Hidden wisdom- Christian, you will likely be mocked by unbelievers for believing the "foolishness" of the gospel. Spiritual mysteries can only be understood by human intellect through revelation from the Holy Spirit.

The power of God- Our responsibility is to bring Christ to men. Only God can bring men to Christ. Paul was determined to deliver the message of Christ crucified to the world by the leading of the Spirit. The power is in the message, not the persuasiveness of the messenger.

The foolishness of God- Paul reminded the Corinthian church that the cross of Jesus Christ was not just a superior philosophy. It may seem like foolishness to the world, but the message of the cross is the answer to the greatest need of all humanity. It is the power of God.

First things first- There was a litany of issues in the Corinthian church that Paul needed to address. What was the first thing he exhorted them about? Divisions in the church. Paul knew that one of the things God hates is "one who sows discord among brethren."

First to the Corinthians- The church at Corinth was a church infected by the pagan culture that surrounded it. The Holy Spirit has much to say through this letter to the modern-day church, which has also been heavily influenced by the immorality of the current culture.

The wages of sin- When "every man does what's right in his own eyes" God can't just sit back because He is holy and righteous. God graciously brought the civil war between Benjamin and the rest of the tribes of Israel to an end, but only after much death and bloodshed. God must judge sin.

Taking the wrong side- Early in the days of the judges, a civil war was ready to break out between the tribe of Benjamin and the rest of Israel because Benjamin decided to defend wicked men. Why would Benjamin stubbornly stand up for such sinful behavior?

What else do I have?- The enemy would love for you to become content with a life seeking to satisfy fleshly desires. When all of Micah's idols were stripped away he felt that he had lost everything. Anything in life that you esteem higher than Christ can become an idol.

Don't settle for less- You can do all kinds of things in the name of religion, but if God's Word is not the standard it can turn into idolatry or compromise. That was the case with a man named Micah, who convinced a young Levite to compromise and serve him for a modest price.

Backslider vs. apostate- God is gracious and long-suffering, but eventually He must let us experience the mess that our sin makes. Samson learned the harsh reality of that lesson at the end of his life. Don't mistake God's grace and patience for His approval.