How can we grow and gain wisdom in life? How can we understand how the message preached on Sunday should impact our lives Monday through Saturday? The answer is the Holy Spirit. God granted us a great and precious gift when He indwelt us with His Spirit. In 1 Corinthians 2, Paul reveals that the Holy Spirit enables us to understand God’s wisdom in a way an unbeliever cannot. Take a moment and read 1 Corinthians 2:6-16.

In verses 6-12, Paul tells us that wisdom is discovered through the Holy Spirit. The mature in these verses refers to believers who have placed their faith in Christ. They get this wisdom that even rulers cannot comprehend. If they did, they would never have crucified Jesus. Believers gain this secret, hidden wisdom of God. This wisdom is the ability to view the world as God views it. To see all that is happening around us and in our lives through the lens of God’s eternal plan. True wisdom recognized that God’s plan was decreed in times past and would take place.

This wisdom cannot be gained through any human means. The spirit of this world cannot reveal to us the truth of God. We cannot come to God’s wisdom through experience or intuition. Instead, this wisdom comes from the Holy Spirit, who reveals to us God’s truth in God’s Word. These things have been revealed to us by the Spirit’s inspiration in the Bible and opened to us through His illumination in our hearts.

This illumination takes place through God’s Word. This is why we (like Paul) teach with the Word of God, not our own words (v. 13). Because God designed true wisdom for life to be gleaned from His Word by His Spirit. So every situation, every decision, every desire should be filtered through the truth of God’s Word. The tool that God’s Spirit uses to grow you and give you wisdom is God’s Word.

The Sunday sermon is vital, then, for it is in that proclamation that we see God’s wisdom laid before us. Therefore, you must take that sacred time seriously. Throughout the week, you should ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand and rightly apply the message presented. You should spend time on Sunday (even while you are listening to the sermon) to ask the Holy Spirit to illuminate God’s Work in your heart.

But understand that this idea is contrary to those who don’t have the Holy Spirit. They hear God’s Word and find it foolish. This is also a good test of life for ourselves. If we don’t love God’s Word and find it foolish, we should question if we are of the faith. If we do love God’s Word, don’t be surprised when unbelievers don’t accept the wisdom you find there. They don’t have the Holy Spirit, so they can’t.

In summary, you need to rely on the Holy Spirit to understand God’s wisdom in His Word. Spend time during the week preparing your heart in prayer to receive God’s Word on Sunday. Spend time on Sunday asking God to help you understand. When you begin this habit, you will discover that the Holy Spirit reveals to you things you never understood before.