Wisdom's Final Call | Part 2

From the Love Word Finding studios in Memphis, Tennessee, I'm Byron Tyler, here with Kerry Vaughn, the CEO of Love Word Finding. Kerry, we began a series yesterday, A Word to the Wise, these messages from Adrian Rogers, all from the Book of Proverbs. All from the Book of Proverbs, a word to the wise is, ask for wisdom.

Right? We have not because we ask not. Yeah, you know, some might get confused between wisdom and common sense.

What's the difference? Adrian Rogers had this to say. Adrian Rogers said that the voice of wisdom is truly the voice of God. So when wisdom speaks, guess what? God speaks.

Well, that's so true, Kerry. And as we start off our message today, part two, wisdom's final call with Adrian Rogers. And wisdom is perhaps the most important virtue, so much so there is a deadline to obtain it before each of us. You know, one of these days, God will issue his final call for wisdom. And that's seen in Proverbs chapter 1, verses 20 through 33. And I mean, this is some really practical things that we can apply to our daily walk with Christ. Right. If we ask for it, right, it's there for the taking.

But many times we need to scoot ourselves up to the table and partake. Kerry, when we talk about wisdom, sometimes it comes to our minds as something so far off or mystical or hard to attain. Adrian Rogers was in the studio and he was asked the question, is wisdom hard to attain?

And this is what he had to say. No, but the sad thing is that so many people do not have wisdom when it is not hard to attain. As a matter of fact, one of the unqualified promises in the Word of God is this, that if we lack wisdom, we can ask God and God will not scold us for asking, but that he will indeed give us wisdom. You know, Byron, I was around the gospel my entire life, but it wasn't until I came under the teaching preaching of Dr. Adrian Rogers that I began to see, right, God's Word lived out in real form. And I remember Dr. Rogers said, the only way you're going to know the truth of God's Word is for the Holy Spirit to turn the light on in your sin darkened soul.

That's where I was. And when I came under the teaching of the Word of God and saw it come to life, it was like somebody turned the light on for the first time. Well, back for us again this week is Nicole from Ministry Services doing a great job with the team. Nicole, Ministry Services, I mean, you guys get to receive all of the letters, not only here in the United States, from all around the world when people respond to love we're finding. We absolutely do, Byron, and thank you. It is great to be back in the studio with you today and to share another testimony. Our listeners not only encourage us when they write in, but they bless us as well with their heartfelt words and kindness.

And this listener wrote in and said, I try to catch your broadcast daily because it's always a blessing. Adrian has been my favorite preacher for many years and I only wish I could contribute more to support the ministry. You know, Byron, we hear that statement so often shared with us how Adrian is a person's favorite preacher or teacher even.

And I too would just like to echo that statement that he is a favorite of mine as well. And what I regularly learn from Dr. Rogers teachings just helps me to be able to mine for the nuggets of truth on my own. And therefore, when I lack wisdom that you're talking about, then I too know the one to go to and ask for it. Oh, Nicole, that is so rich, Gary.

It's great. And I think to play off of that, if we honor the wisdom, we honor God. And that's what we desire to do, right, is to truly honor Him. And we do that through wisdom. Well, with today's message, Wisdom's Final Call, Part 2, here's Adrian Rogers. In this passage of scripture, wisdom is spoken of as a person. That is, wisdom has been personified. Now, what you need to learn today is that the voice of wisdom is the voice of God. When wisdom speaks, God speaks. The authority of wisdom is the authority of God. The invitation of wisdom is the invitation of God. The warning of wisdom is the warning of God. To neglect wisdom is to neglect God. To honor wisdom is to honor God. The blessings of wisdom are the blessings of God. So it is wisdom that is speaking to you today, and it is God speaking to you today. First of all, I want you to see something of the invitation of wisdom. Wisdom is here giving an invitation, calling to people. Begin in verse 20, and you're going to see that wisdom's invitation is a public invitation. Notice here in verse 20.

Wisdom crieth without. She uttereth her voice in the streets. She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates.

In the city, she uttereth her words. Now, what does all of this tell us? It tells us that the invitation of wisdom is a public invitation, not just to a chosen few, but God loves all people, and wisdom speaks to all people, and the voice of the Bible is whosoever will may come. It is a public invitation. Secondly, look at it.

It is a pressing invitation. Look in verse 20. Wisdom crieth without. Look in verse 21. She crieth in the chief place of concourse. That is, wisdom is not lackadaisical about this thing.

It's not a take it or leave it type of attitude. Wisdom is speaking with a tear in her voice. There's a sense of urgency. There's a sense of emergency. Wisdom is pressing her invitation. She's lifting up her voice.

She's crying. And how well we ought to do that. Some people don't like to go to a church where there's a public invitation. They say, I just don't believe in that urging people to get right with God.

Well, I want to tell you I do. The apostle Paul says, knowing the terror of the Lord, we persuade men, and God's public invitation is also a pressing invitation. Wisdom crieth. I'm so glad that when Adam was there in the Garden of Eden, that God came seeking Adam with a tear in his voice, and he said, Adam, where art thou?

It wasn't the voice of a detective. It was the voice of a brokenhearted God. I want to say something else about Wisdom's invitation.

Not only is it a public invitation, not only is it a pressing invitation, it is a patient invitation. Look, if you will, in verse 22. How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? And the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge. It is amazing that he would speak, that Wisdom would stretch forth her hands, but notice she continues to do it. Ah, but there's a second thing I would have you see today, and not only is that Wisdom's invitation, but I want you to see Wisdom's indoctrination. Because there's some who are saying in their mind, well, Mr. Rogers, I can't help it if I don't understand your Bible. I can't help it if these things don't mean something to me. It's not my fault if I don't have this Wisdom. I wasn't born with it.

Perhaps I don't have the gift. I want to show you that if you want God's Wisdom, you can have it, because God will indoctrinate you with his Wisdom. If you get yourself in the place where God can speak to you, I want you to look, if you will, in verse 23. Here's God's challenge.

Look at it. Turn you at my reproof. Behold, I will pour out my Spirit unto you. I will make known my words unto you.

Now, do you want to know how to know Wisdom? Number one, turn you at my reproof, the repentance of the sinner. Do you know what the word turn means? It means repent. Do you know what repent means?

It means to change your mind. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord and to his God, and he will have mercy upon him and will abundantly pardon. If we forsake our ways and our thoughts, then we'll have God's thoughts and God's Wisdom. But there must be a point of repentance. Now listen, you, my dear friend, are not going to learn anything from God until you're willing to repent. And don't blame God if you don't repent. Wisdom says you must turn. And even if God were to speak to you, you couldn't hear it if you did not repent.

You couldn't hear it. I tell you, if God were to give you Wisdom, it would be like pouring water on a rock. You must prepare your heart to hear the word of God, and there must be, there must be, there must be the repentance of the sinner that makes Jesus Christ Lord. Then there will be the revelation of the Spirit. Verse 23, and I will pour out my Spirit unto you and make known my words unto you. This book that I hold is the word of God, and it contains the words of God. Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

You want Wisdom? Folks, this is God's Wisdom book. And when there's the repentance of the sinner, there will be the revelation of the Spirit, and there will be in your hand the reliability of the Scripture.

Look in chapter 2, verse 6. For the Lord giveth Wisdom. Out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. He layeth up sound Wisdom for the righteous. The entrance of thy word, O Lord, giveth light.

And how wonderful it is when God the Holy Spirit takes the repentant sinner, pours himself upon that sinner, opens the word of God, and gives the knowledge from the word of God where we have God's knowledge. Don't you tell me, friend, that you can't have Wisdom. Don't you tell me that God cannot give you Wisdom. He can. He does.

He will. First is the invitation of the Spirit. And along with the invitation of the Spirit is the indoctrination of the Spirit for where God calls, God enables. Hallelujah. Praise the Lord.

Glory to God. Now the third thing I want you to see, however, is not only Wisdom's invitation and not only Wisdom's indoctrination, but I want you to see Wisdom's indignation. Did you know that God may become indignant? Have you ever thought of God as being indignant? I did a Scripture search the other day, and I was overwhelmed with the passages that deal with the fact that the great God of heaven, when his holiness and his majesty is insulted, may become indignant.

Let me give you just two of them. In Nahum chapter 1 and verse 6, the Bible asks this question, Who can stand before his indignation? Who can stand before his indignation? The answer is obvious.

No one can. Hebrews chapter 10 verse 27 speaks of a fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries. Well, why would God become indignant? Why does Wisdom become indignant?

I'll tell you why. Verse 24 begins with this, Because I have called and ye refused. I have stretched out my hand and no man regarded, but ye have said it not all my counsel, and would none of my reproof.

Now, here's why Wisdom is indignant. Because the call of Wisdom, the invitation of Wisdom, that public invitation, that pressing invitation, that patient invitation is time and time and time again swept aside, and there comes a time when invitation turns to indignation as we're going to see. But I want to just say right here while I'm in the area, you can refuse the call of God.

You can refuse the call of God. There's a theology today out, hyper-Calvinism, that says that Jesus just died for the elect. He only died for a certain few, and there's certain people who are destined to be saved, and there's certain people who are destined to be lost, and if you're one of those destined to be saved, you're going to be saved no matter what, and if you're one of those that are destined to be lost, you're going to be lost no matter what, and they call that limited atonement and irresistible grace. That is, he only died for a certain few, but when he calls those few, they will come. It's absolutely irresistible.

You can't help yourself. When he calls, you'll come, and if he doesn't call, you can't come, and so therefore some are born to go to heaven and some are born to go to hell. Don't you believe it?

It's a lie. The Lord is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. There is not an irresistible call. Man may resist if he wants. Look again at this scripture, because I have called, and ye refuse.

I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded. God calls. He wants everyone saved. The Lord is not willing that any should perish. Christ is that light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but for the sins of the whole world, and I am infinitely, everlastingly glad that I can stand in this pulpit and say whosoever will may come. God loves you. Christ died for you, and you can be saved today, but not only my dear friend can you choose him today, you can refuse him today, and he can call, and you can refuse, and you can say no, and you can so spurn his offer of love and so trample beneath your feet his precious blood that that invitation will turn to indignation. Because I've called, he says, and ye refuse.

I've stretched out my hand, and no man regarded, but you've said it, not all my counsel, and would none of my reproof. I see the Lord Jesus on the Mount of Olives. He's looking down over the city of Jerusalem. Matthew chapter 23 tells about it. The great salty tears are coursing down his cheeks.

His hands are outstretched. He's saying, oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how off would I have gathered thee even as a hen getteth her chicks, but ye would not. Therefore, your house is left desolate. I would, but ye would not. I would, but ye would not, and I tell you, he will today. He stretches out his hands to you, and he calls you today, and he invites you today, but I tell you that God has given you the privilege to choose him or to refuse him, but one day, one day, invitation turns to indignation, the mocking, the derision of the sinner. Look, if you will, in verse 24.

Because I have called and ye refused, I stretched out my hand, and no man regarded, but you've said it, not all my counsel, and would none of my reproof. Now watch verse 26. I also will laugh at your calamity. I will mock when your fear cometh. Wisdom laughs at the sinner. Wisdom mocks the sinner. You see, people have laughed at God. People have mocked God's wisdom, but there's coming a time when the mocker shall be mocked.

There's coming a time when the scorner shall be scorned. As Psalm chapter 2 says, the Lord will have them in derision. Now why does God laugh? Why does God laugh at their calamity? Why is wisdom from God laughing and mocking these sinners?

They're reaping what they've sowed. Whatever a man sows, that shall he reap. If you sow mocking, you will reap mocking. If you sow derision, you will reap derision.

If you mock wisdom, wisdom will mock you. It is not because God thinks it's funny. There's no humor here, not any humor, whatever. This is the laughter of absurdity. It is the laughter of irony. It is the laughter of derision. It is the fool receiving back upon his head that which is his just and due dessert. But not only will there be the derision of the sinner, there will also be the desolation of the sinner. Look in verse 27. When your fear cometh as desolation. That word desolation is one of the saddest words in the Bible. You know what it means?

It means simply to be left alone. Did you know that the time may come when God will leave you alone? Did you know the time may come that you can be so oblivious to his call that you can be sitting there in the waiting room at the gate and the airplane will take off without you? Just sitting right there and no one will speak to you?

No one will tap you on the shoulder and say the plane just left? I mean, it's over. The last call has been ushered and issued forth and there will be no other call. You're desolate.

The house is left unto you desolate. No longer will God's voice be heard and be calling. No longer will God's hands be outstretched. You say, would that ever happen?

Yes. God has said in Genesis chapter 6 and verse 3, my spirit will not always strive with a man. I want to tell you God loves you. I want to tell you that God is patient, but there comes an end to the patience of God. One day you may say no wants too many to God and no longer will he stretch out his hand.

No longer will he lift up his voice. No longer will you hear the invitation of wisdom. First of all, there is derision and then there is desolation and following that as night follows day is destruction. Notice in verse 27, when your fear cometh as desolation your destruction cometh as a whirlwind. That is, as a cyclone, as a tornado, whirling, churning, biting, blasting, devastating. Who can argue with a tornado?

Who can stand against a tornado and ride at the vortex right at the tip his unbelievable destructive power? God has used that as an illustration of his righteous judgment. First there's the derision of the sinner, then the desolation of the sinner, then the destruction of the sinner as the simple is swept away and the scorner is swept away and the fool is swept away and judgment falls upon him. That of course will bring us to the desperation of the sinner. Look, if you will, in verse 28. Then shall they call upon me, when?

When the tornado strikes. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer. Then shall they seek me early, but they shall not find me for that they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord. They would none of my counsel.

They despised all of my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way and be filled with their own devices. There's coming a time when lost sinners will stand before the judgment bar of God and cry out, Oh God, have mercy. It'll be too late. If you want mercy, you may have it. If you want forgiveness, you may have it. If you want grace, you may have it, but now is the day of grace. Now is the day of mercy.

Now is the day of forgiveness. Wisdom stretches forth her hands. Wisdom lifts up her voice. Wisdom calls in the public places. Wisdom says, I will pour out my spirit upon you. I will repent, I will, but if you won't, there's coming a time when you call upon me and I'll not answer you.

There's a deadline. Wisdom makes her final call. Listen to me, friend. If you say no to the God of grace, one day the God of judgment will say no to you.

That's what I'm saying. If you say no to the God of grace, one day the God of judgment will say no to you. It is not that God is not forgiving. It is not that God will not save those who call upon him, but you must do it in this dispensation. When judgment begins, when the judgment of God has come, when the tornado of destruction has touched down, then it is too late, too late to call upon him.

I want to tell you, ladies and gentlemen, this is a fearful thing. One of these days he's going to call his last call. One of these days he's going to cry his last tear. One of these days the last invitation will be given and the righteousness and mercy and forgiveness will give way to wrath and judgment and God who is indignant over his love that has been spurned so many times. You say, well, I just don't see how a God of love can do that. Friend, a God of love doesn't do that. Look, if you will, right here and see what happens in verse 31. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way and be filled with their own devices. God doesn't do it.

You do it. If this happens to you, not only because you could not be saved, it was because you would not be saved. And the fruit that you eat will be from the trees that you have planted and cultivated, my friend. And what is coming to you is nothing more, nothing less than God's law in Galatians chapter 5, verses 6 and 7, be not deceived, for God is not mocked. For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

They will eat of the fruit of their own devices. How God loves you. Jesus Christ died in agony and blood to save you.

There is. There is wisdom's invitation and wisdom stretches forth her hands. Wisdom lifts up her voice. Wisdom pleads and says, come to me. I'll pour out my Spirit upon you. I'll open my word to you. You'll know the things of God. But there's also wisdom's indignation. One of these days you may find yourself in a church in the very waiting room of the gate to glory and the last plane for heaven will have gone and you'll be left behind.

You missed God's final call. Well, as you've listened today, perhaps you have questions regarding how to place your faith fully in Jesus Christ. We'd love to offer an insightful resource on our website.

It's the Find Answers page. There you'll find resources and materials that will answer questions you may have about your relationship with God. We also want to invite you to check out our Grow Your Faith page where you can get grounded and dig deeper in your faith. Simply go to lwf.org slash radio and click the tab that says Grow Your Faith or Find Answers. We can't wait to hear from you today. Have you accepted the invitation of wisdom? Today's the day to repent and be filled with the Spirit of God. We hope you'll join us next time for more timeless truth from Adrian Rogers right here on Love Worth Finding.