Do it! Just do it.

Steve Brown:
Do it! Just do it. Let’s talk about it on this edition of Key Life.

Matthew Porter:
That was Steve Brown. He’s an author, seminary professor, and our teacher on Key Life, a program all about God’s radical grace. We’re committed to bringing you Bible teaching that’s honest, straight-forward, and street-smart. Keep listening to hear truth that’ll make you free.

Steve Brown:
Thank you Matthew. If, I started to say, if you have your Bible, open it to Proverbs, but we haven’t yet gotten into this book because I’m doing some things that are necessary for both of us before we look directly at the Proverbs. And one of the things we saw yesterday is that knowledge is a supernatural gift from the God of the universe. That is what the Bible is all about. We know things that those who are unbelievers do not know. We know things about the universe, about ourselves, about the world, about our friends, about politics, about education, about philosophy, that others don’t know simply because God has, in a supernatural way, communicated those to us. And we are a culture who have separated ourselves from the God who revealed the facts of the way the world works. I said something yesterday about abortion being the most significant issue of our, social issue of our time. It’s the reason Christians speak so often about it because we know, knowledge has been given to us that you don’t mess with life. And as we move into the transgender movement, we as Christians need to show compassion because some bad, really bad things are happening. I’m sure that you read about a state in, well it was California, where the legislature voted to remove children or to punish parents who did not affirm the trans movement of their children. Man, where does that come from? It comes from people who simply don’t know. And so there’s something supernatural, we know and they don’t. We understand and they don’t. We get it and they don’t. Now, you’ve got to be careful cause that’s a dangerous place to be. When you’re right and they’re wrong, There is a good opportunity for self righteousness and arrogance and stuff that ought not be a part of what a Christian is. But we do know, God told us, and they don’t know because they didn’t listen. You know, one of the interesting things about the Jesus Revolution, and I was a part of that, I was a pastor of a very traditional church in Boston, a Boston suburb in those days, when all of a sudden God, for his own reasons, poured out his Spirit on our entire nation, and young people came by hundreds of thousands into the church. They didn’t know a thing, but they knew Jesus, and that was enough. And it changed the church. It changed the music of the church, it changed the demeanor of the church, and it did that in my church. But one of the really interesting things was how these young people coming off the streets bonded and connected, not with the members who were their parents age, but with the old folks in the church. I can’t tell you, time and time again, I would come into the church, And I would see a young person with long hair, sitting and talking with some old guy or old lady in the church, and they were loving on each other, and it was happening, what was going on there? I’ll tell you, they had discovered what the old people already knew. We had a generation of people who drifted, who got away from looking at what God had revealed, who looked at their kids and wanted the kids to do well in the world, but that didn’t have a thing to do with God. One woman said, I liked it better when she smoked pot because at least I understood pot. I don’t understand Jesus. But the old folks, they knew, they remembered, they were there, and they were sad about what had been lost in our culture. And when these young people came into the church, it was amazing, the bonding and the love between the young and the old. Why was that? Because they all had the supernatural understanding of the revelation of the knowledge of God. You know, sometimes we criticize civic religion, but we’re losing that in our culture. I can remember from the pulpit criticizing civil religion, where politicians would nod in the direction of God and the church people in order to get votes, where no matter what the occasion was, you got a preacher to pray for it or a rabbi to pray for it. And I used to say that is not the Christian faith. In fact, it robs from the Christian faith, but I repent of everything that I said. I wish we could go back to those days, to those days when religion and God were at least recognized as important because that was an anchor for our culture that we no longer have. All right, before we get into the Book of Proverbs, I’m going to go down the other road. I don’t want to leave this without a reference to the second truth. The first is that knowledge, a part of wisdom, comes from God. And the second is this, understanding and application completes wisdom and it’s from God too. One of the difficult tasks of Christians who care about their country, their club, their culture, is the description of a flower or sunsets to blind people. Have you ever tried to lead somebody to Christ in whom the Spirit of God is not operative? Her name was Jane, and I remember her. She was married to a husband who was a Christian, or who had become one, and she wasn’t, and she was not going to become one. And so, I decided, at her husband’s request, that I would spend time with Jane and tell her more about Jesus. And I did it over and over and over again. And each time she rejected it, she said I don’t understand it, nobody can believe something that crazy. And I finally decided, after multiple times, I’m going to do this one more time. And then that’s it. She can be lost for eternity, and I’m going to shake the dust off my feet and go to somebody who wants to hear. And I said to her, Jane, sit down, I’m going to tell you one more time. And I gave her the gospel. And you know what she said to me? She said, Steve, why didn’t you tell me this before? And I said, Jane, that’s all I’ve told you for the last six months. And she said, no you didn’t. What was going on, the difference, was the intervention of God in her life. And it was the movement of the Holy Spirit that put together the supernatural application, which is wisdom. That’s the reason that Jesus put so much emphasis on deeds as opposed to words. You remember in Matthew 21:28 through 31.

“But what do you think? A man had two sons. And he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go work today in my vineyard.’ He answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it and went. Then he came to the second son and said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘I go, sir,’ but he didn’t go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said to him, “the first.” And Jesus said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you.”

You can, in a cerebral way, get something of the supernatural revelation of God in terms of knowledge. But only when you do it, do you understand it, and you file that under wisdom. One of the most difficult things that we as Christians face is the recognition that the Christian faith is not primarily just a matter of propositions. For years, our evangelistic presentations have been getting somebody to nod positively in the face of certain propositions. I’m a sinner. I believe that. I accept that. Jesus is a Savior. I believe that and accept that. He has died on a cross for me. I believe that, and I accept that. Therefore, you’re a Christian. Nah. You need to know that there’s more to it than that. There’s the idea of actually leaning on Him and leaning on Him hard. And when you do that, you file that under wisdom. Wisdom, knowledge, application, go together. And that can change the world. You think about that. Amen.

Matthew Porter:
And thank you Steve, for that refreshing and needed reminder to just do it. Hey, that’s a catchy phrase. Somebody should write that down. Steve will return tomorrow with more practical yet supernatural wisdom from the Book of Proverbs, do not miss it. Well, Thanksgiving is coming up, so I am here today to talk to you about Christmas. Hey, listen, don’t get mad at me, all right. The stores put out the Christmas stuff pretty much right after Labor Day. So, you know, it’s not on me. Actually, you’ll want to listen to this because we have a special free gift for you from Key Life. It’s a booklet called Christmas Meditations. It’s a reprinted collection of Steve’s writings on the real meaning of Christmas, the Incarnation of God in Christ. The booklet also includes Scripture and devotional questions to help you focus and reflect on the impact of Christ’s coming. Get it now by calling us at 1-800-KEY-LIFE that’s 1-800-539-5433. You can also e-mail [email protected] to ask for that booklet. And if you’d like to mail your request, go to keylife.org/contact to find our mailing addresses. Again, just ask for your free copy of the booklet, Christmas Meditations. And finally, if you value the work of Key Life, would you support that work through your giving? You can charge a gift on your credit card or include a gift in your envelope. Or you can now give safely and securely through text. Just pick up your phone and text Key Life to 28950. Key Life is a member of ECFA in the States and CCCC in Canada. And we are a listener supported production of Key Life Network.