Sermon Tone Analysis

*Christ …The Wisdom of God*

/Proverbs 1.20-33/

Pastor Oesterwind

 

*/Who is Wisdom in this text?/*

*John 1:1 (NKJV) — 1* In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

*John 1:14 (NKJV) — 14* And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

Jesus is the Word (Logos) from God.

He is the unique communication of God to man.

He is God robed in human flesh (Jn 1.14).

The Word was God (1.1) or more literally, “God was the Word!” 

 

*1 John 1:1 (NKJV) — 1* That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life—

*Revelation 19:13 (NKJV) — 13* He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.

To those who are called …Christ is the power of God and the */wisdom/* of God (1 Cor 1.24).

Wisdom is personified in Proverbs 1, 8, and 9.  Personification is attributing personal qualities and activities to a thing or an abstract concept – in this case wisdom.

I believe Christ is throughout the Scripture, but because revelation is progressive, many who have walked before us could not see Him.

I also believe that Christ is personified Wisdom in the Book of Proverbs.

You may not believe that, but at the very least, you will hopefully see the parallel of wisdom’s call and the gospel’s call in this passage.

Some will say that wisdom is referred to in the feminine form (e.g., “She raises her voice, she calls out”).

They will then conclude that it cannot refer to Christ.

However, the Hebrew noun for wisdom is feminine in form; hence, the translation in our Bibles.

That Wisdom refers to Christ in chapter 1 is strengthened by a quick survey of Wisdom’s characteristics in chapter 8:

 

·         Eternal Wisdom (Proverbs 8)

o   "The LORD possessed me at the beginning...." (Pr 8.22)

o   "The LORD possessed me ...before His works of old" (Pr 8.22)

o   "I have been established from everlasting..." (Pr 8.23)

o   "I have been established ...from the beginning" (Pr 8.23)

o   "I have been established ...before there was ever an earth" (Pr 8.23)

o   "When there were no depths I was brought forth..." (Pr 8.24)

o   "When there were no fountains abounding with water [I was brought forth]" (Pr 8.24)

o   "Before the mountains were settled..." (Pr 8.25)

o   "Before the hills, I was brought forth."

(Pr 8.25)

o   "While as yet He had not made the earth or the fields, or the primal dust of the world" (Pr 8.26)

o   Creation marks the beginning of time.

Since wisdom existed before time, it is eternal.

o   Nothing and no being are eternal apart from God.

Only God is infinite, free from the boundaries of time.

Therefore, Wisdom refers to God, specifically to Christ.

·         Creative Wisdom (Proverbs 8.30)

o   "Then I [Wisdom] was beside Him as a master craftsmen; and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him" (Pr 8.30).

o   "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep.

And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters" (Gen 1.1-2).

Here, God and the Holy Spirit participate in creation.

o   "For by [Jesus Christ] all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers.

All things were created through Him and for Him.

And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist" (Col 1.16-17).

Here, Jesus Christ participates in creation.

·         Lifegiving Wisdom (Proverbs 8.35-36)

o   "Whoever finds me [Wisdom] finds life..." (Pr 8.35)

o   "Those who hate me love death" (Pr 8.36)

o   Life is God's gift for believers; death is God's punishment for sin.

o   Rejecting wisdom is rejecting life.

Rejecting Christ is rejecting life.

·         Christ as Personified Wisdom

o   YHWH possessed Wisdom at the beginning of His way (Pr 8.22).

He possessed Jesus ~/Wisdom as already owning rather than acquiring Him~/Wisdom.

o   Wisdom has always been in the presence of God and always the delight of God (Pr 8.30).

*Matthew 23:34 (NKJV) — 34* Therefore, indeed, */I (Jesus) /*send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city…

*Luke 11:49 (NKJV) — 49* Therefore */the wisdom of God also said/*, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute,’

Proverbs does not present a complete picture of Christ, but it directed the ancient readers to Christ and helped to prepare them for the incarnation when the Word became flesh.

*/Flow of the Passage:/*

 

The day is coming when Wisdom will not answer those who call (1.26-28).

Why?

Reasons for judgment:

1.       Wisdom called and was refused.

She stretched out her hand, but no one regarded her (1.24).

2.       *All* of Wisdom’s counsel was disdained.

She rebuked, but they would have none of it (1.25).

3.       They hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD (1.29).

4.       They would have none of Wisdom’s counsel.

They despised her *every* rebuke (1.30).

·         The only hope is that the fool might turn from his own way (1.23) and avoid its bitter fruit (1.31).

·         Wisdom’s Plea to Three Types of Fools (1.22)

·         The Plight of the Fools Who Fail to Listen (1.32)

·         Wisdom Calls for Those Who Will Listen (1.20-21, 33)

 

 

*Paralleling the Call of the Gospel with the Call of Wisdom:*

*/ /*

*/The Ones Invited /*- all who do not have wisdom (Matt 11); biblical wisdom is the believer's ability to perform God's will, so foolishness is the unbeliever's inability to please God.

A wise man is saved; a fool is unsaved.

Men do not change themselves in order to receive the gospel; they receive the gospel so that they might be changed.

/See Prov 1.22 for 3 of the 5 words for fool in the Proverbs:/

* *

*Simple Ones *- willingly naive; acquires folly by choice (Prv 14.18); lacks understanding (Prv 7.7; 9.4, 16); does not have the sense to avoid trouble (Prv 22.3); easy prey to temptation (Prv 7); yields to the evil doer (Prv 7.10-22)

Simple ones are careless about the danger facing his soul and oblivious to his need.

Many today are oblivious about the need for salvation.

The simple follow the crowd on the broad way to destruction.

* *

*Fool *- three aspects: 

 

1) */Attitude/* - moral dullness not mental; obstinate (Prv 17.10, 12) and smug; no need to pursue wisdom, knowledge, or understanding (Prv 1.22; 17.16; 18.2); satisfied to trust in his own heart (Prv 28.26); callous (Prv 15.20), arrogant, and careless (Prv 14.16)

 

2) */Speech/* - talks a lot; it's good not to talk to him (Prv 14.7; 23.9; 26.4);   foolishness (Prv 15.2), slander (Prv 10.18), and perversity (Prv 19.1) come out of his mouth; utters whatever worthless thing is on his mind (Prv 26.7, 9; 29.11); causes strife with his speech (Prv 18.6) and his mouth brings him to ruin (Prv 18.7)

 

3) */Behavior/* - loves to act wickedly (Prv 10.23); displays foolishness openly (Prv 13.16); he repeats the same folly never learning from his mistakes (Prv 26.11); brings grief and sorrow to parents (Prv 10.1; 17.21, 25; 19.13)

 

·         The fool represents men who reject the gospel because they prefer the way of least resistance (the broad way).

·         The fool refuses to consider those things that would make him wise to salvation.

He is self-satisfied.

·         The fool might not care to hear the gospel invitation, but we are commanded to proclaim it.

*Scorner *- the worst of fools; delights in mockery (Prv 1.22); acts with insolent pride (Prv 21.24); hates correction and will not tolerate authority (Prv 15.12); responds with insult (Prv 9.7-8); will not listen to rebuke (Prv 13.1); wisdom is just about out of reach for the scorner (Prv 14.6); dangerous because he is not satisfied until he influences others to share in his contention, strife, and dishonor (Prv 19.25; 21.1; 22.10); wise men separate from the scorner and people judge him (Prv 19.29; 22.10); he mocks God and God mocks him (Prv 3.34)

·         The scorner seems to be helpless humanly speaking.

Yet, he still receives an invitation from Wisdom.

·         No sinner is beyond hope or reach when it comes to the gospel.

·         Do not judge people as beyond the grip of God's grace.

·         All must hear the gospel’s invitation.

Three categories of fools represent those who need wisdom and the gospel; varying degree of wickedness but same degree of need.