Intro: Alton Brown is one of my favorite members of the Food Network. A lot of people give you their recipes, Alton gives you the Biology, History, Word Origin and Chemistry of his meals. He is a Wise Guy. He is the Einstein of Eggplant, the Plato of Potatoes, the Socrates of Spinach, and the Bobby Fisher of field peas.
Some people have knowledge, Alton has wisdom, that is why he is a Wise Guy.
We are told in the New Testament to be Wise Guys.
Be A Wise Guy
Matthew 10:16
(Be wise as serpents, harmless as doves)
today we will examine 5 ways to be a Wise Guy
Be A Wise Guy- not everyone makes it to heaven
I Corinthians 10:1--not everyone who was under the cloud made it to the promise land. This is an amazing verse where Paul shows us that not everyone that saw all the miracles in the desert entered into the promise land. He basically says, even if you go to church, even if you have experienced God in your life, that doesn’t mean you will walk on golden streets.
Paul is warning future generations that being a
member of the church doesnt’ mean you are a
member of the Body of Christ. Paul says you need to
be a Wise Guy. You need to realize that you must
give your life to Christ to be a Christian. You must
be born again to enter heaven.
Be A Wise Guy- Christians need God’s Power in life.
I Corinthians 12:1- Don’t be ignorant concerning Spiritual gifts. Paul gives us another warning in our walk with God. Don’t try to live for God out of your flesh, but walk in the Spirit of God. If you walk in the Spirit you will win, if you walk in yourself you will lose. Be a Wise Guy, know that God will empower you for every battle, give you strength for every test, and in the Spirit you will soar.
Flesh and blood won’t enter into the kingdom of
heaven. The weapons of your warfare are not carnal
but mighty through God to the pulling down of
strongholds. God gives Spiritual gifts to the body of
Christ, and you must desire the power of God.
Be a Wise Guy- Know the Devils bag of Tricks
2 Corinthians 2:11-Don’t be ignorant concerning the devices of the devil. Paul moves into
Spiritual warfare. He basically says to the church,
don’t be unaware of the plans, the tricks, the traps of
Satan. The best way to beat temptations is to know
how the devil lays down the traps. Be a Wise Guy,
know the enemies move before he makes them. So
many times young Christians fall into traps that
older Christians know how to avoid. Realize the
devil will attack you at two times in your life the
most. When you are weak in your walk with God, he
loves trying to get you when your are tired, down or
a little discouraged. The other time he lays out
traps is when you have won great victories for the
Lord, he will try to set you up with pride, that comes
before every fall. Know how the devil operates, so
you can see something coming a mile away.
Be A Wise Guy-Be ready for Christ’s return
I Thessalonians 4:13-don’t be ignorant about those who fell asleep, ( are dead) People in the early church were confused about those who died in Christ. Paul says, be a Wise Guy about death and the Coming of the Lord in the clouds. He basically says, death lost the victory, sin lost it’s sting. Those who have died in the faith will be ressurrected to a new life, with a glorified body. When Christ returns, the dead will rise first, then we which are alive will meet them in the air, to ever be with the Lord. Comfort each other with these words. Be a Wise Guy--know that death isn’t the end, but the beginning. Know that every day you must live your life as if today was the day of the Lord’s return. Always be prepared, never be Spiritually asleep, for no man knows the day or the hour that Jesus will come to take the Bride with Him.
Be A Wise Guy- eternity is a long, long time
2 Peter 3:8- don’t be ignorant to the fact that a day with the Lord is like a thousand years, a thousand years is like a day. Over the years I have heard hundreds of explanations about what this verse means, but the best is that eternity is timeless. That God doesn’t operate on man’s limited time table, but is so vast that thousands of years are like one piece of sand on the seashore. This is a very sobering verse because eternity means forever. Those who live for Christ make it to an eternity with God, those who don’t live an eternity without Him.
Ten thousand years, and we will just be started.
Peter basically to give an idea of God’s vastness,
gives us that God is outside of time. He doesn’t have
a day planner, He operates with a Million year
planner. When God looks at our lives, it is a blink.
This is an encouragement to us, to give a lifetime to
receive an eternity.
close: the name John Carpenter is a famous name because he was the first man to win a million dollars on "Who wants to be a millionaire." The amazing thing was that he knew every question, he didn’t even need a lifeline. People would say, John Carpenter is a Wise Guy.
But to truly be a Wise Guy you must be as wise as a serpent, and as harmless as a dove.
You must know: not everyone makes it to heaven, to live for God will take Spiritual power, that the devil has tricks to trip you up, that you must be ready everyday for the return of Christ, and eternity is a long, long time.
Today, Be A Wise Guy, by living for Jesus Christ.
