Gaining a Heart of Wisdom – Humbly You Came
Gaining A Heart Of Wisdom
Pastor Jerry Wells | Together Church OKC |
December 22, 2024 | Series: Humbly You Came
INTRODUCTION
I am very blessed to have lived for 70 years. I know it is only because of the providence and mercy of God that God has not yet brought my life to an end.
- My forefather’s life span
- Wilbur Wells-1911-1977 (died at age 66)
- Samuel Wells-1873-1939 (died at age 66)
- John Anderson Wells-1834-1897 (died at age 63)
- Michael Wells-1806-1870 (died at age 64)
- Jacob Wells III-1763-1826 (died at age 63)
- Jacob Wells II-1724-1808 (died at age 84)
- My mother’s physical condition
- The passing of my 69(14%) of my classmates from high school
And it is because of the providence and mercy of God, I am very blessed to have been a Christian for almost 53 of these 70 years. Nine days from today will be the 53rd anniversary of the day I decided to follow Jesus. What a blessing it has been to me to have made that decision when I made it.
Today, I have chosen Psalm 90 to be my text.
Introduction
Psalm 90 is the oldest psalm of the 150 psalms in the book of Psalms. It was written by Moses. Most of the bible scholars I trust believe that Moses was born around 1560BC and died around 1440BC at the age of 120. His life is like a three act play divided into 40-year periods of time.
- Act one-40 years in Egypt in Pharoah’s house.
- Act two-40 years in exile in Midian.
- Act three-40 years in the wilderness of Sinai.
Moses did not know the God of Abraham until the end of Act two when he was about 80 years old.
This Psalm is a prayer of Moses that He obviously wrote after he met God. And the content of the Psalm would indicate that He wrote it near the end of his life. The Psalm is a collection of his reflections in verses 1-11 about truths that he had learned about God and about people. Moses then made some requests in verses 12-17.
He recorded it and it was passed down from generation to generation until the 150 Psalms that we currently have in our bible were collected and canonized about 1000 years later in the 5th century BC.
Psalm 90:10 is the only text in the bible that gives any parameters for the life span of people.
10 The days of our lives are seventy years; And if by reason of strength they are eighty years, yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; For it is soon cut off, and we fly away.
It is amazing to me that what was true about life expectancy over 3400 years ago when Moses wrote this is still true today.
Psalm 90
1 Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.
2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.
3 You turn man to destruction, and say, “Return, O children of men.”
4 For a thousand years in Your sight are like yesterday when it is past, and like a watch in the night.
5 You carry them away like a flood; They are like a sleep. In the morning they are like grass which grows up:
6 In the morning it flourishes and grows up; In the evening it is cut down and withers.
7 For we have been consumed by Your anger, and by Your wrath we are terrified.
8 You have set our iniquities before You, our secret sins in the light of Your countenance.
9 For all our days have passed away in Your wrath; We finish our years like a sigh.
10 The days of our lives are seventy years; And if by reason of strength they are eighty years, yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; For it is soon cut off, and we fly away.
11 Who knows the power of Your anger? For as the fear of You, so is Your wrath.
12 So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
13 Return, O Lord! How long? And have compassion on Your servants.
14 Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days!
15 Make us glad according to the days in which You have afflicted us, the years in which we have seen evil.
16 Let Your work appear to Your servants, and Your glory to their children.
17 And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands for us; Yes, establish the work of our hands.
NKJV
Body
There are many truths in this prayer that we could spend our time on this morning.
- The eternal nature of God in verse 1-2.
- The fragile nature of humanity in verses 3–6.
- Humanity’s sinful nature in verses 7-8.
- The brevity of humanity’s life span due to God’s anger with humanity’s sin in verses 9-11.
- The need humanity has for God’s wisdom in verse 12.
- The need we all have for God’s favor in verses 13-17.
The one truth that I want us to focus on this morning is what Moses said in verse 12.
“So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
After I became a Christian, there were several people who shared this verse with me. They explained to me that to number our days meant that I should take into account the brevity of my life and prioritize my time accordingly.
They then shared with me that I should make the pursuit of God’s wisdom a priority in the use of my time. They also shared this verse with me.
Proverbs 4:7
7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.
NKJV
It was explained to me that having God’s wisdom meant being able to see God, the world, and myself from God’s perspective so I could respond to the circumstances of my life the way God would want me to respond.
It was also explained to me that having God’s wisdom would be of benefit to me in many ways.
Proverbs 2:9-12
9 Then you will understand righteousness and justice, equity and every good path.
10 When wisdom enters your heart, and knowledge is pleasant to your soul,
11 Discretion will preserve you; Understanding will keep you,
12 To deliver you from the way of evil, from the man who speaks perverse things…
NKJV
Proverbs 11:30
30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.
It was also explained to me that the best way to learn God’s wisdom was to study the life of Jesus because Jesus was the embodiment of God’s wisdom.
1 Corinthians 1:23-24
23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness,
24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
NKJV
It was also explained to me that God wanted to give me His wisdom but to gain it, pursuing it had to be priority in my life.
Proverbs 2:4
4 If you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures….
NKJV
So, I signed up when I was just a young Christian. I made a commitment to prioritize my time to seek God’s wisdom.
With regards to what that commitment fleshed itself out, I was told I needed to have a daily quiet time with God. And during that quiet time, I needed to ask God for the wisdom I needed and then listen to what He said. This quiet time would include reading and meditating on God’s Word. I was told I needed to listen Godly preachers who were teaching God’s Word. I was told I needed to be discipled by Godly people that were more spiritually mature than me. I was told I needed to seek advice on major decisions for my life from Godly people that were older and wiser than me. I was told I needed to either memorize God’s wisdom found in scripture or I needed to know where I could find it in the bible. I was told I needed to take good notes.
On my 70th birthday, how has prioritizing the pursuit of God’s wisdom worked out for me?
I have still made some very foolish decisions that I would be glad to speak to you about if you would like to know what they were.
I have had some very painful emotional experiences that I would not wish on anyone.
But I would not trade my life to have the life of any other fallen creature who has ever lived. I have often thought I must be the most blessed person on earth. I have had the most incredible experiences with God. Learning God’s wisdom and following His advice has caused me to have so many amazing opportunities, adventures, and relationships. I do not have words to express the gratitude that I feel for God being willing to share with me His wisdom. And looking into my future, it is only going to get better!
And this personal relationship with God would have never been possible without Jesus, the Son of God, becoming Jesus, the Son of Man, who died for my sins to make my relationship with God possible. This is considered foolish to the people of this world, but for me, the message of the cross is the wisdom and power of God.
Conclusion
12 So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Will you take into account the brevity of your life and prioritize the use of your time to seek God’s wisdom? It is never too soon or too late to start! If you need help fleshing this out, we have Pastors and small group leaders that are willing to help you do that.
And if you have never believed that Jesus the Son of God became Jesus the Son of Man to die for your sins, there is one piece of wisdom that I want you to consider before you leave today.
Jesus is coming again. Prepare yourself for His return.
As I am finishing the last quarter of my life, the coming of the Lord is weighing heavily on my soul more and more.
It weighs on me because of what a terrible day His coming will be for those of you who do not know Him.
His coming will be unlike any sudden tragedy this world has ever seen.
Psalm 73:19
19 Oh, how they are brought to desolation, as in a moment! They are utterly consumed with terrors.
NKJV
This day will be terrible for even the most powerful and riches people on the earth.
Revelation 6:15-17
15 And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains,
16 and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!
17 For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”
NKJV
In what will be the greatest moment of self-awareness that the people of this world have ever known, they will see themselves as the rebels that they really are. They will know in that moment a shame unlike any shame they have ever felt. And they will know that they will not be able to justify their rebellion against Him. Their mouths will be shut in anticipation of His righteous indignation!
Jesus said the Holy Spirit would convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and for some, His coming will be the moment in time when this prophesy will be fulfilled. But it will be too late!
This coming terror will be a surprise for so many people and it is becoming more and more of a burden to me with each day that passes in the last quarter of my life.
As I finish the last quarter of my life, what adds even more to this burden for me are these words of Jesus.
Matthew 7:22-23
22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’
23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
NKJV
The coming of the Lord will be a surprise and terrifying for those who never expected Him to come. But for many who know the bible and do expect Him to come, they will also experience another kind of surprise when He refuses to let them into His eternal kingdom.
What a tragedy! To be deceived and believe that you have been saved from His judgment and that you are going to attend what is known as the wedding supper of the lamb and then discover your name is not on the guest list.
And the reason He will give them is I never knew you, you who practice lawlessness. In other words, they called Him Lord and even did good deeds in His name, but He was never their Lord.
The coming of the Lord will be a surprise and a terrifying experience for so many people who never attend church. But His coming will also be a surprise and a terrifying experience for so many who faithfully attend church every week and even do good works for His church. And as I am finishing the last quarter of my, this knowledge has become more and more of a burden to me with each day that passes. Morning after morning, this knowledge causes me to groan in prayer with painful groanings of grief that are too deep for words. It would be so much easier if I did not care or if I cared less. But then I would not be a Christian at all or a very immature one.
This seems surreal like a fantasy or a fictional tale.
Nahum 1:5-6
5 The mountains quake before Him, the hills melt, and the earth heaves at His presence, yes, the world and all who dwell in it.
6 Who can stand before His indignation? And who can endure the fierceness of His anger? His fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by Him.
NKJV
Hebrews 10:30-31
30 For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The Lord will judge His people.”
31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
NKJV
But this is not fiction. It will happen and the only way for you to escape is turn to Jesus and follow Him while you have the opportunity.
Whatever burden I have about the judgement of God does not compare to the burden that exists in the heart of God. When Jesus saw judgement coming to Jerusalem He wept! He wanted to protect His people from this judgement but He could not.
God is just and God is love seems to be contradictory but both can be true.
He is righteous in His nature and He must punish sinners because He is just. His justice is perfect.
But He is also love. He loves to show mercy and because He is love He provided a way for us to receive His mercy.
So, humbly Jesus came.
I wish physical death was a sufficient way to satisfy the justice of God; that death would balance the scales of justice in God’s court. Death stops me from sinning but my death is not an even trade for the suffering my sin has caused both God and man. If death ends my suffering it does not end the suffering that my sin has caused God and others.
That is not justice. My death does not make amends for the suffering my sin has caused God and others. Capital punishment just keeps me from hurting someone else. It restrains sin but it does not pay for my sins. Because God is just, I must pay for my sins. And my suffering for my sins after I die will never be enough to make amends for my sin. So, it goes on forever and ever.
The only way for my sins to be paid for would be if my creator assumed responsibility for my sin and suffered for me in a way that payment for my sins would be fully satisfied. So humbly He came. The creator suffered for the sins of His creation. He assumed the liability for our sins and Jesus declared, it is finished. Oh what a happy thought!
I have this joy in God about the coming of Jesus because Jesus will receive what He deserves and I will be with Him forever.
But there is also this grief over what the coming of Jesus will mean to the vast majority of people that have lived since creation. The coming of Jesus is their day of doom. It is the day that they begin to experience His wrath forever.
Invitation
- Believe in Jesus and follow Him. He is the wisdom and power of God.
- Take into account the brevity of your life and prioritize the use of your time to seek God’s wisdom.