The Wisdom of God - Proverbs 8
“Distinguishing Facts and Meaning”
Proverbs 8:1-11 (pg. 454) says:
1
Does not wisdom call out?
Does not understanding raise her voice?
2 On the
heights along the way,
where the paths meet, she takes her stand;
3 beside the
gates leading into the city,
at the entrances, she cries aloud:
4 "To
you, O men, I call out;
I raise my voice to all mankind.
5 You who
are simple, gain prudence;
you who are foolish, gain understanding.
6 Listen,
for I have worthy things to say;
I open my lips to speak what is right.
7 My mouth
speaks what is true,
for my lips detest wickedness.
8 All the
words of my mouth are just;
none of them is crooked or perverse.
9 To the
discerning all of them are right;
they are faultless to those who have
knowledge.
10 Choose my
instruction instead of silver,
knowledge rather than choice gold,
11 for
wisdom is more precious than rubies,
and nothing you desire can compare with
her.
·
In this
Proverb, wisdom is personified as a woman who calls out to humanity to gain
understanding.
·
·
As a
Christian you have heard wisdom calling out to you in the form of the (Holy Spirit)
(whispering) to your (soul).
John
26But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father
will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of
everything I have said to you.
John 16:12-14 says:
12"I
have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13But
when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will
not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you
what is yet to come. 14He will bring glory to me by
taking from what is mine and making it known to you.
·
Every
_____________________(Christian) has direct __________________(access) to God’s
__________________(wisdom) when they ___________(ask) for it.
James 1:5-6 says:
5If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who
gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he
who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
·
The only
barrier to God’s Wisdom is ______________(doubt) and
________________(unbelief).
·
·
Jesus
constantly taught his disciples that there is a big difference between
_______________(fact) and ___________________(meaning).
Mark 8:14-21 says:
14The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for
one loaf they had with them in the boat. 15"Be
careful," Jesus warned them. "Watch out for the yeast of the
Pharisees and that of Herod."
16They
discussed this with one another and said, "It is because we have no
bread."
17Aware of
their discussion, Jesus asked them: "Why are you talking about having no
bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear?
And don't you remember? 19When I broke the five loaves
for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?"
"Twelve," they replied.
20"And
when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of
pieces did you pick up?"
They answered, "Seven."
21He said to
them, "Do you still not understand?"
·
The fact is…
the disciples had no bread, but the meaning behind that fact was that an (abundance)
of bread was (available) to them by (faith).
There are two domains that exist in the
human mind:
1) The domain of __________________(fact)
– which is ____________________(visible) and ____________________(objective) (It
is what it is).
2) The domain of ___________________(meaning)
– which is unseen and depends upon our ___________________(subjective)
___________________(interpretation) of the facts.
·
As Rational
human beings, we give _____________________(meaning) to __________________(facts)
all day long and sometimes we mistakenly give the facts we experience the
____________________(wrong) meaning.
·
·
In Jesus day,
people wanted to give meaning as to why people suffered sickness and died –
they thought it was because they were sinners. Jesus corrected their (wrong
thinking).
Luke13:1-5 says:
1Now there were some present at that time who told
Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2Jesus answered, "Do you think that these Galileans were
worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all
perish. 4Or those eighteen who died when the tower in
Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others
living in Jerusalem? 5I tell you, no! But unless you
repent, you too will all perish."
John 9:1-7 says:
1As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or
his parents, that he was born blind?"
3"Neither
this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so
that the work of God might be displayed in his life. 4As
long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming,
when no one can work. 5While I am in the world, I am the
light of the world."
6Having said
this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the
man's eyes. 7"Go," he told him, "wash in
the Pool of Siloam" (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed,
and came home seeing.
Matthew 12:22-28 says:
2Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was
blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see. 23All the people were astonished and said, "Could this be
the Son of David?"
24But when
the Pharisees heard this, they said, "It is only by Beelzebub,[a] the prince of demons, that this fellow
drives out demons."
25Jesus knew
their thoughts and said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself
will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not
stand. 26If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided
against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? 27And
if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your people drive them out? So
then, they will be your judges. 28But if I drive out
demons by the Spirit of God, then the
·
The Bible is
full of examples where people ascribed the ___________________
___________________(wrong meaning) to the ___________________(facts) and
humanity is still doing this _________________(today).
QUESTION: Why do we sometimes give the
facts the wrong meaning?
ANSWER: We all see life through a mental_____________________(filter)
that _________________(deletes) or __________________(adds) information that is
not there which _____________________(distorts) reality.
·
I will not go
into all the reasons why this happens but any beginning Biology 101 college
textbook can tell you.
·
·
Our brains
are wired to associate and link events together and once we incorrectly
associate a fact with a meaning we are programmed to think that way for life
until we intentionally change the program.
HAVE YOU EVER GIVEN THE FACTS YOU
ENCOUNTER THE WRONG MEANING?
·
Only the
Christ follower who is in tune to God’s _____________________(Wisdom) can
consistently _____________________(ascribe) the _____________________(right)
meaning to the facts of life.
·
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EXAMPLE: The
fact is our church building can hold a lot more people in it than we currently
have today – that is a fact!
·
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The meaning
behind that fact depends upon our mindset.
·
If we are
full of doubt and fear…the meaning is: “We are just a little church with no
resources”.
·
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If we are
full of faith…the meaning behind that fact is: “We are just one prayer away
from revival”.
·
It might be a
fact that you have no money in your bank account.
·
·
If you are
full of doubt ad fear…the meaning is: “It because I am poor and God does not
bless me”.
·
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If you are
full of faith…the meaning behind that fact is: “God has an empty vessel to fill
and He will because he is Jehovah Jirah, the great provider and He will show up
right on time”!
·
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It might be a
fact that a person gives you an ugly, mean look.
·
·
If you are
insecure you might think: “That person does not like me”.
·
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If you like
you and are secure in who you are in Christ, you will realize the other person
is just having a tough day and needs love.
·
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Our minds
process thousands of bits of information a day and all information is
__________________(neutral) without _____________________(meaning) until we
assign meaning to it through our _____________________(thoughts) and ___________________(emotions).
·
·
The meaning
we give a fact reveals our ___________________ ____________________(spiritual
maturity) and our ability or lack of ability to
________________________(receive) God’s _________________________(wisdom) from
His perspective on an issue we are experiencing in life.
READ ILLUS: Jack Canfield, author of the
Chicken soup for the Soul books said: “You must remember that there are two
domains in the mind. One is fact and the other is meaning. Human beings seem
driven by the need to make up meaning for every fact and event – including
rejection. The truth is that all facts
are just facts and all events are meaningless. You are the one who makes up
meaning, and once you make the fact or event mean something, it becomes an
unexamined box that can limit and disempower you.
Once you make up a meaning, you have to
produce new facts or experiences in life to validate that meaning or else you
go insane. So if you are rejected as a kid, you decide it means you are
inadequate. The truth is you are not really inadequate, but once you believe
you are inadequate, you will gather more data to prove to yourself that you are
, which, in turn, will further deepen this belief.
When you are rejected, you usually make
up the meaning that there is something wrong with you that makes you unworthy
of acceptance. You make up the meanings that you are inadequate, unlovable and
a failure, and that the world is not a safe place, and that other people are
self-centered and uncaring. Rejection does not mean any of these things –
unless, of course, you decide that is does.
If you decide a neutral event means
something negative about yourself, you can just as easily under-decide it and
re-decide it. The choice is always
there. It is simply up to you to exercise that choice. If you can make up one
meaning, you can make up another. In both cases you are making it up. So, why
not make up a meaning that empowers you to ask for and create what you want in
your life rather than one that cripples and paralyzes you? Again, the choice is
always yours” Jack Canfield, the Aladdin Factor.
“Whether you think you can or you can’t
you are right”. Henry Ford
·
There is a
big (difference) between a fact and the meaning that we give a fact or event
that happens to us.
·
·
That’s why it
is important to know who we are in Christ.
·
·
If we __________________(allow)
what happens to us to gives us meaning, then will be _______________________(tossed)
around by life’s storms in a constant state of _______________________(uncertainty)
and insecurity.
·
·
If however we
chose to get our meaning from God, we will not be defined by the negative circumstances
that happen to us but will _______________________(overcome) them through
____________________(faith) in God’s ________________(word) – His wisdom.
·
·
What happens
________(to) us is not nearly as important as what happens __________(inside)
of us.
·
·
Life is _________(10%)
what happens to you and the other __________(90%) is how you respond. Chuck
Swindol
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The Apostle
Paul models this principle for us in 2 Corinthians 11:23-29
2 Corinthians 11:23-29 (pg. 822) says:
23Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to
talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more
frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and
again. 24Five times I received from the Jews the forty
lashes minus one. 25Three times I was beaten with rods,
once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in
the open sea, 26I have been constantly on the move. I
have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own
countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the
country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. 27I
have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger
and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 28Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my
concern for all the churches. 29Who is weak, and I do
not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?
·
The Apostle
Paul was imprisoned four times, though he did nothing wrong from God’s
perspective – in fact he followed God’s will!
·
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Five times he
was flogged 39 times.
·
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Three times
he was beaten with rods.
·
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Once he was
stoned and left for dead – but then got right back up and finished the sermon
he started.
·
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He was
shipwrecked three times.
·
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He slept a
whole day and night in open sea.
·
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He constantly
was on the move – relentlessly pursued by people who wanted to kill him.
·
·
He lived in a
state of perpetual responsibility for all the churches he ministered to.
QUESTION: How was the Apostle Paul able
to deal with all these negative facts, events and circumstances and maintain
his focus on following Jesus?
Paul tells us his secret in 2 Corinthians
4:7-18
2 Corinthians 4:7-18 (pg. 818) says:
7But we have
this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from
God and not from us. 8We are hard pressed on every side,
but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9persecuted,
but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10We
always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus
may also be revealed in our body. 11For we who are alive
are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be
revealed in our mortal body. 12So then, death is at work
in us, but life is at work in you.
13It is
written: "I believed; therefore I have spoken."[a]With that same spirit of faith we also
believe and therefore speak, 14because we know that the
one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and
present us with you in his presence. 15All this is for
your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause
thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.
16Therefore
we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are
being renewed day by day. 17For our light and momentary
troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is
unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
·
The mature
Christ follower is not defined by the _________________(visible) events that
happen to them whether __________________(negative) or
_____________________(positive) –
their _____________________(identity)
and security comes from the unseen ___________________(Christ) that lives
__________________(within) them!
Luke 17:20-21 says:
Jesus replied, "The
·
The worlds
wisdom says: “Who you are is defined by _________________________(external)
_________________________(measurable) seen _________________________(results)”.
Illus –
·
In the
world’s eyes, all of us are judged by our external _______________________(appearance),
but God looks at the inside ___________________(heart) of a person’s
________________(soul).
1 Samuel 16:6-7 says:
6 When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought,
"Surely the LORD's anointed stands here before the LORD." 7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his
appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at
the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD
looks at the heart."
·
God’s wisdom
says: Who you are is defined by unseen ________________(truth) that resides
__________________(inside) of you through the power of the __________________
________________(Holy Spirit) and the ________________(mind) of
_________________(Christ).
1Corinthians 2:9-16 (pg. 807) says:
9However, as it is written:
"No eye has seen,
no ear has heard,
no mind has conceived
what God has prepared for those who love him"[a]— 10but God has
revealed it to us by his Spirit.
The Spirit searches all things, even the
deep things of God. 11For who among men knows the
thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one
knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12We
have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that
we may understand what God has freely given us. 13This
is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by
the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.[b] 14The man without
the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for
they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are
spiritually discerned. 15The spiritual man makes
judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's
judgment:
16"For who has known the mind of the Lord
that he may instruct him?"[c] But we have the mind of Christ.
·
The
“_______________(mind) of Christ” that inhabits every believer
___________________(changes) the meaning we give to the facts.
2 Corinthians 1:9-16 (pg. 807) says:
8