Scott LaPierre's Blog: Scott LaPierre | Living God's Way | Pastor, Author, and Speaker, page 29

If Any of You Lacks Wisdom Let Him Ask of God, Who Gives to All Liberally (James 1:5-8)

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him,” is the command God gives to believers in James 1:5 when they’re going through trials (James 1:2-4). We’ve reached an important point in our series. You could say we’ve been building up to this sermon. I said I wanted to preach on wisdom, and in particular how wisdom helps us navigate through trials, and that’s the topic of this message.

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God,” is the command God gives to believers in James 1:5 during trials (James 1:2-4).Receive a FREE copy of Pastor Scott LaPierre’s book,  Seven Biblical Insights for Healthy, Joyful, Christ-Centered Marriages .View all Pastor Scott’s books on my Amazon author page.Visit Scott LaPierre’s speaking page for conference and speaking information, including testimonies, endorsements, and contact info.Table of ContentsSermon Lessons for If Any of You Lacks Wisdom Let Him Ask of GodFamily Worship Guide for If Any of You Lacks Wisdom Let Him Ask of GodSermon Notes for If Any of You Lacks Wisdom Let Him Ask of GodLesson 1: wisdom (part 1) is not being “in the signal box.”Lesson 1: wisdom (part 2) allows us to “handle the curves well.”Lesson 2: trials are tests requiring wisdom.Lesson 3: God wants to give us wisdom during trials.Lesson 4: doubting produces unstable lives.Sermon Lessons for If Any of You Lacks Wisdom Let Him Ask of GodLesson 1: Wisdom:(Part I) Is ______ __________ “in the signal box.”(Part II) ____________ ____ to “handle the curves well.” Lesson 2: ____________ are __________ requiring wisdom (James 1:2-4, 12; 1 Peter 1:6-7). Lesson 3: God wants to give us wisdom ____________ ____________ (James 1:5; Romans 11:33). Lesson 4: Doubting produces ________________ __________ (James 1:6-8; Ephesians 4:14).Family Worship Guide for If Any of You Lacks Wisdom Let Him Ask of GodDay 1: Read James 1:2-4, 12; 1 Peter 1:6-7, and discuss: what does it mean that receiving wisdom doesn’t mean being in the signal box? What does it mean that receiving wisdom allows us to handle the curves well? How are trials and tests the same? Day 2: Read James 1:5; Romans 11:33, and discuss: why do we need wisdom during trials? What are some of the blessings we receive from trials? What does it mean that God has incommunicable and communicable attributes? Can you name two of each? Day 3: Read James 1:6-8; Ephesians 4:14, and discuss: why does doubting produce unstable lives? What does success look like to you, and what do you think it looks like to God? How is a doubting person like a wave of the sea? How can we try to prevent doubt? What is the greatest wisdom God wants to give us?Sermon Notes for If Any of You Lacks Wisdom Let Him Ask of God

The title of this morning’s sermon is, “If Any of You Lacks Wisdom Let Him Ask of God.”

Go ahead and open your Bibles to James 1.

We’ve reached an important point in our series. You could say we’ve been building up to this sermon. I said I wanted to preach on wisdom, and in particular how wisdom helps us navigate through trials, and that’s the topic of this message. The previous sermons laid the foundation for this one.

Let me begin with a story that illustrates why this is so important to me…

When I became a Christian in my early twenties I knew almost nothing about the bible. One of God’s graces was surrounding me with men who had two things in common. First, they knew the bible well. Second, they were happy to answer all my questions. And there were many of them.

One of the influential men in my life at that time was Barry Branaman. I’ve mentioned him a few times before. He would stay up late after the study that took place at his house helping me understand the Bible. He died unexpectedly a few years ago, and I’m thankful for any opportunity to honor his name.

Hebrews 11:4 says Abel speaks even though he is dead and I feel like Barry still speaks even though he’s dead through his investment in me.

Hopefully on this side of heaven we’re all investing in people and we speak through them long after we’re gone.

One other thing Barry did for me, was direct me to a few wonderful Christian books that he knew would be helpful. One of them was Knowing God by J. I. Packer. I’m thankful that I read what this book said about wisdom, because it helped me avoid falling into many of the charismatic pitfalls. In particular, the idea that having wisdom means knowing why God does what He does…which nobody knows, but God.

I’ve alluded to this up to this point. Now I want to give you the illustration from Packer’s book, and I’ll use a lesson to help you remember it…

Lesson 1: wisdom (part 1) is not being “in the signal box.”

J.I Packer writes…

If you stand at the end of a platform at [a train] Station, you can watch a constant succession of train movements which, if you are a railway enthusiast, will greatly fascinate you. But you will only be able to form a rough idea of the overall plan in terms of which all these movements are being determined.

In other words, you can watch the trains start, stop, turn, leave the station, enter the station…but have no real idea why they’re doing what they’re doing.

If, however, you are privileged enough to be taken up into the magnificent signal-box [above the station], you will see on the wall a diagram of the entire track layout for miles, with little glowworm lights moving or stationary to show where every train is. At once you will be able to look at the whole situation through the eyes of those who control it: you will see why this train had to [stop], and that one had to be diverted from its [track], and that one had to be parked temporarily. The why of all these movements becomes plain once you can see the overall [picture].

Now, the mistake that is commonly made is to suppose that this is what God does when he bestows wisdom: to suppose that the gift of wisdom [is] a deepened insight into the meaning and purpose of events going on around us; an ability to see why God has done what he has done in a particular case, and what he is going to do next.

In other words, some people think being wise means you know why God does what He does.

People feel that if they were really walking closely to God, so that he could impart wisdom to them freely, then they would find themselves in the signal-box; they would discern the real purpose of everything that happened, and it would be clear every moment how God was making all things work together for good.

This is the end of Packer’s first illustration, explaining what wisdom is NOT.

There are a few big problems with this understanding of wisdom.

First, when people think of wisdom this way, it causes them to try to understand things that God doesn’t expect them to understand. They spend time wondering: “Why did God do this or that, and why didn’t he do this instead.”

Second, sometimes they can think they know why God did what He did…when in fact they have no idea, and when they claim to know, they’re little more than false prophets.

Third, when people can’t understand why God is doing what he’s doing, how do they feel?

Discouraged!

They wonder why God hasn’t revealed it to them:

Maybe they aren’t spiritual enough.Maybe God doesn’t love them enough.Maybe they aren’t mature enough.

At the least they’re forced to think they aren’t wise enough to know.

So now that we know what wisdom is not, let’s talk about what it is…

Lesson 1: wisdom (part 2) allows us to “handle the curves well.”

Let me briefly dispel something about trials so we can better understand wisdom…

Trials are kind of like temptations in that we tend to think if we’re wise enough or mature enough we won’t experience them.

But you can be the wisest and most mature person and still experience trials and temptations. We know this because the wisest and most mature person still experienced them. Jesus experienced trials and temptations.

So to be clear wisdom doesn’t help us avoid trials.

So what does wisdom do?

There are lots of ways to think of wisdom:

We might say wisdom is the correct application – or use – of knowledge.Or we might say wisdom is making the morally correct decision in any situation…in other words, wisdom is knowing the right thing to do.Or we might say wisdom is godly behavior in difficult situations, or in trial.Or we might say wisdom is practical skill needed to live life to God’s glory.

I think these are all good ways to view wisdom.

Let me share Packer’s illustration of wisdom…

If another transportation illustration may be permitted, it is like being taught to drive. What matters is the speed and appropriateness of your reactions to things and the soundness of your judgment. You do not ask yourself why the road should narrow or turn just where it does, nor why that van should be parked where it is, nor why the driver in front should hug the crown of the road so tightly.

In other words, when you drive you don’t try to figure out why there’s a turn or the road goes up or down.

[Instead], you simply try to see and do the right thing in the actual situation that presents itself. The effect of wisdom is [the same]. It enables [us] to do just that in the situations of everyday life.

In other words, wisdom helps us handle the curves of life.

With this in mind look with me at verse 2…

James 1:2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

You recognize these verses. They’re some of the most well-known in scripture. I’ve preached on them, and Pastor Nathan preached on them in May. So I’m not going to spend much time on them.

But there is one thing I want you to notice: it says trials test us.

And this brings us to Lesson 2 on your inserts…

Lesson 2: trials are tests requiring wisdom.

Briefly look down at verse 12…

James 1:12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast UNDER TRIAL, for when he has STOOD THE TEST he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

So he says a trial is a test.

The Greek word for trial in James 1:2 is peirasmos (pr: pie-ross-moss), it occurs 21 times in the NT, and it means: “adversity, affliction, trouble sent by God and SERVING TO TEST or prove one’s character, faith, holiness.”

Trials test us!

The Greek word for test in verse 3 is dokimion (pr: doh-key-me-on) and it means, “that by which something is tried or proved, A TEST.”

This word only occurs in one other place in Scripture and that’s 1 Peter 1:7 where it also says trials are tests.

As I read these verses, consider how similar they are to James 1:2-3…

1 Peter 1:6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various TRIALS, 7 so that the TESTED genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is TESTED by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

So just like James, Peter says trials are tests.

Think about when God commanded Abraham to sacrifice Isaac…

Genesis 22:1 After these things God TESTED Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 2 He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”.”

This was a test and a difficult trial.

Keep this in mind and to look at verse 5…

James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

Sometimes people draw a clean break between verse 4 and verse 5 as though there’s no relationship between them:

They’ll teach on verses 2 to 4, and talk all about trials.They’ll teach on verses 5 to 8 and talk about wisdom.

But they won’t discuss the connection between verses 2 to 4 and verses 5 to 8.

We know context is important and when people don’t connect these verses they’re missing something huge…

It’s not as though James was talking about trials and then started talking about wisdom as though they have nothing to do with each other.Instead he started talking about wisdom BECAUSE he was talking about trials…b/c we need wisdom during trials.

Let me get you to notice something important …

At the end of verse 4 God says trials will allow us to be perfect and complete, LACKING IN NOTHING.

Then he begins verse 5 by saying…

If any of you LACKS WISDOM, let him ask God

Notice the parallelism?

God says he doesn’t want us lacking anything, but if we do lack wisdom we can ask for it and He’ll give it to us…b/c He doesn’t want us lacking anything.

And this brings us to Lesson 3…

Lesson 3: God wants to give us wisdom during trials.

Let me give you a brief theology lesson…

Bible scholars classify God’s attributes in two categories: incommunicable and communicable.

Incommunicable simply means those attributes He does not communicate to us. His:

Immutability – He never changes…we do change.Sovereignty – His power and control over creation…we don’t have power over creation.Omniscience – He knows all…we don’t know all.Omnipresence – He’s everywhere…we’re only in one place.

The second group of God’s attributes are called communicable because when God created us, He “communicated” some of them to us. This is what it means to be made in the image of God.

Some of the communicable attributes are:

Freedom – Like God we’re able to make decisions for ourselves; we’re not robotsMercy – Like God we can show mercy toward othersCreativity – Like God we can be creative

For this morning, wisdom is another communicable attribute.

God is all wise and He gives some of that wisdom.

Consider this verse about how much wisdom God has…

Romans 11:33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

This is all about how much wisdom God has.

He has so much of it he doesn’t need to be stingy with it. He can be generous with it.

So in these verses we see two things that God graciously does w/ trials:

First, as verses 2 to 4 explained, he uses them for our maturity.Second, as verses 5 to 8 explain, he gives us wisdom to handle them well. He doesn’t introduce trials into our lives and then leave us to deal with them alone.

God wants trials to drive us to Him. He wants them to cause us to depend on him.

One way trials drive us to God and cause us to depend on him is that we seek wisdom from him. They create a desperation we don’t have otherwise.

The way verse 5 is worded is interesting. It says if any of you lacks wisdom…as though there are some of us who don’t lack wisdom.

That’s not what it means. It means if any of you lacks wisdom…at certain times, and in particular when we’re going through trials.

That’s when we most need wisdom so we can navigate the trial well.

But instead of asking for wisdom what do we typically ask for during trials?

If you’re anything like me, your prayers sound like this:

Lord, please make this trial go away.Father, please end my suffering.God, will you make this stop?

We’re supposed to bring all things before the Lord, so I’m not criticizing these prayers. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with praying for God to take away trials.

But one thing we should ask for is wisdom.

When people are going through trials I don’t always know what’s best for them. I don’t know whether the trial should stop or continue or change.

But I know is they need wisdom, so I’ll pray for God to give them wisdom.

James doesn’t just tell us to ask for wisdom…he also tells us how to ask for it. Look at verse six…

James 1:6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.

Notice this first starts with the word But. James is saying ask, BUT ask in faith…and this brings us to lesson 4…

Lesson 4: doubting produces unstable lives.

Hebrews 11:6 communicates a similar truth that when we approach God, we must do so believing…

Hebrews 11:6 without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Whenever we draw near to God – whether to ask for wisdom or anything else – we must do so with faith.

Doubting is strongly condemned because it shows a lack of faith. We might not think of doubting as sin, but it is…

Romans 14:23 Whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.

In other words, when we lack faith and doubt we sin.

When this verse talks about doubting it has the idea of doubting God’s willingness to give us wisdom.

It’s someone who thinks God doesn’t want to do what verse 5 says and give wisdom generously.

The comparison is fittingly made to a restless wave in the ocean.

Paul used similar language to describe people who don’t know what they believe theologically…

Ephesians 4:14 We [should] no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.

These people hear one thing, so they’re swayed that way, and then they hear something else, so they’re swayed that way.

James says the same thing can happen to people during trials when they ask for wisdom…

One moment they trust God and the next moment they doubt…at times we’ve probably been like this during trials too.

Think of Peter when he was walking on the water and you’ll have a good physical illustration of what this looks like spiritually…

Peter had faith at first. He got out of the boat and started walking on water. Then he saw the wind and the waves and started to doubt.

Matthew 14:31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, WHY DID YOU DOUBT?”

Peter was like a wave of the sea that was driven and tossed. One minute he had faith and the next minute he doubted.

It’s important to read this here, because when can we be most tempted to doubt God?

During trials!

We’re tempted to doubt God’s love us.We’re tempted to doubt God will work things together for good.We’re tempted to doubt that He’ll give us the wisdom we need.

James says, “Don’t doubt. When you’re in a trial, ask God for wisdom and have faith that he will answer.”

Look what we should expect if we doubt…

James 1:7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

If we pray to God and ask for wisdom but doubt He’ll give it to us…then we must also expect He won’t give it to us.

The double-minded man can’t figure out what to do; he’s unstable.

This makes so much sense!

If wisdom helps us figure out what to do, then people without wisdom don’t know what to do. They are unstable.

And I want you to notice it doesn’t just say unstable in trials, it says unstable in all his ways.

We need wisdom in all areas of life, and when we don’t have it we are unstable in all ways, or in all areas of life.

We don’t know how to navigate the situations we face.We don’t know how to handle life’s curves.

But let me tell you something very encouraging…

This isn’t what God wants for us!

I want you to notice – and I think it’s important – that one of the clear points of these verses is God wants us to have wisdom!

Look at the inviting language. If any of you. Let him ask God. He gives generously. To all. Without reproach. It will be given.

It couldn’t be written in a more encouraging way.

Just think about why it would be the case that God wants us to have wisdom….

He’s for us!

He wants us to handle trials well…He wants us to pass the tests we face…He isn’t looking for our failure…He’s looking for our success.

He knows we need wisdom…and He wants to give it to us.

We see this in the Book of Proverbs…

You’ve got a father speaking to his son, and what does the father want to give his son? Wisdom!

Wisdom to handle all of life’s issues.

And the father in Proverbs reveals the heart of our Heavenly Father.

He wants to give us wisdom, and let me close with this…

The greatest wisdom he wants to give us is found in Christ!

1 Corinthians 1:24 Christ [is] the wisdom of God…30 Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God.

Our Heavenly father gave us wisdom in the Person of Jesus Christ and we are to receive it without doubting or being tossed to and fro.

What does this look like?

If it means fully trusting in the sacrifice that Jesus made.

If you have done this you have received the greatest wisdom available, because you have received the gospel.If you haven’t done this, you have made the most foolish decision because you have rejected the gospel and stand condemned before God.

Repent of your sins and look to Christ to be saved.

Let’s pray.

If You Receive My Words and Treasure My Commands Within You (Proverbs 2:1-10) - Acquiring Wisdom

The father in Proverbs said, “My son, if you receive my words and treasure my commands within you…Then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God” (Proverbs 2:1, 5). Wisdom’s availability has seemed a little mysterious up to this point. Our first sermon on Job 28 was titled, “Where Is Wisdom?” Job had grown weary of his friends’ counsel. He said:

Job 28:12 “But where shall wisdom be found?Job 28:20 “From where, then, does wisdom come?

Wisdom looked hard to find. Then, our next sermon on Proverbs 1:20-33 was titled, “Wisdom Calls Out.” Proverbs 1:20 says, “Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice; 21 at the head of the noisy streets she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks.” Wisdom is in the most prominent places calling out to everyone passing by. This makes Wisdom look very available.

So the question: “Is wisdom hard to find…or is it available?” Here’s the balance: Wisdom is near and available, but we must work to acquire it. Wisdom calls out to us, but at the same time we must put forth effort to obtain it.

The father in Proverbs said, “My son, if you receive my words and treasure my commands within you…Then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God” (Proverbs 2:1, 5).Receive a FREE copy of Pastor Scott LaPierre’s book,  Seven Biblical Insights for Healthy, Joyful, Christ-Centered Marriages .View all Pastor Scott’s books on my Amazon author page.Visit Scott LaPierre’s speaking page for conference and speaking information, including testimonies, endorsements, and contact info.Table of ContentsSermon Lessons for If You Receive My Words and Treasure My Commands Within You Family Worship Guide for If You Receive My Words and Treasure My Commands Within You Sermon Notes for If You Receive My Words and Treasure My Commands Within YouAcquiring wisdom (lesson 1) involves effort on our part.Acquiring wisdom (lesson 2) must be our daily pursuit.Acquiring wisdom (lesson 3) has vertical benefits.Acquiring wisdom (lesson 4) has horizontal benefits.Sermon Lessons for If You Receive My Words and Treasure My Commands Within You Lesson 1: Acquiring wisdom involves __________ on our part (Pro 2:1-4; Matt 13:44).Lesson 2: Acquiring wisdom must be our __________ pursuit (Pro2:1-5, 9). Lesson 3: Acquiring wisdom has __________ benefits (Pro 2:5-6; Jam 1:5; Heb 1:1; 2 Pet 1:20-21; Pro 2:7-8; Matt 13:13-17). Lesson 4: Acquiring wisdom has __________ benefits (Pro 2:9-10; Pro 4:23; Eze 1:26-27; 1 Cor 1:18). Family Worship Guide for If You Receive My Words and Treasure My Commands Within You Day 1: Read Pro 2:1-5, Matt 13:44, and discuss: Is acquiring wisdom an active pursuit or a passive pursuit? Why do you think this is the case? Why is it important to be attentive when pursuing wisdom? How is pursuing wisdom like searching for hidden treasure? Why should the pursuit of wisdom be something we do daily? Day 2: Read Pro 2:5-6; Jam 1:5, Heb 1:1, 2 Pet 1:20-21, Pro 2:7-8, Matt 13:13-17, and discuss: How does wisdom and the fear of the LORD go hand in hand? How is wisdom something we put effort into getting and it still be a gift from God? What can we turn to that has the wisdom of God? What are some benefits of wisdom that you are needing in your life right now? Day 3: Read Pro 2:9-10; Pro 4:23; Eze 1:26-27; 1 Cor 1:18, and discuss: How does wisdom allow for us to identify good paths in life? Why is it important to have wisdom in our heart? How is having wisdom in the heart like having a heart change? Why is rejecting the Gospel ultimate foolishness? Sermon Notes for If You Receive My Words and Treasure My Commands Within You

The title of this morning’s sermon is, “Acquiring Wisdom.”

Go ahead and turn to Proverbs 1.

We interrupted our series on wisdom for two weeks, so let me briefly review.

Wisdom’s availability has seemed a little mysterious up to this point. Here’s what I mean…

Our first sermon on Job 28 was titled, “Where Is Wisdom?”

You might remember Job had grown weary of his friends’ counsel. He said:

Job 28:12 “But where shall wisdom be found?Job 28:20 “From where, then, does wisdom come?

Job was asking where to find wisdom, which made it seem like it’s hard to find.

Then, our next sermon on Proverbs 1:20-33 was titled, “Wisdom Calls Out.”

Briefly look at Proverbs 1:20…

Proverbs 1:20 Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice; 21 at the head of the noisy streets she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks:

Wisdom cries aloud…raises her voice. She’s in the street, the markets, the entrance of the city gates. She’s in the most prominent places calling out to everyone passing by.

This makes Wisdom look very available.

So the question: “Is wisdom hard to find…or is it available?”

Here’s the balance…

Wisdom is near and available, but we must work to acquire it.Wisdom calls out to us, but at the same time we must put forth effort to obtain it.

This is what we’ll see in the following verses. They describe the pursuit of wisdom better than any place in Scripture.

We’re picking up where we left off after our last sermon. We covered the end of Proverbs 1, verses 20-33. This morning we’ll look at Proverbs 2:1-10.

We’ll go through the first four verses pretty quickly, and then talk about the application.

Look at verse 1…

Proverbs 2:1 My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you,

My words and my commandments are synonymous with wisdom, so the father tells his son to do two things w/ wisdom: receive it and treasure it. Let’s consider both…

First, he tells him to receive it, which is receptiveness to wisdom. Wisdom is of no benefit to those who won’t receive it.

You say, “Well, who won’t receive wisdom?”

Lots of people!

Maybe you’ve spoken to people, shared wisdom w/ them, but they wouldn’t receive it. You could tell they weren’t listening to what you said.

This is one of the characteristics of fools…

As we talked about in the previous sermon, the issue with fools isn’t that they haven’t heard. They aren’t ignorant. The issue is they’ve heard…but they won’t apply what they’ve heard.

Second, he tells his son to treasure wisdom, which is sensitivity to it.

Wisdom is of no benefit to those who don’t recognize its value. You might remember this from our previous sermon…

Job 28:13 Man does not know [wisdom’s] worth.

Gaining wisdom begins with recognizing how valuable it is.

Look at verse 2…

Proverbs 2:2 making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding;

The ear and heart should be captivated by wisdom:

This is all about paying attention. Think about people during sermons:

Some people make their ear attentive and incline their heart by listening intently. They love wisdom and they’re captivated by it.Other people check their watch, wish they could be anywhere else, doing anything else. They don’t love wisdom.

I’m sure for the rest of the sermon we’re going to see some serious attentiveness

Do not Grieve as Those Who Have no Hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13) | When a Child Is Taken to Heaven - Part II

1 Thessalonians 4:13 says, “Do not grieve as those who have no hope.” Last week a child in our church tragically died. This is the second sermon I preached to encourage the family. Here is Part I: Let the Little Children Come to Me and Do not Hinder Them.

Paul didn’t want Christians to sorrow as others who have no hope, and that’s my hope for my congregation, and especially the parents. In the previous sermon, we didn’t get to talk much about grief because the parents received their children back. This sermon looks at an account with David, and he didn’t receive his child back. This makes the account very instructive for us regarding grief.

“Do not grieve as those who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13). Last week a child in our church died, and I preached this sermon to encourage them.Receive a FREE copy of Pastor Scott LaPierre’s book,  Seven Biblical Insights for Healthy, Joyful, Christ-Centered Marriages .View all Pastor Scott’s books on my Amazon author page.Visit Scott LaPierre’s speaking page for conference and speaking information, including testimonies, endorsements, and contact info.Table of ContentsSermon Lessons for Do not Grieve as Those Who Have no HopeFamily Worship Guide for Do not Grieve as Those Who Have no HopeSermon Notes for Do not Grieve as Those Who Have no HopeLesson 1: people grieve differently.Lesson 2: we must grieve with hope.Lesson 3: believing parents are reunited with believing children they’ve lost.Lesson 4: the hope we have in Christ combats grief.Sermon Lessons for Do not Grieve as Those Who Have no HopeLesson 1: People ____________differently (2 Samuel 12:15-21; Ecclesiastes 3:4; Romans 12:15). Lesson 2: We must grieve ________ ________ (1 Thessalonians 4:13 cf. Ephesians 2:12; 2 Corinthians 4:8-9; John 10:10; 2 Samuel 18:33-19:8). Lesson 3: Believing parents are reunited with _________________ _______________ they’ve lost (2 Samuel 12:21-23 cf. 1 Kings 17:23, 2 Kings 4:36, Luke 7:15). Lesson 4: The hope we have in Christ ______________ __________ (Job 19:25-27; 1 Corinthians 15:51-54). Family Worship Guide for Do not Grieve as Those Who Have no HopeDay 1: Read 2 Samuel 12:15-21; Ecclesiastes 3:4; Romans 12:15, and discuss: how did David grieve? How do other people grieve? Can you describe times you grieved differently at different times in your life, and/or saw others grieving differently than you? How should we respond to people grieving? Day 2: Read 1 Thessalonians 4:13 cf. Ephesians 2:12; 2 Corinthians 4:8-9; John 10:10; 2 Samuel 18:33-19:8 and discuss: who grieves without hope? What is the danger of grieving without hope? What does it mean to despair, or be destroyed? Besides David in 2 Samuel 18, can you think of someone else in scripture who grieved without hope? Why the dramatic change in David’s grief? Day 3: Read Job 19:25-27 and 1 Corinthians 15:51-54, and discuss: where does our hope come from? What evidence is there in the verses that the Redeemer is a Person, vs. a spirit or force? How is Jesus our Redeemer? What are the wonderful truths Job shared about his Redeemer? How could Job say his skin would be destroyed, and that he would see God in his flesh?Sermon Notes for Do not Grieve as Those Who Have no Hope

Please open your Bibles to 2 Samuel 12.

After Brandan’s passing, I didn’t feel like I could preach the sermon that I had prepared on wisdom.

I wanted to bring scripture to bear on the situation, which meant looking at accounts of people losing children. It occurs in scripture more often than you might expect, and I believe it’s because it occurs in our lives more often than we might expect. We live in a fallen world, and this is one of the worst realities of it.

Last week we looked at Elijah and Elisha raising two children from the dead.

We didn’t get to talk much about grief because the parents received their children back. This morning we’re going to look at an account with David, and he didn’t receive his child back. This makes the account very instructive for us regarding grief.

Here’s the context…

Last week I told you that when God takes a child, He isn’t punishing the parents. Most of the time that’s the case, such as in Brandan’s passing. Jim and Kris weren’t remotely at fault. They need to do their best to make sure they don’t blame themselves.

But there are times when parents have contributed to their child’s death:

Think of mothers smoking during pregnancy and experiencing a miscarriageThink of fathers driving drunk and getting in an accident that killed a child

This morning’s account with David is an instance of sin contributing to a child’s death. God was punishing him for his adultery and murder.

David hoped that God might be merciful and change His mind, so he committed himself to fasting and praying.

Look at verse 15…

2 Samuel 12:15 Then Nathan went to his house. And the Lord afflicted the child that Uriah’s wife bore to David, and he became sick. 16 David therefore sought God on behalf of the child. And David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground. 17 And the elders of his house stood beside him, to raise him from the ground, but he would not, nor did he eat food with them. 18 On the seventh day the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, “Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spoke to him, and he did not listen to us. How then can we say to him the child is dead? He may do himself some harm.”

Notice David’s servants were afraid he’d hurt himself. Keep this in mind.

2 Samuel 12:19 But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David understood that the child was dead. And David said to his servants, “Is the child dead?” They said, “He is dead.” 20 Then David arose from the earth and washed and anointed himself and changed his clothes. And he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. He then went to his own house. And when he asked, they set food before him, and he ate. 21 Then his servants said to him, “What is this thing that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive; but when the child died, you arose and ate food.”

David’s servants were confused because of the way he grieved, and this brings us to lesson one…

Lesson 1: people grieve differently.

Grieving is normal and healthy; therefore, nobody should feel bad about it. God even gives us an entire book in the bible about grieving…

Proverbs is the book about wisdom, Job is the book about suffering, Song of Solomon is the book about romance, and Lamentations is the book about grieving. Many of the psalms are also laments.

Ecclesiastes 3:4 says there is a time to weep, and a time to mourn.

In Romans 12:15 we’re told to weep with those who weep.

We wouldn’t be told to weep w/ people if there was something wrong w/ weeping.

David’s servants couldn’t understand his grieving…or I should say they couldn’t understand why he wasn’t grieving.

People can have the same confusion today when others grieve, or don’t grieve, the way they’d expect.

This happens because we don’t grieve the same, and when we see others grieving differently than the way they would grieve it can confuse us.

Consider this:

When some people are grieving they want to be with others…but other people want to be alone.Some people want to stay busy…but others don’t want to do anything.Some people want to listen to Christian music, others want to read scripture, and others might want to go on a walk.

The point is there’s liberty to grieve differently.

Last week I mentioned my brother’s death. I told you I received the news on a Wednesday night. The next day I stayed home, and I think it was the worst of my life. So on Friday I went back to school; I was teaching at that time.

There were two gentlemen I worked with and we used to play racquetball together. They asked me if I wanted to play that Friday night. They knew about my brother, but when I met them at the gym they didn’t say anything…which was perfect…for me. I didn’t want to talk about what happened.

For the next few hours I just played racquetball and it took my mind off everything.

I suspect if anyone looked at me, they wouldn’t have known my brother died two days earlier, because I didn’t look like I was grieving. Maybe some people even would’ve judged me for playing racquetball at that time.

Like with David’s servants people might have said: “What is this thing that you have done? What’s wrong with you?”

Looking back I think returning to work was a good approach. Being with my students was therapeutic and enjoyable. I don’t think I would do anything differently.

My mom, on the other hand, returned to work. A few weeks later she had a breakdown. They had to take her in an ambulance to the hospital.

Then my parents took some time off and drove up to Oregon where they didn’t know anyone and could be alone for a few weeks.

They clearly didn’t grieve enough before returning to work.

I would like to offer three encouragements regarding grieving. I think this applies to all of us since all of us grieve.

First, if you’re one of the people who take the approach I did and stay busy to keep your mind off what happened, or we could even say to avoid dealing with the grief, there is a point at which the grief must be dealt with. It must be processed, accepted, and taken to the Lord and worked through with Him. If this doesn’t happen it can come up in the future and have detrimental consequences.

Second, if you’re one of the people who grieves by withdrawing from different responsibilities—whether school, or work, or relationships—I’ll be the first to say that this is reasonable and people shouldn’t be made to feel bad about this approach.

But with that said, there’s a point at which people must reengage with their responsibilities, not just for those depending on them, but even for themselves. God has created us to work and serve, and withdrawing for too long can become detrimental to the person grieving.

Third, regardless of how we grieve, there’s one thing that must be avoided, and it’s the absence of hope. I say this because this is what scripture says…

1 Thessalonians 4:13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope

So there is a lot of liberty regarding grieving, but we can’t grieve without hope…and this brings us to Lesson 2…

Lesson 2: we must grieve with hope.

This makes sense if we understand who those are without hope.

Unbelievers!

Paul used the same language to describe unbelievers elsewhere…

Ephesians 2:12 You were separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, HAVING NO HOPE AND WITHOUT GOD in the world.

So when Paul says not to grieve without hope, he’s saying not to grieve like unbelievers.

Just think about why this is the case…

What hope do unbelievers have when they grieve?

This is all there is to them. When they lose a loved one they believe they’ll never see them again. There is no hope for them.

Share about funeral I conducted for unbelievers.

Besides the fact that grieving without hope is grieving like an unbeliever, is there any other reason we shouldn’t grieve without hope?

Yes there is!

It can lead to despair. Listen to these verses…

2 Corinthians 4:8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but NOT DRIVEN TO DESPAIR;

Perplexed means confused. You might remember last week we talked about this. The Shunammite woman lost her son, and she was confused.

It’s okay to be confused or perplexed, but Paul says we shouldn’t be driven to despair.

What does it mean to despair?

A simple definition is lack hope. Despairing is grieving without hope.

The next verse…

2 Corinthians 4:9a persecuted, but not forsaken;

Paul was suffering and it would be tempting to feel like he was alone. But he said he wasn’t forsaken. While he might have referred to other believers who were with him or praying for him, most importantly he meant the Lord was with him.

When we’re grieving it’s important to remember that we aren’t forsaken. The Lord is with us.

Now listen to this…

2 Corinthians 4:9b struck down, BUT NOT DESTROYED;

And this is why it’s so bad to grieve without hope, or to despair. It can destroy.

What does it mean to be destroyed?

It means to be overtaken with grief and completely consumed by it.

Paul says that no matter how bad things get, we can’t let grief overwhelm us so that it controls us and causes us to harm ourselves or others.

If you look at the end of verse 18, this was David’s servant’s fear w/ him. They said, “He may do himself some harm.”

Jesus said…

John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill AND DESTROY.

It’s Satan’s desire for grief to cause us to despair so we are destroyed and prevented from serving our family, friends, and most importantly the Lord.

Even though grief is healthy, the devil gets a victory when he’s able to use grief in this way.

Let me give you an idea what it looks like to be consumed with grief. Turn a few chapters to the right to 2 Samuel 18.

The context is David just received the news that another son of his, Absalom, is dead. Look at verse 33…

2 Samuel 18:33 And the king was deeply moved and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept. And he went, he said, “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!” 2 Samuel 19:1 It was told Joab, “Behold, the king is weeping and mourning for Absalom.”

Joab was David’s nephew, and his fierce and ruthless general. He’s an ungodly man, but even he recognized David was grieving without hope.

It was appropriate for David to grieve, but his grief took him too far. He was despairing, consumed by it, and neglecting his responsibilities.

2 Samuel 19:2 So the victory that day was turned into mourning for all the people, for the people heard that day, “The king is grieving for his son.” 3 And the people stole into the city that day as people steal in who are ashamed when they flee in battle. 4 The king covered his face, and the king cried with a loud voice, “O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son!” 5 Then Joab came into the house to the king and said, “You have today covered with shame the faces of all your servants, who have this day saved your life and the lives of your sons and your daughters and the lives of your wives and your concubines, 6 because you love those who hate you and hate those who love you. For you have made it clear today that commanders and servants are nothing to you, for today I know that if Absalom were alive and all of us were dead today, then you would be pleased. 7 Now therefore arise, go out and speak kindly to your servants, for I swear by the Lord, if you do not go, not a man will stay with you this night, and this will be worse for you than all the evil that has come upon you from your youth until now.” 8 Then the king arose and took his seat in the gate. And the people were all told, “Behold, the king is sitting in the gate.” And all the people came before the king.

Joab appropriately rebuked David, because he saw how much David had to lose if he didn’t do what we’ve talked about and reengage with his responsibilities.

Why was David was grieving like this?

He knew he wasn’t going to see Absalom again.

Absalom was an evil man. He was an unrepentant murderer and rapist. David knew he was going to hell, which is a horrible thought for any parent.

This could even be why David said, “Would I had died instead of you!” Perhaps David wished Absalom lived longer so he could turn his life around.

Now with this fairly discouraging image in mind, go ahead and turn back to chapter 12 to see something very encouraging.

I want you to notice the strong change that occurred w/ David…

2 Samuel 12:16 David therefore sought God on behalf of the child. And David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground. 17 And the elders of his house stood beside him, to raise him from the ground, but he would not, nor did he eat food with them.

He goes from this to this…

2 Samuel 12:20 Then David arose from the earth and washed and anointed himself and changed his clothes. And he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. He then went to his own house. And when he asked, they set food before him, and he ate.

David was experiencing terrible grief, but right after that he picked himself up, washed himself off, anointed himself, changed his clothes, and was even able to go into the house of the Lord to worship.

The change was so strong David’s servants asked him about it…

2 Samuel 12:21 Then his servants said to him, “What is this thing that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive; but when the child died, you arose and ate food.”

David’s answer…

2 Samuel 12:22 He said, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, ‘Who knows whether the Lord will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’ 23 But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.”

What caused the dramatic change in David?

You might be quick to say he was fasting and praying because he wanted the child to live, and when the child died he had no more reason to fast and pray. That’s partly true.

But the real reason is contained in the words I shall go to him.

He knew he would be reunited with his son…and this brings us to Lesson 3…

Lesson 3: believing parents are reunited with believing children they’ve lost.

David lost a child and he did exactly what Paul said and grieved as one who HAD hope, b/c he knew he would see this son again.

It would be wrong to think David stopped grieving – just as it would be wrong to think any parents ever stop grieving when they’ve lost a child – but he was comforted knowing he would see the child again.

After my brother passed away I told you I went back to school as I told you. My principal, who was a good friend, called me into his office to see how I was doing. I still remember him telling me, “It is every parent’s greatest nightmare to have to bury their child.”

Jim and Kris had to live this nightmare.

But at the graveside service Kris said…

“We will miss him very much, but we will get to see him later.”

Jim and Kris are grieving, but they’re doing exactly what Paul said and grieving with hope, comforted by the reality that they’ll be reunited w/ Brandan.

As I looked at the accounts of children being raised from the dead, I noticed something in most of them: children were graciously returned to their parents.

1 Kings 17:23 Elijah took the child and…DELIVERED HIM TO HIS MOTHER.2 Kings 4:36 When [the mother] came to [Elisha], he said, “Pick up your son.”Luke 7:15 The dead [child] sat up and began to speak, and Jesus GAVE HIM TO HIS MOTHER.

So we repeatedly see deceased children returned to their parents.

In this account with David it looks like David’s son was NOT returned to him.

But he would be!

And this is the hope all believing parents have with their believing children.

Is this going to happen physically in this life?

No. But it is going to happen in the next life.

If there’s one lesson I hope can most encourage you, it’s this one. While I don’t think it eases the pain or loss, I do think it provides great hope.

As I studied these verses this week, here’s what came to mind…

David was comforted at the thought of seeing his son. We can be comforted at the thought of seeing our believing loved ones again.

But how much more comforted should we be at the thought of seeing our Savior?

David had the great hope that he would see his son again, but how much greater is our hope that we’ll see Christ?

Titus 2:13 [We are] waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,

This brings us to our last lesson…

Lesson 4: the hope we have in Christ combats grief.

Let me show you someone who had this hope during his grief. Please turn to Job 19.

Job had more reason to grieve than anyone in history. We talk about losing a child. He lost all his children…and everything…in one moment.

I want you to see how he encouraged himself. Look at verse 25…

Job 19:25 For I know that my Redeemer lives,
And He shall stand at last on the earth;

Job didn’t see his Redeemer as some force or concept. He saw Him as a Person who would stand victoriously on the earth at the end of time.

This thought is where Job found hope. This is how he comforted himself.

Look what else he said…

Job 19:26 And after my skin is destroyed, this I know,
That in my flesh I shall see God,

27a Whom I shall see for myself,
And my eyes shall behold, and not another.

Job felt like God hid Himself from him…just like we might be tempted to feel when we’re grieving.

He couldn’t understand why God would treat him the way he was being treated…and we might feel the same way when we’re grieving.

But at the same time, Job had confidence that God wouldn’t stay hidden from him forever.

Notice what else Job said…

My skin will be destroyed

What did Job’s skin look like?

Job 2:7 says he had painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.

But he also said, “in my flesh I shall see God.” So which is it…is his skin destroyed or in his flesh does he see God? It’s both! He expected his present, earthly body to be destroyed, but he expected to receive a new glorified body. We read about this last week and Pastor Nathan talked about it at the celebration of life yesterday…

1 Corinthians 15:53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.

And notice he said I shall see God.

He knew he would see God in this glorified body.

Look what this thought produced in Job…

Job 19:27b Howmy heart yearns within me!

Despite everything he experienced, this understanding seemed to be almost more than he could handle.

Job was probably experiencing more suffering than anyone has ever experienced, but he was able to have great hope b/c he knew he would see his Redeemer…and this hope combatted his grief.

This is the hope we have.

Yes, we’re excited to see Brandan and other loves ones again, but our hearts should be overflowing at the thought of seeing our Redeemer again, face-to-face, in our glorified bodies.

Let’s pray.

Let the Little Children Come to Me and Do not Hinder Them | When a Child Is Taken to Heaven - Part I

In Matthew 19:14 Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” I preached this sermon to my congregation after a young man in our church tragically drowned days earlier. I wanted to bring scripture to bear on the situation, which meant looking at the accounts in the Bible of people losing children. This is Part I, and here is Part II: Do not Grieve as Those Who Have no Hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13).

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them.” I preached this sermon after a young man in our church drowned.Receive a FREE copy of Pastor Scott LaPierre’s book,  Seven Biblical Insights for Healthy, Joyful, Christ-Centered Marriages .View all Pastor Scott’s books on my Amazon author page.Visit Scott LaPierre’s speaking page for conference and speaking information, including testimonies, endorsements, and contact info.Table of ContentsSermon Lessons for Let the Little Children Come to Me and Do not Hinder ThemFamily Worship Guide for Let the Little Children Come to Me and Do not Hinder ThemSermon Notes for Let the Little Children Come to Me and Do not Hinder ThemLesson 1: it’s okay to be upset.Lesson 2: God isn’t punishing you.Lesson 3: Jesus takes believing children in his arms.Lesson 4: Jesus will raise believing children.Lesson 5: go to the Lord with your loss.Lesson 6: you can be confused.Lesson 7: death reminds us life is temporary.Sermon Lessons for Let the Little Children Come to Me and Do not Hinder ThemLesson 1: It’s okay to ____ __________ (1 Kings 17:18). Lesson 2: God isn’t __________________ ______ (1 Kings 17:18). Lesson 3: Jesus takes believing children ____ ______ ________ (1 Kings 17:19 cf. Mark 9:36, 10:16). Lesson 4: Jesus ________ __________ believing children (Rom 15:4; 1 Cor 10:6, 11 cf. 1 Kings 17:23). Lesson 5: Go ____ ______ ________ with your loss (2 Kings 4:22-27, Psa 34:18, 147:3). Lesson 6: You can ____ ________________ (2 Kings 4:28; Deut 29:29; 1 Cor 13:12) Lesson 7: Death reminds us ________ is __________________ (1 Cor 15:22, 26, 54-57; Rev 20:14).Family Worship Guide for Let the Little Children Come to Me and Do not Hinder ThemDay 1: Read 1 Kings 17:18-23, Mark 9:36, and 10:16, and discuss: Why is it OK to be upset? Even if we’re angry, what do we need to make sure we don’t do? What might we be tempted to think God is doing, that we need to convince ourselves He’s not doing? What did Jesus do during His earthly ministry that can be an encouragement to us if we lose a child? Day 2: Read 2 Kings 4:22-27, Psa 34:18, 147:3, Deut 29:29; and 1 Cor 13:12 and discuss: Where should we go when we experience loss and suffering? Where should we not know? Why is it OK to be confused? What other reasonable feelings might we experience? Are there unreasonable feelings we should try to avoid? Day 3: Read 1 Cor 15:22, 26, 54-57; Rev 20:14, and discuss: What have you seen God bring forth from your suffering and trials? Why do unborn children in the womb die? Why is Death capitalized in 1 Corinthians 15, in other words why is Death personified? Explain the victory Paul mentions in the verses.Sermon Notes for Let the Little Children Come to Me and Do not Hinder Them

Please open your Bibles to 1 Kings 17.

After the events of this past week, I didn’t feel like I could preach the sermon that I had prepared on wisdom.

I wanted to bring scripture to bear on the situation, which means looking at the accounts of people losing children. It occurs in scripture more often than you might expect, and I believe it’s because it occurs in our lives more often than we might expect. We live in a fallen world, and this is one of the worst realities of it.

Many of us have experienced miscarriages and I hope these sermons will encourage you too…but with that said, while miscarriages are difficult and I don’t want to seem insensitive to people who have experienced them – especially late in pregnancy – I don’t think they compare with the loss of a child that has been born.

One other reason this sermon is important is even if you’re fortunate enough to never lose a child, as a member of the body of Christ, you need to know how to minister to people who have.

We know how much the Raleys have been through, so I did ask them if they thought these sermons would be too personal for them, but they said they thought they’d be good for them and the congregation.

This sermon is going to be different in that instead of being expositional, it’s going to be more devotional. I didn’t think that this was the best time to have a deeply theological or academic sermon with you feeling like I’m preaching at you. Instead I hope you feel like I’m talking with you.

This is the first sermon I’ve ever preached that I didn’t look at any commentaries. I wanted to do my best to share what God gave me to share, versus something I gained from someone else.

Let’s begin with 1 Kings 17…

1 Kings 17:17 After this the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became ill. And his illness was so severe that there was no breath left in him. 18 And she said to Elijah, “What have you against me, O man of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance and to cause the death of my son!”

This woman just lost her son, and we can learn from how she felt…and this brings us to lesson one…

Lesson 1: it’s okay to be upset.

I’ve told you before that the bible contains imperatives – or commands – and indicatives – or statements. The imperatives are prescriptive and the indicatives are descriptive.

The descriptive accounts often tell us how people are feeling so we can identify w/ them. They will be upset, angry, depressed, sad, emotional. You see this especially in the Psalms.

This is one such account.

The verses don’t indicate why the child died, and in most of the other accounts we’ll look at we also don’t learn why the child died. So that’s not the point.

The point is that we get to see how this woman felt. She was upset and God is showing us that through these verses so any parents in her situation can identify with her.

If there’s one time in all of life that people are going to be upset, angry, depressed, and emotional, it’s going to be when they lose a child.

We shouldn’t give ourselves over to these emotions and sin…but these feelings are normal…and it seems God wants us to know that through accounts like this.

Lesson 2: God isn’t punishing you.

She mentions her sin and seems to think that’s the cause. But God wasn’t upset with her. She hadn’t done anything wrong.

Losing a child is one of the worst things people can experience, and one of the only things that can make it worse is when parents think God is punishing them.

God wasn’t punishing this woman, and parents who have lost children need to resist the temptation to think God is punishing them.

A close secondary temptation is for parents to punish themselves.

This mother wondered if it was her fault, but:

She shouldn’t be blaming herself.She had nothing to do with her child’s death.

She needed to do her best to convince herself of that truth.

The most common way people punish themselves is by playing through all the, “What-ifs…”

If a child was hit by a car the parents could be tempted to play through so many different scenarios:

What if we had done this…What if we hadn’t let him do this…What if we had been there…

This is a form of punishing ourselves, and again parents need to do their best to avoid this.

Look at verse 19…

1 Kings 17:19 And he said to her, “Give me your son.” And he took him from her arms and carried him up into the upper chamber where he lodged, and laid him on his own bed.

One of the difficulties at times with scripture is figuring out tone. We must guess the way people said things.

I think Elijah said this very gently to the woman. He lived with her and her son for three years. He provided for them during the drought and the accompanying famine. They must have become close.

When he said, “Give me your son,” I’m sure he said it tenderly. Then he took the boy in his arms and carried him up.

And this brings us to lesson three…

Lesson 3: Jesus takes believing children in his arms.

If we want to know what Jesus is like in heaven we can look at Him on earth. I don’t see any reason to think He’d be different in heaven than He was on earth, especially since Heb 13:8 says Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

When we were at the hospital Wednesday night, on more than one occasion people said, “Brandan is in Jesus’ arms.” People said this to Jim and Kris to encourage them, and Jim and Kris said this to themselves to encourage themselves.

And I don’t think it’s a sentimental thought that we tell ourselves that has no backing in scripture.

When I share about Jesus taking up a child in His arms it’s more than a devotional thought, because the bible describes Him doing this:

Mark 9:36 [Jesus] took a child…and TAKING HIM IN HIS ARMS, he said to them,Mark 10:16 [Jesus] took [the children] IN HIS ARMS and blessed them, laying his hands on them.

If Jesus would take children up in his arms during His earthly life, why would we think he wouldn’t do the same thing in heaven?

So I love the language of this verse. I imagine Jesus saying, “Give me your son,” and He takes the child in His arms and carries him up into the upper chamber where he lodges.

If you ever lost a child, you might turn to this verse and read it and be encouraged.

Look at verse 20…

1 Kings 17:20 And he cried to the Lord, “O Lord my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by killing her son?” 21 Then he stretched himself upon the child three times and cried to the Lord, “O Lord my God, let this child’s life come into him again.” 22 And the Lord listened to the voice of Elijah. And the life of the child came into him again, and he revived. 23 And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper chamber into the house and delivered him to his mother. And Elijah said, “See, your son lives.” 24 And the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth.”

Obviously this account – and some of the others we’ll look at — break down at one of the most important points. This child was raised from the dead, but in our lives children aren’t raised from the dead. This needs to be addressed.

The New Testament states the Old Testament provides us with examples:

Romans 15:4 Whatever things were written [in the Old Testament] were written for our learning.1 Corinthians 10:6 These things [in the Old Testament] took place as examples for us…11 All these things happened [in the Old Testament] as examples

So it’s not a question of, “Do we learn from the Old Testament?” or “Are these examples for us?”

The question is: “What do we learn from the Old Testament, and how do these examples apply?”

The best way to understand this miracle, and the other miracles in scripture is this…

They are physical pictures of what God does for us spiritually.

Let me use Jesus’ ministry as an example:

When He healed blindness:That’s not supposed to make us think He wants to heal every blind person.But He wants to heal our spiritual blindness so we can spiritually see.When Jesus healed deafness:That’s not supposed to make us think He heals every deaf person.But He wants to heal our spiritual deafness so we can understand spiritual truths.When Jesus healed the paralytic:That’s not supposed to make us think He heals every paralyzed person.But He wants to heal our spiritual lameness so we can walk w/ God: Romans 6:4 just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we SHOULD WALK IN NEWNESS OF LIFE.When Jesus raised people from the dead:That’s not supposed to make us think He’ll raise people the moment they die.But He has victory over sin and death, and He wants to give us eternal life.

There is spiritual application to these physical realities.

And this brings us to Lesson 4…

Lesson 4: Jesus will raise believing children.

Here’s what I would LOVE to be able to say to people who have lost children…

“God is going to raise your child from the dead this moment, just like Elijah, Elisha, and Jesus did w/ children who died.”

The problem is, that’s not true!

But here’s what is true…

If your child is a believer, God is going to raise that child from the dead to eternal life.

I don’t know many things that are much more encouraging than this…or many things that are more important for parents to keep in mind if they have lost children.

Turn to 2 Kings 4 for the next account…

2 Kings 4:18 When the child had grown, he went out one day to his father among the reapers. 19 And he said to his father, “Oh, my head, my head!” The father said to his servant, “Carry him to his mother.” 20 And when he had lifted him and brought him to his mother, the child sat on her lap till noon, and then he died.

I can’t imagine how devastating this must have been.

2 Kings 4:21 And she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God and shut the door behind him and went out.

Lesson 5: go to the Lord with your loss.

I’m giving you this lesson early, because I want you to look for it.

As we read the verses, notice this woman’s persistency. She isn’t going to let anyone or anything stop her from going to the prophet Elisha.

When I read these verses I couldn’t help thinking that we should pursue the Lord w/ the same persistency if we lose a child.

Look at her example…

2 Kings 4:22 Then she called to her husband and said, “Send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys, that I may quickly go to the man of God and come back again.” 23 And he said, “Why will you go to him today? It is neither new moon nor Sabbath.” She said, “All is well.”

She wouldn’t let her husband turn her away.

2 Kings 4:24 Then she saddled the donkey, and she said to her servant, “Urge the animal on; do not slacken the pace for me unless I tell you.” 25 So she set out and came to the man of God at Mount Carmel. When the man of God saw her coming, he said to Gehazi his servant, “Look, there is the Shunammite. 26 Run at once to meet her and say to her, ‘Is all well with you? Is all well with your husband? Is all well with the child?’” And she answered, “All is well.” 27a And when she came to the mountain to the man of God, she caught hold of his feet.

She literally clung to him. She clung to him, like we need to cling to Christ.

2 Kings 4:27b And Gehazi came to push her away. But the man of God said, “Leave her alone, for she is in bitter distress, and the Lord has hidden it from me and has not told me.”

She wouldn’t be turned away, like we must not be turned away from Christ.

She knew she couldn’t get help anywhere else…not even from her husband. Yes, you need your spouse if you lose a child – maybe more than any other time – but there are things even your spouse can’t do for you.

Consider these verses…

Psalms 34:18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

Only the Lord can do this…no spouse, or pastor, or friend can.

Psalms 147:3 He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

This is speaking of spiritual wounds.

Only the Lord can heal the brokenhearted and bind up the spiritual and emotional wounds they’re experiencing.

I don’t know if it sounds discouraging to think that we can’t do more for people, but this is actually freeing. It means we don’t have to feel responsible for trying to do something only the Lord can do.

But it should cause us to direct them to the Lord when we’re with them during their times of grieving, vs. giving them clichés and platitudes.

I’ve been with parents a few times when they lost children. If I had to use one word to describe how I felt, it’s helpless.

No matter how long I pastor, I tend to think this isn’t going to get any better.

I feel like the greatest help I can offer is directing people toward Christ.

I’m either sitting there quietly or I try to do one of two other things:

I pray with them, which is pointing them to Christ and praying that he will help them.I read scripture with them, which is nothing more than helping them find comfort in Him.

And I would say, if you’re ever wondering what you can do to help people who have lost a child, aside from simply being with them, praying with them and offering to read scripture to them are the best things you can do.

I would discourage you from trying to share about some loss you experienced.

Look at verse 28…

2 Kings 4:28 Then she said, “Did I ask my lord for a son? Did I not say, ‘Do not deceive me?’”

Lesson 6: you can be confused.

This is another verse that I think many parents who have lost children can probably identify with. You ask God, “Why did You give me a child if you were just going to take him or her from me?”

During our miscarriages, this is the question I had: “Why did Katie even get pregnant in the first place?”

Again, I don’t think this verse is here to tell us why we lose children.

I think it’s here so we can identify with this woman and her hurt and confusion…and understand that it’s normal to be hurt and confused.

Consider these two verses:

Deuteronomy 29:29 “The secret things belong to the Lord our God.1 Corinthians 13:12 Now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

These verses make the point that we don’t understand everything. We generally quote them regarding theological topics, for example God’s sovereignty versus man’s free will. We say…

“How can both be true? This secret belongs to the Lord. We can’t fully see how they’re both true. We only see dimly and in part.”

And I think this is a fitting use of these verses.

But another way they apply relates to God’s will. Things happen in our lives that we don’t understand. They’re confusing to us.

And I don’t think there are many things more confusing than children’s deaths.

So it’s okay to be confused and not have any answers.

The events of this past week were terribly tragic and confusing for two churches and hundreds of people.

When Pastor Nathan and I were driving to and from the hospital we were talking about the good God would bring from this. We didn’t know what the good would be, and to be candid with you, it seemed – and still seems – hard to find. But because of Romans 8:28 we know it’s there…

Romans 8:28 We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Even this verse communicates that the good is for believers. Everyone loves to quote the first half of the verse and say God works all things together for good but that’s not all it says. It says for those who are called according to his purpose, which refers to Christians.

This still leaves the same question: What is the good God is doing from this?

I think it’d be very arrogant of me to say that I know the answer, but I will say this…

Every death is a reminder that this life is temporary and not our home.

It’s good to be reminded of this…

Lesson 7: death reminds us life is temporary.

Every death is tragic, b/c we recognize it’s not the way things should be. We live in a fallen world, and this is one of the worst consequences.

But if there’s one good thing death does, it’s remind us that this life is temporary. It prevents us from getting too comfortable on this side of heaven, and it causes us to do what Pastor Nathan preached about the last two weeks: keep an eternal perspective.

The bad news is Death is the enemy we all face.

Let me show you the good news. Turn to 1 Corinthians 15:26…

1 Corinthians 15:26 The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.

Death is an enemy that Christ defeats for us!

Listen to these wonderful verses…

1 Corinthians 15:54 So when this corruptible (referring to our earthly bodies) has put on incorruption (referring to the glorified bodies we’ll receive), and this mortal has put on immortality (referring to the eternal life we receive), then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

55 “O Death, where is your sting? (Death can no longer hurt us)
O Hades, where is your victory?” (Hades is another way to refer to death, and it has no victory over us)

57 But thanks be to God, who GIVES US THE VICTORY THROUGH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.

In most Bibles, Death is capitalized, b/c God wants to personify it:

He wants it to seem like a person…He wants it to seem like an enemy that Jesus defeated…

To show just how clearly Death is defeated, Revelation 20:14 says Death [is] cast into the lake of fire.

You’ve got death going to hell!

That’s how confident God wants you to be regarding Death’s defeat and your victory over it!

Let me close with this…

Be comforted that Jesus has risen from the grave and that His death is the death of Death. It is eternal life. We can be thankful today for the God of comfort, who comforts, saves, and heals.

Let’s pray.

How Long You Simple Ones Will You Love Simplicity? (Proverbs 1:20-33) - Wisdom Calls Out

“How long you simple ones will you love simplicity? For scorners delight in their scorning and fools hate knowledge?” This is the important question Solomon asked in Proverbs 1:22. Wisdom calls out, she is available. As Proverbs 1:20 says she “cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice.” People are fools when they fail to apply knowledge. If people reject Wisdom: 1. The judgment is severe 2. Wisdom rejects them, and 3. Wisdom turns them over to their sin. But if people embrace Wisdom, she gives them peace and security.

“How long you simple ones will you love simplicity?” The important question Solomon asked in Proverbs 1:22. Wisdom calls out, she’s available.Receive a FREE copy of Pastor Scott LaPierre’s book,  Seven Biblical Insights for Healthy, Joyful, Christ-Centered Marriages .View all Pastor Scott’s books on my Amazon author page.Visit Scott LaPierre’s speaking page for conference and speaking information, including testimonies, endorsements, and contact info.Table of ContentsSermon Lessons for How Long You Simple Ones Will You Love Simplicity? (Proverbs 1:20-33) – Wisdom Calls Out Sermon Notes for How Long You Simple Ones Will You Love Simplicity? (Proverbs 1:20-33) – Wisdom Calls OutLesson 1: God makes wisdom available.Lesson 2: fools don’t apply knowledge.Lesson 3: if people reject wisdom (part 1) judgment is severe.Lesson 3: if people reject wisdom (part 2) she rejects them.Lesson 3: if people reject wisdom (part 3) she turns them over to their sin.Lesson 4: if people embrace wisdom, she gives them security and peace.Sermon Lessons for How Long You Simple Ones Will You Love Simplicity? (Proverbs 1:20-33) – Wisdom Calls Out Lesson 1: ______ __________ wisdom available (Pro 1:20-21). Lesson 2: ________ ___________ apply knowledge (Pro 1:22-23, 29 cf. Pro 6:9, Exo 10:3). Lesson 3: If people reject wisdom:(Part I) Judgment is ____________ (Pro 1:24-27; Psa 2:4).(Part II) She _______________ them (Pro 1:28).(Part III) She turns them over to ___________ _______ (Pro 1:29-31; Jer 2:19; Rom 1:19-26). Lesson 4: If people ______________ _____________, she gives them security and peace (Pro 1:33; 1 Cor 1:24, 30; Matt 3:17). Family Worship Guide for How Long You Simple Ones Will You Love Simplicity? (Proverbs 1:20-33) – Wisdom Calls Out Day 1: Read Pro 1:20-23, Pro 6:9, Exo 10:3 and discuss: How is wisdom available? Why is Wisdom personified? What noise in our lives might drown out wisdom? What makes people simple or scoffers? Day 2: Read Pro 1:24-31; Psa 2:4, Jer 2:19; and discuss: What makes people fools? What does it mean that fools hate knowledge? Define wisdom. Define knowledge. Why is wisdom judged so severely? How does Wisdom punish those who reject her? Day 3: Read Rom 1:19-26 Pro 1:33; 1 Cor 1:24, 30; Matt 3:17) and discuss: What similarities does Pro 1 have with Romans 1? What does it mean that Jesus is the wisdom of God? How are the provers fulfilled in Jesus?Sermon Notes for How Long You Simple Ones Will You Love Simplicity? (Proverbs 1:20-33) – Wisdom Calls Out

Go ahead and open your Bibles to Proverbs 20.

Last Sunday’s sermon in Job 28 was titled, “Where Can Wisdom Be Found?”

You might remember Job had grown weary of his friends’ clichés and platitudes. He wanted real wisdom. He said:

Job 28:12 “But where shall wisdom be found?Job 28:20 “From where, then, does wisdom come?

Since Job was asking where to find wisdom, you might be quick to think it’s hard to find. But we’ll see this morning that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Look w/ me at Proverbs 1:20…

Proverbs 1:20 Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice; 21 at the head of the noisy streets she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks:

Job asked where to find wisdom, but she clearly isn’t hiding…and this brings us to Lesson 1…

Lesson 1: God makes wisdom available.

The pronouns “she” and “her” reveal Wisdom is presented as a person.

By personifying wisdom, it seems like something – or someone – we must have a relationship with to be wise. This is fitting, b/c Wisdom complements the Father, and we must have a relationship w/ the Father to be wise.

Wisdom is not a separate being from the Father. Instead, Wisdom is the mind of God revealed. To hear Wisdom is to hear God.

In the above verses Wisdom calls out to people passing by. She cries aloud…raises her voice…cries out. She wants to be heard.

She’s in the street, in the markets…at the head of the streets…at the entrance of the city gates. She wants to be found. She’s in the most prominent places, appealing to us right where we live our daily lives.

All of this is meant to communicate Wisdom’s availability.

But there is something threatening our ability to hear Wisdom, and it’s contained in the words the noisy streets.

There’s a lot of noise that threatens to drown out Wisdom. These are all the things vying for our attention…and they can distract us from Wisdom.

We should ask ourselves: What threatens to drown out Wisdom in my life?

Is it movies?Is it news?Is it unprofitable books?Is it shallow conversations?Is it bad company, or unwise people?

We should think about what might prevent us from hearing Wisdom as she calls out to us.

She has a strong challenge for everyone. Look at verse 22…

Proverbs 1:22 “How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge?

When Scripture asks “How long” – which it asks twice in this verse – it implies something bad has been going on, and it’s going to get worse.

Think of Moses speaking to Pharaoh…

Exodus 10:3 says, “Thus says the LORD God of the Hebrews: ‘HOW LONG will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go, that they may serve Me.’”

The longer Pharaoh would not let the Hebrews go, the worse things became for him.

Proverbs 6:9 HOW LONG will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep?

The longer the sluggard slept, the worse things became for him.

In verse 22 the idea is the longer people go w/o wisdom, the worse things become for them…and why’s that?

The longer they go w/o wisdom, the longer they make bad decisions.

It’s as though Wisdom says, “How long will you reject me and keep hurting yourself?”

Three groups who have been without Wisdom are mentioned in the verse: simple ones, scoffers, and fools. It’s important to understand each group…

First, the simple ones.

I’ve shared some opposites in Scripture with you recently:

The opposite of foolish is wise.The opposite of ignorance is knowledgeable.

And this is another opposite…

The opposite of simple is prudent.

Prudence is what the simple need. Look at verse 4…

Proverbs 1:4 Give prudence to the simple

Also…

Proverbs 8:5 Simple ones, learn prudence

What does it mean to be prudent?

It means to know what to believe…therefore, to be simple means to NOT know what to believe…

Proverbs 14:15 The simple believes everything, but the prudent gives thought to his steps.

The simple are gullible and easily led astray.

They don’t have a mental deficiency, but they are naïve.

Prudence will encourage them to give thought to their steps, which means they would be discerning and examine things.

If the simple respond to Wisdom they can become wise. But if they reject wisdom, they’re on their way to becoming scoffers and fools…which brings us to the second group…

The second group is scoffers. In Proverbs they’re also called scorners and mockers.

Here’s how you can think about the simple and scoffers…

If the simple have blank looks on their faces, scoffers have smirks and sneers on their faces. They’re smug.

Proverbs 21:24 “Scoffer” is the name of the arrogant, haughty man who acts with arrogant pride.

Wisdom reaches out to scoffers, but they reject her. They scorn Wisdom b/c they’re arrogant and they think they know everything.

The third group is fools.

They don’t just mock or scoff at Wisdom, it says they downright hate knowledge.

Briefly look down at verse 29…

Proverbs 1:29 Because THEY HATED KNOWLEDGE…

It’s repeated twice so we don’t miss it. If you want a simple definition of fools you could say they’re people who hate knowledge.

To understand this, and to understand fools in general, we must understand the way the word hate is used in Scripture…

According to dictionary.com, “hate” means, “to dislike intensely or passionately; feel extreme aversion for or extreme hostility toward; detest.”

But in Scripture, hate often has to do w/ choice. Whatever you reject, you hate…not literally, but in the sense that you didn’t choose it.

Let me give you two examples…

Luke 14:26 “If anyone comes to me and does not HATE HIS OWN father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.

We know Jesus isn’t literally telling us to hate our family members, b/c other places in Scripture command to care for our family members and if we don’t we’re worse than unbelievers.

So what does it mean?

It means we should choose Jesus even over our family members.

Romans 9:13 As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”

Did God hate Esau?

No. God blessed Esau.

But it says God hated him, b/c He chose Jacob over him.

So in Scripture, hate means to not choose.

Look at verse 29…

Proverbs 1:29 Because they hated knowledge and DID NOT CHOOSE the fear of the Lord,

Fools hate knowledge in that they don’t choose it – or you could say they choose not to apply it – and this brings us to Lesson 2…

Lesson 2: fools don’t apply knowledge.

Let’s briefly define wisdom and foolishness…

Wisdom is the application of knowledge. Wise people apply the knowledge they have.

Wisdom is the ability to do what is morally and spiritually right, which means wisdom is moral…unlike knowledge which is amoral.

Since wisdom is moral, it’s always spoken of positively. Gaining more wisdom only benefits us. There’s no downside to it; it can only help us. It can’t puff us up like knowledge can.

If you briefly take your mind back to 1 Corinthians 8 and Romans 14, they’re chapters about knowledge. Paul wanted the Corinthians and Romans to use their knowledge to benefit others, and that’s what wisdom is. It’s applying knowledge, and using it in a moral, loving way.

A theme in Scripture is that fools are wise in their own eyes (Proverbs 3:7, 26:12, 12:15, Isa 5:21).

Why would fools think they’re wise?

Because of their knowledge.

Earlier I said the simple don’t have a mental deficiency. Fools also don’t have mental deficiencies:

Their problem isn’t a low IQ. They could be smart.Their problem isn’t a poor education. They could be educated.

So if their problem isn’t a lack of knowledge, a low IQ, or a poor education, what is it?

Their problem is a lack of desire. They lack the desire to obey and apply the knowledge they have.

If fools were ignorant it wouldn’t be so bad, but b/c they know their accountability is high.

Jam 4:17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

Fools live in this world of not doing what they know they should do.

So look what Wisdom says to them in verse 23…

Proverbs 1:23 If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you.

They must repent!

The words if you turn at my reproof mean if you repent at my rebuke.

Why is repentance the first thing Wisdom calls for?

Wisdom exposes our foolishness and sin, which requires our repentance.

If we’re going to grow in Wisdom, we must first repent of our foolishness and sin.

Think of how this happens…

Whenever we read Scripture we’re confronted w/:

Areas of our lives that need to changeSins and struggles we need to turn from

If we repent – or turn at Wisdom’s reproof – we can grow.

But if we:

Refuse b/c we’re being foolsScoff b/c we’re being mockers

We won’t grow in wisdom.

Look at how willing Wisdom is to help us grow…

She says I will pour out my Spirit – referring to the Holy Spirit – and make my words – or wisdom – known.

The Holy Spirit is mentioned b/c He enlightens our minds and illuminates the Scriptures, resulting in an understanding of wisdom.

In last Sunday’s sermon I said that wisdom is not natural…that’s why Job couldn’t find it anywhere in the natural world.

It’s also not natural in that we can’t gain it on our own. The Holy Spirit is needed.

We’re going to look at Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 2 at a later time, but for now consider one verse…

1 Corinthians 2:14 The natural person does not accept the things of THE SPIRIT OF GOD, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are SPIRITUALLY DISCERNED.

To say they’re spiritually discerned is to say wisdom is supernatural and therefore – as verse 23 says – God’s spirit must be poured out on us to receive it, or make it known to us…

Ephesians 1:17 The God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may GIVE YOU THE SPIRIT OF WISDOM and of revelation in the knowledge of him

If we reject Wisdom, look what she says in the next verse…

Proverbs 1:24 Because I have called and you refused to listen, have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded, 25 because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof,

Wisdom repeatedly reached out. She has called [and] stretched out [her] hand. This looks to the many opportunities people have throughout their lives to receive wisdom.

But some people repeatedly reject her offer. They refuse to listen…[have not] heeded…ignored [her] counsel…would have none of [her] reproof, revealing their stubbornness and hard-heartedness.

As a result, look what Wisdom says in verse 26…

Proverbs 1:26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when terror strikes you, 27 when terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you.

Wisdom has been very gracious and inviting up to this point, but all that has ended. Now she discusses the suffering that comes to people who reject her…and this brings us to Lesson 3…

Lesson 3: if people reject wisdom (part 1) judgment is severe.

Notice Wisdom says I also. Wisdom does to people what they’ve done to her:

They laughed at her, so she laughs at themThey mocked her, so she mocks themThey scorned her, so she scorns them

This is how God responds elsewhere in Scripture when people reject Him…

Psalms 2:2 The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers take counsel together Against the Lord and against His Anointed [but] 4 HE WHO SITS IN THE HEAVENS LAUGHS, THE LORD SCOFFS AT THEM (NASB).

Notice the strong, horrifying language in the verse: calamity, terror, terror, storm, calamity, whirlwind, distress, anguish.

These words should cause anyone to want to listen to Wisdom.

We might be troubled b/c Wisdom sounds cruel, but she’s trying to warn us about the consequence of rejecting her…which makes her words loving. She’s trying to produce repentance and create a healthy fear.

But if people won’t repent and fear…look at verse 28…

Proverbs 1:28 Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me.

This is more of Wisdom doing to people what they did to her. They wouldn’t listen to her, so she won’t listen to them…and this brings us to the next part of Lesson 3…

Lesson 3: if people reject wisdom (part 2) she rejects them.

Notice the context: they finally want Wisdom in verse 28, but it’s after they’re suffering as described in verses 26 and 27.

At this point she ignores them.

What does this look like in real life?

People sin, suffer, call out for help, but it’s too late. They must experience the consequences of their actions. They bring judgment on themselves, and Wisdom is no longer available to help.

The sad thing is people are finally ready to listen to Wisdom, but it’s AFTER they’ve sinned when it’s too late. There’s no undoing what they’ve done. All they can do is suffer the consequences.

How many times have you seen people sin, suffer, and suddenly they seem humble and they want to know what to do to undo what they did…how many times have we been like this?

But it’s too late then…Wisdom is no longer answering.

Some years ago – I believe it was during an Evening Service – we were talking about the consequences of sin, and someone said, “Scripture gives us wisdom to avoid getting ourselves into messes, but it doesn’t give us wisdom to get out of the messes we’ve gotten ourselves into.”

I thought this was an insightful and accurate comment…and it’s a good picture of this verse.

So let me say as lovingly as possible what this verse is saying…

We can sin, suffer, cry out for help, but the consequences won’t be taken away…or in other words, Wisdom will not answer.

Look at verse 29…

Proverbs 1:29 Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord, 30 would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof

One of the themes in the last few sermons is that the fear of the Lord is associated w/ wisdom. For example, in last week’s sermon, after Job looked for wisdom, his conclusion was…

Job 28:28 Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom.

Since the fear of the Lord is wisdom, when people reject wisdom, they’re rejecting God…which is why rejecting Wisdom is so serious.

Look at the way people are punished as a result…

Proverbs 1:31 therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices.

This is one of the many places in Scripture revealing one of the strongest ways people are judged…

They’re simply left alone and turned over to their sin. They’re allowed to have what they want…and this brings us to Lesson 3…

Lesson 3: if people reject wisdom (part 3) she turns them over to their sin.

They turned from wisdom, so Wisdom turned them over to what they wanted instead: their foolishness.

You’re looking at the very worst thing God can do to people in this life…

Abandon them to their sin and the consequences of it.

Notice the language of eating is used…

eat the fruit of their way…have their fill

When God really wants to punish sinners, He lets them reap what they’ve sown…or eat what they want…and that is their punishment.

Consider this verse…

When Jeremiah was a prophet it was a dark period in Judah’s history. God said to the people…

Jeremiah 2:19a Your evil will chastise you, and your apostasy will reprove you.

This is a powerful verse.

God wouldn’t even have to punish them. Their sins would cause them enough suffering.

Think about these accounts and how God punished people by letting them have what they wanted:

God told Balaam he could go w/ BalakGod told the 2.5 tribes they could settle on the east side of the JordanGod told Israel they could have an earthly king

God can let people have the sinful things they want…and it can be devastating to them…or us.

All of this is remarkably similar to Romans 1. Let me quickly read through some of the verses…

Romans 1:19 For what can be known about God is plain to them (which is to say they have knowledge), because God has shown it to them.

Plain to them makes me think of Wisdom’s availability. She’s not hiding. She’s yelling out to people, making herself plain.

Romans 1:22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools

Just like those in Proverbs, they think they’re wise, but they’re fools…

Romans 1:24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity,

Just like in Proverbs God turned them over to their sin…

Romans 1:25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie

They rejected wisdom for foolishness.

Romans 1:26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions…and RECEIVING IN THEMSELVES THE DUE PENALTY FOR THEIR ERROR.

Again, just like in Proverbs they were turned over to their sin, and their sin was the punishment.

After hearing these verses in Romans, read Proverbs 1:31 one more time…

Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices.

Doesn’t this sound like what God does w/ people in Romans 1?

Look at verse 32…

Proverbs 1:32 For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them;

The simple end up being killed b/c they’re too simple to make it w/o wisdom.

Fools end up being destroyed b/c of their indifference. They didn’t care – they were complacent – and it ends up being their demise.

They all rejected Wisdom without having any idea how it would go for them.

Obeying God – which is to say embracing Wisdom – keeps us from greater suffering in the future.

I know there’s been much challenging teaching up to this point, but it ends w/ a wonderful encouragement for those who will hear Wisdom…

Proverbs 1:33 but whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.”

The verse starts w/ the word but, b/c there’s a choice:

Between foolishness and wisdomBetween death and life

These verses are like a road map with:

Wisdom leading to peace and securityFolly leading to death and destruction.

Everyone is on one of these two paths.

And this brings us to Lesson 4…

Lesson 4: if people embrace wisdom, she gives them security and peace.

Wisdom offers life and blessing for all who receive her.

This past week I read an interesting quote related to Jesus that I wanted to share w/ you…

“The furniture has not moved. It’s just that the light is on now,” referring to the New Testament’s illumination of Christ.

So I’d like us to keep something in mind for these sermons on Wisdom…

They all look to Christ:

1 Corinthians 1:24 Christ is the wisdom of God1 Corinthians 1:30 Christ became to us wisdom from God.

The Book of Proverbs is written as a father speaking to his son. Repeatedly it says…

A wise son makes a glad father.

Jesus is the Wise Son who makes His Father glad. Think of Jesus’ baptism…

Matthew 3:17 A voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with WHOM I AM WELL PLEASED.”

Since Jesus is the source of all wisdom, all the proverbs point to Him.

So what does that mean for verse 33?

This promise of security, ease, and no fear of disaster, finds its fulfillment in Christ.

Think of how only He can provide this for us:

To be saved by Christ is to be secureTo know Christ is to know the peace He offersTo be in Christ is to no longer need fear – or dread as the verse says – the penalty of our sin

Wisdom delivers us, but Christ is the wisdom of God, and true deliverance is found in Him.

Let’s pray.

Where Can Wisdom Be Found? (Job 28:12, 20) - The Important Question Job Asked During His Trials

“Where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?” is the important question Job asked his friends during his trials. This is the same question we should ask.

“Where can wisdom be found?” (Job 28:12). This is the important question Job asked during his trials. We should ask the same question.Receive a FREE copy of Pastor Scott LaPierre’s book,  Seven Biblical Insights for Healthy, Joyful, Christ-Centered Marriages .View all Pastor Scott’s books on my Amazon author page.Visit Scott LaPierre’s speaking page for conference and speaking information, including testimonies, endorsements, and contact info.Table of ContentsSermon Lessons for Where Can Wisdom Be Found?Family Worship Guide for Where Can Wisdom Be Found?Sermon Notes for Where Can Wisdom Be Found?Lesson 1: do we pursue wisdom?Lesson 2: wisdom is hidden.Lesson 3: wisdom belongs to God.Sermon Lessons for Where Can Wisdom Be Found?Lesson 1: Do we ____________ ____________? (Job 28:1-12; Pro 3:15). Lesson 2: Wisdom ____ ____________ (Job 28:13-22; 1 Cor 2:7; Matt 11:25; Luke 8:9; Matt 13:10-17). Lesson 3: Wisdom ______________ to ______ (Job 28:23-28; Rom 1:19-20; Ecc 12:13; Pro 9:10; Psa 110:10). Family Worship Guide for Where Can Wisdom Be Found?Day 1: Read Job 28:1-12 and Proverbs 3:15 and discuss: Why did Job’s friends think he suffered? Where did Job say wisdom is NOT found? What do you pursue the most in your life, in other words, where do you invest the most of your time, energy, talents, etc? What do you pursue too often? What should you pursue more? Day 2: Read Job 28:13-22, 1 Corinthians 2:7, Luke 8:9, Matthew 11:25, 13:10-17 and discuss: Why can’t we find wisdom in creation? Why did Jesus speak in parables? Who is wisdom hidden from? Who is wisdom revealed to? Why is wisdom so valuable? Day 3: Read Job 28:23-28, Romans 1:19-20, Ecclesiastes 12:13, Proverbs 9:10, Psalm 110:10 and discuss: Where can wisdom be found? What reveals wisdom, or what serves as a demonstration of God’s wisdom? Why is the fear of God associated with wisdom in the Wisdom Literature?Sermon Notes for Where Can Wisdom Be Found?

Go ahead and open your Bibles to Job 28. This sermon is going to serve as a foundation for next Sunday’s sermon.

A few weeks ago I told you I wanted to have a series on wisdom, but from a different perspective. I wanted to focus on the wisdom needed to navigate through trials.

Fittingly, the man in Scripture most associated w/ trials – Job – also has one of the most profound chapters in Scripture about wisdom.

My Moody Bible said, “Job 28 is regarded rightly by many scholars as the theological and literary heart of the entire book.”

Even though the first two chapters and the last few chapters get the most attention, maybe this chapter should receive the most attention!

Let me share a quote w/ you that came to mind as I studied this chapter…

On February 12, 2002, Donald Rumsfeld, who was serving as the US Secretary of Defense, said…

“There are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns—the ones we don’t know we don’t know.”

The statement became the subject of much commentary including a documentary film titled, “The Unknown Known,” and Rumsfeld named his autobiography, Known and Unknown: A Memoir.

Although Rumsfeld was speaking militarily when he made the statement, I think it works regarding trials b/c they fall into all three categories:

We know God brings forth good from trials. This is a known known.We know we’ll experience trials in the future, but we don’t know what the trials will be. This is a known unknown.God is doing many unknown things through trials. John Piper said, “God is always doing 10,000 things in your life, and you may be aware of three of them.” The 9,997 are unknown unknowns.

By the time we reach Job 28, Job and his friends have been debating his trials, but they don’t think anything is unknown. To them it’s all known knowns. They think they have it all figured out and it’s as simple as Job is terribly suffering b/c he’s a terrible sinner.

But to Job, he doesn’t think he’s been terrible, and he knows some righteous people suffer terribly, and some unrighteous people seem to lack suffering. To him it’s a known unknown.

The actual truth is an unknown unknown to Job and his friends, b/c they didn’t know about the exchange between God and the devil at the beginning of the book…

Job 1:8 and 2:3 The Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?”

The truth was the opposite of what they were saying: Job was suffering b/c he was so righteous. He’s like the tree that rose above all the others and ended up being struck by lightning as a result.

By the time we reach Job 28, Job has grown weary of the clichés and platitudes his friends have been giving him in the name of wisdom. He wanted real wisdom. Look at:

Job 28:12 “But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?Job 28:20 “From where, then, does wisdom come? And where is the place of understanding?

This is the theme of the chapter: Where is wisdom?

First, we’re going to look for it deep in the earth. Look at verse 1…

Job 28:1 “Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place for gold that they refine. 2 Iron is taken out of the earth, and copper is smelted from the ore. 3 Man puts an end to darkness and searches out to the farthest limit the ore in gloom and deep darkness.

Man digs into the darkest parts of the earth to mine silver, gold, iron, and copper…but he doesn’t find wisdom.

Job 28:4 He opens shafts in a valley away from where anyone lives; they are forgotten by travelers; they hang in the air, far away from mankind; they swing to and fro.

When it says they hang in the air and swing to and fro, it’s describing man descending w/ ropes and swinging back and forth.

Man risks his life diggin deep shafts – or tunnels – where nobody lives or travels, and in places people have forgotten about…but he doesn’t find wisdom.

Job 28:5 As for the earth, out of it comes bread, but underneath it is turned up as by fire.

Bread – which is really to say grain and wheat – comes up out of the earth, but when you go down into the earth there’s fire, referring tomolten rock and lava.

Job 28:6 Its stones are the place of sapphires, and it has dust of gold.

Man finds precious stones – such as sapphires – and gold…but still no wisdom.

Job 28:7 “That path no bird of prey knows, and the falcon’s eye has not seen it.

Man searches out places no bird has ever flown or seen…but still no wisdom.

Job 28:8 The proud beasts have not trodden it; the lion has not passed over it.

Man searches out places the most powerful animals – such as the lion – haven’t even gone.

Job 28:9 “Man puts his hand to the flinty rock and overturns mountains by the roots. 10 He cuts out channels in the rocks, and his eye sees every precious thing.

Man breaks open large rocks and overturns mountains in the sense of cutting tunnels into them. He finds every precious thing that could be under them…but still no wisdom.

Job 28:11 He dams up the streams so that they do not trickle, and the thing that is hidden he brings out to light. 12 “But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?

Man creates dams to stop rivers so he can search out riverbeds. If there’s anything valuable hidden in the dark, he brings it to light.

He has looked, searched, and dug everywhere, but he doesn’t find wisdom…and there are two reasons he doesn’t.

One reason is in verse 13…

Job 28:13a Man does not know its worth,

This is a strong criticism…

Man doesn’t find wisdom, b/c he’s not looking for it, and he’s not looking for it, b/c he doesn’t how valuable it is. He’d rather find riches and gold, but…

Proverbs 3:15 [Wisdom] is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her.

Man will look everywhere for wealth w/o looking for wisdom…even though wisdom is more valuable.

This should cause us to ask how much we value wisdom…and this brings us to lesson 1…

Lesson 1: do we pursue wisdom?

There’s an interesting irony w/ the verses we read…

On the surface, they sound like they’re commending man’s ingenuity:

He faces great danger to explore the earth and the skyHe works hard to build tunnels and caves through rock and under mountainsHe brings light to the darkest and farthest places

But these verses are actually a criticism, and here’s why…

Man won’t put forth the same effort to gain wisdom…even though it’s much more valuable than everything he’s looking for.

This should cause us to ask if we value wisdom, and we can see how much we value wisdom, by how diligently we pursue it.

We’re all pursuing something in that we’re all investing our time and energy in something.

We pursue what we value. If we value wisdom we’ll invest time and energy in gaining it.

I told you there were two reasons man can’t find wisdom. The first reason is he doesn’t value it, and the second reason is in the rest of verse 13…

Job 28:13b and it is not found in the land of the living.

There’s no place in all the world that we can find wisdom…and this brings us to Lesson 2…

Lesson 2: wisdom is hidden.

If you look at the end of verse 11 it says the thing that is hidden he brings out to light.

Man might bring many hidden things to light, but there’s one hidden thing he can’t bring to light and that’s wisdom.

The above verses make the point that man can’t find wisdom in creation

Man can search everywhereHe can dig out mines in the earthHe can open shafts where nobody livesHe can look high in the air where birds fly

But he can’t find wisdom b/c it’s hidden.

Multiple places in Scripture present wisdom as something hidden:

1 Corinthians 2:7 But we impart a secret and HIDDEN WISDOM OF GOD, which God decreed before the ages for our glory.Matthew 11:25 Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have HIDDEN THESE THINGS from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children. Jesus said the Father hid these things from the wise, which sounds odd b/c since they’re called wise it sounds like they have wisdom, but it means wise in their own eyes; it doesn’t mean they have wisdom.

Consider the parables for a moment…

The word parable is related to our English word parallel, b/c…

Jesus used real-life, familiar situations – such as a rebellious son, an annoying neighbor, and an unjust judge – to teach wisdom.He put earthly, physical stories alongside – or parallel to – heavenly, eternal realities to illustrate them.

What happened most of the time when Jesus taught parables?

Did people say, “Wow, this makes so much sense. I’m amazed by what I just learned.”Or did they say, “This doesn’t make sense”?

They said it didn’t make sense…b/c the wisdom was hidden.

Now here’s the question…

If Jesus wanted to teach about the kingdom of God…If He wanted people to gain wisdom…

Why did He speak in parables? Why didn’t He just communicate plainly and straightforwardly?

The disciples asked this exact question…

Matthew 13:10 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?”

Jesus replied…

Matthew 13:13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand…16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17 For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

The point of these verses is wisdom is hidden: God keeps it hidden from some, and He reveals it to others.

Before we read verses 14-19 I want you to look for the repeated use of the word not stressing the absence of wisdom in all of creation b/c it’s hidden…

Job 28:14 The deep says, ‘It is not in me,’ and the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’

The deep is the ocean, and you can’t find wisdom there or in the sea.

Job 28:15 It cannot be bought for gold, and silver cannot be weighed as its price.

Job mentioned gold fives times, silver once, and he named seven precious stones…yet none of them can purchase wisdom.

For the last three weeks we discussed knowledge, and this is one of the major differences between wisdom and knowledge…

Knowledge is something you can purchase.

People spend thousands of dollars on degrees, and online courses, and books to obtain knowledgePeople pay others to train them so they have the knowledge to do something

But there’s no purchasing wisdom.

One reason you can’t purchase it is you can’t put a price on it. Look at verse 16…

Job 28:16 It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, in precious onyx or sapphire. 17 Gold and glass cannot equal it, nor can it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold. 18 No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal; the price of wisdom is above pearls. 19 The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it, nor can it be valued in pure gold.

Th world thinks that anything can be obtained or fixed if only we have enough money:

Government agencies ask for bigger slices of the annual budget so they can do a better job fighting crime, ending pollution, providing jobs, building a better environment, and caring for the homeless.People think if they get enough money they’ll be able to buy what they want and finally be happy.

While a certain amount of money is needed to survive, money is not the do-all and be-all that the world thinks it is…and one reason it’s not is no amount can obtain wisdom for us.

So it leaves us w/ the question in verse 20…

Job 28:20 “From where, then, does wisdom come? And where is the place of understanding? 21 It is hidden from the eyes of all living and concealed from the birds of the air.

Living people can’t find wisdom, and it’s even concealed from birds who fly high overhead and see everything.

Job 28:22 Abaddon and Death say, ‘We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.’

You can’t find wisdom in the land of the living, and you can’t find it in the land of the dead.

Instead, here’s where to find it…

Job 28:23 “God understands the way to it, and he knows its place.

Only God knows where to find wisdom…and this brings us to Lesson 3…

Lesson 3: wisdom belongs to God.

Twice – in verses 12 and 20 – Job asked, “Where is wisdom?” and He answered here: God has it.

We need to understand that wisdom is supernatural. It’s supernatural in that it belongs to God, and that’s why it can’t be found in the natural world.

Colossians 1:9 We have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in ALL SPIRITUAL WISDOM and understanding,

Wisdom is spiritual, or supernatural, versus earthly, or natural.

Now Job gives evidence of God’s wisdom…

Job 28:24 For he looks to the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens.

God is omniscient, which means He sees and knows everything. He doesn’t have to dig into the earth or look up to the sky to see what’s there. He already knows.

Job 28:25 When he gave to the wind its weight and apportioned the waters by measure,

God has the wisdom to adjust the pressure of the wind and measure the amount of water in the atmosphere. If these proportions were changed even a little, we’d experience terrible disturbances in our environment.

Job 28:26 when he made a decree for the rain and a way for the lightning of the thunder, 27 then he saw it and declared it; he established it, and searched it out.

God commands the rain and guides the storm as it moves across the earth. Flashes of lightning and peals of thunder may seem arbitrary to us, but God controls all of them.

Consider these verses…

Romans 1:19 For what can be known about God is plain…20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.

God’s attributes are shown in the fabric of creation, and especially His wisdom b/c of the way everything is ordered so perfectly.

Now let me explain these verses in the context of the book of Job, b/c I think it’s very encouraging…

As Job considered God’s sovereignty over the universe, it caused him to see God’s sovereignty over the events in his life.Even though everything looked chaotic to him at first, as he thought about the way God orders nature, he began to believe that God ordered everything he was experiencing.As He saw God behind all of creation, it allowed him to see God behind all his suffering.

This is what led him to ask for an audience w/ God in the following chapters.

The wonderful, encouraging lesson for us is this…

If God can control all of creation – in its vastness, complexity, and majesty – how much easier can He control our circumstances?If we can trust God to order all of nature so well, how much more can we trust Him to order our lives?

And b/c God is so wise and sovereign, there’s only one reasonable conclusion, which Job states in verse 28…

Job 28:28 And he said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”

Earlier Job said where to find wisdom – from God – and now he says what wisdom is: fearing God.

The Book of Job is part of what’s known as the wisdom books, and fittingly they associate wisdom w/ the fear of God:

Eccesiastes 12:13 The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.Proverb 9:10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdomPsalm 110:10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom

The wisdom books are called the wisdom books b/c they teach the fear of God.

What does it mean to fear God?

It means having an attitude of reverence and awe toward Him b/c we respect His power and greatness.

Something interesting about this is God said Job feared Him…

Job 1:8 and 2:3 The Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, WHO FEARS GOD and turns away from evil?”

Job has been looking for wisdom, but b/c he feared God, he had it since the beginning.

When you want to find wise people, look for people who fear God.

Let me close by showing you a couple verses in Job 42.

Take your minds back to the beginning of the sermon. Job’s friends thought everything was a known known, which is to say:

They knew why certain things were happening…They knew why God was doing what He was doing…They understood His purposes…

Twice Job asked: Where is wisdom?

We could say it’s not w/ his friends.

When Job talked about nature and creation, it’s like he said:

“You don’t understand the natural – such as rain and thunder – how could you claim to understand the supernatural?”“You can’t explain the physical and temporal, so how can you explain the spiritual and eternal?”

They couldn’t understand Job’s suffering. It remained incomprehensible to them.

When they acted like they could understand, it wasn’t wisdom. It was arrogance and presumption.

And that’s why God was upset w/ them. Look at verse 7…

Job 42:7 After the Lord had spoken these words to Job, the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite: “My anger burns against you and against your two friends, for YOU HAVE NOT SPOKEN OF ME WHAT IS RIGHT, as my servant Job has. 8 Now therefore take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves. And my servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept his prayer not to deal with you according to your folly. For YOU HAVE NOT SPOKEN OF ME WHAT IS RIGHT, as my servant Job has.”

God was angry w/ them. Twice He said that what they said wasn’t right. Job had to pray for them, and offer a sacrifice on their behalf, and then God wouldn’t punish them for their foolishness.

Here’s the important point…

Many people think of wisdom the way Job’s friends thought of wisdom, but their understanding of wisdom basically makes them false prophets.

What I mean is, they think it’s wise, or a demonstration of wisdom to say:

“God did this for this reason…”“This is why this happened…”“This is why God is doing this…”

But if we get an elevated view of everything we’ve read, here’s what we see…

God is wise and:

Only He knows why certain things happenOnly He knows why He does certain things

They’re known knowns to Him, but most of the time they’re unknown unknowns to us.

So this begs the question…

What is wisdom if it’s not knowing why God does what He does?

Wisdom is fearing God regardless of what’s happening in our lives and even though we don’t understand it.

Job was vindicated before his friends – and shown to be wise – not b/c he understood what God was doing, but b/c he continued to trust God even though he did NOT understand what God was doing.

Let me read Job’s words one more time…

Job 28:28 The fear of the Lord, that is wisdom.

Wisdom is knowing there are lots of unknown unknowns out there, but trusting and fearing God through all of them.

Let’s pray.

I Will Never Eat Meat Again (1 Corinthians 8) – Sacrificing for and Deferring to Others

Paul said, “Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat again, lest I make my brother stumble” (1 Corinthians 8:13). Although Paul knew all food was clean, he said it was unclean to the person whose conscience forbids him from eating it. Because it is sinful to violate our consciences as Paul discussed in Romans 2, in Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians, he said he would sacrifice for others.

“I will never eat meat again, lest I make my brother stumble” (1 Corinthians 8:13). Paul knew food was clean, but he sacrificed for others.



Receive a FREE copy of Pastor Scott LaPierre’s book,  Seven Biblical Insights for Healthy, Joyful, Christ-Centered Marriages .View all Pastor Scott’s books on my Amazon author page.Visit Scott LaPierre’s speaking page for conference and speaking information, including testimonies, endorsements, and contact info.



Table of ContentsSermon Lessons for I Will Never Eat Meat Again (1 Corinthians 8) – Sacrificing for and Deferring to Others Family Worship Guide for I Will Never Eat Meat Again (1 Corinthians 8) – Sacrificing for and Deferring to Others Sermon Notes for I Will Never Eat Meat Again (1 Corinthians 8) – Sacrificing for and Deferring to OthersLesson 3: knowledge is used immorally when it (part ii) destroys others.Lesson 2: knowledge is used morally when it (part 2) sacrifices for others.



Sermon Lessons for I Will Never Eat Meat Again (1 Corinthians 8) – Sacrificing for and Deferring to Others

Note: The lessons that are filled in are from the previous sermon.

Lesson 1: Knowledge is amoral, but the way we use it is moral. Lesson 2: Knowledge is used immorally when it:(Part I) Is combined with pride (1 Cor 8:1).(Part II) ________________ ___________ (Rom 14:14-23, 1 Cor 8:9-12). Lesson 3: Knowledge is used morally when it:(Part I) Is combined with love (1 Cor 8:1; Eph 4:15; Phil 1:9).(Part II) ____________________ for ____________ (1 Cor 8:13; John 10:18).



Family Worship Guide for I Will Never Eat Meat Again (1 Corinthians 8) – Sacrificing for and Deferring to Others



Day 1: Read Romans 14:14-23 and discuss: How can food be clean to some and unclean to others? Wat are the essentials and nonessentials in the kingdom of God? How can we prevent other from condemning themselves? How can we keep from condemning ourselves? Day 2: Read 1 Corinthians 8:9-12 and discuss: How do we “destroy a brother or sister in Christ? What does it mean to do so? How can we avoid doing so? Why is it a sin against Christ Himself? Day 3: Read 1 Corinthians 8:9-13 and discuss: Why did Paul say he would never eat meat again? What application does this have for us? What are some examples of things God might have us give up for others? How do we decide what liberties we have? How do we decide what liberties we don’t have?



Sermon Notes for I Will Never Eat Meat Again (1 Corinthians 8) – Sacrificing for and Deferring to Others

The title of this morning’s sermon is, “Sacrificing for Others.”

This will be our third and final sermon on 1 Corinthians 8. We’ll be looking at verses: 11-13.

We’ve spent two sermons covering the situation in the Corinthian church, so I don’t want to spend much time reviewing it. Basically, the church was divided. One group thought they could eat meat sacrificed to idols. The other group thought they shouldn’t.

But we’re going to begin in Romans 2, to review a few verses from last week, and then we’ll look at some verses in Romans 14 before moving to 1 Corinthians 8.

Look at Romans 2:12…

Romans 2:12a For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law,

Those without the law are Gentiles and Paul says they’ll perish, b/c they’re sinners. He’ll elaborate on this in verses 14 and 15.

Romans 2:12b and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law.

These are Jews who have the law, and they’ll be judged b/c…

Romans 2:13 For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.

Having the law wasn’t enough. They had to obey it, which they didn’t do.

Since the Gentiles didn’t receive the law, they thought they didn’t know right from wrong, which allowed them to be innocent. But look at verse 14 to see what condemns them…

Romans 2:14a For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires,

This means obey parts of the law. Even people who have never heard the Ten Commandments still have consciences, which tell them certain things – lying, stealing and murder – are wrong…and they still choose wrong…and it leaves them as guilty before God as people who had the Law…b/c it was as though they had a law too…and that’s what the rest of the verse says…

Romans 2:14b they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15a They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while THEIR CONSCIENCE ALSO BEARS WITNESS, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them

These are the two things our consciences do:

Accuse us when we do something wrong.Excuse us when we do something right.

Even though people have consciences telling them not to do certain things, they do them anyway, so they do something they know is wrong.

Verse 14 says their conscience is a law to [them], so they’re breaking the law they have, which leaves them as guilty as Jews breaking the Ten Commandments.

Now let me ask you a simple question…

Is it bad when people disobey their conscience?

Yes.

Now another question…

If it’s bad for people to disobey their conscience, then how bad do you think it is to LEAD PEOPLE to disobey their conscience?

Really bad! It’s called stumbling others.

Before we look at 1 Corinthians 8, let me show you a few verses in Romans 14 that will help us better understand the verses in 1 Corinthians 8. We’re going to go through these verses quickly so you can pick up the theme. We’ll start at verse 14…

Romans 14:14 I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but IT IS UNCLEAN FOR ANYONE WHO THINKS IT UNCLEAN.

This is interesting. We know from many verses that Paul thought all food was clean.

But he also said food is unclean for people who think it’s unclean, or whose consciences forbid them from eating it.

That’s interesting that a clean food could be unclean to some people b/c of their consciences.

If people are convinced they shouldn’t do something, even if their assessment is wrong, they shouldn’t do it.

Here’s a quote I like…

“A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.”

The idea is someone has been convinced to do something against his will – or conscience – but he isn’t really convinced – he’s of the same opinion – so he ends up sinning against his conscience.

Look at verse 15…

Romans 14:15 For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died.

The Greek word for grieved means caused pain or distress.

When he says grieved by what you eat, it doesn’t mean the weak brother looks at you eat something, thinks you shouldn’t eat it, and is grieved b/c you ate it. It means he sees you eat something, thinks he can eat it, and is grieved by the shame and guilt he experiences later.

Notice two things in this verse that will relate to the verses in 1 Corinthians 8:

Paul says we destroy people when we cause them to violate their consciences. This is strong language that I’ll explain later.Second, he says Christ died for the believer. Hold on to this too.

Look at verse 16…

Romans 14:16 So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil.

Good means acceptable. In other words, you think something is acceptable – or good – but it becomes bad, b/c it stumbles someone else.

Romans 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

This mentions essentials and nonessentials in the kingdom of God:

Eating and drinking, or food and drink, are nonessentials, or amoral issues. We don’t argue w/ people over nonessentials. We pursue peace in these areas, b/c they’re not about right and wrong.Righteousness and peace and joy are essentials, or moral issues, and we must be willing to offend or persuade people in these areas, b/c they’re about right and wrong.

Romans 14:18 Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men.

If you Christ by loving the weaker brother you will be acceptable to God – which is to say God is pleased w/ your behavior – and approved by men – which is to say men will be happy w/ you too, b/c they know you’re acting out of love for them.

Romans 14:19 So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.

There are two reasons we shouldn’t quarrel over nonessentials…

First, b/c we should pursue peace and mutual upbuilding – or unity.

Second, b/c we could cause people to violate their consciences. Look at verse 20…

Romans 14:20 Do not, for the sake of food, DESTROY the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another STUMBLE by what he eats. 21 It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to STUMBLE.

Stumbling others can destroy them, so…

Romans 14:22a The faith – or knowledge – that you have, KEEP BETWEEN YOURSELF AND GOD.

I told you two weeks ago that faith should be thought of as knowledge. For example, verse 4 says As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions.

It would be better to understand this as weak in [knowledge] or lacking knowledge that others have, b/c this isn’t an issue of having strong or weak faith.

We should keep our knowledge to ourselves so we don’t lead others to disobey their consciences.

Look at the rest of the verse…

Romans 14:22b Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves…or on himself for what he thinks is acceptable.

This is interesting…

If we don’t keep our knowledge to ourselves, we could cause others to sin by violating their consciences…and that should violate our consciences too. We should feel bad about causing others to sin.

We’re blessed if we keep our knowledge to ourselves, b/c then we [have no] reason to pass judgment on ourselves – or condemn ourselves – for causing others to sin.

This is a great reason not to cause others to violate their consciences: so we can have clear consciences too.

Look at verse 23…

Romans 14:23 But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.

When it says is condemned, it doesn’t mean God condemns him – although that’s true too – it means his conscience condemns him. Later he has doubts about what he did, feels bad about it, and condemns himself.

Up to this point maybe you’ve wondered: “When people violate their conscience is it really sin?”

This verse is important b/c it answers that question for us. It’s the first verse we’ve seen saying it is sin.

Now w/ this in mind turn back to 1 Corinthians 8. We’re at verse 11 but back up to verse 9 for context…

1 Corinthians 8:9 But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? 11 And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died.

Here it is again about the weak brother is destroyed…and this brings us to the last part of Lesson 3…

Lesson 3: knowledge is used immorally when it (part ii) destroys others.

In verse 10 notice four important words: if anyone sees you.

We’ve talked about persuading someone to do something, but maybe we’ve only thought in terms of verbally. With the words sees you we’ve now moved from the direct to the indirect. What I mean is:

We can directly lead people to violate their consciences by talking them into doing things they shouldn’t do.But we can also indirectly lead people to violate their consciences by our example.

This causes us to consider who’s around us and how our actions might affect them.

To say a weak brother is destroyed – which Paul says in Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians 8 – is very strong language.

What does it mean?

It’s not speaking physically. It’s speaking spiritually.

Since people can’t lose their salvation, it doesn’t mean they go to hell, but it does mean serious detriment to their spiritual growth.

Let me give you two examples, one from Paul’s day, and one from our day.

Imagine a Gentile was steeped in idolatry. He repents, comes to Christ, and as – as Romans 14:23 says – has doubts about eating meat sacrificed to idols.

But then he sees a strong believer go into the temple of one of the idols he used to worship. The strong believer buys some of the meat sacrificed to the idol and eats it. The Gentile believer is encouraged – as verse 10 says – by the strong believer’s example, goes back to the temple he frequented before, buys and eats meat sacrificed to the idol. Later – as Romans 14:23 says – he has doubts and is condemned, because [he didn’t eat in] faith.

So the strong brother stumbled the weak brother.

But now imagine this…

The weak brother goes back to the temple again to buy more meat, and is drawn back into worshiping the idol. Now he’s destroyed b/c of the strong brother’s example.

Let me give you an example in our day…

Imagine someone’s weak conscience prevents him from drinking alcohol, but he sees someone w/ a strong conscience drink alcohol. He thinks it’s okay, so he drinks. Later he feels bad, b/c his conscience forbid him. So the strong brother stumbled the weak brother.

But now imagine this…

The strong brother can drink his whole life w/o ever having problems, but the weak brother continues drinking and ends up becoming a drunk. The strong brother destroyed the weak brother.

For a moment let me step out of the preacher role and step more into the shepherd role…

I can honestly tell you that I’ve never seen one good thing come from drinking alcohol. But I’ve seen many bad things. Katie and I have both had family members struggle w/ drunkenness. Katie’s mother died from it.

I see no advantages, but plenty of dangers and disadvantages.

A few times in my Christian life I’ve had people argue w/ me about the freedom they have to drink.

I don’t know if they ended up stumbling anyone else, but at least two of these people who argued w/ me later ended up having problems w/ alcohol. Their supposed freedom didn’t destroy someone else. It destroyed them.

This also shows that even though they tried to convince me – and perhaps themselves – that they had the freedom to drink, they didn’t really have it.

At the end of verse 11 notice the words the brother for whom Christ died.

This is about value. It would be easy for the strong brother to think the weak brother isn’t as valuable, but Paul says Christ died for him too. He’s as valuable as the strong brother, so the strong brother must be concerned for him.

Also, b/c Christ died for the weak brother, the strong brother didn’t just sin against the weak brother. He also sinned against Christ. Look at verse 12…

1 Corinthians 8:12 Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ.

Since Christ died for this brother, he’s part of the body of Christ, which is to say he’s part of Christ, and to sin against him is to sin against Christ.

This verse is so important b/c…

People could listen to everything Paul said and think, “If I cause someone to stumble, it’s not a deal. I’m simply offending that person. It’s their issue and they need to deal w/ it.”

Paul says, “No, it’s very serious, and it’s your issue. You’re sinning against Christ Himself. You need to repent.”

I was reflecting on something. Look back w/ me at verse 1…

1 Corinthians 8:1 Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up.

At the very beginning Paul appealed to his readers to do what’s right out of love.

We understand he meant out of love for others, but when Paul mentions Christ in the last two verses it’s like he also appeals to us out of love for Christ. It’s like he says, “Do this not just b/c you love your brother or sister in Christ, but b/c you love Christ.”

This is important, b/c sometimes we don’t want to do things for people. At those times we need to remember we’re doing it for Christ.

I want you to notice something important…

This is the 5th and final time in verses 7-12 that Paul mentions the weak brother.

He also mentioned the weak brother twice in Romans 14…

Romans 14:4 As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him…2 One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables.

In all these verses about the weak brother, Paul never talks about the strong brother making the weak brother strong.

By this point we know why: in the process of trying to make the weak brother strong, the strong brother could cause the weak brother to violate his conscience.

So here’s the question…

If the strong brother isn’t supposed to make the weak brother strong, what is the strong brother supposed to do for the weak brother?

The answer is in verse 13…he’s supposed to sacrifice for him…

1 Corinthians 8:13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.

Because it is such a serious sin to stumble someone, Paul says he’s willing to give up eating meat altogether. He probably wasn’t saying he’d never eat any meat again. Instead, he’s saying he’d never eat meat sacrificed to idols…and this brings us to Lesson 2…

Lesson 2: knowledge is used morally when it (part 2) sacrifices for others.

For believers it should be unthinkable to sin against Christ or our brothers and sisters for whom He died. Rather the love Paul preaches in this chapter will lead us to love those whom Christ loves. As a result, we will take care to avoid doing anything that would stumble others and hinder their spiritual growth in Christ.

Paul is encouraging us to gladly sacrifice our rights.

This is an interesting sermon to preach right after the 4th of July, b/c this is the one time per year we most think about our freedoms and liberties.

As Americans we think about the freedoms and liberties we have, but as Christians Paul wants us to think about the freedoms and liberties we sacrifice for others.

The Bible expects us to do the opposite of what we would expect to do:

We would expect the Bible to tell us to convince others of their freedom and liberty.Instead, we’re told to sacrifice our freedom and liberty to make others comfortable, prevent stumbling, have unity, and be at peace.

So interestingly…

When you meet people who have different convictions than you, instead of trying to convince them to be like you, you’re expected to lay down your liberties and be more like them when you’re around them:

They’re vegans, you become a veganThey don’t drink, you don’t drinkThey don’t like certain movies, music, or activities, you stop those movies, music, and activities

Basically, we’re expected to make the changes that allow us to be more like others, instead of expecting people to be more like us.

We determine what we can and can’t do – not by considering whether we have the liberty – but by considering the way that liberty affects others.

If you think you have a liberty, but it will stumble your brother or sister in Christ, you don’t have that liberty…at least not around them.

As a Christian, you’re part of a family and that means thinking about how your actions affect the rest of the family.

We should consider why we don’t give up liberties sometimes, and usually it boils down to selfishness:

We care more about ourselves than we care about others.We care more about what we want than what others want.

The sad irony associated w/ this kind of attitude is people will often defend their actions by saying something like, “I have the freedom in Christ to do this.”

So they’ll associate their selfishness w/ Christ, as though Christ allows them to be selfish.

But the reality is if they were really thinking about Christ they’d say, “I know Christ wants me thinking about my brothers and sisters, so even though I have the liberty to do this, I won’t!”

Let me conclude w/ this…

Only by the transforming work of the Gospel can the good of our neighbor come to mean more to us than our freedoms and liberties, b/c in the Gospel Jesus gave up His own freedoms and liberties for us.

Our motivation for all this – our motivation to love others and give up our freedoms – should come from thinking about Jesus’ example and the freedom He gave up for us:

John 10:18 [Jesus said], “No one takes [my life] from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down.”

This is a lot of freedom to be willing to give up!

Jesus said, “I have the freedom to keep My life, but I’m willing to give it up for you.”

Jesus allowed men to mock Him, beat Him, pluck out His beard and finally lift Him up and nail Him to a cross.

When we think of the freedom Jesus was willing to give up for us, it should make the freedom we give up for our brothers and sisters in Christ pale in comparison.

Let’s pray.

Knowledge Puffs Up but Love Builds Up – We Use Knowledge Immorally When It Divides and Makes Proud

Paul said that “Knowledge puffs up but love builds up,” (1 Corinthians 8:1). Knowledge is amoral, but it can be used in moral and immoral ways:

Morally when it’s combined with love and builds upImmorally when it’s combined with pride and leads to condemning others over nonessentials





Paul said that “Knowledge puffs up but love builds up,” (1 Corinthians 8:1). Knowledge is amoral, but it can be used in moral and immoral ways.



Receive a FREE copy of Pastor Scott LaPierre’s book,  Seven Biblical Insights for Healthy, Joyful, Christ-Centered Marriages .View all Pastor Scott’s books on my Amazon author page.Visit Scott LaPierre’s speaking page for conference and speaking information, including testimonies, endorsements, and contact info.



Table of ContentsSermon Lessons for Knowledge Puffs Up but Love Builds Up Family Worship Guide for Knowledge Puffs Up but Love Builds Up Sermon Notes for Knowledge Puffs Up but Love Builds UpLesson 1: knowledge is amoral, but the way we use it is moral.Lesson 2: having knowledge doesn’t always mean determining who’s right and wrong.Lesson 3: knowledge is used morally when combined with love.Lesson 4: knowledge is used immorally (part 1) when combined with pride.Lesson 4: knowledge is used immorally when (part 2) condemning others over nonessentials.Lesson 4: knowledge is used immorally when (part 3) stumbling others.



Sermon Lessons for Knowledge Puffs Up but Love Builds Up

Note: Lessons 1-3 are from the previous sermon: Concerning Things Offered to Idols (1 Corinthians 8:1) – Using Knowledge Morally to Build Up Others

Lesson 1: Knowledge is amoral, but the way we use it is moral. Lesson 2: Having knowledge doesn’t always mean determining who’s right and wrong (1 Cor 8:4-8; Rom 14:5). Lesson 3: Knowledge is used morally when combined with love (1 Cor 8:1; Eph 4:15; Phil 1:9). Lesson 4: Knowledge is used immorally when:(Part I) Combined ________ __________ (1 Cor 8:1).(Part II) ____________________ ____________ over nonessentials (Rom 14:1-4, 10, 13).(Part III) __________________ others (Rom 2:12-15; 1 Cor 8:9-10)



Family Worship Guide for Knowledge Puffs Up but Love Builds Up



Day 1: Read 1 Corinthians 8:1-7 and discuss: Why did the Corinthians’ knowledge puff them up? What does it look like to use our knowledge to build up others? What about using it to build up ourselves in pride? What are some ways we can use knowledge to build up others? What are some ways we can work to prevent knowledge from building us up in pride? Day 2: Read Romans 14:1-3 and discuss: What does it look like to condemn others with our knowledge? When should we condemn others with our knowledge? When shouldn’t we? How do we know the difference? What makes something an opinion (nonessential) versus an essential? Why does the person with more liberty condemn the person with less? Why does the person with less liberty condemn the person with more liberty? Day 3: Read Romans 2:12-15 and 1 Corinthians 8:9-10 and discuss: Why are Jews condemned before God? Why are Gentiles condemned before God? Describe our consciences and how they work. What does it mean to stumble others? Why is it an immoral use of knowledge to do so?



Sermon Notes for Knowledge Puffs Up but Love Builds Up

This morning we’ll continue in 1 Corinthians 8.

The title of last Sunday’s sermon on verses 1-8, was, “Using Knowledge Morally.”

The title of this morning’s sermon on verses 9 and 10, is, “Using Knowledge Immorally.”

I shared that I wanted to begin a series on wisdom to help us navigate through trials and difficulties.

And I think we must understand the differences between knowledge and wisdom…and there’s no better place – at least in my opinion – to understand knowledge than 1 Corinthians 8.

Let me briefly review…

Last week we discussed that knowledge is amoral, but the way we use it is moral. I left this lesson your handout…

Lesson 1: knowledge is amoral, but the way we use it is moral.

Knowledge can be used in moral and immoral ways, and some of the Corinthians were using their knowledge immorally.

They were facing a situation that was dividing their church: “Should we eat meat sacrificed to idols?”

Two groups developed. The first group is in verses 4-6. Look there with me…

1 Corinthians 8:4 Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.” 5 For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”— 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.

Notice Paul used the used the words we and us b/c he was in this group.

This first group would say…

“Idols aren’t real – there’s no being named Zeus, or Hermes, or Mars – so whatever is offered to them isn’t really offered to anything. I can go in an idol’s temple to buy meat, because it’s no different than any other meat except that it’s cheaper, which means I’m being a good steward of my finances if I buy it.”

The second group is in verse 7…

1 Corinthians 8:7 However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled.

This second group would say…

“I don’t want anything to do with meat sacrificed to idols, and no believer should have anything to do with it. You could give it to me for free and I wouldn’t take it.”

Paul made the point that it didn’t matter which group they were in. Look at verse 8…

1 Corinthians 8:8 Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do.

Neither group is better or worse if they do or don’t eat meat…and this gave us Lesson 2…

Lesson 2: having knowledge doesn’t always mean determining who’s right and wrong.

Paul didn’t side with anyone or commend one side and rebuke the other.

So here’s the question…

If it’s not about who’s right and wrong, what is it about?

Paul gives the answer in verse 1…

1 Corinthians 8:1 Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up.

Notice the words love builds up. You could say this is what it’s about.

This verse reveals how knowledge can be used morally and immorally. Last week we talked about how knowledge can be used morally: when it’s combined with love and builds up…this gave us Lesson 3…

Lesson 3: knowledge is used morally when combined with love.

Now we can talk about what it means when knowledge is used immorally.

Look at the words This “knowledge” puffs up…and this brings us to Lesson 4…

Lesson 4: knowledge is used immorally (part 1) when combined with pride.

Notice the parallelism:

Knowledge puffs upBut love builds up

Knowledge is going to build up one way or the other:

We can use it to build up othersWe can use it to build up ourselves

Unfortunately, some of the Corinthians were using knowledge pridefully to build up themselves.

The verse is misleading. It looks like it’s saying knowledge puffs up as though knowledge is immoral and should be avoided.

But this should be interpreted in light of the rest of Scripture, and plenty of other verses present knowledge as something valuable that we should pursue.

Here are two examples:

Proverbs 15:14 The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge.Proverbs 18:15 An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.

It’s not saying knowledge is something that should be avoided b/c it make us proud. Instead, it’s saying knowledge is something that CAN make us proud.

The ESV translates this well. It adds the word this before knowledge. Instead of saying knowledge puffs up, it says THIS knowledge puffs up.

What knowledge?

The knowledge the Corinthians had that caused them to say:

We’re right and you’re wrongWe know better than you.

This is why some translations – such as the NIV and ESV – put the words “all of us possess knowledge” in quotation marks. Paul was quoting the Corinthians. They were saying all of US possess knowledge.

You can hear the pride.

If we’re going to learn you the Corinthians, we should ask ourselves:

Is knowledge a source of pride?Does knowledge cause us to act arrogantly?

If our knowledge puffs us up, something inevitably happens.

We condemn othersWe look down on people who don’t know as much as us

And this bring us to the next part of Lesson 4…

Lesson 4: knowledge is used immorally when (part 2) condemning others over nonessentials.

Last week I said 1 Corinthians 8 and Romans 14 are similar:

In 1 Corinthians 8 they were arguing about food sacrificed to idolsIn Romans 14 they were arguing about food and days of the week

The Romans were using their knowledge immorally to condemn each other over nonessentials.

Turn one book to the left to Romans 14:1…

Romans 14:1 As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions.

It says weak in faith, but it would be better to understand this as weak in [knowledge] or lacking knowledge that others have, b/c this isn’t an issue of having strong or weak faith.

Paul says to welcome these people, versus quarrel with them over opinions.

Opinionsis such an important word, b/c it reveals what we’re NOT dealing with:

We’re not dealing with Scripture.We’re not dealing with hills to die on.We’re not dealing with battles that need to be fought.

Instead, they’re nonessentials.

What makes something an opinion or nonessential?

Basically, it’s something that doesn’t have the weight of Scripture behind it. Scripture doesn’t forbid it or permit it.

Therefore, if you’re arguing your opinion, you have to argue without  the Bible’s support.

Briefly look at verse 22…

Romans 14:22a The faith – again we should think of this as knowledge – that you have, KEEP BETWEEN YOURSELF AND GOD.

Paul is urging them to keep their knowledge – or opinions – to themselves, which is to say between themselves and God.

Look back at verse 2…

Romans 14:2 One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. 3 Let not the one who eats DESPISE THE ONE WHO ABSTAINS, and let not the one who abstains PASS JUDGMENT ON THE ONE WHO EATS, for God has welcomed him. 4 WHO ARE YOU TO PASS JUDGMENT on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

Notice it says despise. This is strong language. It reveals contempt.

Pass judgment – which Paul says twice – is also strong. It means to condemn or look down on.

So we knowledge is used immorally when it’s used to condemn others over nonessentials.

There are two reasons we’re not supposed to despise or pass judgment on others…

First, verse 1 says to welcome people with different opinions, b/c – as the end of verse 3 says – God has welcomed him. If God is going to welcome people, who are we to reject them?

In other words: if God doesn’t have a problem, we shouldn’t have a problem!

Second, verse 4 says who are you to pass judgment?

We’re not the judge. People don’t stand before us. They aren’t our servants. We aren’t their masters.

A few verses later…

Romans 14:10 Why do you PASS JUDGMENT ON YOUR BROTHER? Or you, WHY DO YOU DESPISE YOUR BROTHER?

Again, passing judgment, despising.

And then again…

Romans 14:13a Therefore let us NOT PASS JUDGMENT ON ONE ANOTHER any longer

Again, don’t pass judgment on those with different convictions.

And you want to know what’s interesting?

It goes both ways!

Look at verse 3…

Let not the one who eats DESPISE THE ONE WHO ABSTAINS, and let not the one who abstains PASS JUDGMENT ON THE ONE WHO EATS.

It’s equally tempting for both sides to condemn the other.

The person with MORE liberty is tempted to condemn the person with LESS liberty and think:

He doesn’t understand his liberty in Christ, and what Jesus did for him.He’s legalistic and self-righteous.He probably thinks he’s better than me and looks down on me…while I’m looking down on him.

The person with LESS liberty is tempted to condemn the person with MORE liberty and think:

He is a liberal, carnal, compromising Christian!He doesn’t know what holiness is!He probably thinks he’s better than me and looks down on me…while I’m looking down on him.

If we’re going to learn from the Romans, we should ask ourselves…

Does knowledge cause us to condemn and look down on others?

Go ahead and turn back to 1 Corinthians 8.

Here’s the question…

What happens when we combine knowledge with pride, versus love?

Paul gives the answer in verse 2. We seem like know-it-alls…

1 Corinthians 8:2 If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know.

Notice Paul says IMAGINES he knows something versus knows something. He’s referring to people who think they know-it-all…versus people who actually know something.

When people think they know everything it’s evidence they don’t know as much as they think they know.

I said something like this in a sermon a couple weeks ago…

The only people who think they know everything are people who don’t know enough yet to know how little they know.

People who actually have knowledge know enough to know how little they know…they know they’re scratching the surface.

Don’t miss the connection to verse 1…

The pride and lack of love is evidence that we don’t know as much as we think we know.

If we knew as much as we thought we did, we’d know we should be humble and loving too.

Look what Paul says in verse 3 to help the Corinthians – and us – have the humility we should…

1 Corinthians 8:3 But if anyone loves God, he is known by God.

This verse starts with the word but b/c Paul is making a contrast.

There are those in verse 2 who imagine they know something…but don’t have love and don’t know as much as they think they know.There are those in verse 3 who love God and are known by Him.

In other words:

It’s one thing to have knowledge, or to know something.It’s another thing to know God and be loved by Him.

More important than having knowledge is doing what pleases God, which means combining knowledge with love.

When we have knowledge without  love it’s evidence of spiritual immaturity, or evidence of weakness in our relationships with God.

Warren Wiersbe said, “A know-it-all attitude is evidence of ignorance. It is possible to grow in knowledge yet not grow in grace or one’s personal relationship with God.”

Now let me remind you about something from last week, so you can understand what’s happening in the following verses:

In verse 1 – regarding the first group – Paul said Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that “ALL OF US POSSESS KNOWLEDGE.”In verse 7 – regarding the second group – he said not all possess this knowledge.

The people in verse 7 didn’t have the knowledge the people in verse 1 had, so we would expect Paul to tell the people with knowledge to straighten out the people without  knowledge, but he didn’t do that.

Now we need to talk about why this is the case, but we must have a biblical understanding of the conscience.

Turn one book to the left to Romans 2.

Here’s the context so this makes sense…

Paul is discussing two groups of people, the Gentiles and Jews, and they both think they’re good, or sinless, or free from judgment for different reasons.

The Gentiles think they’re free from judgment – or sinless – b/c they don’t have the law. They think they aren’t accountable b/c they didn’t know better! They never received a law telling them not to do something…which is true: the Ten Commandments, or Mosaic Law, was given to the Jews.

The Jews think they’re free from judgment – or sinless – b/c they DO have the law. They thought having the law meant they were good.

The problem with these groups thinking they’re sinless, or free from judgment, is it prevents them from seeing their need for a Savior.

So Paul wants to convince them they’re sinners.

Look at verse 12…

Romans 2:12a For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law,

Those without the law are Gentiles and Paul says they’ll perish, b/c they’re sinners. He’ll elaborate on this in verses 14 and 15.

Romans 2:12b and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law.

These are Jews who have the law, and they’ll be judged b/c…

Romans 2:13 For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.

This might seem obvious to us, but apparently it wasn’t that obvious to the Jews: it’s not enough to simply have the law. You must obey it, which they didn’t do!

Having the law made them guiltier before God, not more righteous.

Why’s that?

The law told them right from wrong and increased their accountability.

Since the Gentiles didn’t receive the law they thought thy didn’t know right from wrong, which allowed them to be innocent, but look at verse 14 to see what condemns them…

Romans 2:14a For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires,

This means obey parts of the law. Even people who have never heard the Ten Commandments still recognize certain things – lying, stealing and murder – are wrong.

They’re able to choose between right and wrong, and they still choose wrong.

If you became a Christian later in life – like I did – you know that even though you didn’t know the Bible, you still knew certain things were wrong.

Before I became a Christian I knew plenty of things were wrong, but I did them anyway. That left me as guilty as before God as people who had the Law…b/c it was as though I had a law too…and that’s what the rest of the verse says…

Romans 2:14b they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law.

When people lie, cheat, steal, or murder, they’re disobeying their consciences, or breaking the law God gave them and…

Romans 2:15a They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while THEIR CONSCIENCE ALSO BEARS WITNESS, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them

These are the two things our consciences do:

Accuse us when we do something wrong.Excuse us when we do something right.

Even though people have consciences telling them not to do certain things, they do them anyway, so they do something they know is wrong.

Verse 14 says their conscience is a law to [them], so they’re breaking the law they have, which leaves them as guilty as the Jews who break the Ten Commandments.

Now let me reveal the important connection to 1 Corinthians 8 by asking you a simple question…

Is it bad when people violate – or disobey – their conscience?

Yes. It’s sinful. It leaves them guilty before God.

Now another question…

If it’s bad for people to disobey their conscience, then how bad do you think it is to lead people to disobey their conscience?

Really bad!

And this brings us to the last part of Lesson 4…

Lesson 4: knowledge is used immorally when (part 3) stumbling others.

Turn back to 1 Corinthians 8 to see this is the point Paul makes. Look at verse 9.

1 Corinthians 8:9 But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols?

So you have believers whose consciences forbid them from eating, but other believers convinced them to eat…and violate their conscience in the process.

This is a warning against using our knowledge to lead others to sin.

There are lots of words for sin in the Bible, such as transgress, trespass, abomination, and iniquity. Each word is meaningful, b/c they each describe different ways of sinning.

Stumble is another word for sin. It refers to believers using their knowledge to lead other believers to sin by violating their consciences.

Scripture uses the language of believers walking together. Picture that image.

Stumbling is when one believer trips another believer…but spiritually versus physically.

This is one of the worst ways to use knowledge immorally.

This resolves one of the questions that came up last week…

Why didn’t Paul tell the more knowledgeable believers to share their knowledge with the less knowledgeable believers?

It could cause them to sin by violating their consciences.

This is important to understand b/c we tend to think it’s a good thing to convince people to do things they think they shouldn’t do…but if their conscience forbids it, then they shouldn’t do it.

When we get people to do things they don’t want to do, we almost see it as a victory b/c we think we’re getting them to embrace their freedom and liberty in Christ, but Paul says it’s a failure, b/c it’s causing them sin.

Let me conclude with this…

The theme of this sermon is using our knowledge immorally, and it stems from pride.

Paul wanted to prevent the Corinthians from being prideful, so he gave them a great reason to be humble.

I want to share this to hopefully humble all of us.

Look back at verse 3…

If anyone loves God, [it’s b/c] he is known by God.

In other words:

We didn’t choose God. He chose us: John 15:16 You did not choose me, but I chose you.It’s not that we loved God. It’s that He loves us: 1 John 4:10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us.

Basically, we have a relationship with God b/c He first had a relationship with us first: Romans 5:8 God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

If we keep this in mind, it helps prevent pride and produces humility.

We recognize regardless of how much knowledge we have, we’re no better than the most ignorant person.

We’re all wretched sinners who need Christ.

Let’s pray.

Concerning Things Offered to Idols (1 Corinthians 8:1) – Using Knowledge Morally to Build Up Others

In 1 Corinthians 8:1 Paul writes, “Now concerning things offered to idols: we know that all of us possess knowledge. This knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.” We must understand the differences between knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge is like guns, money, and food in that it’s amoral (it’s simply information), but knowledge can be used in moral and immoral ways. This chapter reveals some ways the Corinthian used knowledge immorally, but could use it morally. The Corinthians were asking, “Should they eat meat sacrificed to idols?” But the chapter isn’t primarily about food or days of the week. Primarily the chapter teaches that we should use our knowledge morally in a loving way that builds up others.

“Concerning things offered to idols…Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up” (1 Corinthians 8:1). The Corinthians used their knowledge immorally versus morally.



Receive a FREE copy of Pastor Scott LaPierre’s book,  Seven Biblical Insights for Healthy, Joyful, Christ-Centered Marriages .View all Pastor Scott’s books on my Amazon author page.Visit Scott LaPierre’s speaking page for conference and speaking information, including testimonies, endorsements, and contact info.



Table of ContentsSermon Lessons for Concerning Things Offered to IdolsFamily Worship Guide for Concerning Things Offered to IdolsSermon Notes for Concerning Things Offered to IdolsLesson 1: knowledge is amoral, but the way we use it is moral.Lesson 2: having knowledge doesn’t always mean determining who’s right and wrong.Lesson 3: ignorance is the absence of knowledge.Lesson 4: knowledge is used (part 1) morally when combined with love.



Sermon Lessons for Concerning Things Offered to Idols



Lesson 1: Knowledge is ____________, but the way we use it is __________. Lesson 2: ____________ __________________ doesn’t always mean determining who’s right and wrong (1 Cor 8:4-8; Rom 14:5). Lesson 3: ___________________ is the absence of __________________ (Rom 11:25; 1 Cor 12:1; 2 Cor 1:8; 1 Thes 4:13). Lesson 4: Knowledge is used (Part I) morally when combined ________ ________ (1 Cor 8:1; Eph 4:15; Phil 1:9).



Family Worship Guide for Concerning Things Offered to Idols



Day 1: Read 1 Cor 8 and discuss: Is knowledge moral, immoral, or amoral? Why? List some things that are moral, immoral, and amoral. Who are some people in history and in the Bible who used knowledge morally. What about immorally? Describe the situation in Corinth with meat sacrificed to idols and what the two sides believed. Day 2: Read Rom 14, 1 Cor 12:1; 2 Cor 1:8, 1 Thes 4:13 and discuss: What does it mean that some people had “weak consciences”? Is this a criticism of them? Why or why not? Would you or wouldn’t you eat the meat sacrificed to idols? Why or why not? How should you treat people who do the opposite of you? Why? Day 3: Read 1 Cor 8, Eph 4:15, Phil 1:9 and discuss: What does it mean to be ignorant? Should we always share knowledge with people? Why or why not? What makes someone a guest versus a pest? How do we know when we should or shouldn’t share our knowledge with others? What are some essentials? What are some nonessentials? What does it mean to combine knowledge with love? What does it look like when love is combined with knowledge? What about when it isn’t?



Sermon Notes for Concerning Things Offered to Idols

This morning we’ll be in 1 Corinthians 8.

The title of the sermon, on verses 1-8, is, “Using Knowledge Morally.”

The title of next Sunday’s sermon, on verses 9-13, is, “Using Knowledge Immorally.”

Last Sunday I shared that I wanted to begin a series on wisdom to help us navigate through trials and difficult circumstances.

I think we must understand the differences between knowledge and wisdom…and there’s no better place – at least in my opinion – to understand knowledge than 1 Corinthians 8.

Let me begin w/ a question, and I’ll give you a moment to think about the answer before I ask you to raise your hand…

Is knowledge itself:

MoralImmoralOr amoral

The answer brings us to Lesson 1…

Lesson 1: knowledge is amoral, but the way we use it is moral.

Many things are amoral, but the ways we use them are moral and immoral. For example:

Money is amoral, but the way we spend it is moral or immoral.Guns are amoral, but the ways we use them are moral and immoral.Food is amoral, but our relationship to it is moral. God doesn’t care what we eat, but He cares how much we eat b/c gluttony is a sin and He expects us to have self-control.

Similarly, knowledge is amoral, in that it’s simply information. But what we do w/ knowledge is moral and immoral. In other words, knowledge can be used in moral and immoral ways.

Here are some examples of moral uses of knowledge:

Jacob Perkins used his knowledge of mechanical engineering to invent refrigeration.The Wright Brothers used their knowledge of aviation to develop human flight.Tim Berners-Lee used his knowledge of computer programming to develop the World Wide Web.Isaac Newton used his knowledge of astronomy to promote creationism.

These people used the knowledge they acquired in moral ways that benefited humanity.

Other people have used their knowledge in immoral ways:

Genghis Khan used his knowledge of politics and war to lead a Mongol horde that killed millions of people.Karl Marx used his knowledge of law and philosophy to try to destroy capitalism and create a classless, communist society.Margaret Sanger used her knowledge of reproduction to establish organizations that evolved into the Planned Parenthood Federation of America.Richard Dawkins has used his knowledge of biology to promote atheism and the theory of evolution.

In this chapter we’re going to see some other ways knowledge can be used morally and immorally.

Let me give you the background to understand these verses since we’re jumping into the middle of this epistle…

1 Corinthians is mostly a collection of questions Paul answered for the Corinthian believers.

In chapter 8 he deals w/ a question that was dividing the church: “Should they eat meat sacrificed to idols?”

Here’s how this predicament developed…

The Greeks and Romans were polytheistic, which means they believed in many gods, and they were polydemonistic, which means they believed in many demons and evil spirits.

They believed the evil spirits would try to invade human bodies by attaching themselves to food before it was eaten, and the only way the evil spirits could be removed from the food was to sacrifice it to idols.

So food sacrificed to idols had two purposes:

First, to gain favor with the idol it was sacrificed toSecond, to cleanse the food from demonic contamination.

When the animal was sacrificed, some of it was burned on the altar…usually the fat b/c it put off the most smoke. The meat that was not burned on the altar was served at wicked, pagan feasts.

But sometimes all the meat wasn’t consumed, and so the rest of it was sold in the temple.

Since there was no refrigeration in those days the meat had to be consumed quickly, which meant it went right from being used in the worship of an idol to possibly sitting on the table of a believer.

Here’s something else that makes this even more interesting…

Since the meat that was sacrificed to idols wasn’t as attractive as meat that was NOT sacrificed to idols, it was offered at a lower price.

This led to two locations for meat to be sold:

There was the market where the meat that wasn’t sacrificed to idols was offered at regular prices.There was the temple where the meat sacrificed to idols was offered at lower prices.

Believers found themselves in two different groups.

The first group is in verses 4-6. Look there w/ me…

1 Corinthians 8:4 Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.” 5 For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”— 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.

Notice Paul used the used the words we and us b/c he was in this first group. He knew better than anyone that idols aren’t real, and there’s only one God.

This first group would say…

“Demons don’t inhabit food, so we don’t have to worry about them contaminating it. Idols aren’t real – there’s no being named Zeus, or Hermes, or Mars – so whatever is offered to idols isn’t really offered to anything. I can go in an idol’s temple to buy meat, because it’s no different than any other meat except that it’s cheaper, which basically means I’m being a good steward of my finances if I buy it.”

This is the first group.

The second group is in verse 7…

1 Corinthians 8:7 However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled.

There were Jews and Gentiles in this second group:

The Jews thought idolatry was the worst sin, so they would have nothing to do w/ this meat b/c it had been sacrificed to idols. Plus, to buy it they’d have to go into an idol’s temple, and what godly Jew could do that w/ a good conscience?There were Gentiles who were new believers, which means some of them had been worshiping idols at these temples recently; therefore, they wanted to stay far away from the temples and the meat sacrificed at them b/c it reminded them of their previous pagan lives and demonic worship.

This second group would say…

“I don’t want anything to do w/ meat sacrificed to idols, and no believer should have anything to do w/ it. You could give it to me for free and I wouldn’t take it, and anyone who would is sinning.”

One more point about the second group…

In verse 7 notice Paul said they had weak consciences.

Unfortunately, some believers will say people:

People weak conscience are less maturePeople with strong consciences are more mature

But this isn’t true.

Having a weak conscience:

Isn’t a compliment or a criticismIt is isn’t a reflection of spiritual maturity or immaturity.It’s as amoral as food, money, guns, or knowledge.

To be perfectly clear, believers aren’t better or worse if they have strong or weak consciences.

Now let me explain something so you can appreciate how interesting this situation is…

In Paul’s day there was no printing press or photocopier, so when one of his letters reached a church the pastor would stand before his congregation and read it aloud.

Meat sacrificed to idols doesn’t sound like a big deal to us, but it was such a big deal to the Corinthians that because it was causing division in their church. In other words, there were people on both sides w/ very strong feelings.

And what do they want when Paul’s letter arrives?

They want Paul to side w/ them against the other side.They want Paul to say they’re right and the other side is wrong.Maybe they even want Paul to compliment them and rebuke the others.

So when the pastor is sharing the letter and he reads the words of verse 1 – “Now concerning food offered to idols,” you can be sure everyone sat up a little straighter and thought: “Here it is. I’ve been waiting for this. Tell us we’re right, and give it to those people who are wrong!”

Now one question before we read what Paul says…

Which group are you in?

Raise your hand if you would eat the meat sacrificed to idols.Raise your hand if you wouldn’t eat the meat sacrificed to idols.

When I went over this w/ my family, I asked my kids, and most of them said they would not eat.

Even when I told them the Apostle Paul – one of the greatest men to ever live – was in the first group, they still said they wouldn’t eat.

Me personally: I’m always looking for a good deal, so I’d eat.

Here’s what I can tell you…

It doesn’t matter which group you’re in.

You’re not better or worse, or more mature or less mature, or more spiritual or less spiritual, if you’re in one group instead of the other.

And this isn’t my opinion. Look at verse 8…

1 Corinthians 8:8 Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do.

I don’t want to go on a big detour here, so I’ll make this short: this is one of the many New Testament verses stating food is like knowledge: it’s amoral or spiritually neutral.

The main point is this…

Neither group is better or worse if they do or don’t eat meat sacrificed to idols. This means Paul didn’t say who’s right or wrong…and this brings us to Lesson 2…

Lesson 2: having knowledge doesn’t always mean determining who’s right and wrong.

Notice what Paul didn’t do:

He didn’t side w/ anyone…He didn’t commend one side or rebuke the other.He didn’t tell anyone to straighten out the others

And this isn’t the only time Paul responded in this way that I’m sure frustrated many people!

Some of you probably know 1 Corinthians 8 is similar to Romans 14:

In 1 Corinthians 8 they were arguing about meat sacrificed to idolsIn Romans 14 they were arguing about food and days of the week

I’m guessing the Romans were also waiting to hear from Paul so they could be told they were right and others were wrong, but listen to what he said…

Romans 14:5 One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.

This is another instance of Paul not saying who’s right and wrong…and probably leaving some people disappointed.

And here’s the question…

Why didn’t he?

Because these are minor issues, or nonessentials…and when it comes to minor issues, or nonessentials, we can disagree.

And what does it mean to disagree?

It means allowing people to remain ignorant…not forcing your knowledge on them.

This isn’t my opinion. This is exactly what the text demonstrates!

Notice something…

In verse 7 Paul said not all possess this knowledge.

What knowledge?

The knowledge that the idols are nothing.The knowledge that they can eat the meat sacrificed to them.

Since these people didn’t have knowledge of these things – biblically speaking – we would say they’re…what?

Ignorant.

You’re almost reluctant to say it, b/c the word has such a negative connotation in English. Nobody wants to be called ignorant. If someone said you’re ignorant, you’d probably feel insulted.

But in Scripture, Paul told people they were ignorant, and they weren’t insulted, b/c it simply means they didn’t know.

The words not all possess this knowledge is a concise definition of ignorance: not possessing knowledge

We almost think of ignorance as the opposite of wisdom, but foolishness is the opposite of wisdom.

The opposite of ignorance is knowledgeable…and this brings us to Lesson 3…

Lesson 3: ignorance is the absence of knowledge.

Throughout Scripture, when people were ignorant, Paul gave them knowledge so they wouldn’t remain ignorant.

Listen to these verses:

Romans 11:25 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery – so then he explained the mystery to them.1 Corinthians 12:1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant – so then he taught them about spiritual gifts.2 Corinthians 1:8 For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia – so then he explained their trouble.1 Thessalonians 4:13 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep. Then he explained what happened to those who fell asleep.

There were many times people were ignorant and Paul cured them of their ignorance by giving them knowledge…but in this case he didn’t!

Notice something:

In verse 7 – regarding the second group – he said not all possess this knowledge.In verse 1 – regarding the first group – he said Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that “ALL OF US POSSESS KNOWLEDGE.”

What knowledge did the first group have?

The knowledge Paul described in verses 4-6 that:

False gods – or idols – are nothing.The meat sacrificed to them can be eaten.

Basically they had the knowledge the second didn’t have, or that the second group was ignorant of.

Considering Paul shared knowledge with people many times when they were ignorant, what would you expect Paul to say to the first group?

“ You need to straighten them out! Give them the knowledge they need. Don’t let them walk around in ignorance.”

But Paul didn’t tell the first group to share their knowledge w/ the second group.

In other words, he told the knowledgeable people to allow the ignorant people to remain ignorant.

This is what we see:

Sometimes Paul shared knowledge w/ people so they wouldn’t remain ignorantOther times he didn’t share knowledge w/ people, so they could remain ignorant, or as he said in Romans 14:5 so they could remain fully convinced in [their] own [minds]

If we follow Paul’s example:

Sometimes we should share knowledge w/ peopleSometimes we should allow them to remain ignorant.

The obvious question is: how do know when to take each approach?

I’ll give you two encouragements…

First, strive to be a guest versus a pest:

Guests are invitedPests are not invitedIf people ask for your thoughts, you’ve been invited, and you can share as a guestIf people don’t ask for your thoughts, you haven’t been invited, but if you share anyway, you’ll be a pest

Consider whether people want to hear your thoughts on nonessentials or amoral issues.

And this brings a little balance to the discussion…

If we’re asked – or invited – about our liberties and freedoms we should be willing to answer those questions and explain why we believe the way we do. If we’re a guest our answer might help a brother or sister in Christ.

I’ve learned a lot in my Christian life from wise people God has put around me. I appreciate when they’ve been patient w/ me and taken time to answer my questions. It’s helped me grow in my faith.

And this leads us to the second encouragement…

Consider what is:

Essential, or moral, or spiritualVersus nonessential, or amoral, or non-spiritual

If you look at the times Paul said, “I do not want you to be ignorant,” he was dealing essentials, or hills to die on, or important things for people to know.

But in 1 Corinthians 8 and Romans 14 Paul was dealing w/ food and days of the week.

Since these are nonessentials, it’s only important for people to be fully convinced in their own minds.

Some years ago Dave Zumstein shared something w/ me that didn’t seem like a big deal at the time, but since then I’ve realized how true it is…

He said, “The problem w/ essentials and nonessentials, is people don’t agree what’s essential versus nonessential.”

Can you see why this is problematic?

I said we shouldn’t try to share w/ people if something is a nonessential, but if some people think it is an essential they are going to try to share w/ people who think it’s a nonessential, probably don’t want to listen to them, and it usually causes problems:

The people who think it’s a nonessential are going to be annoyed by the people who keep trying to share w/ them…when they didn’t ask…which means they think the people talking to them are pests.The people who think it’s an essential are going to be annoyed by the people who think it’s a nonessential and therefore don’t want to have to keep listening to them talk about the same thing…again…and again.

So we should consider two things…

First, have I already talked to someone about something? If I talk to them about it again, I’m almost guaranteed to be a pest.

Second, this is important to me, but is it important to others, and most importantly is it important to God?

Up to this point, here’s what we can see…

It’s not about who’s right and wrong, and it’s not about making sure we share our knowledge w/ everyone around us.

So what is it about?

I’m glad you asked.

Look back at verse 1…

1 Corinthians 8:1 Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up.

Notice the words love builds up. You could say this is what it’s about.

Paul tells the knowledgeable people to use their knowledge in moral, loving ways that build up…and this brings us to Lesson 4…

Lesson 4: knowledge is used (part 1) morally when combined with love.

You might notice there’s no Part II, b/c that’s in next week’s sermon.

Here’s the famous quote…

“In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, love.”

Listen to the way verse 1 reads in the Amplified Bible…

1 Corinthians 8:1 Now about food sacrificed to idols, we know that we all have knowledge [concerning this]. Knowledge [alone – in other words: knowledge without love] makes [people self-righteously] arrogant, but love [that unselfishly seeks the best for others] builds up and encourages others to grow [in wisdom].

To use knowledge morally it must be combined w/ love.

Both are bad:

It’s bad to have knowledge without loveIt’s bad to have love without knowledge.

Paul made this point:

He talked about combining truth – or knowledge – w/ love, such as: Ephesians 4:15 Speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ.He talked about combining love w/ knowledge: Phil 1:9 It is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment

Some of the Corinthians had knowledge, but they didn’t have love:

They should’ve used their knowledge to build each other up.Because they lacked love, they used their knowledge to tear each other down.

When we say the right thing – or we share knowledge – but we lack love, we say it harshly.

And when we say the right thing the wrong way, it becomes the wrong thing…I’ve learned this the hard way.

Years ago I was driving in a car w/ three friends. I mention we were in a car so you can picture an environment that prevents anyone from getting up and walking away from the conversation.

We began a discussion that escalated to a disagreement, then a debate, then an argument, and then a quarrel. One of the individuals said something, and I thought two things:

That is articulate, absolutely true, and very convincing.He said that very harshly and unlovingly.

He was right, but he was wrong. Nobody spoke the rest of the car ride.

1 Corinthians 8 and Romans 14 aren’t primarily about food or days of the week. You can take away from both chapters that it doesn’t matter what you eat, and that no day is better than another day, but that’s not what the chapters are primarily about.

Primarily they’re about this:

First, we should use our knowledge morally, which means using it in a loving way that builds up others…this is what we talked about this morning.Second, we shouldn’t use our knowledge in an immoral way that tears down others…and we’ll talk about this more next week.

Let me conclude w/ this…

It looks like Paul didn’t say who’s right and who’s wrong…but he did:

The people who are right are those who use their knowledge in loving ways that build up. If Paul is going to commend and compliment anyone it’s these people.The people who are wrong are those who use their knowledge in obnoxious, unloving ways that tear others down. If Paul is going to condemn and criticize anyone it’s these people.  

In other words, the side that’s right is the side that’s loving toward those w/ different opinions. The side that’s wrong is the side that’s unloving toward those w/ different opinions.

Let’s pray.

Fear God and Keep His Commandments for This is the Whole Duty of Man (Ecclesiastes 12:13)

In Ecclesiastes 12:13 Solomon said, “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” Everything’s been considered and Solomon meant it. He tried, tasted, and experienced anything you could try, taste, and experience. He wrestled with the most important issues of life throughout the book, and finally reached this conclusion. The wisest man who ever lived – second only to Christ – tells us what life is about: fearing God and obeying His commandments.

Ecclesiastes 12:13 says, “Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” Solomon tried everything so he knew.



Receive a FREE copy of Pastor Scott LaPierre’s book,  Seven Biblical Insights for Healthy, Joyful, Christ-Centered Marriages .View all Pastor Scott’s books on my Amazon author page.Visit Scott LaPierre’s speaking page for conference and speaking information, including testimonies, endorsements, and contact info.



Table of ContentsLessons for Fear God and Keep His Commandments for This is the Whole Duty of ManFamily Worship Guide for Fear God and Keep His Commandments for This is the Whole Duty of ManSermon Notes for Fear God and Keep His Commandments for This is the Whole Duty of ManLesson 1: meaning in life is found in fearing and obeying God.Lesson 2: fear of God produces obedience.Lesson 3: lack of fear of God produces disobedience.Lesson 4: God’s judgment puts this life in perspective.



Lessons for Fear God and Keep His Commandments for This is the Whole Duty of Man



Lesson 1: Meaning in life is found in ______________ and _______________ God (Ecc 12:13; Pro 1:7 cf. Matt 10:28, 22:37, John 14:15, Isa 8:11-13). Lesson 2: Fear of God ________________ __________________ (Psa 112:1, 128:1; Gen 22:1-2, 11-12; Exo 1:16-17; Exo 20:18-20; Deut 8:6, 31:12; Jer 2:19, 32:40). Lesson 3: Lack of fear of God ________________ ______________________ (Exo 9:27-29; 1 Sam 15:24). Lesson 4: __________ ________________ puts this life in perspective (Ecc 12:14; 2 Cor 5:10; Rom 2:16; John 5:24; Rom 8:1).



Family Worship Guide for Fear God and Keep His Commandments for This is the Whole Duty of Man



Day 1: Read Ecc 12:13; Pro 1:7 cf. Matt 10:28, 22:37, John 14:15, Isa 8:11-13 and discuss: Based on the Book of Ecclesiastes, where is meaning and satisfaction in life not found? In other words, where did Solomon look before coming to his conclusion? Why did he come to the conclusion that we read at the end of the book? Day 2: Read Psa 112:1, 128:1; Gen 22:1-2, 11-12; Exo 1:16-17; Exo 20:18-20; Deut 8:6, 31:12; Jer 2:19, 32:40 and discuss: Why does the fear of God produce obedience? Pastor Scott gave some examples of people obeying God because they feared Him. Can you think of some other examples? Do we obey God because we love Him, fear Him, or both? Day 3: Read Exo 9:27-29; 1 Sam 15:24 and discuss: Why does the lack of fear of God produce disobedience? Pastor Scott gave some examples of people disobeying God because they didn’t fear Him. Can you think of some other examples? Do people disobey God because they don’t love Him, don’t fear Him, or both? Day 4: Read Ecc 12:14; 2 Cor 5:10; Rom 2:16; John 5:24; Rom 8:1 and discuss: How does God’s judgment put this life in perspective? What can seem big in this life, but becomes small when considering standing before God? How are believers judged? If our sins are judged on the cross, then what is left to be judged?



Sermon Notes for Fear God and Keep His Commandments for This is the Whole Duty of Man

This will be our last sermon on Ecclesiastes 12 and it will transition us into some sermons I’d like to preach on wisdom.

Look at verse 12…

Ecclesiastes 12:12 My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh.

We looked at this over two sermons.

The Book of Ecclesiastes is a fitting picture of the end of the end of this verse. Solomon said much study is a weariness of the flesh, and if you’re familiar w/ Ecclesiastes, you know Solomon seemed very weary as he tried to find meaning in life.

After all the weariness he experienced throughout the book, look what he finally says in verse 13…

Ecclesiastes 12:13 The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.

He said all has been heard – or everything’s been considered – and he meant it. He tried, tasted, and experienced anything you could try, taste, and experience.

When he said this is the end of the matter, this is a pretty big deal, b/c Solomon wrestled with the most important issues of life, and he finally reached his conclusion.

The wisest man who ever lived – second only to Christ – is about to tell us what life is about. This is one of those moments you just want everyone to be quiet so they can hear what he has to say.

Everything has been very fragmented for Solomon. He’s been confused throughout the earlier chapters, unable to make sense of this life, but now he can finally share what he’s learned after all his searching. All his uncertainties are behind him, and it boils down to this…

Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.

Let me get you to think about something that reveals why these words are so dramatic…

The main question Solomon’s been wrestling with is: “How does man experience satisfaction and fulfillment in life?” or as he frequently says, “Under the sun?”

He considered what this world offers physically:

MoneyPowerKnowledgeRelationshipsPartiesGardensPossessionsFame

But when He figured out what’s important – when he finally learned how to experience satisfaction in this life – he didn’t mention anything physical.

He said fear God and keep His commandments, which is spiritual.

And this brings us to Lesson 1…

Lesson 1: meaning in life is found in fearing and obeying God.

Solomon wrote Ecclesiastes and most of Proverbs.

Although they’re separate books, I want to invite you to see a close relationship between them. You can almost think of them as one book w/ Proverbs picking up where Ecclesiastes left off.

Here’s why I say this…

Solomon concludes Ecclesiastes by saying we should fear God, and this is where Proverbs picks up…

Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Solomon probably wrote Ecclesiastes at the end of his life, which means that’s when he finally showed himself to be wise.

What does it mean to fear God?

It means having an attitude of reverence and awe toward Him b/c we respect His power and greatness, and – as the next verse says – we know He’s going to judge us.

Some people might look at this and say, “Well, this is Old Covenant. Judgment. Wrath. Anger. Of course we’re told to fear God and keep His commandments. But we’re under the New Covenant. Grace. Mercy. Forgiveness.”

The problem is Jesus – who is the Mediator of the New Covenant – said the same thing…

Matthew 10:28 Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

Regarding [keeping] his commandments, Jesus said…

John 14:15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

It is as fitting for us to fear God and keep His commandments in our day as it was in Solomon’s day when he wrote these words.

Notice Solomon said this is the whole duty of man.

When I first looked at this, I found it very surprising. I thought, “This is it? This is my whole duty? I have all these responsibilities. I have so many things to do and keep track of. How can my whole duty be bound up in fearing God and obeying Him?”

Then I found this very encouraging, b/c it provides such beautiful simplicity for us.

We live in such a confusing and chaotic time, I hope it can bless you too.

In the two sermons on the previous verses we talked about the overwhelming amount of information coming at us daily:

All the informationAll the newsAll the opinionsAll the voices

 We can start to feel confused about what we should and shouldn’t do. Do I listen to:

The article, or Facebook post, or blog I read…The advice from my friend…The interview or podcast I heard…The YouTube video I watched…

For the person who fears God, they figure out what to do by asking one question: “What does God want me to do?”

That’s very simplifying isn’t it?

In the prophet Isaiah’s day there were lots of conspiracies circulating around…just like in our day.

Listen to what God said is the remedy…

Isaiah 8:11 For the Lord spoke thus to me with his strong hand upon me, and warned me not to walk in the way of this people, saying: 12 “Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. 13 But the Lord of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.

Isaiah told them to take their minds off the conspiracies, and put their minds on Him. If they feared Him it would drown out all the conspiracies.

So let me encourage you…

When you start to feel weary as we talked about in the other two sermons come back to this one thing that your whole duty is found in fearing God and keeping His commandments.

It might look like fearing God and keeping His commandments are two separate things, but they go together…and this brings us to Lesson 2…

Lesson 2: fear of God produces obedience.

Psalm 112:1 Blessed is the man who fears [God], who greatly delights in his commandments!

Keeping God’s commandments is the fruit of fearing Him.

Let me give you a few examples from Scripture. Mark your spot in Ecclesiastes as we’ll come back to it and turn to Gen 22…

Genesis 22:2 He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”

Since God commanded Abraham to sacrifice the son he loved we’d think that Abraham was willing to sacrifice Isaac for God, b/c he loved God so much…even more than the son he loved.

But look at verse 11 to see what the Angel said when he stopped Abraham…

Genesis 22:11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 12 He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that YOU FEAR GOD, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.”

Interestingly, Abraham’s fear of God caused him to obey.

Turn to Exo 1.

The Hebrew midwives are another example. When the nation of Israel multiplied in Egypt, Pharaoh became afraid of them. He commanded the Hebrew midwives:

Exodus 1:16 “When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him, but if it is a daughter, she shall live.” 17 But the MIDWIVES FEARED GOD and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live.

The Hebrew midwives obeyed God b/c they feared Him…more than they feared Pharaoh.

Turn to Exo 20.

God brought Israel to the base of Sinai. Considering everything He did to get them to this point—such as delivering them from Egypt and parting the Red Sea—we would expect Him to be friendly and welcoming.

Instead, listen to this…

Exodus 20:18 Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off 19 and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.”

God was so terrifying they thought His voice would kill them.

Look at verse 20 to see Moses explain God’s motivation…

Exodus 20:20 Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, THAT THE FEAR OF HIM MAY BE BEFORE YOU, THAT YOU MAY NOT SIN.”

Moses told Israel their fear of God was good, b/c it would cause them to obey.

I don’t want you to have to flip to the rest of these examples, so I’ll just read them to you…

When Moses gave the law to the new generation, he established the relationship between fear of God and obedience…

Deuteronomy 8:6 So you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God by walking in his ways and by fearing him.

Walking in God’s ways is synonymous with obedience, and it’s produced by fearing Him.

The psalmist said something similar…

Psalm 128:1 Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD, who walks in his ways!

Fear of God and obedience to God go together.

Deuteronomy 31:12 Assemble the people…that they may hear and LEARN TO FEAR THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND BE CAREFUL TO DO ALL THE WORDS OF THIS LAW,

If they learned to fear God, they would be careful to obey Him.

During Jeremiah’s day the people forsook God. I would think they forsook Him b/c they didn’t love Him, but listen to what God said…

Jeremiah 2:19 Your evil will chastise you, and your apostasy will reprove you. Know and see that it is evil and bitter for you to FORSAKE THE LORD YOUR GOD; THE FEAR OF ME IS NOT IN YOU, declares the Lord God of hosts.

God said Israel abandoned Him because they didn’t fear Him.

And again…

Jeremiah 32:40 I will put the fear of Me in their hearts, that they may not turn from Me.

We tend to think people forsake God b/c they don’t love Him, but God said it’s b/c they didn’t fear Him.

Love might keep God’s people near Him, but fear keeps them from departing from Him.

David Wilkerson said…

“What produces a consistent, lasting obedience? I am convinced that godly, loving obedience springs from one source: the fear of the living God! I’m going to make a very bold statement: I believe it is impossible to consistently walk in obedience and holiness unless you have the fear of God in your heart. If you don’t have the fear of God, you will eventually believe that God is easy on sin. You’ll think that you can sin all you want. You’ll get on a merry-go-round of ‘sin, confess, sin, confess’—and you’ll say to yourself, ‘I’ll just run back to Jesus and make it right. He’ll forgive me at any moment!’”

Wilkerson, David. “Love, Fear, and Obedience.” World Challenge. August 17, 1992.

If fear of God produces obedience, then this tells us something about disobedience…and this brings us to Lesson 3…

Lesson 3: lack of fear of God produces disobedience.

The other side of this is we disobey God when we don’t fear Him.

Sometimes you’ll meet people and they say they love God, they say they fear Him, but their lives are characterized by disobedience. Regardless of what they say, they don’t fear God.

Let me show you two examples…

Exodus 9:27 Then Pharaoh sent and called Moses and Aaron and said to them, “This time I have sinned; the Lord is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong. 28 Plead with the Lord, for there has been enough of God’s thunder and hail. I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.” 29 Moses said to him, “As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will stretch out my hands to the Lord. The thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, so that you may know that the earth is the Lord’s. 30 But as for you and your servants, I know that you DO NOT YET FEAR THE LORD GOD.”

Moses said he would bring the plague to an end, but he also knew Pharaoh would return to his old ways – he would repent of his repentance – and disobey – b/c he didn’t fear God.

Saul is another good example…

God commanded him to utterly destroy [the Amalekites and] all that belonged to them, but he only destroyed what he didn’t want, and kept what he did want.

God sent Samuel to rebuke him, and listen to Saul’s excuse…

1 Samuel 15:24 Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I FEARED THE PEOPLE AND OBEYED THEIR VOICE.

Saul obeyed the people because he feared them more than God.

Whatever we fear has power over us:

If we fear God, we will obey Him.If we fear man, we will obey man.

Since fear of God is so important, how do we develop it?

We do two things…

First, we read God’s Word b/c fear of God comes from knowledge of God. The greater our knowledge of God, the greater our fear of God…

Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.

We develop fear of God by learning about Him, and we learn about Him in His Word.

Rare is the person who can read about the God of the Bible and not fear Him.

The second thing we can do to develop fear of God is remember the truth of verse 14…

Ecclesiastes 12:14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.

This is a great reason to fear God and obey Him…and this brings us to lesson 4…

Lesson 4: God’s judgment puts this life in perspective.

We learn to fear God by keeping this truth in mind that all of our lives will be reviewed by the Lord.

Paul said something similar to verse 14…almost word-for-word…

2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

Paul said we b/c he’s including believers. This might surprise some people, b/c we tend to think believers aren’t judged, but we are…we give an account of our faithfulness.

The fact that evil we have done is mentioned leads me to believe the sins we have committed will result in loss of rewards. So: 

If you say, “I won’t be punished for my sins,” that’s true…b/c our sins were punished on the cross.But it’s also true that when we sin we forfeit eternal rewards. 

We might think the discussion of judgment is opposed to the Gospel, but…

Romans 2:16 on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.

Judgment is Gospel-centered, b/c w/o judgment there is no Gospel…there’s no good news w/o the bad news.

Here’s what I’d like you to consider…

Some things in life seem huge:

Maybe it’s the CoronavirusMaybe it’s the quarantineMaybe it’s the rioting and lootingMaybe it’s financial problemsMaybe it’s health issues

But I can tell you this w/ complete certainty…

We’re going to stand before the Lord someday, and all these things – and anything else we can imagine – will seem very, very small. All that will matter is what we have done, whether good or evil.

God’s judgment puts this life in perspective. The certainty and finality of it gives life the meaning Solomon had been searching for.

To understand this in context, here’s what Solomon is saying…

“I was looking for meaning in life from wealth, partying, possessions, pleasure, but I found it in recognizing we will stand before the Lord and give an account. Whatever we have or don’t have, whatever we experience or don’t experience, knowing we will be judged puts everything in perspective, b/c accountability before God is eternal and irrevocable.”

When considering this reality, only a fool doesn’t fear God and obey Him.

Ultimately the only way to find meaning in this meaningless life under the sun is by keeping our focus on the One who is beyond life under the sun, and that’s God Himself. Everything under the sun will eventually disappoint. Relationship w/ the Lord gives us the meaning, hope, and perspective we need.

Let me close w/ this…

Back in verse 14 it says…

God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing,

The is exhaustive…

It doesn’t say

Most deeds and most secret thingsIt says every deed and every secret thing

It couldn’t be clearer that nothing escapes God’s judgment.

All of us have done things we’re ashamed of that we don’t want judged, and that we’d like to remain secret.

If you’ve repented of your sins and put your faith in Christ, then those things will remain secret, b/c they were judged by Christ on the cross:

John 5:24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.Rom 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Those who fear God will be vindicated on the day of judgment, b/c they’re already declared right by faith.

God will condemn the unrepentant, but vindicate the repentant.

Oswald Chambers wrote, “The remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else.”

Let’s pray.