All right well let's jump in if no more good praise reports which we're always delighted to hear and I know there's probably more that are not being shared just yet but We're up to what, chapter eight? Is today the eighth? I get ahead, get behind. Get ahead, get behind. Move up, come back. Yeah, so we up to chapter eight. It has been really good. Chapter eight is a pivot. There's a pivot that takes place. If you notice, from one to seven, it's been dealing with instruction, instruction to these sons and these young men and the troublesome, adulterous wickedness that is always, always, always coming against and coming at. Where in chapter eight, you see a shift and things get personal. And when I say personal, it's been personal. We're dealing with relational revelation. It's always been my son, if you'll heed my voice. But what I'm referring to when you get into chapter eight, When you read about wisdom this entire chapter, you have to conclude, you come to the conclusion that this is wisdom personified in the fact that this is talking about the Lord Jesus Christ. and the wisdom that he is for us. This is God speaking in the voice of wisdom, but the things that are brought to light in it can only be in reference to not necessarily attributes of God, because we're not talking about attributes of his, we're talking about his person himself. And just to give you a little picture of what the scriptures would refer to, like 1 Corinthians, just go to 1 Corinthians 1. Let me show you this. 1 Corinthians 1. It'd be good to put this ahead of Proverbs 8. 1 Corinthians 1. This is some light that God gives us. Remember, revelation is light. Light is something that God sheds upon us that we couldn't see a thing if he didn't shed light on it. And this is some light that he gives in reference to who Christ is for us. And in verse number 28, it says, but of him, that would be of the father, but of him, you, me, the believer, you are in Christ Jesus. This is, I'm looking at 1 Corinthians 1.30. Yeah, 30, did I say 28? I'm sorry, I meant to say, I was looking at 28, but I meant to say 30. I was actually gonna read ahead of like verse 26, but I just figured we, for time's sake, we'll start in verse 30. But of him, of him, Of Him you are in Christ Jesus. This is the divine work of Him. This is of God. It couldn't be any other way other than God at work. But of Him you are in Christ Jesus and Christ has become for us what? What's the first thing? Wisdom from God. and he is, as much as he is righteous, our righteousness, he is our wisdom, and our sanctification, and our redemption. He's all that. He's our redemption, He's our sanctification, which is saying our holiness, how we're set apart for God, He is it. He's the only reason it can possibly be. And the righteousness that we have is Him, and the wisdom that we have is Him. It's Him, it's Him. And that's why verse 31 says, that as it is written, he who glories, let him glory, what? in the Lord. Because those are the only thing that a man could ever glory, if he was to glory in anything, the only thing worth glorying about is wisdom, righteousness, holiness, and redemption. And no man produces that himself. This is of God. So the only legitimate things, the glory before the Lord, before God in, is what Christ is for us. And he's everything that is needful. God's wisdom, God's righteousness, God's holiness, God's redemption. Christ is it. He is it. And that's what you see in Proverbs 8. You see that wisdom that He is personified. You see it there. As chapter 8 said, He was with God before everything was founded. For anything came to pass, the wisdom of God, who is Christ, the Lamb of God, who was slain before the foundation of the world, is Him. It's Him. Everything that was made was made what? Through Him. Through Him. Through Him. So we can see in that 1 Corinthians 1.30, but of Him, you are in Christ Jesus. And praise God, amen? Of Him. Look over in 2 Corinthians. Look in 2 Corinthians. I had this thought that of Him, of Him. Look in 2 Corinthians chapter number, Let's see, chapter number five, I believe it is. Go to five, go to five. Let's see. Look in verse number five. What does five say? Now he who has prepared or routed What's another translation? Somebody else read something for me. 2 Corinthians 5.5, what does y'all's translations read? Prepared, what did y'all say, Stephanie? Prepared us, anybody else got something different? Prepared. King James says rout, right? Which is saying worked, who's done something, made it possible. Now he who has routed us, prepared us for this very thing is who? God. who also, God, has given us the spirit as a earnest or a guarantee. Look over at same chapter, chapter five, look in verse 17, and this is gonna come together for us in that proverb reading of chapter eight. Therefore, if, verse 17, therefore, if anyone is in Christ, who is our wisdom, Who was our righteousness? Who was our sanctification and redemption? If anyone is in Christ, he is a what? A new creature, a new creation. Old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become what? New, now watch verse 18. Now all things are of who? Where's the origin of it? This new creation is of God. Now all things are of God who has reconciled us to himself through who? Jesus Christ. We've been reconciled, brought together in peace with a holy God. Why? Because Jesus is our wisdom. Jesus is our righteousness. Jesus is our holiness or sanctification. Jesus is our Therefore, he is our reconciler. He reconciled us unto God. But who made it possible, verse 18. Now all things are of God. That's exactly what Corinthians chapter one, 1 Corinthians 1.30 said the same thing. That of God we are in him who is our wisdom. So praise God, amen. So therefore, how many of you ever heard that term original? You ever heard the acronym or the acrostic for it, or you could say the OGs, you ever heard that before? The OGs, the originals, the originals. You see, we were all originally born in the atom. And as OGs in atom, we're falling. So you gotta become a new generation. You gotta be born again. And when you're born again, you're no longer an OG, you become a new creature, a new generation that belongs to the Lord. Now, you'll see this in Proverbs. Go look in Proverbs 8. Proverbs 8. Just a few things to point out. Proverbs 8. Glory be. Verse 1. This is almost to an extent, as much as it is anything, it kind of goes along with an open rebuke. You take, for an example, we live in a world that everywhere we go, everybody wants a platform, right? And that's what's going on right now on the college campuses across America. Everybody wants a voice to say something. Everybody wants a voice, whether it be a voice on a podcast, whether it be a voice from a political standpoint, whether it be a voice for this or a voice for that, whether you got a YouTube channel or whatever it is, everybody wants to have somewhat a voice and everybody's proclaiming their voice. Well, here, the question is wisdom's got a voice too. Does not wisdom cry out, call out, declare, and understand and lift up her voice. But the open rebuke on it is somewhat like this. If we kept reading in the book of Corinthians, which we are not, but what Corinthians started out with, Paul was gonna address some issues that were going on at Corinth. And he uses a phrase like this. Do you not know? Do you not know? Let's use it in particular. Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Lord? An open rebuke, the scripture says in Proverbs, is better than love carefully concealed. An open rebuke would be like this. Do you not know? In other words, you should know by now. That's why it's considered an open rebuke. He does it seven times in 1 Corinthians in the first seven chapters. That's one of the things when you consider what we're reading right here, you always remember the enemy cometh nothing but to what? Steal, kill, and destroy. And what does he steal? What does he want to steal? He steals the Word of God. That's what the Bible tells us, that when Jesus plants, the Word is planted, the seed is planted. He gives an illustration of it, that the birds of the air come and take the seed that falls on the wayside. And then he explains what that means. He says that if a person hears wisdom, the Word go forth, and they don't, properly welcome it in the right spirit, what happens is the enemy snatches it out of their heart before it can take root. And it would be like reading this and it'd be snatched away before it can effectively change the person from within. And what I was saying about the OGs and the NGs of the originals and then the new generation, you see it in verse number four. Look what he says here, to you old men, that's the OGs, that's the originals who are still in who? Adam, oh men, I call and my voice is to the who? The sons of men, oh simple ones, understand prudence and you fools be of an understanding heart. You see, wisdom cries out everywhere. That's what verses one and up to verse three says. Where does it cry out? It's in the high places. It's in the streets. It's in the gates of the city. Everywhere people gather. Everywhere. Wisdom is speaking. But remember, what does the enemy do? Wants to steal what is being proclaimed. It's not only everywhere, but it's what, a message to everyone. Oh you sons of men, oh men, that's where this wisdom wants to do something in us. And then he describes them, what, as simple ones and fools. That's how we were all born, right? We were sons of men who were born simple and born foolish, but this eternal, everlasting wisdom and work of God wants to do something in us. It wants to make us a new creature. a new creature that we're no longer part of the originals, we become a new generation. We become new creatures. Not classified as simple, who is still in the dark, and a fool who still does life our way, but one who sees things God's way. So I use that term because we hear that a lot these days, the OGs, the originals. Well, you see, in this world we live in, you don't want to be still connected to Adam. the original, because that is just a connection to death. That's a connection to despair. That's a connection to saying you gotta be made a new creature in Christ. Now, the only one can do that is the Lord, right? We don't make ourselves new creatures, but what do we do? We put ourself in position to hear, to listen, to listen to this wisdom crying out. Why? Because whatever wisdom says is excellent. It's excellent. Look in verse six. Listen, for I will speak what? Of excellent things. Of excellent things. What's your translation, sister? Important things. Important things. What does yours say, Kylie? Important things. Janet, excellent things? Listen, for I will speak excellent things, and from the openings of my lips will come right things. You gotta remember, wisdom, which we're talking about a personification. We're talking about the Lord here. He never gets it wrong. Wisdom never gets it wrong. Now, I'm prone to get it wrong, but wisdom is not prone to get it wrong. Wisdom is never wrong. Another thing you've heard me say before, wisdom is never rude, wisdom is never crude, and wisdom is never lewd. You see it in this. Listen to verse seven. For my mouth will speak what? Truth. Wickedness is an abomination to my lips. All the words of my mouth are with righteousness. Nothing crooked or twisted, perverse is in them. So we can say wisdom never gets it wrong. Jesus never gets it wrong. Jesus was never rude, Jesus was never crude, and Jesus was never lewd. Why? Because this is dealing with him. This is him speaking to us in personification of these things. And also we see an abundance here, right? Wisdom is what? Always speaking, it's speaking everywhere. Reminds me of the garden. Remember the Garden of Eden? What did God provide in the garden? He says of all the trees in the garden, you can eat abundance with the exception of one tree, just one tree, just one tree. But what did the enemy inevitably provoke Eve and Adam to eat of? That one forbidden tree out of all the abundant trees. Did they need that one tree? No, why? They had who? They had God. So they didn't need that tree of knowledge. See on that tree of knowledge, they had what? Good fruit, the knowledge of good and evil. They didn't need it when they had God shepherded them. Right? You wouldn't need it. So the abundance here. He also says in verse number nine, the words that I speak, They are plain to him who understands and right to those who find knowledge. Now, that helps me. They're plain and they're right. So I need to be able, if I'm not seeing it clearly, plainly, and I'm not seeing the rightness of it, obviously I'm looking at it the wrong way. I'm looking at it the wrong way. Because God's word is plain. Not that it's plain in the sense that it's dull, but it's clear. It's clear and it's right. Verse 10, receive my instruction and not silver and knowledge rather than gold for wisdom is better than rubies and all the things that one may desire cannot be compared with her. This takes us back to, he's gonna bring it up again, but remember in chapter one, he said the same thing. What was the purpose of the Proverbs to begin with is so that we can recognize wisdom. We can recognize those who are wise and those who are not. We can then recognize what? The instruction of wisdom. And then we can recognize the instruction of fools. He also says to be able to receive that instruction, to be able to release it into other people, and then also reinforce others in their everyday walk. So when we're looking at this, this is telling us exactly the same thing. Look over in, let's just jump over in verse number 22, to just kind of solidify this thought on who this is speaking. Solomon wrote it. Others transcribed it, but we know who's speaking. It's God speaking, right? Verse 22. The Lord possessed me. I was with him at the beginning of his way. And now he's gonna tell us what he means by his way before his works of old. That is before he created all that we know today. I have been established from what? Everlasting from the beginning before there was ever an earth. So before anything was, he says, I was there. Before anything physical was made, Now that is talking about a person, isn't it? We're talking about something that is everlasting, eternal. Verse 24, when there was, and this is just building on it, when there was no depth, I was brought forth. When there was no fountains abounding with water, Before the mountains were settled, before the hills, I was brought forth. Now I want you to think about that word brought forth from this perspective. What is the scriptures? How did the scriptures describe Jesus as a son of God? What does it refer to? The only begotten son of God. What does that mean? The only begotten son of God, the one, and unique son of God. There's nobody like Jesus. But Jesus is eternal, right? But he didn't actually take the name of Jesus until he took upon flesh, but he was always the son of God. And this son of God, the unique son of God, who was brought forth in the plan of God, who is, as John 1 would say, John 1 tells us he's the Word of God. And in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God, and the Word was what? With God. In the beginning was the Word, and all that was made, that was made, was made what? Through him. I'm just drawing this out because this is who we're talking about here. This idea of being brought forth. What's another passage? Revelation 13 says that he's the lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Before anything was fashioned, Revelation 13, eight tells us that. Remember when Jesus said in his prayer to his father in John 17, the glory that we shared in the beginning? Before it all was? This is what we're talking about right here, Brother Shannon. In the beginning, before it all was, in the purpose of God, in the decree of God, this was brought forth. Verse 25, before the mountains were settled, before the hills I was brought forth. Verse 26, while as yet he had made the earth or the fields or the primal dust of the world, when he prepared the heavens, where was he? Was there when he drew a circle on the face of the deep where was he? He was there. So he was there before gravity was there. He was there before anything else was there So if he was there before at all, can you put your confidence in him? Can you can we go to him for solutions in the world we live in We can can't we see but the enemy wants to tell us a lie, doesn't he? He wants to steal that from us, so we go to everything else and we find ourself in despair, but the whole time, we have what it takes, who it takes, to what? Know how to take the next step in life. And not just know what to do, but also how to do it. And this is what wisdom and prudence will give to us. Verse 28, when he established the clouds above, when he strengthened the fountains of the deep, verse 29, when he assigned to the sea its limit so that the waters would not transgress his command, when he marked out the foundations of the earth. I think there was a Psalm recently we read about what happens when the foundations are destroyed. What do you do? You go to your maker, right? Because when man in society destroys the foundations, who do you go to? The one who established the foundations. Scripture says that all the earth and the inhabitants thereof will be dissolved, but the foundation shall endure. Why? Who made the foundations? God did. Verse 30, then I was with him or beside him as a master craftsman, and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him, rejoicing in his inhabited world. And my delight was with the sons of men. Praise God, amen. Praise God, man. So through these, we see a couple of little things that we can just point out. Wisdom is everywhere. Lifting up her voice. Remember, it's in a feminine voice. Remember, we talked about that. Why is it in the feminine voice? Why is it always mentioned? Anytime wisdom is mentioned in the Bible, it's always in a feminine voice as a female. Why is that? Goes back to when things were created. Of course it's poetic, no doubt, but it's much more than poetry. Remember in the beginning when God created man and man didn't have a suitable mate? So what did God do? He brought the beast of the field to him, right? And as a result, there was none that could be a companion to him. So what did God do? He put him to sleep. he took from his side, and from him he formed another man. But in this man, what did he put in her? A womb. A wombed man. A woman who could be his helpmate. That he could be what he was designed to be, she could be what she was designed to be, and now they could be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. He created a woman. And what did God say? It's not good that man shall be alone, so He made him a companion. Somebody to do life with. Somebody to be fruitful with. Somebody to enjoy life with. Now, I think that's reason why God refers to wisdom in the feminine sense, from this light, that it's not good that humanity be without the wisdom of God. God's delight is to be with man. as this says right here, doesn't it? Isn't that what wisdom said in verse 31? I rejoiced in what he made in his inhabited world. Because remember, he said, let us make man in our image. Why wouldn't he delight in them, amen? And my delight was with who? The sons of men. But see, the sons of men, That's why wisdom cries out to the sons of men because the sons of men in the fall need God's wisdom because they lost it, Brother Shannon. They functioned without him. And as a result of functioning without him, it'd be like a man without a woman. There's no fruit, there's no product, there's no reproduction, there's nothing to produce anything without a man and a woman. So man is not to function in this world without God, without his wisdom. And when men do do things without his wisdom, we get the product of what Eve did. What did Adam and Eve did when they operated without God? What did they produce? Death. Death, deception, and destruction. And that's what a world we live in. That's what we produce when we function without him. The same thing. And I think that's why you always see that, Brother Shannon. Anytime God refers to wisdom, it's always about a feminine sense in that. So when we take all this together, we see that wisdom cries out everywhere. Wisdom cries out to everyone, none excluded, everyone. Jesus told us in Mark chapter 16 and verse 15 that this gospel is to be preached to every creature. To every creature. To every creature. Go preach it to every creature. Why? Because all of creation has fallen. And he who believes and is baptized shall be saved, he says. And then he clarifies it. But he who doesn't believe will perish. Will perish. You see, so you go from being an original creation, you got to be made a new creation, a new creature. Well, how do we made a new creature? It's in that good news of the Lord Jesus Christ who births us into a whole new creation before the Lord. That deed then deposits this wisdom into our life. So it's for everyone. It's for everyone. His wisdom is what? Excellent. There's no fault in it. There's no sin in it. There's no wickedness in it. There's no problem with it. It is better than anything this world can offer us in any kind of way. Then we see that wisdom is the example. Who does wisdom dwell with? Who does wisdom run with? Who does wisdom walk with? The prudent. Those who have understanding. Those who fear the Lord. Those who operate within the realm of walking with God. And then wisdom is everlasting. Why? Wisdom is an eyewitness to everything God's made. And as an eyewitness and as a creator, a craftsman himself, he can help us with everything, can't he? Everything. Imagine if we was to bring an eyewitness of somebody who, you knew, we put it out, we had an eyewitness of those who walked on the moon, let's say that, who walked on the moon. There'd be people from all over wanting to come to talk to them and find out and see what they, it was an eyewitness too, right? But if we said we had an eyewitness here, you think people would come? Well, we got an eyewitness to when everything was made, before everything was made, before the moon was hung in the sky. We got an eyewitness to it. That was part of it. Amen. We got it. We got the word. And then the close of it from verse 32 to 36, we see the expectation. The expectation. And what we don't want to do is we don't want to miss the mark on wisdom. Amen. And the problem with that is, is that usually we wasn't trying to aim for the mark. And that's why he says, look, he who sins against me, Jesus, wisdom, wrongs his own soul. All those who hate me, what do they love? They love death. Why? Because wisdom, he, Jesus, he's life. He's creator, amen? He'll grant you life. So there's so much there for us in a world Who needs this more than anything else are gonna need God's help and His wisdom to walk through this. He did this wisdom. The enemy just took advantage of Him. Just manipulated Him, controlled Him. Yeah, it just shows you how far the manipulation of the enemy will push people to come up with, to think of, and then think of what you would go through, and it's mind-boggling. But that's what the enemy wants to do to the world we live in, to the people of this world, is to kill and destroy. We wanna help folks, amen? So we lay our life down and our needs to go bring these things to a world around us who still needs us help, amen. So our hearts are heavy, it's hard, no news anybody ever wants to get. No matter how it happens and no matter what, we don't want to get any news of anybody we care for and love passing away of natural or unnatural causes. We want to intercede for them and ask God's help, amen. So, we'll close with a word of prayer. Anybody have anything? He's good to us, Carolyn, even when we don't have answers for a lot of stuff, huh? What's that? You gonna pray for Stephanie? We sure will, we sure will. All right. Father, we come to you now. We bring this need to you again and we thank you for your help. We thank you for how we see that in chapter 7, the wicked woman, the adulteress, who praise on that wounded person also is seen in the spiritual sense of an enemy, of a lies and falsehood that is looking to take advantage of people. We see it. We just got word of it tonight of how it happens and how her path leads to death. Lord, we're asking you to use us to help people. We know that We can't help everyone, but we can sure be a difference in somebody's life. So we're asking you to send this to them and you to send them to us. That we can be a tool that you can use, a vessel that you could use to speak through. That we can be one of those people that wisdom cries through. That stands on the hill and the gathering places and the city and the pathway and the streets and the gates wherever we meet. that we may be the voice that you speak through. And we're just asking you to help us and be with our church family, be with those around us, that we can be attentive to where people are, that we can notice what people are going through, and that we can be sensitive to your leadership and your lead to be able to plant the right things and the right ones at the right time. So we're just asking for your help now in Jesus' name, amen. Love y'all.