FOOLISH WISDOM-II—1Corinthians 1:19-21(1:18--2:5)
Attention:
Fred had been sent to the big city in order to receive some training for a new position.
Fred’s co-worker—Billy Bob—was charged with escorting Fred to work. While they were walking, Fred was bombarded by all the unfamiliar lights & sounds of the city.
The stoplight on the corner, buzzes when it is safe to cross the street, & then it beeps 15 times to count down the fifteen seconds until the light changes.
Once they crossed the street, Fred asks Billy Bob, what the buzzer & beeping was for. Billy Bob explained that the signals were for blind people so they would know when the traffic light was red or green.
Fred responded, in shock! And said, “You mean to tell me that they let blind people drive cars here?!
Fred mis-interpreted what Billy Bob had said.
Likewise, ‘God’s wisdom’, can be mis-interpreted, to the detriment of a person’s standing with God.
Need:
The apostle Paul related that the wisdom in the Cross-work of Christ, was seen as foolishness by those who were perishing.
The wisdom of the Cross can be misinterpreted.
How can wisdom be properly interpreted?
9 means of interpreting foolish wisdom.
The title ‘Foolish Wisdom’ is intentionally indefinite. If something is foolish, it cannot be described as wise! And if something is wise, it cannot be described as foolish!
Last time we found that:
1—Foolish Wisdom is interpreted thru...
The MESSAGE Of The CROSS(:18)
Today we’ll find that:
2—Foolish Wisdom is also interpreted thru...
PROMISED FUTILITY Present In The World(:19)
Explanation:(:19)
:19—“For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.””
“For it is written...”
Refers to the Christian Scriptures either directly or conceptually. Not all Bible quotes are ‘word-for-word’ Many of them are a blending of statements that bring together varied concepts for pertinent application.
This reference from the Old Testament Scripture is from Isa. 29:14. The apostle Paul applies it to his statement in verse :18.
That prophetic Isaiah 29 passage let’s the reader/listener know unquestionably, that it had long been prophesied, that God’s solution for mankind’s sin-sickness would be rejected as “foolishness” in the eyes of the lost(:18). And that, in the eyes of the “saved”, that same God-ordered solution, would be accepted as “the power of God”(:18)!
2Cor. 2:14-16—“Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, & through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved & among those who are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, & to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things?”
The Bible & the “written” word therein, has been determined thru millennia for & thru God’s people of every generation. It is not as if our generation just decided that this particular train of thought(biblical) produced the best form of government, or the best citizens, or the best life.
This “written” word is the culmination of God’s revealing of Himself & His heart to mankind. It is has been vouched for & scrutinized & determined by every generation of believers since Moses recorded the first of it by the instruction of the Holy Spirit(Ex. 24:4; Deut. 4:1-2; Mk. 12:26).
•Therefore what is “written” in the canonized Bible is trustworthy:
2Tim. 3:14-17—“But you[Timothy] must continue in the things which you have learned & been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, & that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, & is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
“The Bible is not a collection of the wisdom & insights of men, even of godly men. It is God’s truth, His own Word in His own words.”—John MacArthur
The 2000 Baptist Faith & Message states:
‘The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired & is God's revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, & truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. Therefore, all Scripture is totally true & trustworthy. It reveals the principles by which God judges us, & therefore is, & will remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union, & the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, & religious opinions should be tried. All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is Himself the focus of divine revelation.’
“...I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,...”
It is prophesied that God Himself would “destroy” the “wisdom” of those whom the world accepts as “wise” men.
•That is, “wisdom” that is left or relegated to the limitations of man, is inherently worldly. And such “wisdom” will not survive the fire of God’s judgment. It cannot measure up to the reality & truth of God, which it openly & covertly rejects outright!
And God would decidedly accomplish that mission of permanently “destroying” the world’s “wisdom”, thru the message of the Cross of Christ(:18; Jer. 31:31-34).
That truth of God’s “destroying” the world’s “wisdom”, has been declared for many centuries before, & validated thruout the Bible, prior to this instance. So Paul’s penning it is not new news, but it is definitely currently applicable news!
Jer. 8:9—“The wise men are ashamed, They are dismayed & taken. Behold, they have rejected the word of the LORD; So what wisdom do they have?”
“...And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.”
God promises to “bring to nothing” or to ‘set aside’(not utilize/bypass) man’s cleverness. The mind of man is so crippled thru a rejection of God in Christ, that such worldly “understanding” will be made utterly futile(“bring to nothing”), by the promised ministry of the Christ. Indeed, thru the message of His Cross(:18).
Secular “prudence” involves looking at everything EXCEPT biblical bases for determining facts. Secular “prudence” looks at things with a naturally HINDERED circumspection.
•Secular ‘circumspection’ is only accomplished within the narrowed & limiting realm of sight rather than in the true & all-encompassing circumspection of faith.
The ‘great’ “understanding” of the “prudent”, so respected by the world of men, is destined for utter failure.
•That failure, along with the futility it brings, is due to the fact that man’s limited “understanding” is in actuality “foolishness”, when compared to God’s perfect all-knowing “wisdom.”
•Man’s ‘seeming’ “wisdom” is actually no more than “foolishness”, whenever it sets itself apart from God’s power that is accessed only in the accomplishment of & the message of the Cross(:18).
•The ‘utopian’ ideal, sought by so many people, can never be sustained on earth or in this universe! It will always fail!
•And that is because, WHENEVER you throw out, or re-engineer to YOUR personal liking, the actual means to attain God’s promised heaven by faith in Christ, THEN you are also discarding every possibility of a utopian life!
Thus by man, any dreams of peace & perfection are shattered & useless!.....By rejecting Jesus, man’s ideals are “brought to nothing”!
“Prudent”(Greek definition of sunetov)
1) Intelligent, having understanding, wise, learned. Sunetov is “Intelligent”--it describes, Putting things together, with insight & comprehension. To put things together mentally.
We must properly interpret life, by means of God’s revelation of Himself to mankind.
By clinging to the message of the Cross, we will come-to-grips with the futility of life without God.
Argumentation:
*Rom. 8:1-8—“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin & death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life & peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”
*My ‘go-to’ verse—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.””
*Rom. 8:18-25—“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans & labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.”
*Rom. 1:18-22—“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness & unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power & Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, & their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools,”
Rom. 9:1-8, 14-16—“I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow & continual grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, & the promises; of whom are the fathers & from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen. But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, “In Isaac your seed shall be called.” That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed.”.....“What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not! For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, & I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.” So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.”
And how has God shown mercy?....thru each person’s faith in Jesus Christ & His Cross-work!
Acts 5:29-39—“But Peter & the other apostles answered & said: “We ought to obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree. Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince & Savior, to give repentance to Israel & forgiveness of sins. And we are His witnesses to these things, & so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him.” When they heard this, they were furious & plotted to kill them. Then one in the council stood up, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in respect by all the people, & commanded them to put the apostles outside for a little while. And he said to them: “Men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what you intend to do regarding these men. “For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody. A number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was slain, & all who obeyed him were scattered & came to nothing. After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census, & drew away many people after him. He also perished, & all who obeyed him were dispersed. And now I say to you, keep away from these men & let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it--lest you even be found to fight against God.””
Illustration:
It has always bothered me that so many people put their unguarded trust in so-called experts in any particular field of study.....Whether they are experts in education, or medicine, manufacturing, child care, history, ecology, the economy, etc..There are so many aspects in each of those areas that can go unconsidered or even intentionally bypassed. The ramifications won’t be seen or known until much later & often too late. PROMISED FUTILITY
Thalidomide, sold under the brand names Contergan & Thalomid among others, is an oral medication used to treat a number of cancers(e.g., multiple myeloma), graft-versus-host disease, & many skin disorders(e.g., complications of leprosy such as skin lesions). Thalidomide was first marketed in 1953 in West Germany, where it was available over the counter. When first released, thalidomide was promoted as a tranquilizer for anxiety, trouble sleeping, "tension", & morning sickness. While it was initially thought to be safe in pregnancy, it was found that Thalidomide causes birth defects. ‘Thalidomide babies’ were born with a range of severe deformities, as well as producing thousands of miscarriages. The total number of infants severely harmed by thalidomide use during pregnancy is estimated at over 10,000, possibly 20,000, of whom about 40% died around the time of birth. Those who survived had limb, eye, urinary tract, & heart problems.
Application:
?Do YOU properly interpret The PROMISED FUTILITY of life without Jesus, for yourself & others?
?Are you a competent interpreter of Foolish Wisdom?
•This week most of us will in some way, celebrate the nationalized holiday of 'Thanksgiving' with our families &/or friends. And God's people have much to be thankful for!
Lk. 8:10—"And He[Jesus] said, “To you[His disciples] it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that ‘Seeing they may not see, And hearing they may not understand.’"
•We who belong to Jesus, are entirely blessed beyond food, family, & friends, because we live in the continual power of "knowing the mysteries of the kingdom of God."
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
!!Remember Fred’s shock at all those ‘blind drivers in the city!!
Fred mis-interpreted what Billy Bob had said.
Likewise, ‘God’s wisdom’, can be mis-interpreted, to the detriment of a person’s standing with God.
Action:
Foolish Wisdom is interpreted thru...
2. PROMISED FUTILITY Present In The World(:19)
1. The MESSAGE Of The CROSS(:18)
pt.#2-only! presented 11/24/2024am to:
Salem Baptist Church
1618 Salem Rd.
Bennettsville, SC 29512
pt.#2 only! Presented 09/08/2013am to:
FBC’belle
206 Storrs Ave. SE
Carrabelle, FL 32322
