The Natural Man

 Temple Baptist Church - 5-14-2025

1 Corinthians 2:9-16

 

Introduction: 

 

A.  Last week, we looked at the mysteries of God found in the Bible.  It is simply a truth that has yet to be revealed through the Bible, and the revelation of the mystery always follows the mystery.  It is explained in the same context.  Verses 10-13.

 

B.  Also, last week, we saw that the natural man has no understanding of spiritual things.  Verses 7-9, 14. 

 

C.  Tonight, I want to clarify biblically what God is saying in verse 14.    I want to preface this message because I do not think that we have anyone in our church who holds the unorthodox teachings of Calvinism or Reformed Theology.

 

Calvinism or Reformed Theology teaches that God loves a few and hates the masses; Christ died for the elect but not for the sins of the world; only the “select elect” get to go to heaven, and the “unselected” multitudes go to hell; all of which are heretical teachings.

 

Calvinists are as proud as peacocks!  They did not choose to come to God for salvation; they are so very special that God chose them.  They believe that God loves them and hates everyone else, though they have done nothing either good or bad.  Oh, how wonderful to be that special.  Biblical heresy! 

 

D.  These two heresies are one and the same, with most Calvinists rejecting that “tag” because it has been doctrinally exposed for what it is and now using the “dressed up version” called Reformed Theology.   

 

Theology – theos (God) and logos (Word), does not need to be reformed, it needs to be preached.  You find out about God by the study of His Word.

 

Doctrinal heresy is exposed through doctrinal preaching! 

 

E.  Why does the Natural Man remain in spiritual darkness while the saved believer lives in spiritual light?  Because the saved choose spiritual hearing, and the unsaved reject spiritual hearing.

 

Our Lord said in Matthew 11:15: “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” 

 

The implications are obvious.  Everyone has ears to hear unless they are deaf, and the deaf can “hear” through sign language or braille. 

 

The key word is “let” him hear.  You can physically hear and yet choose to spiritually “turn a deaf ear”  to the Word of God.

 

F.  The Contrast of Hearing - Matthew 13:13-16  Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.  And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:  For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.  But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.

 

1.  The Sinner Shuts His Ear - Ezekiel 12:2  Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellious house.

 

2.  The Lord Opens The Saint’s Ear - Isaiah 50:4-6  The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned.  The Lord GOD hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back.  I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.

 

G.  I will list some of the biblical truths as to why

 

1.  The Natural Man Is Spiritually Dead BY Choice – Ephesians 2:1-3  And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;  Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

 

John 6:63  It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

 

2.  The Natural Man Has Not The Spirit Of God by Default – Isaiah 11:2-3  And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;  And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:

 

Romans 8:9  But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

 

3.  The Natural Man Is Blinded By Satan by Deception – 2 Corinthians 4:3-4  But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:  In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

 

a.  Blinded By The Cares Of This World - Mark 4:18-19  And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,   And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.

 

Isaiah 56:11  Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter.

 

b.  Blinded By Self - Ephesians 4:17-20  This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,  Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:  Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.  But ye have not so learned Christ;

 

c.  Blinded by Sin - Daniel 12:9-10  And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.  Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.

 

Romans 1:28-32  And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;  Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,  Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,  Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:  Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

 

4.  The Natural Man Will Not Seek The Obvious – They Do Not Seek After God - Psalms 14:2  The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.

 

Romans 3:11  There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.

 

5.  The Natural Man Fails To Understand God’s Word because They Continue in Their Natural State – Matthew 13:14-15  And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:  For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

 

Acts 8:30-31  And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?  And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.

 

1 Timothy 1:7  Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm.

 

6.  The Natural Man loves Sin and Hates Righteousness – Matthew 15:16-20  And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding?  Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught?  But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.  For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:  These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.

 

7.  The Natural Man rejects Available Peace – Philippians 4:7  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

 

a.  Peace In The Storms Of Life - Mark 4:39  And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

 

b.  Peace In The Sorrows Of Life - John 16:20  Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.

 

8.  The Natural Man is Not Interested In The Will of The Lord – Ephesians 5:17  Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

 

a.  God’s Will In Salvation - Galatians 1:4  Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:

 

2 Peter 3:9  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us–ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

 

b.  God’s Will In Sanctification - 1 Thessalonians 4:3  For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:

 

Romans 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

 

c.  God’s Will In Service - Acts 13:36  For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption:

 

9.  The Natural Man does Not Believe in The Judgment Of God – Proverbs 28:5  Evil men understand not judgment: but they that seek the LORD understand all things.

 

10.  The Natural Man will Never Know The Unsearchable Riches Of Christ – Ephesians 3:3-9  How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,  Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)  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;  That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:  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.  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;