Pleasing God, Part 4

Though none go with me, still I will follow. We pray that that's your desire to follow the Lord Jesus no matter what. We are in our fourth teaching on what it means to please God. There'll be six altogether, I think. That's the plan as of tonight. And this is our fourth one: on what it means to please and honor God. It is life's noblest ambition. It is life's greatest ambition. Paul would say in 2 Corinthians 5:9 that he made it his ambition to live a life that was pleasing to the Lord. In fact, he told the church at Ephesus in Ephesians 5, verse number 10, to learn that which is pleasing to the Lord.

You need to learn what it means to please the Lord. And that's what we are doing. We are learning what the Bible says concerning pleasing God.

Revelation 4:11 says, That's why we were created, we exist. To bring pleasure to the heart of God. Paul knew, 2 Corinthians 5, verse number 10, for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. That every man will receive that which is done in his body, whether it would be good or whether it would be bad or worthless or empty or vain. Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:10 speaking about the Bem seat of Christ, where we as believers are not judged because of our sin. Our sin was judged at Calvary. So, when we stand at that victorious platform in heaven, we receive that which is done in our body, those good things that are done, the rewards that God gives us.

The things that we did for selfish purposes are burned up. The things that we do for God's glory and for God's honor that are pleasing to Him, that's what we will be rewarded for. And so, we are looking at what it means to please God. What it means to make it our ambition to live a life that honors the name of God. If that's what we were created to do, We need to know what it means. And so we told you: number one, to please God, we are proclaiming the message of the cross, 1 Corinthians 1:1 to 23.

Number two, living a life of faith. Hebrews 11:6. Without faith, it's impossible to please God. Number three, ex Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Matthew 3, verse number 17 tells us. This is my bel Son, in whom I am well pleased. John 5 says, If you honor the Son, you honor the Father who sent. The sun. Those were our first three points we covered in our first three weeks.

This is number four: to bring pleasure to the heart of God, we Need to be ask God for wisdom. Asking God for wisdom. That brings pleasure to God. How do we know that? Turn in your Bible to 1 Kings chapter 3. Go back to the Old Testament, 1 Kings chapter 3. You know, I've told you before, and I'll tell you again, that it's imperative that we need to be passionate about the things that m. But so many times we're passive about the things that matter and are passionate about the things that don't matter.

And so we need to understand the things that do matter. And that which matters is what God thinks about our lives. And so when we live lives pleasing to Him, He then is honored. And that's why we were created. In 1 Kings 3, you have Solomon, who is asleep, and it says in verse number 5: In Gibeon, the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream at night. And God said, Ask what you wish me to give you. Now, think about that. What an open-ended question. Ask me. What it is you want me to give you. Now, you know the story.

If you didn't know the story, what would you say? What would you ask God for? Ask me, Solomon: what do you want? And so Solomon said, verse 6: Thou hast shown great loving kindness to thy servant David my father, according as he has walked before thee in truth and righteousness and uprightness of heart toward thee. And thou hast reserved for him this great loving kind that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne as it is this day. And now, O my Lord my God, O Lord my God, thou hast made thy servant king in place of my father David.

Yet I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. And thy servant is in the midst of thy people, which thou hast chosen, a great people, who cannot be numbered or counted from multitude. So give thy servant an understand heart to judge thy people, to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of thine? And it was pleasing in the sight of the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing. And God said to him, Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked for yourself long life, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have you asked for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself discernment.

To understand justice. Behold, I have done according to your words. Behold, I have given you a wise and discerning heart. So that there has been no one like you before you, nor shall one like you arise after you. And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there will not be any among the kings like you all your days. And if you walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and commandments, as your father David walked, then I will prolong your days. God says, you ask for the right thing.

I am pleased that you did that. And I am so pleased that you asked for wisdom, that you asked for a discerning heart. a discerning mind and understand mind that you might be able to judge rightly between your people, discern between what is right and what is wrong. I am so pleased with that. I 'm going to give you what you didn't even ask of me. I'm going to give you riches. I'm going to give you honor simply because you asked for the right thing. Isn't that amazing? God is just so wonderful in how He operates with His people.

He asks an open-ended question, What do you want? Solomon says, I need some wisdom because I'm about to embark on a journey. I have no idea what I'm going to do. I'm lost without you. And there are so many people I can't even begin to count them, but somehow I've got to be able to discern between what is right and wrong, what is. What is truth and what is error? And I need to have a discerning m. That 's what I need. God was pleased. Asking God for wisdom. We need in our lives wisdom. Discernment, dis, the ability to choose between that which is right and that which is wrong, that which is good and that which is evil.

So I want to talk to you tonight about wisdom. I want to explain wisdom to you. Talk to you about the benefits of wisdom, the blessings of wisdom, the goodness of wisdom, what the Bible has to say about it. Because if we're going to please God, we must ask God for wisdom. And so, if we're asking Him for wisdom, what does that mean? Well, turn me in your Bible to Proverbs chapter 24 for a moment. Proverbs chapter 24. We'll begin here. We're going to cover a lot of different verses tonight, so make sure you turn quickly with me.

Because we're going to read a lot about what the Bible says concerning wisdom. Proverbs 24, verse number 3 says, By wisdom a house is built. And by understanding it is established, and by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches. In other words, if you want your home to be filled with the things that last, It must be built upon wisdom, understand, and knowledge. Now, in the book of Proverbs, they're almost used synonymously. But there is a little variation between them, so you need to understand.

Wisdom is the application of truth to life. Wisdom is not what I know. Wisdom is how I live in light of what I know. Okay, so wisdom is the application of tr to life. Understanding is the verification of truth. to life. In other words, understand is res to truth with insight. It verifies the truth. In other words, understand pro What I believe to be true through my testimony, as it's used in the book of Proverbs. So, wisdom is the application of truth to life. Understanding is the verification of that truth through my life.

And know is the clarification of that truth about life. In other words, I'm able to communicate it. I'm able to clarify it because I understand it. I understand it because I have applied it to my life. I am living it out. So important to grasp. And your home, if it's going to have that which lasts forever. Whole rooms filled with all kinds of pleasant riches and treasures. It's all based around how you, as a parent, respond to the truth of God's Word. That's the essence of your home. You can build a house, okay, or you can build a home.

You can build a house with all the makings and trimmings that come together to build a house, or you can build a hole. That is fortified, that is strong, and that last. And it centers around wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. Now the Bible says in Luke 11 verse number 48 that the word is called the wisdom of God.

The word is called the wisdom of God. In Isaiah 11, verse number 2, the Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of wisdom. So God, who is wise, the all-wise, all-knowing God, gave us the wisdom of God through His Word. Gave us the Spirit of God to help us understand the wisdom of God. And then the Bible says in 2 Timothy 3, verse number 15, that Faith in Christ makes you wise unto salvation.

Over in 1 Corinthians 1, Christ became to you the wisdom of God at salvation. In Colossians 2, it says that in Christ dwells all wisdom and knowledge. So God, He wants us to be wise. So when we ask for wisdom, it pleases Him. Why? Because He is the God of wisdom. Who's given us the word of wisdom? Who's implanted the spirit of wisdom that we might understand the heart and mind of God? In other words, that we might apply To our lives, the truth of God, then verify that truth through our testimony, thus clarify that truth through how we communicate it.

Verbally to others. Wisdom, knowledge, and understanding, or wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. That's what God wants for us. That brings great pleasure to God. That's what he wants us to do. God says, Look, if you're asking me for wisdom, that means you're asking to know more of my word.

You're dependent upon my spirit to teach you that word, and I am the God who is all-wise and all-knowing. That means you want to know me, that brings great pleasure to my heart. So we should seek to please and honor God. Pleasing God is something that should be our life's ambition. Now, turn with me in a moment, with me for a second, to Matthew chapter 7.

Matthew chapter 7. Now, you know, Matthews 5, 6, and 7 is what is commonly called the sermon on the mount. It's called there, it's called that because Christ preached a sermon. On a mount. Okay? That's why it's called the Serm on the Mount. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that one out. And so Christ begins to talk to us about how to live like a child. The king. It's all about kingdom living. Christ is the king, he came to present the kingdom. This is what citizens of the kingdom do, this is what they look like.

And so, as he goes through this whole thing, he interprets the identity of the citizens of his kingdom in verses 1 to 12. And then he talks to them about their authority in the kingdom. In verses 13 to 16. They talk to them about their morality in the kingdom by giving six different illustrations. One about murder, one about divorce, and one about adultery, and one about swearing, one about love. He gives these illustrations. You have heard that it was said by the ancients of old, but I tell you, this is what really matters.

And so he gives this whole sermon about kingdom living, how to live as a child of the king. And so when it's all said and done, he concludes with these words: Matthew 7, verse number 24. There, everyone who hears these words of mine and acts upon them may be compared to a wise man. The wise man applies the truth to his life. He hears it and acts upon it. That's the wise man. And so Christ says, Therefore, you've heard this sermon about kingdom living.

You understand what it means to be a citizen of my kingdom. You understand what it means to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, Matthew 6:3, and all these things shall be added unto you.

You understand what it means to give. My way, to pray my way, to live my way. You understand those things? You understand that the gate is narrow, and few there be that find it. But the road to destruction is broad and huge. So make sure you hear what I'm saying. So if you hear what I'm saying and you act upon what you hear, you are likened unto a wise man. And then he says, Who built his house upon what? The rock. Psalm 18, verse number 2 says, The Lord is my rock. And my salvation, right? 1 Corinthians 10:4, it says that Christ is the rock.

In Matthew chapter 16, Christ says, up this rock I will build my church. What rock is that? It 's the confession that Peter made about Christ the Messiah. Upon my identity as the Messiah of Israel and your statement, I will build my church on that. Bedrock foundation: that I am Israel's Messiah, that I am the rock, that I am the king, that I am the savior, I am the Lord. And the church is built upon the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And that foundation is that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, that He is the rock of Israel, and He is the Savior of man.

So Christ comes and says, listen, if you hear my words and you act upon them, you're likened unto a wise man who built his house upon a sure foundation, a solid rock, the identity of God him. And then he says, And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew and burst against the house, and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded upon the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act upon them will be like a foolish man who built his house upon the sand. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew and burst against that house, and it was.

I'm sorry. And great was its f. So, Christ ends the sermon. That's it. It's done. No invitation? That's just it. He's done. No, if you want to come into my kingdom, come forward and we'll pray together. All right. Come on down to 10 verses of just as I am, and we'll have a little pow down here. No, nothing. It just ends sermon. He's done. The marveled at what he said. No converts. Nobody came to Christ in this day. At least the Bible doesn't record anybody who came to Christ. But he gave the invitation.

And left them with that illustration. The wise man is the one who hears and act upon what he's heard. He takes the truth. He applies it to his life. Because he lives it out, it verifies the fact that he has understanding. And if he lives it out, because he's applied to his life, he then communicates to others what that truth is: wisdom, understand, and knowledge. He has wisdom. That's the wise man. He builds his house upon the ro. Now, turn back with me, if you would, to the book of Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy chapter 4.

Moses, before he dies, addresses the nation of Israel. He says, You who held fast to the Lord your God, verse 4, and are alive today, every one of you, see, I have taught you statutes and judgments. Just as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should do this in the land where you are entering to possess it. So keep and do them. For that is your wisdom and your understand to keep them Wisdom, to do them is understand, to keep them applies the truth to your life, to do them verifies that truth through your life.

He says, For that is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes and say, Surely. This great nation is a w and understand people. In other words, when you apply the truth to your life. you're wise when you verify the truth through your life you have understanding people will see that and they will recognize your wisdom they will recognize your understanding because your life is so much Different than theirs. Now, it doesn't say you are wise when you have God's Word.

Nor are you wise when you desire God's word, nor are you wise when you read God's word. It says you are wise when you keep God's wor. There 's a lot of people who read the Bible. There 's a lot of people who even desire to read the Bible. There's a lot of people who have the Bible. It doesn't make them wise into salvation. In fact, over in the book of Joshua, These words are recorded as Joshua Moses dies in Deuteronomy 34. Then Joshua, now, filled with the spirit of wisdom in verse 9 of chapter 34, Deuteronomy, in Joshua chapter 1.

The Lord God says, This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it.

For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have the ability. To act wisely. Maybe your translation says you will have success. In scripture, success is equivalent to applying the truth to your life. And in Hebrew it says, you will act wisely. You will be a wise man, Joshua, if you hear the words, if you do the words. If you keep the words, if you live out those words, you will act in a wise manner. And that's what brings pleasure to the heart and mind of God. Now turn back, if you would, to the book of Proverbs once again, Proverbs chapter 2.

Listen to what the Bible says. Verse 1, My son, if you will receive my sayings and treasure my commandments within you, and make your ear attentive to wisdom, incline your heart to understanding. For if you cry for discernment, lift your voice for understanding, if you seek her as silver and search for her as for hidden treasures, then you will discern the fear of the Lord and discover the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom. From his mouth comes knowledge and understanding. See, everything is from God.

He is the God who is wisdom, who's given us, according to Luke 11, the word of wisdom, according to Isaiah 11, the spirit of wisdom. So that we would understand who He is and live in light of who He is. When you do that, it brings pleasure to God because you are applying that truth to your life. And therefore, you are keeping what God has said, not just hearing what God has said. Proverbs 3, verse number 13: How blessed is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gains understand. For its profit is better than the profit of silver and its gain than fine gold.

Why? She is more precious than jewels. And nothing you desire compares with her. In other words, why is it more precious than fine jewels, precious than fine jewels? Why is it more valuable than gold? Because it has eternal value. That's why. Long life is in her right hand, in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her. That's wisdom. Verse 21, my son, let them not depart from your sight. Keep sound wisdom and discretion, so they will be life to your soul and a dormant.

To your neck. Then you will walk in your way securely, and your foot will not stumble. When you lie down, you will not be afraid. When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. Do not be afraid of sudden fear, nor of the onslaught of the wicked when it comes, for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught. See, the man of wisdom has this. The sure that he will not stumble, he will not fall. Why? Simply because he is one who lives in light of the word of God and is dependent upon that word to sustain him all throughout his life.

Then it says over in Proverbs 4, verse number 5: Acquire wisdom, acquire understanding, do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth. Do not forsake her, for she will guard you. Love her, for she will watch over you. The beginning of wisdom is acquire. And with all your acquiring, get understanding. Prize her, and she will exalt you. She will honor you if you embrace her. She will place on your head a garland of grace. She will present you with a crown of beauty. Hear my son and accept my sayings.

Now, you read that, you think to yourself, why is it we will not pursue wisdom? Why we would not even ask God to make us wise? That we might apply the truth of God to our lives. Turn back with me, if you would, to James chapter 1. James chapter 1. I want you to leave here tonight asking God for wisdom. Because if you do, it pleases God. Your ambition in life is to please God. Listen, my friends, we need wisdom. Let me show you why.

James 1, verse number 5. But if any of you lacks wisdom, Let him ask of God who gives to all men generously, he gives to all men liberally. Now, you have to understand context here, okay? Look, have you ever been to Disneyland? Have you been to Disneyland recently? Oh man, it is so expensive to go to Disneyland. But people still keep going to Disneyland, don they? Just keep on going. Okay? So, you know, you buy all your tickets for your kids, you get them into Disneyland. It breaks half the bank just to get into Disneyland, okay?

But then, what really hurts are the sodas and the waters and the churro and all the souvenirs and all the shirts and t-shirts and everything in there. That 's what kills you. And so you go in there, having purchased your tickets, you walk in, and your kids want this, they want that, they're hungry, they're thirsty, they need water, they need something to eat. And you say, stop, stop, please stop. I am broke, I have no more money. You can't give to them generously. You can't give to them liberally.

Why? Because we don't have a never-ending pot. But God does. So he can give to you generously. He is the God of wisdom. So he can give you of his infinite wisdom. So context is important. What's context? Context is trials, right? James 1:2. Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you can count a various Trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance, and let endurance have its perfect result that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. See, God's He says, God's going to bring trials into your life, consider it all joy.

All joy when the trials come. Now, we don't do that, do we? Why? Because we lack wisdom. We lack wisdom. And he goes on to explain the fact that what trials do is they perfect the man, they perfect the woman, they make you just exactly what God wants you to be. And while you're in the trial, you don't see that. All you can see is your bad attitude. All you can see is your negative response. All you can see is how bad things are. You don't see how it's perfecting you. So, James says, but.

If any of you lacks wisdom about what trials The joy you're to have in trials? What God is doing through your trials? Because you see, of all the areas we need wisdom in, it's in that one. We need to know how to handle conflict. We need to know how to handle hardship. We need to know how to handle persecution. How to handle disappointment and difficulties. We don't do very good at that, do we? We're not very good at that. So we need wisdom. So, if you want to acquire wisdom, you've got to ask for it.

Not that difficult, is it? You've got to ask for it. To ask for it, you have to first admit you have a need.

Solomon admitted he had a need. I need wisdom. I can't do that. I'm like a child here. He's comparing his kingship to his childhood. I'm in this new. This new office that you have designed for me. You've called me, you've chosen me. I'm here. I'm in the footsteps of my father, David, and I've been called by you, but I have no idea what I'm doing. I'm like a child. I need wisdom. He admits he has a need. One of our biggest problems in trials is that we don't admit we have a need to have the wisdom we need to accomplish what God wants us to accomplish.

So, we need to admit the fact that we have a need. Once you admit you have a need, you must acknowledge that God is the source to meet that need. But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men gener, liber. Impartially, and even more important, individually. You must not only admit you have a need, you must acknowledge the source that can meet that need. God alone. God alone. Listen, we have trials all the time, don't we? We face them every day. And usually we pick up the phone and talk to somebody about the trial we're experiencing.

Instead of admitting we have a need, That we don't have wisdom in it, and then acknowledging God as a source to help me through that need and meet that need, and then ask God for wisdom. God, I need wisdom. I need to know how to handle this. I need to know how to apply the truth to my life in this situation. When you do that, God gives to you gener, liberally. Overabundantly, He gives you the wisdom. Sometimes we just need to stop and drop. Stop and drop to our knees, admit, Lord, I have no idea what I'm doing.

I have no idea what's happening to me. I have no idea where I'm going. So I'm going to go to you, the source of wisdom. Admit my need, acknowledge that you are the God who gives to me liberally, and I'm going to ask in faith. Remember, faith is believing in what God has already said. So I go to God and I ask God, based on what He has already said, that Lord, you promise to give to me liberally if I ask you about how to handle this situation. So I'm asking. I'm coming to you. I need wisdom in this particular area.

Then he says, But let him ask in faith, without any doubting, don't doubt. For the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. So when you go to him and ask, don't ask, well. Doubting that he might not do it, you must go to him believing in what he has already said, that he might give you the wisdom to understand what is happening, that you might consider it.

All joy. All joy. That He has a perfect plan, that He is operating in His perfect timetable to accomplish. What he wants in my life to glorify his name. Go back to James chapter 3. James chapter 3. Who among you is wise and understanding? Those are those two words together. Because there's so much intertwined. You see, a discerning heart, according to the book of Proverbs, is a wise heart. The discerning heart is able to judge between what is right and wrong. And so wisdom is what we need, the application of truth to life.

Understanding is the manifestation of that. It is the verification of that truth through my life. That is, I am verifying to you by my life that what I believe is true, so much so that I live it out. So James comes back and says, Who is the wise and understand man? Who among you has wisdom? Who among you has understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. Let him demonstrate it. Let him show it, right? Because that's what wisdom is. It is the application and the verification of truth through my life.

But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition, In your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, and demonic. Do you understand that whenever you act in a selfish way, it's demonic? We don't consider it that way. But you know, we can be very selfish people. Just think about your TV and the remote on the TV. And who controls the remote and what you watch? We can be very selfish people. You know, we want to watch what we want to watch.

Selfish ambition was Satan's. Satan's way. He wanted the kingship. He wanted the rulership. So James comes back and says if there is bitter jealousy. In your heart, if there is selfish ambition, not only is it natural or fleshly, not only is it earthly as opposed to that which is heavenly. I'm gonna go, what's up beyond that? He, I'm gonna say it's demonic. It's from the pit of hell. That's a translation of demonic. It's all everything that's opposed to God because God was anything but selfish, ambitious.

In, it says in Philippians chapter 2, verse number 3, we're to lay aside all selfish ambition. Right? And so Paul is. Or James is trying to help us understand what true wisdom looks like. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing. Well, you know, that's just an amazing verse. How do you know when your home is when your home is in chaos and there's disorder, what's the problem? Bitter jealousy and selfish ambition. That's the problem. Because not only is there disorder, there is everything evil about it.

Evil's everywhere. Is your home orderly or is it disorderly? Is it calm or is it chaotic? How is it? Because you see, James is trying to help us understand what true wisdom looks like, the application of truth to the life. The verification of that truth through the life. That's wisdom and understand. So he says, Who is the wise man? Who is the one who is able to apply truth to his life? The one who does is not bitter and jealous. He's not the one who is selfishly ambitious because if it is, that's demonic.

That's not from above. From below, and if that's the way he is, there's not going to be riches, treasures, and gold in all the rooms. There's going to be evil and disorder and every evil thing. That's what he's trying to explain to us. See, it doesn take a rocket scientist to figure out what's wrong with your home. It doesn't take a psychologist to tell you what's wrong with your home. It just takes James to tell you what's wrong with your home. That's all. You know, I do read it. So he says, But the wisdom from above is first pure.

That is, it's undefiled. Okay? It 's not characterized by that which is selfish. It's pure, it's holy. It's not characterized by bitter jealousy. You see, bitter jealousy and selfish ambition characterize the home in disarray. But the wise home, the understanding home, characterizes the home where the rooms are filled with all kind of precious treasures and riches according to Proverbs chapter 24 verses 3 and 4. And then he says, the wisdom from above is first pure and then peaceable, because from the purity comes the peace.

And then it says, gentle, reasonable, or teachable, willing to accept criticism. Full of mercy, that's the attitude in good fruits. Unwavering without hypocrisy. In other words, there's wisdom there, he's unwavering, as opposed to the man in James 1 who doesn't ask. For wisdom, and he doubts God, and he's double-minded and unstable in all of his ways. Versus the guy who has wisdom, who has gone to God. And he has understanding and he's unwavering. He's unh. He's trustworthy. He's sincere. He's honest.

You can count on him because he is a man filled with wisdom and understanding. And that seed, as James was going to say, is whose fruit is righteousness, is sown in peace by those who make peace. In other words, the product of a wise and understand home Is right permeating the home? That's what it is. So we ask ourselves. Do we please God? We do it when we ask Him for wisdom. Because wisdom is crucial to everything we do. Go back with me over to Ephesians chapter 5. Told you is going to read a lot of verses tonight to give you a broad view, overview of understanding what wisdom is.

That you might want to leave here asking God for wisdom because you so desperately want to please him. Ephesians 5, verse number 15. Therefore, be careful how you walk, not as unwise or foolish men, but as wise. In other words, be very careful how you walk. Don't walk foolishly, walk wise. Making the most of your time because the days are evil. So then, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. In other words, you need to redeem the time. You need to buy back every opportunity.

What does the wise man do? He looks at every opportunity. He seizes the moment, buys it back for the sake of eternity. Why? Because he is so God-conscious about what's happening. He walks wisely. He walks in wisdom. He walks applying truth to his life in every avenue he lives. As he applies the truth, he verifies the truth. As he verifies the truth, he clarifies the truth because that's what wisdom does. So Solomon says, acquire wisdom, and in all you're getting, get wisdom, gain wisdom, obtain wisdom.

Because it will be an adornment to your life. It'll be a garland around your neck. It will beautify everything about your life. Why does it make it beautiful? Because it's a life that pleases God. And when you please God, you make even your enemies at peace with you. Because you live a life filled with His wisdom. You want to be a wise man, not a foolish man. The wise man in Psalm 14:1, the wise man has said, No God. No God. I know your translation says, the fool has said in his heart, there is no God, but there is is in italics.

The foolish man says what? No God. Fus doesn't say there is no God. Fus says no God. He says no to God. No. I will not forgive. No, I will not forget. No, I won't be merciful. No, I won't be. No, God. That's the foolish man. The foolish man says no to God. I will not change. I will not follow you. I will not. That's the foolish man. He does what he wants to do. Proverbs 12, verse number 15, the way of the fool is right in his own eyes. That's why he says, no God. He says no to God because in his own mind he says this is the right way.

That's not the wise man. The wise man hears the truth, applies the truth, and says, This is God's way. The foolish man says, I hear the truth, know God, I got a better way. That's the foolish man. Over in Proverbs 14, verse number 9, it says, quote, fool mo sin. They make light of sin. They joke about sin. That's what the foolish man does. Proverbs 15, verse number 2. Says these words, Proverbs 15, verse number 2, about the foolish man. The tongue of the wise makes knowledge acceptable, but the mouth of fools spouts out folly.

Proverbs 18, verse number 2. This is a good one. A fool does not delight in understanding, but only in revealing his own heart. Do you ever know that when you say, you know, let me tell you how I feel on the inside, I'm going to reveal to you my heart so you know what's going on inside?

You're the foolish man, not the wise man. See, we want to tell people how we feel. It's how I feel on the inside. This is what you did to me. I'm going to unload on you. I'm going load my feelings on you. I'm going give you my heart. The Bible says that's the foolish man.

He doesn't delight in understand. He doesn't delight in verifying truth. He just delights in ex his feel and his heart. That's the foolish man. Why does he do that? Because in his heart he says, No God, no God. Because in his heart he says, My way is right, your way is wrong. And my way is just to put all my feelings out there, put them on the table, so you know exactly how I feel. That's not the wise man. That's the foolish man. That doesn't please God. Because who are you to pour your feelings out to?

Read the Psalms. The Lord God. He wants you to pour everything out to Him. He wants you to cast all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you. In other words, he says, Cast all your cares upon me because I care for you. Don't cast them anywhere else because nobody else cares. I mean, that's not literally a translation, but that's really what it is. Throw everything to me. I care. Throw it to somebody else. They're not going to care. They're just not going to care that much. I care with everything I have.

So we cast it all to God because He wants to hear. He is a listening ear. People we cast our he to don't necessarily have a listening ear or an impartial ear. They have a partial ear, not an impartial ear. That doesn't mean you don't tell people what's going on in your life. Don't hear me say that. I'm just saying that you need to be careful and understand what the word of the Lord says because we want to be pleasing to God. We want to go to Him and ask Him for wisdom, understand, discernment, discretion, and knowledge.

That we might be able to behave as He wants us to behave. That brings great pleasure to Him. See, the reason we dump everything out is because we somehow are not. Pleasing to the one we're dumping on, or no one is pleasing us, but our ambition is to please God. See, we've got it all mixed up. And so God wants us to honor Him. And so you go back to Ephesians 5. Paul just says, listen.

Be careful how you walk. Don't walk like a foolish man. Don't walk like an unwise man. Read the book of Proverbs. It gives you a description of the foolish man. It gave you just a few verses this evening. But walk as wise men. Walk as people who take the truth, who hear the truth, keep the truth, and apply the truth. Because they want to make sure that truth is verified through their lives as true. As it is. One more verse, Colossians chapter one. This was Paul's prayer for those of the church of Colosse.

He gives the request, which is very simple, but the results are very sublime. For this reason, also, since the day we heard of it, we have not. Cease to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understand. This is Paul's prayer. For the church, we want you to be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. Those are our three words again from Proverbs 24, verses 3 and 4. This is what I want for you, Paul says.

Because when you have wis, let me show you what happens. Number one, you'll please God constantly. Verse 10, so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord to please him in all respects. Wow, there it is. You please him constantly. You're going to walk in a manner worthy. See, that's what wisdom is. To walk worthy is to walk equal. That is, your life is equal with your lips. That's what it means to walk worthy. It means to walk equally. So my life is equal to my lips. When that happens, that means you're a wise man.

You have applied the truth to your life. You're an understanding man. You have verified that truth through your life. And you are a man of knowledge because you have clarified that truth about life. And that pleases God. It brings great pleasure to God. So you please Him constantly. Number two, you produce fruit consistently.

He says, To walk in a manner worthy of the Lord to please him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work. Wow. Bearing fruit in every good work. Read Galatians 5, 22 and 23 about the fruit of the Spirit. Read 2 Peter 1, verses 1 and following about adding to your faith this and that and this and that, because those are all things that help you understand. How fruit is produced in your life. But the man of wisdom, understand the knowledge, because he understands God and his word, not only pleases God consistently.

But produces fruit continually. He's got fruit hanging all over the place. You can go up and pick whatever you want because that's the way he lives his life. Number three, you progress in knowledge contin.

He says, increasing in the knowledge of God. Wow. Listen, the more you apply the truth, the easier it is to verify the truth, and the better you are at clarifying the truth. See? Because you're taking it in and you just keep progressing in the knowledge of God cont. And then you'll persevere in stress cheerfully. Look what it says. Strengthen with all power according to his glorious might for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience joyously. Wow. Do you ever wonder why you don't persevere amidst your stress cheerfully?

It's because you haven't asked God for wisdom. You ask Him for wisdom, and you're filled with all spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then what happens is that amidst all that stress, steadfastness, endurance, the ability to persevere under pressure, you do it joyfully. Because you've applied the truth, you've verified the truth, and you've clarified the truth. It's all about the truth. I'm going say it to you one more time. Everything about life is only about one thing: the truth. Nothing else matters.

Nothing. Everything else is irrelevant. Only truth matters. And when you get that and grasp that, your marriage changes, your workplace changes, your school changes, the way you perceive your school, the way you perceive your workplace. The way you perceive life, the way you handle stress, everything changes. It's all about the truth and what God says.

Because what God says matters. And then lastly, you'll praise God correctly. Verse 12, giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints. In the light, you'll praise Him correctly. You can't help but praise Him correctly. Because everything is about giving praise and glory and honor to God. See, that's why it pleases God. Do you think God wants you to progress in the knowledge of his will? Yes. Do you think he wants you to persevere cheerfully amidst stress?

Yes. Do you think he wants you to praise him continually? Yes. He wants you to do all those things. And when you do, it pleases him because you've asked God. For wisdom. Tonight, when you go home and you get ready to go to bed, you just kneel down and say, Lord, I just need to ask you. For wisdom, I admit I cannot do my life. I cannot do my marriage. I can't do my work. I can't do anything. I'm done. I'm done doing me. I need wisdom. I need wisdom from above. I need you to explain to me what it is you want me to do.

And then, Lord, I admit that I have nothing in and of myself. I acknowledge you as the sole source of my sustenance. Whatever you have to give, give. Because I know your word says you give it liberally, gener, almost over, you give it. So I'm asking. That's what I need from you today, Lord. And guess what? God is pleased. Let's pray. Father, we thank you, Lord, for our time together this evening and a chance to be in your word. Truly, you are a great God. We just scratch the surface when it comes to biblical wisdom and what your word has to say on it.

So much has been written about it. So much has been demonstrated in Scripture about people who are wise and enacted with discerning spirits and were able to live the truth out day by day. We want to do that, Lord. We need to do that, but we can't do it without you. We can't. We need you. And so I pray for everybody who's here tonight. That Lord, they would accept the challenge before them to live a life Whose sole ambition is to please their Maker, because that's why they were created. In doing so, they would go and they would ask you for wisdom, as Solomon did long, long ago.

Knowing that the task before him was too difficult for him to attain, Daniel was a man of great wisdom who went and asked you for wisdom. We thank you that you've given us your word, which is the word of wisdom, your spirit, which is the spirit of wisdom, and you've asked us to come to you, and you'll give us that wisdom. That's our prayer that we might be filled with all knowledge and spiritual wisdom and understanding for the glory of our King. In Jesus' name, amen.