The Wisdom of the Age

God is the Source of all things. The devil always counterfeits what comes from God. There can only be one genuine wisdom, and the other counterfeit wisdom. The wisdom of the age is just but a counterfeit of the wisdom of God. 

1 Corinthians 2:1-8 (KJV)

And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. 4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: {enticing: or, persuasible} 5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.  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.

The testimony of God that Paul is talking about in the above verses is Jesus. To know God the Father, you have to know God the Son, who came in the flesh. Jesus is the face of the unseen God the Father. 

Some of the evidences that God exists: 

• The word of God
• The nation of Israel. This is why God has preserved the nation of Israel.

Paul did not go to Corinth to find out how the people were living so that he could make impact, but went there to declare the counsel of Christ. He went to raise Christ above the culture, to declare the testimony of God (Christ). People form cultures, over a period of time. The culture is born and stuck in the environment called sin. The culture today exists in the world, as they are not of God. They are of the world, which is a way of thinking. 

We were born as slaves to sin, and thus sin formed our way of life. Slaves of sin make choices determined by an environment of sin; slaves of righteousness make choices determined by an environment of righteousness. 

 1 Corinthians 2:4 (KJV)

And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:

Paul preached the living word of God, that is the demonstration of the Spirit and of power. The demonstration of the Spirit here was not in signs and wonders, but the Word in itself had power in itself, as He was preaching it. He did not depend on man's wisdom, nor in counseling, nor psychiatry or mental models; He depended on God's Word and its power. 

The wisdom of men is capitalism, where you get all you can, and can all you get; spend your entire life gathering, so that you can keep it and live on it. This is not where your faith should lie. Faith says that my God shall supply all my needs according to His riches in glory (Phil. 4:19), that the love of money is the root of evil (1 Tim. 6:10). 

Your future has already been determined. The boundaries of your life, from beginning to the end has been laid out (Acts 17:26). 

Faith is persuasion by truth (Rom. 10:17). 

1 Corinthians 2:5 (KJV)

That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.  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:

There is a progression of perfection. You are saved, but you are getting saved, and you will be saved. Because you are perfect, you are getting perfected, and you will be perfect. This is why Paul said in this verse that we speak wisdom among them that are perfect. Since you are a spirit, living in a body and possessing a soul, since you became a believer, and your spirit is perfect, you are perfect. Your soul and body are not perfect yet, but are being perfected, and shall be perfect when Jesus comes (1 Jn. 3:2).  

The wisdom of God and that of the world do not mix, just as light and darkness cannot co-exist. The wisdom of the world stems from the fallen man; the devil is in charge of this wisdom.  

1 Corinthians 2:7 (KJV)

But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:‎

The world is not a planet, but a system. The wisdom of God was there before the fall of man. This is the wisdom of God that was there before time. 

Genesis 1:26-28 (KJV)

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. 

Genesis 2:7-9, 16-25 (KJV)

And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. 8 And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. 18 And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. 19 And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. 

20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. 21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; 22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. 23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. 24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. 25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. 

John 4:23-24 (KJV)

But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. 

We can only worship God in His nature (spirit), and likeness (truth), which is why God created man in His own image (spirit) and likeness (truth). Likeness is equivalent to mannerism, and that of God is truth. 

In Genesis 3:1, for the first time in the history of man, an alternative voice to the voice of truth was raised up, by the devil. 

1 John 2:15-17 (KJV)

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16   For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17   And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. ‎

When the eyes of Adam and Eve were opened, they started being led by their intellect, emotions and will. The knowledge of good and evil was in their soul. 

We are identified by our environments, when we were born. Your identity defines your nature. 

The wisdom of the age has no God in it, and it is based on the alternative voice to the voice of truth. Throughout the years, it is counterfeit of what God has instituted, in His word, e.g. the temple, God's leadership and authority, counterfeit prophets (witches) etc. There will always be a ruler in every generation, who will be a proponent for that which is not of God. For example, now, the homosexual agenda is being pushed for. The alternative voice always strives to make the voice of God seem like the one that is a lie. The more acquainted we are with the voice and wisdom of God, the more we will be able to tell out and resist the alternative voice, the wisdom of the world. 

This wisdom of the world is what grew us up, before we were born again. 

Proof that there is a way in which the world operates

Ephesians 2:2-3 (KJV)

Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3  Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others

There is a way we used to walk, that is called "the course of this world", according to the prince of the power of the air, who works in the children of disobedience, the unbelievers. This way is clearly determined and controlled by the devil, and anyone who rejects Christ automatically walks in this way. The course of the world is driven by the desires of the flesh and of the mind. The more we obey the desires of the flesh and of the mind, the more we are drawn to and walk in the course of this world, eventually yielding to the control of the prince of the power of the air, the author of the wisdom of the world, the devil himself. 

The pattern of this world is in the age of arts, technology, new age (that all religions worship the same God), worship of money, and in loose morals. This is the wisdom and pattern of this world, and it is against God. We always have a choice, whether to walk in the wisdom and pattern of God, or of the world. 

If you reject the wisdom of God, you automatically yield to the wisdom of this world. The more you yield to the wisdom of this world, the more you become a slave to the same. When Adam and Eve listened to the voice and wisdom of the world, from the devil, they became slaves of the devil, and yielded their authority and dominion to him. The devil confirmed this when he tempted Jesus, in the wilderness: 

Luke 4:5-8

And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6  And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.  Princes of this world stem from here . 7  If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. 8  And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

Note what the devil said, "for that [power and glory of the same] is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will give it." This is where princes of the world stem from. Jesus restored power, dominion and authority back to man, and the only way to walk in them is to yield to His wisdom, by interacting with His Word. Yielding to the wisdom of the world will only make us slaves to the devil. 

How to tell the wisdom of the world from the wisdom of God. 

Doctrine. How God builds you. You must study the Word. Doctrine is your bone structure. If you know doctrine, you will be able to tell out the two. Continue to study the word, and you will find yourself letting go of some things. Correct doctrine will lead you to a correct life, and to God's purpose. Meditate constantly on the Word of God. Meditation is the process of becoming one with the Word of God. 

Characteristics of the wisdom of God are: 

1 Corinthians 2:7 (KJV)

But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:

1. It is Spiritually discerned

You cannot discern it through your physical mind; it can only be discerned by the help of the Holy Spirit. 

1 Corinthians 2:14 (KJV)

But 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 discerned.

2. It is hidden

It is not open, and since it is hidden, it must be sought. This is just the way of God. 

Proverbs 25:2 (KJV)

It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter. 

3. It is God-ordained before the world, unto our glory

It did not start when the world started, or when we got born again. It existed with God before the world, and this is also when God ordained it for us, for our glory, to reveal it all at the coming of Christ. 

Romans 8:29-31 (KJV)

For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. 31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 

Christ is called the Lord of glory, as He is the express image of God's glory, and the One who came to reveal God's wisdom and glory, to us, for us. 

1Corinthians 2:8 (KJV)

Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 

Purpose to walk in and seek the wisdom of God. The wisdom of the world always leads to nothing and to death, and will come to nothing soon. It will meet its end soon. The wisdom of God never ends, and always leads to life. The choice is always ours. The more you spend time in the Word of God, meditating on it with an aim to do all it tells you, the more you discover and walk in the wisdom of God. 

Blessings. 

-- Teacher Dennis Nzuki (Expo) 

(12/10/14 Sunday Service Sermon, Teaching Transformation Ministry.)

Brother Dennis is a friend of Teaching Transformation Ministry. We are located along the Thika-Ruai Flyover Junction (at the Thika Rd./Bypass Intersection), next to Eastgate Restaurant.