Bibles to 1 Corinthians. The
book of 1 Corinthians, chapter 1. If you read the bulletin, you saw
the title of this message. True Wisdom. True Wisdom and the Mind of Christ. True Wisdom. That's our subject. In these two chapters, we're
going to look at chapter one and two, the Apostle Paul speaks of wisdom
sixteen times. Two chapters. In forty-seven verses, he speaks
of wisdom sixteen times. So it's pretty important. We
read that psalm. It's life. Wisdom. What is it? True wisdom. All
right? Now, this is written to this church called Corinth. Look at verse 2. Under the church
of God, which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in
Christ Jesus. So that is those who were set apart by God and given to
Christ. It's written also to those that
are called to be saints with all that in every place call
upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord—theirs and ours. sanctified," or all that are
called. Paul said he calls by the gospel. That's how we're called. And
so he's writing to all that are called by the gospel, all that
sanctified, and all who call, it says, on the name of Jesus
Christ Our Lord. What is the name? Many mistakenly
say Jesus is his name. When Paul wrote in Philippians
2, he says, God has given him a name which is above every name. What's the name? I have a picture of myself with
a Jesus, a boy from Mexico. His name's Jesus. It's a very
common name. Joshua was the Old Testament
name. It's a very common name. That name is not above every
name. What is? Paul wrote at the name of Jesus,
every knee should bow and every tongue confess that he's Lord. Now there's the name, the title.
That's how he's referred to. That's what's above everything,
Lord, you see, Supreme. All right, now, so he says, I'm
writing to all who call the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, who
call him Lord. Now, listen carefully. I've chosen
these words carefully. I hope the Lord chose these words
for me. Not everyone that says, Lord,
Lord, believes that he is Lord. Our Lord said that. He said that
in his Sermon on the Mount. Many will say unto me, Lord,
Lord. He said, Well, did Isaiah prophesy
of this generation? They draw near to me with their
lips, Lord. Their heart is far from believing
that he's Lord. Oh, but God's people do. The
called do. They know he's Lord, and they
love to have it so. They call him Lord because they
know he's Lord. They call him Lord because they
love him to be Lord. They believe in their heart.
That's what Romans 10 says. With the heart, man believeth
unto righteousness. With the mouth, confession is
made. What? That he's Lord to the glory of
God the Father. That's what Lord means. Now,
we're talking about wisdom. Wisdom is a subject. What's the
beginning of wisdom? How do you start? How does one
start to be wise according to Scripture? Proverbs 1, 7 says, now, the
fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, and the knowledge
of the holy is understanding. And then Proverbs 9, verse 10
says, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. So this is where we have to start. Wisdom is what Paul is going
to say much about. And Solomon, now, Solomon was
supposed to have been the wisest man to ever live, wasn't he? The Lord gave Solomon more wisdom
than any man had ever had before or since, except maybe Paul. Is it possible? What Solomon say now here's the
beginning of wisdom. He said the first thing is the
fear of love. Now are you wise enough to know
that that's missing today. That's what Paul said in his
indictment in Romans 3 about the whole world's guilty. He
said in verse 18, there's no fear of God before their eyes.
That's the way people used to be referred to who were supposed
to be believers. Back in the old days, when a
man or a woman was supposed to have been a devout believer,
he called him a God-fearing man. I confess, I never hear the word
anymore, do you? I never hear that word anymore,
from the pulpit, especially. But here he says, now, the fear
of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The Lord. Look at Jeremiah chapter two,
or thirty-two. Jeremiah chapter thirty-two.
Okay, let's, I don't have to go very far. As long as it's
God's Word we're looking at, I don't have to get through 1
Corinthians to do it. My pastor said, he said, we're not bound. We don't have to go through so
many verses and forgive some liberties. Go with it. But in Jeremiah chapter 32, And
then we'll turn over to the Psalms. Jeremiah 32, look at what it
says about the fear of God. Look at verse 38. Jeremiah 32, he's talking about
his true people. Verse 38, they shall be my people,
and I will be their God, and I will give them one heart and
one way. Not many different ways, not
many different faiths, not many different beliefs. One, that
they may fear me. You see that? Forever. How long? How long will they
fear him? Forever. For the good of them and of their
children. I make an everlasting covenant
and will not turn away from them to do them good. I will put my
fear in their hearts." Look quickly at Psalm 33 with me, all right? You'll like this. You'll benefit.
Young people, young people, everybody, 33. This is the beginning of
wisdom, the fear of the Lord. Psalm 33. You have it? Psalm 33, look at
verse 8. Let all the earth fear the Lord,
but all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. Verse
18, Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his what?
Mercy. It doesn't say love, it says
mercy. Look at Psalm 34, all right,
just across the page. Look at Psalm 34. Everyone, young
and old. Verse 7. The angel of the Lord
encamped with the round about them that fear him. Verse 9. Oh, fear the Lord, ye his saints. There's no want to them that
fear him. You know, if you go through the
Psalms, Proverbs please yesterday's Isaiah you. You would it's it's it's marvelous
how many promises. They are there are to those who
fear hearing all. You'd be amazed
how many promises right there is an angel of the Lord round
about those that fear him. Come, you children, young people,
hearken to me, I'll teach you the fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord, young people,
I'll teach you the fear of the Lord. Our children are going
to be taught the fear of the Lord, that God's to be feared,
that His name's not to be taken on our lips. unless it's to praise him. Listen to the young people, children,
listen to them, all young people. God is to be feared. Scripture says it's a fearful
thing to fall into the hands of a living God. His name is holy. We're teaching our children the
fear of the Lord. first, not the love of the Lord,
the fear of the Lord. Because Paul said concerning
young Timothy, he said, now you have known the scriptures from
a child that are able to make thee wise unto salvation. And here's where salvation comes
to the one who first fears the Lord. Now listen, I went downtown
with my daughter. And Aubrey the other day. And we stopped at a store. And as they were getting out
and going in the store for me, the windows were down. And one
of her friends, a girl we know quite well, know their parents. We know their parents have known
them ever since we've lived here. And they are good Christian people. We've invited them to come here
and hear the gospel many, many, many, many times, and they've
refused and never showed up. And their daughter, they have
several. Their daughter, I heard her.
daughter of these devout Christian people was talking to one of
her friends and she said, Oh my God. You know, I. Does that still shock you? You know, God says, Thou shalt
not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain. The Lord will
not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. Whoever takes
the name of the holy God upon their lips in anything but praise
and reverence and fear. Our children know that. The children of the world don't. And let me say this young people
don't even say gosh. You get that out of your vocabulary
if you have oh my gosh it's too close. Laws of mercy. It's too close. Don't do it now. Fear. What does it mean to fear? Just
what it means to be afraid of. That's exactly what it means. And there's no fear in this generation.
You know why? Right here. This thing right
here. This pulpit. Preachers are to
blame. They have told everyone without
exception so long now that God loves them. And doesn't want any evil to
follow. Doesn't matter how what they do or what that everybody
believes in now. None of the prophets ever
said that. None of the prophets ever went out to the world and
stood in the pulpit and said, God loves you everybody. Not
one. I'd give somebody a million dollars
to find, I don't have a million, a hundred, to find me where one
of the prophets said to everybody, God loves you. $150 to the first person who shows
me where one of the apostles stood up to a public crowd and
said, God love you. Jesus died for you. $175 going.
$200 going. It's not there. Fear of the Lord. It's the beginning of good. You
see why we must begin here? The Lord. Now, here's why men
don't fear him, because he's not Lord. We've said before that our generation
has lost what it means for a man to be king. Juanita, they haven't People
today don't know what a king is. Now, if they'd have lived about
500 years ago, everybody knew what a king was. Where the word of a king is,
there's power. Whatever kings say, it's done. Kings don't ask questions. Kings
don't ask anybody anything. anybody to do anything for them.
They demanded it. Throughout the Scriptures it
says, Hear this, thy God is King. The Lord reigneth. That means
ruleth. Let the inhabitants of the earth
fear the Lord. God in whose hands are but preachers
now stood up so long and told everyone that you make him God. That you've got to let him be
God. Let go and let God. Let God be God. He wants to be
God, but he can't. You've got to let him be God. If it weren't so blasphemous
and so deadly to the souls of men, it would be funny, wouldn't
You know, God does laugh in scripture. Yeah, that. Robert one, he says. I'm going to laugh at you one
day. He made me a laughing stock so
long. Before me, I'm going to laugh
at you, he said, when your calamity comes. That's what he said. So the pulpits problem. You see
why the fear of the Lord? Now, go back to the text in 1
Corinthians, OK? Wisdom. When you start talking
about wisdom, you've got to start with the fear of the Lord. And
in 1 Corinthians, look at it. 1 Corinthians chapter 1, verse
26, says, you see, you're calling, brethren. You're calling. What was it,
Jenny and Vicki and Patrick and those who give some evidence
of being called by this gospel? What was it that first really
grabbed your attention about this message, as opposed to everything
that's being said out there today? What was it that really made
you sit up and think, hey, this is different here. Something
that was being declared here that you just hadn't heard before.
Someone who's being declared, who's not being declared. A king
of kings. One who was king before the world
began. not made Lord by men, but Lord
of lords. A God who is and was and always
shall be God, reigning and ruling among the
armies of heaven and the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay
His hand like a potter on a throne with clay in his hand. Wouldn't
that end? Wouldn't that end? Wouldn't that
end? And you turn from idols, Paul
said, when you heard this gospel, Paul said to the Thessalonians,
you turn from idols. What are idols? We've looked
at it in Psalm 115 many times together, haven't we? Their God
has no hands, no feet, but their feet. Their God only does what
they allow him to do. That's an idol. But the God in
whose hands Our breath is, and everything about us. That's what
you heard, wasn't it? That's who you heard. Paul said,
you turn from idols, man-made gods, Dan, to serve the living
and the true God. For that is the God who is God. I mean, God, you know, here's
one of God's divine Part of his divine glory is sovereign election. Now, if the world heard this,
they'd say, there he goes again. There he goes again. You've got
to bring that up every time, don't you? Everything started
right there. But Sam, this is one of the things
that makes God God. He has the divine right to choose
whom he will. Right? I have a little house over there
that I'm the king of. Well, I am the king. Man's home is
his palace, they say, don't they, Darnell, huh? If the wife says
so. No, I have a little home over
there of which I rule over, okay? Dogs, mind me, and cats and so
forth. All right, I'm the king. What? I decide who, what, where, when,
and how. Hmm? It's my little domain, is
it not? Is it not? What if somebody,
just some stranger off the street came and said, you can't do that. I'll do with my own what I will.
Whose planet is this? Yeah, but man's first—oh, no,
he's not. He's a servant. He's not free. He's a servant. He's a creature. He's a creature. That means he
has a creator. Servant, you have a master. He
calls the shots. Masters don't ask. I've never
asked Fabner, my dog, anything. I've never asked him anything
ever. Would you please go fetch that stick? I've never said that.
Fetch! I've never. Would you please
sit down? You're bothering me, Lou, and I hate you. Sit. That's our dog. whom and what he will. Yes, he
does. That's one of his divine attributes—sovereign
election, God. Well, in 1 Corinthians 1, you
know this. You see your calling. Now, you
heard this, didn't you? You heard this, who God is. And
it—now, this is the beginning of wisdom. Saving wisdom. You heard who God was. He is. And then when you hear who God
is, you're like Job. You're like Isaiah. You're like Daniel. You're like
Peter. You just melt. You die. You're like Sheba. You come to
this. And you say, I'm nothing. Peter
said, Depart from me, Lord, I'm a cynical man. You don't need
me. But then you hear this. You're
called to be saints, and verse 3, you hear, Grace unto you,
and peace from God our Father. Grace and peace, a gift of God
is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Peace from God,
who ought to be angry with us. Peace, why? Because Jesus Christ
made thee by the blood of his cross. We don't make peace with God.
We don't turn over a new leaf, and God accepts that. No, no, no. It's Christ. It's Christ's perfect righteousness. You see, the first thing, after
you hear who God is, you hear of his sovereign person reigning
and ruling. Another, maybe the first thing
you hear that sets this God apart from the idols is that God's
holy. Don't you? Holy. If you would
ask this world, you run a survey, In every major
newspaper in the world, describe God in one word. If one million
people responded, you would probably get 999,000 some odd answers
the same. What do you think it was? Love. God is love. Is that what the
angels say? Around the throne. My let me tell you a story about.
A young man. Grew up in a. Home I'm not going
to call his name you know. But. He's attended. A church where this message is
proclaimed. Went off to college. And he was
in a class, some kind of religious ethics class, you know. And the teacher was, I think
she was Jewish. And she told all the young people,
all her students, asked him this question. She said, I want everyone
to come to the board and write on the board in one word, describe
God. in one word, one word. Well, you know what,
everybody, nearly every one of them put love, lover, kindness,
goodness, whatever, love and so forth. But this young man
who grew up hearing this gospel, he wrote H-O-L-Y. that raised the eyebrows of that
Jewish teacher. Well, then she, for the next
thirty minutes, she began to talk about the Jewish Holocaust, how the Nazis took God's people—Jews,
supposed to be God's people, they say—and they were brutally tortured killed, you know the
horrors of the holocaust. And then she said to that bunch
of young people, now, now describe God in one word. If God is, and she went on to
say, if God is love, why? She said, now describe God in
one word. You know what they began to put
up on that board? They began to put unfair things
like that wrong. You know what that young man
that we know put up. Still. Oh. Still. Oh. You understand that. You're not
in your head. You're as if you understand. Love cannot answer anything. Why? Why? Why? Why does this
happen? If God loves me, why is this
happening? I'll tell you what will answer
it. Holy. Sin. Judgment. He's a just God. That's the beginning. That's
the beginning. And verse 5 says, and peace,
you know, we're talking about peace with God. How does it come?
How does peace with this holy God? Scripture says God's too
holy to look on the sun, the moon, the stars. They don't even,
He charges, listen to this. The prophet said he charges his
angels with the holy angels. How much more man that drinks
iniquity like the water. A man is a vile creature in God's
sight. This is so absolutely unheard
of in this message. What are you talking about preacher?
I'm talking about the God of the Bible now. We're not talking
about the God of the 20th century, the 21st century. We're talking
about the God of the Bible. Now they don't decide. I decide. That's
the God of the Bible in peace. to the Holy God. Where does that
come from? By choice? By will? By turning open? No. That's why Christ came to this
earth. God sent his Son down here to make peace for some of
those people that God chose. For all the people that God chose. Some of those people out of the
world, those ones that God chose. And it says here in verse five,
look at it, I'm going to hurry. It says in everything now you're
enriched by him in all utterance and in all knowledge. Very few people know and understand
what's being said right now. What's being said from this pulpit
right now. Very few. Even fewer believe it than they
hear it. Look over at chapter 1, it says,
verse 17, Paul said, Christ sent me not to baptize. I'm not here
to see how many people I can put in the Baptist church so
I can report it to the Southern Baptist Convention so we can
get more money to go out and find more people baptized to
get more money. No, no, no, no. He said, I'm sent to do one thing,
to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words. There's the
first time he uses the word wisdom, all right? Not. He tells us what wisdom is not. Not wisdom of words, or it's
not high-sounding oratory, intellect. You know what you do when And
you've heard, you've heard men stand up and give speeches and
women and so forth, and preachers especially, and speak in terms
and language that nobody can stand. You've heard our politicians
speak and read, you remember Proverbs 8, read, that is, get
in terms, things, they don't want
you to know what they say. They're hiding it. And here's what Paul said is
done when you speak in high-sounding words and oratory. Verse 17 says,
The cross of Christ is made of no effect. Now listen very carefully, okay?
He says, In chapter 2, verse 2, he said,
I'm determined to know nothing among you. I don't want to be
taken up with philosophies and sociology and humanitarian efforts. That's not mine. Come to preach
Christ and Him crucified. Not Jesus, mind you, but Christ. That's Messiah, substitute, righteous
representative. Crucified. Let me tell you what
it takes for a human being to have peace with this holy God. And I'm not going to couch this
in clever language or high-sounding words so as to make it less offensive
to human nature. This is what it takes for a holy
God to have anything to do with the human being. It took God
putting his son on a cross, nailing him. God did it. Isn't that what the
Scripture says? In Isaiah, it pleased the Lord
to bruise him. Isn't that what Acts chapter
2 said? Peter said at Pentecost, he said,
You have taken with wicked hands and have crucified, but you did
what God determined to be done. In order for this holy Thrice
holy, we say. Holy, holy, holy. This thrice
holy God to have anything to do with any human being. God
had to send his Son, himself, the Holy One, down to this planet
to live as a man. Perfect. What's it take to be accepted
by God? You've got to be absolutely perfect. I heard some imbecile
on the radio this morning talking about how Christians do not sin. It's referring to herself, mainly. Scripture says in Leviticus 22,
21, it shall be perfect to be accepted. What about thoughts?
Ever seen and thought, well, that doesn't count. Oh, yes,
it does. God doesn't look on the outside.
God looks on the heart. Psalm 24 says, Who's going to
ascend unto the holy hill of the Lord? He that hath clean
hands and a pure heart, who never lifted up his soul under bandage,
and never gone after anything but God, And never swore never
told a lie never said anything but absolute truth. That's how perfect that is. Who can do that? No man. God looked down from
heaven it says in Psalm 14. See if there were any that didn't
understand that. Paul said in Romans 10, no, they don't understand
that. They're going about and establishing
their own doctrine. It's not good enough. It's not
good enough. Paul said that. He said, I could
even weep in talking about it. I see all of these sincere people
out in the world trying to do their best, and I want them to hear That's
not good enough. It won't do any good, and there's
going to be a multitude of people standing before God someday,
pleading what they've done, and only to hear Him say, Get out
of here! That's right! But now, to them that understand
it, do you understand? Barbara Ross, do you understand? But God has made him, 1 Corinthians
1 verse 30, said, God, look at it, of him are you in Christ
Jesus, verse 30. Of God are you in Christ Jesus. That means when Christ came down
here, you were in him. Represented by him. Everything
he did, you did. Everything he did, he was doing
it for you. Jesus Christ wasn't doing it to show men how to do
it. He was doing it for some men. I'm glad we're in Christ. Ephesians
1 talks about chosen in Him before the foundation of the world,
before we were ever born. Romans 9, before the children
were ever done any good or evil. God chose a people and gave them
to Christ and said, Go save them. And he came to this earth, and
he lived for thirty-three years, perfect in thought, word, and
deed, and stood before men and devils, and said, Find something
wrong with me. And they couldn't. God from heaven
said, Perfect. Perfect. John, then, that means
he's a perfect substitute, isn't he? A perfect righteousness. Verse 30, look at it, "...of
God are you in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us."
Wisdom! Are you wise enough to know that God is holy? So you can't just acquit the
guilty, huh? This is another thing. Men don't
understand justice, do they? There is no such thing as justice. That's the reason if you commit
murder, you'll get three life sentences. What? And prisoners are laughing. Go ahead, give me four. I don't
care. Give me five. Give me a hundred life sentences.
I'll be out in ten years. Is life life? So God is just. But that's lost today. Do you
understand that? Do you understand that? That's wisdom. Do you understand
that? Christ came down here and that's
what he did. He came down here and he took
the law and he magnified it. He said, do you see that God
is not looking at what you're doing? He's looking at what you're
thinking. If you've looked on a woman, you're a guilty adulterer. If you've even said fool, you've
killed on me. You're guilty before a holy God. Guilty before a holy God. Guilty! Everyone! But he says now, wait, come with
me. I'm not guilty. Now you're unrighteous. I'm righteous. And I'm here to do this. for
son. He's come unto me. Now he knows
who, he knows who that, he knows who'll come unto him. Oh, but
the Father giveth me, shall come unto me. Why? I need this righteousness. And he gives it to him. And he
just gives it to him. Be wise, honest, he's made unto
us wisdom and righteousness. And sanctification. This is what sets apart the believer
from the world. They're not going about to establish
their own righteousness. They know Christ established
it. And redemption. You see that?
Blood. I'm going to quit with that. Redemption. Redemption. Payment. payment you're paid. You've redeemed
something haven't you? It means payment. You paid the
price. What does it take for God Almighty
to have anything to do with the human being? They've got to be
as perfect as God. But there's none. Oh, now wait. Christ came and he did it for
some. And when he gives that to them, they're as holy as God
again. Yep, forever. But now, wait a
minute. Something's got to be done about
that sin. God's just. He says the soul that sinneth
must surely die. He said the wages of sin is death. Punishment. I will by no means
clear the guilt. By no means. I can't. I'm holy. I must. Every sin, the Hebrew
says, must receive, shall receive a just recompense of reward. Every sin, or God wouldn't be
just. He doesn't say three life terms. When he says death, it's
death. You know, eye for an eye in the
Old Testament? That's a description of God's
absolute justice. You pluck out an eye, you get
your eye plucked out. You cut off a hand, they cut
your hand off. You kill a man, we kill you.
All right? Our sins have got to be
paid for. For Jesus Christ, as a man, became
sin. 2 Corinthians 5, verse 21 says,
God made him to be sin. Yeah, he made us righteous. You
know how he made us righteous? Christ gave us his righteousness.
God made him sin, Dan. God laid on him, you and me,
our sins. Every one of them, buddy, laid
on him. When God saw Jesus cry, he saw
Dan Owell, he saw Paul Mahan, a guilty, hell-deserving sinner. And God smote him. Took a sword
like Abraham was going to do to his son, and pierced his own
son. Blood, blood's got to be, I've
got to kill you. You're a sinner, I've got to
kill you. That's offensive to the natural
man. God's not that holy. God's love. No, he's holy. He's just. Why did Jesus Christ
die on that cross if all God is is love? Because God is holy. Why is everything happening in
this world like it's happening? Because God is holy and just. God made his son a bloody piece
of meat and then sent his soul to hell.
Now that's offensive. That's the gospel. That's the cross. That's what
it took. That's the God of the Bible.
And this is wisdom, saving wisdom. That's where it starts. And oh, that they were wise. Who'd they do this for? Well,
I was raised in sovereign, I believe, the elect, or if I'm one of the
elect, I was. Oh, that's not wise. That's not wise. God said in Ezekiel 37, I'm going
to do this. I will, I will, I will. I have.
I've chosen. I've done this. I've sent. I
know my own. He said, but I'm going to call
them, and they're going to hear my voice, and they're going to
call on me. If they don't call on me, they're not going to be
saved. If they don't ask me for mercy,
they can go on believing they're one of the elect. The Jews did,
and they're going to be left out. So that they were wise. Fear, that's what fear means
too, Lord. Have mercy on me. Let the blood
be propitiation for me. Let the righteousness of Christ
be mine. I'm guilty. Lord, save me or I perish. That's
a wise man. That's a wise man. Wisdom is
a person. Wisdom is to see that Christ
is with me. You see that? I hope so. All right, may the Lord bless
that. Sheriff, you'll come up and we'll sing number 334. 334, Be Thou My Vision. And this
is verse 2 that says, Be Thou My Wisdom. Number 334. Let's stand as we
sing this. Okay. Be Thou my vision, O Lord of
my heart. Not be all else to me, save that
Thou art. Thou my best thought, my great
heart right now. Waking or sleeping, I present
my life. These are my wisdom and are my
true words. I am here with thee and I will This is good. You have to go back, you have
to go back to the 8th century, 13th century to find some truth.
This was written in the 8th century, 700 and something. And she said, whoever it was,
he said, Be my wisdom, thou my true word. Let me listen to you
and no one else. I ever with thee, I want to be
with thee in you always. Thou with me, Lord, my great
Father, thou in me dwelling, and I with thee one. That's what
Christ said in John 17. I will that they be with me,
that we all might be one. So this person knew, may have
known Christ, I believe. And they go on in verse four,
say, Hi, King of heaven. Let's sing that in closing, the
first poem. Hi, King of heaven. Hi, King
of heaven. Hi, King of heaven. Hi, King of heaven. you Okay. Okay.