Spirituality

NOVEMBER 2, 2022 STUDY NOTES SERMON SERIES: “SPIRITUALITY” SCRIPTURE: 1 CORINTHIANS 3:18-23 BIBLE TEACHER: CLIFTON JONES Our current series of study is “Spirituality” and that was Paul’s concern for the Corinthians Paul’s comparison between the wisdom of the world and the wisdom of God concerns spirituality The foolishness of this world’s wisdom that Paul speaks of is in-the area of spiritual truth Our world is knowledgeable about many areas of our life, but “fools” concerning the spiritual life The highest education of man cannot come to know, understand, or experience ‘spirituality” Spirituality comes only through the divine wisdom of God, coming only through the mind of God Spirituality comes to us through the Person and Work of Jesus Christ as we commit to Him That which is of God and found only in Christ is revealed to us through the Holy Spirit The truths of spirituality that we can learn, and experience are written within the Word of God In 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 Paul has already established truths related to the wisdom of the world The lost will never be saved through the wisdom of man, 1Co 1:18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. Satan works through the wisdom of this world attempting to destroy the truth of the cross Satan puts many false thoughts and feeds many lies into the mind of man concerning salvation One is the thought of getting better on your own before you come to God, which is impossible There will never be a right relationship with God through the wisdom or works of man And a Christian cannot grow spiritually through the wisdom of man The church was not founded and cannot be built upon through the wisdom of man THE WISE FOOL--1Co 3:18 Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. “Deceive” has the meaning of being led out of that which is right and into error In a business transaction we are very cautious because we don’t want to be cheated We are cautious because we sure don’t want to cheat ourselves Paul tells us to be careful and not to cheat ourselves spiritually He says, “Do not lead yourselves astray spiritually,” leading yourself into spiritual error How could that be done? When you allow the wisdom of this world to lead you astray It can happen when you fail to recognize the true values of life When the world’s materialistic life is of greater value to you than the spiritual life When today’s life of sports and pleasure is more important than your spiritual life Which is one of the characteristics of the “last days,” 2Ti 3:4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; How many church members are sports minded on Sunday instead of spiritually minded? The wisdom of this world will lead you astray from the life that God has prepared for you Only through the wisdom of God can we learn what God has prepared for us, 1Co 2:12 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. Paul tells us that you can be led astray spiritually through a false evaluation of yourself It can happen when you elevate yourself above others, thinking how important you are Paul warns us not be led astray from the truth of the spiritual life through worldly wisdom “If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world” The word “seemeth” refers to man’s mental estimate or opinion of himself Paul warns us not to evaluate self through the wisdom of this “age” Page 1 of 6 The word translated “world” is actually the word “age” And the thought is the time-period in which we are now living And the point is the way people are thinking and living within this “age” Worldly wisdom is the standard of this “age” and is easy to trust in today It is easy to trust our daily life to the present “age” of technology and communication The wisdom of this world has made it easy for man to talk to Google instead of God This age prides itself in its worldly education and achievements The wisdom of this world “seems” to have an answer for all your questions about life But the wisdom of this world cannot and will not educate man “spiritually” The wisdom of this world cannot bring about salvation and a spiritual life So, beware when the wisdom of this world approves your lifestyle When the world looks upon you as seemingly wise, “let him become a fool” Foolish according to the wisdom of this world because you have become “wise” Those spiritually wise are “fools” in the eyes of the world God is not “foolish,” but if He were, 1Co 1:25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. Even if there was any foolishness of God, it would be wiser than the world’s wisdom Because the wisdom of the world is not wise at all concerning God and spirituality Live a Godly life in this present world and you will appear to be foolish in the eyes of man The world does not evaluate life through the wisdom of God That is why the world does not consider God when they plan their daily activities of life Therefore, they become the “fool” according to the wisdom of God So don’t be a “fool” according to God, be a “fool” according to man Paul is telling us that it is foolish to allow anything to come between you and God No one can come between you and God quicker than you can yourself Too often that which stands between you and God is your self-esteem and selfish pride As Christians we must be “wise,” “that he may be wise” The “wise” are those who plan their life according to the wisdom of God Wisdom that comes from learning God’s Word, learning how to live the Christian life Too often the church of today attempts to build the church according to worldly wisdom The process of worldly wisdom says, we need the most powerful and important people We need people who are wealthy and very influential, who will attract the attention of the world We need people with prestige who can promote growth in our church Then we can proudly announce and advertise that they go to “our church” Compare the wisdom of the world with God’s wisdom, God’s wisdom says: We need people of faith in God who will pray and study God’s Word We need people who are filled with the Holy Spirit We need people who will sacrifice self in-order to faithfully serve God We need those who are “spiritually wise” THE FOOLISH WISE--1Co 3:19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. The “wisdom of this world” speaks of man’s reasoning and his human values The values that man places upon daily life and is in opposition to God Paul instructs us, Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Stop being molded or fashioned by the wisdom of the world, which “is foolishness with God” Man’s wisdom considers God’s ways foolish, and God’s wisdom considers man’s ways foolish Page 2 of 6 Who is right? Paul is the only one of the NT writers to use the word translated “foolish” The preaching of the cross is foolish to those who are lost, 1Co 1:18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. God will save the foolish lost through the preaching of the cross when they believe 1Co 1:21 For 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. The OT illustrates Paul’s point, For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness “For it is written” refers to the written Word of God, revealing what God has to say Paul quoted from, Job 5:13 He taketh the wise in their own craftiness: and the counsel of the froward is carried headlong. “He taketh the wise” means that God grasp them within His hand, He seizes them Which means that God catches “the wise” in their “own craftiness” God warns the worldly wise that their worldly wisdom will only trap them When the world plans without God they are setting up a trap to be caught in, they trap themselves It does not matter how clever or how cunning their “own craftiness” might be They will ultimately be trapped the wisdom of God traps them in their “own craftiness” God will lift-up the spiritually wise and confound the evil of the world’s foolish wisdom VAIN THOUGHTS--1Co 3:20 And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain. “Again” Paul goes back to the OT, he quotes from, Psa 94:11 The LORD knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity. There is a word change from “man” to “wise,” but the meaning does not change The point is, “the Lord knows,” which the theological term “Omniscience” describes God created man and God sees, hears, and knows all thoughts and deeds of man God knows the past, present, and future, He knows the thoughts and results of man’s thinking “The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise” “The thoughts” are the reasoning, opinion, purpose, and intentions of man that thinks he is wise Paul describes them in, Rom 1:22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, Their foolish thoughts are not wise at all, in fact they “are vain” “Vain” means “fruitless, useless, powerless,” and has the thought of lacking truth The wisdom of the world is “vain” concerning spirituality, concerning the truths of God The wisdom of the world is of no spiritual or eternal value 1Co 3:21 Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours; “Therefore,” the conclusion of the previous is now stated, “let no man glory in men” “No man,” not even one person, absolutely “no one,” regardless of who they think they are Which is often a difficult command to obey, we all have a fleshly tendency to boast of self “I” is a most important word in our thinking, it is in the middle of sIn, and prIde Paul gives us the answer to our problem of boasting, 1Co 1:31 That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. No one is to “glory” in man, in self or in any man, all “glory” must be “in the Lord” The word translated “glory” means to “boast, brag, rejoice” There is no place in the realm of spirituality for boasting in man’s wisdom Selfish pride will seek glory for what you think you have done Glory always belongs to God because God is the giver of salvation and spirituality If you are going to brag, brag about Jesus, brag about what God has given you We must understand what Paul means when he says, “For all things are yours” Paul presents to us a positive truth that we must think of and live by daily Page 3 of 6 It is true, but it is not what the name it and claim it, health and wealth gospel of man teaches A teaching that scripture plainly contradicts, James is one example, Jas 1:9 Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted: “The brother” is a Christian, but “of low degree,” which is not a reference to the spiritual life “Of low degree” is the opposite of being wealthy or rich in worldly goods By human appraisal there is nothing more valuable than worldly wealth and earthly goods But for the Christian, earthly goods are not our most valuable possessions Far more important to the Christian is the truth of Paul’s words, “For all things are yours” Jesus went to the cross because God wants to give us “all things,” Rom 8:32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? God does not hold back good things for those who walk according to His wisdom, Psa 84:11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. To walk uprightly is to seek God’s will, Mat 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (God has “these things” for you) Paul continues to explain the “all things” that God shares with us, that God has prepared for us All of which pertains to the wisdom of God and spirituality EQUAL RIGHTS--1Co 3:22 Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; We continually hear the cry of equal rights today, we see the marches and the protest movements The only equal rights that have ever been established are found “In-Christ” All believers share equally in the promises and provisions provided by Christ Just like “Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas,” men that were saved just like we are Men that were given a new life “In-Christ” just like we are Men that lived the life that God gave them, we too can live the new life “In-Christ” Men who were gifted to serve God, we are “all” spiritually gifted to serve God God gave those gifted men to the church they were given as ministers to the needs of the church Paul said those God-gifted men given to the church “are yours,” Eph 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; They are given to you for your spirituality, Eph 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Paul’s point is that ministry belongs to the Christian, we have all been gifted to minister Do we believe that God is-capable of giving us “all things?” Are “all things” in God’s hand? Is God in control of “all things?” If not, how could God tell the Christian that “all things are yours” in the previous verse? Now in this verse Paul begins to enumerate those things which are ours as a Christian A list of 5 things related to life: world, life, death, things present, things to come Who gave us “the world,” Gen 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. Gen 1:31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. But the “world” we live in today is not the “world” that God originally gave us Paul spoke of the present world in, 1Co 3:19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. “The world” that we now live in is opposed to God and disobeys God, Eph 2:2 Wherein in time past ye 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: “In time past” is the time-period before one was saved, before you were “Born Again” Christians are no longer to “walk” in disobedience toward God because we are of God Page 4 of 6 We can be obedient to God even though we live in this wicked world, 1Jn 5:19 And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness. Because of the wisdom of God, Jesus Christ is still the Lord of this “world” God raised Jesus from the dead because He is Lord, Eph 1:20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, The resurrection of Christ reveals that Jesus is Lord of all things Jesus is Lord over the present works of Satan and his demons, and also all things to come Eph 1:21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: The wisdom of this world is subject unto Christ, 1Pe 3:22 Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him. Jesus will return to the earth as “Lord of Lords,” Rev 17:14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful. As Christians the world is ours because we belong to Jesus and Jesus is the Lord of this world “Life” is ours, throughout scripture Christians have the assurance of “life” Jesus Christ is the Lord of life, our present earthly life, and our present spiritual life, 2Pe 1:3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 2Pe 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. Christians can daily experience an abundant life, Joh 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. An abundant earthly life and a “far better” life after “death,” Php 1:21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Php 1:23 For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: For the Christian “death” is a victorious experience, 1Co 15:54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 1Co 15:57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Victory because Jesus Christ is the Lord over death, Rom 14:9 For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living. Jesus Christ gained the victory over death through life, Rev 1:18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. Christians must learn God’s view of death, Psa 116:15 Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints. Paul knew the truth of death, Php 1:21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Death is deliverance into the presence of the Lord for the Christian, 2Co 5:8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. God’s wisdom has established Jesus as Lord over death, Rev 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. All things are ours through death, in life all “things present” are ours That He has given us “all things” does not mean everything we want for a worldly life God has given us everything we need to live a Godly Christian life, in this “present” world Tit 2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Tit 2:12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Our “present” life must be lived “In-Christ,” Gal 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I Page 5 of 6 live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. Jesus Christ is the Lord of this present age, our present life is in His hands Nothing that happens in this “present” life can separate us from Christ, Rom 8:38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Because our Lord loves us, Rom 8:39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. All things present are ours and “things to come” are ours There is a “New World” coming, Mat 5:5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Read Revelation 21, the New Heaven, the New Earth, and New Jerusalem will be ours Jesus will return to establish His Kingdom on earth and the saints will reign with Him, Dan 7:27 And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him. Col 3:4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. Jesus Christ is the Lord of all that is yet to come Things to come are already reserved for Christians which is our “living hope,” 1Pe 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, God’s wisdom has provided for us an eternal inheritance, 1Pe 1:4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, What a wonderful truth Paul has revealed to the Christian, “all are yours” Ours because we belong to Christ UNITED IN CHRIST--1Co 3:23 And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's. The previous verse is based upon the truth of this verse Our position is in Christ, all believers belong to Christ, we are His purchased possession, 1Co 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 1Co 6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. The truth that makes a world of difference when we face the path of daily life Now that you know Christ as your Savior, do you want to face a day without Him? We should sing daily, “Count your many blessings, see what God hath done” Even though we cannot count all our spiritual blessings, Eph 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: Which is possible because “Christ is God's” Christ belongs to God, Joh 10:30 I and my Father are one. Christ is equal with God, Php 2:6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: All things of God will be fulfilled “In-Christ,” 1Co 15:27 For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. 1Co 15:28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all. Christian, “all things are yours” verse 21, “all are yours” verse 22 Page 6 of 6