“The Holy Spirit and the Deep Things of God” – a message from 1 Corinthians 2

This past weekend at Eastbrook, we continued our preaching series entitled “God’s Grace for an Imperfect Church: 1 Corinthians.” In this third message of the series I explored how the apparent foolishness and weakness of the Crucified Messiah connect with the wisdom of this age and the work of the Holy Spirit. All this is found in 1 Corinthians 2:6-16.

You can find the message outline and video below. You can access the entire series here. Join us for weekend worship in-person or remotely via Eastbrook at Home.

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“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.” (1 Corinthians 2:11)

God’s Powerful Wisdom and the Waning Wisdom of this Age (1 Corinthians 2:6-9)

God’s wisdom revealed as different from the wisdom of this age

God’s wisdom planned from before time

God’s wisdom revealed in the crucified Jesus who is the Lord of glory

God’s wisdom triumphs over the rulers of this age

The Holy Spirit and the Personal Revelation of God’s Wisdom (1 Corinthians 2:10-12)

God’s wisdom revealed from beyond us not merely grasped by us

God’s wisdom revealed by the Holy Spirit who reveals the depths of God

God’s wisdom revealed shows God’s grace and generosity to humanity

The Holy Spirit and the Mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:13-16)

The Holy Spirit explains spiritual realities to spiritual people

The person living at an entirely human level misses out on God’s wisdom

The spiritual person discerns God’s wisdom because we have the mind of Christ

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Dig Deeper

This week dig deeper in one or more of the following ways:

• Memorize 1 Corinthians 2:11 or 2:12
• This week read some or all of these passages about the Holy Spirit:

• John 14:15-17 
  • Acts 1:7-8
  • Acts 2:1-12
  • Romans 12:4-8 
  • Galatians 5:19-26
  • Ephesians 1:13-14

• Perhaps you could respond to those passages by taking time in prayer to thank God for the gift of the Holy Spirit.
• Explore these resources:
  • Francis Chan, Forgotten God
  • Gordon D. Fee, Paul, the Spirit, and the People of God
  • Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen, Pneumatology: The Holy Spirit in Ecumenical, International, and Contextual Perspective, 2^nd edition
  • Bible Project, “Holy Spirit”