The Worst Decision

Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-7

You put a child in a room with lots of nice toys which you tell him that he can play with, but you instruct him that he is not to play with this one thing which is off to the side.  You tell him to leave that one alone.  There is a good chance that the child will eventually make his way over to that one thing that he was told to leave alone and will check it out.  Why, when he has a room of nice toys, does he want to play with the one he’s told to leave alone?  Why is it when we are told not to do something, that we get an overwhelming desire to do that one thing?  That has been the case since our first parents, Adam and Eve.  In today’s Old Testament Scripture we will take a look at the tragic day when they could not leave alone the one thing they were told to not eat.

As we begin, we read that God placed the man that He had created, Adam, into the Garden of Eden, which he was to tend and take care of (vs. 15-17).  The Lord then instructed Adam that he could eat from every tree in the garden except from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  He was warned that if he did eat from that he would die. The command was simple, clear, and rooted in God’s goodness.  He gave abundant freedom, but one prohibition, and the consequence was certain.

We then jump over to the beginning verses of chapter 3 of Genesis where we first meet the serpent (vs. 1).  The serpent was used as Satan’s instrument in tempting Eve.  In the last book of the Bible, the serpent is specifically identified as Satan (Revelation 12:9; Revelation 20:2).  Eve’s first mistake was that she wandered near the Tree of Knowledge.  God hadn’t prohibited getting near it, but when He forbids something, it is best to stay far away to avoid temptation.  However, Eve had ventured near.  The serpent’s first tactic in tempting was to sow doubt, so he asks her if God really said what He said.  The serpent wanted to raise doubts about God’s good intentions.  Satan always attacks God’s Word, having people question its accuracy before he leads them to deny it.  The doubt that Satan plants are the seedbed of disobedience.  Every temptation begins with a challenge to God’s authority, His goodness, or His clarity.

As soon as the serpent began to talk with Eve, she would have been wise to turn and run the other way, but instead she stayed and talked with him, listening to him try to cast doubt on God’s Word (vs. 2-3).  Eve answered his question, however her answer was only partially accurate.  She repeated God’s command, but she added “nor shall you touch it”, which actually the Lord had not said.  She also omitted the word “surely” when speaking of dying.  It is wrong to either add to or subtract from God’s Word.

Satan next went for direct denial of God’s Word and deception (vs. 4-5).  He boldly told her the lie that she would not die, calling God a liar.  Instead, Satan promised her that her eyes would be opened, and she would be like God.  He implied that God was withholding something good from them.  His temptation appealed to their pride, autonomy, and self-exaltation.  This is the essence of sin - the desire to be independent of God, and to define good and evil or oneself.

Next followed the most devastating act in human history - when Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit (vs. 6).  This temptation was threefold.  She saw that the fruit was good for food, which is lust of the flesh.  She saw that it was pleasant to the eyes, which is lust of the eyes.  And that it would make one wise, which is the pride of life (I John 2:16).  Eve ate and then Adam followed after her.  She was deceived, but Adam was not deceived.  He sinned willfully (I Timothy 2:14).  His sin is the one through which death entered the world, plunging the human race into sin (Romans 5:12).  Their act of disobedience stemmed directly from the temptation to mistrust God’s loving relationship.

Then followed immediate consequences (vs. 7).  Their eyes were indeed opened, but not as promised.  They gained experiential knowledge of evil, but not divine wisdom.  Though physical death wasn’t immediate, it began its process.  However, spiritual death was immediate, which leads to eternal death, apart from salvation through the Lord Jesus.  Their innocence was lost and shame entered. The two made a feeble attempt to cover themselves with fig leaves, which symbolizes human attempts to deal with sin.  However it was insufficient, temporary, and inadequate.  God would later replace their coverings with animal skins, which is a foreshadowing of the substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ.

We have to wonder why Adam and Eve would trust the serpent who they didn’t know, and not trust the Lord God who they did know.  The Lord would meet with them and walk with them every evening, yet they took the word of that serpent, Satan, who they had just encountered.  Man had every reason to trust and obey his loving Father, yet he sinned at the first opportunity and disobeyed, breaking the one rule.  However, God showed His love, as He immediately began to redeem mankind from sin.

What is Truly Important

Philippians 3:7-14

Have you gotten a trophy or two in your lifetime, perhaps for some sport,  or maybe a blue ribbon for some achievement?  Maybe hanging on your wall are diplomas, showing your academic achievements.  They may not be an Academy Award, a Nobel prize, or an Olympic medal, but we’re still proud of our achievements.  What would you think of someone who would throw all of their awards away?  That would be a shock!  The world would look at them as odd, to say the least.  In our Scripture today we look at someone who had achieved a lot in his past, but now considered it all trash.  There was now only one thing important in his life, and he was pursuing that with a zeal that outmatched any from his past.  Let’s take a look.

As you might have guessed, the person we are looking at today is the Apostle Paul.  In his letter to the Philippian church, Paul wanted to stress to the new believers what is really important in their Christian walk.  As Paul traveled around Greece and Asia Minor winning souls to Christ and establishing churches, there were others who would come shortly after, telling the new converts that they needed to fully follow the Old Testament Mosaic Law in order to be accepted by God.  In various verses in his epistles, Paul stressed how that was not true.  One did not need to keep the Law to be accepted by God.  Immediately prior to today’s passage, Paul listed his impressive religious credentials.  If anyone could claim righteousness by the Law, it was him.  However, Paul learned, and now taught, that works do not save us.  True righteousness is found only in Jesus, and that the Christian life is a forward-pressing pursuit of knowing Him more deeply.

As Paul shared, everything that he once trusted in - his Jewish heritage, meticulous law-keeping, his reputation, they were now worthless compared to Christ (vs. 7-8).  This was a complete reorientation of what matters for salvation.  Salvation requires abandoning confidence in our self-righteousness.  We can be a member of our church since birth, been tithing since our first paycheck, be a deacon, teach Sunday School, etc., but none of these can save us.  Salvation requires abandoning confidence in any works.  Even good things become “loss” if they keep us from Jesus.

Scripture teaches us that the righteousness that will save us is not earned, not inherited, and not achieved, but it is imputed by God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (vs. 9).  This is the heart of justification.  Our assurance rests not in performance, but in Christ’s finished work.  What is important is knowing Jesus Christ, having a deepening relationship with Him, and knowing the power of His resurrection (vs. 10), which is the same power that enables holy living.  Also the fellowship of His sufferings, which will draw us closer to Him.  Paul said that his greatest desire was for the final resurrection (vs. 11), which should also be our ultimate hope and destination.

As the Apostle continued, he knew that he was still growing as a believer (vs. 12).  Christians are a work in progress.  We should be growing in Christ, seeking to draw closer to Jesus, and be more and more obedient to His commands, even though sometimes we fall short.  No one, even the most brilliant of saints, ever gets to a point of spiritual perfection.  Paul knew, though, that he was safe and secure, just like a child in their parent’s hand, because Jesus had a hold of him.

Paul made the conscious decision that he would refuse to be controlled by the past (vs. 13).  He refused to rest on past achievements or be paralyzed by past failures.  With God’s forgiveness, we can leave our past mistakes behind, and live for today.  If He doesn’t remember our forgiven sin, then why should we? (Psalm 103:12; Isaiah 1:18).  Yesterday’s victories do not guarantee today’s faithfulness, nor does yesterday’s failures disqualify today’s obedience.

The Christian life is not static.  Jesus has taken hold of us, and now we run, not to earn His love, but because we already have it.  The finish line is ahead, and the prize is Jesus, Himself.  Paul made it a point to press forward, to strain with all of his effort, to make it to the finish line and receive his eternal reward (vs. 13-14).  We need to follow the path that Jesus laid out for us, and not get side-tracked.  We should have a single aim - to complete the course, whatever challenges it presents.  As Hebrews 12:1-2 says, let us fix our eyes on Jesus, as He guides us to the finish line.

Prayer and Fasting

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

We are now beginning the season of Lent, a period of forty days before Easter where Christians take part in solemn observances of prayer, fasting, abstinence, and often adding special acts of service or other religious practices.  As I am writing this on Ash Wednesday, I swapped our usual Gospel reading from later in the week to today, as it focuses on giving alms, prayer, and fasting, two common practices during Lent. In today’s Scripture Jesus contrasts true righteousness with the empty religiosity of the Pharisees, and calls His followers to sincere, God-centered righteousness.

In Jesus’ day, many of the Pharisees liked to perform their acts of spiritual observance, such as giving alms, praying, and fasting, out in the open.  They would often do this with great show, so that others would see.  They hoped that others would notice and be impressed with how religious and godly they seemed to be.  Unfortunately we still see this today with people in church congregations who try to impress others with their “godly” practices.  Jesus warns His disciples about this subtle spiritual trap (vs. 1).  He isn’t telling us that we should never do any good works publicly, however we should not be doing them for the public’s applause.  We should be doing them for the right reasons - so that others will glorify God.  If our goal is human praise, human praise is all we will get.

Scripture shows that the people who seek out public applause for their spiritual acts are hypocrites, as they are pretending to be something they are not.  God values quiet, humble generosity with our alms giving (vs. 2-4).  We should be giving in ways that only God needs to know about.  Jesus wants us to give from a heart that seeks only His approval, not those around us.  The less attention we draw to ourselves, the more glory goes to God.

Jesus continues by speaking about our prayer life (vs. 5-6).  Generally, most of our prayer should be done in private.  That is not to say that there is anything wrong with praying with our Christian brothers and sisters.  Corporate prayer with family and in church is good.  However, again, Jesus is speaking against making our prayers a performance in order to be admired.  Our prayers should not be man-centered, but instead be God-centered.  Our private prayer life reveals our true walk with God.

Next we jump down to verses 16-18 where Jesus talks about fasting.  The Pharisees were frequent fasters, and they would let everyone know they were doing that by their appearance and actions.  Jesus told His followers that was the wrong way.  We should not be making ourselves look miserable so others will admire our devotion.  Instead Jesus said that we should look and act our normal way when fasting.  It should be between ourselves and God, so we don’t need to be telling others that we’re fasting, either.  Spiritual disciplines are not props for public admiration.

Fasting does not serve to change God’s mind.  Nor should it be a way to try to manipulate His will, or think that it will speed up His answer.  Instead, fasting helps us focus our attention on God alone, so that we listen and worship wholeheartedly.  When fasting, we are better able to fix our eyes on Jesus, and hear Him clearly.  Also, fasting can be carried out in several ways.  Frequently it is going without food or certain types of food.  We can also fast by eliminating some activities, or giving up that extra hour of sleep, in order to seek the Lord during that time.  The intent of any fast is to pray without disturbance so we can focus fully on the Lord.

Jesus finishes this lesson with teaching us where our true treasures should be (vs. 19-21).  There are two kinds of treasure.  One is earthly treasure, which is temporary, vulnerable, and corruptible.  Then there is heavenly treasure, which is eternal, secure, and incorruptible.  Our heart will follow where we have made our investments.  Heavenly treasures can include our acts of obedience, our sacrificial giving, the God-honoring service we do, and especially the souls that we have won for Jesus.

Remember, God is always watching.  Whether our work is on a public stage or done in the quietness of our homes, God sees it.  And when we do things with a heart to serve Him, He rewards us with His pleasure.  However, when we work with impure motives, or just to gain other’s approval, that will be our only reward.  We secure God’s approval in the secret places, when no one else knows what we have done.  One word of approval from God is worth more than a million from the world.

A Life Ordered by God's Word

Psalm 119:1-16

Our psalm selection for this week comes from a rather special and unique psalm.  Psalm 119 holds a special position in the Bible, as it is both the longest psalm in the Book of Psalms, and is also the longest chapter in the Bible, containing 176 verses.  In all but about five or six of these verses there is a synonym for God’s law, using words such as: law, testimonies, precepts, statutes, commandments, judgments, ordinances, word, and ways. Psalm 119 is one of nine acrostic psalms.  The psalm is divided into segments of eight verses, each one beginning with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.  Let’s take a look at the first two segments of this beautiful psalm which praises God’s Word.

The first segment of eight verses speak of how one is blessed by God when they order their life by God’s Word.  To be blessed is to be highly favored by God (vs. 1).  To be “undefiled in the way” refers to their manner of life.  They don’t have sinless perfection, as none but the Lord Jesus led such a life, but they try to live their life with integrity.  God’s Word governs their whole pattern of life.  Such a person is truly blessed by God.

Our unknown psalmist continues by declaring that God’s blessing is upon the one that not only keeps God’s testimonies, but also seeks Him with their whole heart (vs. 2).  They guard their life and heart, holding fast onto His Word.  They seek after God, having no divided loyalties between Him and the world.  The psalmist repeats that such a person will not commit iniquity or sin, but follow God’s ways (vs. 3).  Again, this is not referring to sinless perfection, but a consistent pattern of seeking to live a righteous life by following God’s ways, revealed in Scripture.  His Word should be what shapes our behavior, not our personal preferences.

God’s commands in His Word are binding, clear, and authoritative (vs. 4).  They are not an option, nor are we to pick and choose what we want to obey or not obey.  A faithful believer will diligently, carefully, and intentionally seek to follow them.  He will cry out to God, seeking His help to obey His Word (vs. 5).  We all know that even when we desire to faithfully follow God, we will occasionally fall, so we pray for His help. On the other hand, when we become lax in our obedience to the Lord, we should be filled with shame (vs. 6).  This includes just partial obedience.  Partial obedience is in truth, disobedience.  The psalmist continues to praise the Lord and resolve to obey Him (vs. 7-8).

The second segment of eight verses highlight the cleansing and transforming power of God’s Word and Law.  It begins with a question that every young person must answer, and that is how to keep oneself clean from the stain of sin in their life (vs. 9).  The psalmist answers this question for us.  Becoming clean from the stain of sin does not happen by self-help, but by taking heed, by careful obedience to God’s Word.  The Bible is sufficient for our moral purity.

The psalmist recognized his own tendency to drift away from committed devotion, so he prayed to seek Him with his whole heart (vs. 10). We need to spend time reading and meditating on Scripture, and most importantly, obeying it.  Spiritual vigilance is necessary to live a life pleasing to God.

One way to keep ourselves close to the Lord is by hiding His Word in our heart (vs. 11).  To do that we need to be reading, meditating, and even memorizing Scripture each day.  Memorization is an important weapon against sin.  When we memorize God’s Word, it is planted into our hearts. That way we can be prepared for temptation, as it becomes our spiritual sword. Even if we stray from Him, those words will play over and over in our mind.  His Word will not return void (Isaiah 55:10-11).  Also, there may come a time when we cannot have a Bible with us.  However, if we have Scripture passages memorized, those verses will always be with us.

As we jump down to verse 14, we see that our psalmist values his Bible more than material wealth.  Given a choice between his Bible or great riches, he would choose his Bible.  Would you?  Many people dream of getting rich.  That is why places like Las Vegas exist.  What if we were more excited about following the Lord’s Word than about winning millions of dollars?  True riches belong to those who walk with Jesus.  True joy is found in God’s Word, not in material prosperity.

The psalmist closes by saying that his delight is God’s Word, and promises not to forget it (vs. 16).  To avoid forgetting something one needs to keep it forefront in one’s mind.  To not forget certain Bible verses, we need to keep repeating them over and over again.

Do you want to be blessed in your life?  I’m sure we all do.  God’s blessing is tied to obeying His Word.  Let’s follow this psalmist’s example with wholehearted devotion and submission to Scripture, and by meditation and memorization so that we can live a life of blessing, peace, and joy.

Are We Hypocrites?

Isaiah 58:1-12

No one really likes being called a hypocrite.  People outside of the church often use that as an excuse as to why they won’t attend.  They say that the church is filled with hypocrites.  Often then, some people in the church will get offended or become even more self-righteous.  And they certainly don’t like it if a fellow church member calls another a hypocrite.  However, what if it is the Lord God who is calling us hypocrites?  In our Scripture passage today, as we approach Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent later this week, we read from the prophet Isaiah when the Lord called out His people for their hypocrisy.

Many of the people of Judah during Isaiah’s day were very outwardly religious.  They kept all of the religious holy days and festivals.  They fasted when they should, and brought all of the required sacrifices to the Temple.  They prayed at the appointed times.  If someone were to observe them they would conclude that they were very religious.  However, most of them were just outwardly religious, but inwardly they were rebellious.  Despite their rituals, their hearts were far from God.

God gave Isaiah a message, and that was to proclaim to the people of Judah their sins (vs. 1).  The prophet does so without softening his message.  All of their religious activity was hypocrisy, masking a deep rebellion.  God told Isaiah to confront His people with the truth without any coddling or flattery.  He takes hypocrisy seriously, both back then and today.  From all outward appearance they seemed devoted to God, following His ways (vs. 2).  However, it was all external.  Their obedience to Him was only superficial.

The people couldn’t understand - they fasted and prayed, yet it seemed that God took no notice and didn’t see (vs. 3).  Their prayers seemed to go unanswered.  How often do we feel the same way?  We pray, we fast, we go through any number of religious rituals, and then get angry at God.  The problem was not with God, but with them.  Isaiah proceeded to tell them that they weren’t fasting in order to get closer to God and hear from Him.  They fasted while exploiting their workers, and while they were fighting among themselves (vs. 3-4).  Their fasting was self-centered, not God centered.  How about with us?  When we fast and pray, do we continue in our sinful ways, hoping that God will be proud of our fasting and answer our prayers?  Religious rituals cannot co-exist with unrighteous living.

The people were in the habit of making a big, outward show of their religiosity, such as wearing sackcloth and ashes so everyone knew they were fasting (vs. 5).  Though we don’t usually do that, we have our own ways of trying to appear pious.  However, God rejects ritual without righteousness.  All God saw was a hypocritical show of religiosity instead of true repentance.  True worship requires a heart aligned with God’s Word, not empty ceremony.  What God wants is that we show love, compassion, and caring for others in their needs, a practical righteousness flowing from a transformed heart (vs. 6-7).  True devotion to God always expresses itself in love, justice, and mercy.

When the people start truly practicing righteousness and following His ways, God’s blessings will follow.  His light and health will follow, and He will be our Rear Guard against our enemies (vs. 8).  He will be there with us and take care of us.  These blessings would come to the people when they started obeying His Word and caring for others (vs. 9-12).  God delights to answer prayer when His people walk in integrity.  Obedience brings a flourishing in our relationship with the Lord, and an outpouring of His blessings.

God promises to guide us continually (vs. 11).  Not a human, or even an angel, but the Lord.  We can notice the word “will”.  This makes it certain.  God will not forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).  He also promised to guide us continually.  We are not led sometimes.  We have a perpetual Guide.

As we look back over this passage of Scripture, we learn that God rejects worship that is merely external.  True faith produces obedience, compassion, and holiness.  God is not impressed by ritual, but by righteousness that reflects His character.  We need to show Him genuine devotion, with compassion for others and integrity in our actions.  When we do, God promises to continually guide our ways.

Salt and Light

Matthew 5:13-16

How would you like to spend a period of time in a dimly lit room, eating nothing but some type of tasteless cooked cereal?  Most of us wouldn’t like that, as we prefer our food to be flavored, and we enjoy sunlight.  That is why one of the first things I do every day is open up the shades in my home to let the sunlight in.  I also flavor my food to a moderate amount.  Jesus likes light and flavoring, too.  However, rather than referring to the spice rack in the kitchen and sunlight through a window, He is referring to desiring His followers to be that in the world around them.  Let’s look into our short Scripture passage today from the Gospel of St. Matthew.

As our Scripture opens, Jesus was seated on a hillside overlooking the Sea of Galilee, and was preaching a message, today known as the Sermon on the Mount.  He told His followers that they are the salt of the earth (vs. 13).   Salt enhances taste.  It flavors food which might otherwise be bland, which is why it is added to many recipes.  Salt was also used in the ancient world as a preservative.  Before refrigeration, salt was used to preserve meat and other foods, as it would prevent decay.

This is what Jesus wants us to be in the world.  Today the world is morally and spiritually decaying.  Jesus wants us to go out into the world and be salt.  As His disciples, our godly lives and Gospel witness can help to restrain corruption.  As we act as salt with our Christian living, we can show an alternative to the corrupting ways of the world, and point them to Jesus for salvation.  Our presence should bring moral clarity and a spiritual attractiveness that brings a desired flavor to the world’s decay.  The Apostle Paul tells us that our speech, the way we talk and act, should always be as seasoning to others (Colossians 4:6).  As we all know from experience, salt causes thirst.  When those who don’t know Jesus see how we handle problems, illnesses, or suffering, they will thirst to know how we do it, and then we can tell them about what Jesus can do in their lives

Salt in Jesus’ day was often mixed with impurities.  If the true salt leached out, what remained was useless.  If a professing believer loses their distinctiveness, their witness becomes ineffective.  Compromising one's beliefs and the truth of God’s Word will destroy one's testimony.  If we lose our flavor, if our beliefs become watered down, if our words and actions do not display true faith in Jesus Christ, then we lose our influence and we are of little value to the Kingdom of God.

The second thing Jesus told His followers is that they are light (vs. 14-16).  One thing that light does is that it reveals.  In a dark room you will stumble around, bumping into whatever is there that you can’t see.  When a light is turned on, then you can see and avoid the obstacles.  As light, believers reveal the truth about God, about sin, and about salvation.  We are to shine as lights in the middle of a crooked and perverse world (Philippians 2:15).  We are a light in the darkness.  We are watched.  The world may hate the light, but there will be some attracted to it.  We must let our light shine.

Light also reflects off of objects.  Jesus is the true Light (John 8:12).  We shine only because we reflect Him.  This is borrowed light, just like the moon reflecting the sun.  Jesus said that we are not to let our light be hidden, but rather be the light on a lampstand or a beacon from a city on a hill.  A genuine Christian is visible against the corrupt and perverse world.  Our lives are meant to be public testimonies.  No one lights a lamp to hide it.  Likewise, God saved us to shine, not to retreat.  Our testimony is meant to illuminate our sphere of influence.

Light shines most effectively when it is not hidden.  Light is brightest when the lamp is kept clean.  We need to eliminate sinful attitudes and practices which dims our testimony for Jesus.  Light reveals what is hidden in the darkness.  It serves to warn of danger and guides to safety.  This is what the Lord wants us to be for a lost world.

As believers, we represent the family of God.  The world will judge our Father based on our words, behavior, and our attitudes.  Jesus challenges His followers to let their light shine into the world’s spiritual darkness, and be the salt to flavor and preserve against an increasingly corrupt and perverse world.  Our deeds, good or bad, beautiful or ugly, will reflect an image of God that others will see.  Remember, this world is dark and decaying.  As Christians, we are not called to blend in but to stand out.

Preaching Christ Crucified

I Corinthians 2:1-11

Imagine, if you will, that you had been inviting a close friend or relative to come to church or Bible study with you.  They are not Christian, not a believer, and you are praying that they will come, hear the Word of God, and may soon accept Jesus.  Finally they accept and come with you.  However, that day there was a guest preacher, and his message was so intellectual, so highbrow.  He used so many ten-dollar words it would make a graduate student from Harvard or Oxford’s head spin!  There was very little mention of Jesus, and none of His sacrificial death on the cross for our sins, or salvation.  Your friend could barely follow along, and went home hearing nothing of the salvation they needed, and had no interest in returning.  This was something that the Apostle Paul did not want to see happen, and he speaks along this line in our Scripture for today.

Today’s Scripture continues on from Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth.  Greek culture in that time highly prized intellectual speech and polished rhetoric.  They really loaded up on those ten-dollar words!  Paul was no intellectual light-weight.  He was extremely well-educated, and could easily hold his own in any intellectual conversation or discussion.  However, when it was time to bring a message or preach a sermon, Paul stuck strictly to the message of the Gospel, and spoke in a manner that anyone in the audience could understand (vs. 1).  His goal was to bring the Gospel of salvation to everyone in a manner and way that everyone could understand.  Paul’s goal was not to impress people, but to declare God’s truth plainly.  Like Paul, preachers today need to realize that the power of their message is not in their preaching skills, but is in the message of Christ.

Paul wanted to make sure that his messages were centered on Jesus and His death on the cross for everyone’s sins (vs 2).  It wasn’t that he felt that other doctrines were not of any importance, as his letters speak of other things, such as spiritual warfare and godly Christian living.  However, salvation is the governing center of all doctrines.  The cross is the dividing line between human wisdom and divine wisdom.  Every doctrine flows from Jesus and His sacrifice.  A Christ-centered ministry should be non-negotiable.  The cross is not one theme among many.  It is the foundation of all preaching.  Preaching that doesn’t exalt the Lord Jesus is empty preaching.

When he came to Corinth, Paul did not rely on making an impression with his eloquence and his human wisdom (vs. 3-5).  His preaching was not with persuasive words, but with demonstration of the Holy Spirit and of power.  He didn’t want their faith to be built on personality, eloquence, or emotional manipulation, as that is false and unstable.  However, faith built on God’s power is unshakeable.  When people follow image-conscious leaders in the church, the leader is exalted.  He is placed on a pedestal, and ultimately takes the place of the head of the church.  However, when the people follow leaders who have a servant’s heart, the Lord Jesus is exalted.

Paul did speak with wisdom, but it was not worldly or philosophical (vs. 6-7).  It is God’s wisdom, which is revealed to believers.  Paul spoke of the “wisdom of God in a mystery”.  A “mystery” in Scripture is truth that was once hidden, but now revealed.  Paul was speaking of how God planned redemption from before creation (Ephesians 1:4; I Peter 1:20).  The Gospel message that Paul sought to always preach was God’s divine plan from the start.  The leaders of the world did not understand God’s wisdom, as they took and crucified the Savior, God’s Son (vs. 8).  It is no different today, as the leaders of this world follow their own wisdom, not God’s, and oppose Jesus at every opportunity.

Paul proceeded in verse 9 to quote Isaiah 64:4.  Many people often apply this verse to heaven, but in this context it is referring to spiritual truths which are now revealed to believers.  It is true that we have no comprehension of how wonderful heaven will be, but at the same time, the spiritual truths which were once hidden mysteries are just as glorious when we see them revealed to us through the power of the Holy Spirit.  God makes His truths known to us through the Holy Spirit (vs. 10), as He enables us to understand the Scriptures.  The Holy Spirit knows the thoughts of God, and what He wishes and allows, the Spirit reveals to us (vs. 11).  It is impossible to know God through human reasoning alone.

As we close this portion of Scripture, we see that the truth about God is not the product of human philosophy, but is revealed by the Holy Spirit.  The cross should always be the heart of Christian preaching, as it divides between true and false wisdom.  Human intellect cannot reach anyone for God.  Thus whether teaching, witnessing, or preaching, the message must be Jesus Christ and His cross, and not the self-help, feel good, or entertainment messages so many prefer to preach.  Remember, the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus is a central doctrine of our faith, and understanding it correctly is essential for eternal life.