Living by Faith: Wisdom

Welcome to Delight in Grace, the teaching ministry of Rich Powell, pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. Living by faith means walking in wisdom. Psalm 37, 30-31 tells us that the righteous speak wisdom and that the law of their God is in their hearts. The truth of His word captivates our hearts, yes, but it doesn't stop there.

We speak it. We share it with those around us. See, part of following Jesus is helping others follow Jesus. What a joyous calling we've been given to strengthen and encourage others with the very truth God has used to bolster our own souls. This is part three of a message that was first preached on March 24, 2019 at Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. It's part of the series titled Living by Faith. If you want to hear more messages from the series, you can visit www.delightingrace.com. The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom.

I like what C.H. Spurgeon said about this. He said, a man's tongue is no ill index of his character. Now that's flowery 19th century English. Let me give you the Rich Powell 21st translation of that.

Ready? The mouth is the exhaust system of the heart. This is what Jesus said. He didn't use those terms, but that's what he said. It's not what goes into a man that defiles him. You see, that's how we can measure spirituality, right? Well, you should be eating or drinking that because Christians don't do that.

It's not what the Bible says. What did Jesus say? It is what comes out of a person that defiles him because the mouth is the exhaust system of the heart. What's coming out of your mouth, giving yourself, given a particular situation, put yourself in a stressful situation, something that kicks your can. What comes out of the can? It's what's ever in the can.

Mouth is the exhaust system of the heart. Is it wisdom when you get kicked? Is it wisdom that comes out? Only if verse 31 is true about your life, the law of his God is in his heart and his steps do not slip. Your life is then able to communicate God's truth, God's thoughts and God's ways. Why is this so important?

Because you're not given life and wisdom and the Word of God to inform you, just for your own life. You are here to glorify him. What does glorifying him mean?

It means pointing people to him. So part of following Jesus is helping others follow Jesus. Christians, you hear me on this? Part of following Jesus is helping others follow Jesus. That's why we have gifts.

And that's why we're expecting you. And they're spiritual gifts. And we are expected as Christians to employ them because part of following Jesus is helping others follow Jesus. That's a life of wisdom. In that strain, Paul said, imitate me as I imitate Christ, because he had established steps. So this is living by faith.

That's what it looks like. God's law in your heart, the established steps in his steps that he has left for us, the Word of God informing and transforming, and therefore I take intentional steps to pursue what I desire because my desires have been informed and transformed by God's self-disclosure. And when I do that, that is a skillful life. That's wisdom. And if that is true, then my life becomes a life of influence. That's the whole point of wisdom, isn't it?

Influence. It says his tongue speaks justice. His tongue speaks justice.

That word justice means sound judgment. It is the message of your life. The message of your life is true and helpful. The message of your life is one of grace and compassion, because you have been a recipient of grace. You are then a dispenser of God's grace. Grace and compassion, where we follow in the steps of Christ.

And that is the message of your life. It's living in the outflow of the love that God has poured into your heart. It's living in the outflow of the love that God has poured into your heart. Because, as the Apostle Paul told Timothy, 1 Timothy 1.7, God has not given us the spirit of fear. That word fear can be translated timidity. In Christ, with his law in our hearts, informing and transforming our thoughts and our desires, and then we take the intentional steps according to the desires that God has given us through his self-disclosure. Those us who are in our hearts those established steps, that skillful life of wisdom becomes a life of influence. God did not give that to us with a spirit of fear.

It's not something to be timid about. That's why I'm teaching this seminar on scientism, because all the time people are pulling the science card. Well, science has disproven God. Science has showed us we don't need God. Nothing can be farther from the truth. And yet how many times do Christians cower when somebody pulls that kind of a science card? It's false.

That's not a scientific statement. God has not given us the spirit of fear. We're not in Christ.

We're not timid. But he's given us a spirit of power and of love and a sound mind. And that word spirit there, he's speaking of the inner person. That inner person, the regenerate man, the new man in Christ.

The spirit of what? Power, love and a sound mind. Power is ability.

Love is attraction. And a sound mind is authority. That self-discipline, that self-leadership that I can speak from the authority of a transformed life.

I'm not just out there touting my opinion. This is a life of wisdom. This is what a life of faith looks like.

It is a life of wisdom and a life of influence. So Proverbs 2 verses 6 to 11. These were the verses that were read earlier. I want us to read this together. Relish these words, will you? And I encourage you. This is one of the passages that I have memorized.

I encourage you to do the same. Let's read this together. For the Lord gives wisdom. From his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

He stores up sound wisdom for the upright. He is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints. Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path. For wisdom will come into your heart and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.

Discretion will watch over you. Understanding will guard you. That's a life of wisdom. That is living by faith.

Why? Because of the very first verse up there, verse 6, the Lord gives wisdom from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. Faith is not a leap in the dark. It is knowing what God has said and entrusting yourself to it. That's not a leap in the dark. That is a firm, fixed, immovable foundation.

And that leads to a life of wisdom, of influence. If you ever go to San Francisco, let me tell you the safest place to be. You want to know what the safest place is in San Francisco? It's the Golden Gate Bridge. You say, well, I'm afraid of heights and I'm also afraid of deep water and I'm also afraid of hanging bridges.

This is the safest place to be. The Golden Gate Bridge is a marvel of cantilever and suspension construction. Let me read to you something that describes it. Every bit of concrete, pavement, and every bit of steel in that entire bridge, all of it relates one piece to another. Every piece of metal in that bridge finally relates to two giant cables that finally come up to two great piers that go down into bedrock and two anchors out on each side. That's the genius of a suspension bridge. Every single piece of metal, every single piece of concrete is, listen to this, I didn't write this, listen to this.

Let me start that sentence over. That's the genius of a suspension bridge. Every single piece of metal, every single piece of concrete is preoccupied with its foundation and it's satisfied with the foundation. Now that sounds like something I would say, doesn't it? But I didn't write that. Every bit of that bridge is connected to the foundation and it's satisfied in the foundation.

Do you know what that is? That's living by faith. That is a life of wisdom.

That's the safest place in all of San Francisco right there. And so it will be in your life. What are you building your life upon? I hope your faith is not a leap in the dark because you're going to come out bruised and battered if that's the case. This is a life of faith, a life of wisdom. The law of his God is in his heart and his steps do not slip.

The righteous man utters wisdom and his tongue speaks justice. Maybe you need to make an assessment this morning looking into your life and you might as well because you know what? God knows every bit of your heart.

There's not anything he doesn't know but he wants you to say the same thing. That word is confess. Is there an element of your life that is not connected to the foundation because you think you know better? Now that's just completely unreasonable, isn't it? That would be like detaching one of those major cables up there, wouldn't it?

That does make a lot of sense. God through his Spirit is speaking to you this morning as we've unpacked the word of God. Is there a part of your life that is not connected to the foundation? Are you dissatisfied? What dissatisfaction do you have in your life? It has something to do with what you have at the foundation of your life. Think about that. You've been listening to Rich Powell, the lead pastor at Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. The Delight in Grace mission is to help you know that God designed you to realize your highest good and your deepest satisfaction in him, the one who is infinitely good. We hope you'll join us again on weekdays at 10 a.m.