1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:04,760 Who is wise in understanding among you? 2 00:00:06,480 --> 00:00:10,480 There was this moment that took place right in the middle of the 3 00:00:10,480 --> 00:00:14,640 Cold War, so the tensions between the United States and 4 00:00:14,640 --> 00:00:16,600 the Soviets were at an all time high. 5 00:00:17,240 --> 00:00:23,840 It took place on September 26th, 1983, just after midnight, in a 6 00:00:23,840 --> 00:00:27,640 Soviet early warning command center outside of Moscow. 7 00:00:28,400 --> 00:00:31,960 A Lieutenant Colonel named Stanislav Petrov. 8 00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:36,240 He was on duty, and his job was pretty simple, but it was 9 00:00:36,240 --> 00:00:38,960 terrifying. His job was to monitor a 10 00:00:38,960 --> 00:00:42,200 satellite system designed to detect whether the United States 11 00:00:42,200 --> 00:00:46,360 had launched nuclear missiles. Imagine having that job for just 12 00:00:46,360 --> 00:00:47,440 a second. That would not be fun. 13 00:00:48,480 --> 00:00:52,240 He right after midnight, all of a sudden the alarms start 14 00:00:52,240 --> 00:00:55,120 screaming. The computer system reported 15 00:00:55,120 --> 00:00:57,320 that an American intercontinental ballistic 16 00:00:57,320 --> 00:00:59,840 missile had been launched towards the Soviet Union. 17 00:01:00,320 --> 00:01:03,640 Imagine that moment. Moments later, the screen show 18 00:01:03,640 --> 00:01:07,160 another missile, then another, and then another, until the 19 00:01:07,160 --> 00:01:11,080 system is reporting 5 nuclear missiles inbound for their 20 00:01:11,080 --> 00:01:15,640 location. Petrov now has only minutes to 21 00:01:15,640 --> 00:01:18,120 act. In this moment, according to a 22 00:01:18,120 --> 00:01:21,480 Soviet protocol, he's supposed to immediately report the attack 23 00:01:21,480 --> 00:01:24,240 to the chain of command. If those missiles are real, 24 00:01:24,320 --> 00:01:28,000 Soviet leadership would likely launch a massive nuclear 25 00:01:28,000 --> 00:01:31,000 retaliation before the American missiles could hit. 26 00:01:31,000 --> 00:01:36,280 In other words, in that moment, the fate of the entire world is 27 00:01:36,280 --> 00:01:41,080 sitting on the desk of one man. Ever known pressure in your life 28 00:01:41,080 --> 00:01:44,640 like that? The computers insist the attack 29 00:01:44,640 --> 00:01:46,400 is real. The alarms are blaring, the 30 00:01:46,400 --> 00:01:49,640 clock is ticking. But something just isn't quite 31 00:01:49,640 --> 00:01:53,600 sitting right with Petrov. He figures if the United States 32 00:01:53,600 --> 00:01:55,960 were starting a nuclear war, why only send five? 33 00:01:55,960 --> 00:01:58,040 He reasons. And they probably wouldn't just 34 00:01:58,040 --> 00:02:01,920 launch so few they'd go all out. And the system hadn't It was 35 00:02:01,920 --> 00:02:03,280 new. It never been tested in a real 36 00:02:03,280 --> 00:02:06,720 world crisis yet. And so Petrov faces a choice. 37 00:02:07,720 --> 00:02:10,919 He can either follow protocol with what he's supposed to do 38 00:02:10,919 --> 00:02:17,400 with an incoming attack, or he can report it as a false 39 00:02:17,560 --> 00:02:20,920 warning. He chooses to trust his wisdom. 40 00:02:20,920 --> 00:02:24,160 He pauses, he thinks, and reports it as being a false 41 00:02:24,160 --> 00:02:27,560 alarm. For several agonizing minutes, 42 00:02:27,880 --> 00:02:30,640 he waits to see if the missiles appear on the ground radar. 43 00:02:30,880 --> 00:02:34,920 And of course, none eventually do and it becomes clear the 44 00:02:34,920 --> 00:02:38,360 system's malfunctioned and what happened was the satellites 45 00:02:38,360 --> 00:02:41,880 actually detected like sunlight beaming off high altitude clouds 46 00:02:41,880 --> 00:02:44,760 above North Dakota confused it with like missile vapor or 47 00:02:44,760 --> 00:02:47,040 something like that. And it was a false alarm. 48 00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:52,120 If this had taken place though, imagine if he had said we're 49 00:02:52,120 --> 00:02:54,800 under attack and he'd thrown it up the chain of command like he 50 00:02:54,800 --> 00:02:58,600 was supposed to. Imagine all out nuclear warfare 51 00:02:58,600 --> 00:03:01,400 taking place. This is one of the most tense 52 00:03:01,400 --> 00:03:04,520 moments in history, and many of us have never even heard about 53 00:03:04,520 --> 00:03:07,880 it. Petrov later became known as the 54 00:03:07,880 --> 00:03:10,560 man who saved the world. Isn't that interesting? 55 00:03:11,720 --> 00:03:14,760 What we see with this story is a powerful reminder that sometimes 56 00:03:14,760 --> 00:03:19,120 the difference between catastrophe and life isn't about 57 00:03:19,120 --> 00:03:22,080 information or alarms or better systems. 58 00:03:22,640 --> 00:03:25,440 Sometimes the difference between life or death is just good old 59 00:03:25,440 --> 00:03:30,560 fashioned wisdom, you know, judgement calls, discernment, 60 00:03:30,560 --> 00:03:32,360 wisdom, taking in the information. 61 00:03:32,600 --> 00:03:36,080 And Petrov, he, he credits his decision making not to his 62 00:03:36,080 --> 00:03:38,640 military training, but to his civilian training, right. 63 00:03:38,640 --> 00:03:40,640 Because military guys, you know, they have no choice. 64 00:03:40,640 --> 00:03:43,120 They just they just kind of follow protocol. 65 00:03:43,800 --> 00:03:49,440 But he instead chose wisdom question today, what is it that 66 00:03:49,440 --> 00:03:54,000 enables us to know the right decision in difficult times? 67 00:03:55,200 --> 00:04:00,560 How can we know what to do when the going gets tough And more 68 00:04:00,560 --> 00:04:03,360 than just a decision making, like how can we really know the 69 00:04:03,360 --> 00:04:09,160 right way to live? Social media promises a good 70 00:04:09,160 --> 00:04:11,840 life for every one of us. It seems like everyone has an 71 00:04:11,840 --> 00:04:15,280 opinion on, you know, the perfect way to diet and the 72 00:04:15,280 --> 00:04:18,000 perfect way to live, the perfect way to handle your money. 73 00:04:19,000 --> 00:04:22,920 Influencers kind of present this like overly curated, overly 74 00:04:22,920 --> 00:04:24,720 edited picture of the perfect life. 75 00:04:24,720 --> 00:04:27,880 It's all edited and polished. Everyone's trying to get our 76 00:04:27,880 --> 00:04:31,080 attention, everyone's trying to show us quote how to live. 77 00:04:32,600 --> 00:04:36,960 But Proverbs 14 reminds us there is a way that appears to be 78 00:04:36,960 --> 00:04:40,000 right, but in the end it leads to death. 79 00:04:41,440 --> 00:04:44,320 In other words, there there is a there's a way we can in which we 80 00:04:44,320 --> 00:04:48,320 can live with that appears to have life, but in the end, it 81 00:04:48,320 --> 00:04:52,080 leads to destructions. How many of us, how many of us 82 00:04:52,080 --> 00:04:55,800 in the room by a show of hands would agree we live in confusing 83 00:04:55,800 --> 00:04:58,160 times out there? Yes, OK, hands down. 84 00:04:58,160 --> 00:05:00,480 Everyone, let the record show everyone in the room pretty much 85 00:05:00,480 --> 00:05:03,240 raised their hand, right? I mean, take the last two weeks 86 00:05:03,240 --> 00:05:06,480 for example, man, you know, are we at war? 87 00:05:06,480 --> 00:05:07,880 Are we not? Was it our fault with the 88 00:05:07,880 --> 00:05:10,240 destruction? Is it not like, and man, can we 89 00:05:10,240 --> 00:05:12,680 even trust the information that's being presented to us? 90 00:05:13,040 --> 00:05:16,080 Is this the right decision? Like there's so many voices out 91 00:05:16,080 --> 00:05:18,920 there. These are truly confusing times, 92 00:05:20,200 --> 00:05:24,160 and what we need is a trustworthy guide for how we can 93 00:05:24,160 --> 00:05:27,840 live and how we can discern in the midst of confusion and 94 00:05:27,840 --> 00:05:31,040 chaos. Today we're continuing our 95 00:05:31,040 --> 00:05:35,160 sermon series called Wisdom in the Desert. 96 00:05:35,960 --> 00:05:39,720 And the topic today, the title of the sermon is The Foolishness 97 00:05:40,240 --> 00:05:43,760 of Wisdom. During the season of Lent, we're 98 00:05:43,760 --> 00:05:46,960 we're choosing to kind of escape from the culture a little bit 99 00:05:47,120 --> 00:05:49,680 intentional prayer and intentional fasting, choosing to 100 00:05:49,680 --> 00:05:53,520 go off into the wilderness with Jesus to hear from God, to allow 101 00:05:53,520 --> 00:05:55,840 him to test us and reveal what's really inside. 102 00:05:55,840 --> 00:05:59,080 And today we're going to be talking about the idea of 103 00:05:59,200 --> 00:06:03,600 wisdom. And James says it this way in 104 00:06:03,600 --> 00:06:05,560 chapter 3. If you want to turn there in 105 00:06:05,560 --> 00:06:08,920 your Bibles, James is a short book towards the very end of 106 00:06:08,920 --> 00:06:15,480 your Bible and he says these words about the idea of wisdom. 107 00:06:15,880 --> 00:06:18,120 We always encourage you to bring your physical Bibles if you have 108 00:06:18,120 --> 00:06:19,520 them. Otherwise they'll be on the 109 00:06:19,520 --> 00:06:21,320 screens as well. The Scriptures. 110 00:06:23,880 --> 00:06:26,880 And he says this beginning in verse 13. 111 00:06:29,400 --> 00:06:34,920 James writes, who is wise and understanding among you? 112 00:06:37,320 --> 00:06:41,600 Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in humility 113 00:06:41,600 --> 00:06:46,200 that comes from wisdom. So he asked the question he 114 00:06:46,200 --> 00:06:51,080 poses it, who is wise and understanding among you, Those 115 00:06:51,080 --> 00:06:53,520 who are living a good life, he answers. 116 00:06:54,760 --> 00:06:56,920 So the ones who are living a good life, the ones who are wise 117 00:06:56,920 --> 00:06:58,760 among you aren't the ones who have the most Instagram 118 00:06:58,760 --> 00:07:03,800 followers or or the most rockin bod or the most life hacks, but 119 00:07:03,800 --> 00:07:06,800 rather the ones who are proving they have wisdom through their 120 00:07:06,800 --> 00:07:08,000 good deeds and through their life. 121 00:07:09,640 --> 00:07:13,480 So James goes on to contrast two different types of wisdom here. 122 00:07:13,480 --> 00:07:18,120 He he contrasts an earthly type of wisdom and a heavenly type of 123 00:07:18,120 --> 00:07:20,880 wisdom. This is what it says in verse 124 00:07:20,880 --> 00:07:24,480 14. But if you harbor bitter envy 125 00:07:24,480 --> 00:07:27,520 and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or 126 00:07:27,520 --> 00:07:32,680 deny the truth. Such quotation marks wisdom does 127 00:07:32,680 --> 00:07:35,920 not come down from heaven, but is earthly, unspiritual and 128 00:07:35,920 --> 00:07:38,560 demonic. For where you have envy and 129 00:07:38,560 --> 00:07:44,040 selfish ambition, there you find disorder in every kind of evil 130 00:07:44,040 --> 00:07:47,560 practice. So again, James starts off by 131 00:07:47,560 --> 00:07:52,480 talking about this sort of quote, earthly wisdom, wisdom 132 00:07:52,480 --> 00:07:55,880 that sort of seems right to man but isn't actually of God. 133 00:07:57,120 --> 00:08:00,880 Let me let me ask you this way. Have you ever heard a piece of 134 00:08:00,880 --> 00:08:07,640 advice that seems like it's good advice logically, but it sort of 135 00:08:07,640 --> 00:08:11,720 lacks a sort of substance? It lacks a sort of goodness to 136 00:08:11,720 --> 00:08:14,240 it. Like maybe this advice would 137 00:08:14,240 --> 00:08:16,360 actually get you what you're actually wanting and what you're 138 00:08:16,360 --> 00:08:18,040 chasing. But there's there's something 139 00:08:18,040 --> 00:08:21,480 not quite right about it. It maybe is inherently selfish. 140 00:08:23,040 --> 00:08:25,560 Maybe it's when people try to be helpful and they say things like 141 00:08:25,560 --> 00:08:27,640 it doesn't matter what people think about you. 142 00:08:28,960 --> 00:08:32,919 Is that true? Maybe kind of right. 143 00:08:34,520 --> 00:08:36,679 I mean, I found in my experience, people's perception 144 00:08:36,679 --> 00:08:38,600 of you actually does kind of matter if you want to have 145 00:08:38,600 --> 00:08:39,840 influence with them over their life. 146 00:08:39,840 --> 00:08:42,880 But yet there's times where you have to think less about what 147 00:08:42,880 --> 00:08:44,680 other people are thinking, especially if you deal with 148 00:08:44,680 --> 00:08:47,880 people pleasing. The point is, sometimes advice 149 00:08:48,600 --> 00:08:51,480 requires something deeper to understand if it's actually good 150 00:08:51,480 --> 00:08:56,400 and it's actually wise. It requires A substance and it 151 00:08:56,400 --> 00:09:00,880 requires goodness to it. If you ever received the piece 152 00:09:00,880 --> 00:09:04,800 of advice, put yourself first. I've heard that. 153 00:09:05,560 --> 00:09:10,120 Got to put yourself first. Well, that may get you what you 154 00:09:10,120 --> 00:09:13,280 want in the short term, but will it actually benefit you in the 155 00:09:13,280 --> 00:09:15,360 long term? Is it actually moral and good 156 00:09:15,360 --> 00:09:17,680 and true? And so James talks about this 157 00:09:17,680 --> 00:09:19,520 kind of wisdom. It seems right. 158 00:09:19,840 --> 00:09:22,320 It sounds right at first. It may even be functionally 159 00:09:23,080 --> 00:09:24,560 functional in order to get you what you want. 160 00:09:24,560 --> 00:09:27,480 But it lacks something. What he says here. 161 00:09:27,480 --> 00:09:30,760 I have this list. He says that earthly wisdom is 162 00:09:30,760 --> 00:09:34,080 characterized by bitter envy. This next slide here, it's 163 00:09:34,080 --> 00:09:40,600 characterized by disorder, evil practices and selfish ambition. 164 00:09:43,600 --> 00:09:46,280 Our world is full of these things. 165 00:09:46,600 --> 00:09:50,600 Our culture thrives off them. What we see is that earthly 166 00:09:50,600 --> 00:09:52,680 wisdom, it starts from a place of envy. 167 00:09:52,680 --> 00:09:54,640 It starts from looking at your neighbors and saying, how are 168 00:09:54,640 --> 00:09:56,320 they living? Oh, I want that thing. 169 00:09:56,640 --> 00:09:58,160 Oh, they seem to have it figured out. 170 00:09:59,560 --> 00:10:02,200 But it leads to disorder and evil practices. 171 00:10:03,920 --> 00:10:05,520 Let's talk about disorder for just a moment. 172 00:10:05,520 --> 00:10:09,840 We we know that disorder comes from the chaos of sin and death 173 00:10:09,840 --> 00:10:12,720 and evil in the world. In the very beginning we see 174 00:10:12,720 --> 00:10:16,800 that God hovered over the waters, which are typically this 175 00:10:16,800 --> 00:10:19,200 idea of like chaos and and death. 176 00:10:19,200 --> 00:10:25,360 And God brought order and he brought life from non order from 177 00:10:25,360 --> 00:10:29,400 death. In Proverbs 822 we see the 178 00:10:29,400 --> 00:10:33,280 personification of wisdom. This is sort of wisdom speaking 179 00:10:33,280 --> 00:10:37,400 to us. Wisdom says the Lord brought me 180 00:10:37,480 --> 00:10:41,560 forth as the first of his works before his deeds of old. 181 00:10:41,880 --> 00:10:45,680 I was formed long, long ages ago, at the very beginning when 182 00:10:45,680 --> 00:10:48,880 the world came to be. What we see in the very 183 00:10:48,880 --> 00:10:53,000 beginning that God used wisdom and the logic as sort of the 184 00:10:53,000 --> 00:10:56,600 tool He used in creation. So wisdom is sort of the 185 00:10:56,600 --> 00:10:59,520 paintbrush that he used in order to create everything around us. 186 00:10:59,520 --> 00:11:01,840 And we still see its strokes seen today. 187 00:11:03,160 --> 00:11:06,320 And so to live with wisdom then is to is to sort of go along 188 00:11:06,320 --> 00:11:09,800 with the grain of the universe as God intended it, instead of 189 00:11:09,800 --> 00:11:14,040 going against the grain. And that's why we see that 190 00:11:14,040 --> 00:11:16,600 earthly wisdom involves disorders because God has 191 00:11:16,600 --> 00:11:20,800 created mankind to bring order and beauty into a chaotic world. 192 00:11:22,440 --> 00:11:25,840 What we see with this sort of earthly wisdom is that the focus 193 00:11:25,840 --> 00:11:31,000 isn't on others, but the focus instead is on self and chaos. 194 00:11:31,800 --> 00:11:37,240 Next slide here. We also see that earthly wisdom 195 00:11:37,240 --> 00:11:42,480 often times aims to get ahead. That's why James says it's all 196 00:11:42,480 --> 00:11:47,400 about selfish ambition. How can I advance myself above 197 00:11:47,400 --> 00:11:51,120 others? Earthly wisdom aims to get 198 00:11:51,120 --> 00:11:57,000 ahead, but then he contrasts that with a different type of 199 00:11:57,000 --> 00:12:01,680 wisdom, what he calls heavenly wisdom verse 17 if you turn 200 00:12:01,680 --> 00:12:05,920 there. But the wisdom that comes from 201 00:12:05,920 --> 00:12:11,000 heaven is first of all, pure, then peace, loving, considerate, 202 00:12:11,520 --> 00:12:15,880 submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and 203 00:12:15,880 --> 00:12:21,280 sincere peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of 204 00:12:21,720 --> 00:12:25,560 righteousness. It's very different from the 205 00:12:25,560 --> 00:12:27,120 type of earthly wisdom we just discussed. 206 00:12:27,120 --> 00:12:30,080 So next slide, let's take a look at these two and contrast them a 207 00:12:30,080 --> 00:12:33,040 little bit. OK, so we see that where earthly 208 00:12:33,040 --> 00:12:36,920 wisdom is focused on envy, what everyone else has, how everyone 209 00:12:36,920 --> 00:12:40,720 else is doing compared to me, heavenly wisdom is first and 210 00:12:40,720 --> 00:12:44,080 foremost pure. It's focused on having a pure 211 00:12:44,080 --> 00:12:48,240 heart before God. Earthly wisdom often times lead 212 00:12:48,240 --> 00:12:51,000 to death and disorder and destruction, whereas heavenly 213 00:12:51,000 --> 00:12:53,000 wisdom it leads leads to peacemaking. 214 00:12:53,560 --> 00:12:55,320 This is a peace loving spirit of wisdom. 215 00:12:56,720 --> 00:13:00,240 Earthly wisdom often the result is evil practices, but with 216 00:13:00,240 --> 00:13:03,840 heavenly wisdom it's good fruit. Earthly wisdom is full of 217 00:13:03,840 --> 00:13:06,920 selfish ambition, but contrast that to heavenly. 218 00:13:06,920 --> 00:13:10,560 It's considerate, it's submissive, and it's loving. 219 00:13:12,080 --> 00:13:14,160 So James presents these two options for us. 220 00:13:14,160 --> 00:13:18,320 Both present as wisdom, but only one is from God. 221 00:13:19,120 --> 00:13:22,160 So what we see then next slide is that heavenly wisdom is 222 00:13:22,160 --> 00:13:24,800 focused on others. It's focused on order. 223 00:13:27,000 --> 00:13:31,600 Whereas earthly wisdom aims to get ahead, heavenly wisdom aims 224 00:13:31,600 --> 00:13:35,320 to get holy. See the difference? 225 00:13:35,760 --> 00:13:37,760 So many people are just trying to get ahead in this world. 226 00:13:38,720 --> 00:13:40,880 How do I just inch myself above my Co workers? 227 00:13:40,880 --> 00:13:43,720 How do I get noticed in the market, whatever it may be? 228 00:13:43,720 --> 00:13:47,680 And that's not inherently bad sometimes, but the goals are 229 00:13:47,680 --> 00:13:49,880 different. Heavenly wisdom aims first and 230 00:13:49,880 --> 00:13:52,600 foremost to be pure and holy before God. 231 00:13:55,120 --> 00:13:59,000 This is the focus of James. I love this definition by 232 00:13:59,000 --> 00:14:01,960 Michael J Wilkins. This is so rich. 233 00:14:03,240 --> 00:14:07,560 Wisdom is the application of knowledge to life in such a way 234 00:14:07,560 --> 00:14:11,840 that a person's activities are a concrete example of a life well 235 00:14:11,840 --> 00:14:15,000 lived in God's presence. Let me break that down for a 236 00:14:15,000 --> 00:14:18,160 second. So he says first and foremost 237 00:14:18,160 --> 00:14:21,440 that wisdom is the application of knowledge. 238 00:14:22,360 --> 00:14:24,160 Knowledge is like the information. 239 00:14:24,480 --> 00:14:28,280 OK, I I saw this quote, I wasn't going to share it because it's 240 00:14:28,280 --> 00:14:34,160 so cheesy, but it said knowledge is found on Google online, but 241 00:14:34,160 --> 00:14:36,960 wisdom is found in the Bible on high. 242 00:14:37,560 --> 00:14:39,880 And I thought, wow, that is so cheesy and corny. 243 00:14:40,160 --> 00:14:41,880 I shouldn't share that. But then I just did so there. 244 00:14:41,880 --> 00:14:45,360 You're welcome. But there's a difference between 245 00:14:45,360 --> 00:14:47,680 knowledge and wisdom. It's the application of 246 00:14:47,680 --> 00:14:51,720 knowledge to life in such a way that the way that a person is 247 00:14:51,720 --> 00:14:56,600 actually living, it's a concrete example that they're living a 248 00:14:56,600 --> 00:15:00,920 good life in God's presence. So it's taking the information 249 00:15:00,920 --> 00:15:03,520 and applying it. It's lived out another 250 00:15:03,520 --> 00:15:06,000 definition. I love this and it's simplicity. 251 00:15:06,680 --> 00:15:09,760 They said that wisdom is moral skill. 252 00:15:10,800 --> 00:15:13,160 I love that 2 words, moral skill. 253 00:15:14,560 --> 00:15:16,720 So there's inherent goodness within wisdom. 254 00:15:17,840 --> 00:15:20,920 It's knowing how to skillfully use knowledge and apply it in a 255 00:15:20,920 --> 00:15:23,440 way that's good and fruitful for others. 256 00:15:24,280 --> 00:15:28,680 But here's the thing, in a world like ours that's fallen and it's 257 00:15:28,680 --> 00:15:33,840 chaotic and there's disorder and there's warfare, true wisdom 258 00:15:33,840 --> 00:15:38,200 often has the appearance of foolishness. 259 00:15:39,000 --> 00:15:42,920 Would you agree? True wisdom often seems counter 260 00:15:42,920 --> 00:15:45,600 intuitive. I mean, just take a look for a 261 00:15:45,600 --> 00:15:48,200 moment at the example found from Jesus. 262 00:15:48,840 --> 00:15:52,760 OK, Jesus, when he came to earth, he didn't come by like 263 00:15:52,760 --> 00:15:55,800 opening up the heavens and descending on high with like 264 00:15:55,800 --> 00:15:57,600 lightning and Thunder, right, Did he? 265 00:15:58,640 --> 00:16:01,920 How did he come to earth? Anyone know kids? 266 00:16:02,760 --> 00:16:07,200 He came as a baby. He came as a baby in a Manger in 267 00:16:07,200 --> 00:16:11,240 an animal's feeding through counterintuitive when Jesus was 268 00:16:11,240 --> 00:16:14,600 picking his disciples, he chose ordinary fishermen, not well 269 00:16:14,600 --> 00:16:17,480 off, well off people who had a bunch of influence. 270 00:16:17,640 --> 00:16:20,680 He chose a tax collector who was seemed seemed to be as a traitor 271 00:16:20,680 --> 00:16:23,960 to his own people. When Jesus was offered power in 272 00:16:23,960 --> 00:16:28,400 the kingdoms of the world by saying he rejected it, Jesus 273 00:16:28,400 --> 00:16:31,520 didn't use force in order to bring about his movement. 274 00:16:32,880 --> 00:16:37,520 And finally, in the most counterintuitive move we've seen 275 00:16:37,520 --> 00:16:42,760 in history, Jesus decided to willingly lay down his life and 276 00:16:42,760 --> 00:16:47,760 die for us. He chose to allow people 277 00:16:47,960 --> 00:16:51,840 intentionally to crucify him on a cross so that you and I could 278 00:16:51,840 --> 00:16:56,040 put our faith in that work so that it could take the sins that 279 00:16:56,040 --> 00:17:00,400 we have all done and put it upon himself so that we might live. 280 00:17:01,680 --> 00:17:04,640 The punishment that we deserve was was placed on him on the 281 00:17:04,640 --> 00:17:07,760 cross so that anyone who puts their faith in that might live. 282 00:17:09,720 --> 00:17:12,040 But I got to say that's pretty counterintuitive if you're 283 00:17:12,040 --> 00:17:14,119 trying to start a movement. Would you agree? 284 00:17:16,640 --> 00:17:21,400 The way of wisdom is often quote foolish to the world even now. 285 00:17:21,400 --> 00:17:24,720 Why doesn't God just like again, open up the clouds and make 286 00:17:24,720 --> 00:17:26,599 himself known? Why doesn't he just appear and 287 00:17:26,599 --> 00:17:30,280 get on CNN or Fox News or whatever and just say, hey, here 288 00:17:30,280 --> 00:17:34,440 I am, follow me. It seems counterintuitive and 289 00:17:34,440 --> 00:17:36,400 yet God knows exactly what he's doing. 290 00:17:38,480 --> 00:17:43,000 Jesus said wisdom is proved right by her deeds. 291 00:17:44,240 --> 00:17:47,800 Another translation says Wisdom is proved right by her children. 292 00:17:49,040 --> 00:17:51,600 You may not see it quite at first, but the result in the 293 00:17:51,600 --> 00:17:54,480 fruit that comes from wisdom will prove itself to be true. 294 00:17:55,480 --> 00:17:59,240 Let me put it this way. Wisdom proves itself to be true 295 00:17:59,520 --> 00:18:07,240 by the good fruit it produces. In time, it proves itself to be 296 00:18:07,240 --> 00:18:09,320 true, but it often times takes time. 297 00:18:11,000 --> 00:18:14,240 There's this moment in American history. 298 00:18:14,360 --> 00:18:17,840 It's towards the end of the Civil War Abraham Lincoln is 299 00:18:17,840 --> 00:18:22,520 president, and he's giving his second inaugural address, which, 300 00:18:22,520 --> 00:18:24,960 by the way, is the third shortest inaugural address ever 301 00:18:24,960 --> 00:18:27,080 given in history by a present. I thought that was kind of 302 00:18:27,080 --> 00:18:30,480 interesting. And many of many of the people 303 00:18:30,480 --> 00:18:33,400 surrounding Abraham Lincoln, you know, as the war was coming to 304 00:18:33,400 --> 00:18:36,680 an end, they said that Abe should should punish the South 305 00:18:36,680 --> 00:18:38,600 and punish the Confederates for their actions. 306 00:18:39,320 --> 00:18:41,880 They were encouraging Abraham Lincoln to be to be almost 307 00:18:41,880 --> 00:18:45,600 vengeful and strict, to come down with a heavy force to make 308 00:18:45,600 --> 00:18:47,000 sure that the South was squashed. 309 00:18:47,000 --> 00:18:49,240 But Abraham Lincoln took a different approach. 310 00:18:49,240 --> 00:18:52,400 We have a slide next here. He took a very different 311 00:18:52,400 --> 00:18:55,160 approach and instead he said this famous line. 312 00:18:56,720 --> 00:19:03,400 He said with malice toward none and with charity for all rather 313 00:19:03,400 --> 00:19:08,560 than vengeance, rather than malice, Abraham Lincoln chose 314 00:19:08,560 --> 00:19:11,680 mercy. He chose a different route. 315 00:19:13,160 --> 00:19:15,680 And what he knew, he knew that if they came down with a heavy, 316 00:19:15,960 --> 00:19:19,920 heavy fist on on the South that more and more rebellions would 317 00:19:19,920 --> 00:19:21,800 rise up. Likely guerrilla warfare would 318 00:19:21,800 --> 00:19:23,960 start happening. Instead, he gave them a chance 319 00:19:23,960 --> 00:19:29,400 to repent and come into the fold to be part of the nation once 320 00:19:29,400 --> 00:19:34,320 again. By the way, side note, this was 321 00:19:34,320 --> 00:19:36,240 crazy as I was reading this inaugural dress. 322 00:19:36,240 --> 00:19:39,320 I encourage all of you to do it. But he says this line about the 323 00:19:39,320 --> 00:19:41,560 Civil War. He says fondly do we hope 324 00:19:41,720 --> 00:19:46,040 fervently do we pray that this mighty scourge of war may be may 325 00:19:46,040 --> 00:19:49,840 speedily pass away. Abraham Lincoln had a deep faith 326 00:19:49,840 --> 00:19:52,320 in God and I believe that's where his wisdom came from. 327 00:19:53,040 --> 00:19:56,160 And there's even this moment where where Abraham Lincoln 328 00:19:56,160 --> 00:19:59,160 saying, you know, we pray for a swift end to this war. 329 00:19:59,920 --> 00:20:03,840 But if it's God's will that this war should continue as judgement 330 00:20:03,840 --> 00:20:06,040 against our own sins of slavery, so be it. 331 00:20:06,920 --> 00:20:10,360 What there's this line where he's saying like, if it's God's 332 00:20:10,360 --> 00:20:14,800 will that that that every dollar that was that was earned by by 333 00:20:14,800 --> 00:20:18,200 slavery is spent for this war. If every drop of blood that was 334 00:20:18,200 --> 00:20:21,360 earned on the lash of a slave gets paid back through the 335 00:20:21,360 --> 00:20:24,000 sword, then so be it. Then God's has the right to 336 00:20:24,000 --> 00:20:27,080 judge us. Can you imagine a leader saying 337 00:20:27,080 --> 00:20:29,920 something like that today about our their own country, right? 338 00:20:30,680 --> 00:20:34,560 Can you imagine a leader saying, you know, we have sinned, we 339 00:20:34,560 --> 00:20:38,200 have done something wrong, and if God wants to pay us back, so 340 00:20:38,200 --> 00:20:42,600 be it. That would be radical today. 341 00:20:43,680 --> 00:20:48,080 And yet what we see here is we see a man who fears God first 342 00:20:48,720 --> 00:20:54,320 above all things, and the wisdom to have mercy and compassion on 343 00:20:54,320 --> 00:20:58,440 his enemies shines through here. And his wisdom was proved right 344 00:20:58,560 --> 00:21:04,240 over time. So for us here today, how can we 345 00:21:04,240 --> 00:21:07,640 gain this type of wisdom when the advice of our culture is 346 00:21:07,640 --> 00:21:11,040 just to look after yourself? The advice of our culture is 347 00:21:11,040 --> 00:21:14,000 just to protect your own peace, to do what you got to do. 348 00:21:15,440 --> 00:21:19,720 How can we live a life of goodness and wisdom? 349 00:21:20,760 --> 00:21:22,760 I want to give you really three really quick things. 350 00:21:22,920 --> 00:21:27,560 First and foremost is this wisdom begins with fearing God. 351 00:21:29,680 --> 00:21:35,360 Wisdom begins with fearing God. Next slide here, Proverbs 910 352 00:21:36,080 --> 00:21:38,160 puts it this way. The fear of the Lord is the 353 00:21:38,160 --> 00:21:41,160 beginning of wisdom and knowledge of the Holy One is 354 00:21:41,160 --> 00:21:44,600 understanding. If you want to be wise, start 355 00:21:44,600 --> 00:21:47,240 with fearing God. This is a reverence to God. 356 00:21:47,240 --> 00:21:51,120 It's a God centered life. Fearing God means that we have 357 00:21:51,120 --> 00:21:56,000 an A Kingdom perspective that God is at work around us and we 358 00:21:56,000 --> 00:21:58,320 live beyond just our circumstances. 359 00:21:59,440 --> 00:22:01,720 I was hanging out with my discipleship band, which are 360 00:22:01,720 --> 00:22:04,440 environments that are groups of two to four people that meet 361 00:22:04,440 --> 00:22:06,520 weekly. And I was in my band this week 362 00:22:06,520 --> 00:22:10,000 and we were just talking about where ambition comes from and 363 00:22:10,000 --> 00:22:13,200 the, and the will to like work harder and the will to, to 364 00:22:13,200 --> 00:22:17,960 succeed in we kind of like came to a consensus that every man 365 00:22:18,200 --> 00:22:21,440 and woman, but we're men. So we said every man needs a 366 00:22:21,440 --> 00:22:23,840 vision that's bigger than himself in their life. 367 00:22:24,920 --> 00:22:28,240 If a man really wants to succeed in life, he needs a vision that 368 00:22:28,240 --> 00:22:32,480 goes beyond just himself. So often we turn inward instead 369 00:22:32,480 --> 00:22:36,200 of going outward. And so every man and woman, we 370 00:22:36,200 --> 00:22:39,200 need a God centered life. We need Kingdom perspective. 371 00:22:39,200 --> 00:22:40,840 And that starts with the fear of the Lord. 372 00:22:42,120 --> 00:22:44,560 We need the wisdom to look beyond just ourself and our 373 00:22:44,560 --> 00:22:50,320 circumstances in our life. We were created to bring order 374 00:22:50,600 --> 00:22:52,360 in partnership with God to this world. 375 00:22:54,080 --> 00:22:56,400 Another reason that we need to start with the fear of the Lord 376 00:22:56,400 --> 00:23:00,720 is that God is a relational God, and wisdom is always 377 00:23:00,720 --> 00:23:03,440 personified. It's lived out. 378 00:23:05,240 --> 00:23:07,960 Scripture in Proverbs 8 personifies wisdom. 379 00:23:09,680 --> 00:23:12,120 She says to you, oh people, I call out. 380 00:23:12,120 --> 00:23:17,440 I raise my voice to all mankind. This is the idea that wisdom is 381 00:23:17,440 --> 00:23:20,240 crying out to each and every one of us, and that we can choose to 382 00:23:20,240 --> 00:23:22,840 listen to her call. In other words, wisdom is 383 00:23:22,840 --> 00:23:25,400 personified. We don't gain wisdom just from 384 00:23:25,400 --> 00:23:27,840 the Internet. We gain wisdom from wise 385 00:23:27,840 --> 00:23:30,800 teachers, wise mentors, and wise leaders. 386 00:23:30,800 --> 00:23:34,520 It's from people because wisdom is lived out. 387 00:23:36,080 --> 00:23:37,880 It's not just advice of what could work. 388 00:23:37,880 --> 00:23:41,320 It's it's proof of a life well lived in God's presence. 389 00:23:43,040 --> 00:23:45,440 So that's number one is fear. God #2 if you want to have 390 00:23:45,440 --> 00:23:48,280 wisdom in your life #2 we have to ask for it. 391 00:23:48,720 --> 00:23:52,640 We have to ask for it. James 15 says if any of you 392 00:23:52,640 --> 00:23:56,440 lacks wisdom, you should what? Ask God? 393 00:23:56,440 --> 00:24:04,720 Everyone say ask God and when you should ask God, God gives 394 00:24:04,720 --> 00:24:07,480 generously to all without finding fault and it will be 395 00:24:07,480 --> 00:24:11,200 given to you. I've heard it say said elsewhere 396 00:24:11,200 --> 00:24:16,000 that asking is the rule of the Kingdom, It's the rule of 397 00:24:16,000 --> 00:24:17,800 prayer. All of us should ask. 398 00:24:18,600 --> 00:24:21,520 And the the other reason I think asking is so important is 399 00:24:21,520 --> 00:24:27,040 because asking humbles us. Asking humbles us. 400 00:24:28,000 --> 00:24:30,440 Have you ever been stuck in a pickle and you really needed 401 00:24:30,440 --> 00:24:33,760 help, but if you're honest, you didn't really want to ask for 402 00:24:33,760 --> 00:24:35,840 help? Men in the room are like nodding 403 00:24:35,840 --> 00:24:37,520 their heads, right? I had a moment like that with my 404 00:24:37,520 --> 00:24:40,440 car this last week. I was like, oh, I'm stuck in a 405 00:24:40,440 --> 00:24:43,360 pickle. I don't want to knock on my 406 00:24:43,360 --> 00:24:45,680 neighbour's door, but I really need some help right now, OK? 407 00:24:45,680 --> 00:24:46,560 And I had to. I did. 408 00:24:46,560 --> 00:24:48,160 I went and asked for help and it was humbling. 409 00:24:49,240 --> 00:24:50,960 I like to present like I have it all together. 410 00:24:51,920 --> 00:24:53,920 I like to pretend like I can handle my things on my own 411 00:24:53,920 --> 00:24:58,240 right. When we ask God, it's a, it's a, 412 00:24:58,240 --> 00:25:01,000 it's a posture of humility that says, God, I cannot do it on my 413 00:25:01,000 --> 00:25:02,560 own. I need your help. 414 00:25:02,920 --> 00:25:05,640 And in doing so, that's a relational moment where God is 415 00:25:05,640 --> 00:25:07,800 glad to come to our aid and give us a rescue. 416 00:25:08,280 --> 00:25:11,720 Asking is simply saying, God, you're wise and I'm not. 417 00:25:12,200 --> 00:25:13,880 You have all the answers and I don't. 418 00:25:14,120 --> 00:25:16,600 You know the best way to live. And so I'm glad to come 419 00:25:16,600 --> 00:25:19,920 underneath your two lids, your mentorship, your wisdom, and 420 00:25:19,920 --> 00:25:25,280 your parenting #3 if you want to live a wise life, you have to 421 00:25:25,280 --> 00:25:30,160 build your life on Jesus. Somebody say Amen, Amen. 422 00:25:30,160 --> 00:25:32,240 You got to build your life on Jesus. 423 00:25:33,360 --> 00:25:37,280 Matthew Chapter 7. Jesus concludes the Sermon on 424 00:25:37,280 --> 00:25:40,480 the Mount by giving some of the most important words, I believe, 425 00:25:40,480 --> 00:25:42,640 that have ever been spoken and ever been written. 426 00:25:43,080 --> 00:25:48,360 Matthew 7, verse 24. Jesus says, Therefore everyone 427 00:25:48,360 --> 00:25:52,920 who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice, 428 00:25:53,920 --> 00:25:57,120 that's the key part, puts them into practice is like a wise man 429 00:25:57,120 --> 00:26:01,200 who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams 430 00:26:01,200 --> 00:26:05,840 rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, yet it 431 00:26:05,840 --> 00:26:11,160 did not fall because it had its foundation on the what rock? 432 00:26:12,040 --> 00:26:17,760 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put 433 00:26:17,760 --> 00:26:21,800 them into practice is like a foolish man who builds his house 434 00:26:22,360 --> 00:26:25,640 on sand. The rain came down, the streams 435 00:26:25,640 --> 00:26:28,160 rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it 436 00:26:28,160 --> 00:26:34,000 fell with a great crash. This is a stark warning given by 437 00:26:34,040 --> 00:26:37,680 Jesus at the end of the sermon. He's saying, Wisdom is building 438 00:26:37,680 --> 00:26:42,880 your life on me. The illustration is 439 00:26:42,880 --> 00:26:46,640 self-explanatory, but the people listening to it in the 1st 440 00:26:46,640 --> 00:26:49,320 century would have understood what it meant immediately. 441 00:26:49,320 --> 00:26:53,480 You see, in the Sea of Galilee archaeologists in the late 20th 442 00:26:53,480 --> 00:26:56,440 century, they found that there were structures that had been 443 00:26:56,440 --> 00:26:59,840 built and dug down into the deep hard basalt. 444 00:27:00,200 --> 00:27:03,320 And in other words, they dug sometimes 10 feet down in order 445 00:27:03,320 --> 00:27:05,200 to reach bedrock, to build their structures. 446 00:27:05,640 --> 00:27:08,160 And part of the reason for this is because what would happen 447 00:27:08,160 --> 00:27:10,240 around that is the alluvial sands. 448 00:27:10,960 --> 00:27:12,880 They would harden under the summer sun. 449 00:27:12,880 --> 00:27:16,160 And so they would pretend as if they were a firm foundation. 450 00:27:16,440 --> 00:27:18,440 It almost be like concrete, the sand. 451 00:27:19,400 --> 00:27:22,760 But what happened in the winter is that the Jordan River would 452 00:27:22,760 --> 00:27:28,880 swell, the water would come, and underneath this hard surface, 453 00:27:29,640 --> 00:27:33,040 the the sand underneath would begin to be chiseled away, swept 454 00:27:33,040 --> 00:27:37,040 away through the undercurrents. And So what would happen is the 455 00:27:37,040 --> 00:27:39,320 wise and foolish person who built their house on what 456 00:27:39,320 --> 00:27:44,280 appeared to be safe, that person's house would come 457 00:27:44,280 --> 00:27:50,320 crashing down. What Jesus is saying here, what 458 00:27:50,320 --> 00:27:56,280 Jesus is saying here, he's saying my way, my commands. 459 00:27:57,120 --> 00:28:01,760 They're universal. They're for all people, for all 460 00:28:01,760 --> 00:28:05,200 times. Jesus is saying my way, the way 461 00:28:05,200 --> 00:28:10,840 I'm living, the my commandments will stand the test of time, my 462 00:28:10,840 --> 00:28:13,800 way. If you put them into practice, 463 00:28:13,800 --> 00:28:16,760 they're trustworthy. You can build your life and 464 00:28:16,760 --> 00:28:22,480 it'll be a life that is well lived. 1st 1st Corinthians 130 465 00:28:23,800 --> 00:28:28,400 Paul says that Jesus has become for us wisdom from God. 466 00:28:29,760 --> 00:28:36,360 In other words, Jesus himself is the personification of all 467 00:28:36,360 --> 00:28:40,760 wisdom. Jesus is wisdom himself. 468 00:28:42,160 --> 00:28:46,920 So if you want to be wise, first and foremost look to Jesus and 469 00:28:46,920 --> 00:28:51,000 then build your life on him. Put into practice everything 470 00:28:51,000 --> 00:28:54,920 that he has said, everything that he has said. 471 00:28:57,880 --> 00:29:01,280 Why? It's because everything that 472 00:29:01,280 --> 00:29:05,400 Jesus has ever taught has held up for the last 2000 years. 473 00:29:06,120 --> 00:29:08,200 His words have outlasted every Kingdom. 474 00:29:08,720 --> 00:29:11,440 His commands have triumphed every philosophy. 475 00:29:12,080 --> 00:29:16,600 His way has transformed billions and billions of people, and his 476 00:29:16,600 --> 00:29:19,880 teachings supersede any political party or policy or 477 00:29:19,880 --> 00:29:23,160 whatever it may be. Jesus's commands his way are 478 00:29:23,160 --> 00:29:26,320 trustworthy, and they're right. You can build your life upon 479 00:29:26,320 --> 00:29:31,240 them, and you will live a life that is beautiful and is wise. 480 00:29:34,280 --> 00:29:38,520 Jesus says everyone who doesn't do this, this is. 481 00:29:38,520 --> 00:29:41,920 These are harsh words. Everyone who fails to build 482 00:29:41,920 --> 00:29:48,360 their lives on me is foolish. Their house will be swept away. 483 00:29:49,320 --> 00:29:55,040 Everyone, he says. What kind of man comes to earth 484 00:29:55,040 --> 00:29:58,360 and says things like everyone who doesn't build their life on 485 00:29:58,360 --> 00:30:03,760 what I've taught is foolish. He's either out of his mind as 486 00:30:03,760 --> 00:30:07,160 some sort of a lunatic, some sort of narcissistic psycho, 487 00:30:07,160 --> 00:30:11,400 sociopath, whatever, or he is the son of God and he is the 488 00:30:11,400 --> 00:30:15,240 author of all life. But you can't have both ways. 489 00:30:16,120 --> 00:30:18,880 What Jesus is saying here are it's just too radical. 490 00:30:19,560 --> 00:30:22,200 In other words, we don't get to just pick and choose an A la 491 00:30:22,200 --> 00:30:23,920 carte. What we take from Jesus and what 492 00:30:23,920 --> 00:30:26,680 we leave behind, He's all or nothing. 493 00:30:26,960 --> 00:30:30,960 Does that make sense? We can't mix the foundation with 494 00:30:30,960 --> 00:30:33,320 some sand and some concrete and some stone. 495 00:30:33,320 --> 00:30:37,480 No, no, no, it's all or nothing. Jesus is saying these teachings 496 00:30:37,480 --> 00:30:42,600 are designed as a warning for us to choose not the foolish way of 497 00:30:42,600 --> 00:30:46,680 building our life on Sam, but to choose the wise way of Jesus. 498 00:30:48,520 --> 00:30:51,560 So many people in this life are trying to build a life on their 499 00:30:51,560 --> 00:30:53,920 own passions and their own focus. 500 00:30:53,920 --> 00:30:57,280 Look, I did the same thing. I was so close when I was 501 00:30:57,280 --> 00:30:58,640 deciding what to do with my life. 502 00:30:58,640 --> 00:31:00,680 I was going after what I like to do. 503 00:31:01,280 --> 00:31:03,480 I was going after what I thought I would enjoy. 504 00:31:04,040 --> 00:31:06,680 I was going after my own passions, my own pursuits, and 505 00:31:06,680 --> 00:31:09,600 whatever. And I'm so glad that God 506 00:31:09,600 --> 00:31:13,600 interrupted that process, picked me up and set me on a different 507 00:31:13,600 --> 00:31:17,960 trajectory, a life built on Him. And I've never looked back. 508 00:31:18,920 --> 00:31:21,400 And please hear me, I'm still trying to figure out how to do 509 00:31:21,400 --> 00:31:24,160 that. Still trying to figure out how 510 00:31:24,160 --> 00:31:28,440 to build my life on Jesus. But I assure you that His way is 511 00:31:28,440 --> 00:31:31,160 better. His commands are trustworthy. 512 00:31:31,880 --> 00:31:38,760 Build your life on Him. I see two different errors in 513 00:31:38,760 --> 00:31:42,880 our culture today #1 is that people are trying to build with 514 00:31:42,880 --> 00:31:44,440 no real foundation in their life. 515 00:31:45,960 --> 00:31:49,880 People are trying to build a life on secularism or on 516 00:31:49,880 --> 00:31:52,800 humanism. They're trying to build their 517 00:31:52,800 --> 00:31:55,000 life on moral relativity. They're looking around and 518 00:31:55,000 --> 00:31:58,400 they're just saying, I'm just going to kind of pick and 519 00:31:58,400 --> 00:31:59,880 choose. And it's becoming more and more 520 00:31:59,880 --> 00:32:01,840 clear. I think that man is the problem 521 00:32:03,360 --> 00:32:06,160 to the issues that we face, but we can never be the solution on 522 00:32:06,160 --> 00:32:09,080 our own. So many people are just 523 00:32:09,080 --> 00:32:11,840 searching out there. They're looking for, for answers 524 00:32:11,840 --> 00:32:14,080 all over. We, we recently went out to 525 00:32:14,080 --> 00:32:17,360 California on Oceanside and we were just shocked by how many 526 00:32:17,360 --> 00:32:20,440 different, like palm readers there were these shops that were 527 00:32:20,440 --> 00:32:23,000 just dedicated to, to spirituality and being able to 528 00:32:23,000 --> 00:32:26,000 know your own future and, and decide your own fate. 529 00:32:26,000 --> 00:32:29,040 And I was like, how are people paying rent out here in this 530 00:32:29,040 --> 00:32:30,400 real estate, right with palm reading? 531 00:32:30,400 --> 00:32:31,560 Like how is that lucrative enough? 532 00:32:31,560 --> 00:32:35,120 But I think it's because people are searching for answers. 533 00:32:36,360 --> 00:32:38,240 They're searching for a foundation, They're searching 534 00:32:38,240 --> 00:32:44,320 for what's real error #1 is that I think people are building 535 00:32:44,320 --> 00:32:46,080 their life without any real foundation. 536 00:32:46,080 --> 00:32:49,400 But #2 I think the other errors that people are building their 537 00:32:49,400 --> 00:32:53,240 life on any foundation, what they're doing is they're 538 00:32:53,240 --> 00:32:56,280 building this sort of sort of sand castle of a life, right? 539 00:32:56,280 --> 00:32:59,160 The a sand castle that looks really impressive on the 540 00:32:59,160 --> 00:33:01,520 outside. It may even win some Guinness 541 00:33:01,520 --> 00:33:05,480 Book of World Records, right? But in a few moments, in a few 542 00:33:05,480 --> 00:33:10,720 years, it'll come crashing down. So many of us are like looking 543 00:33:10,720 --> 00:33:14,720 around and influencers and social media, trying to lifehack 544 00:33:14,720 --> 00:33:19,240 our way into the good life, trying to pick and choose from 545 00:33:19,240 --> 00:33:21,360 the different philosophies and the different religions and the 546 00:33:21,360 --> 00:33:25,600 different mindsets out there. And it's an exhausting way to 547 00:33:25,600 --> 00:33:29,840 live. Meanwhile, Jesus looks at us and 548 00:33:29,840 --> 00:33:34,680 he says there is a better way. There is a way that leads to 549 00:33:34,680 --> 00:33:38,760 life. Isaiah 30 says whether you turn 550 00:33:38,760 --> 00:33:42,400 to the right or the left, your ears will hear a voice behind 551 00:33:42,400 --> 00:33:46,680 you saying this is the way, walk in it. 552 00:33:48,520 --> 00:33:51,640 Jesus is speaking to every single one of us saying there is 553 00:33:51,640 --> 00:33:54,840 a better way. Walk in it. 554 00:33:56,000 --> 00:33:59,240 It's the way of love. It's the way of life. 555 00:34:00,320 --> 00:34:03,560 It's the way of self sacrifice for the sake of your others. 556 00:34:03,560 --> 00:34:06,440 It's a way of having a Kingdom minded perspective that goes so 557 00:34:06,440 --> 00:34:10,080 far beyond your own life. Your life can matter for 558 00:34:10,080 --> 00:34:11,760 eternity. There is a way. 559 00:34:11,760 --> 00:34:16,360 Walk in it. So if I had to summarize 560 00:34:16,360 --> 00:34:18,920 everything I'm saying here today, it's this. 561 00:34:20,320 --> 00:34:25,520 The way of Jesus is the foolish way of wisdom. 562 00:34:28,159 --> 00:34:32,280 The way of Jesus is the quote UN quote foolish way of wisdom. 563 00:34:32,280 --> 00:34:36,040 It may seem counterintuitive. It may not make sense at first. 564 00:34:37,360 --> 00:34:41,639 Sacrificing normally doesn't always make sense at first. 565 00:34:41,639 --> 00:34:44,639 But the payoff is a life well lived. 566 00:34:46,440 --> 00:34:48,760 So the next time you're in your workplace and you hear someone 567 00:34:48,760 --> 00:34:54,159 say you have to advocate for yourself, look after #1 get 568 00:34:54,159 --> 00:35:00,080 noticed by your boss. Pause for a second and ask 569 00:35:00,080 --> 00:35:02,440 yourself, is this earthly wisdom or is this heavenly wisdom? 570 00:35:04,240 --> 00:35:06,680 Am I called to just promote myself or am I called to lift 571 00:35:06,680 --> 00:35:11,240 others up? As you're parenting and raising 572 00:35:11,240 --> 00:35:14,800 kids and you kind of hear the advice floating around, you 573 00:35:14,800 --> 00:35:16,480 don't want your kid falling behind. 574 00:35:17,960 --> 00:35:19,720 You got to give them every opportunity. 575 00:35:21,840 --> 00:35:26,440 Ask yourself, is this leading towards peace or is it leading 576 00:35:26,440 --> 00:35:31,560 to a chaotic schedule and overhurriedness and exhaustion? 577 00:35:34,200 --> 00:35:36,520 When that friend group or that person at school ask you to 578 00:35:36,520 --> 00:35:39,880 share the gossip or spill the tea or whatever, right? 579 00:35:39,880 --> 00:35:44,000 Ask yourself, is this wise? Is this the loving, considerate 580 00:35:44,000 --> 00:35:46,720 way of Jesus and the wisdom that he offers? 581 00:35:50,920 --> 00:35:54,880 All of us can live into the way of Jesus. 582 00:35:57,840 --> 00:36:01,760 And so maybe for for some, practically speaking, some 583 00:36:01,760 --> 00:36:03,400 practices you can put in place this week. 584 00:36:03,400 --> 00:36:06,040 Maybe you want to choose to just kind of put stricter limit on 585 00:36:06,040 --> 00:36:10,240 your screen time this week, maybe to reduce the echo chamber 586 00:36:10,240 --> 00:36:12,760 and the amount of noise and the amount of voices speaking into 587 00:36:12,760 --> 00:36:14,680 your life. And I get it when, when there's 588 00:36:14,680 --> 00:36:17,680 things going on politically and globally, we want to be glued to 589 00:36:17,680 --> 00:36:19,280 our phone. But maybe you just take a break 590 00:36:19,280 --> 00:36:20,960 for a moment to hear the voice of God. 591 00:36:23,480 --> 00:36:26,280 Maybe you choose instead to listen to a Christian audio book 592 00:36:26,280 --> 00:36:30,760 or a podcast or even the Bible on your commute instead, filling 593 00:36:30,760 --> 00:36:34,640 your mind with wise words, the way of Jesus instead of anything 594 00:36:34,640 --> 00:36:39,640 else. Another option is to maybe 595 00:36:39,640 --> 00:36:41,920 choose to do some scripture memorization. 596 00:36:42,440 --> 00:36:44,800 This is a tried and true practice, basically hiding God's 597 00:36:44,800 --> 00:36:46,920 word in your heart to be able to use it whenever you need. 598 00:36:48,160 --> 00:36:51,200 Whatever you choose to do, choose the way of wisdom. 599 00:36:53,720 --> 00:36:56,120 And if you're here today and you're like, I don't know that 600 00:36:56,120 --> 00:37:00,600 I'm all that wise. I don't know that I'm the 601 00:37:00,600 --> 00:37:03,960 brightest crayon in the box or the sharpest tool in the shed, 602 00:37:03,960 --> 00:37:07,240 right? I don't have strong opinions on 603 00:37:07,640 --> 00:37:11,600 geopolitical warfare and I don't concern myself with things that 604 00:37:11,600 --> 00:37:14,880 are above my pay grade. And to you, I just want to 605 00:37:14,880 --> 00:37:16,080 encourage you wherever you're at. 606 00:37:17,200 --> 00:37:23,200 Proverbs 8 says you who are simple gain prudence. 607 00:37:24,440 --> 00:37:27,320 You who are foolish set your hearts on wisdom. 608 00:37:29,000 --> 00:37:31,000 So even if you're here today and your mind isn't all that 609 00:37:31,000 --> 00:37:33,200 impressive and you don't consider yourself to be all that 610 00:37:33,200 --> 00:37:36,600 wise, the invitation for you is just to to set your heart on 611 00:37:36,600 --> 00:37:43,480 wisdom, to gain wisdom. Because even those who are the 612 00:37:43,480 --> 00:37:48,000 simplest among us can still live a life in God's presence that is 613 00:37:48,000 --> 00:37:55,600 wise and beautiful, James says. Who is wise and understanding 614 00:37:55,600 --> 00:37:58,480 among you? It's the person who proves it by 615 00:37:58,480 --> 00:38:01,480 their good deeds. By choosing heavenly wisdom, may 616 00:38:01,480 --> 00:38:05,520 we not build our house as sand castles that look impressive 617 00:38:05,520 --> 00:38:11,000 from the outside, but may we instead choose to build our 618 00:38:11,000 --> 00:38:13,680 house on the firm rock and foundation of Jesus.