Wild Goose Chase: The Illumination of the Spirit
Series: Welcome Holy Spirit
Michael W. Thompson, Pastoral Teaching Team
Faith Fellowship – July 9-10, 2022
1 Corinthians 2:6-16 (NIV)
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 declare God’s wisdom, a mystery 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. 9 However, as it is written:
“What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”— the things God has prepared for those who love him— 10 these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.
The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11 For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so 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, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words.
14 The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.
15 The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, 16 for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
Wild Goose: An Geadh-Glas, a Celtic Christian picture of Holy Spirit.
Characteristics of Holy Spirit:
Wild Traits: Passionate; Adventurous; Creative; Spontaneous; Untamable
Wild Nature: God’s Spirit is power and blows not merely like a gentle breeze but at times like a raging wind. “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” (John 3:8)
Wild Action: God’s Spirit in Acts—Acted as fire & wind; released healing and deliverance; translated people instantly; shook buildings; broke into jails; caused rebellious people to drop dead; gave multiple dreams and visions.
Wild Heart: “Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us?” (James 4:5)
• “The spirit that God placed in us is filled with fierce desires.” (GNT)
• “The Spirit which He has caused to dwell in our hearts yearns jealously over us”? (Weymouth)
The late Irish poet John O’ Donohue remarks, “I think there is a wonderful danger in God that we have totally forgotten. Because one of the things humanoids like to do is they like to bring in the tamers to tame their deities.”
I am convinced, that was Jesus’ picture of Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit was the major topic of conversation during the last meal Jesus ate with His disciples.
The promises He made should give us goose bumps!
• John 14:16-17—And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
• John 14:26; 15:26—But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you…When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me.
• John 16:13-14—But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you.
According to Jesus, then, Holy Spirit’s primary role is to release the life and mind of Christ into us. He illuminates–lights up our hearts and minds–with the reality and truth of Jesus.
Paul unpacks how and what is made known as we have access to the mind of Christ by the Holy Spirit. He shows us why the illumination of the Spirit is so important:
He knows the secrets of the Kingdom
(I Cor 2:6-10a)
Kingdom wisdom vs. cultural relevance.
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. (v6)
• MSG: “not popular wisdom, the fashionable wisdom of high-priced experts that will be out-of-date in a year or so.”
Hidden in history.
No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery 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. (vv 7-8)
• MSG: God’s wisdom is something mysterious that goes deep into the interior of his purposes.
Revealed in hearts.
However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”—the things God has prepared for those who love him—these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. (vv 9-10a)
• MSG: you’ve seen and heard it because God by his Spirit has brought it all out into the open before you.
• JBP: God has, through the Spirit, let us share his secret.
• TPT: God now unveils these profound realities to us by the Spirit.
He Invites Us To Explore Mystery.
He understands the heart of the Father.
(I Cor 2:10b-12)
Heart to heart.
The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. (v10b)
• MSG: The Spirit, not content to flit around on the surface, dives into the depths of God, and brings out what God planned all along.
• TPT: he has revealed to us his inmost heart and deepest mysteries through the Holy Spirit, who constantly explores all things.
Heart of God for you.
For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. (v11)
Heart of God in you.
What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. (v12)
• TPT: the Spirit of God, so that we might come to understand and experience all that grace has lavished upon us.
He Invites Us To Experience Intimacy.
He reveals the mind of Christ.
(1 Cor 2:13-16)
Real reality.
This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. (v 13)
Senseless reason.
• The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. (v14)
• JBP: the unspiritual man simply cannot accept the matters which the Spirit deals with—they just don’t make sense to him, for, after all, you must be spiritual to see spiritual things.
Reasonable sense.
The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (vv15-16)
• JBP: The spiritual man, on the other hand, has an insight into the meaning of everything, though his insight may baffle the man of the world.
• MSG: Spirit can be known only by spirit—God’s Spirit and our spirits in open communion.
He Invites Us To Exhibit Reality.
Conclusion: Psalm 24:14, “The LORD confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.” (There’s a private place reserved for the devoted lovers of Yahweh, where they sit near him and receive the revelation-secrets of his promises. TPT)
God collaborates with us so we can co-labor with Him. He speaks from His heart so we can have that heart. Holy Spirit’s main communication from The Trinity is invitation…come. (“The Spirit and the bride say come…” Revelation 22:17)
Holy Spirit is always communicating…the issue for us is tuning our receivers. Apart from God’s Spirit we cannot know spiritual things.
Basics for tuning the receiver:
1. He will sound like the Book–so get familiar.
2. He can speak in many ways–so be flexible.
3. He will shape you like Jesus—so learn focus.
4. He will spur you to action–so walk free.