Grace Bible Church of Conway's Podcast

The Wisdom of God

July 22, 2024 Tommy Walls
The Wisdom of God
Grace Bible Church of Conway's Podcast
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Grace Bible Church of Conway's Podcast
The Wisdom of God
Jul 22, 2024
Tommy Walls

Tommy Walls' sermon "The Wisdom of God" delves into the attribute of God's wisdom, emphasizing that God's wisdom is perfect and integral to all His other attributes. He explores the concept of wisdom, defining it using Webster's 1828 definition: "the right use or exercise of knowledge, the choice of laudable ends, and the best means to accomplish them." Walls contrasts this with modern definitions, suggesting that the older definition better captures the essence of divine wisdom.

Walls references Wayne Grudem's view that God's wisdom goes beyond knowledge, as God always chooses the best goals and the best means to achieve them. This divine wisdom is perfect, unlike human wisdom which is acquired through experience. God's wisdom is intrinsic to His nature; He doesn't possess wisdom—He is wisdom.

Walls cites various theologians, including A.W. Tozer, who describe wisdom as the ability to devise perfect ends and achieve them by the most perfect means. He uses Isaiah 46 to illustrate that God, unlike idols, declares the end from the beginning and accomplishes His purposes through His perfect wisdom.

The sermon highlights that God's wisdom is evident in creation, the order of the universe, and the execution of His plans. Walls underscores that God's wisdom is ultimately displayed in the cross of Jesus Christ, a plan of salvation that no human could devise, showcasing God's perfect wisdom, power, and glory.

Walls concludes by encouraging believers to seek wisdom from God, who generously provides it, and to reflect divine wisdom in their actions, which is characterized by purity, peace, gentleness, and mercy.

Show Notes Transcript

Tommy Walls' sermon "The Wisdom of God" delves into the attribute of God's wisdom, emphasizing that God's wisdom is perfect and integral to all His other attributes. He explores the concept of wisdom, defining it using Webster's 1828 definition: "the right use or exercise of knowledge, the choice of laudable ends, and the best means to accomplish them." Walls contrasts this with modern definitions, suggesting that the older definition better captures the essence of divine wisdom.

Walls references Wayne Grudem's view that God's wisdom goes beyond knowledge, as God always chooses the best goals and the best means to achieve them. This divine wisdom is perfect, unlike human wisdom which is acquired through experience. God's wisdom is intrinsic to His nature; He doesn't possess wisdom—He is wisdom.

Walls cites various theologians, including A.W. Tozer, who describe wisdom as the ability to devise perfect ends and achieve them by the most perfect means. He uses Isaiah 46 to illustrate that God, unlike idols, declares the end from the beginning and accomplishes His purposes through His perfect wisdom.

The sermon highlights that God's wisdom is evident in creation, the order of the universe, and the execution of His plans. Walls underscores that God's wisdom is ultimately displayed in the cross of Jesus Christ, a plan of salvation that no human could devise, showcasing God's perfect wisdom, power, and glory.

Walls concludes by encouraging believers to seek wisdom from God, who generously provides it, and to reflect divine wisdom in their actions, which is characterized by purity, peace, gentleness, and mercy.

All right, so my joy and privilege to teach again on the another of the attributes of God and This one being the wisdom of God Now all that of the attributes that we learned we know that God holds or God These attributes consist in God in perfect wisdom to think of his his Inipidence that he has all power But he has as well the wisdom to know how to disperse that power how to use that power How to activate that power how to work it in all things also is on he he has all knowledge and Thus the wisdom to know what to do with that knowledge and so all of his attributes he holds in wisdom So before we attribute Wisdom to God. Let's let's think about what what is wisdom? What is wisdom? Wisdom according to Webster's now look at this definition the right use or exercise of knowledge The choice of laudable ends and the best means to accomplish them notice the date of that 1828 now Don't do this, but if you were to search Webster's definition of wisdom today, this is what you would find Ability to discern inner qualities and relationships insight Good sense Judgment generally accepted belief Accumulated philosophical or scientific learning knowledge, that's wisdom According to Webster's today. I don't think he would be Satisfied with that definition. What do you think? So we go back to this one the right use or exercise of knowledge the choice of laudable ends and the best means To accomplish them. I like that better so wisdom according to Wayne Grudem wisdom goes beyond knowledge and specifies that God always chooses the best goals and the best means to Achieve those goals. So some would say that wisdom is the right use of knowledge While that can be true as applied to man that Wisdom for us is being able to take biblical knowledge take the knowledge that we have and apply it to good means to good ends so using knowledge well and But with God it's not that he Chooses the best goals and the best means but he chooses the most perfect The most perfect goals the most perfect he uses knowledge Perfectly, so let's think of that Wisdom this is David Strang He says creatures gain wisdom by growing and learning by interacting with the world and time and space So as we get older we should get wiser But that's not the way God is wise He does not need to acquire wisdom The wisdom of of God defines God himself. He's exhausted comprehensive he has exhaustive comprehensive knowledge and understanding of all that is but not by deduction or calculation So let's remember that all the attributes of God are not what God had God doesn't have wisdom God is wisdom He is love He is his attribute God is infinitely wise He's consistently wise and he's perfectly wise Now adobe a tozer says among other things Wisdom is the ability to devise perfect ends and To achieve those ends by the most perfect means Perfect ends bringing those ends about by the most perfect means It sees the end from the beginning so there can be no need to guess or conjecture Wisdom sees everything in focus each improper relation to all and is thus able to work toward predestined goals with flawless precision Is there a passage that states that Many Let's take a look at Isaiah 46 right quick Isaiah 46. I Love this passage I'm reading from the King James Version and I don't apologize for it. So Bell bows down Nebo stoops Their idols were upon the beast and upon the cattle who carry whose carriages were heavy Laden they are burdened to the weary beast The gods of the people have to be carry their burden they stoop they bow down together They could not deliver the burden but themselves have gone into captivity Harken unto me Oh house of Jacob and all the remnant of the house of Israel Which listen? Their gods are born by beast But you are born by me from the belly Which are carried from the womb Aren't you glad that the Abortion amendment got kicked out this past week praise the glory He carries them from the womb and even to our old age I am he even to gray hairs will I carry you? I have made and I will bear even I will carry and Will deliver you to whom will you liken me and make me equal and compare me? That we may be alike They lavish gold out of the bag and waste silver in the balance and hire goldsmith and make it a god They fall down Yea, they worship they bear him upon the shoulder they carry him and set him in this place and he stands From his place he shall not be Removed yea one shall cry unto him Yet can he not answer? Nor save him out of his trouble they make these gods they fashion these gods they stand these gods up They have to carry these gods, but they cannot answer them in their time of trouble Remember this and show yourselves men Bring it again to mind. Oh you transgressors they have forgotten that they are not serving a god That was made out of wood or precious metals But the very god who carries them and upholds them Remember this remember the former things verse 9 of old for I am God and there is none else I am God and there's none like me here it is Declaring the in from the beginning and From ancient times the things that are not yet done Saying my counsel shall stand I will do all my pleasure That's Our God that's the God of wisdom who Declares the end he's already declared the end When did he declare it at the beginning? Hey you've read the back of the book right And what? We win He wins he win Declaring the in from the beginning From ancient times the things that are not yet done saying my counsel shall stand I will do all my pleasure Calling an ravenous bird from the east the man that exalted my that Executes my counsel from afar country. Yeah, I have spoken it I Will also bring it to pasts. I Have purposed it I will also Do it? So what can we say to them The very thing that happened yesterday was declared from the beginning God's in control. He's working all of these things through his perfect wisdom all that is happening is happening by and through the perfect wisdom of God that he declared at the beginning and All the means by which everything is happening is headed to something It's all going to a certain end me And we'll see that Verse 12 harken unto me you stout hearted that are far from righteousness I Bring near my righteousness it shall not be for all for my salvation shall not terry and I will place salvation in Zion for Israel my glory God Is up to something He's always up to something let's take a look at some other passages Daniel answered and said bless the name of God forever and ever to whom belong wisdom and might With him our wisdom and might he has counsel and understanding oh Lord how manifold are your works in? Wisdom you have made them all the earth is full of your creatures What is this telling us? That the heavens declare the glory of God everything that God has done We can look and see how everything is working in our universe How can you open your eyes and look around and Not say there is a God There is an intellect behind what we see How time is kept how the seasons are how the planets everything that's working is working by the perfect wisdom of our God He is all wise all the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God How unsearchable or his judgments how? unscrewed his way For his known the mind of the Lord or who has been his counselor or? Who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid? for from him and through him and to him are all thing for From him and through him and to him are all things to him be glory forever Amen To the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ What are we starting to see in these verses? The end means the end of all means the end of everything What is the chief end of man? But to those who are called both Jew and Greek Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God and because of him You are in Christ Jesus Who became to us? Wisdom from God righteousness and sanctification and Redemption verse 31 says That according as it is written he that glories Letting glory in the Lord You know the end Colossians 2 2 and 3 that their hearts may be encouraged being knit together in love to reach all the riches of full assurance of Understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ and whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge You want to learn of the wisdom of God the knowledge of God? Look to Christ For since in the wisdom of God The world did not know God through wisdom through its wisdom It plays God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe God shows what is foolish in the world To shame the wine So that no human being Might boast in the presence of God The greatest wisdom display of God is the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ So that all glory might go to Christ Who could have devised such a plan of salvation? You could gather the greatest minds of all times Gather them together Give them a millennial to come up with a plan of salvation and they could never do what God did never It's the perfect plan I've heard preachers preach and the last time I heard it It was all I could do to not stand up and say blasphemy He Said God could have chose to save us any way he wanted to But he chose to send his side No, he couldn't There was no other way There was no other way Do you not think if there was another way when Jesus prayed God if there be any other way? Let this cup pass from me There was no other way this is the perfect display of the wisdom and the knowledge and the power And the glory of God that we see in the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ What glory what wisdom what might? Why did he do it this way Because he's all wise And So that the world Would look on and say this is foolish But unto us who are saved We would look on and say all the wisdom and the power and the might What glory in the cross There's wisdom of this world But know that it is not from above It's what men think of themselves. It's the way they see things But wisdom from above is different wisdom from below is earthly it's sensual it's devilish and From it comes in being and strife and bitterness Why are there wars? Why are there assassination attempt? Because of the wisdom of this world, isn't it great? But the wisdom from above is first pure Then peaceable Gentle open to reason full of mercy and good fruits impartial and Sincere May we grow in the wisdom and the knowledge of God and Display it in our deeds our actions Wisdom from above Is available It's available to me what does the scripture say? If any of you lack wisdom Let him ask of God Who gives an abundance He's not stingy He will not withhold The perfect wisdom of our God