“Two Different Types Of Wisdom” (Part I)
(Isaiah 55:6-9)
I. Introduction.
A. Wisdom is something we choose. It’s not a vague thing,
but related to the concrete, material, tangible, real world.
It’s a way of approaching every relationship, every
decision, every problem, every opportunity, every
circumstance of life.
1. All of us walk two paralleled and simultaneous
paths in life. We walk with God, and we walk
with other people.
2. We need wisdom to guide us in both these
relationships. If we walk wisely with God and
other people, we can apply this wisdom to all the
other circumstances of our lives.
B. The great news about Godly wisdom is that it’s available
to everyone. That isn’t true of fame, wealth, or education.
Not all people are meant to go to a college or university;
not all people have the talents or attributes to gain fame;
not all people have the skills and opportunities necessary
for acquiring fortune, or wealth. But every person can
reverence God, can acknowledge Jesus Christ as Savior,
can submit to God on a daily basis. Every person can be
wise.
C. But, there are two distinctly different types of wisdom, the
world’s and God’s. The world’s wisdom is grounded in
humanity’s fallen (sinful) nature. God’s wisdom is based
upon the “new nature” we assume when we are spiritually
re-born (II Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore, if anyone is in
Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away;
behold, all things have become new.”).
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1. All Godly wisdom begins with reverence for Him,
which means surrender to Him. There is no
alternative foundation for such wisdom.
2. But, someone says, “Do you mean to tell me that
with all my education and experience, I cannot
really be wise if I don’t seek God’s forgiveness,
and obey His Will in my life?” That’s right.
Proverbs 9:10 says: “The fear of the Lord is the
beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the
Holy One is understanding.”
a. When we reverence God, we stand in awe
of Him. We accept Him as omniscient
(all-knowing), as omnipotent (all-powerful),
as omnipresent (present everywhere at all
times), and as all-loving.
b. When we reverence God, we accept Jesus
Christ as His Son, and the world’s Savior,
and make a commitment to obedience
(Luke 6:46: “But why do you call me
‘Lord. . .,’ and not do the things which I
say?”).
3. Are we wiser than God, our Creator, when it comes
to knowing how to live a successful life on this
earth? Is anyone?
4. Is anyone wiser than God, who made us, when it
comes to knowing how to live in health?
5. Is anyone wiser than God, born as we are at a
specific time and place, living under a specific
set of circumstances, while He sees all time and has
a plan and purpose for all life?
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D. Who would be so foolish, or arrogant, to say he or she is
wiser than the God of the universe? Who would be so
foolish, so arrogant, to say to God: “I know more than you
do. I know better than you.” If we choose worldly wisdom
over Godly wisdom, we are saying that very thing. And,
these are the only two types of wisdom: these are our only
choices.
II. God’s Unlimited View.
A. Remember a statement made in the previous lesson:
wisdom is the capacity to see things from God’s
perspective and to respond to them according to scriptural
principles.
1. A child was asked if he knew the meaning of the
word “omniscient.” He said, “Yes. My mom
taught me that word. It means God knows
everything about everything.” We can’t really
top that definition.
2. God knows what we feel, what we think, who we
are, and how we act. He knows our likes and
dislikes, our dreams and desires, and our fears and
hurts.
3. God also knows every detail of every circumstance
we encounter. He sees both beginnings and
endings, and all in between.
B. The other type of wisdom, worldly or earthly wisdom, is
limited. It’s generally based upon the best conclusions of
collective human thought and discernment. Earthly
wisdom is founded upon the ways people have acted, and
lived, throughout the ages of recorded time. Therefore, it
can be very narrow, and filled with peoples’ biases,
prejudices, and personal desires.
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C. In contrast, God’s wisdom is unlimited, seeing both the
past and what is to come. Earthly wisdom concludes: “If
it works, it’s good.” Godly wisdom concludes: “This is
what God wants, so it’s good.”
1. Not only must be ask, “How does God see us?”
but, also, “What does God want me to do? When?
How? For what goal or purpose?”
2. Godly wisdom seeks to know how our individual
lives fit into His plan, His purpose, His desires.
(Proverbs 28:26: “He who trusts in his own heart is
a fool. But whoever walks wisely will be
delivered.”).
D. Earthly wisdom is based on four faulty conclusions:
1. What we can know is limited to the capacity of
peoples’ minds.
2. What we can know is based upon what can be
perceived by the five physical senses.
3. Wisdom is doing what people, collectively, define
as rational or provable.
4. God’s wisdom is, in fact, 180 degrees opposite from
each of these humanly accepted conclusions.
III. Contrasting Wisdoms.
A. Beginning with the first conclusion of earthly wisdom, let’s
contrast each point with what God says – the other type of
wisdom.
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B. We live in what has been called the “information age.” We
receive more information from more sources that any
previous generation, more than we know how to process
and use. Even when we try to relax, pagers beep,
telephones ring, televisions and radios give us news and
other information. But, has all this increased peoples’
wisdom?
1. Not really. Because knowledge and wisdom are
different from one another. Many very
knowledgeable people work in government. Their
days are filled with being informed on certain
issues. There are people, often, with strong
academic backgrounds in history, economics, and
law. But, do they always act wisely? Do they
legislate, or rule, in accordance with God’s will?
Are their personal lives always acceptable to God?
2. Even intellectually gifted people are not,
necessarily, wise people. Neither are those who
have developed material skills and abilities to a
maximum of their potential (professional athletes).
3. Never assume that being informed, or
knowledgeable, makes one wise. And, nowhere in
Scriptures, do we see God rewarding an increase in
knowledge. We do find, though, God telling people
to increase in wisdom (even to pray for this,
James 1:5), and to live accordingly to Godly
principles.
a. Let’s be clear: all knowledge is a gift of
God. He allows us to discover, and grow, in
knowledge. Certainly, He desires us to
study His word so as to grow spiritually.
And, in addition, there is the discernment
that comes from observing behavior in the
lives of others, especially Christians.
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b. But, more than knowledge, God wants His
people to acquire wisdom. Proverbs 4:5
says: “Get wisdom! Get understanding!
Do not forget, nor turn away from the words
of my mouth.”
C. Knowledge tells us what’s happening, wisdom tells us why
it’s happening. Knowledge gives us the facts, wisdom tells
us what to do with those facts. Knowledge gives us insight
into how a problem might be solved, wisdom tells us which
solution to pursue and how to pursue it.
D. The person who draws upon God’s wisdom has the
understanding that brings success, beyond what the world
provides. Wisdom is applying what we learn. It’s taking
advantage of the unlimited view of God (RE-READ
Isaiah 55:8-9). Wisdom is the capacity to see things from
God’s perspective and to respond to them according to
scriptural principles. To live according to God’s
principles doesn’t require a great deal of formal education.
We can “preach” Bible-based “sermons” by walking
wisely.
E. The second faulty conclusion of earthly wisdom is that
what we can know is based solely upon what can be
perceived by our physical senses.
1. The world’s wisdom says that all we can truly know
is what we can perceive with the five natural senses
(sight; sound; touch; taste; smell). God’s wisdom
says there is more to be known that just what our
physical senses can tell us (the “. . . wisdom that is
from above. . . ; James 3:17; II Corinthians 5:7:
“. . . we walk by faith, not by sight.”).
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2. What God conveys to us through His word allows
us to “see” “things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). This
“sight” can give us the ability to recognize the truth
from lies, fact from fiction, right from wrong.
3. Such wisdom is especially critical in times of crisis
in our lives. Our perceptions become suspect when
we are under emotional pressure.
4. None of us succeed at everything all the time. We
all face crises and difficulties in life. It’s Godly
wisdom that permits us to endure and emerge
stronger – especially in our faith and confidence in
the Lord. The experiences of our lives can refine
us, mature us, strengthen us (Romans 8:28-29;
READ).
E. Godly wisdom is what helps us to grow more like Jesus –
the goal of any Christian life.
III. Conclusion.
A. There is more to be said about the two different types of
wisdom. We will continue our consideration of this subject
in the next lesson.
B. Go back to most basic point: Isaiah 55:6-9.
C. Earthly wisdom is grounded in the belief that all of life can
be understood, rationalized, and proven scientifically.
God’s wisdom is grounded in the belief that there’s more to
life than can be discerned from the physical senses.
There’s more to life than just existence in this world.