The Wisdom of God

(Due to technical issues, only the notes are available for this week's sermon)

I want you to think of the wisest person you know. Just picture them, it can’t be yourself, coz we’re all wise in our own eyes! But someone you have always thought of as wise. Why do you think they’re wise? Where do they get their wisdom from? What is it that makes them wise? The decisions they make, their business deals? Their family life?

What is wisdom anyway?According to the Bible, wisdom is a person. God is wisdom. This summer we have been looking at the attributes of God. God is certain things. He is love, he is power, he is faithful, he is wisdom! He doesn’t possess a bit of wisdom, some love, have power. He is those things. Remember when God was asked what his name was was, what did he reply? He said to Moses, ‘I am who I am’. God is everything that is good. He is all that we need. He is everything we need him to be in every situation. He is all in all! He’s not like us - he’s not deficient in anything! He is fully sufficient and so is his wisdom. So if we want to define wisdom, all we have to do is look at Jesus. The bible tells us that Jesus ‘became to us wisdom from God’. Everything Jesus did was wise. And so to go back to my original activity of thinking about the wisest person you ever knew, chances are, they are also full of Jesus, because wisdom begins and ends with God.

And today we’re going to think about God’s wisdom. I’d like to start by looking at some examples of God’s wisdom, before making it a little bit more personal and discussing how we can tap into that wisdom for ourselves. But firstly I’d like to pray so please bow your heads.

God’s Great Wisdom

- In Creation

The first thing I want us to think about this morning is God’s wisdom in creation. Proverbs 3:19 tells us that ‘by his wisdom the Lord laid the foundation of the earth; he established the heavens by his understanding’. Think about it for a moment: the variety of flowers, trees, plants, animals, birds, fish! What about the sun? If the sun had been set lower, it would have burnt us; if God had put it higher, we would freeze! Just perfectly set! What about the Oceans? He places boundaries on them: though the sea can be higher than many parts of the earth, it doesn't overflow the earth; everything is in its proper place and sphere. That’s wisdom! Think about the human eye for a minute: unbelievable! We can’t replicate anything like it! When we consider creation we have to cry out with the Psalmist, ‘O Lord, what a variety of things you have made! In wisdom you have made them all. The earth is full of your creatures.' Psa 104:24. Wisdom unimagined! We could go on for hours about creation, but it’s not just in creation that we see God’s wisdom, we see God’s infinite wisdom in his great redemptive plan!

- In His Redemptive Plan

Ephesians tell us that once you and I were lost and dead in our sins. Without hope, cut off from our creator, but God, in his infinite wisdom made a plan to rescue us. 1 Corinthians 2:7 says that the wisdom of God, was hidden in a mystery, that God determined before the ages for our glory. The Father, the Son, The Holy Spirit made a plan, from before the foundation of the world, to rescue us from our sins. It was a masterplan of redemption. The Wisdom of God stepped in, literally, to this world, in the person of Jesus Christ. The Second Person in the Trinity became incarnate, he lived the life that none of us could live - perfectly fulfilling the law, he died the death that we deserved, to satisfy the wrath of God, so that we can be in relationship with him forever. O the wisdom, O the depth of the wisdom and knowledge of God (Rom 11:33). That Christ, who knew no sin should be made sin, on our behalf that we might become the righteousness of God. That salvation is by faith, not by works - that’s God’s wisdom. And it doesn’t even stop there...

- In His Providence

...think about how God deals with us on a daily basis too. We see his wisdom in creation, we see his wisdom in his great redemptive plan, but we see his wisdom on a daily basis in our lives, in the lives of his children. You see God’s knows everything! The Psalms (147:5) tell us that ‘God’s understanding is infinite’. God knows everything about everything. He knows what you’re thinking at this very moment. He knows how many hairs there are on your head. He knows what you will have for lunch? He knows everything that is going to happen in this next week, this next year, for the rest of your life. His wisdom is vastly superior to human wisdom. That has to be the case, because normally, the more you know about a situation, the more able you are to make a wise decision and plan for the best course of action, right? Well God can do that every time. Because, unlike us, he knows all the facts, he knows all the motives and he sees all the outcome! So he never makes mistakes. He sees the end from the beginning, so he never has to guess! He gets it right every time.

One theologian defines the Wisdom of God as “the ability to devise perfect ends and to achieve those ends by the most perfect means. It sees the end from the beginning, so there can be no need to guess or conjecture”. When we make decisions, we sometimes act unwisely just because we don’t have all our facts straight? Anyone want to share a story? But then later developments show we were unwise! Our perspective is often very limited. But not God! His judgements are perfectly wise. He sees all things in their proper perspective. We grow in wisdom/ attain it, God does not... Wouldn’t it be great to have God’s wisdom in our decisions! Imagine if you could get God’s perspective on your situation, imagine if he was able to give you a tip? Well guess what? That’s exactly what he wants to do! Even though we’re not wise enough to see all of the facts, or make the wisest decision sometimes, God promises to his children that if we ask God for his wisdom, he will give it to us!

Asking for God’s Wisdom

The Bible tells us over and over that God is the source of all wisdom. But here’s the amazing thing about God’s wisdom: he doesn’t want to keep it all to himself. He wants to share it with you and me! He’s a generous God and he desires to give constantly, not reluctantly, but generously! Turn to James 1:5. We read,’ But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him (James 1:5)’. 


Any one in here feel like they sometimes lack wisdom? Truth is there’s no “if” about it is there? We all lack wisdom, because while some of us might know more than others, or maybe you’ve been around a bit longer, none of us have the knowledge God has! None of us have foresight. No one can predict the future. Only God can, and so without him, let’s face it, we’re in a mess! That’s why this world is in a mess; because it relies on its own wisdom, not Gods. So I have a question for you this morning. How often do you ask God for his wisdom? Over 20 times in the NT we’re told to ask: ask and it will be given, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened. Jesus says you have not because you ask not! We’re commanded to ask! God wants to answer you! But you got to learn to be specific! It’s great to be specific with God.

Notice what this verse says about how God gives wisdom.

• Continually. In Greek this is in the continuous tense. He keeps on giving. He doesn't run out of energy. He never wears out. Everyday we need wisdom. Keep asking!

• Generously. God’s resources are unlimited. He has enough resources for everyone. He's got plenty of wisdom to go around.

• Cheerfully. James says God gives “without finding fault.” God loves to give. It’s in his nature to give! Don’t get embarrassed to ask. He wants to give you wisdom!

Guys, ask God for his wisdom everyday. Don’t try do life in your own wisdom! Ask God for his! He wants you to! Why would we pass up an opportunity to live in the wisdom of Almighty God? He who knows everything about us, about others, and about life! We’d be crazy not to involve him in our situations! He knows the outcome. He knows what’s best for you and he loves you, and the Psalms even tell us that he cares about every detail of your life! There’s nothing in your life that God doesn’t know and there’s nothing he doesn’t care about. So knowing that, ask him! And be specific. Guys, he’s given the very greatest gift of all to us – his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. And so, as Romans 8:32 says, ‘will he not also freely give us all things?” But here’s the deal, if
you’re going to ask for his wisdom, you have to be prepared to rely on it no matter what.

Relying on God’s Wisdom

God in his infinite wisdom knows every good and every bad experience that you have had and will have for the rest of your life. He even knows everything that could happen. And let’s face it, this is where many of us struggle with the wisdom of God isn’t it? “God why are you allowing this problem in my life?” “Why did you let them get sick Lord?” “God why are they still like this?” “Why haven’t you provided this job”? “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” Perhaps you recognise some of those questions in your own walk with God. It’s ok to ask those questions. Job did! But God didn’t give him the answers he was looking for and he might not give you them either! We all have questions we would like to ask God, but don’t expect to get all the answers, because God has a bigger plan than just my world and your world. Listen to what he says in Isaiah: ‘My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, for as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts”.

Honestly, the issue is not whether or not we understand God’s wisdom, but whether or not we are willing to entrust ourselves to it. He wants us to rely on his wisdom. He wants you to trust him. Everything that happens to you has spiritual significance. Everything: the good stuff, the bad stuff, the confusing stuff! We know that for sure because Romans 8:28-29 explains that ‘God causes all things to work together for good to those who love him, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son’. Look what that passage says: it says that God causes all things to work out, it doesn’t say God causes those bad things! Sometimes we need to stop blaming God for the bad stuff! We always want to point the finger and often it gets turned on God, but it’s mankind freewill that is at the cause of our problems, it’s not God’s fault, but God, in his amazing wisdom, makes use of it, and brings good stuff from it! He redeems even the hard things we go through, as we go through life, as he makes us more like Jesus. You know that’s God’s aim for your life: to make you more like Jesus. You are being conformed into the image of his son.

Do you ever wonder why God sometimes takes so long to fulfil His promises and to answer your prayers? It's because His story is vastly bigger than we are! Do you ever wonder why you can’t understand at present exactly what God is doing, why he is using the most unusual circumstances to achieve His purposes? God leaves these matters a mystery, because he is wiser than we are, and one day we’ll understand, but we do know he loves us, he delights in every detail of our lives and even though we might not know why God is doing this or that, we are left with only one thing to do: to trust his wisdom. When life simply does not make sense, we must look to Him who is the Author and the Finisher of our faith, to Him who has a great plan, a plan to reveal His glory and to accomplish that which is good for His people. We must trust in the promises of God, the one who is all-wise and who is all powerful. God’s wisdom is infinite, even if we don’t always understand it, that doesn’t matter, we aren’t meant to question it, we are meant to trust him and worship him. Listen, regardless of where you are at this morning, God’s promise is this: “I’ll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out —plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for (Jer 29:11).

There’s no use asking for it if you aren’t willing to trust. We have to be prepared to go along with his plan and surrender ours! Notice the next part of that verse we have been looking at in James: ‘if you lack wisdom, ask, but ask in faith, with no doubting’. God doesn’t want us to have a foot in both camps. He doesn’t want us to be like surf on the Sea drifting all over the place. He wants us to ask him and trust him, and he promises to give us his wisdom. So what is it that you need wisdom for this morning? In what area of your life are you doubting God’s wisdom? Like to spend a few minutes in prayer.

Psalm 14 v 2 NLT “The LORD looks down from heaven on the entire human race; he looks to see if anyone is truly wise, if anyone seeks God.”