Let's take our Bibles and turn
with me to the book of 1 Corinthians chapter 2. 1 Corinthians chapter
2. Let's ask the Lord's blessing. Our Father, you've commanded
us to pray without ceasing. to ask, to knock, to seek. And it would be given, we would
find. Lord, we ask tonight, help us. We admit we have no power. Lord, we are your servants. Help
us this evening to worship for Christ's sake. Amen. I want to look at verses 6 through
8. Verses 6 to 8 in just a moment. Now the apostle Paul had declared
that his preaching, that is the preaching of the glory of God
in the face of the Lord Jesus Christ, was not according to
human logic. Human persuasion. It was not
human wisdom. You know, that means that Paul's
preaching and the preaching of all of God called preachers is
not according to that which a man, by his carnal reasoning, can
figure out. Now, when the Lord is pleased
to reveal the gospel, to one of his own, when he opens the
heart of one of his elect. God's people cannot but believe. They hear the gospel of free
grace and they know that's the truth. But man by nature cannot
figure out the glorious gospel of God's grace. If he could,
he would boast in it. He would find that it was nothing
more than pride to him. He would attribute his salvation
to his own ability and therewith brag and say that I've got something
of which I can be proud. That is the very heart of Matthew
chapter 7 verse 22 when the Lord said, and I've read this so many
times and every time I read it, I'm taken back by one word in
particular. Now this world is filled with
religion. Just man by nature is religious.
Listen to this passage of scripture. We've read this so many times.
Not every one. Matthew 7, 21. That saith unto
me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. But he
that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Now here's
the word that takes me away. Many. Many. will say to me in that
day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in
thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful
works? And then will I profess unto
them, I never knew you, that is in grace, in mercy. Depart from me, ye that work
iniquity. Now man by nature thinks that
he can please God by what he does. That's natural thinking. If I am obedient, if I can figure
out what the one in charge wants, then I can do whatever pleases
him and therefore I'll be right in his sight. Man by nature cannot
figure out the Gospel. He might have a head knowledge
of it, but he has no heart for it. The Apostle Paul declared
in verse 4 that his preaching, his speech, was in the power
of God, the demonstration of the Spirit. power. That is, whenever God Almighty
is pleased to call out one of His own. It is a miracle of God's
grace that man by wisdom could not attain by his own carnal
thinking. And the reason is set forth in
verse 5, here it is, that your faith should not stand in the
wisdom of men, but in the power of God. If you'll notice, every
different religion has got a different way in which you approach God. One of them is one way, one of
them is another, this is how you got to do this, this is how
you got to do this. Only when you hear the gospel of God's
free grace do you ever hear that the Lord Jesus Christ is the
way, the truth, and the life, and it never deviates. Go anywhere
where the gospel of free grace is preached and you'll hear the
same message. But I can walk out this building
and go and take the first building where there's a religious assembly
being made and whatever they say may not be the same as the
next one down the road. Man by man's wisdom cannot figure
out God. Man's wisdom has been excluded. Therefore, and let's pick up
where we're going to start tonight, verse 6, how be it, the Apostle
Paul says, how be it we speak wisdom among them that are perfect,
that is, those that are complete in Christ, yet not the wisdom
of this world, nor of the princes of this world that come to naught,
comes to nothing. But 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. For had they known it, they would
not have crucified the Lord of glory." Now, Paul the Apostle
says, declare, preach wisdom among them that are perfect.
Perfect in the Lord Jesus Christ? Yes. Mature. Taught. Believers. God Almighty
has called out His people and has taught them something of
the wisdom of God. And God's people believe it.
Not the wisdom of the world. It's the wisdom that is taught
by God Almighty. The wisdom that this world gives
tells a man, you have to do something to be right with God. And coming
right out of that truth right there, or that lie, let me say
it like that, is this. You do something in order to
be saved. It gives a man a work that the
Scripture says he cannot do. The carnal man can physically
read. Now here's the mystery of this
book. I gave you an example last week or two. You can read something
out of this book and understand the English part of it. You can
read the words as the words are set forth. You can read this.
Now listen to Titus 3.5. Not by works of righteousness,
which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us by the
washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost."
Now let me ask you something. What did that verse of Scripture
just say? Concerning salvation, it is not by works of righteousness that
we have done. Is there any works of righteousness
that a man can do to be saved? No. Man can read that and can
say, I believe in salvation to be totally of grace. But, All you must do is, and
he has absolutely nullified everything that he said concerning believing
grace. He cannot figure out the truth
of God's grace carnally. Man's wisdom leads to death,
making him think that he has pleased God and all the while
walking in self-deceit. walking straight into the judgment
of Almighty God, the wrath of God Almighty. But the wisdom
of which we speak is the highest wisdom ever revealed. Why? It
is the wisdom of God. Now here's wisdom. How can God
be just? and justify a sinner. How can
God be just in dealing with sin and not have any works of righteousness
on that man's part and justify that man before himself? How? Now here's wisdom. Almighty God sending His own precious Lamb,
His Son, being made flesh, and His Son being made what His people
are, sin. And God justly dealing with sin
in His Son, and taking righteousness which is of His Son, and imputing
it to his people. That's wisdom. That's power. Here's the amazing thing about
this wisdom. It's wisdom that the Apostle
Paul says in verse 6, we speak among them that are perfect,
yet not the wisdom of this world, nor the princes of this world,
but we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery. I love the mysteriousness
of the gospel. I love the mystery of the gospel. Of God's free and sovereign grace. This message is an absolute sacred
secret. A secret that which is undiscoverable
by human reason. by Almighty God, and He's pleased
to reveal Himself only to those that He's pleased to reveal Himself. When we speak of preaching the
wisdom of God in a mystery, what we're saying is that it's the
wisdom of God that you and I don't get by our carnal thinking. Our intellect cannot figure it
out if Almighty God does not reveal it. You can hear it, you
can understand the five points of it, you can get it in your
head, but you don't have a heart for it. Matthew 11, 25, 26, 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 hast revealed them unto babes. Even
so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight." Now let me
ask you something. You tell me that the carnal mind
will gladly embrace that Scripture when they hear that God Almighty,
that the Lord Jesus Christ, in praying to His Father, thanked
the Father. He thanked the Father. That His
Father had hid this mystery. We preach the wisdom of God in
a mystery. And the Lord Jesus Christ thanked
the Father that He had hidden these things from the wise and
prudent? Carnal man is going to say, now wait a minute. Hang
on just a second. We want all this opened up. The way we see it, this ought
to be something that everybody ought to have opened up to them
with full revelation. We preach the mystery, the wisdom
of God in a mystery. When man by nature hears the
gospel of God's free grace, that God would choose, that God would
predestinate, that Almighty God withholds, and God Almighty gives,
and God Almighty loves one and hates another. You tell me that
man can figure that out? We're all cut out of the same
lump, and God Almighty says, Jacob have I loved and Esau have
I hated. You tell me how that's figured
out. But a believer bows to it. Bows to the God of all grace.
He can't perceive it by carnal wisdom, but when God gives him
a new heart, he knows it. Everything concerning the glory
of God in Christ, everything concerning the preaching of the
glory of God, everything concerning the salvation of God's elect
in Christ is a mystery. And that's why man hates it,
because he can't figure it out. Let me ask you, can we enter
in by human understanding to the mystery of godliness? Now listen to this mystery. God was made flesh and dwelt among
us. God. John said we beheld His
glory. The glory as of the only begotten
of the Father. This is the only one that God
ever sent. The only begotten. We touched Him. God Almighty
in human flesh and all of His elect were in Him eternally. And He came into this world with
all of His elect in Him and perfectly obeyed God as their representative. And His perfect obedience is
their righteousness. charged to them. When He died, He went to the
cross as their representative, as their absolute substitute. Made what they are, and they're in Him. And when He died, they died. When God Almighty poured out
His wrath and forsook Him, they were forsaken in Him. And they died. And they were
buried with Him. And raised with Him. And when His disciples watched
Him ascend into Heaven, on the Mount of Olives, they all went
up with Him. They were always in Him. And
while they watched Him ascend and heard two men say, You men
of Galilee, why stand ye here gazing into the heavens? This
same Jesus that you see ascending up shall descend, shall come
again in like manner. And all His people were in Him. This is a mystery. And God's
sheep rejoice when they hear the glorious gospel of God's
grace. Let me ask you this. Does God
the Father see the blood right now? Where is it? Wherever it is, He sees it. And
He says, when I see it, I'm going to pass over you. Oh, the revelation
of the mysteries of God, the wisdom of God that cannot cease. You give a man, let him have
his opinion on how God saves a sinner. And it's the silliest
thing that you've ever heard in your life. All the glory goes
to Himself. The mystery of God is what we
speak. It is the eternal purpose of
God to save a people hidden in Christ. Who can enter in to the
mysteries of God's eternal covenant of grace? When all of His people
were chosen in Him, there's never been a time that they weren't
there Now, here we are, here in this
glorious gospel, this hidden wisdom, hidden in the glorious
Lamb, slain from the foundation of the world, which God ordained,
the Scripture says. We speak the wisdom of God in
a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the
world, unto or for our glory. Hidden right now in plain sight. Hidden right now as it's being
preached. We take these messages, many
other pastors do, other churches do, and they'll take them, they'll
put them out, they'll put them on the internet, they'll go all
over the world. And it's hidden. Hidden in plain sight. as the glorious truth of Christ
is preached week after week, where God's been pleased to send
a faithful preacher. Verse 8 says, which none of the
princes of this world knew. For had they known it, they would
not have crucified the Lord of glory. From the beginning of
man's existence on this earth, I'm sure that none of the so-called
great men, the men of this world, knew this mystery. But I'll tell you who I think
is being spoken of in particular here. I think it's those rulers
of the Jews and those that hated the Lord Jesus Christ and despised
him during the time of his earthly ministry. For this reason, the
last part, for had they known it they would not have crucified
the Lord of glory. if those that crucified Him would
have known the revelation of God's Spirit, the wisdom of God,
that wisdom that is concerning the gospel of Christ, they would
not have crucified the Lord of glory. Now listen, Christ must
die. Christ must die. Why? Without the shedding of blood,
there's no remission of sin. Is that not right? Without the
shedding of blood, there's no remission. None of the princes of this world
knew these things. Had they known it, they would
not have crucified the Lord of glory. And He must die. What did God Almighty do? He left them to themselves. And
in leaving them to themselves, what happened? They crucified
the Lord of Glory. And in crucifying the Lord of
Glory, letting them do exactly what they wanted to do, and justly
will send them to hell. They accomplished God's purpose. The Lord Jesus Christ was crucified. And by the shedding of His blood,
He redeemed His people. Leaving men to themselves, He showed mercy to whomsoever
He would. Now let me tell you what that
is. That is the wisdom of God. Would you and I have ever figured
that out? Consider what is said. They crucified
the Lord of glory. To be crucified, He must be a
man. He must be born of woman. He
must be the Lord of glory. He must be God. God who can and did suffer. and die. Now listen to this.
Take heed therefore unto yourselves and to all the flock over the
which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers to feed the church
of God which he hath purchased with his own blood. I know this. God can't die. Man can. The scripture says, feed the
church of God which he hath purchased with his own blood. That's a
mystery. Can God die? No. Man can die. The God-man shed
his blood at Calvary. This is a mystery. Had they known
in regenerating grace God's mystery, they would have known Him to
be the One of whom the Scriptures spoke. Had they known the Lord
of glory, the Possessor of divine excellence, the God of glory,
had they known? Had they known? that that was
God in human flesh. Had they known that that was
the Son given, the One upon whose shoulder the government of everything
rests, He whose name is Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the
Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, the Lord of Glory,
the Lord of Dignity and Honor and Worship? Had they known? If they had a heart for Him,
like every other regenerated saint, they would have seen His
glory as the Messiah and would have bowed to Him by faith. They
would have not been indifferent to Him. That's the mystery of
God. That's the mystery of this message,
the gospel. The message of salvation, totally
by the grace of God, would have been precious to them who believe. They would have been Christians.
The Lord told Bethsaida, Chorazin, oh, He said if the miracles done
here had been done in Sodom and Gomorrah, they would have repented. And it would have remained until
today. Sodom and Gomorrah would be thriving cities. But Almighty God gave them over
to themselves and was pleased to show mercy to others that
were just like them. There was no difference. All men In closing, either consider
God's message concerning Christ to be foolishness. This is the
most foolish message I've ever heard in my life. Or, this is
the wisdom and power of God. 1 Corinthians 1.18, for the preaching
of the cross is to them that are perishing, that perish, foolishness. But unto us, which are saved,
which are being saved. This is the power of God. Carnal
man sees no beauty in this. They see no mystery in this. They see foolishness in this.
Almighty God in human flesh, the God-man mediator would be
nailed to the cross. that Jehovah would forsake Him, and that in His forsaking of
His only begotten Son, that life would be purchased and given
in Christ. May the Lord bless these words
to our heart, for Christ's sake. Amen.