Go with me back to 1 Corinthians
2. 1 Corinthians 2. In the last week and a half,
we have had a funeral for a brother. And that led to a message on
the glory and the satisfaction of awaking with the likeness
of Christ. That's what we looked at last
Wednesday night. And because of the wording in
Daniel chapter 10, last Sunday night, we had a message on the
ministry of angels. And all of this has just had
me thinking about heaven and eternity and what's to come after
all of this for God's people. And it was that thinking that
brought me to 1 Corinthians 2. I'm just telling you why and
how I got here. It's that thinking that brought
me here. Verse 9 says, but as it is written,
I hath not seen nor ear heard neither have entered into the
heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that
love him." And what a glorious thought that is. And maybe we'll come back, you
know, next week or sometime and specifically look at that verse.
But while I was here, I read the whole chapter, beginning
in verse 1, and The direction of my thought changed. I came here with one mindset,
you know, studying and looking at one thing. And then I start,
and then as soon as I read the chapter, my whole thought process
changed. All the direction changed. I
have read this chapter many times. I have preached from this chapter
many times. But when I read it this time,
these words came alive to me as though they were my own words.
I read this and I thought, if I could really say something
to you, to this congregation, from my heart, this would be
it. This would be it. Paul said something
right here under the inspiration of God. God's spirit moved him
to say this, but it was out of the sincerity of his heart. And if I could convey something
to you out of the sincerity of my heart, this would be it. From the point of view of this
position that I stand in, This is the open sincerity of my heart
concerning you, concerning this ministry and this calling to
preach, calling to pastor. I've titled this message the
first three words of the chapter, and I brethren, that's the title
of this message, and I brethren. Paul was speaking the sincere
desire of his heart and I identify with everything he said And I
want to say it with him directly to you. These are the words of
my heart to you and I brethren. Let's see if the Lord will open
these words up to us. Look at verse one. And I want to also, sometimes
I tell you that I don't really want to preach to you tonight.
I just want to talk to you. Well, this is one of those moments. Verse one says, and I, brethren,
when I came to you, 11 years, four months, and 11 days ago. That's how long it was. 11 years,
four months, and 11 days ago. It was 12 years, three months,
and I can't remember exactly how many days, that I came to
you the very first time. The very, very first time. And
boy, the Lord knit my heart to this place, that little building. Boy, that was a cute little building. The first time I got here, I
sat on that pew looking around thinking, I want to paint these
walls. And we did. And I came back many times over
the next, you know, almost a year until I came here. But verse one says, and I brethren,
when I came to you, I came not with excellency of speech or
of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. And I say that admittedly. admitting
the truth about myself, putting myself down, I guess you could
say. I'm not smart on a lot of things like a lot of men are. So I say that admittedly, but
I also say that thankfully because I don't want to be smart on a
lot of things like a lot of men are. There are a lot of things, there
are a lot of doctrinal things and doctrinal isms out there
that I don't want to know anything about. There's a lot of religious knowledge,
it's religious nonsense that will not help the things concerning
salvation. It will only hurt. So I, brethren, I say that admittedly,
I came to you not with excellency of speech or wisdom, declaring
unto you the testimony of God. I say that admittedly, I say
that thankfully, I say that decidedly. For my good, for your good, for
the good of this ministry, for the defense of God's gospel, We're taking a stand for the
only thing that will save a sinful soul. By God's grace, by His
doing, it's all His doing. It's all to His glory. Verse
two says, I determined not to know anything among you Save
Jesus Christ and Him crucified. That was the stance of my heart
then, 11 years, four months, and 11 days ago. And that's the
stance of my heart right now. I don't say that pridefully. I don't say that to make a good
work out of it. I don't say that to give credit
or glory to myself. I'm just saying to you that's
what God has put in my heart to do. That's what God has put
in my heart to do. Preach nothing to you. Know nothing among you except
for Jesus Christ and Him crucified. And I'm so thankful to Him for
that. I'm so thankful. I thank Him for that. There is
nothing else that I want to preach in this pulpit, nothing else. I preach the same thing every
time I stand up there, every time I stand up here. Has anybody
noticed that? Am I the only one who notices
that? I preach the exact same thing
every single time I stand up here. Man is ruined. God is holy. And the blood of Jesus Christ
is the only hope we have. If Christ did not save us on
the cross of Calvary, there is no salvation for us. There's no other hope. There's
no other hope than Jesus Christ crucified. There's no other hope.
The only hope we have is when he cried, it is finished, he
was talking about the putting away of our sins. The only hope
is that he had us in his mind when he said that to the father,
it is finished. If he paid the debt for our sins
on that cross, salvation is secured. And if salvation is secured for
us, then we will. We don't, you know, then now
turn it on you and, okay, he secured salvation. What are you
going to do? We don't do that. If salvation is secured, we will
believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. We will cast our all on His cross. We will cast our all on the cross
of Jesus Christ. We will beg God for mercy, mercy in His broken body, His shed
blood, and we will leave it right there. We will stop right there. We will rest right there. I cannot tell you how many times
in the last 11 years, 4 months, and 11 days, people have said
to me, I know Christ did all that. I know Christ died on the
cross to put away the sins of His people. We need to move on from that. There's other stuff in here.
There's other stuff to consider in here. There's other stuff
to know in here. We need to be hearing about man's
responsibility to the law. And I'm not talking about anybody
in here right now. I'm talking about people who left because
this was not enough. This was not enough. We need to be focusing on the
fruit of the flesh. Can't tell you how many times
I've heard that. We need to focus on the fruit of the flesh. We need to be studying Greek. That's what we need to do. We
need to study Greek. I, brethren, this is what I want to say to
you. By God's grace, I am determined not to know anything among you
save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. That's it. That's it. The first Sunday that I was here
as pastor, I made a bulletin and I printed a scripture on
that bulletin that declared what the message of this ministry
would be, you know, what the focus of our preaching would
be. And that scripture is still on our bulletin. First Corinthians
two, verse two, for I determined not to know anything among you
save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. That's it. That's all our hope. That's all our desire. That is
all our desire. That's all I want to preach to
you. Verse one says, and I brethren, when I came to you, I came not
with excellency of speech or of wisdom declaring unto you
the testimony of God. For I determined not to know
anything among you, save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. And
I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling,
and I still am. I still am, but even more so
now than I was then. I am weaker now than I was 11
years, four months and 11 days ago. I am weaker now than I was
then. I have so much less self-confidence
than I used to have. I have so much less self-confidence. When I first started, I had a
little bit of self-confidence. And I am so much more dependent
on God's Spirit to bless us than I used to be. And I'm thankful for that. I
have less self-confidence and I am thankful for that. That's
what we need. That's what I need. That's what
you need. Verse four right here, he said,
my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's
wisdom, but in demonstration of the spirit and of power. That's what we need. Verse five
says that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but
in the power of God. I don't want you to be impressed
with me. I want you to be impressed by
God. That's what I want. I thought a little bit about
what's the best way to word this, but I wrote in these notes, there
may have been a time that I wanted you to be impressed with me.
I know my heart. I know my heart. There was a
time. And I'm not saying I'm over it.
I wouldn't put anything past this flesh. I'm telling you,
no man wants to go preach at a conference and fall flat on
his face and everybody think, boy, that was terrible. No man
wants that. And I don't want that here. I
don't want that tonight. But I fearfully say my goal up here
is not to impress you. You know, if it was, I pray when
you called me, it was secondary to my desire to declare Christ.
And I believe that was my desire, but I want you to be blessed. And
for that reason, I say my only goal right now is to make this
as simple and as plain as I can possibly make it. Word by word,
verse by verse, my only goal right now is to preach this Word. That's it. You know, before it's,
how clever can I make the outline? You know, can I, you know, can
I, you know, wind it up and knock them down at the end? No more. No more. I just want to declare God's
Word is simply and is clearly as I can. Again, I already said
it, but I don't possess a lot of big words. I just don't know a lot of big
words. I have offended quite a few people because of that.
People have come to me and talked to me about things, especially
doctrinal things, and they use doctrinal words, and I just have
to tell them, I'm sorry, but I don't know what that word means.
And I believe they think I'm making fun of them or something.
I'm not. I'm not. I just don't know a lot of big
words. But here's the thing. I don't want to know a lot of
big words. Not when we're talking about
this. This is too important for people
to understand. This is too critical that people
understand this and not come here and be impressed by my big
words. You know, if I do know a big
word, and I've used a couple of them tonight, I've caught
myself in the process, but if I do know a big word, sometimes
I spend as much time as I can trying to find a smaller word
that means the same thing, just in case somebody else is in my
shoes and they say, well, I don't know what that word means. Brethren, I, brethren, I want
to get rid of enticing words. I want to get rid of enticing
words. Verse 5 says that your faith should not stand in the
wisdom of men, but in the power of God. Look back at 1 Corinthians
1. You probably don't even have
to turn your page. Verse 17, it says, For 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. For the preaching
of the cross is to them that perish foolishness, but unto
us which are saved it is the power of God. For it is written,
I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and will bring to nothing
the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? Where is the
scribe? Where is the disputer of this
world? Hath not God made foolish the
wisdom of this world? For after that, in the wisdom
of God, the world by wisdom knew not God." What that means is
man thinks he's so smart on God, he's totally missed God because
of his big words. After that, in the wisdom of
God, the world by wisdom knew not God. It pleased God by the
foolishness of preaching, this simple preaching. to save them
that believe. For the Jews require a sign,
and the Greeks seek after wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified. Unto the Jews a stumbling block,
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, in things
which are not, to bring to nothing things that are, that no flesh
should glory in his presence. But of Him are you in Christ
Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom and righteousness and
sanctification and redemption, that according as it is written,
he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. And I, brethren,
when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or
of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined
not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. And I was with you in weakness
and in fear and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching
was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration
of the Spirit and power, that your faith should not stand in
the wisdom of men, but in the power of God." Paul said, I renounce
all of that. I reject the so-called wisdom
of this flesh, the wisdom of man, which is no wisdom at all,
the wisdom that man is so impressed with. Paul said, I don't want
to have anything to do with that wisdom. Verse six, how be it
we speak wisdom? It's not wisdom to the world,
but it's wisdom to God's people. If we are preaching Jesus Christ
and Him crucified, we're preaching the wisdom of God and the power
of God. Verse six, how be it we speak
wisdom among them that are perfect, that means among them that are
in Christ. That's the only way a man or woman can be perfect,
is if he or she is in Christ. How do we get in Christ? Look
back up at chapter one, verse 30. But of Him. Are you in Christ
Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom and righteousness and
sanctification and redemption, that according as it is written,
he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. That's his business. How do we get in Christ? That's
his business. That's his doing. Amen. Amen. who Christ is and what
he's done for his sinful people. That's all the wisdom that God's
people want to know. That's all that his preachers
want to preach. That's all that his people want
to hear. Christ is our wisdom. Christ
is our glory. Christ is our all. Look at chapter
two, verse six. He said, how be it we speak wisdom
among them that are perfect, yet not the wisdom of this world,
nor of the princes of this world that come to naught, but we speak
the wisdom of God in a mystery. Great is the mystery, the mystery
of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh,
justified in the spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the
Gentiles, believed on in the world, and received up into glory. That's it. That's the only excellency
of speech that we need. That's the only excellency of
speech that there truly is. That's the only one there is.
Verse seven, he said, but we speak the wisdom of God in a
mystery, even the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the
world unto our glory. I have never, ever noticed those
last two words, never. Why do we love this one message
of Jesus Christ and the accomplishment of His cross? Why do we love
this so much? It's because this is the only
message of the only name of the only one who could redeem us
from our ruin all the way to glory. All the way to glory. In Him, His glory is our glory. It's our glory. Verse seven says,
but we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden
wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory. That's glorious. Verse eight
says, which none of the princes of this world knew for, had they
known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
But as it is written, I hath not seen nor ear heard, neither
have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath
prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them to
us by his Spirit, for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the
deep things of God. For what man 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. What that
means is there's no way you can know what's in my mind right
now unless I tell you. And there's no way that you can
know the heart, mind, will, and purpose of God unless he tells
us. Thank God, he told us. That's
what he's saying. Verse 11, what man 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.
Now 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. which things also we speak not
in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy
Ghost teacheth, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the
natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God,
for they are foolishness unto him. Neither can he know them,
because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual
judgeth all things, or discerneth, has the ability to discern all
things. Yet he himself is judged or discerned
of no man. For who hath known the mind of
the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of
Christ. That's why we love this message.
That's why we preach this message. That's why we believe this message. It's the very mind of God in
Christ concerning our salvation. And this is my honest, sincere
prayer for you. It's that in spite of my weakness,
and if I, you know, if I don't appear weak to you, I'm pretty
good at hiding it. But in spite of my weakness,
And in spite of my ignorance, and in spite of my lack, everything that I lack in every
way, my prayer is that God will give you faith to stand in Jesus
Christ alone. Jesus Christ alone. Not man's
anything, not my anything. Don't follow me and my ambition
and my anything. Jesus Christ alone. Jesus Christ
and Him crucified alone. If so, if the Lord would give
you the faith to do so, you will be standing in the power of God. And if you're standing in the
power of God, eye hath not seen, ear hath not heard, neither hath
entered into the heart of man the things that God has prepared
for them that love Him. in Jesus Christ and Him crucified. That's it. That's it. God forbid that we should glory
save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.