1 Corinthians 2:1

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. My speech and my preaching were 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.

Father, we thank You that You have clothed us with a garment of salvation. You've covered us with the robe of righteousness. Jesus, because of the work that You did on our behalf, we have the privileged opportunity of standing in Your presence, even at this moment. You said wherever two or more are gathered in Your name, there You are in their midst. We thank You that by Your sure promise, we are in Your presence.

We thank You, Lord, that You do receive our adoration as we sing praises to You. Lord, we ask that by Your Spirit this morning, You would speak to us. God, that You'd continue to instruct us through Your Word, giving us insight and understanding. Lord, that we would know more of You. We thank You that You've revealed Yourself to us and that You desire that men would come into fellowship with You. We thank You that You've drawn us in. Would You speak? We pray in Jesus' name, and all God's people agreed, saying, "You can be seated."

In Acts chapter 18, when Paul entered into the city of Corinth, as we've already considered while going through the book of Acts, he was leaving the city of Athens, where he was not well received. Although he was given opportunity and an audience there at Mars Hill, the place where the philosophers...

The people of Athens gathered together to talk with each other and consider one another's ideas and philosophies. However, when Paul began to speak of the resurrection, the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, he was largely dismissed and mocked by those present. Consequently, Paul departed from Athens, doing what Jesus had instructed his disciples to do in Matthew chapter 10. Jesus told his disciples to go and preach the gospel to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. He said that if one city does not receive them, they should shake the dust from themselves and move on to the next city. Although Paul was not there when Jesus gave that instruction, he undoubtedly received it from the Lord as well.

Paul then traveled 50 to 55 miles west to the city of Corinth. In 1 Corinthians 2, verse 1, we learn that when he arrived, he did not come with excellency of speech or wisdom, declaring the testimony of God. His entrance to Corinth was not marked by great power; there were no theatrics or sensational stunts. He did not present a well-rehearsed rhetoric or a scripted sermon. However, it is important to note that Paul could have done those things. He was very bright, and the letters he wrote clearly demonstrate that he was an intelligent individual.

When he came to the people of Corinth, he determined, as stated in verse 2, that his message would simply be Jesus Christ and Him crucified. If you study through the book of Acts and consider Paul's epistles in the New Testament, you will see that this was always the case. He sought to contextualize the gospel, speaking in a way that was culturally relevant to his audience. For instance, when he was in Athens, he communicated in a language they could understand, as seen in Acts 17. He recognized that the people at Mars Hill did not have a Judean background; they were unfamiliar with Judaism and did not know the one true God as revealed in the Hebrew Scriptures. Therefore, he shared the gospel in a manner that they could grasp more clearly. Yet, in the end, he always brought it back to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.

A message that was considered, as we saw last week in 1 Corinthians 1, was viewed as either foolishness or offensive. Today, there are still those two groups: some see the gospel of Jesus Christ as foolishness, while others find it to be an offensive message. It is particularly offensive to those who are religious because the message of the cross undermines their pursuit of righteousness through religious works. It reveals that there is nothing that you and I can do to get to God.

Every religion in the world is built around the effort to achieve some level of enlightenment or to bring man into the presence of God, or even to elevate man to the status of God, all through human effort. However, the gospel of Jesus Christ is wholly and completely different in that it shows that you can do nothing to earn His favor.

When Paul came to the Corinthians, he approached them in a way that was different from how we might present the gospel today. When we think of evangelistic endeavors, we often picture a stadium with a stage, lights, and a concert-like atmosphere, where someone stands passionately urging people to come just as they are. This is often the image that comes to mind when we think of evangelism or the evangelist.

Certainly, you can attract a large crowd with a big concert, and such events are common in our culture today. Various effects can be used to create great events. However, Paul's method in Corinth and throughout the Roman world was different. You rarely see Paul in a stadium unless he is being tried as a criminal or accused of sedition against Rome, or unless he is being charged with trying to destroy the industry of Ephesus. That is when you see him in the theater, among the multitudes.

Other than those instances, he was largely anonymous when he entered these places to preach the gospel. He did not employ the methods that we might use to attract people. Instead, he was preaching a message that was not in any way attractive; it was offensive.

Foolishness. Offensive to the religious, foolishness to the intellectual. The intellectual who looks at the message says it just seems illogical. It seems trivial. You're telling me that the situation there on Calvary 2,000 years ago, of a man, Jesus Christ, dying naked on a cross, being shamed and mocked by those who pass by, and that through his death and ultimately his resurrection, I can receive the gift of salvation? The intellectual person in a world filled with man's wisdom says that's just foolishness.

We see that Paul didn't employ the tactics, so to speak, to try and attract people. You may say, well, he just didn't have access to such things, and you'd be right. He didn't have stages, lights, and worship bands, and all those sorts of things 2,000 years ago. But even if he did, I don't know that he would employ them. Why? Well, look at verse 5 of 1 Corinthians 2: that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

So, Paul made a decision, perhaps while he was still in Athens or perhaps while he was on his way to Corinth, that 55-mile journey, to singularly focus upon Jesus Christ and him crucified. No doubt, Paul would use the Old Testament passages, which were really the only Bible he had of his day, to lay the foundation for the coming of the Messiah. But ultimately, he would always bring it down to the proclamation of Jesus, his crucifixion, and his ultimate resurrection.

As we've seen in chapter 1, and as we've seen in the responses to the gospel presented in the book of Acts, people did not flock to that message. Because again, it was foolishness or it was offensive. So why then do we continue to rely upon this foolish and offensive message?

Let me say, there have been those who have tried to change it to make it more palatable, to try and make it more attractive to whatever age in which they live. In our day, it's no different. People are trying to lessen the offensive nature of the gospel to make it more desirable. Why focus upon an offensive and foolish message, some think?

Well, I would say, for one, we focus on such a message because we have been given this message to preach. We didn't make it up. Remember what Paul said to the Galatians in Galatians chapter 1: I did not make this up. I received it by revelation of Christ. So this is not...

Our message is the message of the cross. It is the message of Jesus Christ. This is the message that we have been given to preach. Although it may seem apparently foolish—and I emphasize the word apparently—and no doubt offensive, it is still the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes. The gospel message is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes.

Yes, men 2,000 years ago found the message to be foolish. They found it to be offensive, just as many do in the year 2010. The message has not changed, nor has the reaction of man to the message. The power of God to save men through the preaching of the gospel has not changed either. Therefore, we must proclaim it. We must preach the gospel, not just from a pulpit within a church setting.

Although it may be considered a wrong assumption, when I stand here on a Sunday morning, my assumption is that most of the people who gather here at 1675 7 Oaks Road have at least a small understanding that we are going to talk about the gospel of Jesus Christ. This indicates that most of the people, even if a person comes in who is not a believer, recognize that they will hear something from the Bible related to Jesus Christ and the message He brought to this world.

The fact is, the overwhelming majority of people who need the gospel are not here. What then is our purpose? Our purpose is the same as the stated purpose that Paul gives in Ephesians chapter 4: to equip the saints for the work of the ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ. Our desire is to equip you to take the gospel into this world, into the highways and the byways, into your workplace, among your family members who do not know the Lord, and into the places where you play and hang out, wherever it may be, including your school.

We want to ensure that you are equipped with the gospel of Jesus Christ, even though it is an offensive message and considered by many to be foolish. We need to preach the gospel because it is the power of God unto salvation. That said, we do hope that if a non-believer—someone who is not a follower of Jesus—comes here, they will hear the gospel. That is our desire.

But we recognize that most gospel proclamation needs to take place outside the walls of the church. There are some who ask, "Why can't we just dress it up a bit? Why can't we make it a bit more palatable, a little less offensive?" No doubt, there have been those who have tried. Even in our day, there are those who say they don't want to talk about sin, death, wrath, judgment, and repentance because those topics are generally not well-received.

People don't like to be told that they are sinners. Sometimes they respond, "I don't even know what that means." So, you begin to explain. A sinner means that you've transgressed God's law, and before God, you're a criminal. They might say, "I don't like the way that sounds. I'm a pretty good person." You may be a good person; you may even be better than someone like Dahmer. However, that is neither here nor there before God.

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way. We all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. When we tell someone they are a sinner, we are not speaking in a self-righteous tone. We are sinners saying, "Hey, we're all sinners. We're in the same boat, and it's sinking. We better do something."

For all of man's efforts, he has no way to save himself in this situation. He creates all kinds of lifeboats to try and hang on to, perhaps to make him feel better for a time. But at the end of the day, hope is lost. There is but one way, and that way is found in the gospel, which is the power of God unto salvation.

The gospel always begins with the reality of man's fallen condition. Consider the fact that two-thirds of the Bible is dedicated to man's fallen condition in the Old Testament before we ever even get to the gospel proclamation. Thousands of years of history reveal man's absolute lostness before Jesus comes on the scene.

If you remove sin, death, wrath, repentance, and judgment from the gospel, you denude the gospel of its power. Sure, those omissions might make man feel better, but they will not save man's soul.

There have been those who say they want to remove all the difficult aspects and just focus on the good things about Jesus. They emphasize that if you come to Jesus, you can go to heaven. You come to Jesus, and you'll have love, joy, and peace— all good things. No doubt, the Bible speaks about those aspects.

However, there are individuals who have received that gospel, and after receiving it in that form, they experience the trials of the gospel. Remember, Jesus said that if anyone desires to follow Him, he needs to take up his cross and follow Him. The person who follows Jesus will experience trials, tribulation, and persecution. They will face hard times.

There is a gospel being presented that is not the gospel of the Bible, although it sounds similar and uses many of the same terms. This false gospel claims that if you come to Jesus, you will be healthy, wealthy, and wise. When people do not receive health, wealth, or wisdom, they may become disillusioned and say, "Forget this." You might meet them on the street or in your workplace, and when you start to share the gospel with them, they might respond, "Oh, I tried that." Have you ever heard that before? They have been inoculated to the true gospel by a false gospel, and that is dangerous.

The message we bring can be offensive and foolish to sinful man. Therefore, if it is going to be effective, it must be empowered by the Spirit of God. Notice what Paul says in 1 Corinthians chapter 2, at the end of verse 4. He states that his speech and preaching were not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power. Would you underline those words: "in demonstration of the Spirit and of power"?

If the gospel is going to penetrate deep into the heart of man, if it is going to bypass his intellect, which calls it foolish, and his pride, which says, "I'm good enough," it can only do so by the power of God. We must preach it, but God must carry that word to the heart. The heart must be prepared by the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, who, as Jesus tells us in John chapter 16, prepares the heart of man.

How does He do that? Through conviction—conviction of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. This includes the conviction of my sin, God's righteousness, and the judgment that will come upon my sin because of His righteousness. The Holy Spirit does that work. When we preach the gospel boldly and clearly, it may seem like an impossible task, but it is essential.

Task because man is just going to cast it off as foolish or offensive. It may seem that it's impossible for man to receive it, but if we will willingly and obediently preach the gospel clearly and boldly, then we give the opportunity for the Holy Spirit of God to work powerfully.

What does that look like? I was reminded this week of the story in 1 Kings chapter 18. If you would, turn in your Bibles to the Old Testament, 1 Kings, just before 2 Kings and right after 2 Samuel. 1 Kings chapter 18 presents the story of Elijah. The nation of Israel had almost completely fallen headlong into pagan idolatry. They were largely worshipping two different false gods: the god called Baal and the god called Asherah. The worship of Baal and Asherah was well established because there were many teachers or prophets for Baal and Asherah, as we see in this passage in 1 Kings chapter 18.

Because of their sin, God had judged the people by sending a drought upon the nation. For three and a half years, they had experienced a drought. A drought that the prophet of God, Elijah, had told them was going to come about because of their sin and that God would give rain if they repented. Elijah was out in the wilderness, and the king of Israel in the north was trying to find him to say, "Hey, can you get rid of this drought?" Ultimately, the Lord said, "I want you to go and show yourself to the king."

In verse 17, we read, "And it came to pass when Ahab saw Elijah that Ahab said unto him, 'Are you he that troubles Israel?'" You see, he looked at Elijah and said, "You're the one who brought this drought." Elijah responded, "No, that's not the case. I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father's house, in that you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord and you have followed Baal."

Now, therefore, send and gather to me all Israel unto Mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal, 450, and the prophets of Asherah, 400, which eat at Jezebel's table. Jezebel was the wicked queen of the land at that time. Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and they gathered together, the prophets at Mount Carmel. Elijah came unto all the people and said, "How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow Him."

If Baal be God, follow him. And the people answered him, not a word. Elijah stands before the nation of Israel, or a large multitude of the nation of Israel gathered together there. The 450 prophets of Baal are present, along with the 400 prophets of Asherah. This single prophet of God stands up, and everybody's eyes are upon him because they think he is the reason they are experiencing drought. He says, "How long are you going to be split between two decisions? If God is God, serve Him. If these other gods are God, then serve them. Fine. But we need to see which one is right, which one is real."

So he says, "We're going to have a test today." Here is the test he gives: "We're going to get two bulls. We'll sacrifice these bulls. The prophets of Baal can set up their altar. I'll set up my altar, and you call out to your God. I'll call out to my God. Whichever God shows up by fire, He is God." The people said, "Sounds like a plan."

What happened? They did this, and the prophets of Baal, from nine o'clock in the morning until three o'clock in the afternoon, jumped up and down. They cried out to Baal, they were crying, and they cut themselves. They were the first emo kids in the Bible. As they did this, Elijah mocked them. I love Elijah. He said, "Maybe your God is on vacation. Maybe He's off resting." They cried all the more, lancing themselves and bleeding all over the place, but Baal did not show up by fire.

What happens next? Verse 30 states that Elijah said unto the people, "Come near unto me." The people came near unto him, and he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down. This is very important. Elijah took twelve stones according to the number of the tribes of the son of Jacob, unto whom the word of the Lord came, saying, "Israel shall be thy name." With the stones, he built an altar in the name of the Lord. He did it the way that the Lord had instructed. He built an altar in the name of the Lord and made a trench about the altar.

At that time, the people gathered there were probably thinking, "I don't remember this. Why is he putting a trench around that? That's not how we're supposed to do this." The trench was great enough to contain two measures of seed. He put the wood in order, cut the bull into pieces, and laid it upon the wood. Then he said to those gathered near, "Fill four barrels of water and pour it out upon the burnt sacrifice."

"What?" That seemed foolish. He said, "Do it a second time." They did it a second time. He said, "Do it a third time." They did it a third time, and the water ran about the altar, filling the trench also with water.

Well, it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice that Elijah the prophet came near and said, "Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and that I have done all these things at your word. Hear me, O Lord. Hear me, that this people may know that you are the Lord God and that you have turned their hearts back again."

Now, does anybody here today think that when Elijah stood up to do that, after he poured twelve barrels of water over the sacrifice, after they had sat there all day long watching the prophets of Baal try to bring fire down from heaven, that Elijah's heart was not racing? I think it was just like Paul when he came into Corinth. We are told that he came to them with fear and much trembling and weakness. We experience the same thing when we stand up to do what the world sees as foolish. When we begin to proclaim that which is offensive to this world, our hearts are beating a million miles a minute, are they not? And we are scared to death.

Sometimes we seem to think that the prophets of God were not like that. But they were. In fact, we see it in the very next chapter in 1 Kings chapter 19, when Elijah flees, running for his life, scared to death. We see it in the fact that Paul says, "When I came to you, I came in weakness and in fear and much trembling." Even the Apostle Paul had that same sort of thing happen to him. It's not like he had some sort of extra special power. Sometimes we seem to think that those guys, like Billy Graham, have this extra special power. No, they are fearful too.

I'll tell you right now, it's easy to stand up here before friends and family and people that know the Lord to speak the word of God. Now, for some of you, that may not be easy because you're scared to death. You would rather die naked on a cross than to stand up here. But the fact is, it's so much easier to stand here in a crowd of people who know you and basically believe the same things that you do and declare these things. However, when you're standing before one person out on the street somewhere, it's hard to do. Paul knew this; he understood this.

Well, Elijah stands up and he says, "God, so that these people might know that you're God, would you show up?" Then, in verse 38, the fire of the Lord fell.

Lord, it fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the dust. It licked up the water that was in the trench, and all the people saw it. They fell on their faces and said, "The Lord, He is God. The Lord, He is God."

Paul said, "When I came to you, I wanted you to see the demonstration of the Spirit and power of God." He did not come with man's wisdom; he came preaching Christ crucified, a message that he knew was considered foolishness by most and offensive to the rest. Elijah's act in First Kings chapter 18 was apparently foolish to all the people who were looking on that day when he said, "Can you pour some water over the top of it?" They were thinking, "Come on, seriously."

Now, you have to consider that there had been a drought for three and a half years. I wonder how long it took them to go down the hill and find some water. They poured out the water, but it gave every opportunity for God to show up with power. Why? First Corinthians chapter two, verse five states that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

We have to question, do we, at times, or are we tempted to put our faith in the wisdom of men, even within the church? As it relates to the gospel proclamation, does the modern church do this? I would say yes. How so? Well, when we package and sell a program for church growth and evangelism based on the methods of Willow Creek and Bill Hybels or the methods of Rick Warren at Saddleback, we say, "This is the way to grow your church; implement the purpose-driven church."

I recognize that I might step on someone's toes here, so I apologize for the concept. But if we take it and say, "This is the way to build the church; just follow these methods," are we not putting our wisdom in man? Are we putting all of our stock in man's wisdom? We say, "Well, I don't know if the gospel is enough; we need to do it this way."

Paul wanted our faith to stand in the wisdom of God, not the wisdom of men. You see, Paul's speech and his preaching were not with enticing or persuasive words. In fact, all the historical accounts that we have of the Apostle Paul show that he was a...

Paul was a relatively monotone individual. He was rather short, balding, with bowed legs and a big nose. Some of you can relate. That was Paul. No offense intended, but he was nothing remarkable in appearance. He didn't have any powerful words when he came to them. In fact, they thought it was kind of strange because they had received these powerful letters from him. They would say, "Man, he writes really well." However, when they saw him, they noticed a conflict. He came declaring Jesus Christ and Him crucified, but it seemed that some people grew tired of it. All he ever talked about was Jesus, Jesus, Jesus; the cross, the cross, the cross. They wondered if he could put on a little show, perform some miracle, or do something sensational. But he didn't.

I have a feeling that when Paul showed up in Corinth, he was quite a sight. He had been beaten in Philippi and imprisoned. He had been kicked out of Thessalonica and Berea, and he had just left Athens, where he had spoken to the philosophers at Mars Hill. They basically put him in his place and said, "Oh, come on, you've got to be kidding me." Now, he arrived in Corinth, weak, fearful, trembling, and alone. No one was with him. Yet he declared, "I came to preach Christ crucified." This was a man who had been schooled in Judean schools and had lived most of his life around the religious establishment of Jerusalem. Now, he was entering one of the most pagan cities of the day to preach a message that was considered foolishness and offensive.

But remember, God has chosen the foolish things of this world to confound those things that are wise, as stated in 1 Corinthians chapter 1. The foolish things, the weak things, the base things, those things that are despised—God has chosen them. We fit the bill, don't we? When Jesus chose His disciples, He didn't choose as man would choose. If we were to select a group of 12 individuals to transform the world and bring the gospel, we would look for athletes, celebrities, actors, politicians, and well-spoken individuals. We would search for the best group possible, perhaps going to Ivy League schools to pick out the crew. But who did Jesus choose? Tax collectors, fishermen, zealots? At least four of Jesus' disciples were fishermen, and probably six of them were from that background. Here He had this group of Galileans.

God is going to give the power of the Spirit to those He chooses and say, "Go preach the gospel, cast out demons from people." God's choosing is wholly different from our choosing, isn't it? His ways are completely different from our ways. Isaiah 55:8 says that His ways are beyond our finding out; they are high above us.

We tend to choose the best and the brightest, often selecting individuals based on their celebrity. We think that because of their celebrity, they will be victorious. However, when we choose like that, according to man's wisdom, we see a lack of power in the church. Is there a lack of power in the church today? I would say that there probably is. There is a lack of power in the church.

We have more resources and wealth than ever before. We have more opportunity than ever before. We can reach more people in less time than at any other time in history. And yet, the church lacks power. Why? Because we are relying on our resources, our wealth, our talent, and our ability, rather than on the power of God.

What is the power of God? Romans 1:16 says, "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to the Jew first and also to the Greek." To everyone who believes, it is the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1:18 states that the preaching of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are saved, it is the power of God.

If we would use God's Word as He intended us to use it, we would see the power of God fall. However, we have been seduced into the consumerization of the gospel, the commoditization of the gospel, trying to package it in a way that appeals to people. Packaging sells; that's why companies like Apple are so successful. We often buy or do not buy a product based on how it looks.

We think the same way about the gospel. We feel the need to make it more palatable, to ensure that everyone likes it. Not only that, we don't want to be considered fools. We want to be liked. Some may deny this, but deep down in our hearts, we all want acceptance. If we preach the gospel, if we tell our friends and family members who do not know Christ, we risk being seen as foolish.

We believe that we are saved by grace through faith because of the work that Jesus did on the cross 2,000 years ago. As a result of His work, I've been made right with Almighty God, and I'm going to heaven for eternity. They look at you and say, "Come on, seriously?" and we're afraid that they might do that. But in reality, they need to hear the truth.

If we would see God's powerfully, if we would experience the demonstration of the Spirit and power of God, then we need to rely upon His power in preaching this offensive and foolish message unashamedly, wherever we go. I was convicted a week and a half ago or so as I was out to lunch with a few friends who are also in the ministry. One of the gentlemen is regularly on the show, Pastor's Perspective on K-Wave.

As we were out to lunch, the waitress came to take our order. The gentleman I was sitting with said, "Listen, ma'am, in a couple of minutes, we're going to pray for our meal. Can we pray for you?" I went, "Whoa, never thought of doing that before." She kind of looked at us and said, "What?" We replied, "We're going to pray for you. Can we pray for you?" After the startled look left her face, she said, "Yeah, actually, my little brother is going through a lot of trouble. Would you pray for him?"

Now, I don't doubt that the gentleman's heart was in the right place when he said it. It takes a step of faith, but it's powerful. This world doesn't know that kind of power; they just look at it and go, "What?"

In verse six, Paul says, "Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect, yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world that are come to naught or nothing. 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."

In our world today, the foolishness of man is considered to be wisdom.

The wisdom of God is considered to be foolish. However, only those who are perfected by the Spirit of God—those who are born again—can perceive and know true wisdom. Solomon rightly observed this fact when he said in Proverbs 9:10, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." In Proverbs 1:7, he also states, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge."

Man, in his wisdom, has departed from God. He has dethroned and defamed God, and as a result, he is deluded. Man has professed wisdom, but in doing so, he has become a fool. His foolishness is most evidently seen in his rejection of God and in his denial of God's existence. The psalmist says twice in Psalm 14:1 and Psalm 53:1, "The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God.'" This is an indication of foolishness. I know this would bother some; I hope it does. Atheism is an indication of foolishness. They even have a national holiday: April 1st.

Psalm 14:1 goes on to say that after stating the fool has said in his heart, "There is no God," it adds, "They are corrupt, and they have done abominable works. There is none that does good." Look around our world today. Is this not exactly the outcome of atheism: corruption, abomination, and wickedness? That is the outcome.

The world's wisdom claims that you have evolved by random chance and mutation over millions or even billions of years, and that you have no purposeful existence. In contrast, God's wisdom reveals that He formed us in our mother's womb and created us for a purpose. The wisdom of this world says to do whatever you desire, that there are no consequences. God's wisdom warns, "Do not be deceived. God is not mocked. Whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap."

The wisdom of this world even promotes covetousness as a good thing. I was listening recently to a leading atheist in our nation, Christopher Hitchens, the author of the book "God Is Not Great." In an interview, he stated that covetousness is a good thing.

It leads to progress. That's how we've advanced in society. God's wisdom says, "Thou shalt not covet" (Exodus 20:17). The wisdom of this world says man is inherently good. Go serve in the children's ministry and see how long you believe that. God, in His wisdom, reveals that the heart of man is desperately wicked. You see, God's wisdom is absolutely contrary to the world's wisdom. That's why the world does not like God's wisdom; they see it as foolishness.

When you say to your learned friend or family member, especially if they've taken classes in psychology, that children are born inherently wicked, they'll say, "No, no, no, you can't say that. You'll ruin their self-esteem." That's foolishness. The Bible says the heart of man is desperately wicked. Who can know it? The wisdom of this world claims that the woes and evils of this world are the result of society. All the problems in society are the product of society.

God's wisdom reveals, in Mark 7, that Jesus teaches that evil thoughts and evil actions proceed out of an evil heart. God has revealed His wisdom to those who are born again, a wisdom that the world sees as foolishness. Prior to the coming of Christ, God's wisdom was a mystery, and still to this day, it is mysterious to many who are in the world. Those who don't know God and have not been enlightened by the Spirit of God think this wisdom is weird, foolish, stupid, and offensive.

However, the mystery of God's wisdom is not an enigma that cannot be known. In fact, God desires that we would know Him, that we would know this wisdom, and He is the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him, as Hebrews 11:6 says. Now, God's wisdom may be a mystery, but it is a mystery that God enjoys revealing.

What is this mystery? What is this wisdom? It is that sinful man can be made right with a holy God by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ the righteous. This sacrifice was not God's third attempt to try and make things right. Some people think that. They say, "Well, you know, back in the Garden of Eden, God said, 'Don't eat of the tree of the...'"

Knowledge of good and evil, and God screwed up. He didn't do a good job there. Then, He gave the law to the children of Israel, and that didn't really work. Finally, after a few thousand years of that, He is up in heaven scratching His head, saying, "Man, how are we going to fix this whole thing?" So, He turns to Jesus and says, "Maybe you could go down there and make it right." This was the third attempt.

No, it was God's plan before He created. Revelation 13:8 says that Jesus is the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world. This means that the plan of redemption for man was established before God said, "Let there be light." The mystery that is revealed, this wisdom, is that holy God desires a relationship with man—a relationship unhindered by location and barrier.

What does that mean? It means that God does not desire a relationship with man that is only found in one little building, in one little city, in one little corner of the world. It is not hindered by location. Nor is it hindered by barrier, meaning that you can only approach this close, and you have to go through this barrier of a religious system and through a priesthood before you can get to Him. No, God wants fellowship and relationship with man unhindered.

So, what has God done? The wisdom of God, the mystery of God, is revealed in this. Colossians 1:27 states, "Christ in you, the hope of glory." God desires to tabernacle in man. He desires to fellowship with man in the sense that you are the temple of the Holy Spirit. This is brought about through the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. His death on the cross made it possible for you and me to have that close of a fellowship and relationship with the one true God, the one who created everything you see.

The mystery of God's wisdom continues to be unfolded and revealed in and through God's people. Paul reveals this in Ephesians 3:10, stating that this mystery and wisdom is revealed to all creation, that it might be made known by the church, the manifold wisdom of God. This wisdom was not known by anybody here on earth apart from God's revelation. No wise men understood it. No strong rulers comprehended or grasped it. God alone has revealed it. The rulers of this age, had they recognized the one standing before them when they condemned...

Him to die by crucifixion. Had they recognized that he was and is the Lord of glory, they would never have crucified him. But they didn't recognize it. They didn't know who he was. Why is that? Well, it's a fulfillment of the prophecy spoken of in Isaiah chapter 64, verse 4, that Paul quotes from here in 1 Corinthians 2, verse 9.

But as it is written, "Eye has not seen, nor has ear heard, neither has entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those that love him." But God has revealed them unto us by his Spirit, for the Spirit searches all things, yea, the deep things of God. The world did not know it. The world did not comprehend or understand this mysterious wisdom, but God has revealed it through his Son and by his Spirit.

We, the body of Christ, know something the world does not know, but it's God's desire that we would declare it. It is our privileged obligation to proclaim this wisdom to the world, to carry to this world the gospel of Jesus Christ. We have this treasure in earthen vessels to be able to share with this world the reality of God.

For verse 11 says, "For what man knows the things of man, save the spirit of man, which is in him? Even so, the things of God knows 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 by God. We, by grace through faith, have received the Spirit of God. The Spirit of God dwells within the believer and follower of Jesus Christ.

We are the temple of the Holy Spirit, says Paul in 1 Corinthians chapter 6. We have received the Spirit. Jesus, to his disciples in John chapter 20, after his resurrection, breathed on them and said, "Receive ye the Holy Spirit." At that time, by grace through faith, they were born again.

Now, several weeks later, they would receive the overflowing of the Holy Spirit, which would enable them to be witnesses unto God throughout the world. But they were born again and they received the Spirit.

Well, what does that mean? Romans 8, verse 15 tells us that having received the Spirit, we now cry out to God, "Abba Father," meaning by the Spirit of God, we've been brought into a relationship with the one true God, and he is our Father. When we read "Abba Father," it's literally...

Daddy, we have that kind of relationship with Him. That is the mystery that was a mystery in the Old Testament, but revealed in Jesus Christ. He brought to light life and immortality in the gospel. He brought to light the fact that God desires to have a relationship with us where we relate to Him as Daddy, not as this big cosmic killjoy up in heaven who just wants to destroy all fun on earth.

Continuing on to verse 13, it says, "Which things also we speak not in words which man's wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things to spiritual." The natural man receives 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, apart from the working of God in him, sees the things of the Scriptures as foolishness.

How many of you tried to read the Bible before you were saved? It just went right over the top of your head, and you thought, "What in the world is this all about?" Then, you receive the Spirit of God by grace through faith, and from one second to the next, something has changed. Now it starts to make sense, and God begins to unfold it even more.

But he that is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. This does not mean, as verse 15 states, that the Christian is above criticism. Remember, this entire letter is basically a criticism of the believers there at Corinth. It is not that the Christian is above criticism, as some have wrongly used this verse to defend. In reality, the natural man is ill-equipped to judge the spiritual man because he does not understand the things of the Spirit of God.

For who has known the mind of the Lord? This is also a quote from the book of Isaiah, where God is asking the children of Israel, "Who has known my mind? Who has been my counselor?" No one has known the mind of the Lord in the Old Testament because it was a mystery, but it is revealed in Jesus Christ. Why? We read at the end of verse 16, "But we have the mind of Christ."

You see, God has opened to us an understanding of His way. He has made known to us through the gospel how He works and who He is. He desires that this world would know Him. He desires to reveal Himself through you and me as we...

We have such an awesome privilege as ambassadors of Christ to share the reality of the gospel with those who don't know it. Know for certain that you might be thought a fool, and you'll most certainly offend some people. I get emails regularly from people I've offended with the Word of God, more so lately. But God's Word is an offense. We can't make it more palatable. You're not going to make it any better where people say, "Boy, I just think that's great." You just called me a sinner? Thanks so much. It's not going to happen.

Preach it boldly. Preach it clearly. It is the power of God unto salvation.

Let's stand and pray. Father, thank you for giving us this treasure in earthen vessels. As we go from here, Lord, help us not to be able to contain it, but to spill it out. We ask in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Thank you.