Wise in Adversity

Morning, church family.

As Dave said, we're going to be hearing from Proverbs chapter 24,

Proverbs 24 · chapter mention

and we're going to be starting at the start of the chapter

and reading through to verse 12.

That's Proverbs 24.

Be not envious of evil men, nor desire to be with them,

for their hearts devise violence and their lips talk of trouble.

By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established.

By knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches,

a wise man is full of strength, and a man of knowledge enhances his might.

For by wise guidance you can wage your war,

and in abundance of counsellors there is victory.

Wisdom is too high for a fool.

In the gate he does not open his mouth.

Whoever plans to do evil will be called a schemer.

The devising of folly is sin,

and the scoffer is an abomination to mankind.

If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.

Rescue those who are being taken away to death.

Hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.

If you say, behold, we do not know this,

does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?

Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it?

And will he not repay man according to his work?

Good morning everyone.

It's school lady time, so we are back to the book of Proverbs.

The book of Proverbs is a bit difficult in a sense,

talking about it because it sounds like a lot of how to do things,

or how to live a good life.

However, we need to see that it's not only teaching us

that the wise way to live.

However, more so is to tell us that we don't have that wisdom,

and we can't live out to what he's teaching us.

But God does provide us a way for us to do so.

Last week, if you remember,

we were talking about wise with money or in money,

in Proverbs 11, verse 3 says that,

Proverbs 11:3

it would say that,

riches does not profit in the day of wrath.

Today, in Proverbs 24, verse 10,

Proverbs 24:10

if you faint in the day of adversity.

So both of them have got this day of wrath,

or the day of adversity.

So today, we would think about how we would stand in that day,

or in day-to-day as well.

Let's pray first before we start.

Almighty God,

we thank you for the privilege of reading your word,

and knowing something that is greater,

and knowing that we could have a life that is different,

that we have always lived,

and also knowing that in adversity,

we are not alone.

May you help us in understanding this,

and may you help us to live a life that is worthy of your calling.

Thank you, Lord.

We pray in Jesus' name.

Amen.

I'm going to share the screen while I'm talking.

So today, the topic is,

Why is in adversity?

From Proverbs 24, verses 1 to 12.

Proverbs 24:1–12

First of all, I'd like to share with you about this man called Rick Ritzkohler.

Rick Ritzkohler was born on 27th of May, 1939,

and he died on 11th of September, 2001.

So about 20 years ago.

He was the head of security for Morgan Stanley in the South Tower of World Trade Center,

when both the North and the South Towers were hit by plans.

Before the towers collapsed, Rick called the authority,

and he was told to stay put,

and not to evacuate.

But Rick did not agree.

He called his old army mate,

and that's why we know what he was thinking,

and told him what happened.

And he said he was going to disregard the order to stay,

and he evacuated the building.

So because of Rick's quick and decisive action,

2,687 people were saved.

Only six persons from the South Tower died on that day,

including Rick himself.

Why did Rick disregard the order?

Because he had been expecting such an attack for some time.

In fact, he had conducted many evacuation drills

for the employees in the South Tower.

So in that day of adversity,

Rick was the first to act,

and the last to leave the building.

Don't you wish that we would have such strength

to stand on our ground

and act in the face of adversity?

I do.

However, we know that this is rare.

In real life, in our life,

we are usually unprepared for adversity,

and we try to avoid it

or not know how to cope with it.

So we go to Proverbs 24.10 as our words for our day.

It is to faince in the day of adversity.

Your strength is small.

Faince, in the Hebrew word,

has the meaning of dropping down or letting go.

And in the Old Testament,

when God reassured His servants

that He would not forsake them or fail them,

this word was used.

So Proverbs 24.10 can be translated as,

if you give up easily in the day of adversity,

your strength is small.

However, verse 5 tells us that

a wise man is full of strength.

So that means,

verse 10,

we can also understand it as,

if you have little wisdom,

you will not have sufficient strength

to stand in the day of adversity.

So an adverse event

is one that challenges our presuppositions,

disrupts our plans,

and dashes our hopes,

as David shared just now.

Adversity happens all the time.

It is an double-double,

and it will come for each of us.

So adversity is common.

I see people facing adversities every workday.

For example,

one day last month,

I had three different patients

coming in one after another

with sadness.

The first one was sad

because all her adult children

did not want to talk to her.

She said everyone was rude to her.

The second patient was sad

because his driving license

had been changed to a conditional one.

He's about 80 years old.

He used to drive army trucks in ANZAC.

He wanted to be able to continue to do so.

He asked me to remove his sleep apnea

from the list of his medical conditions

so that he can get his full license back.

The third patient had been sad

for more than a year

since the death of her partner.

She did not know what else to live for.

Sometimes I think,

if these patients had been given

wise counsel during their younger days,

they may not have ended up where they are now.

But then I think again,

most of us will only listen to counsels

which agree with our desires.

These patients are suffering now

because they are stuck in their own presuppositions

of what life should be

and they just could not get out of it.

So, we're talking about the nature of adversities

that is common

and then we'll talk about unavoidable

and that is coming for each of us.

Alright.

We're still in the common part of it.

I wonder how the first patient

built her family

until all her children

did not want to talk to her.

Her presupposition was that

she had done all her best

for her children.

She had built her house well

and filled the rooms

with good things for her children.

She could not understand

why all her children dislike her now.

The second patient

has nothing else to live for

except his being able to drive

an army vehicle during the ANZE parade.

He does not cope with the adversity

of not having a full driving license.

The third patient lost her partner to cancer.

She could not get herself out of her grief.

As a result, her teenage daughter

has now also become depressed

and she actually tried to commit suicide.

This patient's identity

was dependent on her partner

while her daughter's identity

was based on these two adults.

They were not able to face

the adversity they found themselves in.

All these three patients

had been building their lives

expecting favorable outcomes

like many of us.

They put their trust and hope

on weak and transient things or persons.

Some of us may be able to identify

with one or more of these patients.

Some of us may go through

similar adversities in time to come.

Some of us are preparing ourselves

for the future.

So we try to avoid having such adversity.

We will try to get the best qualification

for ourselves

to get the best job

or get the best spouse.

However, we cannot predict the future.

What we think is best now

may turn out to be the source

of our adversity

in years to come.

Adversity is unavoidable

not only because we cannot predict the future

but because we are building our life

on false presuppositions.

The first patient thought

that she could always derive

her security and significance

from her children.

Eventually, her children would

become tired of being

their mother's emotional support.

They would resent

their mother's constant dependence on them.

The second patient

derives his security and significance

from his achievement

in the defense force.

He cannot accept the fact

that he has become too frail

to drive an army vehicle.

The third patient

builds her security and significance

on her partner.

When her partner dies before her,

she does not know

how to cope with life.

We live in a world of decay

and disruptions.

In the past 50 years,

we have lived through

the Cold War,

the Terrorist War,

Global Financial Crisis,

Multiple Natural Disasters,

and now the Pandemic.

And if we are honest

in finding the causes

of adversities,

we shall find that

many of the adversities

are the results

of our own foolishness.

Our ill health

is caused by our lifestyle

choices and habits.

So,

things that we like to eat now

many a times

as we get older

they will be the source

of our illness.

Our pollution,

the pollution of the environment

is caused by our desire

for comfort and enjoyment.

So,

we are using a lot of

technologies and things

and we don't know

how to dispose of them.

the relationship breakdowns

are caused by our own

self-centeredness.

So,

we all are so

busy

to achieve our own goals

and the cost of doing it

we neglected

relating to people

or even neglected

on health

to do exercise.

all these things

that we do

we are just so focused

on our goal

that

not knowing that

in the end

they would bring

adversity to us.

In the past few weeks

almost every day

in my general practice

I'm seeing patients

who are struggling

with whether to have

the AstraZeneca

COVID vaccine.

they fear getting

the rare side effects

of the vaccine

they also fear

getting the real disease.

We are not only foolish

in the way we live

that lead to future

adverse events

but we are also

too weak to face

any adverse events.

I feel for their

anxiety and their pain

we all want to

avoid adversity

but it is unavoidable

because the future

does not usually turn up

as we hoped we would

and also because

the choices we make

now usually

predispose us

to encounter adversity

in time to come.

So adversity will come

for all of us

and Proverbs 24

does not actually say

we are too weak

to face adversity

but it says

we are too weak

to face the day

of adversity.

The day of adversity

seems to be pointing

to more than just

any day

that we may find ourselves

in some encounters

of adversity.

In verse 11 and 12

it is saying that

there is a day

when we will need

to give an account

of our life.

The account

emphasizes on

how we have

or have not

helped others

who are facing adversity.

During the accounting

time

it says that

we would

mostly

have no excuse

for our behaviors.

at this point

we might want

to pause and ask

why God

requires us

to help others.

Is it not enough

if we just do

no harm to others

just keep to ourselves?

The role

that God has

in mind

is a role

that shows

love and kindness.

All of us

like to be welcome

when we meet up

with people

even as we meet

online.

Even though

we may not be able

to love others

we like to be loved

by others.

Most of the adversities

we encounter

are caused by

our lack of ability

and desire

to love others.

If there is love

among people

there will be less

conflicts

and oppressions.

Even we ourselves

demand

love and kindness

among the people.

Would God

not require us

to live such a life

when we are

created in His image?

Proverbs 24

implies that

we are not

strong enough

to help others

and that

we are not

even strong enough

to help ourselves

to face adversities.

To have strength

we need to

have wisdom.

Wisdom

means the ability

to see a bigger picture

and the ability

to suffer loss.

Rick Raskola

understood

the bigger picture

of the threat

of terrorism

and therefore

he was prepared

for the attack.

We need to

understand

the bigger picture

of our life

and the universe

to know what

to expect in life.

However,

we cannot understand

the bigger picture

of life

because we are

too self-focused.

We can only see

things from our own

points of view.

We are the center

of our own universe.

The aim of our living

is to keep ourselves

comfortable and happy.

When things

do not turn out

as we want them to

we can only respond

with anger

and despair.

So how do we

face adversity?

I would suggest

two things.

One is knowing

the bigger picture.

Second is to know

the one who

was born for

adversity.

Before Rick Raskola

went down

with the South Tower

he called his wife

and told her

that he loved her

and that she should

know that he was

doing what he lived

for.

Rick was not

suffering in the

face of adversity.

He was prepared

for this

and the threat

of death

did not frighten

him or weaken

him.

The threat of death

made him more

resolved to save

as many people

as he could

in the short time

he had.

Because Rick was

prepared,

he knew the

bigger picture.

He knew what

was coming

and he was

prepared to

die for it.

What is the

bigger picture

for your life

and my life?

We cannot see

this bigger picture

unless it is

revealed to us.

This bigger picture

we are talking

about is not

even to do

with our world

in terms of

our day-to-day

life.

It is more

than that.

It is for

the eternity.

We need to

know where

we are heading

to, where

we are coming

from.

In the

reading of

Proverbs today,

there is some

truth that has

been revealed

to us.

That is,

there will be

a day for us

to give an

account of

our life.

In that day,

we will not

have any

excuse about

why we do

not do

what is right.

So,

that has been

revealed and

so what are

we going to

do about it?

So,

compared to

this day of

adversity,

when we face

the judgment

of God,

our day-to-day

encounters

are small

things.

Unless we

can stand

before God's

judgment throne

without

fainting,

there is not

much point

for us to

learn how to

cope with

our day-to-day

adversities.

On the other

hand,

if we can

face the

day of

judgment,

then we

will know

how to

face our

day-to-day

adverse

encounters.

So,

God reveals

to us about

the bigger

picture of

life through

His written

word,

and also

through the

word

becoming

flesh,

as He

sent His

Son into

this world

of adversity

to live

among us.

So,

while we

try to

avoid

adversity,

Jesus was

born for

adversity.

In Luke

Luke 2:34–35

chapter 2,

verse 34

to 35,

we read,

We

all expect

ourselves and

our children

to live a

life of

comfort.

Jesus'

parents were

told not to

expect such

a life for

Him, for

Jesus.

Jesus Himself

did not

care if

He had

a life

of comfort.

He came

for a

mission.

He came

to live

by the

word and

the will

of God.

So,

we can

look at

Jesus'

life and

how it

fits into

Proverbs

24.

Jesus did

not envy

the ways

of the

world.

He

actually

criticized

those

who were

in power.

He

was

therefore

hated

by those

who were

in power.

Those

who could

not

tolerate

the

godly

way

Jesus

lived

His

life

devised

violence.

They

wanted

to

kill

Jesus.

So,

that is

the

reader from

Proverbs

24,

1-2.

Jesus

was not

intimidated

by all

the

oppositions

and threats.

He

was not

tempted

by the

offer

of the

devil.

Proverbs

24,

5.

He

listened

to the

counsel

of

God.

Proverbs

24,

6.

He

was

building

God's

kingdom,

calling

people to

follow

Him.

So,

Jesus

is building

something that

is eternal.

and He

filled

all the

room

with

all the

precious

things,

spiritual

things.

At last,

Jesus

was

arrested

by the

religious

leaders,

those

leaders who

thought they

were wise

but had

no idea

what Jesus

had been

teaching.

Real wisdom

was too

high for

them to

grasp.

They

falsely

accused

Jesus

of

blasphemy

and

treason.

Jesus

just

kept

quiet.

When a

wise

person

is

being

judged

by

fools,

he

keeps

quiet.

Proverbs

24,

7.

Now,

in Proverbs

24,

7,

when it

says

that

wisdom

is too

high for

a fool,

in the

gate,

he

does

not

open

his

mouth.

We

can

read,

he

does

not

open

his

mouth,

the

he

as

the

fool,

or

it

can

be

the

wise.

I

suppose

can

be

read

in

either

way,

but

in

applying

to

Jesus

Christ,

he

will

be

the

wisdom

that

will

not

open

his

mouth

while

judged

by

the

fools.

In

general,

when we

are foolish,

we will

talk a

lot.

The

wise

person

knows

when to

talk

and

when

not

to

talk.

that's

why I

would

apply

the

he

as

the

wisdom

who

will

keep

quiet

in

the

midst

of

foolishness.

The

religious

leaders

scheme

to have

Jesus

crucified

by the

Romans.

People

scoffed

at him

when they

saw him

hanging

on the

cross.

They

teased

Jesus,

if you

are here

to save

others,

why don't

you

save

yourself

now?

Proverbs

24,

8-9

Jesus

did not

faint

on the

cross.

He

was in

control

of his

emotions

and

thoughts.

He

prayed

for

those

who

killed

him.

And

he

committed

his

soul

to

God

as

he

died.

Proverbs

24,

10

Why did

Jesus

not

save

himself

on

the

cross?

Because

he

came

to

die

to

take

away

the

curse

of

God.

No

one

stood

up

for

Jesus

when

he

was

innocent.

But

Jesus

was

dying

for

those

who

were

guilty,

those

who

were

stumbling

to

the

judgment

of

God.

Proverbs

24,

11

Jesus

knew

that

day

of

adversity

will

come

for

each

of

us.

He

knew

that

the

God

who

keeps

watch

over

our

souls

knows

what

we

have

done

and

that

he

will

repay

us

according

to

our

work.

Proverbs

24,

12

When

God

repays

us

according

to

our

own

works,

we

will

all

be

condemned.

However,

in

Christ,

God

can

now

repay

us

according

to

the

works

of

Jesus

and

therefore

we

can

stand

in

the

day

of

adversity.

What

effect

did

adversity

have

on

Jesus?

John

1

14

says,

And the

word

became

fresh,

flesh,

and

dwell

among

us,

and we

have

seen

his

glory,

glory

as

of

the

only

son

from

the

father,

full

of

grace

and

truth.

All

the

adversities

the world

throw at

Jesus

only

help

to

bring

out

his

grace

and

truth.

We

see

his

beauty

in

the

midst

of

adversity,

we

see

his

kindness

in

the

midst

of

hatred.

In

going

through

the

ultimate

adversity

of

being

crucified,

Jesus

became

the

perfect

sacrifice

or

redeem

us

from

the

wrath

of

God.

In

Jesus

Christ,

we

no

longer

need

to

worry

about

the

day

of

adversity.

In

Jesus,

we

are

also

given

the

wisdom

to

live

in

this

world

of

adversity.

Why

could

Jesus

become

more

glorious

in

the

midst

of

adversity?

Because

Jesus

did

not

live

for

himself,

he

lived

for

God

and

God's

people.

When

we

do

not

see

the

bigger

picture

but

only

focus

on

our

own

small

pictures,

we

cannot

cope

with

any

adversity

that

interferes

with

our

plans

and

hopes.

When

we

can

see

the

bigger

picture

and

learn

to

live

for

God

and

his

kingdom,

we

can

serve

on

the

way

for

adversity

for

God's

glory.

I

will

give

you

another

example.

Ernest

Gordon

was a

soldier

in

World

War

II.

He

fought

in

Malaya

and

was

captured

by the

Japanese

and

sent

to

the

prison

camp

in

Thailand

during

World

War

II.

I

think

some

of

us

when

I

watched

a

movie

about

the

river

Kai

KWI.

So

that

is

a

story

that

he

recounted.

When

he

went

into

the

camp

he

was

an

atheist

and

he

described

how

hopeless

and

despair

prisoners

were

under

the

cruelty

of

Japanese

soldiers.

They

were

just

waiting

to

die.

They

were

just

waiting

passively.

They

were

just

doing

what

they

were

told

to

do.

And

each

just

care

for

themselves.

Ernest

became

very

sick.

I

suppose

he

was

injured

as

well,

beaten

up,

starved,

and he

was very

close to

death.

A

Christian

prisoner

cared

for him

and gave

him his

own portion

of food

and

led him

to

recovery.

Ernest

came

to

know

the

Lord

Jesus

in

the

camp

and

began

to

care

for

others.

Soon

there

was

a

transformation

in

the

camp.

People

started

to

put

other

people

first.

They

rose

above

their

own

self-pity

and

started

to

care

for

one

another.

Instead

of

cursing

their

enemies

at

God,

the

prisoners

started

to

pray

to

God

and

for

their

enemies.

The

adversity

under

the

cruelty

of

Japanese

captors

change,

but

the

prisoners

were

changed.

They

were

still

enslaved

in

the

camp,

but

they

were

no

longer

enslaved

by

suffering

and

death.

They

had

someone

and

something

bigger

than

themselves

to

live

for.

What

is a

wise

thing

to

do

in

adversity?

We

know

that

we

cannot

avoid

adversity

in

this

life.

The

stoics

advise us

to

face

adversity

like

a

man

just

suffer

it

quietly.

The

Ippicurium

advised us

to enjoy

ourselves

as much

as possible

to

lessen

the

effect

of

adversity.

What

did

Jesus

do

with

adversity?

Jesus,

for the

joy that

was set

before

him,

enjoyed

the

cross

despising

shame

and is

now

seated

at the

right

hand

of the

throne

of

God.

Jesus

had a

far

bigger

picture

in

mind.

He

served

on the

wave

of

adversity

to

display

God's

glory.

Proverbs

24

11

said,

Rescue

those

who

are

being

taken

away

to

death.

Hold

back

those

who

are

stumbling

to

the

slaughter.

This

is not

just

another

task

for

us

to

do.

This

is

life.

When

we can

see the

bigger

picture,

when

we can

see the

kingdom

of

God

coming,

our

own

comfort

and

safety

will

become

trivial.

Adversity

can no

longer

enslave

us.

In

Christ,

we

are not

only free

from

facing

the

day

of

adversity

when

God

will

judge

the

living

and

the

dead.

We

are

also

free

to

be

like

him,

rescuing

those

who

are

stumbling

to

the

slaughter.

Maybe

display

the

mind

of

Christ

in

the

midst

of

adversity.

Maybe

be

willing

to

suffer

loss

because

we

have

something

greater

and

we

have

everything

in

Jesus

Christ.

Let

us

pray.

Father,

we

know that

so often

when we

meet with

adversity,

we will

tend to

think about

ourselves,

poor me,

why me?

Father,

we

thank you

for

changing

us,

that we

can

think

about

the

Lord

Jesus

Christ

and

think

about

others

in

the

midst

of

adversity.

Father,

may

you

help us

to rise

above

ourselves

and

to

enjoy

your

presence

with us

as we

live our

life.

and do

something

that

has

eternal

value

and

that

will

show

your

glory.

Thank you,

Lord.

In Jesus' name

we pray.

Amen.