Many people make it a practice to read one chapter of Proverbs everyday and I do not do that everyday but frequently I will get into a, a mold where in my devotions I will begin to read through the book of Proverbs and I am certain that I've read it through many times as you have read this marvelous book too. We're titling this series of sermons, GOD'S WAY TO HEALTH, WEALTH AND WISDOM. Now, there's an old proverb, not a biblical proverb, just an old proverb that says early to bed and early to rise will make a man healthy wealthy and wise, but the problem is that a lot of people who go to bed early and get up early, they're not healthy, they're not wealthy, and they're not wise. Now, because going to bed and getting up early doesn't make you healthy, wealthy and wise. What is taught in God's word will make you healthy, wealthy and wise if you understand what true health, wealth and wisdom is as we're going to see here in a little bit.
Now, what is a proverb anyway? Somebody SAID that a proverb is a short sentence based on long experience, that is, it is, it is a lot of wisdom that has been distilled, crammed into, packed into a sentence. That is, by a proverb we can learn from the experiences of other people. Somebody says you better learn from the mistakes of others, you, you, you'll not live long enough to make them all by yourself and so you're going to have to learn from mistakes of other people.
But these proverbs here are not like earthly proverbs. Earthly proverbs are learned from experience but what we have here are not necessarily things that have been learned from experience, these are truths that are given to us by divine revelation. These are not just simply uh, things that are being worked out by human ingenuity; these are God's words of wisdom, given by inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
You know the proverbs are good, but sometimes they are confusing, sometimes they're wrong, sometimes they even seem contradictory. For example, one proverb might say look, before you leap, you've heard that, sure. Another one says he who hesitates is lost. Hahaha, so, that's kind of disquietening isn't it? You don't know which one of those proverbs to take. Or we hear a proverb like this uh, you only get what you pay for. That sounds good until somebody else comes along and says the best things in life are free and it just seems uh, a little bit confusing or somebody else as a proverb leave well enough alone and then somebody else comes along and says progress never stands still.
So, these are human proverbs and there's some truth in all of them if you rightly see them and see what the person who was giving the proverb has to say, but God's proverbs are not merely short sentences based on long experience, they're not little riddlecisms that sometimes sound good but not so good until after you examine them. These are revealed truths from the word of God and they are God's ways so that God's people can know true health, true wealth and true wisdom and today we're going to be talking about the subject of wisdom because wisdom is the theme of the entire book of the book of Proverbs and if you read the book of Proverbs and I hope you'll do it while we're in this series, as you read the book of Proverbs through you might draw a circle around that word wisdom as God uses it so many times.
Uh, wisdom is used over and over and over again. For example if you were to read the first six verses you would find the word wisdom or wise used over and over again just in those first six or seven verses here in the book of Proverbs so wisdom is the key and we're going to be talking today about wisdom, what it is and how to have it, that's the first in these series of messages. Now, I want to say, dear friend, that we're not going to preach on every Proverb. You say well, praise the Lord for that because we'd be half way into the millennium and still would not have preached really well I don't think on each of these Proverbs but I, by God's grace I'm going to try to pick out uh, some uh, key passages and some things that will cohere together and help at least to whet our appetite for this wonderful book which is indeed God's book to health, wealth and wisdom for his children, health, wealth and wisdom properly understood as we'll see, not what some may mean by health and wealth and wisdom in the eyes and minds of this world. Today really what I want us to think a bout as we think about wisdom today is just two things and then we'll get right into the scripture. First of all, we want to think about the incomparable work of wisdom. And then we want to think about the infallible way to wisdom, OK? The incomparable work of wisdom and the infallible way to wisdom.
Now, look if you will in Proverbs chapter one and verse one, “The Proverbs of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel, to know wisdom and instruction, to perceive the words of understanding.” And then chapter two, verse one, “My son, if thou wilt receive my words and hide my commandments with thee so that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom and apply thy heart to understanding, yea, if thou criest after a knowledge and left us up by voice for understanding, if thou seekest her as silver and searchest for her as for hid treasures, then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God for the Lord giveth wisdom out and out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous, he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly, he keepth the paths of judgment and preserveth the ways of his saints, then shalt thou understand righteousness and judgment and equity, yea, and every good path”.
Just ask me, what would you like? Choose, do you want me to give you something, what do you want? What would you ask him for? Well, if you were hungry you might ask for food, if you were sick, you might ask for health, if you were an egotist, you might ask for wealth and power. What would you ask him for? Did you know that God came to Solomon and God said “Solomon, son, what do you want? What can I give you?”
And we read there in Second Chronicles chapter one and verse seven, “for in that night did God appear unto Solomon and said unto him, ask what I shall give thee?” Now, every time in the old testament when God appeared that's what we call a theophany, that was a pre-incarnate presence of the Lord Jesus, hat is when Jesus came and took upon himself a particular and here is the Lord Jesus speaking to Solomon, what shall I give thee? Now, what did Solomon ask for? He didn't ask for health, he didn't ask for wealth, he didn't ask for power over his enemies, he didn't ask for honor, do you know what Solomon asked for? He asked for wisdom. Listen, here's what Solomon said. He said give me now wisdom and knowledge that I may go out and come in before this people, for who can judge this people that is so great and God said to Solomon and I'm sure that if, if Ah, we'd could picture God he'd have a smile on his face.
And God said Solomon, because this was in thine heart and thou hast not asked riches, or honor, though the life of thine enemies neither hast thou ask long life but has asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself that thou mayest judge my people over whom I've made thee king, wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee and I will give thee riches and wealth and honor such as none of the kings have had that have been after thee, neither shall there any after have the like.
That is, Solomon, I'm going to give you wisdom because you have discernment enough to ask for wisdom and with that wisdom I'm going to give you many other things that people have dreamed for and schemed for and sold their souls for. You will have these things because you have asked for the best. Friend, I want more for my children than anything that my children have wisdom, did you know that? As a father I desire that my children have wisdom. As a pastor I desire wisdom to lead my people. I want for my church members to have the wisdom of God. I tell you dear friend, there is nothing more that you could ask for besides wisdom that would be greater because so many other things are included in wisdom.
As a matter of fact, this same book of Proverbs says in Proverbs chapter eight, verse eleven, for wisdom is better than rubies and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it. There's nothing to be compared to wisdom. Now, that's a pretty big statement, everything that is to be desired is not to be compared with wisdom. So, if wisdom is so important, let's think of the incomparable worth of wisdom. Now, what is the incomparable worth of wisdom? Why is wisdom worth so much? Well, first of all, I want to say that wisdom is worth so much, because the father, the father provides it, the father provides it.
Now, notice in chapter one, verse one, these are the Proverbs of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel. NOW, notice what Solomon said in chapter two, verse one, my son, my son, if thou wilt receive my word. What you have here is a father speaking to his son. Here is King Solomon who has a son, he loves his sort Just as I love my children and he wants his son to be successful, he wants his son to be useful, he wants his son to have fulfillment and integrity in life and so instead of saying oh my son, here is something that I have for you, something that I desire for you, something that I have produced for you, it is wisdom it is wisdom, oh, it is the product, it is the product, the promise of the father. It is the promise of the father, wisdom.
Now, a father who is a king is speaking to his son, did you understand that? Now listen, a father who is a king is still speaking to his children. This is not just what God has said, this is what God is saying and not only is Solomon speaking to his son, but God is speaking to his children, you see, we're children of the king and this is not only Solomon's word, this is the inspired word of God. And these are the words of the king for his children. I would entitle this series, Wise Words for the King's Kids because that's what they are.
Chapter two, verse one says my son, if you'll just hear my words, listen, how, how important it is that we understand wisdom because it is the promise, it is the purpose of the father that his children be wise, God wants you, God desires for you to be wise. That's the reason it pleased God so much when Solomon asked for wisdom.
Now, secondly, not only is wisdom uh, the promise of the father, wisdom is the product of the spirit, wisdom is the product of the spirit. Look again uh, in chapter two, verse one. My son, if thou wilt receive my words and hide my commandments with thee so that thou incline thy ear onto wisdom. There's to be a teacher. Who is the teacher? The teacher of wisdom is the Holy Spirit, we are to incline our ear to him, we are to listen to our teacher, Jesus said he will guide us into all truth, in the Bible the Holy Spirit is called the spirit of wisdom.
Now, dear friend, there's a difference between knowledge and wisdom. Did you know that you can get knowledge without the Holy Spirit but you cannot get true wisdom without the Holy Spirit? Now, what's the difference between knowledge and wisdom? Now, there's nothing wrong with knowledge and you ought to have knowledge, but knowledge is learned, wisdom is given, knowledge comes by looking around, wisdom comes by looking up, knowledge comes from studying, wisdom comes from meditation and what wisdom is the way to apply your knowledge so don't fail to have knowledge, don't fail to study.
The Bible says we're to study to show ourselves approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, but dear friend, all of that knowledge is but splendid ignorance apart from the wisdom that God will give you to apply that wisdom. The word wisdom is related to the word skill in the old testament, that is, in the Old Testament, when, when those people built the tabernacle, the Bible says that God gave to them the spirit of wisdom to build the tabernacle. Some translators translate that, God gave to them the spirit of skill or God gave to them skill to build the tabernacle. Now, that word wisdom and the word skill are related together.
Now, what does that mean to us? Do you know what wise living is? It is living skillfully, living skillfully, living, living to the optimum. It is abstracting the most out of life and making the most out of life. You become an artist, you become a practitioner, you live life with skill. Have you ever watched a cabinet maker build something? Boy, I try to build things and I, I'm a wood butcher, I mean, it's not even fit for the fire when I get finished with it, doesn't make good kindling, but oh, to see somebody who puts things together skillfully.
Now, dear friend, we're to put our lives together that way, we're to learn to live skillfully and it is the product of the Holy Spirit. Do you know the Bible says that great men are not always wise. There are a lot of people who have head knowledge but they don't have wisdom. I think of Einstein, Albert Einstein, I was reading about his life. Einstein died in nineteen fifty five, before he died he said this, I want to give you what I consider to be a prophetic quote from a brilliant man. He said I feel like a man chained and then he said if I could only be free from the shackles of my intellectual smallness then I could under- sand the universe in which I live. Oh, he said my mind is not great enough, oh, if I could just take the shackles off, if I could just prove into the mysteries of the universe, he would never, no never, no never, no never know the mysteries of the universe unless he knew the man who made it .
You see, a man can have knowledge but he needs understanding, he needs wisdom, wisdom in order for Einstein to know the secrets of the universe he'd have to know the Lord Jesus Christ, for the Bible says in him, in Jesus are hidden all of the treasures of wisdom, in the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is the secret of the universe. Jesus is the glue of the galaxies; Jesus is the secret of it all. And so, this wisdom uh, is produced by the spirit and the only way that a man can know is not by the books, but by knowing the Lord Jesus Christ.
There's some things you cannot learn from experience. There was a boy who uh, whose father owned some gold mines out west in the early days, the gold mining days and uh, this father had a number of very successful gold mines, he wanted his son to take over the business and so he sent his son when his son was old enough to go to school back east to the eastern seaboard of our country to study in great universities over there and the boy studied engineering and mining and metal urging and after he graduated he came back out west to the gold mine and he said now father I'm ready, put me to work and the father said well son, I believe the best thing for you to be would be to put on some old clothes and go down into the mines and work with your hands and first of all, gain that knowledge that comes by experience, you can get it no other way and the boy said daddy, I don't need to do that, he said, we've been to school, said we know things you've never thought about. He said I, I, I, I have experiences now that I've, that I've learned and he said I'm ready to go to work, he said if you'll give me the best gold mine that you have, he said I'll show you how to really make it produce. The father said alright and he gave him thus and such a mine and the boy was doing well for a while, but after a while he uh, sent a wire to his father and he said father, I, I need some help here, I've got a problem, you know the mine is backed up to a lake and the water is beginning to seep in, what do you suggest we do? The father didn't answer. After a while the uh, boy, wired his father again, he said the, the situation is getting bad, he said we have shored it up but he said the shoring is sleeping and, we're not able to stop the water from coming in. I need some advice. The father didn't answer. The boy wired a third time and he said father, the situation is desperate, the lake is coming in, we're about to lose that gold mine and if you don't tell me what to do we're going to lose the best gold mine we have. The father wired back and said. “Shove your diploma in that hole.”
Now, there are some things you can learn in school friends, and there are some things you can't learn in school and wisdom is more than common sense. You see, that boy didn't even have common sense, but wisdom is a gift, it is a supernatural gift from God. It is a promise of the Father, it is the product, the product of the Spirit, but now wait a minute, wisdom is more than the promise of the Father where he says my son hear my words. It is more than the product of the spirit where the spirit begins to teach us supernaturally, wisdom is the presence of the savior. You will never have real wisdom until you know the Lord Jesus Christ in your heart.
Now notice he says here if you will in chapter one and verse two, we're to know wisdom and then later on we're talking about uh, verse ten when wisdom entereth into thine heart. Whose is the wisdom that comes into our heart? I hope that some of you Bible scholars will not think that I'm twisting a point when I tell you that wisdom is Jesus Christ. Jesus is wisdom and no man has wisdom until wisdom enters him and wisdom enters a man when Christ enters a man, Christ is our wisdom. I want to show you something here in First Corinthians chapter one, just turn to it with me, just keep one hand there and uh, if you will and in the book of Proverbs and look if you will in First Corinthians chapter one beginning in verse twenty one, or let's begin in ye twenty. God says where is the wise? Now, he's not talking about wise men, he's talking about wise man, he's talking about wise guy right here. Where is the wise? He's talking about the wise of this world, where is the scribe, that is, the PHD, the intellectual, where is the disputer of this world, he's talking here about the debater, the, the man, the philosopher, hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world. We'd have to say amen to that. Friend, we boast of our wisdom and civilization is caving in on us. For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God. I think that's one of the neatest things in the Bible. God is so wise that he won't let you learn about him by human wisdom. In the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knows not God. We talked about Albert Einstein but I want to tell you, Albert Einstein had no more of a head start to God than little Shane Smith who was up here today. Did you know that? That little boy, wasn't he handsome little fellow, now listen, Albert Einstein with all of his brains doesn't have a leg up on knowing God. The Bible says God hath hidden these things from the wise and the prudent and hath revealed them unto babes. Aren't you glad? I'm not against intellectualism, I'm not preaching against that, but I'm telling you dear friend, when you come to God you don't come head first, you come heart first, did you know that? God hath hidden these things from the wise and the prudent and before you can know God you're going to have to lay your intellectual pride in the dust because you see, if a person with a big IQ could know God better than somebody else then God is not fair. God is not fair. Not everybody has a head, but everybody has a heart, amen. I mean, we can know God, we can love God with all of our hearts and in the wisdom of God hath hidden these things from the wise and the prudent. But now, let's, let's go on to see what he goes, what he says, for, verse twenty two, for the Jews require a sign, the Jews were looking for a mighty Messiah and the Greeks seek after wisdom, the Greeks were looking for sort of a double Socrates, they had intellectualized God and they had begun to worship of the shrine of their intelligence, but Paul says, but we preach Christ crucified unto the Jews a stumbling block and unto the Greeks foolishness, but unto them that are called both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Jesus is wisdom personified. Let me tell you about wisdom. It commences that conversion, it deepens by discipleship, real wisdom, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, that is, a man does not even- have a modicum of wisdom until he knows the Lord. When a man reverences God, when a man receives Christ, when a man has a personal encounter, that man receives the wisdom of God and here is the incomparable worth of wisdom, it dear friend, is provided by the father, it is produced by the spirit but only by the presence of the son. W en you have the Lord Jesus Christ in your heart then you are ready to have that real wisdom.
Now, that's the incomparable worth of wisdom, God desires it so much that he sent his own dear son, the Lord Jesus to die upon Calvary's cross that you might know this wisdom and he sent his dear Holy Spirit to teach it, the incomparable worth of wisdom. No wonder the Bible says there's nothing to be compared with wisdom, nothing. Now, let's talk a little bit about the infallible way to wisdom. How can you have this wisdom? Well, look again if you will in our scripture here in Proverbs chapter two. There are three things that I see in this scripture, three things that teach me of the infallible way to wisdom, now pay attention. First of all, if you were to have wisdom you must pursue the scriptures, there must be the pursuit of the scriptures. Look again chapter two, verse one, my son if thou wilt receive my words, it's all predicated on that. If you want to receive God's word you'll never have wisdom. Friend, this book, God's word, infallible inerrant is God's hand book of wisdom for his children. You must pursue it, you must pray over it, you must study it, you must saturate yourself with it. Now, what must you do? Let me tell you about pursuing the scriptures. First of all, you must appreciate the word of God. Chapter two, verse one says you're to receive God's word, that literally means, welcome God's word, just like you receive somebody into your house, that is, you're glad to see them. You know some people come to church on Sunday morning with a sign hung around their neck, do you know what it says? Please do not disturb. Please do not disturb. Listen, we're to receive God's word. Are you receiving it today? Are you listening? Your mind out there gathering uh, wool, you're thinking about you're going to get the onions out of your grass and you're talking about, thinking about what you're going to have for uh, lunch and who is going to be playing basketball, I shouldn't have reminded you of all of that, should I? And you, you're just not receiving God's word. OH my friend, listen, if you will receive him, we must appreciate God's word, but not only must we appreciate God's word, we must appropriate God's word. Look again, and hide my commandments with thee, that means not only to let it get in but let it get down thy word have I thy hidden in my heart. As you appropriate it, as you take it in. You know, some people don't even bring a Bible to church, some people never make any notations, some people are not serious, they're not serious, friend, if we would possess wisdom, wisdom must possess us. I mean, we, we must, we must get into God's word, we must hide God's word down in our heart. Not only must we appreciate God's word, not only must we appropriate God's word, we must assimilate God's word. Look, look again in verse two. The Bible says and apply, excuse me, an incline thine ear unto wisdom. The word incline thy ear literally has the idea of sharpening the hearing, has the idea of tuning in, it's kind of like when E. F. Hutton speaks, you say, what's that? I mean, God's going to give me some wisdom. Man, I, I, I want to appropriate it, I want to simulate it, but it not yet has it begun to work all the way, you must appreciate it, you must appropriate it, you must simulate it, uh, but you must activate it. Look here, look, look if you will. And he says herein verse two, and apply thy heart to understand him. When you apply it, when, when it gets out of the notebook into your head and it gets out of your head into your heart and when it gets out of your heart into your life and you begin to live it and you begin to apply it and you begin to activate it, at that moment it becomes wisdom to you. The Bible says when a man hears the word and doesn't do it that man is a fool. You are to begin to apply the word of God. Now listen, study of the Bible gives you knowledge about God, obedience gives you knowledge of God. Did you hear that? Study of the Bible gives you knowledge about God, obedience gives you knowledge of God. Jesus said he that hath my word and keepeth it, he is he that loved me and he that loves me shall be loved of my father and I will love him and and I will manifest myself to him, that is, when you keep God's word, when you obey God's word, then God begins to reveal himself to you and the manifestation of God to you among other things means that you're going to have wisdom in your life. And so, if you would know wisdom, you must pursue the scriptures, you must appreciate the scriptures, you must appropriate the scriptures, uh dear friend, you must assimilate the scriptures, you must activate the scriptures, be a man of the book and you'll be a man of wisdom, that's the first step, you must pursue the scriptures, there must be the pursuit of the scriptures. Secondly, there must be a prayer of the saint. Look in verse three. Yea, if thou criest after knowledge and liftest up thy voice from understanding, if thou seekest her silver and searchest for her as a hid treasure then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. Now, here he's talking about the prayer life and how we're to pray. First of all, we're to pray with intensity. Look at it in verse three. Yea, if thou criest after knowledge and liftest up thy voice for understanding. This is not a mamby pamby will of the roost, now I lay me down to sleep, type of prayer, oh, with all of the function and unction and emotion of the mind, body, soul and spirit, a person says God, I want to know wisdom. God does business with those who mean business. The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much, that's what James told us and James is the one who taught us much about praying for wisdom. Do you really want to know the way of God, do you cry out after wisdom, do wu seek wisdom? We're to pray fervently, God forgive our cold, indifferent halfhearted prayer life. If a man really wants wisdom he'll cry out for it, not only are we to pray with intensity, we're to pray with insistency. Look in verse four. If thou seekest her as silver and searchest for her as for hid treasure. Suppose you knew on the house that, on the yard of the house or if somewhere in the house that you purchased, there's a valuable treasure hidden, the former owner had put it there and when you got the house you got the treasure and it's all yours if you just find it and you know that it's there, would you look for it? Of course you would, I WOULD, IT'D be a lot easier for me to spade my garden, you'd be looking for it, you, you say I know it's here, boy, wouldn't it be a great day when God's people seek wisdom like they seek wealth, huh? They seek wisdom like they seek wealth. You know, some people are really upset about that young boy, a football player now who is uh, Steve Young for the LA Express, do you know how much they're paying him to play football? Now, buckle your pewbelts, you ladies don't now this, you men already know this, forty million dollars, I didn't say forty thousand, forty million dollars to get a bag full of zipped up air across a pasture, forty million dollars, you say, well, the president only makes two hundred thousand a year. Forty million dollars for playing football. Well, you say, I don't believe in all of that, well, let me say something to you. Most of you have not even begun to pursue wisdom like that young man has begun to pursue excellence on the football field. They for corruptible crown, we for an incorruptible. I tell you, there's something worth more than forty million dollars, forty million dollars, and that is wisdom, for what effort, what training, what diligence, what persistence? I tell you, these athletes put us to shame, they for corruptible crown, we for an incorruptible. Wisdom, nothing to be compared to, more valuable than rubies the Bible says is this thing called wisdom. We're to seek for wisdom, we're to search for wisdom as a man seeks and searches for a hidden treasure, we are to pray with fervency, we're to pray with persistency and we're to pray with expectancy. Continue to read here, chapter two. And uh, and read with me verses five and six. Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, not may thou, shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God for the Lord giveth wisdom and out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. Do you know what that is? That's a promise, the Lord giveth wisdom. When you get in the word of God and then you couple that prayer study by crying out after God, when there is a fervent, persistent, expectant prayer, I tell you one the authority of the word of God that- the God of heaven, the God of grace, the God of glory is going to grant to you wisdom, you'll know it. Now, you know when we pray the Bible says if we ask God anything according to his will we know that he hears us. Now, we know that it's God's will that we have wisdom. God desires wisdom for his children. James one, verse five says if any of you lack wisdom let him ask of God that giveth liberally to all men and upbraideth not, do you know the next part of that? And it what? It shall be given him, it shall, but then the Bible says only let him ask in faith, nothing wavering, a double minded man is like waves in the sea driven and tossed, he's unstable in all of his ways, let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord. Now, when you come to God with fervency, consistency, expectancy, after you have received the word of God then you can pray to God for wisdom and it shall be given. God's not going to scold you, he's not going to upbraid you, he's not going to say is that you again, pestering me again, hahaha, oh no, God is pleased when I come to him daily and say God, I need wisdom here. Lord, I'm preparing a sermon, Lord, help me, Lord, I'm making a decision, Lord, help me, Lord, I'm seeking a college, A wife, I need to buy a home, I want to win souls, Lord, I want to be used, God, give me wisdom, God will give it, he will give it, he will give it, he will give it, God wants you to have wisdom, out of his infinite riches in Jesus he, he giveth and giveth and giveth again. Thou art coming to great petitions with thee bring, for his power and grace is such thou canst not ask too much, hallelujah, uh, but there's one other thing and I'll be finished. Not only must there be the pursuit of the scripture, not only must there be the prayer of the saint but I want to say it one more time, there must be the presence of the savior if you would know wisdom. There must be the presence of the savior. Now, notice again, verses seven and eight, he layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous, for the righteous, just underscore that, for the righteous, he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly, he keepth the paths of judgment and preserveth the way of his saints underscore that, then shalt thou understand righteousness and judgment and equity, yea, and every good path, who is our righteousness, who is our wisdom? It is the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, look in verse seven. He speaks of sound wisdom, the word soundness means wholeness, oh, dear friend, I want to tell you, in Christ there is soundness. In verse seven he speaks of a buckler or a shield, in Christ there is strength, in verse eight he speaks of preserving his saints, in Christ there is security, in verse one he speaks of every good path and, and, and in verse ten he speaks of pleasantness, in Christ there is satisfaction, in Christ soundness, in Christ, strength, in Chris- security, in Christ satisfaction. Would you know wisdom, there must be the pursuit of the scripture, there must be the prayer of the saint, but God, I need wisdom here. Lord, I'm preparing a sermon, Lord, help me, Lord, I'm making a decision, Lord, help me, Lord, I'm seeking a college, A wife, I need to buy a home, I want to win souls, Lord, I want to be used, God, give me wisdom, God will give it, he will give it, he will give it, he will give it, God wants you to have wisdom, out of his infinite riches in Jesus he, he giveth and giveth and giveth again. Thou art coming to king great petitions with thee bring, for his power and grace is such thou canst not ask too much, hallelujah, uh, but there's one other thing and I'll be finished. Not only must there be the pursuit of the scripture, not only must there be the prayer of the saint but I want to say it one more time, there must be the presence of the savior if you would know wisdom. There must be the presence of the savior. Now, notice again, verses seven and eight, he layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous, for the righteous, just underscore that, for the righteous, he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly, he keepth the paths of judgment and preserveth the way of his saints underscore that, then shalt thou understand righteousness and judgment and equity, yea, and every good path, who is our righteousness, who is our wisdom? It is the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, look in verse seven. He speaks of sound wisdom, the word soundness means wholeness, oh, dear friend, I want to tell you, in Christ there is soundness. In verse seven he speaks of a buckler or a shield, in Christ there is strength, in verse eight he speaks of preserving his saints, in Christ there is security, in verse nine he speaks of every good path and, and, and in verse ten he speaks of pleasantness, in Christ there is satisfaction, in Christ soundness, in Christ, strength, in Christ, security, in Christ satisfaction. Would you know wisdom, there must be the pursuit of the scripture, there must be the prayer of the saint, but all of these are no good unless there's the presence of the savior, it is Christ who is made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. Oh, to know Jesus, the wisdom of God and the power of God, Christ, Christ in the heart. Let's bow our heads in prayer.
