John McDole - August 16, 2026
/Transcript
Today our subject is "Choosing Wisdom in a Deceitful World." And all of these lessons we've had in Proverbs involve wisdom. So this is just kind of a review, but it's kind of majored on the word "wisdom." Before I start here, just so we're the guidance, Lord, to open our eyes that we might understand and teach us by your blessed Holy Spirit, in Jesus' name, amen.
Before I start on this wisdom, I thought I'd share just a couple of verses. 1 Corinthians 1. The background on this is God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and done in verse 30 of 1 Corinthians 1, it says, "But of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption, that as it is written, he who glories, let him glory in the Lord." So the Lord Jesus is wisdom from God.
And then Colossians 2. I'll start in verse 1 there. "For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, that their hearts may be encouraged, and knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." Whenever you're looking at Proverbs and wisdom, it's a type of Christ.
Sometimes it's very, very close. You can exchange the word "wisdom" for Jesus. But I'd like to begin in chapter 1, verse 1, "The Proverbs of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel, to know wisdom and instruction, to perceive the words of understanding, to receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, judgment, and equity, to give prudence to the simple, to the young man of knowledge and discretion." So think of the word "wisdom."
It involves all these things that are listed here, instruction, understanding, justice, judgment, equity, prudence, and discretion. It says, "A wise man will hear and increase learning, and a man of understanding will attain wise counsel." It's involved in the body of Christ. We need each other.
We need wise counsel from each other. It says, "To understand a proverb and an enigma, the words of the wise and their riddles, the fear of the Lord is a beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction." Here it talks about the fear of the Lord is a beginning of knowledge. It's an amazing thing.
You can have a man with four doctorate degrees, four doctorate degrees, and they don't seem to have any wisdom from the Lord at all. I mean, really smart. But, you know, when you come to the fear of the Lord, that's the beginning of knowledge. It's the beginning of wisdom.
In Proverbs 9-10, it says, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." But wisdom and knowledge are tied together, and understanding, it says, "But fools despise wisdom and instruction." This is one thing that's good to stop and think. How are you at receiving instruction?
How are you receiving correction? I'll tell you, none of us like to be corrected. I don't care who you are. In the flesh, you don't want to be corrected.
But in the Spirit, you know this is God's way. It's the only way we'll ever grow, is correction and instruction. And it's really, if you are, think back, and you don't like to be corrected. Ask God to give you a heart that's open to correction.
That's a way of life. That's the way you're going to grow. That's the way you're going to become like Christ. It says, "But fools despise wisdom and instruction."
Look in Chapter 2, so much, and I could include hundreds of scriptures, but we don't have the time for that. But anyway, Chapter 2, "My son, if you receive my words and treasure, my command is within you," I'm in verse 1 there, "so that you incline your ear to wisdom and apply your heart to understanding." Wisdom and understanding are connected. "Yes, if you cry out for discernment, lift up your voice for understanding.
If you seek her as silver and search for her as for hidden treasure." It's the idea of searching for it. You desire to have this wisdom. It's not just a lackadaisical, "Well, the Lord is my wisdom.
I don't need to do anything." It says, "But they that hunger and thirst after righteousness shall be filled." It's the idea of God wants us to have a desire to have this wisdom from God. Then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.
Beautiful, beautiful verse there. Then you'll understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. Look with me in one verse in Hosea, Ezekiel Daniel Hosea. Verse 6, chapter 6, verse 6, "For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings."
Jesus used this verse twice. He said, "These are the things that you bypass, but this is the thing that you need to really understand. For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings." That we might know God, that we might just get acquainted with Him.
It's very precious to know the Lord. It says, "For the Lord gives, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. If you seek for as you're going after gold." I know in the tribe where my son is, they have gold in that area.
Everybody in the village is gone, all the men. They're all going after gold. I'll tell you what, they'll sacrifice everything to go after that gold. But that's the way we're supposed to be with wisdom.
It says, "For the Lord gives wisdom." From His mouth comes knowledge and understanding. The Lord is the one that's going to give us that wisdom. Chapter 3.
Verse 13, "Happy is a man who finds wisdom." Like I say, happy is a man who finds the Lord Jesus. True happiness comes from the Lord. Happy is a man who finds wisdom and a man who gains understanding.
"For her proceeds are better than the profits of silver and a gain than fine gold." She is more precious than rubies and all things you may desire cannot compare with her. Length of days is at her right hand. In her left hand, riches in honor, these are true riches.
Not just money, it's talking about true riches. Her ways are the ways of pleasantness and all her path of peace. She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her. You see, the tree of life was there in the garden and Adam and Eve could have taken from it.
But they chose to take the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which was forbidden. And the Lord put them out of the garden, lest they take the tree of life and live eternally in their sin. That would have been a terrible thing. So God put them out of the garden and they couldn't come back in.
But the tree of life, the Bible tells us in Revelation 22 that we have the right to the tree of life. You know, those who come to know the Lord Jesus, at that moment they have the tree of life. From the moment they put their trust in the Lord Jesus. And this is, she is a tree of life to those who take hold of her and happy are all those who retain her.
The Lord by wisdom founded the earth by understanding he established the heavens. So he shows the Lord and his wisdom and understanding. The wisdom, it created everything. What a wonderful, wonderful thought that is.
Okay, go to chapter four, please. Verse four, he also taught me and said to me, let your heart retain my words, keep my commands and live. Get wisdom, get understanding, do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth. Do not forsake her, she will preserve you.
Love her and she will keep you. Wisdom is a principle thing, therefore get wisdom and in all you're getting get understanding. Exalt her and she will promote you and she'll bring you honor when you embrace her. It goes on to say it'll keep you, protect you from the evil man and protect you from the adulterous woman.
True wisdom from the Lord will do those things for us. Go to chapter nine, please. Wisdom has built her house, verse one. She has hewn out her seven pillars.
She has slaughtered her meat, she has mixed her wine, she has also furnished her table. She has sent out her maidens, she cries out the highest places of the city. Whoever is simple, let him turn in here. This is like wisdom as a preacher.
He's out there preaching. And he says, send out her maidens, she cries out from the highest places of the city. That's interesting, the highest place of the city. Whoever is simple, you know, he's inviting.
The Lord is inviting the simple. Make the wise the simple. The word of God makes wise the simple. Whoever is simple, let him turn in here.
As for him who lacks understanding, she says to him, come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed. For sake, foolishness, and live, and go in the way of understanding. It's like the Lord Jesus in John chapter seven. He cried out, whoever is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.
And this is like the wisdom is like preacher out here. For sake, foolishness, and live, and go in the way of understanding. He who corrects the scoffer gets shame for himself. He who rebukes a wicked man only harms himself.
Do not correct the scoffer lest he hate you. Rebuke a wise man and he will laugh you. Somebody rebukes you. You don't like that.
But I tell you what, if you know it's for your own good, you'll love him. I remember when my son was about 17 years old, and we were in the city of Chicago looking for the U. S. consulate, and this taxi driver was driving us all over to Chicago just to run up the bill, yeah?
I mean, we're driving on, and we don't know where we're going, this huge city of 20 million people. And finally I told the taxi driver, stop! I said, and I only paid him what was on the thing, and I got out, and I was fuming. And my son says, "Dad, you're out of line."
Whoo! My son! Rebuking me! I had to stop thinking, that's right.
I'm out of line. I had lost it. I really lost my temper, you know? Anyway, we did find the consulate.
Verse 9, "Give instruction to a wise man, he will be still wiser. Teach a just man, he will increase in learning." This is a way of life. It's instruction, rebuke, correction, these things.
God wants us to be able to see it his way and receive it. Then it says, "The fear of the Lord is a beginning of it." This is a verse you ought to memorize. "The fear of the Lord is a beginning of it."
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. That's where it all starts. "The fear of the Lord is a beginning of wisdom." And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
Who's the Holy One? Look at Mark 1:24, "Knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." Look at verse 23 of Mark 1:23. "Now there was a man in the synagogue with an unclean spirit."
He had a demon in him. "And he cried out, saying, 'Let us alone.'" "What have we to do with you, Jesus of Nazareth? Did you come to destroy us?'"
They see the power of God. They see that Jesus is the Son of God. And they see that they're subject to the Messiah. He says, "I know who you are, the Holy One of God."
The knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. That's the knowledge of the Lord Jesus. And a verse in Proverbs 16. This is a verse that's quoted in the New Testament more than any other verse from the Old Testament declaring the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.
Verse 10, "For you will not leave my soul in shield of the place of the dead, nor will you allow your Holy One to see corruption." That's Proverbs 16 verse 10. Excuse me. I'm jumping around here.
"For you will not leave my soul in shield, nor will you allow your Holy One to see corruption." Peter quotes that on the resurrection. Paul quotes that verse on the resurrection of book Acts. "For you will not leave my soul in shield, nor will you allow your Holy One to see corruption."
That's why there in Proverbs 9 verse 10, the fear of the Lord is a beginning of wisdom. And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. You get to know the Lord Jesus and you have that wisdom available. Okay, let's look at chapter 8.
Chapter 8 is an amazing chapter. Some people would put the Lord Jesus as the main feature here, and I think it is, but at least it's a type. And you'll see that some are very close as we get toward the end of this chapter, but it's a preacher again. Chapter 8 verse 1.
"Does not wisdom cry out and understanding lift up her voice?" It's like a preacher. She takes her stand on the top of the hill. Beside the way where the paths meet, she cries out by the gates at the entrance of the city, at the entrance of the doors.
"To you, old men, I call, and my voice is to the sons of men. O you simple ones, understand prudence, and you fools, be of an understanding heart. Listen, for I will speak of excellent things." The thing is, the Lord says, "Listen, listen, listen with your mind and heart and be ready to listen and obey.
Listen, for I speak of excellent things, and from the opening of my lips will come right things, for my mouth will speak truth, wickedness is an abomination to my lips. All words on my mouth are with righteousness, nothing crooked or perverse is in them." They all are plain to him who understands and write to those who find knowledge. "Receive my instruction and not silver and knowledge rather than choice gold, for wisdom is better than rubies, and all the things may desire cannot be compared with her.
I, wisdom, dwell with prudence and find out knowledge and discretion. The fear of the Lord is to hate evil." The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
The fear of the Lord is to hate evil. The pride and arrogance and evil way and the perverse mouth I hate. Counsel is mine and sound wisdom. I am understanding.
I have strength. It's like the preachers out there telling you to come to the Lord Jesus, come to the Lord Jesus, come to the Lord Jesus. You know, there's another one very similar to this. He's on the streets crying.
It's in chapter 9. Look at chapter 9. Look at the similarities here. The devil preaches a false gospel.
It's nice to get it to sound good, you know? Look at verse 13 of chapter 9. "A foolish woman is clamorous. She is simple and knows nothing, for she sits at the door of her house on the seat by the highest places of the city."
Similar to the Lord preaching in chapter 8. You call to those who pass by who go straight on their way. Whoever is simple, her message is to the simple. The Lord Jesus' message is to the simple.
Her message is simple. Let him turn in here. Whoever is simple, let him turn in here. "As for him who lacks understanding, she says to him stolen water is sweet and bread eaten in secret places."
Secret is pleasant. Stolen water is sweet and bread eaten in secret is pleasant. This is her message. "But he does not know that the dead are there, and their guests are in the depths of hell."
I think some of the things that are the devil's going overtime right now, trying to get young people away from the Lord. One of them is pornography. I'll tell you what, pornography will eat you up and spit you out. I know a dear friend.
He was a missionary. A missionary came home on furlough. He had a wife, three beautiful children. He got involved in pornography.
One night, his wife got up and saw him watching this pornography on TV three o'clock in the morning. They end up getting a divorce, split apart, and he just got married to pornography. That's how much of a grip it had on him. The guy told me it's harder to break from pornography than it is from heroin.
Pornography will destroy you young folks. I'll tell you what, it'll destroy you old folks too. But it's amazing. There's two out there preaching, and they're both standing on a high hill, and they both cry out.
It's up to us whether we listen or not. Chapter 8, verse 15. "By me kings reign and rulers decree justice." He's talking about wisdom.
"By me princes rule and nobles all the judges of the earth. I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently will find me." Those who seek me diligently will find me. Riches in honor are with me.
Enduring riches. Not the riches like silver and gold, but enduring riches and righteousness. My food is better than gold. Yes, and fine gold in my revenue than choice silver.
I traverse the way of righteousness in the midst of the path of justice. That I might cause those who love me to inherit wealth. That I may fill their treasuries. The Lord possesses me, possessed me at the beginning of his way.
Sounds like Jesus there. The Lord possessed me at the beginning of his way before his works of old. I've been established from everlasting. That's my Lord Jesus.
I've been established from everlasting. The eternal Son of God. From the beginning before there was ever an earth. When there were no depths I was brought forth.
When there were no fountains abounding with water before the mountains were settled. Before the hills I was brought forth. While as yet he had not made the earth or the fields or the primal dust of the world when he prepared the heavens, I was there. Jesus was involved in that.
He was the creator of the heavens, you know. When he drew a circle on the face of the deep, when he established the clouds above, when he strengthened the fountains of the deep, when he assigned the seas its limit so that the waters would not transgress his command, when he marked out the foundation of the earth, then I was beside him or as a master craftsman. Jesus was there at the creation. He was the master craftsman.
Pretty beautiful story there. I was his delight. God's a father, delighted in the sun. God the father, delighted in the sun.
I was his delight, rejoicing always before him, rejoicing in his inhabited world. And my delight was with the sons of men. My Lord Jesus, delight was with the sons of men. That's beautiful, beautiful.
My delight was with the sons of men. Now therefore listen to me my children, for blessed are those who keep my ways. Hear instruction and be wise, do not disdain it. Blessed is a man who listens to me.
I'm going to look up a word study. Look up the phrase, they would not listen. Look at the Old Testament, would not listen. Boy, there's a lot of places there.
God sent prophets to him and they would not listen. It's a warning to us, I believe. Blessed is a man who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the post of my door. Whoever finds me, finds life.
Whoever finds me, finds life. That's the Lord Jesus. Whoever finds me, finds life. Look at 1 John 5.
I'll start in verse 9. If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater. For this is a witness of God, which he has testified of his Son. He who believes in the Son of God has a witness in himself.
But he who does not believe God has made him a liar, because he does not believe the testimony that God has given of his Son. This is a testimony that God has given us eternal life. This life is in his Son. He who has a Son has life.
He who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I've written to you, believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life and you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God. Whoever finds me, finds life and obtains favor from the Lord. I'm back here in Proverbs chapter 8.
It says, "He who sins against me wrongs his own soul." Think about that. Congress sins against the Lord Jesus. Whoever sins against wisdom wrongs his own soul.
Then that last statement says, "All those who hate me love death." Whoo! "All those who hate me love death." Look at me in 2 Thessalonians, please.
Chapter 1. I'll just start reading in verse 3. 2 Thessalonians, chapter 1, verse 3. "We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting because your faith grows exceedingly and the love of every one of you abounds toward each other, so that we ourselves, most of you among the churches of God, for your patience and faith in all your persecutions."
They were suffering great persecutions in this church. "And tribulation that you endure, which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer. Since it is the righteous thing for God to repay with tribulation those who troubled you and to give you who are troubled, rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels." That's when Jesus comes back to establish the kingdom.
He says, "When the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, taking vengeance on those who do not know God." Who do not know God. And on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the ones He's taken vengeance on.
The ones who don't obey the gospel. Jesus said, "You must be born again. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and I shall be saved." And they reject that message.
They reject who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. Thou shalt be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power. Those who hate me love death. Death in the Bible always has the idea of separation.
Those who die in this world without the Lord will be separated from God forever and ever. To me that's part of the worst part of hell. From the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power. When He comes in the day to be glorified in His things and to be admired among all those who believe, it's a glorious day for us, the believers, because our testimony among you was believed.
It's amazing. All those who hate me love death. They've chosen their path. Nobody is thrown into hell.
People choose to go there. Those that hate the Lord Jesus love death. I love that. In Isaiah 1 it says, "Come now, let us reason together, saith the Lord, though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.
Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wall." The Lord Jesus calls out people to come to Him and trust Him, and though their sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wall. Thank you, Lord, for your word.
Thank you for wisdom. Thank you for this beautiful, beautiful scripture. Thank you for Proverbs chapter 8 and the wonderful, wonderful good news. Pray for any here that don't know you, Lord, they might put their trust in you now before it's forever too late.
Lord, help us to grow. Help us, Lord, if we lack wisdom, help us to come to you and ask for it, help us to ask in faith, not wavering, that we might grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. In Jesus' name, amen.
