Introduction: The Path to Wisdom

Praise God. All right, go ahead and open up your notebook and turn to session two. The title of this session is “Becoming a Fool: The Path to Wisdom.”

We’ve been talking about how we walk, making the most of the time. What I want to do for us this evening is talk about how we truly attain wisdom. If we want our walk to honor God, how do we do that? Where do we look? Where do we go? How do we direct our hearts to attain wisdom so we would walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, and live our lives—what time the Lord has given us—to the fullness of His glory?

Now, something I want to point out in your outline: each of the four sessions, if you turn to the right, you’ll see discussion questions. Those are what you’ll cover in your small group time. If you turn one more page, on the left side there are discussion questions for parents. These are questions Jacob and I have put together for when you go home—how do you take what you’ve learned and continue to be a learner with those God has put in your life, who can help you in this?

Our encouragement is that when you go home and your parents ask, “How was camp?” you find time with one or both, or whoever the Lord has placed in your life in a position of authority, and talk through the first outline with them—what you learned—and then go to these discussion questions. Ask your parents or grandparents or whoever’s home that you live in these questions. For this session, the first one is: What is your assessment of how I am doing at pursuing God’s wisdom in my life over worldly wisdom? Then let them speak into your life and dialogue with you about these things.

Just want to point out that this is part of the resource we are giving you, so you can continue to be a learner and seek wisdom in your life.

Foolishness and the Path to Wisdom

Session two: Becoming a Fool – The Path to Wisdom.

Go ahead and open your Bible to 1 Corinthians chapter 2. Tonight, we’re not going to do what most of you, if not all of you, are accustomed to—just landing on one verse and working through it. Instead, we’re going to jump around, more like a devotion. We’ll look at a few different texts that will help us understand the path to wisdom and how to get there.

Now listen, I asked ChatGPT—you guys familiar with it? Anybody ever heard of ChatGPT? No? Get with the times! I asked ChatGPT, without any preconfigured assumptions or anything like that, “How do I become wise?” Here’s what it gave me:

• “Learn constantly, but thoughtfully.”
• “Reflect regularly—set time aside to think and journal. Ask yourself, ‘What did I learn today? What did I misunderstand? What would I do differently next time?’ Reflection turns experience into insight.”
• “Listen more than you speak.” That’s actually pretty insightful. Proverbs 17:28 tells us that even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise.
• “Seek discomfort and diverse perspectives.”
• “Live with integrity, accept uncertainty, practice patience.”

These are maybe helpful guides, and if we did them, I don’t think we’d say, “I regret that, that was a horrible idea.” But none of those things are actually the path to wisdom.

Listen to what God says is the way to become wise. Write this down in your notes: Proverbs 9:10. “The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom,” or the foundation of wisdom, or the entrance into wisdom. If you truly want wisdom in your life, the only way it will come—true wisdom—the only way is when it starts out of fearing God.

God’s Wisdom Contrasted with Worldly Wisdom

Now, look at 1 Corinthians chapter 2, verse 14. Paul says, “But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them because they are spiritually appraised.”

What we find is that what the world—and what you and I, naturally—would call foolishness is actually the path to wisdom. The world does not understand the things of God. The natural man doesn’t accept the things of the Spirit; they are foolishness to him. The things God says are right and good, that you should value and pursue, how you should think about your life and eternity—the world looks at all of those things and says, “Foolishness. It doesn’t make sense to me. I don’t want those things. The cost is too high. What I would have to give up is too much. It interferes with what’s most important to me.” Those are “foolish” things, the world would say.

But God says that’s actually where true wisdom is found: fearing Him. God’s assessment and declaration of what is truly good and wise, and what the world says is good and wise, are directly opposed—opposites. If you cling to the world’s wisdom, you will be in opposition to God’s wisdom, and you will be a fool before the Lord. But if you fear God and cling to His wisdom, the world’s assessment will be that you are foolish. That’s why the path to true wisdom is by becoming “the fool”—but only to the world.

What Jacob said last night was absolutely right: we want to avoid true foolishness, which is what God says is foolish, and we want to embrace God’s wisdom. ChatGPT can’t give you true wisdom—why? Because ChatGPT does not fear God.

Doing the right outward action doesn’t mean you are being wise. You can do a lot of morally good things—study hard, obey your parents, be peaceable, be a star athlete, get good grades, earn scholarships, have a great career, make millions of dollars—and still be a fool. If you invest your life solely in those things and reject God, you have squandered your time.

The path to true wisdom comes through a message and a life the world would label “foolish.” In 1 Corinthians 1:21, Paul says, “For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.”

That means the world’s wisdom would never lead to salvation through a crucified Messiah—God in the flesh, living the perfect life we didn’t, going to the cross, bearing the weight of sin for all who believe, so anyone who truly repents and turns to Christ in faith can be saved, reconciled to God, freed from condemnation, and have fellowship with Him. That message is foolishness to the world, and so is the new life that message brings.

What Do You Really Love?

There are a lot of students here. I know many of you, but not all, and I don’t know where you stand with God this evening. Some of you might say, “I’ve heard these things before, I might even believe they’re true.” Yet, as we talk about walking wisely, making the most of our time, it just sounds like you want me to give up the things I love in this world—and I’m not ready.

If that’s you, consider: what do you really love? Have you trained your heart to love what is truly good? Everything the Lord calls us to in walking wisely sounds foolish to the world, but is actually the best thing for you.

Illustration: The Disneyland Example

Who’s been to Disneyland? Many of us. If your parents said, “Don’t hang out with your friends, they’re sick; go to bed on time, get good rest because we’re going to Disneyland, and I want you to experience it in the best condition possible,” and you said “okay,” but then went over to your friend’s house who’s sick, stayed up late, ate junk food, and got sick—then you go to Disneyland, ride the rides, and throw up, or have a fever and stumble through the park. All the ways you should have enjoyed Disneyland, you missed because you didn’t listen. You did what you wanted in the moment, and it led to misery.

When we sin, we step out of the direction the Lord gives. We say, “I want what I want, the way I want it.” It always leads to a destructive path. You might feel good for a moment, but sin is always destructive and always deserves punishment from a holy, righteous God. Your life is never better because you sin. If you think, “I sinned and finally got what I wanted,” you are a fool—because you are sacrificing eternity for immediate satisfaction, when you could have had the best now and the best for eternity.

How Do We Walk Wisely?

So how do we get there? How do we avoid foolishness from God’s perspective and embrace foolishness from the world’s perspective?

The world says, “You are good.” God says, “There are none righteous.” The world says, “Trust your heart.” God says, “Your heart is deceitful and wicked.”

The path to wisdom begins with embracing this foolish message—the message of the cross, the gospel of Jesus Christ. It starts with fearing God more than anything else: more than you fear rejection, more than you fear not being satisfied or comfortable. Fearing God is the entrance to wisdom.

Once you are there, there are three disciplines that will lead you down this path—three disciplines that will lead you further down the true path of wisdom. But it starts with becoming a fool according to the world, rejecting yourself. The world says embrace yourself, love yourself, exalt yourself. But we are called to deny ourselves, pick up our cross daily, and follow Christ. Reject yourself, reject your own wisdom, and fear God.

If you are a believer, these disciplines will enhance your life, create spiritual growth, fortify you, guard you, and benefit you immensely. If you’re not a Christian, the best thing you can do is direct your heart to these disciplines—often, God uses them to produce the change needed for repentance and faith.

Whether you believe in Jesus or haven’t listened to a word until now, these disciplines should be on every heart and mind. Pursue these things. If you’re in Christ, thank God for His saving grace and ask Him to help your life honor Him. If you’re not a believer, ask the Lord to use these things to transform your heart and draw you to Himself.

Discipline #1: Prize Wisdom

What’s the first discipline? Prize wisdom. Turn to Proverbs 4. If you’re not familiar, it’s right after Psalms. Proverbs 4, starting in verse 5:
“Acquire wisdom, acquire understanding. Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth. Do not forsake her, and she will guard you; love her, and she will watch over you. The beginning of wisdom is: acquire wisdom; and with all your acquiring, get understanding.”
Look at verse 8: “Prize her, and she will exalt you; she will honor you if you embrace her. She will place on your head a garland of grace; she will present you with a crown of beauty.”

What does it mean to prize something? To treasure it, value it, long for it, want it severely. To prize it.

Most in your season of life don’t prize wisdom as they ought. Most in my season don’t, either. Instead, we prize things like independence, freedom, acceptance by friends, expressing ourselves through music, hair, or clothes. When I was 14, I wanted to express myself with bleached tips on my hair and baggy corduroys—I used to be cool, right Julie? Sympathy nod.

We prize relationships—how we feel when someone likes us, or achievements—good grades, approval, athletic accomplishments, creative successes. Maybe you prize clarity on the future—“I want a career where I can get rich, get the things I want.” But God says, if you want to gain wisdom, prize wisdom. Value it, esteem it, treasure it. Recognize its eternal significance.

Solomon says wisdom will guard you, protect you, watch over you. When you fear God and live according to that, when you walk in wisdom, make the most of your time, avoid foolishness—God says wisdom will actually guard you, be good care for you.

The lie we believe is, “My life isn’t going as I want, so I’m going to sin to keep things the way I want, to protect what I love.” God says, prize wisdom and she will protect you—namely from sin, which is temporally and eternally destructive.

Solomon describes wisdom exalting you, honoring you, placing a garland of grace on your head, presenting you with a crown of beauty. Verse 7: “Acquire wisdom, with all your acquiring get understanding.” The idea is, whatever it takes to get wisdom, it’s worth it.

Let’s say John Smith is the best player in the NBA. It would be like a general manager saying, “Take all my best players, all my first-round draft picks, whatever it takes—it’s worth it if I can get that player.” That’s what Solomon is saying: wisdom is worth whatever you need to give up, deny, or pursue—go after it.

The beginning of wisdom is to acquire wisdom. With all your acquiring, get understanding. Exert yourself, long for it, pursue it. Prizing wisdom will actually lead to the next two points: requesting wisdom and pursuing wisdom. Direct your heart to agree with God about wisdom; prizing it will lead you to seek it.

Discipline #2: Pray for Wisdom

Second discipline: Pray for wisdom. Turn to James 1:5:
“But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith, without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

If you lack wisdom—and we all do—ask God. Pray: “God, give me wisdom.”

What’s really compelling is that James, at the start of his letter, commands us to consider trials joy, because God uses them in profound ways to grow believers, increase faith, help us trust and depend on Him. If you lack wisdom in trials, ask for it.

Is it harder to trust God when things are going well or badly? Usually when things are hard. If your team lost 20,000 points for no reason, you’d want an explanation, right? When trials hit, it’s hard to think rightly.

God says in those hardest moments, consider them joy. If you have a hard time trusting Him in trials, ask for wisdom. Wisdom would say, “God has a plan, a purpose, good intentions. He’s using this to make me more like Jesus. He’s growing and stretching me. These momentary light afflictions are producing for me an eternal weight of glory.”

That kind of wisdom is hard to get to. If you lack it, ask. The Lord loves to give wisdom—abundantly, generously, without reproach. He doesn’t shame you for not coming sooner—He just gives it. All you need is faith: “God, give me wisdom. Help me agree with you, believe you’ll give what I need to think and live rightly.”

So, the path to wisdom comes through prizing wisdom, longing for it, and seeking God—praying for wisdom.

What part does prayer play in your life today? Maybe it’s just before meals—don’t stop there. Pray a lot more. Whatever is happening, ask, “Lord, give me wisdom, give me insight, help me live in a way that honors you.” Pray for wisdom, consider, think, step forward, and depend on the Lord.

Discipline #3: Pursue Wisdom in God’s Word

Third discipline: Pursue wisdom. Where do we look for wisdom? In the Word—yes, in the Bible.

Turn to Psalm 19:7: “The law of Yahweh is perfect, restoring the soul; the testimony of Yahweh is sure, making wise the simple.”

If you ever feel out of your depth—“I’m not like this person, I don’t get these grades”—God grants supernatural wisdom to even the simple. He gives it through His Word.

Where do people typically go for wisdom? Usually, to others who think like them, because it’s comfortable and affirming. But we need to run—sprint—to God’s Word. Pursue wisdom through Scripture, through what God has revealed, through godly counselors who are most familiar with God’s Word.

I know the staff in student ministries and youth ministries at Gilbert Bible Church love their Bibles—and love you. When you go to them for wisdom, they’ll point you to God’s Word. For most of you, your parents are also the best source. For those in Christ, the best source