Take the Word of God and turn with me this evening to the book of Exodus and chapter 31. Exodus and chapter 31. I do want to remember here as we come to Exodus chapter 31 that Moses has been on Mount Sinai since Exodus 24. If you actually go back with me, if you hold your place there, we'll read in just a moment in Exodus 31. But just so we kind of see the progression where we are here. It was back in Exodus chapter 24 and verse 16 that the Bible says, And the glory of the Lord abode upon Mount Sinai. And the cloud covered it six days. And the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud. And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel. And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and got him up into the mount. And Moses was in the mount 40 days and 40 nights. So that is what we read. And then immediately, verse 25, we have a record of what took place at the top of that mountain for those 40 days and 40 nights. Notice in Exodus 25, verse 1, And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Now that takes place during that 40-day period at the top of Mount Sinai. And you read that through Exodus 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, and now we come to chapter 31. And we read, And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, So notice we're still in the mountain. And we know this because immediately when we come to Exodus chapter 32, the very next chapter, we read, And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, The people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us. For as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we would not what is become of him. So, it was back in Exodus chapter 24, Moses went up to the top of the mount. He waited up there for six days and on the seventh day the glory of the Lord came. And then for forty days God would speak to Moses about the tabernacle. And we've studied from chapter 25 all the way now to chapter 31. all that is involved on the tabernacle and the furniture, the priest, the garments of the priest, and all of those things, the dedication of the priest, the oil, and all that stuff. So we've seen all of that in all of those chapters. And we come to Exodus chapter 31 and there are three things that take place in Exodus chapter 31 before Moses comes down. We are reading that God is going to single out two men, to be involved in the actual construction of the material for the tabernacle. We know that all of Israel is going to be involved in bringing the material. But two men are going to be put in charge of getting all of those things worked out. the construction of the furniture and the tabernacle itself and so forth. And so that's verse 1 through 11. Then we read from verse 12 to verse 17 that the Lord speaks to Moses about the observance of the Sabbath, the weekly Sabbath. that this observation of the Sabbath is going to be a sign between the Lord and the children of Israel. And then in verse 18 there's a third event that takes place and that is that God giving to Moses the tables of the testimony. And now we know that within the next chapter Moses is going to come down with the tables and He's going to cast them on the golden calf and so forth. But those are the three events taking place. Chapter 31 is the end of this 40-day meeting between God and Moses. Moses is going to come down. Nobody knows anything here. Moses, within the subsequent chapter, is going to communicate to the people what God told him. But this is the end of the 40-day meeting. And I think it's important for us to have that background in mind Because as God is talking about the involvement of the children of Israel in the preparation for the tabernacle and how He wants them to give and be involved in the workmanship of the tabernacle, at the very same time that God communicates that to Moses, the people are in rebellion. And this should tell us something about the Lord. He is merciful and gracious and long-suffering. Because at the very same time that he tells Moses, at the end of all this 40 days, here is how this is going to be made. The people are going to be involved. They're going to give. They're going to use their talents to bring about this tabernacle. And at the very same time, God knows that rebellion against God is brewing. at the very same time. And the thing that we must realize is even when we are in disobedience and rebelling against God, God still has wonderful things for us at the very same time. So with that in mind, notice we're going to begin reading in verse 1. Read down to verse 11. So Exodus 31 verse 1, And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, See, I have called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur of the tribe of Judah. And I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, to devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship. And I, behold, I have given with him Ahileb, the son of Ahishamak, of the tribe of Dan. And in the hearts of all that are wise-hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded thee. the tabernacle of the congregation, and the ark of the testimony, and the mercy seat that is thereupon, and all the furniture of the tabernacle, and the table and his furniture, and the pure candlestick with all of his furniture. and the altar of incense, and the altar of burnt offering with all of his furniture, and the laver and his foot, and the cloth of service, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons to minister in the priest's office, and the anointing oil and sweet incense for the holy place, according to all that I have commanded thee, shall they do. When He says they, He's talking about the people who are in rebellion. Here is what they're going to do. I'd like to bring your attention back to verse 6. And I'm going to preach the message and I'm going to come back at the end to this specific thought. No doubt much could be said on this chapter, but I would like to focus on verse 6. He says in the middle of verse 6, And in the hearts of all that are wise-hearted, I have put wisdom." I'd like to preach this evening a message that I've entitled, Wisdom for the Wise-Hearted. Wisdom for the Wise-Hearted. Let's pray. Father, we thank You this evening. I pray that You would help us As we, Lord, end this message this evening, to have a desire and examine ourselves to see if we are indeed wise-hearted. And to see that you desire to give wisdom to those who are wise-hearted. So give us understanding this evening. Help us to see, as you communicated to Moses, how we can take these truths and apply them to our lives today. And we ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Now as we come here to Exodus chapter 31, this is the practical instruction God has given all the things. Here's the material for the tabernacle. And these are the materials are specific. And here's going to be the ark, how you're going to build it, and the mercy seat, and then the table of shoe bread, and the candlestick, and the altar of incense. If you step outside the tabernacle, you see the the brazen altar and the laver and the veil dividing the holy place from the holy of holies, the four-layer veil that comes on the top of the tabernacle, the wood that erects the tabernacle up and all of those things. But now he gets to the place and he says, now here is who's going to do it. And specifically here's who is going to lead in the construction of the tabernacle and all of the furniture that is involved and even in the clothes themselves of the priest and the cloth that is used for the tabernacle itself. The construction of the tabernacle doesn't begin until actually Exodus chapter 35. We'll see that implemented at a later time. But if you hold your place here, turn with me to chapter 35. Moses is going to communicate to the people at the beginning of chapter 35 verse 1. And Moses gathered all the congregation of the children of Israel together and said unto them, These are the words which the Lord hath commanded that ye should do them. And so here when Moses gathers the whole congregation and says here's what God commanded, he's talking about what God commanded from chapter 25 to chapter 31. when he was up on the mountain. Remember when they began to rebel because he was too long up there. And so he's going to speak to the people about the material and how everything is to be made. But notice in chapter 35 and verse 30, It marks the beginning of Bezalel's involvement in this whole project. And Moses, verse 30, said unto the children of Israel, See, the Lord hath called by name Bezalel, the son of Uriah, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and he hath filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, and to devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in the cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of wood, to make any manner of cunning work. And he hath put in his heart that he may teach both he and Haliab the son of Ahishamac of the tribe of Dan. Now I want you to notice several things that are important here. Because Bezalel would be the one who would spearhead the project based on the instruction of Moses. But the question is, what would, now the first name mentioned is Bezalel. But there's another man that is mentioned. One, Bezalel comes from the tribe of Judah, the first tribe. And the second name that is mentioned is, we saw that in chapter 31, and again in chapter 35, is Now, interesting that those two would be selected. I don't know if that's significant or not, but if you go to the procession of how the children of Israel were set up as they marched through the wilderness wanderings, Judah was the first tribe, Dan was the last tribe. And so maybe God says that this is encompassing of all the tribe from the first to the last. But two men are mentioned by name. But the question is, what are those men going to be doing? Are they doing all the work themselves? No. Notice what happens. We read it just a moment ago in chapter 35. And notice with me verse 34. And he hath put in his heart, Bezalel, So these two men, Bezalel being the one, I would say that Bezalel would be the project manager. And Aholiab would be the assistant project manager. But what they would do is they would teach the people. So they're not doing everything themselves. but they are going to teach the people to do all manner of cunning work. Notice chapter 36, verse 1, as we look at this, So notice now, it's not just these two men, but every wise-hearted man is included in this project, in whom the Lord put wisdom and understanding to know how to work all manner of work for the service of the sanctuary, according to all that the Lord hath Now it's interesting as you read throughout the next few chapters, notice chapter 36 verse 8. And every wise-hearted man among them that wrought the work of the tabernacle made ten curtains. And he talks about the project beginning. But notice verse 14. And he made curtains of goats' hair for the tent over the tabernacle. Singular. But wait, we just read that a bunch of wise men are involved. But who's directing the project? Bezalel is. He made the curtains. Notice chapter 36, verse 30, verse 20. And He, singular, made boards for the tabernacle of Shittim wood, standing up. Notice verse 31. And He made bars of Shittim wood. Notice verse 35, And he made a veil of blue. Verse 37, And he made a hanging of the tabernacle. Chapter 37, verse 1, And Bezalel made the ark of Shittim wood, two cubits and a half the length of it, and so on. Notice verse 6, And he made the mercy seat of pure gold. Verse 10, And he made the table of Shittim wood. Verse 17, And he made the candlestick of pure gold. Do you get the picture the Bible keeps saying he, but many people are involved? But Bezalel is the one who, in a sense, is responsible for the project. He is the one that God has called by name. Now I think there's significance here if you go back with me to chapter 31. There's a clear emphasis. Now we know there's an assistant that comes alongside to teach the men in all of this wonderful work. But Bezalel is referenced as he being the one who did this, although his hand didn't touch everything, but he spearheaded the work. Now The message is not, although I could preach a message on Bezalel, the message is not about Bezalel, but I do think that there is in a sense, remember everything we've seen in this 40 day meeting between God and Moses about the tabernacle, everything about this points us to Jesus Christ. The Ark of the Covenant, the Table of Shoebread pictures Jesus Christ. The Lamb Stand pictures Jesus Christ. Again, the Mercy Seat and the Ark of the Covenant pictures Jesus Christ. The Curtain themselves and the Four Layers point us to Jesus Christ. The Brazen Altar points us to Jesus Christ. The Laver points us to Jesus Christ. The Altar of Incense points us to Jesus Christ. The Garments of the Priest points us to Jesus Christ. The Breastplate of Righteousness points us to Jesus Christ. And everything that we've seen points us to Jesus Christ. And here we're still in this meeting that still is pointing us to Jesus Christ. And I do think that there's an element where although Bezalel is not Christ, but he does picture Jesus Christ. You say, well, how so? Well, I think in the fact that when you read throughout the next few chapters, he is referenced as this is his work. It's what he is doing. Interesting that the background of Bezalel is mentioned. And I don't want to make too much of this, but I do think that there is an element that we can appreciate here. The name Bezalel means in the shadow of God. He is the son of Uri. The name Uri means light. He is the grandson of Hur. meaning free or at liberty. And he is of the tribe of Judah, meaning praise. Now, if you combine all those together, this background, again, this is God specifically saying to Moses, I have called by name, Bezalel, in the shadow of God. Who, who in all of world history, above Bezalel himself abides under the shadow of the Almighty, Jesus Christ. Who is he that communicates the light of God better than any man? Jesus Christ. He is the light of the world. God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. But Jesus Christ communicates He is the brightness of the glory of God. But when we think about His work, we know that Jesus Christ was free, was set at liberty in the sense that He was not constrained to do what He did, but He chose to do what He did. And whose life above anybody else's life brought more praise to God than the life of Jesus Christ. By the way, Jesus Christ did come from the tribe of Judah. So I think in God choosing specifically Bezalel, and God talks about his background, I think here we're pointed to Jesus Christ. And I think it fits with the reference that not only is the entire tabernacle pointing us to Jesus Christ, but the man who would be responsible for putting it together also points us to Jesus Christ. And everything that will be done in the practical construction of the tabernacle will be recognized as Bezalel's work. And I think in the same way, whatever we do in our capacity for the Lord will be recognized as the work of Jesus Christ. Do you recognize that today? that in the end, who is it that gets the glory and the praise for what we do? Jesus does. Jesus does. So no doubt and certainly we could preach the whole message on Bezalel as he himself points us to Jesus Christ. But I want you to notice here because there is an element where I want to emphasize the practical aspect of this account and that is God mentioned specifically to Moses several things about this work in the implementation of the construction of the tabernacle. The first thing he says in verse 2 is, see I have called. That's the first word. So there was a calling on the life of Bezalel. Verse 3. And I have filled him with the Spirit of God. So there's a calling. There is a filling. And then in verse 4, 2, it tells us why God has filled him in order for him to devise cunning work, to work in gold and in silver and in brass and so forth. And so there's a working there. So there's a calling. then there is a filling, and then there is a working. And so we see it in that order. And so when we think, I think we have to recognize today that if we are going to work for the Lord, we need to be equipped by the Lord. And there is in a sense a guarantee that we will be equipped by the Lord if God has truly called us. But it goes back to this calling. God calls, God fills so that we may work. And it comes in that order. You see, what God is telling Moses here is, He's not giving Moses an option that says, now Moses, I want you to go out and I want you to find the smartest man out there. No. Moses was told exactly who God picked. God told exactly to Moses who He called. And then He says to Moses, not only have I called this man, but I have also filled this man. In other words, I've equipped him. I've filled him. I've given him not just a calling, but also the ability to fulfill the calling. But there's something practical that comes out of that, and that is the work that He's going to do. but it flows in that specific order. Now immediately, I think our minds may go to many a scripture. Let me give you two things. First of all, we're going to see an Old Testament example that might give us an idea of how God works in that way, how He calls, how He equips, and how the work takes place. And then we're going to go to a New Testament example so that we can apply it to our lives today. Let's go to the first, the Old Testament example, which would be fresh on our mind, and that is the calling of Moses. Turn with me back to Exodus chapter 3. In Exodus chapter 3, the calling of Moses. Remember the order. There is a calling, then there is a filling, and then there's a working. When we think about Moses, we come to Exodus chapter 3, and we know it's the burning bush experience. And I've already preached through it, so I'm not preaching again through it. But if you remember, Moses had started in the wrong end. And what I mean by that is, remember the order is, a calling comes first, then there's an equipping, and then there's the working. But Moses, when he was back in Egypt before Exodus chapter 3, he had started with the working. In other words, there was the sense in him, although God hadn't spoken to him audibly as He did in Exodus chapter 3, but there's a sense in which he saw himself as a deliverer. The book of Hebrews chapter 11 says that he refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. So there's already something going on in the life of Moses and maybe he thought that it was his time early on in his capacity growing up with in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and maybe God had used that for him to to work and to deliver the children of Israel. But he started with the work. He started with the work. You know why? Because he thought, when he started working, that he was equipped. He thought he was equipped. And because he thought he was equipped, he thought that that was God's calling. But he started over here. Now we know what he did. He killed a man. Correct? That was his work. He killed a man. As a consequence, he had to flee from Egypt. And so he runs and he goes to the backside of the desert. He meets the priest of Midian and marries his daughter and so forth. And by the way, now it's been 40 years, 40 years. So the first 40 years of his life, if you were to describe the first 40 years of his life, he reached the end of that first 40 year section and thought to himself, I got a work to do. And I feel that I'm equipped to do what I think God wants me to do. And he found out that was not the right way to go about it. And so now, we have a second 40-year period. And at the end of this 40-year period, God appears to Moses in the burning bush. But the perspective of Moses is completely different than 40 years prior. If you notice at the beginning of chapter 3 in Exodus chapter 3, first when God appears to Moses, He communicates to Moses what He is going to do. In other words, He doesn't mention Moses' involvement right off the bat. Notice verse 7, Now therefore, And so far, Moses says, all right, well, God's going to do this. That's great. Wonderful. Go do it. In verse 10 says, Come now, therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh. that, notice, thou mayest bring forth my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt. Now notice God says, I will deliver them. But Moses, I'm calling you to go so that you can deliver them. Well who's doing the delivering? Well God is. But God has called Moses to lead. Do you see? So, here it begins with a calling. But notice, 40 years before, Moses thought he could do something. Now, God says, no, I will do it. And I'm going to choose you to lead them out. Now the question for Moses, the immediate reaction, verse 11, And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go into Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt? Verse 11. Verse 12, And he said, Certainly I will be with thee, and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee, when thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God unto, upon this mountain. And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, And shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you, and they shall say to me, What is his name? What shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I am that I am. And he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I am hath sent me. And we know the next excuse that Moses makes is, Well I can't talk. I don't have the ability. And you remember what God says, Who made man's mouth? Moses. Notice verse 19 of the same chapter. And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand. And I, this God speaking, I will stretch out my hand and smite Egypt with all my wonders, which I will do in the midst thereof. And after that, he will let you go. And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. And it shall come to pass that when ye go, ye shall not go empty. And so God repeats to Moses. So here God says, here's what I'm going to do, Moses. and I've called you to do it. Well, I can't, who am I? It's not about you Moses, it's about me. That's what God tells him. Well, a second excuse, well what am I going to say? They're not going to listen to me, I have no authority over them. I'm not recognized, just say I am sent me. You don't understand, I can't talk. Who made man's mouth? What God is saying is, do you not think that if I've called you, that I'm not able to equip you? And so God says, I've called you, I will equip you, and here's the work that's going to take place. And he says to Moses, just so you know, when you show up to Pharaoh, and you say, hey, let the people go, he's going to say no. And there's going to be a great struggle. But I'm going to do some mighty things. Moses would know at the end of the ten plagues that he himself had no power. It was of God. So, God called Moses. God equipped Moses to do the work. Now, keep that order in mind. That's the order. That's the order. Now, let's look at the New Testament example. Turn with me to Matthew chapter 4. Matthew chapter 4. In Matthew chapter 4 we see that God begins to call the disciples and He gets to the place If you notice with me in verse 17 of Matthew chapter 4, And they straightway left their nets, and followed him. Now if I were to ask you here, what's the work? Fishing for men, right? They were fishing for fish. But the work that they were to be involved would be to fish for men. That's the work. But if you notice, that's not all he talks about. He doesn't just talk about the work. He talks about how he will personally equip them, right? I will make you. I will equip you to be fishers of men. Here's the work. I'm going to equip you to do it. But where does that begin? With a call on their life. And what's the call? Follow me. You see? In other words, even in this great work of evangelism, Right? And by the way, that would be completely different from what they were doing. They were fishing for live fish and casting them by the wayside to die and eat them. And now they are to pursue men who are dead in their trespasses and sins so that they might be brought to life in Jesus Christ. So that's a completely different work. But the emphasis is not on the work. Where does it begin? Notice Jesus begins. He doesn't say, now, we need to be fishing for men. And so I'm going to help you get there. And so just follow me. No, he says first, first, follow me. Here's your call. Here's my call upon your life. You need to follow me. Now, when you do that, when you follow me, when you recognize God's calling on your life, then I will make you. That's the equipping. And then he says, so you're going to be equipped to do the work of fishing for men. You see? That order has never changed. It's the same in Exodus chapter 31. When he speaks to Moses, it says, I have called Bezalel by name. And I have filled him with the spirit of wisdom and the spirit of God, so that he may work all workmanship. the same order that we find. You see, that's the pattern of God. And we have to begin with God's calling on our lives. You see, often I do believe, I do believe that if we get frustrated in the work of God, there's an element that's missing. I think that element is that we maybe haven't been equipped as we ought by the Lord. And the reason why we haven't been equipped by the Lord is because we're not following Him. You see, it's a natural flow. Follow me. In other words, if we learn to follow Jesus Christ, the next things will take care of themselves. Right? Because in a sense, we can't do the next two things, can we? In other words, Jesus does the equipping. We don't equip ourselves. We don't save the souls of men. Jesus does that. So we can't save men, we can't equip ourselves, but we can follow Him. And so that's where it begins. So that's true in all the scripture. Where God calls, Now, let me give you one verse and then we'll go back to the application. Turn with me to the book of 1 Thessalonians. 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. Notice 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 verse 16. If you know the background of 1 Thessalonians, you would be aware that when the church was started it was started under intense persecution. Paul was only in Thessalonica for three weeks and the Jews gathered lewd fellows of the baser sort. Remember they assaulted the house of Jason and all of that happened. Paul had to leave. Timothy and Silas had to leave and he had sent a letter back to them to find out how they were doing and he finds out that they were doing better than he thought. And at the end he finishes this epistle, he says in verse 16, 1 Thessalonians 5, 16, Rejoice evermore, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the spirit, despise not prophesying, prove all things, hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil, and the very God of peace sanctify you wholly, and I pray God, your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Verse 24. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it. You see, he is reminding those believers at Thessalonica, there's a calling on your life. But let me tell you, God is faithful and He will do it. Now, we think, well wait a minute. Aren't we supposed to rejoice and pray and give thanks and everything and not quench the spirit and despise not prophesying? Yes, that's what we're called on to. And God is faithful. Notice, He doesn't say, now faithful are you. Faithful is God that calleth you, who also will do it. You see, we have to emphasize God's faithfulness. We have to go back to God's calling, God's equipping for the work. Sometimes we get all in the weeds of the work and we forget that God is the one that's called us and that God is the one who is equipping us to do the work. So, with those things in mind, let's go back to Exodus chapter 31, and we come to the point that I want to emphasize. What do you mean we come to the point? Are you just starting the message? I am starting the message, but it's almost done. Hopefully. Exodus 31, so, Bezalel is called. God says, I have filled him, verse 3. Verse 4, here's the work to devise cunning works. He adds in verse 6, "...and I, behold, I have given with him Holiab, the son of Hishamach of the tribe of Dan, and in the hearts of all that are wise-hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded thee." I'm interested in that expression here because The question is, well, wait a minute. How can we apply this? Evidently, God separated Bezalel from all other men. God called him by name, and that's a specific calling. And we also see that with him, God would give a Holiab But we also know that other men are going to be involved in the actual construction of the furniture and the tabernacle and so forth. And so he goes beyond that in verse 6. And in the hearts of all that are wise-hearted, we know when we look at the actual practical construction of everything for the tabernacle, all the wise-hearted men in Israel were involved. But do you notice the selection of those who are going to be given wisdom? He says, are those who are wise-hearted? You say, well, wait a minute. What comes first? Wisdom or being wise-hearted? Well, the order in our text, notice, gives us indication. And in the hearts of all that are wise-hearted, that's what they are already. They are wise-hearted. I have put wisdom. So before God gives them wisdom, they are already wise-hearted. All that are wise-hearted, I will put wisdom. To whom does wisdom belong? It belongs to God. The Bible is clear. Wisdom belongs to God. Now certainly we could go on and on and talk about wisdom throughout the Scripture. The Scripture has much to say. But I want to ask this simple thing this evening. What is required of us? See, the source of wisdom is God. He is the one who imparts wisdom and we know that and we understand that from the Scriptures. What is our responsibility? Well, our responsibility is to be wise-hearted. wise-hearted. And so the question is, if the Lord put wisdom in those that were wise-hearted, how can we be wise-hearted? Let's not misunderstand what wise-hearted means. It does not mean all knowledge. It does not mean people who know everything. Evidently, those who were wise-hearted were given wisdom. That means they received something they didn't have before. So this doesn't mean all-knowing. It doesn't mean all knowledgeable. It just simply means wise-hearted. Notice he says wise-hearted. He doesn't say wise-minded. He says wise-hearted. I'd like to give you three things that will help us to be wise-hearted. First of all, the wise heart is the heart that fears the Lord. The wise heart is the heart that fears the Lord. You see that in a theme in both the Old and the New Testament. Where God says, I, when God for example is searching for men. It is said for whether it was judges or kings. There's a reoccurring theme that those who would be sought after are those whose heart fear God. throughout the Scriptures. In other words, God has never called upon those who are smart, those who are mighty in the world, those who are strong, those whose stature stand above everybody else, as maybe Saul the king. God is not interested in those who think that they know everything. God, the wise heart, is the heart that fears the Lord. Proverbs 9, 10 makes that very clear. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Who is the wise-hearted? The wise-hearted man is the man who fears God. And the man who fears God is the man unto whom God imparts wisdom. So the wise heart is the heart that fears the Lord. There's another verse in Proverbs. that gives us an indication. The Bible says that wisdom is to hate evil. Now think about it for just a moment. Wisdom is to hate evil. Wisdom is the fear of the Lord. The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. And if we would reference back to Joseph, I think we would all admit that Joseph was probably a very smart man. But that's not what God emphasizes in the life of Joseph. What stands out in the life of Joseph is that God was with him. And the reason why God was with him is I think because he feared God. And we heard a tremendous message a few weeks ago from Brother Wayne Hardy about Joseph and his thinking and his philosophy of sin. But do you remember what Joseph told the wife of Potiphar? I cannot do this great wickedness and sin against God. You see, Joseph stands out not because he was smart. He stands out because he feared God. And by the way, that, that moment, that moment, that decision put him in jail. But then in jail, the opportunity was created for him to become the second in command in Egypt. So what do we attribute? And then, when Pharaoh asks Joseph for, hey, give me some recommendation with the seven years of famine that are coming, and Joseph kind of gives him, and Pharaoh says, there it is. Is there any man that is as wise as Joseph? Is there any man like Joseph in all of the entire kingdom? And they couldn't find anybody like Joseph. Why? Because he feared God. The wise heart is the heart that fears God. That's the heart that's able to receive wisdom from God. There's a second thing we learn from Scripture and that is the wise heart is the heart that is aware of what is lacking more than what is present. If you turn with me to the book of James in chapter 1. Turn with me to James in chapter 1. Notice with me in verse 5. Now here's an element. God here says He wants to give wisdom. God is in a position where He wants to impart His wisdom. All wisdom comes from God. But if you notice the verse says, if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God. That's a wise-hearted man. A wise-hearted man is a man who understands that he lacks. It is not a man who thinks he doesn't lack. Because the man who lacks, that's a wise hearted man, is the man who asks for wisdom. You see, the man who is not wise-hearted thinks he knows everything. He doesn't need help from God. He doesn't need God's input. He doesn't need help to make a decision. He's got all the bases covered. That is not a wise-hearted man. A wise-hearted man is a man who is aware of what he is lacking more than what is present in his life. And he emphasizes in his life what he needs from God, not what he has. I wonder in our own lives if we emphasize all that we have more than what we lack. I believe that the wise heart, again, if it is only God that asks wisdom, the man who is not aware that he lacks anything is not going to ask God. Why would he ask if there's no lack? No, the wise heart understands what he lacks. So the wise heart is a heart that fears the Lord. The wise heart is the heart who understand what he lacks more than what is present. But there's another element, and here we're gonna stay in James, and that is in chapter three, in James chapter three. And notice, let's go to verse 13. And I want you to notice the two words the word wise and the word wisdom. Wise is attributed to a person. Wisdom is that which comes from God. Notice verse 13. Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? Who is wise-hearted? Let him He goes on and say, This wisdom Here is the third thing I have for you. The wise heart is the heart. that is chiefly concerned with what is affecting his behavior. The wise heart is the heart that is chiefly concerned with what is affecting his behavior. Now let me explain to you. There is a difference between knowledge and wisdom. We might say that knowledge would be that which we receive, that which we know. But wisdom, as Proverbs defines it, is using knowledge aright. That's what wisdom is, using knowledge aright. So, a wise heart is a heart that is chiefly concerned with what is affecting behavior. And I'll give you the illustration here. And we've already looked at it on Sunday morning, so we'll go right with this. 1 Corinthians chapter 8. Believers were divided, contention, envious, and one of the places where they were divided was over the issue of meats. Eat meat offered to idols, don't eat meat offered to idols. Do you remember what Paul told them in chapter 8, verse 1? He said, knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth. That's what he said. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth. Now, turn with me to 1 Corinthians and Yep, 1 Corinthians and let's begin reading in verse 13. So 1 Corinthians chapter 13. He says, Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gifts of prophecy, and understand all mystery and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Remember, knowledge puffeth up, charity edifieth. Wisdom, as I mentioned, the wise heart is the heart that is chiefly concerned with what is affecting his behavior, not with what is up here in his mind. And here's what he says in I Corinthians 13, verse 4, That's behavior, isn't it? is kind, charity envieth not, charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, does not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things, charity never faileth. You see what he's saying here is that just like knowledge puffs up, charity edifies and the wise heart is the heart that is chiefly concerned with what is affecting behavior, not what is in your mind. You see the wise heart, the heart here in the context that is interested in the edification of the brother, here is the behavior of a wise heart. It suffers long. It endures rebuke. It bears all things. It does not envy. It's not puffed up. Let us never substitute true spirituality. True spirituality is not what is up here. True spirituality is what is lived out in our lives. You could stand up here and quote all 66 books of the Bible. But if all of that knowledge hasn't begun to affect your behavior, you are not wise. Indeed, you are a fool. You see, those who God wants to give wisdom, give wisdom, are those whose heart fear Him. Are those whose heart know what they lack and do not emphasize what is present. And it is the heart of those who is chiefly interested in the behavior not the knowledge. You see, the wise man is wise, not for the knowledge he receives. The wise man is wise because his disposition is already ready to use the knowledge that he will receive in the right way. In the right way. So, Pastor, God called Bezalel. and he equipped him to do a work. So what does God expect of us? God expects of us to be wise-hearted. And when we are wise-hearted, God will give wisdom. So may the Lord help us to ask ourselves that question, are we wise-hearted? There is a calling upon all of our lives God will do the equipping for His work. And we must begin in that order. But how does this all begin? It begins with us being wise-hearted. So let's ask the Lord to help us to be wise-hearted. Let's pray.