Do You Know What We Who Live by Faith in Jesus Can Learn from the Book of Proverbs?

Sunday, September 6, 2026

Fifteenth Sunday of Pentecost

Text: Proverbs

“DO YOU KNOW WHAT WE WHO LIVE BY FAITH IN JESUS CAN LEARN FROM THE BOOK OF PROVERBS?” In three major parts, I will answer that question with: We can learn who the Source of real wisdom is, we can learn how to live by faith in Jesus, and we can learn what blessings/benefits God promises to us when we live by faith in Jesus.

Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

INTRODUCTION: Dear Friends in Christ Jesus your Savior and Lord and my Savior and Lord. Permit me to employ some baseball lingo to inform you that, right off the bat, this sermon is based on many texts from the Word of God. Please now hear just two of those texts. First, from the Old Testament, hear Proverbs 30:5:

“Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him,” (Pr.30:5,NIV)

Second, from the New Testament, hear 1 Corinthians 1:24:

“ …to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” (1 Cor.1:24,NIV)

That is some of what our God has to say to us in his holy Word, the Bible.

I should, in this introduction, tell you that I have prepared this message as a sequel to the sermon that I preached back on June 7^th. That was the last time I preached, which was here at Gift of Grace. The sermon I preached on that Lord’s Day was designed as an introduction to the second half of the church year. The theme of that message was the question, “SO, NOW HOW SHALL WE LIVE?” I answered that question/theme in the two major parts of the message, namely, Not by sight (I) but by faith in Jesus. (II)

Toward the end of my second major part of that message, I pointed out that when we live by faith in Jesus we do so according to what our God teaches us in his holy Word, the Bible. I mentioned that the Holy Scripture is given to us to make us wise unto our salvation in Christ Jesus.(rf.2 Tim.3:15) I also pointed out that God’s Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path.(rf.Ps.119:105) I said that therein God teaches us, he corrects us and he trains us in ways that please him. (rf.2 Tim3:16,17)

Since the last time I preached, I have been reading a part of the Bible which I think we have been neglecting in our church services over the past few years. During the three-year series of Bible lessons that we have been hearing in recent years we have been hearing only three lessons from that book. Do you know which book of the Bible I am referring to? It is the Book of Proverbs!

As a result of my personal devotional reading of the Book of Proverb, I have been moved to prepare this sermon. In this message you will hear many verses from that book of the Bible. I have perceived that the central thrust of the passages you will hear is that therein our God counsels those of us who trust in Jesus as our Savior and our Lord with words of wisdom. Thereby, he imparts to us guidance to think and to do what pleases him. He also lets us know the benefits we and others will enjoy from him.

My purpose in preparing and preaching this sermon is to point out to you the real wisdom of God imparts to us in the Book of Proverbs and to motivate you to think, to speak and to do his revealed will as you live by faith in Jesus now and always.

So then, my sermon theme is a question, namely, “DO YOU KNOW WHAT WE WHO LIVE BY FAITH IN JESUS CAN LEARN FROM THE BOOK OF PROVERBS?” In three major parts, I will answer that question with: We can learn who the Source of real wisdom is (Part I), we can learn how to live by faith in Jesus (Part II), and we can learn what blessings/benefits God promises to us when we live by faith in Jesus. (Part III)

So, to begin with, Part I of this message is: We can learn who the Source of real wisdom is.

The Source of real wisdom is the Lord God himself.

That we can learn when we open our Bibles to page number 1 There we read, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Gen. 1:1,NIV) That, of course, is Genesis 1:1

The Lord God is himself the Source of everything that exist. So, of course, he the is the Source of the real wisdom. He reveals that wisdom to us in the Book of Proverbs.

That we can learn from the best-known verse of the Book of Proverbs. It is Proverbs 9:10, namely, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Pr.9:10,NIV)

Thus God reveals real wisdom to us through his Word.

That Word we can take in our hands; it is in writing. We learn from God, the Source of real wisdom, when we read the Bible. At the very beginning of this message you heard me read Proverbs 30, verse 5 to you. Remember it. “Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.” (Pr.30:5, NIV)

Since that is so, the very next verse gives a very clear directive to us, that is, “Do not add to his word, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.” (Pr.30:6,NIV)

Wow! Therefore, I know that I must handle the Word of God very carefully!

Along with the written Word of God we can also learn from the Word of God Incarnate. We can take him into our hearts.

As you also know I read verse 24 from 1 Corinthians, Chapter.1 to you at the beginning of this message. In it you heard that Jesus Christ is both the power and the wisdom of God. (rf. 1 Cor.1:24,NIV) A few verses later in that opening chapter of that letter, the apostle writes, “It is because of him (that’s, God) that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God –that is our righteousness, holiness and redemption.” (1 Cor.1:30,NIV)

That is what we enjoy when we are in Christ Jesus. That is what St. Paul is telling us is ours when we trust in Jesus.

Listen now to something very interesting from Proverbs, Chapter 8. In that chapter, Wisdom speaks as a person. Some of his words in this chapter are:

“The Lord brought me forth as the first of his works, before his deeds of old; I was appointed from eternity, from the beginning before the world began.” (vv. 22,23)

“Then I was the craftsman at his (the Lord’s) side. I was filled with delight day after day, rejoicing always in his presence.” (v.30)

“Now then, my sons, listen to me; blessed are those who keep my ways. Listen to my instruction and be wise, do not ignore it. Blessed is the man who listens to me,” (vv. 32-34a)

“For whoever finds me finds life and receives favor from the Lord.” (v.-35.)

Who is that person?

Well, as per the footnote I read in my Concordia NIV Study Bible, (on page 957) the verses I just read to you are a hymn which describes wisdom’s role in the creation of all things. That note refers to the personification of wisdom and it points out that the person who thus speaks has been traditionally regarded as the Messiah/the Christ. Those words are about and from the person of Jesus Christ from before his incarnation of the virgin Mary. As we have heard, the New Testament portrays Jesus as the divine Word and the wisdom of God.

So, when we put our trust in Jesus as our Savior and Lord, we are taking him into our hearts as the Wisdom of God. And that is wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!!!

Now back to my question/theme, “DO YOU KNOW WHAT WE WHO LIVE BY FAITH IN JESUS CAN LEARN FROM THE BOOK OF PROVERBS?” We can learn who the source of real wisdom is (I) and we can learn how to live by faith in Jesus. (II)

We can learn to do that with the fear of the Lord. That fear is not terror of him but it is awe, respect and reverence for him. He is more than Walmart, of Great Value to us!

We learn that from the well-known Proverbs 9:10 about the fear of the Lord being the beginning of wisdom.

And we can learn that from other other lesser-known verses from the Book of Proverbs, like Chapter 23, verse 17: “Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always be zealous for the fear of the Lord.” (Pr.23:17,NIV)

We can learn how to think from many other verses from the Book of Proverbs, like 3:11 and 12: “My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.” (Pr. 3:11,12,NIV)

and 4:23: “Above all else, guard your heart. for it is the wellspring of life.” (Pr.4:23, NIV)

We can also learn how to speak from proverbs like 17:27, namely “A man of knowledge uses words with restraint and a man of understanding is even-tempered.” (Pr. 17:27,NIV)

and “Do not answer fool according to his folly, or you will be like him yourself.” (Pr.26:4,NIV)

and “A word aptly spoken, is like apples of gold in settings of silver.” (Pr.25:`11,NIV)

We can also learn how to do what we do. We can learn from Proverbs 24:4: “By wisdom a house is built and through understanding it is established through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures. A wise man has great power and a man of knowledge increases strength.” (Pr. 24:3-5,NIV)

and “He (the wise man) who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward him for what he has done.” (Pr.19:17,NIV)

And we can also learn a great deal from the very negative statements that we read from God in the Book of Proverbs. Such statements are issued as warnings to those who defy God and reject the real wisdom that he would impart to even them in his holy Word. Listen to a few of those statements.

Hear Proverbs 5:22 and 23: “The evil deeds of a wicked man ensnare him; the cords of his sin hold him fast. He will die for lack of discipline, led astray by his own great folly.” (Pr.5: 22,23, NIV)

And note the contrast between the righteous and the wicked in the following verses from Proverbs 13: “Righteousness guards the man of integrity, but wickedness overthrows the sinner.” and “The light of the righteous shines brightly, but the lamp of the wicked is snuffed out.” (Pr.13:6,9,NIV)

And “A man who remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed – without remedy. When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people groan. And evil man is snared by his own sin, but a righteous man can sing and be glad.” (Pr.29:1,2,6,NIV)

And “He who leads the upright along an evil path will fall into his own trap, but the blameless will receive a good inheritance.” (Pr.28:10,NIV)

Well now, let’s go back to the very positive things we can read in the Book of Proverbs. We can also learn what the benefits/blessings God promises to those of us who live by faith in Jesus according to his Word are.

Earlier in this sermon you heard me quote the passage (Pr.14:27) which informs us that the fear or respect for the Lord is the fountain of life. Well, elsewhere in the Book of Proverbs one of the blessings God promises to give to us is, “The fear of the Lord leads to life…” (Pr.19:23a,NIV)

That is in Proverbs 19:23. And that’s the life for now and forever that we enjoy in Jesus Christ, our Savior and our Lord.

In another better-known passage from the Book of Proverbs, which you may know by heart, we are told another benefit or blessing that comes to us from the Lord God. You will remember Proverbs 3:5, 6, to wit: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him …” (and the promised blessing) and he will make your paths straight.” (Pr.3:5,6,NIV)

Furthermore, the benefits or blessings that our God promises us in the Book of Proverbs are not just for us. Listen to what he promises us in Proverbs 14, in verses 25 and 26: “A truthful witness saves lives but a false witness is deceitful.” And “He who fears the Lord has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge.” (Pr.14:25,26,NIV)

And a living, lively or certain hope for the future is a blessing our God promises to those of us who are in Christ Jesus. Listen to Proverbs 24:14: “Know also that wisdom is sweet to your soul; if you find it, there is a future hope for you and your hope will not be cut off.” (Pr.24:14,NIV)

And lest you think that what we can learn from God from the Book of Proverbs is only for the males of our species, listen to what we can read from the final chapter of that book. Under the heading, “Epilogue: The Wife of Noble Character.” Quote: “A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.” (Pr.31:10-12,NIV)

And “She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.” (Pr.31:20,NIV)

And “She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.” (Pr.31:25,26)

And “Her children arise and call her blessed;her husband also, and he praises her: Quote ‘Many women do noble things but you surpass them all.’” Unquote. (Pr.31:28,29,NIV)

And “Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” (Pr.31:30,NIV)

And the very last verse of this amazing book of the Bible is, “Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.” (Pr.31:31,NIV)

CONCLUSION: At the outset of this message, I asked, “DO YOU KNOW WHAT WE WHO LIVE BY FAITH IN JESUS CAN LEARN FROM THE BOOK OF PROVERBS?” Well, you have heard a great deal from that book of the Bible in this sermon. I pray that what you have heard has encouraged you to get “into” the challenging Book of Proverbs and has motivated you to trust in the Lord with all your heart and to always live by faith in Jesus.

Amen/Yes!

The peace of God which passes all understanding guard and keep you in the true faith unto life everlasting. Amen.