Latest / CCC West Covina / The Wisdom of the World and the Wisdom of God

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The Wisdom of the World and the Wisdom of God · CCC West Covina

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Have me thank you so much to God for today, Father.
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Thank you for all these blessed Saints before me, Father.
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Their desire is is my desire. Lord.
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We want to to worship you Father.
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We want to put you on display. You're the most important thing
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to us in our lives, Father, and it it's good to get together on
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a Wednesday and together together as a as your body,
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Father, and we know that you're honored whenever we get together
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and and still your word Father. We pray that you would be with
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us Father, and help us to open our hearts up so that we might
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understand that the great truths of your word, Father, and help
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us to leave us building. Father, thankful for who you are
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and what you did for us on the cross.
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We pray these things in Jesus name, Amen.
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So if you would open your Bibles to 1st Corinthians chapter 2,
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it's a a study that we did in our man's Bible stay together.
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And I apologize for your man that was here for that earlier
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study. I'll try to change a few things
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around maybe to make it more interesting to you.
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But we want to share with you the the wisdom of the world and
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of God as as your notes. They hope you have your notes.
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And we'll be talking about the wisdom of the world and compare
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it to the to the wisdom of God. God's wisdom in comparison to
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the wisdom of man. And certainly God has perfect
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wisdom. He tells us through his word how
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people should think and how people should believe.
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But the world does the same thing.
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They also have are trying to persuade us how we as Christians
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should think and and should should believe.
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But godly wisdom would certainly include the eternal plan of
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salvation and eternal plan of, of his sovereignty and God's
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plan for for his church. And we'll look tonight up about
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how God wants us to to to run his church and how what we
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should do as we humble our hearts as, as we serve it in the
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church. But the world does make itself
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wise. And one of the biggest
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discussions right now on on the wisdom of the world today is the
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discussion on the the new rule of artificial intelligence AI in
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the world. This is the area that that
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should we should focus upon as believers in Christ and the
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world certainly is that they try to figure out how wise AI is and
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they try to figure out whether it's good or evil.
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Will it destroy us that will it make our lives better?
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I think certainly we all agree that AI has some definite
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benefits within the within the culture.
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We have done some amazing and marvelous things, but we also
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need to be aware that also, although it's called artificial
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intelligence, there's only one who's ultimate intelligent.
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He's the real intelligence, right?
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He's a God of real intelligence, not some artificial
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intelligence. He is all knowing and he's
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omniscient, omniscient. He's all powerful.
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But the unbeliever thinks that they are pretty, pretty
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intelligent. They they think that they've
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figured out and solve most of the problems within their own
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lives. Unbelievers walk around even
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right now thinking that they've figured it all out.
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They have the answers to this life and the problem.
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This would have been solved. Yet despite the arrogance, the
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world is still trying to be extra smart, using AI, extra
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intelligence to help give them perhaps a better ability to
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solve problems and in a faster and and correct way.
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What men should do though, however, is to look to God and
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look to his word to help them to, to solve the problems.
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And the concern that I have sometimes for the, the church,
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for the believers in Christ is that they will look in the wrong
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direction. And so let's say a look toward
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God's word. They will look toward the
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worldly wisdom of artificial intelligence, super
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intelligence, which although it does do some amazing things for
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us, certainly within the medical field, it's just a machine and
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it's controlled by, by people's worldly thinking.
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So we need to ask Christians out to be aware of what's coming,
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our direction and, and to get in front of it, so to speak.
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So we're not overcome by and we don't just do things because the
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rest of the world goes to AI. Therefore, we should also, so we
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need to make sure we think about this and consider the hearts of
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two people that might be within the same room. 1 being a an
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unbeliever who believes in humanly wisdom and the other a
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Christian in the same room who believes in godly wisdom.
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And the first man thinks of a question to ask AI and clicks on
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the the dive deeper button. Who's ever seen the dive deeper?
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That's what then, you know, Google search, dive a little bit
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deeper into the AI. They click on that button and
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Gemini 3 to try to get the answers to their problems, to
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perhaps dive deeper into the entire knowledge of human
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history. Every books that are written can
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be searched by AI within a millisecond.
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They have the whole world library at their hands.
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How could you not succeed in finding great wisdom here?
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And they click on that button and they wait half a second, but
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the answer to come back amazed and marbled by this great
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technology that can tell the answer to their problem.
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And they answer according to the way it thinks.
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And the person I believe in, the first person in the room,
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believes it to to be true. He wants to search and he wants
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a summarization of of human knowledge to help him solve a
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problem or even to understand what is right and what is wrong.
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The second man believes in God's wisdom instead of clicking on
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the button, he opens up his Bible right.
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He searches God's word and in God's infinite wisdom, which is
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revealed within his word and God tells him clearly how he created
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the universe. He he solves his problems to
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reading God's word and obeying God's word.
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He he bends his heart to obey what God says, what is right and
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what is wrong. And while the AI machine tries
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to to search the entire breath of human wisdom to to give an
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answer on ChatGPT, God knows every question.
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God knows every answer. He knows exactly what's going to
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happen even before we even think of the question, even before we
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verbally think about it or write it down to a computer.
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God knows all things and we need to make sure that we we think
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about this. I asked AI the in Gemini 3 this
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question in a deeper dive mode. Here's a question.
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Who knows more, God or AI? All right, and here's the answer
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I came up with. It says some philosophers and
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tech enthusiasts argue that as approaches super intelligence,
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it may eventually mirror some traits we associate with the
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divine, such as omnipresence through the digital realm or a
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form of omniscience to access to all human data.
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It says somehow super intelligence may somehow mirror
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God in some way, right? You have all of the history of
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mankind at your fingertips and we need to make sure that we
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make sure we we go according to Psalms 139, which says you have
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searched and known me. You know when I sit down and
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when I get up, you understand my thought from far away.
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You scrutinize my path and my lying down and acquainted with
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all my ways even before there was a word on my tongue.
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Behold Lord, you know it all verse John 320 but whenever our
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heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart and he
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knows everything. We need to think about the topic
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of AI and and our topic today is humanly wisdom versus godly
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wisdom. We need to make sure we use our
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Bibles as as a filter to block out the things from the world
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which can possibly get to our heart.
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We need to hold up our Bible to the TV and to music and to
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movies that might try to get to our hearts, and our kids need to
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do the same thing. If it can't get through God's
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Word into it, through what it says, and we shouldn't believe
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it. It's a filter that we use to
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block out the ways of the world. We trust upon our Lord in His,
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in his ways. But the AI within the church is
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something to think about within our church.
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But last Sunday we had a nice, very good meeting with Tim and
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with AJ and elders discussing the topic of AI usage within the
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church. And pastors, you know, could
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possibly misuse it and say, give me a message, you know, write or
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write your whole message that pastors can.
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I'm sure some, some people do use that.
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Some people just might use that in our world today.
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Because believing in Christ, we need to to consider these issues
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and let us not marvel over a machine, but over our God
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instead, Let us not seek the answer to our pause by clicking
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a button on the device within our pocket and to make sure we
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keep our focus within God's word.
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And our topic today, as you can see, is First Corinthians
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chapter 2. And Paul has the same issue in
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his time as we do within ours. Let's go ahead and pray before
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we read. We read first Corinthians 21 to
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16. Have me.
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Thank you so much for God, for thy Father be with us in our
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time. Father, help us to look through
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your word. Father, see how we should
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actually bend our hearts. Lord, Paul says.
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And when I came to your brothers, I did not come with
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the period of wisdom, order or wisdom.
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Proclaim to you the witness of God, but determined to know
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nothing among you except Jesus Christ, him crucified.
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And I was with you in weakness and in fear, and it was
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trembling. And my Word and my preacher were
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not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of
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spirit and power, so that your faith would not be in the wisdom
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of men been the power of God. Yet we not speak wisdom among
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those who are mature, a wisdom, however, not of this age, nor of
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the rulers of this age who are being abolished.
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But we speak God's wisdom in a mystery, the wisdom which has
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been hidden, which God predestined before the ages to
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our to our glory, which none of the rules of this age has
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understood. For if they had understood it,
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they would not have crucified the Lord of glory, just as
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written things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and
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which have not into the heart of man all that God's prepared for
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those who love Him. But to us God will build them
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through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches all
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things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the
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depths of a man except the spirit of the man which is in
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him? Even so the depths of God no one
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knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the
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Spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God's, that
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we may know the depths graciously given to us by God,
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of which depths we also speak, not in words taught by human
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wisdom, but in those top of the Spirit, combining spiritual
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depths with spiritual words. But a natural man does not
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accept the depths of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness
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to him, and he cannot understand them because they are
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spiritually examined. But he who is spiritual examines
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all things, yet he himself is examined by no one but who has
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known the mind of the Lord, that he will direct him.
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But we have the mind of Christ. Paul is speaking to those within
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the Church of Corinth, of Corinth, and he's trying to tell
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them, explain to them how they need to direct their church and
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to direct their hearts. And as you look at your notes,
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you'll see Paul reminds them that they need to preach Christ
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crucified. He reminds them that the
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unbeliever cannot understand the wisdom of God not humanly
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discovered. Point #3 explains to them how
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God has used the Holy Spirit to show himself to us.
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And last, your Lord tells us clearly in point #4 we have the
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mind of Christ. And Paul is is reminded church
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in Corinth that that before he left them, he was a pastor with
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them for 18 months. He spent time come alongside
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them and teaching them and, and showing them God's word.
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And they, they were raised together in the church.
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And he many people got saved within the Church of Corinth
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before he left them. But while he preached them, he
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did not do so, he says, with impressive words or with humanly
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wisdom. He didn't do that.
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He preached God's word. He says, you know, come to
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Corinth as as other Greek philosophers did.
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There was 50 Greek philosophers the time that would go into the
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church into the area in the city of of Corinth.
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And they would the Corinthians were very interested in
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philosophy and the interesting the different Greek philosophers
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that came that way. And while in the city of Corinth
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would also, their thoughts would also spill into the Church of
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Corinth, which was next to it. And so the church was starting
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to be infiltrated with, with philosophical ideas.
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They started to to to like the idea of Greek philosophy and
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Paul says right here, I didn't come with with this superiority
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of speech, he says, or of wisdom.
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These humanly philosophical beliefs, they didn't come that
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way. But now as it comes back after
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18 months, these philosophies have crept to the church and
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Paul feels a need to to address them.
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He said he did not he he came proclaiming to you the testimony
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of God, Paul says, I came proclaiming Christ.
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I saw Christ. He testified what he he
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witnessed. He's a witty test for what he
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saw with Christ and what he heard and what he experienced.
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He said that he is he witnessed that that how Christ changed his
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heart. And one could imagine that that
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Paul could have taken the opportunity with the Corinthians
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during those 18 months as a pastor.
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And he certainly could use the time to lift himself up and to
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the congregation 18 months to do that.
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And more people probably would have attended church in in
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Corinth if he had done so, if Paul had spoken with, he says to
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put his speech of wisdom, More people would have flocked to the
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church if he had spoken that way with persuasive words or wisdom.
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But Paul didn't do that. He made a willful choice.
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And how he would preach to proclaim God's word, He would
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proclaim. We had seen what he'd heard
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experienced with Jesus Christ, but this text goes to show us
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how we are to preach God's word and the focus of the mess that
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we should have from from the pulpit how we are to to preach
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the gospel and Paul states here not with superiority of speech.
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Let's not be persuasive. The past should not be
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persuasive of elegant people want to just hear him because of
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his eloquence. We're not interested and
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preaching about men's ideas or humanly wisdom, not in
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persuasive words or wisdom. First Corinthians tells us in 13
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one Paul says if I speak with tongues of men and if angels but
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not have love, I become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
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We always speak about God's word and share God's with out of a
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heart of love. It goes to the motivation of the
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pastor. We had to speak as Paul states,
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that a word should be about Christ.
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Let us, let us not be offensive on top of God's Word, which
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already offends the heart of the unbeliever.
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But he says quite clearly in verse #4 but he does so.
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He says what? But in demonstration of the
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Spirit and the power. That's what Paul did.
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He spoke that way. He desired to be obedient to our
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Lord, and he knew there was a Spirit of God that gave him the
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power to do so, that God was the one that would change men's
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hearts, as it did for those 18 months.
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And he saw the amazing responsibility that that was
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before him and that God had called him into Corinth, and
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that now he was sending him on to another church afterwards and
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was asking for the pastor stepping after him to also
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preach God's Word. He saw God's larger plan than
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than himself, and he was obedient to that plan.
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He had no desire to preach with pride and a desire to to lift,
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lift themselves up. He saw that that his heart was
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changed by Christ on the road to Damascus, and that with a
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converted heart he would preach Christ.
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And he says, For I determine, know nothing among you except
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Jesus Christ and him crucified. That was Paul's desire as it
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should be our desire. 1st Corinthians 123 But we preach
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Christ crucified to Jews, a stunning block into Gentiles
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foolishness. And today we have people that
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don't do that. You wonder what, what, what
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would you do if you're the pastor for 18 months of a
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church, right? What would you preach on, right?
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I trust it wouldn't be humanly wisdom but we know there's many
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pastors out there that don't use the time given to them, 18
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months or whatever time might be to glorify God.
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Many pasts today are influenced by the wisdom of the world and
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their churches are based on humanly thinking based on what
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they want to do to please the the culture around them that are
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man centered gospel preaching churches and the world focused
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their thoughts instead upon being self-centered rather than
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upon being being God centered. But the wizard in the world will
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creep into the church and it will try to influence the pastor
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and pastors will sometimes try to compromise God's word and to
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tickle the people's ears and to try to entertain the people and
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try to please the people as they say within the within the
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pulpit. Paul would have nothing of that
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if I determined he thought wealthy about this.
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I will preach nothing else, nothing else among you except
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Jesus Christ and him crucified. He could have preached many
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things about 18 months by heaven, something about man's
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relationship to each other, but he said no, what the heart of
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the gospel is Christ crucified. That's our salvation.
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He didn't want to stray from the heart of the gospel and godly
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wisdom is to preach Christ crucified.
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Paul was determined to keep us in mind and it's hard focused on
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Christ and so near. God wants our minds and our
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priorities to be on the heart of the gospel and not about
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anything else. Yeah, all all what we do and
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testify is about Christ. We just speak about Christ only.
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We have to be focused upon the cross and the sacrifice that
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Jesus Christ made upon us. We have to reflect upon our
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salvation and how Christ changed our hearts in the way they used
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to be. Think about the eternal plan for
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our life. Think about the plan for us in
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our homes. Focus upon a larger perspective
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than than ourselves and why It's great to to study many things
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from predestination to ecclesiology.
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The cross is the heart of the gospel that we need to speak
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about to our loved ones. We love Christ, we cling to
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Christ, He's everything to us. He died for us.
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He's the heart of our lives. We must preach Christ crucified.
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Without him we are nothing. And Paul says I determined to
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know nothing else. Verse #5 he tells us why he
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preached Christ crucified. Look at verse #5 so that your
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faith would not rest on the wisdom of men from the power of
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God, right? Your faith would rest on Christ
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by his power He was determined to preach Christ crucified.
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He doesn't warrant Timothy that in latter times some will fall
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away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits
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and doctrines of demons by means of the pockets of liars seared
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in their own conscious as with the branded iron.
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First Timothy 412 and Second Timothy 43.
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Paul said the Timothy for the time will come when they were
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not enduring Psalm doctrine but want to have the ears tickle.
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They were killing for themselves, teachers, and
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accordance to their own desire. But our faith in Christ does not
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rest upon the wisdom of men. Not based on the false beliefs
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that one can earn our salvation. Not based on the false belief
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that that God is only loving and that He is not a judge, that He
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is not as holy as He proclaims out to be.
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Men want to make God less holy and themselves not as sinful as
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they are. We need to pick Christ as holy,
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holy, holy, and even more so than He is.
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God's the holiest thing imaginable and know that your
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flesh doesn't see Him as holy as He truly is, not on this side of
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eternity. Someday you won't have this
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flesh that wants to lift yourself up and to lower Him.
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It'll proclaim and worship Him for the way He rightly is.
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He's a holy, holy God. And Paul focused our hearts on
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how we are saved. It's by the power of God, not by
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any humanly wisdom and point #2 we see verse #6 to 9.
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Paul says it's godly wisdom is not humanly discovered.
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He says you will not speak wisdom among those who are
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mature a wisdom. However, not this age.
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You know the rule is age who are passing away.
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But we speak God's wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which
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God predest for the ages of a of our glory to our glory, the
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wisdom which none of that will this age has understood both of
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which they understood it. They would not have crucified
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Lord of Jesus the glory verse 9 But just as written things which
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I has not seen, ear has not heard, and which have not
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entered the heart of man all the gods I prepare for those who
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love him true wisdom godly wisdom.
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It is not discoverable by humanly wisdom.
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God's wisdom, and it is only revealed through his through his
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word and through reveals to us. It's his eternal plan of
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salvation. God's wisdom is Jesus Christ
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crucified. God's wisdom is living our lives
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by by God's desire and by God's will.
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And he makes it quite clear that man cannot stand that without
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the Holy Spirit to show them this to be true.
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I like what JMX says in his commentary on this topic.
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Far as a man not be able to understand J Mac, John MacArthur
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says is impossible for a lesser creature to understand a more
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advanced one. How can anything understand
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something more complex and advanced than himself than
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itself? For a flea to understand a dog
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it would have to be at least at advance of the dog, but a dog to
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understand a man it would have to be at least advance of the
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man. How much greater distance is
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there between creature and creature?
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Men can't imagine what God might be like, and people have plenty
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of ideas about him. Almost everyone has an opinion
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as to what God is or is not like, or as to whether he even
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exists. But man's opinions are
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irrelevant because they can never be more than speculations
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by his own resources. A creature cannot possibly
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comprehend his his Creator. You can't.
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You can't possibly do so within your natural flesh, but God's
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Word is a means by which the Christian cannot stand his
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Creator and cannot stand who he is.
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God's Word in his wisdom, the text says, are not this age nor
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of the rules this age who are passing away.
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Paul's making the point that mature believers in the church
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can understand God's Word, but the unbeliever cannot.
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The gospel, he says, will be foolishness to them.
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God's wisdom is a mystery to them.
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He says to the unbeliever, and 1st Corinthians 118 He said for
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the word, the crosses flourish those who are perishing, but to
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us who are being saved is the power of God.
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God's wisdom is hidden wisdom to them because God chooses not to
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reveal all of his nature to them.
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He chooses in His judgment to keep some things hidden from
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them out of His mercy. Otherwise He might have to have
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more just upon their hearts. Says in verse #9 For if they
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understood it, they would have could not crucify the Lord Jesus
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Christ, the leaders of the Jews. Jesus was a stumbling block to
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the Gentiles. The gospel was foolishness to
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them. We certainly are blessed by
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God's mercy to to understand the gospel which is given to us.
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And then Paul calls from Isaiah 64.
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Four, you see there things which eyes have not seen, the ears are
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not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man.
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All that God appeared for those who who love him.
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God's word it eternal wise plans prepare for those who who love
24:22
him. He states that while men may not
24:25
send the gospel in their own flesh and abilities, they cannot
24:29
send the gospel that has been given to them.
24:31
As he preached the gospel to to the unbeliever.
24:34
It's a Holy Spirit and the word of God.
24:36
He's switching his thoughts now, the work affecting the heart of
24:40
of the unbeliever. And we're going to examine a
24:42
little closer now the Holy Spirit's role in helping us have
24:46
godly wisdom, the Holy Spirit's vote and conferring the heart of
24:49
the unbeliever. Because man cannot and will not
24:52
come to God on on their own free will.
24:56
Man is free to act and to choose within the boundaries only of
24:59
his own sinful nature. He will not come to Christ nor
25:03
desire to be with God, but God by his mercy has come to mankind
25:08
and to the power of the Holy Spirit.
25:10
He prompts man's heart to change and to and to believe.
25:15
Point #3 godly wisdom leads to man's salvation, certainly, but
25:19
the Holy Spirit is the one that shows us Himself.
25:23
And He does throw through, first of all, revelation.
25:26
The Holy Spirit helps have godly wisdom and to see who Christ is,
25:32
converting the heart of the unbeliever.
25:34
And God does that through His revelation, because God must
25:38
reveal Himself to mankind, because man has no desire to see
25:42
anything else but Himself. If God has not opened His heart
25:45
to help him to see Him God, man will stay within the same place
25:49
He always has been, condemned to go to hell forever.
25:53
But consider God's neither communication or revelation to
25:56
mankind. And our God has soon decided
25:59
that in this unique way, His Word, He will save mankind and
26:03
convert His heart through revelation.
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And He does do through the Holy Spirit.
26:08
Verse #10 the text says for to us God reveal them to the Spirit
26:13
for the Spirit switches all things, even the depths of God.
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Who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of
26:19
the man which is in him. Even so the thoughts of God no
26:23
one knows except the the Spirit of God.
26:26
Paul focuses the cringes of minds upon the amazing rule of
26:30
the Holy Spirit plays in in their salvation.
26:33
He wants them to lean on the Holy Spirit and not on being
26:36
divisive. First four chapters about
26:39
cringes about them being divisive and how some would say,
26:42
well, I am Apollo, I'm a Paul, I'm Apollos, I am a Peter.
26:47
I am. They are making divisive
26:49
factions in Group within the Church of Corinth and dividing
26:52
themselves that way, thinking that the person they're
26:55
following is the person that should lead them, Paul through
26:58
the hearts. No, it's the Holy Spirit that
27:00
has changed your heart to begin with.
27:02
We are not to be divisive within within the church.
27:06
We are focused upon Christ, upon Christ crucified.
27:10
So Paul spoken to hearts upon the Holy Spirit is the means by
27:13
which we should lead within the church.
27:16
That means by which we should serve within the church.
27:19
He said the Spirit is all things in deaths of God.
27:22
The Holy Spirit knows our thoughts better than than we do.
27:26
And while we certainly know it ourselves very well, God knows
27:30
us more. He knows every bit about us.
27:34
Men are taught in and learn that learn through the Holy Spirit
27:38
and God's word must be read and understood for men to be to be
27:42
saved. More specifically, God used Holy
27:46
Spirit reveal himself through through his word.
27:49
Do you know what it means? People are not saved through
27:52
watching a Christian movie. People not saved through
27:56
listening to a Christian song on the radio.
28:00
They're not saved by having a dream.
28:03
These things might inspire people to read God's Word.
28:06
They're not even saved by a person coming through their door
28:09
and knocking on their door. But people don't say people.
28:12
It's only when a person reads God's Word and believes God's
28:16
Word, not the person who's preaching but rebelieves God's
28:19
Word, Not the preacher, not the person who's talking before
28:24
them. While they might have
28:26
credibility in their eyes, they must believe God's Word to be
28:29
true. To be saved.
28:31
You must push God's word forward to them.
28:33
Have them read God's word for themselves that the Holy Spirit
28:37
might might convert their hearts, might convert their
28:39
souls. Romans 10/17 says so faith comes
28:43
from hearing and hearing by the the word of Christ that that's
28:47
our focus when we share with with our loved ones, we focus
28:51
with friends. They need to read God's Word,
28:55
and your job and my job is to put God's Word before them.
28:59
Certainly they see our testimony example as a Christian that has
29:03
an influence upon their hearts and adds reliability to what
29:06
we're saying. But so much better for them to
29:09
read God's Word on their own than for us to preach to them.
29:13
God wants them to read God's way certainly, wants us to preach to
29:16
them, certainly, but God's words and means by which our hearts
29:20
are are converted. It's God's revelation that
29:23
reveals salvation to to mankind, and the Holy Spirit is a means
29:27
by which that is revealed to them.
29:29
First Thessalonians 213 For this reason, we also constantly thank
29:34
God that when you receive the Word of God which you heard from
29:37
us, you accepted it not as it would have been, but for what it
29:41
really is, the Word of God which also performs its work in you
29:47
who believe God's words without which performs the work not not
29:51
upon us, but the pastor is a tool to bring people to Christ.
29:57
The pastor is a tool that bring God's word to the heart of the
30:00
unbeliever, to the power of the Holy Spirit.
30:03
And that's that. That's what Paul is focused upon
30:05
to the Corinthians. Let's not be divisive.
30:09
Think about the Holy Spirit and the rule which it converted you
30:12
think about Christ crucified. It's the word of God which also
30:15
performs work in you who who believe Peter said in first
30:19
Peter 123 For you have not for you have been born again, not of
30:24
C which is perishable, but imperishable.
30:27
That is through the living and enduring word of God is is it is
30:33
God's word that changes the hearts of people.
30:36
He was 412 for the Word of God, living, active and sharp than
30:40
any 2 edged sword. It's Word and piercing as far as
30:44
a division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, able
30:48
to do the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
30:50
It's it's God's revelation, and we need to see our role as we
30:54
think about God's revelation to bring God's Word to people.
30:59
They are not. They are not to believe upon
31:03
anything else, but upon the independent Word of God and the
31:06
Holy Spirit's the means by which men's souls are or converted.
31:10
But how does the Holy Spirit convert the wicked heart of men?
31:14
He does so also not through, not only through revelation, but
31:18
also due to inspiration. God changed the heart and
31:22
believer to revelation to become a child of God, but also through
31:27
inspiration. That's verse #12 but we have
31:31
received not the spirit of the world for the Spirit who is from
31:35
God, so we may know the things really given to us by God.
31:39
Paul says we have received this. It's inspired by US.
31:45
Men cannot discover God's truth within their own.
31:49
His truth must be given to men, and the Holy Spirit inspires or
31:54
transmits His truth to men. That's what I said.
31:57
That's what inspiration means do God's word God transmits his
32:02
truths to he inspires men inspired by God.
32:07
We know Second Timothy 316 all scripture is inspired by God and
32:12
popular for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for
32:15
training righteousness. So the man of God may be
32:18
adequate equipped for every good work.
32:21
The inspiration is from God. God's Word inspires men to
32:25
believe and He does do to the Holy Spirit.
32:28
Men must receive His Word, which has been offered up to them by
32:33
God. God offers it to the unbeliever
32:36
and He either accepts it or denies the Word.
32:40
I remember when I was in church with Linda, when I, before I got
32:43
saved, I would go into church and I would hear the passage to
32:48
an altar call and I would put my hands on the Pew in front of me
32:52
and count to 20, hoping he was done with this call.
32:57
And then I count the 20 backwards to 1 and just not
33:00
wanting to give, to give my heart to Christ.
33:03
I, I was battling the pastor and battling God and battling his
33:07
word in, in my life. But God calls us and talks to us
33:11
and reveals to us who he is, inspires us to give us his great
33:15
truths. And men have the responsibility
33:18
to, to bend their hearts to, to, to lean their hearts toward
33:22
Christ. And Paul's taught in the
33:24
Corinthians, God is the one who has inspired you to believe upon
33:28
him. You must receive his words,
33:30
which has been offered up to you by his grace and offered up to
33:35
you by his mercy. God's word is grace and mercy
33:38
given to the unbeliever. It was given to us by his grace
33:42
and and mercy. Paul tell the Corinthians, now
33:45
we have received this. He tell him in order for God to
33:50
to be received by men, he must first offer himself up to man as
33:55
he has. He wants him to see that it is
33:57
God who is, who is reaching out to man, not man reaching out to
34:02
God. We have received the Holy Spirit
34:05
so that he says we may know the things freely given to us.
34:10
Verse #12 that which is freely given to us, His grace, His
34:15
mercy, His kindness. God reveals us to us so we might
34:20
see it and also we might be saved.
34:23
We must have the Holy Spirit transmit His great truth to us
34:27
as we read it, His word. We see His grace, we see His
34:30
mercy, we see His sovereignty within our lives.
34:34
We see how He's personal place He has and the people He has
34:38
used in our lives to bring us to salvation.
34:41
And I trust you could name numerous people that we're
34:44
instrumental in in your life and brought you to Christ in one way
34:48
or another. We see that, we understand.
34:52
God reveals Himself to us. He transmits or inspires His
34:56
great truth to us. Then He also illuminates our
35:00
minds. He opens our minds.
35:03
He changed the heart of the unbeliever to become a child of
35:06
God through the process of illumination.
35:09
That's verse #14 Paul says. But a natural man does not
35:14
accept things of the Holy Spirit, Spirit of God, for their
35:17
force to him you can't stand. They come there they because
35:20
they are spiritual praise. But he who is spiritual
35:24
appraised all things. He himself is appraised by no
35:27
one, for who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will
35:31
instruct him, but we have the mind of Christ.
35:34
The natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God.
35:41
And some people will read God's Word which has been offered up
35:44
to them, and they choose not to receive God's Word into the
35:48
hearts. And we look at them now like,
35:50
what were you thinking? Why don't you see the grace of
35:55
God? We see that today, the beauty of
35:57
the majesty of Christ. It's in our hearts.
35:59
We see that, and our loved ones don't see that.
36:03
Their minds can't comprehend that.
36:05
They can hear God's Word and choose not to receive it into
36:09
the hearts. We think of the parable of the
36:11
soils and how God's word, when the soul goes out to sow the
36:16
fields, the seed he drops, which is God's word, falls upon the
36:21
hearts of men. And the seed he drops falls
36:24
either on hard soil or rocky soil or a thorny soul soil.
36:28
And they choose not to to receive His word.
36:31
They love their sin. They love the life that they're
36:35
living. They're no better or worse than
36:37
than you and I who had the same motivation, same thoughts in our
36:41
hearts. They choose not to receive God's
36:44
Word well. The parable also tells us that
36:47
some sea will fall upon good ground, good soil, and some
36:51
people will receive God's Word well.
36:54
These people that receive it well are not better than anybody
36:57
else. They chose by God's grace and
37:00
mercy, to open the hearts to illumination of God into into
37:04
the hearts. God is the one that illuminates
37:07
the unbelievable mind to see God understand that Jesus is their
37:12
only savior, the only way of salvation.
37:14
This is the gospel of illumination, great spiritual
37:18
truths to be able to understood to the Holy Spirit, to the
37:22
unbeliever's heart. He understands.
37:25
He opens his eyes just a little bit to see understand and a
37:29
little bit more as God illuminates his mind.
37:32
Tech says because they are spiritually appraised, the
37:36
process of man's salvation and regeneration can be seen in this
37:40
process of of illumination. Open their minds and men
37:44
certainly must repent to be saved, but God more must open
37:49
their eyes before they they can repent and they can't believe.
37:52
Luke 2445 Then you open their minds so that they could
37:57
understand the scriptures. Second Corinthians 4/6 for God
38:01
who said let light shine our darkness made his light shine in
38:06
our hearts to give us the knowledge of the glory of God in
38:10
the face of Christ. He illuminates our minds.
38:14
The worldly wisdom. On the other hand, the way the
38:17
unbeliever thinks is he doesn't want his mind illuminated.
38:21
The unbeliever thinks he's pretty good, doesn't need his
38:25
eyes opened up to understand right.
38:28
I was offended when I had my name on a prayer list.
38:31
I'm a church. How dare you pray for me.
38:36
I don't want. I don't have a problem, I don't
38:38
need anything. Open my mind, it's already
38:40
opened already. I have great knowledge already.
38:42
They don't even have AI right? Worldly wisdom.
38:47
If anything, the unbeliever today needs to be more woke,
38:50
more woken up to ideas of liberalism and being progressive
38:56
and accepting of that which is sinful in the hearts and their
38:59
minds. God chooses out of His glorious
39:04
mercy to illuminate our hearts, and He does so also by
39:08
convicting men of their sins. John 16-8 And he, when He comes,
39:13
Holy Spirit, will convict the world concerning sin and
39:17
righteousness and judgment concerning sin, because they do
39:21
not believe in Him. Paul's pushing the point.
39:25
You have the Holy Spirit that He build us himself to us and stop
39:30
being divisive with within the church.
39:33
But the Holy Spirit while it does convict men's of their
39:36
sins, the unbelievers soon does not want or see the need for the
39:40
heart to be convicted of their sins.
39:43
John tells us in John three, they love their sin, they love
39:47
the darkness, they love the way they are.
39:50
It's a miracle that anybody has any change within the hearts
39:53
because they're so devoted, loving their sins, so passionate
39:59
about who they are, thinking so much that they are right and
40:02
they're thinking how can anybody's heart possibly be
40:05
changed by a pastor, evangelist sharing the gospel with them?
40:09
It truly is a miracle that someone's heart, it is
40:12
converted. John 319.
40:15
This is a judgment that light has comes to the world.
40:17
People loved the darkness rather than light.
40:22
For the deeds were evil doesn't say they like they love the
40:26
darkness they're deeply in dwell within their sinful nature.
40:30
They're like pigs walling within the mud and enjoying the
40:34
simpleness of the hearts. That's where we once were.
40:38
And God, by His grace and mercy, opened her eyes so we might see
40:43
that we were like the pigs wallowing in the mud.
40:45
He helped to see who called wonderful and all holy, and how
40:49
gracious and how mercy and how kind He is.
40:52
And He changed our hearts. The Holy Spirit convicts men of
40:56
their sin. He also changes the heart of man
41:00
at Jeremiah 24/7. I will give them a heart to know
41:04
me, for I am the Lord, and they will be my people, and I will be
41:09
their God, for they return to me with their whole hearts and
41:14
without a new heart. We would think and believe the
41:18
same way as we used to. God, by His grace and mercy,
41:22
changed our hearts so that we think differently now.
41:25
Our heart's desire is to follow Him.
41:27
Our heart's desire is to obey Him.
41:28
Our heart's desire is to go to church and to read His word and
41:31
to pray and to worship Him. We did not desire these things
41:35
before. God changed us.
41:38
He changed our hearts. He gave us a new hearts, He
41:41
helps to think differently. We love him now, we love him
41:45
back. Well first He loved us and
41:48
before we hated him. Whether we send those words or
41:51
not, now we love him back, we love him back then.
41:55
He caused our hearts for men to believe and to have faith.
42:00
Here is ways when men has a responsibility in this salvation
42:05
process to believe and have faith.
42:07
Here was men exercised their free will to to either receive
42:12
God's word in good soil or poor soil.
42:15
Men do have responsibility and the free will to to listen to
42:19
the preacher and to read God's word and to accept into the
42:23
heart that they are accountable to God for the the choice that
42:26
that that they make. The men may still choose to
42:31
reject reject his Christ. The hearts may still have be not
42:36
be moved to a place of accept of God's great truths.
42:40
But as God has grand the ability to believe in the 1st place, to
42:44
have faith upon him. It is a gift given to us by God.
42:48
We believe and we repent and we confess because God is given the
42:53
ability to do so. But man still has a, a, a
42:57
decision to make in that process, to confess and to
43:01
repent. Man's process, God's process.
43:06
John 110 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar
43:10
and his word is not in us. That is the heart of some
43:13
unbelievers. God's a liar.
43:17
I'm not a lying. God's a problem here.
43:21
I'm not the problem here. John says if we have not say
43:24
you're not sin, you're saying he's a liar and God's wish, it
43:27
is not in you. But God calls men to confess
43:30
their sins before him and to repent of their sins, to
43:33
repentance. Out of mercy comes the ability
43:35
for men to see their sins, to see that they're wrong, to see
43:40
if they need to change, to confess their sins, to get right
43:43
with God, to believe that He is their judge, and to believe that
43:47
there is a hell awaiting them if they don't confess their sins
43:51
and get right before our Lord. Luke 923 is such a great verse
43:56
on repentance. Our Lord says and he was saying
43:59
to them, if any wish come after me, he must deny himself and
44:03
take up his cross daily and follow me.
44:07
God allows men the ability to repent.
44:11
What's an amazing concept Think about that God allows men the
44:15
ability to repent. Does he have to No you can give
44:21
him what they deserve. He allows men the ability to
44:23
repent in the 1st place to change their hearts.
44:26
It's a great thought to have to think about the significance of
44:31
that, that God allows man the ability to repent in the 1st
44:34
place. And lastly, he he makes us a new
44:38
creation. Saint Francis 517 Therefore, if
44:42
anyone cries, he is a new creature.
44:46
The old things passed away. Behold, new things have come.
44:50
Paul wants him to focus our hearts on how to serve in the
44:53
church. Stop being divisive, stop
44:56
focusing upon yourselves. See how Christ changed your
44:59
heart. See what the Holy Spirit's done
45:01
within you. See how he's going to use you.
45:04
You're a new creation as we have become a new creation, our
45:08
hearts desire and now changes. We now desire to try to to live
45:13
for Christ. I love Galatians 220.
45:16
Look at that verse if you would. Such a great verse in scripture.
45:20
It's it's a life verse. It's a, a verse to live your
45:25
life by now that you have a a new heart, Paul says in
45:30
Galatians 220. I am in crucifer with Christ
45:35
that no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me the life
45:39
which I now live on the flesh. I live by faith and the Son of
45:42
God who loved me and gave himself up for me.
45:46
God's the one who has changed our hearts.
45:49
We see that we've been crucified with Christ.
45:53
We are now. We are part of who he is now.
45:55
It's no longer we who live a Christ that somehow lives within
46:00
us. That's our motivation as we
46:02
serve within the church. Christ lives within us as we
46:06
serve. And now I live in the and the
46:10
light which I now live in the flesh.
46:13
I live by faith now. And the Son of God, seeing that
46:16
he is the one who loved me and gave himself up for me, that's
46:20
how we serve as we answer the doors on Sunday, we think God
46:24
love me. He gave himself up for me.
46:27
I have been crucified with Christ.
46:29
Let me go to my ministry. Let me walk this way or that
46:31
way. Let me sit within the pews and
46:34
hear our pastor preach the word knowing that I've been crucified
46:37
with Christ. No longer I live, but Christ who
46:40
lives in me. I'm a new creature.
46:42
I'm a new creation. God's changed my heart.
46:45
And God does change the heart of unbeliever to become a a child
46:48
of his. He does this to his through
46:51
godly wisdom and not by man's worldly wisdom.
46:56
Lastly, Paul hits the last point that the hammer on the nail in
47:01
verse 1516. We have the mind of Christ, the
47:06
heart of the Scripture, but he who is spiritual praise all
47:09
things, get himself the praise by no one.
47:13
For who has known the mind of the glory that he once struck
47:17
him? But we have the mind of Christ,
47:21
the natural. The natural mind does not know
47:24
the mind of Christ. He can't think God's thoughts.
47:28
And the unbelievance? They would make make fun of the
47:30
gospel. They would make fun of us as
47:33
believers in Christ. When they argue with you, they
47:36
try to, they say things which are opposed to God's Word
47:40
because that's the way the hearts are.
47:43
They are not arguing with us, but ultimately they argue with
47:45
God and are not wanting to have the hearts changed.
47:50
They think so differently than we do.
47:53
Paul says we have the mind of Christ, an amazing statement
47:58
that he gives to us. We are believers in Christ,
48:01
think the same way that Christ does.
48:03
We feel the same way Christ does.
48:06
That which God desires, we desire that was God wants, we
48:10
want. We want his will on heaven as it
48:13
is the earth. We desire everything that he he
48:16
desires for us. It's one of the the greatest
48:19
sentences ever written, the Bible.
48:21
We have the mind of Christ. We now have, we all knew his
48:25
creation. We think like Christ.
48:27
We now desire what he desires and God allows us amazingly in
48:33
some manner to partake in his thinking.
48:36
Why would God do that? Why would allow us to partake in
48:39
his thinking? To have the mind of Christ
48:41
speaks of His desire to have relationship with us, to want to
48:45
be part of of His divine prerogative.
48:49
He shares part of His chemical aspects with us.
48:52
He wants to have a dear relationship with us.
48:54
He wants us to see who He is and understand why why He does what
48:58
He does. Desires for us to see Him and to
49:01
love Him out of out of free will and free choice.
49:06
God desires that we come to Him desires that we be with Him for
49:10
all eternity and Paul wants a Corinthians and us within this
49:14
church to stop being divisive, not that we are device which we
49:18
we are not, but not stop looking towards the wisdom of men as can
49:23
potentially happen within the church, even our church as we
49:26
surf the Internet as we look for the things which marvelous as
49:30
you click on AI and wait for the answer to come.
49:34
What can the answer be? Here's my my answer.
49:37
Yes, there's the answer. I get to follow the answer now.
49:40
No, Paul wants our minds that focus upon him.
49:44
God wants the Corinthians and us see the beauty of His salvation
49:47
plan. He wants us to see how we are to
49:50
serve within the church in Corinth and also church within
49:53
Christ Community Church. God has changed our hearts in
49:56
the same manner. By His grace and His mercy, the
50:00
Holy Spirit has changed their hearts so we might serve within
50:03
this church. By His sovereignty.
50:05
He brought us to this church by his instruction.
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We are we have the ability to obey His word and we will serve
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within his church, always leaning on God's power to help
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lead us. Let's go in and pray heaven.
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Thank you, Lord God, for the time you gave it to us.
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But time to think about Corinth and Paul and his desire, Lord,
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to correct your church Father. So in our hearts desire, Lord,
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that we might also Father be corrected when you see a need to
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correct us, Father. Our hearts desire is to see you
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Father and to love you, Father, and to see how you brought us to
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this place for a purpose and a reason, Father, and help to see
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how we are to serve within your amazing church.
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Father. Help us to to love each other
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within the church. Father, help us to to see how
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you brought our such a wonderful pastor, Father with desire to
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preach a word to us, Father, and to help us to to grow closer to
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your words, Father. His desire, Lord, is that we
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might grow in Christ grace and mercy.
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Father, that's where our hearts lay.
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Father, we're thankful for your salvation.
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We're thankful for the church and for the many blessing you've
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given to our lives. Father, for truly you've been a
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great and wonderful God. Our desire is to praise you and
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worship you for all eternity. Lord, we pray these things in
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Jesus name, Amen.