Hope For The Nations, Lesson 6, Fall 2006

1 Corinthians 2:1-5

  • The Messenger – Paul.
    • “determined not to know anything” (v. 2).  Compare with Acts 22:3; Galatians 1:14; Philippians 3:3-7.  
    • “in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling” (v. 3)
    • Personal Note:  In honesty, I, Brian Holda, feel I have not understood the power of the Cross and working of The Lord as deeply as Paul did when he wrote this letter to the church at Corinth.  I must confess that many times, unlike Paul here, I am resolved to know everything and prove to everyone that I know everything.  I often try to speak with great confidence, strength, and fearlessness, when the message of the Cross is to “put no confidence in the flesh” (Philippians 3:3).  Many times I feel that I am like Jacob, running and scheming and grasping in my own strength, when Paul, here, talks more like Israel who limped after a personal touch with God (see Genesis 32:25-31).  For these reasons, I feel completely inadequate to teach the power of the Cross, but I feel a burden from the Lord to teach it nonetheless, and I trust that God will get the message through in His own way.  
  • The Method
    • Not by great preaching, but “with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power” (v. 4).  See also Romans 15:18-19 and Hebrews 2:3-4.
      • Though we may not know the precise “demonstrations” of the Spirit’s power that Paul is referring to here in 1 Corinthians, we do know of some of the experiences Paul had with the power of the Holy Spirit.  Here are a few of many:
        • Acts 9:18 – Healed from blindness and filled with the Spirit 
        • 1 Corinthians 14:18 – Spoke in tongues (languages that are not learned by human intellect)
        • Acts 22:17-18 – Vision of Jesus
        • Acts 19:11-12 – Miraculous healings and deliverances by Paul’s handkerchief (“unusual miracles” v. 11)
        • Acts 20:9-11 – Raised Eutychus from the dead
    • Example set forth by our brothers and sisters in China: “Among China’s house churches we estimate as many as 80% of believers [perhaps 70,000,000] first come to Jesus because they receive a miraculous healing or deliverance from the Lord.  They give their lives unreservedly to God in response.” – Back To Jerusalem
  • The Message
    • “Jesus Christ…” (v. 2).  Last semester, Hope For The Nations focused on teaching who Jesus Christ is – “Knowing Jesus”; “Knowing Jesus as Lord”; “Knowing Jesus as Savior”; “Knowing Jesus as Mediator”; “Knowing Jesus as Our Only Desire”; etc.
    • “…and Him crucified” (v. 2).  We must go on to know the power of His suffering.

How do we receive this message?

  • Acts 17:10-11
  1. Receive the teaching with great eagerness.
  2. Search out Scriptures daily to see if the teaching is truth.