What is the spirit of this present age? The world influences us more than we may think. There is an ongoing debate about what worldly wisdom. In Corinth there were many public debates. It was very intellectual and religious. Wisdom was a big theme. The word sophistication comes from the word wise. The debates were not on atheism. It was on whether there was one or many gods for example. There was often a religious theme. The debates meant that some people became confused about what they believed. We need to be firm in what we believe so that we do not lose our identity. Not all wisdom is true. Paul contrasts godly and worldly wisdom.

1. The message of the cross (vs. 18-25)

The cross goes against human worldly wisdom. It is too simple. It is not sophisticated enough. The gospel is simple. It is not sophisticated. It is nothing more or nothing less. It is the wisdom of God. It was a blind spot to many who could not accept it because it was either a stumbling block or foolish. The church needs to put its trust in Christ.

2 – The ways of the cross (vs. 26-31)

The ways of God are not the ways of man. God uses ordinary people to spread the Gospel. He doesn’t need to use only intellectuals. The wisdom of God confounds the wisdom of this world. God alone has all wisdom. We don’t know it all and shouldn’t boast, except in the Lord. Got uses unlikely people.

3 – The ministry of the Spirit (2:1-16)

The theme of the trinity runs through this passage. The word “trinity” is not in the Bible but it is clearly taught in many verses. We need to have a biblical relationship with the Holy Spirit. We have a relationship with all three members of the trinity. The Holy Spirit is a person and not to be referred to as “it”. The Holy Spirit can be quenched and lied to. He does not leave the child of God but does He have control?

• Power of the Spirit (vs. 1-5) – Notice the humanity of Paul. He was a heavyweight theologian but came to them in fear and trembling due to the power of God’s Holy Spirit. God’s Spirit gave him the ability to speak with truth and power. The Spirit makes it relevant.
• Revelation of the Spirit (vs. 6-10) – Paul talks about “we” in these verses. God intends his people in the church to grow spiritually. This more important than numbers. The Spirit is a down payment of much more to come. He makes known to us the purposes of God. The world does not get it. They can’t without the Spirit of God.
• Indwelling of the Spirit (vs. 11-16) – The Holy Spirit is God. He takes up residence within our hearts. He is our teacher to make known the purposes of God for our lives. The more we listen to the Spirit, the more we become like Christ.

The so-what question. We need to be filled on a daily basis. Get to know the Spirit he will produce the fruit in our lives.

Categories: 1 Corinthians