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Watch 2022-2023 online sermons » Dr. Charles Stanley » Charles Stanley - In Search of Wisdom

Charles Stanley - In Search of Wisdom


TOPICS: Wisdom

God has a plan for your life. You say, Well, how do I find out what that plan is? I'll tell you in a few moments. He has a plan for your life. Now, think about this. If God has a plan for your life, life is short. It could be very short. If He has a plan for your life, it's the best plan because He's Almighty God, who's a God of goodness and love and mercy, and His plans are perfect. He has a plan for your life. It's the best plan. Life is short, you don't have any time to waste.

So, think about this. Think about how important your life is. You didn't have to be born. There'd have been no you. But for some reason He allowed you to be created; for some reason He gave you an opportunity to be alive; for some reason God has a plan for your life. It's been there all along. Many of you are going to live out your life and never discover His plan because you never thought about it. Some of you are going to live it out because you don't want anybody else dictating to you how you should live and how your life should be carried out. But what I want you to see is this. God has a plan for your life. It's the best plan that possible because this awesome God who's created this plan is a God of awesome goodness beyond our comprehension.

Now, that being the case how do we discover who He is? How do we live it out and how do we discover what this plan's all about? God has given the gift of wisdom to those who are willing to seek it and to understand that He's the ultimate expression of all that we could possibly become. Because He said He predestined us to become fashioned like His Son, Jesus. So, if we're to live our lives out according to His plan, we will live wisely. If we live unwisely, we will live it out in waste, sin, disobedience, rebellion, and all the things that make up a life without God. So, what I want to talk about in this message is simply this.

I want to talk about God's wisdom. I want to talk about the wisdom He has for us. And the title is "In Search of Wisdom". In search of God's wisdom. So, we're going to put all the verses on the screen so you can just read them off, jot down the reference maybe. And so, you can come back to them at some other time and read them. But I want us to go through many of them for the simple reason God is so, listen, He's so committed that you and I would live our lives wisely all through the scriptures, He's given us the principles by which to live. So, we're going to start with Proverbs chapter two. And if you'll turn there for just a moment and we'll all read that one.

Proverbs chapter two beginning in verse one, He says, "My son, if you will receive my words and treasure my commandments within you, 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," what is that? Wisdom, "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 come knowledge and understanding". Look at this, "He stores up wisdom, sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity".

God has the best possible plan for every single one of His children. And of course that plan starts with trusting Christ as personal Savior. And so, when we look at these verses, we ask the question, Alright, if wisdom is viewing things from God's perspective and responding to them on the basis of the truth of the Word of God, how do I find wisdom? Where do I go? How do I seek wisdom? So, let's talk about we acquire wisdom by simply by seeking it. And the first passage I want us to look at, it's in the second chapter here. He says, "Make your ear attentive to wisdom, incline your heart to understanding". That is, if I want to know what God is saying, I've got to listen to Him.

You say, Well, how do I listen to Him? You have a spirit within you as a child of God that enables you to hear the mind and the voice of God and to understand what He has in store for you. So, He says, because this is true, it's not automatic. A child doesn't grow up being wise. Now, there are some that are a lot smarter than others, but wisdom doesn't come automatically. It comes from God and part of that is a gift from God. Wisdom is very important in the eyes of God for His children. Then the next verse I want you to notice is in this seventeenth verse, "I love those who love me," He says, "and those who diligently seek me will find me".

Somebody says, I want to be wise. God said, You want to be wise? You seek Me. He says, Look. He says, You will find Me. You'll discover what wisdom is all about. And I think if you listen today as we open God's Word about wisdom, you'll begin to understand why it's so very important that all of us are wise in our belief system, in our conduct, our conversation, our character and our way of life. Then of course, we acquire wisdom by meditating on God's Word. This is God's guidebook. And look at this verse, first verse if you will, in chapter four, verse ten and eleven, "Hear, my son, and accept my sayings and the years of your life will be many".

Now, what is he saying? Is he promising a very, very long life to every single person? No, but notice what he says, "accept my sayings and the years of your life will be many". Probably most people would live longer if they lived in obedience to God. That doesn't mean that every Christian would live to be a hundred, but I wonder if we wouldn't live a lot longer. Because if you're living in obedience to God and in wisdom, you're going to have less what? Less worry, less stress; and we could just go right down the things that kill people. And so, wisdom is a very vital part of that. Then look at this. He says, "I have directed you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in upright paths".

That is God has given us the pathway when He gave us His Word. And remember this. Somebody says, Well, that Bible was written years and years and years ago. Listen carefully; here's the key. The scripture was written for people many years ago. But at the same time, it was written, written for them, it was also written for us who would be following after them. God knew that you and I were coming. And He knew that you and I would need to know the same God they knew. We would need to know how to walk in the paths of righteousness, just like He was speaking to them about it. And so, this is God's Word. And God's Word is a vital part of learning to understand and that require wisdom.

This is why I say to you oftentimes, You know, when you get up in the morning, one of the first things you should do is get in the Word of God; even it's a verse or two. But, in other words, this is God's guidebook. If you, listen, if you lay the Word of God aside, you will not live a life of wisdom. First of all, you won't know what it is. You won't know how to identify it. You won't know the difference than that and unwise. Look at the world around you. They're living a very unwise life, wasting their life, wasting their resources and sinning against God, rebelling against God out-rightly with all kinds of shame and disobedience.

Find out how many of those people read the Word of God and meditate upon the Word of God every day? No. They've already dispensed with the guidebook. Listen. The God who gave us life and who see that, I'm creating you in My image. That same God is the God who gave us this Word to teach us how to live and how to gain wisdom, and to how we can walk wisely. Look at this next phrase here. We acquire wisdom by praying for it. Now, this is in James. Listen to what he says in this passage. Now, we know it's His will for us to be wise, to walk wisely, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God". It's just that simple. That's not all of it, but it's part of it, "Who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him".

That is, it's God's purpose and plan that you and I would be wise and to know what wisdom is. And I can tell you. Before I get out of the bed every morning, and I'd say every morning. I don't miss anytime. I ask God to give me wisdom for the day. Now, I may have the plan and I may have the calendar all out, but I know that a lot can change instantly. God, give me wisdom for this day. Let me be sensitive to the people I talk to. Let me hear what they say, what they don't say. Make me sensitive to people's hurts and what they really want to say but don't know how to say it. Make me wise when it comes to my time, not to waste any, but not to rush through life.

And I think there have been times in my life when the Lord has said to me, Stop running. Stop hurrying. Stop rushing. And so, all of us probably have those things we have to deal with, but one wonderful thing about God is you know what? He never lets up. Heh! If you want to do the will of God and you keep making a mistake, you know what He does? He keeps reminding you of it. No, no, no, no, there's a better way. Why? Because He, listen. As a parent, when you tell your child something and try to teach them something and they mess up two or three times, what do you say? Well, that's the end of that. No, you come back and say, This is a better way to do it. You can do it. I'm going to help you do it. You want to mature them. God wants to mature us. And to be a mature person, you've got to be a wise person.

So, the next thing I want us to notice is this. We acquire wisdom by observing how God works in the world. And God has an awesome way of working in this world. Think about this. It's hard for us to even think about it. Here's Almighty God, in heaven with all that's there. Only an omniscient God with all power could create oceans like He does and mountain peaks and snow and winter and fall and summer and spring, And so much that He's provided for us. Make crops grow and all the things that God does. Suppose there were no man. Watch this. If God had created that and never created a person, what on the earth would have worshipped God? Nothing.

He says He created man in His own image, the only living thing on this earth that can pay homage to God and praise Him and adore Him and worship Him and give thanks to Him. Nothing else can. And He's made things so simple and so complex sometimes. And I think about, in this verse, the sixth verse in the sixth chapter, listen to this, "Go to the ants". You lazy person, he says, "observe her ways and be wise". Now, think about this. Of all the things God had said, what is the tiniest little thing that you know that just bugs you when your kitchen gets full of them? Ants.

And you've noticed, ants don't just wander around, they have a sense of direction. He says they have no captain, no guide, no compass, nothing. They have a sense of direction. They know where they're going. And if you've ever seen one, you put a magnifying glass on one, it's amazing what a little ant can pick up with a mouth that you can't even see. They're not just floating around, they're going somewhere. So, what is he saying? He says, "Go to the ant, O sluggard, observe her ways and be wise".

So, what are the ways of an ant? Organized. Energetic. Have goals. And in fact, when you look at an ant, all of us could take some lessons. And you can just mess up what they're doing, next thing you know, they're right back at it again. They don't give up. And imagine how large you look to an ant. How large you look to an ant. They're not intimidated. You know why? God created them in this awesome fashion. That's how wise God is. And He says He gives us His wisdom. We acquire wisdom by observing how God works in the world. And then of course, we become wise by heeding godly counsel.

This is a very important point for the simple reason that, I've seen some of the most heart-breaking experiences as a pastor in the lives of people who were given godly counsel, wise counsel, and refused it. You can caution and caution and caution and they think, Well, I know better than you. But I want you to notice this passage of Scripture here in twelve fifteen, "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man is he who listens to counsel". Nobody's ever so smart they have all the answers. All of us should be open to counsel no matter who you can't have so much education you're so smart that you're not open to counsel.

We don't have all the answers, but God has. And sometimes God may send somebody into your life to give you a bit of wisdom that's very important for God's plan for your life. Don't judge people by their education or how we do this, that, and the other, and so forth. You can't judge them by that. God uses all kinds of people to speak to us. And when He says in this passage so clearly, "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes," I don't need that. I don't need God, "but a wise man is he who listens to counsel".

Let me ask you a question. Are you open to counsel? Are you open to godly counsel? Are you open for somebody to say, Well, have you thought about that in your life? And I pray that if a friend, if somebody who's godly, and you know that somebody who loves the Lord and loves you, makes a suggestion unto you, or maybe might say to you, Do you mind if I tell you something? You know what? You don't have to do it. But it may be from God; it may not be from God. But at least you've not turned a deaf ear to what... You see, if you turn, if you just turn a deaf ear to everything you don't want to hear, you may turn a deaf ear to Almighty God.

Now, I want to look at another verse here though. He says "Listen to counsel and accept discipline, that you may be wise the rest of your days". Listen to counsel. Accept discipline, that is, make the changes that are necessary. But you know what he's saying? We'll grow. If I make this change in my life that's wise, I'll grow. Make this change; and the truth is we should all be growing wisdom-wise. We should all be growing in our relationship to Jesus continuously. At what age do you stop growing in wisdom? I'll tell you, at whatever age you stop listening; staying out of the Word of God; looking at the world and wanting to be like them. You don't really, see, if all the consequences of unbelief and disobedience and rebellion and ignoring God; if all those consequences would just come up to the surface each time, you and I wouldn't follow their ways, but they don't.

Then, look at this. We acquire wisdom by associating with the wise. So, who are your friends? Who are your friends? Are they people that contribute to your godliness? Are they people who contribute to your obedience? Are they people who love you because of your godly influence in their life? Are they, watch this, are they people whom you want your sons or daughters to be like? Are they people whose finances and their whole financial attitude about money is what you want your children to be like? You see, when he says we're to acquire wisdom by associating with the wise, listen, he said, "He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm".

Now, it doesn't get any straighter than that. Look to see who your friends are. Would you not agree that it says something about your character if you choose people who are living like a fool? And they're living foolishly. If you choose them to be your friends, what are you saying? I like that. That satisfies something in me. And to some degree, you're saying, That's what I want to be like. You don't want to be foolish. Look at the consequences of living an ungodly life. And you can't change the Scripture. What does it say? Whatever we sow we're going to reap. Whoever I walk with continuously, I'm going to become like them. It doesn't mean that you can't have some association with lost people because you want to win people to Christ. But he says, Whoever walks, listen, "but the companion of fools will suffer harm".

Be wise who your friends are. Be wise who you walk with. And then, I want to show you a verse in Ecclesiastes chapter eight, verse one. Look at this. I love this. Are you listening? Say amen. I know you are. I'm just checking up on you. Look at this verse, "Who is like the wise man and who knows the interpretation of a matter? A man's wisdom illumines him and causes his stern face to beam". It doesn't make any difference how he may be hurting. A wise person, he says, face going to beam. You see, because what you and I are in here, it doesn't make any difference what it's going to show right here in one way or the other. You're happy? Show it. And if you'll look at this verse, and the Bible says it in several different ways. That is, we acquire wisdom as a gift from God.

It's in Ecclesiastes chapter two. Look at this verse, "For to a person who is good in His sight," that's God's sight, "He has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, while to the sinner He has given the task of gathering and collecting so that he may give to the one who is good in God's sight. This too is vanity and striving after wind". He says, you know when you and I live a life of wisdom, God will use others, for example, who are not wise, that will, He'll take from them and give to His children. Because what does he say? We reap what we sow, more than we sow, later than we sow, and it's not for us to decide where it comes from.

Now, when I look at these verses, and all the things that he says about wisdom, and how God works, and I want you to go back to Ecclesiastes ten, ten for a moment. I want you to look at this, because it's a simple verse, but look what it says, "If the axe is dull and he does not sharpen its edge, then he must exert more strength. Wisdom has the advantage of giving success". This is the way many people are living. They're living their lives out with a very dull axe. That's why it's so hard. That's why it's so difficult. That's why things don't work.

For example, if you go to the forest with a dull axe, you'll hit the timber and what happens? It bounces off. And again, it bounces off. And it bounces off. But when it's sharpened and honed correctly, clip right in there the first time, and there's a chip. People live their life that way, and here's what happens. Foolish living dulls the axe. Godly living, wisdom, sharpens the axe. And notice what he says, "He must exert more strength". Which means, look, it takes more to live out a life of disobedience and rebellion against God than it does a life of wisdom.

Listen, if you live a life of wisdom, you're going to have joy. You're going to have a sense of peace. You're going to have a sense of happiness. You're going to have a sense of success about you. You may not have the finest job in the world, but if you're successful where God has placed you at that moment, you're success, you're wise. If you, listen, if you follow God's simple plan for your life. It doesn't necessarily mean you're going to be famous or wealthy or this, that, and the other. But it means this. You and God on great terms. And He created you with His best plan in mind for you. Listen. What He has planned for you is totally beyond your comprehension. So, what do we do? We live wisely in this life. And one of these days we'll look back and realize we've done the wise thing, the right thing.

So, I would simply ask you a question. If you're not a believer, why not? Is it because the Bible's not true? No. Is it because you've looked around and you've seen a few Christians that you think, Well, now, I don't think they're living like you folks talk about? Well, you probably have. But why aren't you a believer? You can't claim wisdom for living outside the will of God and His plan for your life. That's not wisdom, that's fool-hearted. So, why haven't you trusted Jesus as your Savior? Because you don't believe that? Well, that's foolishness. Why don't you get in the Word of God and read it and see, and let God speak to your heart. Let Him show you whether it's true or not.

And here's what will happen. Uncounted millions of people have read the Word of God who may not have believed it to start with; but the Spirit of God spoke to their heart and showed them the truth. It is my prayer that you'll be wise enough to know that God created you with a plan. He's there to live inside of you with the Holy Spirit, and help you fulfill His plan for your life. Don't compare yourself with someone else. What's His plan and what is the pathway He wants you to walk to please and honor Him?

Father, how grateful we are You love us enough to have created us in Your image; died on the cross to take care of our sin problem; filled us with the Holy Spirit to enable us to live out Your plan for our lives. I pray that every person who hears this message would be honest enough, brave enough, courageous enough to ask this question. God, am I wise or am I playing the fool? And then to make a wise decision. And this I pray in Jesus's name, amen.

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