“The Case for Christ -  The Way of the Lord in the Wisdom of Christ” 

We have been looking generally at the Philippian and the Corinthian churches as Paul was admonishing them in the light of Jesus Christ.

Tonight let us continue in that light and look at the ‘Way’ of the Lord - the way of the Lord - as it is known in the Wisdom of Christ’. 

That phrase, the ‘way of the Lord’ suggests several ideas in the Scriptures but our point of focus tonight is the ‘Way’ the Lord, Himself, walks.

Or, in other words, it is the ‘Way’ of God’s divine action down from creation through history toward the harmonious end of His ‘walking’ with men.

What happened in past eternity in the counsels of God concerning how this was to take place stands forever, as Psalm 33:11 declares.   

Let me read this to you from several translations: ‘The thoughts of His heart will stand fast forever...’; ‘...it will last from age to age, right on down to the farthest age...’: ‘...the thoughts of His heart will reach to all generations.’

His way is from everlasting to everlasting; in fact, Psalm 90:2 also says, in this regard: ‘Before the mountains were formed, or ever the earth and the universe were created, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God’. And in Habakkuk 3:6: ‘...His ways are everlasting.’

And in Revelation 3:4, the angel spoke the words of Almighty God to John about those few in the Sardis church
who ‘...did not defile their garment’ and to whom the promise of God was: ‘...they shall walk with Me in white: for they are worthy.’

Thus it can be said that from eternity on through history and back to eternity, the Lord’s ‘way’ is toward a desire to ‘walk’ with men. And all of His action in history converges to that one mind of God.

And, here, we stop to ask ourselves: what did this action of His ‘way’ require of the Lord?

Understand, first of all, that - to God - ‘man’, to whom God gave a free will, is the most significant of all of His creation.

He had given man every opportunity to exercise his own free will in acknowledging God as a God Who loves men and Who rules in the affairs of men. (I hope you had the opportunity to read through Daniel chapter 4 in this respect).

What was made clear all through history was - and is - that God’s desire to walk with man certainly demanded more than just man’s ‘wise’ thinking!
   
The exercise of man’s free will did not win man’s allegiance to God for the establishment of righteousness upon the earth.

The exercise of man’s free will did not win man’s allegiance to God for the establishment of lasting peace upon the world.

Nor did the exercise of man’s free will win man’s faithfulness to God for the establishment of love upon the earth.

And, so, the Lord’s ‘Way’ converged at the Cross of Christ to bring this into fruition. In His wisdom to this end, He gave the world His Divine Person in the form of Jesus Christ to walk with men.

This was divine wisdom indeed!

Someone once said: [and I quote] - ‘The word of the Cross is the wisdom of God.

That is, the wisdom and power of the Cross is not the product of man’s wisdom. Man’s philosophy on its highest level is an impulse Godward.

But God’s philosophy is an impulse manward and none but God could have designed such a conception. 

It was through Jesus Christ and Him crucified that a new conception of the power and the wisdom of God came pouring down into the world - God in Christ on the Cross of Calvary - what an unbelievable and unthinkable ‘Way’ of God Almighty!’ [End of quote]

Paul told the churches that when Jesus gave up His equality with God and submitted Himself in human form to the way of the Cross, God was demonstrating His wisdom!

He was giving the world the Gift of eternal wisdom when He was giving it Christ! (1 Cor 1:30)

It was through Him that God’s purpose of walking with men would be realized.

The ‘Way’ of the Cross would show the world how much God loved men and how much His wisdom was needed to walk with God in faithfulness and in love.

His Son, Jesus Christ, chose to show the world that.

He chose to show the world God’s love in a way that endured the very worst while remaining true to itself. It was the love that braved the most shattering defeat, yet it still loved to the very end. 

It was the love that suffered to the utmost: it was battered, bruised, beaten, spat upon; it thought no evil nor did it seek revenge; it was not easily provoked, but it was bearing it all in love, right down to submitting to the cruel crucifixion.

Christ was accomplishing God’s purpose of ‘walking with men’: His message to man, to the world, was the message of God’s wisdom in Himself to bring that about.

How does all that bring us to our present world?

Our civilization, as knowledgeable as it is in all of its advancements, needs more than anything else this wisdom God has given it in Christ.

Look at how Paul explained this in 1 Corinthians chapter 1, starting with verse 20. 

‘Where is the wise philosopher?...where is the disputer of this world?’ or, ‘where is your subtle debater - limited, all of them, to this passing age?’

‘Has not God made the wisdom of this world look foolish? For since in accordance with the wisdom of God the world had never in reality, by means of its wisdom, come to know God - it failed to find Him by its wisdom...’, Paul said.

Let me ask this before we continue reading on: does this mean that God did not know that man would fail in responding to Him of man’s own free will?

Of course God knew! But man did not know of his own powerlessness and of his own helplessness to walk alone in spiritual light. That fact was, and is, solidly proven in history. 

So, let us go on in verse 21, ‘...it was God’s good pleasure - His message which the world calls foolish and silly - to save people who put their faith in - and believe - in Christ.’

And Paul went on to say that there are those who insist on sticking to the philosophy of the world who require a sign; there are those who try to get to know God through an intellectual cure-all.

But, in verse 23, ‘...we come preaching a crucified Messiah which is to some a stumbling block, to some sheer nonsense.’

‘But God has opened the eyes of those called to salvation and to them Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.’

In fact, Paul continued in verses 27-29: ‘...God chose what the world calls foolish to shame the wise and God chose what the world calls weak to shame the strong. And God chose what the world counts as poor and insignificant, things that to it are unreal...’

And He chose that method - why: ‘...to bring to naught things that are so that in His presence no human being might have anything to boast of.’

And in verse 30, Paul summarized by saying: ‘So you owe everything to God through union with Christ Jesus. He is the Source of your life and He it is now Who has become your wisdom from God.’

Now - let me remind you: this testimony of Jesus Christ, given to the church by Paul, has stood the scrutiny of the past two thousand years. 

This testimony of Jesus Christ has, over and over again,  shown itself in its power to shake up the wisdom of this world.

It has shown itself in its power to open and to soften the hearts of those who consider themselves so wise in their own eyes.

And it has shown itself in its power to transform those who receive Christ as their Eternal Wisdom.

That is God’s ‘Way’ in Christ: this is the ‘Way’ He walks with men - this is the Ultimate of God’s Wisdom - is it not?

That is why Jesus came as He said in John 10:10: ‘I have come that they might have life...’ - and He also added, ‘I have come...that they might have life more abundantly’ - ‘...that they might have life more abundantly!’

What did Jesus mean by that?
  
This is what Paul was trying to tell the church - the subjective work of Christ went on after they had passed ‘from death to life’ in Christ.

Christ explained His objective work on the basis of John 5:24, where He said: ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, ‘He that heareth My Word and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.’

He promised life there under that condition of hearing and  believing.

And for men to have life more abundantly meant that what He did for them in the work of the Cross to give them Eternal Life, He would also - through the work of the Cross - make that Eternal Life good in them. 

How was this to come about?

Through the fellowship of the mind of the Spirit and through the fellowship of the mind of Christ in the enduring power of His love, the ‘Way’ of the Lord would operate in men in the wisdom of Christ.

The mind of the Spirit Who, with unutterable groanings, makes intercession for the actual righteousness of Christ to break through in the believer, as Romans 8 explains.
 
And the mind of Christ expresses itself in humility among the brethren, as the Philippian 2 passage indicates.  

In this regard, at some point toward spiritual maturity, ‘childish things’ are put away in the believer (1 Cor 13:11) to establish a harmony in the Body of Christ where there is no division nor discord but a working together as a whole.

And that requires nothing less than the wisdom of Christ expressing itself in humility as Paul explained in 1 Cor 1:24-25. 

These two divine means of the Spirit’s mind and the mind of Christ are the working, real effects of the indwelling of Christ and of the mastery of the Spirit in and through believers.

This is God’s effective ‘Way’ in Christ Jesus so that, through Him, men might come to know that ‘...impartation of God’s saving wisdom.’ (2 Tim 3:15)

This is the mystery of the Christian life: God made Christ unto men wisdom - wisdom for righteousness, wisdom for holiness and wisdom for redemption.

It is the mystery of life that the world cannot understand - and neither should we expect the world to understand, I think you well realize that by now.

And how does this relate to our current world problem?

The events of the preceding weeks have caused many the world over to ask: ‘Why?’, and - rightfully so - because life is such a mystery for those who do not know God through the wisdom of Jesus Christ.

The world looks at an event such as this with a deep, puzzling question and is unable to solve its dark mystery, because, to many, the impulse and the tendency of human affairs does not recognize nor does it allow the sign of the Divine Person directing these matters.

They hear only the clashing and grinding of forces opposing one another.

They hear only the thunder of falling structures and organizations.

They hear only the moanings and cries of the sounds of helplessness.

And they weep in their depth of silence and grief and are baffled to give an answer to it.

But we want the world to know that the sound of divine footsteps is still echoing down the ages into our present time and that sound is the sound of the wisdom of God immersed in Christ Jesus! 

He is the Person Who is ruling in the affairs of men today - Whose wisdom is the ruling guide.

So - the Lord’s church stands firmly and strongly in prayer today - and will continue to do so in the days to come.

And - in that prayer, is the healthy, proper, and sensible sound of wisdom for the whole world to continue to bow its knees before our God. 

It is the sound of the wisdom needed to recognize that God is ruling in human affairs - and, we, His Church, humbly acknowledge that. 

It is the sound of the call of God leading history onward to a uniform and consistent whole in His ‘Way’ through Christ.

And, so, we, His Church, stand before the world and acknowledge in prayer the sound of wisdom that, without reservation, confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord over all to the glory of God the Father!

I can tell you, in the light of Scripture, and in the power and in the mind of Christ, that God is calling still and is 
pursuing the world. 

Men may try to keep the doors locked but Christ still is drawing and still is inviting the world - all the weary, the overburdened, the fearful, those who truly thirst for Him.

And He is inviting them to ‘...come and follow Me...and I will give you rest...’, as He said in Mt 11:28. 

As individual events unfold in our history, things are going to get complicated for many.

Sometimes, things might even become dark and puzzling; yet, looking at Daniel chapter 4, of God being active in human affairs, and looking at the wisdom of God in Christ and what God’s heart still contains, I can assure you that everything is converging to one grand unity.

We can know that whatever may be mysterious and hard to understand, and sometimes, even very, very heartbreaking to the point of wrenching our innermost beings, yet, in it, there
is one thing certain - that the ‘Way’ of the Lord is in the face and wisdom of Jesus Christ - that He is the joyful sound God is trumpeting throughout the world!

How the Lord will bring history to this place is all laid out and kept in His very capable hands - those specifics are things we cannot speculate nor even dare to assume.

But we can know that everything so far has all been one connected, continuous, consistent mode of operation from beginning to end. 

And it will continue to be one continuous mode of operation to the very end because God reigns in Jesus Christ!

Yes - we weep with others of this world - for we ‘do weep with those who weep’ - but - all the while, we know our God reigns and He rules in the affairs of men as He walks among us!

So - ‘Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound:...’ [that sound of God’s wisdom working in the face of Jesus Christ today]

For ‘...they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of Thy countenance. In thy Name shall they rejoice all the day: and in Thy righteousness shall they be exalted. For Thou art the glory of their strength...and the Holy One of Israel is our King.’ (Ps 89:15-18)

And, I can say to you - ‘...of Him are ye in Christ Jesus Who - of God - is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption, that, according as it is written, ‘He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.’ (1 Cor 1:26-31)   

We have been given the wisdom to be free to boast and walk in Jesus Christ with our great and glorious God. 

With all my heart, I pray that this is genuine reality to each one of us! Amen!. Let us pray.