THE MANIFOLD WISDOM OF GOD PART 1

Eph 3:1-12
1 For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,
2 If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to youward:
3 How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,
4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)
5 Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles
and prophets by the Spirit;
6 That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the
gospel:
7 Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual
working of his power.
8 Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles
the unsearchable riches of Christ;
9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath
been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:
10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the
church the manifold wisdom of God,
11 According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:
12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.

I. EVERYTHING THAT GOD HAS DONE OR WILL DO IS BY HIS WISDOM. This is obvious.
A. Though many misunderstand His wisdom.
1. Luke 11:46-52
46 And he said, Woe unto you also, ye lawyers! for ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye
yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers.
47 Woe unto you! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.
48 Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers: for they indeed killed them, and ye build their
sepulchres.
49 Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they
shall slay and persecute:
50 That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this
generation;
51 From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily
I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.
52 Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and
them that were entering in ye hindered.

God, in His wisdom, sent prophets and apostles to preach His word, knowing they would face rejection
and possibly death; at the same time, however, the world needed to hear of God’s way, of God’s will, and God’s
wisdom. This was – and is – the only way that the world can be saved. Man’s way, man’s will, and man’s
wisdom cannot achieve salvation.

2. 1 Cor 1:18-24 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are
saved it is the power of God.
19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the
prudent.
20 Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the
wisdom of this world?
21 For after that in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the
foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
 2
22 For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;
24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of
God

3. 1 Cor 2:1-10
1 And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you
the testimony of God.
2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.
4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the
Spirit and of power:
5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
6 Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes
of this world, that come to nought:
7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the
world unto our glory:
8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord
of glory.
9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things
which God hath prepared for them that love him.
10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of
God.

II. CREATION WAS GUIDED BY THE WISDOM OF GOD

Sounds obvious but consider how interdependent creation is.

A. How could it not be?

1. Ps 136:5a To him that by wisdom made the heavens:

Take just the solar system for example. Earth is positioned at just the right location where we can
complain about how hot it is in the summer time and how cold it is in the winter time. If the earth were one
degree moved out from the sun, we would freeze; moved toward the sun by one degree we would burn. The
wisdom of God not only entails the engineering details but also the ultimate ramifications of each individual
piece of His creation.

2. Ps 104:24 O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth
is full of thy riches.

3. Prov 3:19-20 The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he
established the heavens. By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew.

4. Jer 10:12-13 He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom,
and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion. When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of
waters in the heavens, and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh
lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures.

Consider the ecosystem of this planet.

 3

III. GOD IS THE SOURCE OF ALL TRUE WISDOM.

A. In his faith, Job knew that.
1. Job 28:12-28
12 But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding?
13 Man knoweth not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living.
14 The depth saith, It is not in me: and the sea saith, It is not with me.
15 It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof.
16 It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire.
17 The gold and the crystal cannot equal it: and the exchange of it shall not be for jewels of fine gold.
18 No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls: for the price of wisdom is above rubies.
19 The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, neither shall it be valued with pure gold.
20 Whence then cometh wisdom ? and where is the place of understanding?
21 Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the fowls of the air.
22 Destruction and death say, We have heard the fame thereof with our ears.
23 God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof.
24 For he looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven;
25 To make the weight for the winds; and he weigheth the waters by measure.
26 When he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder:
27 Then did he see it, and declare it; he prepared it, yea, and searched it out.
28 And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is
understanding.

B. In their inspiration, Paul and James wrote concerning the source of wisdom.
1. Col 2:1-3
1 For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as
have not seen my face in the flesh;
2 That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of
understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ;
3 In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

2. James 1:5-7
5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and
it shall be given him.
6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind
and tossed.
7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.

C. Wisdom begins with a proper relationship with God.

1. Ps 111:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they
that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.

2. Luke 2:40 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God
was upon him.

Jesus, the Son of God, would have partaken of the wisdom of His Father.
 4
D. Wisdom in an even greater measure is an inseparable part of Christ, gained by His supreme sacrifice.

1. Rev 5:11-13
11 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and
the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;
12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom,
and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.
13 And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and
all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the
throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.

2. Rev 7:11-12 And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four
beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, Amen: Blessing, and
glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever
and ever. Amen.

IV. WHEN WE CAN SPEAK THE WISDOM OF GOD, WE WILL ALWAYS BE RIGHT.
To do that we can only speak from only one source, God’s Word.

A. Communicating the wisdom of God does not depend upon eloquence, or on our own wisdom.

1. 1 Cor 2:1-13 [Again.]

1 And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto
you the testimony of God.
2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.
4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the
Spirit and of power:
5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
6 Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes
of this world, that come to nought:
7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the
world unto our glory:
8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord
of glory.
9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things
which God hath prepared for them that love him.
10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of
God.
11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God
knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the
things that are freely given to us of God.
13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost
teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
 5
B. Every facet of God’s wisdom is desirable.
1. James 3:17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to
be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

Invitation: Hear, Believe, Repent, Confess Christ as the Son of God, Be Immersed for the remission of
sins, and then grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ, remaining faithful until death.

If one is a Christian and has done anything publicly to bring reproach upon the church, then
that person or those persons are invited to remove their separation from God by public repentance
so that prayers can be offered for them.