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Sermon #5526

Revealed By God

A Sermon on 1 Corinthians 2:1-16

Originally preached April 30, 1961

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Scripture

1 Corinthians 2:1-16 ESV KJV
And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, …

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Sermon Description

How can one know God? In this sermon on 1 Corinthians 2:1–16 titled “Revealed by God,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains how this seemingly simple question has immense significance for one’s life. If God could not be known, how could anyone understand the gospel and be saved? Thankfully, God has revealed Himself to humanity. No one has to discover God through science or philosophy, but God made Himself known in Scripture and in Jesus Christ. In this sermon, Dr. Lloyd-Jones shows the great need for forgiveness and reconciliation with God. Science cannot give this knowledge because it only tells about this world. Christians then have nothing to fear from modern humanity and its claims of intellectual superiority, because true knowledge of God is a gift through His Word, not simply another truth to be discovered. The story of Nicodemus illustrates this well. The Lord Jesus says that it is the Spirit that shows God. It is a supernatural act of God that allows fallen sinners to come to a knowledge of a holy God. There is no more important truth than the gospel of salvation from sins.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. The apostle Paul is addressing the church in Corinth, a group of Greeks. He wants to show them the difference between the gospel and Greek philosophy.
  2. The prevailing outlook today is the scientific outlook. This is symbolized by the recent achievement of the Russians sending a man into space.
  3. Many people today are not Christians because their approach to Christianity is wrong. They approach it like science or philosophy.
  4. Paul devotes 1 Corinthians 2 to showing the difference between Christianity and worldly wisdom.
  5. Paul did not come to Corinth with eloquence or wisdom but with the testimony of God. Christianity is not based on man's wisdom but God's power.
  6. The gospel's message does not change but must be presented differently in different times. Paul presented it differently to the Greeks than to others.
  7. The scientific method is based on man's ability and understanding. Christianity is based on God's revelation, not man's wisdom.
  8. The things of God cannot be understood through human wisdom or reason but only through the Spirit. The natural man cannot understand spiritual things.
  9. The deep things of God refer to God's nature, eternity, holiness, and the Trinity. They cannot be comprehended through science or philosophy.
  10. God's plan of salvation was ordained before the world began. It is a mystery that cannot be understood through human wisdom.
  11. The princes of this world did not understand the wisdom of God. If they had, they would not have crucified Jesus. They were blind to spiritual truth.
  12. No one can know God's mind or be His counselor. His ways are unsearchable. Only through revelation can we know the things God has freely given us.
  13. We should rejoice that salvation does not depend on human wisdom or ability. If it did, there would be no hope for most people. But God has revealed the way of salvation through His Spirit.
  14. We must admit we cannot understand spiritual things through human wisdom. We must become like children and receive God's revelation through faith.

Sermons on Knowledge

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.