The Highest Wisdom

All right, let's open our Bibles
now to the book of I Corinthians, chapter 2. And here in these opening verses,
which we looked at this morning, the Apostle Paul says in verse
1, When I came to you, I came not with excellency of
speech or of wisdom, human wisdom, man's 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, there it is again,
not with man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the spirit and
of power that your faith should not stand in man's wisdom, the
wisdom of men, but in the power of God. I didn't come in the
wisdom of this flesh. But lest someone should think
that the glorious gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is unworthy
of regard, because it doesn't fit in with man's wisdom. And it's unworthy of notice because
of the simplicity of it, and because of the loneliness
of its ministers and messengers. And it's unworthy of regard and
notice because of the humility of its followers, Let me tell
you, Paul said, that the gospel of our crucified, risen, exalted
Redeemer is the highest wisdom that one can imagine, because
it's the wisdom of God. He says in verse 6, how be it?
We speak wisdom. We speak wisdom. Look back at
chapter 1. which Brother Moore read a moment
ago, verse 18. Oh, I know the preaching of the
cross is to them that perish foolishness, sheer nonsense. But unto us which are saved,
it's the very power of God. For it is written, I will destroy
the wisdom of the wise. I'll bring to nothing the understanding
of the prudent. Where is the wise? Where is the
wise man of this world? Where is the scribe? Where is
the disputer, the debater of this world? Hath not God made
foolish the so-called wisdom of this world? After that, in
the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God. It pleased
God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. For
the Jews require sign and the Greeks seek after wisdom, but
we preach Christ. Christ crucified. Oh, unto the
Jews a stumbling block, unto the Greeks nonsense, but unto
them, unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ,
Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. And I tell
you this, he said, I tell you this, verse 25, the
foolishness of God. You take in the kingdom of God
the most simple person, or expression, or experience. The foolishness
of God is wiser than men. And the weakness of God, you
find the weakest of His sheep, the dumbest of His sheep, the
lowest of His sheep, and it's stronger and smarter than anything
this world can produce. That's right. Oh, we speak wisdom. Look at verse 6. We speak wisdom. The world looks at the simplicity
of our message and the lowliness of its ministers and the humility
of its followers, and the world says, that's nonsense, that's
foolishness. But I'll tell you, he said in
verse 6, we speak wisdom to those that are mature, to those who
know. Yet, it's not the wisdom of this
world, it's not the wisdom of this world,
nor of the leaders of this world, in whatever area, that always
comes to nothing. Doesn't amount to anything. But
verse 7 says, we speak the wisdom of God. Ah, brethren, the Son
of God has come and given us an understanding, wisdom, wisdom. Christ is our wisdom, that we
may know Him that is true, and that we're in Him that is true,
even in His Son. This is wisdom. This is the true
God. This is true knowledge. This
is eternal life. We have some insight into His
glory, some insight into His majesty, His eternality, His
power, His holiness, His justice, His truth, His mercy, His love,
so that we say, Oh, the unsearchable riches of God, who can His greatness
declare? In this wisdom, we have some
understanding, not a whole lot, but some. Because we know in
part, we preach in part, we see through a glass dimly, but we
have some understanding of our beginning, some understanding
of our fall, some understanding of the consequences of our rebellion. So that while we say, oh, the
unsearchable riches of His glory and greatness, we cry, oh, the
exceeding sinfulness of sin. A man that knows something of
the majesty of God, so that he is struck down with awe and reverence
and fear. A man who knows something about
the depravity and deceitfulness and wickedness of human nature
so that he can cry, oh, the exceeding sinfulness of sin. Then he's
going to learn something by the grace of God, of the Lord Jesus
Christ. A revelation of the covenant
mercies of God in Christ Jesus and how this holy and just and
righteous God can still be holy, just, and righteous, and yet
deal in mercy through His Son with the guilty, so that we're
made then to cry, thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift. No, we don't claim to be smart,
and we don't even claim to be wise. We're not in competition
with the wise men of this world. But God, by His grace, has revealed
to these poor sinners something of the unsearchable riches of
His grace. And something of the exceeding
sinfulness of our hearts. And something of the unspeakable
gift of His love, Christ Jesus. Yeah, I'm talking wisdom. The world calls it nonsense,
and the world calls it foolishness, and the world scoffs and mocks
at it, but we speak, look at verse 7, the wisdom of God in
a mystery. In a mystery. My wife said to me after the
service this morning, I like what you did with that word determined
in verse 2. Well, there's a lot in a word,
especially when it's God's Word. And here is another word, mystery. Mystery. A mystery is something
that one does not know. It's a mystery. Somebody says,
well, it's a mystery to me. Meaning by that, I don't, I don't
understand. It's a mystery to me. And we
speak the wisdom of God in a mystery. Who he is and what he did and
why he did it and where he is now is a mystery to most people
in this world. He was in the world. The world
was made by him. And the world knew him not. Mystery. He came into his own, his own
temple, his own people, his own nation, his own priesthood, his
own sacrifices, his own mercy seat. And they knew him not. to that dear woman at the well,
he said, oh, and you can feel the compassion dripping from
these words, oh, woman, if you knew, if you knew who it is that's
talking to you, if you knew, you'd ask me, or we would, if
we just knew. We speak the wisdom of God in
history. If you knew, no man knows the
Father but the Son, and He to whom the Son will reveal Him.
He was here, and they knew Him not. If they had known, verse 8 said,
if they had known, none of the princes of this world knew, because
if they had known, They wouldn't have crucified Him. He would have been crucified
because the Lord God of heaven ordained it and predestinated
it, but they wouldn't have been the ones that did it if they
had known. Look back at verse 7 again. But
we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom,
hidden wisdom. Now listen to me. Listen carefully
right here. The Bible uses words a little
differently from the way we use them. We use the word hide or hidden
in a sense of putting something where no one can find it. When our children were little,
they had four, and things weren't quite as plentiful then as they
are now. And my wife would go to the store
and buy a dozen tangerines. They'd all be gone an hour after
she got home. Or two dozen oranges and they'd all be eaten in just
a little while. So she came up with the idea she'd hide them
and bring them out a few at a time. So she got a couple of dozen
tangerines and hid them and forgot where she hid them and they rotted. That's what we mean by hiding.
That's not what this means. We speak the wisdom of God in
a mystery which men do not know, even the hidden wisdom. But the
Word here is concealed out of sight. This mystery of God, this
mystery of the Church, this mystery of the Gentiles, this mystery
of Christ, this mystery of the grace of God is concealed in
Christ. And the reason men do not see
it and know it is they don't see and know Him. Abel knew. The people around
him didn't, but he knew. Abraham knew. The people around
him didn't, but he knew. Abraham knew. He saw my day,
Christ said. He saw it. It wasn't a mystery
to him. Moses knew. Very few of the people
that came out of Egypt with him knew, but he knew, Isaiah knew,
he said he was wounded by our transgression. He knew. We speak the wisdom of God in
a mystery. And the word mystery is used
in reference to the church, to the Gentiles, to the mystery
of godliness. God was manifested in the flesh,
several things like that. And this mystery is hidden in
Christ, concealed in Christ. And when a man gets the key,
Christ, he got the mystery. Abraham rejoiced to see Matthew. Ah, yes. Christ is the key. Let me show you. Turn back one
page to Romans 16. Listen to this. Romans 16, verse
25. Now, Romans 16, 25, now to him. That is a power to establish
you, according to my gospel, the preaching of Jesus Christ,
according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret
since the world began, but now is made manifest, and by the
scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting
God, made known to all nations, by the obedience of faith, Christ. He's the wisdom of God. Verse
7 of our text again. Oh, we speak wisdom. We speak
wisdom. Now watch this, "...in a mystery
even the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the world
unto our glory." Listen to this way this reads, "...the covenant
of mercy, the great purpose of God in Christ,
through His blood and righteousness, through His obedience and sacrifice,
is revealed unto us by God. And this glorious covenant of
mercy was ordained of God before the ages and designed of God
to bring all of His elect into the glory of His presence, ordained before the world. unto
our glory." And verse 8 said, "...these princes
of the world." Who are they? None of the princes of this world
knew. You know what Paul said to one of those old rulers? He
said, you're not in the dark about these things. They were
not done in the corner. No, sir. Men might claim a lot
of things, but ignorance of Christ Jesus is not one of them. Not one of them. The princes
of this world were ignorant of His righteousness and ignorant
of His person and work and ignorant of the covenant of mercy, but
they weren't ignorant of the fact He came and died and rose
again. And they're not now. But they
didn't know They didn't know. None of the princes of this world
saw in Him the wisdom of God and the grace of God, for had
they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
And the princes of this world are the leaders. Political leaders,
social leaders, labor leaders, religious leaders, leaders of
education, leaders in every realm. And it's so today. So today,
they cannot see the wisdom of God in Christ. Verse 9 says,
but as it's written, this is a fulfillment of Scripture, Isaiah
64, verse 4. It is written. Let's look back
at that first time that's written back here, Isaiah 64, verse 4. Listen to this. Isaiah 64, verse
4 says this, from since the beginning of the world, This is no new
thing. "...Being have not heard, nor
perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside
Thee, what He hath prepared for them that waited for Him." What's
this talking about? "...Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard,
Neither have entered the heart of man the things God's prepared
for them that love him." Well, it's not speaking of the joys
of heaven, the glory and happiness of heaven. That's included. That's included. But it's speaking
here of the same thing he's been talking about all the way through
this chapter. He's talking about the blessings
and the benefits and the saving mercies of God in Christ Jesus. That's what He's talking about. Our Lord said to His disciples,
He gathered these despondent, depressed, troubled disciples
about Him and He said, Don't be discouraged. Don't be depressed. Let not your heart be troubled.
He told them about His death, about His burial, Told him about
his resurrection, told him he was going away. Now don't be
troubled. I go to prepare a place for you. I go to prepare a place for you.
I heard a preacher say not long ago, well, it took him six days
to make the world. He left 2,000 years ago and was
going to prepare heaven. He's been working on that place
2,000 years. That's not what he's saying. I go. I go to the cross as your
substitute. I go to the cross as your Savior. I go to the cross as your sinner.
I go to the cross under the condemnation of your sins and the guilt and
curse of your sins. I go to face the wrath of the
Father for your sins. I go to die for you and prepare
you for the place, as well as the place for you, to prepare
a place for you at the right hand of God where you'll never
be except for me and my work. And I go to the grave. As your
scapegoat, and I rise as your justifier, and I sin as your
intercession, and in me you have all that equips you to be in
that place." That's what he's talking about. I go. I go. And that's what the eye hasn't
seen, and the ear hasn't heard. This world talks about gates
of pearl, and streets of gold, and beautiful mansions, and they
get their guitars out and sing about it, you know, and all the
crowd whoop-de-doo, you know, about, I'm on my way to glory
in a cabin. That's not it. That's not it. It's redemption.
Redemption through the blood. Now, here's the good news, verse
10. But God... The shape of this
world is they don't see, and they don't hear, and they don't
understand, religious or otherwise, but God. And boy, I tell you,
but God, who is rich in mercy for His great love wherewith
He loved us, but God, commended His love toward us in the way
we were yet sinners, but God, but God hath revealed them, what's
them, these things, His wisdom, His mercy, His grace in Christ,
He's revealed these things unto us. The things He's prepared
for us, He has revealed them unto us. Who has? God has. God revealed them to
us on purpose. God revealed them to us. What
did He reveal to us? The things He's prepared in Christ,
the person and work of Christ. How did He reveal them to us?
Thy Spirit. For the Spirit speaketh of the
things of God. By His Spirit, for the Spirit
searcheth all things. Yea, the deep things of God. What are these deep things of
God? How God can be just and justify. How man can be just
with God. Job and his illustrious friends
were dumbfounded. How can man be just with God?
I know. I know. How can he be cleanest
born of woman? I know. If a man dies, shall
he live again? I know. What is man that thou
art mindful of him? I know. Who shall stand in the
holy place? Who shall ascend into the hill
of the Lord? Meet me after church and I'll
tell you. I got some insight. You have too, haven't you? I
know. But God, the world doesn't know. How can His law be honored and
His justice satisfied? How can God receive us into His
holy presence? Well, the mind of natural men
can't see it, can't hear it, can't understand it. But God
has revealed it unto us. by His Spirit. Because, you see,
the Spirit of God searcheth all things, yea, the deep things
of God. Now watch verse 11, For what
man among you knows the things of a man? Who knows what's going
on inside of you but you? Who knows your purposes, your
desires, your intentions, other than you? What man can know what
you are, who you are, what you think, unless you tell him? Even so, the things of God knoweth
no man. The things of God knoweth no
man. No man. But the Spirit of God. Now, my
friends, the things of God have to do with Christ. Let me show
you a Scripture. Turn to Luke. The things of God. Turn to Luke 10. Now, look at
this. Luke chapter 10. Luke chapter
10, verse 21. Now look at this. What man knoweth
the things, the intent, desires, purposes, reasons, thoughts of
a man except the spirit of that man? So the things of God knoweth
no man but the Spirit of God. Now what are the things of God?
Luke 10, 21. Listen. At that hour, Jesus rejoiced
in spirit and said, I thank you, Father. Lord of heaven and earth,
that You hid these things from the wise and the prudent, and
You've revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed
good in Thy sight." Now here they are. All things are delivered
to me of my Father. And no man knows who the Son
is but the Father, and who the Father is but the Son, and He
to whom the Son will reveal Him. Where are all things? They've
been delivered. into the hands of Christ. Everything. In Him dwelleth all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily. The Father loveth the Son, and
hath given all things into His hands. All things. And verse
10 says, God has 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, save the spirit of
man which is in him? Even so, the things of God knoweth
no man, but the Spirit of God. Now look at the next verse. given to us, given to us of God. I didn't work for it. I didn't
earn it. He gave it to me. Gave it to me. Why you? I don't
know. Ask him. Why you? Why you? Why me? David said that. Why me? Who
am I? Even so, Father, it seemed good
in thy sight. Why me? In verse 13 says, which
things, all things, these things, the things of God, the things
in Christ, the things of Christ, the things concerning Christ,
He's the center, He's the key, He's the essence, these things
we speak. I'm preaching these things. Which things also we preach. Now watch this. Stay with me
a minute. I want you to hear this. Not in the words which
man's wisdom teacheth. Not in words which natural men
use. Now, you listen to me a minute.
Old Brother Muse said, don't you move a hand nor a hair. Let's
see if I can say what I want to say here. This is a mistake
for us to try to adjust to the vernacular and the language of
our day in order to make more acceptable these things. Keep
these things in the language of God, not the words which man's
wisdom teaches. It's a mistake to think that
the young people or anybody else are going to be enlightened in
the things of God by using different language. They say, junk your
King James Bible and get you a new translation. Biggest mistake
you ever make. Biggest mistake you ever make.
Living Bible, modern Bible, modern text won't change the truth. It's not the language they object
to, it's the truth of it. The problem with this generation
and every generation is not how God says it, it's what He says.
Isn't that right, Todd? And some preachers have the idea
that they can put on a pair of tennis shoes, and a pair of blue
jeans, and a t-shirt, and let their beard grow long, and say,
hey man, I want to tell you about this dude called Paul, and people
are going to learn from it. No, no, no. No sir, I'm telling you, it won't
change it. Well, they're saying like they're saying today, better
not. Better not. You're compromising. You're employing means and methods
to make God's Word acceptable, and it's offensive. It's not,
I warn us all again, it's not how we're saying it, it's what
we're saying. It's not what Christ did, it's
what He preached. Isn't that right? Am I not telling
the truth? Also swinging the other way. I can go to school
and get a PhD, and all the other credentials, and get me a robe,
and start speaking in an intellectual fashion about the philosophical
differences between various religions of today, and that won't help
them either. Yeah, but preachers will get people of means, and
the lawyers, and doctors, and educators, and all these people
into it. They won't hear me. They didn't hear Christ. It's not how we're saying it.
It's what we're saying. I'm telling the truth. Read this
verse 13 again, which things we speak, the things of Christ,
the things of God, not in words which man's wisdom teaches, but
which the Holy Ghost teaches, comparing spiritual things with
spiritual. That's what we're doing. We're
speaking spiritual language, the Word of God. We interpret
Scripture by Scripture. We compare the Old Testament
and the New Testament. We're consistent with His Word,
not with ourselves. Don't try it. God is absolutely sovereign and
the first cause of all things, and yet men are responsible and
accountable. I'm not explaining that. I'm
saying that. Well, you better reconcile sovereignty
and responsibility. They're not enemies. You only
reconcile enemies, not friends. God elected a people to salvation
in Christ, and yet those people have to hear the gospel and have
to come to Christ willingly. Explain that. He didn't call
me to explain it. He called me to proclaim it. His sheep are secure in Christ,
secure in Christ, redeemed by His blood, yet they must continue
in the faith. That's right. Good works do not
contribute to a man's salvation, yet no man saves who doesn't
have them. That's right. Prayer won't save anybody, but
nobody's ever been saved without praying. No, son. Believers are perfect in Christ,
yet they're chief of sinners. Ask them. No man can come to me except
my Father draw him, yet I command all men to repent. Isn't that
right? Better not go forth into this
world adopting the words of men, or the methods of men, or the
consistency of men, or trying to explain the gospel to anybody. Preach it. Preach it. In words which the Holy Ghost
teacheth, compare spiritual things with spiritual. I tell our teachers
who teach these little boys and girls, Five and six and seven
years old. I said, don't you get out puppets. Don't you try to bring God down
to their level. You keep God where He is as best
you can. Talk about His power and majesty
and might and glory and all these things. Because if you start
down here and start talking about this other natural understanding,
when are you going to change? How old does he have to be for
you to tell him who God really is? Tell him now who God really is,
and when he grows up, you'll come to an understanding. I hear
people ask me that all the time about my Sunday school literature.
They'll see the books and the teaching and the lessons of our
people here, and they say, but what do you teach the children?
I say, same thing. But how do you talk to them about God? Same
way I talk to you about God. You was raised on this. You were
too. On the sovereign grace of God,
election. Tell them that. Tell them that.
But they won't understand. Their daddies don't either, unless
God reveals it to them. Their mamas don't either, unless
God opens the heart. Don't change the language of
Scripture. Don't change the way you sing. We're singing the songs
the saints of God have sung for 500 years, aren't we? Can't improve
on it. Can't improve on it. I was down in Australia preaching. Everybody in this church had
one of these new Bibles, one of these new some kind of translations. I had a King James Bible that
I had for years. And I told the
preacher, I said, I'm not going to, I'm going to preach from
my, I've memorized this scripture and learned this scripture, I'm
going to preach from it. And I got up in front of that crowd of
people and I said, now, all of you out there have got another
translation of the Bible, a new modern version. I got the old
King James of 16, 1620, 16-something. I'm going to tell you this, this
old King James Bible, has produced a whitsale, and a spurgeon, and
a gill, and a bunion, and a latimer, and a rutherford, and all these
things I can't name. And I said, that new Bible you
got hasn't produced nothing like that. I haven't met anybody come
along in the last hundred years like those fellows, so I'm going
to stay with this one in the hope and prayer. Maybe God will
raise up another spurgeon. No, it's a mistake. It's a mistake
to talk like they talk, think like they think, sing like they
sing, do like they do. It won't teach them and won't
bless the old saints. It won't do it. But verse 14,
because here's the reason, I close with this, the natural man, He
receives not the things of the Spirit of God, no matter how
they're presented to him, no matter when they're presented
to him, no matter if you give him a $10 bill and a gift along
with it, he's not going to receive it. For they're foolishness to
him. And neither can he know them,
these things of Christ, because they're spiritually understood. They're not carnally, naturally,
mentally understood. They're spiritually understood.
Isn't that right? That's the only reason you and
I understand them. It's God, by His Spirit, taught us. Mystery. But He that is spiritual, you
can preach to Him, and He understands. The word judges there is discerning.
He understands what you're saying. You can talk to Him of everlasting
covenant mercies. You can talk to Him of eternal,
effectual, electing grace. You can talk to Him of the majesty
and power of God. You can talk to Him of His inability
and unwillingness. And you can talk to Him of the
irresistible, invincible grace of God. And talk to Him of the
glorious person and work of Christ. And you can talk to Him of righteousness
and sanctification and justification. He understands. He says, Amen. He understands. God's given him
a light and understanding. But he's not understood. See
what verse 15 says, he understands, he discerns all things, yet he
himself, he's not understood, he's not discerned. Folks think
he's a little off his rocker. That's right. Folks he works
with, they point to him, shake their heads. A fella moved to Iceland one
time years ago, and he worked down at a big insurance office
in town, and he told them he was a Baptist, and they asked
him where he ought to go to church, and one man spoke up and said,
well, go anywhere but 13th Street. Just anywhere you want to go.
Because you don't want to go out there. You're not understood. Not understood. Verse 16, let
me show you this verse here. This is interesting. I looked
this up just a short while ago. Who hath known the mind of the
Lord that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
In other words, this question is asked, listen, could be one
of two things, but I'm inclined to believe it's this way. Who
knows the mind of the Lord that he may teach and instruct this
spiritual man? Certainly not a natural man.
But I'll tell you, his servants can instruct him. Because when
he ascended, he left prophets, apostles, evangelists, pastors,
and teachers for this spiritual man to be developed. We have the mind of Christ. And
that's what you're doing where you pastor, what you're doing
where you pastor, and what I'm trying to do here is teach these
spiritual minds and hearts and sheep of Christ more of the things
that they already know something about. In fact, somebody said
to me a while ago, appreciate the message this morning, I heard
some new things. Maybe we heard some new things
tonight. They're old things, but they're new. They're new
when we learn them, aren't they? Alright, Michael, come and lead
us closing hill.

The Highest Wisdom

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