August 16, 2015 Text: Proverbs 9:1-10

Dear Friends in Christ,

One morning the young new president of a bank made an appointment with his predecessor to seek some advice. He said, “Sir, could you provide some of the insights you have gained from your years here that have been the keys to your success.”
The older man looked at him with a stare and replied: “Young man, two words: good decisions.” The young man responded, “Thank you, but how does one come to know which is the good decision?” “One word, young man: experience.” “But how does one get experience?” “Two words, young man: bad decisions.”
Do you agree with that? Have you learned more from your bad decisions than your good decisions? And that wisdom you have been gaining throughout your lifetime, where does it come from? The wonderful Old Testament Book of Proverbs is going to help us answer the question . . .
“WHAT IS THE BEGINNING OF WISDOM?”
The Book of Proverbs, God’s instruction book to bestow the Lord’s wisdom through King Solomon and others is filled with gems like this: “Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.” (Prov. 3:7-8) “Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam; so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.” (Prov. 17:14) “A man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out.” (Prov. 10:9) And then this beauty as we get into the text: “If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you; if you are a mocker, you alone will suffer.” (Prov. 9:12) Those are pretty good, aren’t they? And there are 31 chapters of such wisdom.
We are focused on the beginning of chapter 9. The beginning verses are the invitation to wisdom. Everyone is invited to come and gain wisdom. Verse 6, “Leave your simple ways, and live, and walk in the way of insight.” The life wisdom gives is more than our health and well-being. It is the life that God gives, life that is meaningful, satisfying, and God-pleasing.
There are going to be roadblocks as we live this life of wisdom that the Lord grants. Verse 7 identifies such. “Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse, and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury.” How true! How true! I have shared my own stories over the years at ballgames and other places how this happens. Now sometimes you might think your semi-old Pastor is a little over the top with some of this and then this recent story from my father. It seems my niece was driving on the Beltline in Madison, Wisconsin recently when a male on a motorcycle starting following her and shouting profanities at her. What had she done? Flipped him off? Cut him off? No. As she exited the Beltline and he continued his pursuit, he was yelling at her because she had an ichthus on her car, the Christian fish symbol and he didn’t like it. He actually got off his ride and was going to confront her when she was able to drive away safely. “Do not reprove a scoffer or he will hate you.”
So we need the Lord’s wisdom as we battle the evil. The wisdom of God is personified in Jesus. He came to give us life to the full. He gave His life on the cross to restore us to God and by teaching us God’s wisdom for our lives.
The text tells us that we gain wisdom by eating Wisdom’s food and drinking Wisdom’s wine. How we do this is clarified in verse 10, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” There is the answer. Wisdom flows from a right relationship with God characterized by trust in His love, awe of His greatness, and fear of offending Him.
Too often we think we know it all. As a result, we live dangerously and hurt others and ourselves. We can easily become smug and self-righteous and cut ourselves off from God. We discover that we have a lot to learn and a lot of growing to do. We desperately need what Jesus has to offer.
Jesus has freed us from our foolishness and bad decisions. His life, death, and resurrection take away the guilt. As the Word made flesh, Jesus came into the world with grace and truth. The truth of His Word guides us into wisdom and knowledge and helps us make good and right decisions. Jesus is the giver of God’s life for wise and godly living to all who believe in Him.
Look to Jesus, the wisdom of God and the power of God, to learn and live wisdom. He enables us to fear and love God so that we live wisely. He teaches us and empowers us through His Word and nourishes our faith and life in Him through the banquet of his body and blood until we eat and drink with Him in the heavenly kingdom. Until then, we happily learn and live wisdom and find meaning, purpose, and satisfaction. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.”
Amen.

August 23, 2015 Text: Ephesians 5:22-33

Dear Friends in Christ,

“Jack and Diane two American kids doing the best that they can.” Except this Jack and Diane are not the ones immortalized in the John Cougar Mellencamp song.
Jack and Diane had a storybook romance. Two young believers who meet at a Christian college and get married. Surrounded by family and friends and in the front of the Lord’s altar they promise to love each other until death parts them. Chapter 1.
I think you know where this sermon is taking us. Marriage. Something that has been around for thousands of years and something we still don’t understand even as many of us live it. It’s too simplistic to just say God made us differently. But He did. I could wow you with sociological statistics that have been consistent since creation. Couples that stay married through Christ improve society, community, the country and the world. It helps raise children and gives better economic advantages. Yes, it is all true. But why? Well, as Christians, our answer always comes from Holy Scripture. 9 human beings in black robes do not define it. The media or talking heads does not draw it up. It’s simple really, marriage is . . .
“GOD’S DESIGN”
Jack and Diane’s marriage in chapter one was typical of most marriages. But the first chapter is never the whole book. Lurking beneath the surface was a darkness affecting Diane. Some of it was past experiences; some of it was a body chemistry out of balance. In the darkness, nothing was right in the world. She started verbally attacking the man she married. Cutting words sliced Jack’s heart to pieces.
Diane was not giving Jack the respect that men need. She would say things like, “Why don’t we have money to do fun things.” “You never listen to me.” “My mother told me I should never have married you.” No matter how good he was at things it was never good enough for Diane. She always found something small to criticize. These words were crushing to Jack’s spirit and resentment set in.
Diane had forgot the words of our text, “let the wife see that she respects her husband.” (v. 33b) She does this not in servitude, but in love for Christ. God calls wives to respect their husbands, knowing that in Christ’s forgiveness the husband is made perfect. Each wife can know that Jesus Christ loves her completely. If a woman has failed in this matter of respect, Jesus Christ has already taken that failure to the cross. In the same way that Christ takes responsibility for our eternal salvation, wives are called to let their husband take responsibility for their physical safety and provision.
The hardest chapter to live was the one where Jack no longer had the strength to endure. His heart had been sliced so many times; he couldn’t piece it back together. He almost gave up everything. Everything.
But then the Holy Spirit sent this thought to him, one he had known from childhood. “Jesus loves me. He gave himself to the cross for me. He always speaks well of me. He loves me without reservation.”
It was hard work rather than magic. In the power of the love of Jesus, Jack began to serve Diane.
God said in Genesis 16 that sin would result in husbands ruling over their wives instead of tenderly loving them. God is calling husbands to put the needs of his wife above his own – “to love his wife as himself.” (v. 33a) A husband can do this in honor of Christ, who gave his life for him. If a husband has failed in this matter of loving his wife, Jesus Christ has already laid down his life for the husband’s failure.
Marriage is a Gospel picture of Christ and the Church.
Jack and Diane began to realize this. Slowly and with the help of medication (also a gift from God!), Diane responded to Jack’s love. She encouraged him with her words, “I’m proud of all you do to take care of our family.” “You are such a wonderful money manager.” As Jack served Diane and Diane in turn respected Jack the darkness slowly receded. A new chapter was written. The love of Christ and the beauty of God’s design for marriage were restoring their life-long union. “Jack and Diane two American kids doing the best that they can . . . by God’s design.”
Amen.