Acquire Wisdom

• What if you could time travel, and go back in time to tell your younger self something important that would help them in the future.

• Many of you might be thinking about Back to the Future where Marty McFly went back in time to save his family...or when Biff went back in time to give his younger self a copy of the sports almanac so his future self can make a lot of money.

• Can you image if you could go back in time and tell your younger self to buy Microsoft, google, apple, amazon stock right when the stock goes public….

• What if you could tell your kids what stocks to buy so they would be setup for life….how much would you tell them to invest…$500, $5,000….all they had….

• We may not be able to tell the future, we might not have a time traveling DeLorean….but we often tell our kids to invest early because of the exponential return on their investment when you invest early and you let it grow over time….

• As Fathers we often want our kids to invest their money, their time, their life wisely…so that they get a good return on their investment….

God calls us to invest in something even more valuable, God calls us to invest in wisdom and to invest everything we have in acquiring wisdom because it is worth it…

As we think about our Annual Theme of Building on our Heritage, one of the amazing things is that a commitment to God’s word has been passed down through the generations…and that has led to a great deal of wisdom that has been shared from the older generations to the younger generations through the years.

What is wise today was wise 60 years ago, and will be wise 60 years from now because it is based on the word of God….and so we have the ability to understand wisdom from God’s word that is timeless and then pass it on to the next generation, so that they know how to live in God’s world, and live for what is truly valuable.

Today on Father’s day, we want to focus on how God calls all of us to …

Acquire Wisdom

We want to especially be thankful for fathers who have passed down valuable wisdom generation to generation, and we want to encourage fathers to receive wisdom and pass it on to the next generation….

With that in mind please turn in your bible to Proverbs 4:1-10

Proverbs 4:1–10 -¹ Hear, O sons, the instruction of a father, And give attention that you may gain understanding, ² For I give you sound teaching; Do not abandon my instruction. ³ When I was a son to my father, Tender and the only son in the sight of my mother, ⁴ Then he taught me and said to me, “Let your heart hold fast my words; Keep my commandments and live; ⁵ Acquire wisdom! Acquire understanding! Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth. ⁶ “Do not forsake her, and she will guard you; Love her, and she will watch over you. ⁷ “The beginning of wisdom is: Acquire wisdom; And with all your acquiring, get understanding. ⁸ “Prize her, and she will exalt you; She will honor you if you embrace her. ⁹ “She will place on your head a garland of grace; She will present you with a crown of beauty.” ¹⁰ Hear, my son, and accept my sayings And the years of your life will be many.

With our time this morning, let’s consider

3 Reasons to celebrate the wisdom of a godly father’s instruction

I. His instruction is useful (v.1-2)

It is useful in ….

providing understanding

1. Proverbs 4:1 -¹ Hear, O sons, the instruction of a father, And give attention that you may gain understanding,

In the bible knowledge, understanding and wisdom are all closely related…Knowledge is often described as learning something…gathering information…and then when you understand that information you know how it fits together, how it relates…what is most important…what information rises to the top and how it all works together….understanding is about discerning what is important…what is most valuable.

Wisdom is about applying that understanding in real life. Some describe it like knowledge is learning what fruits, vegetables, grains are…knowledge is learning that a tomato is actually a fruit…and wisdom is knowing a tomato is a fruit…but not putting it in a fruit salad…

Wisdom is about skill or skillful living…because it produces something valuable and in real life….in Ex 35:31 the artisans of the temple were filled with wisdom, wise of heart…they were skilled men and wise men because they knew how to work with metal, with wood, with fabric, with jewels …people with understanding and skill could bring about results that were good, and useful in real life….

A godly fathers instruction is characterized as…

having great value and is not to be abandoned

1. Proverbs 4:2 -² For I give you sound teaching; Do not abandon my instruction.

1. Sound - טוֹב (ṭôb). adj. good, useful, pleasing, beautiful. Having the qualities that make something useful and desirable.^[1]

When you have something useful, you hang on to it…

Dad’s what is a tool you think your kid should have in their tool box…what is a tool that you have found to be extremely useful…

For me it is channel lock pliers…it is like a pliers, but better…long and angled for leverage…you can adjust them to fit various sizes of things…I have a set with curved inside grippers… I use to to tighten stubborn hoses, take apart pipes, grip things so I don’t scratch them up….I have 3…and I am always using them, they are super useful bc you often need two of them to loosen something and not damage what you are working with.

Wisdom is like a good set of channel locks…you don’t initially realize how useful they are…but when they work, it is a thing of beauty….

You would never think to leave a set of pliers laying out on the lawn to get rusted…if you want to see your dad make the worse face made know to man…leave a tool out to get rusty….

In Proverbs, the dad is saying what I am teaching you…is useful…don’t discard it, leave it laying around…you are going to need it over and over again in real life….

When a father tells his kids…God is our creator…He made you…You and I are here for His glory…he gave you gifts and abilities…and you are not to try to live your life on your own terms, apart from God…you need Him…you need to think about Him, appreciate creation, and how it and you point back to him…That is incredibly useful….when you don’t make the team, or someone makes fun of you, or you are having a hard time doing something…you don’t compare yourself to other kids…you think about the God who made you and How he made you for His glory.

Don’t leave that in the yard…you are going to need to think about your creator all through your life….

one day you can pass this instruction to your kids…as there is…

potential for generational impact

notice how the text says “Hear O sons…the instruction of a father”…this goes well beyond just one father speaking to his son…in fact we will see that this father is going to talk to his son about what he learned from His dad…

There is something special seeing you son using your grandfathers saw…or hearing you kids talk about the Lord to their kids in a way that you remember your father telling you…wisdom is useful for generations…

Not only is a godly father’s instruction useful…

II. His instruction is in love (v.3-6)

This starts by…

Recognizing the tender and vulnerable nature of children

1. Proverbs 4:3 -³ When I was a son to my father, Tender and the only son in the sight of my mother,

Solmon is talking about when he was just a young boy, His father David gave him instruction. He was young and when he was the only son of His mother Bathsheba…he was in a vulnerable position by just age, but also vulnerable position as the son of a king with other sons that were not that wise or good put Him in an even more vulnerable position…and His father gave Him instruction and did not ignore Him.

Even if there is discipline, correction…there is to be love…a care and concern for the vulnerability of a child that leads you to train them, teach them…because you love them, you will spend quality meaningful time with them,…that imparts value to your child….

1. Proverbs 3:11–12 -¹¹ My son, do not reject the discipline of the Lord Or loathe His reproof, ¹² For whom the Lord loves He reproves, Even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights.

Discipline can mean training…helping a child gain skill…not in simply throwing a baseball, catching a fish, or building a deck…but training in living life well.

Fathers are to be respected, but Fathers are to have a great deal of compassion just as the Lord does…

1. Psalm 103:13 -¹³ Just as a father has compassion on his children, So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.

Dad’s sometimes we can stop our kids in their tracks with a look or a firm corrective statement…and that is a critical part of training our kids…but it needs to accompanied by a compassion that points to the Lord.

That compassion means there are….

Desires for one’s children to live and flourish

1. Proverbs 4:4–5 -⁴ Then he taught me and said to me, “Let your heart hold fast my words; Keep my commandments and live; ⁵ Acquire wisdom! Acquire understanding! Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth.

It isn’t that a father just wants to be listened to just for respect…it is that He wants his kids to listen …so they will live…so things will go well for them…

I was driving my son to go to the junior policy academy this week…and as I was driving, I had the right of way and a truck had a yield sign, but they did not yield at all…I don’t think this person saw me…and pulled out at full speed and we were about to collide…it was quick but I saw it coming and I slammed on the breaks and we stopped about a foot short of hitting the other vehicle…

That was a teaching moment…I started talking to my son about defensive driving…and even if you are driving properly, you can’t just zone out, shouldn’t look at your phone…you need to be scanning as someone else might make a mistake and you need to respond…does not mean you will avoid every accident, but driving defensively is wise and will protect you even if you are not doing anything wrong….I wanted him to learn so that he could be in the best position to protect His life and the lives of His passengers…

Notice in the text it says Acquire Wisdom, Acquire Understanding…The word acquire mean Get…Buy…invest in….This is the basis for our whole theme for fathers day.

Fathers seeing the Value of Wisdom…Fathers Getting wisdom themselves…and seeking to give it to their kids…but you can’t just force wisdom on someone…you can’t lay down a thin layer of wisdom and just have your kids walk through it…they have to want it…it has to have value to them…

The word Acquire is a word used for business transactions…wisdom costs something…Fathers are calling their kids to want to spend their resources to get something of extreme value…

Later in proverbs it says…

1. Proverbs 23:22–24 -²² Listen to your father who begot you, And do not despise your mother when she is old. ²³ Buy truth, and do not sell it, Get wisdom and instruction and understanding. ²⁴ The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice, And he who sires a wise son will be glad in him.

Buy truth and do not sell it….Get Wisdom. Wisdom costs something…

…it will cost your time, it will cost you to focus on what the Lord says rather than what the world says, it will cost you not just doing whatever you feel like doing…it will require you to think about things and not just go with the flow…it will cost you your pride as you seek to humbly learn from someone else…it will cost you your time, your effort, your focus…but it will return a much greater value to you…

This is a picture of a child who listens to their mother and father and wants more…does not just endure, bide their time…they see the value in learning from someone else and they will give their own resources to get more…

if a child spends their own money on a pair of pants, they really value those pants …if a child gives a parent their time, and their attention, they really take their words to heart……parents rejoice…it is not just a lecture…it is a student going to optional office hours to learn more because they want to and they see the value in it.

The best gift you can give your dad is your attention to learn what he has to teach you about the Lord Jesus Christ….and maybe some channel locks…

1. 3 John 4 -⁴ I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.

There is such joy when a child wants to pursue the things of the Lord…Not being dragged to church, not having to be cornered to have a meaningful conversation…but a Child that wants to willingly walk in the truth.

In God’s economy…things don’t always seem valuable, but they end up being the most valuable….

It seems small, but small conversations like Telling our kids to work hard when no one is looking, to not grumble but have a good attitude even if it is hard work…Don’t gossip about your co-workers or undercut your boss…do your work heartily for the Lord…Then you see them serving with joy even if it is tough…seeing them solve problems biblically and not gossip…as a mom or dad…there is noting like seeing or hearing about your kids living to please the Lord…

Little ongoing conversation about the Lord don’t seem to have an impact or be valuable, but often they are revealed to be priceless….consider what Jesus said to his disciples about not living for themselves…

1. Mark 8:34–36 -³⁴ And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. ³⁵ “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. ³⁶ “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?

Kids if you dad is talking to you about the gospel…wanting to share with you the words of eternal life…give him your full attention…he loves you, cares for you and wants things not to just go well for your earthly life…but your eternal life.

If he is talking to you about living in light of the gospel…how to talk to your mom, how to interact with a sibling, or do a task for the glory of God…don’t roll your eyes…say, thanks’ Dad, I really appreciate you taking the time to help me and point me to the Lord.

Dad’s, the greatest investment advice you can give your kids…is not stock tips…but the value of placing their trust in Jesus Christ….the one who died on the cross for our sin…

And then the encouragement by your words and your example…that He is worthy of following…He is worthy devoting your life to…that is the wisdom that is to be passed down generation to generation…even after we are gone….

The reality is we will not always be there to protect our kids…

love from a father is also characterized by the…

Understanding the need for protection beyond a father’s care

Speaking again of wisdom, the author says…

1. Proverbs 4:6 -⁶ “Do not forsake her, and she will guard you; Love her, and she will watch over you.

When someone has wisdom they understand the principle of the Path…they understand if I take this step in front of me…if I live for myself, if I lie, manipulate, use my body to entice people, if I trust in my own intellect, my own abilities…that road will eventually lead me to a place of being alone, despairing, and a place where there is destruction of all kinds.

But if I think about how each step I take, if it honors the Lord…I will walk down a path marked with security and blessings.

Fathers needs to helps our kids have respect for the Lord…that will guard them to go down the right path when no one is looing…and there is not a parent there to say, don’t go that way…don’t do that…

1. Proverbs 1:7 -⁷ The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.

All of this assumes that fathers want to get wisdom themselves….if fathers don’t have a fear of the Lord…we are not going to be able to pass wisdom on to our kids…we can’t give them what we do not have…

If we want kids to buy wisdom…we need to show them that it is valuable in our lives…we need to show them that it is a joy to live for the Lord.

One of the best things a dad can do…is be excited about the lord, see His word as important…have a respect for the Lord that translates to knowing what God says in the bible and talking about Him because He has your respect and He is important to you…Dad’s wanting to learn more about the Lord and share that passion with their kids sets the tone….

1. Proverbs 9:10 -¹⁰ The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Proverbs repeats the fear of the Lord over and over to instruct the young to listen to Lady wisdom and to turn away from lady folly….

You see it is not simply about knowing the right way to go…it is about a view of the Lord that compels you to go down the path He instructs.

The pathway our heavenly father instructs us to go down is one of life…a good earthy father points to the heavenly father…and

III. His instruction brings life (v.7-10)

A life that brings appropriate exaltation and honor

1. Proverbs 4:7–8 -⁷ “The beginning of wisdom is: Acquire wisdom; And with all your acquiring, get understanding. ⁸ “Prize her, and she will exalt you; She will honor you if you embrace her.

This is a bit of a tricky and confusing phrase…The beginning of wisdom is, Acquire Wisdom…it is a bit like saying if you want to get wisdom, then get wisdom.

The point the author is making…is if you want to actually be a wise person, it has to start with you actually wanting to be wise…you can’t say, oh you are giving away a bit of wisdom…I really don’t need any right now, but I will take a bit and store it away for later in case I might need some.

If you have it all figured out you are not going to get any wisdom bc you don’t think you need it….wise people learn, and understand there is a lot they don’t know.

If you are going to start on a path that is characterized by wisdom, you are going to need a desire for wisdom…

A person who wants to become a good artist, is draw to art, to learning about drawing…a person who wants to be an interior designer is drawn to design…

If you don’t value wisdom, you will not get wisdom….if you cherish and value wisdom, wisdom will exalt you….

Think about a young child who gets pushed off the slide from another kid…and that child comes over to their mom or dad and desires instruction on what to to…they ask what to do… and that mom or dad says lets think about Romans 12 and how God calls us to return good for evil…lets first pray for that other child, and ask God to help you honor the lord….then why don’t you go over to that same child and ask if they want to play with you…and the child does it and make a new friend…think about that advice applied in high school or college and you are kind to people who gossip about you, you return good for evil….and those kids change and see you were a good friend who did not gossip, and you maybe develop a friend for life…or you have a co-worker that slanders you, but you focus on the project and letting your work speak for itself…and you get promoted because you are a peacemaker, who does not talk bad about others, works hard and is able to put petty things aside so you can stay focused on the mission…

Over time wisdom will exalt you…at the proper time and in the proper way and it is beautiful and attractive to others…

A godly father instruction encourages

A life that is beautiful and points to the beauty of the Lord

1. Proverbs 4:9 -⁹ “She will place on your head a garland of grace; She will present you with a crown of beauty.”

Wise people treat others better than they deserve…they don’t just make enemies because they get offended…they don’t respond to an offense, they return good for evil….

Wisdom will place on your head a garland of grace….other people will give you favor as they see the way you navigate life wisely…this garland of grace also impact others…you treat others with favor and they treat you with favor…

I believe it points to our God who is gracious and gives way more than we deserve…

God is generous…with everything…including wisdom…

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

You just have to go to the source of wisdom, you just have to ask God for wisdom…you have to recognize He is the Lord…this is His world…and He will give you wisdom to live in His world for His glory.

One of the amazing blessings of listening to a wise godly father is…

A life that is long and well lived

1. Proverbs 4:10 -¹⁰ Hear, my son, and accept my sayings And the years of your life will be many.

I want my kids to understand that one of the blessing of wisdom is that you navigate life wisely and don’t make foolish mistakes that can cost you your life…whether it is texting and driving, getting into drugs, talking to strangers on the internet…taking care of your body by eating healthy and exercising…

I also want my kids to understand the reality of innocent suffering and that even when they do the right thing the Lord might allow them to suffer for His glory….I want to prepare them to suffer well if life is hard.

I want them to know that even if they obey the Lord, we are still living in a sin cursed world where there is death and destruction…I just want to teach them they can make choices that don’t lead down those paths because of their foolish choices.

As we continue in the book of Ephesians we will see how important it is for children to obey their parents and how important it is for Fathers to not lead with sinful anger, but to lead in a way that teaches children about the Lord.

1. Ephesians 6:1–4 -¹ Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ² Honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise), ³ so that it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the earth. ⁴ Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Lets pray….

As fathers may our instruction be godly and point our kids to the Lord…

May our instruction be useful and beautiful to the Lord and to others..

May our instruction be done out of love, even if we are disciplining our children and training them to live in a way that honors the Lord.

May our instruction bring life…first and foremost salvation and eternal life…but also a life well lived for the Lord.

^[1] Fenlason, A. C. (2014). Beauty. In D. Mangum, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, & R. Hurst (Eds.), Lexham Theological Wordbook. Lexham Press.