Wisdom is not just being able to count

• Wisdom of the Crowd
• “Artificial Intelligence”

True wisdom comes from the Lord

Proverbs 9:10

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

1 Corinthians 1:30

30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.

1 Corinthian 3:19

For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness”;

Proverbs 1:22-23

22 “How long will you who are simple love your simple ways?
    How long will mockers delight in mockery
    and fools hate knowledge?
23 Repent at my rebuke!
    Then I will pour out my thoughts to you,

• Counting is not wrong but….
• What does our counting tells us about our trust in God?

How do we apply God’s wisdom and exercise faith

• Counting what we have?
• Counting our odds?

*How do we count the cost of following Jesus?

Applying God’s wisdom and exercising faith:
Counting what we have

John 6:5-12

5 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” 6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.

7 Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”

8 Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, 9 “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”

10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). 11 Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.

12 When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” 13 So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.

7 Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”

• Who is our creator and provider?

Exodus 4:11-12

11 The Lord said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”

• Can I offer what I have for the Lord?

1 Timothy 6:7-8

For we brought nothing into the world, so we cannot carry anything out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these.

Counting Odds

8 Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, 9 “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”

• What is God’s will?
  Judges 7:2-32 The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, ‘My own strength has saved me.’ 3 Now announce to the army, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’” So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained.Deuteronomy 32:30How could one man chase a thousand,
      or two put ten thousand to flight,
  unless their Rock had sold them,
      unless the Lord had given them up? 
• Who am I?
  Luke 12:7Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
  Psalm 56: 8-11You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book? 
• Which hill will you die on?
  

  1 Samuel 2:30

  Those who honour me I will honour, but those who despise me will be disdained

God of Hope – above lack and odds

• Who is our creator and provider?
• Can I offer what I have for the Lord?
• What is God’s will?
• Who am I?
• Which hill will you die on?

Who is the God we worship?

• Bad things will turn out for good

Romans 8:28

28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

• Our good thing can never be taken away

Romans 8:38-39

38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

• Best things are yet to come

Romans 8:24-25

 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

Romans 8:31

If God is for us, who can be against us?

Count the cost of following Jesus

Luke 14:25-27

25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. 27 And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

Luke 14:28-30

28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? 29 For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, 30 saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’

• Being counted as a disciple
• Count and re-order our “loves”
  – Hope
  – Freedom

… living a just and holy life requires one to be capable of an objective and impartial evaluation of things: to love things, that is to say, in the right order, so that you do not love what is not to be loved, or fail to love what is to be loved, or have a greater love for what should be loved less, or an equal love for things that should be loved less or more, or a lesser or greater love for things that should be loved equally. 

Saint Augustine 

• Count our own costs and carry the cross

“Right is right even if no one is doing it; wrong is wrong even if everyone is doing it.”
― Saint Augustine

Philippians 3:8

 “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord”