Happy in the wisdom of God

Happiness-is a mental or emotional state of well-being defined by positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy.

•   A variety of biological, psychological, religious, and philosophical approaches have striven to define happiness and identify its sources.

•   So happiness can mean totally different things to totally different people.

•   **Joke about happiness here:

•   Ask about favorite colors

•   Mine is ice cream, looks like cake. Medium rare.

•   How bout clothes? expound

•   Happiness is In&Out burger animal style

•   Happiness is the COAST Jug Handle Fort Bragg California.

•   Happiness is Arris Pizza Jefferson City Missouri.

•   Happiness is the Cardinal Nation

•   Happiness is about fixing stuff

•   We tend to think of wisdom as being sound judgement or a right use of knowledge but the original Christian intent of wisdom was to cover all of life, not just moments.

•   So then wisdom is a covering.

Proverbs 3:13-18 NLT "[13] Joyful is the person who finds wisdom, the one who gains understanding. [14] For wisdom is more profitable than silver, and her wages are better than gold. [15] Wisdom is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. [16] She offers you long life in her right hand, and riches and honor in her left. [17] She will guide you down delightful paths; all her ways are satisfying."

1.      Wisdom is something to search for and find.

1.      Vs.13 Making sure that you dig deep enough to find the wisdom of God.

1.      One of the most common causes of failure is the habit of quitting when one is overtaken by temporary defeat. Every person is guilty of this mistake at one time or another. An uncle of R.U. Darby was caught by the "gold fever" in the gold-rush days, and went west to DIG AND GROW RICH. He had never heard that more gold has been mined from the brains of men than has ever been taken from the earth. He staked a claim and went to work with pick and shovel.

2.      After weeks of labor, he was rewarded by the discovery of the shining ore. He needed machinery to bring the ore to the surface. Quietly, he covered up the mine, retraced his footsteps to his home in Williamsburg, Maryland, told his relatives and a few neighbors of the "strike." They got together money for the needed machinery, had it shipped. The uncle and Darby went back to work the mine.

3.      The first car of ore was mined, and shipped to a smelter. The returns proved they had one of the richest mines in Colorado! A few more cars would clear the debts, next would come the killing in profits.

4.      Down went the drills! Up went the hopes of Darby and his Uncle! Then something happened! The vein of gold ore disappeared! They drilled on, desperately trying to pick up the vein again-all to no avail.

5.      Finally, they decided to QUIT. They sold the machinery to a junk man for a few hundred dollars, and took the train back home. The junk man called in a mining engineer to look at the mine and do a little calculating. The engineer advised that the project had failed, because the owners were not familiar with "fault lines." His calculations showed that the vein would be found JUST THREE FEET FROM WHERE THE DARBYS HAD STOPPED DRILLING!

1.      Illustrate here: 3 feet away

6.      That is exactly where it was found!

7.      The "Junk" man took millions of dollars in ore from the mine, because he knew enough to seek expert counsel before giving up.

Proverbs 15:22 NLT "[22] Plans go wrong for lack of advice; many advisers bring success."

1.      When defeat overtakes us, the easiest and most logical thing to do is to quit.

2.      More than five hundred of the most successful men this country has ever known, said, "their greatest success came just one step beyond the point at which defeat had overtaken them."

1.      One step beyond.

1.      Take another step.

2.      Take one more step.

2.      You can search this world over and find wisdom but the wisdom of God is totally different.

1.      People look in education to find happiness.

2.      People search in people to find happiness.

1.      When they don't find it many will search again in another person, and then another, and yet another.

3.      People dig into their careers to find happiness.

4.      People search in money and things to find happiness.

5.      People seek out religion, service projects, serving others to find happiness and always to no avail because happiness is not a person, place, thing or feeling but a perspective, an understanding, a belief.

1.      Have you ever searched for something so patiently, so diligently to be utterly and completely disappointed when you found it?

1.      That will never happen when you are searching for happiness in Jesus Christ and fulfillment in God.

3.      The scripture is not declaring that wisdom, happiness, joy, and peace are hiding from us but that in the midst of all the other seeming solutions she is there.

1.      Wisdom stands out.

2.      Wisdom stands way above any other contender, and she outweighs every other answer. 

3.      As you operate in the wisdom of God you have just accelerated your understanding above kings, princes, presidents, and engineers worldwide, why, because God's wisdom is so much higher.

Isaiah 55:8-11 NLT [8] "My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the LORD. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. [9] For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts."

4.      Wisdom.

1.      The wisdom of God.

1.      God's word is so wise, His truth is so eternal and life giving.

2.      He guides us with His word, corrects us with His word, inspires us with His word, loves us with His word and saves us with His word.

2.      Wisdom will not only bring us long life but eternal life.

1.      Wisdom will pay you says verse 14.

1.      There is a great feeling in getting paid for a job well done.

1.      Some people get paid but there job has not been well done on this earth.

2.      In heaven that is not the case, we will each give a thorough account for every action, every word, and every deed.

1.      God is all wisdom, God is also all justice and we must be judged effectively, efficiently and truthfully for our service to God.

Matthew 25:14-30 NLT  [14] "Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money (our cultures most prized possession) to them while he was gone. [15] He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last-dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip. [16] "The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five more. [17] The servant with two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more. [18] But the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master's money. [19] "After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money. [20] The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, 'Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more.' [21] "The master was full of praise. 'Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let's celebrate together!' [22] "The servant who had received the two bags of silver came forward and said, 'Master, you gave me two bags of silver to invest, and I have earned two more.' [23] "The master said, 'Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let's celebrate together!' [24] "Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, 'Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn't plant and gathering crops you didn't cultivate. [25] I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.' [26] "But the master replied, 'You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn't plant and gathered crops I didn't cultivate, [27] why didn't you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.' [28] "Then he ordered, 'Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver. [29] To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. [30] Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'"

3.      Faithfulness constitutes an attention to the detail previously set out as an instruction.

1.      If we are faithful then we will have paid attention to the instruction, followed the instruction, and benefited greatly because of the instruction.

2.      Instruction can also be classified as wisdom.

1.      Vs.21 and 23 He knows the servants, He calls them "My servants."

2.      Vs.30 He says, "Now, throw this useless servant into outer darkness."

1.      There was a judgement and then there was a final instruction and this servant had nothing left though he knew what to do. 

2.      He refuses the call, refuses the instruction, refuses the blessings, and refuses eternal life and knew exactly what he was choosing.

3.      Vs. 24 I knew you were impossible to serve because you're perfect and no matter what I would do it would not be good enough.

1.      The unwise think secretly that this is God, a hard Master, and virtually throw on Him the blame of their fruitlessness.

1.      Vs 18 I will hide what Christ has given me. Or hide what He has done in me.

2.      I was afraid to share my faith.

3.      I was afraid to invest in others.

4.      I was afraid to plant seed into missions.

5.      I was afraid to do any thing for you God.

3.      Jesus refuses to allow any of His followers to disengage, I love this.

1.      Rich, poor, young, old, slave or free, God has purposed each of us with talents and service into His Kingdom.

2.      We each must give an account, there will be an audit of our gifting, our talents, our attitudes, our giving, our serving, our wisdom, and our evangelism.

1.      Jesus Christ has entrusted us with His most prized possession, people.

4.      We can not bury our heads in the sand, or make excuses that will ever suffice as the world around and about us needs the loving, compassionate, faithful wisdom of Jesus Christ.

Proverbs 14:12 NLT Proverbs 16:25 NLT "[12] There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death."

Proverbs 14:18 NLT "Simpletons are clothed with foolishness, but the prudent are crowned with knowledge."

Proverbs 12:15 NLT "Fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to others."

5.      We should grow in happiness, through growing in wisdom.

1.      If you don't grow in the wisdom of God how can you fulfill His mission for your life?

1.      Or His mission for those you are connected to?

Romans 10:5-6,9-10,13,17 NLT [5] For Moses writes that the law's way of making a person right with God requires obedience to all of its commands. [6]a But faith's way of getting right with God says, 

[9] If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. [10] For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. [13] For "Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved." [17] So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ."

1.      This is true wisdom, and this is eternal happiness.

1.      Life in Jesus Christ.

2.      Not life apart from Him.

3.      Not life outside of Him.

4.      Not a knowledge of Him.

1.      It is impossible for us to find lasting happiness in any pursuit apart from Christ.