Wisdom And Doors - Part 2

Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ. The matter you get to work because right taken very seriously the idea of it is your commitment choices you make every good identity choices calculate for you just raise your hands and joining us today on this additional Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana Pastor Bill Gebhardt now is once again he shows us how God's word meets our world a tragedy in your life. Trials in your life. Every one of those, choices you're facing it now. What you do. The choice is yours. He says consider all joy, my brother, when you encounter various trials because you understand what's really going on. Knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance, and endurance will have its perfect result that you will be perfect and complete, and lacking in nothing. In other words this holdings can help you grow up spiritually so you should be joyful, God is going to use this trial. This tragedy this difficulty and help you grow away when we see that we see that's nice but I don't feel that I still know what to do. So what you say verse five, but if any of you lacks wisdom, see that's what I need to make a choice. I need to have wisdom that's what I need I need wisdom. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach to be given to what Gary says God will supply the wisdom you need to make right choices. That's an amazing promise in the word of God, God will supply the wisdom to you to make right choices in your life so so right there. I want to show you how important that is.

Go with me. Now back to Proverbs chapter 8 Proverbs chapter 8 Proverbs chapter 8, Solomon is writing and he personifies wisdom. What's interesting is in Scripture. Wisdom is a woman now that might be guys because it fits women better than men. Women might be wiser is a woman, no doubt about it. When the personification income all the pronouns enter some really wonderful things that is said here in Proverbs 8 does not wisdom. Call and understanding lift up her voice on the top of the heights beside the way with the past meet. She takes her stand. This is great imagery we sing about wisdom is wisdom's calling wisdom calling and you know where wisdom is at the highest place in the city in way that is. That's the temple there was for the most important building at the highest place. That's a wisdom's as I stand above it on calling to you and by the way, were all the crossroads occur. In other words, what does that mean to us wisdom is for real life wisdom is for real life. Real choices the way it works and then he says besides the gates in the opening of the city and at the entrance of the door. She cries out and then in verse four and five, it says this to you all men, I call in my voice as the sons of men own naïve ones, understand prudence over fools understand wisdom in what she calls out because so many of us lack. It we don't have wisdom but the proverb says were naïve and were fools you see in the problem is if you're naïve or you're a fool. I can guarantee you something you will make one bad decision, one bad choice go through one wrong board day after day after day. That's why wisdom calls you with some conferences. Look, you don't have to live this way. I call out to you. You don't have to do that he smell he said nobody says how great wisdom as he says in verse six he says listen, for I shall speak noble things in the opening of my lips reveal right things in my mouth water. Truth and wickedness is an abomination to my lips and all the utterances of my mouth are in righteousness. There is nothing crooked or perverted in them.

They are all straightforward to heal him, and one understands and write to those who find knowledge take my instruction and not silver, and knowledge rather than the choices gold, for wisdom is better than jewels and all these horrible things cannot compare terror, nothing will give you a better life in wisdom. Nothing else is close just the nose versus Solomon says that wisdom is noble and wisdom is right and it wisdom is truthful, when wisdom is righteous and that wisdom has unparalleled value and basically God's sake, I'll give it to you and wisdom is calling out, I want you to have it in.

The only thing that could stop you is you. Chapter 9 Proverbs in verse three. Same idea. She has sent out her maidens. She calls in the top to the heights of the city. Whoever is naïve and I'm turning here to him lacks understanding, she says, come eat my food and drink of the wine that I have mixed for sake of falling and live and proceed in the way of understanding how God wants us to choose well by applying wisdom through our choices and glances and I make wisdom available. I want you to have it so that you would have life indeed humming do I develop wisdom in my life wondering obvious need to know God and I need to know the word, but there's four things I think they can really help us develop wisdom in our life. The first is inferred in-depth Galatians chapter 6 in the New Testament, Galatians chapter 6 right at the end of the book the setting for this verse is kind of interesting. Not because it follows seven and eight because it follows seven notice in verse seven says of Galatians 6 do not be deceived, God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, this Hillary what you mean.

You make choices you face the consequences of your choices.

You can't lock that way you can't make terrible choices and then read wonderful results. It won't work like that.

He said he said for the one who sows to his own flesh he said will from his own flesh reap corruption, one who sows into the spirit will he said in the Spirit reap eternal life. Do you think that he's inferring here. The choice of Christ. You can choose Christ to not use Christ but you will face the consequences of your choice and you either have eternal life or you will have eternal separation God.

He said it's just that clear. God is not mocked. The choice is yours. And then he says to us who have made that first choice. Let us not lose heart and doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially those of the household of faith. The first step in developing wisdom would be this practice on small doors before your facing the gigantic decision of your life. The most important thing you ever decide practice on small doors notice is inferred in the sense of what we have opportunity, let's do good to people. Let's make choices to do good to people why that's wise. You see it's wisely been Jesus. I love the Lord your God with all your heart mind soul and strength and love your neighbor as yourself. So if I if I lived out that love when Debbie wise.

You see when that make sense and all the small choices that I make every single day. The trouble is, we don't often pray or seek wisdom was small choices take care that way for the big one, the criteria of the small choices. First question comes out of this is good for other people. If you make a decision today. Is that good for other people.

I can say for you. Most the time our decisions and choices on small matters are pretty self-centered.

This can be good for me now is a good for other people.

Secondly, does this choice reflect my love for the Lord. If this is what I'm choosing to visit reflect my love for the Lord. And thirdly, my thankful for each choice that I have during the course of the day because it's all maturing me give an example hub something it didn't seem that big and a certain level.

The sugar in everyday choice and how important it can be. Paul and Silas are in prison in acts 16. Everybody's praying for them to get out. Then all of a sudden around midnight. The doors of the prison open its pitch black. The doors open up now I'm up in the prison, but my guess would be if it's midnight doors open up.

Basically there's one choice you usually make one everybody run the doors open up.

The jailer was convinced that's the choice everybody makes because it got that make sense not to Paul and Silas and run.

They just stayed.

He was stunned, but did that choice reflect their love for someone else or other people because they stay there by the ways that I can't believe you haven't left, because if you left it was the cost me my life. I was going to die. I'll be executed for letting you and then only did they not let him be executed but guess what else they did they share Christ with them. He said what must I do have eternal life is a believer Lord Jesus Christ and he did so, here's a guy that comes to Christ and by the way you find out later that night. His family comes the Christ, and guess what all because of a choice which is normally the doors open one for the novel stadium and talk to him see you never know what a divine opportunity is her divine appointment in your own life you just don't know if you think it what is good for other people might change the way you make small choices in your life practice on small doors.

Secondly, when possible. Allow time for big door decisions when possible. Allow time for big door decisions turn to Luke 14 the words of Jesus Christ. Jesus takes a dog made one of the biggest choices you ever make Jesus talking about do you want to be my follower nylon asking you what your sins forgiven.

Get go to heaven because Albert your sin. I have another question. He said you want to be my follower is if you want to be my disciple. Not only is a no-brainer yeah yeah that would is a big decision, though you do that don't to CA so here's what Jesus says in verse 28 of 14.

He says, for which one of you when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough the completed sit down and calculate the cost, he said otherwise. When he is laid a foundation is not able to finish all who observe it will begin to ridicule him saying this man.

He said, "he wasn't able to finish you want to be my follower first thing I want to do is to stop and I went to the calculate the cost of being Michael a takes time. You see, I want you to calculate the cost is just a matter that you get to work cross around her neck where you put a bumper sticker on your car to be my follower, you see, if you want to be my follower him Lord of your life. You have to understand.

You see, and I will take you very seriously is my follower and the idea of it is your commitment to choices you make every day I can be choices that will be completely influenced by me but calculate that for you just raise your hands. Again, that's what I want to do. Then he goes on to says notice what he says next completes in a different way or what Jamie when he sets out to meet another king in battle will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with 10,000 men in it to encounter the one coming against him with 20,000 not about you when I first read that first no-brainer I got 10,000 is not 21 fight this guy, that's not always true, though, is it depending on the logistics. Depending on the strategy depending on my 10,000 depending on how we can fight there's a lot to consider here. It's not just a simple as 10 to 20 Jesus you know that so what King wouldn't sit down, relax, and then consider the cost Jesus is that's what you need to do if you're gonna be my follower and that's what we need to do any time you have a big door decision. You don't want to make a big door decision and 30 seconds now, I do believe when he says the planes on fire. Here's a parachute you will make that decision in less than 30 seconds, but most of life's not like that most the life of the biggest decisions you make.

You don't be hasty. Think of how many people made impulsive decisions about who they marry. Just some impulsive decision and boy they spend years and years because of that decision. So practice on small doors when possible. Allow time for a big door decisions and the third was found in Proverbs chapter 12 Proverbs chapter 12 is find a lot of places, but Proverbs 12 verse 15 Proverbs 1215 the way of the full is right in his own eyes, but a wise man is he who listens to counsel for that's very important.

The third step would be this ask wise people to help you if you're going to make a big door decision ask wise people to help you notice the full member does it this when you're around somebody it always in every single decision and choices because I said so because I'm always right. That's the way it is you are in the presence of the full merciful never considers that and I never really grow and make good decisions and wise man seeks counsel when you seek counsel from the wisest people you can put around you.

I don't want to sound offensive here because I don't necessarily know all your friends and family. But just because you have friends and family loving people doesn't mean it otherwise. Certainly with biblical wisdom. I can't tell you how many bad decisions. I have heard in the decision always is.

Why talk to my sister. I talked to my neighbor Rob said it's a good idea and that's it. See have to be careful that's not necessarily wisdom so just came to me this morning was just thinking about something from my childhood and when I was about 10, 11, 12 years old. That's when I really started up holding and when I started pulled morning I got a job." And out and so I got and I member painting it you know is pretty heavy-duty thing in and I started by trying to out polevault over close lines, but for the whole neighborhood didn't like that much because every time you did make it before the close line down so what we ended up doing a few friends and I we ended up going to a creek in our neighborhood done in an area was heavily wooded and what we would do is we would take a polling and we would just run from one short upon the middlemen polevault to the other side. Sometimes one side of the creek below the other side would be high so he had to learn how to go up one high saga member doing this one time with to my friends both older than me and we were doing all kind of stuff on the horse and you cannot do down the creek once my foot get what's up like that.

So we came to this part in the creek was about as white as a center section. Here it is rural Stillwater and so we stood in the shore. I remember looking at it and on his think we do this I don't know you know I don't know if we can do this.

This talk about, to look at someone's idea. We can do this and when my friends was the oldest I was the youngest. He said I'll go first because on the fastest intercept he goes way back up in the tort of the woods and all that he's got to Poland he starts running down the hill and then up over the bank and then he just jumps out with pulling is about an 8 foot pole, and only about this much was above the water when he finally got when I finally hit the bottom and so he just went out hit the water managers may have faced many came up brother Paul and I met this when the sure type of thing. Now you know why we made that decision, no wisdom, the three of us were not wise to see there is no wisdom.

We had consensus, but we didn't have any wisdom and that's the way it goes. You see, have to seek wise counsel just seeking other people doesn't necessarily mean that his wise counsel or something else. Sometimes when were trying to choose one or door to we keep saying I need help.

Which one is it you may talk a really wise person and that person will save you door for a me you want even in the right ballpark you see practice on small doors when possible. Allow time for big door decisions ask wise people to help you in the last one is learned from your failure learned from you for that's the problem with the full they never learn wise people fail just like other people, but they learn from the failure remember Paul and Barnabas went on a the first missionary journey and it took John Mark with an John Mark washed out and have it in and make it so they go on the next journey and Barnabas is okay ready go. This is John Mark will he's going with this time, Paul said absolutely not. He's uncle in this. I don't trust him. He's out Barnabas I know is not out, he's in.

He's going with us became such a conflict between the two of them. They went separate ways when you read second Timothy the end of Paul's life.

He said he writes to Timothy and he says he knows he's about to die and he says please send John Mark to me he is so helpful to me appalled that he admitted it. He said I made a mistake about John Mark Barnabas is right. You see, that's what it takes whenever you it's not. You can't make a bad decision. You still can. But though I wise person of ours that they learn from their failure and if you repeat bad choices over and over you. You gotta believe you are not wise. You see your making the same mistake over and over and you seen that in people's lives and just wonder how can they do this because I don't learn from that process. God wants us to choose well by applying wisdom to our lives. Wisdom is available to every child of God. Wisdom can be developed by practicing one small doors and when possible. Allow time for big door decisions. Ask wise people to help you and learn from your failures. Wisdom is so important to God that he personifies her in the Old Testament. If you have wisdom, it will make you a better life, better friends, better parents, better companies, better families, better citizens, and of course, better choices but you know wisdom is not just personifying the Bible. Wisdom is incarnated in the Bible last verse, Colossians 2, Colossians 2, Paul writing the church at Colossae says this in verse three is talking about Jesus Christ and his great superiority in verse three says in Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge in Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge that in verse nine he said, for in him all the fullness of the deity dwells in bodily wisdom is incarnate in Christ's amazing statement.

He is wisdom.

See if if you don't do lack wisdom, see if I lack wisdom.

What is, and I really lack.

I like Christ's perspective that's really so I ask think of wisdom personified in Christ. Wisdom lived live seamlessly. Wisdom died, sacrificially wisdom was raising the dead.

Everything that makes wisdom so beautiful and so effective and so important is found in Jesus Christ. He's even more than that in John 10 he says this I am the door in an interesting, I am the door unlimited was in the go through. I am the door. If anyone enters through me shall be saved, and he shall go in and out and find pasture. In other words, you might be saving will find life Jesus saying to us. I'll only be the wisdom to help you through but I am the door you choose me if you put your life in the hands of Jesus Christ will be the wisest thing you ever do and I don't mean for heaven. I mean for tomorrow.

I don't mean for the ultimate choice. The biggest door. I mean, for every choice and every door God wants us to choose well by applying wisdom to our choices which bring father. If there's one thing we have in common.

Boy were all making choices.

All of us are facing small choices every day. I just pray were challenged to think about those choices. Is this a wise choice for us does it consider other people before myself is it reflects how I love my Lord Jesus Christ father the habit of good small choices on small doors give us a tremendous back line to make those big door decisions.

All of us have to make. I pray for those in the body. This very morning are facing difficult decisions, many of them fearful just like Saul was the father.

The answer is not found in any magic or superstition. The answer is found in a wise choice for them. I pray father that we understand it, you have wisdom available to us, and there is a method by which we can acquire for our lives and not only are you glorified when we find it, but it is for our good.

We not only when we find it passed through the door from death to life is Jesus spoke of, but he leads us into this beautiful green pastures of what he calls the abundant life bothers a lot of things we desire to be that I desire almost more than anything for people who know Jesus Christ. I easily such a benefit for themselves such a glory. Do you want to witness to others, bring us in Christ listening to Pastor Bill Gebhardt on the radio ministry of fellowship in the world.

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