RENEW - Chronicles: Rediscovering Who We Are And Why We're Here - Sermon Study Guide #11 - Rediscovering Grace

READ – 1 Chronicles 33:1-20

Chronicles is written to provide stories about the past so that God’s people might have hope for the future. 2 Chronicles 33 describes the lowest point in Judah’s rocky royal lineage in the rebellion and subsequent renewal of King Manasseh. As many scholars point out, Manasseh’s life is evaluated in the strongest negative language possible in Chronicles. He was a bad guy. But more than Manasseh’s flawed moral character, this story is written to give us hope that where sin increased, grace abounds all the more.

SUMMARY: Renewal comes when we are awed by God’s grace.

1. GRACE SEEKS US IN OUR LOSTNESS

2 Chronicles 33:1-9 is a litany of Manasseh’s moral compromise and failure as a leader of Judah. In fact the parallel account of Manasseh’s reign in 2 Kings 21 credits Manasseh with the destruction of Jerusalem and the national exile into Babylon.

But aren’t these accounts of supposed Old Testament atrocities just religious peccadillos? Granted, Manasseh was guilty of the child sacrifice of his sons, but aren’t things like rebuilding unorthodox worship sites, seeking out fortune-tellers, etc. just alternative spiritualities—are they really sufficient to provoke God to anger (v. 6)? Manasseh’s actions were manifestations of his (and our) lostness. Just like Manasseh led the whole nation “astray” (v. 9), Isaiah the prophet said that we all like sheep have gone astray (Isa 53:6). We often don’t recognize or show gratitude for the success and gifts that God does give to us. Instead, like sheep, we get lost—nibbling here and there in our careers, addictions, and distractions. But grace says that God is a Good Shepherd who specializes in seeking lost sheep. That’s why God “spoke” to Manasseh and the nation (v. 10), through His prophets. That’s why God still confronts us with His Word today.

2. GRACE LOVES US IN OUR SINFULNESS

The shocking reality about grace is its God’s love for sinners, not His tolerance for sinners. In the catalogue of Manasseh’s sin (vv. 1-9), twice we’re told that Manasseh did more evil than the godless nations who occupied the land prior to Israel’s arrival (vv. 2, 9). That’s Bible-speak for, Manasseh was just the worst. But several commentators point to the reference to God’s “forever” covenant in vv. 4, 8. In essence, what the text is saying is even when Manasseh was intent on sinning with a “high-hand” and deliberately flaunting it in God’s face, God was intent on preserving His unshakeable promise in the midst of human rebellion.

3. GRACE CROWNS US IN OUR SHAMEFULNESS

As a result of Manasseh’s sin, God leads him into personal exile into Babylon. He is bound, disgraced, humiliated, and physically tormented. He would have been made a public spectacle of shame as a warning to other political leaders. He is a king without a crown. That could have been the end of Manasseh’s story. But thank God for v. 13. God not only returns Manasseh from exile, He restores him to his position as king. God takes the worst king of Judah and reinstalls him with all the dignity, honor, respect, and glory that a king would receive. Why?

Because God’s grace is the full re-granting of our inheritance after we have royally screwed up. Mercy would be God releasing Manasseh from exile. Grace is God restoring the crown. Mercy is not getting what you deserve, cancelling the million dollar debt; Grace is getting what you don’t deserve, crediting your account with a million dollars.

What’s the catch? There isn’t any. Grace is gloriously and wondrously free. What’s the cost? None to you, but everything to another king in the lineage of Manasseh, King Jesus. He was the perfectly obedient son and epitome of moral beauty—but He underwent an exile of agonizing shame, torture, defeat, and the exile from God’s presence on the cross, completely losing His crown so that it could be given to us.

4. GRACE FREES US FROM OUR SELFISHNESS

See where Grace leads Manasseh in vv. 14-17? The king who once was attempting to bend reality to his own will through sorcery, who degraded God’s image-bearers through child sacrifice, who distrusted God’s provision and promise and tried to secure happiness through his own performance, that king is now engaging in massive religious and social projects for the glory of God and the good of the community.

Grace operated in Manasseh’s life in at least three ways. First it worked by humbling him before God in prayer. Second, it freed from Manasseh’s quest for religious and social approval by showing him the favor of God in the face of God. Third, grace is seen in Manasseh’s life by his pursuit of the religious and cultural flourishing of his neighbors. Grace frees us to be a servant to everyone.

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

1.       What about the sermon most impacted you or left you with questions?

2.      What is your reaction to stories like the one about convicted serial killer Jeffery Dahmer’s conversion in prison? Does that bother you? Are you skeptical?

3.      Manasseh led Judah astray. That’s a good summary of the human condition: we are continuously going astray and getting lost, like sheep. Maybe you aren’t completely lost, but nibbling here and there. Are there areas of your heart and life where you feel like God is distant? How might God’s Word be calling to you?

4.      When you think about how God thinks of you—what do you imagine the look on His face to be? How would believing the astounding news that God is delighted in you, smiles on you, dances over you, is crazy about you change your week?

5.      Are there individuals or people who you think are beyond the reach of God’s grace? Who are they? How do you think grace might transform the way we see other people—even the people who wrong or offend you?  

RENEW - Chronicles: Rediscovering Who We Are and Why We're Here - Sermon Study Guide #10 - Rediscovering Scripture

READ – 2 Chronicles 34:14-22

The story of Josiah comes near the end of the book of Chronicles. In fact, Josiah is the last king to receive a “good” report from the sacred story chronicler of Israel’s history. Before him, his father and grandfather had brought the nation to its spiritual low point. After him, his son Jehoahaz begins Judah’s final descent into the ruin and tragedy of exile. In between such stark and sober reminders of how far away we can wander from God, Josiah’s story gives hope and direction for all who seek to see their lives renewed in relationship with God.

SUMMARY: God brings renewal to our lives through the discovery and continual rediscovery of His voice speaking to us in Scripture - his written word.  

THE POWER OF SCRIPTURE

When Josiah became king of the nation of Judah, he stepped into a miserable spiritual situation. For 57 years, his grandfather Manasseh and his father Amon had abandoned their faith in the God of Israel and sought to eradicate any and all memory of Him from the land. In large part they succeeded. The temple was filled with the idols of the surrounding nations. The sacred scrolls of Scripture were hidden and forgotten. The people followed the cue of their leadership and no longer believed in or followed the God of the Bible. If we think the Bible is marginalized and neglected in our day – it was far, far worse when Josiah began his reign.

But Chapters 34 and 35 of 2 Chronicles tell us that an unprecedented renewal of repentance and renewed commitment to one true God happened under Josiah’s reign. 2 Chronicles 35:18 tells us nothing like it even happened in the days of David and Solomon. “Throughout his reign they did not turn aside from following the Lord, the God of their fathers.” How did such a dramatic spiritual renewal happen? It was the rediscovery of Scripture that was the turning point.

The written word of God, “the book,” carries with it the very power of the voice of God. (See 1 Thess. 2:13.) It is powerful enough to bring renewal into our lives and relationship with God no matter how low we go, how far we stray or how resistant we are.

REDISCOVERING THE POSTURE FOR HEARING SCRIPTURE

The mere presence of Scripture didn’t result in the massive corporate renewal. The rediscovery of Scripture must be accompanied by a rediscovery of the posture for hearing it that unleashes its transformative power in our lives. Josiah’s story shows us three postures that unlock this power:

·        Tenderhearted Posture – The prophetess Huldah tells Josiah – “because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God when you heard his words… God says ‘I myself have heard you.’” It was the tenderness of Josiah’s heart that opened his life up to renewed relationship with God. The opposite of a tenderhearted posture for hearing Scripture is a hard-hearted posture. Why do we harden our hearts? Isn’t it to protect them, to guard them from rebuke and painful change? Surprisingly, though God does rebuke Josiah deeply, he speaks tender words of peace and removes all judgment from him. The tenderhearted always find that God never wounds us or breaks us without healing us and restoring us with words of grace and forgiveness.

·        Personal Posture – A personal posture hears God’s word as directed to us personally with specificity to our lives and situation and prayerfully lets the Bible read us (not the other way around). Instead of standing over the Bible in judgment, or standing beside the Bible to judge others, a personal posture kneels under Scripture.

·        Communal Posture – Listening personally does not mean listening only privately to God’s word. Josiah needed help to apply the Scriptures to his life. He asked his friends to “inquire” of the Lord as to how what he read should impact his life. We all need the outside experience, perspective and wisdom of others to respond rightly to God’s word.

REDISCOVERING THE HERO OF SCRIPTURE

The hero of Josiah’s story is clear – it’s Josiah. When he was king, the people were faithful. As soon as he died, the people went astray again. What’s the lesson? It’s not enough to look at Josiah as example. We must also see that the story presents him primarily as hero. His story was meant to instill hope in the original readers not to give up on another king from David’s line who would come to lead the people in a rediscovery of Scripture and its renewing power.

The Bible tells us that a hero-king did come. He was a king with a fully tender and humble heart, a perfectly obedient life built on obedience to God’s word and he celebrated a Passover that exceeded even Josiah’s. This, of course, is King Jesus. At his Passover meal, he spoke of establishing a new covenant for covenant breakers. In this covenant, he would give his obedient life and spill the blood of his tender heart in their place. He did all this so that people would rediscover the heart of the Scriptures – the story of a Savior-hero who came to do what we never could. When we read Scripture looking for more to do, we miss the whole point of the book. We’re meant to read Scripture looking for Him – as we find Him, we discover the renewing power of his gracious word.

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

1.       What about the passage and/or sermon most impacted you or left you with questions?

2.      How would you describe your relationship to the Bible currently? What would you say are the most significant obstacles for you in having a vibrant and consistent practice of hearing/reading Scripture?

3.      Josiah’s story demonstrates the power of God’s written word (“the book”). Where do you most need to hear the powerful word of God bring renewal to your life? Has God been bringing any passages to mind?

·        OPTIONAL GROUP EXERCISE: Have group members share other passages of Scripture that are relevant to each members’ response to question 3. Pause to pray Scripture into each person’s needs/circumstances.

4.      Which of the three postures listed above do you find most difficult? Why? Would you add any other postures that have brought the Scriptures alive to you?

5.      How can we tell if we are taking a hard-hearted posture to Scripture? How has God softened and humbled your heart to get his word into your life?

6.      Read Luke 24:27. The resurrected Jesus explained that Scripture could only be rightly interpreted and applied if we realize that it’s not a book that gives us instruction to be our own hero; it’s a book that is about him. Why is it so important that we rediscover the hero of Scripture?

RENEW - Chronicles: Rediscovering Who We Are and Why We're Here - Sermon Study Guide #9 - Renewal of Humility

READ – 2 Chronicles 7:11-22

Though the book of Chronicles is unfamiliar territory to most people, 2 Chronicles 7:14 is one of the most oft-quoted verses in all the bible – “if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” You’ll find this verse printed over the backdrop of an American flag or a map of the United States. While a proper application of this text will lead us to pray for our country, this passage is a message not addressed to the USA, or any country, but to “my people.” It’s a message to the believing community in any nation/place calling them to a renewal of humility.

In essence, God is saying here, “Don’t spend your energy looking at and pointing out what we might see as the issues, problems, wickedness "out there" (in any culture) but instead focus on living with humble awareness of your own issues, problems and wicked ways.” This kind of humility brings renewal and healing to a believing community and turns them into agents of healing to the world.

SUMMARY: God promises renewal to the humble. A posture of humility before God is the place where we experience healing in our disappointments, doubt and difficulties.

WHY WE NEED A RENEWAL OF HUMILITY

What is humility? Humility is living with an acute awareness and full ownership of our weakness, limitations and sin. It’s admitting to yourself, others and God that the 3 “F’s” are personally true for you - “I am a finite, fragile, fallen human being.” Culturally, we are suffering from a severe drought of this kind of humility. In her article, How Humility Will Make You the Greatest Person Ever, Vicki Zakrzewski writes, “Our culture places so much value on external accomplishments, appearance, and self-aggrandizement—all things that are ephemeral at best—that even a small display of this quiet virtue can make one feel like a drowning man coming up for air.” Our culture of division, self-promotion and constant finger pointing makes humility all the more difficult but all the more necessary. 

2 Chronicles 7 also highlights the kind of people who most need a renewal of humility. Before telling us what God said to Solomon in a dream it says (v11), “All that Solomon planned to do in the house of the Lord and in his own house he successfully accomplished.” We know from other sources that 13 years passed between the completion of the temple (v10) and the completion of Solomon’s palace (v11). This means God waited 13 years to answer Solomon’s prayer in Chapter 6 and picked this exact moment to appear to him in a dream – when he was “successfully accomplished” to deliver a message about humility. Why? Those who are successful and accomplished most need a renewal of humility. The more successfully accomplished we are, the harder for us it will be to remain humble. Even if we haven’t arrived at success or what we hope to accomplish, the more our lives are driven by the need to be successfully accomplished, the harder it will be for us to be humble.

HOW WE LEARN HUMILITY

2 Chronicles 7:14 shows us two ways we learn humility. 1) Hardship – In verse 13 God answers Solomon’s prayer asking for God to hear his people when they call out to him amid hardship and suffering. God says when hardship comes, even from his hand as discipline, it comes as an opportunity to learn the humility which leads to healing. Though not all hardship is a direct result of our sin and pride, in all hardship we are meant to learn humility. Hardship is often the only way God can get to the root of our pride – to make us let go of our illusions of power, self-importance and self-reliance.  2) Prayer - When we are living in a posture of pride, our prayers are focused on asking God to bring success to our plans and to help us accomplish our goals but not much beyond that. 2 Chron. 7:14 describes the kind of prayer where we learn humility - we humble ourselves and pray and seek God’s face. Humility is learned when we come face-to-face with someone greater, smarter, better, more successful, and more powerful than us. This is what happens in prayer that seeks God’s face. We encounter the holiness, greatness and glory of God. Before God’s face no human being can remain standing in pride but is forced to the ground face-down in humility.

HOW WE ARE HEALED THROUGH HUMILITY

2 Chronicles 7:14 tells us that the end goal of humbling our selves is our healing. The Hebrew phrase for healing here is a “comprehensive phrase for the restoration of all God’s purposes for his people.” (Martin Selman, 2 Chronicles) Humbling ourselves places us in the posture where God brings comprehensive healing to our lives. The message of Christianity is that the secret to comprehensive healing is to be brought lower than we’d ever want to go and there to find that God will lift us higher than we’d ever ask for. How does this work?

The answer is found in verses 19-22. There God describes how he will teach people humility when they turn away from him in pride. In love, God will shock them into humility through exile and the destruction of the temple. He’ll take them to a place where they are crying out, “Why?” The shocking destruction of Solomon’s temple points to an even more shocking exile and destruction – the abandonment and disaster of the cross. In John 2:19, Jesus foretells his death by saying, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” He is the greater temple. The cross is God’s shocking jolt for the whole world that is meant to force us to ask, “Why?” and to lead us into his healing grace.

1.       The cross brings us low – It shows us that because of our pride we should be cast out, abandoned, left to the disaster of a life apart from God. Instead Jesus was cast out when He cried out, “My God, my God why have you forsaken me?” The cross shows us we are more prideful, sinful, broken, weak and limited than we could ever know or would ever want to admit.

2.      The cross lifts us up – On the cross Jesus says I will be cast out, abandoned and bear the disaster of judgment in your place, for you. The cross show us we are more valuable, loved and important to God and his purposes in this world than we would ever dare dream.

The shock of the cross is that we deserve exile and destruction, but Jesus chose to take these in our place. When we humble ourselves, we see our pride for what it is and are brought low. But, even more shockingly, there we find God stooping low to lift us up and heal us by his gracious love.

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

1.       What about the sermon most impacted you or left you with questions?

2.      Which of the 3 F’s do you most struggle to own and admit is true for you?

·        FINITE (I am limited in my knowledge, abilities, time, energy, capabilities; more limited than I want to admit.)

·        FRAGILE (I have brokenness, hurt and pain; I have more brokenness/hurt than I want to admit.)

·        FALLEN (I am a sinner. I am a bigger sinner than I’ll ever know or care to admit to myself or others.)

3.      Do you see any ways your success and accomplishment (or drive to be successful and accomplished) prevents you from living in a posture of humility? How so?

4.      It was said in the sermon that humility is the distinguishing difference between a genuine Christian and a nominal Christian. St. Augustine said it like this, “Humility is the foundation of all the other virtues hence, in the soul in which this virtue does not exist, there cannot be any other virtue except in mere appearance.”  How is humility the foundation of all virtues and change?

5.      Read the quote below from John Stott. If God can use hardship to defeat our greatest enemy (pride) and introduce us to our greatest friend (humility), how should this change our view of hardship? Have you seen God work in this way in past hardships? Is there a present hardship in which God may be teaching you humility?

Pride is your greatest enemy, humility is your greatest friend. – John R.W. Stott.

6.      In what ways do you feel you need to be brought low by the cross? In what ways do you need to be lifted up by the message of the gospel?

RENEW - Chronicles: Rediscovering Who We Are and Why We're Here - Sermon Study Guide #8 - Renewal of Prayer

READ – 2 Chronicles 6:12-21

Scholars of Chronicles all agree – chapters 6 and 7 is the highlight of the whole book. In fact, you could say that these chapters are the highlight of the entire Old Testament story. It was a time of peace and an era of great prosperity for Israel. But more important than any of those things, it was a time when God was present with His people and to the world in a way He had never been before in the temple. The implication of this is if you miss the point of the temple, you’ll miss the point of this whole book and you’ll miss the central place where renewal is found - in prayer. Prayer is the point of the temple. 2 Chronicles 6 – the high point of the whole Old Testament – is a prayer for the renewal of our prayers.

SUMMARY: One of the main sources of our frustration with and neglect of prayer is that we are too focused on what we are supposed to do and say in prayer and not focused enough on what God wants to say to us in prayer.

“I'M HERE”

The temple was God’s way of telling Israel and all of humanity “I’m here.” There is a great tension in the bible when it comes to God’s presence. Does God dwell in a mysterious thick darkness far off and separate from humanity (6:1)? Or does he dwell close to us, so near that He’s always there when we need Him? That we know where to find Him? (6:2) Theologians call this the tension between God’s transcendence and God’s immanence. In Solomon’s prayer we learn that the temple was God’s way of resolving this tension – to show he had not and will not give up on his purpose, goal and mission for this world – to dwell with us (see Revelation 21:1-5).

The symbolism and language describing God’s presence in the temple points beyond the OT to its greater reality fulfilled in Jesus. In John 1:14 we read, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” In Jesus, God tells us “I’m here” in the most personal, complete way possible. In Christianity we find the only belief system that offers us a God to whom we pray that can say to us, in all genuineness, no matter what we are facing, “I’ve been there and I’m here for you.”

“I HEAR”

Related to our struggles with the absence of God is another difficult question about prayer. When we do pray, is God listening? Does it make any difference? How do I know God hears my prayers? Solomon gives God a reason why God must listen in 6:19-20. He prays that God would “regard our prayers” because we pray “toward the place you have promised to set your name.” God’s name is a rich concept throughout Scripture. Like any name, God’s name represents who He is and what He does - His actions & attributes. Praying in God’s name is how God’s actions and attributes are made accessible to me/my situation. God’s name is about divine accessibility.

What we see from the larger biblical story is that the temple’s purpose as a place of prayer in God’s name is fulfilled and intensified in Jesus. He is the greater temple, the “place” where God’s name is fully known, the way to complete and full divine access. Instead of praying toward the temple, Jesus said we are to pray in his name. “If you ask anything in my name, I will do it.” (John 14:14) When we pray in the name of Jesus, we are trusting our prayers are accepted and have access to God not because of how much we pray, what we say in prayer or the faith we bring to our prayers BUT only because of Jesus’ perfect life and saving work. Praying in Jesus’ names means we can have the confidence that God’s actions and attributes are made accessible to us and our specific situation when we pray in Jesus’ name.

“I FORGIVE”

Solomon concludes his prayer by asking God not only to hear, but to forgive when his people pray toward the temple in his name.  Hearing God say, “I forgive” is meant to bring an experience of liberation, release and freedom every time we hear it. It should never grow old. Shallow forgiveness is one of the most common reasons why we don’t regularly experience renewal in our relationship with God.

There are 2 ways we remain on the surface of forgiveness’ renewing power: 1) We reduce our need for forgiveness - If we are honest, most of think, “Forgiveness – of course, it’s God job to forgive me. Nobody’s perfect!” Forgiveness is taken for granted, assumed and emptied of all its power. Only when we own the depth and seriousness of our sin can the words “I forgive” set us free. 2) We refuse to forgive ourselves – Paradoxically, we can also magnify our sin in such a way that we refuse to receive forgiveness from God. We hold onto our failures, mistakes, shortcomings. The reason we can't forgive ourselves for falling short is that we are looking to ourselves and our goodness, performance and success to save us. What they say about us is more important than what God says about us. God longs for us to hear him say, “I forgive both your badness and your attempts at being good enough. Be free!”

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

1.       What about the sermon most impacted you or left you with questions?

2.      How would you describe your greatest difficulty or challenge when it comes to prayer? How does it help to change the focus from what we do and say to what God wants to say to us?

3.      Where do you most need to hear God say to you, “I’m here”? How does knowing that Jesus entered into human experience, suffering and temptation help you with what you are facing?

4.      It was said in the sermon that, “We struggle with prayer because we think our access to be heard and be listened to is based on our name (our own actions and our attributes). We wonder if are we good enough, praying enough, consistent enough, saying the right things, with enough passion to get God’s attention to hear us and answer our prayers.” Do you struggle with this? How does praying “in Jesus’ name” set us free from being so focused on our prayers?

5.      When we pray in Jesus’ name we can pray knowing the Father never says no to the Son. This means Jesus will take our imperfect prayers and perfect them for us. Read the quote below. If we really believed this, how might it change our prayer life?

This is our comfort because God answers every prayer, for either he gives us what we pray for or something far better.

-Soren Kierkegaard.

6.      In what ways do you take God’s forgiveness for granted? In what ways do you refuse to forgive yourself (see the chart below for help.) How does the gospel show us both the seriousness of our sin and the inadequacies of our goodness? How does the gospel show us that we are truly and fully forgiven?

How could hearing God say to us (again and again), “I forgive” bring about a renewal of liberation, freedom and joy in our lives?

How We Refuse to Forgive Ourselves

• I can’t let it go. How could I do that? 
• I should be better, should do better. I’m holding this against myself.
• I see myself primarily through the lens of my failures, shortcomings and sins.
• I keep replaying it in my mind. I dwell on my failures, shortcomings and ongoing struggles.

What God Says When He Says “I Forgive”

• I've let it go.
• I don’t hold this against you.
• I don’t see you through the lens of your sin, failure and weakness.
• I won’t bring this up against you ever again.

Prayers are instantly noticed in heaven...Here is comfort for the distressed, but praying soul. Oftentimes a poor broken-hearted one bends his knee, but can only utter his wailing in the language of sighs and tears; yet that groan has made all the harps of heaven thrill with music; that tear has been caught by God and treasured in the lachrymatory of heaven...Our God not only hears prayer but also loves to hear it.  

-Charles Spurgeon

RENEW - Chronicles: Rediscovering Who We Are and Why We're Here - Sermon Study Guide #7 - Renewal of Wisdom

READ – 2 Chronicles 1:1-13

The transition from 1 Chronicles to 2 Chronicles follows a major transition and change in Israel. The nation’s greatest leader and model king, David, has died and passed the leadership baton to his son Solomon. In describing this leadership transition, Chronicles puts a strong emphasis on the continuity between David and Solomon. But Chronicles also emphasizes something that Solomon excelled at that it never mentions as one of David’s strengths. It’s what Solomon realized he most needed to navigate the massive changes and challenges he and his people were facing. It’s what the the Christian faith says is necessary (maybe most important) during times of change, transition and upheaval in our lives and in our world. It’s what turns times of change and transition – that bring all kinds of disappointments & difficulties – into times of renewal. It’s wisdom.

SUMMARY: Because our lives are marked by constant change and because we live in a rapidly changing world, our need for a renewal of wisdom has never been greater.

THE DREAM QUESTION

Solomon officially began his reign by leading a massive assembly of worship with all the leaders of Israel (1:16). That night (2 Kings tells us that it was in a dream) God appeared to Solomon and said to him “Ask what I shall give you.” God is offering Solomon a divine blank check! He’s saying, “What do you want? Ask anything and I’ll do it.” Isn’t that our dream question? Wouldn’t we all love to have God ask us, “What do you want me to do for you?” with the understanding that - whatever we ask for - He’ll give us? This is especially true when we are facing a difficult transition in our lives.

In the gospels, we find that this question was one of Jesus’ favorites. In Mark 10:35-52, Jesus asks, “What do you want me to do for you?” twice – in order to draw out the one thing that people felt they needed to be fulfilled, satisfied and whole. The first lesson of this text is that in order experience renewal, in order to get to wisdom, we must begin by first (honestly) answering the question posed to us by God Himself - “What do you want me to do for you?”

THE SURPRISING RESPONSE

Solomon doesn’t ask for any of the things a typical king in his time would ask for - wealth, fame, power, victories, control or the approval of the people. Instead, he asked for wisdom and knowledge to lead the people and God said, “I will give you that.” Surprisingly, the best response to God’s question, “What do you want me do for you?“ at any time in our lives, but especially during seasons of personal and cultural change is, “Give me wisdom.” God will always answer this prayer.

What is Wisdom? The best short definition of wisdom is “know-how.” Wisdom is made up of two parts - knowledge and the ability to know how to use it in practical, everyday situations. Bruce Waltke says wisdom is “masterful understanding.” JI Packer - wisdom is the power to see, and the inclination to choose the best and highest goal, together with the surest means of attaining it.

Why do we need it? If wisdom is knowledge applied to our specific situation, then any change in our situation calls for fresh wisdom. If our lives are constantly changing, then we have a constant need for fresh wisdom! Knowing information (or theology) is necessary but it isn’t sufficient. We also need to know our situation and how the knowledge and information we have applies to our situation.

Since the pace and complexity of cultural change is unprecedented, our need for wisdom has never been greater. Though we have access to more information and knowledge than ever before, wisdom for dealing with our cultural changes, divisions and disagreements appears more elusive than ever. Solomon’s example is an encouragement to every Christian and every church to make it a top priority to ask for and seek wisdom.

How do we get it? There are at 3 least important steps alluded to in the text: 1) Always start at the beginning. Solomon began his reign with worship. This was Proverbs 9:10 in action - “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” Worship precedes wisdom. The fear of the Lord is the submission of our intellect, desires and will to God. 2) Ask for it – We must admit our need for wisdom. This takes humbly realizing our inadequacy and inability to handle life’s changes on our own. 3) Allow time for it – Solomon’s writings and the other wisdom literature of the bible show us that wisdom is the fruit of prayer, patience and dialogue.

THE ULTIMATE ANSWER

Solomon is an example to us of how to respond to transition in our lives and world by seeking wisdom from God. But following Solomon’s example isn’t the ultimate answer for our need for wisdom. For one, reaching Solomon’s level of wisdom is an unattainable goal – he was the wisest of all people in the Old Testament. But even more to the point – the wisdom we need often seems so inaccessible. Proverbs 2:5 says, “If you seek wisdom like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.” Often our search for wisdom is either half-hearted or fraught with mystery, like looking for hidden treasure.

The gospel is that God has uncovered for us the hidden treasures of wisdom in His Son. In Luke 11:29 Jesus says, “The Queen of the south will rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and look – something greater than Solomon is here. Jesus is talking about himself. He’s saying the Queen of Sheba gave up everything to hear the wisdom of Solomon. In Jesus, we see that God gives up everything for us to have the wisdom of the gospel.

The apostle Paul, In Col 2:2,3 writes in Christ “are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” The gospel provides us with the lens to interpret our lives and the world. The cruciform wisdom of the gospel is the hidden treasure God gives us in Jesus. Though the wisdom for our life transitions and cultural changes may not always be straightforward, the gospel provides us with wisdom that ensures that our “hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, reaching all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, Christ” (Col 2:2).

The ultimate answer to the dream question, “What do you want?” in any circumstance is, “I want Jesus more than anything else.” That is ultimately and finally the wisest response in any situation. What we need is not first an answer, more insight or more information – we need a person.

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

1. What about the sermon most impacted you or left you with questions?

2. What one thing in your life would you ask God for if he appeared to you in a dream and said, “What do you want me to do for you?” Be honest. What one thing do you think – if God gave you – would lead you to a renewed sense of life, vitality and happiness?

3. What personal change or transition (current or upcoming) do you most need wisdom for in your life? Which

cultural change or issue do you feel you most need wisdom for understanding how to respond?

4. Read the quote below from Andy Crouch’s Tech-Wise Family. Do you agree? If wisdom is more rare and precious than ever before, what implications should this have for you personally, your family and the church?

“Knowledge, these days, is very easy to come by - almost too easy, given the flood of search results for almost any word or phrase you can imagine. But you can’t search for wisdom - at least, not online. And it’s as rare and precious as ever - maybe, given how complex our lives have become, rarer and more precious than ever before.”

5. Of the 3 steps listed in “How do we get it?” (above) which is most challenging or helpful to you? What would

it look like for you to incorporate this step into your life as you seek God’s wisdom?

6. How does it encourage you to know that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ? How does the statement below help you address the hardest personal or cultural changes you are facing right now?

The ultimate answer to the dream question, “What do you want?” in any circumstance is “I want Jesus more than anything else.” That is ultimately and finally the wisest response in any situation.