There's a wisdom in the earth and we'll do a wisdom series But this is coming out of the earth I was talking about the earth because we have in the book of Obadiah and Obadiah is about Edom and Which is Esau and I told you tell you about that's the one that it said that God hated Esau and loved Jacob. And this was a predetermined thing before either was born. So we would expect to look throughout the Bible of characteristics and traits and things. Why or what constitutes a person. that god hates a thing god hates about a person not that either one of them had did anything this was a arbitrary selection of god this shows the sovereignty of god that he chooses who he want and that he chose jacob and it wasn't anything to do with jacob it didn't have anything at all to do with what people he was with what anything of jacob himself so he couldn't bring this or give this gift to himself But Esau is a picture, I tell you, of the natural man. This man is continuing on, and it's not just Edom, Esau, but it's man in his natural state. That's the man of his own self, that when he partaken of the tree of good and evil, that he developed the wisdom of this world, earthly wisdom. Wisdom that was natural that was away from God. I was talking earlier brother Before we started say that he was in the book of first Corinthians And I know he's got to the second chapter of it yet or not, but when Paul came to the people in Corinthians When he came to Corinth, he told the Corinthians because they were puffed up. Knowledge had puffed them up. And that's what puffs this generation up that we in. These are the Esau's of this latter day. This is Edom. And especially it's rooted here in the western Hemisphere with the Western society because we're more given to pride of what we know of knowledge and thing and the Bible said knowledge puffing it up Because you could have knowledge without wisdom And this knowledge of the world is very dangerous because it's earthly and it's sensual. That's why Paul didn't even use, when he said he came to the Corinthians in 2nd Corinthians, 2nd chapter 1-2 I think, or 1-2-3, he says, And brethren, when I came to you, I came not with excellency of speech, like a good orator or a good preacher or something, but with wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God." So he didn't use either one of those, and in fact, they were very critical of Paul. They were very critical of Paul. That was the church that he told that when he was reprimanded that he was going to have to come and show his apostleship to him if need be because that letter was all of rebuke, one of the letters of all rebuke. It wasn't good, much good said in the letter. So he says, I determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified, and I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not when enticing words of man's wisdom, but in the demonstration of the spirit and power." That's what's tripping up the generation today. That's what has about the budget battle, the deficit, that's what's going on in the world, is worldly wisdom. And they're trying to show how much they know it is plunging the nation, it is plunging the world into tribulation that the world is not going to come out of this. That's why I say it's probably entering into the great tribulation here because it is not coming out of it because you have to destroy this generation. You have to destroy this latest generation because it is the most wicked one of all and man's wisdom calls that because they want to be as gods. they want to be like god they want to have that power over one another and it's the younger people and mostly that's why a lot of times when the failure of the son or the failure of the children you see in the book of proverbs which is another book of wisdom and I had a whole lot out of proverbs to bring you tonight but I didn't get it all I couldn't bunch it all in here or whatever so we may do two lessons on this But what it is, he says, about the foolish son, about the son going wayward, mostly blame the mother for it. And it was a shame because the father, if it was a true father, now we know the majority of the failures on the man. because of a family fail that's people come to that's we came here because like i said what we're dealing with we mean and that's what god notice and we went over series about scared me and and me and that won't stand up and then that won't won't come up to the expectation they should i got up one of the things i have been here uh... notes for this week is inside politics thing from that advocate was in this week's paper, last week's paper, ex-governor wants to meet with Jindal, former governor, Buddy Romo, and one of them has died, Dave Treen has died, but Edward Edwards wasn't there then, but now he's back out, but him, Kathleen Blanco, Mike Foster, they had had this conversation with Jindal before, But they're trying to tell them, see, because the state is all but destroyed. It's not coming back for Louisiana. It probably is no return for Louisiana. It's all but gone. It's all but gone. And it's because, like I said, you're seeing that religion got tied up with politics here in Louisiana. They're trying to pull it back over the cliff because, like I say, it's a young governor and these people, the young people, don't have compassion for people. They're covetous, they're self-centered, and they know everything. but they're not as wise as the older generation which was able to give us social security and medicare all these things were able to get along but all they know is about is fighting and how much money each one of them could sack off for themselves it's all for themselves it's oppressed the poor using intellect using man's wisdom But when you do that, what you're doing is, you're storing up wrath, as the book of Romans says, you read Romans also? It says that you're storing up wrath for the day of, God's day of wrath. Because what you're doing, this oppression becomes a circle, and now you have to keep on stealing and pinching and going on. You pinch the money from education, you pinch it from one-time monies, you pinch it from health care and everything. So with that oppression, it starts a vicious cycle that you aren't able to stop. And the state has gone over that abyss. They probably won't come back from over that abyss, not in this state, because one of the first things he did, he got rid of the Stanley Plan, so that disrupted most of the revenue coming in. And if you don't have any revenue, where is it going to come? It has to come from the people then, because God told you that the kingdom was going to be necessary for him to tax the people because that's the way government has to operate to help all the people. God is the authority behind government, so if a person is trying to fight against government and destroy government, what are they doing? Trying to destroy God. They're creating anarchy. and that's what this whole thing is about not only statewide but nationally in each one of the young people they're trying how best to destroy because that what gets them popularity uh... one of the senators now both these rose scholars our governor and our senator and he the senator now this is the one caught in prostitution he will get up and call the majority leader of the senate that idiot what kind of example does that set for our young people you're not respecting the reverence authority when you don't do that you know reverence is respecting god uh... led to uh... maryland drew benjamin mitchell andrew and that they say what that wasn't called for and that uh... reed has done only came for the state in that you know that that's been there so that should be irrelevant and the they said you shouldn't use that that way in politics should be about that but you have these people voting against hurricane relief for the victims in New Jersey and New York or whatever. These are states that are always attacked by hurricanes themselves. These are states that are supposed to be the bible belt of the nation that voted against hurricane relief for a state completely wiped out. New Jersey, Connecticut, New York stabbed them in the back. this is what our society is coming for. Who can we elect? And mostly younger people, because younger people are more able to be corrupted. That's what Farron wanted to do. He said, well, look, why don't you go and just leave your children here, so that they can corrupt your children, because they can brainwash them easier. You can brainwash children and then older people easier, because a lot of older people are silly. They don't have good sense. You can catch some of the oldest people and they have programs out there for your literacy. They don't go to try to learn or read or understand or try to get something or better themselves. There's no reason for you to be illiterate at this time. There's too many free programs out there to stop that. But they are easy to fear and sway. So the very things that they sway them with are the very things that they nab them with, that they oppress them with. Because it's easy to be scared when you're ignorant. it's easy to fear what man's going to do because you're ignorant. That's the whole thing with gun violence now. It's because of ignorance. Those that are grabbing weapons and guns and things are ignorant and they're not secure in God. They're not secure in themselves. But it's mostly the ones that say they're Christians that do this. So, what we have to look at, Isaiah, the book of Isaiah in the third chapter, and God was telling this to I did a third chapter, he says, what all he was going to do to Judah. And he says, the captain of 50 and the honorable man and the counselor and the cunning artificer and the eloquent orator, he's going to get rid of all those people, the ones that thought that they were so smart and knew it all. I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them. That's why when you got a bill coming up or something really important, usually they take it out of the House of Representatives and allow the Senate to vote on it or something because we'd have went over the budget cliff if it wasn't for the older people in the Senate getting together and saying, look, we need to pay our bills. You know that one thing about your parents, say you got to pay for the bills that you didn't make. That's what the deficit is about, the budget deficit, is that these are bills you'd already made. You're saying you're not going to pay your bills. That's going to ruin your credit. Nobody else is going to want to deal with you if you don't pay your bills. But the young people say, let's not pay them. that's why you can't leave this to the house of representatives because as he said you will have young people you will have the ryan's the jindals the all of these tea parties that wanna let's shut government down let's shut government down That's no compassion. That's no way to run a company. That's why the Bible says, keep the unity of spirit, of the spirit. Follow peace as much as possible with all men. See, to be a leader, you have to look out for the benefit of all, of all the people, because you're supposed to legislate for all of the people. You know, it's going to be some fault of Christ or whatever. But these are the same people that the children and the fathers was chopping the wood while the mothers was offering up cakes to the Queen of Heaven or whatever. In other words, while the wives out Christmas shopping and getting the gifts and telling them all, let's do this for Easter, let's do this for Christmas, the men, all right, honey, let's go and do it or whatever. Well, the children see that you're not a man, so they sooner or later want to rise up and take over that house and lead because you're not doing a very good job of it. You whipped. You can't lead in the house of God because you can't rule your own house, so how can you rule the house of God? So you can't rule the nation that way. So that's how you have anarchy. That's how you have problems because the wisdom of man is natural and it's devilish and earthly. So he continues on to say why he was doing this. And he says, let's go to verse 10. It says, say ye to the righteous that it shall be well with him, for they shall eat the fruit of their doing. That's to the righteous. because he's entering in the law of sowing and reaping, because I told you in Zechariah that he lifts his two bands, beauty and grace. Common grace and the common things of God, God's going to take away during times of tribulation as he pours out the vials and empties the bowls of wrath upon the earth, but it's not going to do it to the righteous. So what he's saying, just like when did all the plagues in Egypt to Pharaoh, it didn't happen to the children of Israel. The darkness, none of the lights, none of that affected them. So it's going to affect the wicked. But he says, Woe unto the wicked, it shall be ill with him, for the reward of his hands shall be given to him. And as for my people, children are the oppressors. That's who's doing all the killing. That's who's oppressing them. That's who's taking away the programs. That's why what they do is, let me do as Farrah did, let me get the charter schools Steal the money from public education to put some of the children in private schools and charter schools, that's in the hands of the private owners, the ones that own the charter schools and things. That's taking money away from the state, the little money that the state is getting, and that they're not using devices to steal and break education. that then they take some of the people out and put them in charter schools. Where that's gonna work as a vice against them is that these children that they're taking out of public schools to give, put into the charter schools, they will corrupt some of their children in those schools. And your children, you know, and my children, because it happens with some of my, one of my grandkids or whatever, is in a Catholic school. Well, you gonna learn that doctrine. you will learn that whether it's a fiscal billion presbyterian whatever the chart because with their ignorance and thinking they could accomplish something by toppling the government he says will be under the wicket so what you think it is a device to get your sales reached in wealthy ourselves you put in the fox in the end houses along with that a lot of these children will corrupt your children who end up dating your children who end up doing these things to your children of the corrupt that's just it's a infiltration on both the ads that which you used to boring so one down was was that which brought you down that's that's how the irony of the bible works that which you try to use against somebody like payment tried to build the gathers to hang modicum i don't know if you don't want to get you dig a ditch you fall in a ditch it's our vengeance work it says and women rule over them oh my people they which lead thee cause thee to err and destroy the way of thine path the Lord standeth up to plead and standeth to judge this people the leaders are causing you to err off the path they have said it was in this which the paper that they will go cut out the mental health things for the children now and a lot of mental health things that they were cutting out that's why they're shooting up the school that's why they're doing all these things because when you stop social services and a lot of these shooters you'll see that This guy that shot up the place in Colorado, he had mental treatment, but it wasn't followed. All you can do is give a topical session. You don't have money and things to put in and invest in these and really follow the people with these problems. Your wisdom, which is the wisdom of the world, is let's put more guns in school. Let's put armed guards in there. That's your answer, right? Put more guns in there. God's answer is saying you shall beat your weapons in the plowshares. He wasn't the one who started weapons. Your perverse knowledge got you into this trouble. And that's going to be the biggest problem. It's your wickedness, your own wickedness. He's going to turn your own devices up on you. It's going to be the very things that you use that bring you down. Proverbs 8, chapter 1-4 says, We need to understand God and how these things work. And that there's two different calls. There's a general call and there's a specific call of God. 8th chapter of Proverbs. The general call is to everyone, because we read the Bible, we see that the grace of God had appeared to all men, right? So he's saying there's a general wisdom, there's a wisdom that's offered to all these people that's offered throughout the world. Man rejects that. Do if not wisdom cry and understanding put forth a voice? They are personifying wisdom here as that of a woman. A lot of times you hear the Sophia of God. They put this as a woman. He's personifying wisdom. It says, she's standing in the top of high places, by the way in the places of the past. She crieth at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in of the door. Unto you, O men, I call, and my voice is unto the sons of men. O ye simple, understand wisdom, and you fools, be ye of understanding. Herefore I will speak of excellent things, and in the opening of my lips I shall speak right things. For my mouth shall speak truth, and wickedness is an abomination to my lips." So here is a general call of wisdom going throughout the place calling and screaming for man, crying out aloud, trying to get you to hear. And you look back over your life as a natural person, and you look and say, you know, God's tried to show me this. This was, you know, you couldn't, it's like you've seen your past life, a lot of things where it was trying to show you or point you down the right road, the right path to take. But we seldom take the road less traveled. We take that broad road, the road that leads to destruction. That's the road that the majority of people take because we want to have popularity, or be with the popular people, or do as the world do. We hate to be alone. Men hate to be alone in it, or seem alone. Proverbs, first chapter. 20th verse says the same thing. Wisdom cried without. She uttered her voice in the streets. She cried in the chief places of concourse, in the opening of the gates, in the city. She uttered her words, saying, how long, ye simple ones, how long will you love simplicity? And the scorners delighted in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge. Turn you at my reproof. Behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you. I will make known my words unto you, because I have called, and ye refused. I have stretched out my hand, and no man regardeth. But you have said nought, all my counsel, and would none of my reproof. I also will laugh at you when your calamity comes. I will mock you when your fear comes. When your fear coming as desolation and destruction come as a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you, then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer. They shall seek me early, but they shall not find me. I was telling you last week about how society forms and shapes us. And I tell you, well, I don't know. I don't watch sitcoms. I don't know any sitcom I watch. watch like I said it's a few programs and things I watch on television you know but you need to find good programming to watch here's some wisdom in the world labels of movie are that's restricted something like ML or whatever it is, Mature or whatever it is PG-13 if they say this film has nudity, strong language, violence. Why would you subject yourself to that picture? Now, if the world would rate a picture and tell you this would go on, why would you allow that to come into your mind? They were talking about the movie in that notes I gave you last week about the Django. Why would you allow something like that to enter into your mind? There are so many other pictures, so many other things. That's why I say, point in a movie, there's nothing wrong, but you need to decide what grade or what class of movie that you put in there, because the mind is like a computer. If you feed it junk, it's junk that's gonna be in there. you can't come back later on in this world is crazy in this world you get a psychologist to plead and say well look that rap music or this done that to him he done that to himself didn't nobody make him sit there and listen to that rap music didn't nobody make you go out and obsess with pornography or carousing around at the beach looking at these women Going places where you know how to address, you know, what language is nobody that was a choice of yours So that came to be embedded in you. That's why God said meditate on my word David's I mean Job said I made a covenant with my eyes. I wouldn't look upon a maid to lust after Because you save your right eye affinity cut it out. So, you know, you got a problem with looking at women You shouldn't be in those tight places You got a problem with alcohol, you don't need to get a job at a bar. You got a problem with different things, you shouldn't do these things. uh... they were talking on the other day farms is dangerous uh... fourth of july christmas all these we have fireworks on the levee we have all kind of entertainment they outlaw them at east badger woods parish but you get them in these other parishes and bring them in here to shoot them they said well we need to have professionals do these things okay so you've been warned the bible gives you many a warning by prophets But what happens is, there were two or three guys loading a cannon or something over on Highland Road, and it explodes on them. One guy lost his hand and fingers on one hand, and the other guy, something happened to him. Explosion. Because along with the things in the world that were good, God created the world, and he saw that everything he created was good. But what happened? Man perverts that. The wisdom of this world, the tree of good and knowledge, that evil he gave to you, the knowledge of evil has perverted that. So what was used for good, you can turn to evil, and the wisdom of this world do that to you. And that's why God goes against that. Romans 1, 18 and 20, For the wrath of God is revered from heaven, against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest unto them." The nones have told the Catholic Church, well, what you're doing amounts to oppression of the poor. That's not a doctrine of Jesus Christ. Oh, but we need to make budget cuts. But what you're doing is oppressing the poor. Maybe you should close some of the other loopholes. Maybe you should get rid of the estate tax. Maybe you should get rid of the inheritance. Maybe you should get rid of some of these things and put the tax somewhere else instead of cutting where you're going to oppress the poor. Maybe where you're going to oppress the elderly. Maybe where you're not going to educate your child. Maybe take some of the money out of military spending and put it into education, put it into health care. Maybe God will bless you as he had blessed past generations that formed all these programs. But they had children that had too many children And they got away from the old past. Now they figure they need a couple of hundred million dollars. The governor of Florida has $200 million in the bank. He's a multi-millionaire, but he's warehousing handicapped children. nursing home in different places so that the government won't fund parents taking care of their handicapped children in their homes. He has some mental defect where it's gonna be cheaper for us to put them all in one big building and take care of them instead of me doling out money to each. That sounds good for money wise. but that's why jesus christ came that's what the nuns were saying see the law no man was going to be saved by the law just like they're attempting to change times and laws that's the spirit of antichrist but jesus came to put a face on the law he came to add humanity to the law So, he worked on the Sabbath. He did things on the Sabbath because it says the Sabbath was made for man. See, these people were legalists, and he says, shouldn't not this person be healed on this day instead of being oppressed by Satan? See, by your traditions and the things you want to do, and you saying you're doing it for God, you saying you're doing it for economic reasons, but it's because of your covetousness. it's because of your arrogance, it's your pride, it's your worldly wisdom that's of this world that's causing this, and you know it's wrong. But see, your conscience has been seared, and God has turned you over to a reprobate mind, so all you're doing is storing up wrath for the day of wrath, but those voters who are ignorant who are already on their border with jealous, envying and hatred themselves. They follow you in this. They partake of this. So you make them sevenfold a child of hell than you are. And you know that these things are wrong. So Esau had that type wisdom. He could go out and hunt a deer and kill animals with cunningness. He was of that one track, and he didn't think much of godly things. It says Esau was a profane man. He didn't care about that which was sacred. He didn't care about that which was of life. That's why we have so many hunters or so many gun people now that love the gun. That's a natural ability. That's an earthly device. that's are free you'd never see where any of the possible you'll never see where anywhere jesus keeley didn't even kill the devil so this is are free wisdom that they have and man's excuse is that he's happy to me almost two fourteen and fifteen presents another excuse. For when the Gentiles who do not have the law by nature do the things in the law, although not having the law, are law to themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them. of them alleged no it was wrong and he pleaded to god in the book of genesis it's in one of your notes there where he pleaded to god i didn't know that this was the profits why he told me it was a profit which you kill innocent man would you destroy innocent people petition god on this and god said well no uh... this is why do you need to restore her into all these other things so this was a gentile king talking to god about abraham who was a prophet of god but if esau wasn't a profane man and he talked to god on this god may have informed him on what jacob was doing because what jacob was doing was stealing the birthright that was wrong and if you notice in the book of obadiah he's referred to as jacob Because as your brother they're wicked and how many of you have? Wicked siblings have wicked people in your family have evil people Joseph had some evil brothers. He had wicked brothers But Joseph says no for be it for me to do what y'all think I would do y'all think I would do something I'm not like you I'm in the place of God those thoughts are not in his mind and He was intended on doing that which is right. That's what we should be doing. So Jacob was far worse. Jacob is a picture of the church today. Cunning, mischievous, and very wicked. That's why whenever you see God refers to Jacob, he's talking about the old man because he had to change Jacob, but Jacob was changeable. he saw wasn't changeable the people of this world changeable their characters fixed infinity you've seen that after this last election that they could do like a chameleon you see now government he kept the government came out and said well this is not the way to reach the people by creating a vision or whatever And he seen that he was going to have to get the Latino vote, the Spanish vote. So he catered to that. Because as a chameleon, it wasn't through compassion. Not that he liked them, but he seen that that was a way to power. The devil is good at devising things to replicate God. That's why he replicates religion. that's why he's seen the way he is in his religion to people's heart now is through religion so that's why you have the antichrist to seem as though he's doing right for the people but all the time this is a selfish thing these are wolves in sheep's clothing this was what jesus was talking about in the latter days that would come forward So it's not that their conscience will bother them. Have you ever heard of conscience here in this state of somebody saying they shouldn't have did this or we shouldn't have moved this way? No, it's not conscience that's driving you because their conscience has been seared. This generation is a wicked generation that's far removed. James 1, 1 through 5, we see here that if you're lacking wisdom, The word, what wisdom is, wisdom is the faculty of forming a sound judgment in a matter. It's the faculty, the ability to form a sound judgment in a matter. Now that's not earthly wisdom, that's godly wisdom. And here's the thing that God tells you. He says, if any man Any of you who lack wisdom, let him ask of God that he give it to all men, that give it to all men liberally. He'll freely give you, and upbraid it not, and it shall be given unto him." So you go to God. Rebecca went to God to find out what was going on in her womb. Her two children was rascally. If you pray to God, God gives you knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. We see it in 1 Kings where Solomon said he didn't know how to go in and come out for the people. But what did God do? He gave him wisdom, knowledge, and understanding, which enabled him to get wealth. Man's wisdom leads him to say that he did this. When he get a business, he get profitable in something, he says he built that. He did that. But that's the wisdom of the world. That's a pride for man. Because what happened, he should say, God did this. I was only a means of this. God gave me power to get wealth. And as a person that walks with God and does for God, he would be like Job. Job was a perfect and upright man, and that was Job's defense to his freedoms that he never turned on any of his servants. His servants didn't like anything. He never turned anyone away. He was a helpful person. He walked in the commandments and statutes of God. He ensured evil. In other words, he fought against that which is evil. But you can't do evil and think good's gonna come of it. In our lives, when we sit down with people that's talking about cheating on their wives, or come telling you about some sort of illicit or fornicated relationship they have with someone, or somebody that comes to talk to you about things that's not biblical that you wouldn't sit down in church and talk about, you have no business accompanying with that person according to the Book of Psalms. It says, "...who sit not in the seat of scorn, but in the company of those type people." Psalms 1 and 1. That you don't even accompany, you can't be around that type person. This is the sanctification. This is the separation. It's something about you that keeps me away from you. That's your attitude. That's your disposition. That's your way of life. Joseph stayed separated from his brothers because they were wicked. They were evil. We have to set, sanctify, we have to set ourselves apart. You can't sit up there and watch this garbage that's on television. I don't, with your family, whoever it is, we have to be redeeming the time because the days are evil. Me and my son, he had called me the other day and said, Daddy, the game is on, Alabama and Newfoundland. And I said, well, I didn't even know it, I was just getting in. So we started, he said, already it's cold. And then we watched it throughout the second touchdown. And I said, son, this is going to be a blowout. This is going to be a field day. And he said, well, I'm fit to do this. Because I said, I'm fit to go and read. I got to get some stuff ready for Bible study or whatever. He said, yeah, I was going to find something else to do myself. That's the wisdom of God that you can see that this is not going to be something to waste your time on. That you can be doing something for the work of God. This is not going to be really entertaining. This is going to be a brute match. Anybody that's sat down and watched that game really didn't see a good game. so the redeeming of the time is you sit there and watch television okay god doesn't forbid you to entertain yourself but wouldn't you be more or less a lover of pleasure if you sit there and watch television all the time how about when those shows on that you didn't see them before and i don't care whether you have direct tv cox uh... ATTU verse or whatever, it comes to a point in time in that month that cable's got the same thing on. Do you sit there and watch it all that time, or do you find something? Another thing about wisdom is be slow to speak. because a lot of times if you're not doing it, don't say what you think. I don't wanna hear you say. You just have to say, you know, think in your mind whether you're doing this or not because it's different from, it says your own words gonna condemn you. If something else, if I'm saying something and you're thinking about trying to do it, but if you have the answer, that means you really know this, what a lot of preachers be doing. A lot of people be amening the preacher, but when you amen something, that means you agree with that, you go along with that. And that's the thing about the world. A lot of times the world won't be condemned in these things because they're ignorant of those things. But there's no excuse for being ignorant. You should find these things out. But the consequences, you have to seek after wisdom. God says those that seek, notice what it says about wisdom, those that seek after. That means you have to get out and find wisdom. You have to look for wisdom. You have to approach wisdom that way. Wisdom not to come and say, here I am, here, that you was looking for me. No, you have to seek after it with all your understanding. With all, everything that's within you, you have to seek after this wisdom of God. So, that could be an excuse that you didn't understand, that you didn't know that God had revealed Himself to you to where you have that burning bush experience. In other words, when somebody says something, do you go back and examine what they say? I hope you all realize that everything you say around anybody, a lot of people dismiss them. But I got the word, anybody that said things to me, I go back, I was pondering the things that we talked about the other day, and I said, well, that's good, about observation and listening. Because Proverbs 2, 1 through 11, and I'm kind of giving you a foundation for it tonight. bring the paper from last time to unearth all what I'm doing, because before you can hear other people talk about these things, what's the very first thing that you realize about a person when they be talking about that knowledge or wisdom or understanding of God? Let me see what type of life that person is living. he read in the opening verse of Ephesians 5th chapter about the walk. Let me see how this person is walking. Let me see how he is living. Because Proverbs 1 and 7 says, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. So before you can start off on the road of knowledge, And get wisdom, you have to what? Fear and reverence God. You have to fear and reverence God. Now, that's the primary block. That's the chief cornerstone. But then it says knowledge. It says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. Jesus says, take my yoke upon you and learn of me. Learn of me my yoke is easy my burden is light So that learning is to continue in his word to be in God's Word That's what's giving you wisdom to be in God's Word His Word departs this wisdom to you That's the only way to be a disciple if you continue in the word. To these people that don't go to church, that don't follow the word of God, there's no way you could be there. You could be in church and not following God's word, not studying God's word, not reading God's word, not praying, and still not go to heaven. Not even know Jesus Christ. You can do all types of work for Jesus Christ. You could do all kinds of things for Jesus Christ. And he's gonna say, depart from me. I never knew you. And you're gonna say, well, look, didn't I do this in your name? Didn't I do all these things in your name? Yes, but you don't have a reverential fear of me. He didn't say that they didn't do those things. So apparently these was church people, but they didn't know God, so they must didn't fear God. so a lot of people don't fear god it's a lot of people they could have approaches relationship it's a lot of people can do things god tell them not to do without being scared he says flee youthful lust why they say flee youthful lust well joseph When he was working in Potiphar's house, Potiphar's wife tried to attempt to get him. He ran away from Potiphar's wife. But what did he say to Potiphar's wife before he fled? How can I do this sin in sin against God? How can you do that in sin against God? The sin is against God. Now, David was a man after God's own heart, but somehow or another, the pleasure of the lust of the flesh... See, he wasn't fearing youthful lust. That's what you get. A lot of men love smiling and talking to women, going grabbing women, kissing them and hugging. You watch that guy. He's easy to trap. His wife knows he's easy to trap. So she's gonna keep a close eye on him. Because you love women. That's the problem. That could be your problem, and Satan sees that. You catch that, and that's what David's problem was. That's why he had so many wives, and his son had multiple times more wives than he had, because he couldn't control his passion. Once he knew that was his neighbor, so apparently she had been out there before. It was time that kings go to war. When he looked and saw her, shouldn't he went back in the house? Shouldn't he turn away from her? See, but that's the lust of the flesh. That's all that's in the world. The pride of life, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes. That's why you can't put yourself in the... The wisdom of God says, Jesus said, he who looketh after woman, the lust of woman. How many people could be around the Super Bowl, not for the game, but to see Beyonce at halftime? I don't even watch Super Bowl halftime. I don't hardly watch Super Bowls. I don't watch that many televisions because they slip so much food in, it's in their own commercials. But if God was to watch through your television programs, how many programs, and believe me, I don't have to be there, but the judge is your wife, the judge is your grandchildren, the judge is your children, the judge is your friends, the judge is the people at work that know you're watching these programs and you tell them you watch, they know what you're doing. You're surrounded, encompassed by so many witnesses. So there's no use telling God. God sees all. You can't hide from the wisdom of this world that God doesn't see. He knows the intents of your heart. He knows what's the intent. What are you watching that program for? Because you know that this is going to be shown on that program. I was telling me and my daughter, we were saying the other night, how fortunate she was there. I was telling her how fortunate I was, and I said, sometime they may put a commercial on, but I usually Tivo everything I watch so I could zip through the commercial. But thank God, I have never watched a reality show in my life. I have never got to see a reality show. I have been lucky enough to know that that's going to be a reality. I don't want to see it if that's a reality. Don't get me American race. Don't get me to survive. All that's of the world. Now, you watch what you want. I can't tell you what to watch. But God should tell you something that conscience should tell you about watching it. Reality shows and sitcoms, that's really, you're really playing with the fire there. And then the thing about it, you tell other people these things. I tell it to y'all or whatever. Because it's like family. Do you do things at your house? See, that's one thing about family. It should be things family do that stays in the family. Most religions and most churches, they're teaching the things You don't give that which is holy to the dogs. The whole churches don't give you their whole bulk of teaching over the internet, over the thing. You have to be there all the time to understand what these people are about. You just know surfacely of it. And so many people are hating each other and hating things today and don't know nothing about you. It's just that they heard this about you, but they don't actually know you. They didn't heard somebody say this. Well, you know of me, you don't know me. You don't know nothing about me. And that's what we, so that's the wisdom of the world. Look at where we was going there, Proverbs 2, 1 through 11. We have to do three series on this because I'm laying foundations for you. My son, if thou will receive my words and hide my commandments with thee, so that thou incline thy ear unto wisdom and apply thine heart to understanding. When things happen, do you question why they're happening or why that's going on? And if you question why it's happening or why that's going on, God's going to give you the answer, but you're going to have to dig. It's not going to be just laying there on the side. You have to dig deep. You have to dig deep. He says, Yea, if thou criest after knowledge and lift up thy voice for understanding, that shows you both of them aren't the same. These people have knowledge, but their knowledge puff it up because they don't have understanding. But wisdom is the ability to apply knowledge and understanding. That's why when he crafted basilia and those others in all types of iron making and crafts, some people have a knack for crafts. Some people have a knack for certain things. And that's why when they told the apostles, the apostles told the people, seek out sovereign good men among you. that we may appoint him to this position do you think that they put anybody into the deep dickinson acts six one do you think when it says she was out among you seven good man and that's why the churches today are failing a lot of uh... and that was a problem i have with a lot of churches because You know, you can't appoint nobody to be a deacon or preacher or something that you don't know. That's why I say, don't make a novice a preacher. Let me see, are you worthy of being this? It says, and in those days when the number of disciples multiplied, there rose as a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews because their willows were neglected in the dead administration. Then the twelve apostles called the multitude of the disciples under them and said, it is not reason that we should leave the word of God and serve Tavis. What for, brethren, look out, ye among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom. They have to have wisdom of all, whom we may appoint unto this business. So they wasn't saying, give us seven guys that can do this. Give us seven guys that you know are capable of doing this. You couldn't go get somebody that you know change women. They couldn't visit the homes of the widows and remain unspotted. They don't know how to do labor around the church. They don't know how to do other things. Now, we're not going to be able to do these tasks. We're going to have to study the word of God. So that was going to be the deacons' responsibilities. Do you know most Baptist churches and a lot of, what is it, Presbyterian, I think? I know it's a Catholic church and things. The deacons run those churches. That's their jobs. The preacher's job is to give out the word of God. But if those people don't have those skills, well, the preachers are going to have to labor. They was getting so tired of that they couldn't do their work and do that. But if you're tired of, if I'm tired of it, I need somebody with wisdom of how to do this job right. Because what? You're accountable for what that person does. If you're one that delegates authority, you better be sure who you're delegating it to. That's why it says, lay hands subtly on no man. And Jude says there's a lot of people creppy and unaware. Well, just because a person is an older person, that doesn't mean he's qualified to be an elder or deacon or whatever. He could be an old fool. You know, it's got old people that don't have good sense. Got a lot of old people like that. So you have to be in knowing them. They say search out among you people that are able to do these things. They had to be full of all the goals. Most churches nowadays, they go get an administrator. They go get someone else. These people don't even go to churches a lot. You know, most churches now hire musicians that don't even belong to churches. They're just professional musicians. We don't need that in the church. They're not hiring you to play nothing. Now, if you're in a church and belong to that church and God says, put your hands, whatever, to what you do, then you move up in the ranks. But then that's just like at LSU, they said, in the paper they were saying that LSU is getting administrated, this guy that they're talking about president, you don't have any academic background at all. No academic background. How can you run a university without academic background? That was the thing with the chancellor that they had. He's over at NCAA now. Mark Emard, he went to the University of Washington because he was intelligent. These people knew about this. But our education system is devolving here in the state because we have people that have knowledge, but they don't have wisdom and understanding, and they don't have the spirit of God. You don't want churches that says they have a form of God. The church has forms of God in this. They have all these positions. They have a lethargy. They go through all these things, but they have no spirit. They're lacking the power. There's no power in the churches. It used to be power in the churches. But their praying is dry, their singing is dry. You can tell, when you go to most churches now, do you see the people, you almost have to stay, watch it now, you could cut a step here. Most of the music nowadays is jingling your body. They didn't took Christian and took it way away from that. That beat brings out the animalistic, animinicity in them. It's humanistic music. It's not spirit-filled music. That's why I seldom listen to music today because you have trained people, you have the Kurt Franklins, you have all these people coming in that are trained to sing. You have the Winans, you have all these people, nothing, no church in here. But it's a commercialized business. That's humanistic. And this wisdom that's from the earth can detect that in James 3.15. But if any of you have bitter envy and strife... Yeah, James 3.15. If any of you have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descended not from above, but is earthless, sensual, devilish. For where every envying and strife is, there is confusion in every evil word. But the wisdom that is above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intrigued. full of mercy and good fruits without partiality and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of the righteousness is sown in peace by them that make peace. So it's not by calling someone an idiot. It's not, you could see envy and jealous. It's not through anger. All those people that don't like losing arguments, they done lost the election and they bitter. intellect of the wisdom that they use is earthly wisdom. and it's sensual and it's devil, it's devices of the devil. They can't come into agreement with the people of God or with anyone. That's why the nation is still divided because it used to be after the election, everybody would get together and work together, okay, y'all won. If it's after the fight, everybody would walk off the court, man, it was a good fight. I mean, after a boxing match, a football game or something. But now it's like they still wanna kill, you know, it's hatred. You didn't mess up the sport. You didn't turn the sport into something that it's not. You come out with foolishness like the ultimate fighter. Those are bad things. Those are evil. That's than taking boxing to the wrong level. Those are blood sports and things. You're bringing out man. That's man. That's Esau. That's the natural man. That's why, you know,