5-21-23 Kasey Campbell: The Word of Wisdom

We’re back in 1 Corinthians 12 today. The apostle Paul started talking about the gifts with a warning. He wants to remind us that just because a person says they’re speaking for God doesn’t mean they are. And, any of us can move in between the flesh and Spirit, even if it’s just for an instant. So Paul says, ‘Be careful, be discerning, and be humble because humility and love are the prerequisites for moving in the gifts in power.’ Love is what ties the gifts together and ties us to the Holy Spirit as we minister. If we don’t have or develop a genuine love for people, then we won’t be able to minister the gifts to people in a way that edifies, builds up, or has lasting fruit. We want to move in the gifts of the Spirit in the Spirit of the gifts. We keep saying that phrase because it’s important. We also need unity. Unity, not uniformity, is what we’re called to because the world will see it and be amazed that people who have such different backgrounds, opinions, and ways of thinking can all be for each other, can all be loving and kind to each other, and can stay on mission together. John 13:35 NLT Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” Last week, Pastor Autumn gave us an overview of the gifts found in 1 Corinthians (the gifts of the Spirit), Romans (the gifts of the Father), and Ephesians (the gifts of the Son). There are a lot of very good, different ways to think about those gifts, but personally, I find it easier to keep them organized in my mind by connecting them to each member of the Trinity. Autumn reminded us that the Father energizes, Jesus administrates, and the Holy Spirit enables. In other words, God the Father makes sure everything fits together in both the earthly moments and the eternal purpose He has and gives life, breath, and energy through His creative word. Jesus administers, oversees, and determines how the gifts are used as the Head of the Church, and the Holy Spirit brings His power, enables people to move in it, and distributes to each one a gift for the profit of all.1 Acts 2:4 NIV All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. The word ‘enabled’ here could be translated as ‘prompted.’ The people at Pentecost were filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke as the Holy Spirit prompted them. A prompter simply tells you what to say.2 As we open ourselves to the ministry of the Holy Spirit, as we invite the Lord to move through us, and as we commit to unity, love, and humility, God will give us prompts for what we’re supposed to say and do. As we do what the prompter says, we’ll move mightily in the gifts. And so after Paul warns us and talks about unity, he gives us a list of the gifts of the Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 NKJV But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: 8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the 1 2 Cook, Jerry. The Holy Spirit: So, What's the Big Deal? P49 CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2013. Cook, Jerry. The Holy Spirit: So, What's the Big Deal? P54 CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2013. A Word of Wisdom | 1 interpretation of tongues. 11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills. So today I want to talk about the word of wisdom. Let’s pray before we jump in. PRAY. Paul talks about how one manifestation of the Holy Spirit is the word of wisdom. I want to say too, that word of wisdom and word of knowledge often work together and are so intertwined that it can be difficult to see where one ends and the other begins. And that’s ok. Labeling what is what with exact precision isn’t the point - the point is to understand some of the ways the Holy Spirit works through His people. Paul calls this first gift the word of wisdom. This is the logos (word) of wisdom, not the Rhema (word) of wisdom. A logos word is the big-picture message; it’s the ‘big idea,’ the concept, the subject matter, or the reason for communicating. A rhema word is the communication of the bigger message. Logos is the general, overarching concept, whereas Rhema is how that concept is communicated or brought forth. The Bible is the logos, the Word, where rhema is a verse of the Bible; Rhema is a message that communicates the overarching point. John says that Jesus is the Word, the Logos. John 1:1 NKJV In the beginning was the WORD, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And later, John says that the words Jesus speaks are the Rhema. John 6:63 NKJV It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The WORDS that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. So logos is the big-picture, overarching message of the gospel, and Rhema is the way it gets communicated. This is important for our discussion of the gifts because Paul does not use the word Rhema one time in 1 Corinthians. He uses it in Romans, 2 Corinthians, Ephesians, and Hebrews, but he doesn’t use it all in 1 Corinthians and he doesn’t use Rhema to talk about the gifts of the Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:8 NKJV for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit. Why would he use logos in this book when he’s talking about the gifts? To me, Rhema might make more sense because it refers to the sound made by our voices, an utterance, a saying, or a message someone speaks out. But Paul is using logos because he wants to make a point. He wants the Corinthians to know how important the message of the love of Jesus Christ is. He always wants the gospel to take center stage and for Jesus, the Logos, to be glorified. He doesn’t want people to get obsessed with the fact that they have the ability to share a message that they hear from God. He always wants the focus to be on the gospel of love, the unity of the body, humility of heart, and the promotion and glorification of Jesus Christ. When Paul started his letter to the Corinthian church (a group of people who were getting carried away with having so-called ‘words’ for each other all time - there was a lot of other stuff going on too, as we’ve learned), he said 1 Corinthians 2:1 NKJV And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. A Word of Wisdom | 2 He’s saying, ‘When I came, I didn’t have a message of my own creation. Even what I was speaking to you wasn’t in a fancy package. I had no message in myself or of myself because my words had no meaning. I didn’t come to you with the ‘Paul logos’ or even with a word or message that sounded good. And the reason is that the logos word isn’t mine at all - it’s the message of Jesus Christ. The message of His cross in humility. It’s a message to die to yourself and live to God, the message that God displays His wisdom and strength through human weakness. The message of the cross is the one that has wisdom and true power. 1 Corinthians 2:2-3 NKJV For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 3 I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. What I want you to understand as we talk about the word of wisdom and the word of knowledge is that everything we speak to one another and everything we say and do should glorify Jesus Christ and be brought in humility and love. As you know if you’ve been here the last few weeks is that this is the theme that Paul continues to hammer home. Because whatever gifts we move in or however we speak to one another or minister to one another; it all must be done in love and point to Jesus, or else it’s useless, like a clanging gong. 1 Corinthians 13:1 AMP If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love [for others growing out of God’s love for me], then I have become only a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal [just an annoying distraction]. Don’t be annoying. How’s that for a Bible verse? You can memorize that one - 1 Corinthians 13:1 says ‘Don’t be annoying.’ That must be a new paraphrase version. The Message version says ‘if I don’t have love, I sound like the creaking of a rusty gate.’ My wife hates that kind of sound - a squeaky hinge. And I make it sometimes just to annoy her. That’s not godly, I know. So this one is for me too - don’t be annoying. Back to my point though - a word of wisdom, or a ‘logos of Sophia’ is when the Holy Spirit inspires a person to speak a divine truth that casts light on a confusing situation, showing the person a way to go or a choice to make that is pleasing to God. In Corinth, the word of wisdom had to do with people who were proclaiming Jesus as Lord and Savior even though that message wasn’t ‘intellectually stimulating’ in the way the Greek philosophers were trying to stimulate the mind. The word of wisdom might be defined as a supernatural revelation of the mind and purpose of God communicated by the Holy Spirit. It’s God’s wisdom imparted to man. When the Lord specifically reveals His purpose to an individual, that person has a word of God’s wisdom.3 This is not general wisdom we’re referring to. That’s different. Of course, general wisdom is very important and the Bible talks about it a lot. Wisdom starts with the fear of the Lord. Psalm 111:10 NKJV The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever. 3 Stott, Jerry, and Robert Hunt. Positioned for the Gifts: Preparing Us for Extraordinary Power and Compassion, P114. Edited by Laurie De Revere, Foursquare Missions Press, 2019. A Word of Wisdom | 3 God will give us and grow us in general wisdom as we ask Him and commit to following Him day by day. James 1:5 NKJV If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. This kind of general wisdom is important for living life in a way that works overall. A specific word of wisdom reveals the mind or thoughts of God for someone in a specific situation - how they’re supposed to move forward practically in those circumstances. Wisdom, in contrast to knowledge, is insight for practical conduct or action.4 In other words, there may be a person who knows how to read the bible in Greek and Hebrew but doesn’t have any idea how to practically apply what it says so they can get along with others, survive the trials of life, and move into fruitful ministry. They have knowledge but lack wisdom. And we have to contend for supernatural wisdom when seeking the will of the Lord. That goes for both our general way of life and our specific situations. So the word of wisdom answers the question: What should I do in this situation? In a manifestation of the spiritual gift of the word of wisdom, something flashes. There is the sense of the divine, consciousness, and realization of an utterance (or word) that transcends human experience. We become deeply conscious that the supremely right thing has been said and the true course of action has been indicated or shown. No further appeal is desired because the heart rests in the calm satisfaction that the will of God has been revealed.5 Let me give you a few examples of this in real life. One pastor shares about the keyboard player in his church: One ordinary Sunday in September, our keyboard player, who was a good friend and traveled a lot for work, came to me in a sweat (almost a panic) and said, ‘Please pray for me - I don’t know what’s wrong or why, but the Lord is telling me not to get on a plane and go to New York.’ I said, ‘Then don’t go.’ But he went anyway because it was his job. While he was in New York, he and some co-workers had some free time, so they thought they’d get up early and be the first ones at the top of the world trade center. It was September 11, 2001. Just before they were leaving, his boss called and told them to go to Boston instead. So they did. They weren’t in the trade center with the planes struck. This man had received a word of wisdom from the Lord and the church had been praying for his safety during his trip. He chose to ignore the word of wisdom and God had mercy and grace on him anyway. But a word of wisdom can change your life. It can save your life. It can practically put us in the right place at the right time doing God’s will. The word of wisdom is a supernatural perspective to ascertain God’s way to accomplish His purpose in a situation. It’s divinely given power for special intuition in problem-solving. It’s a sense of divine direction. It’s being led by the Holy Spirit to act appropriately in certain circumstances. It’s knowledge rightly applied - and it can overlap or work in concert with knowledge and discernment.6 4 Duffield, Guy P. Foundations of Pentecostal Theology (Revised & Updated) Volume 1, P315. Foursquare Media, 2016. Stott, Jerry, and Robert Hunt. Positioned for the Gifts: Preparing Us for Extraordinary Power and Compassion, P117. Edited by Laurie De Revere, Foursquare Missions Press, 2019. 6 Hayford, Jack W. The Hayford Bible Handbook, P655. Thomas Nelson Incorporated, 2004. 5 A Word of Wisdom | 4 The heart of this gift is to suddenly rise above confusion and have perspective so the right decisions can be made and followed. Jesus moved in this gift quite often. He did it a lot when the religious leaders tried to trap Him and trick Him. In one scenario, the scribes basically ask Him ‘who do you think you are?’ They’re trying to reject the authority of His witness and His teaching because they don’t want to do what He says. Mark 11:27-33 NKJV Then they came again to Jerusalem. And as He was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to Him. 28 And they said to Him, “By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority to do these things?” 29 But Jesus answered and said to them, “I also will ask you one question; then answer Me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things: 30 The baptism of John—was it from heaven or from men? Answer Me. 31 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 32 But if we say, ‘From men’ ”—they feared the people, for all counted John to have been a prophet indeed. 33 So they answered and said to Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus answered and said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.” The religious leaders ‘reasoned among themselves,’ but their human wisdom and insight meant nothing in the face of a word of wisdom from Jesus. They couldn’t argue with the logic of His response. Jesus’ word of wisdom shot down the scribes and showed that He was God. The scribes either had to choose that Jesus and John the Baptist were sent from God and believe their message of repentance or they could choose to hold to their empty religion. The word of wisdom here glorifies Jesus as Lord and Savior and calls these Pharisees to repentance. They refuse to follow it - but the opportunity to choose is open to them because of Jesus’ word of wisdom. Here’s another scenario. And again, the Pharisees are going to try to trap Jesus in His words. They want Him to say something wrong so they can accuse Him of being a false teacher. Mark 12:13-17 NKJV Then they sent to Him some of the Pharisees and the Herodians, to catch Him in His words. 14 When they had come, they said to Him, “Teacher, we know that You are true, and care about no one; for You do not regard the person of men, but teach the way of God in truth. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? 15 Shall we pay, or shall we not pay?” But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, “Why do you test Me? Bring Me a denarius that I may see it.” 16 So they brought it. And He said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” They said to Him, “Caesar’s.” 17 And Jesus answered and said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they marveled at Him. The Jewish people hated the Romans because they were under Roman rule. If Jesus was the Messiah, then He was going to set up his earthly kingdom now and overthrow the Romans and their government. Or at least, that’s what they thought He should do. But at the very least, they don’t want to pay taxes anymore. But again, moving in a word of wisdom, Jesus cuts to the heart of the issue. He gets to the root of their question right away. He says, ‘This isn’t about paying taxes. And it’s not about A Word of Wisdom | 5 whether the Messiah will set up His kingdom now. That’s all in God’s timing. This is about you and what’s in your heart. It’s about giving God your heart. It’s about giving Him the honor, the praise, the worship, and the sacrifices that are His due because He’s loving, merciful, kind, and long-suffering. Give to God the things that God’s!” Psalm 96:7-9 NKJV Give to the LORD, O families of the peoples, Give to the LORD glory and strength. 8 Give to the LORD the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come into His courts. 9 Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness! Tremble before Him, all the earth. Jesus gets to the heart of the Pharisee's issue and points to God as the One who should receive all of the glory, honor, and praise. A word of wisdom helps either the church or an individual determine what to do in a situation. These scenarios with Jesus showed the scribes and Pharisees that they needed to repent, obey God, and follow the Lord in love instead of judging everyone. Hosea 6:6 NKJV For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. And a word of wisdom can help us practically apply a word of knowledge. It can help us move into God’s plan. It can help us avoid danger or a negative situation. One missionary shares how the day after Christmas in 2004, a tsunami struck Indonesia, killing over 200,000 people. One of the worst disasters the area had ever seen. He flew to the disaster site, where there were many foursquare churches in the area. His immediate question to the local pastors and leaders was, ‘How many people did we lose?’ At first, he thought they misunderstood his question because the answer was zero. We said, ‘What do you mean, zero?” “None of our pastors, leaders, or church members died. Instead of celebrating Christmas normally in the valley at our churches, we should celebrate it up in the mountains. So we left.” One after another multiple people shared how they felt from the Lord to go up to the mountains. They obeyed the word of wisdom and were protected.7 The word of wisdom is given for practical action. It’s so we can do the Lord’s work and obey His will and bring others into the kingdom. The ‘logos of Sophia?’ is spoken so the gospel, the love of Jesus, can be brought out, brought forth, and shown in power and grace. Let me show you a third scenario where Jesus moved in a word of wisdom. John 8:3-12 NKJV Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, 4 they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. 5 Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” 6 This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. 7 So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” 8 And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to 7 Stott, Jerry, and Robert Hunt. Positioned for the Gifts: Preparing Us for Extraordinary Power and Compassion. Edited by Laurie De Revere, Foursquare Missions Press, 2019. A Word of Wisdom | 6 her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” 12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” The Pharisees use a poor woman as a pawn so they can accuse Jesus of a religious crime. But Jesus tells the accusers that they’re just as guilty as the woman and should judge themselves by the same standard they were using for her. The Pharisees thought it was their duty to evaluate and judge the entire Jewish population using the law of Moses. They judged Jesus that way, too, according to the flesh. And through a word of wisdom, Jesus exposes the ugliness of their attitude and forgives the woman. By forgiving her, He was announcing the gospel. His message, the logos, is that God wants to save guilty people! Jesus revealed the heart of the Father and made it clear that His mission was to save people, not condemn them. He rebukes the Pharisees, forgives this woman, and asks her to believe in Him so she would no longer be lost in sin. The wisdom Jesus revealed here is multifaceted, but two things come out with His words of wisdom here. 1) When sinners come to God, they receive forgiveness, mercy, and grace to help in times of need. And 2) for self-righteous people who don’t choose to come to Jesus, their names will be written in the earth instead of the book of life in heaven. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom - so come to Him, put your faith and trust in Jesus instead of the wisdom of this age and you’ll find that He will be there to love you, change your heart, lead you, and direct you when you need it most. When you’re facing death when you’re facing sticks and stones and attacks from the enemy; when you don’t know what to do or how to get out of the situation or what direction to move in or how to go forward, Jesus speaks His words of life and His words of wisdom and all of sudden the path becomes clear and Jesus is glorified. And we’ll have His shalom peace that passes all understanding. When we follow Jesus and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to us, we won’t walk in darkness, but we’ll have the light of life. Psalm 119:105 NKJV Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path. I’ll close with one last example of a word of wisdom. God’s wisdom can also be very personal and specific. It saved the young woman who was about to be stoned by the Pharisees. But it can also provide comfort as we walk through life, as we go through difficult times and trials, and as we deal with day-to-day life situations. One man shares a story about how he felt like the Holy Spirit gave Him a word of wisdom to help his sick father. He shares this: I had to place my Father in dementia care today. I can only check in on him every few weeks, but I wanted to be able to tell the staff exactly who my Father truly is. I asked the Holy Spirit to tell me what to do, and I believe He gave me a word of wisdom. He told me to write this note and tape it to his door at the facility. So, on the door, I taped this simple note: A Word of Wisdom | 7 My name is Bill Mead. I was born in abject poverty. I became a warrior (US Navy, Korean War). I laid aside my weapons and became a minister and missionary. I traveled the world, spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, bringing hope, medicine, and love to the United States, Europe, South America, and Africa. I am slowly leaving this earth for my heavenly home. This may take a while. Thank you for remembering who I was and who I am. I’m a man, a warrior, a missionary, a father, a friend, and much more. And I have one more river to cross.8 A word of wisdom from God shows us what to do and how to move forward. It shows us God’s choices for us and His heavenly perspective on our situation. And He’ll speak His wisdom to us and through us as we commit to hearing His voice, loving others, and walking in humility and grace toward one another. 8 Stott, Jerry, and Robert Hunt. Positioned for the Gifts: Preparing Us for Extraordinary Power and Compassion. Edited by Laurie De Revere, Foursquare Missions Press, 2019. A Word of Wisdom | 8