2019 - 02 - 17 Claiming Our Identity - A Wisdom Church By The Rev Bethany Peerbolte

This sermon is given by guest minister the Rev. Bethany Peerbolte of First Presbyterian Church, Birmingham, Michigan to the congregation at Greenfield Presbyterian Church, Berkley, MI and is based on scripture found in the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) Holy Bible in as written in Proverbs 2:1-6 of the Old Testament and I Corinthians 2:1-13 of the New Testament. Proverbs 2:1-6 The Value of Wisdom 2 My child, if you accept my words and treasure up my commandments within you, 2 making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; 3 if you indeed cry out for insight, and raise your voice for understanding; 4 if you seek it like silver, and search for it as for hidden treasures— 5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. 6 For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; 1 Corinthians 2:1-13 Proclaiming Christ Crucified 2 When I came to you, brothers and sisters,[a] I did not come proclaiming the mystery[b] of God to you in lofty words or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. 3 And I came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. 4 My speech and my proclamation were not with plausible words of wisdom,[c] but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God. The True Wisdom of God 6 Yet among the mature we do speak wisdom, though it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to perish. 7 But we speak God’s wisdom, secret and hidden, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the human heart conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him”— 10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 11 For what human being knows what is truly human except the human spirit that is within? So also no one comprehends what is truly God’s except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God. 13 And we speak of these things in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to those who are spiritual.[d] Footnotes: [a] 1 Corinthians 2:1 Gk brothers [b] 1 Corinthians 2:1 Other ancient authorities read testimony [c] 1 Corinthians 2:4 Other ancient authorities read the persuasiveness of wisdom [d] 1 Corinthians 2:13 Or interpreting spiritual things in spiritual language, or comparing spiritual things with spiritual