Jesus Offers His Wisdom to Us — Annie Poonen

We've been thinking of the wisdom that the lord wants to give us. And today i want us to dig deeper into that asking god for more and more wisdom. We remember that verse in james 1. Verse 5 says if any of you lack wisdom let him ask of god.

And he gives liberally. But did i thought there's another factor in it about wisdom open. If you have your bibles can you open it. Please to proverbs chapter 8. Proverbs 8 and the first verse it says does not wisdom call does not understanding raise her voice.

Wisdom Calls Us to Seek God

On one side we call out and ask god lord give me wisdom in my daily life. I don't know how to manage. But on the other hand god is calling out to us. Wisdom is calling out to us. God is calling out to us my child listen to me.

I'm here to give you that wisdom. How wonderful that we don't have to keep on asking and asking the lord. We do we do. But we have the assurance that the lord is eager more eager to give us that godly wisdom.

Praise god for that assurance we have. If it says there that wisdom does not wisdom call. I am reminded of a verse where jesus said in john chapter 7 verse 37 jesus said if any of you thirst let him come to me and drink and i'll give you a living water.

Jesus Offers Living Water and Wisdom

Jesus calls out to us and says are you thirsty. Are you thirsty for that wisdom which i want to give you. Then come to me and drink in its living water. It's that living wisdom. It's not like the wisdom of this world.

It's a godly wisdom. It's a wisdom which only i can give you and you can have as much as you want. He gives wisdom liberally. That's what we read in james chapter one. If you ask in faith he gives to us literally.

And it's according to our thirst. And we thirst and thirst. And he keeps on giving us that living water that water of wisdom. And while i was meditating on in this chapter proverbs 8 i was blessed so much.

So keep your bibles open to that chapter. When i share some of the things here we read that god calls out to us to give us wisdom. But although it says does not wisdom raise her voice we know it's the lord who's calling us with that wisdom.

Wisdom at Life's Crossroads

And verse 2 it says on the heights beside the way. That's what i was trying to speak about last time when the power went off from the heights the lord is speaking to us. And beside the way wherever we are walking the lord is wanting to speak to us at the crossroads.

Are we facing any crossroad in our life. Lord shall i do this. Or shall i do that. Is this the path. Is this the way i should treat my children. This is the way i should handle this particular child or this relative or this person who's come to me for help.

I'm at the crossroad and says wisdom is calling out to us. The lord called us and said i'll give you the wisdom that you need first three beside the gates in front of the town. Are we allowed to take on a new job or a new project or put our child in a new school.

And we are standing at the gate and say which what shall i do. Lord i lack wisdom is in the long run. You know is this the school or is this the curriculum that my child should choose. If we are thinking of getting that wisdom by some crooked way like the worldly people say don't reveal everything that you have and don't say the truth then we are not going to get that godly wisdom.

It's straightforward. The lord wants us to be want to be straightforward and be upright. Those are the people. That's the type of wisdom the lord wants to give us. And it reminded me of a verse which a godly brother gave us at the time of our wedding.

Hearing God's Guidance in Decisions

He said in that's the verses in isaiah 30 verse 21. That's a very precious verse to me. I often think of that if you want you can turn to that. Isaiah 30 verse 21 it says when you turn to the right or left you will hear a voice behind you saying this is the way walk in it.

You're stuck at a place whether you should turn to the left or right god's voice. That voice of wisdom will tell us this is the way. It's not a voice which we can hear with our human ears but weep down in our spirit.

If we are walking with the lord the lord will give us that assurance and say this is the way. And as we go along that assurance will come with us and that peace will increase. And we know yes i have found many many times in our work especially after our marriage i found we had to take many decisions and we used to think we were perplexed.

But i knew the lord this promise was there for us is there still. And the lord was going to lead us by his time that by his wisdom. But there's some more wonderful things which i wanted to share about this godly wisdom.

Jesus as Divine Wisdom

If you read the some verses which follow in proverbs 8 it says. I was verse 22 the lord possessed me at the beginning of his work ages ago. I was set up at the first before the beginning of the earth.

Wisdom was with god right from the beginning of from the very very beginning. And there's only one person who was and is with god. We know that is our lord jesus christ. So i was so happy to hear this wisdom is talking about jesus.

The divine wisdom that we want to get we can get only from jesus. It's not a rule book of wisdom which you can find in the book of proverbs. Turn here there. If you do this you will get this. If you don't do this you won't get it.

It's not merely a book of rules like that it's jesus. When we have the life of jesus and we come to jesus abide in him and hand over our lives to him and his nature flows into us. That sap we attach to the vine and that sap flows into us and we drink of that living water.

It's all along. Is jesus. Wisdom is jesus. In john chapter one it says the word was with with god. And the word was god and light was with god. When the light comes darkness is removed. So there's so many words which talk to us about jesus.

Tell us about jesus. This is one of those words. Word was with the word was with god. Wisdom was with god. I was so happy i said lord i don't need to have a book of this is the way to get godly wisdom.

The Tree of Life Versus Worldly Wisdom

And so many rules. Don't do this don't do that. I just come to you and i get that godly wisdom. And then i thought that's so true right in the beginning in the first book of the bible i can see we can see that when god put adam and eve in the garden and he said look don't eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

That tree that fruit of that tree don't eat it. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil is the worldly wisdom. You know what is right what's wrong. Which is the worldly way of doing it and how to handle it.

What the psychologists say what the psychiatrists say and what people worldly wise person might say. That's the tree of the knowledge. We we don't need that knowledge but go first to the tree of life life in jesus.

Lord if i live in you and abiding you then you are my wisdom. You know that in as i says one of the names given that to jesus about jesus is prince of peace. He's a counselor. He's wisdom. He's the one who can give us the counsel.

So i was so thrilled when i thought i said lord i can write down so many points about getting this wisdom and research and write down all that i've heard and make so many studies about it. And so i get information from the beautiful songs and the what godly men have spoken.

That's all good. That's true. Thank god we have all those things. But we come straight to the lord the giver of wisdom the one who gives us the living water. And that's more than enough. I was so thrilled.

I said lord wisdom was there from the beginning. You were there with from the beginning. I need you jesus. That's all i have. If i have you then you will give me wisdom in my daily life. Like we heard last time last week about the blind man reaching out for his game.

We in the morning as soon as we wake up we reach out to god. Lord this day is ahead. Is i've just begun this day. Please give me wisdom. How to handle my life. How to handle my children. How to speak not to speak things which will hurt other people and unnecessary things.

We are all guilty of that. But lord let me not to speak in that way or behave in that way. Give me a wisdom for this day that i'll grow more and more in wisdom. The memory verse that we learned last week it says listen to counsel and accept discipline.

You remember that memory verse. Yeah. And all the children were repeating it. And that was such a blessing. Listen to counsel and accept discipline that you may be wise the rest of your lives. The lord wants to give us the counsel.

And we have to be ready to listen to him. Not just listen with our ears but from our heart. Open our hearts to him and say lord i want to accept that. That uh counsel that you want to give you remember i just said about the title given about jesus that he's a counselor.

He's the one who wants to give us the counsel and we accept the discipline. Every child whom the father loves he disciplines and corrects. We should not be discouraged when the father corrects us and disciplines us.

We say lord give me grace. Give me the humility to accept. I was saying that only if we are humble we can receive correction. Only if we are humble we can receive. We can get that wisdom which the lord wants to give and receive the discipline of the lord.

Trials as God's Wrapping Paper for Wisdom

We say lord give me that wisdom which i lack. I like that wisdom. And he says and he gives out the wisdom to hands out that wisdom to us. And we take it. But the wrapping paper is the trial. We get taken up with the trial and we say oh wrapping paper.

What's this wrapping paper. I don't like this wrapping paper. It's so hurting doesn't look so good. It's not at all pleasing. And the lord says open it inside his wisdom. Don't look at the wrapping paper which i sent you that the trials are there.

Maybe we face loneliness sorrow sickness. Things are not going our way or the way we planned. Things may be dark right now but that's just the wrapping paper. Inside is the wisdom which the lord wants to give us.

Let's not look at the be occupied with the wrapping paper and say lord i want to use the accepted along the way the way you give it. But i know deep down you're going to give me that divine wisdom which our counselor our lord jesus wants to give us.

And he wants to give us liberally. It's not just like a teaspoon of that wisdom. He wants to give plenty and as plentiful as the wisdom that he wants to give us. There may be more and more wrapping papers.

Let's not be discouraged with that and say lord i want to accept it. All the trials that you allow in my life will all pass away. But i want to accept because i know from your loving from my loving father's hand will only give me good.

It's not going to be evil. It's not going to hurt me. It will discipline me but it's going to be for my good and i will be accepted from the lord. There's a verse in proverbs it says blessed is the man who finds wisdom.

Blessed is the woman who finds that kind of wisdom. We are really blessed if we come to not be taken up with the earthly things that are happening to us but get that wisdom which the lord wants to give us.

Receiving Correction Through God's Word and Others

And how does the lord correct us. I said we said no. I was saying about the discipline and instruction which the lord wants to give us. He corrects us from his word. I i said a little earlier remember isaiah 30 verse 21 that verse where it says when you turn to the right or left you will hear a voice behind you saying this is the way walk in it.

The lord will tell us this is the way for you to walk. And that's why we should be very take god's word very seriously and read and meditate and let god write his word in our hearts. And those words will come back to us in a time of need.

Then he corrects us through our parents or children who are at home. And we who are parents we have a duty to correct our children and that's one of the corrections the way the lord young girls and young children are corrected through the parents.

Then for us who are married he corrects us through our husbands. We don't like to think or with so much because when we were younger we could accept the correction of from our parents. But as you grow older and we become and we know that we are mature and we know things and the lord says listen to your husband submit your husband.

It's not so easy but that's god's way. That's god's god's word and that the principles the lord has kept for us. And we should not despise that correction which we get from our husbands. I found it such a big help for me.

Sometimes i want to write an email to somebody and then i write something and i don't like to tell it off. I mean if it's something which i need advice not a personal or a private thing but i need some advice.

I always look forward to the time and my husband can give some input in it and he says no don't write like that or don't speak like that. I feel so relieved. Oh okay i'm glad that he's taken that decision so many many times i feel my protection.

Our protection is from the covering that the lord gives us from our husbands. We should never despise it. Sometimes we go out of our boundary and we say oh i know it i can do it on my own. And then we are going into dangerous areas like feed to partake of that fruit.

So i want to always remember the safety in listening to my husband. Then the lord correct those of us who don't have husbands there are. God has given elders in the church to give us advice and counsel and the lord has given us people above us to whom we can go to and get advice from godly friends.

And lastly from circumstances which happened to say yes last time this happened i learned a lesson not to do this kind of thing again not to go on my own not to go on my like shopping spree or whatever it is not to do things on my own but get the advice i want to.

Learning Wisdom Through the Wise Virgins

So getting uh talking about the godly friends i was thinking of the parable jesus said about the wise and foolish virgins. I remember that i mentioned it last time not going to go into details but all the all of them were virgins.

That means they were all belonging to the lord ready for the lord's coming waiting for the lord. And all of them had an uh had their light lamps burning. That means they had an outer testimony. All of them and all of them were waiting for the lord.

And but five of them didn't have enough oil and five were wise because we had an extra supply of oil and we know how oil is obtained. I mean this is a lesson we've heard in our cfc churches. Oil is obtained.

We get oil from crushing the seeds. Olives are crushed and get oil. Peanuts are crushed and you get peanut oil. So it comes with crushing. And those crushing machines are the circumstances and the clients that the lord allows in our lives.

And so it's so valuable. So why is this coming my life. Why is this difficult thing happened all of a sudden. Why this. Why that. Why is it i can't am i the only one who's facing this. Dear sisters let us remember it's only the crushing machine but it's valuable because we're going to collect a lot of oil and that oil is not for others to see.

We say okay here guys look i've got so much of oil in my cup and it's not of any use in our hidden life far away from what people have seen in our thought life in our heart. When somebody says something to us and we say we just forgive those are the areas ways in which we can get a good supply of oil in our lives.

So let's not waste the oil that the lord wants to give us and keep on plenty getting that plentiful supply of oil because we don't know when the lord is going to come and more trials may come in our life.

We the lord sees our lives and we make sure as if we have caught up with outward testimony and say everybody should see that i'm not getting angry in this situation and i'm doing this and i'm very patient then it's not the secret supply of oil but if it's deep down when no one has seen and we have gone through that trial or that suffering and only between us and the lord and there's no friend nearby to whom we can share these things.

We should rejoice because we say yeah this is a chance for me to store some extra oil in my in my vessel and we should the why i was saying the last time how the foolish virgins if they have taken the trouble to go and ask the wives tell us how do you get this oil.

Do you think the oil that we have will be sufficient if they spend some time with the wise then they could have learned the lesson and said we need to collect enough and more oil we don't. We can't be sure and they could have learned something from the wise.

That's why it's so important for us to keep the company of the wise. And recently i saw something i mean something which was just happening outside my home which i learned a big lesson from. I'll tell you what it was.

Fellowship With Wise and Godly Companions

You know how it is when it starts getting cold in these countries what happens to the birds just outside my window. There's a little shrub a tree and every day every time i look in at that tree i see a little bird sitting there.

Ever since it started getting cold i'd see that little bird all by itself sitting there. And i used to think maybe it's lost its mate or there's some sickness or something. I wonder why it's all alone sitting on that in that tree.

And so many times i'd come to the window and look out. Yes that bird was there all by itself. And i thought i wonder when it gets colder and colder what's going to happen to this little bird sitting there.

Then after a few days and it was getting colder and colder. I saw something which doesn't happen in india. There was a big fluttering of birds all over outside the window. Birds were like almost as if they were practicing similar birds were coming flying up coming to the ground flying up and herds of them up and down up and down.

And the next morning when i looked all the birds had gone. They're migrating to some warmer place. Then i looked was my little bird in that bush was it still there. It had gone. It was so wise it joined the others and i went and it flew away with the others.

Mostly because i don't see it anymore. Maybe those birds will come back but that little bird has gone and i was so happy and i thought that's how it is. Sometimes sometimes some sorrow or something negative has happened in our life and we sit all by ourselves away from the fellowship of the dear sisters who are around us.

But in our hearts we are lonely. We may be sitting in the church along with the others but in our heart we are far away like that little bird sitting all by itself and lonely and sad with all that negative thing.

And it's getting colder and colder. But the lord had something better planned for that little bird for us. Dear sisters there's a church there are godly sisters around us where we are not alone. We don't have to sit alone and think of our negative things and feel sad or sorry for ourselves.

We can join with all our dear sisters and fly into the warmer place where god wants us to be. That's why when we sang that song his eye is on the sparrow. I said god you chose the right song for today i'm going to talk about birds.

And this is what i'm going. This is what is. Somebody has already chosen megan or whoever has chosen the song god put it into heart to say his eyes on the sparrow. Yes dear sisters his eye is on us. We may be like that little bird sitting by ourselves and we can't tell anybody.

We don't have anyone nearby and we don't want to trouble others with our sorrows. But his eye is on us. And we have a church we can grow together. Those who are wise will be. We want to be among the wise.

We must keep the company of the wise. That's the verse i wanted to say. Proverbs 13. Verse 20 says. Whoever walks or keeps company with the wise will become wise. So important. Keep company with the wise with the godly people not with the those who mock god or scoffers as we read in someone.

Those who scoffing and sinners you keep company with them will become like them. But keep company with the wise the truly wise godly wise people and we will become wise. I was so blessed by that. And it says here ecclesiastes 9.

Wisdom Is Better Than Weapons of War

Verse 18. Wisdom is wet better than weapons of war. Ecclesiastes 9 18. Wisdom is better than weapons of war. One sinner destroys much good. But if we have wisdom it's far better. Sometimes we think some things happening in our home it's just not right.

And we think we'll use the weapons of war. You know our tongue or our anger which comes out or some worldly way of handling. But when we have god's wisdom when god gives us his wisdom it's a far better better than all the weapons of war that that are available.

Prayer, Praise, and the Perspective of Wisdom

I think this message has been rather haphazard. But in closing i want to read the words of a beautiful song which is also about birds. We know that song when upon life's billows you are tempers tossed.

Count your blessings. Name them one by one. You know i think all of us know that song. I heard another song with the same tune. Let me read that those words to you. When you pray but cannot get your answer through.

When you get discouraged know not what to do. Cease to beg and plead but hallelujahs raise your petitions will ascend on wings of praise rise and soar into the sunlight rays using both your wings of prayer and praise mount like eagles high into the sky and you'll find things look so different when you fly.

Shall i read it again. Or maybe i'll print it out. When you pray and cannot get your answer through. When you get discouraged know not what to do. Cease to beg and plead but hallelujahs raise your petitions will ascend on wings of praise rise and soar into the sunlight rays using both your wings.

One wing is prayer and the other wing is praise. Using both your wings of prayer and praise mount like eagles high into the sky and you will find things look so different when you fly. So praise god the lord has got so much for us in giving us his wisdom.

Abiding in Jesus to Receive Wisdom

We have only reached the edge of that wisdom which one god wants to give us. Let us come closer to the lord and connect ourselves with him abide in him cling on to him hold on to him and say lord i'm not going let go of you like jacob said.

Hold on to him and say lord give me more of that godly wisdom because i need it. I lack wisdom i lack wisdom. I don't want to show off wisdom to others. But it's me lord. I need wisdom and make me more like you when i.

When you walk with wise people you'll become wise. When you walk with godly people will become godly. When you walk with the lord jesus we become more and more like jesus. Praise god for such a wonderful life he's given us.

I think it's 6 30. So we close. I just want to in case because it was half as it. I just want to few things which i underlined. Um proverbs 13 verse 20 says whoever walks with or keeps company with the wise will become wise.

And then ecclesiastes 9 18 wisdom is better than weapons of war. And then proverbs 8 12 says what things we should avoid to get wisdom evil. And be pride and bad speech. And be open to correction and listen to correction.

Listen to counsel. And then our memory was proverbs 19 20 listen to counsel and accept the discipline. And don't forget the wrapping paper. It's only temporary. We don't need to keep the wrapping paper forever.

Those trials will go away. But the lord sends wisdom covered with that wrapping paper of trial. But don't get occupied with the trial. The lord will see us through. We shall be close in prayer our heavenly father.

We thank you for this evening and thank you for your word which is freely given to us. Thank you lord jesus. You are our wisdom lord. We need you lord. We don't want wisdom but we need you and with you we get everything lord.

Everything that we need. You're more than enough for us lord. We pray that you keep close to you lord and not stray into the path of foolishness. Help us to get closer and closer to you. Because there's so much we want you.

You want to give us. We want to receive everything that you want to give us lord. Bless each sister here and lord. Although there were so many interruptions we thank you that you are there for us. And we pray that you will fill in the gaps lord.

And speak to us and encourage us. Help us to be faithful and be good mothers. Good sisters good wives. Pleasing to you lord. We ask in jesus precious name amen.