WEBVTT 00:00:01.260 --> 00:00:04.620 The most common question I get is how can I know 00:00:04.620 --> 00:00:07.360 the will of God? Like, who should I marry? What 00:00:07.360 --> 00:00:09.660 school should my kids go to? What do I do with 00:00:09.660 --> 00:00:12.220 my money? I've got a big decision. That requires 00:00:12.220 --> 00:00:15.759 wisdom. And we're going to learn today how you 00:00:15.759 --> 00:00:18.559 can tap into the wisdom of God to make those 00:00:18.559 --> 00:00:23.019 big decisions. Stay with me. Thanks for listening 00:00:23.019 --> 00:00:25.920 to this edition of Living on the Edge with Chip 00:00:25.920 --> 00:00:28.640 Ingram. We are an international teaching and 00:00:28.640 --> 00:00:31.420 discipleship ministry that encourages and equips 00:00:31.420 --> 00:00:34.100 Christians to live like Christians. Well, in 00:00:34.100 --> 00:00:35.700 just a minute, Chip will pick up where he left 00:00:35.700 --> 00:00:38.700 off last time in our series, The Real God, with 00:00:38.700 --> 00:00:40.979 the second half of his message, The Wisdom of 00:00:40.979 --> 00:00:43.439 God. And let me encourage you to stick around 00:00:43.439 --> 00:00:46.259 after the teaching as Chip provides some valuable 00:00:46.259 --> 00:00:48.799 insights that we can apply to our day -to -day 00:00:48.799 --> 00:00:51.619 lives. You won't want to miss it. Well, with 00:00:51.619 --> 00:00:53.740 that, here's Chip with the remainder of his talk 00:00:53.740 --> 00:00:58.060 from Romans chapter 11. I did my graduate work 00:00:58.060 --> 00:01:03.520 at West Virginia University, and I had a kinesiology 00:01:03.520 --> 00:01:05.780 course that I took. It's on the human body, how 00:01:05.780 --> 00:01:08.519 the human body works. And my professor was not 00:01:08.519 --> 00:01:11.040 a believer, but she was like the high priestess 00:01:11.040 --> 00:01:14.060 of the human body. She had the skeleton, and 00:01:14.060 --> 00:01:16.560 I'm serious, man. She would talk about how the 00:01:16.560 --> 00:01:21.340 body works with hushed tones. And she would talk 00:01:21.340 --> 00:01:24.859 about, do you understand that one... Little cell 00:01:24.859 --> 00:01:27.780 with the DNA of that cell that we could take 00:01:27.780 --> 00:01:31.459 all around this entire room thousands of times. 00:01:31.599 --> 00:01:34.719 Do you understand inside one little cell is enough 00:01:34.719 --> 00:01:37.400 intelligence and magnitude that when it happens 00:01:37.400 --> 00:01:40.040 and divides in the human body, that it automatically 00:01:40.040 --> 00:01:42.019 knows when and how to become a nervous system 00:01:42.019 --> 00:01:44.280 over here, an organ system over here, endocrine 00:01:44.280 --> 00:01:46.260 system over here, skeleton over here. Do you 00:01:46.260 --> 00:01:48.019 understand the human body we take for granted 00:01:48.019 --> 00:01:49.840 that when a knife would cut it, if you were from 00:01:49.840 --> 00:01:52.879 another planet, what? You say, oh no. This is 00:01:52.879 --> 00:01:56.159 an amazing thing that happens. You can wipe away 00:01:56.159 --> 00:01:58.599 the blood and the platelets and there'll be blood 00:01:58.599 --> 00:02:00.879 clotting. And within a few days, there used to 00:02:00.879 --> 00:02:04.120 be a cut and it will automatically heal on its 00:02:04.120 --> 00:02:06.280 own. Do you understand that the body, if there's 00:02:06.280 --> 00:02:08.560 even a compound fracture, when the body begins 00:02:08.560 --> 00:02:11.099 to heal, even if the bone was compound fractured, 00:02:11.180 --> 00:02:14.099 is that as it fills in, that the inside of the 00:02:14.099 --> 00:02:17.199 bone that needs it the most will grow at a higher 00:02:17.199 --> 00:02:19.520 and faster rate. And she would talk about the 00:02:19.520 --> 00:02:23.560 human body like, This is the most magnificent 00:02:23.560 --> 00:02:28.680 thing. Guess who was it designed by? The creator. 00:02:29.340 --> 00:02:32.139 What's that tell you? Whether you look at the 00:02:32.139 --> 00:02:35.500 stars or whether you look at a microscope or 00:02:35.500 --> 00:02:38.259 whether you look at the human body, the creation 00:02:38.259 --> 00:02:43.680 screams. If this is the effect, can you fathom, 00:02:43.699 --> 00:02:48.819 can you fathom the wisdom and the knowledge and 00:02:48.819 --> 00:02:52.879 the creativity? Of the designer, God. And do 00:02:52.879 --> 00:02:55.800 you think he's gonna take less energy and less 00:02:55.800 --> 00:02:59.340 effort and the wisdom of designing your life 00:02:59.340 --> 00:03:02.039 that's made for eternity as he is the ecosystem? 00:03:03.020 --> 00:03:06.039 If he gives that much energy to keeping the balance 00:03:06.039 --> 00:03:07.860 in certain ways at certain times and certain 00:03:07.860 --> 00:03:10.340 seasons and the moon does this and that caused 00:03:10.340 --> 00:03:16.120 the tides to do this and don't you think you're 00:03:16.120 --> 00:03:19.139 more important than the littles of the field? 00:03:20.140 --> 00:03:22.560 Don't you think you matter more than a creation 00:03:22.560 --> 00:03:26.060 that screams, the most intelligent, wise being 00:03:26.060 --> 00:03:29.840 of all time, the creator of the world is behind 00:03:29.840 --> 00:03:33.719 it. That's how wise he is. The second way he 00:03:33.719 --> 00:03:35.960 reveals it is through what's called providence. 00:03:36.099 --> 00:03:38.340 And that's not necessarily such a big spiritual 00:03:38.340 --> 00:03:42.340 word. It's just that he orchestrates life. Listen 00:03:42.340 --> 00:03:46.219 to Psalm 33, 10 and 11. The Lord foils the plans 00:03:46.219 --> 00:03:49.120 of the nations. He thwarts the purposes of the 00:03:49.120 --> 00:03:53.180 peoples. But the plans of the Lord stand firm 00:03:53.180 --> 00:03:55.819 forever. The purposes of his heart through all 00:03:55.819 --> 00:03:59.520 generations. See, God in his wisdom foils the 00:03:59.520 --> 00:04:02.699 plans of nations. He is all wise. A Hitler gets 00:04:02.699 --> 00:04:04.560 up and says, this is the way the world's going 00:04:04.560 --> 00:04:06.680 to be. We're going to be the super race. Destroys 00:04:06.680 --> 00:04:09.139 a whole population of Jews and God goes, gone. 00:04:09.520 --> 00:04:11.539 Stalin says, this is what's going to happen. 00:04:11.719 --> 00:04:15.180 Idi Amin says this. Every nation, the Medo -Persians, 00:04:15.219 --> 00:04:19.019 every nation, what do they do? Mankind in his 00:04:19.019 --> 00:04:21.860 evilness has plans and they make these audacious 00:04:21.860 --> 00:04:23.980 statements how they're going to rule the world 00:04:23.980 --> 00:04:27.139 and how they make statues of themselves. God 00:04:27.139 --> 00:04:31.600 foils the plans of the nations. He's not just 00:04:31.600 --> 00:04:34.779 sovereign in his wisdom and in his providence, 00:04:34.879 --> 00:04:37.459 but the plans of the Lord, the prophetic purposes 00:04:37.459 --> 00:04:42.620 of God. In his wisdom, his plans go forward. 00:04:42.759 --> 00:04:46.439 Who would have dreamed? Can you imagine 2 ,000 00:04:46.439 --> 00:04:48.959 years ago just sitting maybe at a very early 00:04:48.959 --> 00:04:53.379 Starbucks, having a latte, a mocha, a cup of 00:04:53.379 --> 00:04:58.120 coffee, 2 ,000 years ago and saying, so, you 00:04:58.120 --> 00:04:59.480 know, what do you think? Think the Roman Empire 00:04:59.480 --> 00:05:00.839 is going to be around for quite a while? Eh, 00:05:00.939 --> 00:05:03.079 I think so. You know, the Greek culture, that's 00:05:03.079 --> 00:05:05.100 lasted pretty well. Medo -Persians, they had 00:05:05.100 --> 00:05:06.720 their run, but, you know, they lost in overtime 00:05:06.720 --> 00:05:11.579 to the Greeks and, you know. Can you imagine 00:05:11.579 --> 00:05:14.389 2 ,000 years ago saying, You know, I wonder a 00:05:14.389 --> 00:05:16.790 couple thousand years from now, where will be 00:05:16.790 --> 00:05:19.990 the central power and attention of a world civilization 00:05:19.990 --> 00:05:23.069 that can send people to the moon, that has little 00:05:23.069 --> 00:05:26.009 microchips that go at the speed of light, that 00:05:26.009 --> 00:05:29.569 send information around a worldwide web, that 00:05:29.569 --> 00:05:33.529 has nuclear -powered submarines, that has technology 00:05:33.529 --> 00:05:35.750 beyond our wildest dreams. You know, what do 00:05:35.750 --> 00:05:37.310 you think the countries that are going to be, 00:05:37.310 --> 00:05:39.009 that are really going to be at the center of 00:05:39.009 --> 00:05:41.810 the world's attention? And the guy sitting at 00:05:41.810 --> 00:05:43.629 his Starbucks there that hadn't quite been invented 00:05:43.629 --> 00:05:45.689 turns to the other guy and goes, probably Israel. 00:05:47.509 --> 00:05:53.490 Yeah, right. Do you see how God makes a promise 00:05:53.490 --> 00:05:56.949 to a people? And in his wisdom, they end up getting 00:05:56.949 --> 00:05:59.970 spread throughout all the world. No one gives 00:05:59.970 --> 00:06:03.250 them a prayer. In 1948, they become a nation. 00:06:03.709 --> 00:06:06.470 And the purposes and the plans and the wisdom. 00:06:06.689 --> 00:06:09.350 But can you imagine being a Jew for about the 00:06:09.350 --> 00:06:14.459 last, 1 ,950 years wondering, God, where are 00:06:14.459 --> 00:06:16.279 these promises that you've made to Abraham and 00:06:16.279 --> 00:06:18.980 Isaac? God, I don't see it. God, what's going 00:06:18.980 --> 00:06:22.699 on here? Only to see that in the wisdom of God. 00:06:22.839 --> 00:06:26.139 See, God is revealing. He does it through nations 00:06:26.139 --> 00:06:28.920 and providence and through creation. And the 00:06:28.920 --> 00:06:30.959 classic, the greatest, the most wonderful is 00:06:30.959 --> 00:06:33.100 through redemption. Turn in your Bibles, if you 00:06:33.100 --> 00:06:37.699 will, to 1 Corinthians 2, verses 6 through 10. 00:06:39.030 --> 00:06:41.949 Paul's explaining this great message of wisdom, 00:06:42.069 --> 00:06:43.889 and it's the wisdom of redemption. It's what 00:06:43.889 --> 00:06:45.829 God has done through the purposes of Christ. 00:06:46.490 --> 00:06:49.050 And he, picking it up in verse 6, he says, we 00:06:49.050 --> 00:06:52.089 do. He says, talking about human wisdom, then 00:06:52.089 --> 00:06:53.990 he's talking about, you know, spiritual wisdom. 00:06:54.029 --> 00:06:56.750 He says, we do, however, speak a message of wisdom 00:06:56.750 --> 00:07:00.509 among the spiritually mature, but not the wisdom 00:07:00.509 --> 00:07:02.389 of this age or the rulers of this age who are 00:07:02.389 --> 00:07:05.779 coming to nothing. No, we speak of God's secret 00:07:05.779 --> 00:07:08.199 wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that 00:07:08.199 --> 00:07:10.819 God destined for our glory before time began. 00:07:11.060 --> 00:07:14.699 Think of that. God destined for our glory before 00:07:14.699 --> 00:07:17.439 time began. There is a wisdom. There is a secret. 00:07:17.540 --> 00:07:19.560 There is a plan. There's something that God is 00:07:19.560 --> 00:07:22.339 orchestrating. A perfect ends by perfect means 00:07:22.339 --> 00:07:24.560 that he's been orchestrating since the foundation 00:07:24.560 --> 00:07:27.060 of the earth to fulfill the purposes for every 00:07:27.060 --> 00:07:30.939 human being. And he goes on to say, none of the 00:07:30.939 --> 00:07:33.639 rulers of this age understood it. For if they 00:07:33.639 --> 00:07:35.279 had, they would have not crucified the Lord of 00:07:35.279 --> 00:07:38.100 glory. However, it is written, no eye has seen 00:07:38.100 --> 00:07:40.459 or ear heard, no mind has conceived what God 00:07:40.459 --> 00:07:43.019 has prepared for those who love him. But God 00:07:43.019 --> 00:07:45.579 has revealed it to us by his spirit. The spirit 00:07:45.579 --> 00:07:48.439 searches all things, even the deep things of 00:07:48.439 --> 00:07:51.699 God. And what he's talking about here is redemption. 00:07:52.339 --> 00:07:55.519 He's talking about the secret wisdom of the redemption, 00:07:55.660 --> 00:07:57.959 God's plan. And that big word redemption literally 00:07:57.959 --> 00:08:01.439 just means to purchase back. to buy back. Probably 00:08:01.439 --> 00:08:04.459 no one has ever heard of S &H green stamps, right? 00:08:04.959 --> 00:08:09.639 Yes. I love you all. You know what I did as a 00:08:09.639 --> 00:08:11.779 kid? In the grocery store back then, instead 00:08:11.779 --> 00:08:14.060 of these swipe cards, and you would get these 00:08:14.060 --> 00:08:17.259 green stamps. And you got these books. And if 00:08:17.259 --> 00:08:19.720 you were the youngest child in the family, hello, 00:08:19.939 --> 00:08:23.800 that's me, you got to lick all the stamps. And 00:08:23.800 --> 00:08:26.579 then you put so many books together, right? And 00:08:26.579 --> 00:08:30.430 you took the green stamp books to the Redemption 00:08:30.430 --> 00:08:33.570 Center. They're buying them back. What's it mean? 00:08:33.750 --> 00:08:36.570 So you take your five books and you leave with 00:08:36.570 --> 00:08:39.990 a whole set of dishes. All redemption is, is 00:08:39.990 --> 00:08:43.570 they purchase price for something. And the great 00:08:43.570 --> 00:08:48.509 wisdom of God is the redemption of Christ coming 00:08:48.509 --> 00:08:52.690 to purchase you for God, for a relationship with 00:08:52.690 --> 00:08:56.950 him both now and forever and ever and ever. And 00:08:56.950 --> 00:08:59.539 that's the secret that he's talking about. But 00:08:59.539 --> 00:09:02.019 it's a great paradox because it looked like a 00:09:02.019 --> 00:09:04.519 complete failure. What I want you to see is this 00:09:04.519 --> 00:09:07.799 is God's plan. And here's the plan, okay? Here's 00:09:07.799 --> 00:09:11.000 a lost world. There's been a coup, a rebellion. 00:09:11.440 --> 00:09:13.799 They rebelled against the most high God, the 00:09:13.799 --> 00:09:15.340 king, the creator, the sovereign that we've talked 00:09:15.340 --> 00:09:18.539 about. From the foundations of the earth, God 00:09:18.539 --> 00:09:21.840 giving the possibility of choosing, knew this 00:09:21.840 --> 00:09:24.620 would come. And so the second person of the Trinity, 00:09:24.720 --> 00:09:29.129 Christ says, I will go. I will save the people. 00:09:30.129 --> 00:09:33.149 And so the coup has happened. Sin has occurred. 00:09:33.610 --> 00:09:36.490 Christ comes. Now listen to the wisdom of God. 00:09:37.350 --> 00:09:42.429 He's born of a teenage girl in a stall. Can you 00:09:42.429 --> 00:09:45.309 imagine what the demons were thinking? Well, 00:09:45.350 --> 00:09:46.429 you know what? I don't know what God's up to, 00:09:46.470 --> 00:09:47.690 but this doesn't look like a very good plan. 00:09:48.730 --> 00:09:50.750 And then he's going to be raised by a carpenter. 00:09:51.690 --> 00:09:54.029 Well, that's not exactly the upper elite of Jewish 00:09:54.029 --> 00:09:57.240 culture. And then finally he grows up, lives 00:09:57.240 --> 00:09:59.919 a perfect life, and then he's going to choose 00:09:59.919 --> 00:10:03.480 people because he brings what? The best possible 00:10:03.480 --> 00:10:06.120 plans by the best possible means for the most 00:10:06.120 --> 00:10:08.919 possible people. So he chooses a bunch of blue 00:10:08.919 --> 00:10:12.220 -collar guys to get the job done. Peter, John, 00:10:12.480 --> 00:10:14.340 James, a couple fishermen, a crook, Matthew, 00:10:14.600 --> 00:10:18.580 a zealot, a couple wackos. Should we call down 00:10:18.580 --> 00:10:20.259 thunder on them, Lord? I mean, guys, would you 00:10:20.259 --> 00:10:24.139 just cool it? And you look at the guys that he 00:10:24.139 --> 00:10:27.799 chose. Why? The wisdom of God. Who gets the credit 00:10:27.799 --> 00:10:30.460 when regular guys like us, ordinary people like 00:10:30.460 --> 00:10:33.139 us, follow Christ, are redeemed, get transformed, 00:10:33.340 --> 00:10:36.799 and then change the world? God does. See, God 00:10:36.799 --> 00:10:38.960 is always working toward purposes that we rarely 00:10:38.960 --> 00:10:41.200 understand. But if we don't understand the big 00:10:41.200 --> 00:10:43.480 plan of redemption and understand that's his 00:10:43.480 --> 00:10:46.320 purposes behind his wisdom, we will get lost. 00:10:46.799 --> 00:10:49.919 Can you imagine how much of a failure it looked 00:10:49.919 --> 00:10:52.840 like? Try to visualize yourself being there and 00:10:52.840 --> 00:10:54.960 you were a follower, you were Peter or one of 00:10:54.960 --> 00:10:56.519 the Marys and you cared and you loved him and 00:10:56.519 --> 00:10:57.919 you thought he was the hope of the world and 00:10:57.919 --> 00:11:00.279 you're looking up at a cross and he's hanging 00:11:00.279 --> 00:11:02.659 there and he's dying and he says it's finished 00:11:02.659 --> 00:11:06.940 and he's dead. And you're thinking, this is a 00:11:06.940 --> 00:11:10.879 fine mess you got us into. I left my home, I 00:11:10.879 --> 00:11:13.820 left my job, I've been ridiculed, I've been kicked 00:11:13.820 --> 00:11:18.460 out of the synagogue and he's dead. And you can 00:11:18.460 --> 00:11:21.200 almost, in the invisible world, seeing the demons 00:11:21.200 --> 00:11:23.740 going, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. He's 00:11:23.740 --> 00:11:28.139 dead. See, we've... God's wisdom is foolishness 00:11:28.139 --> 00:11:32.879 unto man. But what happened? When he died on 00:11:32.879 --> 00:11:36.220 the cross, he purchased you. Redemption is he 00:11:36.220 --> 00:11:39.700 paid the price for your sin. Between Friday night 00:11:39.700 --> 00:11:42.940 and Sunday when he rose, he went to what the 00:11:42.940 --> 00:11:45.730 old creed says? What does it mean that he ascended 00:11:45.730 --> 00:11:47.850 except that he descended to the lower parts of 00:11:47.850 --> 00:11:50.990 the earth and he proclaimed to the invisible 00:11:50.990 --> 00:11:54.549 world, death is defeated. Satan is defeated. 00:11:54.889 --> 00:11:57.909 Sin has been rendered powerless. I am the victor. 00:11:57.909 --> 00:12:00.629 And then he comes out of the grave. And what 00:12:00.629 --> 00:12:05.389 seemed absolutely ridiculous, it seemed foolish 00:12:05.389 --> 00:12:10.309 and ridiculous, was the wise plan of God. And 00:12:10.309 --> 00:12:14.620 see, it is in redemption that we see, that God 00:12:14.620 --> 00:12:17.960 takes the things that the world so esteems and 00:12:17.960 --> 00:12:21.159 he's always about turning them upside down. Listen 00:12:21.159 --> 00:12:25.440 to J .I. Packard. I love his quote on this. God's 00:12:25.440 --> 00:12:27.679 almighty wisdom is always active and never fails. 00:12:28.000 --> 00:12:30.480 All his works of creation and providence and 00:12:30.480 --> 00:12:33.399 grace display it. And until we can see it in 00:12:33.399 --> 00:12:37.000 them, we're just not seeing them straight. But 00:12:37.000 --> 00:12:40.179 we cannot recognize God's wisdom unless we know 00:12:40.179 --> 00:12:44.000 the end for which he's working. God's wisdom 00:12:44.000 --> 00:12:46.480 is not and never was pledged to keep a fallen 00:12:46.480 --> 00:12:49.740 world happy or to make ungodliness comfortable. 00:12:50.419 --> 00:12:54.659 Not even to Christians has he promised a trouble 00:12:54.659 --> 00:13:01.419 -free life. Rather, the reverse. He has other 00:13:01.419 --> 00:13:04.519 ends in view for life in this world than simply 00:13:04.519 --> 00:13:08.240 to make it easy for everyone. What is he after 00:13:08.240 --> 00:13:10.240 then? See, you'll never understand the wisdom 00:13:10.240 --> 00:13:12.120 of God. Understand the ends is what he's saying. 00:13:12.519 --> 00:13:15.120 So what is God after? What's he after in the 00:13:15.120 --> 00:13:16.539 world? What's he after in the culture? What's 00:13:16.539 --> 00:13:18.559 he after in the society? What's he after in you? 00:13:19.539 --> 00:13:22.639 What's he after in me? Packer goes on to say, 00:13:22.700 --> 00:13:25.539 what's his goal? What's his aim? He plans that 00:13:25.539 --> 00:13:27.840 a great host of mankind should come to love and 00:13:27.840 --> 00:13:30.519 honor him. His ultimate objective is to bring 00:13:30.519 --> 00:13:34.039 them to a state in which they please him entirely 00:13:34.039 --> 00:13:38.159 and praise him adequately. And he and they rejoice 00:13:38.159 --> 00:13:40.220 continually in the knowledge of each other's 00:13:40.220 --> 00:13:43.399 love, men rejoicing in the saving love of God 00:13:43.399 --> 00:13:46.559 set upon them from all eternity, and God rejoicing 00:13:46.559 --> 00:13:49.720 in the responsive love of men drawn out of them 00:13:49.720 --> 00:13:53.700 by grace through the gospel. You're listening 00:13:53.700 --> 00:13:56.360 to Living on the Edge, and Chip will be back 00:13:56.360 --> 00:13:59.100 to continue our series, The Real God, in just 00:13:59.100 --> 00:14:01.840 a minute. But let me quickly tell you, we are 00:14:01.840 --> 00:14:04.480 more than a broadcast ministry. We're passionate 00:14:04.480 --> 00:14:07.179 about supporting pastors globally, developing 00:14:07.179 --> 00:14:10.000 helpful resources, and sharing the gospel with 00:14:10.000 --> 00:14:12.639 this next generation. So if you'd like to partner 00:14:12.639 --> 00:14:15.700 with us in these areas, go to livingontheedge 00:14:15.700 --> 00:14:20.480 .org. We'll hear again as Chip. You see, until 00:14:20.480 --> 00:14:23.600 we really grasp God's ultimate purpose for our 00:14:23.600 --> 00:14:27.399 lives now and eternity, we will be perpetually 00:14:27.399 --> 00:14:30.909 frustrated and disillusioned. And I think for 00:14:30.909 --> 00:14:34.330 many of us, that's what's happened. Because our 00:14:34.330 --> 00:14:40.450 aim, very subtly, is not, God, make me like your 00:14:40.450 --> 00:14:45.129 son. Our aim is not, very subtly, we've been 00:14:45.129 --> 00:14:48.870 veered off the course, oh God, help me fulfill 00:14:48.870 --> 00:14:52.389 whatever purpose you have for this brief time 00:14:52.389 --> 00:14:54.970 on this planet for you, because I will be with 00:14:54.970 --> 00:14:58.570 you forever and ever and ever. We have reversed 00:14:58.570 --> 00:15:02.840 it. And we can't figure out why life is so frustrating 00:15:02.840 --> 00:15:05.960 and God won't come through because his number 00:15:05.960 --> 00:15:08.659 one agenda is not my personal peace and prosperity. 00:15:08.940 --> 00:15:11.279 And his number one agenda is not my personal 00:15:11.279 --> 00:15:13.679 fulfillment. And his number one agenda is not 00:15:13.679 --> 00:15:16.340 to cure my loneliness with another person. His 00:15:16.340 --> 00:15:18.559 number one agenda is not to give me a bigger 00:15:18.559 --> 00:15:21.399 and nicer house, a nicer car, and the comforts 00:15:21.399 --> 00:15:24.799 that all the world can offer. He may do all those 00:15:24.799 --> 00:15:28.529 things out of his gracious love. But all of those 00:15:28.529 --> 00:15:31.750 in and of themselves, if the means turn into 00:15:31.750 --> 00:15:37.370 an end, are idols. And his wisdom in your life 00:15:37.370 --> 00:15:42.330 is often bringing pain that feels unbearable 00:15:42.330 --> 00:15:46.289 because redemption is so important to pry the 00:15:46.289 --> 00:15:50.250 idols out of your hand so you don't miss out 00:15:50.250 --> 00:15:53.309 on what really matters. It's of a loving, good, 00:15:53.450 --> 00:15:56.370 kind, compassionate God that so loves you that 00:15:56.370 --> 00:16:00.629 knows that you're trading what is great and eternal 00:16:00.629 --> 00:16:04.049 and best for something that's cheap and that 00:16:04.049 --> 00:16:07.690 promises much and delivers little. And so he 00:16:07.690 --> 00:16:10.429 wants you to be wise. He just wants you to be 00:16:10.429 --> 00:16:13.889 wise. He wants you to understand how he has designed 00:16:13.889 --> 00:16:17.210 life and that he wants you to walk according 00:16:17.210 --> 00:16:21.679 to that design. And when you do, it will bring 00:16:21.679 --> 00:16:25.279 a goodness to your heart, a transformation in 00:16:25.279 --> 00:16:28.539 your relationships, a joy that you cannot fathom, 00:16:28.539 --> 00:16:33.740 and you will fulfill his purposes. You see, it's 00:16:33.740 --> 00:16:37.259 so subtle, the little difference, but he is about 00:16:37.259 --> 00:16:41.299 in that situation that's on your mind. He's committed 00:16:41.299 --> 00:16:44.440 to bringing the best possible ends by the best 00:16:44.440 --> 00:16:47.039 possible means for the most possible people. 00:16:47.629 --> 00:16:51.389 for the longest possible time. So let's wrap 00:16:51.389 --> 00:16:54.850 this up with some specific action steps to respond 00:16:54.850 --> 00:16:58.690 to his wisdom. How must we respond to the wisdom 00:16:58.690 --> 00:17:03.370 of God? Very simply, we must learn to live wisely. 00:17:04.349 --> 00:17:11.250 We must learn to live wisely. Ephesians 5, 15 00:17:11.250 --> 00:17:17.349 to 17. What's he say? He said, Don't be unwise. 00:17:17.369 --> 00:17:19.890 Don't walk as unwise, but as wise and understand 00:17:19.890 --> 00:17:22.950 the will of the Lord. He said, for the days are 00:17:22.950 --> 00:17:26.150 evil. You're living in dark times. He says, don't 00:17:26.150 --> 00:17:31.410 be unwise, but be wise. Live wisely. Live according 00:17:31.410 --> 00:17:36.069 to God's plan so that you can rest and so you 00:17:36.069 --> 00:17:40.009 can trust. So there is a command, not only that 00:17:40.009 --> 00:17:44.400 we be wise. but that we live in a way that reflects 00:17:44.400 --> 00:17:48.519 that we are trusting God. He wants us to rest. 00:17:48.819 --> 00:17:52.359 He wants us to understand this is how I've designed 00:17:52.359 --> 00:17:56.740 life. And you know, real practically, God says, 00:17:57.079 --> 00:18:01.119 this is how you can learn. This is how to do 00:18:01.119 --> 00:18:04.960 relationships. This is how to handle your money. 00:18:05.839 --> 00:18:09.559 This is how to make decisions. This is how to 00:18:09.559 --> 00:18:13.519 walk by faith. This is how to fulfill your purpose 00:18:13.519 --> 00:18:18.859 for me. And if you will discover the way of wisdom 00:18:18.859 --> 00:18:22.680 and follow it, then all those promises of Scripture 00:18:22.680 --> 00:18:27.059 about love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, the 00:18:27.059 --> 00:18:30.559 fruit of the Spirit and the rewards of that life 00:18:30.559 --> 00:18:34.279 are what God wants for you. But you don't get 00:18:34.279 --> 00:18:38.519 that living in an unwise manner. And so second, 00:18:38.720 --> 00:18:41.839 not only must we learn to live wisely, it begins, 00:18:41.859 --> 00:18:44.259 then how do you get it? It begins with reverencing 00:18:44.259 --> 00:18:52.559 God. Reverencing God. Proverbs 1, 7 says, the 00:18:52.559 --> 00:18:54.619 fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, 00:18:54.839 --> 00:18:58.460 but fools despise wisdom and discipline. Job 00:18:58.460 --> 00:19:01.500 28, 28 says, and he said to them, the fear of 00:19:01.500 --> 00:19:05.420 the Lord, that is wisdom, and to shun evil is 00:19:05.420 --> 00:19:08.589 understanding. So how do you learn to live wise? 00:19:09.150 --> 00:19:12.130 First step is, it begins with reverence for God, 00:19:12.269 --> 00:19:14.990 to have the fear of God. And you know, you can 00:19:14.990 --> 00:19:16.529 do all kinds of word studies. You know what to 00:19:16.529 --> 00:19:18.450 be afraid of God is? You know what the word fear 00:19:18.450 --> 00:19:20.069 really means, like in the Hebrew and the Greek 00:19:20.069 --> 00:19:23.990 and all that stuff? It means to be fearful. I 00:19:23.990 --> 00:19:26.089 mean, reverential awe, yes, that's true, but 00:19:26.089 --> 00:19:28.869 we kind of try and, it means to be afraid. But 00:19:28.869 --> 00:19:30.829 it's not afraid that he's going to hurt you, 00:19:30.910 --> 00:19:33.950 it's you're afraid that you won't please him. 00:19:34.350 --> 00:19:36.250 It's afraid that you're going to let him down. 00:19:36.410 --> 00:19:37.930 You know, I don't know how many of you as a kid 00:19:37.930 --> 00:19:41.329 in my generation, how many times did you ever 00:19:41.329 --> 00:19:43.869 say, man, I can't do that. If I did that, my 00:19:43.869 --> 00:19:46.730 parents would kill me. Right? And you know what? 00:19:46.809 --> 00:19:50.130 So I didn't do it. Now, you weren't really afraid 00:19:50.130 --> 00:19:52.329 that they were going to actually physically kill 00:19:52.329 --> 00:19:55.509 you, but it was a mix of consequences that you 00:19:55.509 --> 00:19:59.990 didn't want combined with a sense of betrayal 00:19:59.990 --> 00:20:02.490 and letting them down in ways that you didn't 00:20:02.490 --> 00:20:05.009 want to face. And the way you got off the hook 00:20:05.009 --> 00:20:06.549 with your friends who were asking you to do it, 00:20:06.569 --> 00:20:08.730 I can't do it. My parents would kill me. What 00:20:08.730 --> 00:20:10.529 you were saying is, I have a healthy fear of 00:20:10.529 --> 00:20:13.470 my mom and dad. And that's where wisdom starts. 00:20:14.869 --> 00:20:17.170 I'm afraid. I don't want to mess up in my life. 00:20:17.210 --> 00:20:20.089 There are consequences. I want to do life God's 00:20:20.089 --> 00:20:23.150 way. The fear of the Lord essentially is, I am 00:20:23.150 --> 00:20:28.410 going to choose to do life God's way. I'm afraid 00:20:28.410 --> 00:20:30.869 for the consequences and I'm afraid for what 00:20:30.869 --> 00:20:32.750 it will do to my relationship with my heavenly 00:20:32.750 --> 00:20:35.390 father and what it says to him in light of all 00:20:35.390 --> 00:20:37.769 that he's done for me. I want to live with a 00:20:37.769 --> 00:20:42.170 healthy, wholesome fear of God. And I spent the 00:20:42.170 --> 00:20:44.289 first three years probably of my Christian life 00:20:44.289 --> 00:20:47.170 saying, you know, I'm going to be a Frank Sinatra 00:20:47.170 --> 00:20:51.569 Christian. I'm going to do it my way. I mean, 00:20:51.589 --> 00:20:54.859 really, I'm going to do it my way. And I just 00:20:54.859 --> 00:20:57.019 kept bumping my head, bumping my head, bumping 00:20:57.019 --> 00:20:59.019 my head. And you know, God loves you so much. 00:20:59.640 --> 00:21:01.160 You know, when you really mess up, he doesn't 00:21:01.160 --> 00:21:03.140 kick you out of the family. He takes you to the 00:21:03.140 --> 00:21:06.900 woodshed. And Hebrews 12, he'll love you. I call 00:21:06.900 --> 00:21:09.140 it the velvet vice of discipline. And you know 00:21:09.140 --> 00:21:10.819 what? There's gentleness in it, but you know 00:21:10.819 --> 00:21:13.119 what? He'll just bring, you know, if relationships 00:21:13.119 --> 00:21:15.559 is the issue or money is the issue or time is 00:21:15.559 --> 00:21:17.759 the issue, what, he'll get your attention. He 00:21:17.759 --> 00:21:20.599 loves you so much. And he'll just bring the velvet 00:21:20.599 --> 00:21:22.980 vice and you can either learn now, you can learn 00:21:22.980 --> 00:21:25.910 later. I mean, some of us that are hard -headed, 00:21:26.009 --> 00:21:31.250 it's painful. And some of you may be in the velvet 00:21:31.250 --> 00:21:34.190 vice of discipline. And you're not living wise 00:21:34.190 --> 00:21:39.109 lives with the fruit of living wisely. Because 00:21:39.109 --> 00:21:41.750 basically, you have a salad bar mentality that 00:21:41.750 --> 00:21:44.309 I'll choose out of the Christian life, the parts 00:21:44.309 --> 00:21:49.130 I like, to do life my way on my terms. And God 00:21:49.130 --> 00:21:51.670 says, that's an interesting suggestion, but it's 00:21:51.670 --> 00:21:53.829 not one of the options. It's just not one of 00:21:53.829 --> 00:21:56.410 the options with me, not in light of who I am. 00:21:56.930 --> 00:21:59.470 And so to respond to the wisdom of God, you have 00:21:59.470 --> 00:22:00.970 to learn to live wisely. And to learn to live 00:22:00.970 --> 00:22:03.930 wisely, it begins with this reverential awe and 00:22:03.930 --> 00:22:05.490 fear that you're going to say, I'm going to do 00:22:05.490 --> 00:22:08.109 life God's way because, are you ready for this? 00:22:08.829 --> 00:22:13.490 He's God. Do you ever think of that? He's God. 00:22:14.890 --> 00:22:19.509 He deserves for me to live in that way. Third, 00:22:19.670 --> 00:22:23.980 it requires... growing or receiving his word. 00:22:24.740 --> 00:22:29.519 There is no way to live wisely without the manual 00:22:29.519 --> 00:22:34.259 that teaches us how to live wisely. Psalm 119. 00:22:35.619 --> 00:22:58.259 97 through 100 says, 2 Timothy 3, 15 through 00:22:58.259 --> 00:23:13.099 17 says, all scripture, all scripture. I do not 00:23:13.099 --> 00:23:14.960 know. And I'm not talking about reading your 00:23:14.960 --> 00:23:17.299 Bible a little bit. I'm talking about receiving 00:23:17.299 --> 00:23:22.019 the word implanted. You need to ask yourself, 00:23:22.259 --> 00:23:26.819 how many videos, how many magazines, how many 00:23:26.819 --> 00:23:30.920 books, how much TV, and how much stuff? Is going 00:23:30.920 --> 00:23:33.660 into my mind versus how much truth from God's 00:23:33.660 --> 00:23:36.779 word. Because I will tell you, you are what you 00:23:36.779 --> 00:23:40.019 eat. You are what you eat physically. You are 00:23:40.019 --> 00:23:43.400 what you eat spiritually. And it's not just a 00:23:43.400 --> 00:23:45.079 little thing like, okay, I got a little devotional. 00:23:45.079 --> 00:23:46.819 I'm glad I got it from that group. And I read 00:23:46.819 --> 00:23:48.640 the devotional. Boy, I like it. A little check 00:23:48.640 --> 00:23:50.259 mark. Got that done today. See you later, God. 00:23:51.200 --> 00:23:53.579 I'm not talking about reading the Bible or even 00:23:53.579 --> 00:23:56.299 being in a Bible study. I'm talking about receiving 00:23:56.299 --> 00:23:59.319 the word. Now, do you have to read it to receive 00:23:59.319 --> 00:24:01.160 it? Yes. Do you have to study it to receive it? 00:24:01.220 --> 00:24:04.539 Yes. But I'm talking about saying God. I don't 00:24:04.539 --> 00:24:06.720 wanna go through religious routines. I want you 00:24:06.720 --> 00:24:09.220 to speak to me. I love you. You're showing me 00:24:09.220 --> 00:24:12.099 some things. So I wanna take your word and I 00:24:12.099 --> 00:24:14.019 wanna see what it says. And I want it to be the 00:24:14.019 --> 00:24:15.720 mirror to point out things that need correction. 00:24:15.980 --> 00:24:17.900 I want it to be the mirror that says that you 00:24:17.900 --> 00:24:20.019 love me and affirm me despite of where I'm at. 00:24:20.140 --> 00:24:22.119 And that I'm gonna write down those specific 00:24:22.119 --> 00:24:24.339 promises that I need on a three by five card. 00:24:24.420 --> 00:24:26.559 And I'm gonna read them over and I'm gonna ponder 00:24:26.559 --> 00:24:28.700 them. I'm gonna meditate on them because I need 00:24:28.700 --> 00:24:31.180 to trust you in this because I'm a people pleaser. 00:24:31.279 --> 00:24:33.480 I need to trust you in this because I'm a workaholic. 00:24:33.579 --> 00:24:35.839 I need to trust you in this because I keep lusting 00:24:35.839 --> 00:24:37.680 and falling back into these patterns. So I'm 00:24:37.680 --> 00:24:39.839 going to take these promises of your word. I'm 00:24:39.839 --> 00:24:41.480 going to receive them in my heart. I'm going 00:24:41.480 --> 00:24:43.859 to memorize them and meditate on them. And I'm 00:24:43.859 --> 00:24:46.500 going to ask you for the grace to take the written 00:24:46.500 --> 00:24:48.799 word and make it the living word in my heart 00:24:48.799 --> 00:24:52.220 as I trust in you so that you transform my life 00:24:52.220 --> 00:24:55.200 as I receive your word. See, that's what God 00:24:55.200 --> 00:25:00.849 wants me to do. That's how you live wisely. It's 00:25:00.849 --> 00:25:03.569 not just knowing the right thing. It's putting 00:25:03.569 --> 00:25:06.910 it into practice. Knowing the Bible never changed 00:25:06.910 --> 00:25:10.609 anyone. It is applying what you know of the Bible 00:25:10.609 --> 00:25:14.109 that brings life change. And so to live wisely 00:25:14.109 --> 00:25:16.450 begins with reverence. It means receiving the 00:25:16.450 --> 00:25:19.049 word. And then it requires asking for it specifically. 00:25:19.849 --> 00:25:22.329 James 1 .5, but if any man lack wisdom, let him 00:25:22.329 --> 00:25:24.990 ask of God, who gives to all men generously and 00:25:24.990 --> 00:25:27.809 without reproach. But when he asks, Let him ask 00:25:27.809 --> 00:25:29.970 in faith without any doubting. For the man who 00:25:29.970 --> 00:25:32.509 doubts is like a wave in the sea tossed here 00:25:32.509 --> 00:25:37.690 and there. This is an airtight promise. And the 00:25:37.690 --> 00:25:40.210 wisdom here is you don't know what to do about 00:25:40.210 --> 00:25:42.390 a decision. You don't know what to do about this 00:25:42.390 --> 00:25:44.430 relationship. You don't know what to do about 00:25:44.430 --> 00:25:46.309 your finances. You don't know what to do about 00:25:46.309 --> 00:25:48.170 a wayward child. You don't know what to do. Should 00:25:48.170 --> 00:25:49.950 I take this job or that job? Should I take the 00:25:49.950 --> 00:25:52.390 promotion? Should I move or not move? What do 00:25:52.390 --> 00:25:54.509 you want me to do? Don't you have a lot of those 00:25:54.509 --> 00:25:57.529 things in your life? I do. You know what this 00:25:57.529 --> 00:26:00.509 passage says? It comes out of the context of 00:26:00.509 --> 00:26:02.890 enduring suffering. It's written to a group of 00:26:02.890 --> 00:26:04.470 people that have been dispersed and they've lost 00:26:04.470 --> 00:26:06.410 their families and lost their jobs and they've 00:26:06.410 --> 00:26:08.589 been disowned and they've been told, consider 00:26:08.589 --> 00:26:10.369 it all joy when you encounter various trials 00:26:10.369 --> 00:26:12.529 and know this testing of your faith. Tell you 00:26:12.529 --> 00:26:15.609 what, hang in there, endure, and God will use 00:26:15.609 --> 00:26:17.750 it to develop your character. But in the midst 00:26:17.750 --> 00:26:20.430 of your pain and your suffering, if you don't 00:26:20.430 --> 00:26:23.710 know how to handle it, if any man lack wisdom, 00:26:23.809 --> 00:26:28.700 let him ask. God promises 100 % of the time to 00:26:28.700 --> 00:26:31.099 show you exactly what to do if you'll come and 00:26:31.099 --> 00:26:33.579 ask. And wisdom is not, don't make me smart in 00:26:33.579 --> 00:26:36.019 this, will you show me what it looks like to 00:26:36.019 --> 00:26:38.740 follow your way and your will in this situation? 00:26:39.200 --> 00:26:40.759 That's what wisdom is. That's what you're asking. 00:26:40.920 --> 00:26:43.839 Show me what it looks like to do what you want 00:26:43.839 --> 00:26:46.980 me to do in this situation. Now, here's the condition, 00:26:47.160 --> 00:26:49.119 that little let him ask without any doubting. 00:26:49.440 --> 00:26:51.279 That phrase there does not mean an intellectual 00:26:51.279 --> 00:26:53.799 doubt, or that's not like honest doubts about 00:26:53.799 --> 00:26:56.980 one verse in the Bible. This is a picture of 00:26:56.980 --> 00:27:00.480 a person who's coming to God, but they're coming, 00:27:00.559 --> 00:27:03.720 literally, we get our word schizophrenia, double 00:27:03.720 --> 00:27:06.519 -minded, doubting, double -minded. It has the 00:27:06.519 --> 00:27:09.000 idea of someone who comes to God and says, Should 00:27:09.000 --> 00:27:11.059 I date this person or this person? Should I take 00:27:11.059 --> 00:27:13.359 this job or that job? Should I do this with my 00:27:13.359 --> 00:27:15.380 money or this with my money? Should I move here 00:27:15.380 --> 00:27:18.640 or move there? God, I want you to show me exactly 00:27:18.640 --> 00:27:20.799 what you want me to do so I can take it under 00:27:20.799 --> 00:27:26.180 consideration. I would really like you to show 00:27:26.180 --> 00:27:29.819 me exactly what you want me to do. And I'll tell 00:27:29.819 --> 00:27:32.339 you what, I'll think about that. And if it's 00:27:32.339 --> 00:27:36.119 what I want, I just might do it. And if I don't, 00:27:36.119 --> 00:27:39.480 I just might not. That's the doubting of the 00:27:39.480 --> 00:27:42.059 double -minded man. You want to know how to get 00:27:42.059 --> 00:27:44.160 God's wisdom in areas where you're not sure what 00:27:44.160 --> 00:27:48.519 to do? Here's a word picture. Whatever that area 00:27:48.519 --> 00:27:53.539 is, you imagine a blank check. And on the top 00:27:53.539 --> 00:27:55.000 of that check, you know, where you write it out 00:27:55.000 --> 00:27:57.480 to someone, you imagine, I need to know what 00:27:57.480 --> 00:27:59.559 God wants me to do or I have this big decision 00:27:59.559 --> 00:28:02.279 about this or this or this or that. And then 00:28:02.279 --> 00:28:05.950 what you do is you write. On the bottom of the 00:28:05.950 --> 00:28:07.529 check where you sign your name, you sign your 00:28:07.529 --> 00:28:11.690 name. And then you take that check and you walk 00:28:11.690 --> 00:28:14.809 over, kind of in your mind's heart, and it's 00:28:14.809 --> 00:28:17.750 the throne room of God. And you take it and you 00:28:17.750 --> 00:28:19.309 shove it under the door. There's light coming 00:28:19.309 --> 00:28:23.329 out from under the door. And you signed your 00:28:23.329 --> 00:28:26.390 name and he fills out the top. And what you're 00:28:26.390 --> 00:28:29.829 saying is, Lord, whatever you show me in advance, 00:28:30.009 --> 00:28:31.809 whatever you show me, I'm committed to doing. 00:28:32.369 --> 00:28:35.430 If you will show me, I will do it, 100%. If you 00:28:35.430 --> 00:28:37.549 say break off the relationship, I will. If you 00:28:37.549 --> 00:28:40.349 say move, I'll move. If you say confront the 00:28:40.349 --> 00:28:42.529 situation, I'll confront him. If you say quit 00:28:42.529 --> 00:28:45.930 this job, I'll quit this job. Whatever you tell 00:28:45.930 --> 00:28:48.289 me to do, I will do. I've signed my name on the 00:28:48.289 --> 00:28:49.730 bottom of the check. I put it under the door 00:28:49.730 --> 00:28:52.509 of heaven. And now, Lord, you promise that you 00:28:52.509 --> 00:28:56.029 will give wisdom to anyone who asks without reproach, 00:28:56.029 --> 00:28:59.440 even if the reason I'm here is because I've messed 00:28:59.440 --> 00:29:01.640 up in the past. These are some consequences of 00:29:01.640 --> 00:29:03.920 my sin and I really feel bad about asking you 00:29:03.920 --> 00:29:05.220 what to do because I'm here because I really 00:29:05.220 --> 00:29:08.200 know I messed up. That phrase is, he'll come 00:29:08.200 --> 00:29:10.799 without reproach. God will not give wisdom and 00:29:10.799 --> 00:29:12.140 say, I was wondering when you were gonna come 00:29:12.140 --> 00:29:14.200 and you really did mess up and you're getting 00:29:14.200 --> 00:29:17.119 what you deserve. That's not, the passage says 00:29:17.119 --> 00:29:19.900 just the opposite. God will say, I'm glad you 00:29:19.900 --> 00:29:23.420 came and I'm not here to condemn you. You understand 00:29:23.420 --> 00:29:26.160 what you've done wrong. You've come with an honest 00:29:26.160 --> 00:29:29.180 heart and you've repented. And now you need to 00:29:29.180 --> 00:29:31.359 know what to do. And I want you to know whenever 00:29:31.359 --> 00:29:34.900 any one of my children come and they are willing 00:29:34.900 --> 00:29:38.400 to do whatever I show them, if you will ask me, 00:29:38.440 --> 00:29:41.519 I guarantee 100 % of the time, I will show you 00:29:41.519 --> 00:29:45.279 exactly what to do. And so about 98 % of the 00:29:45.279 --> 00:29:47.539 will of God in these kind of areas is being willing 00:29:47.539 --> 00:29:49.980 to do what he says. And if you're willing to 00:29:49.980 --> 00:29:52.869 do in advance, he will show you. It may be through 00:29:52.869 --> 00:29:54.930 a book. It may be through a person. It may be 00:29:54.930 --> 00:29:56.490 through a counselor. It may be through a pastor. 00:29:56.650 --> 00:29:58.490 It may be through a series of events where seven 00:29:58.490 --> 00:30:00.150 people say exactly the same thing that don't 00:30:00.150 --> 00:30:02.750 know each other to you. It may be a strong prompting 00:30:02.750 --> 00:30:04.789 in your spirit. And by the way, if it's other 00:30:04.789 --> 00:30:07.670 -centered, loving, biblical, moral, and has some 00:30:07.670 --> 00:30:10.230 sacrifice involved, it probably isn't the enemy 00:30:10.230 --> 00:30:16.150 trying to tempt you. You know, we're really funny. 00:30:16.250 --> 00:30:21.329 This couldn't be from God, you know. If we're 00:30:21.329 --> 00:30:23.269 gonna respond to God's wisdom, we must learn 00:30:23.269 --> 00:30:25.589 to live wisely. And that begins with reverence 00:30:25.589 --> 00:30:28.289 for God. It grows with receiving his word. It 00:30:28.289 --> 00:30:31.150 requires asking for it specifically. And finally, 00:30:31.190 --> 00:30:36.329 we must learn to trust completely. Trust that 00:30:36.329 --> 00:30:38.230 all that comes our way is from the hand of a 00:30:38.230 --> 00:30:42.369 good and loving God who knowing all things actual 00:30:42.369 --> 00:30:45.170 and possible is exerting his unlimited power 00:30:45.170 --> 00:30:48.369 to execute the best possible outcomes by the 00:30:48.369 --> 00:30:51.500 best possible means. to fulfill the highest possible 00:30:51.500 --> 00:30:58.119 purposes. You're listening to Living on the Edge 00:30:58.119 --> 00:31:00.980 with Chip Ingram, and the message you just heard, 00:31:01.140 --> 00:31:03.980 the wisdom of God, is from our series, The Real 00:31:03.980 --> 00:31:06.420 God. In just a minute, Chip will give us some 00:31:06.420 --> 00:31:09.099 deeper insight into what he just taught. But 00:31:09.099 --> 00:31:11.279 before he does that, Chip's here in studio to 00:31:11.279 --> 00:31:13.880 share a quick word with all of you. Chip? Thanks 00:31:13.880 --> 00:31:16.700 so much, Dave. I want to take just a moment to 00:31:16.700 --> 00:31:19.519 talk directly to those of you that are seeking 00:31:19.519 --> 00:31:21.579 a way to be more connected to the ministry of 00:31:21.579 --> 00:31:23.960 Living on the Edge. We're in need of partners 00:31:23.960 --> 00:31:26.740 who will take a step of faith and make a monthly 00:31:26.740 --> 00:31:29.400 financial commitment to the ministry. You may 00:31:29.400 --> 00:31:31.160 be thinking that because we reach millions of 00:31:31.160 --> 00:31:33.960 people through radio and broadcast and online 00:31:33.960 --> 00:31:36.660 and ministry resources that we probably don't 00:31:36.660 --> 00:31:38.380 need the money or that we're supported by all 00:31:38.380 --> 00:31:41.180 these people. The fact is, it's a very small 00:31:41.180 --> 00:31:44.059 percentage of all the people who listen or do 00:31:44.059 --> 00:31:46.740 small group resources that actually give to the 00:31:46.740 --> 00:31:49.880 ministry. We depend on and we deeply appreciate 00:31:49.880 --> 00:31:53.220 those partners who make the decision to walk 00:31:53.220 --> 00:31:55.500 with us, especially with a monthly commitment. 00:31:55.759 --> 00:31:58.380 It doesn't have to be a large amount. So let 00:31:58.380 --> 00:32:01.220 me ask you, would you please pray about becoming 00:32:01.220 --> 00:32:03.559 a monthly partner? Thanks so much in advance 00:32:03.559 --> 00:32:06.440 for whatever God leads you to do. Thanks, Chip. 00:32:06.539 --> 00:32:08.680 Well, if joining the Living on the Edge team 00:32:08.680 --> 00:32:11.539 is an idea that makes sense to you, let me encourage 00:32:11.539 --> 00:32:14.339 you to become a monthly partner. You can do that 00:32:14.339 --> 00:32:17.880 today by visiting livingontheedge .org or by 00:32:17.880 --> 00:32:23.019 calling 888 -333 -6003. Take a few minutes to 00:32:23.019 --> 00:32:25.519 help others benefit from the work of this ministry. 00:32:25.759 --> 00:32:31.579 Call 888 -333 -6003 or go to livingontheedge 00:32:31.579 --> 00:32:36.269 .org. App listeners tap donate. Well, with that, 00:32:36.269 --> 00:32:39.250 let's get to that application from Chip. How 00:32:39.250 --> 00:32:43.250 do we tap into the wisdom of God? How do we get 00:32:43.250 --> 00:32:46.109 his mind and his heart about what to do, when 00:32:46.109 --> 00:32:48.970 to do it, where to go, what decisions to make, 00:32:49.109 --> 00:32:53.529 what not to do so that we honor him and it works 00:32:53.529 --> 00:32:57.640 for our good? Today we covered three specific 00:32:57.640 --> 00:33:01.000 things that you need to do and I need to do if 00:33:01.000 --> 00:33:03.140 we're going to tap into God's wisdom. Let me 00:33:03.140 --> 00:33:07.480 review them. Number one, it begins with reverence 00:33:07.480 --> 00:33:10.500 for God. You know, at the heart of this, I don't 00:33:10.500 --> 00:33:12.359 know where you're at, at the heart of this is 00:33:12.359 --> 00:33:15.700 you will never get God's wisdom until you bow 00:33:15.700 --> 00:33:19.019 the knee and say, I'm going to do life your way. 00:33:19.759 --> 00:33:22.420 You know, there's no compromise here. I'm going 00:33:22.420 --> 00:33:25.519 to do life your way. Your word says it. I'm going 00:33:25.519 --> 00:33:27.980 to do it. When I know what's right to do, I may 00:33:27.980 --> 00:33:30.160 feel like it. I may not. I'm going to do it. 00:33:30.420 --> 00:33:34.460 So it begins with reverence. Second, it requires 00:33:34.460 --> 00:33:40.000 asking for it specifically. God says, ask for 00:33:40.000 --> 00:33:43.220 wisdom and I'll give it to you. What's the situation 00:33:43.220 --> 00:33:45.940 where you need to know the mind of God? Are you 00:33:45.940 --> 00:33:48.920 asking specifically? But remember the condition. 00:33:49.690 --> 00:33:53.869 you are willing to do whatever he says. Third, 00:33:54.150 --> 00:33:58.789 it grows with receiving his word. God's not dropping 00:33:58.789 --> 00:34:02.210 little wonderful ideas about what to do out of 00:34:02.210 --> 00:34:05.390 the sky. It doesn't happen in a vacuum. Remember 00:34:05.390 --> 00:34:08.989 we said it's his word. It's a lamp into our feet. 00:34:09.050 --> 00:34:11.750 It's a light into our path. As you soak your 00:34:11.750 --> 00:34:15.159 mind and your heart in the word of God. wisdom 00:34:15.159 --> 00:34:18.000 will literally ooze out of it by the power of 00:34:18.000 --> 00:34:20.280 the Holy Spirit as you come with that surrendered 00:34:20.280 --> 00:34:22.840 heart. And so here's your assignment. Are you 00:34:22.840 --> 00:34:25.219 ready? I want you to do this today. I would like 00:34:25.219 --> 00:34:29.639 you to sit quietly for 15 minutes and ponder 00:34:29.639 --> 00:34:32.940 your most difficult circumstance and say, Lord, 00:34:33.099 --> 00:34:36.940 will you give me your wisdom? And Lord, whatever 00:34:36.940 --> 00:34:40.969 you show me, I'll do. He may bring a verse to 00:34:40.969 --> 00:34:43.789 your mind. He may bring an idea. He may prompt 00:34:43.789 --> 00:34:47.389 you to go talk to someone. He may even say, why 00:34:47.389 --> 00:34:49.989 don't you read that chapter in J .I. Packer's 00:34:49.989 --> 00:34:54.730 book, Knowing God, pages 93 to 97, and you may 00:34:54.730 --> 00:34:56.730 get a perspective that you've never had before. 00:34:57.389 --> 00:35:02.849 May God grant you his wisdom today. Amen. Amen 00:35:02.849 --> 00:35:06.519 and amen. Great worship. Well, that's all the 00:35:06.519 --> 00:35:09.119 time we have for today. For Chip and the entire 00:35:09.119 --> 00:35:11.719 team here, this is Dave Drewy thanking you for 00:35:11.719 --> 00:35:14.539 listening to this edition of Living on the Edge. 00:35:14.599 --> 00:35:16.780 And I hope you'll join us again next time.