Title: Work of the Holy Spirit
Contents
The work of the Holy Spirit 1 Corinthians 2:6-16 (Sunday, March 30, 2008)
Just as Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit, He worked strongly on the tenth day after His ascension (Acts 2:1~4).
The Holy Spirit is called by many names. In the Old Testament, it is the 'Spirit of God' and 'The Spirit of the Lord', etc. In the New Testament, it is the 'Spirit of Christ' (Romans 8:9) 'Spirit of Truth' (John 14:17) 'Spirit of Glory' (1 Peter 4:14), etc. called as The Hebrew word for the Holy Spirit is 'ruah' (), and the Greek word is 'pneuma' (), which means 'wind, breath, life, spirit, will'.
However, among the names of the Holy Spirit, there is something that Jesus Himself called as a personal being, and that is the Comforter. In the original language, 'parakletos' means 'to call beside' and 'comfort' which means 'comforter'. This Holy Spirit is the third person among the Trinity and is called the 'Holy Spirit'.
In the letter Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, as in the text we read today, we will experience the power of making possible many things that cannot be done by human strength or ingenuity only with the help of the Holy Spirit. I pray that the work of the Holy Spirit will happen through the Word.
First, we can speak of God's wisdom only through the Holy Spirit (verses 6-8)
“But we speak wisdom among those who are perfect, not the wisdom of this world, nor the wisdom of the rulers of this world, which are about to pass away, but the wisdom of God that is in mysteries, which is hidden, but God has given us our glory. It was foreordained before the ages” (verses 6-7).
God is the creator of everything in this world. And he is the providence who rules and controls everything he has made. So God's reign and economy pervades the entire universe. None of them deviate from God's rule and economy. Therefore, all creation in this world obeys and moves according to the rule of God the Creator and the economy of God the Providence.
However, we must keep in mind that the driving force that makes all this work possible is the wisdom of God and the power of the Holy Spirit. That is why we believe and follow the Holy Spirit with the wisdom and power of God in the mystery.
No matter how advanced human wisdom and science are, they are all limited in God's providence and cannot reach God's wisdom. The wisdom of this world is a finite wisdom that is limited by time and space.
The wisdom that surprises people today becomes old wisdom that has no use in my work. Nowadays, new materials and electronic science that are running on the cutting edge are competing for vision and knowledge and scale, and new things are always coming out. No matter how much knowledge and wisdom of the world develop and a new culture is created, it only conveys the finite knowledge of this world, and nothing more can be said about the world. The world of God is the mysterious wisdom hidden under the veil and the world of the divine Holy Spirit.
That's why Solomon said, "Wisdom is the greatest; find wisdom, and whatever you have, take what you have, and gain understanding" (Proverbs 4:7), "For wisdom is lower than that of silver, and its profit is better than gold." (Proverbs 3:14)
Dear saints, The true wisdom that comes down from heaven is to believe that the blood of Jesus Christ washes away our sins, and to live like a disciple by imitating the holy and gentle disposition of Jesus Christ.
In fact, there are many people in this world who hear the name of Christ countless times but do not receive Him as their Savior (Matt. There are also many who know they must live in the footsteps of Jesus Christ, but do not do so. But now, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we can know the wisdom of God and become truly wise men.
God's wisdom is communicated to the saints through the inspired pulpit sermons of the Lord's servants. When we listen to the sermon, we must earnestly wish that the Holy Spirit's inspiration will be with us so that we can understand the secret wisdom of the kingdom of heaven delivered by the servants of the Lord.
When the servants of the Lord prepare God's secret words of wisdom, they must rely entirely on the help of the Holy Spirit. The help of the Holy Spirit works through meditation and prayer. Paul told Timothy, "And from your youth you have known the Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 3:15). It is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so by accepting it, the saints will be perfected and be able to do every good work.
Second, only through the Holy Spirit can we master the deep things of God (verses 9-12)
In verse 9, Paul quotes the words of Isaiah (Isaiah 64:4), saying, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no human heart has conceived of all that God has prepared for those who love him. It is like Ham.”
Humans have three types of eyes: the naked eye, the deep eye, and the spirit eye. If your eyes are dark, you are blind; if your eyes are dark, you are illiterate; if your eyes are dark, you are a ghost.
According to the Bible, the Israelites who stood by the Red Sea after leaving Egypt complained strongly. But Moses, whose spiritual eyes were opened, comforted the people and allowed them to cross the Red Sea safely. Later, when spying out Canaan, the ten men reported that it was impossible at all, but Joshua and Caleb said they were able to overcome them. Ten eyes and two seeing eyes were different. No matter how many numbers there are, those who do not open their spiritual eyes have no choice but to see with the eyes of their own experience or knowledge.
Gehazi was terrified and trembling when the Syrian army attacked, but Elisha prayed, "O God, open the eyes of Gehazi so that he may see that the army of the Lord is greater than the army of the enemy." The old priest Eli's spiritual eyes were dark, but the young Samuel's spiritual eyes were open and he could hear the voice of God. Therefore, there was no tribulation in Israel while Samuel lived.
The 120 Mundos of the early church opened their spiritual eyes and led an active life of faith.
Verse 10 says, “But God has revealed these things to us by the Holy Spirit, who searches all things, even the deep things of God.”
Tongdal means "brightly communicates without obstruction." I pray that you will prosper with the Holy Spirit of Salmi.
Third, only the Holy Spirit can discern spiritual things (verses 13-16).
“We speak these things, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in what the Holy Spirit taught us, that spiritual things are discerned” (verse 13).
It is truly a mystical grace to believe that Jesus, who died 2,000 years ago, is my Savior. 1 Corinthians 12:3 says, "No one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit." If the Holy Spirit does not work, no matter how closely you study Jesus, you will see him as just a saint or a prophet.
The Holy Spirit is not a material. It's not even an electric power. The Holy Spirit is God. You are a person. A believer who has the Holy Spirit, the Counselor, who is a person, can easily distinguish between the spiritual and the non-spiritual. A person who has the heart of Christ (verse 16) is “a spiritual person” (verse 15), and a spiritual person who has the heart of Christ has spiritual thoughts. Words provoke spiritual actions, and spiritual actions produce spiritual fruits, so we are recognized as people of the Holy Spirit who belong to the spirit.
Romans 8:5-6 says, “Those who are after the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, and those who are after the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace.” It means that what is carnal and what is of the spirit differs depending on what kind of thoughts you have in your heart. It is the same bowl, but if you put porridge, it becomes a bowl of porridge, and if you put soup, it becomes a bowl of soup. If it is full of worry, worry, hatred, lewdness, envy, jealousy, fear, struggle, etc., it is probably the devil's tool. Even believers cannot be guided by the Holy Spirit.
Dear saints, at this time, look to only God, follow the Lord, and earnestly desire to receive the Holy Spirit. Then you will feel life and peace. If we are driven by the lusts of the flesh to take the broad road of the world, let us cry out firmly.
"I am a child of God, the wisdom of Christ, and the temple of the Holy Spirit. I have the heart of Jesus, I have the Spirit of Jesus in me. I have the Holy Spirit in me. The Holy Spirit is always on my side." I wish you a blessed day when the work of the Holy Spirit works passionately in your life and heart.