Embracing Wisdom: A Journey of Growth in 2025
Summary
As we step into 2025, it's a time to reflect on the past and prepare for the future, both individually and as a community. This year, the focus is on growth—spiritual, personal, and communal. We are reminded that while the calendar year changes, the challenges and struggles we face do not simply disappear. However, we serve a God whose character and abilities are constant, and His names remind us of His sovereignty, holiness, and perfection. Our faith, praise, and steadfastness must carry over into this new year, as we continue to worship and cry out to Him amidst our circumstances.
The theme for this year is acquiring wisdom, as we embark on a journey through the book of Proverbs. Wisdom is not merely about intellectual knowledge but about living out the instructions of the Lord. It requires humility, a willingness to learn, and a submission to godly wisdom. Proverbs, as part of the wisdom literature, aims to bring order to chaos, guiding us to live in alignment with God's will. This wisdom is not just for the naive or young but for everyone, as it helps us foresee and avoid the traps of the enemy.
To acquire wisdom, we must be open to correction and instruction, understanding that it shapes us into godly character. It is not enough to hear wise words; we must absorb and apply them, allowing them to transform our lives. This year, let us be intentional in seeking wisdom, surrounding ourselves with wise counsel, and submitting to the Lord's guidance. As we do so, we will grow in our relationship with God and become a community that fosters healthy and growing relationships with Him.
Key Takeaways:
1. God's Unchanging Nature: As we enter 2025, we are reminded that while our circumstances may change, God's character remains constant. His names reflect His sovereignty, holiness, and perfection, assuring us that nothing takes Him by surprise. Our faith and praise must remain steadfast, acknowledging His presence and power in our lives. [33:08]
2. The Pursuit of Wisdom: Wisdom is not just intellectual knowledge but the ability to live out God's instructions. It requires humility and a willingness to learn from those who have gone before us. Proverbs teaches us that wisdom brings order to chaos and guides us in living a life that honors God. [01:01:20]
3. The Role of Correction: Acquiring wisdom involves being open to correction and instruction. It shapes us into godly character and helps us avoid the traps of the enemy. Correction is not a lack of grace but a necessary part of growth, leading us to walk in righteousness, justice, and integrity. [01:30:31]
4. Wisdom for All: Wisdom is not just for the naive or young but for everyone. It helps us foresee and avoid the enemy's traps, protecting us from falling into sin. Mature believers seek wise counsel and understand the importance of being part of a community that fosters growth and accountability. [01:43:30]
5. Reverence for the Lord: True wisdom begins with a reverence for the Lord. It requires a relationship with Him and a submission to His will. Without this foundation, we cannot acquire the wisdom needed to grow and navigate life's challenges. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, guiding us to live in alignment with His purposes. [01:48:49]
Youtube Chapters:
[00:00] - Welcome
[33:08] - God's Unchanging Nature
[55:27] - Year of Growth
[59:15] - The Pursuit of Wisdom
[01:01:20] - Learning from Proverbs
[01:03:12] - Wisdom and Order
[01:05:40] - Applying Wisdom
[01:07:44] - Humility and Learning
[01:10:01] - Solomon's Wisdom
[01:12:25] - Submitting to God's Word
[01:15:57] - Wisdom in Community
[01:18:18] - The Role of Correction
[01:30:31] - Wisdom for All
[01:43:30] - Seeking Wise Counsel
[01:48:49] - Reverence for the Lord
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide
Bible Reading:
1. Proverbs 1:1-7
2. 1 Corinthians 10:11
3. James 1:5
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Observation Questions:
1. What does Proverbs 1:1-7 say about the purpose of the book of Proverbs and the beginning of knowledge?
2. How does 1 Corinthians 10:11 describe the purpose of the events that happened to the Israelites?
3. According to James 1:5, what should a person do if they lack wisdom?
4. In the sermon, what are some of the names of God mentioned that remind us of His character and abilities? [33:08]
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Interpretation Questions:
1. How does the fear of the Lord serve as the foundation for acquiring wisdom according to Proverbs 1:7? [01:48:49]
2. What does it mean to be open to correction and instruction, and how does this shape godly character? [01:30:31]
3. How can the wisdom literature, like Proverbs, bring order to chaos in our lives? [01:03:12]
4. Why is it important to seek wise counsel and be part of a community that fosters growth and accountability? [01:43:30]
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Application Questions:
1. Reflect on a time when you faced a challenge and relied on one of God's names to remind you of His character. How did that impact your situation? [33:08]
2. In what areas of your life do you need to be more open to correction and instruction? How can you actively seek this out in 2025? [01:30:31]
3. How can you intentionally seek wisdom this year? Identify one practical step you can take to surround yourself with wise counsel. [01:43:30]
4. Consider a situation in your life that feels chaotic. How can the teachings from Proverbs help you bring order to that chaos? [01:03:12]
5. What does it mean for you to have a reverence for the Lord, and how can this guide your decisions and actions in the coming year? [01:48:49]
6. Identify a specific area where you need to grow in your relationship with God. What steps will you take to foster this growth within your community? [01:43:30]
7. How can you apply the lessons from 1 Corinthians 10:11 to avoid repeating past mistakes and grow in wisdom?
Devotional
Day 1: God's Unchanging Nature in a Changing World
In a world where circumstances are constantly shifting, it is comforting to know that God's character remains steadfast. His sovereignty, holiness, and perfection are reflected in His names, assuring us that nothing takes Him by surprise. As we enter 2025, we are reminded that while our personal and communal challenges may persist, our faith and praise must remain unwavering. Acknowledging God's presence and power in our lives allows us to navigate our circumstances with confidence, knowing that He is with us every step of the way. [33:08]
"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change." (James 1:17, ESV)
Reflection: In what areas of your life do you need to trust in God's unchanging nature today, and how can you actively praise Him amidst your current challenges?
Day 2: Living Out God's Wisdom
Wisdom is more than just intellectual knowledge; it is the ability to live out God's instructions in our daily lives. This year, as we journey through the book of Proverbs, we are called to pursue wisdom with humility and a willingness to learn from those who have gone before us. Proverbs teaches us that wisdom brings order to chaos and guides us in living a life that honors God. By seeking wisdom, we align ourselves with God's will and find clarity amidst life's uncertainties. [01:01:20]
"Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them; for the ways of the Lord are right, and the upright walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them." (Hosea 14:9, ESV)
Reflection: What specific steps can you take this week to seek and apply godly wisdom in a challenging situation you are facing?
Day 3: Embracing Correction for Growth
Acquiring wisdom involves being open to correction and instruction, which shapes us into godly character. Correction is not a lack of grace but a necessary part of growth, helping us avoid the traps of the enemy and walk in righteousness, justice, and integrity. By embracing correction, we allow God to refine us and lead us on a path that aligns with His purposes. This openness to growth is essential for developing a deeper relationship with God and becoming more like Christ. [01:30:31]
"Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid." (Proverbs 12:1, ESV)
Reflection: Think of a recent situation where you received correction. How can you embrace this feedback as an opportunity for growth and transformation in your spiritual journey?
Day 4: Wisdom for Every Stage of Life
Wisdom is not just for the naive or young; it is for everyone, regardless of age or experience. It helps us foresee and avoid the enemy's traps, protecting us from falling into sin. Mature believers understand the importance of seeking wise counsel and being part of a community that fosters growth and accountability. By surrounding ourselves with those who are wise, we can grow in our understanding and application of God's wisdom in every area of our lives. [01:43:30]
"Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning." (Proverbs 9:9, ESV)
Reflection: Who in your life can you turn to for wise counsel, and how can you intentionally seek their guidance this week?
Day 5: Reverence as the Foundation of Wisdom
True wisdom begins with a reverence for the Lord, requiring a relationship with Him and submission to His will. Without this foundation, we cannot acquire the wisdom needed to grow and navigate life's challenges. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, guiding us to live in alignment with His purposes. As we cultivate a deeper reverence for God, we open ourselves to His guidance and wisdom, allowing Him to lead us on the path of righteousness. [01:48:49]
"The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor." (Proverbs 15:33, ESV)
Reflection: How can you cultivate a deeper reverence for the Lord in your daily life, and what changes might this bring to your relationship with Him?
Quotes
but I think it's a good reminder of us that as we think about our situations as we think about what we've gone through as we think about what we're currently in that we do serve a God who has names and all of those names remind us of his character all of those names remind us of his abilities and that he's sovereign which means nothing takes him by surprise nothing can thwart whatever it is that he wants to take place that he's holy means he is perfect and that means every plan he has for our life is perfect every decision that he makes is perfect everything he allows has a perfect will attached to it we get to think about the fact that he is a healer that he is a provider [00:51:38] (52 seconds)
that he is our banner he is our victory right all of these things are names that we get to call upon in the midst of our circumstances in the midst of our situations in the midst of what we're needing God for and some of us use those names in 24 and some of us are going to have to make sure we continue to use those names in 2025 a calendar date change don't change it don't mean all problems have to be like oh it's 2025 I guess I gotta leave the 2024 problems alone now they carry over and as they carry over so must our praise as they carry over so much so must our faith our steadfastness our ability to cry out to him our ability to worship him as the days change we must stay consistent in worshiping the Lord and crying out to the Lord and we must stay consistent and acknowledging him above our situations Lord we thank you we thank you that we have the ability to worship you we thank you that we have the ability to call upon you we thank you that you hear us Lord we thank you that we have that great mediator who is Christ Jesus who lives to make intercession for us Lord we thank you we thank you that when you look upon us you see your son we thank you that when we cry out to you you hear I thank you Lord that even when we can't cry out to you the word says that our spirit makes groanings for us Lord [00:54:00] (93 seconds)
We, we, we are in this day and age, and y 'all know we in it because all you got to do is tap into any social media post of anybody who becomes something new. New moms, new, new students, new employees, new fathers, new everything. You see this thing take place where they scoff at the advice given by those who have already parented, those who have already done that job, right? And, and, and, and, and it's, and it's almost like, uh, uh, that was what happened with you. Keep that stuff, that was your stuff, don't, don't tell it to us. [00:59:15] (38 seconds)
But we live in this day and age where people glorify failing on their own over receiving wise instruction to keep them from falling. Everybody, it's my journey, it's my, it is your journey. But the whole point of wise instruction, the whole point of the word of God is to help you journey without making the mistakes that the ones prior to you already made. This is why 1 Corinthians chapter 10, we gonna be here for a long time. This is why 1 Corinthians chapter 10, he says, these things were written to you, what? This happened to them, but it was written for our sake, right? In other words, let us read what took place with the Israelites, and let us not follow in their path. The fool reads what took place with the Israelites and says, that won't happen to me. [01:00:52] (52 seconds)
We want to figure it out on our own, or we want to, do our own thing. And my hope, though, is that if we really want to grow, if we really desire this, that we would be a people who no longer scoff and mock at wise instruction, but who welcomes it, right? And that's why we're going to be in this book of Proverbs, because Proverbs is a book of wisdom, because that's what we need, to walk this walk, to resist the devil, to not fall into the schemes and the snares and the traps of the enemy. We need to be wise, people. And Proverbs is a book that gives wisdom. It's part of the wisdom literature of the Old Testament. Ecclesiastes and Job and some of Psalms is the other ones, right? And the whole purpose of wisdom literature, even in ancient Near Eastern culture, was all about just order, right? And all throughout ancient Near Eastern, the idea of wisdom was all about things that, bringing things into justice and bringing things into order. And the Israelites, Israelites thought nothing different about that. They believed in their wisdom literature, that their wisdom literature was also about bringing order to chaos. [01:01:36] (73 seconds)
Because anybody who reads the Genesis creation account should have some knowledge of understanding that at some point, some people take it way too far, but at the bare minimum, the creation account is bringing order to a chaotic situation, right? And Proverbs says that God created through wisdom, which means that wisdom's purpose was to bring order to chaos. [01:03:12] (26 seconds)
Wisdom is the ability to know and live out the instructions of the Lord. And can anybody guess what those instructions are? Anybody? Anybody? Just random. Random guess as followers of Christ. Commandments, word of God, his instructions, right? And this is important for us to understand because if we desire to be wise, we must desire to know what God says. The wise heed wisdom and life follows them, but the fool despises it and runs into ruin. And understanding this is going to help us not be fools. [01:04:55] (41 seconds)
Proverbs 3 .13 and 15 says, Blessed is a person who finds wisdom and one who obtains understanding, for her profit is better than the profit of silver and her produce better than gold. She is more precious than jewels and nothing you desire compares with her. This is wisdom. So whatever you're seeking for God in 2025, the Bible says that wisdom, nothing compares to her. Nothing compares to her profit. So if we're going through all of the things and y 'all get to getting together and start doing y 'all vision thingies that y 'all be doing, make sure you put on your vision board wisdom a lot. Wisdom, wisdom, wisdom, wisdom, wisdom. Because if you have wisdom, all other things follow. This is why when Solomon was told of God to ask me for anything, he didn't ask for anything other than God. Give me wisdom. [01:05:40] (52 seconds)
Now, when we look at the Proverbs, we see that these are the father's instructions, at least verses. One through nine. So the first part of this series is just going to be chapters one through nine. And then we'll probably take a break and come back to it. And the reason I'm doing that is because one through nine kind of encapsulates the narrative style of the Proverbs. After that, it starts to get into like really like sentence fragments. And so I got to figure out how I want to deal with that. But chapters one through nine, right, specifically depict a father's instructions to his young son. And this is what that means, right? It's a father's instructions to his young son, which means that acquiring wisdom, requires humility, to take the seat of a learner, and to acknowledge immaturity. [01:07:44] (46 seconds)
If we want to be wise in 2025, we got to acknowledge that we ain't already. We got to be willing to take the seat of a learner. This is a father's instructions to his young son. This is a father saying, listen to me, son. I've lived life. I've done these things. I'm giving you instructions. So that you don't got to carry out the path that I carried, which requires the young son be humble enough to not say, you don't know what you're talking about. I got this. But to say, yes, father, you are smarter and wiser than me. And so therefore, I will heed your instructions. Humility is a virtue of acquiring walking in wisdom. Proverbs 1 .1 says, the Proverbs of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel. [01:10:01] (49 seconds)
So that means if God says he was the most wise, because I gave him wisdom, this is somebody that you should listen to. His instructions are something to be followed. But not just that, notice that the Bible says that all the kings of all the other nations came to him to hear his wise saying. Which means these kings who are in authority, who are in power, they humbled themselves. When they acknowledged that there was someone more wise than them, they humbled themselves to come and sit at his feet to learn. If kings can do it, we should understand that we need humility to sit at the feet of those who know more than us. To sit at the feet of those who have went before us. To sit at the feet of those who have experienced the things that we are trying to experience and have had it with success and failures. [01:18:18] (57 seconds)
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