[0:00] This message was reported at Vision Baptist Church in Alpharetta, Georgia. You will be listening to our monthly Thursday night men's meeting.
[0:15] Thank you, Brother Gardner. I appreciate the opportunity to teach. And when Brother Alston asked me to do this Tuesday, God laid a new message on my heart.
[0:25] And so I'm excited about it. And I would have been here anyway because I was going to see my grandchildren baptized. Let me tell you a story. I baptized Brother Mark.
[0:36] I should have let him prove it two years. Amen. When he was 12 years old. And at the same time, Amy was baptized. And at the same time, Kevin Hall was baptized. And that was a good baptism.
[0:48] Amen. But I made one bad mistake. I should have held Mark in under 35 minutes. Amen. But there wouldn't have been no Emily. There wouldn't have been no Luke. But I appreciate Mark.
[0:58] And I'm probably a little waterlogged here because I took him out for his birthday. His birthday is tomorrow. He's 45 or so.
[1:11] And we went to Jazz. And so they had me pay for it all. And so if I'm going to pay for it all, I'm going to eat it all. And I ate everything, every entree on the plate.
[1:22] So I probably will not be worth a flip tonight. But I hope I am. And you know, my iPad went out on the way here. You know, George Whitefield preached till the candle went out.
[1:35] I'm going to preach till the iPad goes out. Now that sounds really liberal, don't it? If your pastor did not use an iPad, I would say that was a heresy. But anyway, turning your Bibles to Proverbs chapter 1 verse 7.
[1:47] I'm glad we can laugh. Amen. We need to laugh. Amen. We need to have joy in our hearts. I want to teach a few minutes on walking wisely in a world of fools.
[1:59] Or how to be wise men in the last days. And you know, I believe that one of the greatest needs in our generation is wise men. Not wise cracks.
[2:09] Not wise pots. Not crack pots. We just need some wise men. We live in a day and age, gentlemen, where we need to walk in wisdom towards them that are without. And we need to walk in wisdom towards them that are without.
[2:22] Because those who are out are skeptical, cynical, and critical. In these last days, have you found that true in Alpharetta? I found it true in Dalton, Georgia.
[2:33] And even more so in the last few years. I've been there 34 years, started church from scratch. And I hadn't had a nerve to go anywhere else. So that's where I'm at. And I love it. And we've had some great missionaries, including some sitting in this room, come out of the church.
[2:47] And that's the only thing that keeps me going. Because I believe that our church is touching the world. But I really believe, as we go knocking on doors, it's different than in 1978, Brother Austin.
[2:59] It's different. I mean, people are just different. I think they've become cynical, critical, and they've become fools. And we live in a world of fools.
[3:10] And I'm not talking about the foolish people like criminals and rapists and all that. That's pretty foolish, too. But I'm talking about they've become fools in their own eyes because they have knowledge without wisdom.
[3:23] So I want to teach just a few minutes. When should I be finished? 8 o'clock? 8 o'clock. Got plenty of time. And I'm a priest. The iPad fades out. No, not really. I got plenty.
[3:34] Thanks to Brother Mark. I got plenty of electricity or whatever, power. I hope I got more than that. But Proverbs 1-7. Would you read it with me? The Bible says, I want you to notice that.
[3:51] The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. The word beginning means foundation. There is no knowledge without the wisdom of God. There is no common sense without God.
[4:04] And folks, you can make a fool out of yourself becoming smart in your own eyes. And men have de-evolved instead of evolved. Romans chapter 1.
[4:15] We're even entertained by sin today. Last verse of Romans chapter 1. And I want you to know, friend, in these last days we live in a very foolish world. A very foolish world.
[4:27] The Bible says that we ought to not be unwise, but we ought to discern the will of God. We ought to know the will of God. And that's wisdom. I want you to notice on the introduction, first of all, the little definition here.
[4:40] It says, Knowledge and wisdom and instruction are synonyms in context. And I won't read all the context to save some time. But you read Proverbs chapter 1, 1-7 sometimes.
[4:52] And it's synonyms in context to merely state the premise of Proverbs. They all allow a person to make the right decision for the right reason at the right time and apply it in the right spirit.
[5:05] That's important. Amen. In order to attain the right effect. Because they place the highest priority on their relationship with God. And folks, I want to tell you, wisdom is knowing God in an intimate way.
[5:21] And if we've ever needed men to know God in this skeptical, cynical, critical world, I still think we ought to knock on doors. I still think we ought to go cold turkey door to door. But I'm telling you, friend, you're going to be introduced to some fools in this world.
[5:36] And I want to define what the Bible says a fool is, and then also what a wise man is. And you can take your choice. But as for me and my house, I hope I raise some wise children.
[5:47] They used to call Emily in Peru, little Wayne. I don't even know what that means. That they would call Emily a little Wayne. But I think I know.
[5:58] Because I am the type, like she is the type, to walk out of the house without putting some clothes on if I'm not careful. Amen. I mean pajamas on, praise God.
[6:09] My Superman outfit on. Amen. My Spider-Man pajamas or whatever. Say amen. I tend to be hasty. And I tend to be fast and enthusiastic.
[6:20] And you know, in my old age, and I'm almost as old as your pastor, I've tried to slow down. Come on, Brother David. Say amen. And have some wisdom.
[6:32] And I better, if I'm going to pastor another year. Amen. If I'm going to be a good husband, we need wisdom. But since 1955, sheer factual knowledge, and this is the only reason I got this little iPad for these illustrations I'll give you.
[6:47] Amen. Sure cuts the time down. And our generation possesses more data about the universe, the human personality, than all the previous generations put together. This author says, think of it this way.
[6:59] High school graduates today have been exposed to more information about the world than Plato, Aristotle, and the Apostle Paul combined. In terms of facts alone, neither Aristotle nor Apostle Paul could pass a college entrance exam today.
[7:17] Folks, that's just knowledge. And you know, according to a recent report by the educational secretary of the United States, technical knowledge alone is now actually doubling, not every five years, but every two years.
[7:31] Now think about that for a second. Technical knowledge. That's why you that work with computers, you look frustrated half the time. Because about the time you figure out, a new program comes in.
[7:41] Amen. A new system. The line takes the place of the leper. You know. Glory to God. Ask Stephen Baker about that one. But anyway, think of it this way.
[7:51] Think of it this way now. A person that goes into technical school, what he learns the first year studying will be outdated by the third year. Does that mean he has to go back to the first?
[8:04] But folks, the fact is, by 2012, it's predicted that technical knowledge will double every 22 hours.
[8:16] Excuse me. 72 hours. Technical knowledge. Technical knowledge. And folks, you know, I thought about the internet and all that's going on there. The Department of Education said this.
[8:26] The number of text messages sent and received every day exceed the population of the world. I wish I had a penny for everyone. Amen. So it's 9 billion. So 9 billion text messages are sent.
[8:40] And folks, I'm going to tell you something. A lot of those messages being sent, I believe it's in the car coming to me. Because I have never seen such wild drivers in Dalton, Georgia in my life. Now, half of them need their green card too, babe.
[8:51] Amen. But I'm telling you, it is wild up there in Dalton, Georgia. Amen. Brother John's been up there teaching. Brother Austin had enough nerve to live there a few years.
[9:03] But I want to tell you something. We need to realize the pressure, the inconceivable pressure in the internet and other things have brought about.
[9:13] And 25 years ago, we didn't have any of that. Thank God Al Gore invented the internet. Amen. I thank God for that. It changed everything. But I just want to get into the lesson.
[9:25] But I just want to tell you this, friend. Knowledge is not the answer. We've got all the knowledge we can stand. And the Bible says in 2 Timothy 3.7. Somebody turn there, please. 2 Timothy 3.7.
[9:37] This is the attitude of the last days. And I want to give you this in contrast. What is a fool and what is a wise man according to the scripture? And if we can leave here with some more biblical wisdom, we'll be a lot better off.
[9:51] I once heard a definition of wisdom while you're finding 2 Timothy 3.7. That wisdom is looking and seeing this world through God's eyes.
[10:02] That's wisdom. Just seeing this world through God's eyes. I don't know about you, but that's exactly what I want to do. I want to walk towards those who are without.
[10:14] With wisdom. I want to see them as God sees them. I want to have a heartbeat for someone. This celebration Sunday ought to be a great day if you get out and you see people that are just literally fools in their own knowledge.
[10:29] And they need God so desperately. And they need wisdom. Because they can't handle their teenage kids. They can't even keep their marriage together.
[10:39] And all the things that we think were so wise with all this example of all this knowledge, it's not getting the job done. I often ask people, you know, that leave church and everything, I want to ask them, how are you doing?
[10:54] And I'm going to tell you something, they're usually out of the will of God, they're not doing too good. Because the wisdom of God is the will of God, and folks, we need to see this world as Christ sees it.
[11:06] What's the Bible say? Somebody read it, 2 Timothy 3.7. Always what? Ever learning. And what? Never able.
[11:16] And folks, that is exactly 2012. That's where we're living. So with all that said, and I hope I whet you appetite a little bit for godly wisdom and not arrogant, selfish knowledge.
[11:34] We need to start with this. The foo is arrogantly unaccountable. Write it down. Unaccountable. I got a new word that I want to give you in just a minute. I'm excited about my vocabulary of today.
[11:46] Amen. But I know what unaccountable means. Has it ever occurred to you that most people don't want to be in this church and be accountable to a man of God? But I want to tell you something.
[11:57] It's not the man of God that I want to be accountable to. They don't want to be accountable to the Word of God and to the God of the Word. Say amen right there. And we live in a reckless and loose and carefree society.
[12:09] And I want to tell you something, friend. The way of a fool is right in his own eyes. Amen. It's always right in his own eyes. But I want to tell you something, friend.
[12:20] We need to listen to God. And we need to look and see what God says about it. Proverbs chapter 12. Somebody read it verse 15. I know this probably won't be on the tape as good, but I want you to participate.
[12:33] The way of a fool is right in his own eyes. But he that harks unto counsels is wise. Is wise. And so, folks, the greatest counsel is the Word of God. Then number two. I'm moving right along.
[12:44] Time's fleeing. A fool is unruly. Proverbs 12 verse 16. The Bible says a fool's wrath is presently known, but a prudent man covereth shame.
[12:56] You know, a fool is unruly. In other words, a prudent man holds back dishonorable feelings and dishonorable actions.
[13:07] But I want to tell you something, a fool just doesn't care. And they don't give a rip, so to speak. And they're just eat, drink, and be merry.
[13:18] Have you ever heard that terminology? And that is, as in the days of Noah, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be. And the imaginations of that day were terribly wicked. And there was violence, Genesis 6 verse 11.
[13:32] And folks, they probably thought they were pretty smart until the first drop. And then they thought they were really smart until God, Genesis 9 verse 6, shut the door.
[13:45] And that was a big door because it was a game plank for all those two-by-twos to go in there. Amen. Then number three. The fool is not only unaccountable, but he's unteachable.
[13:56] Write it down. Unteachable. I know these might not be words, but they're words today. Amen. The King James. No, it's unteachable. No. Unteachable. You know, I believe, friend, that everybody can learn something.
[14:09] Thank God that you thought you needed to be here tonight. Some people really think, and I saw a fellow in the funeral home the other day, and I'll never forget, I was inviting him to church.
[14:19] And you know what he said to me? It was the most foolish thing I've ever heard in my life. He said, brother, preacher, I appreciate you being up here with your kids and coaching them and all this and the input you put. And I even, that's where I won Stephen Underwood's floor, I think, was up there.
[14:34] And he was the director of the association. And he said, I want you to know this. And he was just dead serious. He said, I went to Sunday school for nine years, and the way I figured it, I learned everything I needed to know.
[14:48] And I looked at him, and I restrained myself in saying exactly what I thought. But that was one of the most foolish things that I ever heard, that this man thought he learned all about God and all about this infallible, inerrant, preserved word, 1,500 years, 44 different authors, 66 different books, and not one contradiction, in nine years of Sunday school.
[15:09] And I know where he went to church, and I guarantee you they didn't even preach the right Bible. And they didn't teach it. And so the fool is not accountable, but the fool is unruly, and the fool is unteachable.
[15:23] A fool rejects his father's discipline. Proverbs 15, 5. I love the book of Proverbs. Proverbs 15, 5.
[15:35] The Bible says, the fool despises his father's instructions, but he that regardeth proof is prudent. Let me say, men, one of the highest callings you have on this earth is husband, father.
[15:48] Amen. One of the greatest ministries you have. And I want to tell you something. We have got a problem with juvenile delinquency. But I want to tell you something. Before there's juvenile delinquency, and I've been preaching to the YDC for 31 years in my town.
[16:01] I've seen a lot of parent delinquency. And they often come to me and say, my daddy's over in the big jail, and my mama left me when I was two, and they just don't have anybody.
[16:14] And I feel so sorry for those young people. Because in their bitterness, they're worse than their father and mother has ever thought about being. So where did it start? Folks, I believe we need to be teachable, and I believe, folks, that we need to realize that a fool is unruly and a fool is unaccountable.
[16:35] And then I want you to see also Proverbs 25, verse 11. I'll circle some of this and meditate on it later. Proverbs 25, verse 11. I better read this since we are recording or broadcasting.
[16:51] A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold and pitchers of silver. Now, I know probably in the couple of retreats, somebody probably told the men, you need to be good listeners.
[17:05] That's always in every couple of retreats that I've ever had. You know, they get us about listening. You know, we got to be good listeners. If you're going to communicate, listen. But we men, we don't listen too much.
[17:17] Amen? We're too busy running our mouths. Amen? And sometimes it's a problem with their wives too. Don't tell them I said that. Is this recorded? Yes, it is.
[17:28] A fool's anger is known, but also a fool's unaccountable, unteachable attitude because it starts in the home and they just don't get it.
[17:43] God has placed a divine authority over their life. And I want to say the greatest leader in this room is a great follower. The greatest leader in this room is a great servant.
[17:57] And some people think it's foolish to submit to authority. But folks, we need God's authority in our lives. We're out of the banks. This world is crazy.
[18:09] Pardon the expression. This world is full of baloney. It's just going crazy. I mean, it's wild. It's in the last days.
[18:20] It's perilous. It's unnatural affection. It's unthankful. It's unholy. Lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. Folks, the ball stadiums are packed.
[18:33] The little league organizations take priority over our kids. And, you know, I deal with it every year. And Jason was a big athlete. And he went to college on scholarship.
[18:45] And he was valedictorian in his school. And, you know, as a youth pastor, one of the things that he fights more than anything is organized athletics. Because it takes his youth out of Bible count.
[18:56] Because they count that more important. I want to tell you this right now. None of your kids likely are going to be in the NBA. And most likely, they're not going to be a major league baseball player.
[19:08] But they can be a wise man of God. Stephen was not going to go to camp one year because he made all-stars. And Whitfield County could beat Dalton that year.
[19:21] And he was the first baseman. He was a great pitcher and, you know, all this. And he came to me as a 10-year-old and said, Daddy, I don't think it's a good example for me to skip junior camp.
[19:32] I'm going to junior camp. And I'm going to go there. And I'm going to give up this all-stars. And I told the coach that. He almost cussed me out. He said, why did you take the uniform? And he thought it was a cardinal sin.
[19:43] But I'm going to tell you something. That week, Stephen surrendered to the call to preach at Sand Mountain Bible Camp. Now, what's more important? If he did make the major leagues, then he wouldn't.
[19:54] I saw him pitch in high school, and he would not make it. He had some grand slams hit on him, I'm telling you. Those boys from Calhoun, Tennessee, whooped us every time. But I'm just saying, listen, parents get all out of whack and all out of wisdom when they try to push their kids to obtain the things of the world more than the things of God.
[20:16] Now, when Jason played basketball on Wednesday night, he never missed Wednesday night pyramid. And I want to tell you what that meant. That meant this 6'1", best point guard in the high school had to practice with the freshman at 4 o'clock.
[20:33] That's humiliating. But you know something? He didn't make the NBA. He didn't really enjoy college ball. But praise God, he's been my assistant pastor for 12 years, and he's looking to pastor soon.
[20:44] And I'd rather him be doing something for God than shooting three-pointers. So what was more important on that Wednesday afternoon? Prayer meeting? Or him being a basketball star?
[20:56] There's temptation there, men. There's a pressure. There's peer pressure among parents. And we need to not relive our youth through our parents.
[21:07] Just be wise. Foolish, foolish, foolish sometimes. And then here's my new word. A fool is incorrigible. No, excuse me. Are we on D? Oh, I wanted to get that one so quick.
[21:19] Okay, but anyway. A fool is uncontainable. Look at chapter 20, verse 3. Well, you need to get a new vocabulary word once in a while. Say amen. But look at Proverbs 20, verse 3.
[21:31] How's our time? Okay, good. We have 15 minutes. That's fine. Proverbs chapter 20, verse 3. And I'll just read these and go on. It says, It is an honor for a man to cease from strife, but every fool will be a meddler.
[21:46] Hey, friend, listen. You need to realize that a fool is just out of control. And then a fool, chapter 27, verse 22, is incorrigible. I-N-C-O-R-R-I-G-I-B-L-E.
[21:59] Write it down, friend. And you look it up. Praise God. I did. Incorrigible. That means, friend, you can't stop him. He's not redeemable. And folks, I want to tell you something.
[22:10] There's no fool that God can't reach. But there's a lot of fools that are not listening. Say amen. They're just not listening. Hey, they're hard-hearted, but they're hard-headed. And folks, we live in that kind of world.
[22:22] I'm sorry to say I'm not a fair-weather prophet and say amen. Everybody's going to flock in here because you just show up smiling at them. But praise God, if you're wise, they're attracted by wise, powerful men.
[22:37] And folks, you're no more wise and no more powerful than when you're full of God's Holy Spirit, full of God's Holy Word. And, friend, they know you've got something they don't have and they need.
[22:48] And that's wisdom. Wisdom. Wisdom. That comes through the power of God. Then number whatever else, a fool is unholy. Proverbs chapter 14 is one of the most blatant accusations there is.
[23:08] Proverbs chapter 14. Every wise one builder... Wait a minute. That's not the right one. Help me out, somebody. I got the wrong verse down.
[23:18] A fool is unholy. The Bible... He says a fool says in his heart that there is no God. I did that on purpose so y'all could find it.
[23:30] Amen? That's close. Let's go down to verse 9 of the same chapter.
[23:42] Fools make a mock at sin, but among the righteous there is favor. So a fool is unholy. They mock sin. They don't think anything's wrong with it. You know, we live in a day and age where people justify.
[23:56] They justify their sin in the name of entertainment. If it feels good, do it. No. I almost ran into a bumper sticker that said that one time. If it feels good, do it.
[24:07] And I got closer and closer trying to figure out what in the world is that bumper sticker really saying. It didn't say go wildcats. It said if it feels good, do it. And you know what I thought about getting a bumper sticker and say?
[24:20] If it's in God's word, do it. That's the philosophy we live in. Now let's hurry and go to Proverbs chapter 1 verse 7 again. Beginning is something foundation or best.
[24:30] It's merely a start. It's not just merely a starting point. The word beginning in the Hebrew, it's a foundation to build upon. It's the beginning of knowledge. It's the beginning of all sensibility.
[24:41] And so unholy men are unaccountable. They're unruly. They're unteachable. They're uncontainable. They're incorrigible. And they're unholy. They mock at sin.
[24:52] And they even say there is no God. That's Psalms, isn't it? I mean, I knew y'all would get it. Good. What is it? Psalms 14.1. Amen.
[25:02] I can't read a PRO from a PSA. Amen. But anyway, it's Psalms, the food. But also Proverbs 14.9 is good too. So put her down.
[25:14] Now here's the characteristics of those that fear God. Number one, there is joyful delight in the Word of God. Did you hear that? Joyful delight. A wise person really loves this.
[25:28] And I want to tell you something. If you're not careful, you'll despise this. The word despise means counted as ordinary. And David despised the commandments of the Lord. 2 Samuel chapter 12, verse 11, I believe it is.
[25:42] And then God said, and thus you have despised me. And you know what he was saying? He was saying, thou art the man in a few verses before that. You know what David did. I won't go over that. But you know, Nathan was a teacher.
[25:54] And Nathan not only said, thou art the man, but he said, I'm going to tell you why you're the man. Because you have taken the Word of God as ordinary. But you know what Psalms 51, verse 17 says?
[26:05] A broken and contrite heart I will not despise. God will not count lightly a broken and contrite heart. And that's how David got right. And that's why he finished different than Saul.
[26:18] So amen. That's why we got most of the Psalms and Proverbs. Amen. So listen. There is joyful delight in the Word of God. Somebody look up Psalms 119, 103.
[26:30] It's the largest, it's the longest, I know Brother John's taught you this. And Brother Austin, it's the longest book, chapter in the Bible. And it's about the Bible. No, it's about the importance of the Bible. And folks, I want to tell you something.
[26:42] A wise person loves this book. Loves God's man. Loves Sunday school. God help us. It's like we have to pump, pry, and beg people to come to Sunday school hour.
[26:57] It's the study of the Word of God. We ought to crawl here. We ought to set three alarms. We ought to be here early, no matter what, to hear God's Word.
[27:09] It's not Brother Austin's Word. It's not Brother John's Word. It's certainly not Brother Mark or Brother Trent's Word. Y'all wouldn't get up early to hear just their Word, would you? But you ought to get up early to hear God's Word.
[27:23] Psalms 119. Somebody read it. Verse 103. Who's got it? Real quick. We'll take a volunteer. Okay? The Bible says the Word of God ought to be as exciting to you as eat.
[27:41] Now, when we get to that point, we're having revival. Amen. I mean, if I want to get a crowd, I just have dinner on the ground. Amen. I have visitation breakfast.
[27:53] We'll have 45 people out. I have visitation without the breakfast. We have four or five. Glory to God. I ought to serve breakfast every Saturday.
[28:05] If I could afford it, I would. But I'm telling you. Friend, we show up for food, don't we? Well, this is the greatest food there is. And it's sweeter than honey. It's greater than great spoil.
[28:17] You know, men get excited about a great lake. And tell everybody about it when they're catching a lot of... No, you don't tell anybody. Let's give another illustration. Women get excited about great sails.
[28:27] And they tell everybody about the sale of that dress. Listen, have all their friends flock down to TJ Maxx or Belts when it's on sale. 50% off. Amen.
[28:37] They're selling all the Kentucky stuff. 75% off after tomorrow. When Western Kentucky beats them. Amen. Man, no, listen. I'm telling you, friend. We ought to delight in the Word of God if you're wise.
[28:50] Why should you delight in the Word of God? Because it's His Word. And I want to tell you this. It changed my life. And it's changed in my life. Men of Morphosis is taking place every day.
[29:02] And my wife thanks God for it. She's rejoicing. I'm a whole lot better husband than I was when we met 37 years... 37 years? Boy.
[29:13] 37 years ago. Amen. Y'all check that. I don't know. I was married in 1974. But anyway, there's a passionate desire to apply the Word of God. Here it is, wisdom.
[29:25] 38. Okay. March 23rd. I'm just... I got a week. Hey, listen. Not only should you delight in the Word of God, but you ought to have a passion, a desire to apply the Word of God.
[29:41] And by the way, you haven't learned a thing until you have. Until you do. Hey, if you don't apply any, you haven't learned it. It's when in one ear and out the other, man. Don't say, I think I know that truth.
[29:52] No, you know that truth when it becomes part of you and grafted. Amen. I mean, you're living it out. And a lot of people say, well, I really believe I taught a great lesson. I'll tell you how you'll know how your students live the next week.
[30:06] You ought to send them out as disciples. Christlike. It ought to be the reason that we have church, that they might be in the stature of His likeness.
[30:18] Amen. That's the whole reason we're here. To be like Him. And so you ought to have a passionate desire to apply the Word of God. Look at Psalms 128 real quick.
[30:29] Psalms 128. I hope it's not Proverbs 128 or I got the wrong Bible. Psalms 128 and verse 1. If y'all ever made a mistake teaching, thank God you have.
[30:40] I know and it helps me. But look at this. Blessed is everyone that feareth the Lord that walketh in His ways. Folks, listen. His ways are to be applied. Walk, walk.
[30:50] I like the Christian walk. It's one step at a time. I taught at the pastor's retreat. And I thank God for that pastor's retreat that Brother Austin and the men hosted and you hosted.
[31:01] And what a blessing it was. I saw some preachers really encouraged and really stirred. And I mean some of them told me personally afterwards like I had something to do with it. And I just showed up and preached.
[31:11] But I taught on how to know the will of God 10 years from now. And the way you do it is you take the phrase and in your funny Bible you won't have this phrase. It'll say habitually sometimes, often.
[31:22] But it says day by day. It's mentioned seven times in the Word of God day by day. And one of the greatest things you ought to have day by day is being filled with the Spirit of God, which is synonymous with filled with the Word of God.
[31:35] Dwelling you richly. And folks, I want you to know this. Is that we should joyfully delight in the Word of God, but we should passionately desire to apply the Word of God.
[31:47] And then let's look at, I just got to go back to Proverbs 14. Proverbs 14, verse 2. He that walketh in his uprightness feareth the Lord, but he that is perverse in his ways despiseth him.
[32:05] There's that word despise. Which means counted as ordinary. Just any old book. It's just any old preacher. It's just any old church meeting. And we get used to it. And I want to tell you something.
[32:16] You better be careful about this, preacher kids, missionary kids. Y'all around it so much. And missionaries on deputation. You're in so many churches. It might become just ordinary. It might just be mechanical.
[32:27] And sometimes activity can become an anesthetic for unspirituality. Just because you're busy don't mean you're spiritual. Amen. And folks, wisdom is every time you walk in the presence of God, it's holy.
[32:40] It's special. And I'm going to passionately desire to apply it in my life. You're a wise man if you have that goal in your life. Every day I want to apply this to it.
[32:51] I want to take this promise and put some practicality to it. And third of all, there's placing of confidence in the promises of God. Psalms, verse 147.
[33:04] Psalms 147. Look at it real quick. Look at verse 11. The Bible says, The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, and those that hope in his mercy.
[33:19] Folks, that word hope is what you ought to be full of. You know what good counseling is? You want to counsel your wife? You want to counsel your children? You want to be a good counselor in this church when people come to you? Leave the person with hope.
[33:32] And my hope is built on nothing less than Jesus Christ and his righteousness. And I've been in some counseling sessions that has been a knock-down, drag-out fight and got in between it. I've had some where I'm looking at the guy and I said, Where's your wife?
[33:46] She said she's going to the restroom. She didn't go to the restroom. She got mad and left us, and I was stuck there with her husband. Now that's a funny feeling. I had to take him home. He said, You're going to go knock on the door?
[33:59] I said, No, sir. You're on your own tonight. But I want you to know there is hope. For you to have a bearing. A slim one, but a good one.
[34:10] Amen. Because Christ is involved. Amen. Leave him hope. You have hope. Last but not least, number three. Y'all getting anything out of this? This first time I've taught this, I'm getting a whole lot out of it.
[34:21] Amen. Number one. Number three. How to develop the fear of the Lord. Number one. Constant exposure to the Word of God. I want you to look at a verse, Psalms 119, 161 real quick.
[34:32] I've got three minutes. I can do it. It says, Princes have persecuted me without a cause. Psalms 119, 161. You with me, men? And it says, But my heart standeth in awe of thy word.
[34:48] Now, I wish we had a little more of that going on. Amen. I don't mean you have to wear a tie and a three-poo suit to be standing on. But I believe you ought to come with the attitude that I am here to hear from God.
[35:02] Say amen. It's the heart. It's the heart. But I think this is a special place. And I was in the storefront for a long time. And sometimes people sort of took that for granted.
[35:13] So, it's just a storefront. No, it's more than a storefront. Folks, I'm going to tell you something. When Vision Baptist Church came into this building, I mean the church, the human beings come in with the Holy Spirit.
[35:24] It becomes the Holy Tabernacle. And I'm not talking about just the building. I'm talking about every person that comes in this room with the Spirit of God in his life. The Spirit of God doesn't dwell here until you walk in.
[35:35] I'm convinced of that. Amen. We're not, you know, I won't go into that. But anyway, listen. That's another wisdom lesson. Cost of exposure to the Word of God. And folks, this is the way you ought to come with the exposure of God.
[35:48] God, change me. And Lord, help me see myself as you see me. That's wisdom. That's real confession. That word confess doesn't mean just, well, Lord, I cussed.
[36:01] I'll do it again. And she says that again. That's not confession. But confession is not only calling it what God calls it, but judge it as God judges it, and seeing it as God sees it.
[36:14] And then you're really repentant. Because if you ever see your sin that put him on the cross like he sees it, you're going to be fed up with it. And that's confessing your sin.
[36:25] It's not just, well, Lord, I've sinned. I'm going to do it again. It's, Lord, I've sinned against you, the holy God that puts you on the cross. Exposure.
[36:36] I'm going to tell you, exposure will change your life. Amen? Amen. Then number two. B. Prayer will further develop the fear of the Lord. Psalms 119.33. Notice how we're in this longest chapter about the greatest book itself.
[36:51] Psalms 119.33. Verse 3. I'll try to close. The Bible says, teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statues, and I shall keep it unto the end.
[37:06] What a commitment. Man, you can't be as talented as some of these guys around here playing the guitars and singing. But I want to tell you what you can be just as much as they can be.
[37:17] Faithful. Faithful. I want to tell you how you develop the fear of God. Faithful. To come at His feet. Every day.
[37:29] Faithful. To hear from His Word. Every day. Faithful. To be in your place of service in this local church. Faithful. Faithful. You might not be able to do a lot of things, but you can be faithful.
[37:41] And don't say you can't. Say you won't. Because God will give you the wherewithal, the ability, and the strength to do all things that glorifies His name. If you abide in Him, and His words abide in you, you shall have your prayers answered.
[37:57] But I'm going to tell you something. You'll bear forth fruit that will glorify His name, and you'll be a happy, happy branch. I thought you thought I'd say a happy camper. You'll be a happy branch.
[38:07] Because you're abiding in the van. Last but not least. You develop fear of the Lord through wise counsel. Proverbs 11, verse 14. You ought to thank God you've got a pastor with some experience.
[38:23] You better thank God you've got some men in this church that are not novice. But they've been through a lot of places. They've been through a lot of episodes. They've been through some tests.
[38:33] They've been through some terrible tests that's proved them. That's refined them. That has made them more like Christ. And young men, you ought to count it a great opportunity to find out what they believe about some things.
[38:50] And I know it will line up just with the Word of God and get some wise counsel. You know, I've had a lot of people make a lot of crazy decisions. And some of them have come back to me later and said, you know, I wish I'd have consulted you before I made that move.
[39:05] I begged a couple to wait one year before they got married. And now you just would not believe what that couple's going through. They were insistent on being married in one month.
[39:19] I said, no, you're not ready. You need to wait. And they said, no, preacher, we're getting married now because we're older. We need to get married. And it's sad. It's tragic.
[39:32] It breaks my heart. I'm nobody. I'm no great counselor. But I'll tell you this. I believe that I do spend some time in this book.
[39:43] And I have been at it for a while enough to counsel my people. And the greatest counsel is Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Thursday night. I only said Wednesday, didn't I?
[39:55] Amen. That's at our church. But look, Proverbs 11, verse 14, real quick. I'll close. I got about five or six more points on page two, but I'm not going to flip it. Proverbs 11, verse 14.
[40:10] Where no counsel is, the people fall, but in the multitude of counselors, there is safety. And that's not worldly counseling. That's not a bunch of fools sitting around trying to philosophize on how you can be a better man of God.
[40:23] It's the Word of God. Let me say this. The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life. Proverbs 14, 27. The fear of the Lord leads to life. Proverbs 19, verse 23.
[40:35] The fear of the Lord gives security. Proverbs 14, verse 26. We ought to memorize that Proverbs 14. It keeps coming up. Hey, here's hope in counseling. The fear of the Lord gives hope.
[40:47] Proverbs 23, 17 through 18. And the fear of the Lord promises long life. Proverbs 10, verse 27. You know, the fear of the Lord is respecting Him so that we obey His will and seek to honor His name.
[41:07] The fear of the Lord. Now, the fear of the Lord is not He's going to strike you dead any minute. He could. Maybe He should. But the fear of the Lord is you honor and reverence Him as who He is.
[41:17] And you know Him as who He is. And you submit to Him as who He is because He's Lord. Wise men in a foolish world.
[41:29] My prayer for you men is you'll be wise men in these last days in this very foolish world. This message was recorded at Vision Baptist Church in Alfred, Georgia.
[41:44] For more information, log on to www.visionbaptist.com where you can find our service times, location, contact information, and more audio and video recordings.