Great stuff at the Bible study tonight.

The topic we’ve moved to is “Wisdom”, and Solomon’s application of it – or lack thereof.

Tonight: “The Foundation of Wisdom”

Job 28:12-28

 Quote:

12 “But where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?

Where are we to look for wisdom, says Job. If you know who Job is,
you’re halfway there. Job was perhaps the first book of the Bible
written. It chronicles the story of the most righteous man of his time.
A man who God bragged about to Satan.
Now, knowing God’s standards of Holiness, and perfection… he was
likely very close to the mark, by faith and deeds. Satan told God he
could break him. He failed. Job lost everything he had, but He kept his
faith in God. God rewarded him richly for it, once the story ends, and
Satan is defeated. Job, his friends, and everyone to follow learned a
lot of lessons from his experience. The following is part of it. What
is history for, other than to learn from?

 Quote:

13 ” Man does not know its value, Nor is it found in the land of the
living. 14 “The deep says, ‘It is not in me’; And the sea says, ‘It is
not with me.’ 15 ” Pure gold cannot be given in exchange for it, Nor
can silver be weighed as its price. 16 “It cannot be valued in the gold
of Ophir, In precious onyx, or sapphire. 17 ” Gold or glass cannot
equal it, Nor can it be exchanged for articles of fine gold. 18 “Coral
and crystal are not to be mentioned; And the acquisition of wisdom is
above {that of} pearls. 19 “The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it, Nor
can it be valued in pure gold.

Here’s everywhere it is not. Here is everything that it cannot be
exchanged for. It’s not valuable in the sense that most people
interpret as “valuable”. Wisdom is valuable in another way.

 Quote:

20 ” Where then does wisdom come from? And where is the place of
understanding? 21 “Thus it is hidden from the eyes of all living And
concealed from the birds of the sky. 22 ” Abaddon and Death say, ‘With
our ears we have heard a report of it.’

It’s nowhere we’d go of our own accord, he’s saying. It’s hidden, and
cannot be found. Frustrating, you might say. But read on.

 Quote:

23 ” God understands its way, And He knows its place. 24 “For He looks
to the ends of the earth And sees everything under the heavens. 25
“When He imparted weight to the wind And meted out the waters by
measure, 26 When He set a limit for the rain And a course for the
thunderbolt, 27 Then He saw it and declared it; He established it and
also searched it out.

So, wisdom is from, and is held by, God Himself. So what do we need to do to be wise?

 Quote:

28 “And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; And to depart from evil is understanding.’ “

Pretty straightforward. Sort of. Fear is not meant as “abject terror”.
Your father loves you, right? Think bad to your childhood. What did he
do when you screwed up? He punished you. Were you literally afraid of
your father, simply because he could punish you if you did something
wrong? Or did you have a considerable, healthy respect for him? Did you
still love him, even though you “feared” him? Would you respect him if
he let you get away with anything you wanted, and never punished you
for doing wrong? If you would… you shouldn’t. God punishes those who
belong to Him, because He loves us. He wants to let us know that we
can’t run roughshod over His Holiness. He has rules, boundaries, and obviously, being all-knowing, He knows what’s best for us.

Wisdom is practical application of knowledge – not theoretical concepts.

Wisdom is common sense – to an uncommon degree.

Wisom is doing the right thing – even in a situation you’ve never
encountered before. You know what is right, and what is wrong. You do
what is right.

A God as awesome as ours, and as Holy, should be feared. He’s not the “god” of the flower children – only
peace, joy, love and happiness… He is a Holy God, a powerful God, a
Just God, and a God who cannot stand sin. Period. In His mercy, He
witholds instant judgement of our sin – He allows us a chance to take
the way out He provided. Thopse of us who have taken that way out – we
aren’t exempt from fear. In fact, we frequently have altogether too
cavalier a view of God. God is Awesome. Our God is the same God who
created us, the universe(s?), parted the Red Sea, appeared as a pillar
of fire, and caused Israel to ask Moses to beseech Him not to appear to
them anymore – they were afraid they’d die if they saw Him again. He
was that awesome.

That’s the God we say “I don’t need you” to? All I can say is… God is holy, as well as merciful. If you don’t request His grace and live by His principles with His help,
and not on your own steam, you’ll face that holiness, justice, and
wrath, one day. f you’ve ever lied, you’re a liar. So am I. If you’ve
ever held anything at all as more important than God – you’re an
idolater. So am I. If you’ve ever considered anything but the God of
the Bible (or been mistaken as to the attributes of the god you’ve
considered “God”)as your “god”. or “deity” (including yourself) –
you’ve had a god before Him. Guilty myself. If you’ve used God’s name
for anything but addressing God? You’re a blasphemer. Me too. Set apart
every seventh day to God, and dedicated it to Him, and Him alone? No?
You broke the Sabbath. Me too. Honored your father and mother, every
single time? Even as a teenager? No? Another one down. Guilty myself.
Murdered anyone? No? Jesus had an interesting thought about that. Ever
hated anyone? Thought about killing someone? Told someone you hated
them, in anger? Murderer. I’m guilty then, too. Ever stolen anything? A
pen? A paper clip? Thief. I’m guilty. Ever lied? You’re a liar. So am
I. Ever wished you had something someone else had? Been discontent with
your current situation enough to wish what he had was yours? You’re
covetous. I have been too.

So, that all being said… we’re all lawbreakers. That law is what we’d
have to keep, our entire lives, without a single, solitary, slip, for
our whole lifespan – to measure up to God’s standards, and be
considered “good enough” to be in His presence. When you die, there are
only two places you can end up. Heaven (with God, and everyone else who
“measured up”), or Hell (apart from God, and subjected to punishment,
forever). Pretty stark? Yeah, it is. The Old Testament had a way out of
man’s predicament, though. Sacrifice. Slaughter an animal, put it on a
big altar, and burn it up. That animal’s life is symbolically given for
yours, and your sins were considered forgiven. Until God came up with a
“more excellent way”. He came down Himself, lived a perfect life as a
man, died, in our place, taking all of the sins – past, present, and
future, in Himself, and thus paid the panalty for everyone who believes, in a leap of faith that it’s true, and follows Him, sacrificing worship of self for eternal life.

That’s the message. As condensed as I can get it.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. If you know what right
and wrong is – and I’ve just listed what “right” is – and don’t do it – that’s sin.

Once you know what sin is, here’s the question: Is there a penalty for
sinning? Yes. Death. So… how do you escape that death penalty? Not
just physical death – dying, forever. A long, long, time. How do you
escape that? You do one thing.

You say “Thank you”.

To the one who created you, loved you, and wants you to be saved from His judgement, by His mercy.

Believe that Jesus exists. Believe that He did what He said – “gave His
life as a ransom for many”. Believe that you cannot ever, ever be good
enough to meet God’s standards. BUT – you accept the gift He gives.
Life! Jesus was real. He was on earth for one purpose. To save us from
ourselves.

He told us this: “I am the way, the truth, and the life – noone come to the Father but through me.”

Will you? I don’t want to see you face God’s Justice, without His mercy
to counterbalance it. The mercy will not be in evidence, should you
reject God’s gift to us. All you’ll meet is his Justice. He already
gave us the rules. And a way to “qualify”, though through nothing we do
ourselves.

Here’s that tagline you were waiting for. Yeah, I’m done typing.

The only things separating God from Man are the sins of man and the
Justice of God. Mercy can only be given by God if man’s free will is
exercised to accept it, and choose God over self.

I hope you’ve chosen God over self. If not, life is very short. Is that
short time of self-gratification worth an eternity of paying for it? I
don’t think so.

Studies would suggest it

It’s a long article, but very, very informative. I love that site. I
really don’t get people who say that gay marriage is good for anything
but the dilution and destruction of an institution already under severe
strain due to the “free love” echoes still reverberating through our
society. Don’t they read their history? Heck, I read as much history as
I do science fiction – and I read a LOT of science fiction. Do people
not LEARN their history anymore? Or are they too lazy to connect the
dots and see parallels with the historical decline of other societies?

The Clincher

I found these quotes fascinating.

 Quote:

It appears to me that our culture labors in an advanced state of decadence; that what many people mistake for the triumph of our civilization actually consists of powers that are disintegrating our culture; that the vaunted ‘democratic freedom’ of liberal society in reality is servitude to appetites and illusions which attack religious belief; which destroy community through excessive centralization and urbanization; which efface life-giving tradition and custom.

-Russell Kirk

 Quote:

As I have looked back across the ruins and landmarks of antiquity, I have been stunned by the parallels between those societies and our own. For most of us the destruction of Carthage, the rise of the Greek city-states, and the Fall of Rome are mere ghosts of the past, history lessons long forgotten. And such things as the capture of Constantinople, the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, the collapse of the kingdoms of France and Spain, and the slow withering decline of the British Empire are much less clear and less memorable. Most of us do not remember much from our history lessons about the French Enlightenment or, for that matter, the issues that led to the American Revolution. But this is the legitimate background of our own place in history, it is vital that we reconsider the nature of life in those earlier times. For within those eras and movements are the seeds of the troubles we face today.

– Jim Nelson Black

I still don’t believe why the left wing considers their viewpoint the
“intellectual high ground”. Even from a purely historical standpoint –
are they so arrogant that they absolutely refuse to admit that the same
thing can happen to us? Are they so ignorant that they don’t know their
history at all? Or are they so self-centered that they don’t care what happens to our country, as long as they keep their “pet projects” going?

It’s simply baffling. Where do they get off totally rebuilding the
society that’s made us the unchallenged, dominant force on the world
scene, seemingly on a whim?

Don’t they remember Rome? Don’t they READ anymore?

The TV is not just to stare mindlessly at. Don’t use it to vegetate in
front of a sitcom, or a ballgame – or even to watch the spoonfed drivel
they call “news”. Use it to LEARN. Or better yet – use your brain, and
READ. You know, the thing they did before they had the boob tube.

*sigh*

But who am I kidding. People get annoyed on the internet if posts go over 100 words. bleh. Frickin’ read.

An oldie – but a goodie.
——————————-
I heard a great, great message today, on the way to church. It was from a man by the name of Ravi Zacharias. I really love how thought provoking his teaching is.

Here’s what he mentioned.

 Quote:

“Every baby starts life as a little savage. He is completely selfish
and self-centered. He wants what he wants when he wants it–his bottle,
his mother’s attention, his playmate’s toy, his uncle’s watch. Deny
these things and he seethes with rage and aggressiveness, which would
be murderous were he not so helpless . . . He has no morals, no
knowledge, no skills. This means that all children, not just certain
children, are born delinquent. If permitted to continue in the
self-centered world of his infancy, given free reign to his impulsive
actions, to satisfy his wants, every child would grow up a criminal, a
thief, a killer, a rapist.” (Minnesota Crime Commission, cited in You
And Your Child, Charles Swindoll [Nelson Publishers, 1977], pp. 33,34)

“We’ve somehow come to believe, that if only we educate them,
somehow they will be all right. Send them to college, they will be all
right. I think D.L. Moody said it well. ‘If you come across a boy who’s
stealing nuts and bolts from a railway track, and you want to change
him, and send him to college, at the end of his education he’ll steal
the WHOLE railway track. All we do is make ourselves more sophisticated in our duplicity.”

“If we present man with a concept of man which is not true, we may well
corrupt him. When we present him as an automaton of reflexes, as a mind
machine, as a bundle of instincts, as a pawn of drive and reactions, as
a mere product of heredity and environment, we feed the nihilism to
which modern man is, in any case, prone. I became acquainted with the
last stage of corruption in my second concentration camp, Auschwitz.
The gas chambers of Auschwitz were the ultimate consequence of the
theory that man is nothing but the product of heredity and environment
– or, as the Nazis liked to say, “of blood and soil.” I
am absolutely convinced that the gas chambers of Auschwitz, Treblinka,
and Maidanek were ultimately prepared not in some ministry or other in
Berlin, but rather at the desks and in lecture halls of nihilistic
scientists and philosophers.”

– Viktor Frankl

If our educational system needs to read anything today, as they take
out the Ten Commandments – if they put up what Viktor Frankl wrote, as
they walk into those halls, they’d have the answer to the dilemna that
is arising in our time.

Just read Hitler’s Mein Kampf – he’ll tell you where he
got it from. Hitler clearly stated in Mein Kampf – The evolutionary
fury that generated in his mind why the strongest needed to survive and
obliterate the weaker. In the name of darwinistic evolution, he
obliterated millions of people.

What it tells me, is this – if the heart is corrupt when it is born,
and if knowledge alone does not change us, what then, is needed? It is
a very simple statement, by Solomon of old – My son, cries wisdom, give
me your heart.

Isn’t that just hilarious? Right after Hitler was
mentioned on the Jossh forums, earlier, (I wonder if that was a
reference to me… I’m guessing it was. I may just be paranoid though.
If so, he really needs to learn his history. Hitler’s concentration
camps were filled with almost exclusively ethnic groups he disliked,
and the members of any religion he disliked.) I get this quote handed
to me. God is so good, isn’t He?

If you don’t know what Hitler’s concentration camps were really about,
or if you’ve never taken the time to study up on it, I suggest two
references. Schindler’s List, the amazing movie of Steven Spielberg, and a little book by a wonderful woman of God, named Corrie Ten Boom. “My Hiding Place“

But that was just on the way to church! I promised myself I’d share that, cause it was just such a powerful message.

So, on to tonight’s sermon.

Text
Pastor Bill, like I said earlier, is working through a series
concentrating on the life of Joseph. We’re at the point where Joseph
lets his brothers know who he is, and he issues them an invitation.

He basically pointed out that God issues an invitation, just like
Joseph did, to the brothers that sold him into slavery, and were now at
his mercy, the second most powerful man in the world.

1. Come closer.

Joseph was dressed as an Egyptian – to believe him, they had to see for themselves.

When Nathaniel asked Phillip “can anything good from Nazareth” – Phillip replied “Come and See”.

When the women who came to annoint Jesus’ body came to the tomb, the
angel told them “Come and see where they laid Him – he is not there”

2. Savor

Everything that tastes good has a specific flavor, a specific,
particular group of things that you instantly associate with it.

Taste and see, that the Lord is good, says the psalms.

3. Mercy vs Justice

God equally balances being loving and merciful, with being just and holy.

The Holiness of God requires that he be given what belongs to Him – the
worship, and the glory due Him as our creator, and as our savior. His
justice requires that a penalty be paid for the wrong we do in our
lives.

His Love requires that He take an active interest in the lives of His
creation. His mercy requires that His glory is shown by His opportunity
to escape His judgement by sacrificing Himself for us – our response to
such an act of mercy should be worship, and the desire and attempt to
be holy, which is what he requires, as a Just God. His Justice is
satisfied, His Holiness is acknowledged and emulated, His Love is
displayed to all, and His Mercy is shown to be faithful.

God is a balanced whole.

That’s what I learned tonight.

Had a good talk with my dad about the inherent nature of humanity,
earlier today. He said that the very quickest way to get people to show
what they believe is to bring up the topic of sin.

If you say sin exists, people immediately recognize what I’d consider
sin in their lives, which almost immediately divides people into the
camps. Those who recognize no form of morality save that an individual
person defines as their own, as “correct”, and only for them – Or those
who believe that morality can only come from an absolute definition.
From that point, the “religious” viewpoints differ, but those are the
two major camps.

It’s an interesting study in human behavior, he said, after we talked
about it a bit. It just goes to show that what defines us are our
beliefs. Our beliefs are not solidified, at least to others, until they
are publicly shared. Otherwise, we’re “just like them”. Once we show
ourselves to be different, we’re more recognizable, and the refinement
process begins. The compatible world views, from non-compatible world
views. The sorting process is almost subconscious to some people, I
think. We make “value judgements” almost instantly – once we begin to
mature, and our ideals are cemented, we begin to sort out everyone by
that filter.

If someone’s world view becomes sufficiently different from your own,
that person cannot be considered a friend. When they become close to
incompatible, that person becomes an enemy. If someone solidifes their
opposition to your world view, that hardens your resolve to defeat the
enemy, and the debate, at the initial levels, and open war, at the
extreme, begins.

That’s the admittedly broad-stroke brush I’m painting with, but it
applies well enough. When a Christian identifies openly with his faith,
those who are “conformed to this world” instantly recognize a potential
opponent, I believe.

I’m still just floored how quickly the 180 occurred. I’ve never seen
anything like it. I’m amazed by the accuracy of description the Bible
has for life’s issues more and more every day.

I’m glad I took this chance. It’s taught me a lot about life, and my
faith. I appreciate your (somewhat unknowing) assistance in
demonstrating an object lesson to me. God just used you to teach a
Christian about his faith.

Oh, just something you may want to think about. Joseph said this, later on in Genesis, and it just hit me.

Gen 50:20a
“As for you, you meant evil against me, {but} God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result”

and the New Testament verse based on it.

Rom. 8:28
“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to
those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

IXOYE

So, you’re stopping by here – maybe for the first time.

You’re thinking to yourself… where is this guy coming from?

Well, this is my small attempt to answer you.

My name is Joshua Whipps. I was born on June 30th, 1978; previously divorced, and newly remarried to Bethany, who authors a blog called “A Picturesque Life“; a father of three, stepfather of two more, adopted father to yet another (let me make this simple: his, hers, ours, and theirs = 6 kids), and a Reformed Baptist. I’m the son of a NASA Engineer and a (former) church Music Director, and oldest of 6 children. I was homeschooled until age 13, went to a private Christian school until 11th grade – at which time I finished up my high school years in homeschool, once again.

Since this is also an apologetics blog, I’ll give you a bit of my theology. I hold to the same doctrines stated in the 1689 London Baptist Confession (which actually dates from 1677) – I’m Calvinist in soteriology, obviously, learning to become Presuppositional in apologetic approach, and Covenantal in theology. I attend Michael Memorial Baptist Church, in Gulfport, MS.

I’m ex-military (USAF, Avionics, Guidance and Control), but I’ve had quite a few different jobs in my “working life” thus far. Computer repair (and builds), lawn maintenance, parks & rec, electronics repair, freelance web design, garage door installation, restaurant management… lots of stuff. What I do now is install garage doors here on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Why do I blog (when I do!)?

That’s easy. Writing, for me, is a compulsion. Much like reading. I read, on the average, 3,500 pages per week – not counting any reading I do online. Which, I might add, is not chump change either. I’ve been writing regularly for about 6 years now, in various formats, and it’s something I really enjoy.

What have I done around the net?

Currently, I run several websites – this one, of course, our extended family site, Whipps Family Circus, AOMinions.org and the site for my game project, Fringespace.

Well… shortly after I started “seriously” on the ‘net – ’99 or thereabouts, I started a little site called “Scifihaven”. To make this a short story, I “marketed” beginning science fiction and fantasy authors to publishers, while giving them a “showcase” for their work. It went well, for a while, but like most group projects, interest waned in several members, and it eventually folded.

I volunteered for a group called “CyberAngels”, at roughly the same time. Basically, they helped people who had issues with cyberstalking, online crime, and the like. This was back before it was a “big deal”.

I’ve run, assisted, and participated in various gaming groups – or “clans”. Most notably “New Dawn.” I ran that group for a couple years and was a member for over 4 years. I’m also a (former) member of the group “Men of God,” an evangelistic gaming ministry that does actual outreach work on gaming servers. (Online gaming is a HUGE mission field. Millions of people – and especially teenagers, play online games – with barely a wisp of Christian influence.)

I’ve written several articles about gaming, Christian apologetics & theology, and posted on my former blog, at Oblivion’s Gate for over a year. I “debate” occasionally as well – most notably at MekTek’s political/religious “debate” forums, and in the chat channels of Alpha & Omega Ministries, and the Undernet chat channel #apologetics. Out of those “debates”, I’ve begun an apologetics ministry that I call “Shade Tree Apologists”.

Dude… why that name?

RazorsKiss is a name I created for Elite Plus, when I was 8-9 years old. I’m a huge space sim fan, by the by. (Check my main website out, if you want to see how much I like gaming 😀 I’ve kept it since that time, and it’s been my consistent “online handle” since there _was_ an internet. Not for any particular reason, to begin with – but it has become a statement, in several ways. So, that’s the origin.

Symbology:

RazorsKiss conjures up images of sharp edges, dark places, a hint of “warmth” in an otherwise hard-edged, gothic atmosphere. It is two diametrically opposed objects, juxtaposed in one composite word. It is blood-red, shining, glinting light, off of a sinister object. It is a indictment of the gothic culture, by using their symbology, and turning it around from a Christian perspective. It is the sort of name that “gets you in” to the youth culture – but carries connotations that put you just a bit ill-at-ease.

Ideologically:

Razors are some of the sharpest bladed objects we’ve created. They are small, they are subtle – and they can draw blood with even the smallest cut. They can split hairs, cut hairs – and yet, create the smoothest of skin – with the sharpest of blades. The sharper the razor, the better the shave, and the smoother the result is. You need a very sharp razor, to have a very good shave.

In logic, in debates, and in apologetics, things work the same way. Your logic has to be very concise, your explanations must be clear, your mind must remain sharp, and your attention should be very focused. People tell me that I stare daggers, when I’m concentrating. I’m an incredibly focused person – when I want to be. I’m also very lazy at times – perhaps as a counter to the focused part of me. There IS some element to the “Occam’s Razor” reference that Ed mentioned. That’s one of the reasons I’ve kept it, actually.

Otherwise:

It’s a cool name, it’s very distinctive, I love black, silver, and red (favorite colors), the name is an old and virtually unused “trademark”. The only other people who use it (at the time of this writing) are a German Xanga goth – and an old German metal band. My selection far predates both. A Super Star Destroyer is named “Razor Kiss”, in a Star Wars book (Warlord Zsinj’s second) – but my name predates that as well.

So, basically… I made it up at 9 (Why? How? I have no idea. It popped into my head. I’m a huge reader – and have been since the age of 3. I read truly INSANE amounts every week – so who knows where I picked it up. ) – and I’ve kept it, because it’s “edgy” (oh… is that a theme? :D), and because it’s unique, and distinctive.

So, anyway. Yeah. I like the name.

I could probably write more…

But we’ll leave it here, for now.

Comments open: What would you like to know?

Q. “How do you read 3,500 pages per week?”

A. I speed read. Seriously. Roughly 2,000 wpm.