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More Precious than Gold

Sermon by Rev. Paul Fahnestock — August 31, 2008
 

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Introduction
There is a story of a woman driving in the mountains of Colorado just outside of Denver when she got caught in a blinding snow storm. As she peered out her windshield, trying to determine where the road led, she spied a snow plow. She began to follow it and stayed close behind it as it removed snow from the road. Even then, sometimes the snow would almost hide the snow plow from her view, but her faithful guide plowed ahead leading the way. Quite a bit of time had passed when the snowplow stopped and the driver climbed down from the plow and walked back to the car.

“Lady,” he asked, “Where are you going?”

“I’m on my way to Denver,” she told him.

“Well, you’ll never get there following me,” he replied. “I’m plowing a parking lot!”

Life can be just like this story. You may think you’re on the right road, but you have to be sure you’re following the One who is taking you to the desired destination.

Wisdom for the Journey
Where do we turn to get the understanding, to obtain the wisdom we need for choosing the right roads in life? As Christians, we believe God has revealed himself, speaking to us about who he is, who we are, about the reality of a fallen world and his plan of redemption, salvation, and restoration of his creation. Our record of God communicating with us constitutes the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. This morning we’ll turn our attention to the Old Testament book of Proverbs:

These are the proverbs of Solomon, David’s son, king of Israel.
      Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline,
            to help them understand the insights of the wise.
      Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives,
            to help them do what is right, just, and fair. (Proverbs 1:1-3)

Wisdom, according to King Solomon, is knowing the mind of God and knowing what God requires of us. A wise person is skillful at applying God’s Word to the decisions and activities of daily life.

The Fear of the Lord
Solomon states in the seventh verse where wisdom begins:

Fear of the LORD is the foundation of true knowledge,
      but fools despise wisdom and discipline. (Proverbs 1:7)

The word “fear” is used many times in the Old Testament concerning our relationship to God, and it always describes the right relationship we are to have with God. When you think of the words “fear” and “God,” you may be reminded of this experience recorded in chapter 6 of the Old Testament writings of Isaiah:

It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple …
      Then I said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.” (Isaiah 6:1, 5)

Such an appearance is called a “theophany.” There are many other examples of theophany in the Bible. And they convey something of what it means to fear the Lord — but one doesn’t need a miraculous theophany to express this attitude before God.

That we are gathered together this morning to worship God demonstrates our fear, devotion, respect, and love for God. When you take time for a personal daily devotion of reading the Bible, praying, and spending time in the presence of God, or when you sit at your table and before a meal thank God for his provision and blessing, these, too, are expressions of this term “fear of the Lord.”

Fear of the Lord means we recognize that God is the Creator and we are the created; he is the Master and we are the servants; he is the Father and we are his children. It is this proper attitude toward God that is the first step, the foundation, for true knowledge which will never be attained by any person who does not fear the Lord.

The Fool
Solomon describes the fool as one who despises wisdom and instruction. The word “despise” means that a person holds something in contempt; he or she considers a thing to be insignificant. Bill Maher, a comedian, television host, and professed atheist, considers himself an expert on religion. He has concluded that religion is the primary reason for all the problems we have in the world. He has made a documentary film titled Religulous — a combination of the words “religion” and “ridiculous.” It will show in theaters this October. Maher was interviewed by Larry King last Sunday night and I want to share with you a portion of the transcript.

Rick Warren had been on the show the night before. Warren is pastor of Saddleback Christian Church in Long Beach, CA. He hosted interviews of Barack Obama and John McCain in his church a couple of weeks ago, and he is the author of the best-seller The Purpose Driven Life. Following is a part of the interview between Larry King and Bill Maher:

KING:	I asked Rick Warren if he could vote for an atheist. And he said never, because in his opinion, he could never vote for someone who did not believe in a higher authority than himself or herself.
MAHER:	Well, but see, I used to read parts of Rick Warren’s book [The Purpose Driven Life] onstage in my standup act. It produced, I promise you, gales of laughter, because the idea that any person on earth can tell you with such specifics what happens when you die just blows my mind. That somebody on earth, another person, can just say to you, “Oh, yes. And what happens when you get to heaven? Yes. You’ll meet Jesus. He’s wearing a white robe. There’s a little gold piping on the sleeve. And then you go in this room and eat eggs and you watch ‘F Troop’.” Are you kidding? What are you talking about? You’re just a person like I am. You are clueless. You have no idea what happens.
KING:	Don’t you think Rick believes it?
MAHER:	Of course he believes it, but how — how ridiculous is that? Like, if I went to the Himalayas to find the holiest of holy men in the world who had all the answers — the guru — and I got to the top of the mountain. I said, “Please, master, can you help me with the ultimate meaning of life?” He’d say, “Yes. There’s a guy Rick in Long Beach, Rick Warren. Go ask him. He knows exactly what happens when you die.” And, you know, that is my ultimate message. Unless a god told you personally what happens when you die, it all came from another person with no more mental powers than you have, and you don’t know. So just man up and say, “I don’t know.”

Maher claims he has read the Bible. Obviously, he didn’t get the part about God personally revealing what happens when you die. Just one example comes from the apostle Paul writing to the church in Thessalonica:

And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope… We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. So encourage each other with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)

This is only one of many examples where God has personally spoken concerning what happens when you die. We do not have time to read other passages, but I commend to you chapters 20 & 21 of Revelation, the last book in the Bible, for further examples. Maher has either not read the Bible carefully or he has decided to not believe the witness of those who have heard God speaking.

This is not just Maher’s problem. He’s not the only fool in the world. I remember when I was in college and a Campus Crusade representative came to our fraternity house to talk about God’s plan of salvation in Jesus Christ. The living room was full of fraternity brothers, and I remember being at the back of the room. I don’t remember anything he said, because I didn’t hear anything he said. I was too busy making wise-cracks with my buddies. I was a fool. It would be another eight years before God had mercy on me and gave me ears to hear of his offer of salvation through Jesus Christ and a heart to receive it. I pray God will do the same for Bill Maher, Larry King, and anyone else who does not yet realize their relationship to God.

A Treasure Worth Seeking
A true relationship with God is a relationship with Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul explained in a New Testament letter to the church at Corinth what God has accomplished: “God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin” (1 Corinthians 1:30). Paul’s prayer for the Colossians was that they might know God’s plan for them, which is Christ himself for “in him lie all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 1:3).

Continuing in Proverbs, Solomon describes the outcome associated with true wisdom and knowledge in chapter 3:

Joyful is the person who finds wisdom,
      the one who gains understanding.
For wisdom is more profitable than silver,
      and her wages are better than gold.
Wisdom is more precious than rubies;
      nothing you desire can compare with her. (Proverbs 3:13-15)

We all rejoice with Michael Phelps and his spectacular winning of eight gold medals at the Summer Olympics. He is a phenomenon. His body seems to have been designed for swimming — his height, his long torso, long arms, big hands, short legs, and size 14 flippers for feet. But his unique physical body could only win gold medals when it was coupled with the discipline of five hours of swimming plus bodybuilding workouts seven days per week, 365 days per year, and an unwavering, competitive determination to be the best. It takes a tremendous effort of body, mind and will to win an Olympic gold medal.

Solomon says nothing is to be desired or worth attaining more than God’s wisdom. It is more precious than gold medals or any other prize the world offers. As God equipped Michael Phelps to swim and win gold, he has equipped Christians with a heart and mind created to understand God’s ways. In Christ, you have the Holy Spirit to teach you and lead you. You have God’s Word to instruct you. And your reward is true, lasting wealth which surpasses everything that may be considered valuable in this life.

Joyful is the person… That is to say satisfaction, contentment and peace are the result of “finding” wisdom and “gaining” understanding. There is effort involved. Acknowledging Christ as Savior and Lord is the beginning of wisdom, but growing and maturing in Christ, in wisdom, requires a life-long commitment of your will and a discipline of your mind and body. I pray God will give each of us the grace to seek his wisdom and put it into practice every day. May we express our love and devotion to God by making this the number one priority of our lives.

Applying God’s Word
I will conclude with a real-time application of wisdom that I have been considering. These past months we Americans have been swamped with information, speculation, and accusations concerning the candidates running for president of the U.S.A. You can’t listen to the news on television or radio or pick up a newspaper or news magazine that does not express an opinion about the candidates.

This past week, the Democratic convention has elected Senator Barack Obama and, this coming week, the Republican convention will make John McCain the official presidential candidate for their party. As responsible citizens of a country that elects its officials, we need to consider the facts about the candidates and vote. As Christians, we should prayerfully consider who will give the best leadership. Over the next two months, the contest will be hard-fought and the debate will be intense. The spoken and written commentary of the news pundits will range from cool and rational reporting of the facts to heated, emotional and, at times, hateful diatribes demonizing either Barack Obama or John McCain. You may feel very strongly in favor of one of these candidates, or you may be motivated because you are adamantly opposed to a candidate.

One thing is for sure: only one of these men will be elected as our next President. The new President may or may not be the person I vote for. Here is where I want to apply God’s wisdom. What will be my response to our new President? Does God have a word of instruction for us? I believe he does and we find it in a letter the apostle Paul sent to his protégé and son in the faith, Timothy:

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings [presidents; leaders] and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. (1 Timothy 2:1-4)

So this is the question I must consider: Whether the next President is my choice or not, will I follow the wisdom of God and pray for the President? I have made up my mind, no matter who it is, I will pray and ask God to help our President, and I will give thanks for him. The reason can’t be clearer. It’s so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives, and it is good and pleases God our Savior.

That’s the way it works. Wisdom is applying God’s Word to all the decisions and activities of our day-to-day lives.

PRAYER
Teach me your decrees, O LORD;
I will keep them to the end.
Give me understanding and I will obey your instructions;
I will put them into practice with all my heart.
Make me walk along the path of your commands,
for that is where my happiness is found.
Give me an eagerness for your laws
rather than a love for money!
Turn my eyes from worthless things,
and give me life through your word.
Reassure me of your promise,
made to those who fear you.
Psalm 119:33-38