Wise People Seek Wisdom, Part 2

Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ.

I think that God will give me wisdom and joy is not a feeling a stop. It's a perspective that is talking the perspective things work together for my good perspective. You see I can learn obedience through suffering. That's a perspective the current sufferings of my life right now can't be compared the Christ to never leave me nor forsake me, even in the midst of my friends, all these are perspective they produce joy and wisdom in the midst of the trial joining us today on this additional Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of fellowship monitored, located in Metairie, Louisiana Pastor Bill Gebhardt now is once again he shows us how God's word world you do when you're in a lot of pain a lot of stuff what you do.

How does it work that she that requires a certain amount of experience, wisdom many years ago we had a Pilot church is a commercial pilot and I was involved in discipleship ministry with Hammond and originally was a fighter pilot. Then he flew the airlines and I always have all these questions for the sky guys and I will know how you fly a big airliner. One time he said to me said you know in two weeks I could teach you how to fly commercial airliner that taken off and no takeoff in the warnings and land another city. Two weeks so I so the wise guy that I am I said what are they need you know and he said because things go bad. And when you get it goes bad in your in the cockpit. Everybody dies. See that's why am there all yes all automatic. That's why I'm here. In other words, there is a certain amount of wisdom, experience you need. When things go bad, and that's what we need in our life. We need wisdom with me now to James chapter 1 of the New Testament passage we looked at often. James chapter 1 when things go bad I bring to this passage so many times in my life and I've gotta be honest at a certain level. I never like going there there sir certain truth here that no matter how much I want to hold it. I struggle with it is just the way James says it typical of James. He's blunt, but in verse two.

James says this considerate all joy, my brother, when you encounter various trials, consider all joy, my brother. When your life goes bad. Now I want to think about it the last time your life went bad was your first thought, hey, let's consider this all joy.

You see, we don't really do this. This is a struggle for us what you mean. Consider this all joy. That's her right ankle attitude. Certainly not our default mode even tells us why he said knowing that the testing of your faith will not always tell me why things go bad for me at times.

Now he tells me why there's a trial if the testing of your faith, not by the way, when God test you. It's not like when the teacher professor tested when a teacher professor test you a test you, so that they know what you know they want to know how much you know how far along you come. God never test you to know he already knows where you are okay. God knows exactly what the grade is you going to get on the test before it ever comes he test you, so you know how you've done with the test, not God, and he says here then consider all joy, my brother, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance, and let endurance have its perfect or complete result that you may be perfect or mature and complete, and lacking nothing.

Okay, so you're telling me it's a test of my faith and apparently it's good for me but really what he's I'm still struggling with his. I don't know exactly how to cope with that. You see, what's the first question you ask when your life goes bad. If you're honest. Why is this happening to me I meet beyond. Why is this happening to me. Why is this why now she is the wrong question. How often do we see, how can he understand this trial from God's perspective.

How can this trial help me. You know, as a Christian grow closer to the Lord hug since a question we should ask, but some was never the question we ask you see how I cope with this life.

How do I deal with it glasses that you can have the see it from a perspective he then says in verse five. Knowing right where were at.

If any of you lacks wisdom, by the way doesn't mean in a trial that if you ask God be wisdom you would like Solomon your widow. Tell your friends or family bring everything to me.

I am now a wise person.

It doesn't mean that what is talking about. Here's a context. The context is this you will acquire the wisdom to be joyful in the middle of the trial, you will get the wisdom to be joyful in the middle of your trial.

Please understand so often what we think is know what I think. That means if I'm wise enough I'll be able to get out from under the circumstances and see if him if I learned the wisdom wasn't gotta take the trial way numbingly fine. I necessarily all what you learn is how can I be joyful in the midst of the trial and that's a very different kind of thing, and that requires an awful lot of wisdom and that's hard for us. The reason is her self-sufficiency. Hold your place and go with me to the book of Revelation chapter 3 in verse 14, the church of Laodicea. It represents I think so many of us to the angel of the church of Laodicea write the amen the faithful and true witness, the beginning of creation God says this is the Lord speaking. He said I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot.

How I said I wish you were cold or hot. He says so because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spit you out of my mouth so apparently it's not good to be lukewarm about the problem is, why are they lukewarm. I can tell you, in one word there self-sufficient. That's why the lukewarm when you're self-sufficient and what it means.

This civil like this you know I believe in God but I don't need you see I don't need him not to do what I'd I know how to do. See, I know how this works. I know how to succeed. I know how life works. I don't really need God by believing God. Here's what happens. Notice he says this I know your deeds because you say I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing. Nonmember included a nothing is God. I don't anything I not operate I can do this now notices the churches or nonbelievers as the church are lukewarm believers and he says I don't need anything any says you know the problem is you do not know that your wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked.

In other words, you don't understand that your's virtually you see that your spiritually have nothing you think because you been able to cope with life on a certain level that your everything's fine with you, but you're not. He says I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich and white garments of the may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed. And I said doing all your eyes so that you may see those whom I love is that I reprove and discipline. Therefore be zealous, you gotta repent. See what they have to repent of his or her self-sufficiency and the worst thing about self-sufficiency is you end up playing the role of a full and the reason you play the wall before as you say have got a handle I can do this knowing and interesting. The wisest man will ever live said I can handle this. I need counsel, but you and III probably get friends and family. This sworn affidavits for this. You're not the wisest person who ever lived. Okay and was like I don't need anybody else. I make my own mind up. I can decide you see this spot, that's what he said. He said your spiritually naked. You have nothing.

He said, look, you need to come for me to get from me what you need most now is go back to James and put it in that context, he said if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all generously and without reproach cuts as I'll give you the wisdom for this enemy and without reproach means this God is never going to say Bill you again.

I mean you again. Come on, how many of these do you have to go through what's wrong with you as I don't do that is that I won't do that I will not withhold wisdom. You see, now you got understand he's talking about wisdom to be joyful in the midst of the trial.

One of the reasons we don't ask too much about that is, that's not what were looking for were looking for change in circumstances, you see.

Come on by.

This is really a bad day. I want to changed sleep. Got Kelly helping their you see this is going to be really good for you.

This is another version of all things working together for the good. That's what this is using. This is wisdom and think of how wonderful it is you mean it's potential of every believer is that you can be joyful in the midst of the worst days of your life and I'm saying emphatically yes. Who wouldn't want that. You see who won one that were all joyful in the best days of our life. Everybody is you can worship the devil and be joyful in the best days here like God says that someone talk about right in the middle of the trial and he said he knew what the wisdom I give you will change. Now there's a condition of this though he gives a condition for six he must ask in faith without doubting you going to ask in faith, by the way, did you notice that it said in verse three.

Knowing the testing of your what faith and you have to ask in faith. That's what this is all about.

I have to have faith in this. I have to have faith that God will give me the wisdom to be joyful in the midst of my trial is is not a feeling he's talking about. It's a perspective that is talking about that perspective all things work together for my good. That's perspective. You see I can learn obedience through suffering. That's a perspective the current sufferings of my life right now can't be compared with what awaits me in glory, the Christ will never leave me nor forsake me, even in the midst of my trial.

All these are perspective things and they produce joy and wisdom in the midst of the trial, notice what he said he must ask, by the way, to present tense what it tells me you have to keep asking. I don't. This is in a one time prayer is is asking.

By the way.

Pain kinda skews everything doesn't. Sometimes I have to keep asking Lord, I need wisdom in this.

I need to see is from your perspective and I has to ask, and I have to ask God reminds me of the Hebrews passage come boldly to the throne of grace unit. I go boldly to the throne of grace and what am I gonna receive their time or trouble. One of make and receive grace and mercy by way what is it that I need to endure trial grace and mercy. You see that our whole perspective of the trial was make it go away. Make it go away. Make it go away. I can tell you in all most cases it's not going away sis.the Lord has my something much more important. He wants you in a sense that be joyful living as a simple person or cursed world with all of the pain and agony. You could be joyful. He said that's what I want you to have. You need ask me for the wisdom for that kind of insight. He says he must ask in faith without doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. He said for that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord how to one of the most difficult things of pastoring a church over a long period of time is seeing certain people to go from trial after trial and are tossed by the wind. The whole life. Their whole life is robbed from joy.

One trial after another trial after another trial and they never get the joy they just get the turmoil you see why does God not love me. Why won't he change my circumstances, why, why is sad to watch.

He says I have to ask in faith, he said otherwise. He said I won't receive anything.

I'll be double minded, unstable in my ways. He was on explained you said, but the brother of humble circumstances as he said, is to glory in his high position is an analogy you could be dirt poor and his world, he says, and you could glory in your position before God in the midst of trials. Then he says, on the contrary, the rich man is to glory in his humiliation, because like a flowering grass he will pass away what you mean by that. What is the rich man self-sufficient.

He self-sufficient is just like the church of legacy I am rich. I can handle this. He said, you get nothing out of this. He said you see it doesn't matter what the circumstances of your life are this is attainable. The kind of biblical wisdom will produce joy in your circumstances first. 12 Blessed is the man happy is the man who perseveres under trial for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life.

He says will serve the Lord's promise to those who love him.

It's not only greatness life. It's great in the next life.

It's one of the crowns of the New Testament God rewards that because he knows how much faith it takes to persevere under trial and to be joyful, and I know what you might be thinking. Can people really do that yes, it really can. You know sometimes I feel sorry for using these analogies that I use all the time. Over the same lady but sees that special you know I wish there were about 10,000 examples I could use by John Erickson, Todd. I would say I wish there were. But there are not.

She is unique.

John Erickson taught her when she was 17 years old, though in a swimming pool with the typical teenage girl and came out of the water, a quadriplegic and that's her life that now defines her for the rest of her life. 17 full of all kinds of talent and ability, and now a quadriplegic. Shortly after this happens to her.

This is what she writes. She's a child compared to many of you and this is her perspective on what happened or God engineered the circumstances he use them to prove himself as well as my loyalty. Not everyone had this privilege. I felt there were only a few people that God cared for in such a special way that he would entrust them. This kind of experience you and she said I felt that there only a few people that God cared for in such a special way that he would trust them with this kind of experience misunderstanding left me notice this understanding is the biblical wisdom. This understanding left me relaxed and comfortable as I relied on his love exercising newly learned trust. I saw that my injury was not a tragedy but a gift God was using the conformity to the image of his son, something that would mean my ultimate satisfaction. My ultimate happiness.

Yes, my ultimate joy.

See can you see yourself becoming a quadriplegic and that your perspective you see worded that kind of wisdom come from that income from the world that didn't come from the world.

That's not the world's respect to someone's gotta be soon here, you should be someone somebody here.

There's got to be justice done here is letter perspective that didn't even come from inside of her, that came through the spirit of God. You see, that can really be the case, wise people know what they don't know and they know when they don't know it. Wise people with no problem seeking counsel and when the bad times company inevitably do wise people go to God and ask for the wisdom to joyfully endure war that bad day, you'll never be as wise as you are capable of being into your able to tap into the wisdom of God and the wisdom of others for spring. Father. Whenever we face circumstances.

As James speaks about it. Seems so difficult for us to even think about wisdom and virtually never think about joy but father there's something extraordinary about the wisdom you give. It gives us the ability to cope with this life on this planet, surrounded by these people. A life that is marked from time and time again throughout our life with very difficult circumstances very difficult ones doing door father I pray that we understand just how valuable that kind of witnesses. I pray for some of his father that we ask ourselves the question, do I admit it when I don't know what I don't know, do I admit that I have a need to seek counsel not only from you but from others as well.

Father, I fear that so many of us are so self-sufficient that we make the same mistake in the church of Laodicea. We think we have need of nothing, and we make one for its decision after another and instead of one trial comes are likely and full of joy. It's filled with anger and bitterness. Father I pray we understand the risk that we understand and for your glory and for Christ program you ever miss one of our broadcast or maybe you dislike.

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