← ArchiveSunday, June 12, 2016DateJune 12, 2016Speaker—TextMatthewPassages in this sermonProverbs 11:24Matthew 710:50Matthew 1013:26Genesis 2015:44Exodus 321:02TranscriptClick any line to jump there.0:00We'll be right back. We'll be right back.0:30Well, hello.1:00Well, hello. If you have your Bibles with you, please turn to the book of Proverbs, and we have a lot of ground to plow this morning. The book of Proverbs, if you don't know where that is in your Bible, if you will find your Bible, if you would turn halfway through, you're at Psalms, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes. So Proverbs chapter 1. And I know many of you will be traveling here or there this summer, but we will have just1:26a series of summer wisdom. And the great thing about Proverbs is that Proverbs are small sayings that are intended to give wisdom and understanding. So this summer, we will look at relationships, and we will look at money, and we will look at marriage, and we will look at parenting, and we are going to look at things in God's Word that God gives us to find wisdom. Not knowledge, but wisdom. And you might be thinking, well, what is a Proverbs?1:56So I know it's a short saying that gives understanding. So let me give you some examples of some Proverbs you might know. If you know this, you can fill in the blank. Famous Proverbs. Two wrongs do not make a right. The pen is mightier than the sword. When in Rome, do as the Romans. Hope for the best, expect the worst, prepare for the worst.2:22Birds of a feather flock together. Keep your friends close. I don't know who you're sitting by today, but that might ring true. There is no place like, now isn't that true? Every time I go home, it's just like, it's nice to be back. There is no such thing as, some of you know that, a free lunch.2:51A free lunch, or the wrong answer. The early bird catches the worm. Beggars can't, I found that out personally this week. Friday, I was going to the job site to work, and I could not find my Mississippi State visor. I don't like to wear hats, I wear visors. And so I walked in the church, and I said, Lord, I'm just going to get sunburned. And be like, Jonah.3:20And this kind gentleman gave me, he said, I have the hat for you. And I'm like, Lord. And so they gave me this camouflage visor with an A, a crimson A on it.3:45We're talking about wisdom today, not knowledge. And I was going to say, there's no way, I'd rather burn my head off. But then I thought about my sermon as preparation. I said, Lord, beggars can't be choosers. So I wore it. I sucked up my pride, and I'm not sunburned today. So there you go. It's true. That proverb is true. Beggars cannot be choosers. If it ain't broke, and here's some that we say only in the South. And I'll just give the whole proverb.4:15I don't really know what it means. I'm finer than a frog hair split four ways. Look, I grew up in the South. I have no clue. I've had a pet frog. I've eaten frogs. I didn't realize they had hair. I've heard this in the South often, as useful as a screen door on a submarine. Okay. And then here is my favorite, because it means it is so flexible in its use. Bless your heart.4:45And if you really know what that means, there's a lot of wisdom in that. Because it's like, you know, bless your heart. You shouldn't have done that. You're foolish. It could really mean bless you. May the Lord bless you. May he keep you. God bless you. So that's one of those proverbs that some people in the South only get and only use. But here's God's word, how it impacts us. God's word does not desire for us to obtain simply knowledge.5:14It's great to get up and catch the worm. It's great to keep your enemies close. But God's word desires for us to fear the Lord. And so the purpose of wisdom is that we may fear him. And we're going to look at one verse this morning. And many people say that verse 7 in chapter 1 is the motto for the whole book of Proverbs. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.5:44The New King James says wisdom and instruction. So the goal for us this summer is not for you to become smart. That's not our goal. If all that God's word does is make you smart, then I failed you as a pastor. Because you will be smart and intelligent and you, when you die, you will bust the gates of hell wide open as a smart person who does not know the Lord.6:09And I have failed you if that's all that you think that God's word is about. It is deeper than that. God wants to pour his grace into your life and change you as we've seen already. That we had youth this week that showed up on our doorstep Sunday night and said, I am an atheist. I do not believe in God. And by Tuesday night, they were saying, I did not believe in God, but now I do.6:37He is my only hope. That wisdom only comes from the cross of Jesus Christ. So we are going to look this summer at wisdom. Wisdom is defined like this. A colleague and a mentor of mine, Dr. Dennis Cole in New Orleans says, Wisdom is practical knowledge from knowing God, observing his creation with the hope that we will submit to the Lord.6:59So wisdom is practical knowledge by observing God and his creation and submitting to the Lord. Which means this, if you do not submit to the Lord, you do not know wisdom and you are not wise. We're going to see that this morning. Let's begin in prayer and then we will look at God's word. May he make us wise. Father, we have opened up your word and we, as we read it, create in us contrite hearts.7:26Lord, if our hands are dirty, give us a clean hand to serve you. Give us a pure heart that we may not lift our souls to another. And Lord, make us wise. You say that your scriptures make us wise into salvation. Lord, we do not desire intellectual pursuit. We do not desire to be smart.7:54We desire to know you more deeply. That you stir our affections for you. That we may be foolish in the world's eyes. That we may be wise for the sake of Jesus Christ. Lord, may we seek wisdom, not knowledge. And may we find it in your son, your only begotten son. That was sent for sinners such as us. Lord, we pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.8:24Amen. And amen. So, here's wisdom this morning. Verse 7 will be our central verse. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. The sermon is entitled this morning, Seeking Knowledge, Finding Wisdom. Seeking Knowledge, Finding Wisdom. So, here's what we see from God's Word. First, wisdom is found when, verse 7, when you fear the Lord.8:47Wisdom is found when you fear the Lord. Verse 7, the fear of the Lord. So, what is this fear? Because I don't think we understand fear well. Fear is defined in this way in the Bible, especially the Old Testament. To fear the Lord means to obey Him. So, many of you, when I say fear, you think that we are to be scared of God or to be afraid of God.9:16We're going to get there? There are times where we should absolutely be terrified of the holiness and the awe of our Savior. But when the Bible says, fear the Lord, it doesn't mean that your knees should shake and that you should be terrified. It simply means this, obey God. And the reverse is this. If you do not obey God, you should fear Him. You should be terrified. So, if wisdom is found in fear of God, then wisdom is found in obedience to the Lord.9:45The fear means to obey. And so, your obedience shows your fear and your fear shows your faith. Following that? So, obedience shows your faith, which shows your fear of the Lord. So, wisdom is found in fear and fear is displayed in obedience. Why is baptism so important? Because of this.10:15The Bible says that we believe with our heart, we confess with our mouth. Because with our mouth, we are confessing what our heart believes. And with our baptism, we are obeying and backing up what our mouth says. Because obedience is crucial to faith. Because I can't say, I'm going to follow Jesus and in the same breath say, I'm not going to follow Him. And I think as Americans, sometimes we struggle with that. But, you know, we, Jesus is the only answer.10:44Jesus is the only answer. So, He's the narrow gate. I'm going to believe in Jesus. But Jesus says in Matthew 7, enter through the narrow gate. And His name is Jesus Christ. That leads to the narrow way, which leads to life. Fear Him in obedience. That same chapter in Matthew 7 says, on that day, I want you to listen to this, because as church folk, this should absolutely scare us.11:05On that day, many will say to me, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons in your name? Did we not perform many miracles in your name? And I will announce to them, I never knew you.11:30Depart from me, you workers of iniquity. I know many of you. I know your stories and not. No one's come up to me yet since I've been here and said, hey, I want you to know I cast out a demon last week. And here's what the Bible tells us, that obedience shows our fear. And no follower of Christ, when we are presented before, on that day, the Bible says, on that day where we stand before our judge,11:58and when God says, Josh, I'm about to judge you, no follower of Christ says, but Lord, look at the things I've done for you. The follower of Christ says, Lord, look at the finished work of your son, Jesus Christ. Because it's only in the fear of the Lord that we even find obedience. And so my heart is this, that we would just quit playing the church game.12:25Because God does not desire our burnt offerings if they are not given with the right heart. They are a stench that the prophets see. So do you fear him? Do you find wisdom? The fear of the Lord is obedience to his word. And you can look at your life and say, Lord, have I been obedient? If the answer is no, then the answer is you do not fear him. And the answer is Jesus Christ died to save you. Trust him.12:55Trust him. Follow him. He will redeem you. Fear of the Lord is obedience. Here's the second thing that we see in fearing the Lord and finding wisdom. You have nothing to be afraid of unless you cling to your sin. So fearing the Lord is obedience. So you say, well, I don't have to be afraid. Well, not so fast. Because if we cling to our sin, we absolutely should be afraid. We say, well, where do you find that?13:24Matthew 10. This is the words of Jesus again. He says this. Do not fear those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul. So I love, I love what Paul says to, to die is gain, to live is Christ. So as Christians, if someone has a gun to me, or if Satan says, if you, if you tell the name of Jesus Christ, we will kill you, we can look at them and say, go ahead, you're doing me a favor.13:51And if you let me live tomorrow, it will be for Jesus Christ. And I will proclaim the hope that is within me. So I have people that come up to me all the time and say, we're in the end times. It's getting really bad. And I say, it is. But my hope is not any sign or any wonder. My hope is in Jesus Christ. So what are they going to do? Kill me? Really? Satan tried that with Jesus Christ.14:21And what happens? Because we have hope in the resurrection. And if we fear the Lord, we have nothing to fear. But if you say, well, I'm going to cling to my sin. I'm not going to seek Jesus Christ. Then Jesus says this, fear him who is able to destroy both body and soul in hell. And I believe what God's word says. I believe that there is a heaven. I believe that there is a hell. And I believe the reason hell is so dangerously scary and dark, not because there's weeping and gnashing of teeth and it's really hot and there's no air conditioning.14:49Hell is hell because the presence of God is not there. You have nothing to be afraid of if you have put your trust in Jesus Christ. Fear him. And when you fear him, there is nothing to fear. God alone is able to destroy the body and soul in hell. And God alone is able to save the body and soul from hell.15:16We also see this about fear. Verse 7, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. The way you live shows what you fear. So you have nothing to be afraid of if you put your trust in Jesus Christ. Because fear is obedience. But the way you live shows what you fear. Now we're about to get a little messy. I'm sorry. Because Abraham in Genesis chapter 20 does something that is quite strange.15:44He goes to a foreign land, Kadesh. And he knows, he actually says in there that I know these people do not fear the Lord. And I know that my wife is so beautiful that they will kill me and take her. So he does what any wise husband would do and says, look, I'm going to tell them you're my sister. And my wife would say, you don't have to worry about them killing you.16:13Right? Okay. So go back and read Genesis 20. He actually says that these men do not have the fear of the Lord in them. So they're not living in a way that they show the fear of God. And this king, Abimelech, actually takes Sarah, his wife, in to be his concubine or his wife. So you get the picture. So Abraham says, look, they don't fear God. They're godless. Because if you do not fear God, you behave in a way that you do not fear God.16:40Because you cannot hide your actions forever. Eventually, what you believe in your heart is going to show through in your life. And I love what happens to Abimelech. He takes Abraham's wife, sister in for purposes of marrying her, having relations with her. And in that night, he has a dream. And God says, Abimelech, you are as a dead man walking. Can you imagine the Lord telling you that in a dream? And Abimelech says, I am an honest man.17:12I have not taken her in yet. So Abimelech comes to Abraham and says, what have you done? Look what you almost made me do. Why did that whole situation arise? Because Abraham looked at the land and said, they do not fear the Lord. Because I can tell in the way they act, they do not fear the Lord. And yet God struck fear into that king's heart. So I ask you this, when you say that you fear the Lord, what does your life say about your fear?17:41Because if my life is more about sports than worship, I do not fear the Lord, like I say. If my life is more about sporting events, and I love football, I love sports. I'm not talking as one is saying, sports are from the devil. I love sports. But when my love for sports competes for my love of Jesus Christ,18:08that is an idol. And it is only leading to a path of destruction for me and for you. And in that moment, God is saying, Josh, you do not fear me. You are worshiping at an idol that is horrifically pitiful. So maybe as you say, well, a pastor, of course I fear God. Of course I'm obedient. Just maybe not do this because it might not end well. But ask yourself this, what would my neighbors say about my fear?18:38What would my children say about my fear? What would my family say about my obedience? Because if my neighbors say, these people do not fear the Lord, they're saying that because they have seen my actions. We fear God by obedience, and it will show through in your life. So what does your life look like? May we be people who are pushed to the grace of Jesus Christ.19:04And lastly, about fear is this. Fearing the Lord is not an emotion, but a stance and a confession. For Proverbs, the fear of the Lord was a confession. It was something that they stood upon and said, this is who we are. This is who I believe in, and I will live that way. And unapologetically, I will live in the presence for Yahweh. So do you fear God like you think you fear God?19:34Fearing the Lord comes out in your obedience. What would the Lord say about your obedience? Would he say that's a land that does not fear me? Would God come to you in a dream and say, you are as a dead man walking? The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. We find wisdom in the fear of Jesus Christ. Secondly, how do we find fear? How can we find wisdom in our life that only comes through the grace of Jesus Christ?20:01The fear of the Lord is the fear of the Lord. Now, there are many names in the Bible for God. And specifically, this word was chosen, Lord. So wisdom is found in the fear of the Lord. Secondly, wisdom is found in the Lord. And you say, well, why is that important? Because this is the covenant name for God.20:31This is the relationship name for God. All who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. Why not God? I don't think God's word is here by accident. I don't think words in God's word are here by accident. Because Proverbs is saying this, if without a relationship with the one who gives you a relationship, you do not have wisdom. This is the same name of God that comes to Abraham in Exodus 3 in the burning bush.21:02You might not know the episode. So Moses has killed someone, so he runs away. Because if you kill someone, running away is probably your best bet. So he runs from Egypt. And he's in the wilderness. And while he's taking up a new occupation, he's now a shepherd. He sees this bush that's on fire. And he sees a bush that's on fire that's not burning up.21:33And then he sees the bush that's on fire that's not burning up that calls, that's speaking. It's going to get more weird. He sees this bush that's burning, that's not burning up, that not only speaks, but calls out his name. Moshe, Moshe. And you know what he does? He answers the bush. Right? Because obviously that's what you do to a bush that's talking.22:00And then the bush says this. Moses, take off your sandals. Because the ground that you are standing on is holy. And you know what he does? He takes off his sandals. And he finds out that that is the one true God speaking. And the Lord tells him, go back to Egypt, to the place where you are indicted for capital murder. And you go tell Pharaoh, let 400,000, 600,000 plus people go.22:30Let's just say, let's round number, a million. That's on the low end. Go and let a million of your workers go worship me. And Moses is struggling with this. And he says, but I'm going to a land of many gods. And I'm going to a land where, Lord, your people Israel are now worshiping many gods. So which God will I tell them sent me? And this is what God said in chapter 3, verse 14 of Exodus.23:02He replied to Moses, I am who I am. He said, I am the Lord. I am the father of Abraham. I am the father of Isaac. I am the father of Jacob. I am the father of Joseph. I am the one that gives you relationship. And so when the Bible says the fear of the Lord, it does not do it lightly.23:29It says that wisdom is only found in relationship with the Lord. And there is no other God that you can worship that gives you a relationship. Muhammad is dead. Buddha, Gandhi are dead. Sporting events will one day die out. Your bank account will one day be dry.23:59Your house will one day rot. Everything in our life that we worship besides the one true God is dead. And yet the Bible says if you have a relationship with the Lord, the only name, the only one that gives you relationship, you have wisdom. So may we push into that. May we push into that. And it's not just this idea that I know God.24:26It's really saying I know the Lord. I know the Lord. There is a difference between knowing and living in relationship. Friday night we had a group here, Shane and Shane, that took over my office temporarily. Great, great worship band. Someone sent me a picture of one of the Shanes. He was sitting on my desk with his bare feet propped up on my desk.24:52I know the Shanes now. I know the Shanes now, but I do not really have a relationship with them. Maybe, I don't know where that crosses the line of having a relationship. But I really believe that some of you think you have a relationship with God and you don't. You know of him. You've heard of him. Maybe you've let him even come in your house and sit in your office one day. But yet you do not have a relationship with the Lord.25:23The covenantal relationship name of God. That only begins in Jesus Christ. And my heart is that you will confess him as Lord. You will find wisdom in Jesus Christ. Wisdom is found in relationship with the Lord. Verse 7. Wisdom is found in fear of the Lord. Wisdom is found in relationship with the Lord. And then wisdom begins with God. Verse 7. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.25:51The fear of the Lord is beginning of knowledge. Not simply being smart, but knowledge and wisdom. And you say, well, there are a lot of smart people. Yes, there are. And this is why God's word says that it does not say that if you know enough, then you will believe. If you know enough, then you will be saved. Because some of the smartest men the world has ever known have missed Jesus Christ. Let me give you some quotes here by brilliant, smart individuals.26:21Frederick Nietzsche said this. Faith means not wanting to know what is true. He also said this. God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. Brilliant, smart man. Yet did not find wisdom. Ernest Hemingway said that all thinking men are atheists. All thinking men are atheists.26:50Andrew Carnegie, the steel magnate in the United States says, I do not believe in God. My God is patriotism. To teach a man to be good citizen, you have solved the problem of life. And yet we have nations fighting because they're patriotic. Obtaining knowledge is not the answer. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.27:18Are you wise? Do you know the Lord? James says, if any of you lack wisdom, may you ask and our God will give graciously to you. So, Lord, may we fear you and find knowledge. Lord, may we enter into relationship and find wisdom. And, Lord, may our relationship be the foundations of all knowledge. And then, lastly, this. Seeking knowledge, finding wisdom. Verse 7. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools, fools despise wisdom and instruction.27:46To be a fool in the Bible is to this, to be thick, sculled, and insensitive to God's calling in your life. To be thick, sculled, and insensitive to God's call on your life. And I just want to share this with you about being a fool. Whose fool are you? You know, we are all fools in many ways.28:15So, whose fool and what fool are you? You say, well, what do you mean by that, pastor? Well, I'm glad you asked. The Bible is very clear. If you do not seek wisdom and instruction of the Lord, you're a fool. And the reason that you're foolish is because you have denied the only thing that can give you hope in this world. For me to deny that God sent his only son. For me to deny that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.28:43It's not just the beginning. It is knowledge. It is wisdom. I am foolish because I am denying the one thing that can give me salvation. And his name is Jesus Christ. And if that is you today, and you say, I can't believe the Bible called me a fool. It's better to be called that and then find Jesus Christ than to be ignored and go down the road to destruction. We also see this about fools in the Bible.29:13Worldly fools glorify themselves above all else. So, if you're more about yourself than about Jesus Christ, you are a worldly fool. And I am a worldly fool. Romans says this. For though they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or show gratitude. Instead, their thinking became nonsense and their senseless minds were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools. And this is what happens.29:44They exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man, birds, four-footed animals, and reptiles. Therefore, God delivered them over to the cravings of their hearts, to sexual impurity, so that their bodies were degraded among themselves. God says this about our foolishness. That if we exchange his glory for our shame, if I elevate myself above God, I am a worldly fool.30:08And if I want to continue in my foolishness, there will be a point where God says, okay, Josh, this is what you want. Have at it. I will give you over to the sinful, lust desires of your heart that you may be sickened and that you may eventually come back. Have you elevated yourself above God? May we not be worldly fools.30:39And then the Bible says this, lastly, a righteous fool knows the power of Jesus Christ. A righteous fool knows the power of Jesus Christ. Paul says this in 1 Corinthians, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles. Yet those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is God's power and God's wisdom, because God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom.31:03And God's weakness is stronger than human strength. God's foolishness is greater than the wisdom that I could ever find in the world. So I would rather be a fool for the Lord than be wise in the eyes of the world. I would be a fool for Christ than wise in the eyes of the world.31:33Because God has taken the foolish things to shame us that we might see Jesus Christ. So we are all foolish in many ways. But are you seeking redemption in Jesus Christ? Are you seeking knowledge that only leads to hurt and destruction? The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.31:55This morning, I want to close in this way, but just asking you this. Do you fear God? I mean, really fear Him to your core? Some of you might say, well, I'm not scared of anyone. Bring it on. You are playing a dangerous game, and your soul hangs in the balance.32:21And you have been warned. God's word has been proclaimed, and you are without excuse. My prayer is that you will find redemption in Jesus Christ, who sent His only Son to die on the cross. Think about how foolish that sounds. That God would love sinners. You know what sin is?32:50Sin is rebellion against Him. So God said, you guys have rebelled against Me. So you know what I'm going to do? I'm going to send my son and let you kill him. I'm going to send my son and let him lay down his life, that he may be killed for your rebellion. There's nowhere in the world that that makes sense. That guy says, okay, Josh, you rebelled against Me, so I'm going to let my son die, that you may have grace and mercy.33:14And yet, that is exactly what he did. That we may be able to say, Lord, let me fear you. Let me obey you. That if I believe in my heart, if I confess with my mouth that you are Lord, I can be saved. Are you walking in obedience in your life? I know there are many here that have not been baptized because of fear, because of inconveniences, because of many distractions.33:44I just want you to know that this church is opening up doors for you Sunday to walk in obedience. That you cannot say, I fear the Lord, and yet I will not follow Him. So my heart is that if something is keeping you from obeying Him fully, it is not worth it. Do you truly fear Him?34:13The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Some of you here might say, well, I'm just not wise. I don't feel wise. I don't feel like I'm anything important. You know, why would God love me? Why did God save me? I can't do anything for Him. That is not true. That is a lie from the pit of hell. Because you are created in the image of God, loved by Him, redeemed by Him. You are created by Christ, for Him, through Him. So if you're not serving Him like you should, it's not His fault.34:43It's yours. Because He has gifted us to serve Him. And if you say, well, I just don't have the wisdom, James says, come to the altar today. Ask God for wisdom who graciously gives. Maybe you're here and you just say, my life is a train wreck and I need to get back on track. God is waiting for you to repent. And He says, if you confess your sins, that He will be gracious. He will be faithful to forgive you for your sins and purify you from unrighteousness.35:12God's Word touches our hearts. And if God has hit you right where you need to be hit this morning, if you say, I do not fear Him, won't you start today? Put your trust in the only one that can save Him. And right where you sit, you can do business with the Lord. You can say, God, I've sinned, I need help. And the answer is your son. And God always hears the prayer of a repentant sinner. Thank God He always hears the prayer of a repentant sinner.35:41Let's go to the Lord.More sermons on Matthew →
