1 Corinthians 2, and this morning, let's go ahead and start reading in verse one. We'll read all the way to verse 16, but our text will come from verses six through 16. 1 Corinthians 2, beginning of verse one. And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 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, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. Howbeit, we speak wisdom among them that are perfect, yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world that come to naught. But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory, which none of the princes of this world knew, for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written, I have not seen or ear 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 searches 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 we have received, not in 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, which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, he may instruct him, but we have the mind of Christ. Let's again go to the Lord in prayer. Our father in heaven, Lord, how thankful we are for your spirit. Lord, we're thankful for your word. We're thankful for your instruction. And our father, we pray that you'll apply your word even to our hearts and our minds, even this day. Lord, we're thankful that we are able to come together to worship you this very hour. Lord, I pray that you'll be with those who cannot be here. I think of Jill and Tina. Lord, I pray that you'll be with them. I pray that you'll be with Leah. I ask that you'll be with be with others of the church. I pray that you'll bless those of our visitors. I pray for them. I pray for those that live away from us. Those members that are separated from us because of distance. Lord, I pray that you will be with the those who will be traveling soon. And Lord, I ask that you'll be with those who are on the prayer list. Lord, those that have been mentioned even this day. Our Father, I pray that you'll forgive us of our sins and our shortcomings. Bless in the preaching of your word, even at this very hour. For it's in Jesus' name we pray, amen. Title of my message today is on the subject of the wisdom we speak, the wisdom we speak. Last time we considered, last time we considered Paul's approach and how he was not coming to them with the wisdom of this world. And he says there in, in verse six, Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect, those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this world, nor the rulers, the princes, the rulers of this world that come to naught, that come to nothing. There are, indeed, even at this very hour, this very day, there are preachers who come, even some who get up in the pulpits, they get up with this world's wisdom, philosophies. They come with philosophers. They were all over Corinth. They were all over the Roman Empire. They were all over the Greek cities. They're easy to find in our world. We live in a day where everybody's got a platform. Thanks to YouTube and Facebook and X or Twitter, everybody's got a platform and you have to be careful, but beloved, understand truly Solomon was correct when he said, there's nothing new under the sun. What Paul was battling there in that first century is very similar to what we battle. These fellows were pushing evolution, Gnosticism, materialism, humanism. anything and everything that is opposed to Christianity, they were pushing it. And some of them were even packaging it and wrapping it up in something that was made to look like Christianity, to mix worldly wisdom up with their Bible teaching and preaching. And we see, whether you read in the letter that he wrote to the churches of Galatia, the letters that he wrote to the Colossians, what he's writing here to the church at Corinth. We see that it is a dangerous mix indeed. Paul was not glorying in the conflict of it all, he was glorying in the cross. And Paul was not interested in getting into the foolishness of this world system, but he was interested in the preaching of the cross, the wisdom, not of this world, but the foolishness of preaching the truth of God's word. And so in this, he says to them, the wisdom of this world, the princes of this world, the rulers of this world, all those things, they're gonna come to nothing. It's all gonna be gone. God's going to destroy it all. When we speak, verse seven, Verses seven and eight actually together there. He says, but we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory, which none of the princes of this world knew, for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. This divine wisdom, the wisdom of God, it was a mystery. It was hidden. He isn't talking about something that's puzzling, but rather something that was known only to God before time that he kept a secret until the appropriate time for him to reveal it. Over in Matthew chapter 13, Matthew chapter 13, Verses 10 and 11. And the disciples came and said unto him, why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. Over in Ephesians 3. Ephesians 3, beginning at verse 1, he says, for this cause I, Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ, for you Gentiles, You've heard of the dispensation of the grace of God, which is given me to you, word, how that by the revelation, he made known unto me the mystery as I wrote afore it in few words, whereby when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ, which in other ages was not made. known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit, that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs and of the same body and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel, whereof I was made a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. You see, there are some truths that were just a mystery before it was revealed. And you and I, we're Gentiles. We live in a largely Gentile nation. But do you realize how privileged we are in this generation in which we live? The things that have been revealed to our generation that were not revealed to our ancestors, things that were a mystery to them. Do you know how ignorant our ancestors were? They were lost without hope. They had just the dim, the very dim light of nature. Romans says that they're without excuse. But you know what? Our generation has, our generation has the Bible. Now, here we are in America in 2024. There's a host of people who never crack open their Bibles. If the Gentile nations, who never had a Bible, all they had was nature, If what Roman says is true, that they are without excuse, how much more so our nation, which has the Bible available? Do you know? Do you know that you don't even have to buy it, you can go find it online? It's available, it's there. And not only that, here we are, and you can say all you want about Christmas, but here we are in this season, whether you celebrate it or you don't, guess what? Guess what's being proclaimed right now all over this time of year? Something. Even if it's very, very dim, it's more so than the light of nature, it's being proclaimed that Jesus was born. that Jesus, something is being proclaimed about the incarnation. Without excuse, the whole world. A mystery, but yet it's all over the place. And even some of the Christmas tunes, though I don't celebrate Christmas, if you listen to the words, they are scriptural. Not all of them, but some of them. And I rejoice when I hear the truth of the incarnation being blasted on the radio where it would never have been proclaimed any other time of the year. A mystery that would have never been proclaimed to my ancestors and yours. Oh, that we would use that to witness to our friends and our loved ones. And here in our text, in 1 Corinthians chapter two, The truth God established before time and revealed in the New Testament wisdom of the gospel is the truth that God will save and glorify sinners. Had the rulers understand, he's talking about the Jewish leaders, had they understood this mystery, they would not have crucified Jesus. Now you might say, well, wait a minute, he had to die on the cross. Well, yeah, he did. You understand something though. It was with evil hands that he was crucified. They did it. Nobody went up to crucify Jesus because they were trying to help God take care of the eternal plan of salvation. In fact, Over in Acts chapter two, Peter addressed the Jews there that day. You understand something, as I say, those Jews that day, you and I are no better. Our corrupt, depraved nature, we are no better. But when Peter addressed the crowd there in Acts chapter two on the day of Pentecost in verse 22, he said, you men of Israel, hear these words, Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as you yourselves also know him being delivered by the determinant counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain. whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that he should be holding of it. You see, they did it with their wicked hands, even though it was he who was delivered by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God. He had to die, but they did it with their evil and wicked hands. How does God's sovereignty and human responsibility meet together? How do you reconcile that? You don't have to reconcile friends. How does it work? It just does, because God, God's in control of this whole world. Those men did what they did because God allowed them to do it. And no man can go against the plan of Almighty God. And you can look at this text here in 1 Corinthians 2 a couple different ways. The way I look at it is that in their depravity, had they understood the mystery, they would not have crucified Jesus because they were so opposed to God. But as it is written, verse nine, I hath not seen nor heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. Now this is a quote from Isaiah chapter 64 and verse four. And it's usually taken to mean something about heaven. And it's true. There is something great to come. But in the context here, this isn't talking about something we have to wait for. Indeed, this is talking about the wisdom that God has prepared for believers. God's truth is not discovered By eye or ear, it's not something that is objective or subjective, rational conclusions. Look there at the next verse, in verse 10. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit, for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. He doesn't say God will reveal to us something in the future in some future state. No, no, God has revealed for us. God has revealed these unto us by his spirit. This doesn't mean, beloved, that we're to give up on Bible reading or Bible study. No. Does it mean that we can run into the forest of New Guinea with our English Bibles to people who don't know English and expect that the Holy Spirit is going to teach them what we tell them? No, no, nothing like that. In fact, if you, as we read on, we'll see. Indeed, you've got a friend or a loved one that you've kind of been witnessing to for a while, and they've not been safe. You've been trying to tell them the gospel, and you've told them about Christ. You've pointed things out in the scriptures, the plain words of God, even pointing to the things that God has written in His word, plainly in the language that they speak, and yet they don't understand. They're not even the least bit interested. They're not, they just go on. There's a reason for that. That's why Paul's approach was not with man's wisdom. The faith of the Corinthian church, your faith, my faith, your friend's faith, it cannot stand on any wisdom except for God's wisdom. That's why I'm a big proponent of getting up here and preaching the text. You see, I want to stand on the text of the scripture. I don't want to preach the philosophy of the day. I don't want to preach some scientific or political commentary. You know, there's always the chance, I guess, that we can differ on interpretation of what I preach about a text, but one thing's for sure, there's not going to be a disagreement about what my text is, what text I was preaching from. The spirit speaks to us as we look at the text through his word. This is the way he speaks to us in our day. We know that his word was originally written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. None of us speak that. Do we read this and we say, all right, the Spirit's going to guide us, so away with the English and let's go get a copy of the Greek Bible or the Hebrew Bible or the Aramaic. You know, I tried to learn some Hebrew. It's very complex. I've dabbled a little bit with Greek. That's complex too. I'm thankful we don't have to learn the Greek, the Hebrew, the Aramaic. I'm thankful that God has blessed us with the Bible in our own language. The Catholics taught that Their people should be dependent on the popes and the priests to explain the meaning of the scriptures locked away in the Latin. I'm thankful that we don't have to do that. I don't know Latin. Somewhere, somebody actually gave me a copy of a page out of the Latin Vulgate. I know some homeschoolers who learn Latin. It's a neat language, but I'm thankful I don't need to know Latin. Look there at 1 Corinthians 2, in verses 12 and 13. He says this, 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. Sorry, verse 11, I meant 11 and 12. For one 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 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. I believe here, as he writes, he's talking about the we and us. I believe he's referring to the writers of the word of God. Though the Bible was inspired, God breathed. In fact, in 2 Timothy 3, in verse 16. 2 Timothy 3, in verse 16. All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. The Bible, the scripture, was given by inspiration of God. Over in 2 Peter 1, Verses 20 and 21. Well, verse 19, 20 and 21. We also... We have also a more sure word of prophecy, where unto you do well that you take heed as unto a light that shineth in a dark place until the day dawn and the day star arise in your hearts, knowing this first and no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation, for the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. This is God's word. And so God, gave the word, and Paul here is saying, in this, it's not from the wisdom of men. There were other writings that were going around. There were other preachings, other teachings that were happening in around Corinth, around the churches. Paul says, no, no, no, no, this isn't the same. This isn't the same. Indeed. Indeed. Now we've received not the spirit of the world, but the spirit, which is of God. We might know the things are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. That's verse 13. Comparing spiritual things with spiritual. You can't take man's wisdom, try to apply it to figure out the scriptures. In fact, you want to know the best Commentary for the Bible? It's the Bible. That's the best commentary you'll find for the Bible. In fact, take the Bible. Paul, in another place, he talks about rightly dividing it. You know, rightly dividing it. You can wrongly divide it, and some people do that. Verse 14, here's a truth that save us a lot of frustration when we're dealing with people. Verse 14 there in 1 Corinthians chapter two, you gotta understand where people are coming from. 1 Corinthians chapter two and verse 14, But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. The natural man, who's he talking about? The man without Christ, the man without the Spirit of God, the man who is dead in his sins. The man who, even if you were to hand him a copy of the scriptures in his very native language, I'm not talking about handing him a Greek Bible or a Hebrew Bible, but you give him a Bible in his native language and he opens it up and he looks at it, he won't understand it. He doesn't have a clue. Before I was saved, I was raised in church. I think every young boy and girl ought to be raised in church. I wish every young boy and girl were raised in church. I think this world would be a lot better if every parent brought their children to church. if families still came to church. I think that would be a good thing. But I was raised in church. And so, I did what I thought everybody ought to do. And I started reading my Bible. And that's also a good thing for young people to do is read their Bibles. However, I was lost and I didn't understand it. I started reading Genesis. Boy, that didn't make much sense to me. I didn't get very far. My friend was saved. He was enjoying it, but I wasn't. Maybe you've got a friend like that too. You give them a Bible and try to get them into it. Nothing wrong with that. Do you know the same thing similar happened in the scriptures there in the book of Acts? The Ethiopian eunuch, he was reading Isaiah chapter 53. That's one of the clearest passages in all of the Old Testament about Jesus. But he gets down to it, and the question's asked, do you understand? Understandest thou what thou readest? He said, how can I, except some man should guide me? You know what the problem was? He was lost. He didn't have the spirit to guide him. That's the condition of so many in our day. Oh, beloved. This is why missionaries ought not to just fly over the jungle and drop Bibles down into the jungles and say, well, I've done my work. We can't do that. This is why we can't just say, well, let's send $1,000 over to Africa to reprint Bibles. There's got to be missionaries to go. What a joy it was when that eunuch was saved and he was able to go on his way. What a wonderful thing that was. And I don't know what all happened after that, but I do know that once I was saved, I was able to understand some things. And look here, it's because these things are spiritually discerned or examined. If you go on into our text here in 1 Corinthians 2, in verses 15 and 16, But he that is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is judged of no man, for who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him, but we have the mind of Christ. As we kind of begin to Draw this to a close here in these last two verses. I liked what Matthew Poole said, that old Puritan commentator from so long ago. He said, the wisdom that is of God is not to be subjected to the wisdom of men, nor to be judged of any man, but only the spiritual man. The truth, which the spiritual man owneth and professeth, dependeth only upon God and His word, and is not subjected to the authority and judgment of men, nor the dictates of human reason. So as the spiritual man, so far forth as he is spiritual, is neither judged by any man nor by any being. And in verse 16, Paul is quoting from Isaiah 40 in verse 13, which says, if you wanna turn there, I've got it written down here, but let's go back there for a minute. Isaiah 40 in verse 13. And Paul was very much a man of the book. He wasn't just writing letters without pulling from the scriptures himself. Isaiah 40 in verse 13. Who hath directed the spirit of the Lord, or being his counselor, hath taught him. That Lord in all capital, that's God. Yahweh, that's the God of Jacob and Isaac and Abraham. Paul says, who has known the mind of the Lord? We have the mind of Christ. There's something different, beloved. As we get into the scriptures and as we study, there is a difference. Don't misunderstand something about this though. And don't be discouraged. It doesn't mean that the moment that we're saved, we understand it all. No, no. Now, as a matter of fact, after preaching for almost 30 years, I've been, I've been in this book a long time. I'm still learning. And so is everyone here. No one in this room knows it all. And indeed, indeed, Even passages that we've read, perhaps multiple times, you read it again and you say, I never noticed that before. I know it's been there. I love to read through the Bible every year. And some years I get through it and other years I don't. But you know, I just love to read every day, every day. You know, if you read about three chapters, On average, about three chapters a day, you can get through the Bible in a year. You can take it another way. If you read about 15 minutes every day, you can get through the Bible. But as you read, sometimes you'll stop and you'll study and just meditate and all that. And sometimes you don't get quite, sometimes you might only get to one verse. And just, just get there and it's, you know, but sometimes the flesh gets, gets in there and sometimes you might miss a day and whatever, but just make it a habit to read every day. And I guarantee you, it won't get old. You'll learn every day. Go with me to Luke chapter 24. What I was gonna say is, I can also tell you, it's much different. Ever since the day I was saved and all the way through now, it's much different than what it was when I was trying to read the Bible before I was saved. Oh, it's so much different. Bible reading, prayer, fellowship with the Lord, oh my, it's so much different. In Luke chapter 24, Verses 44 through 49, look at this here. And he said unto them, these are the words which I spake unto you while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses and in the prophets and in the Psalms concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, and said unto them, thus it is written, thus it behooved Christ to suffer, to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem, and your witnesses of these things and behold, I send the promise of my father upon you, but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem until you be endued with power from on high. You see that? He was, he was preaching to them out of, When he say the law of Moses, that's the first five books of the Bible, and the prophets, and the Psalms, he was expounding the Old Testament. You see how it's all divided out there, how he divided it out? And then he says, he opened their understanding that they might understand the scriptures. He was revealing the mystery that was there. If I wanna tie back the message from the last hour, And he said to them, thus it is written. You see, we have the spirit of God to guide us as we get into the word. What a blessing this is. The wisdom we speak, this is what Paul is talking about. As we interact with people, just know that no matter how clear we try to be, without the Spirit of God, it is literally falling on deaf ears. But that doesn't mean that we give up. If you've got a loved one that you've been witnessing to, maybe a coworker, a schoolmate, a family member, and you've been witnessing to them, telling them about Christ, giving them Bible verses, and it just seems like it's falling on deaf ears, Don't give up, keep on with the truth of God's word. Because as long as they have breath, there's still hope. God's timing is not our timing. A lot of times we want them, we want to see them saved the first time we tell them about Christ. And oh, wouldn't that be a great thing? Sometimes it is. But that's not always the case. Be faithful. Keep telling them about the Lord. Point them to Jesus every opportunity you get. And in God's time, he'll do what he wants to do. May God add the blessing to his word. And may we be faithful. Thank you for your attention.