Godly Wisdom From Holy Spirit

Pastor Josh Smith

We are the church • Sermon • Submitted a year ago

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Good morning and welcome to CCC. We are so glad you are here with us this morning. If you are on our live stream welcome in we would love to worship with you in person some day but until then welcome to CCC. I pray all of you have or will find what God called you here today to find!

Lets Pray

START OBS

We are continuing in our We Are The Church sermon series through I Corinthians. Today we are in Chapter 2 and it picks up right where Chapter 1 finished or left off and then moves into a discussion of where God’s wisdom comes from....the Holy Spirit.

I felt let to 4 main points with a few sub points this morning Here are the main points

The Gospel is powered by the Holy Spirit

God’s Wisdom, apart from the Holy Spirit, is secret

Spiritual truths are taught by the Holy Spirit

Christians have the mind of Christ

1. Gospel is powered by the Holy Spirit

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I Corinthians 2:1-5

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“When I came to you, brothers and sisters, announcing the mystery of God to you, I did not come with brilliance of speech or wisdom. I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. My speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of wisdom but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not be based on human wisdom but on God’s power.”

As we discussed last week Paul is very clear about this truth.

Paul didn’t come to the Corinthians with lofty speech or wisdom. Only Jesus and Jesus crucified. That is always enough

Galatians 6:14

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“But as for me, I will never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. The world has been crucified to me through the cross, and I to the world.”

Again only Jesus.

One of the greatest evangelists the world has ever seen is saying it is not me it is Jesus

Not only is the Gospel powered by the Holy Spirit but Christians are to die to themselves and the world

Back in I Corinthians “World crucified to me and I to the world”

Today so many Christians live with one foot in Jesus and one foot in the world at best and are completely worldly at worst in which case one must question their salvation

So many want to live for themselves

Call the shots

Make the plans

Accept worldly things that benefit them

Jesus has a very clear warning about fence riders those who try to live with one foot in Jesus and one foot in the world

Revelation 3:15-17

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“I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of my mouth. For you say, ‘I’m rich; I have become wealthy and need nothing,’ and you don’t realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.”

Sounds familiar doesn’t it

So many “Christians” put their faith in the world

Their job

Their retirement accounts

Their savings

Their worldly possessions

They feel really good about themselves

I am a self-made man or woman

I came from nothing and now I am something

I deserve that camper

I deserve that vacation

I have worked hard, and invested smart I deserve to be wealthy

You and I deserve hell and hell alone.

We are wretches

We drove the nails

Your sin, My sin sent Jesus the perfect lamb of God to the cross to die in our place

You and I don’t deserve anything but through Jesus are given everything!!!!!

THAT IS WHERE YOUR LOVE AND AFFECTION AND COMMITMENT AND EFFORT SHOULD BE

JESUS!!!!!!

If your faith is in the world then it is not in Jesus and you must question are you indeed a Christian.

If your faith is in the world and the things of the world I pray you enjoy them because they will cost you your eternity in heaven

Look at verse 17 in Rev 3 again.

That is the American Dream Jesus is pointing to

satan has blinded us with greed.

You and I, if we are not careful can be easily driven by consumerism and not Jesus

We can want more and more and more

Work harder to spend harder

Be enslaved to loans and accounts and expectations

satan says be self-made, God says be Christ made

Jesus is clear in the last part of 17 you don’t realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.”

You and I are nothing without Jesus. Period. End of Story!

It is time to wake up Christians.

It is time to wake up CCC

It is not about bank accounts and fund balances

It is about realizing we are nothing without Christ

It is about realizing the only good in us

The only power in us is from Christ!

I Thessalonians 1:5

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“because our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, in the Holy Spirit, and with full assurance. You know how we lived among you for your benefit,”

In Rev 3:19 it says “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline so be zealous and repent.”

The Gospel is powered by the Holy Spirit not you and I

Jesus loves you too much to worry about your feelings

Your emotions

He is worried about your eternity and your heart

Where Jesus is

Where God’s Word is

Where the Holy Spirit is

There will be conviction

That is part of the Gospel’s power…conviction

You are convicted of the truth

You are a sinner by birth and nature

ALL including you and me have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God

The price for that sin is death you eternal death

Conviction brings you back here and you realize Jesus paid your price

Died in your place

Offered you forgiveness and salvation

Be zealous and repent!

1a. Humans can do nothing to add to the Gospel

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I Corinthians 2:6-9

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“We do, however, speak a wisdom among the mature, but not a wisdom of this age, or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. On the contrary, we speak God’s hidden wisdom in a mystery, a wisdom God predestined before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age knew this wisdom, because if they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written, What no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no human heart has conceived— God has prepared these things for those who love him.”

II Peter 1:16

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“For we did not follow cleverly contrived myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ; instead, we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.”

The lost don’t need cleverly devised plans and speeches and sermons

No what they need is Jesus

You as a Christian don’t need any of that either

If you come to church for emotions

or feelings

or smoke and mirrors

or great music

chances are you are lukewarm at best and lost at worst

You should come to church for Jesus and Jesus only!

How can anything created add anything to the creator? Remember who you are

II Corinthians 4:7

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“Now we have this treasure in clay jars, so that this extraordinary power may be from God and not from us.”

You

We are the jars of clay. The imagery here, the reason God uses jars of clay as an example has many reasons

In preparing for today I knew that jars of clay were used to contain and transport daily items, food etc

I learned however they also contained and transported trash and waste even human waste

You are I without Jesus are human waste, wretched, full of sin and evil.

Just like those jars we are also very fragile and easily to be replaced

But God places His Spirit in us when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior It is only Jesus

II Corinthians 10:4

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“since the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds. We demolish arguments”

You and I are in a spiritual battle....actually anyone alive on earth right now are in a spiritual battle

Before Jesus your battle is to be awakened by the Holy Spirit and accept Jesus.......the battle is heaven or hell

After Jesus the battle is between our nature, our sin, our flesh and our new Spirit from Jesus

If you fight this battle alone, in your flesh, without Jesus you will be destroyed, smashed to pieces like those clay pots

That is why God places His Spirit in us so that He fights the battle and from Jesus instead of us being destroyed our sin and strongholds are destroyed

You are free only in Jesus

That is the gospel!

2. God’s Wisdom, apart from the Holy Spirit, is secret

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I Corinthians 2:10-12

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“Now God has revealed these things to us by the Spirit, since the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except his spirit within him? In the same way, no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who comes from God, so that we may understand what has been freely given to us by God.”

We talked last week about the Gospel being foolishness to the lost and salvation to those called by God

Here we see it again

You can’t learn the truth of God apart from the Holy Spirit

Colossians 1:26

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“the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints.”

God hid his plan

His wisdom

Until it was time

You and I living from Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit is how it is revealed

Ephesians 3:4-6

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“By reading this you are able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ. This was not made known to people in other generations as it is now revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: The Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and partners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.”

Praise God for the mystery my fellow former Gentiles

You see once in Christ we belong to Christ and are spiritual so human linage and blood no longer matters

The Holy Spirit is who teaches us God’s Word!

2a. God’s Wisdom vs Worldly Wisdom

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How do you know if you are following God’s Wisdom or worldly wisdom?

James 3:13-18

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“Who among you is wise and understanding? By his good conduct he should show that his works are done in the gentleness that comes from wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your heart, don’t boast and deny the truth. Such wisdom does not come down from above but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there is disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without pretense. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who cultivate peace.”

Are you walking in the Spirit or in the flesh?

Jesus Himself said there will be many gospels taught by many false teachers

Health and wealth gospel is one

another is the gospel of grace

This says it doesn’t matter if you sin because you have God’s grace.

I can do whatever I want whenever I want to do it

I am in charge, the Bible is not important all that is important is grace

God loves me and forgives sin

Pastor Josh you said Jesus died once for all sin so my sin is forgiven before I commit it

True but you are missing the point.

Jesus says if you love me keep my commandments

God’s grace is sufficient

Jesus did die for all sins past, present and future on the cross which means yes your sin is forgiven even before you commit it

What God through James is pointing out here is this

If you have Jesus

If you have the Holy Spirit inside of you

YOU MUST BE DIFFERENT

YOUR LIFE MUST CHANGE

WHAT YOU DO

WHAT YOU THINK

WHAT YOU SAY

YOUR WORKS MUST CHANGE

THEY MUST BE GODLY WORKS AND FRUIT BECAUSE IT IS NOT YOU PRODUCING THEM BUT JESUS AND HOLY SPIRIT PRODUCING THEM!

Look no further than your fruit to determine the source of your wisdom

Worldly wisdom produces bitter jealousy, selfish ambition, boasting, being false to the truth that is demonic wisdom

Sounds familiar, even inside the church.

God has been pushing something into my heart this week

Selfish ambition runs rampant inside the church, in fact there are many Christian books and bible studies, and bible plans on bible app, and sermon series centered around selfish ambition

Today it is not called selfish ambition but self confidence

Self esteem

Anything done in self is wrong

The problem is when I am self-confident or have self-esteem I am calling the shots.

My faith is in me a wretched, sinful, evil human being

Our faith must be in God!

You need Jesus confidence and Jesus esteem

You are not your own you have been bought at a price

The blood of Jesus is that price and He overcame the world so that is where your confidence and esteem must come from

Where worldly wisdom is there will be disorder and every vile practice

Is that your world?

Is that your fruit?

Are those your works?

Godly wisdom is pure, peaceable, gently, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere

That is the work of the Holy Spirit and if you are saved these thing should mark your life!

What is sad is that most Christians think they are living from Jesus but Godly wisdom is not present in their lives.

How do I know because the things mentioned in James are not present in their lives

I have heard more heated arguing in Bible studies and Christian circles about God’s Word than anywhere else

We are to discuss God’s Word and we will not agree at times and if it is not a salvation issue that is okay but in that disagreement if you and I have Godly wisdom then it will be peaceable, pure, gentle and open to reason!

That applies to all areas of our lives

What is the source of your wisdom.....examine the fruit in your life and you will clearly see!

3. Spiritual Truths are Taught By the Holy Spirit

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I Corinthians 2:13-15

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“We also speak these things, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual things to spiritual people. But the person without the Spirit does not receive what comes from God’s Spirit, because it is foolishness to him; he is not able to understand it since it is evaluated spiritually. The spiritual person, however, can evaluate everything, and yet he himself cannot be evaluated by anyone.”

When you sit down to read the Bible or go to a Bible study or Sunday School or even here from the pulpit YOU don’t learn anything

You are TAUGHT by the Holy Spirit....it has nothing to do with you and everything to do with Him

an example of that is

3a. You are no longer under the world’s power

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I John 4:4

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“You are from God, little children, and you have conquered them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”

Jesus has defeated the world so that means as a Christian so have you!

satan

sin

death

all no longer have any power over you

Romans 8:12-17

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“So then, brothers and sisters, we are not obligated to the flesh to live according to the flesh, because if you live according to the flesh, you are going to die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all those led by God’s Spirit are God’s sons. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear. Instead, you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father!” The Spirit himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children, and if children, also heirs—heirs of God and coheirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.”

Dead to flesh

Alive in Spirit

Adopted

Full sons and daughters of God in Christ Jesus

New creatures

No longer bound to fleshly

worldly

human things and strongholds

Adopted and free in Christ Jesus

What a blessing that is

But how many here today are living in bondage to the world because thy don’t believe and apply this scripture

They don’t surrender to the leading and guiding and teaching of the Holy Spirit

John 14:26

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“But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you.”

I pray the Holy Spirit has taught and is teaching and will always teach you who you are in Christ

That He brings to your memory truths about walking in the flesh or Spirit when you face temptations and strongholds

When worldly praise comes your way I pray the Holy Spirit reminds you that you are nothing boast only in Christ and your weakness

When the world says you are nothing I pray that the Holy Spirit reminds you that you are a full child of God

I also pray that when the Holy Spirit reminds you of these things your heart is open and accepts those things as truth and you life is changed because of it!

4. Christians through the Holy Spirit have the mind of Christ

I Corinthians 2:16

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“For who has known the Lord’s mind, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.”

What a truth

What a promise

What a blessing

How does this work, through the power of the Holy Spirit!

Romans 11:33-36

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“Oh, the depth of the riches and the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments and untraceable his ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? And who has ever given to God, that he should be repaid? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen.”

The lost are only called by the Holy Spirit

The saved are only taught by the Holy Spirit

I want each of you to ask God to examine and show you your heart with this scripture in mind

What is your mind set upon? flesh or Spirit

God is clear

If your mind is set on flesh you are hostile, an enemy, of God

You cannot please God when your mind is set on the flesh and world

These verses hit me like a ton of bricks this week

I was focused on the flesh in all aspects of my life

work.....I was trying to be all things to all people. I was trying to be a servant leader out of my own power and I was failing

Marriage.....consumed with fleshly desires not loving a daughter of the King as she should have been loved.

Secret place.....chasing me and what i wanted to get out of God’s Word not following and being open to being taught by the Holy Spirit

What is your mind set on flesh or Spirit?

God laid this invitation song on my heart during our mens bible study Wednesday night because when we are talking about our minds being focused on the flesh or the Spirit moving from Spirit to flesh is usually very gentle and slow

Most of us would notice if a band aid got ripped off our arm but done very slowly and gently you many not even notice it coming off.

Returning to the flesh is the same way, satan knows if he makes a major move, expects you to move completely away from Jesus almost all Christians would notice and do something about it

But slowly, one thought at a time

one compromise at a time

starts very small and leads to major falls

That is the problem with temptation and compromise there are no small ones

Slow Fade that perfectly defines how one moves from lead by the Spirit to returning to the flesh

What is your mind set on flesh or Spirit?

Invitation

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