God’s Deep Secrets

Speaker: Ryan Bramlett

John 1:23 NLT - I am a voice shouting in the
wilderness, Clear the way for the Lord’s coming!

1 Corinthians 2:1-5 NLT - When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters, I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan. For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified. I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling. And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God.

KEEP THE EMPHASIS ON THE STORY, NOT THE STORYTELLER

1 Corinthians 2:6-7 NLT - Yet when I am among mature believers, I do speak with words of wisdom, but not the kind of wisdom that belongs to this world or to the rulers of this world, who are soon forgotten. No, the wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God—his plan that was previously hidden, even though he made it for our ultimate glory before the world began.

1 Corinthians 2:8-10a NLT - But the rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would not have crucified our glorious Lord. That is what the Scriptures mean when they say,
“No eye has seen, no ear has heard,
and no mind has imagined
what God has prepared
for those who love him.”
But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit.

Your faith isn’t just for your future self

1 Corinthians 2:10b-12 NLT - For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.

God has decided to share His deep secrets with us

The Bible extends a standing invitation to anyone who wants to come and know God

Do you pray like you’re desperate to hear the deepest secrets of God?

1 Corinthians 2:13a NLT - When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom.

THE WISDOM OF THE WORLD IS FOREVER CHANGING

THE WISDOM OF GOD IS FOREVER TRUE

1 Corinthians 2:13b-15 NLT - Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths. But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them, and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things, but they themselves cannot be evaluated by others.

The world’s wisdom appraised the message of the cross and said it wasn’t worth it

Don’t cheapen the message of the cross in an effort to sell Jesus

You can place a high value on the message of the cross with how you live

BE COMPASSIONATE AND PRAYERFUL WHEN PEOPLE SAY THE COST IS TOO HIGH

MATTHEW 13:44 NLT - The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field.

1 Corinthians 2:16b NLT - But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.