What if wisdom isn’t a religious add-on—but the way life actually works?

In this exegetical sermon from Proverbs 3:13–35, we confront the defining question of the chapter—and of life itself: Who are the wise, and who are the foolish? The answer, Scripture says, determines how you truly fare in the world.

This passage reveals wisdom as the open secret of the universe—available to every human being by God’s common grace—yet only grasped by those willing to seek, find, and hold fast. From creation itself to everyday decisions, wisdom is shown not as money, power, or pleasure, but as the skill of living life well. Money may buy things, but wisdom creates peace, rest, security, and joy.

The sermon unfolds in two movements:

• Proverbs 3:13–26 shows wisdom as God’s tool in creation and His gift for personal protection, confidence, and rest.

• Proverbs 3:27–35 calls God’s people to live wisely in a culture of death—through generosity, trust, humility, and love of neighbor.

Along the way, we trace wisdom from the Tree of Life in Genesis to the tree of the cross, where Christ secures what wisdom promises but sin forfeited. The final verses press the unavoidable question home: What kind of life are you building—and what will it reveal about your wisdom?

This message is a roadmap for those longing to enter God’s “promised land” way of living—where sinners are saved, communities are shaped by wisdom, and lives are formed by the fear of the Lord.