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Guidance
(1 Corinthians 2:1-16)
Yearly Theme: “Goodness is… Glorious”
Series Title: “Beyond the Noise”
November 10th, 2024

Something to think about:

As we learn the spiritual disciplines of spending time alone in solitude and silence, we begin to learn and discern the presence of GOD. We don’t necessarily learn this through feelings and emotions, but by discerning the reality of GOD’s presence as we quiet ourselves before Him and bring all that we are and all that He is into complete focus. Jon Bloom, in his book, Desiring God, writes, “God designed your emotions to be gauges, not guides. They’re meant to report to you, not dictate to you. The pattern of your emotions (not every caffeine-induced or sleep-deprived one!) will give you a reading on where your hope is because they are wired into what you believe and value – and how much.”

Once we learn to reorient our lives to the reality of GOD’s presence, we are then able to receive GOD’s guidance. Ruth Haley Barton – regarding being in GOD’s presence – explains that,

“[It’s] only when we know the love of God in a deep, experiential way that we can truly be open and receptive to his will. Without this knowing it is hard to listen openly for the still, small voice of God, because we are afraid of what we may hear. We’re afraid we may hear the voice of a killjoy God who is just looking for a chance to force us into doing what we most dread. When it comes right down to it, many of us do not believe that God’s intentions toward us are deeply good; instead we live in fear that if we trusted him, he might withhold something good from us. …

“When we are settled in God’s love at the core of our being, the waters of the sold become much clearer. We glimpse a more authentic self with truer and more essential gifts to bring to the world than those wrestled out of the unconscious striving of the false self. These gifts come from our created essence, the self that God knew and saw and formed for a purpose that existed before the foundation of the world (Ps 139). We learn to recognize the gifts and dynamics of the authentic self because they are qualitatively different from those that come primarily from human striving; they come forth in peace and humility and strength to meet the deep needs of our world. When we grow quiet enough to notice the differences between these two aspects of ourselves, true spiritual guidance can begin to unfold in our life.”[1]

Let’s explore a passage from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians in the New Testament to explore what it means to seek and to have the guidance of GOD:


[1] Ruth Haley Barton, Invitation to Solitude and Silence, (InterVarsity Press: Downers Grove, Illinois; 2010), 116-117.

It must be noted that before we get into practical application of this passage there is a historical framework that has been taken out of context in our day. Often used as a nice verse for graduates, Theologian Christopher Writes explains:

“Jeremiah 29:11 probably ranks as one of the most quoted and most claimed promises of the Bible. It is found in countless text calendars, pretty pictures, and sacred ornaments. It is rightly trusted as a very precious word of assurance from God. But do we take note of its context? This is a surprising word of hope to a people who stood under God’s judgment. It is not a glib happy feeling: ‘God’s going to be nice to us all, me especially’ (we should note that the ‘you’ is plural, not individual—this is primarily a promise to the people as a whole). It is rather the robust affirmation that even in and through the fires of judgment there can be hope in the grace and goodness of God. That is God’s ultimate plan and purpose. The promise stands firm, but it does not preclude or neutralize judgment. Rather it presupposes but transcends judgment.”[1]

Having taken note of that, let’s now consider the timeless nature of GOD’s message in this passage. As He instructs and encourages His people during a time of judgment, GOD also does for His people today. This leads us to our key point…

Key Point: “To experience the pure presence of GOD, we must seek Him with our whole heart.”

How can we truly experience the pure presence of GOD? Let’s break this down further:


[1] Wright, Christopher J. H. 2014. The Message of Jeremiah: Grace in the End. Edited by Alec Motyer and Derek Tidball. The Bible Speaks Today. Nottingham, England: Inter-Varsity Press.

Key Point: “Unless we come to the point in life where GOD is our primary desire, we will never be open enough to receive His guidance and direction.”

So let’s unpack what GOD’s guidance looks like:

· Guidance not _____________________.

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. 2 For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling. 4 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. 5 I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God.

· Guidance with _____________________.

1 Corinthians 2:6-9 (NLT), 6 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. 7 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. 8 But the rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would not have crucified our glorious Lord. 9 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.”

· Guidance by the ______________ ______________.

1 Corinthians 2:10-16 (NLT), 10 But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. 11 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. 12 And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.
13 When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths. 14 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. 15 Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things, but they themselves cannot be evaluated by others. 16 For,
“Who can know the Lord’s thoughts?
Who knows enough to teach him?”
But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.

It’s not until we come to the end of ourselves, and see ourselves as GOD sees us, that we are then capable and able to truly receive guidance from GOD.

In 1 Corinthians 2:1-16, Paul tells the Church at Corinth that nothing else matters except the knowledge that Jesus Christ died for us.No other knowledge can save us, and in no other name is salvation to be found.When this becomes the defining priority in our life, we are then open to hear, believe, and embrace all that GOD has to say.Are you willing to hear, believe, and embrace all that GOD has to say?

Ruth Haley Barton in her book Invitation to Solitude and Silence, explains that “Beyond formulaic approaches designed to harness GOD for our purposes, [in solitude and silence with GOD] we learn to relinquish control and simply be present to the One whose presence is the bedrock of our being.Given time, we experience that loving Presence as our ultimate reality.We learn in the very cells of our being that this Reality never changes; it is only that our awareness of it is sometimes dulled by the noise and clutter of life.”Are you at a place in your life where GOD is the ever-present reality of your life?

One final thing Barton explains about GOD’s guidance received during out time of solitude and silence with Him is that “The aim of our search for guidance is not merely to improve our own life; it is to enhance our participation in GOD’s work in ways that are congruent with our truest self in GOD.”What is your truest self in GOD and are you participating in GOD’s work in that truest self?

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