I was thinking there as Brother
Al was speaking about the matter of jealousy, and that is really
one of the chief things that we see demonstrated between those
who are the Lord's people and those who are not, as we see
with Cain as he was jealous of Abel and jealous of the fact
that the Lord received him and didn't receive his offering. Of course he didn't receive his
offering because he didn't receive him. And he received Jacob's
offering because he received Jacob. And I mean Abel's offering
because he received Abel. And then of course we see that
repeated again with Esau And Jacob, the Lord said, Jacob have
I loved and Esau have I hated. And you know, that's a thing
that it really, on the one hand, it makes the world mad to hear
about that, but they're not mad per se because God has said They
have rejected some. That's not really why they're
angry. They're angry because He's chosen
some. And that's the glorious thing
to the people of God. I mean, we don't take any delight
in the fact that the Lord has called some to be reprobate,
that He created some men unto destruction. I don't find any
place of great delight in that. by any means, but that's necessary
that we might rejoice and see the glory of His grace that He
might choose some. You see, every time that we see
somebody who manifests their hatred of the way of God, it
ought to cause us to be thankful. Not that they reject that way,
but because the Lord is pleased to cause some to love His way. And why should any love His way
when all of us are of the same mind by nature? There is no difference
between any of us by nature as the scripture says, I mean, all
of us are by nature the children of wrath. I mean, there's not
a one of us that's any different from the other except for the
mercy and grace of God that causes us to be. That's the only thing. I mean, we can't get up on a
soapbox and boast about how good we are or what we've done to
deserve the Lord's blessings because we haven't deserved any
of them. But God is rich in mercy And so we see that jealousy at
work and of course we see the culmination of it with the Jews
when they killed the Lord Jesus Christ.
They did it out of jealousy because they saw that He was received
of God and not them. They hated Him. Because he went
about doing things, and the people flocked to hear him. The people
didn't flock to hear them. They didn't like it. They didn't
like the fact that they were kind of put on the second burner,
because, I mean, they'd been the top dogs for a long time,
and they'd go down through the streets, and people, and blow,
have somebody go in front of them blowing a horn to tell everybody
they were coming, and the people would look at them and say, boy,
look at those holy men. And they ate it up. They thought
it was great. Well, the Lord Jesus came along
and He said, You're a bunch of vipers. He says, You're of your
father the devil. And they didn't like that. And
they were jealous of the fact that everything that the Lord
Jesus Christ did, He spoke truth and there was nothing they could
do to combat it at every turn. And so it is that it was jealousy. That was, and of course as we've
been reading here in chapter 2, it says, "...which none of
the princes of this world knew. For had they known it, they would
not have crucified the Lord of glory." The Pharisees, if they
had known it, if they had known who He was, they would never
have crucified Him. That is, if they had been given
spiritual understanding as we have been, they would never have
crucified the Lord Jesus Christ because they would have, by the
grace of God, fallen down and worshipped Him. But they did
not know it because it pleased the Lord that they did not know
it. Now, do we take any delight in the fact that they you know,
made their own bed, they lay in it and the destruction of
God came upon them. Do we take any delight in that?
No, but we are, we do take delight in the fact that God ordained
all of this to come to pass for this purpose that they might
take Him and crucify Him. Because had He not been crucified,
dear brethren, there'd be no gospel. There'd be no message
of hope to sinners. There'd be no redemption. There'd
be nothing that you and I could do or have in our possession
that would give us any sort of hope before Almighty God. But
it did please Him to do that. And so it says here, we begin
reading there in verse 7 in chapter 2 of I Corinthians, He says,
but we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden
wisdom which God ordained before the world began for our glory. He ordained before the world
unto our glory. This is the whole purpose of
the hiding of the truth of God so that men could not see it
was for the glory of those people whom He loved with an everlasting
love. Now, that's not a palatable message
to the natural man. You know, when men read, Jacob
have I loved and Esau have I hated, they always get mad because God
hated Esau, don't they? And why is that? Because men
think God ought to love them. I mean, if you ask the average
person, does God love you? Well, of course He does. I mean,
He loves everybody. If you tell them, well, the Scripture
says that He hated Esau. Well, what do you mean He hated
Esau? Why did He hate Esau? Well, it's
easy to see why He hated Esau. What's hard to see is why did
He love Jacob? I mean, there's no grounds at
all, humanly speaking, why He should have loved Jacob, is there?
Not that I've ever discovered any more than I could ever discover
any reason why you ought to love me. But you see, by the grace
of God is revealed the truth of God. And so that is a hidden
mystery, it's hidden wisdom. And it can't be passed from one
man to another. I can't give a man that hidden
wisdom. I mean, I can tell him what the
truth is, but you see, it's only God that can open a man's understanding
so that he says, oh, I see that. I understand that. I rejoice
in that. That's a glorious thing. And
so it is that we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery. Not because
we don't want people to know it. I want everybody to know
it. I mean, if I could go up and down the streets and cause
people to know it, I'd do it. If I could do it. But we speak
it in a mystery. Knowing that it is a mystery,
and apart from the grace of God, a man won't be able to see it.
Even the hidden wisdom, because God ordained it that way unto
the glory of His people, which none of the princes of this world
knew. For had they known it, they would not have crucified
the Lord of Glory. If they had had wisdom and understanding
of these hidden things, they would never have done that. But as it is written, I have
not seen nor 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 unto us by His Spirit, For the Spirit searcheth
all things, yea, the deep things of God." Now, it's very plain
that a man cannot, by his own effort, know God. Now, most people
think that Cain thought he could, didn't he? He said, well, I've got all these
vegetables and things out here and, I mean, Nice vegetables? Well, I think I'll just give
an offering to the Creator. Well, I know who He is, and I
know He'd really like this. Now, why did He think that? The
Lord never said to Cain, Cain, if you'll serve Me, you'll take
these vegetables and offer them. No, He just thought it was a
good idea, didn't He? And that's what He did. And that's
the way that man's religious thought is. He just thinks, well,
you know, I'll choose this religion. Well, you know, I've married
this person, you see this happen quite a bit, and this, you know,
with marriage, there's a lot of times one person may be as
a, I'll use this example, and I'm not being critical, I'm just
using it as an example. Donald Trump's daughter, she
married this guy that was a Jew. Now, I don't know, I mean, nominally
she was raised as a Christian, now whether how much That was,
again, that's not for me to say, but nominally. Okay? And this fellow here, he was
a Jew, and how much of a Jew he was, as far as the religious
practices of Jews, I have no idea. But they got married, and
now she decided, well, for the sake of our family and our unity,
you know, I'm going to convert over to Judaism. And that's the
way people look at religion, by and large. Well, one's just
as good as another. You know, we're all trying to
be good people, and we want to all be unified, and we're all
going to the same place when we die anyway, so everything's
all right. So we'll just choose one. Well,
that sounds good to the flesh, but that's just not the way that
the truth of God is set forth in the Word of God. And so, it's
what he says here, that a man can't receive the things of God,
for they're hidden, and it cannot be gained knowledge of what God
has prepared for those that love Him. Now, everybody thinks they
love God, don't they? Everybody just figures, well,
I'll just love God. Well, you can't love God. There's
none that seeketh after God. A man can't love God. You can't
love His way. I mean, you demonstrate that
every day. You know, when you don't love your neighbor as yourself,
that's a demonstration of the fact you don't love God, is it
not? Because the first commandment is, Thou shalt love the Lord
thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy mind. Now let me ask you a question.
Have you ever met anybody? Have you ever met anybody that
you even thought fulfilled that? Have you ever met anybody you
thought did? Now, you may have. You may have met somebody you
thought pretty well did that. Because there's a lot of fine
folks in the world, religious folks and dedicated folks and
all of that stuff. But the point is that we don't
love Him Because we love Him, we love Him. Why? Because He
first loved us. It is the work of God in men
that causes them to love Him. And so it is here that He said,
we have not grasped it. The natural man cannot receive
it, what God has prepared for those that love Him. Now this
verse, and I've mentioned this before, but I'm going to say
it again, this verse is often used as, oh, well, when we die
we're going to get all these things. That's not what it's
talking about. You know, well, we don't know what God's done
for us in building our mansions in heaven. I have not seen or
heard what God's prepared. Now, that's not what it's talking
about. It's talking about the spiritual blessings that God
has laid up for the sons of God in causing them to know and understand
the things of God and to be able to receive the things of God
and to know the things of God. But God hath revealed them unto
us. He revealed them. You see, faith
in Christ is a revelation. It's not a thing that a man can
decide to do. Now, the common concept today
is, well, just believe. I mean, you could be saved today,
just believe. Well, here, here's the card.
Fill this out. All you've got to do is say, I believe. And
it'll be so. I mean, you've all seen the signs
riding down the road that there'll be sometimes a series of signs. But they'll say in essence, and
some of them just say this, get right with God. That's good advice,
isn't it? I mean, who would say that's
not good advice? The problem is, how's a man going
to do that? See, that's the problem. There's
nothing wrong with the advice. It's just the implication that
that's something you could possibly do. The reality is you can't. For what man knoweth the things
of a man, Save the spirit of man which is in him. Now, only
a man can understand the things of a man. Isn't that right? I
mean, the angels don't understand the things of a man. Dogs don't
understand it. Now, I'm not saying sometimes
dogs are smarter than people, But the things of a man, they
don't get. An angel, he doesn't. Why? Because
he's a different creature. Well, in the same light, if you
understand that principle, then you would understand then that
the things of the Spirit of God can't be understood any other
way but by who? The Spirit of God. I mean, a
man can't understand spiritual things. He can't grasp them. It's impossible that it is, that
He could. But God hath revealed them unto
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, except the Spirit of man which is in him?
Even so the things of God knoweth no man but the Spirit of God. So if you would know anything
about the true and living God, guess how it's going to have
to come to you? By revelation. God's got to reveal it to you.
He's got to show it to you. It cannot be that you figure
it out. 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. Now, this is just a statement
of fact. How is it that we would claim
to know anything about the things of the Spirit of God? Because
He has shown them to us. Now, we can say by the grace
of God that He has shown us these things if we have the understanding
that Jesus Christ is the Lord of glory. Now, how do I know
that? Because the Lord Jesus said to
Simon Peter, as Simon Peter, the Lord said, Well, whom say
men that I am? And some say Elias, some say,
you know, one of the prophets, John, or whatever. And he said, But who do you say
that I am? And Peter said, Thou art the
Christ, the Son of the living God. And what did the Lord say
to him? He said, Peter, flesh and blood
have not revealed it unto you, but my Father which is in heaven. Now, you can learn that in a... you could go to school somewhere
and learn to say that you believe that, couldn't you? I mean, if
you ask probably 75% of the people in the United States, if you
ask them if they believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God,
I would venture to say that 75% of the people would say yes.
Maybe not that high now, but they'd be a great number that
would. That just saying that because
they would say that because they've learned it, they've heard it.
They know that that's what's expected of them. They wouldn't
want to be found, you know, to be some kind of atheist or something
like that. I mean, they believe in God,
guns and country and the Republican Party and all of that. I mean,
they're just in there. They've got it, you know. This
is what we stand for. I mean, we're standing on it.
But, dear brethren, you can't learn about Christ is the Son
of God in that fashion. You can hear it by the hearing
of the ear. Job said, I heard of thee by
the hearing of the ear, he said. But see, when the Lord showed
up, he said, but now. He said, mine eye seeth thee.
And the evidence was, he said, I repent and dust and ashes.
Because you see, the one thing that the natural man cannot see
about Christ is His glory. Now, he can see that he hung
on a cross. He can see that he rose from
the dead. He can see all of those things
that he did. But I'm telling you, by the revelation
of God alone can a man be struck with the glory of that in his
soul. So that he could say with Peter, I believe that thou art
the Christ, the Son of the living God. And not just to sign a card,
but to really believe it. Just like Philip asked that Ethiopian
eunuch, he said, the Ethiopian eunuch said, well, what does
hinder me to be baptized? I mean, he was excited about
that, wasn't he? He believed that thing. And Philip
said, if thou believest with all thine heart thou mayest,
he says, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He said, I believe it! He believed
it! Now dear brethren, why did he
believe it? Because God showed it to him. Now if you ask him next week,
did he believe it? If God showed it to him, guess
what? He is going to still believe it. You ask him when he is 90
years old, if he lived that long, if he believed it, guess what?
He'd still believe it. Why? Because he believed it.
He received it from the hand of God. And that which God gives
a man, the gifts and calling of God, are without repentance. He that called us will keep us
unto the end. Because, you see, he's the one
that gives that gift. And he alone can give it and
no man can take it away. Oh, what a glorious thing. And
so when you see somebody that believes today and doesn't believe
tomorrow, you can be sure of one thing, that he never received
that thing which he believed from the One who gives men faith
to believe it. Because it's not a thing that
you have one day and you don't have the next. When God gives
it to you, you have it. For what man knoweth the things
of a man, save the spirit of a man which is in him. 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." Now I believe this is another thing that every
man who truly believes in the glories of the Savior knows is
that that was given to him. I don't place much stock in these
people that say, well, I figured it out. I just decided one day
that I was going to believe. I decided I was going to get
my life turned around and I just started going to church and I
started doing all these things. Wait a minute, you're getting
the car ahead of the horse here. No. You see that we might know
the things that are freely given to us of God. Because you see, when a man knows
what he is by nature, when he's really been told what he is by
nature, he knows that there's no way unto the Son he'd have
ever come to the Lord if the Lord hadn't come to him. You
see, these things are freely given to us by the grace of God,
by the mercy of God. Even a small child, the Lord
can give that to you. if it pleases Him to do so. And
no man can turn it away. Those things are freely given
to us of God. They can't be earned. They can't
be figured out, but freely given. Which things also we speak not
in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy
Ghost teacheth. Conspiring spiritual things with
spiritual. We don't speak about these things
as man's wisdom. We're not trying to get you wise.
We're not trying to make you smart. You see, when we talk
about doctrinal matters, our interest is not so that you can
go out here and argue with somebody about doctrine. Now I hope that
the things of God and the doctrines of the gospel of Jesus Christ
are important enough to you that you'd want to know those things
so that if any man asks you a reason of the hope that's within you,
that you would be ready to give that man a reason of that hope
that's within you. You see, that's a glorious thing.
But you see, we are not trying to just learn doctrines so we
can be smarter than everybody else. Oh yeah, we are smarter
than that bunch. You know, they do not know nothing. Well, we
know what the truth is. Buddy, you come down here and
you will learn what the truth is. I mean, if you want to know
the truth, you come down here and meet with us and we will
tell you the truth. No, I am not interested in you
knowing the truth in your head. But oh, that the Lord would cause
the Spirit of God to come and visit you and teach you these
things in the depths of your soul, so that those things you
speak are not in man's wisdom, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth,
comparing spiritual things with spiritual. Now you see, that's
the operation of the Spirit of God in us, comparing spiritual
things with spiritual. You know, when He teaches us to love one
another, how does He teach us to love one another? He said,
love one another as yourself. As you would that men should
do unto you, do ye even so unto them. That's comparing spiritual
things with spiritual, isn't it? Because you see, that gets right
down where you're at. It's one thing. I get a kick
out of all these people that say, Oh, I love you. And maybe
they do, and they do probably in some way, but I mean, you
know, people talk about, Oh, I love everybody. Biggest lie
I've ever been told. You don't love everybody. I mean, you don't. I mean, God
doesn't even love everybody according to what the Scripture says. So
how are you going to say your love is bigger than his? No. Love is a specific thing. You
see, it is something that is wrought by God. The only reason
you know anything about true love at all is because God taught
it to you. He gave it to you. We love Him
because He first loved us. We compare spiritual things with
spiritual. Peter learned that lesson. The
Lord, whenever he asked the Lord, he said, Lord.
And he was pretty proud. He was thinking, man, you know,
if I forgive somebody seven times, I mean, that's pretty good, isn't
it? I mean, somebody does the same thing. They come up to you
every day and slap you across the face. Every day of the week. And you last a whole week. And you say, man, I'm doing good.
I forgive him. But you let him come back next
week and see what happens then. And so Peter said, Lord, shall
we forgive somebody seven times? And the Lord said, Peter, I tell
you, you forgive them seventy times seven. That kind of blew
him away, wasn't it? Because, you see, Peter wasn't
comparing spiritual things with spiritual. Because you say forgiveness
is a matter of spirituality. It's the work of the Spirit of
God. You can't forgive anybody. I mean, it's impossible. Somebody comes out and slaps
you upside the head, you can't forgive that, can you? I mean,
not in yourself you can't. I'm not saying that's necessarily
what you need to do every time. I don't know. You know, the Lord
wasn't really specifically talking about somebody slapping you,
but what I'm talking about is something more important than
that. You know, it might be easier
if somebody does something physical to you to not do something, but
it's what rises up in your heart. See, forgiveness as an attitude
is not about necessarily the activity that goes on. I believe activity will follow
the work of the Spirit, but nonetheless, spiritual things, the work of
the Spirit of God in us. And He teaches us to know what
it is to love God. And I think the main lesson He
teaches us is to teach us that we don't very well. See, a man
that doesn't compare spiritual things to spiritual things, he
thinks he's doing a pretty good job. But the man that is comparing
spiritual things to spiritual, he knows he's not doing much
at all. May the Lord help us.