The Wise Man pt III

- The book of Proverbs introduces us to a number of different people
- the wise man, the wicked man, the simple, the fool, and the scorner
- now the goal for this section of the study is to learn as much as possible about these individuals.
- that will help us to understand 1) how we measure up to God’s standard—meaning if God were going to classify us, what term would he apply? Would you be the wise man, or would you be the fool? The wicked man or the scorner? What would you be?
- And secondly, understanding these individuals is going to help see the areas in which we need to change in order to be the kind of person that God wants us to be.

- For the past couple of weeks Pastor Viars has been teaching on what it means to be a wise man.
- And today, Lord willing, we’re going to finish discussing this topic.
- We’ve mentioned several characteristics of the wise man thus far.
- We’ve said that wise people trust Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. They listen to the instruction of God’s Word. Wise people also fear the Lord rather than men.
- Another observation that could be made about the characteristics of wise people is that

D. Wise people associate with wise people
- And one way in which wise people associate with wise people is through
1. reading the Scriptures
- As we read and study the scriptures, we associate with the wise men and women of Bible history and we learn from them.
- We walk with men like Peter.
- I tell you, I don’t know about you, but I have been so blessed by our Sunday morning study of the life of Peter.
- What a challenge it’s been to see a man like Peter, who in his early years was more like me than I’m comfortable admitting.
- What a challenge it’s been to see Peter grow from the man described in the gospels into the man described in the book of Acts and into the man who would eventually write the books of 1 and 2 Peter.
- As we read the scriptures, we get to associate with men like Peter. We get to associate with associate with men like Paul who was transformed from a murderer of Christians into the greatest missionary in the history of the church.
- As we read Scripture, we get to spend time with men like Daniel, like David.
- We spend time with women like Ruth and like Esther.
- We even get to spend time with our Lord, Himself
- We get to sit at the feet of Jesus as he teaches his disciples
- We get to listen in as he talks with His heavenly Father.
- We become witnesses of his miracles, of His sacrifice, and of His resurrection.
- As we read the Scripture we associate with the wisest men who ever lived.
- And through this association, we benefit from their experiences and their instruction.
- We grow in wisdom by walking with them.

2. Another way that we associate with wise people is by cultivating godly friendships
- Proverbs13:20 says, “He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed.”
- Now, that’s a pretty hefty admonition.
- “He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed.”
- The world knows nothing of this kind of logic.
- Have you ever heard the expression “You don’t choose your friends. Your friends choose you?”
- Well how does that expression square with Proverbs 13:20?
- The answer is: it doesn’t.
- Just imagine if we couldn’t choose our friends.
- What if that were the case and we wound up associating with fools. We didn’t want to, but had no choice because we couldn’t choose our friends. Our friends chose us.
- If we apply Proverbs 13:20 to that set of logic, we would God would be forced to bring destruction into our lives because of our associations.
- The whole idea is foolishness.
- God has given us the ability to exercise our will in building friendships that please Him. We choose the people with whom we will associate. And God wants us to choose wise friends.
- Proverbs 12:26 says “The righteous is a guide to his neighbor, But the way of the wicked leads them astray. “

- INPUT - Since we're all busy people, what ways have you found to build godly friendships?

3. by reading Christian biographies and other Christian literature.

- READ Proverbs 12:27.
- This is for all the hunters out there. In the days before refrigeration, what happened to a hunter’s prey if he didn’t cook it in some way? The answer is “it spoiled.”
- This takes us to our next principle…
E. Wise people preserve what they've gained and they use it.

Wiersbe - What a tragedy it is when people waste their gains by failing to use their education, the sermons and Bible lessons they’ve heard, or the books they’ve read. Truly wise people treasure the knowledge and skills they’ve worked hard to acquire and use this treasure to the glory of God. I recall hearing some of my student friends say at seminary graduation, “Thank the Lord, no mor Greek and Hebrew!” They had spent several years learning to use the Bible languages, and now they were selling their valuable language tools and thereby wasting their gains.

INPUT - What are some of the ways people who have been believers for many years can use what they've gained?
- [develop -- teaching, children's ministries]

- READ Proverbs 14:16
F. Wise people flee from sin.

Wiersbe - If we fear the Lord, we will hate evil. The self-confident person isn’t wise. Joshua was self-confident and lost a battle; Samson was self-confident and became a prisoner; Peter was self-confident and betrayed the Lord three times. “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall”. Wise people don’t take unnecessary chances and experiment to see how close they can get to the precipice without falling off. When Joseph was confronted with evil, he fled.

INPUT – What does fleeing from sin look like? What are some circumstances in which a person could find him/herself where fleeing would be appropriate, and how should that person flee?

- READ Proverbs 10:19
G. Wise people discipline their speech.
- James 3:2-12
- INPUT – Why is it difficult to tame the tongue?
- INPUT – What are some practical ways we can use to discipline our speech?

- READ Proverbs 10:4-5
H. Wise people are diligent in their work.
- A few years ago, I heard the story of a man named John. John ran an employment agency, and he was a Christian. Whenever it was possible, John tried to find work for some of the unemployed individuals who attended his church. One day, John received a call from one of his clients. This particular client had used a number of individuals sent to him by John. He said to John, “I need another worker, but this time I want to know his religion before he comes in.” John was confused, so he asked his client what he meant. “Well,” his client said, “you’ve sent me a lot of Christians. At first, I thought, that’d be a good thing. I thought it’d be nice to have some folks with decent morals working around here. And sure, they talk about God a lot, but they also complain a lot. They call in sick all the time. They show up to work late, and they seem to do everything halfway. To be honest, they’re some of the worst workers I’ve ever had. So, in the future, please don’t send me any Christians.”
- Colossians 3:23

I. Wise people seek to influence others to trust the Lord.
INPUT – What are some things a wise person will do to influence others to trust Christ?

ABF Series #28
The Wise Man #3

D. Wise people ____________________ with ____________ people.
1. By reading the Scriptures
2. By cultivating godly friendships
INPUT - Since we're all busy people, what ways have you found to build godly friendships?
3. By reading Christian biographies and other Christian literature.

E. Wise people ________________ what they've ______________ and they __________ it.
Wiersbe - What a tragedy it is when people waste their gains by failing to use their education, the sermons and Bible lessons they’ve heard, or the books they’ve read. Truly wise people treasure the knowledge and skills they’ve worked hard to acquire and use this treasure to the glory of God. I recall hearing some of my student friends say at seminary graduation, “Thank the Lord, no more Greek and Hebrew!” They had spent several years learning to use the Bible languages, and now they were selling their valuable language tools and thereby wasting their gains.
INPUT - What are some of the ways people who have been believers for many years can use what they've gained?

F. Wise people ____________ from __________.
Wiersbe - If we fear the Lord, we will hate evil. The self-confident person isn’t wise. Joshua was self-confident and lost a battle; Samson was self-confident and became a prisoner; Peter was self-confident and betrayed the Lord three times. “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall”. Wise people don’t take unnecessary chances and experiment to see how close they can get to the precipice without falling off. When Joseph was confronted with evil, he fled.
INPUT – What does fleeing from sin look like? What are some circumstances in which a person could find him/herself where fleeing would be appropriate, and how should that person flee?

J. Wise people ____________________ their ______________.
James 3:2-12
INPUT – Why is it difficult to tame the tongue?
INPUT – What are some practical ways we can use to discipline our speech?

K. Wise people are __________________ in their ____________.
Colossians 3:23

L. Wise people seek to __________________ others to ______________ the ___________.
INPUT – What are some things a wise person will do to influence others to trust Christ?