All right, 1 Corinthians chapter 2 is where we're going to be. If you have your Bibles, if you want to take your Bibles now and turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 2.

If you didn't bring a Bible, I'm sure you can pull it up on your phone. I'm reading from the new King James version.

We're going to be taking a look at chapter 2 together. And I wanted to focus primarily on the middle of the chapter, but I felt that I needed to read the whole chapter just so we could get the context of what Paul is writing about here.

It's only 16 verses, so I'll begin reading at verse 1, 2 Corinthians chapter 2 and verse 1.

Paul writes, and I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom

declaring to you the testimony of God, for I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus

Christ and him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling, and my speech

and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom,

but in demonstration of the spirit and of power,

that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature,

yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.

But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the ages

for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew, for had they known, they would not

have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written, notice verse 9 here.

But as it is written, I has not seen nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God is 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 a 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.

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit who is from God,

that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.

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