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Back to Sermons Index Back to Home Page 24th February 2008 PMLETS WALK WITH THE WISE ! Pastor Colin Meadows
Proverbs 1:8-19, Luke 6:46-49, Ephesians 5:15-18
Ø Information overload There is so much information flooding into our lives these days. What our parents and friends tell us, movies, music, TV, the print media, what we learn at school, TAFE, uni, etc. Information overload! Then there is the internet. It is difficult to get accurate figures but with over 1.3 billion people now online world wide there is up to 30 billion web pages of information (some sources put the figure at 85 billion pages!). So much information – but then there is the ‘deep web’, material that requires password access. This deep web is estimated to be about 40 times the size of the normal web that you and I can easily access!! It is estimated that in 2007 in the US alone the productivity loss attributed to information overload was around 650 billion dollars. What should we do? Ø Let’s live wisely To live wisely is to sift through all the information that is pouring into our lives and discover the godly knowledge that we need to successfully meet the challenges of life. It is living in the light of God’s revealed will for our lives. To be wise in a godly sense is to live life as God intended it to be lived. Since God created us, it makes perfect sense to me that he knows best how we should live. Wise living is thus seeing life from God’s point of view. A wise person learns from the experiences of others, and especially from the godly is found in the Bible, an ordinary person learns from their own experience, while a fool learns by nobody’s experience. Let’s thus be wise and let’s grow! Ø Let’s grow in wisdom As we read the book of Proverbs, it outlines for us what I call the ‘Growing in Wisdom’ cycle… God fearing attitude – this is the attitude we need to begin our journey Reaching into God’s Word – the Bible is the greatest source of wisdom Obeying what you have learnt – apply wisdom into daily living Willing to share what you have learnt with others – pass on When we are living this way, we will grow daily in wisdom. But we have to listen carefully! Ø Let’s listen to the right voices We need to screen out the other voices and listen carefully to hear God’s voice. This means making a conscious effort to filter out the background chatter that so easily clutters up our lives. We have to be selective, to make choices. As someone noted, we have to be very careful what we allow near our brains. Which voices do we need to listen to? Pr 1:8 “Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.” God has placed us in families so that we can grow up in a learning environment. In biblical days, almost all instruction of young people took place in the home. There mum and dad gave guidance about daily living. Sometimes the extended family was involved as well but there weren’t schools, TV, radios, the Internet and the host of other information sources that young people can access today! Godly guidance came mostly from the home. That is where it should still be coming from in our days. Let us listen to our parents and so grow in wisdom. The challenge for both young people and parents however is the vast diversity of competing information that is available. Sometimes the advice from home is not coming from a God-centered point of view. Sometimes, home is not a happy place but rather a zone of conflict. What should a young Christian do? God’s word reminds us clearly to honor our father and mother. Seek to live in obedience to what they are saying, unless there is a conflict between what they say and what you sense God’s Word is saying. God also provides us with other sources of godly wisdom. We are blessed in our church with access to older Christians, to youth groups, small home groups, devotional reading guides, church services, etc. Let us listen and learn from these sources and thus grow in wisdom. Where should this wisdom be guiding us? The focus of all godly wisdom is to point people to Jesus. Christ told the story of the wise and the foolish builders in Luke 6 with this truth in mind. Wise people listen to and obey Christ. When we listen to him and obey what he says then we are building wisely. Luke 6:46 “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” Yes, listen to our parents and to all others who are seeking to point us to follow Christ. Let us grow in wisdom. Ø Let’s not leave God’s pathway As we walk the journey of life, don’t allow yourself to be diverted off to one side. Pr 1:10 “My son, if sinners entice you, do not give in to them.” Going off the path can be a real temptation. To do so could lead to material gain, to prestige, more friends, etc but don’t go there. Your choices have consequences, and sooner or later any bad choices you make will lead to bad outcomes. Don’t take another path. Pr 1:15 “My son, do not go along with them, do not set foot on their paths” We all face the constant temptation to stray off the pathway. Listen to the Holy Spirit and seek to follow what he says. Isaiah 30:21 “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’” As Christians, we have the Holy Spirit of God indwelling our lives. Let us listen to his voice as he gently guides us. Let’s not allow ourselves to be diverted from what God has planned for our lives. When you are tempted or enticed to wander, resist so with all your strength. Satan packages up temptation in such attractive ways so don’t be fooled by his schemes. Temptation is like the fish hook that is baited with a tasty prawn. The fish sees and smells the prawn and thinks ‘This is brilliant. Let me go for this!’ Little does it know that there is a hook hidden inside. Satan does the same when he tempts us. Don’t be fooled by his schemes. Remember - We get just one go at life – let’s live it to the full, in the way God intended! Ø What if I have messed up and left God’s pathway? All this is fine if we have stayed on God’s pathway and sought to follow his leading. But what if I have made a mess of things? What if I have made some bad choices and find myself right now in a bad place? It is there any way out? What should I do? How can I get back on God’s pathway? Yes, there is a way back and the way is Jesus! Listen to what he says… John 14:6 “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Stop wasting your life on foolish living and come back home. Most of you know the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15. The younger son headed off the pathway God intended for him and went feral. He messed up until he reached rock bottom. At that point, in the NIV version it says that ‘he came to his senses’ (Luke 15:17). In the Setswana Bible it says “He had a talk with himself”. I like that translation! Perhaps tonight you need to find a quiet place and have a little talk with yourself! Do you want to get back onto God’s pathway? It is very straight forward what you need to do: Admit that you have wandered from God’s pathway – own up Believe on what Jesus has done for you – step out in faith Confess and come back to God – repent of the past and leave it behind Denial is over – be honest with yourself and with God. No more pretending Entrust a friend or friends to help you on your journey – be accountable You may have done some things that now require you to ask others for their forgiveness. Do it now! Perhaps you need the assistance of a professional counselor. Make contact now and don’t hold back any longer. I have suggestions of people who can help, but whatever you do, take action now. As a child I developed a habit for stealing. It started off with just little things but slowly it grew. I remember my parents catching me out several times and me suffering the consequences for my actions but still the habit persisted. I justified it by saying that other kids got pocket money and I didn’t so, I took the initiative to rectify the situation. Then one day while I was stealing in a shop, the owner saw me and caught me at the door. He threatened to call the police as well as my parents. I slunk off home, petrified by what he had said and from that time on I started a journey away from such living. When I became a Christian, God still had a lot more to do in my life in this regard but the fear of that terrifying day in the shop still stays with me. I had been shaken to the core. Perhaps God is shaking you to the core tonight, telling you that it is time to stop living the way you have been living. Eph 5:15 “Be very careful then, how you live – not as unwise, but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” I have one final question for you to ponder… If you follow the pathway you are on right now, what will you be like in 20 years time? Do you sense that you will you be in a place that will bring honor to God? Or do you need to sort out some things with God right now. Don’t put it off. Just do it!
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