1) And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom.  2) For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.  3) And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4) an my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration fo the Spirit and of power, 5) that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

In these first five verses, we find at least two topics of discussion:

A.  The source of salvation is in God’s power, not in human wisdom.  Refer to 1 Corinthians 1:21.  It doesn’t matter how much we know, even about God and the Bible - salvation is in the transforming work of God alone.

“Since the world in all its fancy wisdom never had a clue when it came to knowing God, God in His wisdom took delight in using what the world considered dumb – preaching, of all things! – to bring those who trust Him into the way of salvation.” – 1 Corinthians 1:21, MSG

B.  There is a difference between the wisdom of man and the wisdom of God.

6) Yest 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.

Mystery = something that was not previously revealed (see Romans 16:25-26).  For whose glory??  Wow!

8 ) None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 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.

That is the Holy Spirit that lives in us!

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 who are spiritual.

How is this the same or different than the prayer of Paul in Ephesians 1:17-19?

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.

Many of us can probably remember the time in our lives before Christ that spiritual truths sounded absurd.  Perhaps many of us even asked something similar to, “How can an intelligent person like ‘so-and-so’ base their life on an unproven and scientifically immeasurable matter of faith?”  Even today in our belief, we still can’t comprehend and wrap our minds around everything dealing with God.  But what seemed absurd before can be settled with, “I may not understand it, but I believe it because the Bible says it’s so.”  That is an effect of a transformation accomplished, not by human wisdom, but only through the power of God!

I’d like to review the very last verse we looked at Sunday since it was not in your notes, 1 Corinthians 4:4.  Before we do that, however, let me remind you of the Greek word for conscience: suneidesis, meaning “co-perception” (Strong’s) or “a knowing with” (Vine’s).

1 Corinthians 4:4

For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. (ESV)

For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord. (KJV)

I am not conscious of anything against myself, and I feel blameless; but I am not vindicated and acquitted before God on that account. It is the Lord [Himself] Who examines and judges me. (AMP)

For I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this aquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord. (NASB)

My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent.  It is the Lord who judges me. (NIV)

The Greek word for those underlined above is the verb form of suneidesis, which is suneido.  So, therefore, this verse fits into the topic we have been discussing.

As much as Paul talked about the conscience…

• maintaining a clear conscience (examples 1 Timothy 1:19; 1 Peter 3:16; Acts 24:16; Acts 23:1)
• Spirit bearing witness with the conscience (ex. Romans 9:1)
• our conscience being purified by Christ (ex. Hebrews 9:14; Hebrews 10:22)
• not offending the conscience of others (ex. 1 Corinthians 8:10; 1 Corinthians 10:27-29)

…he states here in this verse that even that does not justify us, aqcuit us, or make us innocent.  What can?  Only the blood of Jesus can make us innocent.  And, truly, clear conscience or otherwise, it is the Lord who judges.  It all (we all) rests on Jesus.  That is the best news of all!  He cannot be defiled, seared, or weak.  He IS truth.  He IS goodness.  He IS righteousness. 

Next week we’ll move on to 1 Corinthians, beginning in chapter 12, if you’d like to read ahead.

If you enjoyed this, watch the rest of the session on YouTube.  Search for “Louie Giglio How Great Is Our God Tour”.

Let me know what you think.

I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed the class this past Sunday.  It was a touching experience to hear the comments from class members on times when God had met them in such powerful and comforting ways.  For me personally, I had never shared my story in a group setting before, and I got the impression that the others hadn’t either.  All of the experiences were deeply personal, somewhat hard to explain, yet truly ‘living’ to each one.

One of the reasons I’m writing this is to join in the sentiments expressed by Kim toward the end of class.  She, I feel, had the right perspective when she said that we must not relegate the activity of God in our lives to the ‘special experience’ mentality, but SEE that He is totally involved in each tick of the clock and each step of the journey.  It’s what one writer called seeing God in the tiny.  That eternal now, where all our stuff is going on… where the hugs of God are experienced and the voice of God, in a soft whisper, can be heard speaking love to his beloved …us.

-Mike

When I was a young girl, I loved to ride my bicycle.  I had a ten-speed, but treated it like a dirt bike.  One afternoon I was riding on our asphalted driveway after a misting rain.  I pedaled as fast as I could up the paved area on the side of our hill.  As I approached the end of the pavement and the beginning of the grass, I planted one foot to make a quick turn back down the hill.  I failed to take into account the effect the wetness would have on such a slope.  The wheels slid out from under me and my side hit hard on the asphalt.  At the time, I was pretty tough, but I found myself lying on the driveway and not being able to walk.  In pain, distress, and confusion, I hollered as loud as I could, “Daddy!  Daddy!  I need you!”  And my Daddy came running as fast as he could to pick me up, dust me off, and care for my injury.

“For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba Father…”

Abba is the Aramaic term for what we would consider “Daddy”.  We discussed in class the quote from Russell Moore which explains that this is not simply the cooing of an infant for his Daddy, but rather it is the cry of a child who is being attacked by a pit bull, “DAAADDY!”      

the urgency…  the sincerity…   the trust that help will come…

When the pit bull strikes at us, we don’t have to “fall back into fear”.  That’s not who we are now, because we have been adopted!  Fear doesn’t have rights on us, because we have been adopted!  We scream out, “DAAAADDY!” to the Creator-of-all-that-is, because we have been adopted…by Him as sons!

We don’t have to doubt, because the Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are His children (consider the unconditional, unselfish, and sacrificial love of a parent for their child), and therefore, we are His heirs…heirs to a glory beyond comparison.  Yes, there will be suffering here in various forms, but the measure of its awfulness cannot hold a candle to the measure of the awe-fulness of the glory we will experience!

Yes, there will be suffering, and it won’t be fun.  But there is joy in the identity of being a child of the King.  There is joy to knowing that we are not just conquerors, but “more than conquerors”.  There is joy in the assurance of the time to come when we will be together with Him.  And there is joy knowing that nothing can separate this child from her Daddy!

In the midst of tribulation and distress, we can cry out, “Daddy!”  In the midst of danger, famine, and persecution, we can cry out, “Daddy!”  In the midst of lost jobs, unpaid bills, torn families, and failing health, we can cry out, “Daddy!”  In the midst of loneliness, hopelessness, and abandonment, we can cry out, “Daddy!”  In the midst of addictions, struggles, and bad relationships, we can cry out, “Daddy!”

And contrary to my earthly Daddy running to me at the sound of my voice, our heavenly Daddy is already here.  And nothing, NOTHING – not your bad habit, not your embarrassing fall into temptation, not your questions, not the devil, not the tallest mountain nor the deepest valley, not the widest ocean, not your health problem, not your messed up marriage, not your anger problem, and certainly not death – can EVER separate you from the love of your Daddy! And, rest assured, true love desires the highest good for the object of affection.

I have been blessed to have an incredible, godly earthly father of whom I am so proud.  But some of you may be thinking, “Don’t call God ‘Daddy’, because I didn’t have a father who loved me.”  I certainly can’t fully understand what it must be like to relate God to Daddy when your experience may be abandonment or abuse.  I do know that all earthly fathers are imperfect and not one can measure up to the Father you and I have in God.  If you didn’t have a Daddy who loved you, praise be to Jesus that you’ve got one now!  Let Him care for you; let Him carry you; let Him provide for you; and let Him love you.

Alright. So I was looking over some notes I have from Sunday School and they got me pumped so I though I would share what I have learned with every one. This may be long but I thought this stuff was pretty sweet. Take it or leave it.. (:

I want to say a little bit about worth then I wanna talk about the covenant God made with Abraham and the covenant He makes with us. I feel like a kid! I’m so excited over this lol.

First of all, do you think you are worthy of salvation? Most people, including me, would say, “No, I do not feel worthy… I’m a sinner!! What did I do to deserve a Savior?” To God, we are worth His only Son. Say I pull out a tube of lip balm. To me, it isn’t worth anything, because I don’t need it. So right now, the lip balm isn’t really worth anything. Say someone wants to buy it from me for $5. Now the lip balm is worth $5. Someone else comes along and realllyyyy needs this lip balm and is willing to pay $50 for it. What is the lip balm worth now?

The point is, is that the worth or value of something is what someone is willing to pay for it. We are VALUED by the Almighty GOD! Jesus paid the ultimate cost for US, so that we could be adopted as sons and daughters into the church of Christ. I know that we all know this and that this is nothing new to us. But many times I have taken this for granted and not really thought about it. But really, consider it! Let it be new to you! God values us. God loves us! God does not just love you by default. What I mean is, God doesn’t just love you because John 3:16 says “God so loved the world…” and you are a part of the world. We are accepted! Not just loved, not just valued… but accepted.

Now… the covenant. THIS is sweet. Look at the covenant God made with Abraham in Genesis 17:1-7 and Genesis 15:1-8 or 9. Ok. So in verses 1-8 God is discussing things with Abraham (Abram at the time.) I like verse 5 when God is telling Abraham what He will do. He takes Abraham outside and shows him the stars, and says, “Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So your descendants will be.” Then a couple verses later (vs 8 ) Abraham asks how. Then the Covenant ceremony begins. You may want to read these verses for yourself because I am not going to type them out here. In verses 9-10, Abraham lays the animal halves out. This (along with the act of walking through them) is the sign of ancient covenants. Look at the John MacArthur study notes on this verse. “…the pledging parties could walk between them, affirming that the same should happen to them if they broke the covenant.” In verse 12, God basically puts Abraham to sleep. Why? (study notes) “God put him to sleep, because the covenant did not involve any promise on his part.” In verses 17-18, God passes through the pieces as a symbol to the covenant He was making with Abraham.

Now. Everything in the old testament points to Jesus. The cross is a picture of the covenant God makes with us: Salvation!! Jesus’ body was torn so that we could be reconciled to God. John 14:6 says that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and that no one comes to the Father except THROUGH him. Just like the animals were torn, so was Jesus’ body. Just like the curtain was torn the moment Jesus died, forever taking away the separation that used to stop us from going directly into the presence of God. The high priest would go into the Holy of Holies once a year, always with a blood sacrifice. This is why we no longer have to make animal sacrifices! Jesus was our sacrifice!!! Before we go through Jesus to the Father (Jn 14:6) we are PRIOR to the covenant. Lost and dead in sin. Then there is the PROCESS of the covenant. Salvation. Finally, the PROMISE of the covenant. We are forever saved and promised eternal life. No one can snatch us out of God’s hand!! Talk about eternal security… When God makes a covenant, it is NOT broken. And thankfully he has made one with us, and it is no exception!

I am so thankful for the salvation that is offered to me without condition. I don’t have to be good enough! Jesus did it all for us. He did it! No more Holy of Holies that we can’t enter. No more curtain blocking the way.

Look at Romans 8:1-2. “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.” We are no longer under the law, but under grace! Look at the word now in vs 1. “Now” is referring to a new time, the new covenant. Verse 1- NO condemnation. None! Get this! Condemnation: Guilt with a verdict. Justification: Just as if we had never sinned. Verse 2- Two laws. (Used figuratively here as a principle that exerts its influence; standard for a person’s life)
       1. Sin > Sin and death. Sin exerts its influence -> death.
       2. Spirit > Spirit of Life. Spirit exerts its influence -> life.
Apart from Christ, we are in bondage and this is not possible. But praise God that we are free! This is who we are now. We are in Jesus, and Jesus is in us. Set free from sin and death.

I know this is really long and some of you are going to be like… “Duh, you mean you haven’t known this very long?” But oh well. We all learn sometime, right? Anyway, hope someone enjoys this. Much Love and Happy New Year!

Tiffany

1.  This one is very similar to a thought from last week, but certainly deserves a second look.  The birth of Jesus is just the beginning of the gifts of God.  Take a moment to look up the word “gift” in your concordance and look at the verses.  Gift after gift after gift is given by God.

2.  The gifts we offer to God are out of the very resources He gives to us.  My sons, Ryan and Mac, have a gift under the tree for their Daddy.  They want to give him something because they love him and because he has given so much to them and for them.  Ryan and Mac have little resources of their own to buy something.  They buy their Daddy a gift with their Daddy’s money.  It’s the same way with God.  We can only give because He has given to us.  One example, He gives us His life, then we present ourselves to Him as living sacrifices.

It all begins with the Baby.  It’s all continued and supplied by the indwelling Holy Spirit.

The board will resume after the holidays and back track to some past topics in class (in particular, Stephen’s death).

With love in Christ, Merry Christmas to you all as you celebrate the gift of God and all that it means to you!

Acts 2:38-39

“And Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of the Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

For the promise is for you and your children,

and for all who are far off,

as many as the Lord our God shall call to Himself.’”

Gift – dōrea – “always a gift freely given by God, to bring to the believer ‘bounty, honor, or privilege’ (Westcott)” – The Discovery Bible

 

“…the gift of the Holy Spirit…”  It’s interesting to think of the word gift applied here.  Several thoughts came to mind that I’d like to begin sharing with you.

1.  The Gift that keeps on giving.

We often think of ‘gifts of the Spirit’, the Spirit intercedes for us, the power or equipping of the Spirit.  But how often do we consider that the presence of the Holy Spirit within us is a GIFT in itself to each of us individually.  “Ginda, this is a gift from Me to you.”  It’s Person-to-person…a personal touch. I can’t outgrow this Gift. I can’t completely consume it until it’s gone.  It will never be irrelevant or out of style.  This Gift never runs dry!  This Gift is a Person who is alive who gives and gives and gives!

2.  Gifts reveal the heart of the Giver.

Often, we consider the sacrifice of Jesus a gift.  We consider salvation a gift because there is nothing we can do to earn it.  As if that wasn’t enough, He gives every believe the gift of the Holy Spirit who gives gifts Himself.  The nature of God is Provider and Sustainer – Love and Goodness – etc.

3.  A gift displays the care of the Giver for the recipient.

To whom do you give gifts?  Spouse, children, parents, friends, co-workers…?  Why do you give gifts?  Because you want to show them you care, that you appreciate them, that you love them and delight in them.  The truth is that sometimes we get so caught up about the gifts, we forget the motivation for giving is love.  Consider the multitude and magnitude of the gifts given to you by the Creator of the universe.  The gift isn’t simply for the world… it isn’t simply for all who would believe in Him… it isn’t simply for the church…  it’s for YOU from HIM.

To be continued next week…

To leave a comment, click on the word ‘comment’ below.

1.  When did the Holy Spirit come into existence?

2.  Where is the first mention of the Holy Spirit in Scripture?

3.  What are some of the characteristics of the Holy Spirit?

4.  In what way was the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament different than in the New Testament?  In what way was the ministry the same?

5.  In what major events related to Jesus was the Holy Spirit involved?

6.  Name some things that Jesus taught about the Holy Spirit.

Look down for answers…

Answers:

1.  Has always existed.

2.  Genesis 1:1-2

3.  The Holy Spirit possesses the same characteristics that God possesses.  They are one in the same Godhead.

4.  In the OT, the Holy Spirit came to specific people for a purpose.  In the NT, the Holy Spirit indwelt all believers.  Much of the actual ministry is extremely similar generally speaking (equipping, empowering, instructing, contending, etc.)

5.  Conception, Baptism, Wilderness Temptations…really Jesus’ whole ministry was in the power of the Spirit.

6.  Jesus taught a lot about the Holy Spirit.  We specifically reviewed John 14:15-31 and John 16:5-15.

We will study some portions of the book of Acts until Christmas break.  After Christmas, we will begin studying Paul’s teachings on the Holy Spirit.

“…but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual song, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God…”

This week in class we discussed being filled with the Spirit. We’ve jumped ahead a bit in our chronological study of what the Bible says about the Holy Spirit because we have been contrasting the biblical meanings of baptized with the Holy Spirit and filled with the Holy Spirit.

In this passage, notice that ‘be filled with the Spirit’ is imperative (a command) yet is passive (meaning the verb is done to you). You could read this as saying ‘keep on allowing yourselves to be filled’. This is a moment-by-moment surrender and yielding to the Holy Spirit within you – a living continuously “under the influence” as implied by the contrast to drunkenness in the first part of verse 18. Just as drunkenness changes your thought processes, your walk, your talk, etc., living under the influence of the Spirit will conform your thoughts, your walk, your talk to that of His.

As a result of being filled, we find ourselves singing in our hearts, praising Him, adoring Him, speaking of His goodness. We are grateful always for ALL things because we know God is sovereign and has our highest good in mind. And we submit to one another – not because of the other person, but because of JESUS! Paul goes on to say, “wives submit to husbands, as to the Lord… Husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her…Children obey your parents in the Lord… bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord… Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ…as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart.” (verses 5:22-6:9)

It’s not about submitting to each other because of the other person’s superiority. It’s about submitting to each other because of Jesus. I recently read that women are highly superior to men at being women – and vice versa. Submission has nothing to do with superiority. It has nothing to do with being beat down in any form or fashion. It’s a natural result of the heart of a servant. It is a natural result of Christ being our very life and we ABIDING in Him. It is a natural result of being filled with the Holy Spirit. And it’s only possible by depending on Him. Only Christ can live an authentic Christian life – Christ in YOU.