August 19, 2018 Text: Proverbs 9:8-10
Dear Friends in Christ,
In life, the Lord always knows when we need things. I needed an opening illustration for this sermon and the Lord provided, not in a way I would have expected.
By now, most of you know what happened with Holden this week. Emergency room, pneumonia, and dehydration that was causing his muscle tissue to break down. This news was coming to us via phone and Karson. I stayed up late to receive the reports and each one got worse. He eventually was admitted, given antibiotic IV’s and is recovering. As many of you know when you face a situation like this you aren’t thinking about the touchdowns he scored, the good grades he received or the teams who won championships. You thank God that your son has faith and trust in Jesus. It was this that allowed me later that night to get some sleep.
Our text for today, which I picked over a month ago from the Book of Proverbs are words of wisdom from a father directed to his son. All of chapters 1-9 are. Wisdom is our subject. In our three verses we have wise, wiser, or wisdom mentioned four times. So which way is it going to be?
“ARE YOU A BUDWISER OR A BIBLEWISER?”
Budwiser represents the wisdom of the world. And yes, I know I have Budwiser spelled wrong. Biblewiser is the wisdom we receive from the Lord.
Verse 8 of our text, “Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you; reprove a wise man, and he will love you.” The pathway to wisdom involves discipline. Discipline is not a popular word in our society –dilly, dilly! You may remember this from the Duke of Windsor when asked what impressed him most in his visit to America, he replied, “The way American parents obey their children.” So many today control their parents or are discipline-free that once they face punishment as adults their budwiser filled world comes crashing down.
It is not just our young charges that need discipline, we all do. You and I need correction because we are sinners. Out of His fatherly love for us, God rebukes us when we sin. His Law cuts to our heart. He alerts us to the danger that if we stay on this path it will lead to death and eternal condemnation.
When we repent of these offenses we have the Biblewiser words of comfort. “I forgive you for the sake of my Son Jesus who died to forgive you and give you life. I now guide you through the Holy Spirit to reflect true wisdom.”
Verse 9 of our text: “Give instruction to a wise man, and he will still be wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.” Often budwiser parents and adults pass on the teaching of their kids to society, school and friends and media. Even in the church there is this danger. The frontline for religious instruction is the parent. Martin Luther knew this to be true. Moses knew this to be true. We need to increase our learning when it comes to the faith.
No one is the perfect parent. I just called Holden this week to apologize for something I didn’t do that I should have. Thankfully there is a perfect parent. God our heavenly Father. He loves us with a perfect love. His Son atoned for the sin of poor parenting, our lack of learning the faith. Through faith, Christ’s perfection is credited to your account. The Holy Spirit now strengthens our faith through instruction in God’s Word so that we are each equipped to learn and teach the promises of the gospel. Become Biblewiser!
Verse 10 from Proverbs 9. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” We are being directed in the faith. If we aren’t growing in our wisdom and knowledge of the Lord – the Holy One – then we are off in the wrong direction.
Tragically, families are leading their kids down the wrong paths. They are drinking up this budwiser filled wisdom, which is consuming them as if life is one big party and the kids are the novelty. Academics, athletics, theater, band and other paths are noble, but they cannot take priority over a faith relationship with the Lord. Getting those Sunday night phone calls, sitting in that hospital room this week would have been a different experience if the wisdom of the world had prevailed in both of our son’s lives.
Even when we fail to make the Lord the top priority, He makes us His top priority. When we were going in the wrong direction away from Him, Christ pursued us and placed us on the path of salvation. In Baptism, He has made the best beginning possible for us and for our children by pardoning our rebellious wandering. Through His word of the Gospel, God forms in us true and saving faith, which is the beginning of wisdom.
As I was putting this sermon together this week and fighting back the tears, my phone rang and it was Holden. We had a good chat as we talked about his health, his day and his faith. I shared with him what the message was going to be about and as I hung up the phone it occurred to me that he had grown up just like me, my boy was just like me. Not a father neglecting his son like in the famous song, but a Father who loved his children and that Father is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He has filled me and you and all of God’s children not with budwiser but with biblewiser. We are blessed by our faith. Learned in our discipline and teaching and direction. We are growing in wisdom. May this message help in that pursuit.
Amen.