“The Mystery
Of God’s Wisdom"—Part II
I Corinthians
2:6-10
6)
Howbeit
we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world,
nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:
7)
But we
speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God
ordained before the world unto our glory:
8)
Which
none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not
have crucified the Lord of glory.
9)
ut 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.
10)
But
God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all
things, yea, the deep things of God.
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ankind
is most intrigued by the solving of mysteries. When it comes to Jesus, that
mystery is solved only when one accepts salvation. The scriptures proclaim that
neither the prophets or old nor angels understood the salvation plan of God;
yet He chose to reveal Himself to us in the “fullness of time.” All this He has
done only through the imparting of his Spirit. “What a honor!
Generally,
knowledge is imparted by one receiving instruction. However, one’s ability to
learn will be governed by the confidence he has in his instructor. Any excuses
in this vein that one might use are invalid after salvation; for when one is
governed by the Holy Spirit, his understanding is dependent upon Him, not the
speaker.
Indeed,
Jesus thoroughly instructed and fully prepared His disciples, yet cautioned
them not to rush to teach others, but to patiently await the infilling of the
Holy Ghost. The lesson to us: that it is impossible and improper for one to
minister “what God saith” without the power of the Holy Spirit on the inside.
No
doubt all would agree that ministers (those professing a “call” to preach) are
a “dime-a-dozen.” They come in all sizes, shapes, races—and denominations.
Obviously, the first three traits are no problem , but since God’s ministry
involves the preaching of the Gospel and His salvation plan, how can one
minister without knowing these things? With this in mind, and considering the
seriousness of salvation, it is not logical that the Lord would send someone
anywhere without the necessary equipment (i.e. baptism in Jesus’ name and the
infilling of the Holy Spirit).
The
church world, in general, is suffering from a lack of commitment. Among the
redeemed, there should not even be a thought of blaming one’s lack of
commitment on what we have, or have not been taught. After all, we have the
Spirit and power of God and are therefore responsible for gaining our own
knowledge and submitting ourselves to Him.
Concerning
the receiving of the Holy Ghost, there is not one who cannot be filled with his
power, yet people go without. There are a variety of explanations as to why,
but the most common is not believing that one can receive. Lack of personal
experience leads many to speak against the infilling, but nothing an individual
declares or thinks will change what is required for salvation.
So,
what of a scenario in which a person comes and gets saved and then finds that
salvation is not what he expects? If this could possibly happen, one would
still find himself no worse off than before.
We
need to be quite clear about something, for time is moving quickly, and our
opportunities for helping man are dwindling. You will not go to hell for not
accepting what other Apostolics say. You will not go to hell for not agreeing
with Elder Posey. You will go to hell for being unwilling to accept God’s plan
of salvation by submitting to baptism in Jesus’ name and the infilling of the
Holy Spirit. Only you can go to heaven for yourself, and only you can keep
yourself out! And along with not attaining glory yourself, by refusing to
accept the truth, you can help no one else.
This
“philosophy” of salvation is simple and self-explanatory: If you live saved,
you will be saved. If you say you are saved, but don’t live right (yet you have
the Holy Ghost), you are still not saved.
The
spiritual assault against untruth, coming from those of us with the Holy Ghost,
must be escalated. The Lord has begun explaining His principles as simply as
possible to aid us in helping others. It is not about a man being able to
understand the word of God before he comes and gets saved. It will never
happen. We must get Him to see this.
Also,
we must be diligent in pressing the point that the receiving of the Holy Spirit
is not denominational, but rather, truth. No matter what man’s professed
religion, that man must be filled with the Holy Ghost (as evidenced by speaking
in other tongues) and baptized in Jesus’ name to be saved. In that when the
Holy Ghost comes on the inside, He testifies He is there, if He is truly “in”
(in union with) you, He ought to talk sometimes. Therefore, if you are filled
with the Holy Ghost, you ought to “say” something—you will speak with tongues!
No
matter how religious one professes to be, the only worship that counts is that
of the real God. In that He is a God that works in us and through us by
experience, for you to truly know Him, you must experience Him. That is why
your knowledge is incomplete until you experience Him in His ultimate power—the
indwelling Holy Spirit.
Saints,
we must guard our presentation of Christ in our lives. We prove whether we have
Him when our tests come. When we don’t “go through,” what are we saying? If we
have a God we cannot depend upon in trouble, why have him. People we are trying
to win into the
Cleaning
up one thing will help all of us in aiding others understanding the mystery
of God’s wisdom. What is that thing: Our lack of love for God. Ah, but that’s
another set of sermons.