This message was preached on Sunday, December 18, 2022.
Triumphal Feast
Triumphal Feast • 018. 1st Corinthians 2:9-16 – “Received” Part 1
“Received” • 1st Corinthians 2:9-16 Elder Bryce Lowrance. Continuing his message on the miracle of the preaching of the gospel, Elder Lowrance finishes the rest of chapter 2 in the message focusing on the word “received.” We receive the new birth and the gift of faith by a direct operation of the Holy Spirit without any help from us. Having been given faith, we are now able to receive the message of the gospel with joy and assurance of hope.
This message was preached on Sunday, December 18, 2022.
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This message was preached on Sunday, December 18, 2022.
♪ Jesus the God who invites us here ♪ ♪ To his phenomenal peace ♪ - Welcome to the "Triumphal Feast" podcast, a ministry of elder Bryce Lowrantz, speaking to you from the pulpit of Mount Perrin, Primitive Baptist Church, in social circle, Georgia. - But God hath revealed them unto us by his spirit, not by his spirit and our understanding, not by his spirit and our willingness, not by his spirit and our choice, but by his spirit alone. - Mount Perrin, Primitive Baptist Church, meets regularly two times a week. Our regular worship service is on Sunday at 10 30 a.m. Eastern, and our Wednesday evening Bible study is at 7 p.m. Eastern. If you would like to attend in person, we are located at 3749 Mount Perrin Church Road, Social Circle, Georgia, 30025. For more information about these services online or Mount Perrin, Primitive Baptist Church, please visit our website at mppbc.com. ♪ The morning to his garden come ♪ ♪ The spice is healed ♪ ♪ The rich were put in the spice is healed ♪ ♪ The rich were put in the lilies row and cry ♪ ♪ Refreshing charms of praise divine ♪ ♪ From Jesus' foes to every vine ♪ ♪ From Jesus' foes to every vine ♪ ♪ Which makes the every vine ♪ ♪ Oh, let his cry and bearing ground ♪ ♪ It's rings of water made of ground ♪ ♪ It's rings of water made of ground ♪ ♪ A fruit of sorrow become ♪ ♪ The desert falls inside the rose ♪ ♪ From Jesus' conquerors of his foes ♪ ♪ From Jesus' conquerors of his foes ♪ ♪ And makes his people one ♪ ♪ From prayer and need that love ♪ ♪ The Lord who takes the sweetness of his word ♪ ♪ Who takes the sweetness of his word ♪ ♪ Yes of his word in Jesus' ways to one ♪ ♪ Our troubles and our trials here will land ♪ ♪ We make us richer than we'll only make us richer there ♪ ♪ When we arrive at home ♪ ♪ Our troubles and our trials here will only make us richer there ♪ ♪ We'll only make us richer there ♪ ♪ When we arrive at home ♪ - I want to continue, which was basically part two of what I was trying to speak to you about last week. And that is the miracle of the preaching of the gospel. So if you'd like to be turning in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter two, we will kind of backtrack just a little bit and then probably finish out to the chapter this morning. Last time we were looking together in the word of God about this miracle of the preaching of the gospel and we saw that it is not the giving of a speech. It is not the gift of debate or anything like that. It is simply stating who Jesus Christ is and what He did. It is a simple message that is received by some and not received by others. And that's the reason it is a miracle because the ones that do receive it and rejoice in it have had a miracle performed upon them. And that's really what I want to focus on this morning is that receive. So we'll talk about that word in just a moment, but I do want to say this before we get started. To remind you once again that the logic of the Bible cannot be refuted by natural man. Natural man, if he were to read the Bible for what it says, only can come to the conclusion that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that He claimed to be the Son of God and that He came to die for the elect of God and accomplish that. The Bible is plain in that regard. And so the message or the general statements of the gospel cannot be refuted by the logic of man, but natural men don't like it. And so there's a difference between an intellectual understanding of a fact and a rejoicing in the fact. Anybody that is legitimately reading the word of God is going to come to the conclusion, yes, Jesus is God's Son and yes, He paid for the sins of God's people. But only those that have been blessed of the Holy Spirit will take that into their heart, receive it into their heart and rejoice in it. And so that's what I want to talk to you about this morning. We're going to be in 1 Corinthians chapter two, starting in verse nine for just a moment. But as I mentioned to you, we're going to talk about the word receive. And here in Paul's writing, and I don't speak Greek and y'all know I don't like to spend a lot of time on original language, but I will tell you this, the word receive and the English language occurs in this phrase a couple of different times and there's two different Greek words. And the English word receive means two different things. They're very similar, but one of them is a passive receptive and the other one is the acceptance of an offer. Okay, one of them is a passive reception. You can receive a punch in the face. You didn't volunteer to take it and you didn't do anything to help it out. You receive a punch in the face involuntarily, it is an act that is done to you and is irresistible. That's one definition of receive. Another definition of receive is something is offered to you and you have the ability and desire to take it to yourself. Both of those are definitions of the word receive. They're the same word, but they mean two different things depending upon where they're placed in a sentence and the context. So we can't say, well, that's the same word all the time. So it means the same thing. I've just proven to you. You don't have to have the ability to receive a punch in the face. All you gotta do is have a face. All right, you're completely passive in that and it's something that happens to you. You get that? It's a bad example 'cause the preaching of the gospel, well, sometimes it is a punch in the face, but you get my point. It's an irresistible thing that happens to you by an outward force. And then the other receive is you have the ability that when something is offered to you to reach out and to take a hold of it and to draw it closer to yourself, to receive it as your own, that's what's special about it. And so let's begin, as I mentioned before, 1 Corinthians chapter two, verse nine. But as it is written, I have not seen nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. This is a marvelous statement. The Apostle Paul is probably quoting from Isaiah chapter 64, but he is taking that and expanding it. And really what he is saying is all of the Old Testament teaches this principle, that there is nothing in natural man, meaning it without the grace of God in a person's life, there's nothing in a natural fellow walking around that would even begin to think about what God would do to save him. Natural man didn't see a need for salvation. You know, we have perfect examples of that with some of the Pharisees that Jesus called you or your child of the devil, don't try to explain that away. That's the son of God talking to somebody. He's saying who it is, and they don't see a need for repentance, they don't see a need for any help because they think they've done it all. The natural man comes to conclusion, I'm all right on my own. But one of the glorious things about this is that there is absolutely nothing in us that would think about the need of salvation nor come to the same method and ways and conclusions of salvation that God has done. So I've mentioned to you several times before to our natural mind, it's just not normal. It's just not. That God would come in the flesh, born of a virgin. We celebrate that this season. That's not normal. To our rational minds, our earthly minds, our natural minds, that seems impossible. Why? Because it is. It is impossible. And our natural minds cannot conceive of the possibility of a miracle. So therefore, to our natural minds, it's irrational. What's even more irrational is that one would come and would come from the throne of glory and be one of the poorest individuals who ever walked the face of the earth. That doesn't make sense. He's the king. Why would he do that? Why would he do that for people? And then most of all, why would God have his only begotten son killed? To our natural minds, we just, there is nothing in us that would draw us toward that kind of conclusion. That's what the Apostle Paul is saying. Now, in your mind, you're liking all of those things I said, right? Well, you're not normal. You're supernatural. You're something beyond natural. And that's the miracle that has happened to you. But in looking at this, I wanna read that phrase again, I have not seen nor ear heard, meaning your natural eyes cannot picture and have not seen anything in nature that would bring you the conclusion of what God has done for you. Your ears, your natural ears cannot hear. That means natural voices cannot speak of such marvelous things. Neither did it enter into the heart. You can't conceive of the very idea the things which God has prepared for them that love him. And he brings that back to those that love him. We know from first John that we love God, why? Because he first loved us. That's one of those things that the natural mind cannot conceive of. Because the natural mind wants to say it was my movement toward God that allowed God to do something. But our natural mind doesn't do that. If we love God, it's because he first loved us. Why is that important? Because the last verse of chapter one says that according as it is written, he that glory have led him glory in the Lord. Remember, that's the conclusion that Paul made that he's continuing on with. He's giving us reason to glory in the Lord. And the first thing is, we couldn't come up with this ourselves. Now, smart folks, get a little bit upset with that. Joan and I were discussing the other day about the origins and the development of philosophy among men. And I haven't read a lot of philosophy and I don't know the philosophers take on what philosophers were doing. But I know this, just about all of them did not like to be accountable to a holy and moral God. And so they tried to conceive a concept of God that man could not comprehend. Therefore, it is up to you whether you believe it or not as to whether you're accountable to him. It's garbage. There's an objective fact that can be proven by the fact that this wood is here, right here this morning, that there is a Creator God. The simple question, where did that come from? Keep taking that back and back and back. The evolutionists will keep back and they're gonna have to either believe in material objects, being immortal and living forever or there has to be a Creator God. But here is what Paul is focusing on. He is saying this marvelous thing of the gospel is something that God prepared for them that love him. And the gospel describes what God prepared for them that love him, for those that he loves, for you that believe and rejoice in it. God decided before the foundation of the world and you know how to finish that, it shows you. His son said, I'll die for them. The Holy Spirit agreed, I will call them. In the three and one, the great three one agreed that in the end, you would be raised in the likeness of Christ. What a marvelous preparation for us. So how is it that we understand? Well, the next verse begins with the word what? But from natural reasoning, it's impossible. But with God, all things are possible. But God hath revealed them unto us by his spirit for the spirit searches all things, yay, the deep things of God. What are the deep things of God? The things that he prepared for us. The marvels of the virgin birth, the marvels of the miracles that he did, the marvel of dying. And in that time on the cross, all of the wrath of God is poured out and our sins are paid for. And that the man die without having his legs broken. Meaning he died of a broken, it's that my reigns are consumed within me, it says in the Psalms. And the marvelous thing that he rose again. And how is it that we, those that love him, and we love him, why? Because he first loved us. Those that are in the covenant of election, why is it, how is it revealed? This one says, but God hath revealed them unto us. Meaning he offered it to us. Is that what it says? No, the King James translators knew we needed to understand so they made it absolutely clear and we're true to the text. But God hath revealed them unto us by his spirit, not by his spirit and our understanding, not by his spirit and our willingness, not by his spirit and our choice, but by his spirit alone. To reveal something means literally to take off the cover. I revealed this bandana handkerchief to you. It didn't do anything. I did all of it. You didn't do anything to have it revealed. I revealed it unto you. Put it in the face, that reveal right there is an irresistible thing that has happened to those that love him. They didn't love him before, but because he loved them, them, he drew them to him. By his spirit, he revealed. This means he put the things in us necessary to be able to understand, to have our eyes opened, but God hath revealed them unto us by his spirit. For the spirit searchesth all things, yay, the deep things of God. Paul's gonna continue to explain, so I'm gonna let him do it. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of a man which is in him. Even so, the things of God knoweth no man, but the spirit of God. That sentence there confuses me a little bit if I were to just yank it out, but he is explaining what it means of how the spirit reveals stuff to us. Let me see if I can put it in terminology where us husbands can understand. Does your wife ever do something that you cannot comprehend whatsoever, what went through her mind? Yes, and that's not just true from husband to wife, that's true from human to human. Only you know why you think the way you do, and only you really know what you know. Others on the outside can guess from your actions, but they're not coming into your mind and making you understand something. Your actions, your words, your interaction with them lets them know how you're thinking. So nobody's controlling your mind, and I can't reach into your mind and read your mind. And so what he is saying is the natural man works this way. You know what you know, you think what you think. And he's already said, and none of it is about the things of God. But then there is the Holy Spirit, big S, spirit, that knows the things of God and knows the mind of God. Why? Because he is God. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. How is it that the Holy Spirit knows the things of God? Because he is God. He has the mind of God. Stay with me. Man all by himself, he just knows his thoughts. He doesn't know God's thoughts. He hadn't entered into his mind, hadn't entered his heart. His eyes can't conceive of it, his ears can't conceive of the words, but the spirit can. 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. Received again, this is the punch in the face one. We have received, we were passive in this. Remember the conversation that Jesus had with the disciples, and in particular, Simon, Peter, Simon, Barge on a blessed art thou, Simon, Barge ona, for flesh and blood, eyes, ears, natural heart, have not revealed this under thee, but my Father, which is in heaven. He received the big-ass spirit into him, God taught him directly, and that's how he could understand it and believe it and rejoice in it. Now we have not received the spirit of the world. Why didn't we, what is the spirit of the world? That's natural understanding. Why didn't we receive that? 'Cause we already had it. But here's the kicker, what Paul is doing right here. He has already been saying that it's not by the wisdom of men's words, or the fancy way in which they speak, and every natural reasoning and understanding way of debate and convincing arguments, said we didn't, all of those things can be used, and none of them work. Why? Because none of them have the spirit in them. They're just natural man's reasonings. But notice what he has done for us. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God. We have the spirit of God in us. That, I love that. I've got that circled in my Bible. That we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. What things, the deep things, the things prepared for them. That we might what receive those things, or what know those things? You see it? We receive, possibly, the spirit of God, that we might know. We have been given the spirit of God. Elsewhere in the Bible it's called faith. That we can know some things. Now, most Christianity teaches that you need to understand something and make a decision and receive the spirit. This says you can't understand until you receive the spirit. Ask to receive the spirit. It's given to you so that you can know. Because before that, you cannot. No, he's gonna go on to explain that. Now, see, this is where our natural side can get a little uncomfortable because that takes my will out. Say, amen. You don't want your will involved in this. 'Cause your old nature's messed up, it's corrupt. And you know what corrupt means. That doesn't just mean bad. Corrupt is a dying body. Our old nature is a dying body. We don't want that making decisions for us. 'Cause it's not gonna make the right ones. But the beauty of this is that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. What graciousness, what mercy of God that he gave us this so that we can, you know, he didn't have to do that. He didn't have to. See, this is the reason church ought to be so special to us. Because he gave us faith so that we can know what he has prepared for us. So that we can know the deep things of God. So that we can know the things that are freely given to us by God. And yet we just think, oh, that's something I can do or not do. I wonder if when we're thinking that way, we're really understanding what marvelous things God has done for us. And he also says that we might know. Now, see, again, that's the key. To know something doesn't make it a fact, does it? Now, right now, most of you know, well, everybody in here knows that two plus two equals four, right? Two plus two equals four. We know that. Does that make it a fact? No, we know that because somebody taught us math, taught us how to count. But two plus two has always equaled four. What has been freely given to us has always been freely given to us. It has always been the deep things of God. And it has always been the things that God prepared and God did. We come to the knowledge of it and that doesn't make it a fact. It just lets us rejoice in it. That's why you were given this. Why? So that you could glorify God, not so that you could feel better. We're getting there, though. First of all, it was given to you to understand these things, but he that glorious will glory in the Lord. You were born again to get to church to every day, glorify God. That's why I did it. You're created in Christ Jesus unto good works. First good work y'all to be doing is praising him for it. Remember, it's all about him. The season that we celebrate right now is not about you. It's not about me. It's about him. We share time with one another because he shared time with us. We give things to one another because he gave all for us. Verse 13. Which things also we speak? What things? The things freely given to us. Paul right here is about to tell every preacher the content of their sermons. And there's nothing political about it. There is nothing about what kind of economy you should have. There's nothing about all of these details. There's nothing about the philosophies of men. Which things also we speak, not in the words, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. Paul says the content of the gospel message is not man's wisdom, it's not man's philosophies. 'Cause remember the gospel, true Christianity is not a philosophy. A philosophy teaches you about how to look at things and to contemplate things. Christianity is about a man. Christianity is about the man Jesus Christ. Christianity is about what the man Jesus Christ did for us. Christianity is not a philosophy, it's facts. And so the gospel is to present facts, not philosophies and not possibilities. It's to present Jesus Christ done. Because man's wisdom is incomplete. You know, one of the most joyful things for the biggest philosophers of their time, Aristotle, Plato, these guys. And as a matter of fact, their influence on the Pharisees in the time of Jesus Christ was to be able to come up with the question that nobody could answer. They loved to do that. You know why they love to do that? Because it made them look smarter than everybody else around them. They would ask the question, could God make a rock so big that he couldn't move it? Oh, all right, philosopher, you answered the question. Well, I can't. Well, you're not real smart then are you? It's a ridiculous question. The Bible doesn't ask ridiculous questions. The Bible states incredible by earthly understanding facts, marvelous facts. We are out of time for today, so we will pause the message there. Please join us again next week for the conclusion of the message received from 1 Corinthians 2 verses 9 through 16. ♪ Victoria's God what ♪ We hope this edition of "Triumphal Feast" has been a blessing to you. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast and visit our website at mppbc.com for further resources, including our devotional blog, "Little Brothers Thoughts on the Bible." Until next time, may the Lord richly bless you all, is our prayer. ♪ To be forever ♪ ♪ Forever ♪ Bye! [BLANK_AUDIO]