How To Avoid Being An Intelligent Fool

that was a bumper bumper how y'all doing Saints and some mates I mean some in summation here my Hoss Saints and ain't I were you I hear 17 people I said how are you there we go oh wait you stopped on time y'all look here I appreciate it I'm happy to be here I'm thankful to be here I always enjoy being able to communicate about God and His Word it's it's it's awkward and it's fun all at the same time it's so I'm glad that you are here to join me today we're going to talk about leaving a legacy of learning this is super relevant saying that we all need to know something to communicate something I spent my ear a my hair covers it up I think considering Twitter and social media and all of these things that we have access to we see so much information being brought forth and so I think learning what it means to learn is necessary let me pray first and by God I thank you for this moment the moment to speak with you that's kind of serious that we have access to God now without any lambs to slaughter without having to travel to a temple we just can speak with you wherever because Jesus already tore that veil and so I'm thankful that prayer is a big deal I pray that you would meet us here that you would teach us all that you want us to know that you would help us apply all that we learn that you would bring to our hearts and our minds things that we need to repent whether that's arrogance and our learning or apathy and our lack of and so I pray God that you would speak in Jesus name Amen when I was growing up I asked a lot of questions to the point that when I graduated kindergarten they gave out these superlatives for the little five and six year olds and my superlative was most inquisitive I don't know what questions I was asking but I'm sure I even asked what most inquisitive even meant why would you give such a long word to a five-year-old at home I asked questions of my mother all of the time to the point that she put in place like a inquisitive curfew and so I'm about to start doing that to my kids but she I just remembered the moment she had came home from work and I was sitting on the bed I don't know it's probably accident about you know while she was tired something like that and she said Jackie um after 9:00 that's on my mom talked after 9:00 no more questions okay the funny thing is is that my oldest daughter Eden who was 4 years old is the same way ain't God funny it's it's beautiful and it's Turkey all at the same time because Eden will ask me questions or she'll drill the question down to an unanswerable degree what I mean by that is so we was in the car one time driving she looks out the window she was maybe two and a half three and she said mommy um what are clouds you know she's there are those clouds I said yes she said what are clouds I said cuz I didn't I didn't pay attention to school I said big fluffy white bubbles of water that's that's the best I could do she said why are they up there I said I guess to give us rain there's some shade when we need it she said why are they white I said I don't I don't know I think that's just what God wanted because I always default to God when I get confused I just that's what God he wants his glory some kind of way and he wanted them to be white she was like why did God wonder why I said eating grace I don't I don't know she said mommy you do know I think being inquisitive is connected to simply being a learner learning is what all human beings do because God has given us all a brain that is constantly exposed to new things new people new ideas new smells so we're always having to learn something it's a part of our humanity it's a part of the limited nature of what we're able to actually contain or retain in Christ up learning becomes so much more meaningful because learning is then attached to glory when we fear fill our minds with all that we can know about God allowing it to be renewed and what it believes about him and everything else and then we end up going out into the world with this new mind that God has transformed and God is changing and in this new world we then find that there is always something coming against this knowledge of God that is worth learning so that it can be exposed such as racism certain political policies sexual orientation mass incarceration implicit bias these are really big ideas that have really tangible consequences to understand or learn about them is to equip us and how to be Christians who are informed from a Christian worldview God does not want ignorant Saints even the concept of discipleship is rooted in learning to be a disciple is to be a student literally so in Matthew 28 when God tells us to go therefore and make disciples of all nations and baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit teaching them to obey teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you Jesus is basically saying go get you some students and teach them what I said to teach immediately puts the teacher in a position of a student because you cannot teach what you do not know every single person in this room is here because you want to learn you're here because you want to learn something so you can teach right and I think in God's plan for discipleship church leadership mentorship etc the goal is that people who are students of us would learn how to be students like us so today I'm going to talk about knowledge knowledge is what a student gains from learning so just let's learn how best to understand the what so we can be wise in the how I have four points my first point is that knowledge starts with fear now let's starts with fear if you have your Bibles and I say if rhetorically do you you do okay seven of you have it great no nobody has it okay for the seven turn to proverbs chapter one verse seven proverbs chapter one or should I say click that's probably better Burbage click to proverbs chapter one verse 7 the verse says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge but fools despise wisdom and instruction have you ever met somebody that was smart and stupid all at the same time [Applause] something all in here but please God I know a few people personally I ain't gonna say they names that are really intelligent got degrees in all of that full of facts quick with it they know long division in algebra all the stuff that we don't never use they know it but they do stuff that doesn't make any sense to me it's like how you got a master's degree and yet you didn't have the common sense to know that you shouldn't win over that boy house at 10 p.m. to watch Netflix I don't understand Oh Hulu whatever I don't I don't I don't understand the disconnect and while your intelligence doesn't apply in particular areas in your life that's because true knowledge doesn't start with what you know true knowledge starts with who you know knowledge starts with fear depending on who you ask leaving the legacy of learning might be communicated a couple ways one way is someone who sees knowledge as merely having book smarts would spend a lot of time and energy with gathering and retaining information from books from lectures from podcasts the men and the women they are leading with then follow them in this way and conclude that that is all that it means to gain knowledge but I don't think that the writer of this proverb would leave that kind of legacy because he knows that knowledge without the presence of reverence only produces intelligent fools the writer says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge fear of God it's not a set of training wheels that you can discard once you've acquired all that you need to know the fear of God is the bike without it you ain't going nowhere fast the fear of God is not to be confused with terror or living in a state where you are always like God is big and he gonna kill me one day that's not that's not what I'm saying but it is having the awareness that God is big and that God is holy and sees and knows everything and that whatever he to do he can do all that he is should inspire a reverence that is producing itself out into obedience in Exodus 19 there is this really dramatic scene where God is giving his law to his people Israel in his own 40s they are standing at the base of Mount Sinai when God Araya arrives there is thunder there is lightning and there are clouds with no rain there is a trumpet blast that is heard that no one is actually playing the mountain is wrapped in smoke because the text says that the Lord descended on it and fire and then the mountain began to tremble and as it did the trumpet blasts that again nobody was playing begin to get louder and louder and then God spoke the text says that God spoke in Thunder then God communicated his law to Israel now understand this the people of Israel at this time were about 1.2 million people so God's voice is loud enough where 1.2 million people can hear him if you were at the foot of this mountain with all of that going on what would you feel you'd feel fear and that's exactly how Israel felt to the point that they told Moses hey bro if we keep hearing God's voice I think we're gonna die so can you go talk to him up there and just come back and tell us what he said it will do it we promise we promise we will their experience of the holiness of God put a fear in them that motivated obedience this is why the fear of God is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom because wisdom isn't just what you know is what you do ok if you don't fear God then when you stand before him on that great day what you know will not protect you from what he knows about you so the fear of God guards you from believing that what's inside of your brain will save you from what's inside of your heart people that fear God first have a right perspective on knowledge truth lights money people relationships alcohol marijuana because fearing God has given them the wisdom to know what to do and what not to do with all of it if I want to leave a legacy of learning then I need to do that by first leaving a legacy that is shaped by the fear of God point to knowledge puffs up turn in your Bibles to first Corinthians chapter eight verses one through three this is fun y'all know join us we learned it together thank God 1st Corinthians chapter 8 verse 1 through 3 it says now concerning food offered to idols we know that all of us possess knowledge this knowledge puffs up but love builds up if anyone imagines imagines that he knows something he does not yet know as he ought to know but if anybody loves God he is known by God in the Corinthian church and during that time in the world offering to offering meat to our food to idols as worship was common it was so rooted in the culture that a portion of meat offered to an idol could very well be the meat that is in that ends up to be sold in marketplaces for that reason there was always the possibility that you as a Christian can end up eating meat that was offered to an idol there were Christians on both sides of the debate I like the fact that Christians have been arguing for a long time there were Christians on both sides those who thought that eating food to idols or offered to idols was wrong and those who believed that it wasn't Paul addresses this ethical issue by first speaking to knowledge he says this knowledge obviously referring something that is being discussed in current or Corinth this knowledge puffs up but love built up the folks on the side of the debate that said eating food offered to idols that that was totally fine were the kinds of Christians that know a whole lot but don't love nobody well if they had a Twitter they probably would have said something like an idol is a creation not the Creator in reference to Romans 1 and thus they are unable to by virtue of their ontology to be considered similar to the Ancient of Days who became flesh and dwelt among us that's how they were taught they will be the theologians of our day the people that posture themselves as smarter than everybody their assessment of how to understand these idols being no God of all was accurate if you read verses 4 & 6 Paul affirms that what they were saying was true the problem was that they thought themselves smarter than the Christians whose consciences could not give them peace about eating food offer titles their knowledge was producing an intellectual superiority that was choking out their love and putting stumbling blocks in front of their brothers and sisters in Christ in the pursuit of knowledge especially for Christians who might you know enter into a seminary or a Bible College this is relevant knowledge will puff you up if you let it puffed up gives the image of inflation or being filled up with something namely pride and I think I think it's easy to get puffed up by knowledge when you have stopped doing the work of comparing your knowledge or thinking of your knowledge in light of the knowledge of God and I've started to compare your knowledge with the people that you can see as soon as we take our eyes off God ie stop fearing him the flesh will start to make us think that we are more valuable because of what we know knowledge then becomes an issue of identity and you know this when all of your conversations become debates when preaching becomes a means of praise for all that you learn instead of active service when being smart we're being smart or theologically sound becomes how you identify yourself you misplace glory and when people say wow you're so smart oh wow that was so intelligent what you said you confuse what they said with love you think that made you valuable because you got praise Paul tells the people of Corinth yeah you know some stuff and this knowledge will puff you up and inflate you and can't nobody do nothing with a balloon except look up at but God has not made you to be a prop he has made your brain to communicate his love Paul says that love builds up speaking to this idea of an edifice growing up into a temple where the Holy Spirit is when you know some stuff then how can you practice love I have five ideas for ideas and I'm gonna expand on them I think they pretty plan number one fear God by believing he resists the proud but gives grace to the humble I think that gives a sobriety in our learning where we don't we don't want to get beyond God's great we don't want I wanna make God mad you know exam so I'm a fear you because I know that you give grace to those who are low number to walk in humility by acknowledging God's complete knowledge of everything and your limited knowledge of all things number three realize that though you may be smarter than somebody it doesn't make you better than anybody when you attribute value to your intellectual capacity you will naturally devalue those who you think are not as intellectual as you are and so realize that all of us are image bearers nobody is better than the next and number four put your identity in the reality that you are known by God when being known by God matters more to you you won't try to make yourself known by all that you know by other people you are more than what you know number three knowledge is practical knowledge is practical turn to Philippians chapter 4 verse 9 Paul says the things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me practice these things and the God of peace will be with you when I was 19 I moved to LA for a season of my life and I attended a church called P for SIA and while I was there I lived with the director of the women's ministry who discipled me funny thing is I had been a Christian maybe a whole six months but I really thought I was wise like I just I just thought I was smart and I think it's because prior to that I was in a church context that exalted your gifts more than the exalted your character and so I think because I was a good communicator they assumed that I actually knew what I was talking about but that's neither here nor there so when I went to a church where somebody could see past a gifting and see the lack of wisdom and the immaturity that existed it was heavy it was hard it was difficult I remember the first week I said or the first two weeks I stayed with her I used to get up and get on the the computer to get on Facebook now this is 2009 so that was before like you know you could pull out your phone and get up stuff so I would get on a whole desktop like sit on the little swivel chair and stuff and so I get on the desktop and she got a post-it note that say before you even open this computer I need you to read John 1 and I'm like first of all how she know my schedule like who she's clearly walking in the prophetic cuz I don't understand but what my discipleship relationship was is that she would make me read something make me learn something help me process through it and then tell me to apply it and whether when it was miss supplies are not applied she would challenge me remember what we just read about one why aren't you showing that in what you just did today remember what we just read about humility and Philippians two why aren't you counting someone else is more significant than yourself where she was challenging me not to just gain all of this stuff but to actually put it into practice this is what Paul is saying here everything that you learned from me practice it now if you take his letter to the Philippians just that letter into account Paul has told them a whole lot imma read three sentences that I think stand out in the first three chapters of Philippians the first chapter he says to live is Christ and to die is gain the second chapter he says Christ who was in the form of God did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped but emptied himself the third chapter he says for this sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish in order that I may gain Christ I think all these texts are familiar to us we probably got them tattooed on the arm right now we've learned them tweeted them preached them but we all know that it's easy to learn it and recite it than it is to actually live it but clearly Paul and God's aim and the Word of God is that it would flow out of us practically as in what we learn should inform how we live so let's take the sentence to live is Christ and to die is gain let's take it out of the theoretical and put it into the practical how would we actually live out this description what would that actually look like well to live as Christ means that our lives would have Jesus all over from the decisions we make to the spouses that we pick or don't pick everything that makes up your life would be subject to the rule of Jesus Christ but when he says to live is Christ to die as game what does that die as game how does that actually look in my life well if Christ has been your life then the life after the next you actually look forward to that because that's when you'll actually see Jesus when Jesus isn't your life you're afraid of his face because you don't know what he's gonna say but when Jesus is your life when you know him and you know that he knows you death is nothing but a good thing because you know I can see the face of the one that I love you get it now how does that work itself out practically well if death is gain then you don't fear it if you don't fear it then you don't fear those who can kill the body if you don't feel those who can kill the body then you stop fearing people what happens when you stop fearing people you stop being afraid of offending people we're not afraid of offending people you start telling the truth to everybody why because what's the most they can do kill you imagine how bold you would be if you believed death was gay this is how this scripture actually lives in your body God's Word is alive and God breathed and it is profitable not just for knowing some stuff but for training in righteousness meaning that your orthodoxy but it has some orthopraxy or is work for nothing you can tweak that in tag me in I think there are two things moving from that place I think there are two things that knowledge should do for us in our ministries practically that is they should help us love God more and love our neighbor Jesus says that the law hinges on these two things we have people in the world who know a lot of stuff but their knowledge isn't isn't being used to help them love God more for many intellectuals atheists college professors scientists what they've accumulated is an abundance of knowledge that actually makes them fools Paul said it in Romans 1 when he said that these people claimed to be wise but they became fools because everyone who is born in sin and thus born with a darking understanding Romans 1 from birth has this because of where bornus in our thinking bends away from truths so irregardless of how much we know well we don't know God will most likely use whatever knowledge we've attained to actually suppress the truth of God but for Christians those whose minds are no longer set on the flesh our knowledge of many things actually assist us and loving God consider this let me let me read you some facts one our galaxy contains over 1 billion 100 billion stars is whole lot who counts these things the Sun is over a hundred times the diameter of the earth if it were Hollow it could hold over 1 million purse if a human beings DNA was uncoiled it would stretch 10 billion miles from Earth to Pluto and back the brain contains 86 billion nerve cells joined by 100 trillion connections this is more than the number of stars in the Milky Way scientists estimate that there are over 1 million species in the ocean but also 95% of the ocean hasn't even been explored meaning that in all of these centuries all we know about the ocean is worth 5% a man who was considered to be one of the smartest human beings in the world by the name of Stephen Hawking knew all of these facts and way more this is how his knowledge informed his understanding of God he was quoted by saying this if we do discover a complete theory in time be understandable and broad principle by everyone not just a few scientists then we shall all philosophers scientists and just ordinary people be able to take part in the discussion of the question why it is that we and the universe exist if we find the answer to that it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason for then we would know the mind of God before we understand science is as natural to believe that God created the universe but now science offers a more convincing explanation without meant by we would know the mind of God is we would know everything that God would know if there was a God which there isn't he took that to me and all these facts God couldn't possibly exist but in contrast those of us who might not be as smart as Stephen but a more wise than Stephen when we learned about how God has made the universe the world in us it doesn't lead us away from God but if anything it magnifies our praise we are the ones that then say when I look at the heavens and the work of your hands the moon and the stars which you you have set in place what is man that you are mindful of him my understanding of these scientific facts moves me to worship knowledge of the world is the primary way that our learning can lead us to our loving God more but to a soft heart when we learn about anything that he has made we can grow in our love for God through it the second thing that our knowledge should assist us in is our love for our neighbor I spend a lot of time talking about the topic of sexuality and as of late I've been studying more about the history of the queer community and lbgtq people and I'm learning about how it wasn't you know how was a considered a mental illness to be gay until 1967 roughly that it was criminalized to be homosexual that you can go to a jail for having public displays of affection for someone of the same sex of learning about harassment and how far-reaching it has been of those who are sexual minorities I'm learning about the unequal treatment that is still present in people trying to get jobs I can't retain their job so all of this stuff and it's what's doing what it's doing to me is that learning about the world of those who will be considered sexual minorities is that it's making me flesh out in what way can I as a Christian love a community of people who have been treated historically as less than it's making me think about how does the gospel speak not only to their being born after Adam but how does the gospel speak to them as image bearers who haven't me treated as such my knowledge of their history and their present tensions give me empathy with empathy and wisdom comes ministry that is both theologically true but also gracious and kind Christians should not just be known for their gift of preaching at people we should be known by a love of people but but it makes sense it makes sense why it's so common that that's not that the latter is not the the general idea of Christians because if knowledge puffs up then I expect a self-centered person to not care about learning something that would actually make them a better servant but love love will lead you to grow in your understanding of your neighbor so that you can provide specific application to their circumstance in a way that apathy would never allow some of us don't study certain stuff because we don't care about the people that is talking about so when you care you want to get in their world when I understand their language you want to understand with us from you want understand what they think the way that they do so that you can better and be better informed about what you say when you talk about Jesus to these people so who in your life has God given you proximity to black people then watch Martin what you doing a different world you know Fox News I'm gonna help you out and understand black people am i right the black people say yes I'll just sayin holes in your is it is it immigrants is it rich people is a low-income people single mothers college students atheists agnostics learn about the folks that God has given you influence on ministry with ask them questions read books about their history their world their systems of belief don't assume that you know them because you watched a movie but posture yourself as a learner and flesh out what you learned about your neighbor with what you know about God's Word and then your ministry will be way more thoughtful and incredibly helpful we should all want to leave a legacy and not just knowing good things but actually doing good stuff point number four and it's my last one knowledge and folly meet at the Cross Church 1st Corinthians chapter 1 first Corinthians chapter 1 looking at verse 20 through 24 says where is the one who was wise where is the scribe where is the debater of this age has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world for since the wisdom of God the world did not know God through wisdom pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe for Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom but we preach Christ crucified a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles but to those who are called both Jews and Greeks Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God Jesus was polarizing at best people didn't know what to do with him was he God was he possessed he comes Galilee Bethlehem why he healed the people on Sabbath how was he able to answer questions and he and even 40 yet why he telling us to eat his flesh and drink his blood that's a little strange why they talk about finding stone his lady and he over here riding in the in the dust that'll make sense Jesus's ministry was constantly questioned because he didn't make sense so imagine how both Jews and Greeks felt when Paul told them that eternal life was found in the dude that confused them they naturally act so you're telling us to believe in the guy who Pilate delivered over to the powers-that-be to be crucified the the Jewish dude who hung on the cross naked for hours on end saying that he was God but he didn't even rescue himself you're saying that he's God and supposed to be worship and that I can live forever and go to heaven if I believe in him that sounds foolish to everybody that is perishing one reason it sounds foolish foolish is because when our understanding is darkened in a real way sin has messed up our minds well we don't think right and so what happens is it sounds foolish because in a real way we think we have more wisdom than God does why do you think there are so many rejections to the having faith in God people resist the gospel for very logical reasons it's not just feelings that people are dependent upon even in Genesis 3 Eve put the tree in two categories I think that this is desired to make one wise this looks delightful to the side man this looked good for food she had a logical reason for her unbelief the problem is that these people who are coming to logical conclusions are using their minds to using their minds in a way that God has not intended them for them to have is the problem that they believe that the conclusions are right even if it's unbiblical for example someone might say I think that there are many ways to God many paths to God it doesn't make sense that God would be so limited in making salvation available only through Jesus Christ I believe that my God is kind that my God is gracious and so that he would allow me to find him however and through whoever have you heard that before that kind of person has esteemed their wisdom has esteemed their wisdom of how somebody could have a good access to God over and above how God has actually said you can get access to him to them it seems foolish that Jesus is the only door that they can walk to they walk through to have a relationship with the father most of the arguments and the critiques we are hearing about the Word of God and the person of God are coming out of the mouth of folk that really think they know better than he does that is why people define love on their own terms and not his because they think they know what love is over and above what God says that is why people think that self autonomy is true freedom and submission to God is cruel they don't believe God when they when he says follow me and you will have eternal life they seek eternal life is here joy is here satisfaction is here not there that is why you have people who believe that forgiveness is a unwise thing in them and that forgiveness are that vengeance is a better thing or a better thing to do again this is why in Romans 1 Paul says that when people don't honor God for who he is namely smarter than everybody they become futile in their thinking and it's in this foolishness that they actually think they're wise you know that you are a fool the moment you think your way is better than gods you didn't even make the world like literally the most you made is a tweet some origami it's a fool he made everything some a worm and how could you possibly think the one that created your brain isn't infinitely beyond it his ways are not our ways his thoughts are not our thoughts God is indescribably intelligent our unbelief is what is being disguised as wisdom so much so that we are over here thinking that sin makes more sense than obedience ain't that crazy and it's because the world's wisdom is not real wisdom that it cannot lead anyone towards God but only away from him that's what Paul is saying in verse 21 he says for since in the wisdom of God the world did not know God through wisdom our thoughts are so rooted and our own foolishness before Christ that we will always end up thinking that everything else is better than God that's what idolatry is I have made a conclusion about creation and said that this is better than the creative one God because we are naturally or because this this mindset is naturally our default we never find ourselves at the foot of the cross unless God by the power of the Holy Spirit humbles us to get us there God determined that the way he would humble folks is by placing his son Jesus God in the flesh on the cross the crucifixion or the cross being a device that only criminals hung from no one who is supposedly sinless should be up on that thing but that God did it anyway and not only that apparently this crucifixion was an act of love someone might say I never let my child suffer in that way but again that would be presuming that you are more charitable to your children that God would be to his son this son bloody and broken and stretched why because he died for us because God loved the world again doesn't make sense how does the death of one man make up for the sins of the whole world shouldn't we need many sons shouldn't we need many sacrifices well in the same way that one man brought sin into the whole world one man bought the free gift of God's grace into the whole world so that so that when they look upon him they will not have to die the way he did just because it don't make sense don't mean it ain't true and that's why salvation comes by grace through faith your intelligence didn't bring you to God his kindness did and when he showed up and brought light to your darkened understanding you saw that Jesus was the wise one the whole time that's why our faith is our faith is saying God is he's right and accurate and all that he said so even in our teaching the people that God has placed in our lives are in our leadership and our discipleship to give people Jesus is to give them access to true knowledge it's easy to get distracted and think that you have to move on to more intellectual topics to make people wiser but we preach you okay all right I want nobody falling now it was so loud I'm like it has to be some danger happening here something is going wrong it's easy to think that you have to provide these lofty theological things for people to be wise and you and in the I think in an attempt to do that some people miss the beauty of the gospel the thing is we preach Christ crucified because even if he is a stumbling block to some people even if he is seen as dumb to other people to those who are he is the power of God and the wisdom of God to see and know and learn about Jesus will make you the wisest person in the room on that cross God used what some people would consider foolish to make a way for us to be able to know our Savior only a really smart guy could think of something like that may we lead in the way that he does that's prayer God you said that if we ask for wisdom you would supply it so we ask for we ask that you would give us wisdom wisdom from your word wisdom from your people wisdom from your Holy Spirit I pray God that you would make us teachable people I know for me my growth has been stunted when I've concluded I know more than everybody and so I pray God that you would humble me where I would listen to people who haven't even been sent I would listen to people that I deem unintellectual God but I would see that you even spoke through donkeys you speak through anybody to show us who you are I pray that you help us lead us guide us in Jesus name Amen

Channel: Jackie Hill Perry Channel

Views: 213,092

Rating: 4.9475985 out of 5

Keywords: jackie hill perry, bible teaching, knowledge, doctrine, tgc, erlc, gay girl good god, preston perry, bold tv

Id: A5lOSc_S2Go

Length: 42min 21sec (2541 seconds)

Published: Wed Aug 21 2019