Sermon Summary 23 July 2017
The Wisdom of God:by Graham Mol
Please read 1 Corinthians 1:2-9.
When we receive Christ we are set apart for God, we are called to live holy lives. Our lives are enriched in Jesus, our speech and knowledge, so that we will not lack any spiritual gift. And so, disciples must have godly wisdom because it is a gift of grace. Being a disciple and having godly wisdom go together. But, what is godly wisdom? Why do we need it? How do we get it?
What is godly wisdom?
Wisdom can be defined as “the ability to discern or judge what is true, right or lasting.” It is applying one’s knowledge. One of the ways that Paul defines godly wisdom is by distinguishing it from worldly wisdom.
Please read 1 Corinthians 1:18-31.
God’s wisdom is regarded as folly by the world. The stumbling block for the Jews was that they could not accept that God’s Messiah would die the embarrassing, criminal’s death on the cross. They could not accept Jesus. Today we find people who believe in a God but cannot accept Christ as the only way to Heaven. The Greeks who esteemed wisdom, who praised those who had convincing arguments, those who reason well, regarded the Gospel as foolish. There are those today who only want the facts, for them they need scientific proof and asking them to believe in a God they cannot see is folly to them. But, to those who have received Christ, their eyes have been opened to the wisdom and power of God.
Unlike worldly wisdom, there are no prerequisites (aside from accept the free gift of salvation) that need to be met before one can become wise with the wisdom of God. You don’t have to have studied so much, or achieve so much or had so many years of experience to have godly wisdom (see 1 Corinthians 1:26-31). Godly wisdom is not restricted to any person. It is not based on their worth in the world but is available to all who would humble themselves and accept the free gift of grace in Christ.
Please read James 3:17. In defining godly wisdom, James contrasts it with the envious and selfish ambition that fuels worldly wisdom. Jesus embodies the qualities of godly wisdom and so those who have a relationship with Christ will develop and grow in godly wisdom.
Although wisdom from God and worldly wisdom are opposites there is an intersection of the two. We find examples of this in the book of Proverbs and the other “wisdom” books of the Bible when human wisdom aligns with godly wisdom. Proverbs are general truths based on observation of how the world works but are in line with God’s laws and standards. Wisdom is knowledge applied in everyday life, discerning what is right action.The greatest source of God’s wisdom that is most accessible to us is the Bible.
Why do we need godly wisdom?
Please read 1 Corinthians 2:6-16.
The key reason why we need godly wisdom is so that we may discern God’s will, that we may understand what He is doing, that we may understand His plan. This is the role of the Holy Spirit, as Paul makes clear by saying that no one knows a man’s thoughts except his spirit, so also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 2:11). This lines up with what Jesus said about the Holy Spirit, that He would make known to us what Jesus would tell Him. As we walk in godly wisdom, making choices guided by the Spirit, we will be walking in God’s will and we will begin to know and understand God’s thoughts. Not that we will ever know them completely, but we will grow in this knowledge.
In order to really understand the Bible, God’s Word, we need godly wisdom given to us by the Holy Spirit. It is possible to study Scripture, tomemorise it, analyse it, even debate it, and still miss the point, the main message of it, completely. It is possible to read the Word of God and miss THE WORD – Jesus. Jesus had this critique for the Pharisees saying that they diligently studied the Scriptures to find the answers but then refused to accept THE ANSWER that they pointed towards, namely Jesus.
We must study the Bible prayerfully and carefully:
Prayerfully: We need to ask the Holy Spirit to help us understand the Bible, to give us wisdom to know God’s will for us in His Word and to meet Jesus in the Word.
Carefully: We need to take care to put it the Word into practice – with the fear of God. Having the fear of God means we take His word seriously and we obey it. If you obey the law you have nothing to fear from it. But, if you don’t obey the law then you should fear it. We should fear God’s wrath but grace means we do not have to live in fear. However that fear of the Lord means we won’t treat grace cheaply nor God’s laws flippantly.
Reading the Bible will increase our godly wisdom for it is God’s written down wisdom (Psalm 119:24). And yet, to truly understand it we need the wisdom granted by God, the wisdom that is made perfect in Christ, the insight given us by the Holy Spirit. Here’s something very positive we can take from this fact. You don’t need to be a theologian to understand the Bible. In fact, being a theologian does not guarantee that you’ll understand it. Anyone can read and understand the Bible with the help of the Spirit and no one can truly understand the Bible without the help of the Spirit.
How do we get godly wisdom?
Please read 1 Corinthians 2:1-5.
The first step to having godly wisdom is to hear, accept and believe the Gospel. We cannot progress unless this happens. You cannot expect spiritual things from those who are spiritually dead. And so the first step is to hear, accept and believethe proclaimed Gospel. For to trust in Christ and yield to His Holy Spirit is to walk in wisdom. As Christians, “we have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16) and are then ready for the next part. As one of the early Church fathers, Augustine stated: “Faith precedes understanding.”
To tap into God’s wisdom, we must desire it and ask God for it (James 1:5). The promise of Wisdom is that those who desire God’s truth can have it but it requires giving up the world’s foolish mockery of the truth (Proverbs 1:7). To receive God’s wisdom we must desire it, ask for it, and regard it as superior to worldly wisdom.
We also need to read the Bible,aided by the Holy Spirit. It is in the reading and understanding of God’s Word that we obtain knowledge, and meditating upon that knowledge brings wisdom. The longest chapter in the Bible is Psalm 119, which is all about gaining understanding and wisdom from God’s Word (see verses 15-16,24, 97 and 105 among others). The word meditate is used five times in Psalm 119 and in various forms another fifteen times in the book of Psalms. Meditation is required to fully consider how to apply God’s Word in everyday life. To meditate on the Word is toponder, picture and personalise it. We need to read the Bible prayerfully and carefully.
In summary, to tap into God’s wisdom, we must diligently study God’s Word, meditate on the Word, pray for wisdom, seek it with all our hearts, and walk in the Spirit. God desires to give His wisdom to His children. Are we willing to be led by that wisdom?