I'll ask you to take your Bibles
once again, turn with me to 1 Corinthians 1. 1 Corinthians chapter 1. I was going over my notes again
this morning and looking at this passage and I thought, wow, what
a message that just hand in glove with the one that we just considered.
It was such a blessing to me. I've entitled this message, The
Power and Wisdom of God. The Power and Wisdom of God.
I'm going to look at verses 19 to 25, but just as a quick recap. The Apostle Paul had said in
verse 17 concerning his ministry, he said, Christ
sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel. not with wisdom
of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect."
He said, the Lord has sent me to preach the gospel, and not
to preach that gospel in such a way, trying to use great, flowery
wisdom of words. He said, and give people the
impression that salvation was by a man's ability. to be able to have such eloquence
that he could convince somebody, you know. I mean, there's a way
in which men can hear a message preached and they can say, well,
I tell you what, that was so plain, that was so clear. Surely,
that in itself could convince a man. Well, if it's plain and
clear, it's because God made it plain and clear. But I can
tell you this, unless the Lord makes it plain and clear to someone,
it's not going to be by man's ability. Then he said, under
the inspiration of God's Spirit, verse 18, for the preaching of
the cross, and as I've said before, when I say the preaching, I'm
not talking about just the crucifixion. I'm talking about everything
that Almighty God had eternally purposed before the foundation
of the world, chose a people in Christ, gave them to the Lord
Jesus Christ to be their surety, that He would stand for them
before God Almighty, and that Almighty God would look to Him
alone for the salvation and eternal redemption and glorification
of those sheep. The Father never Having chosen
us in Christ, He never looks to the sheep again to answer.
Christ has answered. So when Paul says the preaching
of the cross, that's what I'm talking about. Everything according
to God's everlasting covenant of grace until the final day
in which God Almighty receives all His people back to Himself
in resurrected glory. The preaching of the cross. He
said the preaching of the cross is them that perish, that are
perishing. He said it's foolishness. But
unto us which are saved are being saved. The Lord is saving His
people right now. He has saved us. He saved us. And He is saving us. The only
reason you still believe today is because He gave you faith
today to believe. Like I said, yesterday's air is gone. I sure
enjoyed it yesterday. But I need air right now. I need
to breathe right now. Faith cometh by hearing. Is it imperative to hear the
Word of God? Faith cometh by hearing, and
hearing by God's Word. Well, this glorious message,
the message of God's free and sovereign grace, Paul said, that's
what the Lord has called me to do, to preach the gospel. Verse 19, now that's where we'll
start. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise. That is, those that think themselves
to be wise. and will bring to nothing the
understanding of the prudent, those that see themselves as
being that way. Now, nowhere do we see the destruction
of the wise and prudent. Nowhere do we behold that more
clearly in mercy and grace to God's people. than at the cross. Now, there's not a believer in
this congregation that does not in himself deserve eternal damnation. Now we were all cut out of the
same lump. There's no difference. All of
us deserve it. But that Almighty God would not
charge His people with it. is a miracle of God's grace.
Where did it go? Well, the Lord Jesus Christ was
made sin for us. He was made what we are. And He bore in His own body the
judgment that was due us. Now here's the miracle. What
a sacrifice. You and I die in our sins. Eternity
will not pay the debt. We sinned against an eternal
God. But by one sacrifice for sin, He hath perfected forever them
that are sanctified. Neil, I can't even enter into
that. What was due the totality of His elect forever? By one sacrifice, He put it away. Wow! What a Savior! What a Redeemer! What a sacrifice! I can't even enter in to the
devil. I'm not even going to try. I'm
going to try to say in my heart, Lord, thank you for that which
you've done. I will destroy the wisdom of
the wise and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent,
those that think themselves, as I said. Here's what Isaiah
said, for the wisdom of the wise men shall perish, the understanding
of the prudent men shall be hid. That is, the Holy Spirit has
prophesied that the Lord of Glory was going to destroy the carnal
wisdom, either in them or in their substitute. He's going
to destroy it. I'm going to destroy the wisdom
of the wise. I'm going to deal with it. All
of it's going to be dealt with. And He's going to do so according
to His good pleasure. Meaning this, I'm going to have
mercy and compassion on whomsoever I will. And on whomsoever I will,
I'm going to harden. I'm going to leave to themselves. I think, oh, Lord of glory, don't
leave me to me. Don't leave me to myself. and so righteous and so holy
and so just is God's will to do it that way. I will have mercy
and compassion on whomsoever I will and whomsoever I will,
I'm going to harden. I'm going to leave you alone.
And so right is that, the Lord Jesus Christ said in Matthew
11, 25, 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. Even
so, Father, for so it seemed good in Thy sight. There is coming a day when Almighty
God, in the day of judgment, is going to cast all rebels into
hell. And the righteous are going to
say, Hallelujah. And that day we will see it as
He sees it. He's right. Where is the wise, verse 20?
Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this
world? Has not God made foolish the
wisdom of this world? Where can it be found? In the annals of history, any
among the heathen that by their wisdom and their learning and
their understanding has shown, apart from these scriptures,
how man is reconciled to God. Show me, that's why you say,
where is the wise? Where? Every time you find the
wise and the prudent of this world, Do you know the conclusion
they always come to? Again, I'll just go ahead and
speak from experience. It's always by something that
I do. It always comes to that. It always comes down to man's
ability, man's will. Like I said, there's only two
messages, free grace or free will. That's only two messages. They just take on a different
little, you know, label. But it's always the same thing.
Always. Who has produced by their mental
capacities the way that sin can be put away? I'm talking about
put away justly. Justly. I'm not talking about
being able to just sweep it under the carpet. Well, I just, you
know, I confess my sin. Okay? You're still a sinner. I'm talking about justly. How
can God be just and justify a sinner only in Christ? Is He going to
have to deal with him in justice? If I'm going to go free, He's
not going to sweep it under the rug. He's going to deal with
it. For after verse 21, that in the
wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God
by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe by the revelation of God's Spirit. We know this. that when the world
in all of its earthly wisdom was unable, now this is the only
way I know this, is because God told us this in His Word. When
we found out and believed by faith that man was unable to
recognize and know the true and living God, Almighty God was pleased to reveal
Himself through the very means that the world calls foolishness. I've told you this before. The
first time I heard, not here, but here, first time I heard
the gospel of God's sovereign grace, first time I ever heard
of election, predestination, God choosing a people. Sovereign
grace. First time I ever heard it. Right
here. I thought to myself, that's the
most foolish thing I've ever heard in my life. This was my conclusion. That's
not fair. That's not fair. Almighty God was pleased to reveal
to me something that I considered foolish. For after that, in the wisdom
of God, the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by what
men called foolishness. The foolishness, as I said before,
what we preach is not foolishness. This is God's Word. But what
men call foolishness, It pleased God through what men call foolishness
to save those that believe. While men that are wise and prudent
in this world, while men are perishing, perishing in their
sins and blind to the things of Almighty God, ignorant of
His mercy and compassion, Almighty God is mightily calling out His
people. He's saving them by grace. And
all the while, the world is saying, that's foolish! You're foolish! Not according to God's Word.
Almighty God is pleased by what men call foolishness. To save those that believe. It is by the grace of God. In verse 22, 4, or because the
Jews require a sign and the Greeks seek after wisdom. When the Lord walked in the midst
of the Jews, He came into this world made of a woman, born of
a woman, made under the law. And he walked among the Jews
and they always required a sign. Show us a sign. You proved us by something that
you do. How many miracles had he performed?
And they said, your word is not good enough. You show us a sign. They admitted that there was
a true God. They knew that. But I tell you,
as I've said before, devils believe there's a true God. But they
wanted the Lord to prove to them, according to their confirmation, that He was sent from heaven.
And the Lord told them in Matthew 12, 38-39, when they said, Master,
we would see a sign from Thee, the Lord answered and said unto
them, an evil. and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign,
but there shall no sign be given to it but the sign of the prophet
Jonas. For as Jonas was three days and
three nights in the whale's belly, so shall the Son of Man be three
days and three nights in the heart of the earth." When the
Lord put Jonah in the belly of that whale, that was the only
sign He said, you're going to get. God was preaching. And Jonah was really in the belly
of that whale for three days and three nights. And that whale
really did vomit him up. And Almighty God said, that's
the sign right there of the Son of Man. Three days and three
nights in the belly of the earth. And I'm going to rise, and that's
the only sign you're going to get. So the Jews require a sign. The Greeks, that's everybody
that's not a Jew. Jews or Greeks? Greeks seek after wisdom. They
maintain without the demonstration of proof. Based on natural causes
and rational arguments, you're going to have to prove to me.
Now, Scripture declares that there's one God. One God. And Almighty God has manifested
in His Scriptures Himself in three persons. Father, Son, and
Spirit. And the Greek says, you're going
to have to prove that to me. Well, I can't prove that to you.
How are you going to prove that there's one God manifested in
three persons? How are you going to prove that?
I'm not going to prove it. What Brother Scott said, he said,
I'm not here to explain it, I'm here to proclaim it. Did Almighty God declare that
He elected a people from before the foundation of the world?
Prove that to me. God said it. That just ends it
right there. How are you going to prove? How
are you going to prove anything by wisdom? How are you going
to do that? You're not. They're human. Man by nature's human intellect
must be satisfied. You're going to have to show
me the grounds by which these things are so. The Apostle Paul went to Athens
and this is what he declared. He said, all the Athenians and
strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else but
either to tell or to hear some new thing. By the grace of God,
a believer says this, don't tell me anything new. You tell me
how Almighty God saves His people by grace. And that's all I want to hear.
Because I'm telling you there's coming a day in which that's
going to be the only thing you want to hear. I told you about
Todd telling me, he said, Marvin, every time I was laying on a
hospital bed, he said, I knew I was dying. I'm dying tonight. He said, I knew I was going to
die. And he said, the only thing I could do is find comfort in
God's Word. What are you going to rest on?
Where are you going to look to? Preaching Christ and Him crucified,
preaching God's free and sovereign grace was a stumbling block to
the Jews. They looked for a Messiah that
was going to come back and set up a kingdom in Jerusalem and
was going to restore that glory that they had back in Solomon
and David. And the Lord Jesus Christ came
into this world, went to the cross, was crucified. They stumbled at that. He told
them, those that rested in their works, rested in keeping the
Law, Paul the Apostle, he said, concerning the Law, I'm blameless. You tell a man that he can't
do that, oh, he's going to stumble at that, unless God shows him. To the Greeks, proclaiming this
message of eternal life through belief. Faith only. I cannot, I cannot prove to you
by wisdom of words. Not mine. The truthfulness. Almighty God is going to have
to give a man faith to believe it. Now they say, I got to have,
I got to have wisdom. I got to, you're going to have
to prove it to me. Well, Spirit of God is going to have to teach
you then because you don't have any hope in me doing it. Oh,
but verse 24, but unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks,
Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God. To the Jew,
the message of Christ crucified, they stumbled at that. To the
Greek, that message was foolishness because you couldn't prove it
by wisdom. Couldn't put something in an intellect up here to prove
it. Oh, but Not all Jews and Greeks
were left like that. Not all. Aren't you glad? Aren't
you glad that Almighty God would have mercy on some? There were
some that were regenerated by the grace of God, and they're
referred to here as the called. Those which are called. Them which are called. They're
like those found in Jude 1.1, Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ
and brother of James, to them that are sanctified, set apart
by God the Father. Isn't that a precious thought?
That the Lord would set apart some for Himself. Just sinners
dug out of the same pit. I mean, there ain't no difference. I'm telling you, I'm a whole
lot worse than you, believe me. but that Almighty God would be
pleased to set apart some for Himself, sanctified by the Father,
preserved in Christ Jesus. Every time I think about being
kept before the Lord called me out of darkness, I go back to
my younger years. I was a scoundrel. I'm telling you that Almighty
God would keep me being before until the Lord saved me. I think
by the grace of God. I can think so many things that
I got into. Oh, you wouldn't believe. I thought,
how in the world did I ever survive? By the grace of God. Preserved
before and preserved since. Kept by the power of God. preserved in Christ Jesus, and
listen to this, and called, effectually called, by the Spirit of God. Those who hear the message of
God's grace, the world considers it foolishness, and it's the
power of God unto them that believe. They know it. What power and
wisdom is exhibited in the fact that Almighty God would choose
in place of people in the surety Himself and deal with them in
Him. Let Him answer. Let Him answer. What wisdom in the redemption
of the sheep. What wisdom, what power. that
a body would be prepared him, that he'd be conceived in the
womb of a virgin by the Holy Spirit, and he would come into
this world as man, the God-man, mediator, and then be made sin,
that God the Father would make him sin, made sin. What power! What wisdom! Wisdom! And that God could be just and
justify a sinner, that He perfectly magnified the law, honored the
law, in obedience and in justice, paid the debt. The law demanded
justice. And then would impute that to
me? And charge me with it? And God
would accept it? What wisdom! What power! Wisdom died upon the tree victoriously
finishing the work of redemption. Buried three days later, raised
from the grave, raised from the tomb, ascended into heaven, and
right now seated on the right hand of the Father, ever living
to make intercession for His people. His very presence, Pat,
speaks of satisfaction. And the father would say, when
I see the blood, and he ever sees it, he said, I'm going to
pass over you. That's wisdom. That's power. That's the greatest message.
Pretty soon, scripture says, he's going to come back and get
his own. And we're going to be with him forever. Last verse,
because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness
of God is stronger than men. We preach a message because God's
called us to preach the message, because He's taught us the message,
because we believe the message, because we trust the Lord Jesus
Christ. We preach a message that men
call foolishness. Again, it's that message of the
gospel of God's sovereign grace. But that message that men call
foolishness, the scripture says, the foolishness of God, that
is what men call the foolishness of God. I'll tell you this, it's
wiser than any man ever came up with. And the weakness of
God, that which men say, is unable. You mean to tell me you're going
to rest your soul on just believing God and you're not going to say
that you don't have to do something in order to be saved? That's
right. Because if I say that I've done
something to merit my salvation, I'm already contradicting this
scripture. Let me ask you this. You that
believe, what other hope do you have? That's what the Lord asked Peter,
his disciple, are you going to go away too? Peter said, Lord,
where are we going to go? It's either salvation by grace
or salvation by my works. And I can tell you this, according
to Scripture, it ain't by my works. Where else are you going
to go? Lord, save me. Lord, have mercy
on me, for Christ's sake. Amen.