Sermon on Wisdom | The Wisdom of God or the Wisdom of Man
Categories: Sermon Outlines, Topical Sermon OutlinesSermon on Wisdom — Sermon outline by Kevin Cauley on the wisdom of God or the wisdom of Man. “Today we want to focus on this point: preaching Christ and Him crucified means preaching the wisdom of God and rejecting the wisdom of man.”
Date written: March 28th, 2002
Scripture ref: 1 Corinthians 2:1-8
SUBJECT: Salvation
TITLE: The Wisdom of God or the Wisdom of Man.
PROPOSITION: We must reject the wisdom of man and accept the wisdom of God in regard to our 1) Attendance, 2) Giving, 3) Worship, 4) Salvation.
OBJECTIVES: The hearer should be able to describe the wisdom of man in regard to these things and explain why this is not the wisdom of God.
AIM: I want to communicate the idea that unless we are going by what the Scriptures teach, then we are not following the wisdom of God.
INTRODUCTION: (Beginning of this sermon on wisdom.)
1. Read: 1 Corinthians 2:1-8
2. About the Text:
1) Paul has just finished addressing the issue of division at the church in Corinth.
2) This issue was caused by the wisdom of men.
3) Paul says that he knew nothing among them save Christ and Him crucified.
4) This is in contrast to the philosophies and rhetoric of the men of the day.
a. Socrates
b. Plato
c. Aristotle
d. Demosthenes
e. The schools of the Epicureans and Stoics in Athens.
f. The Jewish rabbinical structures.
g. The Jewish schools of thought; Gamaliel, etc.
5) But preaching Christ and Him crucified means preaching certain things and rejecting certain things.
a. It means preaching the wisdom of God and rejecting the wisdom of man (vs.4-9).
b. It means preaching the Spirit of God and rejecting the spirit of the world (vs.10-13).
c. It means preaching the spiritual man and rejecting the natural man (vs.14-16).
6) We will be focusing on these three points in the next three weeks.
7) Today we want to focus on this point: preaching Christ and Him crucified means preaching the wisdom of God and rejecting the wisdom of man.
3. Ref. to S, T, P, O, and A.
DISCUSSION: (Discussion of this sermon on wisdom.) We must accept the Wisdom of God and reject the wisdom of man in regard to our…
I. Attendance.
1. The wisdom of man says….
1) One church is as good as another.
2) Attend every once in a while. Once or twice a year.
3) Nobody will be hurt if I don’t come.
4) Too many hypocrites in the church!
2. The wisdom of God
1) One church is NOT as good as another; Matt. 16:18; Acts 20:28; Jesus died for HIS church–the church that belongs to Christ.
2) Attend EVERY first day of the week; Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:1-2; they met upon every first day of the week.
3) People WILL be hurt; Heb. 10:25.
a. We hurt our brethren when we don’t come.
b. We hurt ourselves by robbing our souls of spiritual food.
c. We hurt God when we don’t come.
d. Attendance affects us and our brethren–Story of preacher visiting and moving coal out of fire.
4) Story: “If it’s fair for the church, its fair for the hogs.”
3. Let us reject the world’s wisdom and accept the wisdom of God in these matters.
II. Giving
1. The wisdom of man says…
1) Ask anybody for money–car wash; bake sales; chili suppers; rummage sales, etc.
2) Store up and save up as much as you can.
3) Give out of your excess.
4) Don’t give a lot of money to the church because the church won’t know what to do with it.
2. The wisdom of God says…
1) Don’t ask anybody for money; 1 Corinthians 16:1-2; Members of the church alone are to give to do the work of the church.
2) Don’t store up as much as you can; Luke 12:15-21; one of two times in the scriptures that God calls someone a “fool” is when they lay up treasures for themselves and not for God.
3) Give out of your poverty.
a. Mark 12:41-44; widow’s mite.
b. 2 Corinthians 8:1-5 Macedonians
4) Illustration: The million dollar budget. i.e. no lack of things for which to use the Lord’s money.
3. Poem: Worldly Wisdom.
4. Let us reject the wisdom of man and accept the wisdom of God in these matters.
III. Worship
1. The wisdom of man says…
1) God doesn’t care WHO you worship.
2) God doesn’t care how we worship; worship any old way you want!
3) God doesn’t care where you worship; worship any place you want!
4) I need to use my talent to worship God.
5) Applaud the preacher.
2. the wisdom of God says…
1) Worship GOD and his Son Jesus Christ.
a. Revelation 19:10; 22:9 says “Worship God.”
b. 1 Peter 4:11 “If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”
2) John 4:24; Worship in spirit and in truth.
3) Worship God in God’s church not in some man-made church.
— Hebrews 2:12 reads, “Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.”
4) Worship God in the way that God wants to be worshipped.
a. Micah 6:6-8 “Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”
5) All worship is directed to God, not to men. Applause is acceptable when we want to congratulate someone in the secular world–but let’s keep sacred things sacred and secular thing secular. (Lev. 10:10).
3. Let us reject the wisdom of man and accept the wisdom of God in these matters.
IV. Salvation
1. The world’s wisdom says…
1) All men are saved (Universalists).
2) All you need to be saved is to live a good moral life.
3) All you need to be saved is to make a mental affirmation of Christ.
2. The wisdom of God says…
1) Some are going to be lost. Matthew 7:12-13 “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat”
2) Morality is not sufficient. Cornelius was a good man (Acts 10:1-2). Yet, he would have been lost if he had rejected the gospel of Jesus Christ.
3) Faith only does not save. James 2:14-26
3. God’s plan for man’s salvation is…
1) Hear the word; Romans 10:17 “Faith comes by hearing…”
2) Believe with all your heart; Hebrews 11:6 “For without faith it is impossible….”
3) Repent of your sins (Acts 17:30).
4) Confess Jesus as the Son of God (Matt. 16:16).
5) Be baptized for the remission of your sins (Mark 16:15-16).
4. Let us reject the wisdom of man and accept the wisdom of God in these matters.
CONCLUSION: (End of this sermon on wisdom.)
1. We preach Christ and him crucified. This means we must preach the wisdom of God and reject the wisdom of man. In regard to Attendance.
1) In regard to Giving.
2) In regard to Worship.
3) In regard to Salvation.
2. Invitation
1) If you are a Christian but have fallen away
a. You once accepted the wisdom of God.
b. Why have you gone back to the wisdom of man?
2) If you are not a Christian this morning…
a. Accept the wisdom of God.
b. Heed the plan that He has for man’s salvation today!