Who is the smartest person you know? A teacher who can spit out just about any math formula known to mankind? A mentor at your workplace who consistently makes decisions that benefit the company? A family member whose common sense has gotten you and others out of many tight spots? It is a blessing to know people like that, but it might also be intimidating. After all, no one likes to be thought of as the weak link when it comes to intelligence. That’s why schools like Sturgeon Heights here in town offer a pre-kindergarten class geared towards kids whose IQ is above average. Many parents think that if they can get their child into that program, they’ll have a leg up on all the other kids. Knowledge is power after all.
Well that depends on what kind of knowledge you have. You may know the stats of every Oiler but does that really make you wise? Knowing, for example, that Connor McDavid has scored 18 goals in 55 NHL games isn’t going to help you administer first aid to someone who has stopped breathing. Likewise those pint-sized geniuses at Sturgeon Heights School may learn more history, more science, and more math than the average preschooler. They may even study how to administer CPR. But if that’s all they do, they won’t come close to surpassing our preschoolers here in wisdom. Real wisdom, as we’ll find out today, comes from the Spirit, it concentrates on Christ, and it culminates in glory. Let’s find out more as we continue our sermon series on the church in Corinth, a church that was fully equipped with real wisdom.
Our society is not the only one that pines for wisdom. The ancient Greeks valued it as well. And yet when the Apostle Paul visited the church in the Greek city of Corinth he didn’t put on a dazzling display of intellectual acumen. You heard Paul confess in the Epistle lesson last week: “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words” (1 Corinthians 2:4). But lest the Corinthians not take him seriously Paul went on to say in today’s text: “We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 No, we speak of God’s secret wisdom” (1 Corinthians 2:6, 7a).
Do Paul’s words sound a bit like a tabloid headline? “God’s Secrets Revealed!” But Paul isn’t a reporter for the National Enquirer who’s making stuff up to sell newspapers. He really did have a secret wisdom from God revealed to him by the Holy Spirit. Paul explained: “God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God... 13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words” (1 Corinthians 2:10, 11, 13).
No one besides God, not even your spouse or a sibling, knows what you’re thinking right now. You would have to enlighten us. In the same way, there is no way for us to know what God is thinking unless he tells us. Thankfully he does that through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit hasn’t spoken directly to us but he did somehow communicate with people like the Apostle Paul who then wrote those words down in what we today call the Bible. Do you want to gain real wisdom? Real wisdom comes from the Spirit. And the Spirit speaks to us through the pages of the Bible. This is why confessional Lutherans treat the Bible with such respect. When we come together to study the Bible we’re not just examining an ancient text; we’re reading God’s mind! Imagine if you could read the mind of a successful investor like Warren Buffett. Wouldn’t that mean that you too could make smart investing choices and earn lots of money? Well we have something even better in the Bible. Reading and studying it leads to an eternally secure future.
That secure future comes to us only by believing the Bible’s main message. What is that message? A number of years ago someone published a cookbook based on healthy recipes from the Bible. Bible recipes? I think you’ve read the Bible enough to know that it’s not a cookbook. Nor does the Bible teach you how to build a successful business. Yes, it does explain what makes for happy homes, but even that isn’t the main purpose of the Bible. Real wisdom, Paul explains, concentrates on Christ. Last week you heard Paul tell the Corinthians, “I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2).
And so here I am again this week, telling you about Jesus dying on the cross to pay for our sins. Seriously, can’t we focus on something else for a change? Let me ask you this: when you envisioned our new church building before it was built, what did you see? A soaring bell tower? A welcoming entryway with comfy couches and cozy fireplace? A sparkling new kitchen? Did anyone dream of the building’s foundation? I doubt it. And yet if we didn’t get the foundation right, the whole building is doomed. Likewise Jesus Christ is the foundation of our faith. Therefore real wisdom concentrates on Christ because without a proper understanding of who Jesus is and what he has done for us, we’re building our eternal future on sand instead of solid rock.
And we need constant encouragement to concentrate on Christ because we’re like Jesus’ first disciples. It takes only minutes for us to become drowsy, spiritually cool, and careless. We forget how extraordinary it is that God has miraculously invaded our world to speak to us. And so we fail to honor the Word with our full attention when it is spoken. (John Jeske) Instead we pay closer attention to our Facebook feeds and phone texts. But that’s like failing to keep your eyes on the road while trying to navigate rush hour traffic. Sure, it’s “boring” keeping your eyes on the road when there are so many other things to look at, but if you don’t concentrate on the road, you won’t make it safely to your destination. Likewise if we don’t continue to concentrate on Christ and what he has done for us, we won’t make it safely to heaven.
But concentrating on Christ when what all your friends talk about is scoring a hot date for Valentine’s Day is not easy. Nor is it an easy to concentrate on Christ by giving a respectable portion of your income to him when your co-workers have upgraded to a new vehicle again and wonder why you’re content to drive around an outdated model. But there’s wisdom in what you’re doing. Concentrating on Christ will culminate in glory. Listen again to the Apostle Paul. “…we speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began” (1 Corinthians 2:7).
Did you hear that? Real wisdom is ancient. It’s been around since before clocks started ticking on earth. But real wisdom doesn’t just speak about a past, it also points to the future—a future that will culminate in glory! In eternity God already knew that Adam and Eve would fall into sin. Not only that, he already knew how he was going to save mankind from their sins. His plan is not one we would have dreamed up. We would have sent in the angels to kick some Satan. But God came himself, though not many realized it because he hid his majesty in diapers and put his love on full display with a crucified carpenter. (John Jeske) No, very few saw divine wisdom in that.
God still hides his glorious wisdom. He meets us in the message of law that points out our sins, and in the gospel that declares how Christ paid for those sins. This message is proclaimed on the pages of a book and through the words of a feeble preacher. It’s hidden in a handful of water, and in pennies’ worth of bread and wine. (John Jeske) The world doesn’t see wisdom there. But by the Holy Spirit’s gracious working you do. Believing what God has to say about our sin and what Jesus has done for us to take those sins away will lead to glory in heaven that will far outshine and outlast the thrill of a trip to the beach in the middle of winter. Don’t despise this wisdom.
I won’t fault parents who put their children in accelerated academic programs. We should push our children and each other to learn as much as we can about this world God created, but not at the expense of forgetting what real wisdom is. Real wisdom isn’t knowing how many beats an eighth note gets in 6/8 time, or remembering the names of Canada’s first four Prime Ministers. Real wisdom comes from the Spirit, it concentrates on Christ, and it culminates in glory. Marvel and rejoice at how God has given you this wisdom. Amen.
SERMON NOTES
Fill in the blanks.
Real wisdom comes from _______________________________,
it concentrates on ______________________________________,
and it culminates in _____________________________________.
The Apostle Paul says that we know what God is thinking. Wow! But how is that possible when we don’t even know what our closest friend is thinking?
How is knowing what God is thinking better than knowing what a billionaire investor like Warren Buffet is thinking?
True wisdom concentrates on Christ. Why?
How does true wisdom culminate in glory?
What’s one truth from today’s sermon that you can share with a friend?
