Gospel Glories Revealed to the Believer

Rev. Kent Compton's sermon on 2 Corinthians 2:6-16 centers on the contrast between the wisdom of man and the wisdom of God, specifically as it relates to salvation and the message of the cross. He begins by acknowledging that while people possess incredible practical wisdom for innovation and discovery, the world's wisdom is completely opposed to God's wisdom when it comes to the deep truths of the gospel. He stresses that the wisdom of God, as articulated by Paul, is simply "Jesus Christ and Him crucified," which the world often dismisses as foolishness. The danger for believers in Corinth, and for modern Christians, is being drawn away from this simple truth by the seemingly more sophisticated intellectual philosophies of the world.

The sermon proceeds to explain that the spiritual truths necessary for salvation are not discoverable through human intellect, but are instead "secret and hidden wisdom" that God has revealed by His Spirit. Rev. Compton emphasizes that the Holy Spirit is the exclusive source of illumination, drawing the believer's attention to the person and work of Christ. He highlights the profound inability of the natural man to understand spiritual things; because the world is blinded to these truths, it is unable to know the "unsearchable riches of Christ." The Spirit, however, reveals them, making them precious to the believer, which is why Paul declares that he determined to know nothing among them except Christ and Him crucified.

Rev. Compton concludes with a powerful application for both believers and non-believers. He challenges the believer not to be tempted by the wisdom of the world but to continually rejoice in the wisdom of Christ. For the non-believer, he stresses that the knowledge of God's wisdom does not come from academic study or human achievement—it is only received through an act of humility. He urges the listener to become like a little child and go directly to God, asking Him to open their eyes and grant them the "spirit of light and illumination" so that they may fully grasp the person and work of Jesus Christ.