26-0628a Transcript

(2:08) Good morning to those who are here and on the phone. (2:16) We welcome you and it is my turn in the rotation to be speaker today.

(2:27) And I pray that the lesson that will be given will be uplifting to you. (2:37) And most of all, be from God’s word, be the truth, and be sound. (2:50) That’s the title of my lesson, being sound.

(2:57) In one of the periodicals that have been lying on the table in the back for a while, (3:09) there was a lesson that was entitled, Is Preaching All That Important? (3:25) Now I could have gone, I was thinking about that and thinking about having a lesson (3:35) to deal with the question, is it all important? (3:44) As I was considering that, I was also thinking of what was said in the shortness of that article. (4:01) That one time after a sermon was being preached, this preacher who was preaching the sermon (4:16) was greeting those at the door. (4:26) And there was one individual that brought something to this effect.

(4:36) I don’t know, I may not get it exactly, but said, (4:44) you preachers, it is amusing at the things that you think of to talk about. (4:52) And as I was thinking on that, I considered, well, if you’re going to preach, (5:08) you’ve got to have a topic to preach on. (5:14) Now, when one speaks and preaches, and he preaches from the pulpit, (5:25) he’s not supposed to spin a yarn.

(5:30) This isn’t a time to tell stories, personal stories, unless it can lend to the lesson, (5:44) and it is a sound lesson. (5:49) To be sound means to be perfect, complete, whole, or healthy. (6:04) Now, we’re going to consider some things.

(6:09) In the book of Proverbs, there is mentioned three kinds of sound wisdom. (6:20) In Proverbs 14, 30, it speaks of a sound heart. (6:30) In Psalms 119 and verse 80, it speaks of letting the heart be sound in thy stature.

(6:52) But let’s consider, first of all, what is sound wisdom. (7:03) Now, you know, in reading the first nine chapters of Proverbs, (7:14) there is wisdom mentioned, having wisdom, getting wisdom. (7:27) It is spoken of that wisdom, the beginning of wisdom, (7:37) is believing in the Lord, following him.

(7:44) But did you know, in Proverbs 2, verses 5 through 7, (7:55) and if you have on your phones the outline that I have, I made a typo. (8:11) I didn’t put down the chapter, I just put the verses, 5 through 7, (8:20) and it may indicate, or you may think that I meant chapters 5 through 7, (8:28) but I meant chapter 2, verses 5 through 7, that says this, (8:39) then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. (8:48) For the Lord gives wisdom from his mouth, knowledge and understanding.

(9:03) He stores up sound wisdom for the upright. (9:12) He is a shield to those who walk uprightly. (9:18) Notice that, what it says, that the Lord gives wisdom.

(9:28) From his mouth comes knowledge and understanding. (9:34) Now, it is one thing to have knowledge. (9:43) It is another to have wisdom.

(9:46) Well, what’s the difference? (9:50) If we can know something, we can come to have the knowledge of certain things. (9:59) Such as Solomon, when he was young and he first was established on the throne, (10:13) and once God appeared to him in a dream and asked him to tell him what he wanted the Lord to give him. (10:31) Now, Solomon knew he was the king.

(10:37) He knew that he had to lead the people. (10:44) He asked God to give him wisdom, to give him the insight to know how to come in and out of his people, to lead them. (11:01) He wanted wisdom.

(11:03) Wisdom is how we operate on what we know. (11:13) Both of these come from the Lord. (11:20) We can know and we can understand and we can have wisdom from the Lord.

(12:03) It says he stores up sound wisdom for the upright. (11:41) In Proverbs 3, verse 21, we have this, and I’m going to start with verse 19. (11:55) The Lord by wisdom founded the earth.

(12:00) By understanding, he established the heavens. (12:04) By his knowledge, the depths were broken up and clouds dropped down to dew. (12:18) My son, let them not depart from your eyes.

(12:26) Keep sound wisdom and discretion. (12:32) Discretion is learning how to perform the knowledge that you have. (12:46) And keep sound wisdom and discretion.

(12:51) And all how this world, this country needs this advice. (13:00) But they just, as a whole, is not taking this advice. (13:08) They’re coming out with things that is just outlandish.

(13:17) And it’s not good, it’s not sound wisdom. (13:22) It’s not being and not using discretion on how they operate. (13:34) In Proverbs 8, verses 12 through 14, now here is wisdom as though wisdom is talking.

(13:57) I, wisdom, dwell with prudence and find out knowledge and discretion. (14:09) The fear of the Lord is to hate evil. (14:14) Pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate.

(14:21) But notice, counsel is mine and sound wisdom, I am understanding, I have strength. (14:36) This is wisdom. (14:38) This is wisdom talking.

(14:41) But we need to find wisdom. (14:48) But notice, counsel is mine and sound wisdom, I am understanding, I have strength. (15:01) That is Proverbs 8 and verse 14.

(15:06) So we see that we have, we can have wisdom, we need to have sound wisdom. (15:18) But is there any other kind of wisdom? (15:22) Well, let’s go to 1 Corinthians 1 and look at what was read in your hearing from 1 Corinthians. (15:41) 1 Corinthians 1, 18 through 25.

(15:47) We’re going to consider some things and Paul is going to reveal some things to the Corinthian brethren here. (16:07) Paul has been hearing of division being among the church there, for they’re having more or less preacher-itis. (16:25) Some are saying that they belong to Peter, some to Apostle, some to Paul.

(16:35) Others say, well I’m of Christ. (16:38) So he admonishes them. (16:41) He says, is Christ divided? (16:45) Was Paul crucified for you? (16:49) Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? (16:52) So this is to get them to thinking.

(16:56) So then after that he begins in verse 18. (17:30) And this is found in Isaiah 29, verse 14. (17:39) He says, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.

(17:49) Then Paul starts asking questions. (17:54) Where is the wise? (17:56) Where is the scribe? (17:59) Where is the disputer of this age? (18:05) Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? (18:14) Yes, there are people that do have wisdom. (18:18) Wisdom that I will never have.

(18:22) The wisdom that they have that can have a rocket be sent into outer space. (18:34) I’m not that wise. (18:36) I couldn’t get it to be lifted up off the ground.

(18:43) I don’t have that knowledge. (18:46) But they’re wise. (18:49) And doing that to be able to send rocket spaceships into outer space.

(19:01) Satellites to go up into outer space. (19:07) But they are wise according to the world. (19:11) Because those that are wise according to the world forget who gave them that wisdom.

(19:27) They deny God who gave them the wisdom. (19:36) Then in verse 21, (19:39) For since in the wisdom of God the world through wisdom did not know God, (19:48) it pleased God through the message preached to save those who believe. (20:03) This is how he makes foolish the world’s wisdom.

(20:10) And they deny the very one that gives them wisdom. (20:17) Oh, I’m smarter than you. (20:20) You don’t know anything.

(20:23) Oh, wait a minute. (20:25) We need to back up and start being sound. (20:31) We need to start realizing that God made this world in wisdom.

(20:42) And the preaching that we do, the message that we preach, (20:51) it ought to be a sound message. (20:53) It ought to be truth. (20:57) It will be if that’s what we will use.

(21:04) Yes, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching as the King James Version puts it. (21:13) The foolishness of preaching, not foolish preaching. (21:18) We’ve had enough foolish preaching going on.

(21:22) Too much. (21:23) We need to get to preaching the message that these apostles taught. (21:36) But he says, (21:38) It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save those who believe.

(21:47) We must believe. (21:49) We must believe the message, the truth. (21:53) He says, (21:55) The Jews request a sign and the Greeks or the Gentiles seek wisdom, seek after wisdom.

(22:17) But we preach Christ crucified to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness. (22:30) But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, (22:37) Christ the power of God and wisdom of God. (22:45) Christ is the wisdom of God because the foolishness of God is wiser than man (22:55) and the weakness of God is stronger than man.

(23:00) Let’s consider that we are reading in the Old Testament about Joshua and the Israelites (23:12) coming over into the land crossing over Jordan (23:20) and going across into the promised land that God is promising them. (23:29) And they come to Jericho. (23:33) And then God tells the people when they are at Jericho, (23:45) they are to march around the city for six days one time.

(23:54) On the seventh day they are to march around the city seven times. (24:02) On the seventh time they are to shout. (24:07) They are to give a loud blast of the trumpet and shout.

(24:15) Somebody is going to say that is stupid. (24:19) That’s foolish. (24:20) That’s not military strategy.

(24:25) I mean if you are going to attack the city, (24:29) you’ve got to have military strategy. (24:33) You’ve got to have something to batter down those walls. (24:40) But God says march around it one time for six days.

(24:50) On the seventh day you are to march around it seven times. (24:56) On the seventh time you are to give a blast. (24:59) You are to shout.

(25:02) Who would have thought that that would be a way to bring the walls down of Jericho? (25:13) But that’s what God told the people. (25:17) The people did what God said. (25:20) And when they did on the seventh trip around on the seventh day, (25:27) those walls came down.

(25:31) And they were able to go in and capture Jericho. (25:37) Defeat Jericho. (25:42) Yes, the foolishness of God is wiser than man.

(25:47) And the weakness of God is stronger than man. (25:53) So we need to realize that what God has done, (26:01) it is through his wisdom. (26:07) People may think it’s foolish to preach the message (26:13) that people are to believe that Jesus is God’s son (26:22) and that he died and was buried.

(26:29) And on the third day arose. (26:34) They may think that is foolishness. (26:44) But it says here, (26:48) but to those who are called both Jews and Greeks, (26:53) Christ, the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

(27:02) And then he says, (27:04) For you see your calling, brethren, (27:06) that not many wise according to the flesh, (27:11) not many mighty, not many noble are called. (27:16) But God has chosen the foolish things of the world (27:22) to put to shame the wise. (27:27) And God has chosen the weak things of the world (27:31) to put to shame the things which are mighty, (27:38) that no flair should glory in his presence.

(27:43) But of him you are in Christ Jesus, (27:48) who became for us wisdom from God (27:54) and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. (28:01) That as it is written, (28:05) He who glories, let him glory in the Lord. (28:12) So yes, we need wisdom.

(28:17) We need to know if we lack the wisdom (28:21) and ask God for it, he will give it to us. (28:28) We need sound wisdom. (28:32) Now in Proverbs 14, 30, (28:38) we have another thing that is mentioned to be sound, (28:48) and that is a sound heart.

(28:54) Proverbs 14 and verse 30. (29:00) And it reads, (29:11) A sound heart is life to the body. (29:20) Now when you read that part of it, (29:25) you may think that this has reference (29:30) to the blood pump in our physical body, (29:36) which that heart does need to be healthy.

(29:43) It needs to be sound. (29:47) But the next part that says, (29:50) But envy is the rottenness to the bone. (29:58) So that’s speaking of something different (30:02) from the heart, the blood pump in our chest cavity.

(30:11) That’s talking about the heart that belongs up here. (30:19) Because it is from the heart (30:23) that we have something like envy. (30:27) If we have it, (30:29) we get envious of someone else.

(30:35) But it says envy is rottenness to the bones. (30:42) That’s somebody that’s very envious of someone else. (30:50) They will do spite to that person, (30:53) do everything that they know against that person, (30:58) but they don’t realize that in the end, (31:02) this envy is going to destroy them.

(31:08) Because it’s rottenness to the bones, as they say. (31:12) This is really what happens. (31:18) Now in conclusion, (31:22) there is, speaking of the heart, (31:27) according to the King James Version, (32:03) it says, (31:34) Let my heart be sound in thy statures.

(31:42) Now statures can be the same thing as commandments, (31:49) as judgments, as the Word. (31:53) Because Psalm 119 is filled with the Word, (32:04) things that pertain to the Word. (32:08) And the psalmist is really elevating the Word, (32:14) the judgments and the statutes.

(32:17) And the judgments, these are all the same. (32:24) It says, (32:25) Let my heart be sound in thy statutes, (32:32) that I be not ashamed. (32:40) You know, if we’re unfound, (32:47) you know, somewhere along the line, (32:49) there’s going to be somebody that’s going to shame us (32:53) in what we are saying and doing.

(32:58) Because we’re not being sound (33:01) in what we say and what we do. (33:06) And so I’m going to give the invitation. (33:13) Let’s be sound in obeying God, not man.

(33:20) Again, the preaching that is done (33:25) should be according to the truth. (33:31) The message we present should be the truth. (33:35) It should be sound.

(33:37) It should be given as it is by heart from the Word. (33:49) We should be sound in obeying God and not man. (33:55) Now, do you want to stand on sound ground? (34:01) To be having sound wisdom, (34:06) having known the difference (34:10) between the world’s wisdom and God’s wisdom, (34:15) having a sound heart? (34:18) Well, why not, if you have not obeyed God (34:26) and named the name of Christ, (34:30) why not believe that Christ is actually who He is, (34:38) the Son of God? (34:40) Why not turn away from the unfound things of this world? (34:50) Why not repent of sin? (34:53) Why not confess your faith in Christ (34:59) and why not be baptized for the remission of sins? (35:05) Be faithful until the end (35:11) and why not stay faithful? (35:18) Now, if there is anyone who needs to come to Christ (35:25) or has come to Christ and been led away, (35:33) why not let the Church know that you desire to come back? (35:38) Or if there is any other need, why not come now? (35:44) Let’s be sound in obeying God, not man. (35:50)