Tabor Baptist Church

• Looking at God's wisdom
• It is very deep
• It is easy to say I believe in the Trinity
• Have you really prayed and meditated upon this?
• What about Jesus being one person but having two natures?
• There are many things that are a mystery that belong to God
• There are things that are revealed that belong to us
• We need to Spirit of God to reveal them to us
• Bible College does not give us an instant understanding - we need the Spirit of God
• The simplest can understand through the Holy Spirit
• People only understand the Scriptures (especially the unbeliever) by the Holy Spirit
• Paul contrasts the wisdom of God with the wisdom of the world
• He is worried that the wisdom of the world is infiltrating the church in Corinth
• They are acting in the flesh and carnal ways
• Favouriting preachers
• Division and infighting
• Jealousy
• People abusing spiritual gifts
• A great lack of love
• They are not spiritual people – 1 Cor 3:1-3
• They were still in their infancy
• It was a problematic church
• The wisdom of the world is coming to nothing (v6)
• The wisdom of God has been revealed by the Apostles in the Holy Scripture (New Testament)
• Examples
• Remember that you have the mind of Christ
• James 3:13-18
• The wisdom of the world is demonic – it brings division and unity - not love
• The wisdom of God is full of unity and mercy
• Paul is speaking to the mature Christians in Corinth (v6)
• The wisdom of the age
• Changes from time to time
• Can be hard to define
• The wisdom of one society might differ in another society
• Shaped by the media,
• Often pushed by people with agendas
• The wisdom of God
• Does not change (like man's wisdom)
• It is perfect
• The wisdom of man
• Looks only at the physical issues - the problems & solutions are man made
• E.g. wealth creation
• However, wealth creation has never solved man's problems
• Quote from author
• Cannot transform our world
• The manifold wisdom of God is found in the Church and the Scriptures
• Through the Holy Spirit
• The Apostles were moved by the Holy Spirit to write the Holy Scriptures
• The problems of the world is in corrupt human nature
• The solution is found in the gospel - the forgiveness of sin and transforming individual lives
• Ultimately - it is God's wisdom that is really transformative
• Rom 16:25-26 – the revelation was hidden - now revealed in the Lord Jesus Christ
• 1 Cor 1:21, 30 – Jesus Christ is the wisdom of God
• Col 1:26 – the mystery now revealed to believers
• Eph 3:4-5 – the mystery now revealed to the prophets and Apostles
• This wisdom is revealed for our glory (v7)
• That we would become the image of God in Christ
• The rulers were ignorant of who Jesus Christ was (v8)
• People today through their intellect cannot find God
• They crucified the Lord of glory
• The wisdom was revealed to the apostles (v10)
• To be passed on to us
• The Spirit reveals God's truth to our heart - He is our Teacher
• The Spirit searches all things - even the deep things of God
• We don't know people's minds
• No one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God (v11)
• Example
• We must pray for light and understanding
• Men teach but the Spirit leads us in all things
• God's wisdom has been freely given to us (v12)
• Ps 119:97-100 – the understanding of God's word is linked to obedience
• Ps 111:10
• We must obey the word of God
• The whole Scripture must be taught by the Holy Spirit (v13)
• We must understand the plain things
• We must compare spiritual things to spiritual things
• The Apostles were comparing spiritual things to spiritual things
• Using human devices without the Holy Spirit will not be beneficial
• The unconverted will not receive the things of the Spirit of God (v14)
• It is the Spirit of God who reveals things
• The converted judges all things - in the Spirit (v15)
• They are judged by no-one
• We must remember our position in Christ - explanation
• No-one knows the mind of God (v16)
• We have the mind of Christ
• Explanation

Closing Remarks