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Mike McInnis

Wise Men Still Seek Him #8

Mike McInnis • August, 31 2013 • Audio
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What does the Bible say about seeking God?

The Bible states that no one seeks God by their own wisdom, as seen in Romans 3:11.

According to Romans 3:11, 'there is none that seeketh after God,' which emphasizes the truth that, apart from divine revelation, humanity cannot and does not seek God. The wise men mentioned in the scriptures were led to seek Christ not through their own wisdom but by divine guidance. The scriptures explicitly reveal that true understanding and the desire to seek the Lord are gifts from God, given to those whom He chooses to awaken and enlighten.

Romans 3:11, John 1:12-13

How do we know that salvation is not by our own will?

Scripture teaches that salvation is entirely a work of God, not dependent on human will.

In John 1:13, it states that those who believe are 'not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.' This reveals that belief in Christ and the ability to accept salvation is initiated by God's sovereign will rather than human effort or decision. The notion that people can choose to believe of their own volition contradicts this biblical teaching, as the work of regeneration and awakening comes from the Holy Spirit alone, convicting sinners of their need for mercy.

John 1:12-13, Ephesians 2:1

Why is it important to understand the role of the Holy Spirit in salvation?

Understanding the Holy Spirit's role in salvation highlights God's initiative in awakening sinners.

The Holy Spirit’s work is essential because it is He who regenerates the hearts of the spiritually dead, enabling them to perceive and embrace the truth of the gospel. As stated in John 3:3, 'except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.' This underscores the belief that without the Spirit's intervention, no one can come to Christ. Recognizing the Spirit's role encourages believers to rely not on human persuasion but on divine power to bring about true conversion and faith.

John 3:3, Ephesians 2:5

What does it mean to be wise according to the Bible?

Biblical wisdom involves recognizing one's need for God, rather than relying on human understanding.

In contrast to worldly definitions of wisdom, biblical wisdom recognizes the foolishness of relying on human intellect to understand spiritual truths. As stated in 1 Corinthians 1:21, 'the world by wisdom knew not God.' True wisdom is seen in humility and dependence on God, acknowledging that only through His revelation can one come to know Him. The wise men of old were ultimately led by God’s miraculous guidance, teaching us that those who consider themselves wise apart from Him are often blind to their own need for His grace.

1 Corinthians 1:21, Matthew 11:25

Sermon Transcript

Auto-generated transcript • May contain errors

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Welcome, friends, to another
broadcast of Morses for Zion's Poor. Around this time of year, one
often sees the phrase, Wise Men Still Seek Him, on church marquees
and holiday greeting cards. We know that this is a play on
words which has an obvious reference to the biblical account of the
wise men who, having seen the star of the Lord, traveled from
the east to worship the one who was born a king. The implication
of the phrase is that since these men discovered this star in their
wisdom and decided to seek out the Lord, that accordingly men
of the present time can and should do the same if they are truly
wise. This sort of thought process
is totally opposite to that which is revealed in the scriptures
and is actually an arrogant statement. Paul says in his letter to the
Corinthians, the world by wisdom knew not God. He said to the
Romans, there is none that seeketh after God. The fact is that these
ancient magi, or wise men, did not seek him because they were
wise men, nor did they make any discovery by the power of their
own understanding, but rather were given this knowledge of
the birth of the king by divine revelation. The scriptures clearly
state that those who are wise consider the gospel to be foolish.
And those cannot believe it, nor will they seek to know Him
who is the source of all knowledge and wisdom. In fact, the Lord
said that He had hid these things from the wise and prudent and
revealed them unto babes. In the same fashion, we read
in the scriptures that those among men who are considered
to be wise are the exact ones whom the Lord says do not seek
Him. We live in an age when every
gimmick and trick of reason is used to try to persuade men to
believe the gospel and embrace its truth. The prevailing thought
is that men can be caused to decide to follow Christ if we
can somehow or other appeal to their carnal understanding and
reason. It is thought that men with great skill of oratory and
persuasion can convince men to thus become believers by an act
of their own free will. The Lord Jesus Christ said, except
a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. The need
of dead sinners is not the persuasive words of the most skillful of
those who are called soul winners, but rather the life-giving power
of the Holy Ghost to awaken them from the spiritual death which
they are in by nature. Unless a man is quickened by
the Lord, he cannot hear the truth, nor will he ever embrace
it. We often hear preachers quote
John 1.12, but as many as received him, to them gave he power to
become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name,
in their quest to prove that men have the power to believe
and become the sons of God whenever they please. Yet the very next
verse describes the sole source of the power to believe as being
a miraculous birth which has nothing at all to do with the
will of men, which were born not of blood, nor of the will
of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. Without this
work of the Spirit of God, men will continue down the pathway
of destruction, completely oblivious and unconcerned with approaching
judgment. Religious men especially scoff
at the notion that it is not within their own power to believe
the gospel and obey the Word of God. Yet those who are awakened
by the Holy Spirit confess themselves to be sinners and cry out for
mercy from the hand of a sovereign God. They cast themselves at
His feet and say, Lord, I believe, help thou my unbelief. Wise men
will not seek Him, but those who are caused to see themselves
as beggars by the Spirit will indeed hunger and thirst for
a morsel from His table. That's ForThePoor.net. That's ForThePoor.net.
Mike McInnis
About Mike McInnis
Mike McInnis is an elder at Grace Chapel in O'Brien Florida. He is also editor of the Grace Gazette.
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