Proverbs 1:8-9

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.

A special welcome if you're new with us.

We'd love to have you go to our website at www.cmpca.net.

And when you go there,

there will be a pop-up immediately with a link to our online visitor card.

We'd ask that you fill that out and give us a chance to connect with you.

Whether you're new or not,

I'll remind you as I always do that while you can see me,

I can't see you.

And while we can see numbers,

we often can't see names.

And so I encourage you to take a moment now to make a comment in the comment box

at the bottom right of the Facebook video.

You can say something as simple as good morning or here or great to be with

everyone.

And you can share where you're watching from and who you're watching with.

And that just gives us a small sense of being together,

even as we're separated.

I also want to let you know,

there's a lot of discussion right now in our city and in our country about

churches reopening.

And so I know many of you have questions about that.

We are talking about it as a leadership.

We're meeting again as elders and deacons this Thursday.

Our hope is that we can open very soon,

but I can't give you a date or any details.

I certainly don't know what the date is yet.

That's a discussion that we're going to have to have together.

And I do know there's some rumors going around.

And so if someone tells you the exact date that we're opening,

just know that I am unaware of that date.

And so take that with a grain of salt.

With that,

I'll remind you that we are in the book of Proverbs this summer.

We started last week there.

And the book of Proverbs is a book in the Old Testament,

which is the section of the Bible that was written before Jesus came.

And it's a book that contains Proverbs,

which is a way of speaking that comes in short,

pithy statements that contain a lot of truth.

But as we mentioned last week,

the book of Proverbs,

of course,

is not less than that,

but it's also much more than that.

The book of Proverbs is a book about wisdom.

And wisdom is skill in the art of living.

Wisdom is how we navigate the area between right and wrong.

God's given us clear boundaries in this world,

but wisdom determines how we interact well within those boundaries.

Wisdom is how we operate in the gray areas.

It helps us navigate the path that God has given us.

It also helps us to stay on the path that God has given us.

I'll remind you that one of my encouragements for you

as we go through the book of Proverbs

is to be reading it yourself.

One Bible reading plan that's been used by many people in the church

throughout the centuries is the Proverbs reading plan,

which is where you read the chapter of Proverbs

that corresponds with the day of the month.

There's 31 chapters in Proverbs,

and there's at most 31 days in a month.

And so you can always just pick up

with what the chapter is for that day.

Last week,

we looked at verses one through seven,

and we saw what wisdom was.

We also saw that it begins with the fear of the Lord.

The fear of the Lord is not a fear of punishment

because we know from 1 John 4, 18,

that perfect love casts out fear.

Instead, the fear of the Lord,

as we see it in Proverbs,

is characterized by a love of what's good

and a hatred of what's evil.

The fear of the Lord is also characterized

by this rich humility,

this desire to learn and to know God,

this teachability,

this longing for more knowledge about God and his ways.

I gave you one definition from a man who puts it this way.

The fear of the Lord is an attitude of submission,

respect,

dependence,

and worship.

Submission,

respect,

dependence,

and worship.

This week,

we're going to continue our introduction

to the book of Proverbs,

and we're going to be in verses eight and nine.

Now,

if you've listened to many preachers,

you know,

often things are very concise and clear

in three points,

and everything goes exactly together.

As we're looking at the introduction,

though,

we're going to talk about two things

that are related,

but a little bit separate.

First,

we're going to ask this question

about what we do

with the fact that the book of Proverbs

is very masculine in its color.

We have this exhortation in verse eight

to hear my son.

So what do we do with the fact

that it's primarily a relationship

between a son and a father

that's shown here?

And then we're going to continue our discussion

with the fear of the Lord

and ask how do we use the fear of the Lord

to receive wisdom

and grow in wisdom?

If the fear of the Lord

is the beginning of wisdom,

the beginning of knowledge,

how do we proceed on that path

once we've begun?

And that's what we're going to see today

from verses eight and nine.

And so I invite you to turn with me

to the book of Proverbs.

You can open it up

in a new browser on your computer,

open it up on your phone,

or you can turn in your physical Bible

like I have.

And as we come to it,

remember that this is God's word.

In Proverbs chapter 30,

Proverbs 30 · chapter mention

verse five tells us

that every word of God proves true.

He is a shield

to those who take refuge in him.

And so that's why we read it now,

starting at verse eight.

Hear, my son,

your father's instruction

and forsake not your mother's teaching,

for they are a graceful garland

for your head

and pendants

for your neck.

I invite you to pray with me

as we come to this portion

of God's word.

Our father in heaven,

we thank you that you are

a good father

and that you give us

instruction and teaching

that you don't leave us

to figure out this world

on our own,

but instead you walk with us

for those who belong to you.

And so we ask simply this morning

that you would do that,

that you'd send your spirit,

that you'd walk with us

through these words

and that you'd speak

clearly to us,

that we would be convicted

by our need

for your forgiveness

and our need for repentance.

We'd also be encouraged

by the grace

that you offer

through your son.

And it's in his name,

the mighty name of Jesus

that we pray.

Amen.

Amen.

During this time

where we're under the threat

of the coronavirus,

many of you are probably familiar

with the story

of Captain Brett Crozier.

Captain Brett was in charge

of the aircraft carrier,

Theodore Roosevelt,

and there came a point

where he decided

he was going to write a letter

to those who were in authority

over him, above him,

telling them about the situation

occurring on his aircraft carrier

where they were having

an outbreak of the coronavirus.

And asking,

pleading that something be done.

And of course,

whether he intended it

to happen or not,

this letter ended up

becoming a public letter.

So it was written

to those individuals specifically

and ended up being read

by many, many people

who perhaps

it was not intended for.

Now, some people think

he's a hero.

Some people think

he's a villain.

Whichever side you fall on,

that's not the point.

The point is this.

There are many times

where there's a letter

that's written.

There's something that's written

to one person,

but it ends up

either on purpose

or inadvertently

being read by many people.

The book of Proverbs

takes that type of format

in many places.

And we see that here

in verse eight.

It's a letter to a son.

Hear, my son,

your father's instruction.

And we're going to see this

throughout the book

that there's going to be

this masculine color

and character

to the book of Proverbs.

So for example,

we'll see the son

warned about the woman

who might tempt him.

But we're not going to see

women warned about men

who might tempt them.

And so that raises a question

for thoughtful readers.

What do we do with that?

Why is the book

set up in that way?

And how can women

access this book

when it has that color to it?

I'm going to give you,

as I say often,

when I talk about things

that are more controversial,

I'm going to say something,

but not everything.

And so there are a few things,

a few hints

that we have

at the beginning here.

First of all,

there are things

that are time-bound

and things that are timeless.

One thing that's time-bound here

is that in the ancient Near East,

there was a wisdom genre.

So the book of Proverbs

is not alone

in being a book about wisdom.

There were other wisdom books

during that time

in the ancient Near East,

and they would take

a similar approach.

They also would teach wisdom

through the lens

of a father talking to his son.

And so that reminds us,

it highlights something for us

about the character of God.

God always speaks to his people

in a way that meets them

where they're at.

God speaks to his people

in a way that meets them

where they're at.

So it makes sense

that God would reveal himself

in his word in this way

because it was a genre

that people at that time

were familiar with.

And that's something

that's time-bound.

We are not as familiar

with that genre,

and so it takes some skill

for us to read

the book of Proverbs

that it might not have taken

or might not have required

as much thinking

from someone at that time.

I mentioned this last week,

by the way,

that that's part of wisdom

from verses one through seven.

Verse six,

wisdom is understanding

a proverb and a saying,

the words of the wise

and their riddles.

In other words,

there's a wisdom

to reading wisdom.

And so that's something

that's time-bound.

What's timeless, however,

is that there is this sense

that God has made the world

in such a way

that men have a special level

of power and authority

and responsibility.

And what the book of Proverbs does

is it highlights

what that is for.

It reminds us

that some of the privileges

that men experience

in this world

are not at all

for their comfort

or their convenience.

Instead,

authority and power

is to be used

for other people.

It's for sacrifice.

It's for service.

And it's for protection.

So this book

is going to be a book

that talks to men

about those things.

It's a book

about accountability

and responsibility.

Some of you know

if you've been tracking

with our Friday emails

that I've started a podcast

on the book of Proverbs

to accompany this.

And I had a wonderful conversation

with a man named Zach Eswine.

And you can find this

on our website.

And we talked about

this very aspect.

And he highlighted the fact

that this book

puts on display

what's expected

of people

who are in authority.

In other words,

it makes them

even more accountable

than they were before.

And so we should not

see this as a book

that is somehow

giving men privileges

or giving them power

in some way.

Instead, it's recognizing

there is sometimes

a power there

and there needs to be

tremendous accountability.

This, by the way,

ties into what happened

with Captain Crozier, right?

He writes this letter

and it creates pressure.

It creates increased

accountability on the Navy.

Same thing is true

for Proverbs.

We should be able

to look at men

in power and authority

and say,

and the book of Proverbs

says you need to act

in this way.

You need to act

in a way that preserves

justice and life

rather than does away with it.

You need to act

in a way that lifts people up

rather than tears them down.

You need to act

in a way that's responsible,

that protects

the dignity of other people.

And so the book of Proverbs

subverts

what we might see

in this world

from powerful men.

It's also written

in that way

because this is writing

to someone

who's going to become a king

and this male king

is going to be someone

who sets the tone

for the nation.

So it's incredibly important

that he have wisdom.

It's not that it's not important

that others don't,

but we want that wisdom

from him

to be passed

from the top

all the way down.

We see this highlighted,

by the way,

in Proverbs chapter 31.

Proverbs 31 · chapter mention

Lemuel is the name

of a king

and Lemuel

is given some instruction

by his mom,

by the way.

We'll talk about that

in a minute,

about how to use wine.

And she helps him understand

that there's a different standard

for someone in power

when it comes to alcohol,

a higher standard.

So it's not that he has

more privileges,

it's that he has

more responsibility.

It's not that he has

more power,

but that he has

more accountability.

The other thing

we need to highlight here

is that in the world

of wisdom,

wise men

learn from women.

In the world of wisdom,

wise men

learn from wisdom.

We're going to see

in verse 8 here,

it's not just

the father's instruction,

but the mother's instruction.

We're going to see

in the book of Proverbs

that wisdom

is personified

not as a man,

but as a woman.

And we'll also see

something interesting

in Proverbs 31.

I mentioned before,

Proverbs 31,

we see this king

named King Lemuel

who is being taught

by his mother.

Now, if you've been

a Christian for a while,

you're familiar

with the Bible,

you know that the book

of Proverbs

has this chapter

at the very end

that's talked about

all the time

and people will talk

constantly about

the Proverbs 31 woman

and you might see books

about the Proverbs 31 woman.

You might see articles

about them,

people talking about them

and sometimes it feels

overwhelming, right,

because there's this woman

who seems impossible

to follow

in terms of her example.

That's fascinating

because Proverbs 31

is not written to women.

It's actually written to men.

And so,

my hope is that

when I'm old and gray

and potentially wise,

I will write a book

called Becoming

the Proverbs 31 man.

And the Proverbs 31 man

is going to have

several chapters in it.

Chapter 1,

which is going to come

from Proverbs 31

Proverbs 31:1–9

verses 1 through 9,

the Proverbs 31 man

listens carefully

to his mom.

That's what King Lemuel does.

He's instructed

by his mom in wisdom.

Then we're going to see

in chapter 2,

the Proverbs 31 man

listens very carefully

to his wife.

We're told in Proverbs 31

Proverbs 31:11

verse 11

that the heart

of the husband

trusts in his wife.

And of course,

if you trust in someone,

you are of course

going to want

their counsel

and their advice.

You're going to give

tremendous weight to that.

That's only chapter 2 though.

Chapter 3,

the Proverbs 31 man

is going to publicly praise

his mom and his wife

because that's again

what we see

in Proverbs 31

Proverbs 31:28

verse 28.

So as we come

to the book of Proverbs

and we have a book

that's about a son

and a father.

It's important

to remind ourselves

and remember

that women

are part of the chorus

teaching wisdom

to these men

and that wise men

listen very carefully

to the words of women.

Wise men

listen very carefully

to the words of women.

They want to be

Proverbs 31 men.

Men who listen

to their mom,

listen to their wives

and praise them publicly.

In the midst of that

there's still

the predominant voice

of the father here

in the book of Proverbs

and so that reminds us

this is a family context

much like the church

where we want

strong fathers

and husbands

leading their families

and teaching them wisdom.

Finally,

I'll point out to you

this is a book

for everyone

as we're reminded

in verses 4 through 6

from last week.

It's for the simple.

It's for the wise.

It's for the youth.

And so being wise

in wisdom

is reminding us

that it's for everyone, right?

This is written to a son

but it's an adolescent male.

So even if we're men

very few of us

are adolescent males.

And if we're an adolescent male

very few of us

probably none of us

are preparing to become

the king of Israel.

And so all of us

have to take a reading strategy

where we look

at the original audience

and we figure out

what's meant for us.

Now this might sound

like a bunny trail

at the beginning

but it's going to be important

for us as we go along

the book of Proverbs

because we're going to encounter

this type of issue

over and over

and so we will just

talk about it

as we go along.

Again, I haven't said

everything here today

but I've said something.

It's tempting

in our culture

to hear this story

about the relationship

between men and women

as what we would call

in game theory

a zero-sum game

which means that

whenever one wins

the other loses.

But in fact

the vision that the Bible

gives us is very different.

It's a cooperative effort

that men and women

are working together

cooperating side by side

building each other up

and using their strengths

to help each other.

Of course that's a perfect segue

because we've talked about

hear my son

and now we're going to

look at what the son hears.

Verse 8

Your father's instruction

and your mother's teaching.

So both the mother

and the father

are working together.

The Bible sees the wisdom

as something that

both of them know

and both of them teach.

By the way

as this is a genre

from the ancient Near East

as often happens

with the Bible

it uses a genre

and it subverts it.

And so the voice

of the mother

is going to appear here

in the book of Proverbs

more than it does

in the secular wisdom literature

that surrounds it

as the time.

It's unusual.

It's surprising here

should be for those

reading it

that the mother is mentioned.

However as people

who know God's heart

for his people

it should not surprise us

at all.

God sees the family

as this school

of wisdom

and these words here

we see instruction

and teaching.

There's a school aspect

to those words

and an aspect

of talking

and instructing

and there's also

a boot camp aspect

that's captured

by these words.

There's an aspect

of discipline

and training

and punishment.

And so the Christian home

that we see here

is a school

for wisdom.

It's a place

where wisdom

is taught

and acted out

not just in words

but in discipline

and training.

And so the initial

application for us

is this.

Remember we're asking

this question

how do we use

the fear of the Lord

to receive

and grow

in wisdom?

And the first way

is this.

Fathers and mothers

are diligently

training their children

in wisdom.

They're instructing them.

They're talking with them

about the ways

of the Lord.

They're giving them

punishment when necessary

not to be vindictive

because they love

their children

and they want them

to walk in the ways

that are right.

Proverbs 13 verse 24

Proverbs 13:24

tells us this.

Whoever spares the rod

hates his son

but he who loves him

is diligent

to discipline him.

And so this discipline

is not for the convenience

or the comfort

of the parents.

Instead it's doing

what's hard

for the sake

of their children.

Like the Proverbs

is saying something

very stark here.

if you won't discipline

your children

if you won't teach

them wisdom

you actually hate them.

Because the one

who wants what's good

and right for their kids

wants them to learn

lessons when they're

easy to learn

rather than learn them

when they're hard.

Imagine this.

Which one is easier?

Is it easier

to receive punishment

when you're eight years old

for stealing five dollars?

Or is it easier

to receive punishment

when you're 35 years old

or 65 years old

for stealing five million dollars?

The answer's obvious, right?

It's much better

that you learn

that lesson

in a small way

when you're young

than have to learn

in a large way

when you're old.

And so that's part

of the reason

there's this emphasis

for the youth here

in the book of Proverbs.

Deuteronomy chapter 6

Deuteronomy 6 · chapter mention

tells us about this.

There's this instruction

and wisdom

that happens

in the Christian family

that's about all of life

and it's in all of life.

Deuteronomy chapter 6

Deuteronomy 6:7

verse 7

tells us this.

You shall teach them

diligently to your children

talking about God's ways

and shall talk of them

when you sit in the house

and when you walk by the way

and when you lie down

and when you rise.

Wisdom is something

that's trained constantly

by mothers,

by fathers

to their children.

the command here

is not to the parents.

That's what's implied here

but to the son.

It's the child here

that's supposed to hear

the father's instruction

and not forsake

the mother's teaching.

And these are not just

cognitive words.

These are words of obedience.

This hear word includes,

it implies,

that it's going to be

followed by

obeying what's heard.

And so it's not just

that parents are responsible

to their children

but children are responsible

to their parents.

And so our question

would be this.

Do you fear the Lord, kids?

Would we know

that you fear the Lord

based on the way

you respond

when your parents

teach you

and correct you?

Are you willing

to hear your father's instruction

and not forsake

your mother's teaching?

There's a reward here

by the way.

It says in verse 9

for they are a graceful garland

for your head

and pendants

for your neck.

Now there's many ideas

about what's being referred

to here.

I would say simply

these are symbols

of prosperity

and life.

Do you want

to have

a life

that's well lived?

Do you want

to prosper in life?

Do you want

to succeed?

Do you want

to take hold

of what Jesus

offers us

in the gospel?

If you do

the call

for you

is obedience

and obedience

to your parents.

Proverbs

Proverbs 20:11

chapter 20

verse 11

tells us this

even a child

makes himself

known by his acts

by whether his conduct

is pure

and upright.

Do you want

to learn

in small ways

so you don't

have to learn

in big ways?

Do you want

to learn

when the punishment

and the stakes

are low?

Or do you

want to learn

when they're high?

Of course

a wise person

wants to learn

when they're low.

A wise child

wants to learn

and gain

as much

from their parents

as they can.

If you go

on post

to Fort Carson

or really

any of the other

bases here in town

and you go

into one of the

gyms there

you'll probably

see a sign

that says

something like this.

The more

you sweat

in training

the less

you bleed

in battle.

the more

you sweat

in training

the less

you bleed

in battle.

The Christian

home

is a place

of training

and when you

go out

into the world

when you leave

your parents

house

you will be

in the real

battlefield

and so choose

the sweat

rather than

the blood.

Choose

to learn

now

when the

stakes

are low

rather than

later

when the

stakes

are high.

Don't

reject

and become

bitter

at your

parents

discipline

and instruction.

Instead

embracing

it

knowing

that it's

the way

to life.

That is

the way

you will

have a

graceful

garland

for your

head

and pendants

for your

neck.

And so

how is it

that we

use the

fear of the

Lord to

receive

and take

hold of

wisdom?

Well we

do it

as we

embrace

discipline

and

instruction.

Parents

giving it

and forming

it in

their

children.

Children

honoring

it and

receiving

it

from

their

parents.

As I

mentioned

earlier

though

we need

to be

wise

in reading

Proverbs

and so

we don't

take this

rigidly

as just

being

between

parents

and

children.

There's

a wisdom

to knowing

how to

read

wisdom

literature.

That's

why it

says in

Proverbs

Proverbs 1:2

chapter 1

verse 2

the goal

here is to

understand

words of

insight.

So how

do we

understand

these words

of insight

if we're

not parents?

Maybe we're

not children.

Maybe we have

children but

they're out of

the home.

Maybe you're

single.

Well this

book of

course isn't

a public

letter right?

It's written

for many

people to

listen in and

so there's a

broader

principle that

all of us

can take

from this

and it's

this.

wisdom is

a community

project,

a group

project,

a family

project.

Wisdom is

something we

work on

together and

wisdom is

also something

that some

people have

more of

than other

people.

Our

expectation

is that

older people

hopefully have

more wisdom

than younger

people.

People with

more life

experience or

certain types

of experiences

have more

wisdom than

those who

have not

had those

experiences.

And so the

broader

principle is

this,

listen to

the wise.

Receive

correction and

instruction.

This is the

vision that the

Bible gives us

not just for

the nuclear

family but also

for our church

family.

We see in

Titus chapter 2

Titus 2 · chapter mention

that it's older

women teaching

younger women.

It's younger

men who are

supposed to be

subject to the

elders also in

Titus 2 and in

1 Peter chapter 5.

1 Peter 5 · chapter mention

There's this

dynamic where the

less wise are

submitting themselves

to the more

wise.

There's this

recognition that

all of us in

life are in

places where we

don't have all

the wisdom we

need but God's

given us a

community that

surrounds us and

he tells us to

embrace the

wisdom that's

there.

Proverbs chapter

Proverbs 13:20

13 verse 20

tells us that he

who walks with

the wise grows

wise.

And so if we

want to embrace

wisdom, if we

want to grow in

wisdom, if we

want the type of

knowledge that

comes from the

fear of the

Lord, we need

to find wise

people.

And submit to

their instruction

and their

discipline.

Wisdom is not

connected to the

size of your

library.

Wisdom is instead

connected to the

size of your

humility.

Wisdom is not

connected to the

size of your

library.

Wisdom is not

connected to the

length of your

resume.

Wisdom is

directly connected

to how much

humility you

have.

There's one man

who says this and

he puts it very

starkly.

Hearts that are

not humble are

hearts that are

not really

connected with

the Lord.

One cannot

know God and

hold on to a

proud heart at

the same time.

Hearts that are

humble are not

humble are

hearts that are

not really

connected with

the Lord.

One cannot

know God and

hold on to a

proud heart at

the same time.

We cannot

believe that we

know what we

need to know and

also grow in

wisdom.

it's a rich and

deep humility that

allows us to

embrace wisdom and

grow in it.

When I was in

seminary and I

took a class on

Proverbs I had a

wise instructor and

he understood this

concept.

He knew that it

wasn't going to be

helpful for his

class just to

receive words from

him about the

book of Proverbs

and so he gave an

optional assignment

to students a

challenge and it

was this.

Go home and

since humility is

the beginning of

wisdom ask your

spouse if you're

married or ask a

good friend if

you're not how

good am I at

receiving correction?

How free do you

as my spouse feel

in giving me

feedback?

And when you do

how do I respond

to that?

In other words am I

a humble person and

am I willing to

grow in wisdom?

That would be a

good challenge for

us.

Kids it would be a

good challenge for

you.

Ask your parents

how wise am I?

What can I do to

be better at

responding and

receiving correction?

Over the coming

weeks he would ask

students to report

in.

Hey who has

completed the

project and what

did you hear?

And there were

some brave souls

who undertook it.

Some of them

reported things that

were somewhat

encouraging and some

of them had heard

things that were

very very hard.

these are people

who are training

in a seminary to

know God

challenged to see

how much they

actually knew God

not by a test

not by a paper

or an exam

but by the

demonstration of

humility in their

lives and their

relationships.

relationships.

During my time in

the church I have

met very many

people who are

eager to talk and

have a lot to say.

I have met very

few people who are

eager to listen and

have a lot of

questions to ask.

I have met very

many people who are

eager to talk and

have a lot to say.

I have met fewer

people who are eager

to listen and have

a lot of questions.

One of those is the

way of the wise and

one is the way of

the fool.

James chapter 1

James 1:19–20

verses 19 through 20

tells us to be quick

to listen and slow to

speak.

And yet so many of us

are quick to speak

and slow to listen.

Remember that the

fear of the Lord is

an attitude of

submission, respect,

dependence, and

worship.

It's about humility,

obedience, and

submission.

Fear of the Lord

reveals itself in how

we interact with

others.

How much wisdom we

have reveals itself in

how we interact with

others?

So are we open to

correction?

How do you respond when

you receive feedback

that's negative?

Proverbs chapter 27

Proverbs 27:6

verse 6 tells us this,

faithful are the

wounds of a friend,

profuse are the kisses

of an enemy.

When you receive a

wound from a friend,

do you consider it

faithful?

Or would you rather

receive kisses from

an enemy?

Do we welcome the

input of those who

are wiser and older?

Do we seek it out?

Or do we think we

already have all the

answers?

Do we resent feedback

when we receive it,

or do we welcome it?

Do we apply it?

Do we learn and move

forward with the

lessons that God's

given us?

Do we choose

growing and learning,

over the need to be

right?

Do we choose

growing and learning

over the need to be

right?

The gospel,

the very entry to the

gospel,

the fear of the Lord,

means admitting that

we're not right.

It's possible to be

able to explain the

doctrine of

justification in

detail,

the doctrine that

tells us that God

has paid our sins

and we're right with

him,

and at the same

time still be

desperate.

for other people to

believe that we've

got it all together.

It's easy to know

the doctrine of

justification in

detail and be able to

explain it,

and still be desperate

for other people to

believe that we have it

all together.

And yet true wisdom

here is characterized

by humility.

It's someone who's

open to instruction

and teaching.

Our Lord Jesus tells us

the same thing as

well.

We saw last week

from Matthew chapter

Matthew 12:42

12,

verse 42,

that Jesus tells us

he's greater than

Solomon.

Solomon,

who's the author of

this book of wisdom.

Solomon knew wisdom.

Jesus is wisdom.

He's an even greater

wisdom teacher than the

author of this book,

and he himself tells us

about what it takes to

receive the kingdom.

him.

In Matthew chapter 18,

Matthew 18 · chapter mention

it tells us a story

about the disciples

coming to Jesus,

and they say,

who is the greatest

in the kingdom of

heaven?

It says,

Jesus called to him a

child.

He put him in the midst

of them and said,

truly I say to you,

unless you turn and

become like children,

you will never enter

the kingdom of heaven.

Whoever humbles

himself like this

child is the greatest

in the kingdom of

heaven.

Do you want to enter

the kingdom of heaven?

Do you want to be

what Jesus calls the

greatest here?

Do you want to be

wise?

And you have to

humble yourself

like a child.

You have to be

characterized by

dependence,

obedience,

and submission.

Jesus then goes on

to tell us in

Matthew chapter 19,

Matthew 19 · chapter mention

we hear that children

are brought to him

that he might lay

his hands on them

and pray.

The disciples

rebuked the people,

but Jesus said,

let the little

children come to me

and do not hinder

them,

for to such

belongs the

kingdom of heaven.

And he laid his

hands on them

and went away.

Our Lord Jesus,

the great teacher

of wisdom,

tells us

even more

than what we

see here in

Proverbs chapter 1

Proverbs 1:8

verses 8 and 9,

which is that if we

want to receive

the kingdom,

if we want to

belong to him

as his children,

then we must

become like

children.

We have to know

and understand

not how much

we've mastered,

but how much

we have to learn.

we don't protect

believing that we

have to convince

other people

that we've arrived,

but instead we

confess that we

haven't arrived.

In fact,

that's the heart

of the gospel,

right?

We cannot call

ourselves a Christian

if we've not

confessed our

desperate need

of God's grace

and his wisdom.

The gospel is not

for people who

get it right,

who are perfect.

The gospel is for

people who don't

get it right and

aren't perfect

and are humble

enough to admit it

and seek to grow.

They're humble

enough and secure

enough in Jesus

and his love

to be able to say,

I need to learn

and I'm not right.

It's enough to admit

our need for God's

grace and to run

to it.

Jesus accepts us

as we are

and as we saw,

even with the

genre of this book,

he meets us

where we are.

And so the gospel

requires us to be

honest,

about where we are,

requires us to be

humble.

Wisdom is only

for the humble.

As Jesus tells us

in Matthew chapter

Matthew 18 · chapter mention

18 and 19,

his kingdom

is only for the

humble as well.

So how is it

that we use

the fear of the Lord

to receive

and grow in wisdom?

Well, we have to be

people who are

characterized by

humility as well.

There's a family

wisdom.

We're learning

from one another.

There's a rich

humility

following after

Jesus as a family

because we've been

adopted by him

into his family.

Jesus is the one

who empowers us

to be humble

and he's the one

who provides us

with the community

that surrounds us

that actually has

the true wisdom

that he's given us

through others

and he's given us

through his word.

And so he's the one

who provides

the wisdom

that comes

from humility.

The wisdom

that comes

from those around us

and the wisdom

that comes to us

through his instruction

and his word.

Proverbs chapter 30

Proverbs 30:5

verse 5

tells us

that every word

of God

proves true.

He is a refuge

to those

he's a shield

to those

who take refuge

in him.

And so it's

with that hope

and that promise

that we come

to him

in humility

looking to grow

in wisdom.

And so I invite you

to come and pray

with me now

that we would be

those kinds of people

humble people

coming to Jesus

admitting our need

and looking for

his wisdom

and his forgiveness.

So please pray with me.

Our Father in heaven

we thank you

that you've given us

your word

we thank you

that you use it

to pierce

through bone and marrow

you use it

to pierce our hearts

to convict us

of our need for you

and to show us

the hope

that you offer us

in Jesus.

We ask that you'd

continue to do this now

that for those of us

who are proud

you would give us

hearts of humility.

For those of us

who are bitter

towards instruction

you would make us

open to it.

Most of all

we ask that you

would make Jesus

more beautiful

and glorious to us

that we would see

the security

the confidence

that we have in him

and so we'd be able

to say

Jesus is perfect

and so I'm free

to admit I'm not

but Jesus is also loving

and so he's going to

walk with me to grow.

We ask these things

praising you

that we don't have

to earn them

by our wisdom

but we can ask them

to you

in our foolishness

coming to you

in humility

knowing that Jesus

will cover them

and so we ask it

in his name

amen.

We're going to end

our time

together with a benediction

and I remind you

that a benediction

is a good word

from God.

It's a word

that's true

in the midst

of a world

filled with words

that are not true.

It's tradition

for the minister

to hold up his hand

to send out God's blessing

on God's people

and for God's people

to hold out their hands

to receive God's blessing.

And so hear now

God's good word

over you

from Numbers chapter 6.

Numbers 6 · chapter mention

The Lord bless you

and keep you.

The Lord make his face

to shine upon you

and be gracious to you.

The Lord lift up

his countenance upon you

and give you peace

now and forever.

So go now

in the grace and peace

of our Lord and Savior

Jesus Christ.

Amen.