1 Corinthians: God's People Must Be United and Growing in Holiness
1 Corinthians 2[1]
As preached at Rolling Hills Church on Sunday, January 22nd, 2012
What in the world is God up to? Who knows?
God is redeeming a people to Himself out of a sinful, destructive, godless world.
He is calling them to turn from sin, to believe in and follow His Son Jesus Christ.
He is redeeming them through faith in His Son Jesus Christ for His glory.
1 Corinthians 2
1 And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom.
2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling,
4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,
5 that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
6 Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away.
7 But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory.
8 None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
9 But, as it is written, "What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him"--
10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.
11 For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.
12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.
13 And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.
14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
15 The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one.
16 "For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ.
Let's pray…
Paul is speaking here about a hidden wisdom that has been revealed. He reviews for the Corinthian church what happened when he was among them.
I did not:
Come proclaiming the gospel with lofty speech or wisdom (Greek Rhetoric style).
My speech and message were not in plausible words of wisdom and here is why it wasn't: so that your faith might not rest in wisdom of men
I did:
Intentionally speak only of Christ and Him crucified; my speech and message were in demonstration of the Spirit and of power
Why: So your faith might rest in the power of God.
I was with you in weakness, fear, and trembling
What I imparted: Wisdom
a secret and hidden wisdom of God
a wisdom which God decreed before the ages
a wisdom decreed for our glory
a wisdom not understood by the rulers of this age
a wisdom unseen, unheard, unimagined by man
Where this wisdom came from:
Not the spirit of the world
From the Spirit of God: He knows God, He knows the plan of God – He is God!
Spiritual truths revealed and interpreted by the Spirit of God
a wisdom God has prepared for those who love Him
Who this wisdom comes to:
Not the natural person: they can't accept it. These things are folly to the natural man.
Those who are spiritual
Those who have the mind of Christ
What is this hidden wisdom?
What in the world is God up to? Who knows?
It is the gospel!
God is redeeming a people to Himself out of a sinful, destructive, godless world.
He is calling them to turn from sin, to believe in and follow His Son Jesus Christ.
He is redeeming them through faith in His Son Jesus Christ for His glory.
[1] All Scriptures, unless otherwise noted, are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (via E-Sword Software) © 2001 Crossway Publishing. All Rights Reserved. I paste them in red for distinction.
No comments:
Post a Comment