INTRO.- There is a difference in wisdom. There is the wisdom of man or the wisdom of the world and the wisdom of God.
Here is the wisdom of the world.
* "I’m not afraid to die. I just don’t want to be there when it happens." Woody Allen
I would say that’s stupid wisdom. When a person leaves this world in death they will be there, at least, in body, perhaps not in mind.
* "Death is nature’s way of telling you to slow down." Anonymous No, to me, death is God saying, “Your life on earth is over.”
* "A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and goes to bed at night and in between does what he wants to do." Bob Dylan
Doing what a person wants to do, does not make them a success. Certainly not in the eyes of God. Success is doing what God wants us to do.
* "Imagination is more important than knowledge." Albert Einstein I would have to disagree. If Einstein had said that faith is more important than knowledge that would have been a different matter. Imagination does nothing for us unless it is based on a good knowledge of God’s Word.
* "Why fear death? It is the most beautiful adventure in life." Sigmund Freud
The Christian should not fear death. The unbeliever should, however. I personally cannot say that death is a beautiful adventure. I would think not. It can only be coped with, endured or survived with the Lord by our side.
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for thou art with me.”
* "Poor is the pupil who does not surpass their Master." Leonardo da Vinci
Da Vinci’s words may apply to our earthly masters, but certainly not to our heavenly Master. We can never surpass Him. When it comes to Jesus, we’ve all fallen short.
* "I am an idealist. I don’t know where I’m going but I’m on the way." Carl Sandburg
That’s a dumb statement. That’s like saying, “Let’s go do something even if it’s wrong.” Many people are indeed going somewhere, but they have no idea where it is. We should, however.
Here is the wisdom of God.
* "The really great person is the person who makes every person feel great." G.K. Chesterton This is true, because it’s based on the Scripture of building up one another.
Rom. 15:1-2 “We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.”
* "A loving heart is the truest wisdom." Charles Dickens
This, again, is based on Scripture that love is the greatest good in the world and is therefore, true wisdom.
* "The purpose of human life is to serve and to show compassion and the will to help others." Albert Schweitzer
Smart man. I would say he is echoing the words of our Lord who said to love our neighbor as ourselves. Matt. 22:39
* " ’Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all." Alfred Lord Tennyson
It’s sad indeed for the person who never learns to love others. It is also true that in loving others, there are times when you lose. Not everyone returns love to whom it is given. Still, we must continue to love others.
* "If you judge people, you have no time to love them." Mother Teresa
When we judge a person in the sense of being critical and/or condemning we are most certainly not loving them.
Now for the real stuff from the Word of God. In this case, the proverbial wisdom of God.
I. CHEER
15:30 “A cheerful look brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones.”
Cheers to you! We need to cheer up one another anyway we can. With cheerful words and cheerful looks.
ILL.- The Duke of Wellington, the British military leader who defeated Napoleon at Waterloo, was not an easy man to serve under. He was brilliant, demanding, and not one to shower people with compliments. But even Wellington realized that his methods left something to be desired. In his old age a young lady asked him what, if anything, he would do differently if he had his life to live over again. Wellington thought for a moment, then replied. "I’d give more praise.”
Brothers and sisters, we all need to give more praise to people, more cheer. We all need to be cheerleaders for others. It’s a great way to build people and this is what we all need.
What kinds of words cheer up people? Here are a few: “Way to go. Good job. Hooray for you. Thank you. Great. Bless you. Fantastic. Right on. Outstanding. Tremendous. Wow, what a job. Amazing. Super job. Keep up the good work.”
We need to bring cheer into people’s lives by saying good words to them, by commending them.
ILL.- My mother only heard me preach one time in person, but while she lived in the nursing home at Joplin, MO, she would listen to my sermons on cassette tape. I was told that she would listen and laugh heartily. One time while visiting with her she said, “You are a good preacher. Where did you learn to preach like that?” What a wonderful compliment from a loving mother.
ILL.- Probably one of the best responses I’ve ever had from anyone was at my mother’s funeral. I spoke briefly at her service about her last week in the nursing home, which I was fortunate enough to share. After the service people went forward for the viewing. There were several girls from the National Healthcare who went forward and as they did, I stepped up to hug each of them. Their names were: Heather, Judy, Kelly, Debbie and Jill.
Kelly from Social Services was the first person with whom I had contact at the nursing home and helped me to get mother settled in. She worked in social services. When I hugged Kelly, she said, “I love you.” HER WORDS COULDN’T HAVE BEEN BETTER! I can’t begin to tell you what those words meant to me.
Words of love do bring joy to our hearts.
ILL.- I remember preaching here for the first time and afterward I was both impressed and depressed. Lorna Fanning said to me, “You’re good.” But I also noticed that several people slept through my preaching.
Seriously, when people do good we need to be quick to cheer them or bring joy into their lives by commending them. We also do this with a cheery look or smile.
ILL.- Someone said, “A smile costs nothing but creates much. It enriches those who receive without impoverishing those who give. It happens in a flash and the memory of it sometimes lasts forever.
“None are so rich they can get along without it, and none so poor but are richer for its benefits. A smile creates happiness in the home, fosters goodwill in a business, and is the countersign of friends. It is rest to the weary, daylight to the discouraged, sunshine to the sad, and nature’s best antidote for trouble.
“Yet it cannot be bought, begged, borrowed, or stolen, for it is something that is no earthly good to anybody until it is given away. Nobody needs a smile so much as those who have none left to give.”
ILL.- It needs so little sympathy
To cheer a weary way,
Sometimes a little kindness
Lights up a dreary day;
A very simple, friendly word
May hope and strength impart,
Or just an understanding smile
Revive some fainting heart;
And, like a sudden sunlit ray,
Lighting a darkened room,
A sunny spirit may beguile
The deepest depths of gloom.
“A cheerful look brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones.”
What about this good news giving health to the bones? I know that perhaps you’ve been chilled to the bone. But have you ever been thrilled to the bone? Good news can do that for you.
What kinds of good news can bring health to the bones? "You’re getting a raise!" "You’ve just won the lottery!" "You’ve just been chosen for a free two-week trip to Hawaii!" "You’re going to have a baby!" "Your daughter is going to have a baby!" Or how about, "You’re going to heaven!"
Good news is always good news. It affects us in many ways: lifts the spirit, brightens the face and perhaps brings health to the bones. Anything that brings overall health to the human body also brings it to the bones. So, good news does give health to the bones!
II. MOTIVES
16:2 “All a man’s ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the Lord.”
What are you ways? How do you live? What do you do? All a man’s ways are innocent to him.
ILL.- The actor Patrick Duffy (of Dallas fame) appeared on the July 19th, 1999 installment of Bill Maher’s Politically Incorrect on ABC where the producers were trying to build a religiously diverse panel to discuss the meaning of life.
Bill: [...] you’re a practicing Buddhist.
Patrick: Mm-hmm.
Bill: For how long?
Patrick: 30 years.
Bill: 30 years.
Patrick: Yeah.
Bill: Now, what would they say about something like this [tragic death of JFK Jr]? How do they deal with life?
Patrick: Well, it’s a completely different concept, because it deals solely with individual karma.
Bill: Right.
Patrick: And it deals with the fact, in essence, you know, come right out and say it, that there is no God, that the individual is God.
Bill: Right.
Patrick: And that’s as far as it goes. I mean, literally, you are the sole person responsible for all causes in your life.
Bill: Right. Buddha is not a God.
Patrick: No, Buddha is a teacher.
Bill: Right.
Patrick: Which was what Christ was, in my opinion, in terms of historical relevance.
Bill: Right. But, Buddha made a point in his life to say, "Don’t make me a God."
Patrick: Yeah, he said there is there is no distinctions between any person -- myself, you or the universe.
Brothers and sisters, it’s rather obvious that the actor Patrick Duffy is not a believer. He doesn’t believe in God and he most certainly doesn’t believe in Jesus Christ as the son of God. He is right in his own eyes. His ways are innocent to himself.
ILL.- Is there a God? Angelina Jolie: Hmm... For some people. I hope so, for them. For the people who believe in it, I hope so. There doesn’t need to be a God for me. There’s something in people that’s spiritual, that’s godlike. I don’t feel like doing things just because people say things, but I also don’t really know if it’s better to just not believe in anything, either.
ILL.- "Do you believe in God?" Andy Rooney of CBS responded "No, of course I don’t [believe in God] and anyone who tells you that there is a god who make his or her presence known to him or her is hallucinating or not telling the truth."
“All a man’s ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the Lord.”
While some of these people may be decent in the way that they live, one thing is sure, THE LORD KNOWS THEIR HEARTS.
He knows our hearts and motives too.
ILL.- A younger preacher said to an older preacher one time, “I sure love to preach.” The older preacher replied, “Yes, but do you love the people to whom you preach?” The Lord knows, does He not? The Lord knows whether we truly love people or not.
ILL.- Remember Judas the betrayer who kissed Jesus on the cheek? The Lord knew the heart of Judas.
ILL.- Who was he? He made free use of Christian vocabulary. He talked about the blessing of the Almighty and the Christian confessions which would become the pillars of the new government. He assumed the earnestness of a man weighed down by historic responsibility. He handed out pious stories to the press, especially to the church papers. He showed his tattered Bible and declared that he drew the strength for his great work from it as scores of pious people welcomed him as a man sent from God.
Who was he? Adolf Hitler.
ILL.- A rather pompous-looking deacon was trying to impress a class of boys the importance of living the Christian life. "Why do people call me a Christian?" he asked. After a moment’s pause, one youngster said, "Maybe it’s because they don’t know you very well.” There is one person who knows us all very well.
ILL.- - We sing “Sweet Hour of Prayer” and are content with 5-10 minutes a day.
- We sing “Onward Christian Soldiers” and wait to be drafted into His service.
- We sing “O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing” and don’t use the one we have.
- We sing “There Shall be Showers of Blessing” but do not come when it rains.
- We sing “Blest Be the Tie That Binds” and let the least little offense sever it.
- We sing “Serve the Lord With Gladness” and gripe about all we have to do.
- We sing “I Love to Tell the Story” and never mention it at all.
- We sing “We’re Marching to Zion” but fail to march to worship or church school.
- We sing “Cast Thy Burden on the Lord” and worry ourselves into a nervous breakdown.
- We sing “The Whole Wide World for Jesus” and never invite our next-door neighbor.
- We sing “Throw Out the Lifeline” and content ourselves with throwing out the fishing line.
II Tim. 2:19 “The Lord knows those who are His…”
I don’t believe that God expects us to be perfect or to be perfectionists. I really don’t. No more than we expect our children to be perfect. But He does want us to love Him and serve Him as best we can. And He knows when we do this from the heart or not.
CONCLUSION--------------------------------------
ILL.- Someone wisely said, “You don’t have to be listed in Who’s Who to know what’s what.”
To know what is what and what is not in life, we need to continue to listen to God in His Word. His wisdom is always right and never fails. Regardless of what people say, regardless of what the world preaches, we must always get our wisdom from God.
