Wisdom for Living | Mac Hammond
Sermon Recap
Pastor Mac started a new series entitled, “Wisdom for Living.” He is excited about what’s he’s going to preach over the next several weeks because this topic will include the major aspects of life: wisdom for vocational pursuits, for divine health, for raising your family, for marriage, and more! Pastor noted that many have confusion regarding wisdom and faith. Wisdom and faith are two different things but are symbiotic in many ways. He’s going to talk about wisdom in light of its relationship to faith, what we should know and understand about it. Pastor summed up the series by saying, “Basically, our ability to live in the wisdom of God is going to be important in realizing the full purpose of God for our lives.”
Deep Dive
Faith is an important determinant of whether or not you’re able to walk in wisdom, the godly kind of wisdom.
Proverbs tells us that wisdom begins with knowledge.
Knowledge is the acquisition of information and data. You’ve got to know something exists before you can either embrace it by faith or before it’s a contributor to the wisdom by which you live.
But knowledge alone doesn’t get the job done. The definition of wisdom is the ability to put knowledge to work and have it produce the desired result.
There is a spiritual wisdom, and there is a natural wisdom. The Greek word for natural knowledge is phronesis. It has to do with acquiring natural knowledge about something, but then going beyond that and learning how to use it to make it work as you want.
Pastor Mac gave an example of acquiring natural knowledge and then putting that knowledge to work. In the military, he went through pilot training which first involved the study of aerodynamics and aircraft engineering and theory of flight and navigation, etc. Having knowledge about flying is different than actually being able to fly an airplane. He had to learn how to put his knowledge about flying to work in order to fly.
In between knowledge and wisdom is something called “understanding.” Knowing what the Word says is one thing, but according to Romans 10:17, when that Word is spoken by the Holy Spirit, that’s when you gain understanding of what that verse means.
First you gain knowledge of what the Word says. Then one day, the Spirit will cause you to gain understanding of what that verse says. That’s what rhema of the Word means. It is the process of growing and maturing in your faith.
The last step is one that many don’t take as proactively as they should. After this last step, wisdom can then come. Jesus said that your experience of life will be according to your faith. Yet the Bible teaches that wisdom is the principle thing. Not faith. Not grace. Not love. Wisdom is the principle thing.
Wisdom is generally defined as the ability to make knowledge work. You can know that the Word says, “by the stripes of Jesus, you’re healed,” yet fail to walk in divine health. You know a lot of things that the Word says, but you can’t seem to incorporate it into your experience of life. It’s wisdom that enables that process to occur.
Read About It
Romans 10:17, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
1st Corinthians 1:30, “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.”
Romans 12:2, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
James 2:17, “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.”
Discussion Questions
What is knowledge?
What is understanding?
What is the ingredient that makes your faith work?