Sermon Tone Analysis

Title: Spiritually-Wise Christians

Theme: Grasping the Wisdom of God

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves.

Do what it says.”

(James 1:22)

A trusting relationship is what enables the child of God to walk in the wisdom of God

Bible teacher and preacher Leslie Miller told of a time when he was in North Africa.

One late afternoon he watched thousands of sheep come to a watering hole and drink until satisfied.

After the sheep had all they could drink, a dozen shepherds walked off in different directions, singing or speaking in different tones and ways.

To the amazement of Mr. Miller the sheep broke off from the large group and began to follow each shepherd.

The sheep actually rallied to the call of the shepherd they knew and trusted.

Pastor Leslie never forgot the sight and he thinks of it often when he reads or meditates on the words of Jesus “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”

(John 10:27)

It is important to note.

A trusting relationship is what enables the child of God to walk in the wisdom of God.

A true love relationship is at the heart of true obedience to God and Christ.

I would propose to you that Christianity is not made up of just the things we do or not do.

It must be clear in our hearts and minds that Christianity is a relationship with God, Jesus and fellowship in the Holy Ghost.

Grasping for the wisdom of God involves being attentive to Jesus’ voice, meditating on what He says, obeying His words that give life and enduring in His calling upon our lives.

Just how does a child of God become a “Spiritually Wise Christian?”

Sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.

Spiritually Wise Christianity knows that this life down here is a battle and there is a constant battle going on within our spiritual hearts all the time.

The apostle Paul writes about this battle that so wars against the Holy Spirit and is constantly urging us to give in to its power.

Galatians 5:17 says, “For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature.

They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.”

A “Spiritually Wise Christian” knows that there is a battle for the child of God’s heart, mind, and soul.

There is that enemy the New American Standard Bible calls “…the flesh [which] sets its desire against the [Holy] Spirit.”

(Galatians 5:17) The King James hits the source right upon the head when it translated this verse as, “For the flesh lusteth against the [Holy] Spirit.”

The key word that the wise Christian focuses on in this particular passage of Scripture is “lusteth” (epithumeo) meaning to have a yearning passion for.

The practical application is that it has a pulling affect that grabs you and won’t let go.

This causes the child of God or lost sinner to desire, to want, to crave, to hunger, to thirst, to grasp and actually take a hold of that which destroys or inhibits a healthy relationship with Christ.

The Christian still has to battle that old nature of the flesh and he won’t be rid of it in this lifetime.

John reminds us that, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.

(1 John 1:8) The apostle Paul himself experienced this turmoil and any honest Christian will tell you that this conflict goes on daily, therefore, it is only wise to admit it, watch for it and learn the only way of mastering it.

The words that the Lord spoke to Cain are set in the back of the mind of the child of God who wants to walk in the wisdom of God, “sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.”

(Genesis 4:7b)

There is an old hymn written by Robert Robinson, entitled “Come Thou Fount.”

In that wonderful Hymn of proclamation is a plea, “Come, Thou Fount of every blessing, Tune my heart to sing Thy grace; Streams of mercy, never ceasing…” In that Hymn is also recognition of every Christian’s battle, “Prone to Wonder, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love.”

Dr.

Joseph S. Exel, writes about this conflict within man, “The battle of life are not mainly a fighting against adverse circumstances and external evils of this world.

One of man’s greatest foes is what is in his own heart.

There is a great conflict internally.

Thus, life is warfare and the Christian a soldier who must surrender to the will of his Commanding Officer…”

Dr. Murray uses a teaching on rattlesnakes to illustrate the deadly fascination of the flesh, the sinful nature of man.

Mr. Murray’s study on rattlesnakes exposes some interesting things about this potentially deadly character, whose bite most certainly causes sickness and even death.

It seems once a rattlesnake puts its piercing eyes on its pray it has a deadly drawing affect that causes its pray, such as birds, mice and even squirrels to be drawn into its reach.

Their eyes become focused on the rattlesnake, knowing that they should run for their lives, but seemingly they become unable to move.

Most are able to brush it off, yet some respond to the danger too late and are caught in the rattlesnakes deadly fangs.

It has been reported that some birds and even squirrels have dropped from trees into the rattlesnake’s range because they could not shake his luring eyes.

The flesh has that much lure and can become a deadly powerful force.

God knew the dangers of the flesh and this is why He instructed Paul through the leading of the Holy Ghost to write in Galatians 5:16, “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.”

James tells us, “When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’

For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.

Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”

(James 1:13-15)

Are you “Spiritually Wise” like the apostle Paul and James were? Do you look at temptations as potential danger and call upon Jesus to send the Holy Spirit to deliver you from the lures of the sinful flesh?

There is no escape from the need to depend on God’s grace

What the apostle Paul is saying in Galatians is that there is no escape from the need to depend on God’s grace.

A “Spiritually Wise Christian” is like the Psalmist who wrote, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.

See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

(Psalms 129:23-24)

Then he looks to the Word of God for that exposing process, because he knows that sin can easily slay its victim and if given rein to wrong desires, it can lead to lying, stealing, killing, and all the things that are outward expressions of an unwise deadly lifestyle.

This particular child of God knows that, “There is a way that seems right to a man but in the end leads to death.”

(Proverbs 14:12) The wise Christian is like the Apostle Paul who wrote, “…Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law.”

(Romans 7:7)

The word of God is the X-ray of the heart.

Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and active.

Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

The Word of God is like a mirror for it reveals what is in our hearts.

Dr. Jay Vernon McGee points out that if you had a spot on your face, the mirror will show it to you.

However, it must be noted that the mirror cannot remove the spot.

Heart spot removal is done by the one whom the law has revealed, the blood of Jesus Christ alone.

Therefore, once sin has been exposed, the very first thing a wise sinner does is agree with God that it is sin and puts himself under the atonement blood of Christ.

He puts himself under the blood of Christ by trusting in Jesus to be both Savior and Lord of his life.

That is the wisest choice anyone can ever make.

When the Christian reads the Word of God so as to keep himself blameless, to keep himself steadfast or to find the practice of godliness, he is doing a wise thing

After a man recognizes that sin is a real threat to him, he is willing to look into the perfect law so as to understand all that sin is, he then protects himself through being attentive to the law of God, meditates upon what the Bible says, obeys what Jesus has taught him and then endures through the power of the Holy Spirit.

He has the heart of the psalmist who wrote, “How can a young man keep his way pure?

By living according to your word.

I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands.

I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”

(Psalms 119:9-11) It is a wise man who will ask such a question of the Lord.

The word “pure” (zakah) gives the connotation of being cleansed from sin.

The application is when the Christian reads the Word of God so as to keep himself blameless, to keep himself steadfast or to find the practice of godliness he is doing a wise thing.

Jesus tells a parable of “The Wise and Foolish Builders” in Matthew 7:24-26, "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.

But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.

The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."

Jesus is my kind of preacher and teacher for He is not only an expert in life and a scholar in His Father’s Word, but He is a practical man.

This parable is one of which could really happen and is a wonderful picture of a spiritual truth.

It is an illustration that every wise Christian takes to heart.

Like a wise builder of a house, the Christian will think ahead about what needs to be done in regards to his eternal state and for his on-going relationship with Jesus Christ.

If the foundation of a house is not set on solid ground, it cannot handle the every day settling of the constant moving of the earth.

The more solid the foundation of a house, the more powerful storm it can withstand.

The solidness of a Christian’s relationship with the Lord Jesus will determine his ability to handle the ever-changing courses and storms of life down here.

Jesus Christ was a carpenter.

(Mark 6:3) He knew houses and the building trade and He knows what it takes to build and maintain a righteous life before God His Father.

In this parable Jesus is demanding two things that must be done if a Christian is going to be a wise builder.

Jesus has always taught that the key to walking in the wisdom of God is the master plan of hearing and doing.

The whole course of what Jesus is teaching is a radical submission to His Lordship.