WEBVTT 00:01.516 --> 00:04.356 Welcome to the Valley Baptist Church sermon podcast. 00:04.836 --> 00:08.256 We're so glad you're here, and we hope this message inspires you, 00:08.456 --> 00:12.036 builds your faith, and moves you toward a deep relationship with God. 00:12.576 --> 00:15.176 Today, you'll find great insight into the Bible 00:15.176 --> 00:17.856 and learn how you can apply it straight to your life. 00:18.256 --> 00:20.396 So welcome and enjoy the message. 00:21.293 --> 00:25.833 If you have your Bibles, open them to Ecclesiastes chapter 9. 00:26.713 --> 00:32.333 We're going to continue our series of messages through the book of Ecclesiastes. 00:34.709 --> 00:41.929 Now, Ecclesiastes is part of the wisdom literature of the Bible, and it's right after the book 00:41.929 --> 00:48.129 of Proverbs, although Ecclesiastes contains a lot of Proverbs. 00:48.849 --> 00:52.409 Well, a proverb is a container of wisdom. 00:53.249 --> 00:56.949 It's a small statement about a big truth. 00:57.229 --> 01:03.949 It's a short sentence that takes a long time for someone to learn in their life. 01:04.882 --> 01:09.162 It's important to understand that proverbs are not promises, 01:09.162 --> 01:10.902 they are principles. 01:10.902 --> 01:14.362 They are high probability statements. 01:14.362 --> 01:17.322 They tell you what generally happens, 01:17.322 --> 01:21.342 but they don't mention the exceptions that happen. 01:22.735 --> 01:30.215 Proverbs help us to see that certain conduct produces certain consequences within our life, 01:30.295 --> 01:37.495 and so much of wisdom is understanding the connection between our behavior and the results. 01:38.193 --> 01:43.093 But the other books of the Bible, the other wisdom books of the Bible, 01:43.533 --> 01:48.173 help us to see the exceptions that take place in life. 01:49.053 --> 01:53.933 That's why Psalms and Proverbs are next to each other within our Bible. 01:54.613 --> 01:57.193 Proverbs tells us the ideal, 01:57.193 --> 02:04.233 but Psalms is God's people wrestling with the ideal not happening within their life. 02:05.446 --> 02:12.546 Now, Solomon tells us in Ecclesiastes that the world has been broken by sin. 02:13.426 --> 02:21.386 And so now, under the sun, the world doesn't always work the way that it is supposed to work. 02:21.386 --> 02:26.086 And so the book of Ecclesiastes and the passage we're going to look at this morning 02:26.086 --> 02:34.326 is about how to walk wisely in the exceptions of a broken world. 02:35.686 --> 02:38.886 Well, what is wisdom? 02:38.886 --> 02:43.886 Well, wisdom is living out God's word in God's world. 02:45.066 --> 02:48.066 And we're gonna see in the passage that there's a contrast 02:48.066 --> 02:52.586 between foolishness and wisdom. 02:53.303 --> 02:57.323 Foolishness is living life from your perspective. 02:57.583 --> 03:06.323 And, of course, that perspective is very limited, and often it is flawed, and it's affected by our sin nature. 03:06.983 --> 03:11.703 And wisdom, though, is living life from God's perspective. 03:12.794 --> 03:19.634 And the way that you and I gain God's perspective is from God's holy word. 03:20.634 --> 03:27.354 Now, the Bible teaches that wisdom is more than just knowledge, and it's more than just 03:27.354 --> 03:34.194 intellect, because we all watch very smart people do very stupid things within life. 03:35.828 --> 03:40.708 Wisdom, then, is not just what you believe, 03:40.708 --> 03:44.488 it is how you behave within your life. 03:44.488 --> 03:48.908 It's not just about learning, it is about living. 03:48.908 --> 03:51.668 Now you say, well, I believe in Jesus, that's great, 03:51.668 --> 03:54.988 that's the beginning of wisdom. 03:54.988 --> 03:58.248 But we would also like you to live for Jesus. 03:58.627 --> 04:02.807 And we would also like you to live like Jesus, if possible. 04:02.807 --> 04:13.527 And so wisdom is about applying God's Word to your situation and circumstances within your life. 04:14.523 --> 04:22.683 Now, if you want to grow in wisdom, I encourage you to take God's Word and ask the Holy Spirit 04:22.683 --> 04:30.883 to give you wisdom to personally apply it to your life in whatever decisions that you're trying to make. 04:31.651 --> 04:40.871 And so if you're a husband, the Bible says that you are to love your wife as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her. 04:40.871 --> 04:49.591 And so you can study how did Jesus love the church and how does Jesus give himself for her? 04:49.731 --> 04:53.051 And that's good. They'll gain a lot of wisdom through that. 04:53.411 --> 04:55.491 But also you can pray, Holy Spirit. 04:56.626 --> 05:06.526 Would you give me wisdom to know how to love my wife well based upon who I am and who she is? 05:07.026 --> 05:11.846 We all need the wisdom of God. 05:12.786 --> 05:18.306 Let's begin looking in Ecclesiastes chapter 9 beginning in verse 11. 05:19.677 --> 05:29.677 Solomon says, 05:36.215 --> 05:38.335 For man also does not know his time. 05:38.575 --> 05:42.795 Like a fish taken in a cruel net, like birds caught in a snare, 05:42.975 --> 05:49.835 so the sons of men are snared in an evil time when it falls suddenly upon them. 05:50.435 --> 05:56.895 Now remember, in this passage, Solomon is dealing with the exceptions of life. 05:57.815 --> 06:04.835 And several times within this passage, he's going to say that wisdom is better than foolishness, 06:04.935 --> 06:13.355 that there's an advantage to wisdom within your life, even though there's exceptions that play 06:13.355 --> 06:18.875 themselves out within life. And so overall, I think the point that Solomon is making is that 06:18.875 --> 06:25.075 exceptions don't make good rules. But you know, the fool always thinks they're the exception, 06:25.275 --> 06:27.311 don't they? 06:27.312 --> 06:32.132 In other words, good decisions can have bad outcomes 06:32.132 --> 06:36.412 in a broken world, but it's still good to be wise 06:36.412 --> 06:39.952 and to act wisely within your life. 06:39.952 --> 06:43.172 Now, I think there's another principle we see 06:43.172 --> 06:46.212 in this passage that Solomon keeps pointing at, 06:46.212 --> 06:50.392 and that is that wisdom is not about controlling outcomes, 06:50.392 --> 06:53.732 it is about being surrendered to God. 06:54.582 --> 06:58.322 The fool says, well, I need to make success happen. 06:58.902 --> 07:02.442 I'm in control of my destiny. 07:02.642 --> 07:05.282 I'm in control of my life. 07:05.282 --> 07:12.542 But the wise says, I need to find and follow God's plan and purpose for my life. 07:13.982 --> 07:21.602 Wisdom surrenders to God's will, even when the outcome is not what I want it. 07:22.713 --> 07:27.413 And so here's how you know that you are becoming a wise person. 07:28.073 --> 07:31.173 You love God more than you love your plans. 07:32.373 --> 07:37.193 You want what God wants more than you want what you want. 07:38.002 --> 07:41.622 You see, the fool is always trying to control outcomes. 07:41.622 --> 07:49.682 Of course, they're always frustrated because you and I don't always control the outcomes of life and all that happens. 07:49.882 --> 07:56.582 But the fool is always trying to control the outcomes because he is leaning on his own understanding. 07:57.622 --> 08:07.342 But the wise person surrenders to God's direction within their life because they trust the Lord with all of their heart. 08:08.410 --> 08:11.890 Notice what he says in verse number 13. 08:12.950 --> 08:42.350 He says, 08:42.346 --> 08:48.986 Words of the wise spoken quietly should be heard rather than the shout of a ruler of fools. 08:49.826 --> 08:55.826 Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good. 08:56.886 --> 09:05.346 Solomon gives us a parable or illustration, and he says wisdom often goes unnoticed within life, 09:05.346 --> 09:11.366 but he says it still can save you from a lot of pain if you follow it. 09:11.877 --> 09:19.137 You see, wisdom is very controversial when taught, but very compelling when lived. 09:19.137 --> 09:24.137 If you share your wisdom, then you will be despised. 09:24.377 --> 09:29.657 Because Solomon says the fool doesn't want to listen and they don't want to learn. 09:30.037 --> 09:36.017 But when you start living wisdom, God's wisdom out within your life, then something happens. 09:36.357 --> 09:41.257 It becomes compelling and magnetic within the life of other people. 09:42.607 --> 09:48.647 You see, Christianity becomes real to others as we live it out in our everyday lives. 09:49.487 --> 09:53.347 People have to see wisdom in order to get it. 09:53.347 --> 09:59.927 They have to see it lived out in order to want it within their life. 10:00.727 --> 10:04.867 Now notice what Solomon says in chapter 10 in verse 1. 10:05.978 --> 10:12.678 He says, dead flies putrefy the performer's ointment and cause it to give off a foul odor. 10:12.678 --> 10:18.778 So does a little folly to one respected for wisdom and honor. 10:20.120 --> 10:28.280 Now, he gives us a proverb, and it's kind of like our modern proverb, one bad apple spoils the whole bunch. 10:29.020 --> 10:35.760 He says just one fly or a few flies in the perfume can spoil the whole thing. 10:35.760 --> 10:39.480 And so here's the application, or one application. 10:40.380 --> 10:46.620 One bad decision can undo a lot of good decisions within your life. 10:48.368 --> 10:53.508 After my wife and I got married, we moved to another city and I was going to school. 10:54.388 --> 11:01.828 After church on Sunday evenings, we would try different places to eat to try to find the best places to go. 11:01.828 --> 11:07.428 One evening, we went with some friends to a burger joint. 11:08.129 --> 11:15.389 And I was so hungry, it was later than I was used to eating, and so I ordered two big old 11:15.389 --> 11:22.449 cheeseburgers, and I couldn't wait for them to get there. And so they got there, and I don't 11:22.449 --> 11:28.189 always do this, but for some reason I kind of opened the bun up to look at all that was in 11:28.189 --> 11:35.469 the burger since it was my first time, and there was a big hair right there on my burger. I'm 11:37.390 --> 11:40.990 And I thought, I don't know if I can work around this, 11:40.990 --> 11:43.649 you know? 11:43.650 --> 11:44.890 But I thought, you know, 11:46.090 --> 11:48.790 I'm glad I ordered two big cheeseburgers 11:48.790 --> 11:50.110 because I'm really hungry. 11:50.110 --> 11:52.870 But there was something in me that said, 11:52.870 --> 11:55.470 maybe I should look in the next one. 11:55.470 --> 11:58.170 And so I opened it up and I kid you not, 11:58.170 --> 12:02.030 there was another hair in that burger. 12:03.630 --> 12:05.530 And I thought, well, I'm hungry. 12:06.297 --> 12:07.977 but I'm not that hungry. 12:09.617 --> 12:13.597 Those hairs kind of spoiled the whole thing for me. 12:14.212 --> 12:17.092 And so I was like, what is going on, you know? 12:17.272 --> 12:20.192 And at that point, I wasn't going to order another cheeseburger. 12:20.372 --> 12:21.552 I didn't trust anything. 12:21.552 --> 12:25.412 And so as we were leaving, there was a window, 12:25.572 --> 12:29.132 and you could see into where they were cooking. 12:29.432 --> 12:33.392 And there was a guy cooking there, and it was kind of hot, 12:33.492 --> 12:35.792 and he was sweating, and he had a tank top on, 12:35.972 --> 12:37.352 and he was flipping the burgers. 12:37.452 --> 12:40.392 And then he took the spatula and went like this and would work. 12:44.688 --> 12:46.448 Suddenly I knew what was happening. 12:50.248 --> 12:53.868 But those hairs ruined the whole experience for me. 12:56.686 --> 13:10.706 And Solomon is saying that we foolishly think that we can let just a little bit of sin and foolishness into our lives and into our relationships and it not spoil anything. 13:11.226 --> 13:17.906 Solomon said that just a little bit of sin and foolishness within your life is like a hair on your burger. 13:20.547 --> 13:23.587 It's like a fly in your perfume. 13:23.587 --> 13:25.887 It spoils the whole thing. 13:25.887 --> 13:29.547 And what Solomon is saying is that small sins 13:29.547 --> 13:33.727 can have big consequences within your life. 13:33.727 --> 13:35.327 So choose wisdom. 13:35.327 --> 13:36.987 Notice what he says in verse two. 13:36.987 --> 13:40.927 He says, a wise man's heart is at his right hand, 13:40.927 --> 13:43.907 but a fool's heart at his left. 13:43.907 --> 13:46.367 You see, foolishness and wisdom start in the heart 13:46.367 --> 13:47.587 is what Solomon is saying. 13:48.391 --> 13:55.831 Even when a fool walks along the way, he lacks wisdom, and he shows everyone that he is a fool. 13:57.631 --> 14:04.811 See, there's some foolishness in our life that everyone can see but us. 14:05.654 --> 14:10.634 The fool's going along and he's not recognizing that he's acting foolishly, 14:10.734 --> 14:14.274 and yet everybody can see that he's being a fool. 14:14.454 --> 14:19.954 And there's some things in our life that everyone else might be able to see except for us. 14:19.954 --> 14:22.194 We call those blind spots. 14:23.034 --> 14:25.014 And the truth is we all have them. 14:26.414 --> 14:29.834 You see, you cannot see yourself by yourself. 14:30.954 --> 14:34.534 That is why you need other people in your life. 14:35.236 --> 14:37.036 that can speak into your life. 14:38.696 --> 14:42.336 Now, one of the aspects of good comedy 14:43.616 --> 14:48.616 is that someone never learns a lesson. 14:49.216 --> 14:51.276 I mean, think about your favorite comedy. 14:51.276 --> 14:55.656 It's funny because no one ever learns a lesson, 14:55.656 --> 14:57.776 even though it's painfully obvious. 14:58.692 --> 15:00.472 Now maybe by the end they do, 15:00.472 --> 15:03.272 but that's when the movie stops being funny 15:03.272 --> 15:06.072 and it just is like, ah, that's nice. 15:06.072 --> 15:07.852 They finally learned their lesson. 15:08.932 --> 15:12.852 Now it's funny when you're watching a dumb character on TV 15:12.852 --> 15:15.212 who can never learn a lesson, 15:15.212 --> 15:18.972 but it's extremely painful when you are the one 15:18.972 --> 15:22.312 who can't learn a lesson in real life. 15:23.492 --> 15:25.872 You see, life is too short, 15:26.620 --> 15:31.540 and too painful for you to learn everything from personal experience. 15:32.800 --> 15:35.520 Let other people pay the dumb tax for you. 15:36.840 --> 15:41.500 Learn from their pain, not from your own. 15:42.230 --> 15:46.910 You see, in Ecclesiastes, Solomon is telling us every dumb thing that he has done. 15:46.990 --> 15:52.470 He said, I lived for lust, and I lived for money, and I lived for work, and achievement, and popularity, 15:52.470 --> 15:56.630 and I lived for all these things, but they left me empty inside, 15:56.630 --> 16:01.430 and they had consequences within my life and my relationship with God. 16:01.690 --> 16:07.430 And he tells us all the dumb things he's done and all the pain that it caused within his life. 16:07.550 --> 16:12.050 Why? So that we can learn from his failure and his pain instead of our own. 16:12.217 --> 16:22.917 You see, other people are not nearly as committed to our false self-narratives as we are. 16:24.377 --> 16:32.357 And so we grow in wisdom by giving others permission to speak into our life 16:32.357 --> 16:36.437 and to have courageous conversations with us. 16:37.177 --> 16:40.117 One of the only ways to grow within your life is to have courage. 16:40.904 --> 16:46.564 is giving godly people the opportunity to have hard conversations with you. 16:47.124 --> 16:49.784 Notice what he says in verse 4. 16:51.544 --> 16:51.983 He says, 16:51.984 --> 16:56.884 If the spirit of the ruler rises against you, do not leave your post, 16:57.224 --> 17:01.844 for conciliation pacifies great offenses. 17:03.224 --> 17:09.544 Wisdom seeks to resolve conflict without overreacting or withdrawing. 17:10.807 --> 17:15.807 Now, one of the areas in which we often make poor decisions 17:16.247 --> 17:18.287 is in the area of conflict. 17:19.407 --> 17:23.807 When there's a conflict, our emotions become elevated. 17:24.003 --> 17:27.083 And we sometimes can become defensive. 17:27.083 --> 17:28.963 In fact, studies have shown that 17:28.963 --> 17:31.403 when your emotions are elevated, 17:31.403 --> 17:34.323 whether it's good emotion or bad emotion, 17:34.323 --> 17:37.883 it kind of shuts down the prefrontal cortex of your brain, 17:37.883 --> 17:39.623 the cognitive center of your brain, 17:39.623 --> 17:44.103 and it causes us to not think as clearly within our life. 17:44.103 --> 17:46.243 And so sometimes when there's conflict, 17:46.243 --> 17:49.043 that's when we make the worst decisions within our life. 17:50.943 --> 17:52.483 When there's conflict, 17:53.163 --> 17:55.483 Our instinct is fight or flight. 17:57.063 --> 18:02.983 And Solomon says usually neither is helpful in resolving conflict. 18:04.383 --> 18:11.543 The problem is when we are offended, we often start filtering everything through the lens of that offense. 18:13.227 --> 18:17.067 And that causes us to overreact to the situation 18:17.067 --> 18:19.367 or whatever it is that's going on. 18:19.367 --> 18:21.307 And instead, Solomon says, 18:21.307 --> 18:24.467 when there is a conflict within your life, 18:24.467 --> 18:27.607 keep your composure and stay calm. 18:28.667 --> 18:32.167 Don't fight and make it worse. 18:32.937 --> 18:35.677 Don't run away and withdraw. 18:36.017 --> 18:39.817 That's just telling someone, well, you're not worth the effort. 18:40.077 --> 18:45.137 And rulers don't really take to that very well, is what Solomon says. 18:45.137 --> 18:53.717 Instead, seek conciliation, which means to gently pursue peace with the one that you have offended. 18:54.875 --> 18:58.295 Notice what he says in verse 5. 18:59.415 --> 18:59.794 He says, 18:59.795 --> 19:06.255 There is an evil I have seen under the sun, as an heir proceeding from the ruler. 19:07.095 --> 19:11.355 Folly is set in great dignity, while the rich sit in a lowly place. 19:11.595 --> 19:17.895 I have seen servants on horses, while princes walk on the ground like servants. 19:19.816 --> 19:23.856 Solomon says, sometimes those who are the least qualified 19:23.856 --> 19:28.096 and those who are foolish are the ones that get ahead. 19:29.196 --> 19:31.356 But he says, everybody knows it stinks. 19:32.536 --> 19:35.656 Everybody knows that in a broken world, 19:35.656 --> 19:38.816 there's corruption and there's cronyism. 19:38.816 --> 19:41.876 And sometimes the fool gets ahead 19:41.876 --> 19:44.076 and the wise person doesn't. 19:45.416 --> 19:46.996 But I wanna encourage you 19:48.554 --> 19:52.574 Not to abandon God's wisdom because of the foolishness of others. 19:53.234 --> 19:55.374 That's a fallacy that we often make. 19:55.994 --> 19:59.774 To say, well, that pastor or that Christian was a fool. 20:00.814 --> 20:04.154 And he didn't follow the Lord, so I'm not going to follow the Lord either. 20:04.154 --> 20:05.874 I'm going to be a fool just like him. 20:07.387 --> 20:15.067 Don't do that. Don't allow the foolishness of others to cause you to make foolish decisions 20:15.067 --> 20:19.627 and to go your own way instead of going God's way. 20:19.967 --> 20:26.267 Here's the principle. Bad decisions can lead to good outcomes, but they're still bad. 20:27.067 --> 20:32.467 Now, earlier he said that good decisions can lead to bad outcomes, but 20:33.121 --> 20:39.621 But they're still good. But here he says bad decisions can lead to good outcomes, but they're still bad. 20:40.921 --> 20:48.441 You know, a fool drives home drunk and says it was a good decision because no one got hurt. 20:49.441 --> 20:51.176 No. 20:51.177 --> 20:56.097 It was a stupid decision that happened to not kill you or anyone else this time. 20:56.897 --> 21:03.137 It was still a bad decision, even though this time it happened to be a good outcome. 21:04.277 --> 21:12.157 We need to be quick to admit mistakes that we have made, even when the outcome is good. 21:13.334 --> 21:16.354 even when it doesn't result in a bad outcome, 21:16.474 --> 21:19.494 even if we get the job or we get ahead, 21:19.774 --> 21:21.934 doesn't mean that we're making good decisions. 21:21.934 --> 21:24.794 It just means that sometimes the world doesn't work out 21:24.794 --> 21:26.934 the way that it's supposed to work. 21:28.134 --> 21:34.194 You see, outcomes are a matter of skill and chance. 21:35.854 --> 21:37.974 Have you ever noticed that 21:38.495 --> 21:42.475 that when you are playing a game, when you win, it's skill, 21:42.675 --> 21:45.135 and when someone else wins, it's luck? 21:48.495 --> 21:53.975 I don't know if you've ever had that cognitive fallacy within your life, 21:54.195 --> 21:58.775 but sometimes we're tempted to say, well, it was a good outcome, 21:59.335 --> 22:01.435 so I must have made a good decision. 22:01.755 --> 22:03.595 No, not always in a fallen world. 22:04.815 --> 22:06.475 Sometimes chance... 22:07.250 --> 22:11.990 Ended in a good outcome, but it was still a foolish decision. 22:11.990 --> 22:20.230 And so we need to be careful not to evaluate our decisions simply by the outcomes of our decisions, 22:20.510 --> 22:23.330 but by the quality of the decision itself. 22:24.510 --> 22:28.550 Was that decision based upon God's nature and God's word? 22:29.990 --> 22:36.970 Was that decision driven and compelled by love or selfishness? 22:38.452 --> 22:46.632 Otherwise, we'll be like the drunk driver who thinks they're an exception of the rule until they realize they're not. 22:47.632 --> 22:51.532 And we'll keep making the same bad decisions in life. 22:52.532 --> 22:56.372 Notice what Solomon says in verse number 8. 22:58.094 --> 23:22.534 It says, 23:22.534 --> 23:24.013 It says, 23:24.014 --> 23:28.974 Solomon says there is no risk-free way to live your life. 23:30.174 --> 23:34.694 And when we start thinking in terms of absolute certainty, 23:34.694 --> 23:39.174 we end up making poor decisions within our life. 23:40.134 --> 23:42.754 Wisdom does not eliminate risk, 23:42.754 --> 23:48.014 but Solomon says it does prepare for the future. 23:49.411 --> 23:54.031 You see, wisdom anticipates and prepares for the future. 23:54.951 --> 23:58.111 My dad used to say, let's work smarter, not harder. 23:59.591 --> 24:02.791 And then we just kept working hard, and I never really understood it. 24:02.791 --> 24:08.191 But what he meant, let's be smart about it, and we'll get done sooner. 24:08.971 --> 24:12.451 We'll get it done more efficiently and more effectively. 24:13.559 --> 24:21.259 And Solomon is saying, look, if you want to cut down trees, then you need to start sharpening your axe. 24:22.519 --> 24:28.019 In other words, you need a plan and a path for your future. 24:29.399 --> 24:31.399 You need to prepare yourself. 24:32.290 --> 24:35.810 for what it is that is coming within your life. 24:36.150 --> 24:40.790 Now, in the Bible, wisdom is often described as a path. 24:40.790 --> 24:46.610 And the path that you are on determines the type of person you're becoming. 24:48.190 --> 24:52.210 You see, you are always becoming something 24:52.210 --> 24:57.670 based upon the path and the decisions that you're making in the present. 24:58.690 --> 25:01.250 And so you need to make sure that you're on the right path. 25:02.395 --> 25:06.255 That's why wisdom is described often as a path. 25:06.255 --> 25:09.075 Only the path of purity leads to intimacy. 25:10.235 --> 25:13.855 Only the path of generosity leads to you owning stuff 25:13.855 --> 25:15.315 and stuff not owning you. 25:16.335 --> 25:19.455 Only the path of honesty and vulnerability 25:19.455 --> 25:23.195 leads to deep relationships within your life. 25:24.215 --> 25:26.595 And so the question becomes, 25:26.595 --> 25:30.115 what kind of person do you want to be 25:31.218 --> 25:33.858 Do you want to be a person of integrity? 25:33.858 --> 25:35.538 Do you want to be a person of purity 25:35.538 --> 25:37.758 and humility within your life? 25:37.758 --> 25:42.258 Wisdom is getting your path to match your plan. 25:43.318 --> 25:45.458 And a lot of times we have a plan 25:46.358 --> 25:48.258 to become a certain type of person, 25:48.258 --> 25:49.918 but we're not on the right path 25:49.918 --> 25:52.598 in order to become that person. 25:52.598 --> 25:57.598 Wisdom is connecting our path to our plan. 25:58.218 --> 26:01.078 And so if you want to be a good steward, 26:01.475 --> 26:04.855 of the financial resources that God has given you, 26:04.855 --> 26:08.135 then you need to get on the right financial path. 26:08.135 --> 26:10.835 You need to get on the path of integrity 26:10.835 --> 26:15.835 and honesty and hard work and wise investments. 26:17.595 --> 26:21.115 If you want to be a spiritual person, 26:21.115 --> 26:22.915 if that's the type of person you wanna be, 26:22.915 --> 26:26.395 you need to get on the path to spiritual maturity. 26:26.395 --> 26:28.935 You need to spend a lot of time with God 26:28.935 --> 26:30.695 in His Word and in prayer. 26:31.782 --> 26:34.742 You need to spend a lot of time with God's people 26:34.742 --> 26:38.862 and allow them to speak into your life 26:38.862 --> 26:42.502 and to see and to say God's grace within your life. 26:43.742 --> 26:46.042 Solomon is saying over and over 26:46.042 --> 26:50.022 that wisdom does not always work out in the short run, 26:50.022 --> 26:52.742 but it works out in the long run. 26:54.142 --> 26:57.242 There are times in the short run 26:57.242 --> 27:00.722 where things don't seem to work out. 27:01.297 --> 27:04.997 where there's exceptions and there's obstacles 27:04.997 --> 27:06.297 and there's things that happen 27:06.297 --> 27:10.637 that maybe don't always look ideal. 27:10.637 --> 27:13.617 But he says in the long run, if you will follow the Lord 27:13.617 --> 27:16.837 and you will stay on the path of wisdom, 27:16.837 --> 27:18.357 he says it'll pay off. 27:18.357 --> 27:20.977 It's kind of like making a good investment. 27:20.977 --> 27:23.617 In the short term, it may go down, 27:23.617 --> 27:25.857 but in the long term, 27:26.957 --> 27:28.897 it compounds over time. 27:30.170 --> 27:34.070 And Solomon is saying, if you choose to walk in God's wisdom, 27:34.070 --> 27:38.590 you may fall off the path, you may face obstacles along the way, 27:39.030 --> 27:44.930 but the benefits of wisdom compound over time within your life. 27:46.450 --> 27:51.810 There's another point of application that I want to make this morning, 27:51.930 --> 27:56.710 and that is that wisdom goes from the general to the personal. 27:59.212 --> 28:05.072 Wisdom and the wise go from people are sinners to I am a sinner. 28:06.772 --> 28:10.712 The wise goes from Christ died for sinners to Christ died for me. 28:12.612 --> 28:19.272 When we're wise, we go from people need to repent to I need to repent. 28:20.372 --> 28:24.952 You know, there's a difference between reformation and renewal. 28:26.212 --> 28:29.272 Reformation is, I want to get the gospel right. 28:30.852 --> 28:34.812 Renewal is, I want it to be real in my heart. 28:35.732 --> 28:42.072 And when the doctrines of sin and grace become real within your heart and within your life, 28:43.052 --> 28:46.332 then you can name the sins that you struggled with this week. 28:47.372 --> 28:51.492 And you know that you need the grace of God. 28:52.891 --> 28:57.171 every moment of your life, in every situation of your life, 28:57.171 --> 28:59.731 and you know that others need the grace of God 28:59.731 --> 29:01.831 in their life as well. 29:03.871 --> 29:07.051 Now, when I am honest with myself, 29:07.051 --> 29:09.851 and sometimes that's hard to do 29:09.851 --> 29:13.711 because we are prone towards self-deception, aren't we? 29:15.051 --> 29:18.211 I tell my kids, nobody lies to you more than you lie to you. 29:19.291 --> 29:21.051 And so you've got to deal with that. 29:21.815 --> 29:23.995 before you can really deal with anything within life, 29:24.075 --> 29:29.515 you've got to face the enemy within your own life 29:29.515 --> 29:32.035 and within your own heart and within your own mind 29:32.035 --> 29:33.915 and within your own decisions 29:33.915 --> 29:37.915 before you can go out there and face the enemy in the world. 29:38.035 --> 29:39.595 You've got to fight all that. 29:39.695 --> 29:41.875 But when I am honest with myself, 29:41.875 --> 29:45.555 I have some wisdom in my life, 29:45.835 --> 29:49.275 but I also have some foolishness. 29:50.266 --> 29:53.206 in my heart, and in my life as well. 29:55.146 --> 30:02.866 You see, the gospel and its wisdom need to move deeper into our hearts. 30:04.880 --> 30:20.540 We may know the answers in our head, but we need those answers to penetrate our heart and transform our heart so that we have the heart of Christ and we have God's heart and out of 30:20.540 --> 30:27.660 God's heart and the Holy Spirit working in our life flows the decisions of our life, 30:27.760 --> 30:33.100 the priorities of our life, the values of our life, what we love and what we hate, 30:33.220 --> 30:35.980 what we want and how we live. 30:37.500 --> 30:45.280 And when you come to Christ, your life becomes connected to God. 30:46.932 --> 30:50.152 And now through the Holy Spirit in your life, 30:50.312 --> 30:57.452 there is power to say no to sin and foolishness and to say yes to God. 30:58.792 --> 31:05.932 But we need to pursue Christ every day, every moment, 31:05.932 --> 31:11.812 because the Bible says in him are the treasures, all the treasures of wisdom. 31:13.679 --> 31:22.079 If you want to become a wise person, then you need to let Christ rule and reign within your heart, 31:22.459 --> 31:29.319 within your life, within your relationships. If there is an area of your life that lacks wisdom 31:29.319 --> 31:34.979 and you've been living out foolishness and it's resulted in pain within your life, 31:34.979 --> 31:42.359 what you need to do is to allow Christ through the Holy Spirit to rule and to reign over that 31:44.859 --> 31:53.825 area of your 31:53.826 --> 32:01.085 life. And so if Jesus came to you right now and he put his hand on your shoulder 32:01.086 --> 32:02.246 and he said to you, you are not walking in line with my wisdom, 32:06.586 --> 32:09.805 where in your life would he most likely be talking about? 32:19.625 --> 32:21.625 You see, whatever is on your mind right now may be exactly what the Holy Spirit is trying to grab a hold of you about. 32:30.365 --> 32:31.785 Now, the Bible says that the beginning of wisdom is to recognize your sin and your need for God's grace. 32:34.605 --> 32:35.962 You see, it's all about the grace of God. 32:39.902 --> 32:44.544 And the grace of God flows from the cross of Christ. 32:44.545 --> 32:46.804 Jesus has paid for our sin on the cross. 32:46.805 --> 32:50.504 He has risen from the dead. 32:50.505 --> 32:54.404 He has defeated sin and death and Satan. 32:54.405 --> 32:58.164 And the only way to experience the grace of God 32:58.165 --> 32:59.884 within your life is to come to the Son of God, 32:59.885 --> 33:03.904 the Lord Jesus Christ, 33:03.905 --> 33:06.664 and ask Him to be your Savior and your Lord. 33:06.665 --> 33:08.764 That is when wisdom begins, 33:08.765 --> 33:11.100 and that's when you get on the path. 33:11.101 --> 33:12.921 of God's wisdom. 33:15.721 --> 33:17.041 Because the truth is, you and I are not good enough. 33:18.841 --> 33:19.921 We are not wise enough. 33:22.681 --> 33:24.161 We are not strong enough to save ourselves. 33:28.201 --> 33:30.821 We need the grace of God. 33:34.921 --> 33:36.361 Not only do we need God's grace to be saved, 33:38.921 --> 33:44.917 we need God's grace to 33:44.918 --> 33:47.498 to walk and to live in His wisdom. 33:50.558 --> 33:52.438 Let's bow our heads and prepare our hearts 33:54.458 --> 33:59.738 for what God wants to do in our life. 34:01.738 --> 34:03.477 Here in a few moments, 34:03.478 --> 34:05.597 we're gonna have a time of invitation 34:05.598 --> 34:07.424 and this really is a time for us 34:10.184 --> 34:12.683 to respond to the word of God 34:12.684 --> 34:14.324 and the spirit of God within our life. 34:16.204 --> 34:20.003 And I wanna challenge you not to say, 34:20.004 --> 34:21.104 wow, that's a great sermon for other people. 34:24.304 --> 34:25.344 I really hope so and so was listening to that. 34:29.664 --> 34:32.423 I really hope people apply that to their life. 34:32.424 --> 34:34.795 I wanna challenge you to go from the general to the personal 34:38.635 --> 34:41.595 What does the Holy Spirit want to do in your heart and your life today? 34:50.095 --> 34:53.527 What area of your life is there that you are not walking in line with the gospel and the wisdom of God? 34:56.507 --> 34:57.986 Stop saying other people are sinners 34:57.987 --> 35:00.166 and start saying I'm a sinner. 35:00.167 --> 35:01.726 Stop saying other people need to repent 35:01.727 --> 35:04.886 and start saying I need to repent. 35:04.887 --> 35:06.886 Stop saying other people need wisdom and need Christ 35:06.887 --> 35:09.366 and start saying I need God's wisdom 35:09.367 --> 35:12.427 and I need Christ in my life right now. 35:13.647 --> 35:15.366 And so we're going to have a time 35:15.367 --> 35:16.926 where we worship and we pray 35:16.927 --> 35:18.923 and we seek God's face. 35:22.843 --> 35:25.322 I want to encourage you, if you have never given your life to Christ, to do that this morning. 35:25.323 --> 35:28.122 There will be those standing here at the front. 35:28.123 --> 35:29.163 Come forward and say, I want to give my life to Christ. 35:34.583 --> 35:37.115 We'd love to talk to you and pray with you and help you understand what that means. 35:38.415 --> 35:41.254 Maybe you say, I want to be baptized. 35:41.255 --> 35:43.594 I want to go public with my faith through believers' baptism. 35:43.595 --> 35:45.974 We can set up a time for you to do that. 35:45.975 --> 35:50.234 Maybe the Lord's leading you to join this church and say, 35:50.235 --> 35:53.994 I need other people in my life that love Jesus and love me 35:53.995 --> 35:57.815 and can speak truth and grace into my life. 35:59.235 --> 36:01.482 But maybe this morning, 36:03.382 --> 36:06.241 there's some area of your life, 36:06.242 --> 36:08.501 it doesn't matter how big or small, 36:08.502 --> 36:11.121 God's big enough to take care of it 36:11.122 --> 36:13.342 and he's loving enough to care about it. 36:15.422 --> 36:17.061 Maybe there's some area of your life that you would say, 36:17.062 --> 36:19.362 you know what, this is an area 36:21.442 --> 36:23.262 that is not yet fully surrendered 36:24.882 --> 36:27.142 to the Lordship of God. 36:28.882 --> 36:30.381 Maybe there's some foolishness 36:30.382 --> 36:31.942 and you would say, you know what, 36:34.962 --> 36:38.161 this is a point of pain and pressure in my life 36:38.162 --> 36:41.561 and maybe for years, maybe for decades, 36:41.562 --> 36:43.161 you say, I know there's some foolishness there, 36:43.162 --> 36:45.161 but I don't know how to identify it 36:45.162 --> 36:46.262 and I don't know where to go from here. 36:48.782 --> 36:50.122 Would you just bring that to the Lord in prayer? 36:54.202 --> 36:55.462 And just ask God, ask the Holy Spirit to give you wisdom 37:00.182 --> 37:01.810 of how to apply His word to that situation 37:04.610 --> 37:07.750 to those decisions, to that area of your life, 37:10.590 --> 37:13.390 this is a time for us to seek the Lord. 37:14.950 --> 37:18.789 Maybe you'd like to come forward. 37:18.790 --> 37:22.429 We're going to have counselors and prayer partners here. 37:22.430 --> 37:23.579 And you would just like to ask someone to pray over you. 37:27.599 --> 37:30.698 Pray that God would do a great work in your life and a great work in your heart. 37:30.699 --> 37:33.018 Doesn't matter how big it is, how small it is. 37:33.019 --> 37:34.599 God loves to answer those prayers. 37:36.099 --> 37:37.278 And there's power through prayer. 37:37.279 --> 37:39.219 I want to encourage you to come. 37:43.099 --> 37:45.478 Our Heavenly Father, thank you for your word. 37:45.479 --> 37:51.998 Thank you for your wisdom. 37:51.999 --> 37:53.465 Give us the grace and the wisdom to apply it to our lives. 37:55.965 --> 37:58.364 Lord, if there's anyone here that doesn't know Christ 37:58.365 --> 38:00.864 as Lord and Savior, I pray that you would just 38:00.865 --> 38:06.764 open their heart and draw them to you. 38:06.765 --> 38:08.944 They would see the beauty and the love of your grace 38:08.945 --> 38:11.145 this morning and they would desire it. 38:13.045 --> 38:14.045 Lord, that they would long for it. 38:16.265 --> 38:17.524 And that you would just pull them and draw them 38:17.525 --> 38:19.864 to yourself this morning. 38:19.865 --> 38:23.256 Lord, all of us need you. 38:23.257 --> 38:25.456 So draw our hearts to you, Lord. 38:25.457 --> 38:27.237 May our hearts be open. 38:29.917 --> 38:31.676 Lord, help your wisdom and your word 38:31.677 --> 38:33.416 to go from the general to the personal 38:33.417 --> 38:34.876 in each one of our lives, Lord. 38:40.816 --> 38:48.715 There's some foolishness in each one of us that you want to transform and you want to change. 38:48.716 --> 38:51.735 And I pray, Lord, that we would just surrender and allow the Holy Spirit to change and transform our heart. 38:51.736 --> 38:52.956 And out of that would flow wisdom and grace. 38:54.816 --> 38:56.096 So, Lord, bless this invitation. 38:59.256 --> 39:00.391 Help us to seek you with all our heart. 39:02.531 --> 39:05.550 Help us to trust you with all of our heart. 39:05.551 --> 39:06.150 Help us to follow you with all of our heart. 39:06.151 --> 39:08.051 Amen. 39:09.331 --> 39:11.150 Thanks for listening today. 39:11.151 --> 39:14.530 We hope you enjoyed this message. 39:14.531 --> 39:17.290 And if you did, we would be so grateful if you left us a review. 39:17.291 --> 39:20.150 Also, go ahead and subscribe to the podcast 39:20.151 --> 39:23.890 if you would like to be notified when a new sermon is released. 39:23.891 --> 39:27.770 If you feel the Lord calling you to take the next step in faith 39:27.771 --> 39:31.862 through salvation, service, or giving, don't wait. 39:31.863 --> 39:35.402 reach out to us by texting podcast to 88988. 39:35.403 --> 39:37.782 That's podcast to 88988 or connect with us 39:37.783 --> 39:40.942 on one of our social media platforms. 39:40.943 --> 39:43.482 You can also visit our website, valleybaptist.org 39:43.483 --> 39:45.702 to find even more great resources. 39:45.703 --> 39:48.402 No matter where you are in your journey, 39:48.403 --> 39:51.402 know that we love you, we're praying for you 39:51.403 --> 40:01.403 and we can't wait to see what God will do in your life.