Our Great Wisdom Teacher

Good morning. My name is Matthew Capone and I'm the pastor here at

Cheyenne Mountain Presbyterian Church and it's my joy to bring God's word to you today.

Special welcome if you're new or visiting with us. We're glad that you're here and we're glad

that you're here not because we're filling seats but because we're following Jesus together

as one community. And as we follow Jesus together we become convinced that there's no one so good

they don't need God's grace and no one so bad that they can't have it which means that God has

something to say to everyone in his word which is why we come week after week and listen to what God

has to say from us to us from the scriptures. We're continuing our series in the book of Proverbs and

actually this is going to be my last sermon from the book of Proverbs this summer. Many of you received

our letter from the elders this week. I'm going to be out of the pulpit the next three weeks. Next week

Mike Winsler who preached I believe this January once is going to preach from Proverbs on the topic

of friendship but for me this is the close to our series on Proverbs and as we come to the end remember

that Proverbs is a book about wisdom. Wisdom is skill in the art of living. It begins with the fear of

the Lord. That's its foundation and it continues in humility. We cannot grow in wisdom unless we're humble

if we recognize that there are things we don't know and we need to learn. Now when I was growing up

there was a man in my church who loved to tell this story about the Sunday school class and in this class

the teacher let's say it was an elementary class I think asked the kids you know there's a

an object and it's gray and furry and it has a tail and it likes to run up trees. What is it?

Well a kid in the class raised his hand and said well

sounds like a squirrel but we're in Sunday school so it must be Jesus.

Now I've been telling you all along for our very first sermon I believe on Proverbs that Jesus is our

great and greater wisdom teacher and you might think well of course he's going to say that right

we're in a church he's a preacher he's supposed to tell us something about Jesus this sounds right.

So as we come to chapter 8 we're going to ask this one question I've been telling you this now we're

going to ask why. Why is Jesus our great and greater wisdom teacher? Why do we listen to Jesus first

and why do we trust him more? Why out of all the voices that are telling us things that are wise why

should Jesus voice be the loudest voice? Why is Jesus the path to skill in the art of living? Why is Jesus

our great and greater wisdom teacher? Proverbs chapter 8 is the classic text for getting from Proverbs to Jesus

Proverbs 8 · chapter mention

and so that's going to be our focus this morning. I invite you to turn there with me you'll find it

printed near the end of your worship guide of course you'll find it in your bible as well

or on your phone no matter where you turn to it remember that this is God's word.

In Proverbs chapter 30 verse 5 tells us that every word of God proves true he is a shield

Proverbs 30:5

to those who take refuge in him and so that's why we read now starting in chapter 8 verse 1

does not wisdom call does not understanding raise her voice on the heights beside the way at the

crossroads she takes her stand beside the gates in front of the town at the entrance of the portals

she cries aloud to you oh men I call and my cry is to the children of man oh simple ones learn prudence

oh fools learn sense hear for I will speak noble things and from my lips will come what is right

verse 7 for my mouth will utter truth wickedness is an abomination to my lips

all the words of my mouth are righteous there is nothing twisted or crooked in them

they are all straight to him who understands and right to those who find knowledge take my instruction

instead of silver and knowledge rather than choice gold for wisdom is better than jewels and all that

you may desire cannot compare with her verse 12 I wisdom dwell with prudence and I find knowledge and

discretion the fear of the Lord is hatred of evil pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted

speech I hate I have counsel and sound wisdom I have insight I have strength by me kings reign and rulers

decree what is just by me princes rule and nobles all who govern justly I love those who love me and

those who seek me diligently find me riches and honor are with me enduring wealth and righteousness

my fruit is better than gold even fine gold and my yield than choice silver I walk in the way of

righteousness in the paths of justice granting an inheritance through those who love me and filling

their treasuries verse 22 the Lord possessed me at the beginning of his work the first of his acts of old

ages ago I was set up at the first before the beginning of the earth when there were no depths I was brought

forth when there were no springs abounding with water before the mountains had been shaped before the hills

I was brought forth before he had made the earth with its fields or the first of the dust of the world

when he established the heavens I was there when he drew a circle on the face of the deep when he made firm

the skies above when he established the fountains of the deep when he assigned to the sea its limit

so that the waters might not transgress his command when he marked out the foundations of the earth

then I was beside him like a master workman and I was daily his delight rejoicing before him always

rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the children of man verse 32 and now oh sons listen

to me blessed are those who keep my ways hear instruction and be wise and do not neglect it blessed is the

one who listens to me watching daily at my gates waiting beside my doors for whoever finds me finds life

and obtains favor from the Lord but he who fails to find me injures himself all who hate me love death

I invite you to pray with me as we come to this portion of God's word

our father in heaven we thank you again for the gift of your word that you have not left us

to stumble alone in the dark

but instead you have come to show us the way to walk

we ask that you would do that this morning that you would shine a light on Jesus for us

that we would see him as beautiful and glorious

and that would cause us to obey and trust him more than anyone else

we ask these things grateful that we don't have to earn them or deserve them

because we ask them in the mighty name of Jesus Christ

amen

when we were in Proverbs chapter 2

Proverbs 2 · chapter mention

we talked about the importance of the way

and of course I related it to Star Wars and the Mandalorian

and we talked about many of the things that happened in Star Wars after the fall

of the empire in episodes 7 through 9

but I want you to go back with me a little bit

before episode 4

before A New Hope

we get the back story in Rogue One to the beginning of the Death Star

and we find out

of course that this Death Star is dangerous right

it can destroy entire planets

and so it's something that's a great threat to the rebellion

and we meet this man named Galen Erso

and Galen is sort of coerced to become the architect

one of the builders of the Death Star

and as this builder

as this architect

he knows it inside and out

because of course he's the one designing it

and so he knows good things about it

and he knows bad things about it

and if you've seen the movie

you know he designs certain parts into it

he designs a vulnerability

so that it can be destroyed

because he's actually not in favor of the Death Star

he's sort of a double agent

but he knows something that no one else knows

he knows right

that he set up a problem in the reactor core

and he knows this

because he is the one who built it

he knows things

that no one else knows

and of course that's the same thing

that wisdom is telling us here

in verses 22 through 31

if you turn there with me

we see that wisdom

was before everything else

in verses 22 through 25

they're at the beginning

they're the first thing created

when God made the world

and so because wisdom was there before

wisdom was also there

when everything else was created

that's what we see in verses 26 through 29

wisdom tells us all these places she was

she was there

before the earth was made

verse 26

she was there when the heavens were made

verse 27

she was there

when the fountains were made

verse 28

she was there

verse 29

when the boundaries of the seas were established

we find out not just that wisdom

was there before everything

and was there when things were created

but then wisdom is actually

involved in the creation

we see that in verses

30 through 31

wisdom is

verse 30

beside him like a master workman

daily his delight

rejoicing before him always

rejoicing in his inhabited world

and delighting

in the children of man

in other words

of course

wisdom knows

the best way

that things work

like Galen

the architect

wisdom knows the secrets

there's some things

that wisdom knows

that no one else knows

because wisdom

is part of the design

process

wisdom knows

how everything works

and it has information

just like only Galen

is able to tell them

how to destroy the death star

only wisdom

is able to tell us

certain things

because wisdom

was there

wisdom was there

when it was designed

wisdom

was part

of the design

and so we can go back

to everything

we've talked about

this summer

and say

of course

right

of course

hard work

leads to success

because God

created the world

in such a way

that he gave

mankind

dominion over it

he said

I want you

to work

in this world

so I've set it up

in such a way

that your hard work

is going to lead

to good things

of course

saving money

right

is going to lead

to success

because I've established

this world

as a place

where you're stewards

where you need

to care for it

and preserve things

and of course

it's also

because of sin

a chaotic world

and so there are

unexpected things

that we need

to prepare for

wisdom knows

these things

of course

things rise

and fall

based on our words

of course

the things

that we tell

other people

can destroy them

or build them up

it can preserve

communities

or burn them down

because God's

created the world

as a place

of truth

he's created

it as a place

of connection

of course

what we do

with our sexuality

matters

of course

sex is meant

to be reserved

for a husband

and a wife

together in marriage

because God

has designed

the world

that way

he's made

it a place

of faithfulness

and he's designed

our sexuality

as something

that's meant

to unite

lives together

to make two

people into one

and so we would

expect that it

would only work

best in that

context

of course

dishonest gain

is not going

to end well

right

God's created

the world

as a place

of honesty

God is a

truthful God

we would expect

his world

to work in that

way

of course

oppressing

the poor

is going

to lead

to judgment

why

because God

has designed

this to be

a just

world

and he's

given humans

dignity

and so when we

take away

from that

dignity

by oppressing

others

we can expect

nothing else

than God's

judgment

God created

the world

wisdom

was there

and so of course

we listen

to wisdom's

voice

more than

any other

voice

we look

in verses

15 and

16 here

we see

that this

is what

successful

rulers know

verse 15

by me

kings reign

and rulers

decree

what is

just

verse 16

by me

princes rule

and nobles

all who

govern

justly

in other

words

you ignore

the way

God has

created the

world

at your

own peril

successful

rulers

and leaders

understand

how things

are supposed

to work

and they

work along

with it

and that's

what leads

to their

success

and so

wisdom

here

is reminding

us

it is

foolish

to listen

to other

voices

more

of course

we would

listen to

wisdom

first

of course

we would

trust

wisdom

more

of course

the voice

of wisdom

would be

the loudest

because of

course

wisdom

knows

more

than anyone

else

knows

wisdom

knows

these

things

because

she

was

there

at the

beginning

now

I've

told you

a lot

that

Jesus

is our

great

and

greater

wisdom

teacher

I

have

not

mentioned

as

often

that

Jesus

is not

just

the

great

wisdom

teacher

he

is

also

the

full

and

final

embodiment

of

wisdom

that's

what

we're

told

in

the

New

Testament

Colossians

Colossians 2 · chapter mention

chapter

2

tells

us

that

in

Jesus

are

hidden

all the

treasures

of wisdom

and knowledge

1st

Corinthians

chapter 1

tells us

this

multiple

times

in verse

24

it tells

us

Christ

is the

power

of God

and the

wisdom

of God

in verse

30

we're told

Jesus

became to

us

wisdom

from God

and

and so

it's

not

just

that

we

listen

to

lady

wisdom

who's

here

is

just

a

personification

of

wisdom

but

it

points

forward

even

more

we

listen

to

Jesus

Christ

and

it's

not

just

that

he

is

God's

wisdom

but

just

like

lady

wisdom

here

is

telling

us

she

was

there

at

the

beginning

Jesus

was

also

there

at

the

beginning

and

even

more

we're

told

in

John

John 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1

that

not only

all

things

were

made

through

him

and

without

him

was

not

anything

made

that

was

made

Jesus

was

part

of

the

creation

we're

told

something

even

more

astounding

in

Hebrews

Hebrews 1 · chapter mention

chapter

1

it says

through

whom

referring

to

Jesus

also

he

that's

God

the

father

created

the

world

he

is

the

radiance

of

the

glory

of

God

and

the

exact

imprint

of

his

nature

and

he

upholds

the

universe

by

the

word

of

you

right

now

are

holding

together

as a

person

physically

because

Jesus

has

chosen

you

to

uphold

you

by

his

word

the

universe

is

still

intact

because

Jesus

is

keeping

it

in

place

Jesus

was

not

just

there

at

the

beginning

he

was

part

of

God's

creation

of

the

world

and

so

of

course

he

knows

what

is

best

and

right

we

trust

him

even

when

other

people

are

telling

us

things

that

are

different

we

listen

to

Jesus

and

we

trust

Jesus

because

of

course

he

knows

why

is

Jesus

our

great

and

greater

wisdom

teacher

he

is

our

great

and

our

greater

wisdom

teacher

because

he's

the

creator

he

made

this

world

and

so

we

should

expect

nothing

less

than

that

he

knows

what's

best

and

so

we

listen

to

Jesus

we

trust

him

we

do

what

he

tells

us

even

when

it's

inconvenient

even

when

it's

hard

we

do

it

because

he's

the

creator

he

knows

what

he's

talking

about

and

so

that's

why

we're

told

in

verses

8

through

10

that

the

words

of

wisdom

are

more

valuable

than

anything

else

verse

10

take

my

instruction

instead

of

silver

and

knowledge

rather

than

choice

gold

Jesus

was there

at the

beginning

he

created

the

world

of

course

he

knows

how

it

works

so

we

listen

to

him

we

trust

him

and

we

obey

him

because

we

know

he

knows

more

than

any

other

voice

Jesus

is not

just

the

creator

though

he

is

also

our

great

redeemer

if

you're

familiar

with

the

story

you'll

know

that

Galen

is

not

just

the

architect

of

the

death

star

he

doesn't

just

make

it

he

also

wants

to

reveal

the

secrets

and

so

remember

he

sends

Bodhi

Rook

the

pilot

he

escapes

from

the

rebellion

Bodhi

comes

with

the

plans

in

a

hologram

he

sends

a

message

so

that

the

rebellion

knows

what

they

need

to

know

about

the

death

star

they

know

how

to

destroy

it

and

so

he's

sending

his

information

out

he's

proclaiming

it

he's

not

waiting

on

them

to

discover

it

Galen's

not

sitting

passively

instead

he's

active

he wants

this

information

to be

known

there's

a

vulnerability

the reactor

module

is not

stable

he's

made it

that way

on purpose

so that

the

death

star

can be

destroyed

so he

wants

to make

sure

the

rebellion

has the

plans

so he

gives

them

the

information

about

the

vulnerability

right

and then

he

tells

them

they're

going

to

have

to

go

to

the

planet

Scarif

to

get

the

plans

so that

they

know

exactly

how

to

destroy

it

he

is

actively

seeking

to give

them

the

information

of

course

the

same

thing

is

true

of

wisdom

here

that's

what

we

see

in

verses

1

through

11

wisdom

is

raising

her

voice

this is

similar

to what

we saw

in the

first few

chapters

of

Proverbs

wisdom

is not

hiding

her

resources

right

she's

in

public

anyone

who

wants

to

learn

she'll

teach

wisdom

is

active

going

out

instructing

and

finding

of

course

the

same

thing

is

true

of

our

Lord

Jesus

we're

told

in

Luke

Luke 19 · chapter mention

chapter

19

that

he

comes

to

seek

and

to

save

the

lost

Jesus

is

not

waiting

passively

but

as

God's

wisdom

as

God's

full

and

final

wisdom

whatever

is

true

of

lady

wisdom

is

even

more

true

of

Jesus

wisdom

is

calling

out

Jesus

seeks

us

out

he

doesn't

wait

passively

he

comes

with

information

that only

he

can

give

us

he

comes

with

the

truth

not

just

of

wisdom

but

of

his

grace

and

his

forgiveness

for

us

and

so

wisdom

Jesus

Jesus

is our

redeemer

in the

sense

that

he

seeks

us

out

he's

also

our

redeemer

in the

sense

that

he

gives

us

what

we

would

otherwise

not

be

able

to

have

because

wisdom

here

is

offered

to

fools

I've

been

warning

you

all

summer

against

being

a

fool

and

at

some

level

all

of

us

are

fools

that

is

who

wisdom

comes

for

verse

5

oh

simple

ones

learn

prudence

oh

fools

learn

sense

in

other

words

wisdom

is

offering

to

teach

foolish

people

verse

17

I

love

those

who

love

me

and

those

who

seek

me

diligently

find

me

verse

21

granting

an

inheritance

to

those

who

love

me

and

filling

their

treasuries

and so

wisdom

is

coming

here

for

foolish

people

people

who

don't

deserve

what

wisdom

has

to

offer

people

who

are

rightly

condemned

right

these

are

people

as

we've

talked

about

before

who

can't

connect

the

dots

they

don't

know

the

connection

between

present

actions

and future

consequences

yet

wisdom

still

comes

for

them

wisdom

is

still

willing

to

teach

fools

and

then

we

have

this

final

warning

in

verses

32

through

36

wisdom

is

a

matter

of

life

and

death

verse

35

for

whoever

finds

me

finds

life

and

obtains

favor

from

the

Lord

but

he

who

fails

to

find

me

injures

himself

all

who

hate

me

love

death

and

of course

if this

is true

of

wisdom

how

much

more

is

it

true

of

Jesus

Jesus

says

he

comes

not

for

the

well

but

for

the

sick

Jesus

has

come

not

to

call

the

righteous

but

sinners

to

repentance

that's

what

we're

told

in

Luke

Luke 5 · chapter mention

chapter

5

and

so

Jesus

is

also

willing

to

teach

fools

he

is

not

just

the

creator

he's

the

redeemer

he

is

the

only

one

who

offers

hope

and

life

for

all

the

pieces

of

foolishness

that

we've

talked

about

this

summer

it's

Jesus

that

gives

a

chance

to

fools

it's

Jesus

that

offers

to

cover

over

our

foolishness

and

to

replace

it

with

his

wisdom

as

some

of

you

know

I

did

a

short

podcast

this

summer

where

I

interviewed

a few

folks

about

proverbs

and

wisdom

and

if

you

listen

to

the

first

one

with

a

man

named

Zach

Eswine

you'll

be

familiar

with

this

quote

he

tells

us

what

it

looks

like

for

Jesus

to

become

our

wisdom

for

us

and

he

says

this

when

we

encounter

wisdom

and

see

how

foolish

and

naive

we've

been

that's

what

leads

us

to

Christ

that's

what

leads

us

to

true

wisdom

wisdom

begins

to

name

things

as

they

are

and

I

get

to

that

humility

is

the

first

place

where

wisdom

is

taking

root

and

I

need

one

wiser

than

myself

and

when

Christ

died

for

me

he

applied

all

his

wisdom

he

took

all

my

folly

and

all

my

naivety

and

all

my

scoffing

onto

himself

and

he

lavished

upon

me

and

clothed

me

with

all

of

his

wisdom

and

this

is

my

hope

that

when

I

see

my

folly

all

is

not

lost

it

doesn't

have

the

last

word

in

my

life

I

am

foolish

but

it's

not

the

truest

thing

about

me

anymore

because

Jesus

is

my

savior

my

shepherd

and

my

lord

why

is

Jesus

our

great

and

greater

wisdom

teacher

it

is

not

just

because

he's

our

creator

it

is

also

because

he's

our

redeemer

it

would

be

useless

for

Jesus

to

teach

us

anything

about

wisdom

if

he

were

not

willing

to

cover

over

and

take

our

folly

our

naivety

and

our

scoffing

but

of course

as

our

great

wisdom

teacher

that's

exactly

what

he

does

he

did

it

in

the

past

by

coming

as

a

real

man

in

real

space

in

real

time

he

lived

the

wise

life

that

we

should

have

lived

and

he

died

the

foolish

death

that

we

should

have

died

and

he

invites

anyone

and

everyone

who's

willing

to

repent

of

their

foolishness

and

have

faith

in

him

to

have

their

folly

covered

with

his

wisdom

in

other

words

the

invitation

that

wisdom

gives

us

is

even

more

true

of

the

invitation

from

Jesus

verse

5

oh

simple

ones

learn

prudence

oh

fools

learn

sense

Jesus

is

saying

the

same

thing

simple

and

foolish

people

come

to

me

I

will

give

you

true

wisdom

I

will

cover

over

the

consequences

of

your

folly

you

have

not

been

able

to

connect

the

consequences

of

your

present

actions

to

future

consequences

but

if

you

are

part

of

me

and

my

kingdom

that's

okay

because

I

give

you

all

of

my

forgiveness

because

of

my

death

on

your

behalf

and

so

the

offer

for

wisdom

is

an