Wisdom

by Jeffrey W. Hamilton

 

I.         What would you consider valuable?

            A.        Money, home, job, a good life?

            B.        Yet there is something more valuable; more important

            C.        Today we will talk about wisdom

II.        What is wisdom?

            A.        Can you name something that is wise?

                        1.         Many say an owl is. But it is just a bird

                        2.         It's traits are those we associate with wise people.

                        3.         Quiet, watchful

            B.        True wisdom is not the same thing that the world calls wise

                        1.         God's foolishness is greater than man's greatest wisdom I Cor. 1:20-25

                        2.         Truely, men claim to be wise, but ... Rom. 1:22-23

                                    a.         We see this yet again. The religion of worshipping creatures and idols has died out. Or has it?

                                    b.         We've talked about the idols within the Catholic religion

                                    c.         What about the New Age movement with it's worship of mother earth?

                                    d.         Ever heard of astrology? They claim the stars guide our fortunes.

                                    e.         What about a lucky rabbit's foot? It didn't bring luck to the rabbit. A lucky cap, etc.

                        3.         Worldly wisdom, which brings about discord and sin is from Satan - James 3:14-16

                        4.         The end of the world's wisdom is destruction

            C.        Wisdom is not science

                        1.         Wisdom doesn't bring an understanding of God's creation - Eccl. 8:16-17

            D.        Wisdom is not knowledge

                        1.         Knowledge is the understanding of God's will

                        2.         Wisdom is application of knowledge

            E.        Wisdom comes from respecting God - Ps. 111:10

            F.        It is valuable

                        1.         Choosen over money or jewels - Pr. 8:10-11

                        2.         Seek it diligently - Pr. 2:1-6 - like you would look for buried treasure.

III.       Where do we find wisdom?

            A.        The first and foremost source is God - Prov. 2:6

            B.        We can also learn wisdom from God's word - II Tim. 3:14-15

            C.        We can ask God for wisdom when we pray - James 1:5, Eph. 1:15-17

            D.        Even our parents can teach us wisdom. They have the experience. Sometime when we realize that our folks don't know everything we conclude that they know nothing. But with age you realize just how valuable their experience is to your own life - Prov. 4:3-9

IV.      The characteristics of wisdom

            A.        James 3:13,17-18 - Good conduct, a gentle life, ...

            B.        A wise man applies the scriptures to his life - Matt. 7:24-27

            C.        A wise man learns from rebuke - Pr. 9:7-9 - becoming even wiser

            D.        Wisdom brings protection from evil and an understanding of what is good - Pr. 2:6-15

            E.        Prolongs your life - Pr. 3:1-2

            F.        Increases your health - Pr. 3:7-8

            G.        Pr. 3:13-26 - Long life, riches, honor, safety, security, and confidence

V.        Wisdom is not the exclusive property of the very old, though the old are often wise because of their experiences in the world. But through God's word we can all learn to be wise.

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