In the sermon 'The Purpose of Wisdom' by Peter Allison, the focus is on the teachings from Proverbs 15:5-7, emphasizing the significance of wisdom and instruction. The sermon explores the characteristics of a fool who despises instruction, highlighting that despising instruction is a serious issue as it is tantamount to despising Christ, who is the source of all wisdom and knowledge. This disdain for learning also extends to Christ's works and words, leading to a lack of entitlement to the protections and liberties provided by God's law. The speaker identifies seeds of despising instruction, such as arrogance, perceived irrelevance of knowledge, and disrespect for instructors. The consequences of ignoring wisdom include poverty, shame, regret, and a disconnection from the church and its blessings. Conversely, wisdom brings wealth, understanding, and the ability to edify others, emphasizing the duty to share knowledge for the benefit of the church and community. The sermon concludes with a call for believers to be faithful stewards of the wisdom and grace given by God, using their gifts for the common good and glorifying God through teaching and service.

Please turn in your scriptures to Proverbs 15. Our text this morning is verses 5 through 7. Hear God's word, A fool despises His Father's instruction, but He who receives correction is prudent. In the house of the righteous there is much treasure, but in the revenue of the wicked is trouble. The lips of the wise disperse knowledge, but the heart of the fool does not do so.

May God be praised at the reading and hearing of His Word. Heavenly Father, Please prepare our hearts to receive your word. May we be instructed out of your word. And please sanctify these sinful lips that they may proclaim Your righteous and true word. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Proverbs has more to say about fools and instruction than probably any other book in the Bible. Fools despise instruction. It is the signature characteristic of a fool. It is what sets apart a fool from people that are not fools. And by fool, that is what we mean.

It means somebody who is funny or somebody who is a comedian or somebody who is anything other than one who despises instruction. Than one who despises instruction. To be instructed requires putting yourself under someone. And so a fool is somebody who is not only unwilling to put themselves under someone, to listen to somebody, and we all are instructed in various times and in places or need to be instructed. But a fool, it says, despises that instruction.

Now we've looked many times here in our walkthrough proverbs about fools, so we won't repeat all that has gone before about the characteristics of fools despising instruction. Despising instruction But want to look this morning at what are the seeds of despising instruction a fool despises Instruction specifically it says a fool despises his father's instruction And So that sets the immediate context in our mind of a biological father instructing a young child. And that's certainly included in this picture, but remember when the Bible uses the word father it is much broader than biological progenitors. It refers broadly to civil and spiritual leaders. Remember, Paul called Timothy and Titus his true sons in the faith.

He was their father. It's used to refer to those who are skilled in certain areas, in woodworking, in metalworking, in farming. It's used to refer to civil rulers. It's used to refer to anybody who is in a position to bring wisdom to us. And so remember that when it says a fool despises his father's instruction, It's not just talking about five-year-old fools, but it's also talking about 50-year-old fools who despise instruction from wherever it might be coming, whatever father might be bringing that instruction.

There are people who can teach us how to do things, how to make things. They have skills. In that context, they become our father. And that's, I believe, what this passage, what Solomon has in view when he uses that word father. A fool is somebody who despises instruction.

Somebody who not only doesn't learn, but who doesn't not only doesn't try to learn but who turns away from it who rejects it who mocks it And so what then are the seeds of? Despising instruction What are the things that? Could grow into somebody despising instruction? Well one, we are tempted to despise instruction when we think we know more than the person giving the instruction. If we think that we know more than they do, we're tempted not to listen to them.

We're tempted to despise them and what they're trying to teach. Now maybe we do know more, and maybe we don't know more. But how are we going to know until we listen to what they have to say? And even if we do know more. Maybe we can be the father in that situation by listening to them teach.

One of the best ways to learn is by teaching. I had a professor in college. He has an advanced degree in physics. And he said, you know, I didn't learn and he was teaching first year physics course, which we got in our second year. And he commented at one point that he didn't really know this physics, this material, this beginning entry level physics, until he had taught it a couple times.

And then he understood it. Now, he knew it, but what he was saying is that the process of teaching it, he understood it far better and was far more comfortable with it than when he merely was learning it as a student and feeding it back on a test. And so teaching is, can be one way that we learn. I think that's one of the reasons that we are commanded as young people, as young parents, to teach our children. Because we need to learn what we're supposed to be teaching our children.

Yes, we learned it growing up, hopefully, and if not, we're studying it, but it's through the process of teaching it that we learn it. So there's always room for listening and learning from someone you never know. We might just learn something from this person that we think we know more than. One of the marks that God has called somebody to the ministry is that a young man in their late 20s, maybe 30, could stand up and bring God's Word profitably to people that might be older than them. I've heard many, many wise elders comment on profiting from the preaching of men much younger than them.

So one of the seeds of despising instruction is when we think we know more than the person giving it. Another seed of despising instruction is that we are tempted to despise instruction when we think we already know the answer. I can remember as a young lad, and sometimes not so young lad, being impatient with my mother to finish something, or telling me something that I thought I already knew Again we often don't know until we listen And sometimes even if we do know what is being said, if we are willing to listen and to learn just a minute longer, we might learn or think of, make connections that we had not made before. As children, we might know more than our parents in a certain area. And I hope that you do.

I hope that my children grow up and know more about things in their business and in their work, in any area, than I do. I hope that they do that. That's our prayer. That's our goal is to be able to teach our children and have them know more than we do, to go beyond, to be able to stand on our shoulders and see farther than we have. See farther than we have.

But we're tempted to despise instruction when we think we already know the answer. We need to remember that it's fools that despise instruction. We're tempted to despise instruction when we think that the instruction is irrelevant to us, and we'll never have a need for that knowledge. Like instruction in math or instruction in diagramming sentences. People say, Grammar, why do you need to study grammar?

Why do you need to learn to diagram sentences? I remember people saying that when I was in school. Thankfully I had a teacher, A 70 year old saint who taught grammar to me when I was in junior high and high school. But particularly junior high. She taught her main grammar in the eighth grade.

I remember her in that class taking a sentence out of the King James Bible, one of Paul's long run-on sentences, and diagramming it. And I've been forever grateful to her for learning that skill. Because I find that when I read things that are written in that age, and there's a lot of good stuff written in that age, our confession of faith is written in that age, and it employs all sorts of complex sentences. That's a technical grammar term, I'm not using that generically. A complex sentence has dependent clauses in it.

And Her instruction in grammar has been invaluable to me every time I want to read one of those sentences. Where's the subject? Where's the verb? And yet that's something that many people say, well, Why do you need to learn that? It's irrelevant.

Why do I need to know algebra? It's irrelevant. I'll never need this in my life Why don't you could say that about almost anything? You could say that even about reading. Some people may say that about reading.

But It's fools that despise instruction. It's fools that think knowledge is irrelevant. If your parents are teaching you math, don't say that it's irrelevant. How do you know? It turns out that Math describes the way God governs the world, and it brings great insight into your life.

But that's not to say there aren't things that are more important and less important. It's not to say that sometimes parents don't set up idols for their children. That does lead to problems. But it's fools that despise instruction. We should be those who are always willing to receive instruction, especially when it's right in front of us, let alone when it's something that we're being commanded or urged to do.

Now we are also tempted to despise instruction when we don't respect the instructor. They can be saying something very valuable, something very good, and our tendency is to discount it because we don't accept or respect the instructor. You can't learn from somebody for whom you have no respect. But it's fools that despise instruction. It's fools that despise instructors, provided that those instructors are teaching the Word of God.

They're teaching the truth of the Word of God. See wise people don't despise instruction even if they know more than their father, even if they think the instruction is irrelevant, and even if they think they already know the answer. Wisdom does not despise instruction. Wisdom does not despise instruction. Their wisdom has a respect for that office, whatever office that is.

And everyone has an office. Your calling might be the operation of a milling machine. When it comes to that milling machine, you know that milling machine. And you can instruct people in how it works and in the intricacies of operating it and using it to produce an intricate and cumplexly designed part. Wise people respect that knowledge and they respect the people for their office who can bring that knowledge to us.

Those whose duty it is specifically to instruct should study, they should read, they should be able to profitably instruct to their shame if they're not. But our receiving Instruction isn't based on those things. It's not. Our respect for the office is not based on the qualifications of the person holding that office. It's based on the office.

And you can learn, children, you can learn from your mother and sit under her teaching even if she didn't know how to read. Now that's to her shame if she doesn't, assuming that she had the opportunity. She should be learning to read. I'm not saying that we should not care about these things. But what I am saying is that Our receiving instruction, our respect for the office, is not dependent upon the qualifications of the person holding that office.

If they are faithfully teaching the truth of God, as it's revealed in His Word and as it's understood through in the world that God made. So those are some of the seeds of despising instruction. I won't claim that they are exhaustive, but those are a few of the common ones. But what is the significance then of despising instruction? What's really so wrong with this?

Why is this the characteristic of a fool? Remember it's the fool that said in his heart, there is no God. So this is a pretty serious thing to be called a fool in the Bible, to despise instruction. Why is this such a serious thing? Well, the significance of despising instruction is first it despises Christ.

To despise instruction is to despise Jesus Christ. He is the source of all wisdom. In Him is hid all wisdom and knowledge. If we are despising instruction, we are despising Christ as the author of that wisdom. It's to say that of Christ's wisdom it's not worth knowing.

To say that is to despise Christ Himself. But it's also to despise Christ's work. All things were made by Jesus Christ, and without Him was not anything made that was made. All things were made by Him. His works are studied by those who take pleasure in them.

And so to despise instruction is to despise learning about Christ's works. It's to take no pleasure in the wisdom by which the world was made and by which this world is sustained and governed. Because it's the wisdom of God that holds this world in existence. God didn't just create the world and walk away. If God by His wisdom ceased to hold the world in existence, it would cease to exist.

Gravity is not just some act of nature. The law of gravity is I've probably said before is was passed by God and it is enforced by God moment by moment. Why does gravity never stop? Because God is faithful and God never sleeps and God is never away on vacation that's why gravity is always operative because gravity is simply one of the many marvelous and wonderful works of God And all of our mathematical descriptions of it are simply characterizations of the work of Jesus Christ to sustain and to govern this world. So To despise instruction is to despise Christ's work.

But to despise instruction is also to despise Christ's word. All scripture is profitable for what? For instruction. All scripture is profitable for instruction. That the man of God may be complete, thoroughly furnished unto every good work.

So to despise instruction is then to despise the very Word of God. But there are more significances to despising instruction. To despise instruction actually disqualifies us from the protections and liberties of living under the law of God. The law of God provides great protection to women, to children, to everyone. It provides great liberty to those who are living under the law of God.

It provides freedom. The law of God is the law of liberty. It's the perfect law of liberty. Psalm 50 verse 16, God says to the wicked, what right have you to recite my statutes seeing that you hate instruction? What right have you to recite my statutes, seeing you hate instruction?

If you despise instruction, God is saying you don't have any right to even recite my law, let alone claim its privileges and protections for you. You want restitution when somebody's stolen from you? You want your life to be avenged If somebody has taken it or taken the life of your loved one, God says you have no right to those protections if you despise instruction. You don't even have a right to recite My Law. It also disqualifies us from church membership and from the blessings of that covenant.

That's Psalm 50, God says to the wicked, not only what right do you have to recite my statutes, but he says, what right do you have to take my covenant on your lips, seeing you hate instruction and cast my words behind you? What right do you have to take my covenant on your lips? You don't have a right to take the covenant vows and to be a part of the covenant community, to receive the signs and seals of the covenant of grace, to participate in the sacraments. Those who despise instruction are disqualified from the privileges of membership in the church. Lastly, the significance of despising instruction is that we despise ourselves.

Proverbs 15-32, a little later in this chapter, says that He that refuses instruction despises His own soul. So we think we're despising the instructor, that we know more than the instructor does, that what He's saying is irrelevant and we don't need it. The Bible says you're actually despising yourself, your own soul. What then happens? What is the fruit?

What is the result of those who despise instruction? Proverbs is very, very clear on this point. It says it again and again and again and again and again. Because we have a need to hear it again, and again, and again, and again. That is to despise instruction brings first of all poverty and shame.

Proverbs 13, 18, poverty and shame shall be to him that refuses instruction, but he that regards reproof shall be honored. So there's a temporal component. So there's a temporal component. But it also brings regret and sorrow in death. Solomon said in Proverbs chapter 5, he talks, speaking about the fool, those who despise instruction.

He talks about aliens being filled with your wealth, your labors going to the house of a foreigner. And when you mourn at last, when your flesh and your body are consumed, then you say, how I hated instruction, and my heart despised correction. I have not obeyed the voice of my fathers nor inclined my ear to those who instructed me. I was on the verge of total ruin in the midst of the assembly and the congregation." in the midst of the assembly and the congregation. In the midst of the assembly and congregation in total ruin, they've been cut off from the fellowship of the church and they have only regrets and sorrow.

Their flesh and their body is consumed. That's the fruit of despising instruction, sorrow and regret. The wise will hear and learn from the Word of God and not have to learn this the hard way. Experience is a hard teacher. It's a hard teacher.

Happy are those who learn young and who learn early and who learn quickly. Solomon moves on in verse 8 to speak about increase, about treasure. In the house of the righteous there is much treasure, but in the revenue of the wicked is trouble. There is wealth in the house of the righteous because they listen to instruction. And as a result of listening to instruction, they gain knowledge.

It's interesting how that works. Proverbs 19, 20, hear counsel and receive instruction that you may be wise in your later days." Knowledge is more valuable than silver. Proverbs 3, happy is the man that finds wisdom and the man that gets understanding. For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver and the gain thereof than fine gold. She that is wisdom is more precious than rubies, and all the things you can desire are not to be compared to her.

Length of days are in her Right hand and her left hand riches and honor. Her ways are the ways of pleasantness and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to everyone that they hold upon her and happy is everyone that retains her. It's speaking of understanding of wisdom. But it's different for the wicked.

It says that in the revenue of the wicked is trouble. Now revenue and riches are not exact parallels. They're slightly different. Treasure is what you have stored, what you have collected. But revenue is the increase.

That word is increase. In the increase of the wicked There is trouble so in that sense you could say that revenue or Increase depending on your Translation is the precursor to wealth and riches it is through revenue or through increase that we acquire Wealth and riches, but they're not quite the same You know for example I remember a number of years ago, a number of houses ago, we were selling a house back in the day when a buyer could assume your loan. We were going to do that, and so we were effectively the mortgage officer or the mortgage house. We needed to determine if people were financially qualified. And this one man who actually ended up buying the house gave us his financial package.

And he had earned great wealth. He had great increase a couple years prior Great increase he was making way way more than the average person And his parents had toys a young man his parents had told him to save that money. But he hadn't listened. And so here a couple years later, he has no money. Even though he had had great increase, It didn't translate into wealth because he hadn't held onto it.

And that was gone. And he ended up basically eventually not even being able to hold onto the house. See for the wicked increase there is trouble in it. There is trouble in it if it's gained dishonestly or corruptly but even if it's gained honestly the wicked put it into pockets with holes It falls out So they can have a lot of increase and nothing to show for it. A lot of trouble, a lot of work, and nothing to show for it at the end of the year.

Because they put it into pockets with holes. Another problem in the increase of the wicked is that they rob God. They end up robbing God. God blesses them with a great increase. And they don't give any of it to the Lord.

Malachi describes that as robbing God. In withholding the ties on the increase, we rob God. So that's another problem, trouble, that comes in the revenue or the increase of the wicked if they don't honor the Lord with it and Give to him the tenth that is his that he that he gives that he requires of us He gave it all of the increase and asked us for a tithe back Robbing God I don't need to say brings trouble God is not pleased with those who rob Him. He tells the Israelites in Malachi, would your governor be pleased if you gave him little insignificant gifts? You gave him sick lambs?

And the implication is how much more is God not pleased with it. But the increase of the wicked can also bring slavery and poverty. Yes, The increase of the wicked can also bring slavery and poverty. Yes, the increase of the wicked can bring slavery and poverty. The people in Nehemiah 9 recognize this.

They say, Behold, we are servants this day for the land that you gave us, gave to our fathers to eat the fruit thereof and good thereof. Behold we are servants in it." And it yields much increase unto the kings that you have set over us because of our sins. These people, the Israelites recognized and rightly so that this land that God had given them, this land flowing with milk and honey, yielded a great increase by their labor, but they didn't realize any of it. It went to the kings that were over them. And they were servants instead.

Slavery and poverty, some of the trouble and the increase of the wicked. It can also bring a burden of wealth. Some people that have money become consumed with the fear of losing it. So the wealth then becomes a great emotional burden on them, as they worry about who might take it from them. So they have been given wealth, but with it comes sorrow.

The Lord promises to His people that they will have wealth without sorrow attached to it. That in their wealth they can rest in comfort knowing that God gave it and God may take it away, but the Lord is still blessed They can buy a new car and not worry about it getting marred Because the Lord gave it to them the Lord may take it away His name is still blessed Wealth allows those who possess it to express themselves more fully. It's not that rich people are worse, more sinful than other people, than poor people. It's that their wealth brings them the ability to express their heart more fully. Poverty may restrain outwardly sin.

But when somebody has all the money that they can use and more, then there is no restraint on the sinful desires of their heart. What they desire, they do. And so their increase then, this blessing to them, results in their greater condemnation because they have ability to commit greater sins. They have idle time. You know that famous saying about idle, an idle mind.

And so it's no surprise in that we see outwardly wealthy people falling into all sorts of gross immorality. Just look at Hollywood, the classic example of people with lots of money giving free rein to the sin within them. Poor people are just as sinful, their hearts are just as wicked. They just don't have the wealth to express that sin. So the wealth, the increase of the wicked is trouble.

Because it enables them to engage in more and greater wickedness. What is the purpose of wisdom? Why are we to receive correction, not despise instruction? Why are we to be righteous stewards of the wealthy increase that God has given to us? Why does He give wealth an increase to the righteous?

Why is the wealth of the wicked stored up for the righteous? Why does the Bible say that the wicked will earn wealth for those who care for the poor. Well, what is the purpose of getting wisdom? Is it simply to get wisdom? Well, wisdom first does lay up knowledge, but then it dispenses it.

The lips of the wise disperse knowledge. The lips of the wise disperse knowledge. They have a duty to speak, a duty to teach, a duty to instruct. Their tongue is a tree of life as we saw last week because they bring the Word of God, the life-giving Word of God. They speak and save lives.

Faith comes by hearing, and hearing comes from words. And how shall they hear unless people are sent to speak to them? You see, our gifts and the wisdom that God gives to us, the knowledge that comes as we receive instruction. God gives all that to us for the good of the church. Paul told the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 12, to each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

And This is what Matthew Henry had to say, the common good of the people of God. The outward gifts of His bounty are to be improved for His glory and employed in doing good to others. No man has them merely for himself. They are a trust put into his hands. And the more he profits others with him, the more abundantly they will turn to his account in the end.

Spiritual gifts are bestowed that men may with them profit the church and promote Christianity. They are not given for show but for service, not for pomp and ostentation, but for edification, not to magnify those that have them, but to edify others." Paul told the Philippians, "'Even if I am poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all." Why? Because he was given gifts to edify the church. And he said, even if I'm poured out, even if my life is consumed and spent in that calling, I am glad. Because that was why I have been given this wisdom.

That was why I have been entrusted with these words, that I may speak them, that I may edify, that I may Speak the life-giving words of God to those that don't have them. Peter said, as each has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God's varied grace. God's varied grace. There are many, many gifts, as Romans 12 points out. Many gifts.

And we're to offer our bodies as living sacrifices in using those gifts that God has given us, using the wisdom that we have learned and acquired from receiving instruction. Those to whom much is given, much is expected. Those to whom much is given, much is expected. And so be willing then to take the small opportunities. I know how hard it is to speak, to use our knowledge to help.

To start with the small opportunities. First in your own home, and then when you've mastered that, then dispense more broadly. Teach your family, and then teach others. David prayed for God's forgiveness so that He said, then I might teach sinners your ways. May God give us that same zeal to teach sinners the truth of the Word of God, even as God has graciously revealed it to us.

Let's pray. Almighty Father in Heaven, we thank you for your Word, for the wisdom that it brings to us, making us wiser than our teachers. We pray that where You have given to us grace, we might be wise and faithful stewards of it. We ask your forgiveness where we have failed in this. Father, we pray that we might be those who speak, who testify to your wisdom and your glory and your works in the assembly of the saints, who give thanks in the congregation.

Loose our tongues and our mouths that we may testify and proclaim Your wonderful grace and Your glory and Your truth. Through Jesus Christ we ask, Amen.