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quotes in 1 Corinthians 1: 19, “I will destroy the wisdom of the

wise, and set aside the understanding of the understanding

ones. Where is the wise?” Where is he? Solomon was a wise

man. What did he do? He pondered and he learned and he

came to the understanding of the poor wise man, and so

Solomon learned to be patient. He was very patient with a very

naughty man in his kingdom—Shimei, and he said. You stay in

your house, and stay in your city. He was patient with the man.

What happened? The man broke out and went outside the

bounds of what Solomon had told him. He showed what he

was, he refused to obey Solomon, and Solomon had him put

to death (1 Kings 2: 36–46). It comes out in due time where

and what every one of us is. Solomon was patient and fair,

and very discerning; and he pondered things. Some of the

things we have had

today will have, to be pondered. “Where is the wise? where

scribe? where disputer of this world? has not God made

foolish the wisdom of the world?” Where does the wisdom of

this world lead? It led to the crucifixion of Jesus. And where

was the place that Jesus died? It was Golgotha, the place of a

skull—the emptiness of the world’s wisdom.

So we have to learn these things and ponder over them and to

see how the ‘poor wise Man’

took a way that was unworldly, if I may use that expression,

the opposite of all that is natural.

He went down to the grave, and then He arose and went up to

the right hand of God. These are wonderful matters to lay hold

of, beloved, as we come up on the Lord’s day. We have to do

with a risen Christ. And will you now accept the reproach of

the Christ outside the city, beloved, and then be trusted to take

on God’s matters in the local assembly? Paul says, “Since

Jews indeed ask for signs, and Greeks seek wisdom; but we

preach Christ crucified, to Jews an offence, and to nations