GET SMART
I Corinthians 2:6-16
S: Holy Spirit
Th: Live the Difference
Pr: WE THINK DIFFERENTLY (OR AT LEAST, WE ARE SUPPOSED TO…)
?: Why? Why do we think differently?
KW: Reasons
TS: We will find in our study of I Corinthians 2:6-16 three reasons why we, as Christians, think differently.
The _____ reason we think differently is we are…
I. ADVANCING (6-8)
II. APPREHENDING (9-13)
III. ASCERTAINING (14-16)
Version: ESV
RMBC 01 February 04 AM
INTRODUCTION:
Have you ever met anyone that needed to get smart?
ILL Notebook: Understand (thermos)
A not-so-smart guy walks up to the return counter at Kmart and says to the clerk, "I’d like to return this thermos.”
"Is it defective?" replies the clerk.
"Yes", says the not-so-smart guy, "It does not work the way it’s supposed to. I was told it would keep hot things hot, and cold things cold and it doesn’t do either.”
"What did you put in it?” asks the clerk.
The guy says, "Two cups of coffee and an ice cream sandwich.”
Well, that is definitely not a smart guy!
He definitely doesn’t fully understand the concept of a thermos, right?
TRANSITION:
Do you know that in the same way, there are people that don’t get it when it comes to the good news that we find in Scripture?
They just don’t understand it.
And it makes us ask this question…
1. Why is it that some understand the good news readily, while others put it off or scoff at it?
There are many that scoff at the Christian faith.
In fact, it was Sigmund Freud that suggested that religion was for the weak and stupid; that religion was a crutch for people.
Then there are others that think that the Christian faith is fine, but it is not important to them.
And others believe that they are just not good enough to be a Christian.
So why don’t some people get it?
I believe that the answer is found in a theme that we have spoken of and alluded to during the past weeks of our study of Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth.
The answer is found in the death of Jesus the Messiah.
For Christ’s death is a severe indictment of our hopeless and sinful condition.
It reveals our utter insufficiency to help ourselves.
But this indictment is fully contrary to the wisdom of the world, which is wholly devoted to achieving and maintaining its own self-sufficiency.
Interestingly, Paul writes to the Corinthians because of their lack of understanding and their lack of application of this truth.
For when Paul writes, he is saying that…
2. The Corinthians needed to get smart and live differently.
You see, they were no longer acting as if they understood the good news.
Whether they realized it or not, they were now acting more like those that had dismissed the good news as opposed to those that had received it.
They were not living differently than the world.
They were acting the same.
For they had fallen into the trap of factionalism, and as a result there was a lot of arguing going on.
There was a real lack of unity in this church.
It didn’t help, as we will discover in further studies, that some felt that they had arrived spiritually.
This spiritual arrogance was harming the church.
You see…
3. If we are to live differently, then our thought processes must also change.
Many of the Corinthians had fallen into this spiritual arrogance by pursuing human wisdom.
They were fascinated by the Greek philosophies and were integrating them into their thinking.
But when they did so, it had the wrong result.
They were acting just like those without the Lord in their lives.
And the net result was ironic.
For though they are spiritual, they act unspiritual.
While they were pursuing knowledge and wisdom, in the process, they were missing the very wisdom of God.
You see, as believers in the Lord Jesus…
4. WE THINK DIFFERENTLY (OR AT LEAST, WE ARE SUPPOSED TO…).
Well, the question we want to ask today is…why?
Why do we think differently?
So…
5. We will find in our study of I Corinthians 2:6-16 three reasons why we, as Christians, think differently.
Now, as we consider these reasons, we will discover that there are similarities in their meanings.
They are not far removed from one another, but we are using them to give us a workable framework for this text.
So…
OUR STUDY:
I. The first reason we think differently is we are ADVANCING (6-8).
[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.
Notice here that…
1. We are regarded as the “mature.”
If you are a believer in the Lord Jesus, you are considered mature.
You are advancing spiritually.
Now, this is not about being religious, because acting religious does not get you anywhere.
You are considered mature because you have the ability to understand the truth about yourself, the world and faith.
This is why Paul says that he imparts wisdom to the Corinthians.
They are supposed to understand it and apply it.
Certainly, the Corinthians viewed themselves as mature, but, as we will see in next week’s study, Paul tells them that they are acting like babies.
The Corinthians were not living maturely.
Instead, it seems as if they are still in the grip of the world’s values.
What is interesting is that the influence of Greek philosophy made them think that they were growing superior, even superior over other Christians.
They believed that they were in the process of unlocking spiritual mysteries that were only for the mature like them.
They believed they had a superior understanding that others were not able to decipher.
ILL Notebook: Understanding (prescription)
Which reminds me…
Did you hear about the doctor who wrote out a prescription in the usual doctor’s fashion?
The patient used it for two years as a railroad pass.
Twice it got him into Radio City Music Hall, and once into Yankee Stadium.
It came in handy as a letter from his employer to the cashier to increase his salary.
And to top it off, his daughter played it on the piano and won a scholarship to Julliard.
Well, the Corinthians were acting as if they had unlocked the secret code of a doctor’s handwriting.
But this was a misunderstanding of the secret and hidden wisdom of God.
God holds back His wisdom from natural man, but there is a mystery He has revealed to us.
And…
2. We understand the mystery.
The mystery was not some inaccessible teaching that only the spiritually superior people can get to.
It was not something that was only spoken in secret.
They mystery had been formerly hidden in and by God, but it was now revealed in history.
And it was revealed so it would be understood.
The mystery is that God’s wisdom is salvation through a crucified Messiah.
The secret wisdom is that God would send His own son, Jesus, as the Messiah, and then…
Jesus would bring salvation through His death on a cross.
And here is the ultimate irony…
For, if the Jewish leaders and Roman soldiers had understood who Jesus was, they never would have crucified Him.
Yet, by killing Him, they carried out God’s plan.
You see, it is God’s wonderful plan that all who will put their trust in Jesus Christ, He will bring to an eternal home in heaven.
But yet, people are ambivalent to this truth.
They don’t seem to care.
Nevertheless, before the ages, God planned these wondrous events for the benefit of those who would respond positively to His invitation.
It is for our glory.
And what is being worked out in the present, what we are dealing with now, is for our good and is advancing our faith…and ultimately brings us to an eternity with the “With-Us God.”
But this is not understood.
It was not understood then, as Paul was a “live” witness to this…
For, in their ignorance, a very willing ignorance, the leaders of the day executed Jesus.
He didn’t look all that glorious to them, but in the eyes of the Father, He was the Lord of Glory.
This is what the Corinthians needed to get right (as we noted last week).
We never move on past or beyond the cross.
There is nothing more essential to understanding the mysteries of God than the cross.
Which brings us now to…
II. The second reason we think differently is we are APPREHENDING (9-13).
[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.
That which is natural – our eyes, our ears, and our hearts – in and of themselves – are unable to know or comprehend the extent of what God has prepared for us.
We are ignorant of the scope of salvation and its blessings.
But let us celebrate this today, that…
1. We are the beneficiaries of God’s love.
We are in the process of apprehending, of learning, the power of His love for us.
And because the Spirit of God searches the deep things of God, we are in the infant stages of realizing the magnitude of this love relationship.
So please hear how this is happening…
God is revealing this to us by His Spirit.
We are finding out that God is great!
And we are discovering that God’s plan of salvation for His people is great!
But this only makes sense if we note this particular fact, that is…
2. We are the recipients of the Spirit of God.
We do not come to God on our own.
In fact, it is impossible for us to experience salvation apart from His Spirit.
We need God to come to us by His Spirit.
ILL Notebook: Understand (Spanish)
At the end of the school year, Erma Mehew asked her first-year Spanish students to write what they liked and disliked about the class. This, she told them, would help her do a better job the next year. One student wrote: "The reason I liked Spanish was that I learned a new language. The reason I didn’t like Spanish was that I didn’t understand it."
It is frustrating to not understand.
So it is the Spirit that enables us to understand.
He helps us understand the enormity of the gospel.
He helps us understand the Word of God.
He helps us understand how God has graced us.
He opens our eyes so that we might appreciate His love for us.
And so…
3. We are taught spiritual truth.
We have a truth Teacher who resides in us.
He helps us to understand the things of God.
He opens our hearts to receive the things we need to know through all the ways God provides His revelation.
The Spirit interprets spiritual things to the spiritual.
The verb here literally means “to fit pieces together perfectly,” like fitting the pieces of puzzle together.
So, as a result, that which had no meaning to us before we were a Christian, now is full of increasing meaning.
The Word of God comes alive to us, because the Spirit of God applies it to our hearts.
Now we come to…
III. The third reason we think differently is we are ASCERTAINING (14-16).
[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.
These last few verses are written to abolish any last sanctuary of independence.
They show us that we are to never go it alone.
But first let us note that because we now have the Spirit…
1. We have insight on our past.
We now understand from where we have come.
Before we were found in Christ, we lived an ordinary, unredeemed existence that we inherited from the Fall.
We did not accept the truths about Jesus.
They appeared to be foolish.
It seemed to us that Christianity was twisted and distorted.
But we thought this way because we were unable to understand.
We were in bondage.
Our pride blinded us to the truth.
But when we received Christ, the Holy Spirit enabled us to understand spiritual truth.
He made it possible for us to ascertain the truth.
Simply, we get it.
ILL Notebook: Discernment (football)
I hear that Jon Fox, the coach of the Carolina Panthers in today’s Super Bowl, has a way of picking a team from the assortment of men that try out each year. He reportedly said, “I hate to give away my secrets, but I’ll tell you. I take them out into the woods. Then, at a given signal, I start them running. Those that run around the trees are chosen as running backs and wide receivers. Those that run into the trees are chosen as linemen.”
(this is, by the way, pure fiction)
Now that’s discernment.
And that’s what we get when we receive the Spirit.
2. We now possess clear appreciation of God’s work in the world and us.
We become discerning about what God has accomplished in our past.
We become discerning about what God is doing in our present, especially so, when we are obedient to His will.
We become discerning in our understanding of Scripture, especially so, when we are diligent in its study.
We become discerning on how to live the difference that God makes in our lives, because we have the mind of Christ.
Because the Spirit brings Christ’s thoughts to us as believers by living in us, we know that now is the time to live holy lives.
You know, the profane person cannot understand holiness, but the Christian should well understand the depths of evil.
It is because our proud rebellion has been changed into willing submission.
APPLICATION:
We think differently.
Well, at least we are supposed to…
I like how William Barclay describes the difference of the natural and spiritual man…
The natural man lives as if there was nothing beyond the physical life and there were no needs other than material needs. Such a person thinks that nothing is more important than the satisfaction of the sex urge and thus cannot understand the meaning of chastity. One who ranks the amassing of material things as the supreme end of life cannot understand generosity and one who has never thought beyond this world cannot understand the things of God. [modified]
So do not miss this crucial point…
1. We think differently because of Christ crucified.
Because Jesus died, we belong to a different world order and a different age.
We are not to behave as we once did.
We are not to think as we once thought.
In every way, we must desist thinking like this world, and instead think eternally.
When we do so, it leads to a deeper understanding of God’s profound mystery – of redemption through a crucified Christ – foolishness to the Greeks, a stumblingblock to the Jews – but to those of us who are being saved, it is the power of God.
You see…
2. We think differently because the Holy Spirit has applied the truth about Jesus to our lives.
As Christians, we have been given life by the Spirit.
And He now dwells in us.
And as He lives in us, He changes our perspective, giving us understanding of God’s purposes and plans.
He shows us that the cross is not foolishness, but rather the most magnificent wisdom one could ever imagine.
You may be tempted to think today, “I am so glad that we are not like those Corinthians. We have come so far compared to them.”
But let me remind you…
Consider all the translations we have available…
Consider all the study helps that we can get our hands on…
Consider all the massive commentaries that are at our disposal…
Yet, we are increasingly a biblically illiterate society, even in the church, because we do not live the truth as we ought.
So even now, we need to think differently…each one of us.
We need to let the Spirit apply the truth about Jesus to our lives.
And I think the telling key in this application is something we call the fruit of the Spirit.
You see, the wisdom of God is not observed by intelligence, education, or experience.
Those are good things, but in worldly thinking, those are the things we need.
But not when it comes to the Spirit.
The prerequisite is moral.
When the Spirit is in us, we bear fruit.
We demonstrate love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
When we see those in action, we know the Spirit has applied the truth about Jesus in our lives.
COMMUNION:
The crucial truth we are not to forget this day is the crucified Christ.
It is through Him that we are saved.
It is by Him that we have been redeemed.
And this has come from the profound depths of God’s own wisdom, which His Spirit, given to those that love Him, has searched out and revealed to us.
Note how Paul described this (1:26-31) in the Scripture text we studied last week…
(26) For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. (27) But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; (28) God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, (29) so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. (30) He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption. (31) Therefore, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
It is this table that reminds us, powerfully, of who Jesus was, and who He is in our midst.
It is this table that also reminds us, expressively, of whom we were before Jesus came into our lives.
We were dirty, sinful, impure and unholy.
And we were certainly not as great as we thought we were!
And now the table reminds us that because of Jesus’ death, we have been made pure and holy…forever.
So if there is going to be any boasting around here, it is going to be in the Lord Jesus Christ, and Him only.
We are united together because of the work of Jesus.
Those of us that know Jesus are invited to share in the elements of the table.
If you do not know Jesus, that is, you have not received Him as your Savior and Lord, you do not trust Him with your life, that is, you have not been changed by the message, just let the elements pass by.
Please wait until the time comes when you do have that personal relationship with the Lord Jesus.
You may remember that Jesus said, “I am the bread of life.”
We take the bread today to remind us that we have new life in Jesus.
We feed on Him.
He is our life.
We eat Christ when we are in our moments of doubt.
When we are suffering from temptation, and we find no capacity to resist the pressures and lusts of life, we find that it is Jesus that sustains us.
So, it is this symbol of the bread that reminds us that our strength comes not from ourselves, but from Christ alone.
It is His work on the cross that enables us to have new life.
Being led in prayer by , let us take a moment and thank Him for favoring us with his mercy, love and kindness.
(Prayer)
The apostle Paul writes, "The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me."
Let’s partake together.
The fruit of the vine reminds us of death, for it represents the blood of Jesus.
Blood poured out spells death.
You know, it is ironic that we call Good Friday “good,” but it was good for us.
For, when we came to Christ, our old life ended.
It was no longer worthwhile in God’s sight.
It had no value.
It provided no help to us.
Instead, we rejoice that new life is ours, a sanctified life, a holy life that comes with His death on the cross.
...will now come and lead us in prayer.
Again, the apostle Paul writes, "In the same way, after supper he took the cup saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me."
Let’s partake together.
BENEDICTION: [Counselors are ]
Think differently…because that which is considered foolishness is really the wisdom of God…it is the crucified Christ…our Savior, our Defender, and our Friend.
Think differently…because the Spirit has come to dwell in us to give us the mind of Christ; and because this is so, let us live differently…proving His residence among us by demonstrating love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Now…
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Amen.
RESOURCES:
Blomberg, Craig, The NIV Application Commentary
Fee, Gordon, The New International Commentary on the New Testament
MacArthur, John, I Corinthians
Sermoncentral.com
God’s Secret Revealed, Mitchell Skelton
Why Can’t They Understand, Dan Erickson
The Wisdom We Speak, John Piper
A Crisis of Trusting Their Own Wisdom, Doug Goins
Natural People and Spiritual People, John Piper
