Spiritual Wisdom

So I’m on Twitter…

I really just like it because it can find out what is happening and because I’ll see stuff on there that makes me laugh, like…

But there is also a lot of stuff on there that makes me cringe, like this tweet that a pastor from Georgia made on Easter.

“The meaning of Easter is more transcendent than the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Whether you are Christian or not, through a commitment to helping others we are able to save ourselves.” -Raphael Warnock

This is not true. This is not biblical. This is not wisdom, this is Jesus out of focus. This does not come from the Holy Spirit.

What is wrong about this tweet?

The passage tonight is about wisdom that comes only from God, that we understand only by his Holy Spirit giving us an understanding of it.

pray and read 1 Cor 2:6-16

True wisdom comes from the Holy Spirit and gives us an understanding of the only way of salvation.

Spiritual Truth is revealed by The Spirit

The Holy Spirit gives us an understanding of God’s wisdom in the Gospel. Without the Spirit, it seems foolish to us.

1 Corinthians 1:18 CSB

For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but it is the power of God to us who are being saved.

This Hansel and Gretel movie just came out on Netflix and my kids watched it… In the movie, the gadget guy and the magic agency, or whatever it was, made the special glasses that let them see when magic stuff was happening. Until they put those glasses on, they couldn’t actually see magic, but the glasses let them see it.

This is kind of like what the Spirit does for us with spiritual truths.

Without the work of the Spirit in our hearts, we will not understand God’s wisdom in the Gospel

This does not mean that if you don’t have a deep understanding of theology and the Bible that you aren’t spiritual.

It means it takes a work of the Holy Spirit for us to see, receive, and believe God’s wisdom in sending Jesus for us.

What is your reaction to this? How does it make you feel?

This does not mean that this wisdom is unavailable to us! Anyone who truly seeks God’s wisdom is able to find it. Look at verse 12.

Romans 10:13 CSB

For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Worldly wisdom can not make a way to be saved

As much as the world, people who have not placed their faith in Jesus try, they can not make another way for salvation.

Have you ever heard the expression “banging your head against a brick wall”? Unless you’re The Juggernaut… you aren’t going to get your head through a brick wall. This is like unspiritual people trying to make a way for salvation.

The only way to be saved comes from God, who planned salvation through Jesus in his wisdom before time began.

John 14:6 CSB

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

When non-Christians think about how to be saved,…

what are some things they think we need to be saved from?

what are some ways they come up with for us to be saved?

who does the saving?

how is it different from the Gospel?

We have to be able to see the difference between the world’s attempt at wisdom, and spiritual wisdom from God.

Outro with Gospel