What God Has Prepared
Notes
Transcript
And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.
We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. However, as it is written:
“What no eye has seen,
what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived”—
the things God has prepared for those who love him—
these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.
The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us.
The Corinthians were distracted by worldly ways
The Corinthians were distracted by worldly ways
We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.
The wisdom and rulers of the age were coming to nothing.
None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
To those who had accepted Jesus as Lord, it was absurd to begin chasing wordly approval. The rulers had rejected Jesus, nailing him to the cross, demonstrating their ignorance and unworthiness. The philosophers were still stuck on their age old questions, always seeking but never finding. It’s an empty path compared to living with fulness in the kingdom of God.
Knowing the Corinthians were especially vulnerable, Paul came to them with the simple message of Jesus, his death and resurrection. Were they really going to fall for empty philosophy? Were they really wanting the approval of those who crucified their Lord?
We get focused on what’s right in front of us
We get focused on what’s right in front of us
But we speak God’s wisdom, secret and hidden, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
God’s wisdom is not always obvious.
We worry about so many things. Most of them work out ok. Few of them are truly ultimate concerns. If we are easily distracted there is an infinite flow of questions and concerns. Politicians and celebrities, even medical and business executives have learned to take advantage. Maybe we are just one purchase away from happiness. One vacation. Or maybe there’s someone we want to impress: a hero or a speaker we admire. We put them on a pedestal. But we overlook the great people God has placed in our lives today.
It can be from outright idolatry with the things of this age.
It can also simply be a failure of imagination. Something so simple to adjust. Just get quiet. Open ourselves to the Word of God. Spend time in prayer. Make the effort to invest more in our church family. Make the effort to focus on those we can help as God’s love flows through us. It’s not complicated really. But how could we let ourselves miss it?
God revealed unimaginable blessings through Jesus
God revealed unimaginable blessings through Jesus
It begins with Jesus Christ crucified
God continues to reveal his blessings to us through the Spirit
God continues to reveal his blessings to us through the Spirit
However, as it is written:
“What no eye has seen,
what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived”—
the things God has prepared for those who love him—
these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.
The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us.