September 23, 2012
Pentecost XVIIFr. Philip Eberhart
The Gift of True Wisdom
Click Here for AudioJeremiah 11:18-20
Psalm 54
James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a
Mark 9:30-37
“If anyone lacks wisdom…”
Could we have a show
of hands please? Anyone who lacks
wisdom? Raise your hand!!!Goooooood Company!!
Wisdom: A Definition – The
ability to discern what is true, right or lasting. “common sense”; “good judgment”; “the sum of learning –
knowledge”; “wise teachings of the ancients”; a wise outlook, plan or course of
action.
Yet in here (Bible)
it is EVERYWHERE TO BE FOUND!
A Spirit of Wisdom
That seems in line with what James is claiming: Wisdom is from ON HIGH!
Sometimes SKILL from ON HIGH – as in the case of Bezalel in EX 36 – the Spirit-filled craftsman who oversaw the building of the Tabernacle in the wilderness.
Same word.
Moses instructions to
Israel in DEUT 4: “See, I have taught you statues and rules, as the LORD my God commanded
me… Keep them and DO THEM, for that will be your wisdom and your
understanding in the sight of the peoples.”
As Moses passed on
the mantle of leadership to Joshua, he prayed for him and once again we hear “Now Joshua the son of Nun was filled with
the spirit of wisdom…”
When Solomon was made
king, he asked God for a Heart of Wisdom (2 Chron 1:10) and “God gave Solomon wisdom and very great
discernment and breadth of mind, like the sand that is on the seashore.” (I Ki
4:29)
Job asks the question
of the ages: Where does wisdom come from? And he answers the question as
well: 28:28 “Behold
the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom;”
And rightly we hear
in the voice of God, with his dialogue with Job:
38:36 Who has
put wisdom in the innermost being or given understanding to the mind?? [ME!
OF COURSE.]
David in Psalm 51,
the famous prayer of repentance: v 6 … You desire truth in the innermost being, And
in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom.
Ps 111:10 … The
fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all who
DO HIS COMMANDMENTS; His praise endures forever.
And 35 times in
Proverbs, the attributes of wisdom are outlined, in fact it is the stated
purpose of the whole book
1:2 to know wisdom and instruction, to discern the sayings of understanding!
1:2 to know wisdom and instruction, to discern the sayings of understanding!
Some exerpts:
The Lord gives wisdom
… with the humble is wisdom…
… wisdom is with those who receive counsel …
… wisdom … is to understand [your own] way… wisdom rests in the heart of one who has understanding
… the rod and reproof give wisdom…
Isaiah describes the
Messiah in these terms:
The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, the spirit of wisdom and
understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and
the fear of the Lord.
Jesus Christ is the
ultimate example of wisdom, held in humility and with constant reference to His
Father and obeying the dictates and directions of His Father, on a moment by
moment basis.
He understood and
said on two occasions the “wisdom is
vindicated or shown by its actions.” Wonder
where James got it? Perhaps he was
listening or at least watching his older brother! Even in his own hometown and among his family
and friends they asked the question, “Where
did this man [Jesus] get this wisdom and these miraculous powers? (Mt 13:54
& Mk 6:2)
Wisdom was a mark and
necessary attribute of early church leadership.
Stephen, the first martyr was said to have irrefutable “wisdom” (Acts
6:10)
Wisdom was much
sought after in the Greek culture – a kind of wisdom that flew in the face of
the Wisdom given by God, so much so that Paul said, “I came to you not in wise speech, but in a demonstration of God’s
power, that your faith might rest on God’s power not on the wisdom of
men.” And later (1 Cor 3:19) “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness
before God.”
Later in the same
letter, Paul aligns the true wisdom of God with the other Gifts of the Spirit
to the body of Christ. Wisdom as a word,
given by the power of the Spirit; the application of knowledge to life’s issues
and directions under the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit.
If you remember, when
we began to talk about the book of James, I said that it was a form of NT
“wisdom” literature - in the style of
the books of Job, Psalms and Proverbs in the OT.
So here in our
reading from James 3 this morning we have probably the clearest word picture of
what Godly wisdom is about and how it is acquired!
Listen to The Message
here:
13-16 Do you want to be counted wise, to build a reputation
for wisdom? Here’s what you do: Live well, live wisely, live humbly. It’s the
way you live, not the way you talk, that counts. Mean-spirited ambition isn’t
wisdom. Boasting that you are wise isn’t wisdom. Twisting the truth to make
yourselves sound wise isn’t wisdom. It’s the furthest thing from wisdom—it’s
animal cunning, devilish conniving. Whenever you’re trying to look better than
others or get the better of others, things fall apart and everyone ends up at
the others’ throats.17-18 Real wisdom, God’s wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not hot one day and cold the next, not two-faced. You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor.
And from the NKJV:
13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. …
17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. 18 Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
Listen to all the descriptors:
Holy Life
Getting along
Gentle
Reasonable
Mercy
Blessings
Not two-faced
Meekness
Purity
Peaceable
Gentle
Willing to Yield
Full of Mercy
and Good Fruits
Without partiality
Without hypocrisy
JB Phillips ends this way:
And the wise are peace-makers who go on quietly sowing for a harvest of righteousness—in other people and in themselves.
These read like the lists in Galations of the Fruit of the Spirit! Why?
Because it is!
Exactly!
The Spirit of God is the Spirit of Wisdom.
We get the Spirit of God by coming to Him in “fear and trembling.” As the writer to the Hebrews has said, Since then we have been given a kingdom that
is “unshakeable”, let us serve God with thankfulness in the ways which please
him, but always with reverence and holy fear. For it is perfectly true that our
‘God is a burning fire’.
Wisdom comes to us
through discipline, by God. Earlier in
the same chapter, the writer of Hebrews reminds us, ”10 For our earthly fathers
disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s
discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. 11 No
discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there
will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this
way.”
And so we ask God to lead us into the way of HIS wisdom. A life style that is lived in reference to
Him and to His words and ways, in the “fear of the Lord.” AMEN!
May we pray:
O God, by whom
the meek are guided in judgment, and light rises up in darkness for the
godly: Grant us, in all our doubts and uncertainties, the grace to ask what you
would have us to do, that the Spirit of wisdom may save us from all false
choices, and that in your light we may see light, and in your straight
path may not stumble; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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