Why the wise can waver?

for the benefit of those who missed out sermon this morning, this was what SP Lawrence Chua have shared with us.. Why the wise can waver? Today's sermon focused on a few biblical bible characters; King Solomon, King Saul, Moses, and the servant with one talent (according to the parable written in the bible reflected in Matthew 25:14-30 "The Parable of the Talents).


Road Map:

1. Wisdom per se (alone) is not enough
2. Wise people who erred
3. Wisdom+2 elements

Text:

* Proverbs 1:1-9
* 1 Kings 11:1-4
* 1 Kings 11:9
* 1 Kings 11:2-25
* Matthew 25:14-30
* 1 Samuel 14:1-46
* Exodus 18:12-17
* Numbers 20:1-13

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1. Wisdom per se (alone) is not enough

*Read the book of proverbs and Ecclesiastes. It can help you gain much wisdom. =)

*Proverbs 1:1-9
- To attain a disciplined and prudent life
- Wisdom is not enough. You also need discipline.
- The effect of a missing element will result in failure.
- All 3 elements (Wisdom, Discipline and Fear of God) must be present at the same time. Otherwise, a person, however wise he is, can still fail.


There are 3 important elements which you need to acquire so as to lead a successful and effective life -- Wisdom+Discipline+Fear of God.

2. Wise people who erred

Let us take a look at King Solomon's life. (He is by far the wisest and most powerful king in history). King Solomon was wise and powerful. very spiritual. But, how did he fail? Why?

Although King Solomon was very wise, however, he lack the discipline to his lustful thoughts and fleshy desires. He had not many, BUT! Multitude of wives and concubines. At a certain point of time, he lacked the fear of the Lord and his life ended miserably and it was disastrous. refer to
1 Kings 11:2-25. Therefore, even if you were wise, but lacked discipline and the fear of the Lord, you can waver and fail.

Now, let us take a look at the Servant with one talent. (Based on the parable of the talent) read
Matthew 25:14-30. The servant, in this case, has the fear of the Lord. However, he lacked discipline and wisdom. Therefore, he waver and failed.

Next, King Saul. Read 1 Samuel 14:1-46.
- He was a discipline warrior and an able general. (1 Samuel 14:20)
- At that point of time, there was the fear of God in his life. (1 Samuel 14:18)
- But there was a lack of wisdom. (1 Samuel 14:29-30)
- An oath set by King Saul was decided rashly.
- Therefore, he failed and lost terribly in the battle.
- he wanted to raise the battle to a spiritual level, however, due to the lack of wisdom and an unwise decision made, he failed. Terribly.
- It seemed as though he was punishing the committed.

3. Wisdom + 2 elements

- The one person who exhibited all 3 elements of WISDOM, DISCIPLINE and THE FEAR of the Lord : Moses

Read Exodus 18:12-17
- Moses was diligent and disciplined in his work.
- He obeyed God Wholeheartedly and he taught the people to fear the Lord.
- He was wise and humble enough to learn from his father-in-law, Jethro
- When all 3 elements are present at the same time, the result is EFFECTIVENESS.
- However, (read Numbers 20:1-13) Moses lacked the discipline to control his anger and did not have the fear of the Lord to honour God's name.
- As a result, he was prohibited to enter the Promised Land.

In Conclusion:

We can lose any one/ all of the 3 elements at a point of time if we're not careful. Therefore, it is important to read and meditate on the word of the Lord daily and keep in mind the 3 elements: Wisdom, Discipline and Fear of God. With all 3 elements present, you will lead an effective and fufilling life.

*Even if you were to forget all that i've said in this blog entry, just remember: Wisdom, Discipline and Fear of God= Effective, Fulfilling and Successful life.



Take care and God bless to whoever's reading this. =)