07
Jul '20
Like to Brag?
07
Jul '20
1 Corinthians 1:27-29, “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence.”
Never brag. At least, do not ever boast in your intelligence or your strength or your resources. Human wisdom, might, and riches are fleeting. They are here today and gone tomorrow. No matter how much you may have of one or all of them, you cannot retain wisdom, might, and riches forever. There is something, someone really, in which to glory, the Lord Jesus Christ and His gospel. Depend on the steadfast love, the pure justice, and the perfect righteousness of Jesus. Then go ahead and brag (v. 31). Glory in the Lord, the source of everlasting wisdom, power, and redemption.
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02
Apr '20
Developing a Heart of Wisdom
02
Apr '20
How do we develop a heart of wisdom? Well, it’s not by invention, innovation, or perspiration but as a result of transformation. Psalm 111:10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do His commandments: His praise endureth forever.”
The fear spoken of here is not a groveling fear, where you’re waiting for something horrible to happen, and wishing that it won’t. Think of the fear of the Lord in the context of a father and son or daughter relationship, but instead of the child fearing what his father will do to him if he steps out of line, this is fearing what I will do to my Father as a result of being foolish instead of wise.
Biblically speaking, foolishness has nothing to do with education or intellectual capabilities. In scripture, unbelief is what marks a fool. “The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God, they are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good” Psalm 14:1, and the characteristics of a fool are living apart from and against the truth of scripture.
Life is brief. That hasn’t changed because of the coronavirus, but that has highlighted life’s frailty and brevity. We must take advantage of our limited time, for worship and service to the eternal God. Life is an opportunity we must use wisely, and that wisdom is found first in trusting the eternal God to rescue you from your sins. Sins which pay eternal wages.
Redeeming the Time
Ephesians 5:15-17 reads as follows: “See then that ye walk circumspectly [that means with situational awareness; careful attention], not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.”
Wisdom is found in understanding and following God’s will, and it’s God’s will that people should be…
- Saved – Mark 10:45; Luke 19:10; 1 Timothy 2:3-6
- Spirit-filled – Ephesians 5:18, “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.” This means being led of the Spirit and will be marked by joyfulness.
- Submissive – 1 Peter 2:13-15; Hebrews 13:17. Submission requires sacrifice and is to be joyfully rather than grudgingly offered. Colossians 3:23, “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;”
- Sanctified – 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:15-20. This means living a life set apart from this world and to the glory of Christ. That kind of existence will not be perfectly lived, but is one primarily directed towards Jesus. That life looks like this:
- Consistent joy – 1 Thessalonians 5:16
- Continual prayer – 1 Thessalonians 5:17
- Comprehensive thanksgiving – 1 Thessalonians 5:18
- Suffering – 1 Peter 2:20-21; 3:17; 5:10. This is part, a regular and sometimes big part, of God’s will for our lives, and Jesus is our ultimate example in all this.
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01
Apr '20
Making the Most of It
01
Apr '20
Psalm 90:12, “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.”
Let’s play a word association game. Finish this sentence: “It’s about time for _____________.”
I’m thinking it’s about time for COVID-19 to go away. That cannot happen fast enough. In the meantime, this is another opportunity to learn patience and to trust God no matter what. I need to make the most of this time. How about you?
Life is all about time. Do you waste time? Do you manage time or does time manage you? We can be careless with the time we have. We can also be slaves to the clock, thinking that our time is more important than the people around us or God above us.
Time is Precious
Time is precious. Back in 1971 Jim Croce wrote a song that would top the charts. Time in a Bottle was written about and for his firstborn son.
“If I could save time in a bottle, the first thing that I’d like to do, is to save every day till eternity passes away, just to spend them with you. If I could make days last forever, if words could make wishes come true. I’d save every day like a treasure and then again, I would spend them with you.”
Those are beautiful words, and understandable coming from a 28 year old singer/songwriter who just learned he was going to be a dad for the first time. But there is another line from that song we need to consider: “But there never seems to be enough time to do the things that you want to do.”
Many of us would agree with that. Croce knew that time was a fleeting commodity, but he didn’t know how fleeting. On the last day of September in 1973 Jim Croce died in a plane crash. He was 30 years old. His son had just turned two.
We all know that time is short, but it’s shorter than we know. None of us have time to waste.
Life is Brief. God is Eternal
The first four words of the Bible are, “In the beginning God…” At the start He was already there. He began the beginning. Psalm 90:2 says, “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.” Humanity, in comparison, is described in verse 10, “The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.”
Life is brief. God is eternal. We need His wisdom to number our days, because while this life is short, we will all live somewhere forever, and we can’t save time in a bottle. We each have 86,400 seconds a day deposited into our “time accounts.” We cannot carry over the balance, and we cannot be overdrawn. Whatever is not wisely used is lost forever.
Redeem the Time
Making the most of our time is the focus for tonight’s livestream. Psalm 90:2 and Ephesians 5:15-17 will guide our study. You have viewing options:
- Follow this link to view the livestream directly from our Vimeo page.
- Click the “Watch Video” button on the church’s Facebook page.
- Watch us on Facebook Live (Lord willing 🙂
- Watch us on YouTube (again, Lord willing)
If you search for our feed on Vimeo use “bbc church.” If you search for us on YouTube use “Bible Baptist Church, Mt. Vernon.”
All of these options are available because we want to make it easy for you to follow along. Please set aside the time to tune in at 7 pm. Have your Bibles open.
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26
Mar '20
Wisdom is Calling
26
Mar '20
Proverbs 8:1-3, “Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice? She standeth in the top of high places, by the way in the places of the paths. She crieth at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors.”
Here wisdom is personified and in the streets, calling all sinners to follow God’s path that leads to life rather than death, the truth that leads to wealth rather than poverty. Hear and heed the Lord Jesus, and gain true wisdom and wealth. He is not stingy with either one. Being a fool, now that is hard work. Fools purposefully ignore and evade wisdom, turning away from the truth, but not because it can’t be found. Wisdom calls out in the street. Be wise. “If ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts” (Hebrews 4:7) and trust that voice of love and wisdom from this day forward.
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