1) Wisdom Is More Than Knowledge (Kannada)

I want to read a verse in Proverbs 24, verses 3 and 4. This is a very important verse for our personal life, and for our home life, and for our church life. We have three areas of responsibility. One in our personal relationship with God, and the other in our family, in our home.

And then third, in our local church. So here it speaks about building a house. And it says by wisdom, we build a house.

And then by understanding, it is established. And by knowledge, the rooms are filled with precious and pleasant riches. So knowledge is like the furniture, the beds, and the sofas, and the tables, and the chairs.

But the house is different from the furniture. So what you learn from that is this. If you only have a knowledge of the Bible, it's like having a lot of furniture, but no house.

Supposing you buy a plot of land and you just put a bed over there and decide to sleep there. Nobody does it. You don't put all the chairs and tables in an open plot of ground.

You first build a house, and then you put the furniture. So read it again. By wisdom, a house is built, and then with knowledge, all the rooms are filled with various things.

Now if some foolish man buys a lot of furniture and puts it in an empty plot of ground, he doesn't have a house. And he sits out there and he sleeps in the sun and the rain. You'd really think he's off his head.

Even a beggar won't build a hut like that. They have wisdom. Even if it's a little hut, they make a hut first and then have the furniture.

And it doesn't matter if you don't have furniture. The house is more important. Now how many of you know that wisdom is more important than knowledge? The reason we have so many problems in our life is because we are happy with knowledge and we don't seek after wisdom.

Why is it so many husbands and wives who know so much of the Bible still fight with each other? Why is it so many husbands and wives who know so much of the Bible still fight with each other? They have so much wisdom that they can teach each other. But when they fight with each other, they show they have zero wisdom. But when they fight with each other, they show they have zero wisdom.

They preach so many things. But they don't have the spirit of a servant towards other people. They exalt themselves over the others in their church.

They try to show that they are very important and others are not so important. Why are they so stupid? Because they have knowledge but no wisdom. Very few husbands have wisdom.

Very few wives have wisdom. Very few fathers and mothers have wisdom. That's why they have so much problem with their children.

You can't bring up children in a godly way by giving them Bible knowledge. You can't bring up children in a godly way by giving them Bible knowledge. There are so many children growing up in our churches with so much Bible knowledge.

They are not spiritual. Because they don't have wisdom. So in every relationship, wisdom is the most important thing.

So in every relationship, wisdom is the most important thing. That's how we build a house. Whether it's your home or the church.

Some people think that if they have the gifts of the Holy Spirit, they can build a church. Without wisdom, we can never do it. That's why we need to bring wisdom into our lives.

The first step to that is to acknowledge that we don't have it. The first step to that is to acknowledge that we don't have it. If I come to God and I think that I have a lot of wisdom, then God won't give me anything.

This is a matter of righteousness. Supposing a person who is not converted, he comes to God saying, I'm quite good. He'll never be converted.

God will not give him his righteousness. Because he is so confident in his own righteousness. You remember the story that Jesus said of the Pharisee and the Publican in Luke chapter 18.

You remember the story that Jesus said of the Pharisee and the Publican in Luke chapter 18. In verse 9 we see, Jesus said, And then he told the story of this Pharisee who thought he was very righteous. And far away there was a man who was a sinner, verse 13, who didn't have any righteousness.

He said, be merciful to me, a sinner. And it says in verse 14, that man who acknowledged he had no righteousness, got the righteousness of God. When it says justified, that means he got the righteousness of God.

But who got that righteousness of God? Not the one who felt he had some righteousness. But the one who felt he had no righteousness. The one who recognized that even what I think is my righteousness is like filthy rags in God's eyes.

So in the same way, if I come to God, I think I have some wisdom. Then you will never get the wisdom of God. Just like this Pharisee never got any righteousness.

But if you come to God like this, Lord, I have a lot of knowledge, but I don't have any wisdom. Then you will get the righteousness of God like this sinner got the righteousness. Then you will get the wisdom of God like this sinner got righteousness.

This is the meaning of being poor in spirit. Matthew 5 verse 3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. What does it mean to be poor in spirit? Lord, I have no righteousness.

I have no wisdom. I have no strength. Therefore I lean upon you.

You are my righteousness. You are going to be my wisdom. You are going to be my strength.

You are going to be my strength. In 2 Corinthians 12, Apostle Paul had a lot of knowledge of the Bible. Not only he had a lot of knowledge of the Bible, he had a lot of righteousness also.

Once he stood before a high priest and said, From my childhood till today, I have kept a good conscience always. How many of you can say that? Is there anybody here who can say that? What the Apostle Paul said in Acts 23 verse 1, From my childhood till today, I have kept a good conscience. In Philippians chapter 3 he says, According to the standard of the 10 commandments, I was completely righteous.

According to the standard of the 10 commandments, I was completely righteous. Since he had studied in a Bible college, he had a lot of knowledge of the Bible. Since he had a lot of righteousness, he had a lot of righteousness.

Is it bad to be righteous? Is it bad to have Bible knowledge? No. But the great danger is, that those who have a lot of knowledge and have a lot of righteousness become proud of it. But the great danger is, that those who have a lot of righteousness and have a lot of knowledge of the Bible, become proud of it.

That pride will send them to hell. What did God do to Paul? He gave him a little sickness. He was a messenger of Satan.

Sickness is a messenger of Satan. It is not from God. Why do I say that? Because I want to ask you fathers, will any of you fathers give sickness to your children? No.

Jesus said, if you evil fathers know how to give good things to your children, how much more your heavenly father will give only good things to those who ask him. So, don't ever say God gave you a sickness. That will be like saying your father or mother gave you a sickness.

But God allows the devil to give us a sickness. So, the sickness is a messenger of Satan. And even Paul got it.

Paul says, I got this messenger of Satan, which is like something troubling me in my flesh all the time. It is like if a thorn gets into your foot, how difficult it is. And if you can't take it out, you have to limp and limp and limp and walk.

You can't take out the thorn. Now, this is not a physical thorn that he could take out easily. It was some type of sickness which only God could take out.

And God allows sometimes some little problem like that to come into our life. It could be a financial difficulty. It could be a sickness.

It could be some problem. It could be a financial problem. It could be some sickness.

Or it could be something else. Here, we see in the 8th verse, he has not prayed three times to God to take it out. Is there any difficulty for God? Why didn't God take it out? Why didn't God take out some of the problems that you were facing? You can say, I am a very bad person.

But if you think about Paul, he was not a bad person. He was a very important person When your prayer is not answered, you think, oh, I must be so bad. That's why God doesn't answer my prayer.

But the Apostle Paul, he prayed and his prayer was not answered. It doesn't just say prayed. If you read verse 8, it says he entreated the Lord.

That means he was fervently crying out, God, help me. If you know, he prayed three times to the Lord. That means he was fervently crying out to the Lord.

It was like a drowning man was about to drown. God said no. He prayed again, God said no.

He prayed again, God said no. Why did God say no? Because Paul was in danger of becoming proud. He says that in verse 7, to save me from exalting myself.

Now, if I were to ask you a question, please answer it honestly. Are you in danger of exalting yourself over other believers? Are you in danger of thinking that you are better than other believers in your church? And becoming proud? And if you say, no, no, no, I am not in such danger. Then I want to tell you, you are in the biggest danger of all.

Because the apostle Paul was in that danger. Where are you and I? I want to say to all of you, we are all in danger all the time of exalting ourselves. Looking down on others.

Jesus said that parable, no? He said this parable is especially for those who look down on others. He said this parable is especially for those who look down on others. Do you think a prostitute here is in danger of looking down on others? No.

It is only some elder brother in a church or a bishop or somebody who is in danger of looking down on others. Because they have so much knowledge. Because they have so much knowledge.

Because they think they are righteous. That poor prostitute has got no knowledge and no righteousness also. Does God want you to be like a prostitute? No.

God wants you to be holy but humble. Is that possible? What do you think? Is it possible to be the holiest wisest brother in your church and also to be the humblest? Is it possible to be the holiest and also to be the humblest in your church? It is very difficult. But we know it is possible.

Because Jesus was like that. He was the holiest and wisest and yet he was also the humblest. But Paul found it difficult.

So God had to help him by giving him a little sickness. God has to help you by giving you a little financial difficulty. God has to help you by giving you a difficult boss or a difficult wife or a difficult husband.

That is God's way of helping you to humble yourself. I have seen people who boast about how good their children are. I have seen people who boast about how good their children are.

One day one of their children will go far away. Then they become humble. Why wait till that happens? When your children are doing well why not humble yourself and say that is God's mercy.

It has nothing to do with me. But most people don't say that. You ask yourself.

How do you look at your own children and compare them with the other children in your church? Are you proud? My children are well behaved compared to other children? My children are well behaved compared to other children? Be careful. God will humble you in some way. Because God hates proud people.

He doesn't hate the prostitute. He doesn't hate the murderer. But he resists proud people.

God resists proud people. If you want wisdom Turn to Psalm 25 Turn to Psalm 25 Turn to Psalm 9 It says in the last part He teaches the humble His way. Whom does God teach His ways? Not clever people.

Not rich people. But humble people. But to the believer.

Now you know why you don't know God's way. Maybe you are proud of something in your life. Maybe you compare yourself with other believers.

It's very easy to be proud. Even if you sisters can cook a meal and somebody appreciates that saying that was a really good meal. You can become proud and God begins to resist you after that.

And you face a problem which that other sister who cannot cook well does not face. which that other sister who cannot cook well does not face. I am not saying you should cook badly.

But whatever we do we need to humble ourselves and say Lord that is your ability you have given me. It's not my own ability. I have seen through 53 years of being a believer one truth that most of the preachers I have heard have no anointing of the Holy Spirit.

Because God blesses them a little bit they become proud. One message God really anoints them they give a powerful word. And God resists them after that for the next hundred times they are useless.

Then after many failures they humble themselves again. And then God blesses them. And again they become proud.

And for the next many years God is their enemy again. Why should it be like that? Why not value every brother and sister as precious to God? If you are better than them give the glory to God. If you know the Bible better than them give the glory to God.

If your children are better behaved than other people's children give the glory to God. You know what will happen? You will keep on increasing in wisdom. Then you will build a wonderful house finally by the end of your life.

And you will understand so much of God's ways because He teaches the humble His way it says here. But I was talking about the difference between wisdom and knowledge. See those in CFC who have attended so many conferences I think we have more Bible knowledge than anybody in India.

Even our young teenage boys and girls know more Bible than many preachers. But do you think we all have so much wisdom? No. There is as much fighting and quarreling in our homes as in other Godless homes.

But shows me we have no wisdom. So you need to understand clearly knowledge will not make you spiritual. If you want to live properly on this earth what you need is the wisdom of God.

And the greatest example of wisdom is Jesus Christ. In fact in Proverbs chapter 8 His name is called wisdom. And the greatest example of knowledge without wisdom is the devil.

So much knowledge. Do you know that the devil knows the Bible better than all of us? See one example in Matthew 4. The devil is tempting Jesus Christ here. He tempts him first saying in verse 3 If you are the son of God turn these stones into bread.

You may think what is the sin if you have the power to turn stones into bread when you are hungry? No. You are hungry because you have not eaten for 40 days. And you are not stealing anybody's bread.

Jesus had the power to turn stones into bread. And it is not a luxury. It is just to eat what is necessary for the body.

This was a necessity. The devil knew about the ways of God. He knew that a man should live in a way that even if God gives you a power, you should not use it without his permission.

That is what many Christians don't understand. But Jesus understood it. Anything God gives me, I can use only if he permits me to do it.

So I cannot turn stones into bread without God's permission. So the devil knew if I can make Jesus do that which looks so ordinary, he will sin. But Jesus quoted a scripture, verse 4. He said, no, in scripture it says you cannot live by bread alone.

You need the word of God. What is he saying? Bread is not the most important thing for a man. What Jesus was saying was that bread is not the most important thing for a man.

The most important thing for a man is to listen to God's word and do what he says. God has not told me to turn stones into bread. So I am not going to do it.

So as soon as the devil heard, he is going to quote scripture. Immediately, the devil quotes the scripture. He said, why don't you jump from the roof of the temple? He said, why don't you jump from the roof of the temple? If you jump from the roof of the temple, the Lord will say, a stone has been placed on your feet, lift it up with your hands.

There may be 20,000 words in the Old Testament. To take out from there to tempt the devil, to tempt Jesus. Because he knows the Bible.

That is the proof. The devil knows the Bible so well. If you know the Bible so well, you can quote a verse, it just means you are like the devil.

If you don't have wisdom, Jesus also knew which verse to quote. But he had wisdom. So how can we convert our knowledge into wisdom? I believe that is one of the greatest needs in our CFC churches.

Particularly in Bangalore where people have heard me for more than 35 years. They know so much more than anybody else. But I can see a lot of those brothers and sisters don't have wisdom.

They are so sluggish in their Christian life. When we have an open time of sharing, everybody is quiet. If you ask people to pray, they are quiet.

It's all lack of wisdom. Their head is full of knowledge. I can see there that it is possible to have so much knowledge and zero wisdom.

Knowledge is like the food we eat. We all need food to eat. Bible knowledge is like that.

Bible knowledge is like that. But think if you eat your food and it just accumulates in your stomach. And it does not get digested and go into all parts of your body.

See, the rice and the vegetables you ate last week. Already the body has started converting it into flesh and blood and bones. All the food you ate last month.

Your body has been working on it, not leaving it as rice and vegetables in your stomach but converting it to blood and flesh and bones. That's how we grew up from childhood to what we are today. But if the rice and vegetables go into your stomach and remain there, and then tomorrow you eat some more and it remains there.

And like that every day your stomach becomes bigger and bigger. What do you think will happen to you? You will die. Can food make you die? Can food make you die? Good food? Yes.

Because it is not digested. Knowledge is like that. Knowledge can kill you spiritually.

In Jesus' time the people who knew the Bible best were the Pharisees. And they were the most spiritually dead people. They were so dead that they thought Jesus was the prince of devils, Bilgey Boop.

Even the Greeks and Romans knew this is the son of God. But the Pharisees who studied the Bible said no, he is the devil. How can you read the Bible so much and be so blind? Because they had no wisdom.

That is the greatest danger facing all brothers and sisters in CFC these days. Knowledge without wisdom. Food that is not being digested.

So how shall we convert this knowledge into wisdom? How shall we convert this food into blood and flesh and bones? Jesus told us how to become wise. He told us a story. Matthew 7 about one man who had knowledge and another man who had wisdom.

One man had knowledge and another man had wisdom. What did we read in Proverbs 24? Do you remember that verse? By wisdom the house is built. Now you see that here.

Matthew 7 24 Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them is like a wise man who built his house on a rock. Opposite is the man who hears these words and does not do them. He is a foolish man who builds on the sand.

Now what is the common thing about both these people? They both heard the words of God. This is not talking about a Christian and a Hindu or a Christian and a Muslim. It's not even talking about a Christian who goes to church and another Christian who doesn't go to church.

It's not talking about a Christian who reads the Bible and a Christian who does not read the Bible. It's talking about two Christians who read the Bible every day who go to church every week and both of them hear. Both of them have got knowledge but in one man that knowledge got digested and became wisdom.

The other one it remained as knowledge like a stomach getting full. What was the thing that made the difference? One man obeyed what he heard. He heard something and he went home and did it.

He tried to do it. For example maybe he heard he is talking here about these words of mine. Now there are hundreds of things Jesus spoke but here he is particularly talking about chapter 5, 6 and 7. I want to say to all of you you must study Matthew chapter 5, 6 and 7. If you are not born again then the first thing you need is to be born again.

That means you must ask Jesus to come into your life and forgive your sin. It is very important that all of you have that knowledge of Jesus as your savior. It is not enough just to come to church because your husband comes or your wife comes.

Or your parents come. You yourself must have personally turned from your sin to Jesus. Come to Jesus and say Lord Jesus I am a sinner.

There is nothing good in me but you died to take away the punishment of all my sins. You rose up from the dead. So you are living today.

So I can speak to you. Come into my heart by your Holy Spirit. Come and live in me.

Clean my dirty heart with the blood you shed on the cross. And forgive my sin. Give me a new heart and make me a child of God.

How long does it take to pray that prayer? Less than two minutes. In two minutes if you pray it sincerely you can be a child of God. If you don't pray it from your heart you can pray that prayer hundred times you will not become a child of God.

If you do it from your heart even if you say it a hundred times you will not become a child of God. If you say it from your mouth from your heart you should recognize that you are a good for nothing sinner. You should recognize that Christ died for all your sins on the cross.

You should recognize that you are alive. You should be ready to give your life to him. Are you willing to ask him to help you to give up all your bad habits? Then you can be a child of God immediately.

Once you become a child of God the most important chapters in the Bible you must read are Matthew 5, 6 and 7. And Luke 14 verse 25 till the end of the chapter. Even if you don't have time to read the rest of the Bible read Luke 14 verse 25 till the end. How to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.

And then read Matthew 5, 6 and 7. And then at the end of those three chapters Jesus spoke the story about the wise man and the foolish man. At the end of those chapters Jesus spoke about the wise man and the foolish man. How did the wise man become wise? He heard something and he went home and tried to do it.

Let's see, for example in Matthew 5, 21 and 22 Jesus said under the old testament they told you don't commit murder. But I say you shouldn't even be angry. So the standard has become higher.

Do you like the standard becoming higher or lower? What do you think is better? Do you wish that Jesus came and lowered the standard or raised the standard? That's like asking do you want your child to go from third standard to second standard or third standard to fourth standard? Which do you prefer? Which do you prefer? It's very simple. Is anybody here who wants a child to go from third standard to second standard? No. We want them to go higher.

So Moses came with a standard Jesus made it higher. Moses said don't murder Jesus said don't even be angry. When the foolish man hears that he heard it in the church he goes home he doesn't care about it.

For the next twenty years he keeps on getting angry with his wife he is not even bothered. His house will collapse. Because he is a foolish man.

He thinks his house will stand because he is going to church every Sunday. But what is he getting in church? All the knowledge that the devil has. Do you think the devil doesn't know Matthew chapter 5? He knows it better than you.

Can you quote every verse in Matthew 5 by heart? Can you say Matthew 5 without looking at it? Even I can't do it. But the devil can. But I can obey every verse there which the devil cannot do.

That's the important thing. Not how much you know. Supposing I know 100 verses and I obey only one of them.

That is like saying 1% of my life is built on the rock. Supposing this building only one corner is built on a good foundation the rest is on sand. I won't want to stand here because I don't know when it will collapse.

That is how many believers in CFC churches are living today. I am not worried if you are defeated by anger. I am only asking two questions.

Do you recognize it as a sin? And secondly every time you fall do you repent and weep and cry out to God to deliver you from it? Then you are okay. If you are not repenting and crying out to God then you are in a very serious condition. So that's the difference between the wise man and the foolish man.

Next Sunday they both go to church and they hear another verse Matthew 5, 27 and 28 Matthew 5, 27 and 28 Moses said don't commit adultery but I said you should not even lust with your eyes after a woman. You must not look at dirty pictures of women who are not dressed properly. You must not look at pictures on the computer which are just provoking your lust.

The two men in the church both hear it. One man says it's not serious. I look at it and then I ask God to forgive me.

It's not serious. The other person cries out to God Lord please help me I don't want to fall, I find a great pressure in me. They both come and sit in the church for many years.

Outwardly they look very spiritual. In fact the foolish man may be able to sing better than the wise man. He thinks he is more spiritual because he can sing so well.

That shows how stupid he is. You can sing well, you can do so many things well it means nothing if you can't obey well. What did Jesus say? The wise man heard and did it.

What did Jesus say? The wise man heard and did it. That knowledge became wisdom. We can make a simple mathematical formula.

Knowledge plus obedience equals wisdom. Knowledge without obedience equals death. All of you know what you got.

Is it death or wisdom? Knowledge without obedience equals foolishness. And the more knowledge you have without obedience, the more foolish you are. It's like food not digested.

It's not how much food you eat that makes you healthy but how much is digested that makes you healthy. Some people have a digestive problem they eat so much but they are still sick. Some people eat so little but they are healthy.

It's not a question of how much you eat It's not a question of how many meetings you go to. Going to a meeting is like eating. And if you listen to CFC messages it's like having biryani every day.

But that doesn't make you healthy if you don't digest it. It is wisdom that builds the house. So let me show you this verse.

James 1 It says here in verse 5 If anyone lacks wisdom let him ask God and God will give to all men generously without reproach. It will be given to him. let him ask God and God will give to all men generously without reproach.

God is a rich king. If you go to him like a beggar he is not going to put fifty paisa in your hand. You are a beggar, here is ten thousand rupees.

Have you ever given a beggar ten thousand rupees? God does that. It says he gives generously. But first of all you must acknowledge you lack wisdom.

And secondly you must ask God, that's all. But it says you must ask in faith, verse 6. So there are three steps there. One you say Lord I don't have wisdom.

I have a lot of knowledge. I am not a good husband. I am not a good wife.

I am not a good father. I am not a good mother. I am not a good brother.

I am a hypocrite. I am pretending to be so spiritual. I lack wisdom.

That's number one. Secondly I must ask God I must just sit back and expect it will come. Lord give me this wisdom.

Ask means like Jesus said a man who kept on knocking till he got it. That is the type of asking. And third you must believe that God will give it.

Lord I am absolutely sure you will make me a wise man. That means I am absolutely sure you will help me to obey what I read in Matthew chapter 5. You will help me to overcome my anger. You will help me to overcome the lusting with my eyes which nobody in the church knows I am doing.

But I am ashamed of it Lord. I know you will do it for me. You will get it.

You will become a wise man. And if you haven't sought God like that till now Dear brothers and sisters start today Say Lord from now on I am going to seek you for wisdom for my earthly life. Let's pray.

Lord My dear brothers and sisters I really believe God has spoken to you. I really believe that God has spoken to your heart personally. And He wants to hear your prayer.

And He wants to answer it. Heavenly Father We pray that nobody will go away from here imagining that everything is alright with them. Let there be a cry in every heart for wisdom.

We pray in the name of the Lord Jesus. Amen.