Fatherly Wisdom - Brendan Hurley - 3rd May 2026

Gracious Heavenly Father, we thank you that you

love us and you care for us. Please, Father,

as we look at your word now, help us to pay attention

to it and to grow in wisdom. We ask this in Jesus'

name. Amen. Well, I want to ask you a question.

If you could pick any TV character to be your

dad during your childhood, who would you pick?

If you could pick any TV character to be your

dad during your childhood, who would you pick?

Homer Simpson. Homer Simpson. Okay, so are you

sadistic or masochistic? Who would you pick?

Here's who I'd pick. Not Homer Simpson. I'd pick

Bandit. Have you seen Bandit from Bluey? This

is Bluey and Bingo's dad in the show Bluey. You

can't miss it. It is an amazing show. It's Australian

which makes it even better. But this cartoon

dog, Bandit, is the gold standard of parenting.

He actually won the Father of the Year award

in 2019 because he's inspired so many dads. Bandit

is an unusual character. He's gentle, he's patient,

he's caring. He takes the time to teach his kids

wisdom by heartfelt talks and by fun play Many

dads watch Bluey and think I wish I wore more

like bandit Many dads wish Bluey wasn't on so

they didn't feel so bad about not being more

like bandit Many women wish they could raise

kids with a man like bandit many kids wish they

had a dad like bandit and I reckon Many people

secretly wish they grew up with a dad like Bandit.

Because it is beneficial having a dad who teaches

you how the world works, isn't it? But not everyone

grows up with a dad who can do that. Some dads

don't themselves know how the world works. That

is a bit Homer Simpson -y, isn't it? They can't

teach to others what they don't know themselves.

Some dads can't connect with their kids. They

don't get along. Maybe they're absent because

of work. Some kids grow up without a dad because

their parents have died. Well, so many of us

grow up, we just grow up with big gaps of our

understanding because dad couldn't teach us,

but mum did her best, she did a great job, but

there are certain things you just wish your dad

would tell you, isn't there? And so we get to

adulthood finding there are things I wish I'd

been taught. especially by my dad. What wisdom

do you wish your dad had imparted to you? Well,

these chapters of Proverbs tell us the wisdom

that youth should get, that young people should

get. It shares fatherly wisdom that's even better

than what Bandit teaches. I know that's a hard

sell, because Bandit is pretty amazing. We've

got here 10 speeches by a wise father to his

son or sons. And really the heart of it is this.

Here's the big thing this passage is teaching

us. And it's going all the way from chapter one

all the way to chapter seven. And it's teaching

us wisdom gives rich blessings, but folly is

a deceptive trap. That's what I'm hoping you'll

take away from today. Wisdom gives reach blessings,

but folly is a deceptive trap. And if you see

that, if you believe that, then there's two things

you need to do in response to that, which is

what we're gonna look at. You need to get wisdom

above all else, and you need to guard yourself

against folly. So let's have a look at the first

one. Get wisdom above all else. If you've got

your Bible there, it'd be great to have a look

at chapter four of Proverbs, verses one to nine.

Let's read it again. It says, listen my sons

to a father's instruction. Pay attention and

gain understanding. I give you sound learning,

so do not forsake my teaching. For I too was

a son to my father, still tender and cherished

by my mother. Then he taught me and he said to

me, Take hold of my words with all your heart.

Keep my commands and you will live. Get wisdom.

Get understanding. Do not forget my words or

turn away from them. Do not forsake wisdom and

she will protect you. Love her and she will watch

over you. The beginning of wisdom is this. Get

wisdom. Though it costs you all you have, get

understanding. Cherish her and she will exalt

you. Embrace her and she will honour you. She

will give you a garland to grace your head and

present you with a glorious crown. Now, probably

the wisest thing a parent can teach their kid

is to value and seek wisdom. Why is that? Because

wisdom is not a one -off blessing. It's a blessing

that keeps paying out. It's like that old sort

of proverbial saying you might have heard, give

a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach

a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.

Now why does that work? Well because learning

is more valuable, isn't it? If you learn, you're

able to feed yourself and the benefit will be

ongoing. You just give someone a fish, well that's

it, you've fed them for a day, great. Teach them

to fish. Well, hey, that's going to go on for

ages, isn't it? Well, it's like that with wisdom

You could give someone the benefits of wisdom,

you know, it could could be something really

positive and really good But if you teach them

wisdom That's a benefit that's just going to

keep going and going and going You set someone

up well for life if you give them wisdom When

I was a kid, I remember going to the Australian

Mint just to check it out with my grandma, and

it was pretty cool seeing them print the money

there. Now, I must admit, as a kid, I was really

broken -hearted that they didn't hand out free

samples. But I remember thinking, as a kid, I

wish I had one of those machines. That'd be awesome,

wouldn't it? just print as much money as you

want and you're doing it at home so it probably

doesn't lift inflation and all of that um it'd

be so good anytime i want it i'll just print

another bunch of money oh you're a bit short

is there a bill that's cut i'll print some more

money how good would that be well that's the

way we're meant to think of wisdom wisdom is

like a blessing's printing machine if you have

wisdom It keeps benefiting you. It keeps printing

more blessing into your life. But the wisdom

here in Proverbs is not fundamentally life skills.

We saw that last week. And in these chapters

at its heart, wisdom is about fearing the Lord.

It's not just being that person who can get ahead

and be successful. It's actually about having

a faith that takes God seriously. That's wisdom.

Come with me in your Bible to Proverbs 3, 5 and

8. It says, trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding. In all

your ways submit to him and he will make your

path straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes,

fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring

health to your body and nourishment to your bones.

Trusting and obeying God is wisdom. Because in

the end, that pays off because this is God's

world. He's in charge of it all. To trust Him,

to obey Him, that's wisdom. And the benefits

are huge. If you trust God, you will get eternal

life. That's what we see in Jesus, don't we?

If you trust God, you will have life forever.

What better benefit could there possibly be?

But there are also great benefits in this life.

Knowing God, how his world works, it can benefit

your mental health. You can be a person who's

more secure in yourself. You might end up being

better at relationships. You might be able to

navigate office politics better. You might be

better at avoiding scammers. By learning wisdom,

you might get a really good work ethic. The list

could go on. There are just so many benefits

to wisdom. The ultimate is eternal life. But

can you see just how God's wisdom is so precious?

And if no one taught you that in your youth,

I'm really sorry. They should have. They should

have shown you that wisdom is precious. They

should have told you prioritize getting it. But

if... Even if no one did, you can start prioritising

that now, can't you? How would your week look?

How would it look different if getting wisdom

was your priority? Now, what things would change

in your calendar, in your diary? I always think

church, growth group, time with God. Those things

need to be in pen, not in pencil. That's a good

baseline, isn't it? And you know, there's exceptions

to Sikh and all of that. But those things need

to be in pen, not in pencil. If we're really

on about seeking God's wisdom, they're a priority.

But what else? Reading good Christian books.

listening to podcasts, watching videos that will

think more deeply into theology and the Bible,

having coffee with your friends, especially someone

who's a bit older and wiser, who can impart their

wisdom to you. These are all great ways to get

wisdom. But it's a mindset shift, isn't it? It's

going, am I doing that? Have I got a plan? to

effectively get wisdom. Is this a priority for

me? Is it for you? Get wisdom. Such rich benefit.

But that's not all we need to do. Our dads should

have taught us something else during our youth.

Here's the next thing they should teach us. Guard

yourself against folly. Guard yourself against

folly. If you've got a Bible there, come with

me to chapter 1, verses 8 to 19. Here's what

it says. Let's ambush some harmless soul. Let's

swallow them alive like the grave and whole like

those who go down to the pit. We will get all

sorts of valuable things and fill our houses

with plunder. Cast lots with us. We will all

share the loot. My son, do not go along with

them and do not set foot on their paths. For

their feet rush into evil. They are swift to

shed blood. How useless to spread a net where

every bird can see it. These men lie in wait

for their own blood. They ambush only themselves.

Such are the paths of all who go after ill -gotten

gain. It takes away the life of those who get

it. Now, this father gives examples here, many

examples of folly. Violence and greed are the

main focus. In these chapters he also warns against

deception, envy, laziness and adultery. It's

worth thinking, why does he need to give such

warnings? Isn't such folly just obvious? Well

no. Folly is hard to spot and see because it's

enticing and seductive. It promises a lot, but

delivers a little. Worse, folly is a trap that

brings ruin. Did you see the imagery there in

verses 17 to 19? How useless to spread a net

where every bird can see it. These men lie in

wait for their own blood they ambush only themselves.

I mean, he's saying the birds are wiser than

the fools. Because if you lay out a trap for

the birds and they see it, they're gonna stay

away from it. But these fools, they lay a trap

for themselves. They end up trapped by their

own schemes. They should have seen it, but they

couldn't. It's a bit like Monopoly. You know

in Monopoly, you build a trap? I'm giving away

all my Monopoly secrets now. But I like to put

one side of the board, I try and get as many

like... hotels and houses as I possibly can on

one side of the board, preferably nothing too

expensive or too cheap, just sort of, you know,

middle class white collar part of Monopoly board.

And then, you know, people come past and you're

like, oh yes, you know. But to do that, you know,

I try to sort of almost bankrupt myself to get

all that property there. And then, you know,

you're playing and you get that card. Has this

ever happened to you? Maybe it just happens to

me a lot. You get that card, repair all your

houses and hotels. Come on, you know? I was trying

to set this trap for others and I get hoisted

by my own petard. I get trapped myself. Or it's

like in chess, you know, I'm playing chess with

my son the other day, trying to lure in his queen

and all of a sudden, his bishop knocks out my

queen. I just didn't see it. It was so obvious,

but it was there. Maybe you're thinking, no,

Brendan, you're just not good at board games.

I don't know. But this is what all foolishness

is like. You might get away with it for a time,

but it'll eventually catch up with you. How do

I know? How do I know that it will catch up with

you? Because I look at Jesus' death and resurrection.

Think about the religious leaders who... orchestrated

for Jesus to be crucified. They were fools. They

set a trap for Jesus that he'd be crucified so

that they could come out on top so this pesky

rabbi who keeps interfering could be done away

with. And their trap backfired massively. Jesus

rose again from the dead. And Christianity exploded.

They didn't... Knock out this new belief system

It blew up it went massive But for them worst

of all is that Jesus rose again in his judge

of all and They didn't repent when that happened

Now folly would have stung in their life I mean

they would have gotten away with it for ages

They would have kept their privilege in position

for most of their lives. I'm sure But picture

them at Judgment Day. Their folly will catch

up when they're standing there before the risen

Lord Jesus, won't they? Jesus' resurrection proves

that folly is a trap. That it will one day catch

up with you and hurt you. And so we need to guard

ourselves against folly. How do we guard ourselves?

We've got to expose the lies that folly tells

and remember the truth Expose the lies and remember

the truth So your folly might be that you're

a slugger You think yeah another sickies fine

Bare minimum effort is best life is about maximising

pleasure. That's the sort of thing a slugger

does The lie is that you will get maximum bliss

if you do that. But the truth is, it will catch

up to you. Sluggards lose their jobs. They don't

get promoted. Sluggards are bad witnesses to

cheeses. Their health deteriorates. Often their

relationships struggle because they don't put

the work in. Sluggards really do suffer, and

that's just in this life. Or it might be your

folly might be flirting with adultery. You see

people and you go, oh, life would be so much

better if I was with them. They'd get me. If

I was together with them, I'd finally be happy.

That's the lie. Oh, there's this grass is greener

on the other side, kind of bliss over there.

But the truth is, your folly will catch up with

you. It will hurt your heart spiritually if you

go that way. It'll hurt your spouse and kids

if you go that way. And if you start a new relationship,

what's to say that the same problems you brought

into your current relationship aren't going to

be brought into the new one? No, the better way

the wise ways to change what you have. I love

how in Proverbs 5 it almost talks about having

an affair with your wife. See, it's a different

way. I'm going to put the priority on changing

what I already have. That's wise. Now, thinking

about this is self -reflection and it's hard

but it's important. Ask yourself, what sort of

folly entices you? We've all got something. What

sort of folly entices you? And what are you going

to do to guard yourself from it? Do you see it

as a deadly trap? Do you see how following the

path of wisdom is so much better? Sadly, Solomon

who wrote Proverbs didn't follow his own advice.

He's a cautionary tale, isn't he? See, when young,

God asked Solomon what he wanted and Solomon

asked for wisdom. And he oversaw the golden age

of Israel. He was there building the temple.

He wrote the book of Proverbs. He oversaw Israel's

immense prosperity. It was amazing. But sadly,

this wise king became very foolish. He stopped

getting wisdom above all else. He prioritised

marrying many foreign women above all else. Never

thought about, you know, Solomon with all his

wives and concubines, what saying goodnight would

have been like. Goodnight, goodnight, goodnight.

But also... He didn't guard himself against folly.

He let his wives and concubines turn his heart

away from God and he started worshipping Yahweh

and other gods. That was his weak point. Where's

your weakness? Where's your weak point? But sadly

it seems like he never repented because he stopped

believing the big thing he wrote in our chapters.

Wisdom gives rich blessings, but folly is a deceptive

trap. If there's one thing you take away from

today, I hope it's that. Wisdom gives rich blessings,

but folly is a deceptive trap. That's what we

need to believe. See Solomon couldn't follow

through. And in many ways, Solomon's a lot like

us, isn't he? But thankfully, there is another

who did follow through. Jesus in his youth did

what Solomon instructed. As we had it read, Luke

in his gospel describes it this way. And the

child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom.

And the favour, the grace of God was upon him.

And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature

and in favour with God and man. See Jesus believed

wisdom gives rich blessings but folly is a deceptive

trap. And so throughout his life Jesus treasured

wisdom and avoided folly. He grew up to be a

king wiser and greater than Solomon. He thought

and taught with a wisdom unparalleled in human

history. When tempted to folly, he didn't stray.

He lived perfectly. He lived a wise life. But

then he died on a cross. Why did he die the death

of a fool? Humiliated. Suffering. Crucified.

Well Jesus did that for you and for me. Jesus

experienced the worst ruin that folly brings.

He experienced hell on the cross so that we wouldn't

have to for our folly. Do you know those big

bear traps with the big claws? Well, that's like

folly, isn't it? It's a big trap. And what Jesus

does is when he dies on the cross, it's like

he's stepping on... the bear trap of sin and

folly and he springs that trap on himself in

order to save us. Because once the trap is sprung

it can't hurt you anymore can it? Well that's

what happened at the cross. Jesus guarded us

against folly in the greatest way possible. He

sprung the trap and he suffered and died so that

we wouldn't for eternity. But that's not all,

the blessings from his wise life have gone to

us. He gave them as a gift to us. We get eternal

glory for Jesus' wisdom and wise living. And

it doesn't stop there. Jesus gave his people

his spirit. So we have a renewed heart and a

renewed mind. Now we have a desire for wisdom

and a distaste for folly. And day by day, year

by year, God's Spirit grows us to be more wise

and to be more like Jesus. But even that's not

all. Jesus gave us the perfect example of living

by wisdom. What do you do when you face one of

those really tough, complex situations that requires

great discernment? You look to Jesus. See, Jesus

in the Gospels shows us what being wise really

looks like. When you look to Jesus, he just cuts

through the confusion, doesn't he? When you feel

the pull of folly's voice trying to bait you,

Jesus shows you how to resist. You look at him

when he was tempted. When people come with complex

situations and warped priorities, you look at

Jesus and you go, He sees it with crystal clarity.

Studying Jesus is the best way to get wisdom

and to guard against folly. Are you seeing that

in him? Are you going to him for wisdom? Let

me close. As a kid, I didn't see my dad much.

My parents were divorced. You know, I saw him

once a fortnight for the weekend. But he still

taught me some great life lessons. And I love

him. He's a great dad in many ways. He's not

a bandit, but you know, he's pretty good. But

I had big gaps of understanding. As I grew up,

I got hurt by my own naivety and folly. I wish

he had taught me. Get wisdom and guard against

folly. I wish he'd taught me that you can do

that by knowing Jesus. Thankfully Jesus saved

me from my folly and showed me the value of God's

wisdom. I'm so glad he did. Has he done that

for you? If he hasn't, ask him today. And if

he has... Don't stop being intentional. Get wisdom.

Guard yourself against folly. In the end, it

will pay off. Let's pray. Father, we want to

thank you so much for the Lord Jesus. Thank you

for the hope we have in him. Thank you for the

wisdom we have in him. Thank you that... When

he was a child, he obeyed you, that he was wise.

Thank you that he went into your house in order

to learn and listen. And thank you that he shows

us the way that we should go in getting wisdom

and guarding against folly. Thank you that he

died for all the times where we have been foolish

and unwise. Thank you that he has paid the price.

for our folly. Help us to see the danger of folly

and the joy and value of wisdom. And we ask this

in Jesus name. Amen.