~Open in prayer~
Icebreaker
• Pancakes or waffles?
• What is your favorite meal of the day between breakfast, lunch, and dinner? Why?
• What is the definition of wisdom to you?
Message Review
The Bible says if any man lacks wisdom, let him ask of God who gives generously. In this new sermon series called Wisdom Society, we are going to learn about wisdom, a very practical teaching. It is possible to be highlighted as intellectual and still not have a lick of wisdom. People that are wise know how to move their life forward. Just because you have accumulated a great amount of knowledge and are intellectual, does not mean you know how to use what you have. Therefore, we are going to discuss topics like wisdom, discipline, mission, purpose, and vision. It is important to talk about these things because once you deal with difficult topics like curses, yolks, and strongholds, you become free. Which we are not always sure of the next steps. Practical things are spiritual things. Wisdom is practical but when it comes down to it, it is important to be familiar with the Book of Proverbs. I encourage you to read it because Proverbs is the wisdom of God and that means understanding how God thinks. There are three personality types in the Book of Proverbs: the simple, the scorner, and the fool. Hopefully, you do not find yourself in one of those descriptions. Let’s look deeper into this!
Let’s Talk About It!
1 Corinthians 6:12
“All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.” When it comes to your relationship with God, you are on your own and the law is no longer against you. In other words, you don’t need to tempt God with your sin, but God is not trying to chase you down to punish you. If you mess up, there is no law that is anymore against you because Jesus has fulfilled the law. You are now inside of Him. All things are lawful, but not all things are beneficial. All things are lawful, but not all things edify. The word helpful from the passage means to bring together and edify means to build up. I can go out and do what I want to, and God will not cast me aside. However, it may not bring the pieces of my life together and it may not propel me into a forward motion. Let’s go higher than just saying it is right or wrong? Now we need to ask ourselves, is it wise for me to participate?
There are things we can’t do to be us. There are things that Ron Carpenter cannot participate in, not because they are wrong, but because I cannot do it and be me. There are relationships I can’t have, there are people I can’t run with. I have removed myself from so many circles, not because the people are bad, but I can’t have those relationships and go where I need to go. So, I have to make a wise decision because they are not going where I am going, and I refuse to compromise my future to have a friend.
Think about it. Is it wrong for you to date that guy? No. Is it helpful? No. Activities, people, relationships, things; there’s things I can’t do or have to make decisions on.
Habakkuk 2:1-3
“Then the Lord answered me and said: “Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it.” Let me tell you how vision works. When you begin a vision, you have to defend it. When you have accomplished a vision, it will defend you. You speak at the beginning; it speaks at the end. Wisdom is defined by Ron Carpenter as two things: wisdom is the ability to know difference. It is also the ability to recognize an opportunity, a moment that needs to be seized because it may never come back around again.
Wisdom is the ability to apply knowledge. Take the C student that can apply what he knows over the A student that can work for them every time because of intellect and not wisdom. Solomon was the wisest man on the earth and the Book of Proverbs is the wisdom of God written by King Solomon. Wisdom is knowing the difference. At our marriage conferences, I have a section where I take this principle and go in depth. Nature always determines behaviors. In other words, if you know the nature and understand the nature of a thing, it’s behavior will never surprise you. Babies cry, if you understand that they can’t communicate and that the nature of a baby is for them to cry; it will not surprise you. I don’t expect a dog to act like a cat. Dogs want to be pet all the time while cats choose when to let you pet them. Wisdom knows difference and to be able to tell the difference it’s in people, time, moment.
Share an example of a time where you used wisdom and it saved you from a significant consequence.
Purpose is the original intent for which a thing we created. It is the journey and hunt of all humanity of why I am here. After purpose you have mission, mission is the strategy by which purpose will be accomplished. Wise people can move from number one to number two. They know what God wants and they know how to set a course. For every vision there is a vehicle. If I’m going across town, I better have a car. If I’m going across the nation, I better have a plane. If I’m going across the ocean, I better have a boat. So, what vehicle do you have to build to fulfil your purpose? Most people don’t know how to build what’s going to take them from A to B!
You go from purpose to mission then to vision. Vision is the unique part that you play that only you can fulfil in the Earth. It’s the picture that God gives you on the inside of how your purpose will be accomplished. This is important because Habakkuk comes on the scene and he doesn’t talk about prophecy and end times. God starts talking to him about vision. In Habakkuk 2:2 it says to write the vision down and make it plain.
Two things will have to come to your vision, or you will never see it. Your vision will remain a pipe dream in your mind when you lay down at night and stare at the ceiling. If you don’t have resources and people. One thing about destiny is that you will not ride there alone. If you don’t have money and people; you’ll die with your dream still in you. Make vision plain, we do this by writing it down, that they who read it may run with it. So that verse tells us that God has already preassigned people to show up in your life the moment that the vision becomes plain on the inside of you. God already had people assigned to enter your life and to exit your life. We get offended, hurt, even heartbroken over the people that exit, but you don’t understand that their exiting was just as much the will of God as their entrance.
Because there are two kind of relationships, there is the building and the scaffolding. When they were getting these beams in place, they erected scaffolding. The scaffolding was there to help get the permanent structure in place. But after the permanent structures in place, they take the scaffolding down and some of us don’t understand that’s the way that God works relationships. There are a few people in our life that are part of the permanent structure. But there will be many people that will enter and exit because they are there for certain point to run with you and help you get into certain place and then they are to exit gracefully just like they entered. Then you’ll be left with a few friends that are the permanent structure of your life. Stop mourning the people that exited that God never intended to go the distance with you!
Share a time where you didn’t use wisdom and there was a consequence because of it.
How will you make wiser decisions concerning your relationships and situations ?
Prayer Focus and Requests
Ask your members if they have any prayer requests or praise reports. Encourage one another to stir up your faith and pray BIG prayers this week and expect God to blow your mind with His answers.