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,
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.
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.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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
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.
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
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
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
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,
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,
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
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
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
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.
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.