In this message, Dr. Stanley explains the difference between godly and human wisdom. Godly wisdom is the capacity to see things from God’s viewpoint and respond according to the principles of Scripture. On the other hand, human wisdom is earthly, natural and demonic—it has no place in the believer’s life.

we’re living wisely we will be able to

walk to the deepest darkest valleys of

life we’re going to walk through pads

and we think there’d be no way to walk

we’re going to be able to walk through

situations and circumstances and

heartaches that we would never think we

can ever in do but when you walk in

wisely here’s what happens God says this

is the next step next on InTouch moving

wisely or foolishly why would a city

known for its red economy over all these

years you’re bankrupt why would they go

bankrupt

unwise decisions that probably started

years before why would a family choose

to buy a home house that they know that

they cannot afford but they gonna bide

anyway unwise decision why would a

person marry just for a sexual

fulfillment not thinking about other

things unwise decision why would a

person drank alcoholic beverage in front

of their children early in life leaving

them an image of their dad sometimes

being drunk thinking nothing of the

consequence very unwise decision when

you think about the kind of your life

that you’re living would you say that

the decisions that you’re making a wise

or unwise I think about people who never

consider the will of God for their life

they make decisions based on what they

want how they feel what makes them feel

good or what other people think and

never asking what’s the will of the

Father

unwise unwise decision and we could go

through life thinking about all the

decisions

people make for example they stack up

credit on their credit cards to the

point that they know they can’t make the

payments why did it event unwise

decisions people make unwise decisions

because they leave out the most

important thing in their life and that

is the wisdom of Almighty God what place

does God have in your decision-making

process you’re going to live it on your

own are you going to be wise enough to

seek the wisdom of God before you make

in a decision so let me put it this way

right up front before you make a

decision you should always ask this

question is this is this the wisest

thing to do

there is always an answer is this the

wisest thing to do whether it’s marriage

or whether it’s something financial or

health or whatever it might be is this

the wisest thing to do that’s always the

right question whether it’s major or

minor is this the wisest thing to do

somebody says well I don’t know what

wisdom is we’ll come into that but

living wisely is the best life wisdom is

a gift from God living unwisely is a

very expensive lifestyle to every aspect

of our life so I want you to turn if you

will the 1st Corinthians chapter 3 and I

want to look at the 19th verse beginning

with that and the number of verses I

want us to consider here but I want you

to keep asking in your thinking

decisions that that are before you today

that when you get home today or maybe

tomorrow this week at the coming weeks

decisions you have to make are they

going to be wise decisions or unwise so

listen to what he says in this third

chapter beginning in verse 19 and notice

what he says

for the wisdom of this world is

foolishness before God look at that the

wisdom of the world is foolishness

before God the way the world thinks

apart from God

for it is written he is the one who

catches the wise and their craftiness

you don’t get away with it there are

their consequences and again the Lord

knows the reasoning of the wise that

they’re useless

he says it’s empty they make unwise

decisions so with that in mind I want us

to look at this whole issue of wise and

unwise lifestyle and how people are

living it and the description this thing

which is in between here so let’s look

at wise living for a moment and the

first thing we want to do is define what

do we mean by true genuine wisdom godly

wisdom that’s real wisdom godly wisdom

is doing things from God’s viewpoint how

does he see them and then responding to

those things in the basis of what the

Word of God teaches so if I look at

things from God’s viewpoint where am I

going to find it I’m going to find it in

the Word of God and the Bible teaches it

all the way to description so think

about that it’s the capacity to do

things from God’s viewpoint and then on

the basis of that respond to them

accordingly so you’re facing a decision

what’s the question the question is this

what is the wise thing to do if I’m

going to find that out I need to turn to

the source of all wisdom that’s Almighty

God to leave God out of your life is

foolish devastating and only a fool who

hears the Word of God

turns away shuts their mind out since I

don’t want any event because you’re not

thinking wisely you’re thinking

foolishly so when we look at this

passage of Scripture and with that in

mind think about this God is omniscient

he knows everything he knows about

yesterday he knows about the day he

knows about tomorrow he knows what

happened yesterday perfectly you and I

don’t we only know what humans can know

God has absolute total complete infinite

knowledge about every single thing he’s

never behind because he knows the past

president

nothing ever startles him and surprises

him he knows perfectly before during and

afterwards so it is only wise to consult

one who knows everything and who has

never said oh I forgot oh I never

thought about that the world’s

foolishness is just that it’s foolish

they think they know when only God knows

that’s why believers are set apart we

are a part of the body of Christ we are

set apart by God through His Son Jesus

Christ to do what to allow him to live

his life in and through us we are listen

we are the walking children of the

Living God whose names are the Lamb’s

Book of Life who eternally secure in him

and who have him is our God for every

single day we can come to him and ask

him about any decision that needs to be

made and he is willing to give us

direction but if you don’t know him if

you think you see watch this and I say

this not to be smart aleck about it not

to be critical but to tell the truth

that’s the only thing I’m up here for to

tell the truth that if you live in

disobedience to God what you’re saying

is I don’t need omniscience I don’t need

omnipotence I don’t I don’t need on the

presence I can handle it in this

mixed-up crazy sinful wicked vile world

that is a foolish conclusion a foolish

conclusion we all need Almighty God all

of us need him everyday and so when I

look at these passages and see what Paul

said in this particular passage he says

the wisdom of the world’s foolishness

now of God look at this decides in which

we live well look at what’s happening to

us every single day you wake up one

morning and you hear this wake up the

next one and you hear that let me ask

you something when’s the last time you

looked at the television or read the

newspaper or heard anything about what’s

going on youth a said finally a great

day has arrived

it’s not true so what a Christian do we

supposed to be worried and frustrated

anxious and fearful you want to better

wonder what’s going to happen no we know

what’s going to happen listen we’re

sleeping in the presence of Almighty God

who never sleeps who has all power all

knowledge of every single thing listen

we are his children how foolish to live

apart from holy God who has made it

possible to have everything we need in

Christ Jesus that’s wise for us to have

but then there’s the other life there’s

the people who live foolishly so I want

you to turn if you will to let’s turn to

James over to James and I want you to

look at this passage in in this third

chapter and verse 13 he asked this

question and similar to what Paul asked

who among you is wise and understanding

let him show by his good behavior his

deeds in the gentleness of wisdom but if

you have bitter jealousy and selfish

ambition in your heart do not be

arrogant and so lie against the truth

this wisdom is not that which comes down

from above but is earthly natural and

demonic now I want you to think about

this for a moment there are two

different council wisdom there’s the

wisdom of God and there’s the wisdom

that comes to men’s thinking and I want

you notice how he describes this he says

this wisdom is described in the

following fashion

it is earthy natural and demonic now

what does he mean by that

he means by earthy that it’s limited to

what man can do it’s limited to man’s

reasoning in his thinking his attempts

in his his accomplishments in life

that’s that’s how limited that is well

listen how smart is man today we might

be able to invent things and go to the

moon and this that nothing we can’t get

along with each other and so we can

think about all the things that man’s

wisdom and his knowledge and

understanding without God can create

can’t do anything without God it’s

earthy so that’s one part of them for

wisdom and then second he says it is

natural that is we all have a

naturalness in us that is that part of

us that that part of us that does not

want to obey God that part of us that is

subject to temptation that part of us

that desires our will in our way

you may not yield to it but all of us

have that naturalness in us some people

call it a sin nature color what you want

to but all of us have it and so he says

those who are walking unwisely there was

this earthy than did nowhere and

secondly it’s natural is sensual it

relates to the fallen nature and if you

recall in frustratin chapter 2 verse 14

he says but a natural man doesn’t accept

the things of the Spirit of God that

foolishness to him and he cannot

understand them because they’re

spiritually appraised so you’re getting

a discussion with somebody it doesn’t

believe what you believe about the Lord

Jesus writes that God are holy things

and you know we say well why can’t you

believe that and that you know why they

can’t because God said they couldn’t

apart for the Spirit of God they will

not be able to understand the things of

God but then he says for example it’s

demonic

its root is found in Satan himself so go

back to Genesis chapter 3 everything was

absolutely perfect

and Satan convinced Eve she believed a

lie and look at the consequences the

many people today you may be one of them

you’ve listened to the devil’s lie

you’ve listened to him say to you you

don’t need God those church people a

week you can handle it and you’re smart

enough to hand you got position you got

money you got intellect you got talent

you know you don’t need that religious

stuff at all mark it down bad is the

voice of the devil

the Word of God says it is demonic it

deals with your naturalness and that

earthen is a part of you and if you

listen to Satan’s lies he’s always going

to tell you well this is the easy way

the issue is this what is the wisest

thing to do when you your children come

to you and they ask you about what

should I do about this that the other

what do you say to them well let me

think about it or do you say to them no

oh why not because I said so why don’t

you say to them I’ve been thinking about

that and my conclusion is it’s not the

wisest thing to do one thing we need to

instruct our children is to ask that

question what is the wise thing to do

now what does everybody else doing

what’s the wisest thing to do when there

was what does God see on the basis of

his omniscience of knowing everything

omnipotence having all power on the

presence being in he’s in the middle of

everything you’re dealing with the

question is what is the wisest thing to

do they can you tell me a better

question than that not really because

therein is Almighty God and so what he

does he shows us here in this passage of

Scripture in James here’s the difference

look at this it is third chapter he says

but the wisdom that’s from above is

first listen to this pure look at that

God’s wisdom is pure that means it is

absolutely perfect to get that it is

absolutely perfect wisdom it’s pure and

peaceable his wisdom will bring you

peace gentle

there’s nothing harsh about it

reasonable reasonable listen from God’s

viewpoint full of mercy and good fruits

unwavering without hypocrisy that’s the

wisdom of God listen would you not agree

that it’s foolish to choose something

else look at that passage the wisdom

from above that’s God’s wisdom pure

peaceable gentle reasonable full of

mercy good fruits on way

with other partners that’s kind of life

I want to live amen now what did he say

up here

jealous is selfish ambition disorder and

every evil thing on the two choices in

life you can choose to live wisely or

you can choose to live unwisely and now

I say this you’ve already made that

choice wherever you are you’re walking

in the pathway of the wise are you

walking in a pathway of the unwise

change paths if you’re walking unwisely

listen you’re not smart enough you may

think you are but you’re not you’re not

smart enough to outsmart God you’re not

intellectual enough to know more than

God you don’t know your future God does

apart from Almighty God through the

saving person of Jesus Christ who

forgives us of our sin cleanses of SN

writes that name in the Lamb’s Book of

Life has a will for us and lives

presently within us through His Holy

Spirit he will give us wisdom and every

single decision we make in life there is

no other way to live now if I 130 years

of age you can say what do you know

about it I’m glad I’m 80 now watch this

because I know that I have 68 years of

proof that everything I’m telling you is

the absolute truth of Almighty God

now uh I can I’ll be able to tell you

that 100 you know why because it doesn’t

change that’s who God is you can trust

him he’s not going to change on you

about anything you have two choices live

out your life wisely living obediently

before him living in wisdom or you can

live foolishly convince a lot of people

do a lot of things go a lot of places

have a lot of stuff then you’re going to

die and my friend when the last seconds

of your life come I have a strong

feeling you’re going to wish you had

listened the most tragic thing you can

do is die without Christ you know why

because the consequences are eternal may

not live the best life in the world as a

Christian may not have a lot of stuff

may not have any degrees behind your

name may not have any notoriety most

people never know your name’s not in the

newspapers even all that stuff but you

live for God you’ve walked obediently

before him you see God’s bad news not

the same as man’s what he thinks is

absolutely awesome is not what the world

thinks so you may keep in mind you can

live wisely are you gonna live foolishly

you’ll play the fool if you live

foolishly you’ll be wise if you choose

Christ in his way of life and that’s my

prayer for You Father how grateful we

are that you made it simple and knowing

that you loved us enough to send Jesus

to die for some payers in debt in full

you must have an awesome love for us and

so we want to be obedient to you because

we’re the ones who end up profiting from

that in so many ways and I pray that

every person who listens to this message

will think think honestly and realize

that they’ve only heard the truth it is

appointed unto men once to die and after

this the judgment but all the sin can be

forgiven by asking and believing

entrusting we love you dear father we

thank you for the awesome gift of your

grace to all of us in Jesus name Amen

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