe Wisdom
1.
Insight in Hebrew means to notice
differences, to see distinctions.
Prudence—practical, strategic, how
to get things done, foresight
Instruction—character, depth of
character

Wisdom is competence in regards
to how life really works.
Knowing
what to do with the
knowledge, knowledge is assumed
It is not just moral and law-abiding, it
is more. Knowing the right thing to do
in which the moral rules do not apply.
You are offered two jobs and neither
is morally wrong. Taking the wrong
job is disastrous.
2. The importance of wisdom
a. The simple—young, naïve person, not
fully formed, led along by the crowd.
Affected by what their friends think,
not wise, but wayward. “Why did I
think that way?”
b.
Fool – opposite of normal foolishness,
a person who is wise in his own eyes,
set in his ways, self-righteous,
opinionated, stubborn, angry if he is
corrected, never wrong.
2. The importance of wisdom
a. The simple—young, naïve person, not
fully formed, led along by the crowd.
Affected by what their friends think,
not wise, but wayward. “Why did I
think that way?”
b.
Fool – opposite of normal foolishness,
a person who is wise in his own eyes,
set in his ways, self-righteous,
opinionated, stubborn, angry if he is
corrected, never wrong.
Wisdom
is in touch with reality.
Simple are not and fools are not.
A difficult occasion arises with you
and your friends—should I speak
out, should I keep silent?
Sometimes you speak out and
sometime not.
3. The problem of wisdom.
Chemistry has wired us to respond
to threats.
Aggressive, anxious, philosophical.
Anxious-get me out of here
Aggressive-let me at it
Philosophical-just calm down, let’s
not do anything rash, wait and see.
One
of those responses feels right
to you. Without thinking
Your habitual response generally is
wrong.
High
danger—anxious
mid-level- aggressive
that look worse than they arephilosophical
The
most natural way for you to
deal with threats is usually wrong.
Modern
parents have been taught to
let the children be themselves; good
parenting will see the dark side of their
children and teach them to adapt to
reality according to what is wise, not
just what is natural.
Foolishness is bound up in the heart of
a child. All of us are born fools.
Foolishness is natural. Wisdom is
acquired.
Unless
you learn wisdom, receiving
correction, getting to know the lies from
the truth, you will be destroyed by your
choices.
Our culture: Be yourself, and if you have a
problem, find a technique.
 CS
Lewis “The Abolition of Man”: The
ancients saw man’s need to conform himself
to reality by sometimes doubting himself and
learning virtue and wisdom. Today we see
the problem as how to subdue reality to our
will and the answer is technique.
Keller:
“Christians commonly approach
decisions they need to make by saying
“I want to discern God’s will. How can I
pray to discern his will?” His response to
them is usually never satisfying. But as
far as the Bible is concerned
discernment is about becoming a wise
person over many years. Cultivate
wisdom in yourself and then chose
what is best.”
He
says: It sounds very spiritual to
imagine that the key to decisionmaking is laying everything out in
front of God and having God inform
you as to the right choice to make,
but you are doing exactly what your
culture wants, you are applying a
technique. Not conforming the soul
to reality, but trying to conform reality
to your soul.”
The
problem is that we are all fools
by nature, but how can we find
wisdom, how can we begin the
search?
“The fear of the LORD is the
beginning of knowledge, but fools
despise wisdom and instruction”
 Through paradoxical fear, and the
foolishness of grace.
If you have this positive fear he will
The
problem is that we are all fools
by nature, but how can we find
wisdom, how can we begin the
search?
“The fear of the LORD is the
beginning of knowledge, but fools
despise wisdom and instruction”
 Through paradoxical fear, and the
foolishness of grace. If you have this
positive fear he will make you wise.
 You
won’t care too much about what other
people think because you care about what
the LORD thinks.
 You won’t be a simpleton.
 You also wouldn’t be an obstinate fool
because you wouldn’t care what you think
anymore.
 You wouldn’t have that insecurity that needs
to be right.
 You wouldn’t stand upon your own dignity.
 This would be the beginning of your wisdom.
 The
only way to get it would to be absolutely
sure that God will not hurt you. To be sure
that despite your flaws he won’t condemn
you.
 The difference between just knuckling under
and obeying out of compliance and joyfully
following God is the difference between
positive fear and negative fear. You’ve got
to know that there is no condemnation for
you. Put it in the context of the whole Bible.
There is positive and negative fear in the Old
Testament. In the New Testament there is
positive foolishness.
Positive Foolishness








Paul talks about the foolishness of the cross, the foolishness of Christ, the foolishness
of grace.
When Jesus comes he says “I’m coming to be the king.” In the world’s eyes you
come as a general to smite evil doers. Or as a philosopher to instruct everyone.
Jesus goes to the cross and by the world’s standards it is foolishness.
The reason we see the cross as foolishness, when we look at all the evil in the
world…Everyone has a theory about what is wrong with the world, and its never us,
it’s “them”. We are wise in our own eyes; we are fools. Only by going to the cross
and taking our punishment could God be able to end evil without ending us.
Paul says the foolishness of God is wiser than the wisdom of men.
If you want to become a Christian, you need to become this kind of fool
You need to see that you’ve been wise in your own eyes and embrace the
foolishness of the cross. You’ll look like a fool especially in a place like NYC but you’ll
know there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Psalm 130:4: Because you have forgiven me, therefore I fear you.
When I see your grace I’m afraid of disappointing you (God).