AM Isaiah 59 & Ephesians 6:17a Overcoming confusion with Wisdom

[0:00] 49. Isaiah chapter 49 is on page 737 in your Bible, church Bible.

[0:30] Isaiah chapter 49. No, it's not 49, it's 59 I think.

[0:43] I'm sorry. 59, sorry. 59. 60.

[1:03] Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened that it cannot save. O his ear dar that it cannot hear.

[1:14] But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God. And your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.

[1:28] For your hands are defiled with blood. And your fingers with iniquity. Your lips have spoken lies.

[1:39] Your tongue matters wickedness. No one enters sweet justly. No one goes to law honestly.

[1:51] They rely on empty pleas. They speak lies. They conceive mischief. And give birth to iniquity. They hatch others' eggs.

[2:03] They weave the spider's web. He who eats their eggs dies. And from one that is crushed, a viper is hatched.

[2:16] Their webs will not serve as clothing. Men will not cover themselves with what they make. Their works are works of iniquity.

[2:28] And deeds of violence are in their hands. Their feet run to evil. And they are swift to shed innocent blood.

[2:39] Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity. Disoration and distraction are in their highways. Disciplines. Disciplines. The way of peace they do not know.

[2:53] And there is no justice in their path. They have made their roads crooked. No one who trades on them knows peace. Therefore, justice is far from us.

[3:07] And righteousness does not overtake us. We hope for light and behold darkness and for brightness. But we walk in gloom.

[3:20] We grope for the war like the blind. We grope like those who have no eyes. We stumble at noon and in the twilight among those in full vigor.

[3:33] We are like dead men. We all grow like bears. We mourn and mourn like doves. And we hope for justice, but there is none.

[3:45] For salvation, but it is far from us. For our transgressions are multiplied before you. And our sins testify against us.

[3:57] For our transgressions are with us. And we know our iniquities. Transgressing and denying the Lord. And turning back from following our God.

[4:10] Speaking oppression and revolt. Conceiving and uttering from the heart lying words. Justice is turned back.

[4:22] And righteousness stands far away. For truth has tumbled in the public squares. And uprightness cannot enter.

[4:35] Truth is lacking. And he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. The Lord saw it. And it displeased him.

[4:48] That there was no justice. He saw that there was no man. And wondered that there was no one to intercede. Then his own arm brought him salvation.

[5:02] And his righteousness upheld him. He put on righteousness as best place. And a helmet of salvation on his head.

[5:17] He put on garments of vengeance for clothing. And wrapped himself in zeal as a cloak. According to the deeds so will he repay.

[5:30] Wrath to his adversaries. Repayment to his enemies. To the coastlands he will render repayment. So they shall fear the name of the Lord from the west.

[5:43] And his glory from the rising of the sun. For he will come like a rushing stream. Which the wind of the Lord drives.

[5:55] And the redeemer will come to Zion. To those in Jacob who turn from transgression declares the Lord. And as for me.

[6:07] This is my covenant with them. Says the Lord. My spirit that is upon you. And my words that I have put in your mouth.

[6:18] Shall not depart out of your mouth. Or out of the mouth of your offspring. Or out of the mouth of your children. Children's offspring.

[6:29] Says the Lord. From the time forth. And forevermore. Verse 17 again. He put on righteousness as best place.

[6:40] And hermit of salvation in his head. And now. Let's jump on to Ephesians. Chapter 6. Ephesians chapter 6.

[6:56] Ephesians chapter 6 is on page 1179. No. 7-8.

[7:10] 1178 in the church bible. Ephesians chapter 6. And verse 17. Verse 17a.

[7:28] And take the hermit of salvation. Amen. May God bless. These readings from his infallible word. Turn with me to Ephesians chapter 6.

[7:46] Ephesians chapter 6. Ephesians chapter 6. Verse 17. So today.

[8:16] This morning and even evening. I will be talking about this verse 17. So. This morning I am going to speak on verse 17a. And in the evening.

[8:27] Verse 17b. Verse 17a. Of chapter 6. Ephesians. Says and take the hermit. Observation.

[8:40] Take the hermit of salvation. Let us pray. Let us pray. Let us pray. God would give us insight in this word. Father now we come to your word.

[8:53] I just pray in the name of Jesus. That your spirit would speak through me. And not only speaking through me. But help us. To understand. To understand. What you want us to understand.

[9:05] Or to hear what you want us to hear this morning. So speak. Your servants are listening. In Jesus name. Amen. Amen. A story is told about.

[9:18] Sergeant. Sergeant. Taramas Ruiz. Taramas Ruiz. Made his way through a village. In eastern Afghanistan.

[9:28] On October 4th. 2012. And he had bursts of gunfire. A single round from an enemy rifle. Struck him.

[9:41] In the head. Knocking him off the side. Of the road. It was like a flash. Or something.

[9:52] He later said. But Ruiz was turned. His ears ringing. And his head aching.

[10:04] And yet somehow. He was alive. He was alive. It was his. Arch. A-C-H. Advanced.

[10:16] Combat. Heromet. Heromet. That saved him. Back in the medical facility. On base. He learned. How efficiently.

[10:27] His breath proof. Heromet. Had saved him. From certain death. And it is said. That Ruiz. Completed. Four combat deployments.

[10:38] In his 20 years. In the US Army. He said. He used it to resent. The weight. And the balconies. Of his equipment. But not anymore. After that incident.

[10:51] And like Sergeant Lewis. The apostle Paul. Understood. The critical importance. Of the heromet. Crisscrossing.

[11:03] The nations of the Roman Empire. Through his ministry. Paul saw. The heromet. Of the Roman soldiers. Everywhere. And.

[11:16] The Roman soldiers. Heromets. Served. The same. Purpose. As today's counterparts.

[11:27] To protect. The scar. And the brain. From blows. Inflicted by the enemy. That's what. These heromets. Where is it for? The heromet.

[11:42] First became. A metaphor. For salvation. In Isaiah. 59. Verse. 17. The chapter. We read first. It became.

[11:53] A metaphor. For salvation. And. Isaiah. Was talking about. He was referring. To the salvation. That Christ. Would bring. To the human.

[12:04] Humanity. And in Ephesians. Chapter 6. Verse 17. Paul picked up. This metaphor. When he said. To Christians. Take the heromet. Of salvation.

[12:16] See. In Ephesians. Paul. Was writing. To the believers. People. Who had. Already received. Salvation. So the purpose.

[12:27] Of spiritual heromet. Was not. To impart. Salvation. But to protect. The believers. Assurance of it. And this assurance. Gives them. Gives believers. Courage.

[12:38] To fight. Their spiritual battles. Against. Mankind is great deceiver. Certain. Because you see.

[12:49] This chapter. Chapter 6. Is talking about. Spiritual warfare. And. Certain. The idea. Is. Is. This. This. This. Spiritual warfare. Is reinforced.

[13:01] In. First. Thessalonians. This. Chapter 5. And verse 8. Where Paul. Called the hermet. The hope. Of salvation. So just as. A physical hermet.

[13:12] Protects. Soldier's brain. The spiritual hermet. Protects. Our minds. From the assault. Of certain lies. Corrupt. Philosophies.

[13:22] And confusion. Of thought. The weapons. He uses. To undermine. Our commitment. And conviction. Of security. In Christ. So here.

[13:34] We are talking about. Spiritual hermet. The spiritual hermet. Which. Protects us. From the weapons.

[13:47] Of the devil. Which he uses. To undermine. Our commitment. To Christ. So. What does it mean? In short.

[13:59] It means. To put on Christ. It means. To put on Christ. The idea. Found in Paul's. Episodes. Romans 13. 14. That says.

[14:10] Closing yourself. With the Lord. Jesus Christ. Why? So that. You don't think. About how to gratify. The desires. Of the sinful nature. Galatians 3.

[14:22] 27. For all of you. Who were baptized. Into Christ. Have closed yourselves. With Christ. So. The metaphor.

[14:34] Hermit of salvation. Simply means. Putting on. Christ. Wearing. Christ. And when you put on Christ. You allow him. To live. His life. In and through you.

[14:45] By the power. Of the Holy Spirit. Hermit. More specifically. The hermit. The hermit. Is a metaphor. For the mind. Of Christ. It's for the mind. Of Christ.

[14:57] Because the hermit. You put it on your head. For the mind. Of Christ. Paul. Called it. The wisdom. Of God. That's why I'm. Entitling. My sermon.

[15:09] Overcoming. Confusion. With wisdom. So. Paul. Called it. The wisdom. Of God. 1 Corinthians. Chapter 1. Verse 24.

[15:20] And wisdom. From God. Verse 30. Of the same. Chapter. Corinthians 1. The wisdom. Of God. Equips. And prepares you.

[15:31] For God's purposes. It strengthens you. In the satanity. Of your salvation. So. You can overcome. Confusion. Falsehood. And.

[15:42] Uncertainty. Which. With God. Given confidence. That comes through. Christ. Alone. So. When you put on the hermit.

[15:53] You put on the assurance. Of your salvation. And you protect yourself. You protect your mind. From certain deceptions. With the wisdom.

[16:04] Of God. See. The world is looking for wisdom. Just as the world is looking for truth. See. The wisdom comes to you. Through the person of Jesus Christ.

[16:15] So. If you are not a believer. Then. Where do you get your wisdom? Where do you draw your wisdom? It comes with the person of Jesus. The Bible says. It is because of him. That you are in Christ Jesus.

[16:26] Who has become for us. Wisdom. From God. First Corinthians. 1. So. What is the wisdom. Of and overcome about?

[16:37] What is this wisdom about? First of all. Wisdom is about practice. Wisdom is about practice. See. Wisdom. Is often confused. With knowledge. But there is a big difference.

[16:50] Between wisdom and knowledge. See. Knowledge involves. The accumulation of facts. Wisdom. Is the ability. To apply knowledge. To achieve. The best outcome.

[17:02] Knowledge is knowing. That a tomato. Is a fruit. Not a vegetable. Wisdom. Is knowing. Not to put a tomato. In a fruit salad. You see.

[17:14] To protect your mind. From deception. And confusion. We need the wisdom. Dispensed. By God. Because. It is not enough for us. To have only the wisdom.

[17:26] The world offers. Us. This world offers wisdom. Lots of wisdom. And you have seen. Men leaning. On worldly wisdom.

[17:36] How. They have ended. In this. In the scripture. Wisdom refers. To knowing. The course of action. That will please God.

[17:48] And make our lives. What he wants them to be. When God promises. Wisdom. He promises. A way of life. Stupid. Prior to the way. Of the world.

[18:00] He guarantees. That through his gift. Of wisdom. We will find. That good. Acceptable. And perfect. Will. Of God. So. Wisdom. Is acquired.

[18:10] Through. An effort. To learn. An effort. To grow. An effort. To improve. An effort. To study. You've got.

[18:22] To. Discipline yourself. To learn. To grow. To improve. To study. It is not automatic. And it is not instantaneous. Wisdom comes from living.

[18:34] And learning. From a hunger. To learn. And grow. Over the course. Of lifetime. wisdom. So it doesn't. Simply come like that. And the more. You humble yourself. The more.

[18:45] You humble yourself. And keep a hungry heart. The more wisdom. You will acquire. Easier said than done. But it is a practice. It's a discipline. Humble yourself.

[18:59] It's not through pride. It's not this. Through the. The sense of saying. That I know. I know. I know. I know. Humble yourself.

[19:11] And depend on God. And God will dispense wisdom. To you. Number two. Wisdom is about perspective. There is another misunderstanding.

[19:21] As to what. This gift of wisdom. Really means. And how. We apply it. In our lives. The mistake. We often make. When seeking wisdom.

[19:32] Is to assume. That once found. It will enable us. To see life. With all that it entails. From God's perspective. In our world. That once we have wisdom.

[19:44] Then we know everything. We know. Everything about our lives. And that's not. How wisdom works. In the Christian life.

[19:56] Because you see. We are not shown. The overall pattern. Of the universe. Or exactly. How our lives. Fit into it. We are not shown. God's. Long-term plan.

[20:07] For us. Or how. Our actions today. Will play. Into that plan. Tomorrow. Next year. Or. In the next generation. But when we. Humb ourselves.

[20:18] Desire God's wisdom. And listen to his words. And obey them. He gives us. All the wisdom. We need. For the moment. The wisdom. The wisdom. Simply.

[20:29] To take the next step. And that's all we need. To face. The present situation. To face the present situation. And make. The right decisions.

[20:41] And that is a challenge. Because often. We are confronted. With stuff. With situations. But how do we make. The right situations. The right decisions.

[20:52] In these situations. Being an overcomer. Isn't something. We accomplish. By our own power.

[21:02] And wisdom. When we can't see. How our everyday decisions. And actions. Fit into God's cosmic plan. God essentially. Is saying to us.

[21:13] Let me relieve you. Of that worry. That fear. Just take this one little step. Into the light. I have placed. In front of you. And I will see to it.

[21:24] That. Your faithful action. Will fit. Into the overarching plan. And accomplish. Both. My goal. And your good. That sounds like faith. That sounds like faith.

[21:38] Just trust God. And have faith in him. And leave the rest for him. And three.

[21:49] Wisdom. Is about patience. Although we. We can't always see. How all the details. Of our lives. Fit together. God has revealed to us.

[22:01] The ending. Of our story. Isn't that amazing? We don't know. What is happening tomorrow. But. God. Has revealed. The ending.

[22:12] Of our story. In spite of the confusion. Around us. We keep our eyes. On the prize. The hope. Of our future. Eternal salvation. Through Christ.

[22:23] And we navigate life. In light. Of eternity. In more mundane terms. To live wisely. Means to live. With the big picture.

[22:33] In mind. No matter. What comes to us. The big picture. The metanarrative. What is your big story? What is your big picture?

[22:44] And the big picture. Is God. See. Often times. We lose our bearings. Because we. Take our eyes off. The big picture. Who is God. In situations.

[22:55] And just focus on situations. And focus on our own. Ability. And in the end. We just get. We end up. We end up. Somewhere. So.

[23:07] We just need to know. The big picture. Because. You see. Life can be filled. With love. Beauty. Joy. And understanding. It can also bring us. One obstacle.

[23:19] After another. Temptation. Or crisis. After another. People with different goals. And standards. May use. Or derude us. But some will help us. If we let them. Some offer temptation.

[23:31] Others offer support. At times. We can be. Deeply confused. Feeling like. Pursued animals. Seeking refuge. But wondering. If the sanctuary. We are heading for.

[23:42] Is really a trap. Listen friends. What promises. To give us wisdom. To overcome. The daily confusion. And to learn.

[23:53] And to respond. As he directs us. Through every situation. So the challenge is. Just to rely on God. We become clear sighted. And realistic.

[24:04] Looking. At life. As it is. And making decisions. That keep us. On the right track. The broad. Outlines. Of causes.

[24:16] And effect. And the shape. Of the future. Are God's. Free. To understand. And God's alone. So Jesus says.

[24:26] Do not worry about tomorrow. Just. Let tomorrow. Worry about yourself. So what I mean is that. Leave the details to God. God will sort these things out.

[24:38] Just trust him. My final question is. How does. The overcomer. Acquire wisdom. How do we acquire wisdom. To overcome. When I talk of an overcomer.

[24:49] That's like a strange word. Because. To overcome something. You must be a fighter. So you are fighters. So. How do we. As fighters. Acquire wisdom.

[25:02] Our ability. To acquire wisdom. Is not so much. A matter of doing. As it is. Of being. It isn't something. An activity.

[25:13] As it is. An attitude. One person. Has said that. Our attitude. Determines. Our attitude. Our attitude. Our attitude.

[25:23] Our attitude. Determines. Our attitude. And. There are tinges of truth. In this statement. When it comes to. Climbing the heights. Of God's wisdom.

[25:35] To use. A more down to earth. Metaphor. God is eager. To plant. The seeds. Of his wisdom. In us. But before. Those seeds.

[25:46] Can take root. We must prepare. The ground. Of minds. To receive them. And I want to suggest. Four basic attitudes.

[25:57] We need. To adopt. To prepare. Our minds. To receive. The seeds. Of God's wisdom. One is humility. To hear God's word.

[26:07] Wisdom. Which I have called. Humble spirit. Second one. Is hunger. To seek God's wisdom. I have called that. Hungry soul. Thirdly.

[26:18] Hearing. To truly listen. To God's wisdom. Which I have called. A hearing heart. And lastly. A heeding heart. To follow God's wisdom. Which I have.

[26:30] Called. Called. Heeding mind. So very. Very briefly then. Number one. A humble spirit. The first step. In acquiring wisdom.

[26:41] Is a proper understanding. Of one's relationship. To God. How is your relationship. With God. Solomon put it.

[26:54] This way. The fear. Of the Lord. Is the beginning. Of knowledge. But fools. Despise. Wisdom. And discipline. Proverbs.

[27:05] Proverbs 107. Job. Answered his own quest. For wisdom. With the same conclusion. He says. The fear. Of the Lord. That is wisdom.

[27:16] To shun evil. Is understanding. Job 28. 28. What does it mean. To fear. The Lord. Does God. Really. Want us.

[27:27] To tremble. And quake. In terror. Before him. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. Scholar. Scholar. And pastor. Sinclair. Faggason. Describes. The fear. Of God. As.

[27:37] That indefinable. Mixture. Of reverence. Fear. Pleasure. Joy. And awe. Which fills. Our hearts. When we realize.

[27:48] Who God is. And what he has done. For us. Another scholar. Wrote. To fear. Yahweh. Is to stand. In subservient.

[27:59] Position. To him. To acknowledge. One is a dependence. Upon him. And I like that. Dependence. Upon him. So if your total dependence.

[28:11] Is upon God. That's fear. That's fear in God. That's irreverence. To God. A person who is wise. According to God's definition. Knows too well.

[28:21] His own weakness. He never assumes. Infallability. Because he who knows most. Knows how little he knows.

[28:35] And that's what it means. To have a humble spirit. It's not a pride spirit. It's not a puffed up spirit. It's a humble spirit.

[28:46] Knowing your relationship with God. Depending. On God. Which is the first step. In opening oneself. To God's gift. Of wisdom. Humble spirit.

[28:58] Secondly. It's a hungry soul. Hungry soul. When you become a Christian. You are transferred. From the kingdom of darkness. To the kingdom of light.

[29:09] From the kingdom of this world. To the kingdom of God. Paul says it in Corinthians 1.13. It happens overnight.

[29:20] When you are born again. Through faith. In Christ. When you accept Jesus Christ. It happens like that. But. Your new home.

[29:32] Your new journey. Requires the acquisition. Of new skills. And new affection. New perspectives. Why the old has gone.

[29:42] The new has come. It's a new journey. All together. So it's going to need new. New perspectives. And the hungrier you were.

[29:55] To make a success. Of this new journey. The sooner you will learn. To live skillfully. And successfully. In God's kingdom. Friends.

[30:05] Wisdom must be sought. To be found. You have to find. You have to find. You have to find wisdom. You have to look for it. It doesn't arrive. Wrapped in a bow.

[30:16] On the doorstep. Of your Christian life. You have to look for it. A.W. Tozer made much. Of the hunger factor.

[30:29] He said. This is. The great people. Of the Bible. And Christian history. Have had. An insatiable hunger. For God. Too bad.

[30:42] That. With many of us today. He waits. So long. So very long. In vain. Seems as though. People are not. Hungry for God.

[30:53] God is waiting. For hungry people. But. Seems he can't see them. Where are they? Why are churches empty? Why is people not talking about God?

[31:04] Why? If the whole hearted. Seeking after God. Is a prerequisite. For wisdom. Then many of us. Know.

[31:14] Where our problem lies. Our own desire. For God. Is too weak. And if you want. More of God. We must increase.

[31:25] Our hunger. For him. We must. Increase. Our hunger. For him. In his book. A search for God. Shaul Wit.

[31:37] Explains. That physical. And spiritual. Hunger. He explains that. Physical. And spiritual. Hunger. Are fundamentally different. You know.

[31:47] There is a physical hunger. There is a spiritual hunger. And he says. They are fundamentally different. See. The hunger disappears. Sorry. When we eat. Physically.

[32:00] When we are. Physically hungry. We eat. And are satisfied. So when you are hungry. You get food. And eat. And you feel satisfied.

[32:12] That's fine. The hunger disappears. But when we are spiritually hungry. When we are spiritually hungry. We eat.

[32:22] And find ourselves even hungrier. Do you know that? If you are spiritually hungry. And you eat spiritual food.

[32:32] You are like. I want more. I want more. I want more. I want more. I want more. We discover that. Our appetite for God.

[32:44] And his word. Is increased. The appetite increases. The more. We eat spiritual food. That's why. Disprint. Consistent study.

[32:54] Of God's word. And regular participation. In a bible teaching. Midweek meetings. Prayer meeting. Are critical. For the growth. Of our spiritual life. As Christians.

[33:04] But notice this. When we are physically hungry. And miss a meal. What happens? If you are starving.

[33:16] Some people say starving. But we. My office keeps saying. No. Don't say you are starving. Because you are not starving. You are hungry. But not starving. But when you are starving. And you miss a meal.

[33:27] What happens? You feel like you are going to die. You feel like I'm starving man. I need food. And we can't wait to eat. But in the spiritual realm. It is just the opposite.

[33:39] When you miss a spiritual meal. We begin to lose appetite. When we speech a spiritual meal.

[33:53] And this is what has happened. By the way. Do you know that? This is what has happened. During this COVID thing. I was telling a woman.

[34:05] That I didn't come with my wife. Because I would have loved to come with her. But we have another friend visiting us. She stays on her own in Asia.

[34:17] So she came yesterday. And we were talking about church stuff. And I said. Well. Did you still go to church? She said. No. No. I stopped going to church. Benson. Oh. Yeah. She says.

[34:28] Since COVID struck. And it was rocked down. Three years almost. She stays on her own. She says. And she was too emotional.

[34:41] She says. I wondered whether anybody thought. I ever existed. Or whether I ever even mattered. Because I have never even received a phone call from any church member or even minister.

[34:58] So why go back to church? Three years. You know when we are here we say. This is a church family. Here you will. But one of you are church member.

[35:10] Church family. Is rocked down. Staying on her own. Nobody bothers. To give a phone call. Even including a minister.

[35:23] As a matter of fact. People have dropped off. They no longer want to go to church. And some are still going. Some are still you know. Listening to. Attending church on Zoom. But.

[35:34] When you tell them to go to church. No. So. If you don't eat spiritual food.

[35:45] What happens. You start losing the appetite. Appetite. Appetite. Appetite. And off you go. Whereas physical food. You miss meal. You want to eat. So friends.

[35:58] We are in danger. When we fail. To demonstrate. Our soul. That is hungry. For God. And his wisdom. Church is in danger. Of not giving people.

[36:10] Spiritual food. People will come to church. If they can get that spiritual food. People are running away from church. Because church is not giving them food.

[36:21] It's giving them junk. See. A hearing heart. Although we may have a humble spirit.

[36:33] And a hungry soul. We still must learn. To listen. This is very very important. Learning to listen. We are talking about wisdom. We must be sensitive.

[36:45] To what God may say. To us. Through his word. And through his people. As they share the principle. Of wisdom. So when you read the word is word.

[36:56] Do you listen to that? I was mentored by. Old men. In Uganda. Who were the products. Of the East African revival.

[37:07] Of 1935. And I can't. Remember. I will never remember. What the East will tell me. That you know. When you are reading the word of God. It's like food. You put it in your mouth.

[37:19] You chew it. Chew the word. Don't simply swallow it. Chew it. And feel. Whether it is delicious. You feel. And you listen. And then you swallow it.

[37:35] And it gives you nourishment. When you read. Listen. What does it say? What is it saying to me?

[37:45] What is it saying? In this situation I'm in. Just now. You read the Psalms. And provide these wisdom books. And you see how these people are saying. Find out how David was talking to himself.

[37:58] Oh my soul. Why are you downcast? And he listens. To what his soul is saying. And what God is saying. We must learn how to listen.

[38:11] We must be sensitive to what God is saying to us. Blessed is the man who finds wisdom. The man who gains understanding. That's Proverbs 3.13.

[38:22] For wisdom is more precious than rubies. And nothing you desire can compare with her. Proverbs 8.11. For wisdom will enter your heart.

[38:34] And knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. When you read something like these verses. Don't simply read them. But listen to them. What is God saying to me? Am I living as a wise person?

[38:48] In accordance with this word. There is so much of God's wisdom around us. Available to us from those who have walked with God before us. Talk to them.

[39:00] But we must train ourselves to listen. It is easy. I was telling people that it is easy to find courses and seminars guaranteed to make us better speakers.

[39:12] But where are the courses designed to make us better listeners? You know students are given awards. Because they have studied about speaking and communication and whatever.

[39:27] But I have never seen students being given awards for being good listeners. When I was in a Bible college for four years. There was no course about listening.

[39:39] There was no module on listening. There were modules on communication. How to make someone blah blah blah blah. Listening. And yet listening is very very important in God's economy.

[39:57] God gave us two ears. And one mouth for a reason. Yet for most of us the mouth is greatly overworked.

[40:08] While the ears are in a state of semi-retirement. Why can't two ears work more than the mouth? It is the mouth that keeps working.

[40:19] The ears are just... We must find ourselves how to listen. One man explained it this way.

[40:30] A wise man talks because he has something to say. Fools talk because they have to say something. Charles Bridges reminds us of an important point here.

[40:43] He says, we gather knowledge when we listen. We spend it when we teach. But if we spend it before we gather. We will soon be bankrupt.

[40:57] Finally, a hidden mind. So, a humble spirit says, I need God. A hungry soul says, I desire God.

[41:11] A hearing heart says, I will listen to God. And finally, a hidden mind. A hidden mind says, I will obey God.

[41:25] I will obey God. You see, to know that we need God is important. To reach out for him is imperative. To hear what he says or what he has to say is crucial.

[41:40] But it is all meaningless unless we determine to do what he tells us. So, what's the point? If we cannot obey and do what he tells us.

[41:54] No point. No point. Moses affirmed the principle of acting on what God tells us in his final address to the Israelites.

[42:12] Whom he led for 40 years. He said this. See. Oh, surely. I have taught you decrees and laws as the Lord my God commanded me.

[42:24] So that you may follow him in the land you are entering to take possession of it. Observe them carefully. For this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations.

[42:37] Who will hear about all the decrees and say, Surely, this great nation is a wise and understanding people. Deuteronomy 4, 5, 6.

[42:52] My dear friends, we are not wise because we have God's word. We are not wise because we desire God's word. We are not even wise because we read God's word.

[43:06] We are wise only when we keep and obey God's word. If I was to sum up my sermon this morning, that would be the sermon.

[43:19] That we are wise only when we keep and obey God's word. We keep God's word. You can't keep what you don't have. You have to read the word's word. You have to see God's word. Keep it and obey it.

[43:30] Do what it tells you. So friends, wisdom guides us in overcoming the confusion, confusing events of our lives.

[43:42] All of them. It is acting with skill on what is known. And trusting God with what is unknown.

[43:53] And when we put on the helmet of salvation, when we put on the helmet of salvation, we move forward steadily in the light of his wisdom, and we live as overcomers.

[44:11] Amen. May God bless his words to us this morning. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.