Fellowship in the Word

Bil Gebhardt: You not only have to know what is true and what the rules and principles are, you have to surrender to them. Until you surrender to them, you will never be wise. That is what wisdom does. Wisdom surrenders. How can you master your life when you will not submit to the Master of life? I know what that is like. I know for most of us, there is a principle at play. Isn’t it a lot easier to believe in God rather than surrender to God?

Guest (Male): Thank you for joining us today on this edition of Fellowship in the Word with Pastor Bil Gebhardt. Fellowship in the Word is the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible Church, located in Metairie, Louisiana. Let's join Pastor Bil Gebhardt now as once again he shows us how God’s Word meets our world.

Bil Gebhardt: Most Christian parents I know are really pretty successful at teaching biblical truths and principles to their children and even holding them accountable to it. But I think sometimes what is really missing, at least having talked to so many children over the years, is they are not the example. They just do not prove to be the example. I do not think there is anything that will affect your child more than your example.

It is a sad thing to watch as you watch your children get older and older. You might not want to believe this, but I have shortcomings, and they show up in my boys. They just show up. You are an example. It is just the way it works. He said you need a godly example, but he said there is also something else you need if you are going to live wisely.

He says this in verse 16: "All Scripture is inspired by God." Now notice, he told Timothy in verse 15 that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom. You have known them, Timothy. That is where wisdom comes from. The reason is all Scripture is inspired by God. All Scripture is God-breathed.

And it is profitable for teaching. In other words, it teaches the truth. If I want to know the truth about life, it is in the Word of God. If I want to know the truth about me, it is in the Word of God. If I want to know the truth about human government, it is in the Word of God. If I want to learn the truth about work or how to relate to my enemies, it is all in the Word of God. It is all profitable for teaching, but it is more than that.

He says it is also profitable for reproof. What is the reproof of the Word of God? I do something or say something, I go into the Word of God, and the Word of God says to me, "Bil, that was not wise." It reproves you. It is also good for correction. That is one of the great things about the Word of God. It does not just condemn me for not doing what I should have done; it corrects me so that I can get back on the path.

So he says all Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching and reproof and correction for the training in righteousness so that the man or woman of God will be adequate and equipped for every good work. Let me paraphrase that: so the man or woman of God will live a wise life. That is the way the Word of God works. It is not something to memorize; it is something to utilize in your life.

If you know the Word of God and you have an understanding of it, then every single thing that happens in your life you can push through the filter of the Word of God. Everything, something as small or something large. Somebody comes up to you and they insult you. How do you respond? You know how you want to respond, but would that be wise? He says, "Let no unkind word come from your mouth." There is the wisdom.

Once I begin to see how my life goes through all of these circumstances and how I bring the Word of God to bear, I end up becoming what the Scriptures call a wise man. Malcolm Muggeridge said, "Every happening, great and small, is a parable whereby God speaks to us, and the art of life is to get His message." Every time something happens to you is an opportunity. Every time, God is speaking to you. There is an opportunity to be wise or foolish.

Someone cuts you off in line; you have an opportunity. Your mother-in-law calls; you have an opportunity. You took your car in to be repaired, but it is making a noise now that it was not making before. You have an opportunity. Every single thing that happens in your life is an opportunity. God uses His Word and the circumstances of your life to build wisdom into your life.

There are certain things that are just flat-out true. When you understand what is true and you can apply what is true, you will benefit from it. Think of all the things that we pursue in life: music, law, architecture, medicine, athletics, economics, construction, farming. Everything that exists requires you to play by the rules. You have to apply the principles, otherwise there is no wisdom in it.

Imagine that you call in a tax accountant. You say, "Would you do my taxes?" and he says, "Sure, I would be delighted." Before he starts, he asks, "How much money do you want back on your return?" You say, "How about $8,000?" He gets a crayon out and he writes on your tax form: four times $4,000 divided by two equals $8,000. There is your return. What would you be thinking now?

Wait a minute. Don't you have to apply accounting principles to this, and don't you have to know the tax code? That is the way life is. You cannot do anything on your own and ignore the principles or ignore the rules and say that it will work itself out. That is why people who defend themselves in court—that is a bad idea.

The reason it is a bad idea is you do not know the law and you do not understand court etiquette. It does not matter what it is in life; you have to apply certain rules and principles. Maybe even more importantly, knowing it is not enough. You have to apply it. Imagine that you are having bypass surgery and the heart surgeon walks into the room and fires up his chainsaw.

You are thinking this could be a really bad idea. The first thought you have is that he should know better. In everything in life we apply the rules. I love playing baseball. It is fun to play. But imagine you get up to bat and you hit the ball and you decide, "I am going to go to third base first this time. I like to run counter-flow." What would someone say if you did that? You are a fool.

When you do not apply the principles and rules, you end up becoming a fool. It is not just knowing it; you have to submit to the principles and rules. You have to submit to them, or you will not be wise. You have to submit or surrender to the principles and rules. What is true in all of the endeavors of our life is true about the essence of life.

When it comes to marriage, parenting, finances, friendship, or work, it is not only you have to know what is true and what the rules and principles are. You have to surrender to them. Until you surrender to them, you will never be wise. Wisdom surrenders. How can you master your life when you will not submit to the Master of life?

Isn’t it a lot easier to believe in God rather than surrender to God? That becomes a really important aspect of this. That is why we are so foolish. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." Andy Stanley said wisdom begins when we recognize that God is God and then we respond accordingly. The proper response, of course, is surrender. True wisdom begins with a proper recognition of who God is coupled with a proper response: surrender.

I would add one thing to it. The first step is to recognize who you are in light of who God is. God is God. That is plenty. I am not. Proverbs says there is a way that seems right to a man, but it ends in destruction. I know that there is a way that seems right to me in every choice, but usually it ends up being a bad choice. Jeremiah 17 says the heart of a man is desperately wicked and it is deceitful above all else. That defines so many of us.

It starts with recognizing who God is and who you are. Recognition of who God is results in reverence for God. If you really recognize who God is and who it is that wants to have a personal relationship with you, you have tremendous reverence for God. That reverence is always going to be the same: it is going to be submission and surrender. Most of us know the right principles, but once you have the knowledge, you have to surrender. Jesus said to His followers, "Why do you call me Lord and then not do the things I ask?" They will not submit.

Every time I make a wise choice, I am submitting to the principles of God. That is the way life works. We have discovered and leveraged so many things and advanced so much as a culture. But all it is is we eventually discover what is true and then we submit to it. We have come to understand viruses and bacteria, the way the world really works. We understand the physics of aerodynamics.

For thousands of years, people said man will never fly. But man does fly because he understands the way the world works. We have simply discovered and then manipulated what God has created. The principles were all there, like reaping and sowing. When we find it, that is an act of wisdom.

Why don't I submit? What do I need to motivate me? One thing the Word of God says is that all human relationships should be based on mutual submission. Husband and wife, parent-child, master-slave, boss-employee. What God says in His infinite wisdom is if you want to have a good relationship with everybody, you mutually submit. Consider everybody else as more important than you are. God already submitted for you. Why can't we reciprocate and submit for God?

Romans chapter 5 says while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. There are none righteous, no not one. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. For one will hardly die for a righteous man, though perhaps for a good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

What an act of submission when you had nothing to offer but sin. Christ died for you. In Philippians chapter 2, Paul says Jesus emptied Himself of His divine prerogatives. He became a man. What an act of submission for God. He became a man, then He became a servant, then He went to the cross and died.

Why did He die? Hebrews chapter 12 says that Jesus endured the cross for the joy that was set before Him. What was the joy that was set before Him? You and me. He submitted Himself to being a human being, a servant, and being crucified like a criminal. Why? Because He loves us. He wants a relationship with us, so He submitted Himself.

The cross tells me that I have nothing to fear when I submit to the Lord because it tells me how much He loves me. Jesus said, "I have come to give you life and give it to you abundantly." He wants you to have eternal life, but while you are on this earth, He wants you to live a wise life. That is the abundant life: a life of contentment, satisfaction, peace, joy, and hope regardless of the circumstances.

Acquire wisdom. Wisdom is acquired when we know and understand the Word of God, but we still have not acquired anything until we surrender to the Word of God. When we surrender, we are wise. Every decision, every choice, we surrender to Him. When you do that, you will be wise and your life will be infinitely better.

Father, my prayer is simple. I would like every person who knows Jesus Christ to ask themselves just one question: Have I fully surrendered to the revealed will of my God? Am I willing to surrender and submit to His Word, or am I going to continue to go my own way, to make choices that I regret, to make decisions that cause me and others tremendous pain?

Father, I thank You that through Your Word and through Your Spirit, we all have the capacity to be wise. The fruit of that wisdom will spill over on so many others. Father, I pray we are willing to surrender, in Christ’s name and for our sake. Amen.

Jason Gebhardt: You've been listening to Pastor Bil Gebhardt on the radio ministry of Fellowship in the Word. If you ever miss one of our broadcasts or maybe you would just like to listen to the message one more time, remember that you can go to oneplace.com and you can listen to Fellowship in the Word online. At that website you will find not only today’s broadcast but also many of our previous audio programs as well.

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If you would be interested in hearing today’s message in its original form, that is as a sermon that Pastor Bil delivered during a Sunday morning service at Fellowship Bible Church, then you should visit our website, fbc-nola.org. At our website you will find hundreds of Pastor Bil’s sermons. You can browse through our sermon archives to find the sermon series you are looking for, or you can search by title.

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