3:16: Get Wisdom

 

Series Summary

In this series, called 3:16, we will be exploring several significant passages in the Bible that are located at the 3:16 chapter and verse marker in their respective books. These passages cover a wide range of variety, from a variety of authors, covering a variety of topics, through a variety of time periods of Israel’s and the church’s history. The only common denominator in this series is where each of those passages is located in the Bible, at a 3:16 mile marker. You likely already know that all Scripture is inspired by God. That fact is stated in 2 Timothy 3:16, which is one of the 3:16’s we’ll look at in this series. But while all Scripture is inspired, the chapter and verse designators are not. Those came later – the Old Testament around the 13th century, and the New Testament a little later. They were added to help make it easier to find a particular passage, especially when someone was trying to manipulate a bulky, awkward scroll instead of a book. But, even though the verse numbers aren’t inspired, it’s curious that so many weighty passages are found at the 3:16 mile marker. Maybe God knew that we needed some things to be easy to remember. In this series, we will be looking at several different passages that are found at 3:16, in different books of the Bible. In some cases, we may only look at the verse, or maybe two or three. For others, we may need a good portion of the chapter in order to understand it completely. But all of them are found at the 3:16 point. Among the 3:16's we'll examine are John, Genesis,  Proverbs, Colossians, Daniel, Ephesians, 1 Peter, 2 Timothy, and more. It'll be unique. It’ll be enlightening. And we hope you’ll join us as we examine the 3:16’s of the Bible!

Sermon Summary

Solomon wrote much of the book of Proverbs, and in the first few chapters he describes wisdom in detail, exploring what it is, why it's necessary, and how to obtain it. In chapter 3, he personifies wisdom, and gives us a good idea of how wisdom and knowledge differ. Wisdom is different than knowledge. You can have a lot of knowledge and information in your head. But if that knowledge isn't applied, it doesn't lead to wisdom. Wisdom is seeing life from God's point of view, and then responding to it. And Solomon, in all his wisdom, tells us how we can do that. It's simple: You spend time in his Word, do what it says, and trust God to give you wisdom through that. And ultimately, that wisdom is found in Jesus, who is described as wisdom incarnate by Paul (1 Corinthians 1:24). Knowing Christ is wisdom.