The LIMITATIONS/Irony Of WORLDLY WISDOM-IV—1Corinthians 1:18-25
Attention:
A cowboy rides into town & stops at a saloon for a Sasparilla. Unfortunately, the locals always had a habit of picking on strangers, which he was. When he finished his drink, he exits the saloon only to find that his horse had been stolen.
He goes back into the bar, handily flips his gun into the air, catches it above his head without even looking & fires a shot into the ceiling.
"WHICH ONE OF YOU SIDEWINDERS STOLE MY HOSS?" he yelled with surprising forcefulness.
No one answers.
"ALL RIGHT...I'M GONNA HAVE ANOTHA SARSPARILLER, AND IF MY HOSS AIN'T BACK BY THE TIME I FINISH, I'M GONNA DO WHUT I DUN IN TEXIS! AND I DON'T WANNA TO HAVE TO DO WHUT I DUN IN TEXIS!"
The locals eyes get big as saucers, they shift restlessly & swallow hard.
The cowboy calmly has another sasparilla, walks outside, & lo & behold, his horse is back just as he left him! He saddles-up & starts to ride out of town.
The bartender can’t stand it anymore, so he runs out of the saloon & asks the cowboy, "Say partner, before you go... what exactly did you do in Texas?"
The cowboy turned back & said, "I had to walk home."
We can easily be fooled by things other than the facts.
Likewise, Worldly ‘wisdom’(spiritual) is a misnomer in the eyes of God.
Paul related the irony of worldly wisdom to the Corinthians believers.
True wisdom resides in God’s seeming ‘foolishness’ regarding the cross-work of Christ.
The irony of (prevailing/popular)worldly wisdom is in its being relegated to foolishness.
What is the irony in (prevailing/popular)worldly wisdom?
OR Rather...
How is (prevailing/popular)worldly wisdom limited?
5 ironies of (prevailing/popular)worldly wisdom.
Last time we found that Worldly wisdom is limited by...
1. The CROSS(:18)
2. The SCRIPTURE(:19)
3. The LEARN-ed/Accomplished(:20-21)
4—Worldly wisdom is limited by...
The HEART(:22-23)
Explanation:(:22-23)Desire/Acceptance
:22—“For Jews request a sign, & Greeks seek after wisdom;
Two distinct separations among humanity are offered here— “Jews” & “Greeks.”
These distinctions are based upon their representing two approaches to truth. To the one(Jews) truth has been revealed supernaturally & must be verified/certified/validated thusly...To the other(Greeks) truth is arrived at thru the human power of reasoning. The one removes reason & the other removes the supernatural. Wheras God has created us to include both, having a ‘working relationship’ with Him which requires the use of reason.
The “Jews,” are those who are God’s undeservedly chosen people. “Jews,” though existent solely by God’s desire alone, continually ask of Him proofs of His work & movement among them. “Jews” ask for “signs”—of what has been foretold experientially, orally, & in Scripture, as proof of truth.
Jud. 21:25—“In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”
And there are “Greeks” personifying those who continually strive for worldly “wisdom,” all the while bypassing(unknowingly) actual truth. “Greeks” continuously search for “wisdom”—truth arrived at thru reasoning & thus building philosophies upon that which is physically grasped, imagined &/or verifiable thru a secular-scientific framework... Self-help.
Thus both are condemned to futile thinking with its corresponding futile responses, as they both refuse to acknowledge the truth of God & His “wisdom.”
“Request/Require/Ask for/Demand”—aitew—1) To ask, beg, call for, crave, desire, require. Aitew denotes a request of the will. Aitew signifies to ask for something to be given, not done, giving prominence to the thing asked for rather than [for] the person [asked, to do], & hence is rarely used in exhortation.
“Sign”—shmeion—1) A sign, mark, token—1a) That by which a person or a thing is distinguished from others & is known, 1b) A sign, prodigy, portent, i.e. An unusual occurrence, transcending the common course of nature. Strong—An indication, especially--Ceremonially or supernaturally. “Greeks/Gentiles”(See :23, 24)—Ellhn—1) A Greek either by nationality, whether a native of the main land or of the Greek islands or colonies; 2) in a wider sense the name embraces All nations not Jews that made the language, customs, & learning of the Greeks their own; the primary reference is to a difference of religion & worship. Strong—A Hellen(Grecian) or inhabitant of Hellas; by extension--A Greek-speaking person, especially--A non-Jew.
“Seek after/Look for/Search for/Seek”—zhtew—1) To seek or strive after in order to find; 2) To seek i.e. Require, demand. Strong—To seek(literally or figuratively); specially(by Hebraism)--To worship(God), or (in a bad sense)To plot(against life).
“Wisdom/Cleverness”(See :17, 20, 21, 22, 24, 30)—sofia—
:23—“but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block & to the Greeks foolishness,”
However, truth comes thru Christ’s crucifixion. Thru it we are made aware of our sinfulness & its required payment. Thru the Cross of Christ we are given new life, purpose, ideals, & real power.
The Cross causes the Jews to “stumble”—for they never arrived at it thru their interpretation of Scripture. The Cross-work of Christ Jesus did not fit their framework/mold within which their belief was forged. In fact their interpretations would never allow them to accept the “Christ” as crucified!
The Cross is “foolishness”(the opposite of wisdom) to the Gentiles—for they never arrived at it thru their short-sighted philosophies.
“Human wisdom cannot see because it will not see”—John MacArthur
Jn. 9:39—“And Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, & that those who see may be made blind.””
“Stumbling block”—skandalon—1) The movable stick or trigger of a trap, a trap stick—1a) A trap, snare, 1b) Any impediment placed in the way & causing one to stumble or fall, (a stumbling block, occasion of stumbling) i.e. a rock which is a cause of stumbling, 1c) fig. applied to Jesus Christ, whose person & career were so contrary to the expectations of the Jews concerning the Messiah, that they rejected him & by their obstinacy made shipwreck of their salvation; 2) Any person or thing by which one is (entrapped) drawn into error or sin. Strong—A trap-stick (bent sapling), i.e. Snare(figuratively--Cause of displeasure or sin).
A stumbling block is something significant, that is by-passed, being regarded as inconsequential.
“Foolishness”(See :25, 27—mwrov)—mwria—1) Foolishness. Strong—Silliness, i.e. Absurdity.
From—mwrov—1) Foolish; 2) Impious, godless. Strong—Dull or stupid(as if shut up), i.e. Heedless, morally--Blockhead, apparently--Absurd.
Argumentation:
Mat. 12:38-40—“Then some of the scribes & Pharisees answered, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” But He answered & said to them, “An evil & adulterous generation seeks after a sign, & no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days & three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days & three nights in the heart of the earth.”
They sought constant supernatural confirmation.
Acts 17:16-21—“Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols. Therefore he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews & with the Gentile worshipers, & in the marketplace daily with those who happened to be there. Then certain Epicurean & Stoic philosophers encountered him. And some said, “What does this babbler want to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods,” because he preached to them Jesus & the resurrection. And they took him & brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new doctrine is of which you speak? “For you are bringing some strange things to our ears. Therefore we want to know what these things mean.” For all the Athenians & the foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing.”
Epicurean philosophy—“Propounded an ethic of individual pleasure as the sole or chief good in life.... [Playing] “a venerable role in the intellectual development of Western Civilization.”..... “Knowledge was sought only to rid oneself of religious fears & superstitions, the two primary fears to be eliminated being fear of the gods & of death.”.....“Buddhism also resembles Epicureanism in its temperateness, including the belief that great excess leads to great dissatisfaction.”—‘Epicurus & Epicurean Philosophy’ hosted by Vincent Cook; & Wikipedia, ‘Epicuranism.’
Stoic philosophy— “Stoicism teaches the development of self-control & fortitude as a means of overcoming destructive emotions”.....“destructive emotions resulted from errors in judgment, [& a person reaching] “moral & intellectual perfection,” would not suffer such emotions.”.....“the best indication of an individual's philosophy was not what a person said but how he behaved.
A Stoic of virtue, would amend his will to suit the world & remain, in the words of Epictetus, "sick & yet happy, in peril & yet happy, dying & yet happy, in exile & happy, in disgrace & happy,”—Wikipedia, ‘Stoicism’
Does this sound Familiar?.>.>.>.>.>.>.>
Stoicism is familiar to the Christian:
2Cor. 4:7-10—“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God & not of us. We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed-- always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.”
2Cor. 6:4-10—“But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God: in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in fastings; by purity, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by sincere love, by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand & on the left, by honor & dishonor, by evil report & good report; as deceivers, & yet true; as unknown, & yet well known; as dying, & behold we live; as chastened, & yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, & yet possessing all things.”
*Paul related God’s truth in Christ directly to/thru these philosophies!
Jer. 17:9-10—““The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings.”
Jer. 16:10-13—““And it shall be, when you show this people all these words, & they say to you, ‘Why has the LORD pronounced all this great disaster against us? Or what is our iniquity? Or what is our sin that we have committed against the LORD our God?’ “then you shall say to them, ‘Because your fathers have forsaken Me,’ says the LORD; ‘they have walked after other gods & have served them & worshiped them, & have forsaken Me & not kept My law. And you have done worse than your fathers, for behold, each one follows the dictates of his own evil heart, so that no one listens to Me. ‘Therefore I will cast you out of this land into a land that you do not know, neither you nor your fathers; & there you shall serve other gods day & night, where I will not show you favor.’”
Ps. 53:2-3—“God looks down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there are any who understand, who seek God. Every one of them has turned aside; They have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, No, not one.”
Prov. 28:26—“He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, But whoever walks wisely will be delivered.”
Heb. 3:12-13—“Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.”
Js. 1:14-15—“But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires & enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; & sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.”
Rom. 10:4-11—“For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, “The man who does those things shall live by them.” But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down from above) or,” ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth & in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus & believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, & with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.””
Rom. 2:5-8—“But in accordance with your hardness & your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath & revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who “will render to each one according to his deeds”: eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, & immortality; but to those who are self-seeking & do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness--indignation & wrath,”
Looking for every excuse in the book to disbelieve/Trusting what the world offers & attains/Trusting man’s interpretations of God’s truth/Waiting for something to ‘fall out of the sky’ as it were/Refusing to turn our hearts to the very one who has revealed Himself to us.
Illustration:
What am really I looking for?—Lost/Address/Car/Our getting lost at Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem, NC/We knew that our car was on the 3rd level deck in the green area/After ~30min. of frustration & asking people how to get to the green deck, & going to the deck over & over with no success, we found an employee whose sole purpose was to drive around in his gold-cart & re-direct lost people in the parking garage(made us feel better)/Came to find out, after we described our spot to him, he drove us right to our car!/I had remembered the wrong deck &-or color all along!/We had been absolutely convinced we had been correct when we were not!/Sincere but sincerely wrong!/The HEART
In your heart of hearts, what do you really believe?
I’ve always told my kids(when they start complaining about the area where they live—& they have)/‘Your attitude toward people & circumstances is something that you will carry with you no matter where you travel. You can find good everywhere & you can find bad everywhere. ‘If you look for bad you will find bad...If you look for good you will find good.’/The HEART
origin
heart of a matter
Application:
?For you, Is worldly wisdom Limited by The HEART?
?Your Wisdom Limited...Is your Wisdom worldly?
5—Worldly wisdom is limited by...
The POWER/Strength(:24-25)
Explanation:(:24-25)Power & Wisdom Available
:24—“but to those who are called, both Jews & Greeks, Christ the power of God & the wisdom of God.”
Though the two major distinct separations among humanity consist of “Jews” & “Greeks”....
There are yet individuals within both “Jews” & “Greeks” who are “called” of God. To these “called” ones, the “Christ” & His cross-work constitutes both the “power” & “wisdom” of God.
Why is this true?—This is answered in :25.
“Called”(See :26—klhsiv)—klhtov—Adj.—1) Called, invited(to a banquet). Strong—Invited, i.e. Appointed, or specifically--A saint.
“Power”—dunamiv—1) Strength power, ability. Denotes power, natural ability, general & inherent. Strong—Force(literally or figuratively); specially--Miraculous power(usually by implication--A miracle itself).
“Wisdom/Cleverness”(See :17, 20, 21, 22)—sofia—
:25—“Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, & the weakness of God is stronger than men.”
“Because” the seeming “foolishness of God”(the message of the cross of Christ(:18))—as if God could possibly be foolish—contains vastly more “wisdom” than men can possibly muster. Thus relegating man’s greatest achievements of wisdom to utter foolishness!
Likewise, the “weakness of God”(leaving to men the interpretation of His word) contains more “strength” than any failed interpretations men can muster. God’s foolishness & weakness forever establishes & seals the gates of hell!
The Cross, as regarded by the world, seemed God’s defeat.—RWP
“Foolishness” (See :23— mwria)—mwrov—1) Foolish; 2) Impious, godless. Strong—Dull or stupid(as if shut up), i.e. Heedless, morally--Blockhead, apparently--Absurd.
“Wiser” (See :19, 20, 26)—sofov—Adj.
“Men”—anyrwpov—1) A human being, whether male or female; 2) indefinitely--Someone, a man, one; 3) in the plural--People; 4) joined with other words--Merchantman. Strong—from anhr & wq (the countenance; from optanomai); Man-faced, i.e. A human being.
“Weakness”—asyenhv—1) Weak, infirm, feeble. Strong—Strengthless(in various applications, literal, figurative & moral).
“Stronger”(See :27)—iscurov—1) Strong, mighty. Strong—Forcible(literally or figuratively).
Argumentation:
Mat. 6:9-13—““In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom & the power & the glory forever. Amen.”
Mat. 9:2-8—“Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.” And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, “This Man blasphemes!” But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? “For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise & walk’? “But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”--then He said to the paralytic, “Arise, take up your bed, & go to your house.” And he arose & departed to his house. Now when the multitudes saw it, they marveled & glorified God, who had given such power to men.”
Rom. 11:33-36—“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom & knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments & His ways past finding out! “For who has known the mind of the LORD? Or who has become His counselor?” “Or who has first given to Him And it shall be repaid to him?” For of Him & through Him & to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.”
Lk. 4:14—“Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, & news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.”
Lk. 24:49—““Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.””
Jn. 14:12-14—““Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; & greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”
He sent the Holy Spirit by whom we do these greater works. We elevate God on high!
2Tim. 1:8-12—“Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.”
Ps. 14:1; 53:1—“<
Illustration:
My first car—a hunter green, stock, 1969 VW beetle/I put air shocks on it & wide tires with mag wheels(redneck fantasy)/Under-dash Pioneer 8-track tape player—Jensen Tri-axial speakers—I(in my estimation) had one of the coolest cars in town!/The POWER-Strength
Giant dump truck used by quarries/1 tire could crush my car into a pancake!/The POWER/Strength
2 different kinds of Power!—Worldly power is dwarfed by God’s POWER
Millie(my girlfriend) & I(both teenagers) driving north on I-85 from Charlotte/I glimpse something to my left rolling down the interstate past me—Not a car nor a motorcycle—It was my girlfriend’s left rear wheel, tire & brake assembly!/Luckily we were sitting in the front & it didn’t drag or flip the car!/The POWER-Strength
That power fails, slows, stops, end...God’s does not & will never!!
Application:
?For you, Is worldly wisdom Limited by The POWER/Strength of God?
?Your Wisdom Limited...Is your Wisdom worldly?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
“I don’t wanna have to do whut I done in Texis!"
Action:
Worldly wisdom is limited by...
4. The HEART(:22-23)
5. The POWER/Strength(:24-25)
1. The CROSS(:18)
2. The SCRIPTURE(:19)
3. The LEARN-ed(:20-21)
Presented 10/06/2013pm to:
FBC’belle
206 Storrs Ave. SE
Carrabelle, FL 32322
