Shane Idleman addresses the question of why Christians often see the world differently from others, emphasizing the importance of spiritual maturity and the distinction between worldly wisdom and God's wisdom. He highlights that true understanding comes from the Holy Spirit, which empowers believers to discern spiritual truths and navigate the complexities of life. Idleman challenges the congregation to reflect on their spiritual growth and the wisdom they embrace, urging them to seek God's truth rather than conforming to societal norms. He concludes by reminding listeners of the power of God and the importance of focusing on Him amidst the chaos of the world.

The message this morning, the title is Why Do You See Things Differently? Why Do You See Things Differently? And I don't know about you, but when you look at the media, when you look at what's going on in our nation, in the churches, do you ever wonder to yourself, what's wrong with me? Why don't I see? I mean, of course we know, but we start to sometimes second-guess things, and why do I not see things the way they see it? Why do you see? Why do I see things differently? And I'm hoping I can shed a little bit of light on that. We are in 2 Corinthians, so if you have your Bibles, you can turn to 2 Corinthians. We'll be putting it up on the screen as well. But let me just read to you a quick paragraph that I read last week, and it kind of transitions right into where we're going. Think about this. Paul said, when I came to you, this is the beginning of chapter 2, we might not have it up there, but I guess we do. When I came to you, I did not come with excellence of speech or with wisdom. So Paul, when he came to the church, he did not come with excellent speech and with worldly wisdom. He said his speech and his preaching were not with persuasive words or with human wisdom. So how did he come to them? He came to them in the demonstration of the Spirit and of power. That's the key. So Paul did not come, and you will not go out into the world and make a difference in your family or in your communities or in your workplace with persuasive speech. Although it sounds good, and people might say, well, that's a good point, the ultimate objection of a Christian is to come with the power of the Spirit, because then your words carry weight. Then you have discernment. You know when to speak and when to listen. You know when to be quiet and when to vocalize your opinion. You have to go in the Spirit's power. But then Paul clarifies for us in verse 6, he says, however, however, he's not discounting wisdom. He's saying we do speak wisdom among those who are mature. So just a minute ago he said we do not come to you with wisdom, but then he says now we do speak to you with wisdom. Well, what he's doing there is contrasting the world's wisdom with God's wisdom. There's a big difference there. He says, but we do come to you with wisdom to those who are mature. So he's going to bring the Word of God to those who are mature. Now we might instantly think, well, that must mean all Christians. Do you know there's a lot of Christians out there who are not mature? Maturity comes from spiritual growth. As we're growing and obeying God's Word, living it out, we mature in our faith. If we see, do you ever see a kid sucking their thumb? That's cute at 6 months, but at 16? What happened? They didn't mature. So there's a lot of Christians, Paul actually refers to them later as carnal in their thinking, carnal in their mindset, carnal in their lifestyle. So he's speaking to those who are mature, which are spiritual. So you have to ask yourself maybe that question this morning, have I not been growing? Have you ever met a Christian five years later who looks the same as they did five years ago? I mean, I've ran into people I knew at church 10 years ago. Guess what? Nothing has changed. There's no maturity. So Paul's saying, I am going to speak to you wisdom among those who are mature. Here's what else I've noticed. When you begin to speak God's wisdom, the carnal Christian doesn't like it. Why? Because it challenges their carnality. It challenges their Las Vegas lifestyle. It challenges their movie choices and in their lifestyle choices. They don't want to be challenged. So they don't want to hear what God's wisdom has to say. That's why he said, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age who are coming to nothing. And this is a good reminder that the rulers of this age, the world's mindset is coming to nothing. At some point, all of this confusion and chaos is coming to nothing. They are glorifying in it now. They are just enjoying it now. They are celebrating now, but there will come a time when it will come to nothing. So the question I really want to challenge many of you with this morning is, whose wisdom are you embracing? Whose wisdom are you embracing? Because there is two types of wisdom. There's not really anything in the middle. It's embracing the world's mindset or it's embracing God's truth, God's mind, the mind of Christ. The Bible talks about that you have the mind of Christ. Isn't that amazing? The same Holy Spirit that was in Christ is in a believer if they submit to the work of the Holy Spirit. And here's why this is so important. Susie, maybe you can click on your phone too, the air conditioning. I know we have the app and turn that off. If I'm feeling, I know you guys probably are too. Unless you like it cold, that's okay too. But this is why this is very important. This is the difference between right and almost right. Gone are the days of black and white. It's crystal clear. Now the church is divided. America is divided. Why? Because things are almost right. And that's the difference today. Right according to God's word or kind of right, almost right. Like why can't you just love people and let this sin slide? Almost, almost right. And then he goes on in verse 7, but we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery. Don't get confused because many people think mystery. That's getting weird. Mystery really in the Bible is something that has not yet been revealed. So mystery is not something spooky or weird. Mystery is actually in this context is God's truth that just hasn't been revealed yet. So it's still a mystery. It's still unknown to many people. So Paul said, we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery. The hidden wisdom which God has ordained before the ages for our glory. Now you might read that like I did and say our glory, uh oh. So I paraphrased there, or not paraphrased, but bracketed studying this word and looking to this. It really means for our benefit. We're not to be glorified and lifted up. It's for our benefit that God's glory is shown to us in a mystery, which none of the rulers, this is amazing. Okay, wake up. Don't think about lunch. Don't be texting. Don't look at your phones. Listen to this. He said, which none of the rulers of this age knew. In other words, when he says the rulers of this age, he's talking about the principalities, the governing spirit of this world. They had not known the mysteries of God, for had they known them, they would have never crucified the Lord of glory. It's interesting. Paul's saying God's mystery, his truth was hidden from the principalities and the evil workers of darkness. Had they known what God was doing, they would have never put Christ on that cross. That's why I talked about a few weeks ago that hell was celebrating. Hell was actually celebrating when Christ was on the cross. The demons were popping the kegs open. They were running crazy. They were just celebrating, oh, this man, this man who never spoke like any other man, this man who would kill the demonic realm, he would cast them out, Beelzebub, and cast out demons. And this man is finally, finally going to be killed. We have won until the earth shook and the temple was ripped. And he actually, when his body was in the grave, it's interesting, the Bible talks about his soul going into, not necessarily hell, but he spoke to those who were held in Abraham's bosom and in this time, this transitionary period, he spoke to them and he released the captives and set them free and hell said, oh no, what have we done? We have actually played right into God's hands. He has been, he's not only has he rose from the dead, now he's set people free. He has overcome hell, death, sin, and the grave because that was the big thing over everybody is hell and death and sin and the grave, oh, death, where is your sting? That's why we sing that wonderful song, oh, death, where is your sting? My resurrection, my resurrected king is now resurrecting me. Had they known what they were doing, they would have never put Jesus on the cross. And Paul is clarifying that. They would have never crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written, verse 9, eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love him. Now it's interesting, I've heard this verse actually used a lot and I might have been guilty of this myself because it has some overarching truth to it. Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor has it entered into your hearts the good things that God has prepared for those who love him, which is true even here on earth. But it looks like the context is supporting what God is doing for us in heaven as well. We have no clue what God is preparing for those who love him in eternity. But thank God that truth applies now. I don't preach your best life now. I don't preach that God has a wonderful plan for your life, even though I do if I could explain it, but the American version is, oh, here comes the wealth, here come the riches, here comes the fame, here comes my next record deal if you're in worship, and here comes my next big salary, and oh, God has a wonderful plan for my life, here comes the red carpet and the marriage is going to be great, all our kids are going to be healthy, and God has a wonderful plan for my life. But what about if half of that doesn't work out, and you go through hell, you suffer, you lose a child, there's persecution, especially if you don't live in America. I'm hoping, I'm just throwing this out there, in August, I'm trying to get in touch with Sister Sarah, some of you heard her on Wednesday night. She actually spent, I think, three different, two different times in jail in China for three years, where they would put a metal electric thing in her mouth, and you could hear the saliva sizzling, and not feeding you, and denouncing Christ, that's persecution. America, you better wake up, you don't know what persecution is, and you better be thankful for now. I'm trying to get her to speak here in August. If you don't leave here in tears, then something's wrong with your heart. Because there is your best life now, and God has a wonderful plan for your life, but it involves His sovereignty. God, I will trust you even in the storm, I will praise you even in the storm. So it is written, which means when God writes it, it is true. You have no idea what God has prepared for you in heaven. And that could have a, I love, I bank on this even now, I have, looking back ten years ago, I had no idea what God would be doing in West Side Christian Fellowship through all of us. It is amazing. And I appreciate that you enjoy the messages, but I'm just the mouth. You know we have feet, and hands, and hearts, and there's all different types of people help get this church going in the right direction. God's opened up amazing doors, I'll be sharing with you. One is we heard from a large radio station in New York City. They have a tower on top of Trump Tower, and they want to air the programs there Monday through Friday from here. So God is opening a lot of doors. And that's why when I read this, it definitely applies now. I would have no clue what God would do with this church. Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, and I've noticed, be careful in this area, I actually downplay what I think God's going to do. God, we'd love to just, for example, the radio, just be on the radio here in Los Angeles, just one time on the weekend. God says, no, maybe 15 stations, maybe Monday through Friday. Okay, well that's great for you, Shane. No, it's not great for me, it's great for the church. What God is doing in the church, what's He going to do in your life? Well, maybe God will bring me a spouse that I can change if you're single. No, He wants what's best for you. Don't settle for second best. Settle for God's best. Eye has not seen, ear, we sometimes, well, God, if you could just do this. God wants to do so much more, I believe, in our lives if we surrender and listen to Him and have a teachable, humble spirit. Eye has not seen, nor has a heart heard what God wants to do prepared for those who love Him. And I was wondering this week, how many of you, maybe in this room and up there, balcony praise God or listening later, but do you truly love God? Did you know that is the one true indication of genuine faith in a person, is do they truly love the one true and living God? And Jesus Christ. Because people say, I love God. Well, Jesus is a good teacher, I'm not sure about that guy, but I love God. He's in me, He's in the trees, He's in the flowers. He's in all of us. It's just this cosmic ambiance of love. So of course I believe in God. No, that's not the God of the Bible. Do you truly love God? Because you can't be saved and not love God, not love His truth. See, there's a yearning for it. Why do I say that? Well, the Holy Spirit and a true believer actually wrote the Bible. So the Holy Spirit is going to love God's truth. And that's why it's so critical in our culture today, isn't it? To define, we have to define. We have a person running for president who is openly gay. He's a mayor. In time, I read stories this week, it says he calls himself a very conservative Christian who loves God. How do you define God? God is defined according to His Word, according to His nature. That's how we have to go back to His truth and look at that. I hope you understand. Boy, I don't want to get on a rabbit trail. I prayed all week. But there is so much going on in our nation where we should be fasting, we should be praying. Guys, what we're leaving for future generations is not going to be good. People are buying into the lie. Have you seen in the news a man in Canada who actually was charged for calling his daughter a boy? I mean, sorry, calling his daughter a daughter. She wants to be called a boy. Parents, you can't call the gender. It's coming. See, it's coming. We say, oh, that's up in Canada. Oh. I mean, and sometimes I don't want to scare people. I want them to leave here joy-filled. But also a reality check. A reality check. Also this week I had the privilege of talking to someone who works at the White House for the administration on the coalition department. Telling me about what's going on there. All the things that are being passed that are wonderful for our nation. But the media is not telling you. There's a clear, clear goal here. And what groups are wanting to do. It's not the America you used to know. Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore. You are seeing radical shifts. And this is the time where you need to see things differently. But back to that question, do you truly love God, the God of the Bible? Well, how do you know it's the God of the Bible? Because there's no other God. Because then it becomes a God of, well, I think God is, hmm. Here's what I think God is. Have you ever asked people that? It's amazing to think, to listen. Well, here's what I think God is. Well, here's what I think God is. And you have a hundred different opinions. So it's the God of the Bible clearly outlined in Scripture. But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. So verse 10. Now look at verse 9 though. I has not seen, nor ear heard, nor is it entered in the hearts of man what God has prepared for those who love Him. But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of man except the Spirit of the man which is in him? Even so, no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Whew! A little confusing there? Well, let's break it down. God has revealed things to us through His Spirit. What does He mean by that? Well, the best analogy I can give you is, do you ever go into a completely dark room and you turn on the light? The world without God's Spirit is walking in that darkness. The Bible is clear. They walk in darkness. They grope for the light. They don't know the truth. So actually, it's a badge of honor when you're criticized in this area by the world. If nobody's criticizing you or what you're saying and what you're preaching, what was that old saying? If you don't want to offend anyone, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing. So they walk in darkness. So God has revealed many things to us through His Spirit. So the light is turned on. The light is turned on. I'll never forget the day. Maybe it was the week or so, the month I came back to the Lord. I started to read the Bible again. Like, where was all this when I was growing up? Just ministering to me, putting things in my heart. Oh, look at this. And things jumping off the page and highlighting it. Look at this. And just, oh, now it's light. But what did it used to be? Boring. But there are a lot of Christians who still think the Word of God is boring. Here's why. The light's been quenched. The light in your heart's been grieved. You've grieved the Holy Spirit. He's still there. He's longing for you. Longing for you to return to your first love. But there's a quenching and a grieving. That's why. Because I'm sure many of you can say, but Shane, that's me. I'm a Christian, though. But the Holy Spirit has to be let loose. That light has to illuminate your heart. And then the Word of God becomes alive again. So he reveals things through his spirit. Just like turning on the light. And he also reveals things through his spirit by, if you look at commentaries or books. I wish I could do a whole sermon on discoveries and inventions. Do you know how many Christians have invented things and discovered things? It's amazing how God has allowed us. God revealed all these things to us. And how much wisdom has increased in the last 100 years. I mean, just knowledge is increasing at an alarming rate. I mean, think about how riding horseback was a way to travel for decades. Hundreds of years. Thousands of years. And then here comes a car. Boom, boom, boom. Now we're on the moon. How does all that happen? I'm not talking about spiritual things now. But I'm also talking about God revealing things to us through his spirit. And the Spirit of God is knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. Think about that for a minute. The Spirit of God. So if you want more of the Spirit of God. The Spirit is knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. If you're not walking in God's wisdom, you will not know his plans. You will quench that light in your heart. So does anyone want to know? I want to know God's will. What's God's will for my life? Is this the right decision? Am I supposed to do this? Am I not supposed to do that? Who in this room doesn't grapple with those questions? We all do. But the closer you draw to Christ and the work of the Spirit and surrendering and submitting to God's wisdom and knowledge, the more clear these things will become. You'll begin to say, well, that's just selfish modus. Who showed you that? The Spirit. Not the flesh. Listen, your heart's not right. Why are you praying for those things? You need to be redirecting here. Oh, that's right. And the Holy Spirit will begin to illuminate things and begin to show you how. I love when God shows me how to pray. Shane, be quiet for a minute. Remove your list of things. Don't we come to God like a Christmas list? Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. Now, there's nothing wrong with that. I think we have to have target points and things we're praying for. But at some point, you just listen and let God direct your prayer life. I'll just share something with you. My heart, and I don't know why, I've shed tears on my jogs over this, but God has put just a heart, just a passion for our nation and for what's going on in Washington and legislation. And I don't want it, but God just has given me this desire. My prayer focus has changed in this direction. It's really changed because I look at what we're leaving for future generations. I look at where we're going. And I love when people come up to me and say, Shane, we shouldn't even talk about these things. None of that matters. Just be quiet and preach the gospel. But the gospel affects every single area of our life. Every area. Are you suggesting that God doesn't desire godly legislation? Is that what you're suggesting? That God could care less? Call a boy a girl and a girl a boy. Who cares? Just preach the gospel. Slaughter innocent children. Who cares? Just preach the gospel. Don't care about the definition of marriage. You guys, that's so old-fashioned. Just preach the gospel. My Lord, that's really coming from a coward that doesn't want to say anything, doesn't want to stir the pot. Maybe this message will be picked up in New York sometime. The Spirit leads if you're willing to follow. My heart has been for all of you this week. Because I know many of you so desperately want to follow God, don't you? You want more of God. You want to know His will. And the Spirit leads you if you're willing to follow. That's the key. We have to be willing. Lord, wherever you want to put me. He often gives us a glimpse, but He leads us one step at a time. So I want to encourage you in this area too. God will lead those who want to follow. And sometimes He'll give you a glimpse. Ah, that's what He's called me to do. I see it. I see it. But you're not there yet. And see, we want to go from zero to 100 miles an hour in 1.2 seconds. God says, I'm going to show you something so you can pray for it. So you can prepare for it. Things I'm going to do in your heart, in your life, maybe in the lives of your children. Be praying for it. But you're not there yet. Take day by day one step at a time. I'm glad God doesn't show us the whole picture because we'd run ahead of the line. Let me get up there. And the Spirit will lead you day by day by day. Daily choices. And a lot of people ask, well, how do I know, Shane? How do I know? Well, a couple different things. The Holy Spirit doesn't push you. Satan does. The Holy Spirit doesn't rush you. Satan does. Now there are times to make a quick decision. There's a car pulling in front of you. You don't need to pray. You need to turn. As you're praying. Quick decisions, of course. But the Holy Spirit won't push you or rush you. He's not condemning you. That's the wrong voice. And any time I get in a pickle, I back up and say, God, I don't know. I truly do not know. I don't know. Would you show me? I'm not going to move forward until I hear from you. Until you show me. Until you bring confirmation. And I don't think God's going, I don't like that attitude. I want that renegade spirit of rebellion, Shane, I used to see in you. That's who I want. Just go take it by the horns and go for it. Ask God, Lord, I don't know what to do. Should I move? You might be saying, don't worry, I'm not praying that. Should I sell this? Should I do this? Should I start this? And that's why I think it's so important for people to hear from God. Because I see them start things often, Christians, and never finish. They'll be on fire one week and then two weeks later. Something that's interesting, many people over the years have came up to me and said, Oh, I know God's called me to write a book. Well, where is it? And then they get discouraged. Because it takes a lot of time. It's painstaking. It's a process. It's not fun. The fun part is when it's done. But you have to know. Okay, God, you want me to do this. Here's why. And many people get upset because they want to be in this area, you know, best-selling author. And that's how I'm going to pay my bills. No, that often doesn't happen. God wants you to bless people. I think books are a great idea for a track. You know, here's my story. If God's put something on your heart, you have to take it to him. I hope that's for somebody, because I don't know where that came from. Verse 12, though. Now we have received. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world. So see, as a believer, you went from the spirit of the world, if you're a believer, to now the Holy Spirit in you. Do you ever say, Well, why did I used to like that? Why did I used to be going with that group of people? Why did I used to enjoy that? Now you've received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God. You've received that Spirit, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. And I instantly thought of John 20, 21. Jesus said to them, Peace be with you. Now think about this. Jesus has just resurrected from the dead. He's there with his disciples. And he said, Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, I am sending you. And with that, he breathed on them. And said what? Receive the Holy Spirit. Isn't that interesting? He's resurrected. He goes to his disciples. He breathes on them. And said, Receive the Holy Spirit. Spiritual life. Spiritual vitality. Now this can be a theological dilemma on this one. Because the day of Pentecost, where they received the Holy Spirit, had not yet come. Hmm. So some commentators, for example, J. Vernon McGee, John MacArthur, would say that he was just giving them a pledge of what would come. I don't believe that. They received the Holy Spirit. They received the Holy Spirit. But on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came upon them. Came upon them. And they became bold witnesses. That's why you'll see a divide in the church where there's those who teach there's a second work of grace. Or a second work of the Holy Spirit. Yes, you've received the Holy Spirit. But has he come upon you? And we could talk about that. I have many times. My thought is, I've shared this many times with you, is you have all of the Holy Spirit. Many people have all. As a believer, you have the Holy Spirit. There's not levels. Oh, wow. Pastors up here. Preachers up here. The Holy Spirit is given. Receive the Holy Spirit. But what do you do with the Holy Spirit? As a believer, do you continue a destructive lifestyle? Do you not worship much? Do you not read the Word? Do you not foster the filling of the Spirit? And that's why so many people, years after their life, I could tell you about Oswald Chambers. Do you ever read his book, Upmost for His Highest? Adrian Rogers. A.W. Tozer. John Bunyan. Whitfield. Whitecliffe. Wesley. Amy Carmichael. Many, many people. D.L. Moody. Who were Christians who had the Holy Spirit, but they had no power. Had no fire. They were just normal people. Nobody knew about them. But then there came a day when the Holy Spirit fell upon them. And in every case, it's because they finally prayed, Lord, I give you everything. My whole life is yours. Everything. My ministry. My focus. I don't care if you put me. Like D.L. Moody said, my ministry is fruitless. I'm in it for the wrong reasons. I'm trying to build my name. He was a Christian. But then when he gave all that up in total abandonment. Total abandonment. Then God met him. He went into a room. I think it was in New York. And just closed himself in this room for a few hours. And the Holy Spirit fell upon him. Charles Finney out in the wilderness. The Holy Spirit fell upon him. Adrian Rogers, I believe, was out on a football field. Gave God all of his life. The Holy Spirit came upon him. See, they received. So, I know the step's on toes, but I'm a toe-stepper on her. This is the problem in the majority of the church in America. Many people have received the Holy Spirit, but he has not come upon them. They haven't received the fire, the anointing, the unction. Some call it the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Some calling subsequent fillings of the Holy Spirit. And I love when people debate over exactly what the term is, but they don't have the Spirit. That's why it was R.A. Torrey who said, I'd rather miss the theological term and have the Spirit's power than not have the Spirit's power and get the term just right. Well, exegetically speaking, if you look at a hermeneutic approach to the pneumatology and the work of the Holy Spirit, then you would theoretically call it a filling of the Holy Spirit. Baptism comes from the word baptisma, which is a Greek, meaning we're all baptized into the body of Christ. And boy, that's a wonderful presentation, but you have the Spirit's power. Listen, as God is my witness, this is what many of you need. Maybe I should just change course on this whole sermon. Many of you need to be empowered, baptized, filled, anointed, overflowed with the Holy Spirit. That's the problem. That's the problem. Think about this. Jesus breathed, and my mind instantly went to Genesis when God said He breathed into Adam the breath of life, and He became a living nephesh in the Hebrew language is He became a living being. He breathed into Adam the breath of life. Jesus breathed, received the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has not yet come because I have not yet been glorified. So what did He do? It's just a pledge? I don't think so. They had the Holy Spirit, but they were not walking in the power of the Spirit until the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came upon them. Many of you serving in this church. Oh dear, I'm going to get in trouble. Many of you serving. Many of you coming here. This is exactly what the majority of you need. An overfilling, overpowering anointing of the Holy Spirit of God. How do I know? Because you'll have tremendous joy, tremendous love. The Holy Spirit will just be bubbling over in your life. You'll love worship. You'll love the Word of God. You won't be rude and mean and critical and arrogant and mean-spirited and angry all the time. You'll have a genuine love for people. You'll start to witness. You'll start to be broken before God. Not perfect. I actually believe spirit-filled believers are number one on the enemy's hit list. He sends his lieutenants after those individuals. This is what the majority of the church needs. A.W. Tozer said, if the church was as worried... I don't know if I'm going to say this right. If we were as concerned to prove that we can be filled with the Spirit as to prove that we can't be filled with the Spirit, the church would be crowded. Because there are so many people saying, oh no, that's not true. Theologically, we have the Spirit and all this stuff. That's charismatic cuckoo-ness. That's hyper-this. No, no, no. That's the Holy Spirit coming upon a person. Being filled with the Spirit of God. That's why many people walk around like the living dead in the church. Think about it. The Bible is dusty. If Shane says worship morning again, I'm going to lose it. This is boring. How can they like this? I want to watch the Cowboys. I want to watch the Lakers. I want to watch NASCAR. I want to go make some IPA beer and cigars and drive to Las Vegas and spend all that I can. I love all this worldly stuff. I love to watch what's on Netflix and the world. I hate worship. What's wrong? The Holy Spirit of God is being quenched and grieved. Because the Holy Spirit cries for holiness. The Holy Spirit cries for what's going on in our nation. The Holy Spirit yearns for godliness. And then still in verse 12 he says that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. That could be a whole sermon. But what has freely been given to us by God? Salvation or relationship has been given to us by God. The Bible says ask. Ask and you will receive what? This wonderful gift of salvation. That's why many preachers get passionate about preaching about the cross. Because it's a free gift. I don't care what your status is. I don't care what your income is. It's a free gift. What else has been freely given by God? Wisdom. Did you know that you can have the mind of Christ in you? You'll still make bad decisions now and then and get off course. But you can be on the right path. The Bible says ask. Does it really? James, ask. Ask for wisdom. He says a double-minded man is what? Unstable in all his ways. Ask for wisdom and you'll receive what? He said you parents being evil. Oh gosh, I'm offended. You know how to give good gifts to your kids. How much more will the Holy Spirit give? God gives the Holy Spirit to those who ask. A good father just asks. Ask and you shall receive. Ask and I will work on your behalf. What else has God freely given us? Communication. Communication. This just struck me this morning. During early morning worship I was right here and I could not believe the lyrics I was singing. The God who created the universe. The God who created the Milky Way galaxy. Do you know what a galaxy is? All these millions of stars, these planets, these gases all trapped in a galaxy. They think there's millions of those. I'm getting a headache here. How big is that? That God who created all of that. The gravitational pull. Everything. That God created your life and said if you communicate with me. If you pray. I will lead you. I will direct you. I will build you up. I will not only be your defender. I will be your mediator. Just come and drink of living water. Listen and pray and see. That God wants a relationship with you. How exciting is that? But why is that so boring to so many people? Because they are quenching and grieving the spirit. The God who holds the waters in the palm of his hands. You ever tried to hold the Atlantic and the Pacific? Right here. It's a big shark. I can get ready. He holds. Of course not physically. He's not some big like the Greek gods have some Hercules holding up the earth. But the Bible Isaiah 40 says he holds the waters in the palm. That God promises in his word if you are a believer. He says seek me and you will find me. Knock and I will answer. What do you want? Do you need wisdom? Do you need assurance? To me that blows my mind. That's a personal God. But what about if I'm not a believer? I don't know this God. He says just turn to me. Just turn to me and believe. Repent and believe. I mean if that doesn't get you fired up, I don't know what will. And then verse 13. These things we also speak. Not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches. Comparing spiritual things with spiritual things. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him. Nor can he know them because they are spiritually discerned. Let me just stop there for a minute. We are to compare spiritual things with spiritual things. I've told you this many times. I'll tell you again. You are called to be a fruit inspector. And I love when people say, you Christians are always against something. Yep. Yep. Get over it. We're for things. We're also against things. When you want to kill babies, I'm for life. When you want to redefine marriage, I'm for marriage. When you want to promote sex slave trade industry, I'm against sex trafficking. When you say that pornography is a freedom of speech, we want to come against it. See, of course we're called to be against things. Stop letting the world sidetrack to you. And then we get pigeonholed in the course. Oh, you're right. I'm so sorry. Maybe I won't say anything. No, we're supposed to come out as bold as a lion. We are. And we say, that's not right. That's not right. Why are you always against people? That's not right. Why are you always against people? It's not right. You hate gay people. No, I love them. But the lifestyle is wrong. Call me bigoted. Call me narrow-minded. Call me whatever. But I guarantee I love that person more than you do. Take a lie detector test. Nobody wants to do that because the truth comes out. See, that's the catchphrase right now. Hater. Hater. Prejudice. Hate speech. Don't wear a hat that says make America great again or you must be a racist. What? That's how they get you. And you think it's getting easier? It's getting more volatile. This is a time for Christians to be filled with the Spirit of God and with love. Preach with love and boldness. Don't worry. I probably wouldn't wear that hat just because of now all the negative stuff with it. You wouldn't believe the stuff I'd post if I could. But I have to be, you know, we have to be careful as a pastor in representing different, you know, people. And I don't shy away from things, but I also want to be careful. And I don't want to intentionally pick a fight. But we are called to discern spiritual things. That's actually where this comes from. The pulpit is supposed to say this is wrong and this is right. Now you've got pastors across our landscape. Large mega pastors. Mega church pastors. And I know they will not say one word because they have a political party in their church that doesn't want to hear them speak the truth. So they're not going to touch on anything because they want to please the members. I want nickels and I want noses. And I'm not going to say anything that contradicts that. That's not the heart of God. The heart of God is to love people and speak His truth. But it's interesting here. He says, the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit, for they are foolishness to him. So the world isn't going to receive what I'm saying or what you're saying. Okay? The sooner you realize that, the better. Boy, my worldly friends just don't like what I have to say. I gave them one of your CDs and they threw it in the trash. Yeah. This is all foolishness to them. But what is the context of everything we've been talking about? The context is God's wisdom. But it's interesting, though, because some people will say this verse applies to salvation. The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit, for they are foolishness to him. Nor can he know them because they are spiritually discerned. So they would say this Scripture proves that man is dead and lost in his sins and trespasses. He can never reach out and embrace God's gift of salvation. Actually, the context is spiritual wisdom. And the word received there is dekamoi in the Greek language. It means he does not welcome, he does not accept the things of God. So a person does not welcome what God has to say. So on this issue of salvation, I don't welcome visitors at 1 a.m., just so you know. But it doesn't mean I can't open the door. I guess that was kind of mean, huh? I shouldn't say that. Bad analogy. Just because you don't welcome visitors at 1 a.m. doesn't mean you can't get up and open that door and receive them. So I believe that man is held responsible for his choices. He can repent and believe or he can reject Christ and perish eternally. So the context here, though, is spiritual wisdom. This is why the Bible and God are foolish to many people. So you might say, well, why should I keep telling them things? Oh, it's almost time to end. I'm only halfway done. Want to come back next week for part two? Or I can just go a little longer. But this is why the world will not like you or me. But he who is spiritual, verse 15, but he who is spiritual, here's where I was getting to, judges all things. You judge all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. Meaning Christians can judge me, but the world can't. The world can't judge us. Because God's standard, God's wisdom judges us. We're not judged by the world. We don't go, oh, you're right, world, let me change my actions. You look at God and say, let me change my actions. And that's the standard we live by. We are to judge and examine and discern all things. That's why I believe future leaders must be forged in the furnace of affliction. We must be tempered in adversity. We must be bold as lions, yet gentle as doves. We must be unwavering, courageous, and filled with the Spirit of God. And then verse 16, for who knows the mind of the Lord that they may instruct him? I think Paul's being a little funny here. Who has the mind of the Lord that you're going to instruct God? But we have the mind of Christ. So let me leave you with a few things. You know God's character as a believer. You know God's character. You know his nature. You know his plans. You know his personality. So if you want to be led by the Spirit of God, you must walk in it. You must obey. You must submit. You must listen to God's still, small voice. That's how we walk in his word. We obey it. And we submit to that, and the Holy Spirit works in that. But what I wanted to end on was this phrase he said here. For who has known the mind of the Lord, who has known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? Now it's interesting. Paul went back 700 years, and he grabbed from Isaiah. And he's kind of telling the people, are you going to know the thoughts of the Lord? Let me tell you what Isaiah said in Isaiah 40. Who has measured the waters and the hollow of his hands? See, I knew I got somewhere. Who measured heaven with a span? Who calculated the dust of the earth? Have you? Who has weighed the mountains in scales and hills in a balance? Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord? With whom did God take counsel? Who instructed God? The answer is no one. No one. That's why I have a message for the United States of America. Who made you God? Authorities, elected officials, who made you God? Are you going to tell God what to do? Are you going to change his truth? Are you going to reconform things and call what is godly and right perverted, and then call perversion what is good and godly? Who told you that you are God? He sits on the throne. Behold, the nations are a drop in the bucket. China, Russia, Syria, all these nations, they're a drop in the bucket, and they're counted as small dust on the scale. Did you see that? God says, here's all the nations on the scale. What kind of authority is that? Look, he lifts up the islands as a very little thing. To whom were you liking God? Or what likeness will you compare him? And then he goes on, the famous verse, a lot of you know this. Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the creator of the ends of the earth. He never sleeps. He never slumbers. He's not weary. That's your God. That's the God you need to trust. And have you not known? Have you not heard? See, that's the point, one point of preaching, is to get us back to these wonderful truths, because we go out in the world, and we hear all kinds of junk, all kinds of garbage, all kinds of negative press, and we remind ourselves, have you not heard? Remember, remember, he gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might, he increases strength. Even the youth, even young people, shall faint and be weary, and the young men will utterly fall. But, but, here you go, those who wait upon the Lord, those who wait upon the Lord, shall renew their strength. Lift up your eyes. Where does your help come from? Your help comes from the God maker of heaven and earth. So get your focus off the circumstances, off family dynamics, off the court system, off the news, and center your eyes back on God, who holds the nations in the palm of his hands. So, if you want to see things differently, you have to refocus, readjust your eyesight. You have to refocus this morning. Refocus and get back on track. Set your sights on him again, or for the first time. I'm well aware that people hearing this, many for the first time, some been coming a while, others on the media, out on the radio, different things. If you don't know who God is, if all of this has been very convicting, very unsettling, that means you need to repent and believe in the gospel.