Grudem on the Will of God

Grudem on the Will of God

Theologian Wayne Grudem on the will of God, specifically as it relates to the Lord's prayer. Good food for thought for this Sunday's sermon at RCC:

In the Lord’s prayer the petition, “Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10) is a prayer that people would obey God’s revealed will, his commands, on earth just as they do in heaven (that is, fully and completely). This could not be a prayer that God’s secret will (that is, his decrees for events that he has planned) would in fact be fulfilled, for what God has decreed in his secret will shall certainly come to pass. To ask God to bring about what he has already decreed to happen would simply be to pray, “May what is going to happen happen.” That would be a hollow prayer indeed, for it would not be asking for anything at all.

Furthermore, since we do not know God’s secret will regarding the future, the person praying a prayer for God’s secret will to be done would never know for what he or she was praying. It would be a prayer without understandable content and without effect. Rather, the prayer “Your will be done” must be understood as an appeal for the revealed will of God to be followed on earth.

If the phrase is understood in this way, it provides a pattern for us to pray on the basis of God’s commands in Scripture. In this sense, Jesus provides us with a guide for an exceedingly broad range of prayer requests. We are encouraged by Christ here to pray that people would obey God’s laws, that they would follow his principles for life, that they would obey his commands to repent of sin and trust in Christ as Savior. To pray these things is to pray that God’s will would be done on earth as it is in heaven.

SOURCE: Wayne A. Grudem, Systematic Theology : An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, Mich.: Inter-Varsity Press; Zondervan Pub. House, 1994), 214.

The Incarnation (Spoken Word)

by Odd Thomas of Humble Beast Records

Odd Thomas - The Incarnation (Spoken Word) from Humble Beast Records on Vimeo.

** Official Website www.HumbleBeast.com **
Relevant social networks
www.Facebook.com/HumbleBeast
www.Facebook.com/OddThomas
www.Twitter.com/HumbleBeast
www.Twitter.com/OddThomasMusic

Spoken word piece that Odd Thomas wrote for a Christmas church service at www.TrinityPortland.com

Download Odd Thomas's entire album for free at the link below

Odd Thomas "Divine Use of Animosity and Ridicule" - https://s3.amazonaws.com/humblebeast/albums/Odd+Thomas+-+The+Divine+Use+of+An...

Let Humble Beast make your next video! Email us at videos@humblebeast.com.

A Harsh yet Beautiful Reality

Check out Rikki Wil's review of Chapter 8 (The Aroma of Christ Among the Nation's) of John Piper's A Holy Ambition | To Preach Where Christ Has Not Been Named at her blog STIKKI THOUGHTS http://stikkithoughts.blogspot.com/2011/12/harsh-yet-beautiful-reality.html#links

Hope Marketplace on 1360 KPXQ!

Hope Marketplace on 1360 KPXQ!

On December 03, 2011, one of our members, April Hedrick, had the privilege of recording an interview with radio host Robyn Bloomquist on human trafficking and sexual exploitation. April was joined by Hope Marketplace ministry partner, Melissa Sanborn.

Download the interview here at Walk The Talk. Congratulations, April, on getting the word out!

Ancient Quotes on Crucifxion

Ancient Quotes on Crucifixion

by Vermon Pierre, Lead Pastor

One of the best books I read as part of my study for “The Cross! The Cross!” sermon series in 1 Corinthians was Crucifixion by Martin Hengel. Hengel gives a number of quotes from ancient times that help convey how people viewed the crucifixion and in particular what they thought about the idea of a crucified God (hint: they didn’t think too highly of it!). Here are some of those quotes:

"They say that our madness consists in the fact that we put a crucified man in second place after the unchangeable and eternal God, the Creator of the world.”

- Justin Martyr describing the offense caused by the Christian message.

“To say that their ceremonies centre on a man put to death for his crime and on the fatal wood of the cross is to assign to these abandoned wretches sanctuaries which are appropriate to them and the kind of worship they deserve.”

- from Minucius Felix’s dialogue Octavius

"Let her continue as she pleases, persisting in her vain delusions, and lamenting in song a god who died in delusions, who was condemned by judges whose verdict was just, and executed in the prime of life by the worst of deaths, a death bound with iron."

- an oracle of Apollo recorded by Porphyry, given in answer to a man’s question about what he could do to dissuade his wife from Christian belief.

"To say ‘pleasure’ is gentle on the ears, but to say ‘cross’ is harsh. The harshness of the latter word matches the pain brought on by the cross."

- Varro, a contemporary of Cicero, on the offensive word crux

"Can anyone be found who would prefer wasting away in pain dying limb by limb, or letting out his life drop by drop, rather than expiring once for all? Can any man be found willing to be fastened to the accursed tree, long sickly, already deformed, swelling with ugly weals on shoulders and chest, and drawing the breath of life amid long-drawn-out agony? He would have many excuses for dying even before mounting the cross."

- ancient description of the gradual death of victims of crucifixion 

1 Corinthians 4:6-17 STUDY GUIDE

The Text: 1 Corinthians 4:6–17 (ESV)

6 I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers, that you may
learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another.
7 For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?
8 Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! Without us you have become kings! And would that you did reign, so that we might share the rule with you!
9 For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, like men sentenced to death, because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men.
10 We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute.
11 To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless,
12 and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure;
13 when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the
refuse of all things.
14 I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children.
15 For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
16 I urge you, then, be imitators of me.
17 That is why I sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere in every church.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Paul and Apollos both obeyed ‘what was written’; not worldly wisdom or their own ideas. Paul hoped the Corinthians would develop this same humility; the humility of the servant. In general, the Greeks believed humility was a slave’s trait. It was a sign of weakness, not a haracteristic of being great (see, Plato Laws 6.774c). How do we counteract worldly notions of greatness in our own hearts? How do we develop the kind of biblical humility that Paul and Apollos possessed?


2. How do verses 6–13 speak to the attitudes and lifestyles of many modern Christians?
(Remember, the Corinthian Christians had a high view of themselves, believing that they
should live and be treated as kings, that the promises and blessings of heaven belonged to
them right now ; we might see it as an early form of “prosperity gospel”).


How should Christians instead expect their lives to be like if they want to truly follow Jesus,
according to verses 6-13? Given our tendencies to avoid difficulty at all costs, how can we
remain faithful to Jesus even in the face of the difficulties we will likely face?


3. 1 Corinthians 4:7 (and Romans 9:16) greatly influenced the theology of Augustine of Hippo.

Read over 1 Corinthians 4:7 again:

“For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?”

How does this verse impact your theology? How should this verse affect the way you think and speak?


4. “When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we entreat.”
Paul is reflecting the teachings of Jesus here (see Matthew 5:10-12 and 1 Peter 2:23). What are ways we can imitate Paul’s practices (even towards those who have hurt us)?


BONUS QUESTION
1 Corinthians 4:12 reflects the biblical emphasis on respect for manual labor. This was
devalued by Greek culture, including the Corinthians. Write 2-3 brief sentences about your view of this kind of labor and work in general. (If you desire further study on this, see Acts 18:3; 20:34; 1 Thessalonians 2:9; 2 Thessalonians 3:8; 1 Corinthians 9:6 and 2 Corinthians 11:7). Is your ‘theology of labor’ a biblical one? How is a willingness to do manual labor related to humility?


PERSONAL EXERCISE
List the names of people who have had the greatest spiritual impact on you. List a few Christ-like qualities about each. Take some time to pray for them and thank God for them. If you can, contact them and let them know!

1 Corinthians 4:1–5 STUDY GUIDE

1 Corinthians 4:1–5

1 This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.
2 Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.
3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself.
4 For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me.
5 Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. The word translated servants (hyperetas) in 1 Corinthians 4:1 stresses subordination and responsibility to a superior (it literally means ‘under rowers’ -galley slaves who rowed on the bottom level of a ship). Why is the fact that Christian leaders are under Christ important?
What does it say about the ways they should lead and the way we should respond to them?


2. Jesus told the disciples in Matthew 13:11 that the mysteries of the kingdom were given to
them. This means they were entrusted with some of ‘God’s secrets.’ There is a similar idea here
in 1 Corinthians 4:1. Although the focus is on Christian leaders, no doubt all Christians are entrusted with the Gospel. How should your life look if you know this? If you believe you have been entrusted with the Gospel message, what kinds of things should you do … and not do? What are some things you should spend time and money on if this is really true?


3. As stewards, ministers especially are entrusted with the mysteries of God (‘mystery’ here
refers to divine truth previously hidden). They are to teach and live them out. This means that
ministry is more than a mere profession, vocation or trade. It is a calling from God for stewardship! What are some incorrect ways we can think of ministry? Inversely, how should we see
those who labor among us as leaders?


4. 1 Corinthians 4:2 says “it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.” Biblically, what exactly does it mean to be faithful? What does a life of faithfulness look like? What is the significance that God desires trustworthiness more than any other quality when it comes to his preachers?


5. What are a few Bible passages you can use to help you have a more accurate understanding
about what Christian ministry is and isn’t? Please write them below as well as how they can
help you think more biblically about Christian ministry:


REFLECTION QUOTE

“A popular game played by many Christians is that of evaluating pastors. All kinds of crite-
ria are used to determine who are the most successful, the most influential, the most gifted,
the most effective. Some magazines periodically make surveys and write up extensive reports,
carefully ranking the pastors by church membership, attendance at worship services, sizes of
church staff and Sunday school, academic and honorary degrees, books and articles written,
numbers of messages given at conferences and conventions, and so on. As popular as that practice may be, it is exceedingly offensive to God. … Paul makes it dear that popularity, personality, degrees, and numbers play no role in the Lord’s perspective - and that they should play no role in ours.”

SOURCE: John MacArthur, 1 Corinthians (Chicago: Moody Press, 1996), 95-96.

1 Corinthians 4:6-17 STUDY GUIDE

1 Corinthians 4:6-17 STUDY GUIDE



The Text: 1 Corinthians 4:6–17 (ESV)

6 I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another. 7 For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it? 8 Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! Without us you have become kings! And would that you did reign, so that we might share the rule with you! 9 For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, like men sentenced to death, because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men. 10 We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute. 11 To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless, 12 and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; 13 when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things. 14 I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children. 15 For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. 16 I urge you, then, be imitators of me. 17 That is why I sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere in every church.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Paul and Apollos both obeyed ‘what was written’; not worldly wisdom or their own ideas. Paul hoped the Corinthians would develop this same humility; the humility of the servant. In general, the Greeks believed humility was a slave’s trait. It was a sign of weakness, not a characteristic of being great (see, Plato Laws 6.774c). How do we counteract worldly notions of greatness in our own hearts? How do we develop the kind of biblical humility that Paul and Apollos possessed?



2. How do verses 6–13 speak to the attitudes and lifestyles of many modern Christians? (Remember, the Corinthian Christians had a high view of themselves, believing that they should live and be treated as kings, that the promises and blessings of heaven belonged to them right now ; we might see it as an early form of “prosperity gospel”).


How should Christians instead expect their lives to be like if they want to truly follow Jesus, according to verses 6-13? Given our tendencies to avoid difficulty at all costs, how can we remain faithful to Jesus even in the face of the difficulties we will likely face?



3. 1 Corinthians 4:7 (and Romans 9:16) greatly influenced the theology of Augustine of Hippo. Read over 1 Corinthians 4:7 again: “For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?”


How does this verse impact your theology? How should this verse affect the way you think and speak?



4. “When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we entreat.” Paul is reflecting the teachings of Jesus here (see Matthew 5:10–12 and 1 Peter 2:23). What are ways we can imitate Paul’s practices (even towards those who have hurt us)?



BONUS QUESTION

1 Corinthians 4:12 reflects the biblical emphasis on respect for manual labor. This was devalued by Greek culture, including the Corinthians. Write 2-3 brief sentences about your view of this kind of labor and work in general. (If you desire further study on this, see Acts 18:3; 20:34; 1 Thessalonians 2:9; 2 Thessalonians 3:8; 1 Corinthians 9:6 and 2 Corinthians 11:7). Is your ‘theology of labor’ a biblical one? How is a willingness to do manual labor related to humility?



PERSONAL EXERCISE

List the names of people who have had the greatest spiritual impact on you. List a few Christ-like qualities about each. Take some time to pray for them and thank God for them. If you can, contact them and let them know!


REFLECTION QUOTES

Scum and dregs are synonyms and refer to scrapings or of scourings cleaned from a dirty dish or pot and then thrown away. The words were commonly used figuratively of the lowest, most degraded criminals, who often were sacrificed in pagan ceremonies. That is the way the world looked at the apostles. They were religious scum and dregs, and no better than the criminals like whom they were often treated.

It is not hard for believers to get along in the world as long as they keep the gospel to themselves. But if they preach, teach, and live God’s full Word, the world takes great offense. … The world will attempt to scour off and throw away anyone who boldly proclaims the Word.

- John MacArthur, 1 Corinthians



Many of us are well-to-do and comfortable, with little incentive to live in vibrant anticipation of Christ’s return. Our desire for the approval of the world often outstrips our desire for Jesus’ “Well done!” on the last day. The proper place to begin to change this deep betrayal of the gospel is at the cross – in repentance, contrition, and renewed passion not only to make the gospel of the crucified Messiah central in all our preaching and teaching, but [also] in our lives.

- D.A. Carson, The Cross and Christian Ministry: Leadership Lessons from 1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 3:18–23 STUDY GUIDE

THE TEXT : 1 Corinthians 3:18–23

18 Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.
19 For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,”
20 and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.”
21 So let no one boast in men. For all things are yours,
22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future — all are yours,
23 and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. In 1 Corinthians 3:19, Paul references Job 5:13, which says, “He catches the wise in their own craftiness, and the schemes of the wily are brought to a quick end.” How is this relevant to the following areas:

A) Paul’s argument -

B) Our current culture -

C) Your life and attitude -


2. Jeremiah 9:23–24 is another relevant Old Testament passage to this text ….

23 Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches,
24 but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.”

If the Corinthians (and by extension, our churches today!) really believed this, what would be different in the way they operate? What does it look like when God’s people live out these verses? What does it look like when we fail to do so?


3. Read the following two statements about unity and division:

“The proper view of ourselves, the godly and true view, is that apart from divine truth we are fools with empty thoughts. Recognizing this truth opens the door to true wisdom and closes the door to division.”

“We are tied together in an eternal oneness with God the Father and Jesus Christ, and thus with each other in them. How can men who are so much one, be divided? It begins with failure to understand the reality of our spiritual unity in the One who is our Possessor. With a common Possessor and possessions, common leaders and teachers, and common dependence on Scripture, there should be no cause for factions and disunity.”
(SOURCE: J. MacArthur, 1 Corinthians, 93.)


There are several good principles here which, if we apply, will lead to true unity in Christ’s Body and will help head off division at the pass. Please draw out 2-3 of these principles on unity and then elaborate/explain them below:


HINT: If you are having trouble with the exercise above, here are a few notes from the study Bible by the same commentator:

*all are yours (v. 22)—In Christ, all good and holy things are for believers’ blessing and for God’s glory. (see Ephesians 1:3; 2 Peter 1:3).

*Christ’s … God’s (v. 23)—Knowing that believers belong to Christ and therefore to each other is the greatest incentive for unity in the church (6:17; John 9:9–10, 21–23).


4. The five things that follow “Paul or Apollos or Cephas” in v.21 are the basic tyrannies of life, the things that we have least control over and which largely control us. Take some time to consider each of them through the following questions:

In what ways are people controlled by the world? By life? (i.e. our desire for life) By death? By the present? (i.e. the urgency of wanting things “now!”) By the future?

How does being in Christ free us from being controlled by each of these things and instead allows us to have control over them?


REFLECTION QUESTION
Read these comments by Matthew Henry on this passage. In the space after, jot down some of your thoughts on his thoughts. In short, what do you think about what he said here?

“Do not be led away from the truth and simplicity of the gospel by pretenders to science and eloquence, by a show of deep learning, or a flourish of words, by rabbis, orators, or philosophers. Note, We are in great danger of deceiving ourselves when we have too high an opinion of human wisdom and arts; plain and pure Christianity will be likely to be despised by those who can suit their doctrines to the corrupt taste of their hearers, and set them off with fine language, or support them with a show of deep and strong reasoning. But he who seems to be wise must become a fool that he may be wise. He must be sensible of his own ignorance, and lament it; he must distrust his own understanding, and not lean on it. To have a high opinion of our wisdom is but to flatter ourselves, and self-flattery is the very next step to self-deceit. The way to true wisdom is to sink our opinion of our own to a due level, and be willing to be taught of God.”

BONUS QUESTION
Does Christ’s subordination (properly understood) to the Father, which is seen in 3:23 (“you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s”) and later again in 1 Corinthians 15:28, mean He is not deity? If not, why not? Write out a brief outline of how you would interpret these verses in light of God’s triunity and the fact that Christ is co-eternal and co-equal with the Father.

1 Corinthians 3:5–17 STUDY GUIDE

THE TEXT: 1 Corinthians 3:5–17

5 What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each.
6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.
7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.
8 He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor.
9 For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.
10 According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it.
11 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw —
13 each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each
one has done.
14 If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward.
15 If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.
16 Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?
17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. From the factionalism surrounding certain personalities at this church (3:4-6), we can tell that the Corinthians reflected their secular world in evaluating their leaders in terms of their talents, privileges, or status. What are some of the ways the church in America does this? Are there ways in which you realize you have personally done this (be specific)?


How should we instead evaluate Christian leaders? (Note in particular how Paul describes himself and Apollos)


2. Reports of revival or numerically successful ministries sometimes give the credit to the leaders involved. Yet we see here that Paul gives all the glory to God alone (3:7). How can we cultivate this same attitude in both our congregations and our pastors? What are things we can do to make sure we are always pointing towards God and Jesus (again, be specific)?


3. What should 1 Corinthians 3:11 - 15 inform how a Christian leader builds up the church? What are some “bad materials” upon which to build a church? What are some “good materials” upon which to build a church? How should the foundation of Jesus Christ inform how we do church and how pastor-elders lead the church?


4. How should the fact that as member of a local church you make up “God’s holy temple” affect how you act as a member of the church? For example, how should it influence how you speak to and about other church members? How should it influence how you evaluate and participate in various church ministries? How should it influence your prayer life?


BONUS QUESTION:
How would you argue against a Roman Catholic who claims that 1 Corinthians 3:13-15 refers to purgatory?

1 Corinthians 3:1 – 4 STUDY GUIDE

1 Corinthians 3:1 – 4 STUDY GUIDE

THE TEXT

1 Corinthians 3:1–4 (ESV)

1 But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ.
2 I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready,
3 for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?
4 For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. In distinguishing the mature from infants, Paul intimates that it IS NOT what they “know”
that is different between them but rather that the mature use and apply what they know in
regards to the gospel. One could say the difference is between gospel behavior over and against mere gospel knowledge. Think about what you know about the gospel – please write down some of the ways and areas you know your behavior needs to be more in line with your knowledge:
.
.
.
.
.


2. Look over your list again. What is stopping you from living out a lifestyle that looks more
gospel-based? What are some the roadblocks, hurdles, and idols in the way? In short, can you discern the sin behind your sin?
.
.
.
.
.

3. Review both of your lists. Take these things before the Lord in prayer and create some
“action steps” towards real change! Write down some of your plan below and share it with
someone who will help hold you accountable…
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.
.
.
.

4. Galatians 5:13-26 has been called a “kindred text” to 1 Corinthians 2:10-3:4. Look it over,
draw some comparisons and write down some of the connections (and their importance) below.
.
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.
.

REFLECTION

Reflect and comment on this quote by Gordon Fee in regards to 1 Corinthians 3:3:

“Those who do not have the Spirit are ‘mere humans’; thus they consider the cross folly. At the same time their behavior stems from a merely human, thoroughly self-centered point of view. The Corinthians have the Spirit, but are behaving precisely like people who do not …. What is intolerable is to have received the Spirit … and to continue to live as though one were nothing more [than a ‘mere human’].”

BONUS QUESTION

Within these four verses lay both hope and a warning. What is the “hope” and what is the
“warning”?

1 Corinthians 2:1–5 STUDY GUIDE

1 Corinthians 2:1–5 STUDY GUIDE

1 And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom.
2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling,
4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,
5 so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. What does it mean “to know nothing…except Jesus Christ and him crucified”?

Why was Paul resolved to do this in Corinth?



2. Describe Paul’s view of preaching and teaching according to this passage.



3. In what ways has our celebrity culture (i.e. we like to set up people to be celebrities; we then glorify them or tear them down) influenced the church?

Why is a celebrity culture antithetical to a cross-shaped lifestyle?


4. What other things in our culture should we be aware of that would comprise the gospel’s
focus on Christ crucified?



5. How can we effectively relay (or “contextualize”) the gospel within our culture without
jeopardizing the essential message of the gospel? Or, to put it another way, how can you
better connect with the people in your life but do so with a firm commitment to a cross
-shaped life?



6. Do you pray that you might proclaim the gospel in such a way that people’s faith would
come as a result of a “demonstration of the Spirit and of power”?

Take some time now to pray that the Lord would give you (and our church) the kind of words and life that would result in many people believing in Christ because they have seen his power and been changed by his Spirit through your proclamation of Christ.

The Gospel and Trans-racial Adoption

The Gospel and Trans-racial Adoption

Check out DAN CRUVER giving props to Dennae who gave props to Vermon!

http://www.togetherforadoption.org/?p=12347

Reddit Andrews sermon about the Christian artist

Below is a link from the Roots conference. Really good stuff! Enjoy!

If the link doesn't work, try copying it.

http://soundandpound.org/files/Reddit_Andrews_III-The_Citizenship_of_the_Christian_Artist.mp3

Pass it on...

Catalyst @Sound and Pound3 [video]

Catalyst "OUR GOD!"

Sound & Pound 3 - November 2011

TODAY & TOMORROW!!!



music by iSix:5 - Great Name

Sound & Pound 3 - Urban Ministry Conference

FRIDAY November 5, 2011



http://www.youtube.com/user/soundandpound3

1 Corinthians 2:6-16_Study Guide

THE TEXT - 1 Corinthians 2:6–16 (ESV)

6Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers ofthis age, who are doomed to pass away. 7But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which Goddecreed before the ages for our glory. 8None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had,they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor earheard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”— 10these thingsGod has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.11For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no onecomprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12Now we have received not the spirit of theworld, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. 13Andwe impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritualtruths to those who are spiritual. 14The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, forthey are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 15Thespiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. 16“For who has understood themind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Up to this point in 1 Corinthians, Paul had emphasized the “foolishness” of the gospel but in 2:6, he begins talking about the gospel as the wisdom of God. Why the change? List a few reasons you think why Paul made this transition in his argumentation and why it was important for him to do this.

2. Why would “the rulers of this age” think it strange – even foolish - to call someone who was crucified “The Lord of Glory”?

3. Do you think Paul recognizes that the world would see this title in regards to Christ as odd and silly? What is one factor in Paul’s theological equation that makes all the difference in the world in this regard (HINT: Peter expresses this missing ingredient well in Acts 2:31-32)? Another way to put it is, what event would allow Paul to call someone who was crucified the Lord of Glory?


4. The word Spirit appears 6 times in the span of 5 verses here (2:10-14) – what does this tell us about the fundamental theme to this whole passage? How does the Spirit help us according to this passage? Why is this important to realize and appreciate?


REFLECTION
Reflect and comment on this quote from the Pillar Commentary on 1 Corinthians (Ciampa & Rosner, 2010):

“The Spirit does not impart wisdom out of thin air, for the Spirit and the cross go together. The mind of Christ is not exercised by thinking about nothing. Rather, those who are spiritual habitually turn to the cross (2:8), as Paul did in the face of divisions in Corinth in 1:18-2:5. For the cross is where we find Christ’s mind-set on such behavior.”

‘BONUS’ QUESTION
What are the thematic and topical connections between Matthew 16:16-17 and our passage (1 Corinthians 2:6-16)?

1 Corinthians 3:1-4_SERMON NOTES

TITLE: “Spiritual People”

INTRODUCTION
The War of 1812 is often overlooked but some interesting events took place during this conflict between the United States and Great Britain. For example, the White House was burned and ransacked by British troops – leading to the heroics of the First Lady, Dolly Madison, running into the flames to save as many paintings as she could. This is also when Francis Scott Key composed The Star Spangled Banner and when the coalition put together by the influential Shawnee chief named Tecumseh was defeated by William Henry Harrison. This was also the last military skirmish between these two nations which went on to become the closest of allies.
           
Postwar fighting
One particularly key battle during this war was called The Battle of New Orleans. It was hailed as a great victory for the U.S., making Andrew Jackson a national hero and eventually propelling him to the presidency. Here’s what happened - British forces under Edward Pakenham assaulted New Orleans on Jan. 8, 1815, and were soundly defeated by Andrew Jackson's ragtag army, an event that contributed to the notion of a U.S. triumph.

The British appeared off Mobile on February 8, confirming Jackson's fear that they planned an attack in that quarter. They overwhelmed Fort Bowyer, a garrison manned by 360 Regulars at the entrance to Mobile Harbor. Before they could attack the city itself, word arrived that a treaty had been signed at Ghent on Christmas Eve, two weeks before the Battle of New Orleans.

The Battle of New Orleans was a smashing American victory, as the British suffered 2,000 casualties: 291 dead (including Pakenham and his second and third in command); 1262 wounded, and 484 captured or missing. The Americans had 71 casualties: 13 dead, 39 wounded, and 19 missing. The commissioners signed a treaty on Dec. 24, 1814 - the Treaty of Ghent. 2 weeks before!

>SEE PICTURE ILLUSTRATIONS HERE… I use these to illustrate that even though the war is over, sanctification is still a process of spiritual mop-up battles

MAIN OUT LINE: THE SIX NAMES PAUL CALLS THE CORINTHIANS …

1.      Brothers (v.1a)

2.      Spiritual People (v.1b)

3.      People of the flesh (v.1c)

4.      Infants in Christ (v.1d)

5.      Of the Flesh (v.3)

6.      Merely human (v.4)

THE TEXT - 1 Corinthians 3:1–4

VERSE 1 (4 names!)

1^ST Name - Brothers (v.1a)

2^ND Name - Spiritual People (v.1b)

Spiritual men (pneumatikos) – the mature who are God-centered as opposed to being self-centered
πνευματικοι [pneumatikoi]. Spiritual persons are those Christians in whom the Spirit has really become the fundamental power of life Galatians 6:1 and they are the opposite of persons directed by the spirit of the world Ephesians 2:2. They show true maturity by the readiness to respond to the implications of the word of the Cross for life together.

Read Romans 8:4–9; 12-17 

3^RD Name - People of the flesh (v.1c)

v. 1 (made) of flesh (sarkinoi) - σαρκινοι [sarkinoi]. flesh equals human nature apart from God

4^TH Name - Infants in Christ (v.1d)

Babes (nepiois) - babes (νηπιοι [nēpioi]), not adults (τελειοι [teleioi])

“Instead of mature behavior characterized by humility and concern for others—obedience to God—the Corinthians were infantile, self-centered, and therefore divisive (v. 4; cf. 1:12). They wanted lives of exaltation (4:8) without lives of humiliation (4:9-13) because they did not understand that “Christ … crucified” was a message concerned not only with justification but also with sanctification (cf. Phil. 2:1-8).” ^- The Bible Knowledge Commentary .

milk is ‘missionary preaching’ - not ‘crossless’ preaching 2.2

See 1 Corinthians 13:11 and 1 Corinthians 14:20

VERSE 2 (NO NAMES)

“For Paul the gospel of the crucified one is both “milk” and “solid food”. As milk it is the good news of salvation; as solid food it is understanding that the entire Christian life is predicated on the same reality … thus the Corinthians do not need a change in diet but a change in perspective.”

Read Hebrews 5:11–14; 6:1-2
                                        *Not even infantile Christianity is  non-doctrinal!

Flesh = unredeemed human nature. 1 ½ year stay, Apollos came, the first letter – 3 years later.

VERSE 3 (1 NAME)

5^TH Name - Of the Flesh (v.3)

Rom. 7:14 Paul says, “I am fleshen (σαρκινος [sarkinos]) sold under sin,” as if σαρκινος [sarkinos] represented the extreme power of the σαρξ [sarx]. v.3 ruled dominated by the flesh (sarkikoi) - σαρκικοι [sarkikoi] (carnal)

VERSE 4 (1 NAME)

6^TH Name - Merely human (v.4)

Ordinary men, Merely men - *but not psychikoi (natural) ψυχικοι [psuchikoi] (unregenerate).” Are you not living from the old point of view – where the cross is folly and  life is self-centered…

“It is not true  [that there are unspiritual Christians] in the sense that the Spirit is the crucial factor in whether one is or is not a believer; one cannot be a Christian and be devoid of the Spirit (Romans 8.8, Galatians 3.2-3, Titus 3.5-7). On the other hand, the Corinthians are involved in a lot of unchristian behavior; in that sense they are “unspiritual”, not because they lack the Spirit but because they are thinking and living just like those who do.”

Read James 3:13–18

Read Galatians 5:13–26                            NOTE *15 items, 6  w/divisions!

CONCLUSION - “nothing hinders great preaching like the dulness caused by sin on the part of auditors who are impatient with the high demands of the gospel” ^- A.T. Robertson, W P N T

“The Crucified Lord” - 1 Corinthians 2:6-16_SERMON NOTES

THEME: Paul’s solution to the divisions at Corinth is to
A) knock down human pride based on human earthly wisdom
B) point them towards the Crucified Lord and its implications

INTRO - 'ALEXAMENOS WORSHIPS HIS GOD'
3^rd ct. graffito (barely visible etching in a wall).  Monte Palatino, Rome. Part of a wall from the Imperial School for slave boys on the Palatine Hill (1 of 7 hills of Rome). Salvaged in the 1857. Overlooks the Colosseum (built by Jewish slaves), the Circus Maximus, and the Roman Forums. Alexamenos may have been a Jewish convert to Christianity and may even have been a martyr under Valerian. Antiquarium Museum in Rome.

The Wisdom of God is NOT …                                                    BUT

-Doomed to pass away (2:6)                                                       -Decreed before the ages (2:7)*

1 Corinthians 2:6 Yet among the mature (teleios) 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.

              
 TWO KINDS OF WISDOM - James 3:13–17 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. ¹⁴ But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. ¹⁵ This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. ¹⁶ For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. ¹⁷ But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.

* THE WISDOM OF GOD WAS FOREORDAINED (2:7) AND PREPARED BY GOD (2:9).

1 Corinthians 2:7 But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory.

For our glory? Resurrection, glorification and the eternal state! How? Jesus is the Lord of Glory and he shares with us.

Read Ephesians 1:4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love ⁵ he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, ⁶ to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

The Wisdom of God is NOT …                                                    BUT

-What the rulers this age knew (2:8)                                      -What God makes known (2:10)

1 Corinthians 2:8 None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

“There can scarcely be a statement in Scripture that the cross was no unfortunate historical accident; a mere act of bravery or political martyrdom later turned to good account.” – Thiselton

Read Acts 4:27–28 for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, ²⁸ to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.

READ Acts 13:26–31 “Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation. ²⁷ For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. ²⁸ And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. ²⁹ And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. ³⁰ But God raised him from the dead, ³¹ and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people.” (Paul in the synagogue at Pisidian Antioch)

The Lord of Glory does not mean the Lord who doles or dishes out glory to people nor does it merely mean the glorious Lord but rather it means “the Lord to whom glory belongs” or “the Lord who is characterized by glory”.

1 Corinthians 2:9 But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”—

                Read Isaiah 64:4 From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him.

                “Every possible earthly source of wisdom is excluded, making it impossible for mortals, no matter how creative or innovative, to imagine what God has prepared. The eye, ear, and heart are organs of cognition in Semitic imagery. These things did not come from empirical sources (eye has not seen), traditional knowledge passed on in community (ear has not heard), or intuitive insight (heart has not conceived), nor is it accessible to them” (Kaiser, 1981).

1 Corinthians 2:10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.

                Read Matthew 16:15–17 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” ¹⁶ Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” ¹⁷ And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.

                Read 1 Corinthians 12:3 Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.

                Read Romans 11:33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

“God’s wisdom and knowledge (33) refer particularly to the revelation of his purposes in Christ (Eph. 3:5, 10; Col. 2:3). These purposes, as Paul has shown in chs. 9–11, are being worked out in the context of a historical process involving both Jews and Gentiles. … Confronted with this sovereign and wise God, our response can only be Paul’s: To him be the glory for ever!” - Douglas J. Moo, New Bible Commentary.

The Wisdom of God is NOT …                                                    BUT

-What the world offers (2:12a)                                                  -What the Spirit of God gives (2:12b)

1 Corinthians 2:11 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.

“It is not simply that just as individuals have private thoughts not known to others, God has private thoughts too, rather, if human things are known only to human knowers, divine things are known only to God’s Spirit” – (PW Gooch, 1987).

                “The point of the analogy does not turn on human spirit within/divine spirit within, but on the possession of an exclusive initiative to reveal one’s thoughts, counsels, stance, attitudes, intentions, or whatever else is ‘within’ in the sense of hidden from the public domain, not in the sense of location” – Thistelton

Gordon Clark: ‘the idea … in 2:11 [is] no one by natural theology can know the thoughts of God’

1 Corinthians 2:12 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.

A QUICK NOTE … Athanasius (296-373), in his letter to Serapion, asserted the deity of the Holy Spirit from 1 Cor. 2:10-16, especially this verse because it can be translated/understood as “the Spirit who issues from God” and He –unlike creatures- also knows the thoughts of God. (Basil of Caesarea (330-379) follows him in this.

 MAIN CONTRAST … Greek culture missed out on the gulf between the divine and human. Eg …Quotes from Philo plus 3 Roman Stoics: Epictetus (55-135), Seneca (1-65), Marcus Aurelius (121-180)

The Wisdom of God is NOT …                                                    BUT

-What is taught by human wisdom (2:13a)                           -What is taught by the Spirit (2:13b)

1 Corinthians 2:13 And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. (pneumatikos)

                Gordon Clark says: “this passage shows clearly that spiritual matters can be explained in words”

           
    Every Christian is a spiritual person, as they are led and empowered by the Holy Spirit. This means spiritual people live and walk according to the Holy Spirit.

The Wisdom of God is NOT …                                                    BUT

-What natural humans can accept/understand (2:14)        -What the Spirit enables one to discern/judge (2:14)

1 Corinthians 2:14 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.

Read Romans 8:7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.

EXAMPLES: Paul a babbler in Acts 17:8. Gallio thought the Jewish/Paul dispute was silly talk in Acts 18:15. Festus thought Paul was insane in Acts 26:24.

Origen (185-254), in his commentary, says the reason why the natural person does not receive the things of the Spirit is that “unless the Spirit opens the words of the prophets, the things which are [otherwise] locked up cannot be opened”.

                John Chrysostom’s (347-407) Analogy: the natural person who does not receive the things of the Spirit of God IS LIKE someone with perfect vision who is trying to see into the dark – to such a one the Spirit of God must bring  light to enable them to see – otherwise they are incapable, no matter how good their “eyesight”.

1 Corinthians 2:15 The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one.

‘There are depths and dimensions to life in the Spirit which the person who lives on an entirely human level simply cannot fathom. Aspects of Christian existence remain an enigma’ (Thiselton) … the natural man cannot adequately judge what makes the Christian what they are.

The unspiritual person INVALIDLY misjudges the cross as foolishness; believers as fools

1 Corinthians 2:16 “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.  

READ Isaiah 40:13–14 Who has measured  [or, who has directed] the Spirit of the Lord, or what man shows him his counsel? ¹⁴ Whom did he consult, and who made him understand? Who taught him the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding?

                No human knows the mind of God apart from revelation. No one can serve as God’s advisor. No one gives anything to God. Everything that humans have is a gift from God.

                See Philippians 2:5! The mind of Christ refers to Christ’s obedience! See also 2 Cor. 5:15.

To have the mind of Christ means to put to death selfish ambition, be humble and give of yourself!
God’s wisdom (2.7) and the mind of Christ refer to the cross applied to everyday life!

Final question: what does the wisdom of the age think about Jesus? A CRUCIFIED (false) Messiah. Crucifixion equals punishment for wrong doing. Failed Messiah, a Messianic pretender. Calling him The Lord of Glory is FOOLISHNESS to the wisdom of this age. But the resurrection!