The Two Messages Paul Preached, vv. 1-11
A. The Gospel–“Jesus Christ and Him crucified,” vv. 1-5
1. Paul was an ambassador, not a philosopher or a salesman.
2. Paul did not rely on human persuasion, but on the Holy Spirit.
3. Paul preached, and the Holy Spirit demonstrated the truth.
B. The Mystery, vv. 6-11
1. Paul speaks wisdom to the “perfect” or the mature, v. 6.
2. The mystery of God was hidden from the world and the people of the Old Testament.
3. If they had known this mystery, they would not have crucified “the Lord of glory”–Christ.
4. “Eye hath not seen, etc” is not talking about the wonders of heaven, but the wonders of the Church now.
5. The mystery of God has been revealed to us through the New Testament!
6. The mystery is that Jew and Gentile make up the Church!
The Two Spirits in the World, vv. 12-13
A. The spirit of this world
1. Satan is the energizing spirit in the world, see Ephesians 2:1-3.
2. Satan gives man a wisdom that inflates their egos and blinds their minds.
B. The Spirit of God
1. The Holy Spirit teaches us in words, v. 13.
2. “Comparing spiritual things with spiritual” refers to the whole Bible. This is how we interpret the Scripture.
The Two Kinds of People in the World, vv. 14-16
A. The Natural Man
1. “Psychikos” = materialistic man.
2. Natural man is lost.
3. Natural man is concerned with making money and having fun.
4. Natural man thinks that spiritual things are foolishness.
Too many Christians still think like natural men, refusing to spiritually discern things. When our only concern is for “what works” or the “bottom line,” we are not spiritually discerning, and we are thinking like the natural man, even though we might be saved.
B. The Spiritual Man
1. The spiritual man has the indwelling Holy Spirit.
2. The spiritual man has the mind of Christ.
Spiritual Christians have predicted things that the people of the world said could never happen, but these events came to pass. The spiritually minded saint understands more about the affairs of this world from his Bible than the leaders of the world understand from their human perspective.
Conclusion
A. Paul affirms that Jesus is God.
1. Paul calls Jesus the “Lord of glory” in verse 8. Paul regarded Jesus as God.
2. Paul quotes Isaiah 40:13 in verse 16, referring to the “mind of Jehovah.” But Paul has no trouble inserting “mind of Christ” for the “mind of Jehovah” because Jesus is God in the flesh!
B. Preaching strategies centered on the wisdom of men – around emotion, entertainment and human personality – may yield response, but not results for the kingdom of God. If someone can be persuaded into the kingdom by human wisdom, they can also be persuaded out of the kingdom by human wisdom.
C. To interpret the Scripture correctly, we must “compare spiritual things with spiritual.”