Introduction (Job 28:20-28)
Seeking Wisdom
- Wisdom cannot be found Apart from God. (Job 28:20-27)
- Wisdom is found with God. (Job 28:28a)
Proverbs 9:10 - "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight"
James 1:5 - "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him"
2 Ways to Fellow with God and His Word during Trials
- Utilize Small Groups
- Pray the Bible
- Wisdom brings us Closer to God. (Job 28:28b)
Seeking Wisdom
Michael Wolski - Harvest Bible Chapel Pittsburgh North A/V Ministry Leader
Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANK
Hint: Highlight blanks above for answers!
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Pastor Jeff:
00:28-00:37
If you're visiting with us today, my name is Jeff, and I serve as the pastor here at Harvest Bible Chapel, Pittsburgh North, but I am not preaching this month.
Pastor Jeff:
00:38-00:43
We have four wonderful speakers that we'll be introducing the next one here in just a minute.
Pastor Jeff:
00:45-00:45
So what am I doing?
Pastor Jeff:
00:46-00:52
Well, this week I will be working on the preaching calendar for the next year.
Pastor Jeff:
00:53-01:01
I pre-prepare the messages from October to September is when our preaching calendar runs.
Pastor Jeff:
01:01-01:09
So I would greatly appreciate your prayers for this week as I seek the Lord on direction for preaching.
Pastor Jeff:
01:10-01:13
And I just thought I'd open up the floor now if anybody has any suggestions.
Pastor Jeff:
01:15-01:16
Any suggestions?
Pastor Jeff:
01:17-01:18
Jay, I know what you're gonna say.
Pastor Jeff:
01:19-01:20
Amos, right?
Pastor Jeff:
01:21-01:22
Okay, noted.
Pastor Jeff:
01:22-01:23
And I appreciate the suggestion.
Pastor Jeff:
01:23-01:24
Anybody else?
Pastor Jeff:
01:25-01:26
Joshua?
Pastor Jeff:
01:27-01:28
Anyone else?
Pastor Jeff:
01:30-01:31
I'll tell you what, think about it.
Pastor Jeff:
01:31-01:32
What's that?
Pastor Jeff:
01:33-01:33
Romans!
Pastor Jeff:
01:35-01:37
The whole book in one year.
Pastor Jeff:
01:38-01:39
In one sermon.
Pastor Jeff:
01:43-01:44
Yeah, thanks for that, Mark.
Pastor Jeff:
01:46-01:47
I appreciate that.
Pastor Jeff:
01:48-01:48
All right.
Pastor Jeff:
01:49-01:57
If you get any big brainstorms or any big revelations, just go ahead and shoot me an email for that.
Pastor Jeff:
01:57-02:01
But I'd like to introduce our preacher for today, Mike Wolski, if you would make your way up.
Pastor Jeff:
02:03-02:11
As I said, years past, we would basically hire some preacher friends of mine to come in during July and they give the word.
Pastor Jeff:
02:12-02:17
And this year, the word will be brought by four men from our congregation.
Pastor Jeff:
02:17-02:20
And today we're privileged to have Mike Wolski.
Pastor Jeff:
02:20-02:27
Now, usually Mike is delivering the word of God back in the AV booth with his team.
Pastor Jeff:
02:28-02:30
Mike heads up our AV ministry.
Pastor Jeff:
02:30-02:36
So all of the words and the pretty pictures and all of those kinds of things, Mike is the head of that ministry.
Pastor Jeff:
02:36-02:42
So today he's going to be delivering the word on this side of the room.
Pastor Jeff:
02:42-02:52
And I have been real excited to have Mike come because Mike and I are in small group together.
Pastor Jeff:
02:52-02:57
And this is gonna be just unapologetically, this is going to be a shameless plug for small groups.
Pastor Jeff:
02:57-03:05
But one of the things I appreciated about small groups so much was I really got to know Mike and Jessica.
Pastor Jeff:
03:05-03:09
I got to see their heart for the Lord, their heart for their family.
Pastor Jeff:
03:10-03:17
And also through that, as it pertains to preaching this morning, I really got to see Mike's heart for God's word.
Pastor Jeff:
03:18-03:21
And that happened through small groups.
Pastor Jeff:
03:21-03:22
That's where relationships are made.
Pastor Jeff:
03:22-03:24
That's where accountability happens.
Pastor Jeff:
03:24-03:31
And if you're here, if you consider this your church home and you're not part of a small group, you need to sign up.
Pastor Jeff:
03:32-03:37
And just email smallgroups@harvestpittsburghnorth.org and say, sign me up for small groups.
Pastor Jeff:
03:37-03:41
And Ryan and Sarah Stroop would love to get you plugged in to small group.
Pastor Jeff:
03:41-03:51
But I not only had the privilege of getting to know Mike through small group ministry, but at DeMar's Home for Youth, was that last year when you got up and gave your testimony?
Pastor Jeff:
03:52-03:56
I get to hear Mike speak and he did a fantastic job.
Pastor Jeff:
03:56-04:02
And I thought this guy, this guy's got a heart for the Lord and a heart to give a message from the Lord.
Pastor Jeff:
04:02-04:06
So today, without any further ado, give a warm Harvest welcome to Mike Wolski.
Mike Wolski:
04:16-04:22
You know, one thing you might not know about the A.V. ministry is that everybody that joins is required to be an expert in puns.
Mike Wolski:
04:25-04:35
Peter when he was promoting Harvest Got Talent, he did that week after week because today what I wanted to say is I feel like a pony today because my voice is a little hoarse.
Mike Wolski:
04:37-04:41
That has nothing to do with the sermon by the way, just circumstances.
Mike Wolski:
04:42-04:51
So turn with me to Job chapter 28, and while you're doing that, I want you to think of the smartest person that you know.
Mike Wolski:
04:52-04:55
And it doesn't have to be somebody that you know personally either.
Mike Wolski:
04:55-05:00
Almost anyone in the entire world, whether alive or dead.
Mike Wolski:
05:01-05:11
When I first thought about that and asked myself that question, my first instinct was to go towards an inventor or a scientist, like Thomas Edison or Albert Einstein.
Mike Wolski:
05:12-05:17
These are men who refined scientific principles and have had a profound impact on our lives today.
Mike Wolski:
05:18-05:22
Thinking about somebody more recently, Elon Musk.
Mike Wolski:
05:22-05:27
He's the guy that is head of SpaceX and Tesla Automotive.
Mike Wolski:
05:27-05:31
He's making autonomous cars and he's sending rockets in outer space.
Mike Wolski:
05:31-05:35
All three people, very smart in their respective fields and studies.
Mike Wolski:
05:36-05:43
But taking it a step further in a slightly different direction, I want you now to think of the wisest person you know.
Mike Wolski:
05:44-05:45
There's a subtle difference there.
Mike Wolski:
05:46-05:57
If you look up wisdom in Merriam-Webster dictionary, they define it as the ability to discern inner qualities and relationships, or accumulated philosophical or scientific learning.
Mike Wolski:
05:58-06:05
That definition aside, I think we can all chalk up wisdom as being a combination of knowledge and experience.
Mike Wolski:
06:07-06:09
But let's get more specific with our definition.
Mike Wolski:
06:10-06:12
What kind of wisdom am I talking about today?
Mike Wolski:
06:13-06:18
Well, there's the worldly wisdom we get from doing our everyday hobbies and tasks.
Mike Wolski:
06:19-06:22
Those are tips and tricks we learn along the way to make those activities easier.
Mike Wolski:
06:23-06:35
So for instance, if you work on your own car, the more you do it, the more pieces and components fix or replace, the more knowledge and experience you have with that, right?
Mike Wolski:
06:35-06:37
The more car fixing wisdom you have.
Mike Wolski:
06:39-06:48
I mean, I remember working on a car, Jessica and I have, and I had to do work that went beyond just oil change or simple brake pad replacements.
Mike Wolski:
06:49-06:53
I had to venture into new grounds by working on the suspension and on the exhaust system.
Mike Wolski:
06:55-07:05
I can laugh about it now, but there are numerous barriers and struggles I had that made what I thought would be a relatively easy repair into a weeks-long hair-pulling fun.
Mike Wolski:
07:07-07:12
All the reading that I did up on how to do the fix didn't compare to my experience I had actually doing it.
Mike Wolski:
07:13-07:20
But now I'm glad that I did because I was able to add a plus one to my car-fixing wisdom.
Mike Wolski:
07:21-07:27
But while worldly wisdom is valuable, in the grand scheme of things, it's optional.
Mike Wolski:
07:29-07:33
Knowing how to fix a car, cook a steak medium rare, or plumb a toilet isn't going to change your life.
Mike Wolski:
07:35-07:38
Now the wisdom I'm talking about today is biblical wisdom.
Mike Wolski:
07:39-07:45
Applying the word of God to every aspect of your life to answer the big questions.
Mike Wolski:
07:46-07:49
For example, how can I be a good witness?
Mike Wolski:
07:51-07:53
What should my role be in relation to my spouse?
Mike Wolski:
07:55-07:57
How can I share my faith with a co-worker?
Mike Wolski:
08:00-08:02
What values should I instill in my children?
Mike Wolski:
08:04-08:07
Getting deeper here, what about questions we have during our trials?
Mike Wolski:
08:09-08:11
How do I forgive someone who's hurt me?
Mike Wolski:
08:12-08:14
I just lost my job. What do I do?
Mike Wolski:
08:16-08:20
I don't think I can pay my bills on time. Who can I turn to?
Mike Wolski:
08:22-08:25
I lost my child to a drunk driver. Why would God allow this?
Mike Wolski:
08:28-08:31
We live in a fallen world, and with that comes deep and painful trials.
Mike Wolski:
08:32-08:35
Each one has its own set of questions and answers we seek.
Mike Wolski:
08:37-08:40
How to handle and react to the situation, defuse tension, or just heal?
Mike Wolski:
08:41-08:56
Circling back to my first two questions and those two folks that you chose for being both smart and wise, I mentioned Thomas Edison, and he's credited with inventing the light bulb, so clearly a very smart and wise person in his scientific field.
Mike Wolski:
08:57-08:59
But did you know he was an atheist?
Mike Wolski:
09:00-09:02
Well, he called it being a free thinker.
Mike Wolski:
09:03-09:36
But when you make statements like, and I'm paraphrasing quotes of his here, heaven and hell don't exist, there is no afterlife, all religion is bunk, you get the idea where he stands. The reason I mention this is because the people we look to as being smart and wise aren't necessarily wise when it comes to biblical wisdom. So with that said, those two people you identified in your life, would you go for them to counsel? Would you go for them for counsel? Could they provide biblical wisdom when you're going through a trial?
Mike Wolski:
09:38-09:45
The title of the sermon today is "Seeking Wisdom During Trials." And coming to the text, we're in Job 28.
Mike Wolski:
09:46-09:50
Now Job 28 is a little more than halfway through the book of Job, the entire book of Job.
Mike Wolski:
09:51-09:58
And at this point, Job, a man righteous in God's eyes, has had his entire life turned upside down by Satan.
Mike Wolski:
09:59-10:01
He's lost all his possessions and even his good health.
Mike Wolski:
10:02-10:09
And his friends, they've come to comfort him, but instead they're arguing back and forth, accusing him of wrongdoings.
Mike Wolski:
10:10-10:15
You know, Job is arguing that he's innocent, but Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar believe he must have sinned.
Mike Wolski:
10:16-10:20
For all this bad stuff to happen to him, there's something deeper here that needs exposed.
Mike Wolski:
10:22-10:27
And leading up to this chapter, Job is arguing back and forth within himself on God and His justice.
Mike Wolski:
10:28-10:30
Is God being just with him?
Mike Wolski:
10:30-10:33
Now wait a minute, I thought this sermon was on seeking wisdom.
Mike Wolski:
10:34-10:36
Where does God's justice fit into all this?
Mike Wolski:
10:36-10:37
Where did this come from?
Mike Wolski:
10:39-10:39
Well hear me out here.
Mike Wolski:
10:41-10:47
So when you're going through a trial or facing a difficult situation, you're probably wondering, what can I do about it?
Mike Wolski:
10:49-10:54
Even if it's beyond your control, you still want to know what's the best way to handle what's being thrown at you.
Mike Wolski:
10:56-10:57
What you're doing is seeking wisdom.
Mike Wolski:
10:58-11:32
what Job was doing. He had no explanation as to why he was suffering, so him and his friends were pouring out their wisdom upon one another to try to come to some sort of conclusion. And chapter 28 is all about finding true wisdom. You know, each person had their own answers and understanding of God, but this gets to the core of where you and I can find wisdom. Let's pick it up in verse 20. "From where then does wisdom come, and where It is hidden from the eyes of all living and concealed from the birds of the air.
Mike Wolski:
11:33-11:39
Abaddon and Death say, "We have heard a rumor of it with our ears." God understands the way to it, and He knows its place.
Mike Wolski:
11:40-11:43
For He looks to the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens.
Mike Wolski:
11:44-11:53
When He gave to the wind its weight and apportioned the waters by measure, when He made a decree for the rain and a way for the lightning of the thunder, then He saw it and declared it.
Mike Wolski:
11:54-11:56
He established it and searched it out.
Mike Wolski:
11:56-12:08
And he said to man, "Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and a turn away from evil is understanding." Not really what Merriam-Webster said, right?
Mike Wolski:
12:09-12:12
You know, I thought wisdom could be found in any sagely person.
Mike Wolski:
12:13-12:18
I thought wisdom would give me the answers right away and allow me to solve all my problems.
Mike Wolski:
12:19-12:23
Well, God's definition is a bit contrary to ours.
Mike Wolski:
12:24-12:26
This brings me to my first point.
Mike Wolski:
12:28-12:33
My first point to be made about seeking wisdom in trials is that it cannot be found apart from God.
Mike Wolski:
12:34-12:36
Look at verses 20-27.
Mike Wolski:
12:38-12:47
And just as a side note, if you read the book of Job and especially this chapter, the poetry and the imagery in it is just very beautiful and I would encourage you to read the whole thing.
Mike Wolski:
12:48-12:53
kind of what stuck out to me and why I wanted to use this passage for my sermon.
Mike Wolski:
12:54-13:04
But it starts out asking the question, "Where then does wisdom come and where is the place of understanding?" It's a pretty straightforward question.
Mike Wolski:
13:05-13:19
But in the following verses it says, "Both are hidden and even death does not know, but God knows it because he's created it, established it, and searched it out." So how can we say we found biblical wisdom apart from God?
Mike Wolski:
13:21-13:22
Honestly, we can't.
Mike Wolski:
13:23-13:27
I think we try to say we have based on, you know, the advice or experiences we've gone through.
Mike Wolski:
13:28-13:31
But how can we say we know true wisdom when we aren't the Almighty?
Mike Wolski:
13:32-13:36
To say we have intimate knowledge of the world around us on the same level as God.
Mike Wolski:
13:38-13:40
And to understand our trials the same way God does.
Mike Wolski:
13:42-13:50
There are plenty of times I've gone through turmoil and thought, "You know what? I can figure this out." Right? Let me Google it.
Mike Wolski:
13:52-13:56
You know, let me Google what other people have said or ask some friends.
Mike Wolski:
13:57-14:01
Isn't that the 21st century solution to everything? Google it. Google knows.
Mike Wolski:
14:02-14:04
Or rather, something Google shows you knows.
Mike Wolski:
14:05-14:10
Well, Google was telling me a few months back that eating Tide Pods is all the rage.
Mike Wolski:
14:11-14:17
And that this sore throat that I have could be a common cold, or Ebola.
14:18-14:19
(Laughter)
Mike Wolski:
14:20-14:25
So for all the information we have at our fingertips, there's a lot of garbage out there.
Mike Wolski:
14:26-14:34
A lot to sift through, and a lot that is deceptively wrapped in a pretty present to tickle our ears or to bolster our self-righteousness.
Mike Wolski:
14:34-14:41
Pages and videos of echo chamber rhetoric that takes the lens to others in the world rather than to yourself.
Mike Wolski:
14:44-14:48
A lot of the wisdom I've sought in my life and received, God's hand wasn't in it.
Mike Wolski:
14:49-14:51
So really you could say it wasn't wisdom at all.
Mike Wolski:
14:53-14:59
You know, one thing I think we can all relate to is working through difficulties at our jobs, right?
Mike Wolski:
14:59-15:09
And not just the person commuting back and forth to Pittsburgh or wherever, you know, there's mothers and caretakers, They all have important jobs, you know, take care of families, raising children.
Mike Wolski:
15:09-15:10
So all of us.
Mike Wolski:
15:12-15:18
But you know that bad day or week that you have makes you want to throw the towel and start searching around for something else.
Mike Wolski:
15:19-15:25
I mean, I've had some really trying weeks that make me second-guess if I did the right thing in taking my current position.
Mike Wolski:
15:26-15:29
Why would I leave my job that I like to go to this new position?
Mike Wolski:
15:31-16:01
You can imagine it's easy to find advice online. That's how to handle job related stresses You see articles about your job satisfaction and how you deserve to be happy at your job You don't feel appreciated find a new role and tell your boss to pound salt Maybe that's not what God's plan is for you Maybe there's some character refinement or lesson to be learned from your struggles Like in Job, we don't always get a definitive reason as to why we're getting put through our trials.
Mike Wolski:
16:02-16:06
But we can't expect to find wisdom in our trials apart from God.
Mike Wolski:
16:08-16:15
This leads me to the next point. So if wisdom isn't found apart from God, then obviously wisdom is found with God.
Mike Wolski:
16:16-16:18
Let's look at the first part of verse 28.
Mike Wolski:
16:19-16:44
"Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom." You know this verse is so profound because it's so contrary to what we define wisdom to be in the worldly sense You see Biblical wisdom has its foundation in fear of the Lord Not purely on our personal experience and knowledge And I say foundational because yes biblical wisdom can be gleaned from others, right?
Mike Wolski:
16:44-16:58
It's not like you fear the Lord and suddenly, you know get through your trial Right. There's still knowledge and experience that goes along with it But that fear of the Lord is just such a vital difference between biblical wisdom and worldly wisdom.
Mike Wolski:
17:00-17:04
God's definition puts our reliance for wisdom entirely upon Him first.
Mike Wolski:
17:07-17:20
Proverbs 9 10 is actually closely paralleled saying, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight." So we know this is an established truth in God's Word. It's His definition.
Mike Wolski:
17:22-17:27
So now we see what wisdom is, but what is this fear of the Lord?
Mike Wolski:
17:27-17:29
Why would that be required for wisdom?
Mike Wolski:
17:30-17:35
Well, fear here is not being scared of God, like He's going to smite you on a moment's notice.
Mike Wolski:
17:36-17:38
Rather, it's reverence towards God.
Mike Wolski:
17:39-17:42
It's what allows us to be receptive to God's wisdom and insight.
Mike Wolski:
17:44-17:45
What He's teaching us during a trial or struggle.
Mike Wolski:
17:47-17:54
You know, if we're not reverent towards God, then how do we expect to seek or gain wisdom from Him?
Mike Wolski:
17:55-17:56
I mean, think about it this way.
Mike Wolski:
17:57-18:03
He's the Almighty, Creator of the universe, who can number the grains of sand on the beach and knows the number of hairs on your head.
Mike Wolski:
18:05-18:08
You can't fully submit to His authority and be reverent towards Him.
Mike Wolski:
18:09-18:10
You're not gonna glean from His wisdom.
Mike Wolski:
18:11-18:21
Like, has there ever been a time or times when you're seeking advice from somebody, You know, somebody even biblically rooted, like a Christian, the best people to get advice from, actually.
Mike Wolski:
18:23-18:47
You hear what they say and you're like, "Yeah, that's good. I totally understand that. That makes sense." Then they say that one thing that you're like, "Ugh, no, you can keep that one. I'll take those first two points, that last one. No." You might be getting some of the best godly advice from that person, somebody who has fear of the Lord and understanding from God, So your reverence towards that person isn't fully baked.
Mike Wolski:
18:48-18:51
You're allowing your feelings and thoughts to override that wisdom you're receiving.
Mike Wolski:
18:53-18:54
I mean, I do it all the time.
Mike Wolski:
18:55-18:56
It's hard to fully submit under authority.
Mike Wolski:
18:57-18:59
Our pride always gets in the way.
Mike Wolski:
18:59-19:02
In the end, we think we know what's best for us.
Mike Wolski:
19:05-19:50
You see, if you believe in the Bible, if you believe it's God's book, and what he wrote is perfect, and exactly the message he wanted to convey to the world, then you can't pick and choose of his wisdom. It's all or nothing. To say you agree with a few pieces and disagree with others, you might as well just throw it all away, go back to Google and eating Tide Pods. I'm joking. I hope I'm clear here. Don't eat Tide Pods. Serious medical conditions, results. But God's wisdom is unparalleled. We can't even begin to compare what we think we know with what God already knows. So when you're seeking wisdom during a trial, it has to be found in God. What better source than Him?
Mike Wolski:
19:51-20:11
Well, how do I do that? I am reverent towards God and I want to understand what He has for me. How do I glean wisdom from Him? Well, I've got good news. God has a book. You ever wonder why the Bible is so over 31,000 verses across 1,200 pages. It's chock full of wisdom.
Mike Wolski:
20:12-20:18
And as Christians, we've got a 24/7 prayer hotline direct to the Almighty Creator of the universe.
Mike Wolski:
20:20-20:33
The wonderful thing about both those sources is that God's Word does not return void, a truth that's been established in Isaiah 55 11, and that He listens to all prayers, another truth he's established in Matthew 7.
Mike Wolski:
20:36-20:41
So when you're struggling and seeking wisdom from God, you can rest assured that He will provide.
Mike Wolski:
20:42-20:46
In fact, God comes out and tells us His truth very blatantly and obviously.
Mike Wolski:
20:47-21:06
In James 1.5, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without approach, and it will be given him." Now I can't say exactly how or if it's going to be the answer that you want.
Mike Wolski:
21:07-21:08
I mean that's the challenge, right?
Mike Wolski:
21:08-21:14
If we knew how God is going to respond, then there'd be no point in seeking wisdom, seeking Him for His wisdom.
Mike Wolski:
21:16-21:28
But to give a practical application of this, here's two ways that we can fellowship with God and His Word during trials, ways that we can get more and more of His wisdom while we're going through struggles.
Mike Wolski:
21:30-21:33
The first one is utilize small groups.
Mike Wolski:
21:35-21:40
See here at Harvest Bible Chapel, Pittsburgh North, we have church on Sundays and small groups the rest of the week.
Mike Wolski:
21:41-21:50
You know, these are breakout groups held across Beaver, Butler, and Allegheny County where we as a church congregation can get a little smaller but much closer together as individuals.
Mike Wolski:
21:52-22:06
You know, I've been going to the Murphy's, now Howell small group for, my wife's been going for about four years now and the amount of wisdom that we've been able to pour out on one another is just absolutely incredible.
Mike Wolski:
22:07-22:12
You know, as an individual, your understanding and lens on your trial is one-sided.
Mike Wolski:
22:14-22:21
There might be a facet or a biblical truth that you aren't aware of or you're blinded to because you're just anxious or you're stressed out.
Mike Wolski:
22:23-22:27
You know, for me, job stress has always been a big thing with me.
Mike Wolski:
22:27-22:31
And it might just be because that's how I am as a person.
Mike Wolski:
22:31-22:34
But I don't deal well with multitasking.
Mike Wolski:
22:34-22:38
If five people asking the same thing, stress goes through the roof.
Mike Wolski:
22:38-22:45
But all the men in my small group can probably agree with me that that's the biggest thing I ask wisdom for week in and week out.
Mike Wolski:
22:47-22:52
But you see, I know I can go there because the wisdom I get from small group is biblically rooted.
Mike Wolski:
22:53-22:56
It's not just someone's opinion or Google search, right?
Mike Wolski:
22:57-22:58
is tested against God's Word.
Mike Wolski:
23:00-23:07
And in the situations where you're overwhelmed or sometimes just frozen in place, you need that person to come alongside, to pick you up, to encourage you.
Mike Wolski:
23:08-23:10
That's what small groups are all about-- fellowship.
Mike Wolski:
23:11-23:16
Pray as a small group about our trials and send each other scripture verses and ask questions.
Mike Wolski:
23:17-23:20
And then when someone else is going through difficulties, hey, that's my time.
Mike Wolski:
23:21-23:23
It's my time to encourage that person.
Mike Wolski:
23:24-23:29
So it's really a key thing I use because we as Christians need to use one another.
Mike Wolski:
23:31-23:35
The second way you can fellowship with God and His Word during a trial is pray the Bible.
Mike Wolski:
23:37-23:41
This might sound a little weird, but, you know, and I'm totally stealing this from Jeff.
Mike Wolski:
23:42-23:50
He brought this up in the last prayer meeting we had as a congregation, and even before that there was another time that is, you know, job stress, you know, old story.
Mike Wolski:
23:51-23:53
But he told me about this method.
Mike Wolski:
23:53-23:54
What we can do is pray the Bible.
Mike Wolski:
23:56-24:03
And it's phenomenal that not only will you fellowship deeply with God, but this is a way to potentially change your prayer life.
Mike Wolski:
24:04-24:16
The idea is that you take a passage or a verse or a chapter, say Psalms, and you read verse by verse, and after each verse, you take that truth that God's revealed to you and you pray about it.
Mike Wolski:
24:16-24:25
So for instance, Psalm 23, the first verse is, "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want." Something we, most of us are familiar with, right?
Mike Wolski:
24:27-24:34
But imagine you're in a situation when you're under financial stress or you're eager about some incoming layoffs you heard about at your job.
Mike Wolski:
24:35-24:39
Well, you can pray something like this, "Lord, you are my shepherd.
Mike Wolski:
24:40-24:41
You provide everything I need.
Mike Wolski:
24:42-24:47
I'm anxious about my finances or my job, but thankful that you've blessed me thus far with work.
Mike Wolski:
24:50-24:57
And I know you will provide despite things not looking well, and I ask you to still my anxiety." You know, something like that, something simple.
Mike Wolski:
24:58-25:00
And then you go on to the next verse, and so on and so forth.
Mike Wolski:
25:01-25:02
And it's a double whammy.
Mike Wolski:
25:02-25:05
You're gleaning wisdom from God, and you're praying about it at the same time.
Mike Wolski:
25:08-25:09
This leads me to my final point.
Mike Wolski:
25:12-25:36
wisdom brings us closer to God. The second part of verse 28 is, "And to turn away from evil is understanding." You see, we can seek God's wisdom in our trials, read scripture and pray about it. But if we don't submit to His wisdom, take it to heart and act upon it, it's just head knowledge. In this verse, it explicitly mentions turning away from evil as being understanding.
Mike Wolski:
25:38-25:44
In the early verse in Proverbs 9.10, understanding is the knowledge of the Holy One.
Mike Wolski:
25:46-25:50
Basically, it comes down to God's character, understanding and mimicking that.
Mike Wolski:
25:51-25:56
Once we have some biblical wisdom, what would cause us to turn away from evil?
Mike Wolski:
25:58-25:59
Well, it's part of God's character, right?
Mike Wolski:
26:00-26:02
He is holy, and he abhors sin and evil.
Mike Wolski:
26:04-26:09
And we can know that because as we're revering God, we gain wisdom into His character.
Mike Wolski:
26:09-26:19
As we glean more and more from God and His wisdom, we'll understand more and more on how to act in and outside of trials.
Mike Wolski:
26:19-26:22
How we can put on His righteousness daily in our lives.
Mike Wolski:
26:23-26:30
I can speak for myself that when I turned my life over to Christ, my understanding of God grew exponentially.
Mike Wolski:
26:31-26:35
what He was like, what He's commanded me to do, how I should act.
Mike Wolski:
26:36-26:37
All wisdom from Him.
Mike Wolski:
26:39-26:42
Most importantly, I drew closer to Him.
Mike Wolski:
26:43-26:49
And I would urge you that if you haven't trusted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, a lot of this won't make sense.
Mike Wolski:
26:51-27:03
Because 1 Corinthians 1:18-2:14, Paul talks about how we have a new heart in Christ, That Christ is the wisdom of God.
Mike Wolski:
27:03-27:07
That His Spirit that dwells in us is what reveals God's wisdom to us.
Mike Wolski:
27:09-27:13
So how can you get God's wisdom or draw closer to Him if you don't have that?
Mike Wolski:
27:14-27:18
You might look to the Bible for advice or throw some prayers out.
Mike Wolski:
27:20-27:25
But if you want a relationship with your Creator, you need to submit to Him, revere Him.
Mike Wolski:
27:26-27:30
Only then will you have biblical wisdom and understanding of God's character.
Mike Wolski:
27:33-27:37
I know getting started with seeking wisdom during a trial is a hard thing.
Mike Wolski:
27:38-27:42
It's natural to feel deflated, beaten up, and tired.
Mike Wolski:
27:43-27:45
Like what's the point?
Mike Wolski:
27:45-27:46
Or here we go again.
Mike Wolski:
27:46-27:47
Why now?
Mike Wolski:
27:47-27:48
Why is this repeating?
Mike Wolski:
27:49-27:53
For some of you, it can get to a point where you don't even know if God cares.
Mike Wolski:
27:55-27:56
Job was at that point.
Mike Wolski:
27:57-28:00
He had a really hard time understanding if God truly loved him.
Mike Wolski:
28:01-28:05
I think when we're starting out, it's easy to push blame on God.
Mike Wolski:
28:06-28:08
We look at Him as He's an almighty deity.
Mike Wolski:
28:08-28:11
How could He possibly understand our plights? He doesn't need money.
Mike Wolski:
28:12-28:16
There's a lot of things on this earth that don't even apply to God, right?
Mike Wolski:
28:18-28:21
Well, He does understand our plights. He does understand our trials.
Mike Wolski:
28:22-28:27
He came to this earth as a man, being fully God and fully man.
Mike Wolski:
28:28-28:34
You know, Jesus experienced every bit of humanity we have-- pain, compassion, happiness, sorrow.
Mike Wolski:
28:36-28:39
And he underwent the ultimate trial, quite literally.
Mike Wolski:
28:40-28:47
He was sold out, taken without reason, sentenced to die, mocked, beaten, spat upon, and crucified.
Mike Wolski:
28:50-28:58
And while we look to his death as a terribly painful, horrendous event, nothing compares to the trial he faced being separated from the Father.
Mike Wolski:
29:00-29:05
To have God turn away his face from him while he bore the entire weight of sin upon himself.
Mike Wolski:
29:06-29:09
That is a trial none of us could face.
Mike Wolski:
29:11-29:12
And he did that for us.
Mike Wolski:
29:13-29:14
So does God care?
Mike Wolski:
29:15-29:16
Does he understand our plights?
Mike Wolski:
29:17-29:18
Of course he does.
Mike Wolski:
29:20-29:25
You know, Amanity has been sinning since the dawn of time, constantly rejecting God for generations.
Mike Wolski:
29:26-29:32
I have a daughter who's a little over three years old now, and there are times when she can be the sweetest little girl.
Mike Wolski:
29:33-29:38
You know, just watching her grow up, just things click in her brain, her understanding of the world.
Mike Wolski:
29:40-29:41
And I love those times.
Mike Wolski:
29:42-29:47
But there's other times where she's rebellious, mannered and just...
Mike Wolski:
29:48-29:54
And I think every parent who's ever lived or people who have been around little kids know how fiendish they can be.
Mike Wolski:
29:56-30:08
But when you think you're having a trial with your kid or your kids, what about God? He has 8 billion kids that all act that way. So yeah, even God the Father understands our trials.
Mike Wolski:
30:10-30:15
You know, for Job and his friends, understanding this, that was a hard lesson for them.
Mike Wolski:
30:16-30:21
His friends were giving Job the wrong counseling because their wisdom was not speaking the truth about God.
Mike Wolski:
30:22-30:27
God even condemns them later on in chapter 42, verse 7, saying the same things.
Mike Wolski:
30:27-30:35
"You're not speaking truth about me." They had a wrong view about Job, the situation, God's character, and his justice.
Mike Wolski:
30:36-30:37
Their wisdom was faulty.
Mike Wolski:
30:40-30:44
At the beginning I asked you all, who's the smartest person you know and who's the wisest person you know?
Mike Wolski:
30:46-30:50
And again, reflecting back on that wise person, is their wisdom biblical?
Mike Wolski:
30:51-30:52
Would you say it matches God's definition?
Mike Wolski:
30:53-31:02
Do they seek wisdom apart from God or do they fear the Lord, revere Him, and understand their wisdom must foundationally lie within Him?
Mike Wolski:
31:03-31:06
Those are the people we need to draw towards in trials.
Mike Wolski:
31:08-31:39
You know, I said the best source for wisdom himself. That's true, but there are also many Christians who fear the Lord and have gleaned God's wisdom. They're a great source for counseling and advice, and they align with God's biblical standards. You know, here at Harvest we have elders and a prayer team. Those folks are exactly like that. They're fearful and reverent of the Lord. And I would encourage you to speak with them after service and use their wisdom to bolster your own.
Mike Wolski:
31:41-31:44
If you're going through a trial right now, why continue to waste time on Google?
Mike Wolski:
31:45-31:49
Or asking the world what they think about your trial?
Mike Wolski:
31:50-31:58
And if you're not plugged into a small group, you can find all the information about the locations, the times, and the leaders online at our website.
Mike Wolski:
31:59-32:00
And I urge you to take that step.
Mike Wolski:
32:02-32:05
Life happens during the remaining 167 hours in the week.
Mike Wolski:
32:07-32:09
When you're praying, try praying the Bible.
Mike Wolski:
32:10-32:13
See how the verses come alive and directly impact you during a trial.
Mike Wolski:
32:14-32:19
How biblical truths can calm your heart and encourage you that God is with you and He does care.
Mike Wolski:
32:21-32:23
Seeking wisdom during a trial can be a tough thing.
Mike Wolski:
32:25-32:28
Many of those big questions I mentioned earlier can be life changing.
Mike Wolski:
32:29-32:33
We'd like to hear things that comfort us, but it might not be what we need.
Mike Wolski:
32:35-32:37
I hope this message encourages you to seek God for your wisdom.
Mike Wolski:
32:38-32:40
It cannot be found apart from Him.
Mike Wolski:
32:41-32:42
It is only found in Him.
Mike Wolski:
32:44-32:47
And as you glean from His wisdom, you'll draw closer to Him.
Mike Wolski:
32:48-32:49
Let's pray.
Mike Wolski:
32:50-32:53
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your Word.
Mike Wolski:
32:53-32:55
We thank You for the church body.
Mike Wolski:
32:55-32:57
We thank You for our congregation.
Mike Wolski:
32:58-33:01
and all the wisdom that is contained within your Scriptures.
Mike Wolski:
33:03-33:13
We thank You that You have Your Word and that we as Christians can turn to You in prayer and in Scripture to understand Your wisdom more and more.
Mike Wolski:
33:14-33:20
That during our trials, we have a strong comfort in You and in Your Son Jesus Christ.
Mike Wolski:
33:22-33:40
And I thank You for Harvest just the different groups, small groups, prayer team, our elders, all just full of your biblical wisdom that we can turn to and seek during our trials, Lord.
Mike Wolski:
33:41-33:47
We might not always understand why You're putting us through a difficult situation.
Mike Wolski:
33:48-33:51
Even years after, we might not understand.
Mike Wolski:
33:52-33:55
But we know that we can seek wisdom from you, Lord.
Mike Wolski:
33:57-34:00
That it can't be found apart from you, that it's only found with you.
Mike Wolski:
34:01-34:05
And as we strive more and more towards you, that we will get closer to you.
Mike Wolski:
34:07-34:10
We thank you especially for your son, Jesus Christ, and the redemption through him, Lord.
Mike Wolski:
34:13-34:23
And that you've defined Jesus Christ as wisdom, that his spirit that dwells in us reveals Your wisdom to us.
Mike Wolski:
34:24-34:28
We're just so humbled to be surrounded by these truths, Lord.
Mike Wolski:
34:30-34:31
We thank You, God.
Mike Wolski:
34:31-34:33
We pray this in Your Son Jesus' name.
Mike Wolski:
34:33-34:34
Amen.
Small Group Questions (Whole Group):
Read Job 28:20-28
Where do you typically go first for your 'wisdom' during a trial?
Why do you think Christians struggle with seeking God for wisdom first?
What’s the worst advice you’ve received? Now applying biblical wisdom, how would that advice change [i.e. slight alteration, 180-degrees]?
What has been the most difficult piece of biblical wisdom you’ve received? [i.e. forgiveness, just waiting, etc.]
What is your go-to verse, chapter, book, etc. in God’s Word that has helped you out the most during a trial? What about that particular passage gives you comfort, guidance, etc.?
What fellowship activities with God and His word have worked best for you during a trial?
(For the sliding scale fans) On a scale of 1 <-> 10, how much do you enjoy sliding scale questions?
Breakout Questions:
Pray for one another.