Turn with me to 1 Corinthians
2. 1 Corinthians 2. Last Wednesday night, we considered
a few verses of Scripture out of 1 Corinthians 2, and I felt
impressed to just take where we stopped and go to the end
of the chapter. Last time we looked at verses
6 to 8, the Apostle Paul had declared that he and every other
preacher of the Gospel, in verse 7, he said, we speak,
what we're preaching is the mystery of God in a mystery, even the
hidden wisdom. which God ordained before the
world unto our glory." Now, here's what I know about the preaching
of the Gospel. It's that, first of all, it is,
according to verse 7, it's the wisdom of God. I know that. I know it's the wisdom of Almighty
God. And here's the second thing I
know about it, according to verse 7. It's mysterious. What he said,
we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery. And then thirdly,
here's what I know about the gospel. It's the hidden wisdom,
which God ordained before the world unto our glory. It's this
message that we're preaching. Number one, it's derived from
God. That's where it comes from. And
it's distinguished It's different from anything
that man could ever conceive. And it's mysterious in that it's
not obvious to the understanding of the natural man. And it's
hidden in that God, you listen, you listen to what I'm saying,
I'm about to read a scripture to prove this. It's a hidden mystery. A hidden gospel that comes from
God is hidden in that God has been pleased to keep secret from
the wise and prudent of this world the glorious revelation
of the gospel. I'm going to read the scripture
in just a minute. God has been pleased to keep
from those that think that they're so wise in this world and that
they're so able to figure out what God is doing. Almighty God
has been pleased to keep secrets. this truth concerning the election
of God, the Son as being the redeeming God of His people,
and the Holy Spirit as the regenerating and keeping God of His saints. Now listen, I'm going to just
hold your finger. I'll read this to you. It's Matthew.
You know what I'm going to read. Matthew 11. Matthew 11. And concerning this Gospel, Matthew
11, and verse At that time, Jesus answered
and said, I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth. because
thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and has
revealed them unto babes. And listen to this conclusion
of what the Lord Jesus Christ had thanked His Father for doing,
for hiding these things from the wise and prudent. He says,
even so, Father, verse 26, Matthew 11, for so it seemed good in
thy sight. Now, somebody would say, well
now, I just don't see how this message that is from God, I'll
go along with you on that. And it's mysterious, I'll go
along with you on that. But that it is declared by the
Spirit of God to be a hidden message hidden from the wise
and the prudent. They said, now I can't go along
with that. Well, I've got a question out of verse 9 for all of us.
I mean, not just for you, I'm talking about all of us. Who
are we to reply against God? Who are we? I mean, You know
what we are? We're born rebels against God.
That's the bottom line. So therefore, if Almighty God
declares that which is, you know what we would best do? We just
bow and say, Lord, as you say things are, that's the way that
it is. I can tell you for a fact, we
have no right to question God and he gives, the scripture says,
or he owes no explanation to his creatures. You say, well
God, you're going to have to, you better explain to me what
you're thinking with it. Well, I'm going to tell you something. In the words of scripture, let
every mouth be shut. and let all the world become
guilty before God. Let me tell you what I am and
what you are by nature. We're creatures that are totally
at His disposal to do whatever He wants, in whatever way He
wants, when He wants. All souls are mine. That's just the way it is. I'll
tell you what's going on right now. Almighty God is ruling in the
army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth and
no man, this is in Daniel 4 if you want to read it, right there
at the last of the chapter, and no man has the right to say to
him, what are you doing? Nobody. If Almighty God leaves
a man or a woman to themselves to do what they want to do, and
it's not according to these diverse measures, and not according to
God's standard, let me tell you what's going to happen in the
day of judgment. He's going to say, depart from
me you workers of iniquity, I never knew you. Listen, we ain't the
ones calling the shots. I know that's kind of, you know,
not exactly the way I'm supposed to say it, but you know You know,
we don't tell God what God's going to do. God Almighty is
the ruler. So Paul, the apostle, says, he
said, We speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden
wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto His glory, which
none of the princes of this world knew. For had they known it,
they would not have crucified the Lord of glory." Now last
Wednesday, I'll just sum this up very quickly and then I'm
going to start in verse 9. None of the princes of this world,
that is those that were there at the time, and cried out for
the Lord's blood, crucify him, crucify him. That's who he's
talking about, which none of the princes of this world, for
had they, they who? They who? Well, the ones that
wanted to crucify the Lord. That's what he's saying. They
would not have crucified the Lord of glory. Do you know what
happened? Let me tell you exactly what
happened. They did exactly what they wanted to do. Do you think
that's a true statement? Yep. Do you think that they accomplished
God's will by doing exactly what they wanted to do? Listen to
this verse of Scripture concerning that event right there. After
the Lord was crucified, here's what the Apostle Peter was preaching
on the day of Pentecost concerning those that cried out for the
blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. He said to them, Him, that is
the Lord, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge
of God, whenever they came and took Him, who determined beforehand
that He would be taken? The Father. Him, being delivered
by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have
taken. and by wicked hands have crucified
and slain." This is what he said. What you did, you did because
that's what you wanted to do. But it was all according to the
will of Almighty God. Therefore, which none of the
princes of this world knew, they didn't know the Lord in saving
grace. For had they known it, they would
not have crucified the Lord of glory. Must He be crucified?
Yes! Why? To redeem His people. His blood is going to have to
be shed. In the wisdom of God, in the wisdom of God, Almighty
God left them to themselves. The Lord thanked the Father for
that. I thank Thee, O Father, because Thou hast hidden these
things from the wise and prudent. And you revealed them unto babes.
Even so, Father, it seemed good in your sight." The problem is we don't know
who we're dealing with. That's the problem. Man by nature
thinks he's got God figured out. And I'm telling you, my friends,
we don't. We don't. Men are lying on God. And they're telling men, all
you've got to do is A, B, C, and God is just waiting with
bated breath, hoping that you'll do something for Him. No, sir. I'm telling you, I love, I repeat
that often. Brother Scott, you say, who's
running this show anyway? God or us? Well, back in 1 Corinthians,
the Scripture says in verse 9, but as it is written, Or, therefore,
it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath entered
into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them
that love Him. Now that's a quote out of Isaiah
64.4, and here's what that says. For since the beginning of the
world, men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, neither
hath the eye seen, O God, besides Thee. what he hath prepared for
him that waiteth for him." What this is doing right here, it's
a continuation of what Paul the Apostle had just said concerning
man's ignorance, spiritual ignorance by nature. What Paul is saying
here is that since the fall, No man has heard by the natural
ear or seen by the natural eye, reading the Scriptures according
to their understanding. They have not figured out what
God has prepared for those that wait by faith for Him, you know. Now I do know this, and I've
done it. I've done it. I know this, that that, you know,
to say that, you know, we apply that scripture to the future
state or glory of God's people. And I totally agree with that.
I mean, eye hath not seen, ear hath not heard, neither hath
entered into the heart of man what God has prepared. He said,
I go to prepare a place for you. And we've never figured it out.
And that's a true statement. But in the absolute context of
that Scripture right there, it's talking about man's inability
to figure out Almighty God. So, but, verse 10, God hath revealed
them unto us by His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things,
yea, the deep things of God. These precious truths. That from
the beginning, man has not been able to figure out by his own
understanding, God Almighty has revealed those things. God has
revealed them unto us. How? By His Spirit. If you hear what God has to say,
and here's the evidence of a believer. A believer will read something
or hear something preached in the Word of God, and it goes
contrary to what he's always been taught. Here's what God's
saying, and here's what I've always heard. It's the way I've
always thought it was. And a believer hears something
that is contrary, hidden things. What do you mean, hidden things?
And a believer will hear that, and a believer says, God hides
things. He agrees with God against himself. God has revealed these things
unto us by His Spirit, by His Holy Spirit, because the Spirit
searcheth all things, the deep things of God. The Spirit of
God who knows the depth, Not like he's looking for and trying
to figure them out. It's he who alone thoroughly
knows the deep things of God. How does he know the deep things
of God? Because he's God. God the Holy
Spirit, the one who has intimate knowledge of Jehovah's perfection
and purpose and wisdom and power. How does he know? Because he
is Jehovah. He's God by his spirit. Has been pleased to show frail
creatures such as we are. the unsearchable riches of His
grace in the Lord Jesus Christ. For what man, verse 11, knoweth
the things of a man save the spirit of man which is in him?
Even so the things of God knoweth no man but the Spirit of God. Let me ask you something. What
am I thinking right now? What am I thinking? You don't
know. Why? Because I'm thinking them.
I'm the only one that knows exactly what I'm thinking right now. What man knoweth the things of
a man save the spirit of man that's in him? Nobody can tell
what I'm thinking. How are you going to know what
I'm thinking? I'm going to have to tell you.
I'm going to have to reveal to you what my mind is thinking
right now. That's the only way you're going
to know, okay? The scripture says, even so,
the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. How am I going to know who God
is? How am I going to know what God
has been pleased to do unless God reveals them to me? And Almighty
God has sent us His Word. And the Spirit of God takes this
Word right here. and reveals them to God's people.
As a man stands up and faithfully proclaims, all I'm going to tell
you is what God has to say. My opinion doesn't more matter
than a hill of beans. It doesn't matter. But if I don't
tell you what God has to say, the Spirit of God is not going
to bless it to the salvation of any people. I can tell you
that right now. The only thing that God Almighty is going to
bless is what He has to say. Therefore, how do we know? How
do we know what God thinks? What does this book say? What
does this book say? Only by the Holy Scriptures are
we ever going to know. Now, verse 12, we have received
not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God,
that we might know the things that are freely given to us of
God. Now, we have received. Now here, we're reminded of something
right here that what we know about God, we've received that.
We didn't come up with it. I mean, you leave a man or a
woman to themselves and just let them try to figure out God.
Let me tell you something. fruitless endeavor. It ain't
gonna happen. But what have we received? The scripture says we've received
not the spirit of the world. What does that mean when you
say the spirit of the world? It's that natural spirit, natural
thinking, that natural spirit which rules and motivates an
unregenerate. Remember when we were going through
the book of Revelation? I told you, I said, now look, everybody
and their brother's got all these kind of charts, and they've got,
you know, dragons with, you know, ten heads, and stuff like this,
and all this kind of, and I said, everybody's got an opinion, but
if I can't prove from these Scriptures what I'm saying is so out of
that book, then it's just, it's just an opinion, and everybody's
got one. What saith the Scriptures? If you can't back it up with
the scriptures, you have no basis for it. We have not received
the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God. We
have received and we're subject to what the Holy Spirit of God
communicates. And if the Spirit of God blesses
it to our hearts, let me tell you what's going to happen. We'll
believe it. We'll believe it and rest our
soul on it. And the reason for the Lord's teaching of His people,
that we might know the things that are freely given. That is, gratuitously, bountifully,
kindly, that are freely given to us of God. Did we deserve
for God to teach us? No, sir. I'll tell you what we
all deserve. Hell. That's what we deserved.
Because every man is born an atom, he's a sinner. That God
Almighty hadn't put me in hell yet is by His grace and His compassion,
His mercy. Human reason could never discover
the deep things of God. You tell me how a man could set
forth and figure out that the righteousness of God could be
imputed, charged to my account and God would accept it. You
tell me how I could figure that out. You tell me how I could
figure out that Almighty God, before the foundation of the
world, chose to show mercy to me. and put me before I was ever
born while I was continually before Him in His mind. You tell
me how God Almighty, how I could figure out that He put me in
Christ and that Christ has eternally stood as my surety. You tell
me how I could figure out that. Tell me how I could figure out
that I was predestinated, that God determined my destination
beforehand to the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself. How? Who can figure out these
deep things? Nobody. The Spirit of God is
going to teach us. Look at verse 13. Which things
also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth,
which the Holy Ghost teacheth, comparing spiritual things with
spiritual." These things revealed by the Holy Spirit, things that
we preach. We preach what we know to be
so. We don't use, in verse 4 of this
chapter, Paul said, I'm not using enticing words. That is, words
that are used that are not according to these scriptures. but their
natural wisdom, man's wisdom by nature. Enticing words, trying
to persuade men with lies, what the scripture does not set forth.
Trying to manipulate somebody with enticing words, we don't
do that. What do we do? Things which we
speak, not the word which man's wisdom teacheth, verse 13, but
which God's Spirit teacheth. Comparing spiritual things with
spiritual, that is, what we do is we're going to explain the
Holy Scriptures by the Scriptures. I'm going to prove the Scriptures
by the Scriptures. I'm going to set forth what the
Spirit of God says in the words of the Holy Spirit. We preach
the Gospel in the language of the Gospel. What's the best interpretation
of the Holy Scriptures? The Scriptures. God's Word. We prove Scripture by Scripture. I'm going to give you an example. Have you ever heard this Scripture?
John 3.16. Now listen to this scripture.
For God so loved the world. Now listen to how many times
the world is used in this scripture. For God so loved the world that
He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him
should not perish but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son
into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through
Him might be saved." Now, let me ask you something. What does
the word world mean? Now what I'm going to have to
do here is I'm going to have to not, I'm not going to be able
to take that one verse right there until I start explaining
to you what those words mean. And I'm going to compare that
Scripture with other Scripture. And I'm going to, I'm going to
try to, you know, find out what the Scripture, how does the Scripture
interpret the Scripture? You say, well I know exactly
what that means. That means that God loves everybody. And that the Lord Jesus Christ
gave His life for everybody. Really? All right, well, let
me ask you this. Let me read you another scripture.
All right? John 17, 6. I have manifested
Thy name unto the men which Thou gavest to me out of the world. Thine they were, and Thou gavest
them me, and they have kept Thy word. Now, I'm going to ask you
something. Now just think about what I just
read. I have manifested thy name unto
the men which thou gavest me out of the world. Alright, here's
the world. And the Lord says, you've taken some men out of
the world, and I've manifested thy name unto them. I have manifested
thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world. Now
we're going to have to come to a conclusion about something.
That the Lord is speaking, concerning those that he manifested his
name to, the Father's name to, as far as being a particular
group of people out of the mass of humanity. Now if you come
to any other conclusion than that, I have manifested thy name
unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world. Let me say
it like this. I've got a congregation, there's a congregation right
here. Now I'm going to take a group out of this congregation. What
does that mean? Well, you're going to take a
few people, you know, you're going to kind of take some out
of it, and I'm going to put them over here. And I'm going to talk
to this group over here. When the Lord says, I manifested
thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world, this
is what He means. I'm not manifesting thy name
to everybody. I'm manifesting thy name unto
those that you've given me out of the world. Listen to this
verse 9, same chapter. I pray for them." Who? For those given by the Father
out of the world. I pray not for the world. And do you know how I look this
word up? It's the same word every time. It never changes, Neil.
It's the same word. Obviously, when he says, I pray
not for the world, he's talking about those that were left after
He took some out that the Father had given Him. I pray not for
the world, but for them that Thou hast given Me, for they
are Thine." Here's what I know. Almighty God has set forth concerning
back in John 3, 16, when it says, For God so loved the world, it
can't be everybody. because some of them has been
given by the Father to the Son out of the world and the Lord
prays for them. When we look at the word world,
you best let Scripture back up Scripture and find out exactly
what's being spoken of. Because the word world means
order, arrangement, ornament, or adornment. And depending on
its usage, it may mean the dirt. When he says the world, it may
mean that dirt. That word means the same thing,
or it could mean the human race of mankind, or it can refer to
a particular group out of the mass of humanity. So when somebody
says, I believe in John 3.16, I do too. But don't jump to a
conclusion just because you think it means everybody. I believe
Jesus Christ died for everybody. Died for everybody's sins. Well,
the Lord said in John 10, 15, I lay down my life for the sheep. And then in verse 24 of that
chapter, He told a group of Pharisees when they said, well, why don't
you be plain with us and tell us what you're saying? He said,
I told you and you believe not because you're not my sheep.
My sheep hear my voice and I know that they follow me. So we understand
something Paul says concerning preaching. He says, the things
which we speak, not in the words of man's wisdom, but that which
the Holy Ghost teacheth, comparing spiritual things with spiritual
things." Next time somebody comes and tries to prove something
to you, they better be able to back it up with Scripture, with
other Scripture. But the natural man, verse 14,
receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, their foolishness
unto him, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually
discerned. The natural man, as man is born
in Adam, They're the things of God, and a natural man does not
receive them. He doesn't believe them. He doesn't
love them. He doesn't appreciate them. He
don't obey them. You let a man stand and proclaim the things
of the Spirit of God, clearly, as God proclaims it, and the
natural man, the unregenerate, you know what he's going to say?
That's foolishness. That's absolutely foolishness.
That's silly. That's absurd. That's distasteful
to me, and it's stupid. That's what he's going to say.
That's what I was going to say. Neither can he know them, they're
spiritually discerned. Verse 15, but he that is spiritual
judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. Now what does that mean in closing?
Well, I have one more verse after this, but the man that is spiritual,
that's what he's saying, he that is spiritual, that man which
is born again, regenerated by the grace of God, judgeth all
things. That means he discerns and appreciates
all things. Not all things without, you know,
any limit. I mean, I don't understand stuff
like computers. Ask Linda how much I know about
a computer. I don't know anything. If it
works, it works. If it doesn't, it's broken. I
don't want to figure it out, I can't figure it out, I don't
know what to do. But when it says all things, that is all
things necessary for salvation. I took what I'm about to say
right here and I put this in the bulletin. How much did the
repentant thief on the cross No. How much did he judge? The word judge means to discern.
He that is spiritual judges, he discerns. How much did he
judge? How much did he discern? Well,
I'll tell you what he did. He judged this. Now he's hanging
on a cross. And so therefore I know this.
He's guilty. He figured that out. He's caught. He's condemned. He's helpless
to help himself and he's about to die. He judged that, all right? And he cried unto the Lord for
mercy. Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.
And according to the word of the Lord, that judgment, that
discernment of that thief right there was everything. He discerned all things, all
things necessary for salvation. Because the Lord said to him,
Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.
How much did He know about election? Nothing. I'm sure He knew nothing.
But He knew this, I'm a sinner and He's the Savior, and I cannot
help myself Why don't you just walk the aisles? I can't. I'm
dying. Lord, help me. I'm going to perish. Remember me. He that is spiritual
judges all things necessary for salvation, yet he himself is
judged of no man. What is that? That means the
believer, the one that discerns all things necessary for salvation.
He knows this. I'm the one who is sinning against
God and God's going to have to save me because I can't do anything
to help myself. Yet he himself, that sinner,
he's judged of no man. The believer's feelings, the
believer's principles, his views, his hopes, his fears, his joy
cannot be understood or appreciated by the natural man. The believer
judges or knows all things needful for salvation, but the unregenerate
can't discern what that believer knows and believes and loves.
A man without the Spirit of Christ cannot comprehend the principle
that moves a believer. What that is, they can't figure
out why a believer thinks like he does. The unregenerate will
never figure a believer out. A believer will tell them salvation
is by the grace of God, apart from any works of righteousness
on our part. And an unbeliever will say, I
can't figure that out. How can you believe that? A believer
says that's... Last verse. For who hath known
the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have
the mind of Christ. The Lord's taught His people.
They're convinced of what God's taught them. and for an unbeliever
to tell a believer, for an unbeliever to tell a believer that the things
of God that are revealed in this book, right here, that Almighty
God has taught you something that's false. When an unbeliever
tells a believer, I hear what you're saying, but I'm going
to tell you something. I can't go along with you. What
that unbeliever is saying is, I believe God's wrong. That's
what he's saying. Who hath known the mind of the
Lord that he may instruct him? Who does an unbeliever think
he is that he's going to instruct God Almighty? That natural man,
he can't instruct God. He can't instruct that believer
that's taught of God. An unbeliever cannot tell a believer,
you're wrong. Why? Because we have the mind
of Christ. We have been taught of the glory
of the Lord Jesus Christ in those scriptures. And a believer can
come to an unbeliever and say, now listen to me, what you're
believing right here is absolute foolishness. What you're believing is foolishness.
I know, I know, I see what you're saying out of this book right
here. An unbeliever will say to the believer, that's absolutely
foolish. And I'm going to tell you something, that unbeliever
can talk till he's blue in the face, and he will never convince
a believer that he's wrong. Why? Because we have the mind
of Christ. We've been taught what God Almighty
has revealed concerning His Son. May the Lord bless these words
to our heart for Christ's sake.