Discovering True Wisdom and Purpose in Church
Summary
### Summary
During a recent road trip to Wisconsin for my sister-in-law's wedding, I encountered a truck with a sign that read, "church is boring." This sparked a reflection on why we gather in church and the deeper purpose behind it. The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians, addresses similar concerns. He emphasizes that the church is not about following human leaders or seeking entertainment but about growing in spiritual wisdom and understanding God's eternal truths.
Paul's message in 1 Corinthians 2:6-16 highlights the distinction between worldly wisdom and divine wisdom. He explains that true wisdom is revealed by God and is meant for those who are mature in faith. This wisdom is not accessible through human intellect or eloquence but through the Spirit of God. Paul underscores that this wisdom was hidden and secret, not because God wanted to keep it from us, but because our own sin and shame create barriers between us and God.
The sermon also delves into the concepts of general and special revelation. General revelation refers to the knowledge of God that comes through creation and is available to all humanity. Special revelation, on the other hand, is God's specific communication through the Bible and the life of Jesus Christ. This special revelation is crucial for understanding the specifics of who God is and how we are to live.
The importance of how we treat and respond to God's Word is emphasized. Just as a doctor prescribes a strict diet for a patient to thrive, God's Word guides us to live in a way that leads to true human flourishing. The sermon concludes with a call to experience God's truth personally, to taste and see that the Lord is good, and to live in a way that glorifies God and impacts others.
### Key Takeaways
1. The Purpose of Church: Church is not about entertainment or following human leaders; it is about growing in spiritual wisdom and understanding God's eternal truths. We gather to hear God's Word, receive His wisdom, and learn to walk by the power of His Spirit. [01:22]
2. Divine Wisdom vs. Worldly Wisdom: True wisdom is revealed by God and is meant for those who are mature in faith. This wisdom is not accessible through human intellect or eloquence but through the Spirit of God. It calls us to humility and gratitude for the salvation we have received. [05:34]
3. General and Special Revelation: General revelation is the knowledge of God available to all humanity through creation, while special revelation is God's specific communication through the Bible and Jesus Christ. Special revelation is crucial for understanding the specifics of who God is and how we are to live. [14:05]
4. Responding to God's Word: How we treat and respond to God's Word is vital. Just as a doctor prescribes a strict diet for a patient to thrive, God's Word guides us to live in a way that leads to true human flourishing. We must allow God's Word to convict, teach, and change us. [27:56]
5. Experiencing God's Truth: We need to experience God's truth personally, to taste and see that the Lord is good. This personal experience of God's Word leads to a transformed life that glorifies God and impacts others. We are called to be witnesses of God's goodness through our changed lives. [39:11]
### YouTube Chapters
[0:00] - Welcome
[01:22] - Encounter with "Church is Boring" Sign
[02:50] - Reflecting on the Purpose of Church
[04:07] - Paul's Message to the Corinthians
[05:34] - Divine Wisdom vs. Worldly Wisdom
[08:20] - The Secret and Hidden Wisdom of God
[09:45] - Humility and Gratitude for Salvation
[11:06] - General and Special Revelation
[12:34] - God's Truth Revealed Through the Spirit
[14:05] - Barriers Between Us and God
[15:30] - Moral Law and Conscience
[16:38] - Personal Experiences of God's Revelation
[18:13] - The Beauty of Creation and Commitment
[19:43] - The Importance of Special Revelation
[21:25] - The Story of the Rich Man and Lazarus
[22:43] - Receiving Wisdom from God
[23:43] - The Promise of the Holy Spirit
[24:52] - The Tension Between Spirit and Flesh
[25:56] - The Breakfast Buffet Analogy
[27:56] - Responding to God's Word
[28:51] - The Mind of Christ and Regeneration
[29:53] - The Pharisees and True Understanding
[30:32] - Personal Response to God's Truth
[31:14] - Transitioning from Natural to Spiritual
[32:06] - Personal Testimony of Faith
[33:46] - The Impact of God's Word and Community
[34:25] - Considering Our Place at the Cross
[35:03] - The Teachings of Christ
[35:42] - The Call to Follow Christ
[36:12] - The Day of Salvation
[36:51] - The Importance of Preaching the Bible
[37:22] - The Analogy of the Lost Hiker
[39:11] - Experiencing God's Truth Personally
[39:42] - Living a Life that Glorifies God
Study Guide
### Bible Study Discussion Guide
#### Bible Reading
1. 1 Corinthians 2:6-16
2. Romans 10:14-17
3. Luke 16:19-31
#### Observation Questions
1. What does Paul mean by "divine wisdom" in 1 Corinthians 2:6-16, and how is it different from worldly wisdom?
2. According to Romans 10:14-17, what is the process by which people come to believe in Christ?
3. In the story of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31), what is the rich man's request, and how does Abraham respond? [21:25]
4. How does Paul describe the role of the Holy Spirit in revealing God's wisdom to believers in 1 Corinthians 2:10-12?
#### Interpretation Questions
1. Why does Paul emphasize that divine wisdom is revealed through the Spirit and not through human intellect or eloquence? [05:34]
2. How does the concept of general and special revelation help us understand the different ways God communicates with humanity? [14:05]
3. What does the story of the rich man and Lazarus teach us about the importance of responding to God's Word in this life? [21:25]
4. How does the analogy of the breakfast buffet and the doctor's prescribed diet illustrate our approach to God's Word? [25:56]
#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on your own reasons for attending church. Are you seeking entertainment, or are you focused on growing in spiritual wisdom and understanding God's eternal truths? How can you shift your focus if needed? [01:22]
2. How can you cultivate humility and gratitude for the salvation you have received, recognizing that it is a gift from God and not a result of your own intellect or efforts? [09:45]
3. In what ways can you better respond to God's Word in your daily life, allowing it to convict, teach, and change you? Are there specific areas where you struggle to follow God's guidance? [27:56]
4. Think about a time when you experienced God's truth personally. How did it impact your life, and how can you share that experience with others to glorify God and encourage them? [39:11]
5. How can you be more intentional about sharing the gospel with those who have not yet believed, following the process outlined in Romans 10:14-17? What practical steps can you take this week to reach out to someone? [11:06]
6. Consider the barriers you might have placed between yourself and God due to sin or shame. How can you allow God's grace to break through those barriers and reveal His truth to you? [14:05]
7. How can you ensure that you are not just memorizing Scripture but truly allowing it to transform your heart and mind? What practices can you implement to deepen your personal response to God's Word? [30:32]
Devotional
Day 1: The True Purpose of Church
Church is not a place for entertainment or merely following human leaders; it is a sacred space where believers gather to grow in spiritual wisdom and understand God's eternal truths. The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians, emphasizes that the church's primary purpose is to help believers mature in their faith by receiving God's wisdom and learning to walk by the power of His Spirit. This wisdom is not something that can be attained through human intellect or eloquence but is revealed by the Spirit of God to those who are mature in faith. The church, therefore, serves as a community where believers can be nurtured and equipped to live out their faith in a way that glorifies God.
Paul's message to the Corinthians is a reminder that the church is not about the charisma of its leaders or the quality of its programs but about the transformative power of God's Word and Spirit. When we gather as a church, we come to be shaped by God's truth, to be convicted, taught, and changed. This understanding calls us to approach church with a sense of reverence and expectation, knowing that it is a place where we encounter the living God and are equipped to live out His purposes in the world. [01:22]
1 Corinthians 2:6-7 (ESV): "Yet 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. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory."
Reflection: How can you shift your mindset to see church as a place for spiritual growth rather than entertainment? What steps can you take to engage more deeply with God's Word and Spirit during church gatherings?
Day 2: Divine Wisdom vs. Worldly Wisdom
True wisdom, according to the Apostle Paul, is revealed by God and is meant for those who are mature in faith. This divine wisdom is distinct from worldly wisdom, which relies on human intellect and eloquence. Instead, divine wisdom is accessible only through the Spirit of God, who reveals the deep truths of God to those who are humble and receptive. This wisdom was hidden and secret, not because God wanted to keep it from us, but because our own sin and shame create barriers between us and God.
Paul's teaching calls us to humility and gratitude for the salvation we have received. It reminds us that our understanding of God's truth is not something we can boast about, as it is a gift from God. This divine wisdom leads us to a deeper appreciation of God's grace and a greater dependence on His Spirit. As we grow in our faith, we are called to seek this wisdom continually, allowing it to shape our lives and guide our decisions. [05:34]
1 Corinthians 2:10-12 (ESV): "These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 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. 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."
Reflection: In what areas of your life are you relying on worldly wisdom rather than seeking divine wisdom? How can you cultivate a greater dependence on the Spirit of God to guide your understanding and decisions?
Day 3: General and Special Revelation
General revelation refers to the knowledge of God that is available to all humanity through creation. It is the way God reveals Himself through the natural world, allowing everyone to perceive His existence and attributes. However, general revelation is limited in that it does not provide the specific details of who God is and how we are to live. This is where special revelation comes in. Special revelation is God's specific communication through the Bible and the life of Jesus Christ. It is through special revelation that we come to understand the fullness of God's character, His plan for salvation, and His will for our lives.
Special revelation is crucial for our spiritual growth and understanding. While general revelation can lead us to acknowledge God's existence, it is through the Bible and the life of Jesus that we come to know God personally and intimately. This special revelation provides us with the guidance and wisdom we need to live in a way that honors God and fulfills His purposes for our lives. As believers, we are called to immerse ourselves in God's Word and to seek a deeper understanding of His truth through the study of Scripture and the life of Jesus. [14:05]
Psalm 19:1-4 (ESV): "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world."
Reflection: How can you make time this week to engage more deeply with God's special revelation through the Bible? What specific steps can you take to grow in your understanding of God's character and will for your life?
Day 4: Responding to God's Word
How we treat and respond to God's Word is vital for our spiritual growth and flourishing. Just as a doctor prescribes a strict diet for a patient to thrive, God's Word guides us to live in a way that leads to true human flourishing. The Bible is not just a collection of ancient texts but the living and active Word of God that has the power to transform our lives. It convicts us of sin, teaches us truth, and equips us for every good work.
Our response to God's Word should be one of reverence and obedience. We must allow it to penetrate our hearts and minds, to convict us where we need to change, and to guide us in our daily lives. This requires a willingness to submit to God's authority and to align our lives with His will. As we respond to God's Word with humility and obedience, we will experience the fullness of life that God intends for us and be a witness to His goodness and truth in the world. [27:56]
Hebrews 4:12 (ESV): "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart."
Reflection: What specific area of your life is God calling you to change in response to His Word? How can you take practical steps to align your actions and attitudes with the teachings of Scripture?
Day 5: Experiencing God's Truth Personally
We are called to experience God's truth personally, to taste and see that the Lord is good. This personal experience of God's Word leads to a transformed life that glorifies God and impacts others. It is not enough to have a theoretical knowledge of God's truth; we must encounter it in a way that changes us from the inside out. This involves a personal relationship with God, where we seek His presence, listen to His voice, and allow His Spirit to work in us.
As we experience God's truth personally, we become witnesses of His goodness through our changed lives. Our testimony of God's work in our lives can inspire and encourage others to seek Him as well. We are called to live in a way that reflects God's character and love, demonstrating the reality of His truth to those around us. This personal experience of God's truth is a powerful witness to the world and a source of joy and fulfillment for us as believers. [39:11]
Psalm 34:8 (ESV): "Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!"
Reflection: How can you create space in your daily routine to experience God's presence and truth more deeply? What specific practices can you incorporate to cultivate a personal and transformative relationship with God?
Quotes
1. "None of us are here, I hope, to be entertained, right? None of us are here because we ran out of things to watch on Netflix, or because the game doesn't start for another two hours, right? There's a much higher purpose for why we come to a place like this. But the more I thought about, all the things wrong with the message, I realized if I were able to have a conversation with this man, if I were able to, and we were honest with each other, and we leveled with one another, I think we would get to a point where even he would admit that his issue with church doesn't really have anything to do with the entertainment value therein, right?" [01:22] (44 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
2. "We're called to be followers of Christ alone, right? And Paul went on in 1 Corinthians 1 to remind us that we're not called, the way that we were called was not through worldly wisdom. It wasn't through, entertainment, as that man in the truck spoke out against. It wasn't through convincing or passionate preaching, and it's interesting that Paul says that when he was in Corinth, he didn't preach with eloquence, because we have 13 letters that Paul wrote, memorialized for us for all eternity in the New Testament, and he's a pretty eloquent guy, right? He had that eloquence available to him. He's a deep, philosophical thinker, and yet he held away from doing that, from preaching that way, for a reason and for a purpose, because he said, as he said, he didn't want to empty the cross of its power in the minds of those who came to follow Christ because of his preaching." [04:07] (57 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
3. "God wants us to hear his truth, to receive his wisdom, and to learn to walk by the power of his spirit when we're in church. If you have your Bibles with me, why don't you open up? We're in 1 Corinthians 2, verses 6 through 7. The passage goes like this. What God has prepared for those who love him. so, again, we look in the beginning of our passage to that first word, yet, right? It's a clear transition. Paul is going to begin telling us what we're here for and what we're doing when we assemble together. He says, yet, when we are among the mature, we do impart wisdom. Among the mature, he's meaning among the church, right? Among the saved, among those who call themselves Christian, among those who call on Christ. And he says we do impart wisdom." [05:34] (60 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
4. "And so we know that hearing God's word preached, hearing God's word taught, reading it even for yourself has a purpose no matter which of these two groups you belong to, right? It's just a different purpose. So if you are saved, if you are here, if you are a believer, you're meant to be growing in spiritual wisdom. If you're not, and I would say if you're not and you're here and you know you're not, that's a good thing that you know that. But the goal is a little bit different, right? The goal for an unsaved person to hear the word and to hear the gospel is to respond to it. And there is a process there where there's information gathering and you have to learn about it, right? But at the same time, those who are not believers in Christ aren't here to grow in spiritual wisdom. Because it's not spiritual wisdom or spiritual truths that save us." [11:06] (59 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
5. "And so while we have the spirit available to us, while some of us have received that spirit, the Holy Spirit, from God through Christ, we still are made of flesh. And we still have our own earthly, worldly desires that we follow at times that lead us away from him. And so in thinking about how we treat the Bible and how we deal with it, especially when we come across things that maybe we don't even like or that we don't want to do, I was reminded of, you know, when we got to the wedding, when we got up to Wisconsin, we stayed in a hotel, and the hotel had the most wonderful thing that you could have as a parent, it had a breakfast buffet, right? So we show up in the morning, and, you know, it's just lined up with food. We have three pretty picky children. And so it's nice to be able to just, A, not make breakfast that morning, and B, be able to walk down that line and be like, All right, Aaron, you don't want eggs? You want seven pieces of bacon? That's fine. Take seven pieces of bacon. I'm going to have eight. You want a cookie with breakfast? That's fine, too. We're on vacation, right?" [24:52] (74 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
6. "God's Word is the same way, that when we come across things that strike at our core, whether we're reading God's Word, or I've had experiences when I'm hearing a sermon, I've told Pastor Tim at our Sugar Grove campus before, you know, there are hundreds of people, here, you don't have to talk just to me all the time, right? We all have experiences where we hear things that come out of God's Word, that speak truth right into our heart, and right into our mind, and we realize that we need to change, right? And so it becomes very important, you know, how are we doing this? How are we dealing with God's Word? This is the way that he has sent his truth to us, and we know that he's given it to us, not because he's sitting on his throne in heaven, thinking, Ha! There's all this stuff they want to do, and I am not letting them do it, right? He's doing it because he created us in his image. He knows better than any of us what human thriving looks like, and it's by following his will." [27:56] (62 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
7. "And so we see that when these things happen, when we receive these truths, when we learn to walk by the wisdom, when we receive that wisdom of God directly from him, from his Word, that he regenerates us, right? That's what having the mind of Christ means, that we have been regenerated. God came into our lives, gave us the Holy Spirit, he gave us the mind of Christ, he has changed us already, right? And yet there's still this division that we need to deal with, right? The natural person does not accept these things, but we have the mind of Christ. And so we see that it's not about information, right? It's not about knowing what God's Word says. You could have hundreds of passages memorized, right? I always think of the Pharisees, and I think of the Pharisees, they were kind of the biggest enemies of Christ throughout all of the Gospels in some ways, right? And yet to be a Pharisee in the time of Christ, I've heard it said that many of these Pharisees had the entire book of Psalms memorized. So these are men who knew God's Word, at least knew what it said, right?" [28:51] (78 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
8. "And so the question becomes, these truths that we hear, have they sunk into our heart? Have they sunk into our mind? Have we received, as the promises in this passage, the mind of Christ? Or are we just memorizing things? Are we just learning things? About Scripture, right? It's not about... It's... And in this passage from James, it's not even about that you say God is real and that you say Jesus is the Son of God, but who do you say he is to you, right? And how has that changed your life? And so the question becomes, if I'm a natural person, how do I become a spiritual person, right? And it's great to hear that there's, you know, the baptism class that was in the announcements today. I have the privilege of... I teach the baptism class at the Sugar Grove campus, and I've done that for about six or seven months now. And the really cool thing about when you teach that class is you meet, you know, several people every month, and the story of how they came to Christ is always different, right?" [30:32] (69 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
9. "And so I can't tell you what it would look like for you to make that transition. I remember when it happened to me, I was, you know, I lived... in some ways a very, I think, American Christian life. I was raised in a very loving home. I don't have very many memories from my childhood where we weren't all just like dying laughing. We were raised in a church. And yet, as I got older, I started to have these questions that came up, and I just didn't have... I don't think I had the courage to really voice those questions to anyone. And so I just lived with those questions, and those questions soon became doubtful. And later in life, that even became outright denial, right? I, at one point, considered myself an atheist. But God, in his goodness, he reached through that and revealed himself to me. And the way that he did that was just by revealing to me how much of a hypocrite I was, right? That in even though I called myself an atheist, I still found myself at times, as I talked about with the Tetons, just realizing how wonderful the world is, holding my first hand. And I was in the middle of my first child feeling like wanting to pray and to call out to God. Also, through some hard times in my life, when I lost a friend, I found myself again praying. And I thought, what a hypocrite. Calling myself an atheist, and here I am arguing with God, right? And so I started to consider that maybe I was wrong, right?" [31:14] (98 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
10. "And around that time, my wife and I started attending village. and we started hearing God's word preached in ways that I just hadn't heard before. And maybe it was more in my mindset or maybe it was the exegetical preaching that I was receiving. We also joined a small group soon after starting to attend church and we not only heard God's word, but we started living life alongside people who were desperately trying to live it out in their lives. And I saw God's word change and impact people and I wanted that for myself. And I still didn't really know how to do that, even though I knew I wanted it. And then one day we showed up to church and it was the Lord's Supper. And so Pastor Mario was preparing the congregation for communion and he asked us to consider where we would be on the day that Jesus died. Because he said, it's amazing when you think in scripture, Jesus had many followers and when he said, when he went and preached that there would be many people who followed him. And of course he had the apostles. And yet on the day that he died on the cross, only a very small few were there with him and many actually had run from him and left him. And so Pastor Mario asked us to consider this, not in a way to build ourselves up or to have an ego and say, oh, I know for certain I would have been at the foot of the cross, right? But instead just to consider it in a very real way and to ask ourselves, because if we could answer ourselves where we would have been on that day, it would help us to consider where we are now, right?" [33:46] (100 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
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