This morning, I invite you to turn with me to 1 Corinthians chapter 2. 1 Corinthians chapter 2, as we read together the chapter, considering in a particular way verse 12. 1 Corinthians chapter 2, as we hear now the Word of God. When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God, for I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power. We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age who are coming to nothing. No, we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it. For if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. However, as it is written, No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him. But God has revealed it to us by His Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way, no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the Spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment. For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. Verse 12 again, We have not received the Spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. Beloved in the Lord Jesus Christ, indeed, we live in a world that is filled with education. We live in a world that pushes for learning and pushes for knowledge. Those of you young people in high school that just finished your AP courses, you understand that. There is the pressure already in high school to get a jump start on the education of college. We live in a world in which many things are taught, many things are to be learned. We live in a world where the intelligence of man and the application of that intelligence is simply amazing, isn't it? It's amazing with the technology of medicine and of space exploration and of computers and of communication. For example, cell phones and the World Wide Web. It simply boggles our mind. Yet, beloved, there is something that is even more amazing than all of the intelligence and all of the learning of mankind, and that is the power and the influence of the Holy Spirit and the knowledge that He alone gives. On that first Pentecost Sunday, as we read in Acts 2, verse 7, the crowds we read were utterly amazed. They were utterly amazed as they heard the disciples speak in their own languages. And therefore, we might say that they were utterly amazed as they witnessed the power and the effect of the Holy Spirit on the disciples of Jesus. And there is one thing, boys and girls, there is one thing that all of the instruction, all of the intelligence in the world, there is one thing that all of that cannot give, and that is a knowledge and an understanding of the things of God. Paul says in chapter 1, verse 25, for the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom. All of the instruction, all of the intelligence of the world cannot give that which is absolutely necessary for our eternal well-being. It cannot give that which we need the most. That comes only to those who are empowered by the Holy Spirit. That Holy Spirit who has been given to Christ's church, first of all, as God's gift. Secondly, with God's gift. First, he's been given as God's gift, God's gift of himself. Paul says at the beginning of the text, We have not received the Spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God. The Holy Spirit is God. Now, we say, of course, we know that. We confess that. We believe the triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But it's good and necessary for us to be reminded of this. Throughout this passage, Paul calls him the Spirit of God. Jesus said that he would send the Comforter who is from the Father. In Galatians 4, verse 6, Paul speaks of the Spirit as the Spirit of God's Son. He's connected in those passages to both of the Father and the Son. And then in Acts 5, a direct reference to the fact that the Holy Spirit is God with Ananias and Sapphira. Peter says in verse 3 that you have lied to the Holy Spirit. And then in verse 4 he says you have not lied to men, but you have lied to God. The Holy Spirit is one with the Father and the Son. He is the one of whom Paul says searches and knows the deep things and the thoughts of God. He is the one of whom Jesus said would take of what is Christ's and make it known to His people. It's the only way we can know of what is Christ's. He is the one who was sent, as Ephesians 1 says, as a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance. And Jesus says in John 14, He was sent from heaven to the world that cannot accept Him because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But Jesus says of believers that believers know Him and He lives in them. The Holy Spirit is given to Christ's church as God's gift. God Himself. But notice, though, that Paul contrasts the Spirit of the Father with the Spirit of the world. Now, how do we understand the Spirit of the world? What is its identity? As you can imagine, different commentators give different ideas with regard to how we are to understand what is the Spirit of the world. Very simply, I think we ought to understand it this way, that it is the Spirit that makes the world secular. And it includes that sin nature in man that governs the thoughts and the will and the desires of man and is then reflected, for example, in individualism and humanism. And the purpose of the Spirit of the world is that it reveals itself then in opposition to God. It reveals itself in opposition to God. And it rules a person in whom God's Spirit does not live. We see that vividly in Scripture at the time of the flood, how wicked the world was that God wiped it out with a flood. We see it too at the time of the Tower of Babel, again, the wickedness of the world. We see it in the New Testament, in the apostolic age, with the false teachers that the apostles were combating. We see it in our godless society today, a world that is in opposition to God, that is anti-God, that is anti-the things of God, and anti-the thinking of God. And it's no wonder then, because of the controlling influence of the God of this world. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4, verse 4, the God of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ. And he says in Ephesians 2, verse 2, he speaks of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the Spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. They cannot see the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ. The only thing that the God of this age, this world can produce is what Paul calls in verse 6, the wisdom of this age. Human wisdom. Indeed, beloved, ours is an age of intelligence. Every age, in a sense, has been an age of intelligence in its own way. There have been smart people ever since this world began by the common grace, by the common benevolence of God. Paul battled the great philosophers, and he battled the great intelligence of his day. Yet again, he says the foolishness of God is wiser than the wisdom of the world, that wisdom of the world which is limited to that which is earthly, that which is observable, that which is verifiable by scientific study and human reason, yet that wisdom of the world is not able to figure out a remedy for man's sinful plight. The world is not able to figure out a way to get us out of that which we need to get out of most, our life of sin. The world has enough intelligence to tackle world hunger and to investigate global warming and to deal with our global financial crisis. Yet it considers God's remedy, which is the only remedy, it considers it to be foolishness. Because it simply cannot understand it. A Savior dying on a cross does not fit with the world's belief in the survival of the fittest. life through death exaltation through humiliation the first shall be last and the last shall be first it is all senseless to the world to that human wisdom it cannot understand it because it is not empowered by the Holy Spirit who alone reveals to us what's in God's heart as Paul makes clear beloved it is the holy spirit of god god himself given to the church of jesus christ who removes from you and me the blinders of the spirit of the world so that we might recognize sin and wickedness of the world with all of its influences and all of its devastating effects with its with the hatred and the destruction that it brings it is the spirit of god who who alone removes those blinders that we might understand how life and how this world only makes sense when it's understood from God's perspective. He alone begins that good work in us and helps us think God's thoughts after him because he also empowers us in the second place with God's gift. See, not only is the Holy Spirit of God, a gift to you and me. But He comes to you and me with God's gift. That gift of full salvation. To know it. He is the one who reveals it. He takes of what is Christ's and makes it known to you and me. The text says again, we have not received the Spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God that we may understand what God has freely given us. Beloved, that message of full salvation is indeed a simple message. That's what Paul is saying here. Yet it is the most profound, it is the most wonderful message. In verse 4, Paul says, My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power. Now, Paul was able to be profound if he wanted to. Paul was a man of great intelligence. He was able, as we see from other portions of Scripture, he was able to be persuasive, to speak with eloquence, to speak with superior wisdom. But he was not going to fall into the trap of the philosophers of his day who said you must speak with eloquence, you must sound really smart, otherwise you're not worth listening to. Paul himself, beloved, was evidence of the gift of the Holy Spirit because he would not know to preach the things that he was preaching of the cross of Jesus. He wouldn't know to preach that without the Holy Spirit. Indeed, the wisdom of this world is filled with wise and persuasive speech and eloquence. And those who say, well, if it sounds smart, you better listen to it because it must be right. Even if you can't understand it, it must be important. So you better listen to it. And we know that there are those who line themselves up behind eloquent speakers, those who tickle their itching ears. Yet the world's wisdom does not know and understand the simple gospel message that alone transforms life. If it did, as Paul says, the rulers of this world would not have crucified the Lord of glory, as he says in verse 8. But instead, as he says in verse 9, as it is written, no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him. He's talking there about the natural man. The natural man cannot, has not, cannot see these wonderful things. Now the word conceived there is also translated entered, not entered the mind or not entered the heart of man what God has prepared for those who love Him. And that word is not referring to something entering the mind from the outside, but it's used of things that come up in one's mind. We use it as well when we say, for example, it never entered my mind. It never occurred to me. I never thought of it. And that describes the unbeliever and the Gospel. The truth of Scripture can never be conceived by, can never be thought up by man. Human reason, human intellect by the common grace of God is able to discover, to invent so many things, so many wonderful things for you and I to enjoy for our benefit in this life. But it cannot discover, it cannot invent a way of salvation. It is the Holy Spirit alone who brings it up in one's heart and mind. That we might understand that that full salvation is also then a gracious gift. Paul says, what God has freely given to us. Again, the Greek word that is used there, except for a few instances, most often is used of that which is given by God without the recipient deserving it at all. Given without it being deserved. God's grace. In Romans 8.32, Paul uses it there too. He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also along with Him graciously give us all things? And notice, this is not just future. Paul does not say what God will freely give to us, but this is present. He's talking about the present life of the Christian. What God has freely given to us to understand. And notice, not only is what God has prepared for those who love Him, not only is that graciously given, but also the ability to understand it. The very illumination of the Holy Spirit is a precious gift of God's grace. Otherwise, we could hear it all day long, and it's meaningless. But His gift of illumination to understand then, the gift of Christ's cross. Paul says in verse 2, For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Boys and girls, God has freely given to us the greatest gift, greatest treasure of all time. You may have many treasures in your house. Maybe a treasure that you found somewhere, you discovered it somewhere. Maybe a gift that was given to you that was a treasure. Maybe a treasure that you purchased with your own money. There are many treasures out there. But God has given to us the greatest treasure, a treasure that all the money in this world could not pay for. But a treasure that could only be paid for by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. It is a life-changing treasure. It is a life-saving treasure. A treasure that we needed most to have our sins all paid for and forgiven. To be transformed from being enemies of God to no longer being enemies, but now we are children of God. To being freely given the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ. Maybe this one we ought to take a little bit of time and meditate on a little bit. I know I need to. I think sometimes we tend to forget that even one sin, beloved, disqualifies us in and of ourselves from God's favor. One sin turns God's face away from us. But we have been given the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ, which we need to stand in God's presence, to be acceptable to God. And therefore, even now, as we continue to struggle with sin, God will hear us because of Christ's righteousness. And therefore, that greatest treasure, beloved, includes that we are guaranteed never to be separated from God. And to top it all off, we are empowered by the Holy Spirit not only to know of full salvation in our minds, we are also given the gift of assurance in our hearts. We are given that precious gift of faith, beloved, which is not only a knowledge and conviction that all that the Bible, that God reveals in His Word is true, but it is also a deep-rooted assurance created in you and me by the Holy Spirit that I trust in Jesus Christ, that I believe that all that He has done, all that He has earned for me, it's true for me too, not just for others. But it's mine too. You see, the Holy Spirit of God not only reveals that gift of full salvation, but He applies it to your heart and mine. He makes it ours. It's really and truly mine. He gives me the comfort that Jesus Christ is my Savior. He gives me the comfort that I have an inheritance that will not spoil, it will not fade, but it is kept safe by God Himself until I receive it in full from Him because Jesus Christ has opened the way to heaven for me. And along with that comfort, the Holy Spirit gives to you and me confidence that God is my refuge and strength, that the Lord is my light and my salvation, and therefore, as David says, of whom shall I be afraid? He gives His people the confidence to live openly for Him, to speak of Him, just like the apostles had that confidence from Pentecost on. He gives His people confidence because not death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future nor any powers, nothing in all creation, Paul says. And there again we need to pause. Remember, boys and girls, that everything other than God is created. He is the only being that has not been created. And Paul says that nothing in all creation, nothing other than God can separate us from God, and he won't do it. Nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. And to bring that to everyday life, to bring that down to earth a little bit, that means too we need to remember in our daily circumstances that not my employer, no matter what kind of an unbeliever he or she may be, not the bully in school or the bully in the neighborhood, not radical groups like gay rights groups, not false religious groups like Muslims or Mormons or Jehovah's Witnesses, not unbelievers in general, are able to separate us from the love of God. And therefore, we have no need to fear. If God permits, we know that the spirit of this world might be able to take our job or take our possessions or take our earthly security and maybe even take our life. If God permits, the spirit of this world might be able to make this life miserable for you and me, but the spirit of this world cannot take God's Holy Spirit and cannot take the benefits of Jesus Christ away from you and me. Dear people of God, if you understand the gospel of Jesus Christ, if you believe it, If you have the assurance that it's true for you, there's only one reason for that. And that is because you have been empowered by the Holy Spirit that lives in all believers. If that isn't exciting, if that isn't awesome, then I don't think we can find something that truly is. Now, we may not always feel like we are empowered with the Holy Spirit because we still struggle with sin, But even that struggle, as we hope to consider tonight, that struggle, which includes hating sin, it includes being sorry for sin and desiring not to do it, and even conquering sin now and again, even that struggle is evidence of the power of the Holy Spirit at work in you and me. Beloved, His is an amazing transformation, A transformation, again, that the world cannot develop or think up in an entire history. A transformation from death to life. And we are blessed, even today, with the very same Holy Spirit as was poured out on Pentecost, who wowed those who looked on. And therefore, as those who confess to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, those who confess that we have been transformed by the Holy Spirit, we might want to ask ourselves, does the world say of us, wow, as the world looks at you and me as Christians, does it say wow? Is the world amazed by your confidence in Christ? Is it amazed by your assurance of salvation? Is it amazed by your patience in hard times or your joy in sorrow? Is it amazed by your honesty and integrity and humility? Is it amazed by your readiness to admit your wrong and as well your refusal to gossip and to slander and to participate in questionable activities? You see, beloved, with the Holy Spirit, the fruit of the Spirit ought to be unmistakable. Very simply, does the world that is closest to you on a daily basis, does that world know that you are a Christian? Does it see that transformation? Again, his is an amazing transformation. He uses the tool of the gospel of Jesus Christ to give the only knowledge that saves, the most powerful knowledge, true faith in Jesus. And in the midst of the spirit of the world that constantly attacks and suppresses, and that truth and tries to strip believers of that knowledge of faith. The Holy Spirit gives you and me confidence that it is not the wicked who will stand in the judgment. They will not. But only those who are clothed with the righteousness of Jesus Christ. And the Holy Spirit also helps us to understand the connection between that gospel message that we hear and the gospel message that we see. As that message is confirmed to us, to our eyes by the Lord's Supper, it is only by His power and His illumination that we are able to look at the table. And beloved, I encourage each one of us as we celebrate the sacrament this morning to look at that table and to know it is only by the illuminating power of the Holy Spirit that there as we look at it we can see the beauty of Christ's sacrifice. And there we see the promise of salvation. We see the guarantee of eternal life. And it's there where we are nourished with Jesus Christ and strengthened in our union with Him. O dear people of God, empowered by the Holy Spirit as God's gift with God's gift, by God's grace poured out upon you and me, what a reason to rejoice because God has begun that good work in you. What a reason to live for God knowing that the Holy Spirit lives in and governs you What a reason to commit your life to Him. What a reason to give thanks, knowing that He will complete that work that He has begun in you and me. Praise be to God for His indescribable gift. Amen.