Correcting A Long Division 1 Cor 3:18-23
A recent archeological dig in Greece uncovered a 1st Century Newspaper, which featured a community brief in the classified ad section. In that section, there read the following invitation, “Join us and discover that God has a Wonderful Plan For Your Life. 1st Church of Corinth, meets on the corner of Prosperity Blvd. and Division Avenue. We are a lively group. We are mature. We are wise. We have a snack bar. We have the best Preachers. We bucket seats and a sunroof. We are effective, and We are successful. Join us in the lounge for a Chorus & a Cappuccino for Christ! ” We laugh at how ludicrous that is, but the Corinthian Church is alive and well, maybe well, isn't the right word, but it is living still on planet earth. The Corinthians were dazzled by worldly thinking. They were stuck on themselves. They were stuck on their leaders. And, apparently, some of their leaders were stuck on their leaders, and were building God's Church with substandard materials, human wisdom. And Paul was warning them that their work would be burned up. Some were even in danger of destroying God's holy place, the local church. So, he warned them in 1Co 3:17 “If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.”
And Paul warned that this would be one of the characteristics of the Last Days. In 2nd Timothy, he writes, “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.” 2Ti 3:1-5 Christian people often comment that they wish that we could get back to the 1st Century Church. And I think we have gone back to it, at least to the Corinthian Church. The Apostle Paul, inspired by God to write this letter to the church in Corinth, has written a timeless message for Christian Church of today. Because their problems are universal problems. And it always boils down to pride. [in human learning/leaders] This church could look no further than skin deep and personal preferences. They were hooked on 'tickle the ears' messages & media personalities, and so, Paul has to set them straight. So, in vs.18-20, he admonishes them by bringing The Petition to the Saints, and in vs. 21-23, he exhorts them by reminding them of The Possession of the Saints. The goal is to correct their long division.
I. The Petition to the Saints ...vs.18-20
As we've seen in the previous weeks, Paul has been emphatic in declaring that the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God, and he is very concerned that the Corinthians will continue in their worldly pursuit of human wisdom, and attempt to blend it with the Great Truths of the Christian Faith. Paul wants them to know that if they doing that they are living a lie! Yet, many do that today, for example, by interpreting the Bible's account of origins, with today's so-called science. They begin with the premise that the universe is billions of years old, and then they use that grid to interpret Gen 1. Paul would say what he says here in v.18, “Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.”
What we believe looks foolish to the world; The earth is only thousands of years old, the 1st 2 people were deceived in a garden by a talking snake, and ever since then, everyone dies, except some will be raised up from death by a Crucified Jew, who claimed to be God. You have to admit, that this sounds very foolish, and when you add to that, the fact, that many of the most devoted come to meet for an hour or so, once a week to celebrate some of these claims, by standing up when we are told, then sitting down when we are told, singing old songs that don't seem to make sense to our modern minds, eating a token piece of bread and drinking some juice, then listening to a boring man rant & rave about how great the words are in this Book, it all looks so absolutely ridiculous to them, that we must be the laughing stock of much of the sophisticated world around us. Yet, it is God's Wisdom, and He is pleased to dwell in this place, and He says this is the Holiest place on earth!
Paul opens the door of God's Wisdom; and the only question is, Will we will enter in by it or not? It requires us to stoop, and, to stoop much lower than we wish: but stoop we must; or else we will never gain admission to “the sacredness of God’s covenant, which He makes known to those who fear Him” Psa_25:14.” God holds the key of knowledge in His own hand: “He alone can give wisdom and understanding” Pro_1:6 We can travel land and sea; we can learn many languages, and we can discover many scientific truths, and we can even repeat the very Scriptures themselves from beginning to end; and yet never attain true wisdom, because True Wisdom begins with a fear of God and a simple Trust in the Promises in His Word. Paul says, ”If anyone thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.”
Paul continues to remind them that the wisdom of this age, and the wisdom from God are like oil & water. They don't mix. So, for the sake of emphasis, Paul, once again, reminds his readers what he has been addressing, man's wisdom vs. God's Wisdom. Yet, in v.19a , instead of stating the contrast from man's perspective he states the contrast from God's perspective. He simply states, “For the wisdom of this world is folly with God.” And then he cites 2 examples from what is written in the O.T. of God's view of human wisdom, the 1st one being from the Book of Job [the only N.T. citation of Job], and, ironically, from the lips of the wise fool, Eliphaz. Paul cites only what is useful for his point, which is simply that, man can never pull a sting operation on God. “For it is written”, says Paul, "He catches the wise in their craftiness,"Job 5:13 So, even when men are at their shrewdest, God sees it for what it is, because His knowledge is infinitely higher than man's limited ability to pull the wool over His Holy eyes! Then, in v.20, Paul fires, yet, another O.T. text at them, this time from another piece of wisdom literature, the Psalms. Here, he cites Psalm 94:11 "The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile." Without saving faith all our greatest insights are but vanity!
So, the honest knowledge of ourselves is the key to all wisdom. If we do not know by deep experience, that we are “wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked” as we are told in Rev_3:17, we will never “know any other truth as we ought to know it.” All of Scripture pivots on this. It is because of our guilt and misery, that we need the atoning blood that cleanses, and unspotted righteousness that covers, of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is because of our blindness and pollution, that we need the enlightening and sanctifying influences of the Holy Spirit. It is because we are altogether devoid of any thing that is good, that we must be saved only by ...faith in Christ and fully by ...the grace of God! And it is because of our natural inabilities that we must receive “Christ as our wisdom, our righteousness, our sanctification, and our redemption.” 1Co_1:30.”
And yes, it is possible to obtain a head-knowledge of these things from books, yet still remain as proud and unsanctified as the most ignorant pagan! But a genuine, saving knowledge of these things can only be learned by divine teaching, and must always come after a knowledge of our own depraved hearts. Charles Simeon says, “it will always be exactly proportioned to our self-knowledge: the more we feel ourselves destitute of wisdom, goodness, and strength, the more insight shall we have into “the deep things of God,” and the more precious will every Scripture truth be to our souls.” The person who knows he, and his leaders, are beggars needing bread will find that God has set a banquet in their stead. And that is Paul's point when he writes of...
II. The Possession of the Saints ...vs.21-23
“So let no one boast in men” he writes. Paul says elsewhere,“Don't you know that you are going to judge angels?” God “gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip, you, the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” Why? “so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.” Eph 4:11-14
So,“Why make so much fuss over the servants that God places over different areas of the house. The whole house is yours. Why do you want to attach yourself to a waiter of the restaurant, when the whole establishment is yours? You will inherit much more than the waiters!” “For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas”. These leaders were given to foster unity, not division! Not only do they belong to you, but everything has been placed at your disposal, and will work together for your good, if you have been called in accordance with His purpose! Whether that be “the world or life or death or the present or the future--all are yours” God's Waiters are yours, and God's World is yours! Paul owned it all too! He said in 2Co 6:10, that although he was, “poor, yet he made many rich; and as having nothing, yet he possessed everything.” Why? Because he had inherited the purpose for all that exists! That's what he's telling them here! The Universe is bequethed to you! It's your world!
Yet, our possessing all things is not an end to itself. It is a means to the end, it is a piece of the future reality, because, as Paul tells these childish Corinthians, 'you are Christ's, and Christ is God's'. v. 23 There was a clique that claimed, “I follow Christ!”, when in reality, every group ...every faction ...every party ...belonged to Christ, and should be impressed to say “I follow Christ ...I am of Christ ...I belong to Christ!” “So let no one boast in men, because men belong to Christ and as the 2nd Adam ...Christ belongs to God!” To live by faith is an exponentially greater joy than to live by sight; because in the cup of one who lives by faith, there is an ingredient which all others have never tasted: “God, himself is his portion ...his inheritance, and of his cup.” Psa_16:5
If the entire world is your possession, then why are you so impressed with the wisdom of the world? C S Lewis said, “If you aim for earth you get nothing! [You lose!] If you aim for heaven you get everything, and you get earth thrown in too!” If you will get everything, then why do you desire anything? Have you ever imagined what it would be like to find out that you had a wealthy long-lost relative that had died and left all of his riches to you? That is what has happened! The relative is your elder brother, Jesus Christ. He is the One Who inherits all things, and He is the Head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of him who fills all in all” Eph 1:23! And the Body receives what the Head receives! Riches beyond compare!
Listen to how often Paul tells you this: Rom 10:12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him... Rom 11:12 Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean!... Eph 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace... Eph 1:18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints... Eph 2:7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus... Eph 3:8 To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ... Php 4:19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus... Col 1:27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is ...Christ in you, ...the hope of glory.” And so on and so on! Etc... etc...
All things have been placed under the authority of God’s people. We are His Temple! We, in turn, are under the authority of Christ, our High Priest! And the High Priest is the King, “Who is ruling and reigning amidst His enemies until He makes every last one of those enemies a footstool for His feet! And Christ is under the authority of God. Notice, that Christ does not ask us to do anything that He has not already done Himself. When He calls us to come to Him and to submit ourselves to Him, He has already submitted Himself to the Father. That is the kind of leader you can follow, not like the one who says, "Do as I say, not as I do" ? Therefore,”God has been highly exalted and been given a name which is above every name, that at the Name of Jesus, every knee shall bow in heaven on earth, and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the Glory of God the Father”Phil 2:9-11 ! This is your heritage, as foolish as it may sound!
Closing
Our God is at War with Human Wisdom! This causes me to ask, in reference to all who will not learn in God’s appointed way, What does their wisdom do for them? Does it bring them to God? Does it enable them to overcome the world? Does it disarm death of its sting? Does it inspire them with a hope full of immortality? Does it direct them in their attitudes, and transform them into the image of Goodness that they would admit exists in the person of our Blessed Savior, Jesus Christ? The answer to all those questions is a resounding, NO!!!!
Does our faith do that for us? Does God's Wisdom shine through us such that we show forth these qualities that causes this world to, as the Newsboys would say, “wonder what we got, and make them wish that they were not ...on outside looking bored?” The God of Scripture declares us to be the only wise people on the planet! If we call to mind the first words of the text: “Let no man deceive himself.” We all, and especially those “who seem wise in this world,” are in danger of self-deception and group deception! So, let us remember what Paul had previously told them, that “the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men” 1Cor_1:25.” This should, then, cause us to “lean not on our own understanding, but in all our ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct our paths.” Pro_3:5
This kind of dependence on God for wisdom, where we recognize the weakness & fallibility of our own reason, should lead us to submit ourselves, humbly, to the teachings of God’s word & Spirit, where we will never develop spiritual pride, which is deception. We must be empty in order to be filled. We must renounce our own righteousness in order to be clothed with the righteousness of Christ. We must renounce our own strength in order to be strong. We must renounce our own wisdom in order to be wise.
Paul says in Col. 2:8, “Beware, lest any man spoil you through philosophy and empty deceit!” “The world by wisdom, does no know God.” 1:21 If you're a Christian, don't look for your wisdom & purpose in the world around you. You will come up empty. As Jeremiah said, Its a cracked cistern that will hold no water” Jer 2:13. And the prophet Haggai warned the wayward nation of Israel, when they returned from Babylon,“You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes.” Hag 1:6 Dr Donald Grey Barnhouse once said, “Only a simpleton [that's a moron] would put his wheat into a bag with holes. Don't be that kind of simpleton. Character without Christ, as Lord & Savior is strength poured into a bag with holes. Service without faith in the redemption accomplished by Christ is effort put into a bag with holes. Trying to answer the problems of destiny apart from God's Revealed Word is like pouring your life into a bag filled with holes. In the end the bag will be empty. ”
This morning will you be reminded to put Christ first? That would be wise, my friend. Lets pray!
A recent archeological dig in Greece uncovered a 1st Century Newspaper, which featured a community brief in the classified ad section. In that section, there read the following invitation, “Join us and discover that God has a Wonderful Plan For Your Life. 1st Church of Corinth, meets on the corner of Prosperity Blvd. and Division Avenue. We are a lively group. We are mature. We are wise. We have a snack bar. We have the best Preachers. We bucket seats and a sunroof. We are effective, and We are successful. Join us in the lounge for a Chorus & a Cappuccino for Christ! ” We laugh at how ludicrous that is, but the Corinthian Church is alive and well, maybe well, isn't the right word, but it is living still on planet earth. The Corinthians were dazzled by worldly thinking. They were stuck on themselves. They were stuck on their leaders. And, apparently, some of their leaders were stuck on their leaders, and were building God's Church with substandard materials, human wisdom. And Paul was warning them that their work would be burned up. Some were even in danger of destroying God's holy place, the local church. So, he warned them in 1Co 3:17 “If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.”
And Paul warned that this would be one of the characteristics of the Last Days. In 2nd Timothy, he writes, “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.” 2Ti 3:1-5 Christian people often comment that they wish that we could get back to the 1st Century Church. And I think we have gone back to it, at least to the Corinthian Church. The Apostle Paul, inspired by God to write this letter to the church in Corinth, has written a timeless message for Christian Church of today. Because their problems are universal problems. And it always boils down to pride. [in human learning/leaders] This church could look no further than skin deep and personal preferences. They were hooked on 'tickle the ears' messages & media personalities, and so, Paul has to set them straight. So, in vs.18-20, he admonishes them by bringing The Petition to the Saints, and in vs. 21-23, he exhorts them by reminding them of The Possession of the Saints. The goal is to correct their long division.
I. The Petition to the Saints ...vs.18-20
As we've seen in the previous weeks, Paul has been emphatic in declaring that the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God, and he is very concerned that the Corinthians will continue in their worldly pursuit of human wisdom, and attempt to blend it with the Great Truths of the Christian Faith. Paul wants them to know that if they doing that they are living a lie! Yet, many do that today, for example, by interpreting the Bible's account of origins, with today's so-called science. They begin with the premise that the universe is billions of years old, and then they use that grid to interpret Gen 1. Paul would say what he says here in v.18, “Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.”
What we believe looks foolish to the world; The earth is only thousands of years old, the 1st 2 people were deceived in a garden by a talking snake, and ever since then, everyone dies, except some will be raised up from death by a Crucified Jew, who claimed to be God. You have to admit, that this sounds very foolish, and when you add to that, the fact, that many of the most devoted come to meet for an hour or so, once a week to celebrate some of these claims, by standing up when we are told, then sitting down when we are told, singing old songs that don't seem to make sense to our modern minds, eating a token piece of bread and drinking some juice, then listening to a boring man rant & rave about how great the words are in this Book, it all looks so absolutely ridiculous to them, that we must be the laughing stock of much of the sophisticated world around us. Yet, it is God's Wisdom, and He is pleased to dwell in this place, and He says this is the Holiest place on earth!
Paul opens the door of God's Wisdom; and the only question is, Will we will enter in by it or not? It requires us to stoop, and, to stoop much lower than we wish: but stoop we must; or else we will never gain admission to “the sacredness of God’s covenant, which He makes known to those who fear Him” Psa_25:14.” God holds the key of knowledge in His own hand: “He alone can give wisdom and understanding” Pro_1:6 We can travel land and sea; we can learn many languages, and we can discover many scientific truths, and we can even repeat the very Scriptures themselves from beginning to end; and yet never attain true wisdom, because True Wisdom begins with a fear of God and a simple Trust in the Promises in His Word. Paul says, ”If anyone thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.”
Paul continues to remind them that the wisdom of this age, and the wisdom from God are like oil & water. They don't mix. So, for the sake of emphasis, Paul, once again, reminds his readers what he has been addressing, man's wisdom vs. God's Wisdom. Yet, in v.19a , instead of stating the contrast from man's perspective he states the contrast from God's perspective. He simply states, “For the wisdom of this world is folly with God.” And then he cites 2 examples from what is written in the O.T. of God's view of human wisdom, the 1st one being from the Book of Job [the only N.T. citation of Job], and, ironically, from the lips of the wise fool, Eliphaz. Paul cites only what is useful for his point, which is simply that, man can never pull a sting operation on God. “For it is written”, says Paul, "He catches the wise in their craftiness,"Job 5:13 So, even when men are at their shrewdest, God sees it for what it is, because His knowledge is infinitely higher than man's limited ability to pull the wool over His Holy eyes! Then, in v.20, Paul fires, yet, another O.T. text at them, this time from another piece of wisdom literature, the Psalms. Here, he cites Psalm 94:11 "The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile." Without saving faith all our greatest insights are but vanity!
So, the honest knowledge of ourselves is the key to all wisdom. If we do not know by deep experience, that we are “wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked” as we are told in Rev_3:17, we will never “know any other truth as we ought to know it.” All of Scripture pivots on this. It is because of our guilt and misery, that we need the atoning blood that cleanses, and unspotted righteousness that covers, of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is because of our blindness and pollution, that we need the enlightening and sanctifying influences of the Holy Spirit. It is because we are altogether devoid of any thing that is good, that we must be saved only by ...faith in Christ and fully by ...the grace of God! And it is because of our natural inabilities that we must receive “Christ as our wisdom, our righteousness, our sanctification, and our redemption.” 1Co_1:30.”
And yes, it is possible to obtain a head-knowledge of these things from books, yet still remain as proud and unsanctified as the most ignorant pagan! But a genuine, saving knowledge of these things can only be learned by divine teaching, and must always come after a knowledge of our own depraved hearts. Charles Simeon says, “it will always be exactly proportioned to our self-knowledge: the more we feel ourselves destitute of wisdom, goodness, and strength, the more insight shall we have into “the deep things of God,” and the more precious will every Scripture truth be to our souls.” The person who knows he, and his leaders, are beggars needing bread will find that God has set a banquet in their stead. And that is Paul's point when he writes of...
II. The Possession of the Saints ...vs.21-23
“So let no one boast in men” he writes. Paul says elsewhere,“Don't you know that you are going to judge angels?” God “gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip, you, the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” Why? “so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.” Eph 4:11-14
So,“Why make so much fuss over the servants that God places over different areas of the house. The whole house is yours. Why do you want to attach yourself to a waiter of the restaurant, when the whole establishment is yours? You will inherit much more than the waiters!” “For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas”. These leaders were given to foster unity, not division! Not only do they belong to you, but everything has been placed at your disposal, and will work together for your good, if you have been called in accordance with His purpose! Whether that be “the world or life or death or the present or the future--all are yours” God's Waiters are yours, and God's World is yours! Paul owned it all too! He said in 2Co 6:10, that although he was, “poor, yet he made many rich; and as having nothing, yet he possessed everything.” Why? Because he had inherited the purpose for all that exists! That's what he's telling them here! The Universe is bequethed to you! It's your world!
Yet, our possessing all things is not an end to itself. It is a means to the end, it is a piece of the future reality, because, as Paul tells these childish Corinthians, 'you are Christ's, and Christ is God's'. v. 23 There was a clique that claimed, “I follow Christ!”, when in reality, every group ...every faction ...every party ...belonged to Christ, and should be impressed to say “I follow Christ ...I am of Christ ...I belong to Christ!” “So let no one boast in men, because men belong to Christ and as the 2nd Adam ...Christ belongs to God!” To live by faith is an exponentially greater joy than to live by sight; because in the cup of one who lives by faith, there is an ingredient which all others have never tasted: “God, himself is his portion ...his inheritance, and of his cup.” Psa_16:5
If the entire world is your possession, then why are you so impressed with the wisdom of the world? C S Lewis said, “If you aim for earth you get nothing! [You lose!] If you aim for heaven you get everything, and you get earth thrown in too!” If you will get everything, then why do you desire anything? Have you ever imagined what it would be like to find out that you had a wealthy long-lost relative that had died and left all of his riches to you? That is what has happened! The relative is your elder brother, Jesus Christ. He is the One Who inherits all things, and He is the Head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of him who fills all in all” Eph 1:23! And the Body receives what the Head receives! Riches beyond compare!
Listen to how often Paul tells you this: Rom 10:12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him... Rom 11:12 Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean!... Eph 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace... Eph 1:18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints... Eph 2:7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus... Eph 3:8 To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ... Php 4:19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus... Col 1:27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is ...Christ in you, ...the hope of glory.” And so on and so on! Etc... etc...
All things have been placed under the authority of God’s people. We are His Temple! We, in turn, are under the authority of Christ, our High Priest! And the High Priest is the King, “Who is ruling and reigning amidst His enemies until He makes every last one of those enemies a footstool for His feet! And Christ is under the authority of God. Notice, that Christ does not ask us to do anything that He has not already done Himself. When He calls us to come to Him and to submit ourselves to Him, He has already submitted Himself to the Father. That is the kind of leader you can follow, not like the one who says, "Do as I say, not as I do" ? Therefore,”God has been highly exalted and been given a name which is above every name, that at the Name of Jesus, every knee shall bow in heaven on earth, and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the Glory of God the Father”Phil 2:9-11 ! This is your heritage, as foolish as it may sound!
Closing
Our God is at War with Human Wisdom! This causes me to ask, in reference to all who will not learn in God’s appointed way, What does their wisdom do for them? Does it bring them to God? Does it enable them to overcome the world? Does it disarm death of its sting? Does it inspire them with a hope full of immortality? Does it direct them in their attitudes, and transform them into the image of Goodness that they would admit exists in the person of our Blessed Savior, Jesus Christ? The answer to all those questions is a resounding, NO!!!!
Does our faith do that for us? Does God's Wisdom shine through us such that we show forth these qualities that causes this world to, as the Newsboys would say, “wonder what we got, and make them wish that they were not ...on outside looking bored?” The God of Scripture declares us to be the only wise people on the planet! If we call to mind the first words of the text: “Let no man deceive himself.” We all, and especially those “who seem wise in this world,” are in danger of self-deception and group deception! So, let us remember what Paul had previously told them, that “the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men” 1Cor_1:25.” This should, then, cause us to “lean not on our own understanding, but in all our ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct our paths.” Pro_3:5
This kind of dependence on God for wisdom, where we recognize the weakness & fallibility of our own reason, should lead us to submit ourselves, humbly, to the teachings of God’s word & Spirit, where we will never develop spiritual pride, which is deception. We must be empty in order to be filled. We must renounce our own righteousness in order to be clothed with the righteousness of Christ. We must renounce our own strength in order to be strong. We must renounce our own wisdom in order to be wise.
- The World is yours ...to lodge in ...to study ...to use ...to enjoy ...to conquer!
- Life is yours ...as a daily gift of God ...as a time for discipline and instruction ...as a season for enjoyment ...as a deposit for a more glorious life!
- Death is yours ...to consider ...to end your sorrows ...to finalize an important change ...to unfold the mysteries of eternity ...to introduce you to everlasting happiness.
- Things present are yours ...the dispensing of God's Providence ...the preparations of the gospel ...all the supplies, agencies, and experiences of time. And
- things to come are yours ...the future of time is yours ...the coming of Christ is yours ...the resurrection of the body is yours ...the day of judgment is yours ...heaven is yours ...everlasting life is yours, and God, who was, and is, and is to come, the Almighty is yours!
Paul says in Col. 2:8, “Beware, lest any man spoil you through philosophy and empty deceit!” “The world by wisdom, does no know God.” 1:21 If you're a Christian, don't look for your wisdom & purpose in the world around you. You will come up empty. As Jeremiah said, Its a cracked cistern that will hold no water” Jer 2:13. And the prophet Haggai warned the wayward nation of Israel, when they returned from Babylon,“You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes.” Hag 1:6 Dr Donald Grey Barnhouse once said, “Only a simpleton [that's a moron] would put his wheat into a bag with holes. Don't be that kind of simpleton. Character without Christ, as Lord & Savior is strength poured into a bag with holes. Service without faith in the redemption accomplished by Christ is effort put into a bag with holes. Trying to answer the problems of destiny apart from God's Revealed Word is like pouring your life into a bag filled with holes. In the end the bag will be empty. ”
This morning will you be reminded to put Christ first? That would be wise, my friend. Lets pray!