We are going to talk about wisdom today. I thought I would contrast the wisdom of Scripture with the wisdom of the world. Here are a few gems of wisdom I found concerning the wisdom of the world; in a minute I will explain the wisdom of a believer.
From the world someone said…
Accept that some days you’re the pigeon, and some days you’re the statue.
I can please only one person per day. Today is not your day. Tomorrow isn’t looking good either.
Last night I lay in bed looking up at the stars in the sky and I thought to myself, "Where the heck is the ceiling?!"
There are very few personal problems that cannot be solved through a suitable application of high explosives.
Good news is just life’s way of keeping you off balance.
Politicians and diapers have one thing in common. They should both be changed regularly and for the same reason.
I considered atheism but there weren’t enough holidays.
My inferiority complex is not as good as yours.
I am having an out of money experience.
I plan on living forever. So far, so good.
Not afraid of heights-afraid of widths.
I have kleptomania, but when it gets bad, I take something for it.
Well, are you ready to get into God’s Word and learn some true wisdom? Turn in your Bibles to Ephesians 5 as we look at the wisdom for believers Paul wrote of in verses 15-17. The first thing we learn is…
I. Wise Believers know how to live. Verse 15, “Be careful how you live, not as unwise but as wise.
Reading Proverbs can learn much. There are extensive passages on living the life of the fool or the life of the wise. Proverbs 14 as an extensive catalog of the differences. Verse 1 tells us, “The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.”
Proverbs 14:3, “A fools talk brings a rod to his back, but the lips of the wise protect them.”
Proverbs 14:6, “The mocker seeks wisdom and finds none, but knowledge comes easily to the discerning.”
Proverbs 14:7, “Stay away from a foolish man, for you will not find knowledge on his lips.”
Proverbs 14:9, “Fools mock at making amends for sin, but goodwill is found among the upright.”
Proverbs 14:16, “A wise man fears the Lord and shuns evil, but a fool is hotheaded and reckless.”
On and on I could read these principles of life and I hope during the week you will take some time to read more and discuss these nuggets in your community groups this week.
Paul said to be care how you life, as wise people not as foolish. When the Bible speaks of a fool, it is not talking of someone who might have intellectual limitations, rather, it speaks of the person who is without Christ and as a result lives a life of foolishness, wasting what potential could come from being a Christian with eternity ahead.
If we as believers are careful in how we live, we will learn how to walk around the evil influences of our culture so we can remain untouched by worldly influence. When we are not careful, temptation is but a heartbeat away, tugging at us, trying to lure us into unwise behavior.
Do you know what gets more Christians in trouble than one would care to think about? They have made no plans for how to avoid falling into the travails of the world. Jesus spoke of the builder who goes about the task of building a home. When he is preparing, he counts the cost so he has what it takes to finish the project. Laura and I are doing some remolding, we have sat down with pen and paper, went out to suppliers, calculated what it was going to cost to finish the job. No one wants to have a half finished roof, or a partly carpeted home with bare wood showing. People would think that foolishness that might walk by or come in. Yet, how many people do not carry out the calculations on what it cost to avoid temptation and sin, finding themselves in foolish living. If the prodigal son would have take the time to calculate, he would have had more than enough money to make it through life, yet, how did he live? For the moment without thought. Don’t be like the fool. Read the word, spend time in prayer, study and prove yourself as wise.
Paul taught we need to know how to live, and in living, secondly…
II. Wise believers seize the day.
Ephesians 5:16, “making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.”
I have said before, The opportunity of a lifetime must be seized in the lifetime of the opportunity. Carpe Diem, “seize the day.”
We have a limited amount of time on earth.
C.S. Lewis wrote in his book, The Screwtape Letters, “There is a legend about Satan and his imps planning their strategy for attacking the world that’s hearing the message of salvation. One of the demons says, “I’ve got the plan, master. When I get on earth and take charge of people’s thinking, I’ll tell them there’s no heaven.”
The devil responds, “Ah, they’ll never believe that. This Book of Truth is full of messages about the hope of heaven through sins forgiven. They won’t believe that. They know there’s a glory yet future.”
On the other side of the room another says, “I’ve got the plan. I’ll tell ‘em there’s no hell.”
“No good,” he says. “Jesus, while He was on earth, talked more of hell than of heaven. They know in their hearts that their wrong will have to be taken care of in some way. They deserve nothing more than hell.”
And one brilliant little imp in the back stood up and said, “Then I know the answer. I’ll just tell them there’s no hurry.” And he’s the one Satan chose.”
Lewis hit the nail on the head since it seems believers have lost the sense of urgency, thinking they have many more tomorrows while Satan is lulling the earth into disbelief. We must learn to seize the day.
Top seize the day requires passion yet it seems we live more in a world of apathy than passion. Friedrich Nietzsche, a German philosopher wrote of a madman who charged into the marketplace in a medieval town, leaping onto the steps of the cathedral he cried out to the crowd, “I want a requiem mass, I want a requiem mass,” over and over again. Finally someone yelled out, “Who has died?” To which this madman answers, “God is dead.”
The crowd mocked his seemingly absurdity, and the madman answered their mocks asking, “If God is not dead, then why have the churches become mortuaries?”
The fact is, it is not God who has died, rather, it is people who have refused to seize the day but continue in their foolishness because they have developed an apathetic or should I say pathetic heart toward God.
Paul states wise believers are to know how to live, and they are to seize the day, living a life of passion and finally…
III. Wise believers understand God’s Will.
Ephesians 5:17, “Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.”
Knowing God’s will is not based on a feeling we might have because feelings change, it is based on knowing God and His word, time spent in prayer discerning the call of God for our lives.
If you are struggling understanding His will, start with those places in Scripture where there is no doubt. 1 Timothy 2:3,4 reads, “This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” From this we know it is God’s expressed will that all men and women come to the saving knowledge of who He is, therefore each of us has a stake in seeing His will fulfilled when we share Christ and live a life where others can see Christ in us, being imitators of God as we spoke of becoming last week.
We know from 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 it is God’s will that we remain pure. Paul wrote, “3 It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should learn to control his own bodya in a way that is holy and honorable, 5 not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God;” Heathens do what heathens do best, sin. But for the believer, it is God’s will they do not behave in that manner but live a life that is holy and honorable. God’s will.
We become so concerned about God’s personal will for our lives that we throw caution to the wind, forgetting to concentrate on those areas where we already know His will, yet it is in doing what we know is right God brings further revelation into our situations.
A mature believer will seek out God’s will in prayer, and they will also know God’s Word so they can discern what is from their heart and what comes from the heart of God.
Romans 12:1,2, speaking of transformation, tells us, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spirituala act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
There is a transformation, which takes place when we walk in the Light of Christ allowing Him to lead us.
You might be here today, off track. Like the monorail, colliding on a bend in the track. Well, the Seattle monorail will be pressed back into service when repairs are completed, and you can be pressed back into service as you allow the Holy Spirit to do a cleansing work in your life, as you ask God to forgive you, get yourself back into the Word, back into prayer, and watch as God’s will becomes a rhema revelation, personal to you.
Lets take time to close in prayer and do business with God.
