1 Corinthians 119, I will destroy
the wisdom of the wise. I will bring to nothing the understanding
of the prudent. Where is the wise? Where is the
scribe? Where is the debater, the disputer
of this world? Hath not God made foolish or
revealed to be foolish the wisdom of this world? And then in chapter
2, verse 1, he said, When I came to you, brethren, brethren, when
I came to you, I didn't come to you preaching with excellency
of speech or of human wisdom. Then in verse 4, And my speech
and my preaching was not with the 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,
it must not, just must not, but in the power of God who is Christ
Jesus. Now, verse 6, how be it? However, but we do speak wisdom. Someone says, lest you think
that the glorious gospel of our Lord is unworthy of notice and
unworthy of regard because of the simplicity of it. And the
gospel, when you understand the gospel, when you believe the
gospel, enter into the gospel, it's simple. The simplicity of
Christ is believe. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
and thou shalt be saved. All things are in Christ And
in Him, we're complete. Not only the simplicity of Christ,
but we see the lowliness of God's ministers. He said over there
in chapter one, He chose the foolish things of the world,
the weak things of the world, the things which are despised,
that God chose them. Not only the lowliness of the
gospel ministers, but the weakness of His disciples. The Bible's full of the failures
of God's people, of the victories of our Lord, but the constant
failures of God's people. And when the world looks at the
simplicity of the gospel and the lowliness of God's ministers
and the weakness of his disciples, They're prone to think that there's
no wisdom in the gospel, but let me tell you something. Paul
said, verse 6, we speak wisdom. We speak wisdom. Let me tell
you, the gospel of Christ, crucified, risen, exalted, seated, reigning,
is the highest wisdom. It's the wisdom of God. And I'll tell you this, he said
in verse 6, I speak wisdom among them that are perfect. The word
perfect is mature. We speak wisdom among them that
are mature, men and women who are taught of God. Over in chapter
1, verse 23, he said, we preach Christ crucified, yes, to the
Jew a stumbling block, the religious man, and to the Greeks, the wise,
the debaters, the disputers, nonsense, foolishness. But wait
a minute. Verse 24, Christ crucified unto
them which are called, to them who are illuminated, to them
who are enlightened, to you. Listen, Christ is the power of
God and the wisdom of God. Yes, we preach wisdom, not the
wisdom of the world. Verse 6, we speak wisdom, the
highest wisdom, the wisdom of God among them that are mature,
yet not the wisdom of the world, nor the wisdom of the leaders,
the princes of this world that comes to naught. I told you,
gave you those three points this morning. Not only do the leaders
and princes of this world come to naught. David wrote a psalm
and says, when they die, their purposes die, their ideas die,
and their notoriety dies. But not only that, but their
wisdom comes to naught. Because it's forever changing.
I am the Lord, I change not. His purposes and wisdom never
change it. Man's wisdom is continually changing
from generation to generation, and then it promises what it
cannot give, and it gives you things you cannot
keep. The wisdom of the world, it comes
to knowledge, because it promises what it cannot give, and what
it does give, it cannot keep. Because as you grow older, it
begins to leave you. And after a while, you can't
remember any of those things you used to know. But I remember
him. I know his name. I remember reading
a story about an old preacher of bygone days who lost his memory. And he was sitting one day by
the fire in his chair, and he couldn't remember even his children's
names. And someone came in, was sitting,
talking to him, and they said something about a person called
his name. Do you remember him? I don't
remember him. Do you remember this one? No, I don't remember him. Can't
remember. And then they went on, and they
said something about the Lord, Jesus Christ. Oh, he said, I
know him. I know him. If he knows us and we know him,
we'll always know him. Always know him. That's right.
He becomes more precious, doesn't he, John, as you get way up in
years and other things become a little less important, don't
they? He becomes more important. So we speak wisdom among them
that are taught among them that are called of God. But verse
7, listen, we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery. Has to be revealed, the wisdom
of God. Who is the wisdom of God? Let's
take a moment and turn to Proverbs chapter 8. I want you to turn
over there to Proverbs chapter 8. This is a chapter about wisdom. It's about wisdom, and I'm going
to begin reading. You can later on go back and
read from chapter, verse 1, but I'm going to start at verse 23.
And this chapter tells you who wisdom is. Now, while you're
finding Proverbs 8, let me quote a scripture in 1 John. Chapter
5, verse 20, John says, We know, we know the Son of God hath come. And He hath given us an understanding
that we may know Him that is true. Even His Son, Jesus Christ. This is the true God. This is
eternal life. Christ is our wisdom. Christ
is wisdom. Here, listen. Verse 23, Proverbs 8. I was set
up from everlasting. From the beginning, or ever the
world, the earth was. When there were no depths, I
was brought forth. When there were no fountains
abounding with water, before the mountains were settled, before
the hills was I brought forth. While as yet He had not made
the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust
of the world, the mountains. When He prepared the heavens,
I was there. Who are we talking about? An
angel? No. A seraphim? No. Christ? In the beginning was the Word,
the Word was with God, and the Word was God, and all things
were made by Him. Verse 27, when He prepared the
heaven, I was there. When He set a compass on the
face of the depth, when He established the clouds above, when He strengthened
the fountains of the deep, when He gave to the sea His decrees
that the water should not pass His commandment, when He appointed
the foundations of the earth, then I was by Him. as one brought
up with him, and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always
before him, rejoicing in the habitable part
of his earth, and my delights were with the sons of men. Now
therefore, hearken unto me, O ye children, blessed are they that
keep my ways. Hear instruction, be wise, refuse
it not. Blessed is the man that hears
me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the post of my doors.
Whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favor of the
Lord. But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul. All that hate me love death."
This is Christ. We speak the wisdom of God. Christ is the wisdom of God. And we'll show you another scripture
in Luke 11. You turn over there and listen.
And follow with me. Luke 11. Now you mark this scripture. I started to call this message
the key of knowledge. And our Lord says here in Luke
11 verse 49. Now listen. Luke 11, 49, Therefore also said
the wisdom of God, the wisdom of God speaking here, our Lord is speaking, I will
send them prophets and apostles. God speaks to our fathers by
the prophets, speaks to us by the apostles in Christ. Some
of them they'll slay and persecute. that the blood of all the prophets
which were shed from the foundation of the world may be required
of this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of
Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple. Verily
I say to you, it will be required of this generation. Woe unto
you lawyers, debaters, religious debaters, that's what this is,
religious leaders. You've taken away the key of
knowledge. Who's that? That's Christ. They've
separated Christ from the types, and Christ from the picture,
and Christ from the sacrifices, and Christ from the Old Testament. Separated Christ. Who's the key
of knowledge? You enter not in yourselves. How do you enter into the kingdom
of God? You believe on Christ. And you go in and out and find
pasture. That's how you enter in. Come
unto me, and be you saved. But you wouldn't enter in, and
them that are entering, you hindered. Oh my, my. Take away the key
of knowledge. The key is Christ. He's the wisdom
of God. Let's go back to our text and
move on. We speak the wisdom of God in
a mystery. What's a mystery? A mistress,
what's unknown? People say, that's a mystery
to me, meaning they don't know. They don't know, it's a mystery
to me. Well, this key of knowledge, this wisdom of God, Christ Jesus,
the key of knowledge, when He came into the world, the world
knew Him not. He came into His own, and His own knew Him not.
He said to the woman at the well, woman, If you knew who it is
that says to you, give me a drink, if you knew, you'd ask me and
I'd give you living water. But you don't know. You don't know. They didn't know
him. This wisdom of God in a mystery, even, listen, the hidden wisdom,
this word is not used Like we use the word hidden, like we
hide something. We used to play hide and seek.
We'd hide from each other. God's not hiding Christ from
you. This word is concealed. The wisdom of God, the grace
of God, the mercy of God, forgiveness of sin, salvation is concealed
in Christ. If you find Him, you'll find
all these things. That's what it's saying. Abraham knew, his father-in-law
didn't. Moses knew, Pharaoh didn't. See what I'm saying? It's concealed
in Christ. Let me show you that in Colossians.
That's the reason it's hidden. It's where it's always been,
in Christ. But people who don't know Christ
don't know the wisdom of God, the grace of God. We speak the
wisdom of God, we preach the wisdom of God in a mystery concealed
in Christ. Look at Colossians 2 verse 3. In whom are hid all the treasures
of wisdom and knowledge. It's concealed in Christ. Find
Christ, find all wisdom and knowledge. All the treasures, verse 9. In
Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. You're
complete in Him. God's glory is in the face of
Christ Jesus. Paul said our gospel, if our
gospel be hid, if it be concealed, it's concealed from them who
are blind, who are blinded by the God of this world. But God hath revealed them to
us in the face of Christ. Look at verse 7, we preach wisdom
in a mystery, even the concealed wisdom which God ordained before
the world under our glory. My friends, God doesn't change.
Now listen, all this is the same. This wisdom, Christ, the power
of God and the wisdom of God, ordained before the world under
our glory. He said, I am the Lord, I change
not. He's the same yesterday, today,
and forever. Known unto God are all His works
from the beginning. Everything that God does today,
He ordained from all eternity. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in the heavenly places in Christ, according as He chose
us in Christ, before the foundation of the world, that we should
be holy. without blame before him in love. Salvation in Christ is older
than creation. That's right. Salvation in Christ
is older than creation. God ordained these things before
the world unto our glory. Isn't that what it says? Verse
9, now listen. which none of the princes, the
word princes, they're leaders of the world. Who are the leaders
of the world? Well, they're leaders politically, they're leaders
in religion, they're leaders in education, they're leaders
in every, in social things, they're leaders in every area, which
none of the leaders, none of them. This mystery, this
concealed wisdom in Christ, which God ordained before the world
to the glory of his elect, none of the princes of this world
knew it, and they didn't know him, listen, for had they known
it, they wouldn't have crucified the Lord. Peter knew who he was, thought
it to Christ. Herod didn't know who he was.
Pilate didn't know who he was. None of those Pharisees knew.
Caiaphas didn't know. Men do not crucify their God. Men who know Him bow to Him.
Men who know Him worship Him. Men who know Him love Him. Men
who are taught of God. But none of these leaders, none
of them knew Him. Turn to Matthew, or rather John
chapter 6. John 6, just a moment. John chapter
6. These men speaking here now in
John 6, these are the religious scholars. These are men who studied the
Scriptures, the Old Testament, the Hebrew. They were leaders
in the Jewish religion. They were the scribes and the
Pharisees and the Sadducees. In verse 41 of John 6, the Jews
murmured at him, well he said in verse 40, this
is the will of him that sent me that everyone that seeth the
Son and believeth on him may have everlasting life. And I'll
raise him up at the last day. And these fellows murmured. Because
he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven. They didn't
understand that. You do, don't you? And they said,
is not this Jesus? The son of Joseph, whose father
and mother we know? How is it then he said, I came
down from heaven? You know, don't you? They didn't. And Jesus therefore answered
and said to them, now murmur not among yourselves. No man,
whomever he may be, no man, whatever talent, gifts, knowledge, whatever
he may have, no man can, is able, has the ability, desire to come
to me, to believe on me, to be enlightened as to my mission,
ministry, mercy. No man can come to me. Except,
unless my Father, which sent me, draw him, call him, enlighten
him, open his ears and eyes to see and hear, his heart to understand. And I'll raise him up at the
last day. It's written in the prophets.
You fellas, he said, ought to know the prophets. It's written
in the prophets. And they shall all be taught of God, the elect. And every man that therefore
that hath heard and hath learned of the Father, he comes to me." See, the princes of this world,
they do not know. Our Lord said to the disciples,
when Peter said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living
God, he said, flesh and blood didn't reveal that to you, my
Father revealed that to you. And blessed are your eyes, they
see. And blessed are your ears, they
hear. God's given you the seeing eye
and the hearing ear. Scripture says the seeing eye
and the hearing ear is of the Lord. Verse 9, listen to this. It's
written, where is it written? Isaiah 64. All of these things
we preach from the New Testament are written in the Old Testament,
in type, in picture, in promise, in prophecy. It's written, I
have not seen, not the natural eye nor ear heard, neither have
entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared
for them that love Him." That's the Old Testament says that and
the New Testament says that. Where do you see this word prepared?
The natural ear, the natural eye, the natural heart does not
see, hear, or understand the things God has prepared. Who
prepared? Our Lord said to His disciples when He was going to the cross
He tried to explain to them his fact he was going to die, go
back to the Father, leave them. They were so broken hearted,
so sorrowful. He said, let not your heart be
troubled. You believe in God, believe in me. I go. I go. Where's he going? To the
cross. I go to the cross. To the tomb. rising from the tomb to the Holy
of Holies, to the presence of God. Not to the tabernacle made
with hands, but into heaven itself, to appear before God. I go to
the cross, to the grave, to the right hand of God to prepare
for you a place. You for the place, and the place
for you. See, if I don't go in first, He's the first born from
the dead. He's the first begotten from
the dead. He's the first man to conquer death and never die
again. If I don't go, you don't have
a place. And that's what this is talking
about. This is not just talking about the comforts of heaven
and the new earth. It's talking about God's Son,
Christ, preparing for us. entrance into the presence of
God. He opened for us a new and living way into God's presence. The natural man doesn't know
that. He hasn't entered into it. The natural man doesn't have
a clue. He doesn't have a clue. He doesn't have a clue. His eye
hasn't seen and his ear hasn't heard and his heart hasn't understood.
The things that God in Christ has prepared for them that love
Him. Now look at verse 10, but God. And I'll tell you, I thank
God for these two words, but God. So many times in the scripture,
I started to just look up how many times it says, but God.
And so often when the scriptures reveal our deadness, and our
blindness, and our ignorance, and our inability, it's followed
with these words, but God. But God, scarcely for a righteous
man will one die, yet for adventure, for a good man, some would even
dare to die. But God commended his love for
us in that while we were sinners, Christ died for us. You have
to quicken who were dead in trespasses and sin. In times past, you walked
according to the course of this world, according to the prince
of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the
children of disobedience. And we all had our conversation
in the lust of the flesh, in the pride of life, in the lust
of the eye. But God, who is rich in mercy for his great love,
wherewith he loved us even when we were dead, has quickened us
with Christ. And this says nobody No natural
man, no eyes ever seen, no ears ever heard, no hearts ever entered
into the things, the glory. God's prepared for them that
love Him. But God hath revealed them unto us. Oh yes, somebody's
eyes sees. Somebody's ears, somebody's heart
understands God, but who God? What has revealed to us? To whom? Us, sons of Adam. How? By His Spirit. How does
His Spirit know so much? The Spirit searcheth all things,
the deep things of God, deep things. You see, we live in a
day of much religion, but it's light, frothy, no substance, no content,
no understanding, no depth. People come in and go out, pass
through, fads, hoop to do, but the deed, things of God. Whatever
be things of God, the covenant, the everlasting covenant, covenant
mercies. The word covenant is used in
this Bible over 300 times. Yet, do you ever hear a sermon
on the covenant? The everlasting covenant, the
covenant of grace, the last will and testament, The Spirit of
God searches all things. He searches the deep things of
God. What about the promises of the
Old Testament relating to the Messiah? All the way through
the Bible it talks about, this was done that it might be fulfilled
which was written by the prophets. What did the prophets write?
What about the prophecies and the promises of the Old Testament
relating to the Messiah? Can you name them, the types
of the Old Testament relating to the Messiah? The Son of Man
and the Son of God, divine nature and human nature in one person. Under us, a child is born who
never lived on this earth, but a son is given. A body hath thou
prepared me. And that son who never left the
bosom of the Father, how can that be? Yet he never left the bosom of
the Father, and yet he entered a body and became a man. And
on the cross, God forsaking God. Luther said no man can understand
that, deep things of God. But why did God forsake him?
Oh, when Isaiah, he said, your sins have separated you and your
God. Christ bore our sins. He was
the representative bearing our sin. How can God be just and
justify you? How can a judge, sitting on a
bench, facing a criminal who's guilty, set him free and be just? The only way I know is for somebody
to take his place. And that's somebody's Christ.
The Lord, our righteousness, He's called the Lord our righteousness,
and yet in Jeremiah 33, we're called the Lord our righteousness.
If a man dies, shall he live again? How can he be clean that's
born of a woman? Who shall ascend unto the hill
of the Lord? Who shall stand in his holy place? The way I
hear it, everybody's going there, but that's not the way I read
it. but the Spirit of God. But God
hath revealed them to us by His Spirit. For His Spirit searcheth
all things. His Spirit just doesn't run around
saying everybody have to say amen. His Spirit searches the
Scriptures, searches the Scriptures, the deep things of God, the holy
things of God. the great things of God, the
things of God that are essential. Verse 11, listen, what man knoweth
the things of a man save the spirit of man which is in him?
That makes sense, doesn't it? The only one who really knows
what kind of person I am is me. What I'm thinking, what I desire,
what really is important to me, what really matters, and the
only way you can know that is for me to tell you. And even so, the things of God
knoweth no man but the Spirit of God. Nobody. God told me He did. The Spirit of God speaks through
the Word of God. The Word of God. I'm not saying that the natural
man hasn't heard these things. He's heard them. I'm not saying
that he hasn't read them. I hear people say, well, I know
something about the Bible. I've read the Bible. I'm sure
many people have read it. The old Jews memorized it. But
they didn't know Christ when he came. I'm not saying that they haven't
thought about these things, but what it's saying here is that
these things have not been revealed to them by the Spirit. Listen, let me ask you this question.
Do you suppose that the Egyptians heard about what was going to
happen that night when the Lord passed through and the firstborn
died? Now, there were two million Israelites down there in Egypt. Two million people. And every
family selected a lamb without spot or blemish, kept it put
up for four days, got prepared to leave Egypt. Don't you remember?
They borrowed gold and silver and things from the Egyptians.
Where are you fellas going? We're leaving. You're leaving?
Yeah, we're leaving. Pharaoh's not going to let you
go. Yeah, he'll let us go. See, God said he's going to pass
through it. midnight and killed the firstborn in every home where
there was no blood on the door. They heard that. That was no
secret. They didn't believe it, Roy.
See, that's the key. They didn't believe it. I don't
believe that. And these things of God, what
I'm trying to preach here, The great things of God, the deep
things of God, the covenant of grace, the mercy of God, the
everlasting covenant, the sacrifice of Christ, that in Adam we die
and in Christ we are made alive. I don't believe that. I know.
I know most people don't. Most of the preachers don't believe
that God has a people. He gave them to Christ. Verse 12 says, we've received
not the spirit of this world, the religious world or the political
world, but the spirit which is of God, that we may know the
things that are freely given to us of God. God gave us salvation
in Christ. Gave us repentance, gave us faith,
gave us understanding, gave us an inheritance, gave us illumination. Everything I had, He gave me.
The only thing original about me is original sin. That's mine. I can claim every sin I've ever
committed is mine. Originated right here. But everything
else, holy, spiritual, eternal, I've got, originated with Christ
and He gave it to me. Knowledge and everything else.
In which things, verse 13, we speak. Not in the words which
man's wisdom teaches. That's not the way we teach.
You don't use man's ways and methods and means. Now listen
carefully, I want you to listen to something. But which things
we speak, we preach the things of God, deep things of God, truth
of God, not in words which man's wisdom teaches, but which the
Holy Ghost teaches. We compare spiritual things with
spiritual things. You know, think with me a minute
here. It's become popular in the last,
oh, 100 years, 50 years especially, to keep bringing, making new
translations of the Bible. The Bible in modern language,
the Bible in the language of children, the Bible in swing
language to appeal to the hippies. My friend, you can't enlighten
people just by changing the words of Scripture. That's not going
to give them ears. That's not going to give them
eyes to see and ears to hear and a heart to understand. If the Holy Spirit enlightens
them, they'll understand this Scripture. You don't need to
put it in vulgar terms. I hear these preachers talking
about it all the time, those old hymns. He said we need to
liven up this music and need to put it in the music of the
young people, in the jive, in the rock and roll. Changing the tunes is not going
to enlighten people to the truth of God. You know I'm standing here in
a suit. I've always preached in a suit, most of the time a
blue suit. You know, I could put on jeans
and tennis shoes, but that wouldn't enlighten anybody, would it?
We could get along with the young people. I want them to get along
with God. I want to know God. Well, preacher,
you're too dressed up, you need to take off your tie and put
on a sports shirt and put on a plaid shirt and blue jeans
and tennis shoes and you'd kind of communicate with people. They
wouldn't believe me if I sit up here in a whatever. God has
to open their hearts, isn't it? Well, put on a robe and maybe
some of the intellectual people, the educators, put on a robe
and put on all these different things and you'll appeal to them. My, my. Verse 14 says, A natural man
receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, whether they come
in tennis shoes or patent leather, whether they come in a robe or
a t-shirt, whether they come in jive language or old 17th
century English, it doesn't matter. The Spirit of God has to open
the ears and the eyes and the heart. I'm just going to be myself and
preach God's Word, comparing spiritual things with spiritual
things. Well, tell more stories. No,
spiritual things with spiritual things. speaking the language of every
day? No. Spiritual things compare the
Scriptures with the Scriptures. The best commentary on the Scriptures
is the Scriptures. That's exactly right. Let me
show you about this natural man. Turn to Romans 5. The natural
man received it, not the things of God. Let me show you this. I'll let you go in a moment. But here's this natural man.
You know, I asked a man one time, I said, you know, you're putting
out this living Bible, changing the Word. Why are you doing this?
And here's what he answered. To help people understand the
Bible. And I said, my friend, the Holy Spirit's the only person
that can make a man understand the Bible. Changing the Word won't help
him. He's got to understand it here, not just here. Look at
Romans 5, verse 6. Here's that natural man, verse
5. I'm sorry, Romans 8, verse 5. Romans 8, verse 5. Here's that
natural man. Romans 8, verse 5. For they that
are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh. They think
on these things of the flesh, they covet the things of the
flesh, they desire the things of the flesh, that's their mind.
Dwells on those things. But to be spiritually minded
is life in peace. Verse 7, the carnal mind, it's
enmity against God. It hates God. Enmity is hatred. The natural mind, it's not subject
to the law of God, neither can it be. The natural man, verse
7. Verse 8. So then, they that are
in the flesh cannot please God. He can't do anything but please
God. The natural man. So back to my
text. The natural man, he doesn't receive
the things of the Spirit of God. They're foolishness to him. Neither can he know them. because
it's spiritually discerned. It takes the Spirit of God dwelling
in us to open the scriptures to us. A natural man doesn't
have the Spirit of God. He doesn't understand the things
of God. Now watch this, verse 15, but he that's spiritual,
he that's born again, in whom the Spirit of God dwelleth, He
understands, the word judgeth there is understands. He understands
all things, yet he himself is understood of no man. I'll tell you this, when a natural
man or woman is regenerated, converted by
the Spirit of God, born again, and God begins to teach him the
Word, He's going to have a hard time getting along with the folks
he used to get along with so well. They don't understand what
he understands about the Word, and they don't understand him. They don't understand what he
understands, and they don't understand him. They don't understand his
language, they don't understand his spirit, they don't understand
his principles, they don't understand his doctrine, they don't understand
his beliefs. He understands, but they don't understand Him.
In verse 16, listen to this, in closing. Who hath known the
mind of the Lord? Who knows the deep counsels of
God? Who knows the person and work
of Christ? Who knows the prophecies and
promises and pictures of the Old Testament? Who knows the
hidden mysteries, the types and shadows? Who knows the things
that God has prepared for those that love him? Who knows those
things? The philosophers don't. The religionists don't. The ceremonialists don't. I'll
tell you who does. It says right here, we have the
mind of Christ. Those who have the mind of Christ,
they know these things. I know we know in part and we
prophesy in part and we see through a glass dimly, but we know all
these things that are essential to the comfort of the soul and
the salvation of the soul. We know. Thank God he's been
pleased to reveal them unto us.