This is a Must!! 1 Corinthians 3:18-23
1 Corinthians 3:18-23 (Amp) Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool [discarding his worldly pretensions and acknowledging his lack of wisdom], so that he may become [truly] wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness (absurdity, stupidity) before God; for it is written [in Scripture], “[He is] The one who catches the wise and clever in their craftiness;” and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the [humanly] wise, that they are useless.” 21 So let no one boast in men [about their wisdom, or of having this or that one as a leader]. For all things are yours, 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas (Peter) or the world or life or death or things present or things to come; all things are yours, 23 and you belong to Christ; and Christ belongs to God.
There has never a time in History that I know of like we are in right now; when it comes to the amount of information, we have access to
Not only do we have information about almost everything, with google translate, we can repeat it in Swahili or Spanish, or Italian – making ourselves look very smart
When I think of Paul telling the people back then, to quit thinking that they are wise, I see a group that would have been receptive based on Paul’s travel, knowledge and overall God given wisdom
That same conversation would be very different today – As preachers before we finish a sentence, your phones are up and no longer are most people listening to understand, but instead they listen to respond
I am not saying it was easier, but surely today, I can hear people quizzing Paul on Biblical knowledge that they heard from their Instagram reels that had 2 million supporter in terms of likes
We are living in a very dangerous time, where True wisdom/knowledge is drowned by the worldly wisdom every 1sec
The Bible speaks of a time when good will be known as evil and evil will be known as good
Paul is speaking to the Corinthian church and telling them these things that I will echo to you now.
Vs 18– Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool [discarding his worldly pretensions and acknowledging his lack of wisdom], so that he may become [truly] wise.
Let us not deceive ourselves, that if we think we are wise, we deceive ourselves – more like, you can’t pour into a full cup- empty yourself so you can be filled and then you can pour out
Vs 19 & 20 – The worldly wisdom is foolishness before God – His ways are higher than our ways, His thoughts higher as well. He knows our attempt to look and “show ourselves smart” is useless and all of it is worldly
He is asking them not to boast on what they know, and that they are leaders – that if they have to seek things- let it be only Godly
The division among them that is brewing, of who is greater (Paul or Apollos or Peter) should not be named among them – Enemy starts fights within the camp
1. How is my eyesight?
- I am sure when I asked that, some of you without glasses are like 20/20 bro!
- But the real question is how is your spiritual eyesight?
- Luke 11:34-36( Amp) – The eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is clear [spiritually perceptive, focused on God], your whole body also is full of light [benefiting from God’s precepts]. But when it is bad [spiritually blind], your body also is full of darkness [devoid of God’s word]. 35 Be careful, therefore, that the light that is in you is not darkness. 36 So if your whole body is illuminated, with no dark part, it will be entirely bright [with light], as when the lamp gives you light with its bright rays.”
- In our primary text today – I am for Paul or Apollos – these lines are only drawn if we are looking with our own eyes and hence, we apply our worldly wisdom
- You can have a preference, but the issue comes in when you forget that everyone is playing for the same team – Team JESUS
- The issue we have is not making choices, we are great on that – the issue is that the decisions we make are based on as far as we can see
- And most if not all the time, what we see clearly is SELF
- Judges 21:25 (Nkjv) In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
- We self-preserve, we want what we want now, we are greedy, we are selfish- and no matter how selfless we think we are- our decisions will be filtered through self
- Without Godly Wisdom which gives us spiritual eyesight, all we see is me, me, me
- Think on the arguments we have been part of – Its my case, my will, my way
- In the Bible many examples of lack of Spiritual eyesight play out:
- 2 Samuel 1– A young man claims that he killed Saul, hoping that he would be rewarded for this even though it was lie, Saul fell in his own sword when he realized he was wounded
- 2 Samuel 1:14 (Nkjv) – So David said to him, “How was it you were not afraid to put forth your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?” 15 Then David called one of the young men and said, “Go near, and execute him!” And he struck him so that he died. 16 So David said to him, “Your blood is on your own head, for your own mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I have killed the Lord’s anointed.’
- 2 Samuel 4:10(Nkjv) -when someone told me, saying, ‘Look, Saul is dead,’ thinking to have brought good news, I arrested him and had him executed in Ziklag—the one who thought I would give him a reward for his news.
- We need Gods wisdom when it comes to keeping His commandments –so that good things done in our human knowledge don’t become our death because we disobeyed God ( don’t sin against God)
- Samuel 6:6 –7 – And when they came to Nachon’s threshing floor, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and [a]took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. 7 Then the anger of the Lord was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him there for his [b]error; and he died there by the ark of God.
- Uzzah touches the Ark (human wisdom) it’s a noble thing – They had been told to never touch the Ark of the Lord
- Numbers 4:15 (Nkjv) – And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, when the camp is set to go, then the sons of Kohath shall come to carry them; but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die.
- See when you have Godly wisdom that comes from the Holy Spirit – He will bring into remembrance the things that you ought to do and not do
- Sometimes it’s not what we are doing but what others are doing that we end up heaping curses on ourselves because we apply our human knowledge
- In 2 Samuel – David has just taken the Ark of the Lord and he is dancing to the Lord with all his might and Michal (David’s wife) is looking through her own eyes and applying her own wisdom
- 2 Samuel 6:16(Nkjv) But as the Ark of the Lord entered the City of David, Michal, the daughter of Saul, looked down from her window. When she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she was filled with contempt for him.
- She forgot that the Man dancing has been made by God – called as a shepherd – And the only reason Michal is with David is because of this same God that David is dancing to – We are quick to forget the source of it all
- What did she rip? – 2 Samuel 6:23 So Michal, the daughter of Saul, remained childless throughout her entire life.
- Human eyesight is dangerous if we don’t apply Godly wisdom
2. It is doable
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- Ephesians 6:12 (Nkjv)For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
- Many people in the Bible have ignored their own desires and have chosen Christ – and the results are amazing
- Galatians 5:20-22( Nkjv) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 [b]gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
- There is a measure of discipline and denying of self that is required in order to finish this race well
- Countless people in the Bible choose Gods wisdom even though human knowledge was screaming otherwise
- The wall of Jericho – Joshua 6:1–27, the walls of Jericho fell after the Israelites marched around the city walls once a day for six days, seven times on the seventh day, with the priests blowing their horns daily and the people shouting on the last day.
- Exodus 3:1(Nkjv) – One day while Moses was taking care of the sheep and goats of his father-in-law Jethro– we don’t have to say a resounding yes, but willing is a start
- Ruth -A Moabite woman whom after the death of her husband, devoted herself to her Israelite mother and refuse to go back to her people – Hence~ line of Jesus
- David always inquired of the Lord– 2 Samuel 5:19(Nkjv) – So David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand?” And the Lord said to David, “Go up, for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into your hand.”
- Asyrians were making war against Israel – 2 Kings 6:17 (Nkjv) And Elisha prayed, and said, “Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha
- It is possible! That no matter the situation, we can see with Godly wisdom that always gives us an advantage
3. Wisdom is not enough
- In the Bible there was a man named Solomon, the son of King David
- When he took over from His father, He wanted to honor God by leading the people in the right way
- 1 Kings 3:10-15(Nkjv) – So God replied, “Because you have asked for wisdom in governing my people with justice and have not asked for a long life or wealth or the death of your enemies— 12 I will give you what you asked for! I will give you a wise and understanding heart such as no one else has had or ever will have! 13 And I will also give you what you did not ask for—riches and fame! No other king in all the world will be compared to you for the rest of your life! 14 And if you follow me and obey my decrees and my commands as your father, David, did, I will give you a long life.”
- Spoiler alert: He did not follow and obey all Gods decrees, He didn’t have a long life, wisdom did not keep him from all the troubles of life
- A man whom, the Bible says was the smartest and there will never be any other person as smart?
- How can wisdom given by God be good if it ended up costing Solomon everything?
- Wisdom only put a quest for more – 700 wives/300 concubines
- I wonder if he thought that he was too smart to be tripped by such trivial things?
- It’s like us using our own wisdom to think that is we tip toe towards the line, our wisdom will keep us out of danger -only to find ourselves breaking Gods laws
- How can we make sure that we don’t end up like Solomon??
4. This is a must:
- Proverbs 9:10 (Amp)- The reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord is the beginning (the chief and choice part) of Wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight and understanding
- Seek Godly wisdom- But you can’t have Godly wisdom without first seeking God the giver of this wisdom
- Matthew 6:33 (Nkjv)- But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
- You seek God, you become wise – and as you know Him, you gain insight and understanding
- Everything God comes from the Lord
- This is a must! – How to be a great father, husband, provider and God lead me to Matthew 6:33
- When I don’t know where to start, I start here, when I feel lost, I get back here, when I find myself in things that don’t please God, I go back here, because, this is a Must!!!
- Stop changing things, change God’s intimacy-
- James 4:8 (Nkjv) Draw near to God and He will draw near to you
- And He come with the true wisdom, knowledge, and all that you need
- He freely gives – Romans 8:32 -He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
- He loves you much
- Story about Fred – When we walk with God we will not yield to the pressures of this world, we will stand firm for what we believe and because we have been with Jesus, we will know what to do and what not to do in every situation
- So have Fred kind of wisdom that can only come from the Lord! Pray for Wisdom – but pray for the wisdom to fear the Lord and keep all His commandments
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