WEBVTT 00:00:03.399 --> 00:00:06.299 Today in our study we come to 1 Corinthians chapter 00:00:06.299 --> 00:00:13.619 1 verses 17 to 31. Our subject today is Christ 00:00:13.619 --> 00:00:20.660 crucified, the power and wisdom of God. Hear 00:00:20.660 --> 00:00:24.260 the word of the Lord as the Apostle Paul wrote 00:00:24.260 --> 00:00:28.000 to the Corinthians under the inspiration of the 00:00:28.000 --> 00:00:32.740 Holy Spirit. These are God's words. Let us pay 00:00:32.740 --> 00:00:38.439 heed to them. Verse 17. For Christ did not send 00:00:38.439 --> 00:00:41.960 me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not 00:00:41.960 --> 00:00:44.500 with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ 00:00:44.500 --> 00:00:47.820 should be made of no effect. For the message 00:00:47.820 --> 00:00:50.439 of the cross is foolishness to those who are 00:00:50.439 --> 00:00:53.820 perishing, but to us who are being saved, it 00:00:53.820 --> 00:00:58.000 is the power of God. For it is written, I will 00:00:58.000 --> 00:01:00.880 destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing 00:01:00.880 --> 00:01:04.420 the understanding of the prudent. Where is the 00:01:04.420 --> 00:01:08.459 wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer 00:01:08.459 --> 00:01:12.060 of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom 00:01:12.060 --> 00:01:15.359 of this world? For since in the wisdom of God 00:01:15.359 --> 00:01:18.459 the world through wisdom did not know God, it 00:01:18.459 --> 00:01:21.739 pleased God through the foolishness of that message 00:01:21.739 --> 00:01:25.769 preached to save those who believe. For Jews 00:01:25.769 --> 00:01:29.069 request the sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom, 00:01:29.230 --> 00:01:32.969 but we preach Christ crucified. To the Jews a 00:01:32.969 --> 00:01:35.209 stumbling block, and to the Greeks foolishness, 00:01:35.329 --> 00:01:38.290 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, 00:01:38.549 --> 00:01:41.489 Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 00:01:41.969 --> 00:01:45.250 Because the wisdom of God is foolisher than men, 00:01:45.409 --> 00:01:48.329 is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is 00:01:48.329 --> 00:01:51.370 stronger than men. For you see your calling, 00:01:51.409 --> 00:01:54.409 brethren, that not many according to the flesh, 00:01:55.049 --> 00:02:00.010 not many mighty nor many noble are called. But 00:02:00.010 --> 00:02:02.709 God has chosen the foolish things of the world 00:02:02.709 --> 00:02:05.750 to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen 00:02:05.750 --> 00:02:08.110 the weak things of the world to put to shame 00:02:08.110 --> 00:02:10.629 the things which are mighty, and the base things 00:02:10.629 --> 00:02:13.069 of the world and the things which are despised, 00:02:13.069 --> 00:02:16.469 God has chosen, and the things which are not, 00:02:16.569 --> 00:02:20.490 to bring to nothing the things that are, that 00:02:20.490 --> 00:02:24.110 no flesh should glory in his presence. But of 00:02:24.110 --> 00:02:27.710 him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us 00:02:27.710 --> 00:02:31.030 wisdom from God and righteousness and sanctification 00:02:31.030 --> 00:02:34.629 and redemption. That as it is written, he who 00:02:34.629 --> 00:02:40.009 glories, let him glory in the Lord. Let's pray 00:02:40.009 --> 00:02:43.069 and ask God's blessing. Father, we come to you, 00:02:43.110 --> 00:02:46.229 Lord, with this rich passage. And Lord, we pray 00:02:46.229 --> 00:02:49.689 that in the moments, the minutes before us, Lord, 00:02:49.849 --> 00:02:53.319 I pray. that we could learn what you are speaking 00:02:53.319 --> 00:02:55.560 here. We pray, Lord, that you would bring it 00:02:55.560 --> 00:02:57.900 to our hearts, that you would ignite this within 00:02:57.900 --> 00:03:01.939 us and give us a love for the cross and an understanding, 00:03:02.219 --> 00:03:05.800 Lord, and make us truly wise, even though that 00:03:05.800 --> 00:03:10.099 wisdom appears as foolishness to men. We pray, 00:03:10.180 --> 00:03:12.120 Father, for your blessing and for the inspiration 00:03:12.120 --> 00:03:16.180 of the Holy Spirit as I speak these words. We 00:03:16.180 --> 00:03:21.620 pray in Jesus' name. Amen. All throughout the 00:03:21.620 --> 00:03:25.439 world, a universally recognized symbol is a cross 00:03:25.439 --> 00:03:28.759 on a building which signifies that within those 00:03:28.759 --> 00:03:32.819 walls is a church that in some way proclaims 00:03:32.819 --> 00:03:37.240 the crucified Lord Jesus Christ. While an object 00:03:37.240 --> 00:03:40.780 of scorn, of ridicule, and of hatred to many, 00:03:40.979 --> 00:03:44.740 even not being allowed to be displayed in some 00:03:44.740 --> 00:03:47.819 parts of the world, the cross is an enduring 00:03:47.819 --> 00:03:53.060 emblem of the fact that on or around AD 30 or 00:03:53.060 --> 00:03:56.939 33, scholars disagree on the exact date, during 00:03:56.939 --> 00:04:00.580 the Jewish Passover season, the man known as 00:04:00.580 --> 00:04:04.060 Jesus, the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, 00:04:04.219 --> 00:04:08.719 the Messiah, was, as Acts 2 says, delivered by 00:04:08.719 --> 00:04:11.539 the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, 00:04:11.719 --> 00:04:17.180 was taken by lawless hands, was crucified and 00:04:17.180 --> 00:04:21.790 put to death. He was accused and delivered by 00:04:21.790 --> 00:04:26.250 the Jewish leaders to the Roman authorities who 00:04:26.250 --> 00:04:31.050 carried out the execution, and thus both were 00:04:31.050 --> 00:04:35.370 complicit in his death. He was murdered, but 00:04:35.370 --> 00:04:39.189 in that very act, he laid down his life as an 00:04:39.189 --> 00:04:43.930 atonement for his people, all those in the past 00:04:43.930 --> 00:04:48.220 and the present and in the ages to come. who 00:04:48.220 --> 00:04:51.319 would be called and chosen by God the Father, 00:04:51.459 --> 00:04:54.980 and who believed in faith to the saving of their 00:04:54.980 --> 00:05:00.459 souls. But a crucified God is unpalatable and 00:05:00.459 --> 00:05:04.720 unsavory to many. As stated in the passage today, 00:05:04.980 --> 00:05:07.600 the Jews stumbled at this because it did not 00:05:07.600 --> 00:05:10.600 fit their understanding of who the Messiah would 00:05:10.600 --> 00:05:13.160 be, and they considered this the foolish tale 00:05:13.160 --> 00:05:17.360 of an imposter. And to the Greeks who prize human 00:05:17.360 --> 00:05:21.060 wisdom, the crucifixion is foolishness against 00:05:21.060 --> 00:05:25.480 their understanding of God's fashion in their 00:05:25.480 --> 00:05:29.259 own understanding of human wisdom and reason. 00:05:29.560 --> 00:05:33.680 But God in his great wisdom chose the foolish 00:05:33.680 --> 00:05:36.819 things of the world to put to shame the wise. 00:05:37.500 --> 00:05:40.439 And the weak things of the world. To put to shame 00:05:40.439 --> 00:05:44.220 the things which are mighty. And abase and despise 00:05:44.220 --> 00:05:48.379 things of the world. That of a crucifixion on 00:05:48.379 --> 00:05:52.800 the cross. To bring to nothing the things that 00:05:52.800 --> 00:05:56.879 are. That no flesh might glory in his presence. 00:05:57.240 --> 00:06:00.199 The Corinthian church misunderstood the simplicity 00:06:00.199 --> 00:06:04.199 of the gospel. And they misunderstood the ministry 00:06:04.199 --> 00:06:07.439 of the gospel that God had ordained. both in 00:06:07.439 --> 00:06:10.000 the message of the ministers and in the nature 00:06:10.000 --> 00:06:13.259 of the mission of the ministers. This was the 00:06:13.259 --> 00:06:15.920 underlying reason for the divisions amongst them. 00:06:16.339 --> 00:06:19.240 Today in this passage, Paul addresses the message 00:06:19.240 --> 00:06:22.620 of the minister of God and what the church is 00:06:22.620 --> 00:06:25.699 to believe and to understand. And he tells them 00:06:25.699 --> 00:06:28.360 to stop their boasting and their glorying in 00:06:28.360 --> 00:06:32.899 themselves. That message is that all ministers 00:06:32.899 --> 00:06:35.699 of God are called to preach the pure gospel. 00:06:36.279 --> 00:06:39.279 which is Christ crucified, the power and the 00:06:39.279 --> 00:06:42.399 wisdom of God. And through the crucifixion of 00:06:42.399 --> 00:06:45.699 Jesus Christ, those who are called are in Christ, 00:06:45.800 --> 00:06:50.220 who became for us wisdom and righteousness and 00:06:50.220 --> 00:06:53.740 sanctification and redemption, all in Christ, 00:06:53.980 --> 00:06:58.199 so that all who glory will glory in him. So today, 00:06:58.339 --> 00:07:01.720 it is my intent and purpose to exalt and glorify 00:07:01.720 --> 00:07:04.839 our triune God for such a wonderful work through 00:07:04.839 --> 00:07:07.660 the cross and to understand what Paul is teaching 00:07:07.660 --> 00:07:10.199 the Corinthian church in this passage and then 00:07:10.199 --> 00:07:13.980 to apply this word from God to us. The first 00:07:13.980 --> 00:07:17.720 point is to consider Paul's mission to preaching 00:07:17.720 --> 00:07:22.459 the gospel simply and not with human eloquence. 00:07:22.939 --> 00:07:26.360 Verse 17, for Christ did not send me to baptize, 00:07:26.360 --> 00:07:29.620 but to preach the gospel, not with the wisdom 00:07:29.620 --> 00:07:32.279 of words, lest the cross of Christ should be 00:07:32.279 --> 00:07:36.680 made of no effect. The leading and grand purpose 00:07:36.680 --> 00:07:40.060 of Paul as a minister is to preach the pure gospel. 00:07:40.240 --> 00:07:44.660 And that in its purity, it is nonetheless in 00:07:44.660 --> 00:07:49.000 all of its power and in its simplicity. It is 00:07:49.000 --> 00:07:54.509 not. in the eloquent wisdom of words or the persuasive 00:07:54.509 --> 00:07:57.649 words of human wisdom as Paul speaks in chapter 00:07:57.649 --> 00:08:02.170 2 and verse 4. By using these words, Paul is 00:08:02.170 --> 00:08:05.269 most likely signifying human reason in the manner 00:08:05.269 --> 00:08:08.850 of rhetorical argumentation which was so highly 00:08:08.850 --> 00:08:13.589 prized among the Greeks. The way the Greeks would 00:08:13.589 --> 00:08:16.050 approach it would be with eloquence as a fine 00:08:16.050 --> 00:08:19.730 orator or a deep philosopher attempting to show 00:08:19.730 --> 00:08:23.050 off his deep reason and extraordinary science 00:08:23.050 --> 00:08:27.550 and skill. Matthew Henry says Paul did not set 00:08:27.550 --> 00:08:31.089 himself to captivate the ear by fine turns and 00:08:31.089 --> 00:08:34.190 eloquent expression nor to please and entertain 00:08:34.190 --> 00:08:37.370 the fancy with lofty flights of sublime notions. 00:08:37.970 --> 00:08:42.120 The pure gospel Is that Jesus Christ came to 00:08:42.120 --> 00:08:45.059 save sinners. And to that end he was crucified 00:08:45.059 --> 00:08:49.139 for our sins. That is the pure and the simple 00:08:49.139 --> 00:08:53.139 gospel. We see this so clearly in this most well 00:08:53.139 --> 00:08:57.340 known passage in John chapter 3. For God so loved 00:08:57.340 --> 00:09:00.860 the world that he gave his only begotten son. 00:09:01.360 --> 00:09:04.240 that whoever believes in him should not perish, 00:09:04.279 --> 00:09:09.039 but have everlasting life. For God did not send 00:09:09.039 --> 00:09:11.799 his son into the world to condemn the world, 00:09:11.919 --> 00:09:16.100 but that the world through him might be saved. 00:09:16.820 --> 00:09:20.169 To his son in the faith. Timothy, Paul writes 00:09:20.169 --> 00:09:23.450 in chapter 1, verse 15 of 1 Timothy, this is 00:09:23.450 --> 00:09:26.049 the faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, 00:09:26.289 --> 00:09:29.129 that Christ Jesus came into the world to save 00:09:29.129 --> 00:09:32.929 sinners of whom I am chief. And then in Romans 00:09:32.929 --> 00:09:36.309 chapter 5, verse 8, he says, God demonstrates 00:09:36.309 --> 00:09:39.590 his own love toward us in that while we were 00:09:39.590 --> 00:09:44.490 yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more than... 00:09:44.879 --> 00:09:47.419 Having now been justified by his blood, we shall 00:09:47.419 --> 00:09:51.759 be saved from wrath through him. Now there are 00:09:51.759 --> 00:09:54.139 other places in the scriptures where the apostles 00:09:54.139 --> 00:09:57.480 develop deep and rich theological truths that 00:09:57.480 --> 00:10:01.480 are a result of this salvation. Even Peter admits 00:10:01.480 --> 00:10:04.340 that Paul, he says, Our beloved brother Paul, 00:10:04.500 --> 00:10:07.259 according to the wisdom given to him, has written 00:10:07.259 --> 00:10:10.919 to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking 00:10:10.919 --> 00:10:13.179 in them of these things in which some things 00:10:13.179 --> 00:10:16.730 are hard to understand. which untaught and unstable 00:10:16.730 --> 00:10:19.769 people twist to their own destruction, as they 00:10:19.769 --> 00:10:22.350 do also the rest of the scriptures. Paul is not 00:10:22.350 --> 00:10:24.990 denigrating the ability to speak persuasively 00:10:24.990 --> 00:10:28.870 using sanctified human reason according to the 00:10:28.870 --> 00:10:32.210 wisdom that was given him by God, but not so 00:10:32.210 --> 00:10:35.190 with the foundational and basic truth of the 00:10:35.190 --> 00:10:38.929 pure and the simple gospel. This should be the 00:10:38.929 --> 00:10:42.350 grand object of all ministers, to minister according 00:10:42.350 --> 00:10:45.690 to the gifts that God has given each one, to 00:10:45.690 --> 00:10:50.830 proclaim Christ crucified, and to recognize that 00:10:50.830 --> 00:10:55.870 God gives the increase in the proclamation of 00:10:55.870 --> 00:10:59.889 the gospel. All ministers of the gospel, no matter 00:10:59.889 --> 00:11:02.769 how lofty their minds or how eloquent their speech, 00:11:03.009 --> 00:11:06.690 they must be able to proclaim with clarity and 00:11:06.690 --> 00:11:10.529 boldness the simple gospel message and call sinners 00:11:10.529 --> 00:11:13.690 to believe and have faith in God through Jesus 00:11:13.690 --> 00:11:17.519 Christ. By the Holy Spirit. This means that we 00:11:17.519 --> 00:11:22.320 cannot. We must not. We may not shy away. Hide 00:11:22.320 --> 00:11:25.200 or in any way denigrate the fact. That Jesus 00:11:25.200 --> 00:11:29.299 died on the cross. And he shed his life's blood. 00:11:29.519 --> 00:11:34.700 As an atonement for our sin. Thus bringing about 00:11:34.700 --> 00:11:38.960 a reconciliation. Between sinful man and a holy 00:11:38.960 --> 00:11:44.059 God. They must proclaim this. They must preach 00:11:44.059 --> 00:11:47.200 this great truth so that all, under the sound 00:11:47.200 --> 00:11:49.519 of their voice, are called to repentance and 00:11:49.519 --> 00:11:53.519 faith in the crucified one. To this very end, 00:11:53.679 --> 00:11:57.340 God has ordained that whenever and wherever the 00:11:57.340 --> 00:12:00.139 church is gathered together to worship our triune 00:12:00.139 --> 00:12:03.240 God, what are they to do? They are to proclaim 00:12:03.240 --> 00:12:06.120 the death and crucifixion of Christ in the Lord's 00:12:06.120 --> 00:12:10.659 Supper. Every Sunday. As we meet here together, 00:12:10.899 --> 00:12:13.559 no matter what the subject matter is before us, 00:12:13.700 --> 00:12:16.620 no matter of what truths there are that are proclaimed 00:12:16.620 --> 00:12:19.960 from the richness in the word of God, and whether 00:12:19.960 --> 00:12:24.860 spoken eloquently or perhaps less so, every Sunday 00:12:24.860 --> 00:12:28.340 we proclaim this truth in the Lord's Supper. 00:12:29.299 --> 00:12:35.039 Jesus died and was crucified for us, and we remember 00:12:35.039 --> 00:12:38.440 this. We remember this in the Lord's Supper. 00:12:39.070 --> 00:12:41.809 To do otherwise is to make the cross of Christ 00:12:41.809 --> 00:12:45.289 of no effect, Paul says. If Christ is only preached 00:12:45.289 --> 00:12:49.049 as a good man, as one who became divine and makes 00:12:49.049 --> 00:12:52.049 us divine by his persuasiveness and his teachings 00:12:52.049 --> 00:12:54.309 and his moral life, then we are still in our 00:12:54.309 --> 00:12:56.929 sins and have not escaped the wrath to come. 00:12:57.070 --> 00:13:00.149 For even the devils and demons believe, knowing 00:13:00.149 --> 00:13:03.230 who he is, and they tremble. But there is no 00:13:03.230 --> 00:13:06.210 atonement for them, no way of escape from the 00:13:06.210 --> 00:13:09.759 wrath to come. And if all men do is speak lofty 00:13:09.759 --> 00:13:12.419 words in the manner of the Greeks or call for 00:13:12.419 --> 00:13:16.179 signs like the Jews or attempt to create God 00:13:16.179 --> 00:13:19.220 in their own image as all false religions do, 00:13:19.419 --> 00:13:23.919 then all are still in their sins. There is no 00:13:23.919 --> 00:13:26.899 atonement through just believing that Jesus was 00:13:26.899 --> 00:13:30.100 a good and a holy man who lived a moral life. 00:13:30.299 --> 00:13:32.580 There's no atonement. There's no appeasement 00:13:32.580 --> 00:13:36.139 of a holy God who cannot abide nor tolerate sin. 00:13:36.679 --> 00:13:40.559 The cross has no effect if this is all that we 00:13:40.559 --> 00:13:44.419 preach. Back in the early 20th century, during 00:13:44.419 --> 00:13:47.460 the modernist and fundamentalist debates, there 00:13:47.460 --> 00:13:50.740 were men like Harry Emerson Fosdick. He was a 00:13:50.740 --> 00:13:53.779 prominent early 20th century modernist and liberal 00:13:53.779 --> 00:13:57.899 Protestant preacher. And he irreverently referred 00:13:57.899 --> 00:14:01.379 to the traditional doctrines of blood atonement. 00:14:01.789 --> 00:14:06.450 as a slaughterhouse religion, as meaning a bloody 00:14:06.450 --> 00:14:10.169 religion. To him and others like him, the idea 00:14:10.169 --> 00:14:12.889 that Jesus' sacrificial death and shed blood 00:14:12.889 --> 00:14:16.289 were necessary to appease God's wrath and to 00:14:16.289 --> 00:14:20.289 atone for sin wasn't anachronism. It was an old 00:14:20.289 --> 00:14:23.289 thing, kind of like a tradition, but not one 00:14:23.289 --> 00:14:27.039 worthy. of continuing to believe. He and they 00:14:27.039 --> 00:14:30.379 viewed such ideas as primitive and outdated and 00:14:30.379 --> 00:14:33.100 incompatible with modern ethics and science, 00:14:33.259 --> 00:14:36.559 arguing that Christianity needed to evolve beyond 00:14:36.559 --> 00:14:40.860 them. Of course, they rejected literal interpretations 00:14:40.860 --> 00:14:43.639 of doctrines like the virgin birth of Christ, 00:14:43.980 --> 00:14:47.639 biblical inerrancy, and substitutionary atonement, 00:14:47.639 --> 00:14:51.299 and they saw the historical emphasis on a bloody 00:14:51.299 --> 00:14:55.799 substitutionary sacrifice as barbaric and something 00:14:55.799 --> 00:14:59.779 the church should move past to remain relevant 00:14:59.779 --> 00:15:03.860 and thus the cross was made of no effect through 00:15:03.860 --> 00:15:07.899 the lofty ideas of human reason just like the 00:15:07.899 --> 00:15:10.419 wisdom of the world of which Paul is writing 00:15:10.419 --> 00:15:14.240 against in this letter There is no gospel, there 00:15:14.240 --> 00:15:17.320 is no saving faith, there is no redemption, no 00:15:17.320 --> 00:15:21.879 power to save and to sanctify in such a belief. 00:15:22.139 --> 00:15:25.299 All are still in their sins and only hope to 00:15:25.299 --> 00:15:30.179 achieve immortality through human means, creating 00:15:30.179 --> 00:15:34.820 a God made in their own image. Now this belief 00:15:34.820 --> 00:15:38.139 was not limited to their time. It is still with 00:15:38.139 --> 00:15:42.000 us today in many different forms. Even as it 00:15:42.000 --> 00:15:46.179 was then and as it was in the days of Paul in 00:15:46.179 --> 00:15:52.519 Corinth. Number two. The gospel is the message 00:15:52.519 --> 00:15:57.899 of the cross. It is the power of God to those 00:15:57.899 --> 00:16:02.299 who are being saved. Verse 18. For the message 00:16:02.299 --> 00:16:05.460 of the cross is foolishness to those who are 00:16:05.460 --> 00:16:09.429 perishing. But to us who are being saved. It 00:16:09.429 --> 00:16:13.289 is the power of God. The power of God speaks 00:16:13.289 --> 00:16:16.389 of the strength, of the might, and of the ability 00:16:16.389 --> 00:16:20.210 of God to save. And it comes through the cross 00:16:20.210 --> 00:16:23.889 of Christ. This is the message of truth. It is 00:16:23.889 --> 00:16:27.909 the message of salvation. For all have sinned. 00:16:27.909 --> 00:16:32.889 All have come short of the glory of God. No man 00:16:32.889 --> 00:16:36.919 can save himself. including the use of human 00:16:36.919 --> 00:16:42.559 reason, it will never, never save anyone. And 00:16:42.559 --> 00:16:46.559 no man can approach God on the basis of his own 00:16:46.559 --> 00:16:50.299 works and righteousness. The scripture speaks 00:16:50.299 --> 00:16:54.259 here of salvation in the past. That is, we have, 00:16:54.399 --> 00:16:56.720 actually not here, but elsewhere. The scripture 00:16:56.720 --> 00:16:59.320 speaks of salvation in the past. We have been 00:16:59.320 --> 00:17:02.379 saved. It speaks of the present. We are being 00:17:02.379 --> 00:17:06.279 saved. And of the future, we will be saved. In 00:17:06.279 --> 00:17:08.759 the past, have been, is it like Ephesians 2, 00:17:08.839 --> 00:17:12.900 verse 8 and 9. For by grace, you have been saved 00:17:12.900 --> 00:17:16.480 through faith, and that not of yourselves. It 00:17:16.480 --> 00:17:18.859 is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone 00:17:18.859 --> 00:17:22.130 should boast. But also then Paul in Romans chapter 00:17:22.130 --> 00:17:26.609 5 speaks of that we will be saved, but God demonstrates 00:17:26.609 --> 00:17:29.049 his own love toward us in that while we were 00:17:29.049 --> 00:17:33.210 yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more than 00:17:33.210 --> 00:17:37.029 having now been justified by his blood, we shall 00:17:37.029 --> 00:17:41.150 be saved from wrath through him. But in this 00:17:41.150 --> 00:17:43.910 verse, it is the present and continuous sense 00:17:43.910 --> 00:17:48.819 that we are those being saved. For not only was 00:17:48.819 --> 00:17:51.039 the blood of Christ shed on the cross for our 00:17:51.039 --> 00:17:54.680 sins in the past, but the blood is atoning and 00:17:54.680 --> 00:17:57.480 making provision for what is happening to us 00:17:57.480 --> 00:18:01.039 as we are being saved. Being saved from the sins 00:18:01.039 --> 00:18:03.940 that we still commit. This is why we have this 00:18:03.940 --> 00:18:06.819 time of confession. In the beginning of the service, 00:18:06.900 --> 00:18:10.440 we again, we cleanse, we are cleansed from our 00:18:10.440 --> 00:18:13.640 sins. Through the blood of Jesus Christ. Even 00:18:13.640 --> 00:18:16.059 as we confess them and ask God for forgiveness. 00:18:16.259 --> 00:18:19.980 Through the blood of Christ. We are being saved. 00:18:20.660 --> 00:18:24.420 The blood of Christ makes provision for what 00:18:24.420 --> 00:18:27.619 is happening to us. Even as we go through our 00:18:27.619 --> 00:18:30.920 everyday life. This is as John the Apostle Paul 00:18:30.920 --> 00:18:34.200 writes in 1 John 1 .8. If we say that we have 00:18:34.200 --> 00:18:37.779 no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is 00:18:37.779 --> 00:18:41.059 not in us. There is none among us that is sinless. 00:18:41.099 --> 00:18:45.779 The idea of sinless perfection, as some teach, 00:18:45.960 --> 00:18:48.220 of the Christian being in a state where he can 00:18:48.220 --> 00:18:52.579 no longer sin and is entirely sanctified, this 00:18:52.579 --> 00:18:56.220 is simply wrong. It is false and it is deceptive. 00:18:56.750 --> 00:19:00.230 But to all, as we are being saved in this life, 00:19:00.349 --> 00:19:03.809 we continually run to the Father. For indeed, 00:19:04.069 --> 00:19:07.730 as 1 John continues in verse 9, if we confess 00:19:07.730 --> 00:19:10.910 our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive 00:19:10.910 --> 00:19:14.789 our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 00:19:15.240 --> 00:19:18.039 From whence does this forgiveness come? It comes 00:19:18.039 --> 00:19:21.940 from the power of God to those being saved through 00:19:21.940 --> 00:19:25.160 the message of the cross. The everlasting gospel. 00:19:25.380 --> 00:19:28.039 And this is why we must be continually reminded 00:19:28.039 --> 00:19:32.359 of the cross. Because we still sin. And so as 00:19:32.359 --> 00:19:36.980 we sin, we are reminded again of the cross. Cleansing 00:19:36.980 --> 00:19:40.349 us from sin. Cleansing us from sin. Yes, we sin. 00:19:40.670 --> 00:19:44.109 And then we are cleansed and washed and cleansed 00:19:44.109 --> 00:19:49.890 and washed. Yes, we are being saved. But in this, 00:19:49.930 --> 00:19:54.369 we look back to the cross where Jesus atoned 00:19:54.369 --> 00:20:00.329 for all of our sins. The gospel is the message 00:20:00.329 --> 00:20:04.390 of the cross. It is the power, the strength, 00:20:04.589 --> 00:20:10.140 the might of God. To those being saved. Number 00:20:10.140 --> 00:20:14.700 three. We consider the paradox. Of the message 00:20:14.700 --> 00:20:18.960 of the cross. In verses 18 to 25. This is the 00:20:18.960 --> 00:20:23.500 paradox of the message. For indeed it is very 00:20:23.500 --> 00:20:28.420 profound. And yet it is so simple. It is a simple 00:20:28.420 --> 00:20:34.339 truth. With incredible ramifications. First of 00:20:34.339 --> 00:20:37.000 all, we look at verse 18 of the cross as foolishness 00:20:37.000 --> 00:20:40.299 versus power. Through the saving message of the 00:20:40.299 --> 00:20:43.079 cross, those who are saved experience the power 00:20:43.079 --> 00:20:48.160 of God, as I have just recounted. But to those 00:20:48.160 --> 00:20:52.759 who are perishing in their sins and who do not 00:20:52.759 --> 00:20:55.500 believe and trust in the atoning work of Christ, 00:20:55.700 --> 00:21:00.619 the message of the cross is foolishness. It is 00:21:00.619 --> 00:21:05.859 silliness. It is absurdity. How in the world 00:21:05.859 --> 00:21:11.420 could a man dying the death on a cross in the 00:21:11.420 --> 00:21:16.900 very early A .D. 30, 33, somewhere around there. 00:21:17.039 --> 00:21:21.720 How could a cross save us? A man dying the death. 00:21:21.819 --> 00:21:26.180 It seems utterly impossible and foolish and ridiculous 00:21:26.180 --> 00:21:29.859 according to human reasoning. To believe such 00:21:29.859 --> 00:21:32.640 a thing, it is ludicrous to the natural mind, 00:21:32.680 --> 00:21:36.640 to those who are perishing in their sin. And 00:21:36.640 --> 00:21:40.640 yet, the scriptures tell us, what a fate awaits 00:21:40.640 --> 00:21:44.779 them. To die in their sins is to face a holy 00:21:44.779 --> 00:21:48.500 God on the judgment day, to be judged, to be 00:21:48.500 --> 00:21:52.539 condemned, to be pronounced guilty and cast away 00:21:52.539 --> 00:21:57.579 into eternal darkness and into the fires of hell. 00:21:58.250 --> 00:22:00.670 We read of this in the book of Revelation chapter 00:22:00.670 --> 00:22:05.250 20 verse 11. Then I saw a great white throne 00:22:05.250 --> 00:22:09.650 and him who sat on it from whose face the earth 00:22:09.650 --> 00:22:13.069 and the heaven fled away and there was found 00:22:13.069 --> 00:22:17.509 no place for them. And I saw the dead small and 00:22:17.509 --> 00:22:21.359 great standing before God. and books were opened, 00:22:21.460 --> 00:22:24.460 and another book was opened, which is the book 00:22:24.460 --> 00:22:28.240 of life, and the dead were judged according to 00:22:28.240 --> 00:22:31.359 their works by the things which were written 00:22:31.359 --> 00:22:34.819 in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were 00:22:34.819 --> 00:22:38.279 in it, and death and Hades delivered up the dead 00:22:38.279 --> 00:22:42.380 who were in them, and they were judged, each 00:22:42.380 --> 00:22:46.140 one according to his works. Then death and Hades 00:22:46.140 --> 00:22:49.859 were cast into the lake of fire. This is the 00:22:49.859 --> 00:22:53.460 second death, and anyone not found in the book 00:22:53.460 --> 00:22:59.720 of life was cast into the lake of fire. These 00:22:59.720 --> 00:23:06.960 are so sobering, sobering words. And as we consider 00:23:06.960 --> 00:23:10.640 the cross of Christ, in which all of our dead 00:23:10.640 --> 00:23:16.000 works and our sins were placed upon him, and 00:23:16.000 --> 00:23:20.799 he died. So that we can stand before God. As 00:23:20.799 --> 00:23:26.880 holy. As righteous. And as forgiven. And on that 00:23:26.880 --> 00:23:30.799 day. We will be able to stand before the God. 00:23:31.099 --> 00:23:37.319 Of the universe. And he will pronounce us. Cleansed. 00:23:37.460 --> 00:23:41.819 Forgiven. Through Christ. Because Christ stands 00:23:41.819 --> 00:23:46.220 before him. And intercedes on our behalf. And 00:23:46.220 --> 00:23:52.049 thus. We will ever be with the Lord. God destroys. 00:23:52.690 --> 00:23:57.390 And confounds. Human wisdom. In this great truth. 00:23:57.769 --> 00:24:02.650 He confounds it. Verse 19 to 21, for it is written, 00:24:02.769 --> 00:24:05.930 I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring 00:24:05.930 --> 00:24:09.130 to nothing the understanding of the prudent. 00:24:09.210 --> 00:24:13.309 This is a prophecy from Isaiah chapter 28. Where 00:24:13.309 --> 00:24:16.410 is the wise, Paul says? Where is the scribe? 00:24:16.430 --> 00:24:19.789 Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God 00:24:19.789 --> 00:24:22.789 made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since 00:24:22.789 --> 00:24:25.529 in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom 00:24:25.529 --> 00:24:28.670 did not know God, it pleased God through the 00:24:28.670 --> 00:24:31.819 foolish. of the message preached to save those 00:24:31.819 --> 00:24:35.400 who believe. And in this great action, prophesied 00:24:35.400 --> 00:24:38.339 by the prophets of old and attested to by the 00:24:38.339 --> 00:24:41.339 voice of the Father thundering as Jesus was baptized, 00:24:41.819 --> 00:24:45.059 this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. 00:24:45.319 --> 00:24:48.000 And again at the mount on the transfiguration, 00:24:48.220 --> 00:24:51.339 he again says, this is my beloved Son in whom 00:24:51.339 --> 00:24:56.250 I am well pleased. Hear him. no wise men of the 00:24:56.250 --> 00:24:58.609 Greeks or Jews could come up with anything like 00:24:58.609 --> 00:25:01.970 this it goes against experience and reason no 00:25:01.970 --> 00:25:05.150 wise no scribe no disputer of the age would ever 00:25:05.150 --> 00:25:08.490 have this kind of wisdom or knowledge but in 00:25:08.490 --> 00:25:11.849 so doing as Paul quotes Isaiah 29 and verse 14 00:25:11.849 --> 00:25:15.589 that in this marvelous work God destroys the 00:25:15.589 --> 00:25:18.569 wisdom of those who think themselves wise and 00:25:18.569 --> 00:25:21.069 he brings to nothing the understanding of those 00:25:21.069 --> 00:25:24.250 who are thought to be prudent he makes this world 00:25:24.329 --> 00:25:28.829 wisdom foolish turning it upside down and paul 00:25:28.829 --> 00:25:35.430 says it pleased him it pleased god through the 00:25:35.430 --> 00:25:39.349 foolishness of the message preached to save those 00:25:39.349 --> 00:25:43.789 who believe it brought god pleasure and he thought 00:25:43.789 --> 00:25:47.460 it good to choose that seeming foolishness of 00:25:47.460 --> 00:25:49.599 the proclamation and preaching of the gospel 00:25:49.599 --> 00:25:53.779 to save those who believe. Who then are we to 00:25:53.779 --> 00:25:57.000 out -reason and out -think God? In our supposed 00:25:57.000 --> 00:26:01.180 day of enlightenment and progress, we think, 00:26:01.180 --> 00:26:04.180 we think we can out -think God, and yet we still 00:26:04.180 --> 00:26:07.680 think. And speaking we, collectively, our modern 00:26:07.680 --> 00:26:10.160 age still thinks that the created world evolved 00:26:10.160 --> 00:26:12.599 out of nothing and that there is no difference 00:26:12.599 --> 00:26:15.299 between girls and boys and that they're interchangeable, 00:26:15.339 --> 00:26:20.720 assigned at birth, they say. Seriously? God laughs 00:26:20.720 --> 00:26:24.079 at them. And while he laughs at those who set 00:26:24.079 --> 00:26:28.039 themselves against him, he uses a wooden cross 00:26:28.039 --> 00:26:31.119 and metal nails that pierce through the flesh. 00:26:31.680 --> 00:26:35.400 And a sword that pierces the side of Jesus. And 00:26:35.400 --> 00:26:39.480 through the cross, through the cross and blood 00:26:39.480 --> 00:26:43.220 and the death, he saves all those who then will 00:26:43.220 --> 00:26:47.299 trust and believe in him. And it pleases him 00:26:47.299 --> 00:26:50.059 that this is the message that is preached and 00:26:50.059 --> 00:26:53.059 proclaimed. And he sends forth the Holy Spirit 00:26:53.059 --> 00:26:56.380 to accompany that preaching. And he gives faith 00:26:56.380 --> 00:27:00.099 to those who hear and they believe. And are saved. 00:27:00.119 --> 00:27:03.859 What an amazing and wonderful story. Impossible 00:27:03.859 --> 00:27:08.079 to reason. Or understand apart. From the revelation 00:27:08.079 --> 00:27:12.299 that God planned it. That he executed it. And 00:27:12.299 --> 00:27:14.619 through the preaching of it. The heart is made 00:27:14.619 --> 00:27:17.500 alive. The spirit is quickened. And dead men 00:27:17.500 --> 00:27:21.099 are raised. And come to life. And obtain eternal 00:27:21.099 --> 00:27:25.680 life. Hallelujah. This is the plan of God. In 00:27:25.680 --> 00:27:30.559 this crucifixion. That we. Would be saved. No 00:27:30.559 --> 00:27:34.099 the cross. The cross offends both Jews and Greeks. 00:27:34.359 --> 00:27:37.640 As he brings out in verse 22 through 24. The 00:27:37.640 --> 00:27:40.119 Jews request a sign. And the Greeks seek after 00:27:40.119 --> 00:27:44.119 wisdom. But we preach Christ crucified. To the 00:27:44.119 --> 00:27:47.160 Jews a stumbling block. And to the Greeks foolishness. 00:27:47.359 --> 00:27:50.240 But to those who are called. Both Jews and Greeks. 00:27:50.619 --> 00:27:55.059 Christ the power of God. And the wisdom of God. 00:27:56.190 --> 00:27:59.069 Again, to the natural unsaved man and woman, 00:27:59.150 --> 00:28:02.630 this is offensive. On the one hand, it is too 00:28:02.630 --> 00:28:05.069 easy. And on the other hand, it is too hard. 00:28:05.650 --> 00:28:07.789 Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will 00:28:07.789 --> 00:28:10.369 be saved, you and your household. This is too 00:28:10.369 --> 00:28:13.789 simple. And yet it calls out for all of you, 00:28:13.910 --> 00:28:17.430 every part of you, a total casting of yourself 00:28:17.430 --> 00:28:21.529 upon Christ. The Jews were always seeking a sign 00:28:21.529 --> 00:28:25.450 from Jesus. John chapter 2, verse 18, the Jews 00:28:25.450 --> 00:28:28.609 answered and said to him, that is to Jesus, what 00:28:28.609 --> 00:28:31.029 sign do you show us since you do these things? 00:28:32.029 --> 00:28:34.450 Nicodemus confessed that they knew that Jesus 00:28:34.450 --> 00:28:37.089 was a teacher from God because of the signs. 00:28:37.490 --> 00:28:41.450 John 3, verse 2, this man came to Jesus by night 00:28:41.450 --> 00:28:43.930 and said to him, Rabbi, we know that you are 00:28:43.930 --> 00:28:46.490 a teacher come from God, for no one can do these 00:28:46.490 --> 00:28:50.920 signs that you do unless God is with him. The 00:28:50.920 --> 00:28:53.660 truth is that Jesus did many signs and so did 00:28:53.660 --> 00:28:57.599 the apostles. Here's a few. John chapter 2 verse 00:28:57.599 --> 00:29:00.220 11 and the miracle of turning water into wine 00:29:00.220 --> 00:29:04.619 at the wedding in Cana. It is recorded this beginning 00:29:04.619 --> 00:29:08.940 of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee and manifested 00:29:08.940 --> 00:29:12.240 his glory and his disciples believed in him. 00:29:12.319 --> 00:29:15.019 This was the beginning of signs that Jesus did. 00:29:15.220 --> 00:29:18.529 We see more signs of the day of Pentecost. Acts 00:29:18.529 --> 00:29:21.589 chapter 2, verse 22. Men of Israel, hear these 00:29:21.589 --> 00:29:25.029 words. Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you 00:29:25.029 --> 00:29:28.930 by God. How? Through miracles, wonders, and signs, 00:29:29.150 --> 00:29:32.869 which God did through him in your midst, as you 00:29:32.869 --> 00:29:37.130 yourselves also know. John again records in John 00:29:37.130 --> 00:29:40.970 chapter 12, verse 37. But although he had done 00:29:40.970 --> 00:29:45.049 so many signs before them, they did not believe 00:29:45.049 --> 00:29:48.150 in him, that the word of Isaiah the prophet might 00:29:48.150 --> 00:29:51.450 be fulfilled, which he spoke, O Lord, who has 00:29:51.450 --> 00:29:54.609 believed our report, and to whom has the arm 00:29:54.609 --> 00:29:58.430 of the Lord been revealed? The problem was not 00:29:58.430 --> 00:30:01.170 that they didn't see any signs. The problem was 00:30:01.170 --> 00:30:04.380 that they didn't like. the signs that they saw 00:30:04.380 --> 00:30:08.259 because it didn't fit their ideal they wanted 00:30:08.259 --> 00:30:10.880 a messiah who would deliver them from roman rule 00:30:10.880 --> 00:30:16.319 one who was made in their own image and according 00:30:16.319 --> 00:30:21.440 to their own ideas and thus as the apostles preached 00:30:21.440 --> 00:30:25.380 christ crucified they being complicit in his 00:30:25.380 --> 00:30:30.039 murder were offended and they stumbled not believing 00:30:30.750 --> 00:30:34.410 Paul writes of this in Romans 9 verse 31. Israel, 00:30:34.450 --> 00:30:38.410 pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained 00:30:38.410 --> 00:30:41.970 to the law of righteousness. Why? Because they 00:30:41.970 --> 00:30:46.329 did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by 00:30:46.329 --> 00:30:50.170 the works of the law. For they stumbled at that 00:30:50.170 --> 00:30:53.950 stumbling stone. As it is written, Behold, I 00:30:53.950 --> 00:30:57.230 lay in Zion a stumbling stone and a rock of offense, 00:30:57.549 --> 00:31:00.650 and whoever believes on him will not be put to 00:31:00.650 --> 00:31:04.390 shame. The crucifixion of their Messiah, that 00:31:04.390 --> 00:31:08.130 was a stumbling stone to them. And not having 00:31:08.130 --> 00:31:11.430 faith, but seeking to justify their own works 00:31:11.430 --> 00:31:14.690 by the deeds of the law, and not having the faith, 00:31:14.849 --> 00:31:22.309 they stumbled at Jesus and him. crucified this 00:31:22.309 --> 00:31:25.410 of course is not all of them but it was many 00:31:25.410 --> 00:31:30.970 of them and sadly it continues to this day and 00:31:30.970 --> 00:31:35.009 we pray that their eyes would be opened and that 00:31:35.009 --> 00:31:38.250 the spirit of god would work in them and that 00:31:38.250 --> 00:31:43.490 many would be saved and believe in jesus now 00:31:43.490 --> 00:31:48.029 the greeks however they sought after wisdom And 00:31:48.029 --> 00:31:50.329 so this message is just utter foolishness to 00:31:50.329 --> 00:31:53.890 them. The crucified Christ was offensive to their 00:31:53.890 --> 00:31:57.190 sensibilities for they wanted a God of reason, 00:31:57.349 --> 00:32:00.349 a God of philosophical abilities and imagination 00:32:00.349 --> 00:32:03.450 with a development and soaring rhetoric of the 00:32:03.450 --> 00:32:06.349 wisdom of the world. To them, the cross of Christ 00:32:06.349 --> 00:32:10.309 is offensive, regarded as foolishness and an 00:32:10.309 --> 00:32:15.049 absurdity. The common thing between them both, 00:32:15.049 --> 00:32:17.819 though, between both Jews and Greeks, is that 00:32:17.819 --> 00:32:21.720 they wanted a God like them. They wanted a God 00:32:21.720 --> 00:32:24.359 like them, made in their image and according 00:32:24.359 --> 00:32:27.539 to their imagination and in their likeness. And 00:32:27.539 --> 00:32:32.200 so do many in our day. Oh yes, we refer to God. 00:32:32.259 --> 00:32:35.799 We might even refer to Jesus. But it's made after 00:32:35.799 --> 00:32:38.920 man's image and not according to the scriptures. 00:32:40.579 --> 00:32:43.640 And the revelation that God has given to us. 00:32:44.940 --> 00:32:48.359 He goes on and says, but to those who are called, 00:32:48.539 --> 00:32:53.740 both Jews and Greeks, the cross is not offensive. 00:32:54.259 --> 00:32:57.539 It is not offensive. It is the power of God. 00:32:58.880 --> 00:33:02.859 The wisdom of God. Christ in his crucifixion 00:33:02.859 --> 00:33:05.779 and resurrection and ascension is both the power 00:33:05.779 --> 00:33:09.099 of God and the wisdom of God which is far above 00:33:09.099 --> 00:33:12.319 any sign that the Jews would have desired and 00:33:12.319 --> 00:33:15.859 any wisdom that the Greeks wanted to see. The 00:33:15.859 --> 00:33:18.579 calling here that is spoken is the undeniable 00:33:18.579 --> 00:33:21.559 calling of God of saving sinners who then believe 00:33:21.559 --> 00:33:24.670 in him. This is not speaking of just the wide 00:33:24.670 --> 00:33:26.869 and evangelistic general call and invitation 00:33:26.869 --> 00:33:29.789 to the world, but is the effectual calling of 00:33:29.789 --> 00:33:32.710 those who are partakers of that heavenly calling. 00:33:32.910 --> 00:33:36.410 Those whom God has saved and called with a holy 00:33:36.410 --> 00:33:40.750 calling, as 2 Timothy 1 verse 9 says, not according 00:33:40.750 --> 00:33:43.509 to their works, but according to his own purpose 00:33:43.509 --> 00:33:45.730 and grace, which was given to them in Christ 00:33:45.730 --> 00:33:50.369 Jesus before the time began. But to those who 00:33:50.369 --> 00:33:56.210 are called. both Jews and Greeks. The cross is 00:33:56.210 --> 00:34:03.230 the power of God. And then we see in verse 25 00:34:03.230 --> 00:34:07.369 that this foolishness, this so -called foolishness 00:34:07.369 --> 00:34:11.809 of God is actually wiser than men. And this so 00:34:11.809 --> 00:34:15.449 -called weakness of God is actually stronger 00:34:15.449 --> 00:34:20.789 than men. God who is greater than all. He is 00:34:20.789 --> 00:34:23.829 wiser than the wisest person on the earth. He 00:34:23.829 --> 00:34:27.030 is stronger than any created being. He laughs 00:34:27.030 --> 00:34:31.230 at them because even his foolishness and weakness 00:34:31.230 --> 00:34:35.110 is much stronger than anything that they could 00:34:35.110 --> 00:34:39.650 ever do or think. In fact, their ability even 00:34:39.650 --> 00:34:45.750 to reason at all comes from his good hand. But 00:34:45.750 --> 00:34:50.059 we preach Christ. crucified this is the message 00:34:50.059 --> 00:34:52.920 that is needed and this is the message that all 00:34:52.920 --> 00:34:55.980 ministers must preach this was the message of 00:34:55.980 --> 00:34:59.239 Peter this was the message of Apollos and this 00:34:59.239 --> 00:35:03.079 is the message of Paul ministers all one planted 00:35:03.079 --> 00:35:07.260 one watered and God gives the increase and gets 00:35:07.260 --> 00:35:09.760 the glory we're going to see this develop more 00:35:09.760 --> 00:35:14.639 in chapter 2 Number four, then, we finally consider 00:35:14.639 --> 00:35:16.980 what is God's purpose in choosing the foolish 00:35:16.980 --> 00:35:21.579 and the weak. Verses 26 to 31. We see, first 00:35:21.579 --> 00:35:23.880 of all, the Corinthians' own calling and experience. 00:35:24.079 --> 00:35:27.599 He reminds them, verse 26, For you see your calling, 00:35:27.699 --> 00:35:30.239 brethren, that not many wise according to the 00:35:30.239 --> 00:35:33.280 flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. 00:35:34.349 --> 00:35:36.809 In their congregation, there was not many of 00:35:36.809 --> 00:35:39.030 the mighty and noble in the city. They were caught 00:35:39.030 --> 00:35:41.769 up in their own imaginations of their hearts 00:35:41.769 --> 00:35:46.010 in wanting what they thought was the wisdom of 00:35:46.010 --> 00:35:48.610 the world. And so not many of them were part 00:35:48.610 --> 00:35:51.570 of the congregation. He shows that God has a 00:35:51.570 --> 00:35:54.409 purpose in choosing what is foolish and what 00:35:54.409 --> 00:35:57.150 is weak according to man's understanding. But 00:35:57.150 --> 00:36:00.329 Paul then uses this as an illustration to them 00:36:00.329 --> 00:36:03.309 in light of their misunderstanding. This is not 00:36:03.309 --> 00:36:05.679 an example. gate that the prophecies that kings 00:36:05.679 --> 00:36:09.239 and rulers and princes will come to Christ but 00:36:09.239 --> 00:36:12.179 he shows them that in Corinth to the Corinthians 00:36:12.179 --> 00:36:15.679 not many were there not many of them were saved 00:36:15.679 --> 00:36:19.440 and thus he shows the power of the cross and 00:36:19.440 --> 00:36:22.179 the necessity of that which seems foolish to 00:36:22.179 --> 00:36:28.309 men is actually more powerful God then also Shows 00:36:28.309 --> 00:36:31.190 a deliberate choice to shame the wise and the 00:36:31.190 --> 00:36:34.010 strong. The ones who were perceived wise and 00:36:34.010 --> 00:36:37.489 strong. In Corinth. Verse 27 and 28. God has 00:36:37.489 --> 00:36:40.409 chosen the foolish things of the world. To put 00:36:40.409 --> 00:36:43.929 to shame the wise. And God has chosen the weak 00:36:43.929 --> 00:36:46.929 things of the world. To put to shame the things 00:36:46.929 --> 00:36:49.449 which are mighty. And the base things of the 00:36:49.449 --> 00:36:52.769 world. And the things which are not. The things 00:36:52.769 --> 00:36:56.550 which are despised. God has chosen. And the things 00:36:56.550 --> 00:36:59.280 which are not. to bring to nothing the things 00:36:59.280 --> 00:37:02.559 that are. You know, God has a way of these incredible 00:37:02.559 --> 00:37:07.159 paradoxes of making a grand point with something 00:37:07.159 --> 00:37:10.659 that we think is, why? Why did he use this? Something 00:37:10.659 --> 00:37:13.559 so simple, something so plain, and yet through 00:37:13.559 --> 00:37:17.800 this, he destroys the wisdom of the wise. God 00:37:17.800 --> 00:37:20.139 has this way of doing it, and he did it with 00:37:20.139 --> 00:37:24.679 the cross. He did it with the cross. Why does 00:37:24.679 --> 00:37:27.500 he do this? Well, it's for his own glory's sake. 00:37:27.940 --> 00:37:31.139 Because what seems to be the foolishness of God 00:37:31.139 --> 00:37:33.500 actually ends up being demonstrated that it's 00:37:33.500 --> 00:37:37.760 much wiser than the humanly wise. Now in this, 00:37:37.960 --> 00:37:41.000 God is not saying that we purposely seek weakness, 00:37:41.000 --> 00:37:43.860 foolishness, and baseness. Though we may seem 00:37:43.860 --> 00:37:47.659 fools for Christ, yet indeed we are to seek wisdom 00:37:47.659 --> 00:37:51.579 and strength, but according to God. and according 00:37:51.579 --> 00:37:55.440 to his word, and not according to human wisdom. 00:37:55.940 --> 00:38:00.610 That sets up a God. It's in its own image. There 00:38:00.610 --> 00:38:02.949 are many scriptures that call us to seek wisdom 00:38:02.949 --> 00:38:06.150 and to be wise, to be strong in the Lord, but 00:38:06.150 --> 00:38:09.469 our minds and our reason must be sanctified through 00:38:09.469 --> 00:38:13.090 the word and the spirit. And God uses these seemingly 00:38:13.090 --> 00:38:17.190 foolish things to overturn our order, to reorient 00:38:17.190 --> 00:38:20.250 our mind, and to bring us to the point of sanctification 00:38:20.250 --> 00:38:23.570 and understanding of what true wisdom is and 00:38:23.570 --> 00:38:27.519 what true reason looks like. In this then, number 00:38:27.519 --> 00:38:30.739 three. Of this last point. If this stops the 00:38:30.739 --> 00:38:33.739 human boasting before God. And we see this verse 00:38:33.739 --> 00:38:42.059 29. He says. See God wants pure worship from 00:38:42.059 --> 00:38:45.159 us. Not boasting worship. Not where we come before 00:38:45.159 --> 00:38:47.619 the Lord. And we boast in our own gifts. That 00:38:47.619 --> 00:38:49.920 we were able to do this. And thus this makes 00:38:49.920 --> 00:38:52.460 us more acceptable to you. That's the problem 00:38:52.460 --> 00:38:55.800 of work. Salvation. We continually revert to 00:38:55.800 --> 00:38:59.150 it. We set up idols. God's in our own image and 00:38:59.150 --> 00:39:01.590 we want our own good works to outweigh the bad 00:39:01.590 --> 00:39:04.389 so that God will surely just let us in instead 00:39:04.389 --> 00:39:07.070 of falling at our feet, confessing that we are 00:39:07.070 --> 00:39:10.250 undone, that we are sinners, that we cannot help 00:39:10.250 --> 00:39:13.070 ourselves and we cannot save ourselves and thus 00:39:13.070 --> 00:39:17.710 we need Christ. We need the crucifixion. We need 00:39:17.710 --> 00:39:22.429 the atonement. This stops all human boasting 00:39:22.429 --> 00:39:26.360 before God. so that no flesh should glory in 00:39:26.360 --> 00:39:30.800 his presence. Finally then, in verse 30 and 31, 00:39:31.179 --> 00:39:34.679 he speaks to us of the sufficiency of Christ, 00:39:34.840 --> 00:39:39.360 who is really and truly the source of everything 00:39:39.360 --> 00:39:44.119 good that we have. He says, but of him, you are 00:39:44.119 --> 00:39:48.260 in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from 00:39:48.260 --> 00:39:52.340 God. Yes, we can be wise. But it's through Christ. 00:39:52.559 --> 00:39:57.719 It is Christ's wisdom. Because of Him, we are 00:39:57.719 --> 00:40:01.599 in Christ Jesus. And He becomes wisdom for us. 00:40:01.659 --> 00:40:04.619 And He is righteousness for us. And He is sanctification 00:40:04.619 --> 00:40:08.920 for us. And He is redemption for us. So that 00:40:08.920 --> 00:40:12.679 as it is written, He says, He who glories, let 00:40:12.679 --> 00:40:17.380 him glory in the Lord. Oh, I hope and trust that 00:40:17.380 --> 00:40:20.019 out all of this, that each one of you goes away 00:40:20.019 --> 00:40:23.699 from here glorying in the Lord. Not in that I 00:40:23.699 --> 00:40:25.760 have done this and I have done this and it's 00:40:25.760 --> 00:40:28.380 because of my reason or because of my decision 00:40:28.380 --> 00:40:32.000 or because of my this or that, but that we glory 00:40:32.000 --> 00:40:36.119 in the Lord for it is him who is our righteousness. 00:40:36.260 --> 00:40:40.179 It is him who is our sanctification. It is him 00:40:40.179 --> 00:40:44.219 who is our. sanctification, our glorification, 00:40:44.300 --> 00:40:50.960 and our wisdom in Christ. And so therefore, we 00:40:50.960 --> 00:40:53.679 glory in the Lord. We rejoice in him. We extol 00:40:53.679 --> 00:40:56.500 the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, the one whose 00:40:56.500 --> 00:41:00.179 blood was shed for us on a cruel cross. And he 00:41:00.179 --> 00:41:03.579 overcame death in that greatest feats of all, 00:41:03.719 --> 00:41:09.079 the resurrection of the body from the dead. Well, 00:41:09.119 --> 00:41:11.280 how shall we then live then in light of this? 00:41:14.920 --> 00:41:19.079 First of all, dear Christian, embrace the cross. 00:41:21.219 --> 00:41:26.039 Embrace the cross of Christ. Do not be ashamed 00:41:26.039 --> 00:41:30.320 of it. In fact, do as Jesus says, take up your 00:41:30.320 --> 00:41:35.000 cross and follow Christ. Understand the scandal 00:41:35.000 --> 00:41:38.000 and the foolishness of the cross. Do not weaken, 00:41:38.199 --> 00:41:41.420 change, or dilute the gospel to fit the world 00:41:41.420 --> 00:41:45.449 or to make your message. Appear more pleasing 00:41:45.449 --> 00:41:52.349 to the flesh. Embrace the cross. In bringing 00:41:52.349 --> 00:41:55.969 about such a great salvation. God has spoken 00:41:55.969 --> 00:41:59.829 to us by his son. Hebrews chapter 1 verse 1 to 00:41:59.829 --> 00:42:03.579 3. whom he has appointed heir of all things, 00:42:03.699 --> 00:42:07.340 through whom also he made the worlds, who bring 00:42:07.340 --> 00:42:10.539 the brightness of his glory and the express image 00:42:10.539 --> 00:42:13.840 of his person, and upholding all things by the 00:42:13.840 --> 00:42:19.579 word of his power, when he had by himself purged 00:42:19.579 --> 00:42:24.199 our sins, sat down at the right hand of the majesty 00:42:24.199 --> 00:42:27.780 on high. And after recounting the glory and the 00:42:27.780 --> 00:42:30.960 majesty and the exaltation of Christ, Paul continues 00:42:30.960 --> 00:42:33.820 in chapter 2 of Hebrews, verse 3, and he asks 00:42:33.820 --> 00:42:38.679 this question, How shall we escape if we neglect 00:42:38.679 --> 00:42:43.199 so great a salvation? Which at the first began 00:42:43.199 --> 00:42:46.440 to be spoken by the Lord and was confirmed to 00:42:46.440 --> 00:42:49.550 us by those who heard him. And God also bore 00:42:49.550 --> 00:42:51.869 witness both with signs and wonders and various 00:42:51.869 --> 00:42:54.530 miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit according 00:42:54.530 --> 00:42:57.530 to his own will. Brothers and sisters, embrace 00:42:57.530 --> 00:43:03.489 the cross of Christ. Let it be glorious to you 00:43:03.489 --> 00:43:10.610 and thank God for it. Number two, reject boasting. 00:43:11.010 --> 00:43:14.309 Reject boasting in human leaders or in our own 00:43:14.309 --> 00:43:17.630 status. or in our achievements, or even the achievements 00:43:17.630 --> 00:43:21.329 of others. The Corinthians had their factions, 00:43:21.429 --> 00:43:26.409 and so can we. God chooses the lowly and the 00:43:26.409 --> 00:43:30.730 humble, the ones who tremble at his word. In 00:43:30.730 --> 00:43:34.050 a culture that idolizes charismatic or gifted 00:43:34.050 --> 00:43:37.409 leaders or influencers, as the term currently 00:43:37.409 --> 00:43:41.630 is, that defines success in a worldly way, instead, 00:43:41.969 --> 00:43:45.389 worship the God of heaven. Embrace his ways. 00:43:45.670 --> 00:43:50.750 Boast in him and not in yourself or in other 00:43:50.750 --> 00:43:57.210 men. Boast in Christ crucified. Number three, 00:43:57.230 --> 00:44:02.510 find your calling. Find your identity and find 00:44:02.510 --> 00:44:08.250 your fulfillment in Christ. In and through Jesus 00:44:08.250 --> 00:44:12.750 Christ. For he is your wisdom. All of these other 00:44:12.750 --> 00:44:18.989 things. Glory in him. Let him be your identity. 00:44:20.710 --> 00:44:27.389 In summary, this passage calls us to a counter 00:44:27.389 --> 00:44:32.989 -cultural faith. It is a faith that is humble, 00:44:33.110 --> 00:44:37.230 that is cross -centered, unimpressed by worldly 00:44:37.230 --> 00:44:41.050 status and measurements, and wholly unified around 00:44:41.050 --> 00:44:45.409 Jesus Christ alone. around Jesus Christ alone. 00:44:45.670 --> 00:44:49.110 This is a faith that challenges our pride and 00:44:49.110 --> 00:44:52.230 our self -sufficiency and yet it also comforts 00:44:52.230 --> 00:44:54.929 our insecurities because God doesn't depend on 00:44:54.929 --> 00:44:57.690 our strength or our smarts or our status. He 00:44:57.690 --> 00:45:00.690 uses what the world thinks is weak and foolish 00:45:00.690 --> 00:45:04.269 to accomplish his purposes and then we obey. 00:45:04.809 --> 00:45:07.690 Because of the transformed work of Christ in 00:45:07.690 --> 00:45:11.449 us. Yes, we obey. Yes, we do. But we give the 00:45:11.449 --> 00:45:15.210 glory to him and not to ourselves. We are able 00:45:15.210 --> 00:45:19.710 to obey because of his provision. It is all him 00:45:19.710 --> 00:45:23.590 working in us. What do we have that we didn't 00:45:23.590 --> 00:45:28.130 receive? Nothing. It all comes from him. Let 00:45:28.130 --> 00:45:31.849 us live this out daily. That we proclaim the 00:45:31.849 --> 00:45:34.769 simple and the pure gospel. That we embrace the 00:45:34.769 --> 00:45:37.389 offense of the cross. That we reject division. 00:45:37.750 --> 00:45:41.949 And that we boast in the Lord. That we'll preach. 00:45:42.309 --> 00:45:45.960 And that message. will transform lives as it 00:45:45.960 --> 00:45:49.179 has in the past, as it is doing now, and will 00:45:49.179 --> 00:45:53.179 continue to do so until the Lord returns. Even 00:45:53.179 --> 00:45:56.460 so come, Lord Jesus. Let's pray.