Wise

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Wise

• July 22

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Think About It

• What are some different ways you access
  information for home, work, church, areas of
  curiosity?
• Today we look at ? wisdom
• God grants wisdom as we learn from Him and apply
  what we learn

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Listen for Paul's state of mind when he came to
preach in Corinth.

• 1 Cor. 21-8 (NIV) When I came to you,
  brothers, I did not come with eloquence or
  superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the
  testimony about God. 2 For I resolved to know
  nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ
  and him crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness
  and fear, and with much trembling. 4 My message
  and my preaching were not with wise and
  persuasive words,

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Listen for Paul's state of mind when he came to
preach in Corinth.

• but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power,
  5 so that your faith might not rest on men's
  wisdom, but on God's power. 6 We do, however,
  speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but
  not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of
  this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 No, we
  speak of God's secret

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Listen for Paul's state of mind when he came to
preach in Corinth.

• wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that
  God destined for our glory before time began. 8
  None of the rulers of this age understood it, for
  if they had, they would not have crucified the
  Lord of glory.

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Human Wisdom

• What are some descriptive phrases which describe
  how Paul approached his time in Corinth?
• What reason does he give for the strategy of not
  being eloquent and persuasive?
• What is the theme of Paul's message?

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Human Wisdom

• Lets contrast the two kinds of wisdom Paul
  speaks of. What characteristics of each does he
  state.

Wisdom of this Age Gods Wisdom

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Human Wisdom

• Consider the fact that nowhere in this passage do
  the words education or heritage appear in
  relation to God's wisdom.
• This is because
• God's wisdom is not a matter of exposure to a
  collection of facts or collection of knowledge
• God's wisdom is not a collection of information
  to be passed down to succeeding generations
• God's wisdom has to do with knowing Christ as
  ones personal Savior

? Spiritual Truth is known only to those
who believe what God says and receive it in faith
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Human Wisdom

• In what kinds of situations do we like you need
  wisdom in serving the Lord?
• What advice in line with this scripture passage
  do you think Paul would give for these
  situations?

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Gods Wisdom

• Why are you sometimes able to almost read the
  mind of your spouse or your best friend? You
  can often predict what they will say.
• Listen for how you can know what God is thinking.

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Listen for how you can know what God is thinking.

• 1 Cor. 29-11 (NIV) However, as it is written
  "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has
  conceived what God has prepared for those who
  love him"-- 10 but God has revealed it to us by
  his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even
  the deep things of God. 11 For who among men
  knows the thoughts of a man except the man's
  spirit within him? In the same way no one knows
  the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.

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Gods Wisdom

• Why do people often fail to see Gods purpose for
  them?
• How do we put ourselves in a position to receive
  Gods wisdom?
• Why should we not assume that God gives us His
  wisdom automatically?

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Gods Wisdom

• How does receiving Gods wisdom relate to being
  filled by the Spirit?

http//www.cru.org/training-and-growth/classics/th
e-spirit-filled-life/index.htm
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Listen for more about Gods wisdom.

• 1 Cor. 212-16 (NIV) We have not received the
  spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from
  God, that we may understand what God has freely
  given us. 13 This is what we speak, not in
  words taught us by human wisdom but in words
  taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths
  in spiritual words. 14 The man without the
  Spirit does not accept the things

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Listen for more about Gods wisdom.

• that come from the Spirit of God, for they are
  foolishness to him, and he cannot understand
  them, because they are spiritually discerned.
  15 The spiritual man makes judgments about all
  things, but he himself is not subject to any
  man's judgment 16 "For who has known the mind
  of the Lord that he may instruct him?" But we
  have the mind of Christ.

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Discovering the Difference

• What characteristics will the wisdom that the
  Spirit teaches us have?
• How does human wisdom undermine the reality that
  the gospel of Jesus is the only way to receive
  forgiveness for sin and eternal life?
• Think of a situation you were in where you didnt
  understand the language spoken. How did you
  feel?

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Discovering the Difference

• So, how would you go about establishing a
  relationship with a person who does not speak
  your language?
• How might these approaches be applied to
  establishing a witnessing relationship with
  unbelievers?

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Application

• The main content of Gods wisdom for us is who
  Jesus is and what He has done for us.
• Only by the power of Gods Holy Spirit is anyone
  convinced/convicted of this Truth
• Gods wisdom leads also to maturity in the lives
  of believers
• Those who reject Gods wisdom will come to
  nothing

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Application

• In this life, believers cannot conceive of the
  wonder of what God has prepared for them.
• Gods Spirit reveals the mind of Christ to
  believers
• Gods Holy Spirit enables us to understand Gods
  intentions as we read and study His Word

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Application

• There exists a deep contrast between Gods Wisdom
  and what man considers wisdom.
• The natural man lives without the Spirit and will
  not understand Gods purposes
• The Spirit of God gives discernment and
  understanding and reveals the mind of Christ to
  those who submit to Him

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Wise

• July 22