The Cross: Dividing Wisdom and Destiny

Devotional

Day 1: The Cross as the Great Divider

The cross of Christ stands as the ultimate dividing line between those who are perishing and those who are being saved. This division is not merely a matter of intellectual assent but a profound spiritual reality that determines one's eternal destiny. For those who reject the cross, it appears as foolishness, leading them to a Christless eternity. However, for those who embrace the cross, it is recognized as the power of God for salvation. This dichotomy is stark and eternal, emphasizing the critical importance of one's response to Jesus' sacrifice. The cross is not just a historical event but a present reality that demands a response from every individual. [00:58]

1 Corinthians 1:18 (ESV): "For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."

Reflection: How does your daily life reflect your response to the cross of Christ? Are there areas where you need to more fully embrace its power and significance?

Day 2: The Folly of Worldly Wisdom

Worldly wisdom is often transient and misguided, as evidenced by historical examples like outdated health advice and shifting moral standards. This wisdom, rooted in human understanding, is doomed to pass away. In contrast, God's wisdom is eternal and revealed through the Spirit to those who are being saved. This divine wisdom, hidden from the rulers of this age, led to the crucifixion of Christ, ironically fulfilling God's redemptive plan. The folly of worldly wisdom serves as a reminder to seek and rely on God's eternal wisdom, which guides believers in truth and righteousness. [06:37]

1 Corinthians 3:19 (ESV): "For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, 'He catches the wise in their craftiness.'"

Reflection: In what ways have you relied on worldly wisdom instead of seeking God's eternal wisdom? How can you begin to shift your focus towards divine guidance today?

Day 3: Spiritual Discernment through the Holy Spirit

The natural person, relying solely on human wisdom, cannot understand the things of God because they are spiritually discerned. Believers, having received the Holy Spirit, possess the mind of Christ, enabling them to judge all things rightly. This spiritual discernment is crucial for navigating life and making godly decisions. It underscores the importance of being attuned to the Holy Spirit's guidance, which allows believers to see beyond the surface and understand deeper spiritual truths. This discernment is not just a gift but a necessity for living a life that aligns with God's will. [14:44]

1 Corinthians 2:14-15 (ESV): "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. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one."

Reflection: How can you cultivate a deeper sensitivity to the Holy Spirit's guidance in your daily decisions? What practical steps can you take to enhance your spiritual discernment?

Day 4: The Importance of Being Filled with the Holy Spirit

Continual filling of the Holy Spirit involves confessing all known sin and seeking God's guidance. This filling empowers believers to live in alignment with God's will, discerning His voice amidst the noise of the world. As believers grow in their relationship with the Holy Spirit, they gain the wisdom and strength to live out their faith authentically and powerfully. This ongoing process of being filled with the Spirit is essential for maintaining a vibrant and effective Christian life, enabling believers to navigate challenges and opportunities with divine insight and power. [24:51]

Ephesians 5:18-19 (ESV): "And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart."

Reflection: Are there any unconfessed sins or distractions that are hindering you from being filled with the Holy Spirit? How can you create space in your life to seek and experience His filling more fully?

Day 5: Living with Supernatural Intelligence

While the world invests in artificial intelligence, believers have access to supernatural intelligence through the Holy Spirit. This divine guidance surpasses any human technology, providing wisdom, comfort, and direction. By confessing sin and asking to be filled with the Spirit, believers can walk confidently, knowing that God is with them every step of the way. This supernatural intelligence equips believers to face life's complexities with divine insight, enabling them to make decisions that honor God and reflect His wisdom. [32:12]

James 1:5 (ESV): "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him."

Reflection: In what areas of your life do you need God's supernatural intelligence? How can you actively seek His wisdom and guidance in those areas today?

Sermon Summary

### Summary

In today's exploration of 1 Corinthians 2:6-16, we delved into the Apostle Paul's profound distinction between two types of people: those who are perishing and those who are being saved. This division is rooted in their response to the cross of Christ. For those who reject the cross, it is foolishness, leading them to a Christless eternity. Conversely, those who embrace the cross see it as the power of God for salvation. This dichotomy is stark and eternal, with the cross being the dividing line.

Paul continues to contrast these two groups by highlighting the wisdom they follow. The wisdom of this world, which is transient and flawed, is doomed to pass away. Historical examples, such as misguided health advice and shifting moral standards, illustrate the folly of worldly wisdom. In contrast, the wisdom imparted by God is eternal and hidden, revealed through the Spirit to those who are being saved. This divine wisdom, which the rulers of this age failed to comprehend, led to the crucifixion of Christ, ironically fulfilling God's redemptive plan.

The natural person, who relies solely on human wisdom, cannot understand the things of God because they are spiritually discerned. This ignorance underscores the importance of spiritual discernment, which is granted by the Holy Spirit. Believers, having received the Spirit, possess the mind of Christ, enabling them to judge all things rightly. This spiritual discernment is crucial for navigating life and making godly decisions.

For believers, the call is to be filled continually with the Holy Spirit, which involves confessing all known sin and seeking God's guidance. This filling empowers us to live in alignment with God's will, discerning His voice amidst the noise of the world. As we grow in our relationship with the Holy Spirit, we gain the wisdom and strength to live out our faith authentically and powerfully.

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Key Takeaways

1. The Cross as the Great Divider: The cross of Christ is the ultimate dividing line between those who are perishing and those who are being saved. It is a stark reminder that our eternal destiny hinges on our response to Jesus' sacrifice. Embracing the cross means recognizing it as the power of God for salvation, while rejecting it leads to a Christless eternity. [00:58]
2. The Folly of Worldly Wisdom: The wisdom of this world is transient and often misguided. Historical examples, such as outdated health advice and shifting moral standards, illustrate its folly. In contrast, God's wisdom is eternal and revealed through the Spirit. This divine wisdom, hidden from the rulers of this age, is now made known to believers, guiding them in truth. [06:37]
3. Spiritual Discernment through the Holy Spirit: The natural person cannot understand the things of God because they are spiritually discerned. Believers, having received the Holy Spirit, possess the mind of Christ, enabling them to judge all things rightly. This spiritual discernment is crucial for navigating life and making godly decisions. [14:44]
4. The Importance of Being Filled with the Holy Spirit: Continual filling of the Holy Spirit involves confessing all known sin and seeking God's guidance. This filling empowers believers to live in alignment with God's will, discerning His voice amidst the noise of the world. As we grow in our relationship with the Holy Spirit, we gain the wisdom and strength to live out our faith authentically and powerfully. [24:51]
5. Living with Supernatural Intelligence: While the world invests in artificial intelligence, believers have access to supernatural intelligence through the Holy Spirit. This divine guidance surpasses any human technology, providing wisdom, comfort, and direction. By confessing sin and asking to be filled with the Spirit, believers can walk confidently, knowing that God is with them every step of the way. [32:12]
### [32:12]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:58] - The Cross Divides Humanity
[01:54] - The Reality of Hell
[02:40] - The Power of the Cross
[03:27] - Profiles of People: Worldly vs. Spiritual
[04:27] - The Wisdom of God vs. Worldly Wisdom
[05:41] - The Folly of Worldly Wisdom
[06:37] - Examples of Worldly Folly
[09:38] - Rejecting Worldly Wisdom
[10:21] - Submitting to Christ's Lordship
[11:03] - The Rulers of This Age
[12:38] - The Rulers Were Duped
[14:00] - The Natural Person's Ignorance
[15:15] - Protecting Our Children
[17:27] - Brokenhearted for the Lost
[18:02] - The Wise Person's Hidden Wisdom
[19:09] - The Mystery Revealed in Christ
[21:15] - The Holy Spirit's Role
[22:49] - Spiritual Discernment
[24:51] - Being Filled with the Holy Spirit
[26:53] - Confessing Sin
[29:34] - Asking to Be Filled
[32:12] - Supernatural Intelligence
[32:43] - The Journey of Salvation

Bible Study Guide

Observation Questions

What are the two types of people Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 1:18 and how are they divided? [00:58]
According to 1 Corinthians 2:6-8, what is the nature of the wisdom that Paul speaks about, and how is it different from the wisdom of this age? [04:27]
How does Paul describe the natural person's ability to understand the things of God in 1 Corinthians 2:14? [14:44]
What role does the Holy Spirit play in helping believers understand God's wisdom according to 1 Corinthians 2:10-12? [21:15]

Interpretation Questions

Why does Paul emphasize the cross as the dividing line between those who are perishing and those who are being saved? How does this impact our understanding of salvation? [00:58]
How does the sermon illustrate the folly of worldly wisdom with historical examples? What does this tell us about the reliability of human wisdom compared to God's wisdom? [06:37]
What does it mean to have the "mind of Christ" as mentioned in 1 Corinthians 2:16, and how does this affect a believer's ability to make decisions? [23:48]
How does the continual filling of the Holy Spirit empower believers to live in alignment with God's will? What practical steps are mentioned in the sermon to achieve this filling? [24:51]

Application Questions

Reflect on your response to the cross of Christ. Do you see it as the power of God for salvation or as foolishness? How does this perspective influence your daily life and decisions? [00:58]
Can you identify any areas in your life where you have relied on worldly wisdom instead of God's wisdom? What changes can you make to seek divine wisdom more actively? [06:37]
How do you discern the voice of the Holy Spirit in your life? Share a recent experience where you felt guided by the Holy Spirit. What steps can you take to improve your spiritual discernment? [24:51]
The sermon emphasizes the importance of confessing all known sin to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Are there any sins you need to confess today? How can you make confession a regular part of your spiritual practice? [26:53]
How can you cultivate a deeper relationship with the Holy Spirit to gain wisdom and strength for living out your faith authentically? What specific actions will you take this week to grow in this area? [24:51]
The sermon mentions the concept of "supernatural intelligence" through the Holy Spirit. How can you rely more on this divine guidance in your daily life, especially when making important decisions? [32:12]
Think about a person in your life who does not understand the things of God. How can you pray for them and share the wisdom of the cross with them in a loving and compassionate way? [17:27]

Sermon Clips

1. "The ones that reject Jesus and they reject the cross and they see it as foolishness are the ones that are perishing. And let me just start out by saying this, and it's brutally honest as we start in the message. I'm not preparing you for any of it, but I want to just give you the truth of it today. That the ones that are perishing means the ones that are heading to a godless, Christless eternity. Those who are going to hell. The Bible teaches, plainly and clearly, even though our culture and our society and its ears do not want to hear it, that there is a hell, an everlasting place for those who have rejected God and rejected the cross, rejected Christ." [01:00] (38 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

2. "For those who reject the cross, they are the ones who are perishing. And so for those who are perishing, this life is the closest to heaven they're ever going to be. But the other side are people who are being saved. And I'm hoping and praying that that's you. The ones that are being saved, they see the cross as the power of God. They see the power of God on display. That God could come in the flesh and bear humanity's sin. And could pay for our sin so that we might be forgiven. This is the power of God in Christ. And so we embrace it by faith. We believe in Jesus Christ by faith. And so we are the ones who are being saved. And for those who are being saved, this life is the closest to hell that you're ever going to be." [02:40] (44 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

3. "So don't trust in the world. Don't trust in the wisdom of this world. The wisdom of the world would reject the cross, would reject Jesus Christ, would reject anything associated with truth, capital T. There is no such thing as capital T truth. It's just your own truth. Look at the beginning of the letter, just to remind us. Verse 2 and 3 of chapter 1. So for the Christian, we don't submit to the world wisdom. We submit to Christ. The church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all of those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours, grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." [10:21] (45 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

4. "We submit to Jesus as our Lord. He's not only our Savior, he is our Lord. And so we don't submit to the world systems, the governments of this world, the wisdom of this world. We submit ourselves to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. That was a great spot for an amen. We submit ourselves to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Amen? And so that's what makes us different from the world. The wisdom and the rulers of this age are doomed. But not only that, the rulers of this age were duped. They were duped." [10:21] (33 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

5. "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. Meaning, they can't understand the things of God, because they're spiritually discernible. And they don't have that. The natural person doesn't have that. And so they're only operating in the material. So the natural person is ignorant to the ways of God and the things of God, because they're of the Spirit. They can't understand it. And so they think it's foolishness. They think the cross is an old wives' tale. They think the cross is silly. As we see last, they think the cross is cosmic child abuse. They don't understand that it's the good purpose of God for the plan of salvation for his people and for the glory of God, that God would, at the cross, demonstrate his love for us and his righteousness and his justice against our sin and depravity." [14:44] (54 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

6. "Be careful who you allow into your homes and who you allow your kids to go home with. Because if they're not saved people, they don't understand the things of God. They don't understand the things that you're trying to instill in your kids. They don't understand the things that you're teaching your kids. And you're going to entrust in these people who are ignorant of the ways of God, the precious thing that God has given you to raise and protect and to point to Christ. So be very careful. I'm not saying don't have non-Christian friends, but don't let your kid go spend the night in non-Christian friends' homes. Man, that's pretty tough, Pastor Steve. Well, guess what? How you expect a natural person to understand what you're trying to do in the home. So be careful who you entrust your young kids to." [16:23] (49 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

7. "The wise person also knows this hidden wisdom because of the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit's work in our lives. This is verses 10 through 13. Verse 12 says, We have not received the Spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand these things freely given to us by God. It is the Holy Spirit that awakens our mind and gives us the understanding, the ability to understand these things of God. Now we believe that every believer, when you come to faith in Jesus Christ, you receive the Holy Spirit. And you receive all of the Holy Spirit. There's not a special anointing that comes later. When you receive Christ, you receive the Spirit of God." [21:15] (41 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

8. "We as Christians, AI is nothing. We got SI, okay? We got supernatural intelligence. It's the God of heaven and earth who lives inside us, the Holy Spirit, who is there for us each step of the way that we can talk to, we have a relationship with him, we can ask him questions, and he can lead, and God will guide us. And it's not that we perfectly hear his voice or discern his voice perfectly all the time, but we confess our known sin to him, we ask him to fill us, and then we walk through our life knowing that he is with us. And he is good. And he will not fail us. Because we are his people. And he is our God." [32:12] (42 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

9. "Confess all known sin. Ephesians 4 verse 30 says, do not grieve the Holy Spirit. Grieving the Holy Spirit of God is doing the things that He commands you not to do. And you indulge your flesh in sin. And sin's fun and sin's pleasurable. Also, you wouldn't be tempted by it. And so there's an ongoing battle inside of your mind and we are called to resist the devil and he will flee from you. To resist the temptation, to resist the sin and not grieve the Holy Spirit that God has given to you. And so when you participate in things that you know that you should not, that are sin, you're grieving the Holy Spirit. Confess that sin to Him." [26:53] (48 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

10. "Ask to be filled. You know, like say, well, that's genius. Well, it's true. Simply ask. Jesus told a parable about that lady, persistent widow, an unjust judge, and she wanted justice and she kept coming to Him and He kept not wanting to take her case. And after her persistence, He finally did and He gave her justice. And Jesus says, how much more will our loving Heavenly Father give good things to those who ask? This was an unjust judge. Our God is a good, loving Heavenly Father. Ask Him to fill you with His Spirit for everyday living." [30:05] (38 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

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