Influence or Impact?      1 Corinthians 2:9-16     

Truth or a lie

Fact or Foolishness

Influence (to effect the character, development, or behavior) or Impact (come forcibly into contact with another)  crash, collide

Whatever you choose as a title, the obvious meaning is there are two ways, one is God’s way and the other is man’s way.  Which way are you going and who do you allow to have an influence on you or an impact with you?  Let’s look at the promises of God, the Proclamation from God, the Problem for the unbeliever, and the Praise of the believer.

I.  The Promises of God– 1 Corinthians 2:9-12   They are –

  A.  Beyond Comprehension to the unbeliever

1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

Men still do not know assuredly how we were created, why we were created, when we were created.  The theories of creation stretch back through thousands of years and men today continue to argue the point.

The believer can rest in the truth of the revelation of God and be filled with the joy and satisfaction that this truth brings – God loves us, and we can love Him.  We thank the Lord for the –

  B.  Beloved revelations to the believer.

1 Corinthians 2:10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

The longer we live, the more blessed we are as the Holy Spirit reveals the wonders of God as we read His Word, the Bible. Forty, fifty, seventy, eighty years on, we are still amazed at the wonders and wealth of His Word.  How many times have we read a passage and exclaimed “Wow, now I know what this means and I know how this works with what I have read before!  This revelation is available to everyone, but it –

  C.  Bestowed only on those who have prepared their hearts to receive them.

1Corinthians 2:11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.

    1.  The created man can understand the creation – He is of it, he is in

         it. 

    2.  The created man cannot understand the Creator, identifying only

         with the creation.

Adam, when he disobeyed God, essentially lost the living spirit that God breathed into him upon his creation.   If you would, you could say that Adam killed that spirit through which had communion with God, and left man separated from God.  Man’s spirit is dead to God.    

    3.  The created man, can be recreated by God –

John 3:3-7  Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

John 5:24  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

– and he is able to receive all that is promised to them by God.

1 Corinthians 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

II.  The Proclamation from God   

1 Corinthians 2:13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

When Jesus taught by using parables, the unbelievers did not understand the truth He was teaching and they either became frustrated and went away or they became angry and accused Him of false teachings.  They had no living spirit with which they could compare the Living Word!  As Jesus told them, they were blind, they were leading the blind, and they would all perish.  It is this fact that Paul addressed in verse 14 –

III.  The Problem for the unbeliever.

1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

The solution to this problem of the unbeliever is stated by Paul in –

2 Corinthians 4:1-7  Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

We have this ministry and must be dedicated to it, not being turned from it.  We are challenged by –

IV.  The Praise of the believer

1 Corinthians 2:15,16 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.  For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

Men have the choice between –

  A.  Faith

The believer has the Word of God, which is as stated, “the mind of Christ,” to give us wisdom and guidance.

  Or –

  B.  Folly

Four times in the first three chapters, the Holy Spirit led Paul to state that the truths from God are considered foolish by the unbeliever, the men without salvation because of their unbelief.

1 Corinthians 3:19  For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.

Paul reminded the readers of God’s description of the unbeliever through the words of Job recorded in –

Job 5:12-14  He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise. He taketh the wise in their own craftiness: and the counsel of the froward is carried headlong. They meet with darkness in the daytime, and grope in the noonday as in the night.

“…the blind leading the blind…”

God tells us that the unbeliever should have no influence in the life and decisions of the believer – “…he himself is judged of no man.”

Why?  The unbeliever does not have any idea what the will of God is for the believer!

Illustrate – The flashing light at the traffic intersection.

Praise the Lord that through faith in God through the Lord Jesus Christ –

We can know what is true and what is false,

We can realize the results of living a life based on the truth, and –

We can recognize the consequences of living a life based on a lie!

Be careful who you allow to influence your life!

Are you saved?    Are you serving?      Prepare our hearts –

Matthew 4:19-25  And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him. And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them. And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him. And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them. And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan.