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
1 Corinthians 2:1-8 (NIV), When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. 2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. 4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, 5 so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power. 6 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, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
A. Paul did not depend on eloquence or his own wisdom.
1. This is made clear in verses 1,3, & 4.
2. Paul did not tie his message up in his intellect.
3. Paul did not wrap his message up in pretty words.
4. He wanted his message to be God’s message and not just the opinions of a man.
5. He wanted it to be God’s message and not just the teachings of an intelligent man.
6. He wanted it be God’s message and not just the speech of an excellent speaker.
7. Paul didn’t want people to come and hear him speak just because he was a wise person or a great speaker.
B. His message was Christ and the cross (2).
1. He resolved to know nothing in them expect Jesus and Him crucified.
2. His message was the cross of Jesus Christ.
3. His message was salvation to anyone who believes in the truth of the cross.
4. His message was that God would take men and women in whatever condition they were in as long as they believed in the power of the cross to change lives.
5. His message was that the blood of Christ could cleanse people from their sins.
6. That the blood of Christ could save adulterers, prostitutes, homosexuals, and swindlers.
7. The power of Paul’s message was in the cross of Jesus and not just pretty words of human wisdom.
C. Now consider the meaning of some of his words in this passage.
1. Weakness (3)--this can mean "simplicity".
a. Paul is saying that he didn’t come to them in any power of his own.
b. Paul is saying that he came to them in weakness.
c. There was power evident in Paul’s preaching and the Corinthians knew it.
d. But Paul is saying that it wasn’t his power, but God’s power.
e. Paul says that God used Paul’s weakness to display His strength.
f. Through Paul’s weakness, God demonstrated His own power.
g. Paul says he came in weakness.
2. The word "fear" means that he was anxious to perform a duty; he trembled.
a. Paul is saying that he came in his own weakness in fear and with much trembling.
b. Paul knew the awesomeness of his responsibility.
c. Paul knew that it was a very awesome responsibility to represent Jesus Christ; to speak on behalf of Almighty God.
d. Knowing the awesomeness of his responsibility, Paul admitted that he physically shook with fear.
3. "Demonstration of the Spirit’s Power"--God caused something supernatural to happen when the message was preached (4).
a. Paul is saying here that he knows that there was power in his preaching, but it wasn’t his power.
b. The power wasn’t in wise and persuasive words, but in was God’s power through the HS.
c. Paul came in weakness and with fear and trembling and God brought forth a demonstration of the Spirit’s power.
d. Paul had the correct attitude in preaching the gospel and God honored that attitude.
d. There was a demonstration of the spirit’s power.
e. You could see and hear it in Paul’s preaching.
D. This is the message that the apostle had proclaimed to the Corinthians: God’s secret wisdom.
1. This message is the wisdom of God.
2. Paul did not couch the message of God in the wisdom of man.
3. Paul did not try to hide the gospel in eloquent words of the wisdom of man.
4. Paul knew and understood the strongholds that Satan sets up to confuse the gospel message in people’s minds when they heard the gospel.
4. And Paul did not try to circumvent that by using worldly wisdom to try to penetrate the strongholds.
5. Paul preached the simple truth of the gospel.
6. Paul preached as simply and as understandably as he possibly could.
7. Paul preached the truth straight, without watering it down.
8. Paul preached it with humility and and fear.
9. It was, no doubt, a message of Godly wisdom that the mature in Christ could understand.
10. But Paul preached the gospel truthfully, accurately, simply, and straight.
11. Paul did not lean on his own wisdom, but the truth of the gospel.
12. But there was something else that Paul leaned on as well and that is…
III. The Work of the Holy Spirit
1 Corinthians 2:9-10 (NIV), However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him"-- 10 but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.
A. Verses 9 and 10 are often applied to Heaven.
1. Heaven is wonderful, but that is not what Paul is talking about.
2. What Paul is saying is that the only power to penetrate the strongholds that the enemy has in people’s minds is the power of the HS.
3. There really isn’t anything we can do in our wisdom or eloquence to break through these strongholds other than continue to speak the plain truth and rely on the HS to do the warfare that it takes to tear down these strongholds of earthly wisdom.
B. He is teaching from Isaiah 64:4.
1. No one could comprehend what God would bring about through Christ and His cross.
2. The great things of salvation are revealed through the Spirit.
3. How is it that some people “get” the message of the gospel and others do not?
4. How is it that some who “get” the message of the gospel never get the HS?
5. How is it that some who “get” the message of the gospel never mature in their faith?
6. How do we get people to “get” it?
7. How do we get people to “get” salvation?
8. How do we get those who “get” salvation to move beyond the pew with their faith?
9. How do we get people to “get” it?
10. We preach and teach the simple plain truth of the gospel and we wage war in the spiritual realm to break down those strongholds.
11. We pray and pray and pray and pray and pray in order to release enough of the Holy Spirit’s power to penetrate that stronghold and cause the enemy to flee!
12. We pray and pray and pray and pray and pray in order to release enough of the Holy Spirit’s power to break through those filters of worldly thinking!
13. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (NIV), For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God…
a. Even though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does—we wage spiritual warfare for the souls of men and women and boys and girls!
b. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of this world—our weapons are the sword of the spirit (which is the Bible) and prayer to release the power of the HS—Bible and prayer are our weapons!
c. And these weapons have the power to destroy spiritual strongholds.
d. The spiritual strongholds are arguments and wisdom and filters that set themselves up against the knowledge of God.
e. And our weapons have Devine power!
f. The have Devine power to DOMOLISH these strongholds of wisdom that prevent people from “getting” it!
g. Ever wonder what can be done to get your loved one or friend to “get” it?
h. Keep telling them the truth of the gospel and keep praying to DEMOLISH those strongholds of earthly wisdom that are prevent them from getting an unfiltered hearing of the gospel!
14. And the purpose of waging this kind of war is to gain…
IV. The Mind of Christ
1 Corinthians 2:11-16 (NIV), 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. 12 We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. 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. 14 The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man’s judgment: 16 "For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ.
A. You are the only one that really knows your mind.
1. The Spirit is the one who knows the mind of God (11).
2. No one really knows what is in your mind except you yourself.
3. Not even spouses know what is in your mind!
4. No one knows your own mind except your own spirit.
B. In the same way, know one knows the thoughts of God except God Himself.
1. The only way we have of coming to know the wisdom of God is if His Spirit reveals it to us.
2. The HS is the only one who can reveal the knowledge of God to us.
3. Sometimes the Spirit will use other human beings such as a preacher or an author, but the mind of God can only be revealed through the HS.
4. “…no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.”
5. 1 Corinthians 2:14 (NIV), The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.
a. This is the person who sees nothing beyond this present physical life.
b. Spiritual things seem foolish to a person like this.
6. Verse 15 speaks of the "spiritual man."
a. The true Christian is dependent on God and does not seek the approval of the world.
b. The true Christian does not filter his information through the wisdom of this world.
7. Verse 16 teaches that the Christian has "the mind of Christ."
a. This doesn’t mean that we know everything.
b. It means we look at life through the teaching of Jesus.
c. We do have a filter, but it is not the filter of the wisdom of this world.
d. Our filter is the teachings of Christ.
e. We DO have strongholds—strongholds that are DEVINE; strongholds that impenetrable.
f. We have the mind of Christ!
C. Now listen to the rest of 2 Corinthians 10:5 (NIV), We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
1. The follower of Christ doesn’t just apply Christ’s teaching to religious things or Sunday things.
2. Paul says we take captive EVERY THOUGHT.
3. We take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ.
4. If we are truly a follower of Christ, we have the mind of Christ we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
5. That is the problem with many Christians and many churches.
6. They are still filtering their thoughts through the world’s wisdom and not the mind of Christ.
7. They are still filtering their thoughts through the world’s wisdom and never stopping to ask what does the Bible say about this or what would Jesus do in this situation.
8. True followers of Christ demolish arguments and worldly wisdom that set themselves up against the knowledge of God—in our own minds!
9. True followers of Christ demolish worldly wisdom in our own minds and take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ in our own minds!
10. And we pray earnestly for the HS to do that in our own minds as well as the minds of others.
11. That is how we develop the mind of Christ!
12. That is how we DEMOLISH the strongholds that Satan puts in our minds!
13. That is how we DEMOLISH the strongholds in other peoples’ minds!
14. The ONLY way to demolish strongholds is by developing the mind of Christ with the power of the HS!
Conclusion:
A. [H. B. London on Mysteries That Stretch Our Faith, Citation: H. B. London, from They Call Me Pastor (Regal, 2000), pp. 23-30]
Four doctors in surgical greens stood before Dave and Jana at the Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena.
I stood by helplessly as one doctor spoke. "Your baby has died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. We want to give you a chance to hold your child before we take her."
I watched this young couple; their shoulders shook with emotion as they held their firstborn for the last time.
My mind raced to find something to say to the shocked young couple.
I wanted to tell them that everything would be okay, but that wasn’t true.
Their baby was dead.
All my pastoral training and experience seemed to fail me then.
"Dave and Jana," I began, with words that were broken and slow, "I don’t know why this awful loss has to come to you. But I know God loves you as if you were the only ones in the whole world to love. If you accept his love…if you believe he does love you, you’ll make it. If you don’t, you won’t."
Those were the only words I had for them. They seemed awfully empty at the time.
I choked back my own emotions while they tried valiantly to cling to their newfound faith.
But something happened in that hospital room.
Neither the couple nor I had words to erase the pain.
A Holy Presence invaded that place.
God joined the three of us.
Just as in the Old Testament story of the fiery furnace, when God himself came to comfort Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, we felt in the fiery trial of suffering an assurance that God was caring for us.
In all the pain, I remembered what a precious time we had a few weeks earlier when we dedicated their baby in the worship service.
Now this.
I confess that a few times in my ministry, the whys from my heart have almost made me quit.
I am sure you have experienced similar anguish.
But in our heart of hearts we know that there is no satisfactory human answer to the problem of evil.
One day, after coming to Focus on the Family, I received a letter with a picture of Dave and Jana holding a beautiful baby.
They wrote:
H. B., you probably don’t think we heard you when you encouraged us to cling to the love of God when our baby died.
But we heard you clearly.
So we have believed over and over that God loves us as if we were the only ones to love.
We have learned to live in the love of God.
We quote your words to each other often.
The Lord is gracious.
Notice in the picture we are holding a beautiful new baby—God’s special gift to us.
We don’t understand why we lost our first child.
We still hurt when we think about it, but we don’t question God anymore…
I have thought a lot about their faith and mine since receiving that letter.
Some tough situations are mysteries beyond our comprehension.
Mysteries greater than our answers.
Mysteries that stretch our faith.
Mysteries that force us to turn to God because we can’t find answers anywhere else.
1. This couple forced themselves to take EVERY THOUGHT captive.
2. They refused to believe the lies of Satan that God didn’t love them.
3. The refused to believe the thoughts that came to their mind from Satan that there must not be a god.
4. They took EVERY THOUGHT captive and they were able to DEMOLISH the strongholds of Satan in their minds!
B. 2 Chronicles 12:14, "[Rehoboam] did evil because he had no set his heart on seeking the Lord."
1. Do you see that Satan puts thoughts in our heads (temptations) and we have the option of believing and allowing them to take root and become strongholds or we have the option of taking that thought captive and giving it to God to reveal His truth to us?
2. The mind of Christ is the filter that Christian should filter every thought through.
3. Not just spiritual or religious or church matters; the mind of Christ is our STRONGHOLD in ALL of life!
