Be A Wise Guy

Intro: Alton Brown is one of my favorite members of the Food Network. A lot of people give you their recipes, Alton gives you the Biology, History, Word Origin and Chemistry of his meals. He is a Wise Guy. He is the Einstein of Eggplant, the Plato of Potatoes, the Socrates of Spinach, and the Bobby Fisher of field peas.

Some people have knowledge, Alton has wisdom, that is why he is a Wise Guy.

We are told in the New Testament to be Wise Guys.

Be A Wise Guy

Matthew 10:16

(Be wise as serpents, harmless as doves)

today we will examine 5 ways to be a Wise Guy

Be A Wise Guy- not everyone makes it to heaven

I Corinthians 10:1--not everyone who was under the cloud made it to the promise land. This is an amazing verse where Paul shows us that not everyone that saw all the miracles in the desert entered into the promise land. He basically says, even if you go to church, even if you have experienced God in your life, that doesn’t mean you will walk on golden streets.

Paul is warning future generations that being a

member of the church doesnt’ mean you are a

member of the Body of Christ. Paul says you need to

be a Wise Guy. You need to realize that you must

give your life to Christ to be a Christian. You must

be born again to enter heaven.

Be A Wise Guy- Christians need God’s Power in life.

I Corinthians 12:1- Don’t be ignorant concerning Spiritual gifts. Paul gives us another warning in our walk with God. Don’t try to live for God out of your flesh, but walk in the Spirit of God. If you walk in the Spirit you will win, if you walk in yourself you will lose. Be a Wise Guy, know that God will empower you for every battle, give you strength for every test, and in the Spirit you will soar.

Flesh and blood won’t enter into the kingdom of

heaven. The weapons of your warfare are not carnal

but mighty through God to the pulling down of

strongholds. God gives Spiritual gifts to the body of

Christ, and you must desire the power of God.

Be a Wise Guy- Know the Devils bag of Tricks

2 Corinthians 2:11-Don’t be ignorant concerning the devices of the devil. Paul moves into

Spiritual warfare. He basically says to the church,

don’t be unaware of the plans, the tricks, the traps of

Satan. The best way to beat temptations is to know

how the devil lays down the traps. Be a Wise Guy,

know the enemies move before he makes them. So

many times young Christians fall into traps that

older Christians know how to avoid. Realize the

devil will attack you at two times in your life the

most. When you are weak in your walk with God, he

loves trying to get you when your are tired, down or

a little discouraged. The other time he lays out

traps is when you have won great victories for the

Lord, he will try to set you up with pride, that comes

before every fall. Know how the devil operates, so

you can see something coming a mile away.

Be A Wise Guy-Be ready for Christ’s return

I Thessalonians 4:13-don’t be ignorant about those who fell asleep, ( are dead) People in the early church were confused about those who died in Christ. Paul says, be a Wise Guy about death and the Coming of the Lord in the clouds. He basically says, death lost the victory, sin lost it’s sting. Those who have died in the faith will be ressurrected to a new life, with a glorified body. When Christ returns, the dead will rise first, then we which are alive will meet them in the air, to ever be with the Lord. Comfort each other with these words. Be a Wise Guy--know that death isn’t the end, but the beginning. Know that every day you must live your life as if today was the day of the Lord’s return. Always be prepared, never be Spiritually asleep, for no man knows the day or the hour that Jesus will come to take the Bride with Him.

Be A Wise Guy- eternity is a long, long time

2 Peter 3:8- don’t be ignorant to the fact that a day with the Lord is like a thousand years, a thousand years is like a day. Over the years I have heard hundreds of explanations about what this verse means, but the best is that eternity is timeless. That God doesn’t operate on man’s limited time table, but is so vast that thousands of years are like one piece of sand on the seashore. This is a very sobering verse because eternity means forever. Those who live for Christ make it to an eternity with God, those who don’t live an eternity without Him.