Sermon Tone Analysis

Title- The Revelation Of The Revelation

Title- The Revelation Of The Revelation

Passage- 2 Corinthians 2:9-13

Introduction- Physics class in HS

Attention- If you find physics…or other academic exercises challenging…they are nothing compared to trying to understand life with out God and His word and understanding His Word without His Spirit

Problem- One of the problems we face is that we grab this BOOK and attempt to figure it out ourselves and apply it to our lives ourselves and it was never meant to work that way...

Historical Problem-

CPS - The Holy Spirit is essential to applying God’s Word to our lives....

Interrogative (CPS in a question) Why is the Holy Spirit so vital to our understanding and applying Scripture?

Transition- In this passage we will see several functions of the Holy Spirit in relation to God’s Word and our daily lives...

The first function is that

Slide

I.

The Holy Spirit Functions As Author Of The Bible

Explain

In verse 9 Paul is speaking of the Bible…namely the NT

This is similar to when he refers to the Gospel as a “mystery”

Slide

“But what is written”...Here Paul is writing about the NT revelation by way of the apostles

Could this refer to the whole of scripture, it could except Paul is referring to writings that

Slide

These are writings that were not seen or heard before…these are things that “neither entered into the heart of man” until this dispensation.

Slide

Verse 10 goes on to tell us that “these things” were revealed them to the early church and also to us by the Holy Spirit.

This particular passage does not give us a full view of the Holy Spirit’s work in inspiration but we can look to a couple other passages to fill in those areas..

Slide

First we would look at

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God…literally God breathed out the words...

Slide

The word Peter uses here for “moved” is often translated in the gospels as “bring”

-When Jesus would want to heal someone he would ask that the blind or crippled be brought to him.

-It is referring to a helper…not to force them or change them where they are but to bring them along.

-With this idea behind the word it helps us understand that the Holy Spirit did not dictate or force the writers to write but worked within their experiences and personalities but guided them to record God’s very words.

Slide

Illustrate- There are times as a parent that you as a sibling to convey a message to another...

Like this

“Please tell Jim Bob it’s lunch time”

Sibling says “Jim Bob, it’s time to come in for lunch”

-The truth of the message was conveyed yet not dictated.

Yes men wrote the Bible…but the Holy Spirit is the author.

Refute

Apply

Transition- The second function of the Holy Spirit in relation to God’s Word and our daily lives

Slide

II.

The Holy Spirit Functions To Reveal The Bible To Us

Explain

Slide

Verse 11 asks a very easy question to answer...

1 Cor

“What man knows the mind of God”?

Job chapters 38-42 is God in essence asking Job that very question..... over and over and over

Slide

Paul says in Romans 11:34

We cannot know the things of God…we need to have them revealed to us

Slide

Paul goes on in verse 12

We have recieved what....not the spirit of the world but the Holy Spirit who is the author of the truth we cannot fully understand.

Slide

He then goes on to give us a purpose for God giving us the Holy Spirit..... “That we might know”

Know what?....Verse 9…what is written…the Bible

Illustrate- You all know those people…they have a really good knowledge of the Bible and they know it....almost to a fault!

There are also those who seem to have their ducks all in a row in life and they too seem to pride themselves on it....

Regardless which group they are both forgetting on vital truth…if it were not for the Holy Spirit you could not have any understanding of God’s Word or how to live it out...

So don’t be prideful when the Spirit of God reveals something to you…give God the glory

In his commentary in 1 Corinthians Leon Morris says it this way

Slide

There can be no feeling of pride when it is clear that it is all of God.

Slide

Apply- I think this verse is pretty clear…if you do not have the Holy Spirit you have the spirit of the world and the spirit of the world cannot understand the things of God so therefore if you understand the things of God it is not because of you or any other man but because of God!

Refute

Let’s be real and give credit where credit is due.....

Apply

FINALLY

Transition- The third function of the Holy Spirit in relation to God’s Word and our daily lives is that

Slide

III.

The Holy Spirit Applies The Bible To Our Lives

Explain

Slide

Verse 13

The “things” again refers back to the Bible…the things which were written for us...

Slide

And the Holy Spirit teaches us

-The Holy Spirit like any good teacher gives us more than just facts....The Holy Spirit instructs us how to rightly use the knowledge that has been revealed to us...

But He not only teaches us in order that we live a right life before God but so that we can share with others as well...

C.K. Barrett says it this way

Slide

The Spirit thus enables inward apprehension of profound divine truths; the Spirit also provides language that makes conversation about these truths possible.

Slide

Illustrate- I’m sure you’ve been in the situation where you were discussing a spiritual truth or bible passage and someone says… “Wow…I have never thought of it that way”....neither had you until the Spirit of God opened your eyes

But He not only opened your eyes He also opened your mouth and gave you the words to speak.

The Holy Spirit allowed you to combine with another to be used by Him to enlighten them the way He enlightened you....

That’s the sense of the word “compare”…it has the idea of combining…

Refute

Apply- When we as Christians “combine” ourselves with the Spirit of God we are enlightened to the truths of God’s Word...

But it can’t stop there…we ought to be “combining” with others that have the same Spirit within them allowing Him to use us as His instruments of grace to enlighten others...

Because as we read in verse 14

Conclusion

The Holy Spirit is essential to applying God’s Word to our lives