1 Corinthians

[0:00] As the Lord should be pleased to help me I should call your attention to a subject you will find in the first epistle to the Corinthians And the second chapter And the twelfth verse 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 Chapter 2, the first epistle to the Corinthians And the twelfth verse

[1:00] The subject is one of unspeakable importance And one needs the help of the spirit of God To unfold the heavenly mysteries Locked up in it And you need the same divine aid To hear to purpose and profit The subject brings before us An inestimable mercy That we might know the things that are freely given to us of God And I am sure that many of you do desire to know the things that are freely given to us of God

[2:01] And as you journey on through life You will be more and more made aware That these things can only be known by revelation A man can receive nothing except it be given to us of God And you will be more and more And you will find as you ponder these things The things of God More and more will you be made aware Of your own utter helplessness In things divine And now in approaching the subject The heading of the page is rather striking Paul declareth the manner of his preaching I have told you often about the church at Corinth And how God made it manifest to be

[3:04] A unique church And that the membership of it Was very large And that the great majority therein Were well educated And when the Apostle Paul Having done his work God had ordained at Corinth Went on to preach elsewhere Then Satan Sought to get his cloven foot therein To gain some advantage By Setting up a party spirit In the church at Corinth Which is always inimical To the power of God Being known and felt In any church I do want you To remember that I have told you that truth before But Can these truths by repetition Lose their magnitude Or Weight

[4:04] And now Not to take up time In going into too many details In approaching the subject The Apostle Paul When he learned What had happened in the church at Corinth He was Inspired by the Spirit of God To pen this First epistle to the Corinthians And there He goes Right down To rock bottom As to how A man Is ordained of God To preach And he makes it Very plain It will not take long To get the summary of it I say He makes it Very plain That education Has nothing whatever to do with it But that it is By revelation Alone What does he say And I Brethren When I came to you

[5:06] Came not with Excellence Excellency of speech Or of wisdom Declaring unto you The testimony of God And remember The Apostle Paul Could have used Excellency of speech As regards What we term Education Because he sat at Gamaliel's feet But his declaration Is I determine not to know Anything among you Save Jesus Christ And him crucified And I do like this Declaration Knowing just a little Of it And I was with you In weakness And in fear And much trembling And now He was often In bodily weakness

[6:06] And the fear That he refers to Is not the fear of man For it is very evident The Apostle Paul Suffered very very little If any at all Of the fear of man But his fear was And I can tell you Dear friends It is the fear Of every man Ordained of God To preach Wherever he goes To preach As to whether The Lord will be With him In his neighbors That the people Should get some Good Or if he shall be Left of God Because a man Ordained of God To preach Is made solemnly Painfully Aware Without thy sovereign Power Oh Lord No sweets The gospel Can afford And he says Not only Was he with these Corinthians

[7:06] In fear And in much Trembling And now that Trembling Was To do As I understand it With the solemnity Of the work He was engaged in And when you read Scriptures like this We watch for your souls As they that must Give an account That we may do it With joy And not with grief For that would be Unprofitable for you When it comes over A man Whom God Has ordained To preach That he is to Give an account Of his labors In word and doctrine Upon Zion's walls Of the sermons That he has preached And whether he has Been faithful In those labors Whether he has

[8:07] Kept on the right Side of that Scripture Let your Yea be Yea And your Nay be Nay Lest ye Fall Into Condemnation There will be Trembling It is not Easy To preach The gospel Whatever it may Seem sometimes As one may be Engaged In the great work Of preaching The gospel My speech And my preaching Was not with Enticing words Do mark this Wording Enticing words Of man's wisdom But in Demonstration Of the Spirit And of Power That your Faith Should not Stand in The wisdom Of men But in The power

[9:08] Of God The margin Reading For enticing Is persuasable And now It is quite Possible And it has Been done Thousands And thousands And tens Of thousands Of times For men With the Gift of Oratory To use Enticing Words Persuasable Words And people Have listened And they Have come Forward And professed That they Would accept The Lord Jesus Christ And that They would Henceforth Be on his Side And in Tens of Thousands Of instances It has Been Just That which Was a Working on Emotion And Being that Which In its Origin Was but

[10:08] Natural It has Died A natural Death And many Who have Done those Things Have gone Back into The world To live As they Did before That is Just the Outcome Of enticing Words of Man's Wisdom Persuasable Words The Effect of Oratory And Emotion In the Hearing Of him I want You dear Young People To think These Things Over Because When all Is said And done It is a Much Greater Thing to Preach The gospel Than some Of you May be Aware Of And I Tell you Also It is a Much Greater Thing To be a Sinner Born Again And follow Jesus Christ Than you Are aware Of There is Nothing Easy Going

[11:09] In that Religion Which is Of God Which alone Would do To live By And to Die By No No We must Through much Tribulation Enter into The kingdom Of God And it is Said to Every Sinner Born Again Endure Hardness Hardness Hardness As good Soldiers Of Jesus Christ There is No Easy Way And that Religion Which is Just Superficial Will die A natural Death But you Must have This Religion Which is Set forth In our Subject I just Make another Comment On what The apostle Paul says Here As to The Method Mark the

[12:09] Word in Method And the Manner Of his Preaching And what He preached That your Faith Should not Stand in the Wisdom of Men But in The power Of God His dear Master said Years before When he Dwelt on Earth a While The kingdom Of God Is not In word But in Power And now Dear friends Power Belongeth Unto God And that Brings us To our Starting Point And that Starting Point is Here And you Dear young People Especially Do you Ever Inquire I'm glad You do Inquire But do you Ever base Your inquiries On this What set

[13:10] The scriptures And not Be turned Aside By what You may Be told After this And that Concerning The gospel Or the Word of God But do You go up To the Fountain Head Lead me In thy Truth And teach Me Wonderful Mercy To be Following On to Know The Lord And now Regarding This Religion Which the Apostle Paul Says That we Might know The things That are Freely Given To us Of God Where is The starting Point First of All This Is a Foundation Truth It Remains Where it Was Recorded

[14:10] In the Word of God And God Is the Author Of It It is Called The epistle Of Paul To the Corinthians But God Inspired Paul to Pen it And what Did God Inspire Paul To Record Listen 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 Deserved Then you See how Important Is that Word Which the Saviour Spoke to Nicodemus Ye Must Be Born Again Margin Read in Born From Above That is A great

[15:10] Word A man Can receive Nothing Except it Be given Him From Heaven And now I want As the Lord To help Me to Work out This line Of things And I would Like to Say something That will Be Helpful And encourage You To hope In God There is a Wonderful word In Jeremiah Which reads Like this They shall All know Me From The Least Of Them To The Greatest Of Them And now Some Of you Maybe You Dear Young People You May Feel That you Are the Least Of Them But That Is no Small Mercy To be Numbered With Them That Are Taught Of God And It Is a Great Mercy If

[16:11] God Has Made You Teachable And if It is Your Concern Lead Me Into Thy Truth And Teach Me The Age In Which You And I Are Living Is an Age When When The Things Of God Are Despised And Not Appreciated For What They Really Are Things Of God And It is a Great Mercy When it Can Be Said Of Any Poor Sinner One Thing I Know Whereas I Was Blind Now I Can See And There Is a Word That The Saviour Spoke To Nicodemus And Nicodemus Was A Man Wonderfully

[17:12] Well Instructed In All To Do With Old Testament History And Truth And When He Went To Jesus By Night There Was Something That Prompted Him To Go And That Something Was A Concern That He Might Know The Things Of God Are Right And Now The Saviour Said To Him And Do You Think This Over Except A Man Be Born Again He Cannot See The Kingdom Of God The Meaning Is Remember All The Jews In The Saviour's Time Were Looking Forward To When Messiah Should Come And Set Up A Kingdom On The Earth Wherein

[18:13] They Would Occupy Very Important Places And Be Very Much In The Forefront Of It And Even When Jesus Christ Rose From The Dead His Own Disciples Said Wilt Thou At This Time Restore The Kingdom Unto Israel Meaning That The Roman Empire Should Be Destroyed And A New Jewish Empire Built Up But The Savior Did Not Satisfy Their Inquiries No And He Said To Nicodemus Except A Man Be Born Again He Cannot See The Meaning Is What Is The Nature Of The Kingdom Of God And Now What Is The Nature Of It The Kingdom Of God Is Within You That

[19:14] Is What The Savior Made Plain To Nicodemus And So This Is The Starting Point Ye Must Be Born Again And Now How Many Under Union Chapel Rue Are Born Again It Is A Question You Might Well Ponder Many Of You Do Hope You Are And You Are But You Are Not Always As Sure About It As You Would Like To Be And Now Coming To Our Subject 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 I Would Look

[20:14] First Of All At What The Apostle Paul Sets For As The Spirit Of The World And Primarily The Apostle Paul As I Said At The Opset The Heading Of The Pages Paul Declareth The Manner Of His Preaching And He Makes It Plain To The Godly Corinthians You Must Not Think That Those Of Us Who Preach Have Gained Our Ability To Preach However Much That May Be From The Spirit Of The World By Which He Means Education Education I've Told You Many Times Is Good For This Life Only It Is Essential It Is Necessary Some Of Us Have Wished Often We Had More Of It In Our Life Morning

[21:14] Than We Did But This Is The Thing To Keep In Your Mind Education Can Only Fit You For This World It Can Help You To Be Very Useful In Your Life And Fill A Niche And Serve Your Generation According To The Will Of God But It Cannot In Any Way Whatever Fit You For Heaven This Can Only Be Known Not By Education But By Revelation And All The Upheaval In The Church Of Christ Nowadays I Mean The Church Of Christ Professing With Men Saying This That And The Other And Much Of It Is Detrimental To The Things Of The Spirit Of God Men Propounding Their Own Ideas And Notions

[22:14] And Thoughts And What They Consider This And That Should Be In The Church Of Christ Professing Is All To Do With The Spirit Of The World Because They Are Trying To View The Kingdom Of God With Reasons Eye And They Are Not Willing To Humble Themselves Before God With Whom They Have To Do And Listen To What Seth The Scriptures And When All Is Said And Done First And Last It Will Be What Seth The Scriptures Not To Follow This Man Or That No But To Follow What Seth The Scriptures God In The Scriptures To Reveal His Will As Condescended What He Has Said There He Fulfill

[23:15] Though Man Should Be Offended And Now The Spirit Of The World But Then There Is Another Viewpoint Of This Subject The Spirit Of The World Now We Have Received Not The Spirit Of The World But The Spirit Which Is Of God And Now When You View The Spirit Of The World What Is The Nature Of It However Much Education May Dress A Man Up If He Does Not Know The Things Of The Spirit Of God He Is Just The Subject Of The Spirit Of The World And The Spirit Of The World Very Solemn It Is His Enmity To God And Godliness And The Attitude Of Every Worldling Is We Will Not

[24:15] Have This Man To Reign Over Us Depart From Us We Desire Not The Knowledge Of Thee Or Thy Ways Such Is The Spirit Of The World It Is Ignorant Of God And Well Content To Be Ignorant And Though The Gospel Is Preached Men Turn A Death Ear To It And Will Have None Of It Until They Are Born Again Then Their Their Ears Are Open There Is A Word In Isaiah In That Day Shall The Death Hear The Words Of The Book And Now You Dear People Young And Old Go

[25:16] Back Over Life's Journey And Search Out If You Can And You Can Many Of You When You First Of All Heard The Words Of The Book You May Have Heard Hundreds Of Sermons Before You May Have Been Found In The Attitude Of Worship From Baby Days On But There Came A Day When You Found You Were Listening And The Word Of God The Gospel Of Christ Made An Impression Upon You That You Had Never Felt Before And From That Time You Have Listened Not Just To This Preacher At That You Have Listened For Yourself If So Be You Could Get Some Comfort Some Help Some Instruction If So Be You Could Get In Touch With

[26:16] God And Gain Some Token For Good Some Help By The Way And Now The Savior Says Of Such Blessed Are Your Ears For They Hear And The Psalmist Said I Like That Word In I Would Hear What God The Lord Would Say You See It Does Not Matter Really Who The Preacher Is As Long As He Has Got Divine Authority To Be Where He Is But It Is What God The Lord Will Say Through The Preacher As He Makes Use Of Him To Say That Which Your Soul Is Longing To Hear Do Remember That

[27:16] Now We Have Received Not The Spirit Of The World Then There Is Another Viewpoint Of This You See The Spirit Of The World Meaning A Sinner Not Born Again When He Listens To The Truth He Does Not Love It No He May Often Question It If He Is Grown Up Enough To Do So And He Demonstrates That He Hates It And He Makes Up His Mind That When He Can Do As He Likes He Will Have Nothing More Whatever To Do With It And Be In The World And Of It And Now That Is The Spirit Of The World But Here With These

[28:16] Godly Corinthians The Apostle Paul Makes Manifest That God Had So Wrought In Their Souls Experience That They Were No Longer As They Were Born Desiring Just To Live As Worldlings Do And Be After The Flesh The Things Of The Flesh No No They Desired The Spirit Which Is Of God To Control Their Lips And Lives And Now That Brings Us To Maybe Another Viewpoint Of The Subject The Spirit Which Is Of God And Now That Brings Us To Consider What Are The Fruits Of The Spirit The Savior Said

[29:16] When He The Spirit Of Truth Is Come He Shall Convince The World Of Sin Of Righteousness And Of Judgment To Come How Many Times I Have Told You And I Shall Keep Telling You As I I Spared To Do So That This Is The Greatest Need In Our Denominational Life The Outpouring Of The Spirit Of God As A Spirit Of Conviction Of Sin The Importance Of It Could Never Be Overestimated Do You See Many Of You Do Do You See I Say That If A Sinner Is Given A Gracious Conviction Of Sin If He Receives The Spirit Which Is Of God That It Will Bring Him To Have To Do With God And It Will Make Him

[30:17] Deeply Concern Not Only To Have Matters Right Between His Soul And God Do Listen But To Have Matters Right Before God And Man If Ever God Does In Great Mercy Which I Hope He Will Do Pour Out His Spirit And There Is A Gracious Revival In Our Denominational Life People In The Power Of It Will Be Very Unhappy For A While Because They Will Be Brought In Guilty Before God And They Will Have To Do What The Word Of God Says In Many An Instance To Exhibit A Right Spirit And Confess Their Faults One To Another And To Seek As

[31:17] Never They Did Before Forgive Us Our Trespasses As We Forgive Them That Trespass Against Us Conviction Of Sin Which Is Of The Spirit Of God Is Not A Thing Which Is Just Superficial Nor No It Goes Right Down To Thoughts Words And Deeds And It Is Just What Is Needed And Oh That You Might Pray Convince Us Of Our Sin Then Lead To Jesus Blood And To Our Wondering You Reveal The Secret Love Of God If God Poured Out This Gracious Conviction Of Sin You Would Not Have Causes All Disturbed With Breaches And Brother Set Against Brother And

[32:17] Divisions Arising It Would Be As It Was On The Day Of Pentecost When They All Met With One Accord And That Was The Spirit That Permeated Them And All That Were Together And That Means Not Only As A Crowd They Were Together In The Spirit Of God Which They Felt Working Mightily In Their Breast One With Each Other And One With God Yes So The Spirit Which Is Of God Will Bring Us To Have To Do With God And It Will Make Us Plead Search Me Oh God And Try Me See If There Be Any Wicked Way In Me Margin Reading Way Of An Idol And Lead Me In The Way Ever

[33:17] Lasting Dear Friends Don't You Wish You Had Got A Deeper Conviction Of Sin I Can Tell You That I Do I Look At Those Words Of David With Longing Eyes Often I Will Be Sorry For My Sins Oh How Good It Is If You Can Feel Just A Little Godly Sorrow Or Sin This Is One Of The Things To Do With The Spirit Which Is Of God Then This Spirit Will Be A Spirit Of Supplication I Will Pour Upon The House Of David And The Inhabitants Of Jerusalem The Spirit Of Grace And Of Supplication And That Means When That Spirit Is Active Then You Can Feel It Is

[34:18] Good For Me To Draw Near Unto God It Is True Concerning You Behold He Prayeth Behold She Prayeth And Don't You Wish Often You Had Got More Of The Spirit Of It So That Out Of The Abundance Of The Heart The Mouth Could Speak And There Was Not So Much Formality And Repetition As Alas There So Often Is Manifest In Our Prayers Both In Public And Private Life Alike But The Spirit Which Is Of God Will Cause Out Of The Abundance Of The Heart For The Mouth To Speak Then It Says The Fruit Of The Spirit Is Love And Now That Might Help You Paul Said To The Godly Thessalonians Ye

[35:18] Did Receive The Love Of The Truth And Now Have You Received It Let Your Consciences Tell You As They Will Do If They Are In Working Order You Listen To The Truth You Are Welcome To Do That Whenever You Can Wherever You Can Whoever The Preacher May Be As Long As He Has Got Thus Seth The Lord To Be A Preacher But The Great Thing Is Do You Love The Truth That You Listen To That Is A Sure Evidence That You Are Under The Influence Of The Spirit Which Is Of God The Fruit Of The Spirit Is Love And Now Sometimes In The Preaching Of The Truth There Are Things Set For Which In Their Nature As You Listen Arise Are

[36:19] Bound To Bring You In Guilty Before God Because Your Conscience Will Tell You That Your Life Does Not Actually Correspond With The Pattern Which Is Set Up From The Pulpit And That Pattern Is What Seth The Scriptures And Yet You Will Not Bawk At It You Will Not Fall Out With That Truth So Preach You Will Fall Under It And You Will Be Saying Like Ezra Oh My God I Am Ashamed I Blush To Lift Up My Face Unto Thee God Be Merciful To Me A Sinner There There Is There Is A Word To Nicodemus He That Doeth Truth Cometh To The Light That His Deeds May Be Made Manifest That They Are Wrought

[37:19] In God Oh Dear Friends Do Hold On To Those Words Wrought In God This Is The Religion You Must Have Or Be Lost It Matters Not Otherwise What You Look Like On The Outside In The Church Of Christ Professing Or As A Chapel Goer But There Must Be That Which Is The Spirit Which Is Of God Wrought In God Except The Lord Build The House They Labor In Vines That Build It And Now When You Think The Fruit Of The Spirit Is Love It Not Only Means Love To The Truth It Means Love To Them Who Love The Truth Daniel Smart Used To Say He

[38:20] Got One Evidence That He Was Sure I Believe Quite A Few Of You Have Got The Same Evidence And They Used To Tell The People From Providence Chapel Porpet At Cranbrook That He Did Possess One Evidence He Was Sure Of A Lover Of Good Men That Is What Paul States In One Of His Ephistles And Daniel Smart Said I Know I Possess That Evidence It Flows From The Spirit Which Is Of God We Know That We Have Passed From Death Unto Life Because We Love The Brethren He That Loveth Is Born Of God There Are Many People Whom You Know Not Only Good Men Good Women Too And You Feel Your Heart Go Out Toward Them And You Feel In

[39:20] Your Heart The Unity Of The Spirit That You Were One With Them In What They Are And What They Desire To Be And Now That Can Only Be Known As The Spirit Which Is Of God Is Known And Felt In Its Workings Within Our Breast Love Is The Golden Chain That Binds The Favored Souls Above And He's A Hair Of Heaven Who Finds His Bosom Glow With Love And This Love Will Also Be Made Known In Your Attitude To The Worship Of God You Will Lose No Occasion To Be Engaged In It And Now It Is Said Forsake Not The Assembling Of Your Selves Together As The Manner Of Sun Is And So Much The More As Ye See The Day Approaching

[40:20] And Now That Day The Apostle Paul Referred To There Was The Day When The Jewish Nation Was Undone All Together And Scattered Worldwide Even As It Is Nowadays But There Is Yet Another Day Coming And That Is The Last Day And If Ever There Was A Day When All Who Desire To Worship God Aright Should Get Together And Keep Together And Show Whose They Are And Whom They Serve It Is The Day In Which You And I Are Living And The Spirit Which Is Of God Will Cause You To Feel We Love The Place O God Wherein Thine Honor Dwells The Joy Of Thine Abode All Earthly Joy Excels Much Might Be Said Along That Line Of

[41:20] Thought But Then The Spirit Which Is Of God Will Help Us To Exhibit What The Word Of God Says In The Galatians Epistle Long Suffering And Gentleness And Temperance Moderation And Meekness In Our Spirit And Now These Are Indelible Signs Of The Spirit Which Is Of God Do You Find These Things Working Out In Your Everyday Life Gentleness Long Suffering Temperance Does Does Does not Does not Mean Just To Do With Strong Drink But In Our Conduct Our Conversation Let Your Moderation Be Known Unto All

[42:21] Men Meek Meekness All As To Say God He туда Hku to Will Do Can you realize what it is to do it as you journey on through life as grace is given?

[42:47] So that while the dealings of God with you may seem hard to be understood, yet you find well enough in your breast a realization of submission to the will of God in whatever the way is he has ordained for you to go.

[43:10] Let but my faint in heart be blessed with thy sweet spirit for its guest, O God, to thee I leave the rest. Thy will be done.

[43:22] And now to get that known and felt in your soul's experience is to be the subject of the spirit which is of God.

[43:34] It is not the spirit of the world. The worldlings never have such feelings well enough in their hearts.

[43:45] But all who are taught of God are given this grace, meekness. Seek the Lord. Seek meekness.

[43:56] Yes. You read in one of the minor prophets. And the Savior said, blessed are the meek. And it is a wonderful mercy.

[44:06] I've known it just two or three times in my life when you could feel thou art our potter and we are the clad willing to be moulded to whatever God's will is for you to be and to do to be able to feel the cup which my heavenly father hath given to me shall I not drink it and to realise in doing so it is enough for the disciple that he be as his Lord 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 I must now come to the Amen if all is well and the Lord shall help me

[45:11] I will take up the subject again in the afternoon service and then we may go deeper down into it Amen Amen Amen Amen