READ | SERMON NOTES
Summary l Looking for wisdom in all the wrong places? That was how the Corinthian church quarrelled divisively when worshippers sought to follow the wisdom of certain human leaders they chose to align with.
Today, we get all kinds of knowledge through social media and digital technology faster than ever before. With an increasingly comprehensive database of information, it is tempting to seek quick convenient answers rather than truth that endures. The Corinthians sought wisdom from famous philosophers and preachers, but the apostle Paul taught that it is God’s Spirit that unites and teaches them His truths.
TRUE SPIRITUAL WISDOM COMES FROM GOD’S SPIRIT
- The Spirit Searches Everything (2:10) – “all things, even the deep things of God”. We cannot run away from God’s omniscient Spirit which knows every motive of our hearts, being “acquainted with all our ways”. (Psalm 139:1-3)
- The Spirit Dwells Within Us –having received Christ as Saviour. Not merely visiting, but inhabiting His children so that we may understand what God has freely given us. (2:12) “God’s temple is sacred, and we together are that temple.” (3:16-17) Being constantly aware of God’s permanent dwelling in us encourages us to live pure, holy lives that please Him in every circumstance and occasion, both individually and corporately as a church.
- The Spirit Teaches and Guides Us – grants clarity to teachable “spiritual” ones so they can discern the things of God, and “interpret spiritual truths” (2:13) to know if anything is at all a God-idea to merit from. We need to pause and ask God’s Spirit to search our hearts, realign us to His way. The Holy Spirit is like a GPS – God’s Positioning System for our soul who helps us avoid pitfalls, and fulfils God’s best plans and purpose for our lives.
- The Spirit Enables Us with the Mind of Christ (2:16)– to perceive the things of this world through Christ-like lens of love, compassion and grace. The closer we draw to God through His Word, the more we are prompted by God’s Spirit to ask in any and every situation: What Would Jesus Do? When we lay aside worldly reasoning and persuasion, we are allowing the Holy Spirit to empower us to act on the foundational truths laid by Christ, the Word of God. “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.” (3:11)
- The Spirit Unites and Builds Up the Church – so that regardless of the part we each play in God’s kingdom, God’s Spirit makes us ONE church of fellow co-workers in Christ. Following after our Master and Redeemer, “we are of Christ, and Christ is of God.” (3:23)
True wisdom comes from God’s Holy Spirit in us, who actualises it for us. In the company of God’s Holy Spirit, are we taking time to seek the all-important audience of the all-knowing, all-present, all-powerful God? Through Christian examen (prayerfully reflecting on God’s Word) we offer our attention to God so that we may know the Father’s heart for us and the people around us. Such is true wisdom from God’s indwelling Holy Spirit.
(Sermon notes by Marjorie Tan)
PONDER | REFLECTION QUESTIONS
- What is one key takeaway for you from this message?
- What are examples where you seek the wisdom of the world in your life?
- How do you know that the Spirit is at work in your life?
- Share a time when the Spirit of God guided you through an issue in your life?
- How do you practically live this life with the mind of Christ in everything that you do?
