Wise Counsel Proverbs 15:22 · Join the Journey

Some of you may remember the Titan submersible that catastrophically imploded in 2023 while taking a group to see the Titanic wreckage at the bottom of the ocean. I watched a documentary not too long ago about it. And one of the things that kept hitting me was that this horrific tragedy could have been avoided if the CEO and company had listened to the counsel they had received.

This sub had a carbon fiber hull and would carry people underwater. They had done 87 dives and many times they had been warned by experts about the structural integrity issues of the sub. Many dives before there had been popping and cracking sounds that the CEO ignored and said that it was just part of the sub. But what they believe now is that those sounds weren’t harmless — they were warnings. Cracks were forming under the immense pressure, and they were ignored. Again and again, experts testified that they had raised concerns and warnings to the CEO and company about it. But they ignored the wise counsel they were given, they even hid these concerns and fired employees who spoke out.

And sadly because of the CEO’s pride and not listening to wise counsel 5 people including him lost their lives.

Today we are going to see from proverbs that wise counsel helps us from our lives imploding. Wisdom isn’t something we find alone. God often gives us wisdom through others. Even as we started studying Proverbs, what did we see? A father giving advice to his son. Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction; do not forsake your mother’s teaching.

If we want to walk wisely, we need to learn to seek and listen to wise counsel.

Last week we saw Proverbs wisdom for work. We need to learn to work hard, with integrity, in work we enjoy leaning to rest well and often. So today, let’s learn Proverbs’ wisdom for seeking wise counsel.

Wise Counsel brings Direction and Success

If you have your bibles turn with me to Proverbs 15. If you don’t have a bible we have some on the back table. If you’re looking for Proverbs, it’s about halfway through your Bible, it comes right after Psalms and right before Ecclesiastes.

Proverbs15:22

It’s not that more people automatically make better plans. You know the old saying, ‘too many chefs in the kitchen.’ But many wise advisers help us to see what we can’t. They help us accomplish what we couldn’t.

A sign of a great leader is not that they know it all or can do it all. But that they know the ones who do know and can do and put them in the right position to accomplish what they couldn’t do on their own. Moses listened to the wise counsel of his father-in-law and put reliable men in place to help judge the people of Israel’s questions and disagreements. Moses was sitting from morning until evening. But because of the wise counsel of his father-in-law, he put others in place so they could do what he couldn’t.

Whether it’s running a company, ministry, project or even our lives we are better together when we have wise counsel from others. We have better direction and success.

Often we think that we are lone rangers. But even the lone ranger had Tonto. As Journey Church we often say we need each other because we are better together. We know how vital and valuable wise counsel in our lives is, that it’s weaved into the very fiber of who we are as church.

We live out our walks together. We grow by studying the bible together. We build strong relationships, walking side by side through the messiness of life with prayer, accountability, and encouragement.

We need each other, because wise counsel gives direction and success — but Proverbs also warns us what happens when we ignore it. Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.

2. Fools Trust Themselves. The Wise Listen to Others.

Proverbs 12:15

The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice.

How many times have you said I got this? Followed by doing some dumb thing? Just me? Ok. My friend Chuck likes to say, “if you’re going to be dumb, you got to be tough.” But the truth is the fool says I got this, while the wise says, I might be wrong.

Ever ignored the GPS, because you knew a better way? Then that 3 hour trip becomes a 5 hour trip. More importantly how many times do we ignore the wise counsel of others or even God’s Word and go our own way? How’s that working for you?

Fools trust themselves. Wisdom begins with humility and is willing to admit that we don’t know it all.

3. Listening to wise counsel leads to growth over time.

Proverbs 19:20

Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise.

Wisdom isn’t the quick fix, it’s not the band-aid solution. It is the fix but wisdom takes time. It’s a process, not just for a moment. It’s a way of living that listens, learns, receives correction and grows. Then at the end you will be counted among the wise if we listen to advice and accept discipline.

The writer of Hebrews quotes Proverbs. Do not make light of the Lord’s discipline… the Lord disciplines the one He loves. Then Hebrews explains further.

Hebrews 12:10b-11

but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. 11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

God Disciplines us for our good. And yes it’s unpleasant and painful. But in time it produces growth. A harvest of righteousness and peace. God’s discipline comes from three places.

1. His word calls out our sin, corrects, rebukes, and trains us in righteousness.

2. His Holy Spirit convicts us. And if we have been saved by Jesus when we meet Jesus in baptism we received the gift of the Holy Spirit sealing us for salvation, and producing His fruit and righteous living.

3. God disciplines through other godly followers who encourage us, pray for us and hold us accountable.

So who has permission to speak truth into our lives, even when it’s painful? Invite godly wisdom from godly people to sharpen you and not just flatter you.

When we don’t invite or ignore godly wisdom to speak truth into our lives we will find that our lives will implode. Listen to wise counsel and in the end your life wont implode but you will grow a harvest of righteousness and peace and be counted among the wise for those who are trained by it.

So if listening leads to growth, what keeps us from listening? Pride.

4. Pride blocks wisdom. Humility receives it.

Proverbs 13:10

Where there is strife, there is pride, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.

Pride isolates us, we fight against or ignore those trying to correct us. Pride says, I can do it on my own. I don’t need anyone.

Humility opens us up to help. Humility says I need others to help. Humility listens to and takes advice. How many fights in our homes or workplaces come back to pride — our refusal to listen to the advice of others? Pride says, ‘I don’t need you.’ Humility says, ‘I need help.’ Where there is strife, there is pride. Do you want to win the argument, or do you want to be wise? Pride blocks wisdom, humility receives it.

5. The wise keep learning and seek understanding.

Proverbs 18:15

The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, for the ears of the wise seek it out.

Proverbs 1:5

let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance

Truly wise people never stop learning. They are lifelong listeners.

The fool says, ‘I already know enough.’ The wise says, ‘I still have much to learn.’

"Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death."

— Albert Einstein

"Once you stop learning, you start dying."

— Albert Einstein

"The more that you read, the more things you will know, the more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” —Dr. Seuss

Wisdom is being quick to listen and slow to speak. Foolishness speaks 1st and becomes angry quickly.

Stay humble. You will be wrong. You can’t do it all or know it all. Receive wisdom from wise counsel so you will have direction, success and growth over time.

Wise people seek counsel.

Wise people listen to counsel.

Wise people grow from counsel.

Wise people stay humble to keep learning and growing.

Who are the godly voices in your life? Who can tell you the truth even when it hurts?

Build a circle of godly wise counsel in your life that you listen to. And if you are looking for wise counsel, Life Groups are a great place to find them. In Life Groups you will find people who are wise and will walk side by side with you through the messiness of your life. We have a number of different Life Groups that are part of Journey Church.

Men’s Group Meets Tue Nights. Kevin or Jeff

Women’s Group Meets Wed Nights. Cynthia

Students Group 2nd and 4th Sundays- Josh or Ashley

Hodges Group 1st and 3rd Sunday afternoons- Jimmy or Laney

Bolen’s Group Sunday evening- Ed

Hamilton’s Group 2nd and 4th Sunday evening- see me.

If you are a leader of a life group will you stand up. If you are part of Life Group will you raise your hand? If you aren’t part of a group talk to one of these people today.

If you don’t have that circle of wise counsel yet, this is your chance. Don’t walk alone. Join a group, and find people who will walk beside you. And start building your wise counsel. Start listening to their godly wisdom and be that wise counsel for others.

Maybe today your life has imploded or maybe you just are starting to hear the cracks forming in your hull. So where do we start? We start with the ultimate Wise Counselor. Isaiah calls Him the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. He is Jesus. And true wisdom starts when we listen to and follow Him. Jesus said that He is the way, the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father except through Him. Won’t you come to Jesus today. Come and put your trust in the Prince of Peace, the Mighty God, the Wonderful Counselor. Repenting of your sins and joining to His death, burial and resurrection in baptism. Jesus is the only name on which we are saved. Come and call on His name today. And trust in our Wonderful Counselor, Jesus.