Nigeria Baptist Church Sunday School Manual For June 14, 2020 : Topic – THE VALUE OF WISDOM
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NBC SUNDAY SCHOOL OUTLINE
Date:
Sunday, June 14, 2020.
TOPIC:
THE VALUE OF WISDOM.
Devotional Background Lesson Reading:
Proverbs 2:12-22.
Scripture:
Genesis 39; Proverbs 2 Scripture: Proverbs 2:1-11.
GOLDEN TEXT:
For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. Proverbs 2:6
LEARNING PRIMARY OUTCOMES/INDICATORS:
Learners will understand the facets of God’s wisdom and explore both practical and spiritual wisdom and indicate achievement of this by:
Listing the conditions for obtaining godly wisdom;
Identifying at least four blessings that obtaining God’s wisdom accrues to a believer;
Making concrete effort to value God’s wisdom in their daily walk with God and humankind.
INTRODUCTION:
sometime ago, a pastor was led to preach serial messages on the value of God’s wisdom. The aim was to help the youths who were under pressure to embrace worldly standard at the expense of God’s wisdom. At the beginning of the sermon, the pastor asked members to make their choices among the several labelled items on the table. To his surprise, the item labelled ‘wisdom’ was left and of course, that formed the basis of his emphasis on the value of wisdom throughout the month.
As important as wisdom is, both to the old and young, not many people value and are ready to embrace it. It seems it does not look attractive or useful to them as they struggle with life’s challenges. This can be seen in the effort people put in to do extremely well in other areas of their lives while they left their spiritual life unattended to whereas, wisdom is better than silver, gold and other worldly materials. The example of King Solomon in his quest for wisdom to be able to lead the people of Israel is noteworthy. By virtue of his desire to seek wisdom above all things, he was blessed with other riches. He is described as the wisest king from Bible time till now. The lesson of today centres on some ways to obtain godly wisdom and its benefits to humanity.
THE LESSON EXPLAINED…
A. CONDITIONS FOR OBTAINING WISDOM: Proverbs 2:1-5.
Chapter 2 of Proverbs contains the benefits of obtaining wisdom. The author begins by addressing his recipient as “my son”, an indication that the instruction was meant for a younger person. He suggested some conditions through which wisdom could be obtained:
To receive his words (v. 1). In other words, the son is expected to listen and believe in his father’s counsel and not resist his opinion.
– To treasure his commandments (v. 1), or to value it with high esteem. God’s Word is treasured in our hearts as we meditate on it in order to remember it (Psalm 119:11).
– To turn his ears to wisdom and apply his heart to understanding (v. 2): This means to submit, pay close attention or to obey his instructions with utmost devotion.
– To call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding (v. 3). The counsel here is to obtain wisdom with fervent spirit and passion.
– To look for it as silver and hidden treasure (v. 4).
Ultimately, these conditions are the prerequisites for obtaining wisdom. When they are met, one will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God (the stage of knowing God personally). Wisdom is so important that we must search for it with great eagerness. We must do everything within our power to obtain it by avoiding all forms of distractions. These days, it seems many people particularly, the young ones despise the instruction of their parents, just like Israel did not listen to God’s prophets and they became captives in Babylon (2 Chronicles 24: 19; 33:10). The admonition from the author of the book to his beloved son to listen to his instructions and never forget them is applicable to all believers. When we obey these instructions, then, we will know what it means to fear and succeed in learning about God. More importantly, we should be ready to meet the above conditions as taught throughout this book of Proverbs.
DISCUSSION TIME:
1. What should be our attitude if we must receive God’s Word and retain it in our hearts?
2. Why do some people deliberately ignore Solomon’s counsel in verse 4 and rather pursue other world pleasures with great zeal?
3. Discuss the benefits of having the fear of God and His knowledge?
B.🎈 THE WORTH OF GOD’S WISDOM: [Proverbs 2:6-8]
The search for wisdom like silver and hidden treasure leads to knowledge and understanding. This is confirmed in verse 6, that wisdom is a gift from God and from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. Among the benefits of wisdom is that God holds victory and security for the righteous and protects those who are blameless (those with spiritual and moral integrity). Furthermore, He guards the course of the righteous and provides security for those who are devoted to Him.
Wisdom, knowledge and understanding are the ability to judge rightly knowing the moral and practical solution to difficult situations. They are the means by which one can identify and differentiate between truth and error, right and wrong, good and evil. Anyone who possesses these godly virtues will definitely live a righteous life that pleases God. According to the passage, God possesses wisdom and gives it to those who search for it with great zeal like silver and hidden treasure (v. 4). Also, noticeable in the passage is God’s promise to provide strong protection for the upright, not only during their lifetime on earth but also guarantees that they will be safe in the day of judgment (Matthew 7:21-23; 2 Peter 1:5-11). Furthermore, He will guide the paths and preserve the way of the saints who seek Him for wisdom (v. 8). However, these blessings are exclusively reserved for those who fear God and earnestly seek for His wisdom.
DISCUSSION TIME:
1. Why do people value wealth above divine wisdom? If the two are put side by side, which one will you choose? State your reasons.
2. Differentiate between the fear of God and the knowledge of God.
3. Why is knowledge pleasant?
C. BENEFITS OF GOD’S WISDOM: [Proverbs 2:9-11]
The instruction of the author is comprehensive because of his ability to describe the conditions for obtaining wisdom, the value and benefits. According to this passage, anyone who possesses the wisdom of God stands to enjoy the following:
• The ability to know what is right, fair and just in every good thing. It implies that the person will be guided in his decision and choices without errors. Wisdom will be at the centre of his heart just as the words of a wise man are sweet to the soul of another (Proverbs 16:24).
• Knowledge will be pleasant to his soul.
• He will be guarded by discretion, and understanding will guide him as God guides the faithful (v. 8).
The implication of these benefits is that those who possess the wisdom of God will know and do what is acceptable and pleasing to God. They will be fair and impartial in their dealings with people of different status. When a humankind ‘s thoughts and actions please God, then they will certainly please other humankind (Proverbs 3:14). He will also be trusted by others because they know him for being forthright. Little wonder the author cried loudly and repeatedly calling the attention of his son not to ignore his words but to turn to wisdom and apply his heart unto understanding (v. 2).
DISCUSSION TIME:
1. To what extent do you think an individual with godly wisdom can survive without compromise?
2. Discuss the attributes of a person who has godly wisdom?
COMMITMENT BASED ON TODAY’S LESSON:
– My Personal Commitment.
– Commitment to My Church.
– Commitment towards My Relationship with Others.
PRAYER POINTS:
• Appreciate God for the gift of His wisdom.
• Pray and ask God to give you grace not to ignore the value of wisdom in any circumstance.
• Pray that God will give our youths the zeal to seek after God’s wisdom above the pleasures oflife.
Fellowship and Ministry Building Activity
• Display some gifts with different labels and ask the class members to make their choices. Give them opportunity to share what influenced their decisions?
TAKE HOME:
• Wisdom for living only comes from God.
• Christians should value divine wisdom above earthly pleasures.
• The benefits ofwisdom surpass wealth or fame.
• Believers should seek for wisdom like silver and gold.
• Divine wisdom helps believers in making good choices that please God.
Remain Inspired & Be Lifted!