The Mind Of Christ Series

1 Corinthians

The Mind of Christ

1 Corinthians 1:26 - 2:16

January 26, 2003

Intro:

A. [Getting an Outside Line, Citation: Don Heavener, Englewood, FL. Christian Reader, "Lite Fare."]

A young woman came to the welfare office to apply for social help.

The social worker told her that her husband would have to sign the papers as well.

The social worker then noticed that the young lady was looking at the telephone as if she wanted to call her husband, so she told her that she had to dial 9 to get out.

The young lady dialed 9, put down the receiver, and walked out the door, returning shortly with her husband.

After they signed the papers the young woman stood up and asked, "Do I have to dial 9 to get out again?"

B. Our subject today is wisdom and we begin at 1 Corinthians 1:26 and we will continue through the end of chapter 2.

I. The Condition of Man

1 Corinthians 1:26-31 (NIV), Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things--and the things that are not--to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God--that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."

A. Paul directs the Corinthians to consider what they were before they were saved.

1. They weren’t wise by worldly standards.

2. They weren’t influential.

3. The weren’t high-society type people.

B. That is the way God works.

1. God doesn’t work through worldly wisdom.

2. He doesn’t work through highly influential people.

3. He doesn’t work through high-society type people.

C. Why not? In order to shame those who are worldly-wise and so that no one can boast. (27-28).

D. It is only because of Jesus that any of these people were changed.

1. They didn’t deserve it because of their great wisdom.

2. They didn’t deserve their change because of their persuasive influence on others.

3. They didn’t inherit their change by being born into a noble family.

4. Verse 30 says they were saved only because of Jesus--who is the one who made them truly wise.

5. That’s the way God works.

E. In fact, in can be said that the wisdom of this world prevents people many from coming to Christ at all.

1. You see, I think it would be better if we understood this word “wisdom” that Paul uses here more along the lines of a mindset; a way of viewing the world.

2. This term that is referred to as wisdom would probably be better understood as a filter through which a person processes information.

3. When something is said about abortion, the information is processed through a particular mindset (filter) that taints the information.

4. That is why so many people have come to me and said they’ve disagreed with something I’ve said…

a. And when I ask what they disagreed with, it is nothing near what I really said.

b. It is not what I said but it is what they heard after they processed it through the filter of their wisdom.

c. That’s why so many people jump off the deep in at the mention of the phrase “pro-life” because they are processing the information through their preconceived ideas according to the wisdom of this world.

F. This is why it is difficult to get unbelievers saved…

1. It is hard to get unbelievers saved because it is so difficult to get them to hear the untainted gospel.

2. It is so hard to get the gospel through because of the filter of worldly wisdom that they are processing the gospel through.

G. And I believe this is what the Bible refers to when it mentions the world “strongholds.”

1. This worldly wisdom that makes it difficult for folks to hear and understand the gospel are strongholds that the devil has in people’s minds.

2. The devil sets up these strongholds to firmly entrench himself in people’s minds so that it is difficult to permeate it with the gospel of Christ.

3. Paul understood the wisdom of the world and the strongholds and the difficulties caused by them in preaching the gospel…so let’s look at the next chapter and see what he did about it.

II. The Message of the Apostle