The OG and the OwG- The Only Wise God

All right, now, who knows what the OG stand for. I didn't know this until I don't know, maybe six months ago or so. they got some of the younger ones in our congregation the o.g., if you refer to something as the OG, Any ideas?

No, no, Alan social media, the original right? Original, right. So people in the in our culture today, they'll use the phrase OG, you'll see somebody post something, and they'll say the o.g., you know, the Coca-Cola, the original recipe, he's the o.g., he's the original, he's the original and so there is the OG KFC. There's the o.g. Krispy Kreme store in Winston-Salem that we've actually been to and there's if you were talkin blues music, the OG of Blues Music specifically Mississippi, delta blues, music would be Robert Johnson and in the sense that Robert Johnson was that was the innovator. He was he was the first he's known as the king of the delta blues. Many of come after him, but none who have come after him have matched his talent. And so our culture often refers to people as the OG or or an invention or something as the original will, God is the OG in an entirely different category. Amen. God is the OG an entirely different category because he is eternal. Every human being every human in a Innovation every institution. Every invention did not exist from all-time only God has existed eternally. When children ask what you do. Children ask people who made the trees, who made the stars, who made the oceans, who made the mountains, who made all these things will, God made all these things. And then of course, children inevitably ask who made God. And you say, well God has always existed. He is eternal.

Where do we get song such as everlasting, God? We get them from Psalm Genesis 2133, excuse me. Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba and called there on the name of the lord, El Olam in Hebrew the Everlasting. God, God Everlasting

now, what we're going to do today is we're going to look at Everlasting related to the attribute of wisdom because at the end of Romans 16 and I was trying to do a little a little Not necessarily a pain, but a little connection there between the OG and Roman 16:27, which says, to the only wise God be glory for ever more through Jesus Christ. Amen. So God is the OG they owt only wise God. There are other guys out there but there are false gods. God is the only wise God because he is eternal Psalm. 90 90 verse 2 says this before, the mountains were brought forth or ever, you had formed the earth and the world from Everlasting to Everlasting. You are God. From Everlasting to Everlasting that about takes care of it, done it from Everlasting, to Everlasting. and then it later on in Psalm 90 it says teach us to number our days so that we may gain a heart of Wisdom wisdom. So there's a connection between God's Everlasting nature and the wisdom of God, which is an attribute of God, which he grants us a degree of wisdom. Of course, we don't share that attribute in the same degree that God has wisdom. But before the universe God, existed, before any human calculation, any Theory or statistic about the origin of the universe? God existed in himself father, Son and Holy Spirit. You got are the only wise God teach us to number our days so that we may gain a heart of wisdom. So, the first point about wisdom about God's wisdom, is that first of all, we observe all people, observe God's wisdom in creation. Now, this is a bit longer passage, but I just want you to listen to these verses from Psalm 104.

Psalm 104 gives a wonderful retelling of creation. Starting at verse 16, the Trees of the Lord are watered, abundantly The Cedars of Lebanon that he planted. You know, the tennis team, the grace tennis team plays over at Lions Park in Raleigh. And at Lion's Park there they're doing it, a big storm, water reconstruction around the one side of the park and they have the Building closed off. And and there's that there's Lions Park is a really nice park and has huge trees. And so the construction crews are doing all this work to try to manage the stormwater in the drainage and whatnot around the park. And there's massive oak trees around the perimeter of the park. This mess of oak, trees aren't worried about the storm water. Drainage They're, they're watered abundantly by the Lord.

Isn't that amazing? The wisdom of God in creation. In the in them, the birds build their nest, the stork has her home. In the fir trees, the high mountains are for the wild, goats the rocks, are a refuge for the rock badgers, he made the moon to Mark the seasons. The sun knows it's time for setting, you make Darkness ended his night, when all the beasts of the forest creep about the Young Lions Roar for prey seeking, their food from God. When the Sun rises, they steal away and lie down in their dens man. Goes out to his work into his labor until the evening. Oh Lord how manifold are your Works in wisdom? Have you made them all? The Earth is full of your creatures. Here is the sea, great and wide, which teams with creatures, innumerable living things both small and great there. Go, the ships and Leviathan, which you formed to play. In it talking about a great sea creature. These all look to you to give them their food in due season. When you give it to them, they gather it up. When you open your hand, they are filled with good thing. We see God's wisdom in creation, don't we? Who made the cicadas, which stay in the ground? Do cicadas stay in the ground. For what four years, 7 years. However, many years

Yeah, there's several varieties they stay in the ground. What are they doing? I have no idea. But that's God's wisdom in creation so he could keep me up at night when the cicadas are in season. I mean, if you've been camping it's kind of like a comforting sound, you know. But when it's like, right outside your window but that's God's wisdom in creation. How does a giraffe's head, not explode, when it lowers its head to the ground?

well, according to this article, Notice that the title of the magazine, knowable magazine. the most people giraffes are merely adorable long-necked animals that rank near the top of the zoo visit but to a cardiovascular physiologist, there's more to love giraffes, have solved the problem that kills millions of people every year high blood pressure Listen to this. Giraffes have sky high blood pressure because of their sky-high heads in adult. Giraffes their heads, rise about six meters, above the ground, a long, long way for a heart to pump blood Against Gravity, to have blood pressure at the brain of 110 over 70, which is about normal for a large mammal. Giraffes need a blood pressure at their heart of 220 / 180. Draft need a blood pressure. It doesn't FaZe them, excuse me, but a pressure like that would cause all sorts of problems for people, from heart, failure to kidney, failure, to swollen, legs and ankles. a researcher found that their left ventricles in their heart did get sicker but without stiffening or fibrosis that would occur in people, The researchers also found the draft have mutations in five genes related to fibrosis. Now, I would say well, is that a mutation or is that what God designed? And the draft has another trick to avoid, heart failure, the electrical rhythm of its hard differs from that of other mammals. So that the ventricle the ventricular filling phase of the heartbeat is extended. This allows the heart to pump more blood, with each stroke allowing a giraffe to run hard despite its thicker heart muscle. And the researcher says this, all you have to do is look at a picture of a fleeing giraffe, and you realize that the giraffe has solved the problem. Well, did the giraffe solve the problem, or did God designed it that way.

This is just fascinating to me.

People who suffer from high blood pressure. Also, prone to annoying swelling in their legs and ankles because the high pressure forces water out of blood vessels and into the tissue. But you only have to look at the Slender legs of a giraffe to know that they have solved the problem to excuse me, solve the problem. Why don't we see giraffes with swollen legs? Because giraffes minimize the swelling with thick. Thick leg tissue tight, wrapping of leg tissue, which prevents their legs from swelling.

The research has found that blood pools in the big veins of the neck. When the head is down, this store is more than a liter of blood. Temporarily reducing the amount of blood returning to the heart with less blood available to Heart. Generates less pressure with each beat while the head is down and as their head is raised. Again the store blood rushes suddenly back to the heart, which responds with a vigorous high-pressure stroke that helps pump blood up to the brain. God's wisdom in creation. God's infinite wisdom in creation and the Bible says that God created all of these beings all of these creatures, according to their kinds,

We observe his wisdom and Creation in that we realized, then that God has placed a sense of Eternity in our hearts. And yet, we cannot grasp it on our own. And that's the Dilemma described by Solomon. So, Ecclesiastes, chapter 3 states. This dilemma, we see God's wisdom in creation and we go about our days and we say what game has the worker from his toil. I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. He has made everything beautiful in his time. Member, this is Ecclesiastes chapter 3, which starts out there is a time for everything. There is a season for everything. Also he has put eternity into man's heart yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. We cannot understand fully in our human Minds, The Eternal wisdom of God from beginning to end.

And so we think about what, what is the game for my toil? I mean, what have I gained when I toil in the yard cutting trees and bushes and piling up leaves toiling. I'm supposedly toiling to make my make my yard more enjoyable for me. And, you know, I always do this with projects, I have an idea for a project and I think that's going to, but that's, that's going to be a great result. And then about a third of the way through, I realized, I created a whole bunch of more work for myself. So, what do I gain from all my toil? The first picture on the left there is, we're having our deck restain, and we found a bunch of the boards that work were rotted out. And so, you have to cut you, no cut part out there by the corner that has the patio and, and replace it. And then, of course, Steve's favorite stumps, you know, you can come over first stump grinding party, but the bottom right picture, there is, after I cleared all this brush out, Yeah, but it's going to grow again unless I cut off the stumps and get rid of the stumps. What do you gain for all your toil? So you could conclude that I was not very wise and now I started this project but it reveals to us, we see God's wisdom and we realize that we cannot comprehend it from beginning to end.

The attribute of God's wisdom as an attribute. If you want to ride out this down, God's wisdom is the ongoing application of his perfect knowledge to his plans and purposes for all of creation. We had we go throughout our days and we think boy, I have a really wise idea, but we don't see the full picture. It may turn out to be a wise idea, but we don't see the full picture. God's wisdom is the ongoing application of his perfect knowledge to his plans and purposes for all of creation. He chooses the best goals and always, the best means to bring about those goals. You realize that knowledge is different than wisdom, right? A person can have a lot of a lot of knowledge but they don't know how to apply that to life. They can have a lot of training. They can have a lot of factual knowledge but if they haven't lived it out and seeing how it works in the real world. It's not wisdom.

now, of course, Jobe Question, God's wisdom Jobe 42 verses 1 through 3 and this is God's response. I'm sorry job's response to the Lord. Then job answered the Lord and said, I know that you can do all things and that no purpose of yours can be for today. Who is this? That hides counsel without knowledge? Therefore I have uttered. What? I did not understand things too wonderful for me which I did not know.

and he says, at the end of that paragraph, he says, I Repent in Dust & Ashes, He questioned God's wisdom, and God didn't say, well, here's all the exact reasons that these things happened. God said, let's go back to the beginning of the universe. Let's go back and see that. I was the one who created everything. God, spoke and told Joe but this is who I am. You are not God. And so Joe reached the point of repentance trust and rest. Because the same God that tells Jobe Jobe, I'm sorry. You are not God. And I have purposes that you do not understand. That same. God is the god. Who calls us friend? Amen.

And in those kind of Trials, when our family is sick or or terrible things happened, in those kind of Trials. Our faith is tested. And so the question is, are we going to function day-by-day hour-by-hour under the protective shield of God's infinite wisdom, which is grounded for his in his love, for you as a unique person. He offers that to each one of us in Jesus Christ. Me think of the woman who came to Jesus, and she said, if I can just touch the edge of his robe, I can be healed. And he turns he turns around. She's healed and he turns around and he says, you are you are freed from your affliction.

God's love is never measured by our comfort.

Think about that. Paul Reese wrote that God's love is never measured by our comfort.

So the Dilemma is that God knows all of his plans and his purposes and he's always working them out for his glory and our good. And we don't see the whole picture, but God gives us wisdom and trials when we ask in faith, So we see God's wisdom in Creation. The Dilemma is that we we we see God's wisdom, but we can't, we can't comprehend what God is doing from beginning to end. And yet, God gives us wisdom and trials. When we ask in faith, count it all joy, my brothers, brothers and sisters. When you meet Trials of various kinds for, you know, that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.

And let steadfastness have its full effect that you may be perfect and complete lacking in nothing.

Does the first continue There. Do we have the next next one? Okay, if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith with no doubting for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. God's wisdom is a communicable attribute in the sense that we share it in a small degree and he gives wisdom to us when we ask in faith,

Just like God's love is a communicable attribute. We love because he first loved us, we love because God has shown us his love through Jesus Christ. Now, when were in the midst of a trial, our first thought is not usually God. I know that you are bringing me into conforming me to the image of Jesus and you are producing steadfastness so that I can become mature and complete lacking. Nothing, is that our first thought when we go through a trial? No, we usually say why this why now? Why not this? But James says, considerate, Joy, count it. Joy tell yourself. Speak to yourself and say, Lord. I have joy because you have Sovereign Lee ordained in your Infinite, Wisdom that I am going through this trial right now. I was listening to a message where they had a group of pastors talking about the different things that they had experienced. And one of the very prominent pastors, Said, I had just started my Ministry and about three years into my Ministry. The One Elder who had been really adamant that I should come and be the pastor of that church about three years and he said, he wrote me a very critical letter. And pointed out about five or six things that he saw in my life, that did not match my relationship, did not match what God wanted for my life and and how he wanted me to live. that we're not christ-like and he said for about a month that letter really bothered me But then over time I saw that those were he was putting his finger on some of the things that I needed to change if I was going to stay in Ministry for the long term.

God gives us wisdom in Trials. There were nuggets of Truth in there that took time for him to realize. So, what trial are you facing right now? Are we found out last weekend? That one of Susie's close friends has cancer. That has returned. And the road ahead looks difficult. Are you having trouble relating to your son or daughter? Ask God to give you wisdom in that. Maybe you're looking to change a job or facing a hard financial decision. Maybe you're having a trial of anxiety or stress or depression, ask God, for wisdom and then act in faith act in faith. God is pleased when we come to him for help. Why is he pleased? Because he rejoices over us. He will rejoice over you with singing. The Book of Zephaniah says he rejoices over you, he enjoys you You know, sometimes we think while I know that God loves me but I don't think God really likes me. Do God likes, you got enjoys. You God is pleased when you come to him in faith and entrust and in Fellowship, So the reality check that we need a reminder selves of is we can't receive God's wisdom or Implement God's wisdom when sinful desires have a grip on our hearts. Now, that's the other side of James chapter 3. Instead of James verse 1, he gives a caution It's all just read that quickly.

And you'll notice there's a phrase here. This repeated twice.

Who is wise and understanding among you by his Good Conduct. Let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but his Earthly on spiritual demonic for where jealousy and selfish ambition exist. There will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure then Peaceable gentle open to reason full album mercy and good fruits impartial and sincere in a harvest of righteousness is sown in Peace by those who make peace. The phrase that's used twice, there is jealousy and selfish ambition.

So, when we asked for God's wisdom, we need to check our hearts. We need to ask God to examine our hearts.

When someone has a heart catheterization and they're checking for problems, they they go in through the vein in the leg and they guide the the the device up in the artery and into the in, and around the heart. We need to ask God to do surgery on our hearts to look inside our hearts and see where is jealousy. Where is selfish? Ambition? Because that's not God's wisdom, but so many times, I think in my own life, oh, I'm going to do this because it's going to make me look better. I'm going to do this because this is, this is going to put me in a better position or my family in a better position. And I actually wait Lord, why am I doing that? Is it, is that selfish ambition? Is that jealousy? Am I doing it from the wrong motive will then it's not with it's not God's wisdom. We can't receive God's wisdom, or Implement his wisdom when sinful desires have a grip on our hearts. Now that doesn't mean all our desires are sinful because sometimes we receive God's wisdom and he gives us a good desire. He gives us a good desire to do something. Whatever decision that might be. But the reality check is that sin is always. At our door and temptation is always at our door.

Proverbs 4:23 guard, your heart above all else for it is a Wellspring of Life guarding our hearts doesn't mean you close your heart off and you say, I'm not going to let anyone hurt me guarding your heart. Means you ask God to examine your heart so that it can be conformed to God's desires and not sinful desires.

So, third point. is it God's wisdom is displayed most magnificently in Salvation And in the mystery of God's Plan of Redemption,

not many of you were wise, Paul says.

Again, he's writing to people in the city of Corinth, where the wise, or the sophists or the The Debaters were the popular speakers. For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know. God through wisdom, it pleased, God through the Folly of what we preach to save those who believe.

The Divine message of preaching, is Christ crucified for Sinners for you and me versus 17 actually. See, this is an example where in your English Bible, I think the paragraph heading in 1st Corinthians chapter 1 kind of, is, is not good because it separates Verse 18 from 417, silver 17 and 1st Corinthians. One is for Christ, did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel and not with words of elephant, wisdom left, the Cross of Christ be emptied of its power. Now, the rest of the chapter is about the message of the Cross and he saying, he saying, God, send me to preach the gospel, not with words of eloquent wisdom. List of the Cross of Christ be emptied of its power. You see the contrast there? you see that the idea that the, how of of How the message of the Cross is, is not filled with human wisdom. It's the, it's the power of God through the message of the Cross of Christ crucified.

So you can look at the message of Christ crucified two ways you can look at it through the lens of Mankind's mankind, wisdom, whatever generation you might be in or you can look at it through the lens of God's wisdom revealed in Jesus Christ. What does the text say? If you look at the message of the cross through man's Wisdom, the message of the Cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, why

Because the Greeks the Gentiles seek human wisdom as an end goal. They seek human wisdom as sophisticated knowledge, as an intellectual achievement as cleverness. Someone mentioned me a few years ago, they said why do universities in in America just go further and further and further to the left, why don't they ever shipped back around? And I said, well, the answer from 1st Corinthians 1 is because universities make human wisdom, the idol. And whoever is most clever or most unique or most Innovative in their field of study, is it is elevated to a position.

The Jews wanted signs. They wanted proof of God's unique stamp on their human categories. And Jesus did a sign at the wedding in Cana, and Nicodemus came to him and said, Lord, we know that you were, you are from God because no one could do the signs that you were doing unless God is with him.

But they demanded signs. They demanded signs that conform to their already pre-existing categories.

Buy human wisdom in their calculation. Jesus was a misguided Rabbi an anti-establishment teacher who tried to bring change and failed. but the world did not know God through wisdom, through human wisdom and never could

But if you look at the message of the cross through God's wisdom, the message of the Cross is power. It is life, it is righteousness and sanctification which means new hearts and change lives, it pleased, God to make the gospel message simple enough, that a child can grasp it by faith and deep enough that a theologian can never exhaust all of its facets. The dealer did Carl. Bart was asked, at the end of his life. What is the most most important truth that you learned theologically?

Jesus loves me this. I know for the Bible tells me so was his reply. The message of the cross. Is simple enough that a child can understand it and deep enough that a theologian cannot exhaust its riches that Christ Jesus through his life. Death and Resurrection became wisdom from God through work God. Working out his Plan of Salvation in Christ, the Christian sees the Magnificent Glory of God's infinite wisdom,

so then of in Ephesians chapter 3, notice what it says, here about God, revealing his wisdom through salvation.

He says I was given this grace to preach to the Gentiles The unsearchable Riches of Christ and to bring to light for everyone that is Jew and Gentile All Nations. What is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God? Who created all things?

so that through the church, the manifold wisdom of God, might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the Heavenly places, This was according to the Eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ. Jesus our lord so through the message of the Cross and the riches of Christ, the mystery that was not revealed in the Old Testament but now is fully revealed The powers and authorities, rulers and authorities in Heavenly places that Angels even look upon God's Plan of Salvation and our and our marveled. Because Angels don't have free will like you is to do, they don't have the ability to make willing choices the book. A book of it's either first or second Peter explains, the gospel message, and it says Angels long to look into these things. Angels are amazed how God brought about his Plan of Salvation, choosing the weak, things of the world, to shame the wise.

Did the did the the rulers and authorities in Heavenly places are watching the church. And through the church both Jew and Gentile, both all ethnicities, all people from every tribe and tongue and Nation. The manifold wisdom of God, the many-faceted variegated, many colored wisdom of God. We the word means many color. We we think of many color we think of the the the lgbtq flag and all that know, the variegated color colors of God's wisdom. Throughout all the nations of the Earth are being made known to the angels through the church.

This was according to the Eternal purpose that God has realized in Christ Jesus. Our lord.

Amazing. Love. How can it be that you my king would die for me?

The message of the cross. Is that God has given his life for you so that you would have not only eternal life. But new life now. The most of us when we, when we are Christians for a while, we think we'll have any. Yeah, that's going to be great. Eternal life. That's going to be great. But God what it, what do I get out of it now?

That's not the right question. God was in what ways can I give you glory now. Not what? Do I get out of it? Now,

Let's turn back to God and remember his wonderful amazing grace that saved. Sinners Like Us.

And that preserves us and strengthens us by his Holy Spirit. What has God promised? Let me just close with this. What has God promised? We always question God in times of trial. What is he promised God has not promised Skies. Always blue, flowers strewn Pathways all our lives through God has not promised Sun Without Rain Joy, without sorrow or peace without pain. God has promised strength for the day, rest for the labor light, for the way. God has promised Grace for the trials. Help from above unfailing sympathy. An Undying Love. Let's pray.