If you would turn with me in
your Bible to Luke chapter 7, the Gospel of Luke chapter 7. We'll begin reading in verse
16, but let me give you just a little bit of background as
to what's going on here in our story. The Lord Jesus had just
raised the widow's dead son at Nain's gate. And in verse 16
we read, and there came a fear on all, and they glorified God,
saying that a great prophet is risen up among us, and that God
hath visited his people. Verse 17, and this rumor of him,
the Lord Jesus, went forth throughout all Judea, and throughout all
the region round about, and the disciples of John showed him
of all these things. Now that's speaking of John.
The raising of one dead was something that was unheard of. And fear,
a reverential awe, not a fear like being afraid of something,
but a reverential awe, a feeling of shock. There was shock. This man was dead. He was on
his way to the graveyard to be buried. And now he's sitting
up and he's talking. Those that witnessed this miracle
were just in awe. They all gave recognition to
divine activity. Only God can do this. They cried,
a great prophet has written among us. Certainly one had, but more
than a prophet. They proclaimed God has visited
His people. They didn't know how much He
had, because the one that healed this man was God. And the Lord
Jesus, His fame began to spread fast. But as we see in verse
18, John the Baptist, he's in prison. His disciples bring him
the news of the Lord's miracles. And in verse 19 we read, And
John calling unto him two of his disciples sent them to Jesus,
saying, Art thou he that should come, or look we for another? Now there's been much debate
among Bible scholars over the years as to whether or not John
the Baptist here was experiencing doubt. In my mind, there's no
question. that he was. Why would anyone
find that hard to believe? After all, John was a man, a
sinner, just like the rest of us. Do you ever doubt? Of course
you do. We know that the best of men
are men at best. We say that all the time. John,
though greatly used of God, was still a man. beforehand experienced great
faith and confidence in times past. But all of us are up and
down. We're a lot like yo-yos, aren't
we? In John 1, 29, we're told the next day, John seeth the
Lord Jesus coming unto him. And he said, Behold, the Lamb
of God that taketh away the sin of the world. He didn't have
any doubt then. We're told that when the Lord Jesus came to John
to be baptized, that John forbade him saying, Oh no, Lord, I have
need to be baptized of you. And you come to me. I'm not worthy
to unlatch your sandals. I'm not worthy to tie your shoes.
And you want me to baptize you? You're the Messiah. He didn't
have any doubt then. But here in Luke chapter 7, John
is struggling with doubt while in prison. He's in prison. Do you ever struggle? Do you ever have doubt? I do. And I know I would if I was in
prison. We struggle and we doubt every day. Was John's doubt brought
on by his own unmet expectations of Christ? Very possibly. Was
he personally discouraged and maybe feeling a little bit sorry
for himself by being in prison? I'm sure he was. Was John simply
seeking a response from Christ here for some reassurance? I
don't doubt it one bit. All those things apply and come
into play. You see, we need to understand
exactly what the Scriptures say when they say, all flesh is as
grass. It's natural for men and women
to doubt. Just as natural as it is for
us to breathe. How many of you here this morning
have thought about taking your naked breath? I would say none
of you. You just breathe. It's just natural,
right? That's the way daily means. We
doubt the same way. It's so easy to us. And it takes
a divine intervention from God Almighty in order for us to believe. People like, you know, I believe
everything God says. No, you don't. No, you don't.
You doubt most of what God says. That's why when a believer prays,
he says, Lord, I believe. Help thou my unbelief. Our unbelief often is more prevalent
than our believing. Look at verse 20. And when the
men, John's servants, were coming to him, that being Christ, they
said, John the Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou
he that should come, or look we for another? And in that same
hour, he, Christ, cured many of their infirmities and plagues
and of evil spirits, and unto many that were blind he gave
sight. Then Jesus answering said unto
them, to John's disciples, go your way and tell John what things
you've seen and heard, how that the blind see and the lame walk
and the lepers are cleansed. The deaf hear, the dead are raised. To the poor, the gospel is preached. And you know, I noticed here
that the Lord, He doesn't rebuke John for this doubt and this
unbelief. He tells John's messengers to
report back to John what they saw. The Lord in verse 22 points
to Isaiah's prophecies concerning Himself as the Messiah. He shows that He Himself is fulfilling
all those prophecies that were foretold of Him. The blind see,
the deaf hear, the dead are raised, lepers are cleansed. He gives
visible evidence, physical evidence that He was the One who was to
come. There would be no other. Christ's identity as Messiah
is confirmed by His works. The blind see, the lame walk,
the lepers are clean, deaf hear, dead raised. Only God, the Messiah,
could do these things. The Gospels preach to the poor.
The truth of Christ is confirmed by the fruit that He bore. Did
you hear me? That's important. Now maybe John
thought like many in our Lord's day thought that the Lord Jesus
as the Messiah would come and set up an earthly kingdom and
overthrow Caesar and the Roman Empire and the Jews again would
be free. I don't know, we're not told. But
in spite of John's doubts, the Lord praises him publicly. He asks his hearers in verse
24 what they went out to see in the wilderness. What did you
go out to see when you went out to see John the Baptist? He said,
did you go out to see a reed shaken with the wind? Verse 25, but what went ye out
to see? A man clothed in soft raiment?
Behold, they which are gorgeously impaired and live delicately
are in kings' courts. But what went you out to see,
a prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and much
more than a prophet, this is he of whom it is written, Behold,
I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy
way before thee. For I say unto you, among those
that are born of women, there is not a greater prophet than
John the Baptist, but he that is least in the kingdom of God
is greater than he. You know who that's talking about?
You. Every believer. Now here the
Lord affirms John's faith and role as his forerunner. He was
to come to prepare the way of the Lord. He said, John wasn't
weak. What'd you go out to see? A weak
man, a reed swayed by the wind? What'd you go out to see? John
wasn't privileged. He wasn't one in soft clothing. John, what'd you go out to see? A prophet? Oh, you saw more than
a prophet. Why, He's the forerunner of me,
the Messiah. He came to prepare my way. He's the greatest prophet that
ever lived. So, in light of that, can I ask
you a question this morning, those of you here this morning?
What have you come here today expecting? What did you come
to see? Are you looking for a prophet
who will bless your lifestyle without confronting sin? That's
why John's in prison. The man that threw him in prison,
he told him, he said, you've taken your brother's wife. Y'all not done that, it's not
right. And he's in prison because of it. You're looking for a prophet
who's gonna bless your lifestyle without confronting your sin?
John wasn't that prophet. Are you looking for approval
without repentance? You want just somebody to say,
hey, look, I know you're not perfect, but I know you're doing
the best you can do. Is that what you're looking for?
Are you looking for comfort without any commitment? Well, you know,
I'm not going to join a church and I'm not going, you know,
don't count on me being here regular, but I would like to
have a little encouragement and tell me, you know, good for coming,
you know, a little recognition. Or, are you looking for Jesus
Christ, the Messiah? Verse 29, and all the people
that heard Him, and the publicans, justified God being baptized
with the baptism of John. But, The Pharisees and lawyers
rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized
in him. Now, there's only two responses
to the gospel message. There's always only been two.
Only two types of people that hear the gospel are confronted
with the gospel. Those that heard Christ, including
the publicans, tax collectors, I love how the scripture adds
it, and the publicans. Like, I know you don't think
that the publicans are saved, but they heard too. They justified God being baptized
with the baptism of John. And secondly, those who didn't
hear. The Pharisees and the lawyers who didn't believe and refused
to be baptized, refused to bow to Christ, still those two types
of people today. Those that hear and those that
don't hear. Those that desire to hear and those who refuse
to hear. There are some who hear the audible words, but yet they
don't hear. That's what the Lord Jesus was
talking about when he said, he that hath ears to hear, let him
hear. There are some people that don't
have ears to hear. Because God didn't give them ears to hear. Only two groups of people. The
first group are the saved. They're given ears to hear. And
the second group are the lost. They're not given ears to hear.
They won't. Don't and reject hearing. So,
what does this teach us? Only true sinners hear the Gospel. That's right. The gospel is for
sinners. Christ came not to call the righteous. He came to call sinners to repentance. Everyone's a sinner, Romans 3.23. All have come short of the glory
of God. That's what God says. Only those
who know they are sinners have a need to hear it. If I don't have a need to hear
something, I'm not going to be interested in somebody that can
help me. Well, I got everything I need.
But if I need, if I'm in desperate need, and someone says, I know
something that'll help you, I'm going to perk up and listen. I don't know many folks that
go to the doctor when they're not sick. Our Lord came into the world
to save sinners. Our Lord was drawn to publicans
and sinners. Well, He taught parables that
included lost sheep and lost coin and a lost son. He told the parable about two
men that went down to the temple to pray, a Pharisee and a publican. And He asked this question, who
went home justified? The one that was a sinner. That's
who went home justified. You know, there's only one qualification
for salvation, just one. That's to be a sinner. I qualify
for that, don't you? Who did Christ die for? The ungodly. While we were yet sinners, Christ
died for us. The gospel's not a reward for
the righteous. The gospel is a rescue for the
ruined. Grace is not found at the top
of the ladder. A man don't work his way up,
you know. I'm working my way, I'm working
my way to heaven. Get to the top of the ladder.
Here's your grace. That's where grace is found, at the top of
the ladder. No, sir. Grace meets a sinner at the bottom.
Grace is the reason he's able. to grow in grace and in the knowledge
of the Lord. Who will be saved? What did verse
29 say? All who heard and the publicans. Oh, are you a publican? That's
what we're compared to in the scriptures. I'm sure glad he
added that. And the publicans. Just like
we talked about earlier. Go tell my disciples and Peter. Peter denied the Lord three times.
You tell him, too. I prayed that his faith failed
him not. You be sure to tell Peter, too,
that I've risen and that I'm going to meet him in Galilee.
Who's going to be lost? Those that refuse to hear. All
who reject the message, the gospel message. They were the Pharisees
and the lawyers. They were those who were well
and whole in their own eyes. What a precious thing to hear
the message and what a precious thing to be needy. What a precious
thing to be a sinner. That's who God saves. To one, you know, two people
hear the same message. I don't know how many we have
here today, a few. And we're all hearing this same
message. And to one, it's gonna be good news. It's gonna be gospel news. It's gonna be a joyful sound. And to others, they're gonna
hear it with a critical ear. It's always been that way. They
hear something else completely than the one who heard it with
joy and heard it as good news. And you say, why is that? Well,
let me ask you a question. Who makes the difference? The
only one who can. God. Ecclesiastes 5.1, listen to this,
may God make us more ready to hear than to give the sacrifice
of fools for they consider not that they do evil. Now, what
does that mean? Well, the sacrifice of fools
refers to empty religious rituals, going through the motions, checking
all the boxes. Things done without sincerity,
without understanding. That's what modern day religion
is. People going through the religious
motions, people checking all the boxes of pious and holy living. They say their prayers, they
give their money, oh, they sing their song. but their hearts
are far from God. That's what the Lord said. He
said, you praise me with your lips, but your hearts are far
from me. Superficial religion, it's offensive
to God. The men and women actually think
that in doing these things that they do, that they are doing
something for God. To hear them talk, they would
tell you so. And the scripture says they're
actually doing evil. And God calls it the sacrifice
of fools. Many reject what they don't understand. So how does the Lord illustrate
what such people are like? Well, look at verse 31. And the
Lord said, whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation? And to what are they like? So
he tells us in verse 32, they're like unto children sitting in
the marketplace, and calling one to another and saying, we've
piped unto you and you've not danced and we've mourned to you
and you've not wept. In other words, we've played
you merry, happy music and you didn't dance. And then you said,
we played for you some sad, tear-jerking music. Maybe it was country music,
I don't know. Songs about prison trains and
whatnot. I'm not knocking country music.
But you didn't weep. The Lord says you're not satisfied
with anything. You're critical of everything.
You're like children who are not happy no matter what game
is played. I used to know kids like that.
You know, I grew up in a time where we didn't have iPads and
iPhones and computers. And man, we went outside and
we played all day, man. We had fun, but there was always
one or two, like, I don't want to play that game. Kids that demand a new game and
then complain and reject every game that suggests, well, why
don't we play this game? Yeah, I don't like that game
either. There are people today who won't
dance when a happy song is played, and they won't cry when a sad
song is sung. And I'm telling you, it's nothing
but spiritual stubbornness. A refusal to respond, no matter
the approach. Now keep listening to me. People
today reject the gospel for every reason imaginable. You've heard
the excuses, so have I. Whether it's emotional, cultural,
inconvenient, Offensive? Well, that's offensive to me. In verse 33, the Lord said, for
John the Baptist came neither eating bread or drinking wine. And you say he's got a devil.
Verse 34, he says, the son of man, speaking of himself, is
come eating and drinking. And you say, behold, a gluttonous
man and a winebibber. And on top of that, he's a friend
of publicans and sinners. John the Baptist came neither
eating bread nor drinking wine. Alcohol never touched his lips.
John didn't eat meat. He ate locusts and wild honey.
He was a healthy eater. They said he's demon possessed.
Well, he's crazy. He's insane. What have you come
to see? Christ came eating meat and drinking
wine and they called Him a glutton. They called Him a drunk. Well,
He's a drunk. A friend of the worst kind of
people in the whole world. Publicans and sinners. Why, He
eats and drinks with them. So it didn't matter to these
religious haters whether you lived a strict life of self-denial
or normal life of moderation, they're going to reject you regardless,
no matter what you do. The Lord is saying, you can't
please them. You cannot please them. Do you
know people like that? You can't please them. There's
an old saying that goes, you can't please some people all
the time and you can't please all the people some of the time.
Listen, you couldn't please these folks, period. And there's still
people like that. The point the Lord is making
here is people are determined to reject the truth, to reject
the gospel. They're going to find fault in
the gospel regardless of what form it's presented. That's why
we've got all the denominations we have in the world. There's
a church on every corner. with some kind of different name
and doing something a little different, hoping that that might
appeal to a sinner. It won't. It won't. They'll find
something wrong with it. I remember a little joke that
I heard that very well illustrates that about a guy that was stranded
on a desert island. He was the only survivor. He
was there for 30 years. Finally, one day, a ship pulled
up. and came to shore, and there
he's standing, waving and all, and they came to shore, and they
said, how long have you been here? He said, I've been here
over 30 years. You're the only one here? Yes, I'm the only survivor. And they said, well, I notice
you've got some structures built back here. He says, what's that
structure right there? He said, that's my house. That's
where I live. And they said, well, what's that building next
to it? He said, that's my church. And they go, well, what's the
building next to that? He says, that's where I used to go to
church. You're not going to please everybody. And this is where we get to the
heart of the matter. They wouldn't accept the best
of men like John the Baptist, and they wouldn't accept God
who became a man. Verse 35. I've read this verse for years
and never really looked into what it meant. Well, I have now. And that's what I want to share
with you the time that I have remaining. Verse 35, the wisdom
is justified of all our children. Brother Mayhem wants to find
the word wisdom as to the right use of knowledge. That's a good
definition. Wisdom is to use knowledge rightly. It's no doubt foolish to use
knowledge the wrong way. Where wise implies sound judgment
and insight and the ability to make good decisions, foolish
suggests the opposite, poor judgment, bad decisions, acting without
thinking. So what did the Lord mean when
He said wisdom is justified over children? Well, let's just break
it down real quick. Wisdom, this refers to God's
way of doing things. God's purpose. God's truth. Even
when it doesn't look like what people expect. Justified. You know that word. It means
shown to be right. To be proven correct. Just. He's just in what He says. Just
in what He does. He's right. And then her children. Well, that's the result of the
wisdom of God. God's elect people, His followers,
His children are the fruit of His wisdom. These are those who respond rightly,
like those who accepted John and the Lord Jesus, despite the
criticism that others made of them. And you can see that God's
wisdom is right by looking at the fruit the people it produces. Every believer is what they are
by the grace of God. Just the same every believer
is what they are by the wisdom of God. That's what He's saying
here. But unto them which are called wisdom's children, both
Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of
God. 1 Corinthians 1.24 And that's what we do in our
preaching. Look over. You can let your place go here
in Luke 7. We may come back to it. But look
at 1 Corinthians 2. 1 Corinthians 2, verse 7. Paul here writes in verse 7, But we speak, what? The wisdom
of God. We speak the wisdom of God in
a mystery. Even the hidden wisdom, which
God ordained before the world unto our glory, which none of
the princes of this world knew. Pilate didn't know it. Caesar
didn't know it. The scribes and Pharisees didn't
know it. the princes of this world, for
had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of
glory. But as it is written, I have
not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of
man the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him. Now despite their different manners,
personalities, both John and the Lord Jesus were doing the
will of God. The proof of wisdom was seen
in the lives that were changed by their influence. Those who believed and were baptized,
that was the fruit of wisdom. They were the children of wisdom.
Those who did the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected both John
and the Lord Jesus. but not the tax collectors and
not the prostitutes or not the other needy sinners. They bowed
and they were transformed and conformed to the image of Christ. They're wisdom's children. It's
the same today. This is the evidence that God's
wisdom is still at work. The world's religious leaders
and their followers in our Lord's day, along with the ones in ours,
who reject God's true messengers and their messages, they don't
invalidate God's purpose. They only reveal their own personal
blindness. That's what Paul meant in Romans
chapter three, verse three, when he anticipated the objection
of his hearers. And he said, for what if some
did not believe? Shall their unbelief make the
faith of God without effect? God forbid. Then he goes on to
say, let God be true, but every man a liar, as it is written,
that thou mayest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest
overcome when thou art judged. If the Jews, God's chosen nation,
were unfaithful, does that mean that God's promises or that God's
character are, don't mean anything, no. No. It just means they're
blind and don't see it. His answer is blunt. Absolutely
not. God forbid. Even if every single human being
were unfaithful, God would still be faithful. We don't change
God in any way. We don't somehow undermine or
make God void. The thing that we do is having
a way too high opinion of ourselves. And the gospel demolishes any
theology that suggests God's nature is contingent on our behavior. God's promises stand regardless
of man's response. The phrase, let God be true,
though everyone were a liar, do you know what that? It means
God be true in every man alive. That means that God's truth is
absolute. It means it's unshakable. Even if the whole entire world
were to contradict him and say, well, that's just hogwash. It
doesn't change the fact that it's the truth. Paul here quotes
from Psalm 51.4, where David confesses his sin when he lay
with Bathsheba, had her husband killed. And he says, against
thee and thee only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight,
that thou may be justified when you speak and right when you
judge. That's what he's saying. Paul
uses this to show that even when humans are clearly in the wrong,
as David was, God remains just in how he responds. This reminds
us that God's judgments are never flawed. God cannot be wrong. That's what makes him God. A wrong God is no God at all.
A God whose promises are not kept is no God at all. And this
is a warning against human arrogance. The text is a rebuke to human
pride that dares to put God on trial. Based on our experiences? Our feelings, our interpretations
of justice? Well, I don't know if that's...
Is it just like the ser... Did God really say that? Maybe
God just don't want you to be like Him. Maybe God don't want
any God competition. Blasphemy. God doesn't have to answer to
us. We answer to Him. His character, His promises,
His righteousness are not compromised by our sin or our opinion. And
this teaches that God remains faithful and true even when people
are unfaithful. His integrity, His justice, His
truth, they stand firm. And He's fully justified in all
His actions and in all His judgment. And this passage of scripture
calls us to trust God, to trust His faithfulness, to believe
His promises, to say amen, so be it. That's right. To take sides with God against
ourselves. To believe Him and Him alone.
Divine wisdom often appears foolish and contradictory to human knowledge.
God's messengers, the Lord Jesus and John the Baptist, they were
rejected for opposite reasons, but rejected nonetheless, showing
that people want control over how truth should be portrayed. That's what they were fighting
about in the church. Some said, well, I like the way
Paul preaches. And others said, well, I kind
of like Peter. And others said, well, what about Apollos? I like
him. And some said, I like Jesus Christ.
Let's just go straight to the soul. And Paul said, are you
not carnal? Did Paul die for you? Did Apollos
die for you? Did Peter die for you? No. True discernment's not measured
by outward conformity, but by spiritual fruit. True discernment. God's redemptive purpose in Christ
is vindicated, not by intellectual approval. I don't care how smart
you are, you can have 100 degrees. And just because you think something's
right or wrong, don't mean that it is. Therefore, God's wisdom is proven
right by her children, speaking of those who bow to the Lord,
who bow to Christ as their only hope of redemption. It's always
justified God's wisdom, proven right by her children because
their fruit validates faith. James said, show me your faith
without your work. and I'll show you my faith by
my works." Now that's not saying that works is what saves us. You know that's, it's not by
works lest any man should boast. That's showing us the evidence
of our salvation and the fact that we're saved because of the
good works we do. We do good works out of love
for our Savior and our God that loved us and gave Himself for
us. all the days of our Lord's life.
You think about it. From the time that he was born,
they sought to kill him. All the days of his life. When
he started his ministry at age 30, everywhere he went, they
mocked him, they doubted him. He was rejected, and then he
was arrested as a criminal. He then was punished and scourged
and then put to death as the worst criminal that ever
lived. Put him in the, hung him on a cross between two known
murderers as to say, the one in the middle's the worst. But God resurrected him. This
is the fruit. God accepted and exalted him
as the way, the truth, and the life. And no man can be reconciled
to God. No woman can be reconciled to
God, but by Him. So what do we do? Or maybe I should ask, what don't
we do? Well, we don't chase validation.
We don't try to prove that we're saved. That is just prove that
we're not. We preach the truth. We seek
fruit and not fans. Not looking for any fans, any
followers. We commit to long-term obedience,
not short-term popularity. Flash in the pan what many are.
Popular today, unpopular tomorrow. Listen, truth don't need gimmicks.
Now I'm gonna get on my high horse just for a couple minutes,
okay? Will you allow me? Truth doesn't need gimmicks.
There's a lot of gimmicks in religion today. Gimmicks are
to draw crowds and to gain followers. Gimmicks are to grow numbers
and bank accounts. They're promises of prosperity.
People, everywhere you go, sow a seed, reap a harvest. Give
a little to God, God'll give you a hundredfold. The more you
give, the more you'll get. We're in the Scriptures it doesn't
say that. Anytime He talks about receiving 30, 40, 60, 100 folks,
it's talking about spiritual things. The Lord Jesus told Judas in
John 12 that you'll always have the poor among you. In a day of stage shows and smoke
machines and professional lighting and professional praise bands and
guest speakers and concert level seat, entertainments used to
keep people emotionally engaged. But where is the gospel? It's
been forgotten, it's being ignored. They got trendy marketing and
branding and they've got Instagram feeds and Facebook marketing,
but no gospel preaching. Gospel preaching has become foolishness. That's just foolishness. Yet it's the very means that
God uses to save the lost. We neglect the very thing that
saves sinners. Our religion does, we don't.
That's why we're preaching the gospel, have for years. And we're not patting ourselves
on the back, we're just stating fact. I'm so thankful that I
sit under a man that told me the truth about God and me, and
told me how the two could be reconciled together. Listen, wearing camel hair and
a leather belt around his waist, eating locusts and wild honey
was not a gimmick for John the Baptist. They didn't say, have you seen
this guy? Come see how he's dressed. He's got a following. The description aligned him with
the Old Testament prophets, which he was. He was one of them, the
greatest of them, matter of fact. Well, the Lord Jesus, he didn't need any gimmicks.
He didn't live a comfortable life like the television evangelist
of our day. God in the flesh had no place
to lay his hand. It came time to pay his taxes.
They didn't have enough money to pay it. And he said, go down
and catch a fish and get the money out of the fish's mouth.
He didn't say, go to our 401k and draw a little money out.
He didn't have any money. These were prophetic signs of
separation from worldly comfort and finance, and it was devotion
to God's mission and God's service and work. So let me end by saying
this. Friends, wisdom has some children. And wisdom begets wise children. And these children justify wisdom. Are you still in 1 Corinthians
2? Look across the page, chapter
1, verse 17. Paul writes, for Christ sent
me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel. Now look at this. Not with wisdom of words, that's
speaking of man's wisdom. Not man's gimmicks, not man's
way of doing things. Lest the cross of Christ should
be made of non-effect. All those things do is negate
the cross and what Christ did on it. When men endeavor to explain
the cross, they actually nullify it because we can't explain it. Man's wisdom muddies the clear
waters of crucifixion and the purpose of it and what went on
on the cross. Verse 18, for the preaching of
the cross is to them that perish foolishness, but unto us which
are saved it's the power of God. The cross says that God is holy. The cross says that man is sinful. The cross says salvation's in
the blood of Christ. saw foolishness to the world."
Well, that's just foolishness. I had a man tell me that one
time. You believe the Bible's the Word of God? Yes, I do. You
believe there was a man named Jesus who died on the cross to
put my sin away? Yes, I do. He said, that's foolishness. That's the most foolish thing
I ever heard. It is, it's foolishness to the world. But unto those
who are saved, what is it? It's the power of God unto salvation. And that's where we differ. All
right, verse 19. For it is written, I will destroy
the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing the understanding
of the prudent. Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where
is the disputer of this world? Had not God made foolish the
wisdom of this world? For after that, in the wisdom
of God, the world by wisdom, their wisdom, knew not God. It
pleased God by the foolishness of preaching, what the world
thought was foolish, to save them that believe. For the Jews
require sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom. But we preach
Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, means a scandal,
outrageous behavior, and unto the Greeks foolishness. But unto
them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is 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, how that not many wise men after
the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called. But God
hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the
wise, and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound
the things which are mighty. And base things of the world,
and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things
which are not, to bring to naught things that are. Why? That no flesh should glory in
His presence. But of Him are you in Christ
Jesus, who of God is made unto us." Now look at this. Wisdom
and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. This wise God
begets wise children. Wisdom is justified. God made
us wise unto salvation. That's the only reason that His
children are wise. God made them wise. Wisdom is
right. God made us righteous. Isn't
that what it says? We're made the righteousness
of God in Him. God has made us wise, given us
wisdom. Therefore, we have redemption.
We're sanctified. God has set us apart, made us
holy. Verse 31, that according as it
is written, He the glory, let Him glory where? In the Lord. God's people know that Christ
receives all the glory, and God's people are glad that He receives
all the glory. Because they know that the divine
work of God and the person and work of Jesus Christ is the only
way and the only reason that they're saved. And that, my friends,
is the fruit and the proof that wisdom's children have. I'm one of wisdom's children
because of what Christ has made me.