How to Attain True Wisdom

In this part of the sermon: Martin introduces Proverbs as the Holy Spirit's proverbial wisdom, emphasizing the fear of the Lord as its key. He provides an overview of Proverbs 2, highlighting its themes of…

Martin quotes Bridges' commentary to provide a succinct overview of Proverbs chapter 2, outlining its main themes and structure.

And after that sobering admonition and warning of the danger of listening to the voice of evil men, he finishes the chapter with this sober warning of the danger of not listening to the voice of God, speaking in this passage as wisdom personified. And so we concluded our studies of the first chapter last week by looking at that sober warning given to all who would turn a deaf ear to the entreaties of wisdom, wisdom in this passage being the voice of God. And so we concluded our studies of the first chapter last week by looking at that sober warning being none other than the Son of God himself,...

1:28 - 2:51 Read in full sermon

The point: Beware of any and all influences which would in any way undermine your absolute confidence of the words of God as found in Scripture.

Martin uses the analogy of human breath coming from the mouth to explain 'God-breathed' (theopneustos) Scripture, emphasizing that God's mouth is heard in His written Word.

That's why the apostle Paul actually coined a word when he's describing the nature of Scripture in 2 Timothy 3 and verse 16. All Scripture is what? God breathed. Where does your breath come from?

11:10 - 11:25 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Right exposure to God's Word involves three facets: readiness of mind (receptivity and submission to divine authority), retentiveness of mind (treasuring and preserving the Word)…

Martin uses Jacob asking Esau to 'receive' his present in Genesis 33:10 to illustrate the meaning of 'receive' as taking something to oneself with readiness.

Remember the setting? Jacob has not seen his brother Esau for a long time. Hearing that he's in the area, he's fearful that his brother will harm him. So he seeks to placate him with gifts.

19:37 - 19:49 Read in full sermon

The point: Cultivate a sense of readiness of mind when hearing the Word of God, recognizing and submitting to the authority of God who speaks in His words.

Martin uses the example of Moses being hidden by his mother in Exodus 2:2 to explain 'lay up' or 'hide' as preserving something precious.

The authorized version says hide my commandments with thee. Now it's interesting. This is the same word used in Exodus 2.2 speaking of Moses being hid for three months.

24:13 - 24:28 Read in full sermon

The point: Cultivate a sense of readiness of mind when hearing the Word of God, recognizing and submitting to the authority of God who speaks in His words.

Martin uses the example of Rahab hiding the spies in Joshua 2:4 to explain 'lay up' or 'hide' as preserving something precious.

Here was something precious which a mother wanted to preserve and so she hid the child. It's the same word used in Joshua 2.4 concerning Rahab and her hiding of the spies. Here was something she wanted to preserve and protect and so she hid them.

24:28 - 24:50 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not carelessly treat the great treasure of divine wisdom found in the words of God, allowing other things to choke the Word.

Martin asks what one would do if given solid gold bars, illustrating how people naturally secure valuable physical treasures, contrasting this with the careless treatment of divine wisdom.

In Psalm 119 in verse 127, the psalmist carries out this very analogy in his statement in that particular text. Psalm 119, verse 127, Therefore I love thy commandments above gold, yea, above fine gold. Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right and I hate every false way. What would happen if someone should appear on your doorstep or in your living room in the next three, four days and hand over to you two or three solid bars of pure gold?

25:35 - 26:17 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The second essential ingredient is fervent prayer for the impartation of wisdom, specifically for discernment and understanding. Martin emphasizes that this prayer must be…

Martin uses the analogy of a drowning man crying for help to illustrate the vehemence and deep desire implied by the words 'cry' and 'lift up' in prayer for wisdom.

Well, they're strong words. And both of them indicate deep, deep, yea, a vehement desire on the part of the one who is doing either of these things. A drowning man cries for help. You never heard a drowning man whispering for help unless he was so close to going down under for the third time.

35:36 - 36:00 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The second essential ingredient is fervent prayer for the impartation of wisdom, specifically for discernment and understanding. Martin emphasizes that this prayer must be…

Martin uses the analogy of a beggar crying out for help to illustrate the vehemence and deep desire implied by the words 'cry' and 'lift up' in prayer for wisdom.

All he could muster was a whisper. A drowning man cries for help. A beggar doesn't whisper to be heard. He cries out and listens.

36:00 - 36:12 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The second essential ingredient is fervent prayer for the impartation of wisdom, specifically for discernment and understanding. Martin emphasizes that this prayer must be…

Martin uses the analogy of a shepherd crying out for a lost sheep to illustrate the vehemence and deep desire implied by the words 'cry' and 'lift up' in prayer for wisdom.

He lifts up his voice even as we read in the Gospel account of that beggar who cried the louder saying, Son of David, have mercy upon me. A shepherd does not whisper after a lost sheep, but he cries out into the wilderness to find that sheep. A herald, a down-crier who comes to make announcements to the whole town does not whisper, but he lifts up his voice. A lost child who cries out, a child who cannot find his mother, cries out for Mama, and a prophet lifts up his voice to speak in Jehovah's name.

36:13 - 36:56 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The second essential ingredient is fervent prayer for the impartation of wisdom, specifically for discernment and understanding. Martin emphasizes that this prayer must be…

Martin uses the analogy of a herald making announcements to illustrate the vehemence and deep desire implied by the words 'cry' and 'lift up' in prayer for wisdom.

He lifts up his voice even as we read in the Gospel account of that beggar who cried the louder saying, Son of David, have mercy upon me. A shepherd does not whisper after a lost sheep, but he cries out into the wilderness to find that sheep. A herald, a down-crier who comes to make announcements to the whole town does not whisper, but he lifts up his voice. A lost child who cries out, a child who cannot find his mother, cries out for Mama, and a prophet lifts up his voice to speak in Jehovah's name.

36:13 - 36:56 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The second essential ingredient is fervent prayer for the impartation of wisdom, specifically for discernment and understanding. Martin emphasizes that this prayer must be…

Martin uses the analogy of a lost child crying for its mother to illustrate the vehemence and deep desire implied by the words 'cry' and 'lift up' in prayer for wisdom.

He lifts up his voice even as we read in the Gospel account of that beggar who cried the louder saying, Son of David, have mercy upon me. A shepherd does not whisper after a lost sheep, but he cries out into the wilderness to find that sheep. A herald, a down-crier who comes to make announcements to the whole town does not whisper, but he lifts up his voice. A lost child who cries out, a child who cannot find his mother, cries out for Mama, and a prophet lifts up his voice to speak in Jehovah's name.

36:13 - 36:56 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The second essential ingredient is fervent prayer for the impartation of wisdom, specifically for discernment and understanding. Martin emphasizes that this prayer must be…

Martin uses the analogy of a prophet lifting up his voice to speak in Jehovah's name to illustrate the vehemence and deep desire implied by the words 'cry' and 'lift up' in prayer for wisdom.

He lifts up his voice even as we read in the Gospel account of that beggar who cried the louder saying, Son of David, have mercy upon me. A shepherd does not whisper after a lost sheep, but he cries out into the wilderness to find that sheep. A herald, a down-crier who comes to make announcements to the whole town does not whisper, but he lifts up his voice. A lost child who cries out, a child who cannot find his mother, cries out for Mama, and a prophet lifts up his voice to speak in Jehovah's name.

36:13 - 36:56 Read in full sermon

The point: In your private reading of the word, lift up your voice in fervent prayer that God would open up the words of God to your mind and conscience.

Martin uses the analogy of a wealthy but stingy person to explain why merely knowing God 'has' wisdom is not enough; the comfort comes from knowing God 'gives' wisdom.

That'd be a little comfort to me. You know, someone may have a reputation of being very wealthy, but very stingy. That doesn't give you much comfort when you're in need. So and so has.

40:09 - 40:22 Read in full sermon

The point: In your private reading of the word, lift up your voice in fervent prayer that God would open up the words of God to your mind and conscience.

Martin quotes Bridges to emphasize that earthly wisdom is gained by study, but heavenly wisdom is gained by prayer, highlighting the necessity of fervent prayer for spiritual impression.

Through Him who has been made unto us wisdom, even our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. There's an excellent statement by Bridges in giving some comments on this passage he says concerning this fervent prayer for the impartation of wisdom, the second great ingredient in the path of wisdom. There may be attention and earnestness yet not one spiritual impression upon the conscience, not one ray of divine light to the soul. Earthly wisdom is gained by study, heavenly wisdom by prayer.

41:36 - 42:18 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The third essential ingredient is unflagging diligence in the pursuit of wisdom, likened to seeking silver or hidden treasure. This involves persistent effort, mental and…

Martin uses the analogy of a miner committed to finding silver, digging with unwearying pains and unbending resolution, to illustrate the unflagging diligence required in pursuing wisdom.

That's another reason why I like Proverbs and why you know it's written particularly to the young especially these first nine chapters they just bristle with all kinds of figures of speech and poetic imageries that just make the thing live in the mind for a minute while we take up some of those imageries and then we gird up the loins of our mind as we seek to apply them. He says two things. If you seek her as silver and hunt for her or search for her as hid treasure. So you have the analogy of a miner who's out to get some silver and a prospector who's out to find a sunken treasure. Now you th...

46:54 - 47:54 Read in full sermon

The point: Expend mental and spiritual energy in private and public study of God's Word, with unflagging diligence, convinced of its rich treasure.

Martin uses the analogy of a prospector diligently searching for hidden treasure in a field, persevering through disappointment, to illustrate the unflagging diligence required in pursuing wisdom.

Fervent prayer that that wisdom be imparted but you must add to it and then he changes the figure if you search for her as for hid treasure. Apparently and from what I've been able to read this is true with Eastern life being what it was people would hide their valuables in sunken treasures. Sometimes they would die leaving no record of where the treasure was. So the hunting of treasures actually became some people's business or pastime and this was so common a thing for a part of one of his parables.

48:35 - 49:12 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Men who are strangers to that are strangers to God and to their own hearts all that we might see fused in this body of God's people that we might see fused in the ministry of the church in our day all of the ingredients …

Martin uses the example of the Israelites loathing manna to illustrate how people can grow tired of the Word of God, seeking something more glamorous or scintillating.

We don't want that thing. Our soul loatheth this manna and so when a man would stand up and open the scriptures and not with the word of God they got sick of that. They want something more glamorous something more scintillating something more attractive. What a tragedy.

53:01 - 53:32 Read in full sermon