God's Plan for His Church (3)
1 Corinthians • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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As Paul continues his opening remarks to the Corinthians he has made a couple of primary points that are the driving force behind his theology and the instructions he will give the church at Corinth.
The key truths are found at the turning points, the hinges that connect the units of text. The first was found at 1 Cor 1.9 and the point was that
God calls us into fellowship with Jesus and His Church under the lordship of King Jesus!
This fellowship - a new family in which we all share the same inheritance, primarily Christ himself is the basis for our new life together. It’s why we meet here today. It’s why the decisions we make as a church matter. It’s all because we have universally been grafted into God’s larger fellowship of believers and specifically into this local body.
The second theological foundation was found at 1 Cor 1.17 that Paul’s primary mission was to preach and his primary message was Christ - specifically Christ Crucified.
1 Corinthians 1:17 (CSB)
17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ will not be emptied of its effect.
This point will be further investigated this morning.
It is these two foundational theological convictions that lead us into the third section of the letter to the Corinthians 1 Cor 1.18-2.5
1 Corinthians 1:18–2:5 (CSB)
18 For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but it is the power of God to us who are being saved. 19 For it is written,
I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and I will set aside the intelligence of the intelligent.
20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the debater of this age? Hasn’t God made the world’s wisdom foolish? 21 For since, in God’s wisdom, the world did not know God through wisdom, God was pleased to save those who believe through the foolishness of what is preached. 22 For the Jews ask for signs and the Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles. 24 Yet to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God, 25 because God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.
26 Brothers and sisters, consider your calling: Not many were wise from a human perspective, not many powerful, not many of noble birth. 27 Instead, God has chosen what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen what is weak in the world to shame the strong. 28 God has chosen what is insignificant and despised in the world—what is viewed as nothing—to bring to nothing what is viewed as something, 29 so that no one may boast in his presence. 30 It is from him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became wisdom from God for us—our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption 31 —in order that, as it is written: Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.
1 When I came to you, brothers and sisters, announcing the mystery of God to you, I did not come with brilliance of speech or wisdom. 2 I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. 4 My speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of wisdom but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, 5 so that your faith might not be based on human wisdom but on God’s power.
The numerous mentions of the name of Jesus up to this point prepared us not only for the fellowship we share that is led by Jesus but now also the message of the church that is centered squarely in Jesus.
Here we find Paul’s first use of the word ‘gospel’ in this letter - and everything about this gospel or good news in both centered in and centered around Jesus the Christ.
A good news - that’s what the word gospel means - that will be lost on the world but will be recognized by those whom God enables to understand it. Just like everything we posses (salvation, gifts, etc.) so far in chapter 1 has been shown to be a gift from God, so too is even the ability to understand the gospel. For we read in
4 In their case, the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
This is no war of words as in eloquent speech, pointed arguments, slick messaging - no this is a war of another type - a spiritual war in which blind eyes need to be opened. Just as Jesus opened the eyes of Blind Baritmeus, so too the Holy Spirit must open our eyes to the understanding of the good news God is trying to send our way.
Paul, at one time - prior to his conversion - saw the crucifixion of Christ as a demonstration that Jesus the Galilean lacked status, but once he came to know the Messiah in the power of his resurrection, [an understanding that took divine intervention] that perspective on Christ was undone. - Scott McKnight, Pastor Paul, 166
It is no different with you and I, or anyone else. Our divine intervention may not be nearly as dramatic as the Apostle Paul’s was but it is divine intervention nonetheless for apart from it we simply go our own way on the path of destruction (see further Romans 1-3).
There are just two main points to this portion of Scripture (I heard/expected a sigh of relief at that point).
1. Preach the Cross
2. Practice the Cross
The first point, Preach the Cross covers 1 Cor 1.18-25. The second point Practice the Cross covers 1 Cor 1.26-2.5 and consists of two different examples, one from the Corinthians and one from Paul.
So let’s break it down.
1. Preach the Cross
1. Preach the Cross
Paul is clear - the message of the cross is foolishness to those that are perishing, those that are on their way to destruction.
On their way...Paul does not simply view life in terms of we are here today and then at some point in the future we will die and face a judgment. No, Paul views life as on a path or in a more modern sense on a highway. A highway to hell in fact is where we start off - but then when we hear the good news of the cross we exit this highway and take the Bee Line to Heaven. But we don’t get there immediately, no we’re still on a highway, it’s just a different one. And even this highway that is leading us to heaven, like the yellow brick road for Dorothy and her friends, this highway is still fraught with problems…cars pulled off to fix a flat tire, fender benders with tow trucks and paramedics coming to assist, two hour delays in where we thought we’d be by now. This highway - thought it’s going to heaven - is still filled with construction and lots of situations calling for help. It’s no joy ride. If it’s a canoe ride, it just might have the Universal Ripsaw Falls around the corner.
Paul’s message of the cross is not an “everything will be ok now” message, rather it is a “Jesus is here to hold your hand” until we get to heaven message.
So why is this message such foolishness to the world?
For many reasons - and it may depend on the culture, epistemology or philosophy of each person - but universally, the reason is it such foolishness is because it’s ridiculous to think that a man crucified as a criminal is going to make everything all right. Think about it, it just sounds silly.
And that’s exactly the point - the weakest, most insignificant thing God could do has more power than the strongest and most significant thing a human could do. God can do more through the simple preached word of the cross than you or I can do with pizza, smoke and mirrors, pyrotechnic shows or any other type of ‘wow’ factor effect we could conjure up.
Things aren’t always what they seem to be.
You might think a firefly is a fly but it’s really a beetle.
You might think a prairie dog is a dog but it’s really a rodent.
You might think a India ink is from Indai but it’s really from China & Egypt.
You might think a lead pencil contains lead but it’s really graphite.
You might think a peanut is a peanut but it’s really a legume.
Things just aren’t always what they seem. And with God this is especially true.
It’s the foolishness of God (in human terms) that does a first round TKO to all the wisdom of man.
It’s about perception - and for most of us perception is reality - but is it?
In order to properly see God’s plan, in order to properly understand what God is doing you’ve got to be able to see with the eyes of God and that is a Spiritual thing. Thus those who don’t have the Spirit cannot see it.
The cross marks the inauguration of a new age, but unless one is living in that new age one’s vision is still controlled by the old age. SHBC
The old way of looking at things must be demolished in order to see things God’s way.
Robert Scott Nash, 1 Corinthians, ed. Leslie Andres and R. Alan Culpepper, Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary (Macon, GA: Smyth & Helwys Publishing, Incorporated, 2009), 90.
1 Corinthians (Bridging Contexts)
People may simply reject God outright (v. 21). Or they may look for him in the wrong places, demanding miraculous signs or engaging in speculative philosophies (vv. 22–23). Or they may remake him in their own image, not recognizing the qualitative difference between God and humanity (v. 25). With respect to signs, God may choose to grant them in hopes that people will thereby believe (John 20:31), but he seldom if ever supplies them on demand, and he insists that people have enough evidence for belief without them (John 20:29).
The Jews might want a demonstration of power evidenced by a miraculous healing.
The Greeks/Gentiles (non-Jews) might want a superb, logically reasoned, argument with all the evidences to back it up but as Lee Strobel will tell you in the Case for Christ - you can line up all the evidences but you still have to choose whether or not to believe it. So evidences or not, it’s a matter of faith.
Which is why Heb 4.12 is one of my keystone verses as to why I preach, teach, and invest in organizations that translate the Word of God into languages that have no Scriptures.
12 For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
It goes where no surgeon’s scalpel can go. It can repair thoughts and intents. It can righten wrong thinking. It can give hope when you are in despair. It can bring forgiveness to bitterness. It can bring healing to hurt. It can extinguish the flames of hell or the darts of the devil. It can bring security when you don’t feel safe or saved. It can bring encouragement when you are depressed. It can bring good news when you need it.
The Word of God, not human wisdom is the antidote to humanity’s problems.
The Corinthians were hoodwinked by the illusion of wisdom, right thinking, status and more from their culture - as are we.
Getting your name on the who’s who list doesn’t change the game - it’s still make Jesus famous - to the whole world. If you get on the list - great, use it for God - but leave it up to Him as to whether you get on the list.
1 Corinthians—The Word of the Cross (Spirit of Competition and Achievement)
Mary Bell, a consultant to many high-level executives, says, “Achievement is the alcohol of our time.” She goes on to say that… the more you achieve, the more you feel dynamite. These days the best people don’t abuse alcohol; they abuse their lives. When you complete a project, you feel dynamite, or when you start something new and you’re able to show your visionary entrepreneurial skills and you can be somebody who can start something from nothing, something that is so highly praised in our culture.… There’s a feeling of euphoria. And, of course, your self-esteem—the way you evaluate and form your identity—is on the line here. Remember? That we’re so concerned about protecting our status and the reason why we are engaged in status anxiety is for this very reason, that somebody might actually find out that I might perhaps be a fraud. So, our self-esteem is on the line because we have been gathering our self worth externally. Living out your life dependent upon the judgments of the people outside of you.She went on to say, “An achievement addict is no different than any other kind of addict.”11
It doesn’t need to be our goal at GA to be the largest church, the most popular church, the fastest growing church or anything else. It needs to be our goal to be a faithful church - faithful to the call of God on our lives. Each of the 7 churches in the book of Revelation needed to simply be faithful - that’s the call.
Proclaim the Word and Practice the Word.
Why is Paul so focused on the Preaching of the Cross?
The First Epistle to the Corinthians B. The Contrast between Human Wisdom and the Transformative Power of the Cross as God’s Wisdom (1:18–2:5)
In Paul’s theology the cross is more than (but not less than) a remedy and atonement for past sins. It provides the basis for Christian identity and his transformative power to reshape Christian existence in the present and the future
The First Epistle to the Corinthians (B. The Contrast between Human Wisdom and the Transformative Power of the Cross as God’s Wisdom (1:18–2:5))
Paul’s emphasis on the cross points “not [only] backwards to the expiation of past transgressions but [also] forwards … thinking more in terms of a change of lordship …” (his italics, my additions in brackets).3
Paul sees your view of the cross as intricately connected to how you think (epistemology) and how you view the church (eschatology) as well as how you view Christ (Christology) and all the other aspects of theology.
As Paul delves deeper into the contrast between God’s wisdom and the World’s wisdom he argues that the opposite of worldly or fleshly wisdom is not spiritual wisdom but rather the cross. Until we are completely perfected and in our glorified bodies the only way we can further know God spiritually is by knowing him through the cross. The cross is the eschatological event of the ages. (NIGTC)
These issues regarding our thinking or how we believe, as in most of the NT letters cover the first half or so of the letter and are generally followed by how we should behave. So, it’s a believe this and behave like this type of thing.
The First Epistle to the Corinthians (1. The Limits of Human Wisdom in the Light of the Cross (1:18–25))
Paul presents “an absolute contrast between God and the word about the cross on the one hand, and the wisdom of the world on the other hand” (my italics).25
While the Corinthians are obsessing about social status and honor, rhetoric and retorts, Paul slam dunks with the preaching of the cross.
How could something that seems so absurd in the world’s eyes—a crucified king—ever be regarded as “wisdom?”
And how could there be power in this?
The cross is a different kind of power than human weakness or folly.
1 Corinthians Explanation of the Text
Death on a cross was regarded with horror and disdain by Jews and Gentiles alike. For many Jews, as Paul makes clear, it is a cause of “stumbling” (see further comments at v. 23). Jewish law had taught that death “on a tree” meant a person was cursed, that is, damned by God (Deut 21:23; cf. Gal 3:13; 5:11). Yet for Jew and Gentile alike it was the sheer horror of this form of death that made the whole idea of preaching about one who had been crucified, let alone a crucified king, seem madness or folly (μωρία; v. 18).
In contrast to the desire for upward mobility in the Corinthian society and in most cultures, Paul promotes the Christocentric path of humility to exaltation, modeled after the life of Jesus. In being willing to be shamed and dishonored Paul sees the path to pointing to Christ and his exaltation - any quest for honor is some other way is viewed by Paul as a Corinthianization or following of the world and its foolishness.
Status was irrelevant to Paul - Christ was everything.
God revealed his power in Christ, and that power was the power of the cross, the power of sacrifice for the sake of others, the power of a path toward a death that led to resurrection. - Scott McKnight
Paul regularly chooses the way of the cross over the ways of the world. He chooses self-degradation over pride/boasting, manual labor over a paid position, lack of status over honor and honorariums, humility over pride, silence amidst rejection and personal attacks over retaliation. Paul is following in the footsteps of his master, King Jesus, who despite being creator and sustainer of all things relinquished his position in heaven to be reviled, hated and tortured, ultimately ending in his death on the cross. The ultimate of sacrifices and humiliation - to be finally exalted by resurrection and return to his seat in glory.
The upside down, inside out kingdom of God taught by Jesus is the same upside down, inside out kingdom lived out by Paul.
What mattered was not the world’s perspective but Christ’s.
And so how is this wisdom?
Well, first we need to understand what wisdom is in the context of the Scriptures and then see what Paul does with this concept.
The primary term in the OT is the Hebrew word hokmah and in the NT, the Greek word sophia.
Because the Scriptures are completely steeped in Judaism, which although has been influenced by all of the cultures is has come in contact with or been subservient to, it has still retained some concepts unique to itself and definitely that contrast with thinking in the modern era.
Firstly, Wisdom in the Scriptures begins with God.
7 The fear of the Lord
is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and discipline.
Thus, it is not something you can find yourself, although by observation you can definitely learn some things. Biblically, without a proper relationship with God you literally can’t have Biblical or Godly wisdom. You can only have worldly wisdom.
This is because when it comes to the Scriptures - they begin and end with God. Thus, apart from Him you are out in the cold, on your own. Without the fear of God, the reverence, respect, trust, loyalty, awe due to the Creator of the Universe - you can’t even begin to acquire wisdom. How contrary to the world’s way of thinking is this.
Wisdom is not the same as education, learning, knowledge, IQ or the like. Although our culture likes to think education will save the world, the Scriptures say it will not - it’s not just that it will perish, it’s actually on the highway of destruction, it is moving that way even as we speak.
This is not to say don’t get educated, this is simply to make clear that education is not the same as wisdom, particularly biblical wisdom.
A definition of wisdom given by Ellen Davis is that
wisdom is “living in the world in such a way that God, and God’s intentions for the world, are acknowledged in all that we do.”
Proverbs 3:5–6 (NKJV)
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.
Wisdom is needed for all of life. Leaders need it and so does everyone else. You need it to determine which purchase to make, how to spend your money, which house to buy, what city to live in, what school to go to, who to marry, etc. You need it for all of life.
Paul is utilizing wisdom in every line he writes to the Corinthians. He is providing practical application of theological truths.
In contrast, God’s People have repeatedly turned away from His wisdom to pursue their own understanding - this worldly wisdom has resulted in God’s chastisement time after time. In our passage here Paul quotes from Isa 29.14 in which God has determined to judge the supposed wisdom of the people. The context is probably when Hezekiah was king and the Assyrians were breathing down their necks. His advisors thought he should get help and fight. However, God had sent the Assyrians due to Israel’s rebellion and had told Hezekiah through his prophets to humble himself, demonstrate weakness and submit.
Despite their ‘wise’ plans they have acted in the place of God, replacing his thinking with their own. But God will show them that not only are they the fools but that he is still in control. For the wisdom of man is futile and an attack on God and His sovereignty. Because they lack the proper relationship with God to begin with they are incapable of having proper wisdom. God calls them to return to a proper relationship, fear the Lord.
So how do we go from the idea that the Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom to Jesus is wisdom in
30 It is from him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became wisdom from God for us—our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption
The Scriptures move from Wisdom starting with fearing God to the personification of wisdom in Prov 9 as Lady Wisdom (as compared to the Foolish Woman in the same chapter). While on the surface things may seem similar (they both have houses, beckon others to join them, prepare meals for their guests, offer life ) they highways they are on lead to two different destinations - one is the way of life and one is the way of death.
Job 28 picks up the theme, in the middle of the book as the question “Where can wisdom be found?” surfaces and the answer is simply - God!
In Ecclesiastes we find all sorts of explorations of the meaning of life and in each pursuit the author remarks that the result is ‘frustratingly enigmatic’. While pursuing Lady Wisdom he found himself in the clutches of the Foolish Woman. The book concludes with the similar admonition of Proverbs - to start with God.
Remember, the Scriptures, particularly the ones we call OT were written to God’s People to help them live out their covenant duty to their Creator and Savior.
So as wisdom is personified in Proverbs and elsewhere as a person, Paul picks up on this and paints the portrait of Christ as the wisdom of God
24 Yet to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God,
McKnight says It is Paul’s gospel-centered, Christ-shaped and Spirit-prompted wisdom that leads Paul to find Christ in the Shema of Deut 6.4-6, identifying the One Lord of Deut 6.4 with Jesus Christ and as Creator in 1 Cor 8.6
While Paul uses rhetoric and persuasion, Paul’s primary thrust is that life changing power is found in the preaching of the cross and nothing else.
Any intellectual effort that does not begin with Christ and end with Christ is not Christian wisdom (McKnight, 182) and is a road of destruction.
Paul saw everything though the life changing lens of Jesus Christ. He was not impressed with the Acropolis of Athens, the library of Ephesus, the Forum in Rome. He would not be impressed with the skyscrapers or driverless cars of today. Rather Paul was impressed with what seemed like foolishness to the rest of the world - the preaching of the cross, the humiliated lifestyle that precedes exaltation, the sacrificial lifestyle of one being poured out as a drink offering - all for the glory of God and the fame of the name of Jesus - and done in the power and insight of the Spirit.
It is this message of the cross that is the power of God for salvation for them that are perishing, it is the reason that those who bring this good news are viewed as having ‘beautiful feet’.
This matters because you don’t need to worry about your insecurities, your inadequacies, your fears, your nervousness or anything else as you share the good news of the cross with others.
Jesus tells us to go…just go…spreading the word…what they do with the message is not your concern. Their response is up to them and the work of the Holy Spirit.
Let’s renew our boldness to share the goodness of the message of the cross starting in Orlando.
The rest of our portion of scripture for today 1 Cor 1.26-2.5 consists of two examples of Practicing the Cross.
26 Brothers and sisters, consider your calling: Not many were wise from a human perspective, not many powerful, not many of noble birth. 27 Instead, God has chosen what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen what is weak in the world to shame the strong. 28 God has chosen what is insignificant and despised in the world—what is viewed as nothing—to bring to nothing what is viewed as something, 29 so that no one may boast in his presence. 30 It is from him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became wisdom from God for us—our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption 31 —in order that, as it is written: Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.
2. Practice the Cross
2. Practice the Cross
This is the lived out theology of Preaching the Cross.
If the preaching of the cross is living in the weakness of the message, what looks like foolishness to the world then we need to learn to live in weakness, relying on God’s Power to do the work, not our own.
For the Corinthians in vss 26-31 the power of the preached word of the cross is evident in the fact that they are called by God, they are believers, they are part of the fellowship/koinonia of God.
2a. Corinthians Called
2a. Corinthians Called
This will be Paul’s basis to exhort them to return to God’s wisdom. They were not joined to the fellowship of Christ through status, honor, rhetoric etc. Rather, they were joined to Christ through the Preached Word of the Cross!
The exhortation is to remember the manner in which you were first brought into the Kingdom - that is the manner that should overshadow the way you operate in God’s Kingdom.
It was in humility that you entered the kingdom, not pride, status or honor.
It was in repentance that you entered the kingdom, not rigid stance and aloofness.
It was into a fellowship of family that you entered, do not know ostracize and separate into groups, cliques, or view others as less than yourself.
Although there were certainly some socially elite members of the church, most of them, like it has been throughout history were not of the social elite. Paul says remember that - he choose you, the lowly - to demonstrate his great wisdom. Don’t think too highly of yourself. Rather brag on God alone.
Often we think it’s the social elites that can have the most impact for God, yet God often takes a nobody and turns them into a somebody.
I remember when I first became a Christian. At the time I was a big fan of Elton John and I thought how great an impact he could make for Christ if he were saved. So I tried to find a fanclub mail to send him something and I prayed for his salvation. Now neither of those things are wrong but what I’ve come to realize since then is that God has placed believers all over the place. They are in every industry. They are often behind the scenes and have opportunity to share with people off stage. I have no doubt that there have been times when Elton had someone share the message of the cross with him throughout his long career.
The realization that God uses anybody that’s available coupled with the sociological statistic that anybody you can think of is only about 6 degrees (or connections) from you should give you great hope in sharing the message of the cross with others. You just might be the link that gets the message one person closer to someone.
ILL: George Bush. A former boss, who was also a volleyball coach, coached the daughter of GW’s neighbor.
Paul reminds the Corinthians via his quote from Jeremiah Jer 9.23-24 that we sometimes don’t know why God is doing what he is doing. We may think we do, but unless God reveals it to us, our ‘wisdom’ might be just foolishness. Paul fears the Corinthians have fallen into this same trap, not understanding what God has done with them, forgetting that everything they are and have is a gift from God himself. Rather than boasting in themselves, they should be pointing to God.
It is also possible they were boasting in their reliance upon Torah (given to them by God) and their ethnicity (again, a gift from God). We don’t have the time this morning but I think we can all recognize the fact that religious superiority and ethnicity still play a prominent part of worldly wisdom; whether it be politics or even in the church. Sunday mornings are probably still the most segregated day of the week.
Paul’s calling us back to recognizing our weakness and glorying in the work that God does. We take no credit for what he does. We simply work in tandem with the Spirit.
The second example that Paul uses to demonstrate the power of the cross is his own preaching.
2b. Paul’s Preaching
2b. Paul’s Preaching
This section is both a further example of Paul’s primary point to Preach the Cross and a bridge to the next section which addresses further the nature of true wisdom.
1 When I came to you, brothers and sisters, announcing the mystery of God to you, I did not come with brilliance of speech or wisdom. 2 I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. 4 My speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of wisdom but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, 5 so that your faith might not be based on human wisdom but on God’s power.
In 1 Cor 2.1-5 Paul reminds the Corinthians that he came preaching the cross in the demonstration and power of the Holy Spirit, not as some great orator. If you search the Gospels you will see that this is how Jesus came as well. Paul is continuing to follow the example of Jesus.
As Paul has already articulate, it is the message of the cross that matters. When writing to the believers in Rome Paul said
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek.
It was this message of the cross that Paul trusted in to bring people to Christ. When he reflected upon himself, he felt weak and inadequate. But he believed in the power of God and the power of the message of the cross.
That’s why we preach. I don’t always feel confident. I’ve ministered in areas where I felt completely out of my comfort zone. I spent 7 years ministering in Carver Shores where the currency is basketball and this boy’s not so hot. The relationships we made, the people we helped, the believers we encouraged was not due to me - it was due to God’s faithfulness and His message that we proclaimed.
As has often been said God doesn’t call the qualified he qualifies the called.
It is the power of God, through the preached message of the cross that changes lives and Paul reminds us to stay focused on the main thing and not get sidetracked with other issues whether they be personalities, status, oratory skills, or anything else. We don’t need all the bells and whistles, smoke machines and flashing lights to reach people for Jesus - we need the message of the cross proclaimed in humility and lived out in our own lives in humility, being willing, like Paul wrote to the Philippians to partake in the sufferings of Christ.
1 Corinthians Structure
In this way Paul concludes the section that began at 1:18, in which he has demonstrated how, in the gospel, God has undermined the wisdom of the world. He has shown that this has been achieved through Christ crucified, who is the content of the gospel. In this gospel God’s power and his wisdom have been revealed, and they stand in sharp contrast with the power and wisdom so sought after in Corinth.
Summary
Summary
1. Preach the Cross
2. Practice the Cross
Let’s Pray
If you haven’t responded to the message of the cross, that Jesus came from heaven, that Jesus was born as a baby, that Jesus died in your place, that Jesus rose from the dead, the Jesus lives forevermore today is your day....don’t put it off…don’t harden your heart…if you feel like God is calling you to join his family then he is…I can guarantee you the devil is not trying to get you to join God’s family.
Cry out to God this morning - right where you’re seated. Admit to God that you’re a sinner - you know you are and so does everyone that knows you - we all are - that’s why we all need a savior. Ask God to forgive you for your sins, wash you clean, make you part of his family and tell him you want to live for him for the rest of your life. If you asked, he answered. Today’s a new day for you. I still remember when I asked God to save me when I was 18 years old.
Welcome to the family. Let me know after service. I’d love to pray with you and encourage you in your new faith.
Grace Alive Family, be encouraged, your hope is found in Christ. Ask him this week to open a door for a conversation with someone that you might have the opportunity to share the message of the cross with someone. Ask God to show you a believer that you can encourage to trust and rest in the power of God and to be reinvigorated to share the message as well. Let’s do this together.