God's Wisdom vs. World's Wisdom
Notes
Transcript
We are continuing our study of 1 Corinthians this morning.
We saw in previous weeks that the city of Corinth was a city much like the culture of today. Social mobility was a priority. Intellectualism, knowledge, rhetoric, influence were high priorities. People would align themselves with people or schools that would help them to appear better than others around them. And it was a very immoral city. Sports was another important part of their culture. There were athletic games to which many people would come associated with Corinth. Another way to have influence was to be a great athlete.
This is much like our culture today isn’t it?
What is emphasized to the youth in our society? Education and athleticism. Get a good education. Be involved in lots of sports and other activities. Why? So you can build your resume and get into a great college. Because the better college you attend, the better job you will get. The better job you get, the more you will have. The more you have the better you fit in with higher society. The better you fit in with higher society, the better your life will be. You will be successful. You will have worth. You will have a good life. You will be looked up to and have influence.
Or, pursue sports. Be the best. Rise to the top. Beat everyone else at all costs. Then you will be successful. You will have worth. You will have influence.
And, when you have wealth and influence, nothing, no one can touch you. You can do what you want. People will respect you. People will listen to you.
Is it any wonder there is more anxiety among youth today than ever before? Is there any wonder that people get so angry and upset when they feel their children are not performing up to par in a sporting event?
Is it any wonder that in this culture, church takes a back seat to any school activity or sport?
Worldly wisdom dictates that this is necessary for the future of the children.
Worldly wisdom is a huge part of our culture, and it does have tremendous influence on us day in and day out.
What are some other examples of worldly wisdom?
Wordly wisdom:
Not my fault - blame others
Everyone is basically good
No sin
I am not that bad
Look out for number one, or look out for yourself, no one else will
Follow your heart
If you are good, good things will come your way
Seeing is believing
Love your friends and family (hate your enemies)
Your past dictates your future
Many ways to God
God is love, he would never condemn people to hell
If God were all powerful and all good, there would be no evil in this world
We are gods children, so we have God’s DNA, therefore we need to discover and bring out the god that is within us
Be good, do these things and you will be accepted by God
We are growing in our understanding, what used to be thought wrong really isn’t bad
People are born this way, they cannot help it
We cannot judge
God is gracious and loving, we need to accept people as they are.
If we just pass more laws, that will stop evil from happening.
If we just make certain things legal, there will be no more evil.
If we just let the prisoners go, then we will end the cycle of evil.
If we get rid of police, that will end the problem.
The only sin is racism.
We can make a better world.
Paul saw the Corinthians giving into worldly wisdom. He saw they following worldly wisdom in trying to align themselves with the best teachers. He saw them giving into worldly wisdom in moral issues. He saw them giving into worldly wisdom of seeing some people as of more influence and importance due to their gifts or status.
He writes this letter to win them back from worldly wisdom to God’s wisdom.
The first issue he addressed, which is the main topic of this chapter, as well as chapters 2, 3 and 4, has to do with the worldly wisdom of aligning yourself with certain teachers or ideologies to get ahead.
He began addressing this by appealing to them as brothers, and encouraging them to be saying the same things in order to be united in mind and thought. He wanted them to get back to the gospel. No teacher died for them. They were not baptized into any person’s name. They were saved by Christ who died for them. They were baptized into his name. He is was portioned out among them with some getting more than others.
They were all saved by the same gospel and had the same Lord and Master, Jesus the Christ.
Today, as we follow Paul’s continuing development of thought, we are going to see that he tells them that the gospel, the one message they all needed to be speaking and on which they needed to focus, is God’s wisdom, which is greater than the wisdom of the world.
Let’s read the passage for today together.
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”
Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?
For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.
Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom,
but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,
but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.
Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth.
But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.
God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are,
so that no one may boast before him.
It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.
Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”
And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.
For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling.
My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power,
so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.
Point
Illustration
Application
In this passage, we see Paul first making his point, then illustrating it, and finally making an application of the point.
Let’s look at the passage in more detail and see how he builds the point that God’s wisdom is greater than the world’s wisdom.
Point: God’s Wisdom & Power is Greater
Point: God’s Wisdom & Power is Greater
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
What is the message? What is it that was so foolish to the perishing?
The cross.
We need to keep this in mind through the whole passage.
What Paul is getting at is the core of the gospel, that Jesus died for our sin according to the scriptures, that he was buried, that he rose again on the third day, according to the scriptures. Something he reiterates later, in chapter 15.
The cross is foolish to the world. That God would die? That one man could die for the sins of the whole world? That God would abuse his own son for the sins of others?
Roman graffito - worshipper before a crucified figure with the body of a man and the had of a donkey with the inscription ‘Alexamenos worships his god’
This is foolish to the world. This makes no sense.
And, yes from a worldly perspective, I would never sacrifice my son for someone else. So, from a worldly perspective, this is truly foolish.
But, Paul, through the Spirit, says,
For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”
This is a quote from Isaiah 29:14. I want to look at this together, but let’s look at the context. Let’s look at verses 13 and 14.
The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught.
Therefore once more I will astound these people with wonder upon wonder; the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish.”
What I find interesting is that Jesus quoted this same passage while he was ministering.
“ ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.
They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’”
The Jews had devised their own traditions, saying that if you follow these traditions you will be righteous and accepted by God.
Jesus came, informing them that their righteousness was a filthy rags, as Isaiah the prophet put it. Their traditions were all about honoring God with their lips, but their hearts were far from God. Their righteous acts were all about bringing glory to themselves. And, their righteous acts were a far cry from being truly righteous before a holy God.
Jesus let them know that as good as they thought they were, they were not holy and righteous. This is why none of them could cast the first stone at the woman who was caught in adultery. There is no one who is righteous. No not one. We all need to die for our sin.
Ah, but God!! Jesus died for us on the cross! Just as Isaiah foretold, they honored God with their lips, but their hearts were far from him. So God did one more astounding, wonderful work among them. Jesus died on the cross!
Then, Jesus astounded the world by dying on the cross! Their wisdom perished. The intelligence of the intelligent vanished, just as was foretold! The world’s wisdom that you can be good enough before God was shown to be foolish! The cross is the wisdom of God that confounded their wisdom.
That is what Paul says next.
Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?
For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.
The foolish thing that was preached… the cross.
Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom,
Matt 12:39, 16:1, 4;, Mark 8:11-12, John 6:30
Acts 17 - Athens
but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,
but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.
Illustration
Illustration
Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth.
But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.
God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are,
so that no one may boast before him.
It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.
Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”
Application
Application
And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.
For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling.
My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power,
so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.
Power - the change in their lives!
What about you and me?
What about you and me?
Is any of the worldly wisdom of the world creeping into our thinking? Is any wordly wisdom shaping what we believe, what we do?
Consider James
Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.
But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth.
Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.
For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.
But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.
Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.
Is there any bitterness in us?
Is there any selfish ambition, meaning factious rivalry? Is there anything in us wanting to split apart and see our side gain advantage?
Is there a peacemaking about us, meaning our true ambition is to see the peace of Christ in people’s lives, or are do we see ourselves in a fight, wanting to see harm come to those against us?
If there is bitterness, factious rivalry or lack of peace, it is because we are following worldly wisdom. We have bought into subtle lies of the enemy and are pursuing things the world’s way.
Let us return to the message we need to preach. Let us return to the gospel of peace! Let us return to the only hope of mankind, that God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son, that whoever believes in him will never perish, but have everlasting life. For there is no other name under heaven, given to mankind by which they must be saved. There is no other salvation. There is no other hope for this world.