It's certainly good to see everybody this morning who's
made it with us. We're thankful for all your
presents and if you're a visitor, we welcome you.
We think we're thankful that you're here.
And if there's any questions you may have after service, please
see one of us and we'll do the best we can to help you out with
whatever is needed. Today we're going to be studying
in First Corinthians chapter 2. I'd ask everybody to please turn
their, grab your bible in front of you or underneath your seat,
or if you don't have one, your neighbor may have, when you can
look upon, or your iPad or iPhone, whatever, maybe, but
we're going to read the word of God together.
I'm not going to be putting it up here on the screen
intentionally because I think it's important that we read from
the good book. And as you turn there, I want us
to think about you know, the chapter that we're going to be
studying, give us to Crystal Clear ways that we can live our
life, two opposing ways that we can live and the choice that we
make today based on what we're going to read on chapter 2 of
First Corinthians can determine how we live our life and how it
affects our cells, how it affects our lives, how it
affects those that may be around us and ultimately it'll affect
not just our life here, but Eternity, it'll affect how we
live beyond death. So, as we read, I want us to.
If you have your own bibles, if you want to underline or Circle
or whatever it may be, but I want us to pick out words that
are kind of repetitive that keep coming up not not single two or
three letter words, you know, but but larger words that have
some substance to it. So be aware of those as we kind
of read through there. So let's start reading First
Corinthians chapter 32, what will only read through verse 13
there? And it says, and I Brethren when
I came to you did not come with excellent source of speech or of
wisdom, declaring to you, the testimony of God.
For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus
Christ. And him crucified, I was with
you in weakness and fear and in much, trembling and my speech.
And my preaching were not with persuasive words of human
wisdom, but in demonstration of the spirit, and of power, power
that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men, but in the
power of God, However, we speak wisdom among those, who are
mature yet. Not the wisdom of this age, nor
of the rulers of this age who are coming to nothing.
But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom,
which God ordained before the ages of our Glory, which none of
the rulers of this age. New for, they had known.
They would not have crucified the Lord Of Glory.
But as it is, written Eye Has Not Seen Nor Ear heard nor Or
have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has
prepared for those who love him. But God has revealed them to us
through his spirit for the spirit searches all things.
Yes, the Deep things of God for what man knows the things of
what for what man knows the things of a man except the
spirit of the man which is in him, even so no one knows the
things of God, except the spirit of God.
Now we have received not the spirit of the The world but the
spirit who is from God that we might know the things that have
been freely given to us by God these things.
We also speak not in Words which of which man's Wisdom teaches,
but which the Holy Spirit teaches comparing spiritual
things with spiritual. so, I hope that we noticed the word
wisdom in that Passage That's what we're going to be studying
on. And I think if I counted
correctly in that in that span of verses that we read, we see
wisdom eight times. And if just a reminder that this
is Paul is the one who wrote this, to the Corinthians and
Paul is the one who actually established the church in
Corinth and he's writing back to them.
And he tells them when I came to you, I did not come in these
ways, but I came in this way. And after which, he talks a lot
about wisdom, then in the second half of the chapter there's also
another word that we see over and over again, and that word is
spirit, so if we read on and in verse 4, it says, and my speech
and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom
but in demonstration of the spirit and of power, Is this too
loud? and then, if we skip down to
verse 10, It says but God has revealed them to us through his
spirit for the spirit searches all things.
Yes, the Deep things of God for what man knows the things of a
man except the spirit of the man which is in him.
Even so no one knows the things of God, except the spirit of
God. Now we have received not the
spirit of the world but the spirit who is from God that we
might know the things that have been freely given to us by God
these things. We also speak not not in Words
which man's Wisdom teaches but which The Holy Spirit teaches
comparing spiritual things with spiritual, but the natural man
does not receive the things of the spirit of God for, they are
foolishness to him. Nor can, he know them because
they are spiritually discerned, spiritually discerned, but he,
who is spiritual judges. All things yet he himself is
rightly judged by no one. 13 times in this chapter, it talks
about spirit, either the spirit of God, the spirit of a person,
or spiritual things and it's pretty clear that the theme of
this section of verses of chapter is wisdom from God's
spirit. And there's a clear contrast
between the wisdom that comes from God, Spirit which is
spiritual wisdom, and wisdom that comes from man or women,
which is natural wisdom. So, I also want to go back to
chapter 1, in First Corinthians as well, starting in verse 17,
will read through the end of the chapter there.
First Corinthians 1, verse 17 for Christ did not send me to
baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of
words, lest the Cross of Christ should be made.
No of no effect for the message of the Cross.
Is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us, who are
being saved, it is the power of God.
For it is written. I will destroy the wisdom of the
wise and bring nothing to the understanding of The Prudent.
Where is the wise? Where is the Scribe?
Where is the disputer of this age?
Has God not made foolish, the wisdom of this world for since
in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God.
It pleased God through the foolishness of the message,
preached to save those who believe for Jews request a sign
and Greeks seek after wisdom but we preach Christ crucified to
the Jews, a stumbling block, and to the Gentiles foolishness but
to those who are called both Jews and gris-gris.
Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God, because the
foolishness of God, is wiser than men.
And the weakness of God is stronger than men for you see
your calling Brethren. That we may not let, not many
wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are
called, but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to
put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of
the world to put to shame the things which are Mighty.
And the base things, worse the world and the And the things
which are despised God has chosen and the things which are
not to bring to nothing. The things that are that no
flesh should glory in his presence.
But of him, you are in Christ. Jesus who became for us, wisdom
from God, and righteousness and sanctification and Redemption
that as it is written, he who glories let him glory in the
Lord. That makes a total of I counted
correctly 21 times, Paul talks about wisdom in the first two
chapters. So we've got to understand the
point here that God is teaching us about wisdom, in his word and
in chapter 1 focusing to specifically today on chapter 2,
there's a clear contrast between foolishness or Folly type of
wisdom and and the wisdom that God gives us and if combined
with this, the emphasis on the spirit, and the last half of the
chapter, the contrast is between, which is that which is
natural wisdom, and that, which is spiritual wisdom, I wanted to
make two columns here in our study.
I was thinking about writing this out but that would not have
been wise because nobody would have been able to read my
handwriting, it's really, really bad.
But so I put these up here and hopefully we can see, we've got
two columns here on the left side.
We have the foolish life, which is natural wisdom.
And on the right side we have the wise life which is spiritual
wisdom and that's the contrast, the choice that every one of us
must take, which way are we going to live?
First, the foolish life is marked by natural wisdom or the
wisdom of men and women. In this world, we want to hear
what God says to us in his word. Starting with what we've already
read, in chapter one but they will continue into chapter 2.
What is the foolish life look like?
So the foolish life number one, feeds Pride, the foolish life
feeds pride. And if we remember in chapter 1,
in verse 29, It says so that no human being might.
So that no human being might boast in the presence of God.
In verse 31 at his as it is written.
Let the one who let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.
So clearly there's a right way of boasting and there's a wrong
way of boasting and in some of your Bibles, some Bibles have
with little letter or number down in verse 31.
You know, if you have a study Bible those are actually cross
references that we see that we can say okay well this verse is
referencing another verse and this one specifically here is
referencing Jeremiah 9. Verse 23, and it says here, thus
says, the Lord. Let not the wise man boast in
his wisdom. Let not the Mighty Man boast in
his might let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let
them let him who boasts in this that he understands and knows me
that I am the Lord, who practices steadfast love Justice
and righteousness in the Earth for in these things, I did like
declares the Lord So we see boasting kind of throughout this
passage in Jeremiah, you know, let the not mine wise man boast
in his widows. Let boast you know, here's
another one. Here's my boast right there.
Boasts. We kind of see that through that
passage and we're not to boast just in our own wisdom or even
in our riches. He says, here says let not the
rich man boast his riches. That's not what we're supposed
to be boasting in, not in ourselves and not in our riches.
Not what we Have we're all prone to focus in that area, you know,
from, you know, a student who may be consumed by what others
may be thinking about him at school or them at school or the
man or woman, who is consumed on how they are comparing with
others at work or maybe on social media.
You know, the comparison they're focused on what they have and
how they look and how they draft dress and what status they may
attain. That is the curse of the foolish
life. The constant focus on ourselves
and what we have or what we want to attain, instead of what God
who God is and what he can give to us.
This is why Paul says back in First Corinthians 2 verse 1.
It says when I came to you Brothers, I did not.
Come proclaiming The Testament, testimony of God with lofty
speech or wisdom. Paul was not trying to impress
them with his speech or his wisdom.
That's the opposite of what he was trying to do or he could do
verse in verse 3. It says I was with you in
weakness and in fear and much trembling.
So secondly, the foolish life which is natural wisdom, depends
on human power. Depends on ourselves.
And what Paul is saying here in this chapter is I'm not good
enough to impress you When I came to you, I was weak.
I was afraid. I was trembling.
And Paul is saying, I don't want to preach in a way that makes
you depend on my wisdom. I don't want to speak to you.
So you're depending on me and who I am, it would be utterly
foolishness to bank your life, on the wisdom of power of
people. You know if that's what Paul was
saying to these, in the process of banking on our own wisdom, we
will reject the wisdom of God. Thirdly, the characteristic of a
foolish life. Is it rejects truth from God?
Natural wisdom, rejects truth from God.
And this is exactly what Paul is saying here.
After he's talking about how the spirit of God reveals the wisdom
of God. We look at verse 14 in Chapter
2, it says the natural person does not accept the things of
the spirit of God. He rejects them.
He is not able to understand them because they are simple
spiritually discerned. This means that the foolish
person is so focused on the wisdom of this world, their
pride, and their own power, that they may feel like they have,
they may have That they have no room for the wisdom of God.
There's nothing left for God. And, you know, we can say, you
know, what will never say that, you know, but I think, you know,
if we go day-to-day and this is something that I can completely
improve on. But if we do not read the word
of God daily, we are not gaining spiritual wisdom, from God and
what he can, he can provide for us, we can be better in that
area. You know, when we were younger,
we all had a tendency that they could got it all figured out
every single one of us. yeah, I don't need I don't need an
advice of an adult or my parents or you know we got it all taken
care of We don't need to God to tell us what to do and that
tendency I think doesn't go away.
Sometimes, you know, we can get older and we can actually
convince ourselves that we know better than God.
And what's best for our lives and reject his truth, or maybe
even just ignore it. That is foolishness.
And it's interesting in verse 14 that says the things of God are
Folly to him. And that's not the first time we
see the word Folly. If we go back to chapter 1 verse
18, Paul wrote for the word of the Cross is folly to those who
are perishing, but to us, who are being saved, it is the power
of God. And then down in verse 21.
For since the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through
wisdom, it pleased, God through the Folly of what we preach to
save. Those who believe the cross the
message of Christ crucified. Was folly or foolishness to the
Gentiles. The wisdom of the world says,
you know, God's wisdom is foolishness, that's natural
wisdom. That's that they're, you know,
the Cross of Christ, doesn't matter and that leads to the
next point in this column. The foolish life sees Jesus on
the cross as foolishness. And that makes sense when we
think about it because the cross represented truth from God and
that is a shock. Basically, to human pride and
power, isn't it? If we put ourselves in the shoes
are of the first century, Christians, you know, we see
some who are we see people wearing crosses around their
necks, or crosses on pictures in their homes?
You wouldn't do that in the first century because the cross
was a picture of death. It was not something that was
socially acceptable to do that. You know, we're you know, if we
put that in our house today, you know, maybe a picture of an
electric chair or a injection table.
Lethal injection, table honor above our mantel.
We're not getting many people, coming back to our homes for
dinner. It's, it's the the cross back in
the first century was and still is a picture of death.
The cross is the most gruesome torture shameful way to kill
somebody and it was reserved for barbarians and slaves.
And Paul said in First Corinthians 1 verse 23 that the
idea of the Cross and Christ crucified is a stumbling block
to the Jews and to a Jewish person.
Anyone who hung on a tree was cursed of God.
In the idea of the messiah messiah, being crucified was
shocking to the Jews that would never happen.
Open in Jewish thought. It was also a Folly to the
Gentiles and that word literally means Madness.
If the GIF, the Gentiles heard that a Jewish man had died on a
piece of wood, in a nondescript Hill, on a knot in a nondescript
part of the world and his death determine the Eternal fate of
everyone else in the world. They would think that that would
be ridiculous. And if Christ is crucified as a
stumbling block, to the Jews and Folly to the Gentiles, I think
as cultural Americans, some can see it as completely absurd.
You know, we take the nice successful well-dressed American
with a nice job of big house. A nice car.
Take your free thinking American woman who thrives on her
independence from everything including God, and you take them
both outside to the city dump. Okay?
We're a naked man is hanging on by Nails on a tree, covered in
blood and you tell that American your only hope.
In life, is to believe that this man is God and you are entirely
dependent on him as your judge, Master Lord, and King and that,
man or woman would rolled her eyes at most.
They would feel sorry for this man and his deranged condition,
then they will move on with their lives.
It's entirely possible. Or maybe many like some who are
profession Christians in America, they will just give
some lip service to that man for a little bit.
Because it's culturally the acceptable thing to do, while
they continue to live a life that's focused on their selves.
The natural wisdom of this world sees the cross as falling or
foolishness and ultimately this natural wisdom.
And foolishness life is doomed to pass away, which is the exact
language that we see here in the English Standard Version.
It says, here in verse 6 of chapter 2, yet among the mature,
we do not import wisdom, although it is not a wizard.
I'm of this age or of the rulers of this age who are doomed to
pass away. Or some translations say coming
to nothing? I think that's what the new King
James says. We can have it all.
We can have the riches power wealth, natural wisdom in this
world to a point where you're even a ruler in this world, you
know, Your ruler over a company or rule over a country but we
can have it all. But at the end of the day, it is
doomed to pass away or to come to nothing.
We know that one day we are going to die and it doesn't
matter. We all know this and that
moment, it doesn't matter. How big our house was, it
doesn't matter what the cars we drive, it doesn't matter, or
social status, doesn't matter where we're at in life.
None of that matters. Because at the end everything
will be left. That is all empty empty wisdom
that we're having in those things.
We live in a world that encourages and exalts pride,
self-esteem. You know, self-worth is the
Mantra Mantra. We have thousands of words that
start with the word self. It's what we're all about.
What can we do? How can I pull my bootstraps up?
I need to work harder for this. I need to put more effort into
this. I need to, I need to look deeper
Within Myself. You know, we want to rely on our
human power and reject the truth of God, which is some think is
Antiquated and defensive. The world sees the cross is
folly in his foolishness. And God tells us that these
things are all doomed to pass away or come to nothing.
But there's another way to live that's characterized by
spiritual Supernatural. Other worldly, wisdom, wisdom
that comes from God and not ourselves.
First Corinthians 2 says that it's freely given to all.
So what does that look like? What is, what is the opposite of
a foolish life look like? And instead of feeding Pride,
spiritual wisdom, crucifies Pride, And I think crucified is
that is the right word. He's making this contrast in
First Corinthians. Paul by chapter two saying, I
decided to know nothing among you except one thing Jesus
Christ. And him crucified really is that
all that Paul wanted to know nothing else, just that It's the
one thing Paul talked about and the answer is yes, because that
summarizes living a wise life, the wise life dies to self
position and status in this world.
That's not what we live for anymore, we've died to those
things. It's the same thing.
Paul says, in Galatians 2 verse 20, that not just Christ had
been crucified, but I have been crucified with Christ, the life.
I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who
loved me and gave himself for me.
The wise life is an entirely New Life In Christ.
The wise life. Also, boasts in one thing
Christ, that's what we boasted. We don't boast in our houses or
nice jobs. Our status or nice success in
this world. It's all rubbish, it means
nothing. We boast in Jesus, he's our
life, everything revolves around him.
And instead of depending on human power, the wise life,
trusts in spiritual power Supernatural power that we
receive from God, And the way that Paul talks about this, you
know, back in verse 3, he said, when I came to you I was in
weakness and fear and much trembling.
We might, you know, read and get this picture of Paul, sometimes
as a amazing preacher and maybe he was.
But also to he's telling the Corinthians I came to you week
and in fear and trembling, I was afraid to do what I was doing.
I did not have the strength to do what I was doing.
And First Corinthians 2 10:10 talks talks about Paula says his
bodily presence is weak and his speech of know.
Account. So we can get that picture of
Paul in our minds of some Stout, man, but that's not what people
who saw him thought. They thought this guy is weak
and he can't preach. You know we think about think
about you to kiss back in Acts 20 verse 9 that guy Paul
preached so long. This guy was so bored that he
fell asleep and fell out of a window and died.
You know. The language that in that in
that verse basically say that he was eutychus, was lulled to
sleep. He was put to sleep by the
teaching of Paul. I think we've all been there.
Maybe some of you are there right now.
I don't know, but we can, we can be loyal to sleep.
You know, that that guy was the first guy to fall asleep in a
sermon that we can read about and it's you know, it's amazing,
you know, that guy falls asleep and he dies, Paul goes down
there and brings him back to life, but Paul continues to
preach after that like somebody dying in his sermon wasn't going
to stop Paul from preaching, it was pretty amazing.
So I think we can somewhat get grass.
The Paul wasn't, maybe necessarily, he probably didn't
think of himself as the best preacher and that's the whole
point. He said, I don't want to preach
in a way that you want to trust in me.
Do not trust in my preaching. I want to preach a way that you
trust in God's power. I want you your faith to not
rest on the wisdom of men. But in the power of God, I don't
know who you know everybody here today feels weak or unqualified
in any position that we might have or any Roll, we might take
but if we do, I think we can all feel.
Like we all kind of feel the same way.
Sometimes in our life when we get those positions that we feel
completely unqualified. If we feel weak as a parent, a
spouse a student in her employee.
If we if we don't feel weak in those ways, I would submit maybe
we have a pride problem. If you do feel weak, then what
we have coming from spiritual wisdom which is the word of God.
The Bible is that all who are weak and look to God, he is our
strength. There Are Spiritual power
available for us to have faith in.
It's a wise way to live experiencing the power strength
wisdom, and the help of God himself that is the wives life.
Spiritual wisdom. Also receives truth from God.
Receives truth from God. Verse 7 of chapter two were Paul
says, but we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden
wisdom, which God ordained before the ages of our glory.
And when we think about that passes, I want us to focus on
two words. God ordained.
What the Bible is saying here that is God, that has spoken
this wisdom to us. He has decreed this mess, these
messages Force, you know, this is not just, the Bible is not
just a book of information about God.
You know, these are the characteristics of God, this is
who he is. This is not just information
about God. It's a message from God.
And that's two totally different things we could read information
about somebody, you know, we can just read them and read it.
Okay. This is what this guy's done,
this is his resume, okay, but when they come to us and they
give us a message, that's a direct message to us.
And that's what the Bible is. It's a direct message to us from
God and that will change. The way we look at the book at
this at the Bible, when we come together on Sundays, we have not
come to hear wisdom for me or from any other one who stands up
here. And Gives a word.
That would be an utter waste of everybody's time if you're
coming to hear a preacher because of preacher, in the
words that he says we're coming because we want to hear from God
and God Alone out of the book out of out of the Bible.
Our job is Teachers is to take that word from God and speak it,
and teach it to you in a way as best we can.
So we need not rest, our faith in wisdom of people, but on the
power of God. So the wides life prioritizes
receiving this truth every week when we come together, you know,
we do that sometime Sunday evenings, where we just we just
read a few chapters out of the Bible.
That's a direct message from God to us and that is worship at its
best. So instead of seeing the cross
is folly, we see the wise life. Additionally, we see the cross
as forgiveness. The wise life doesn't look at
the cross and walk away thinking that it's absurd.
The wise life looks at the cross and falls on our faces in, awe,
knowing what that means to us. God in his wisdom is far greater
than ours and he has made a way for us to be forgiven of our
sins by his Mercy. We see the cross as beautiful as
a way to be forgiven of our sins and this leads to the last point
of a wise life, it's not doomed to pass away, but the wise life
is destined for eternal glory. And that's the language that's
used in verse 7 of chapter 2. Right.
After we hear about the wisdom of this age and the rulers of
this age, we read Doom to pass away or coming to nothing.
Then what does it say? It says, but it's one of my
favorite words in the Bible but It's a transition.
You know, you guys were this way.
This is the you guys were didn't have any way to, to be
reconciled to God, but that means God's done something for
us. Things have changed.
It says there, but which is the contrast we speak the wisdom of
God in a mystery. The hidden wisdom of God
ordained before the age of our Glory.
Before the age for our Glory. For our Glory.
For our glory. In God's wisdom, he has made a
way for Sinners to be glorified with him in eternity and that is
great news. Verse 9 says, as it is written,
what what? No eye has seen nor ear heard
nor the heart of man, imagine what God has prepared for those
who love him. That's a really encouraging
verse. The wise life does not live for
this world. So we need to set our sights
higher. The wise life lives for what God
has prepared, for those who love him.
So, I asked, what about you Which way are you going to
choose to live today was our last day on Earth?
Which way are we going to choose the foolish life or the wise
life? Are we going to feed our pride
or crucify? Our pride, are we going to
depend on our own power or trust in God's power?
Are we going to reject and ignore God's truth?
Or are we going to accept it? Ultimately, are you going to see
the cross is folly and give Jesus?
Pity and lip service, or we going to see the crosses
forgiveness and give Jesus our life and the answer to these
questions will determine not just the shape of Our Lives.
Now here on Earth, but it will shape our lives for eternity.
So if you're here and you want to change your life from a
foolish life to a wise life, this is the time.
It doesn't have to happen just now.
But we also always offer an invitation to those who may want
to obey the gospel of Christ, and the gospel can do that
today. We believe the gospel is this,
that we believe that God is real, and Jesus has come and has
died for our sins, so that we might have restoration with God.
We then repent of our former way of life.
You know we were living a foolish life now we're going to
change that. We're going to we're not going
to depend on our natural wisdom anymore.
We're going to go ahead and depend on God's wisdom, change
our way of life. We're going to confess the name
of Christ and knowledge in that he is a Son of God and then be
baptized for the remission of our sins of your sins
contacting, the blood of Our Savior, Jesus the Christ, and
then and only, then he add you to his church.
That can be fulfilled today. We can assist in that.
Today, we have the baptistry here, that can we can fill up
quickly and we can make that happen.
Also there if there's one here who needs to make a public
confession of any sort or just needs the prayers of the
congregation, we ask you to please come.
Now as we stand in as we see We thank you for listening to our
podcast, put on by the Church of Christ at 22:15 plans.
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