3 Questions

Joel Gorveatte · Tidal Church Moncton · January 23, 2022 · Finding Wisdom series

Joel Gorveatte draws on Proverbs to show that feelings, opinions, cravings and culture often mislead us. He offers three questions (what is true, why is it true, and what should I do) and three biblical tests to help us choose God's wisdom.

More from Joel Gorveatte · The Finding Wisdom series

Topics: Purpose, Discipleship

Transcript

[0:00] Hey, we are so glad that you joined us today. We are live, live, live. In fact, we just had some technical issues and got them figured out where the TV could come on. And that's a reminder that that's the joy of doing stuff live. And we're glad that you joined us live right now for today's service as we enter week three of the series called Finding Wisdom. And we've been talking about how rare and precious and how unusual wisdom is in our world, especially in a world that sometimes feels like it might be going crazy. And so the first week of the series, we began in the book of Proverbs with Proverbs chapter one, verse seven.

[0:53] I believe if we have that, there we go. Proverbs chapter one, verse seven, which says, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. And so we talked about how wisdom starts with an understanding of God, that true wisdom flows out of the heart of a loving God. And then we looked at Proverbs chapter four, verse seven, that says, wisdom is supreme. Therefore, get wisdom, though it cost all you have, get understanding. And we talked about how wisdom is costly and rare and something that you actually have to go and find.

[1:38] It doesn't just come naturally for us. It's not our natural born state that if there is a dial or on the one hand, the dial goes towards foolishness. And on the other hand, the dial turns towards wisdom, that our natural born state in the world is with the dial turned towards foolishness. And so in order to find the wisdom of God, it's something that we have to make a choice to go after, together to go and seek out the word of God for the wisdom we need in our lives. And so this month, we're doing what's called the Proverbs challenge, where it's kind of convenient that the book of Proverbs is 31 chapters.

[2:24] And so in 31 days, we're spending one chapter each day in the book of Proverbs to get through it in a month. And we're praying each day for God to give us one verse that will stand out in our reading of that chapter for the day. And I hope that by now we're two weeks in, maybe you have a list now of 10 or 12, or maybe even a full 14 or 15 Proverbs verses that stood out to you and God used it to speak to your life. And we've been doing this together as small groups as well. We're a church of small groups. And by the way, if you'd like to join a small group, we have brand new online small groups launching here in the next couple of weeks.

[3:12] And what you need to do, if you have not already is sign up today. Today is the last day of that sign up. You can go to our website, mw.church. And there, just click on the link for small groups, sign up, and somebody will get in touch with you about how to be involved in one. And so what are we going to look at today? Today, we are going to look at three questions to help us find wisdom in our lives. And the three questions we're going to look at today are, first of all, what is true? And then you have to ask, why is it true? And then finally, what should I do?

[4:00] And so wherever you are right now, maybe you're sitting on your couch at home, maybe you're somewhere traveling around the world, maybe you're off on business somewhere, wherever you are, whether you're by yourself or with a group of people right now, would you help me out? Let me hear you. Let's read these out loud together. The three questions of wisdom today. Here we go. What is true? Why is it true? And what should I do? Now you're like, Joel, Joel, that's not very complicated. That's not exactly rocket science. Could you not come up with something more profound for us to talk about today? And yet the reality is that while these questions are very simple and anyone could ask them, many times I think the truth is that very few people do ask these questions.

[4:56] Instead, what we tend to do is trust in these four things. Instead, what we often do is trust in our feelings, in our opinions, in our cravings, and our culture. And so what does the book of Proverbs say about these four things, feelings, opinions, cravings, and culture? Well, first of all, what the book of Proverbs says about feelings is, in Proverbs chapter 28 verse 26, the one who trusts in his own heart is a fool. Now, isn't that the exact opposite of what our world says? Right? Every Hallmark movie, every Instagram influencer or celebrity says you need to just trust your heart.

[5:49] Follow your feelings. But the Bible says, Jeremiah 17 nine, that our heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure who can understand it. So what does the Bible say about the second thing we often trust in our opinions? Proverbs chapter 18 verse two says, fools find no pleasure in understanding, but delight in airing their own opinions. I don't know about you, but I am guilty of that. Yes. We delight in airing our own opinions. In fact, even as I talk today, some of the stuff that I say might come out as opinion.

[6:34] And I just pray the wisdom of God is to pray that whatever I say, that is foolishness, that is not helpful for you, that God would just snatch it up and not even take it, allow it to take root in your mind. But the wisdom of God would take deep root from his word to your heart. See, the problem with our opinions is opinions are kind of like belly buttons. Opinions are like belly buttons. Everybody's got one and nobody wants to see yours. Am I right? And so Proverbs 28 26 says, those who trust in themselves are fools, but those who walk in wisdom are kept safe.

[7:19] Of course, wisdom is found in the word of God. And so what about cravings when we trust in our desires? Proverbs 11 verse six says, the righteousness of the upright delivers them, but the unfaithful are trapped by evil desires. This is what Pat talked about last week. Pat talked about how our natural cravings, the things that are our body and our mind and our ego desires, sex and money and food and temptations and social media validation and the approval and acceptance of other people, that these things at first feel good and we're drawn into those desires, but soon that which we thought would make us happy ends up enslaving us.

[8:11] James chapter one verse 14 says, each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. That Satan, our spiritual enemy, often uses these natural desires from our nature to draw us away from God and his better plan for our lives. And so finally, culture. What does Proverbs say about culture? Proverbs chapter 13 verse 20 says, walk with the wise and become wise for a companion of fools suffers harm.

[8:56] I want to point to the first word in that sentence in Proverbs 1320. What are we to do with the wise? Walk with the wise. Let me ask you today, who are you walking with? We often say around here that you tend to become like those you hang around most. And I think one of the great challenges is right now in the midst of all that's gone on in these last two years with COVID and the challenges and the things that's done in our society. Let me talk just for a second about government restrictions and isolation and all the stuff that's going on. And I know that there are all kinds of opinions about whether it's right or wrong, but here's what I want to do.

[9:50] Without getting into what your thoughts or my thoughts are on those things, can we just admit that all of those choices have had an impact on society? Can we agree upon that? That it's true that when we are separated from community, what happens in our isolation, when we're not allowed to talk to people in the grocery store, we're not allowed to gather with family and friends and connect with strangers on the street, when all of that is kind of removed from our equator, from our equation, what happens is so often is we then retreat into internet silos, right? Where we go down rabbit trails of confirming the bias of what we think about these things. And the more we start to think that anybody else who disagrees with me on either side or whatever the issue is, that they're just idiots and they're just foolish and we become more and more convinced of our own rightness on all sides of the issue.

[10:59] And can we just agree something that in many ways what we've been through has contributed to a toxic culture where we're not walking together, we're not walking with the wise. And even when we do lean into the people we know personally in our lives rather than just our internet silos, the problem is many times even the people around us are walking in foolishness rather than in wisdom. For example, let's say that I'm having trouble with my marriage and I'm seeking wisdom and advice for how to deal with it. And so what do I do? Well, what we are often left to do is just go and try to find advice from our friends, from other Canadians who have been married. And yet look at the statistics in Canada over the last 20 years, since the year 2001, look at how divorce has climbed in our country. And even this does not take into account how a lot of people just don't even bother to get married in the first place and just live together.

[12:12] And so can we just agree upon something? Here's my point. Can we just agree that if we're looking for wisdom in so many areas of our lives, looking to our culture is probably not going to be the most helpful thing to do all the time. And so let's go back to our three questions. What are the three should I do? Now, I want to dive into the second question for just a minute. Why is something true?

[12:58] Because you cannot know what is true for certain unless you begin to answer the question of why it is true. And so what I want to do for the next few minutes is give you three tests that you can use to determine if something is biblically wise, okay? Three tests that we can filter all of our questions and thoughts and beliefs and decisions through. And the first question is this. Number one, is it consistent with the word of God? You see, God will never bless anything in your life that goes against his word.

[13:49] And so the first priority of wisdom is wisdom prioritizes the word of God. Number two, is it for my glory or for God's glory? Everything in my life has to be evaluated through that question. Is this thing that I think or believe or want? Is this about what I want? Is this about my desires? Is this about my success in building my kingdom? Or is this about God's glory and building his kingdom? Because wisdom always prioritizes the glory of God. And then number three, is it confirmed by humble, godly advisors?

[14:38] Those people in your life who are wise and humble and spiritually mature, what do they think? And can I just add a little caveat here? I don't mean the people who are in our little internet holes that we dig down into and TV and YouTube and social media and forums where we just go and we don't know who's behind the screen. We don't know who that person is. We don't know whether they are the real deal. We don't know what they have been through in their life, but I'm talking about the real people who you know in your life and you have seen with your own eyes, you have seen them walk through experiences and trials where they have demonstrated wisdom and spiritual maturity and those people in your life who know you, they know you personally.

[15:37] And if those wise, humble, godly advisors in your life do not agree, then it's possible that maybe you're walking in foolishness rather than in wisdom. And so let's put all of this together. Let's put all of this together. And what we end up with is a framework that we can use to make wise decisions in our life. And we start by praying and asking God, what is true? And why is it true? And what should I do? And then those three questions all have to pass the three biblical tests of wisdom. Number one, is it consistent with the word of God?

[16:29] Is this just about what I want or what the world says? Or is it about what the word says? Number two, is it for my glory or for God's glory? And number three, is it confirmed by humble, godly advisors in my life? And so what this provides is a framework, a grid that we can use to walk through, to make sure that we are walking in the wisdom of God rather than what the Bible calls the foolishness of this world. And so let's talk about these three questions and kind of use some examples to unpack it. And so as we put these three questions on the screen, what is true?

[17:14] Why is it true? And what should I do? Let's talk about some simple examples. And I'll start with just a really easy one and then they'll get progressively harder. Okay. And so let's just use a simple example and talk about food for just a minute. What is true about food? What is true is that there are some foods that make me feel good, look good, and be in good health. And there are other foods that make me feel bad, look bad, and be in bad health. That is what is true. Why is it true? Why is it true? Because God has designed the world this way. 1 Corinthians chapter 6 verse 12 even refers to food when it talks about in 1 Corinthians 6 verse 12, it says, I have the right to do anything you say, but not everything is beneficial.

[18:08] In other words, I can eat anything, but not everything is actually beneficial. And so I know that whether I like it or not, God has designed the world in such a way that broccoli is good for me and chocolate cake is not. I wish that we're not true, but it is, right? God has designed the world in such a way that water is good for me and Coca-Cola is not. God has designed the world in such a way that carrots are good for me and French fries are not. And this is true in so many of the cravings and desires of our body, right? That many of the things that we desire are not good or beneficial for us.

[18:56] So what is true? We know why it's true. And then we ask question number three, what should I do? And that's where the train comes off the track sometimes, right? That's where we're like, you know, where are we going to have dinner? How about McDonald's? And then they ask that horrible question, do you want fries with that? And they're like, yeah. And then I'll also take an extra large diet Coke and two chocolate cakes and a piece of one of those deep fried apple pies that are so good with a cup of coffee. And see, that's the problem, isn't it? We talked about it the last couple of weeks. It's one thing to know what is good. It's another thing to do it. And that's the difference between having knowledge and living out wisdom in our lives.

[19:43] Let's use a few more examples. What is true about parenting? Proverbs 13, 24 says, if you don't punish your children, you don't love them. If you do love them, you will correct them. That's what is true. Now, why is it true? Well, it's true because if I give my child everything they want all the time, if I always protect them and think that they're, you know, always right and protect them from the world and protect them from their teachers and protect them from the coaches who are trying to correct them and trying to help them grow, then what happens is if I develop a spoiled child, they will become when they grow up, what?

[20:35] A spoiled child becomes many times a spoiled adult. That's what is true when we know why it's true. So number three, what should I do? What I should do then is think of the end in mind. Remember what we talked about in the first week, the law of trajectory, that what I decide today determines my direction for tomorrow, which ultimately determines my destiny. And the same is true for parenting. What I want to do is make decisions today with the end in mind. What kind of adult am I trying to prepare for the world? I'm trying to prepare a generous, sacrificial, kind, humble, Jesus-loving adult.

[21:24] And so that helps shape the decisions for what I should do today as a parent. What about marriage? What is true about adultery? We know that adultery will destroy my wife's heart and ruin my family. Why is that true? Well, because the Bible says so first and foremost, but also because we have seen it happen again and again and again and again in our lives. We see it all over the place. And so what should I do? What I should do then is whatever it takes to protect my marriage. What may be involved in the marriage class online that we have coming up that you can sign up for on our website. It means that I need to be careful in drawing boundaries with people at work. It means that that person at work who maybe makes you feel kind of special and tingly inside and they're kind of good looking and you kind of want to be around them because of how they make you feel.

[22:31] That is a warning sign that wisdom says I need to draw some boundaries around that person in order to protect my marriage. That I need to be careful about who and how I engage with people online because I need to protect my marriage. That is how wisdom works in my life. What is true? How about this example? What is true about debt? What's true about debt is that it's dangerous. Why is it true? Why is debt dangerous? Because the Bible says that it gives me temporary pleasure for long-term pain or short -term gain for long-term pain.

[23:17] That I'm spending tomorrow's money for what I want today, meaning that tomorrow my options will be more limited. Now I know that we have to make wise financial decisions and mortgages and car payments are often part of what we need to do, but that we have to enter into those things carefully and with wisdom. Why is that true? Well, we've seen it, right? The Bible says so. We've seen it in other people's lives. We've seen it, dare I say, in our national economy, not just in Canada but many nations of the world over the last two years as we have accelerated with COVID spending, spending billions of dollars that we do not have.

[24:04] What is the natural result? It devalues our dollar and we have inflation. So everything today costs more than it did two years ago. Why? Because that is the natural consequence of debt. When you spend money you don't have, later the money that you do have is worth less and you have to pay more for stuff. And so we see that, that debt can be dangerous. We know what is true. We know why it is true. And so number three, what should I do? What I should do then is be very, very cautious with my financial decisions and not run into debt to be careful about not taking more of a mortgage than I can handle. Maybe not buying that extra special car that I'd kind of like to have or second or third car that I'd really like to have because I know that wisdom says I need to enter into those things cautiously. Okay, so those are just a few examples. We have a gift for you.

[25:05] Are you ready? If you will go to mw.church slash lock screen, if you go to your web browser and type it in just like that, mw.church slash lock screen, you'll see that there's this little graphic that we have prepared and it allows you, if you save it to your photo roll on your smartphone, it allows you to then download it and then you can go into your settings and save it so that it's your lock screen. So that whenever you turn on your phone, you get to see the three questions of wisdom. What is true? Why is it true? And what should I do? That's a little gift for you. And if you don't know how to set a lock screen on your phone, just ask anybody under the age of 25 and I'm sure that they'll help you.

[25:55] Okay. All right. Now, before we finish up today, I want to just give a couple of words to three groups of people who are with us online today. I want to talk to younger people today for just a minute and to middle-aged people and to older folks who are with us right now. Miles Welch says that a great word for younger people today when it comes to the wisdom of God is the word press. The word press. Younger people take every opportunity to press into the wisdom of God and surround yourself with godly advisors.

[26:44] Remember, we live in a world that makes decisions so often based on what four things, feelings, opinions, cravings, and culture. And Satan wants to convince you that because you're young, you have all the time in the world to make wise decisions, that while you're young, you should just live it up and live for yourself and do what feels good and you can get serious about the important things of life later. But I'm here to tell you, listen, remember the law of trajectory. The decisions you're making today are going to determine your direction and ultimately determine your destiny where you end up in your life.

[27:30] And I want to speak to you as somebody who's been through a few things. At 48 years old, and I can tell you when I was 20, I was walking in foolishness. Absolutely. Many of us were. And I don't know about you, but I can say that was true for me. And yet I can say that since that day, over the last 28 years, as I started to get serious about my faith and seeking the wisdom of God and godly advisors in my life, never once in 28 years have I regretted making Jesus the first priority, the number one priority of my life.

[28:19] Never once. And I'm more blessed today and grateful than I've ever been before. So whatever you do, young people press, press into the wisdom of God and seek godly advisors and learn how to build your life upon the word of God. For middle-aged people like me, I admitted I'm 48 years old. For middle-aged people like me, the word that we have today is pause. Pause. Because in the middle age of life, things are just running so fast. We have work commitments and mortgages and car payments and children who need us and sometimes, and parents who are aging and we're stuck in the middle and feeling like we're pulled in all different directions and sometimes we want to just go to work so that we can get some rest, right?

[29:17] Like work is kind of like our sanctuary sometimes to be able to get away from it all. Maybe you keep a pillow under your desk to take naps at work. I don't know, I won't tell your boss. But here's what I do know, that when we're running at that pace of life, we often become vulnerable to making unwise decisions. So often in the middle age of life, maybe we've had a good run but then we start to get selfish and protective because we feel pulled in so many different directions. And in order to prevent you from making some unwise decisions and the busyness of your life today, pause and prioritize the word of God.

[30:05] Pause and spend some time with some Jesus people who you want to become like so they can pour into your life. Pause and prioritize time with your family. They're only going to be around for so long, make the most of every moment. And so for younger people today, it's press. For middle-aged people, it's pause. And for the older people with us today, the word I want to give you is possible. Possible. See, maybe you think that your life is almost over. Maybe you feel like your best days are in the past and you no longer have anything of value to give.

[30:57] And today I want to speak to you today about the possibilities of what God still wants to do in and through your life. You still have so much to give. Young people need to learn from your wisdom and experience. You need to be their prayer partners. You need to be their mentors to pour into them. As long as you're still breathing, God's not done with you yet. As long as you're still breathing, you are still making choices today that matter. Because no matter how old you are, your decisions today are determining the legacy that you will leave behind.

[31:45] And because some Christians don't finish well. In fact, here's what I almost don't want to share with you about the book of Proverbs. I kind of hate to admit this, but it's important for us to know the truth about Solomon who wrote this amazing book of wisdom called Proverbs. And we learned in week one of the series that Solomon wrote it as a book of wisdom from the heart of a father to his son. And the Bible tells us that Solomon who wrote the book of Proverbs was the wisest man who ever lived. And yet, the sad fact is at the end of his life, he lost focus.

[32:34] At the end of Solomon's life, he started to become selfish. And he felt like he was entitled that other people owed him stuff. He started chasing after young women. He had 300 wives and a lot more girlfriends beyond that. That's enough to drive anybody crazy. And at the end, this man who God blessed with more wisdom than anyone who has ever lived, at the end, he threw it away. He dropped the ball. Don't let that be your story. Finish well. Whatever stage of life you're in today, could we just pray together with you as we prepare to worship and just surrender to the Lord today? Let's pray together wherever you are. Just shut out the distractions right now.

[33:30] As Heavenly Father, we come to you and we recognize that we have so much been shaped by this world. As Proverbs says, Lord, you know, God, you know how often we have allowed our feelings to lead us astray. How often we have trusted in opinions rather than having faith in the facts. How often we have pursued the desires and the satisfaction of our cravings, which Proverbs says, lead us away from you and trap us and ensnare us and take us to places we never wanted to go.

[34:25] How often Proverbs says we trust in our culture rather than walking with the wise, those who have been formed by the wisdom of your word. And so Lord, wherever people are on that journey, from the youngest people with us right now who are listening to the oldest person who's with us right now and everywhere in between. Lord, we invite you to speak into our lives, to hunger for the truth of your word, to represent to the foolishness and the craziness of the world around us what it means to be a confident, mature, humble follower of Jesus Christ.

[35:14] Oh Lord, to make the most of our days for your glory. We invite your Holy Spirit to come in. Holy Spirit, come in and wash us clean. Forgive us for ways that we have fallen short. Forgive us for ways that we have been distracted. Lord, may you be blessed in our lives. Lord, may you be lifted up in our lives as we worship you, as we worship you. In Jesus name, Amen.