智慧要救你 Wisdom will save you

Title: Wisdom will save you
Date: 8th May 2022
Preacher: Rev. Wong Siow Hwee

Throughout Proverbs 1-9, the phrase that is often repeated is “my son”. And so, the most direct way to apply these instructions in Proverbs 1-9 is to think of them as heartfelt words from a loving father to a listening son. As parents, we love and feed our children, and we wish the best for them in needs of every kind. But our ultimate responsibility is to ensure that they live a life led well. Proverbs 22: 6 Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it. Are your children on the way that they should go? Before thinking about how well they are doing in their studies or how much money they will make in the future, maybe this should be the number one concern in our minds as parents or grandparents. [1]

In Proverbs, the way that your children should go is the way of wisdom. But your children might say, “What’s the big deal? A journey for wisdom seems like too tough a challenge. Why can’t we just enjoy life? What can’t we just live as the world lives?” For those who are more rebellious, they might even say “My life is my own. Why should you care even if I want to flush it down the drain (自暴自弃)?” To such children, you might want to comfort and encourage them by affirming that their lives are precious. Our lives are not just our own to live. As the saying goes: Life is God's gift to us, the way we live it is our gift to God.

Brothers and sisters, my concern as a pastor is also if you are on the way of wisdom. This is the objective of our church theme: flourishing life. If I may be honest, there really isn’t such a thing as living carefree. If you are not pursuing the way of wisdom, then you are fully subjected to the influences of the ways of the world. It is a big deal. As we mature in life, you must have surely realized that there are many people trying to influence you with their own agenda. What protects us from bad influencers? Wisdom. What allows us to make the right judgment calls? Wisdom. Most importantly, what keeps us aligned with God’s will? Wisdom.

Proverbs labelled these bad influencers as wicked men (vv. 12-15) and the wicked woman (vv. 16-19) and by shunning them, you experience life, not death (vv. 20-22). This is how I differentiate the two. Wicked men are basically those people who use unorthodox means to get what they want. You can get wealth, but there is a right way and a wrong way. Pastor Zhang Li used the example of scams last week, and it is a perfect example of a wrong way. You can get power or fame, or you can even try to achieve a positive and legitimate outcome (such as a big and growing church), but there is also a right way and a wrong way. Another recent example is the case of the lawyer trainees who cheated in their bar exams. I don’t know who influenced who, but it probably started seemingly innocent: “Try this way, it works for me. Don’t worry about it.” There are always those who rejoice in the wrong ways, maybe because it is easier, or more effective in the short-term, or maybe simply because they think they can get away with it. Proverbs calls them fools, not because they are intellectually weaker, but because they disregard the reality of God. There is a Chinese saying: 饮鸩止渴, similar in meaning to quenching your thirst with seawater. The pleasure that you feel from taking the short cut is only a temporary relief, but it does more harm in the long run.

If there are those who influence us to choose the wrong way, there are also those who influence us to choose the wrong things, as represented by the wicked woman who is also known as the seductress. We will have three chapters and sermons in Proverbs 1-9 about her, so I will not elaborate today, except to say that her temptations are targeted at our desires. The point I’m making here is about the danger of bad influencers, and how wisdom will save you by letting you know the right path away from wicked men and the seductress.

If you are convinced about the value of wisdom, I wish to encourage you with a promise. Just like how the father promises the son in Proverbs 2, if you are earnest about seeking wisdom, then you will be able to understand the fear of the Lord, then you will understand the right path. This is a promise based on the bible, but also one that I believe with all my heart, and a promise that has held true for me till this day.

How does this promise work? You must sincerely seek out wisdom from the Proverbs. Listen to our following sermons on Proverbs and study them in the cell groups. When I mean sincerely, I’m not asking you just to listen or read, but also to have the attitude to seek to understand what you have heard. It is about having a strong yearning (“crying out” in v.3) to look for the wisdom from what was taught, like how you would look for hidden treasures in a maze like Indiana Jones. Therefore I’m not saying, just listen to me, and don’t ask why. Definitely not like that. The teachings in Proverbs don’t work in the form of blind acceptance. It is about thinking and reflecting about what is taught until it becomes an insight that is internalized, like forming a personal principle for your own life. Many of these proverbs or laws are short and sometimes paradoxical. It is therefore crucial to not just ask why, but also to question how it is to be applied. I’m asking you to start on a journey of exploration and discovery based on the teachings of Proverbs. Like a good researcher or investigator of the truth, this journey will be about determination and perseverance until you find what you are looking for.

What I am promising you is that “if” you listen and search for wisdom (vv. 1-4) in what is taught from the Proverbs, “then” you will come to fear and know God (vv. 5-8). I promise you that you will get to that point if you try. The first milestone, the first station in this journey to find wisdom will be the realization that God is real, and his presence in this world is to be honored. Proverbs 1: 7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. It is the first and inevitable stop in your journey for wisdom. I think this is a beautiful promise because this journey for wisdom has nothing to do with natural intelligence. This is a promise to all seekers of wisdom. In this journey for wisdom, the first conclusion you will realize from the Proverbs and the Law is that God wants what is good for humanity, and especially for his people. God is the designer and the source of flourishing life. This fear of the Lord is the realization of God’s sovereignty in this world. We will find God because God wants to be found by those who seek wisdom. And God will make the seeker wise. So the man who becomes wise is not necessarily a smart man, or an intellectual, or a gifted man, but most certainly, a man who becomes wise is a sincere and diligent man. We may not all be smart or clever, but we are all given the opportunity to be wise. That is the promise.

Brothers and sisters, allow me to share why we are starting our sermon series on Proverbs with a promise. It is because we acknowledge that your life is very much your own to determine. It is the same predicament faced by a parent to a child. In the moments of difficult choices, the moments of temptations, or the moments of struggle, even if I can be there for you, or you as a parent for your child, even if God is there for you, each person will have to make the call of what to do with their own lives. Wisdom in those crucial moments could be a matter of life and death. This is why we start with a promise. I must promise you that, based on Proverbs 2, this wisdom is attainable because of God, if you are willing to try. And I hope you willingly become a seeker of wisdom, because of this divine promise that it is not a wild goose chase, but a reward of flourishing life in store for you. If you are a parent, then think about how you would make the same promise as Proverbs 2 to your child. If you are a child, then imagine Proverbs 2 as a parent speaking directly to you. This promise is really just an encouragement to you to listen to the following sermons on Proverbs with all your heart and all your mind.

If you are sincere about finding wisdom, and I’m sure many of you are sincere based on how the Proverbs commentaries are sold out, I wish to offer some tips as you listen to the sermons on Proverbs. First, start by reading through Proverbs 1-9 on your own. Proverbs 1-9 is a self-contained prologue; and a lot easier to understand than the mixed collection in the rest of the chapters. After preaching on Proverbs 1-9, we will go through a series of topical sermons based on the many facets of life. As you listen to the topical sermons, discuss the topics with your cell members, and think about how to apply them. In the topical sermons, we will go though many proverbs related to the topic. Identify both the ones that are enlightening to you, and those that might be a challenge to you. At the end of the Proverbs sermon series, I hope you keep a personal collection of your favourites, and a collection of those that will inspire you to transform. Years down the road, maybe you can look back and see if the promise is true: 20 Thus you will walk in the ways of the good and keep to the paths of the righteous.

[1] https://biblical-parenting.org/interviews/humility-humanity-and-hope-the-greatest-gifts-for-children-tan-lai-yong/

Bilingual Service Video Link: https://youtu.be/5OJDp3yBoTg