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1 Corinthians: The Grime and Glory of the Church • Sermon • Submitted
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Sermon Text: 1 Corinthians 2:6-16
Sermon Text: 1 Corinthians 2:6-16
6 Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. 7 But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”— 10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 11 For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. 13 And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. 14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. 16 “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
Notes
6 Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away.
If all we had of Paul’s thoughts on wisdom was found in chapter 2:1-5, it would be EXTREMELY easy to walk away thinking that Paul is in many against wisdom altogether.
We of course know that to NOT be the case.
For one reason, we have a whole section of the books in the Bible dedicated to WISDOM. We call them the WISDOM Books: Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes
Another reason however, that we know Paul is not dismissing wisdom outright is because of everything he says in chapter 2 verses 6-16.
Paul’s Critique of Wisdom is not an abandonment of Wisdom. It is abandonment of all wisdom that begins and ends on the wisdom of this world rather than the wisdom of God.
The Christian Life does not abandon wisdom. The Christian Life REQUIRES wisdom. It just requires the right kind of wisdom.
Anybody that knows my family knows that we believe in counseling and therapy.
We refer folks REGULARLY to counseling.
My wife is heavily invested in the discipline and practice of counseling and therapy.
IN FACT, I don’t think we devote enough attention to the necessity of emotional healthiness in the life of the Christian
So what we are not even saying that there is no room for wisdom of a human form. We educate our children and encourage them to study math, philosophy, medicine, ethics, government, economics, and psychology.
What we are arguing against and what I believe Paul is arguing against is the misplacement of human wisdom to a place of ultimate significance or to a place where it is allowed to contradict God’s wisdom.
Again, the Christian Life REQUIRES wisdom. It just requires the right kind of wisdom.
A wisdom that carries the fear and reverence of the Lord as its beginning and a crucified Savior as its center.
A wisdom that this world often sees as foolishness...
A wisdom where God saves the world by dying at the hands of the world...
A wisdom where the Savior of the world overcomes the world by serving those in the world...
A wisdom where people find true life by laying down their life...
That type of wisdom no matter the day, time, or place in which it is proclaimed will always appear foolish to the world...
So, Paul’s beef here is not with wisdom at large but it is with:
A kind of wisdom that communicates a hope that it cannot deliver on.
A kind of wisdom that presents itself as the answer to what ails the soul but offers no true remedy.
A kind of wisdom that poses as salvation but remains unable to actually save us.
That’s the wisdom that Paul is confronting...
What Does That Human Wisdom Look Like?
What Does That Human Wisdom Look Like?
6 Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away.
We see in verse 6, a few characteristics of this wrong kind of wisdom:
Wisdom of this age…this culture…this system
A wisdom based on the culture will always shift with the culture…A shifting wisdom...As the culture shifts, so does the human wisdom that comes with it, ideas and thoughts that once sounded ridiculous eventually sound plausible and reasonable to us not because the idea is anymore plausible or reasonable but because the culture has changed giving the idea more credibility.
When your wisdom is based on the age, your perspective on sexuality will be constantly shifting…your perspective on the dignity of humanity will always be shifting…you’ll mistreat others based on skin color one minute…you’ll mistreat others based on where they were born the next minute…what you call extreme one minute will be common the next.
This kind of wisdom is always moving, and as a result we never remain settled in our convictions...
However, Paul is not only pointing to the wisdom of this age that must be rejected. He’s pointing to the wisdom of the rulers of this age...
Wisdom of the rulers of this age (v8)
What is meant by RULERS of this AGE?
When we hear these words, folks that are familiar with the Bible are tempted to believe that Paul has in mind verses like Ephesians 6:12
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
In other words, we’re tempted to believe these rulers in 1 Corinthians 2 are otherworldly forces like the ones Paul seems to have in mind in Ephesians 6. However, I don’t think that’s true for a couple of reasons: What he says in verse 8 and verse 9
(1) What he says in verse 8: 1 Cor 2:8
8 None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
The Rulers of the age that Paul has in mind were the ones who IGNORANTLY crucified the Lord of Glory. Their kind of wisdom didn’t allow them to SEE Jesus for who ACTUALLY WAS.
Let’s be clear, Demonic FORCES WERE NOT IGNORANT of who Jesus was...
There was a moment in Jesus’ ministry when he encountered to men who were possessed by demons. Scripture says they were so fierce that no one could pass by them but when they saw Jesus they cried out...
“What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?”
In other words, the demons were CLEARLY aware of who Jesus was...
On the flip side, when Jesus is being mocked, scorned, brutalized, and crucified by the mobs egged on by the Roman and Jewish rulers, he cries out in his hour of suffering: “Father, forgive them…FOR THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO!”
The DEMONIC principalities and rulers of darkness were not IGNORANT of Jesus but the HUMAN rulers of this age were.
That’s one reason we know Paul’s call to the rulers of the age is a call to HUMAN rulers.
Another reason
(2) What he says in verse 9: 1 Cor 2:9
9 But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”—
We’ll come back to this one in a bit but for now, I just want you to focus on the fact that Paul says “What no EYE has seen, nor EAR heard, nor the HEART of MAN imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”…
Paul does not appear to be pointing to otherworldly forces. Paul appears to be pointing to human forces, human rulers of the age and saying they didn’t understand what God was doing in this wisdom…They didn’t understand the provision that God was making in this wisdom for those that love Him.
So, these two reasons show us that Paul is PROBABLY confronting the wisdom that is based in the HUMAN RULERS of the day or at the very least HE HAS THEM MOST IN MIND
The question is WHY is confronting this wisdom?
Because we are inclined to look at the rulers of our culture...the wealthy...the powerful...the popular...the elite…and say to ourselves…HOW DID THEY DO IT?
It’s easy to look at the rulers of the day and say well, it worked for them. So, it must be worth listening to and applying in my own life and in family’s life.
I mean think about how often we look to imitate the famous and the powerful without ever giving a lot of energy to the question “IS THEIR WISDOM RIGHTEOUS, IS IT TRUE, WILL IT ENDURE”
When we see people do and say anything to lay claim to fame, do we ask if that WISDOM is RIGHTEOUS?
When we see people do and say anything to PRESERVE the POWER or WEALTH they’ve acquired do we say that WISDOM IS TRUE OR ENDURING?
This is the type of wisdom at work in our own world...The kind of wisdom that says the ends justify the means....The kind of wisdom that Christians all too often get lured in with.
This is the wisdom that Paul is saying must be rejected. Why?
(1) Paul says in verse 8 this is the power that led Jesus to be crucified.
This blind craving to be our own gods. This relentless pursuit to get or keep our power. This willingness to shed innocent blood if you feel your opportunity to claim or keep such power is being threatened. This is how a SAVIOR is CRUCIFIED.
That’s one reason why this wisdom must be rejected...
We find another reason why this wisdom must be rejected in verse 6...
(2) It’s fleeting
1 Corinthians 2:6 “6 Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away.”
You watch them on top with this wisdom wrapped in pretty packaging but when you unwrap it, you find that it is ultimately lacking. It’s empty. It’s fleeting. You can follow it and maybe have a bit more success, a bit more approval from men, even maybe a few more dollars in your pocket, but IT WILL NOT AND CANNOT BE SUSTAINED.
Following the wisdom of the age and wisdom of the rulers of the age eventually leads you to the same fate in which they will meet…AN DEEP EMPTINESS...A FADING AWAY.
That’s why Paul says it must be rejected.
This human wisdom of the age. This human wisdom shaped by the rulers of the age is a shifting sand wisdom that is consumed with the desire to rule and reign apart from God. A wisdom that is fleeting just like the rulers who subscribe to it and live by it.
But what about the wisdom that Paul speaks about? The wisdom Paul says He is working to impart? What does that wisdom look like?
WHAT DOES REAL WISDOM LOOK LIKE?
WHAT DOES REAL WISDOM LOOK LIKE?
In our first few sermons, Paul has already given us some characteristic about this wisdom...
It is rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
It is foolishness to those who are perishing.
It is a wisdom that is shaped around the death of a Savior (Christ Crucified)
Paul gives us more of what this wisdom looks like in this passage. Look at verse 7
7 But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory.
The first quality we notice in this wisdom from this passage is that it is a secret and hidden wisdom.
This word ‘secret’ points to a kind of wisdom that is not readily accessible and available. It is not a wisdom that is attained and acquired through human knowledge. It is wisdom that is revealed to us by God.
Paul comes back to this truth over and over again in his writings. This idea of this wisdom being a mystery.
26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints.
1 Corinthians 15; Romans 16: Colossians 1:26; and Ephesians 3:5-6
This true wisdom is not revealed to us through our intellect or even intuition. It is revealed to us by God.
This is why we must be careful with our confidence in our wittiness, in our likability, and in our persuasiveness when we share the Gospel.
ILLUSTRATION: One preacher put it like this: “I can give my neighbor the 10 best books defending the Christian Faith ever written and he can read ever single one of them cover to cover and find them intellectually convincing but still not surrender to God and embrace his wisdom over the world because the act of receiving this wisdom is an exercise of revelation not simply intellect and will.
The second quality we notice in this wisdom is that it is an AGELESS wisdom
1 Corinthians 2:7 (ESV)
7 But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory.
Our age and culture values new “wisdom”. Any thing that comes along that sounds different and appears shiny will often get a following. New diets, new philosophies, new keys to success, new ideas.
However in ancient times, credibility was given not to the newness or the novelty of an idea but to its longevity.
How long has an idea been around?
Has it stood the test of time?
So, Paul probably gets the attention of this wisdom-seeking audience, when he says…This wisdom was before the ages! This wisdom is not bound by the location you live in or the time that you live in or the culture that you live in. This wisdom transcends the ages. Meaning that while other wisdom is shifting, this wisdom will remain and it will remain sure!
The wisdom revealed to us by God in the Gospel is not an accidental wisdom. God’s wisdom as found in Christ was not in response or in reaction to some other action. It was established before the foundations of the world and has remained constant ever since.
Do you want a sense of stability? Embrace the transcendent and constant wisdom of God. Turn away from the wisdom of this culture that moves in every which direction, that chases every fad, and finds new people to hate or love every week. Embrace the eternal wisdom of God found in the JESUS CHRIST. Turn to Scripture for direction. Read them and allow them to read you! This is where we will find more stability AND this is where we find glory...
1 Corinthians 2:7 (ESV)
7 But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory.
What’s is God’s goal for revealing this ageless wisdom to us…OUR GLORY!
This wisdom is for our GLORY! Those that follow the wisdom of this age and the rulers of this age, will meet a certain and eventual doom, but those that follow the wisdom of the Lord will experience a certain and eventual GLORY!
Application: I know sometimes you find yourself looking at all those who are following the wisdom of this world and oftentimes observing their successes, and their popularity and saying maybe this is the better course…BE NOT DECEIVED...
8 The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.
It is God’s wisdom and God’s wisdom alone found fully in the Gospel of Jesus Christ that leads to glory. When we embrace that wisdom, we can say along with Paul
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
And all of this comes through a wisdom not found through sheer will or intellect but rather REVEALED to us by the timeless unchanging God
In fact, Verse 9 solidifies that for us!
9 But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”—
This is a passage that is regularly misinterpreted.
a. Some of us see it as a passage about ETERNITY. We think Paul is saying we can’t quite fathom how amazing it’s going to be. That’s true, but that’s probably not what Paul has in mind here...
b. Some of us see it as a passage about a blessing God is going to give us in this life. This is where context is really important. The context isn’t about God doing something amazing next week, or next month, or even next year for you. Now, that doesn’t mean that God isn’t going to do something or that God won’t do something and it certainly doesn’t mean that God won’t take care of us but to point to this passage for the evidence or what God is going to do in your life in the next day, week, month, or year is what is known as EISEGESIS. EXEGESIS is taking a text and pulling from it what’s there, but EISEGESIS means we’re READING something into the text that is not there adding meaning that was never intended…That’s what’s happening too often with this passage.
c. The consensus around what this passage means is Paul is saying that this mystery…This secret, hidden, eternal, and transcendent wisdom could not be reached through human channels...
No eye has seen this wisdom, no ear has heard this wisdom, nor heart could have ever imagined this wisdom...
No one could have ever understood apart from God’s revelation that SALVATION would come when God came to die for men
No one could have ever understood apart from God’s revelation that the true path to life is not by trying to hold onto life but by willingly laying life down...
No one could have ever understood that the greatest injustice ever carried out in history, the crucifixion of Jesus Christ would satisfy the greatest demand for justice in history, our sinfulness before a holy and righteous God...
But God has PREPARED this WISDOM and PREPARED this WAY BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD...
And what was His motivation?
1 Corinthians 2:9 “9 But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”—”
So God reveals this knowledge but how does He reveal it?
10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.
One of the chief operations of the Holy Spirit is the continual unveiling of God’s wisdom through the cross to God’s people.
And there is no one who knows those deep thoughts better.
ILLUSTRATION: Marriage…Candi and I have been married for 18 years come next month. And we’ve learned a lot about how to operate in marriage. One of the lessons we’ve learned is you NEVER place your assumptions about what your spouse is thinking on your spouse. You never say…Well, it’s obvious that you don’t care about this…or it’s clear that you don’t care about that.
Why? Because you don’t know what a person is thinking. You can only make informed guesses with limited knowledge but it’s much better to simply say this is what I hear you saying or this is how I perceive you feeling. Why because you are not in their mind and so you simply do not know...
This is precisely what Paul has in mind in verse 11 and 12 when he says...
English Standard Version Chapter 2
11 For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.
Man is constantly trying to understand God apart from God...
Making statements like well if there was a God he wouldn’t do this or do that...
It’s like me trying to place my thoughts on my wife and tell her what she’s thinking…it doesn’t work...
The one who is most suited to speak on God’s behalf regarding his wisdom and his thoughts is his very own Spirit...
The Spirit as revealed through the person and work of Jesus Christ...
The Spirit as revealed through the words of His prophets...
The Spirit as revealed through the writings of His Apostles...
English Standard Version Chapter 2
14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. 16 “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
One of the great mistakes we make is trying to appeal purely to reason when sharing and showing God’s wisdom.
The first step in embracing God’s wisdom is embracing God’s Son because when we embrace God’s son…we receive His Spirit and His mind...