Father God, we wait in your presence. Open our
understanding to the deep truths of the word.
Flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto thee,
but to my Father which is in heaven. Thanks.
And again, I want to tell you how much I appreciate
your letters telling me how much you enjoy these
heart -to -heart talks. We just study the Word
of God together. So with my Bible open, you open
your Bible to the same place where my Bible is
open. It's 1 Corinthians, the second chapter.
And again, we're going to talk about this wonderful
spiritual giant, Paul. And I found out a long
time ago that to really learn to know a person,
you appreciate that one. To really learn to know
this person of Paul. And the more that I learn
to know him, the more I understand why God chose
this man, Paul, to reveal to him the greatest
spiritual secrets that he ever revealed to a
human being. I do not believe a man ever lived
to whom God gave greater spiritual revelations
gave to Paul. He trusted Paul with greater spiritual
insight than he ever entrusted to any human being.
And when I see the full depth of humility in
this man Paul, this great spiritual giant, I
see something that is priceless. The greatest
of all spiritual graces is humility. And the
deeper you go in the things of God, the more
spiritual you become. the greater will be the
evidence of humility in your life. I'm going
to give you one of the greatest examples of humility
that we have outside of the great example. We
have no greater example of humility than the
person of Jesus himself. I weep when I think.
The wonderful example of humility that Jesus
left for you and for me. When he did gird himself
with a towel and knelt and washed the feet, the
tired, dusty, physical feet of his disciples.
The very son of the living God. God in the flesh.
He who could command millions of angels. He who
had all power in heaven and in earth. Who had
the power to give life, to take life. The winds,
the waves obeyed him and yet he took the part
of a servant. and wash the feet of his own. No,
beloved, there's no greater example of humility
than the example taught and left by the very
Son of God. But next to that, I believe the greatest
example of humility Absolute nothingness is found
in the example of Paul. Now, let me first of
all remind you that Paul was not an ignorant
man. He was well educated. He was intelligent.
Adieu. He knew that he knew. He knew he was intelligent.
Whenever they needed an exceptional speaker in
the synagogue, it was Paul who did the speaking.
He was regarded as some kind of genius, so far
as his intelligence was concerned. In the natural,
he had great ability, and he knew it. He was
aware of his ability in the natural. That is
one reason why in the second chapter of 1 Corinthians,
he constantly refers to the wisdom of man. And
he makes the comparison regarding the wisdom
of man and the wisdom of God. Natural wisdom
and divine wisdom. He could make this great comparison
because he was in a position. to make the comparison.
He knew honest -to -goodness wisdom. He knew
the wisdom of man. For he himself enjoyed that
wisdom because of his much learning. But he had
come to the place where he found out that there
was a wisdom that far exceeded human wisdom,
and that was divine wisdom. That's the reason
he begins the second chapter by saying, And I,
brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency
of speech, or of wisdom, declaring unto you the
testimony of God. In other words, he's saying,
I did not use my own natural resources. I could
have come to you with excellency of speech. I
could have stood before you as an orator. I could
have used my own ability. As a crutch, I could
have leaned to my own understanding. But, Paul
said, I did not. For I determined not to know
anything among you, say Jesus Christ and him
crucified. Do you want to know something? And
this is kind of... Off the record. Young Dick
Kaler is never at a loss for words. And I tell
you, I think he's one of the finest salesmen
that Wheeling Steel has. All I tell you, you
can never stump Dick Kaler. Never has a loss
for words. Never. He has great ability as a salesman.
Well, the other day, a minister asked Dick. Dick
was a very wonderful Christian. Asked Dick to
take his Sunday morning and Sunday evening service
for him. To supply the pulpit for him. Oh, Dick
thought that was easy. That was great, you know.
I want you to know that Monday morning, Dick
was in our office and said, Would you please
tell Miss Coleman? She can have it. It was the
hardest thing I ever did. You know, you can sell
steel. You can sell fuller brushes. You can sell
groceries. You can sell clothes. You can sell
shoes. You can sell vegetables. You can sell
cars. But when it comes to selling the gospel,
it's an entirely different proposition. Because,
beloved, even though you may speak 10 ,000 words
fluently, it still takes the power of the Holy
Ghost to reach the heart of an individual. It
takes the power of God. That's the reason many
a preacher is standing in his pulpit. He's doing
a magnificent job. selling his own personality,
selling his own intelligence, trying to sell
something that he has learned from a book, selling
a doctrine. But where is the result? Where are
the souls? Where's the transformation in the
lives of men and women? Where's the broken home
that has come back to God? Where's the man who's
been delivered from liquor? Where is the manifestation
of the power of God? Paul knew the difference.
He had natural ability. natural learning, natural
wisdom. But he said, I came to you determined
to lean on the power of God. And I was with you
in weakness and in fear and in much trembling.
Why? So great was his sense of weakness and fear.
And so profound was his lack of trust in himself
that he actually trembled. He was afraid. He
quaked. Because he knew that there would be no
spiritual result unless the power of God was
in him and with him and was manifested through
him. That's right. That's what the scripture
means. Ye shall receive power after that the
Holy Ghost has come upon you. But you must be
weak enough to yield unto... to him to become
nothing before the power of the Holy Spirit will
manifest himself through you and in you. Oh,
to me, this is one of the most important things
that a child of God, a saint of God, a minister
of the gospel, can possibly experience. Paul
continues, And my speech and my preaching was
not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but
in demonstration of the Spirit and of power.
He cringes the whole thing. And there will not
be the demonstration of the spirit. And there
will not be power as long as man leans on the
crutch of his own intelligence and his own wisdom.
Are you getting it? O beloved, this thing of
the gospel, the truths of the word, this wonderful
experience of being filled with the Spirit, the
manifestation of the Spirit and the power of
God, put it to the test. Are you having the manifestation
of the Spirit in your church? Brethren, let me
ask you. Brethren in the service of the King,
let me ask you. And I ask it confidentially.
Are you having the demonstration of the Spirit?
In your church, you stand behind that pulpit?
Are you having the manifestation of the power
of God among your people? Do you see the evidence?
Do you see the fruit of your preaching? in the
lives of men and women? Are sinners being converted?
Are lies being transformed? Where's the fruit?
If there is no fruit, if there is no demonstration
of the Spirit, if there is no manifestation of
the power of God, it may be because you are leaning
on your... own wisdom. I'm not through. I'll
continue my little heart -to -heart talk in another
broadcast. God bless you.