We Preach Christ Crucified (1 Cor 1:18-31)

Welcome & Announcements

Welcome to New Beginnings Baptist Church for this joint good Friday Service with New Beginnings and Grace & Peace Bible Church. My name is Daniel Arter and I’m privileged to be the pastor of Grace & Peace in Philipsburg and I’m thankful for Pastor Tim and New Beginnings for allowing us to join them as we worship Jesus together this evening.

For those here for the first time, if you need any help finding anything, please feel free to ask—the restrooms are located in the hall behind you to the left and there is water available at the water cooler in the back of the auditorium to your right.

If you’re visiting either church for the first time and you’d like more information about either church, the Gospel, or really anything—please feel free to talk with me, Pastor Tim, or any of the elders and deacons at either church.

This evening, we’re gathered together for a special service that is dedicated to focus our minds on the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. However, I will say that this is not your typical Tenebrae service—while there will be singing and Scripture Reading, prayer, and preaching this evening—we aren’t following the typical order of service and we aren’t necessarily even doing the traditional readings that accompany Good Friday.

And the reasoning is two-fold—first, it’s really hard to reflect on the crucifixion and the death of Jesus without remembering the resurrection and what is to come.

And secondly, the Tenebrae tradition itself, isn’t necessary; but reflecting on Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection is absolutely necessary.

What this service will look like is rather simple:

Josh Dickson, who is training for ministry at Grace & Peace is going to read multiple passages of Scripture to help us reflect:

One to remind us that God planned the crucifixion,

One to help prepare us for the Lord’s Supper

And a third one in which we’ll read Jesus’ crucifixion.

The New Beginnings Worship Team will lead us in congregational singing as we sing together about the cross and God’s love for us.

Pastor Tim Richmond, who pastors New Beginnings will lead us as we partake in the Lord’s Supper.

And I’ll preach a message to remind us of the importance of the Gospel and the cross.

Today is meant to be a reflection of all that Jesus has done for you on that cross over 2,000 years ago and I pray that you all leave this place refreshed, contemplative, and filled with worship for our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Prayer of Repentance and Adoration

Scripture Reading (Isa 53)

Isaiah 53 ESV

1 Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2 For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? 9 And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. 10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. 11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.

Congregational Singing

How Deep the Father’s Love for Us

When I Survey

Scripture Reading (Matt 26:17-25)

Matthew 26:17–25 ESV

17 Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?” 18 He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.’ ” 19 And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover. 20 When it was evening, he reclined at table with the twelve. 21 And as they were eating, he said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” 22 And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, “Is it I, Lord?” 23 He answered, “He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me. 24 The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.” 25 Judas, who would betray him, answered, “Is it I, Rabbi?” He said to him, “You have said so.”

The Lord’s Supper (Pastor Tim Richmond)

Scripture Reading (Mark 15:22-41)

Mark 15:22–41 ESV

22 And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull). 23 And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. 24 And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take. 25 And it was the third hour when they crucified him. 26 And the inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” 27 And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left. 29 And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, 30 save yourself, and come down from the cross!” 31 So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. 32 Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also reviled him. 33 And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 35 And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.” 36 And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” 37 And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. 38 And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. 39 And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” 40 There were also women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. 41 When he was in Galilee, they followed him and ministered to him, and there were also many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem.

Preaching of God’s Word (1 Cor 1:18-31)

Introduction

As mentioned when we opened the service, this Good Friday service is a little different than what you may be familiar with. If you’ve ever attended a Good Friday Service, what is sometimes referred to as a Tenebrae Service, the mood is somber and the service is a reflection of all that Jesus suffered through on the day of His crucifixion over 2,000 years ago. Personally, I have a little bit difficult of a time just reflecting on Jesus’ suffering when we know that Jesus was raised from the dead and He now stands at the right hand of God reigning in heaven. So, while we have reflected some on the sufferings of Jesus this evening, I’ve chosen to preach not on His sufferings but on the importance of the proclamation of the cross—or in other words, I’ve chosen to focus on why we keep reiterating Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection year after year after year; and why we proclaim His death when we partake in the Lord’s Supper.

This evening, my aim is to not just help us reflect on the cross and the death of Jesus, but to help us see just how important of a detail the cross is—it isn’t just something we do or celebrate every year, it is at the very center of our faith as Christians. To help you as we work through the text this evening, let me show you just how we’re going to study the passage: (1) The Foolishness of the Cross (18-25), which helps us to understand why unbelievers refuse to believe in the cross even though Jesus saves us through the cross, and (2) Our Response to the Cross (26-31). Even though the world around us thinks that the cross of Jesus Christ is foolishness, we as believers, celebrate the cross because Jesus saves us through His death, burial, and resurrection—so, have hope in Him, proclaim His death, and boast in the Lord.

Prayer for Illumination

The Foolishness of the Cross (18-25)

Our text starts with a simple statement concerning the cross—in a sense, it acts almost like a thesis statement or a purpose statement for the text. Let’s look at vv. 18-19:

1 Corinthians 1:18–19 ESV

18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”

The Bible tells us that those who don’t believe or as Paul says, “those who are perishing” look at the cross and they think it’s utter foolishness—it’s dumb, it’s stupidity.

In our culture today, we have a hard time understanding their thought process on this, but put yourself into the shoes of the people in the first century.

The cross was developed by the Roman government as a means to torture and execute criminals, and, for the most part, the only people who ever experienced the cross were proven to be criminals—thus, for most people in the first century, they assumed that Jesus was simply a criminal who was arrested, tried, convicted, and executed.

Of course, we know that He was completely innocent, but again, think from their perspective—they assumed that only criminals were crucified.

To think of the cross in their shoes, puts us in a completely different frame of mind because they make the assumption that Jesus is a criminal.

And thus, when this relatively small group (and they are a small group compared to the pagans) start teaching people about Jesus—His death, burial, and resurrection.

The assumption isn’t that Jesus actually did these things but rather that this small group of Christians are just crazy and foolish—that they’re willing to follow a criminal who was executed on a cross just seems absurd to them.

And yet, the message of the cross is the very power of God for those of us who believe.

Or in other words, God chose something that seems foolish, stupid, or dumb to the unbeliever as the very means through which He saves.

Matthew Henry, “This is the sum and substance of the gospel. Christ crucified is the foundation of all our hopes, the fountain of all our joys. And by his death we live” He goes on to write, “The preaching of salvation for lost sinners by the sufferings and death of the Son of God . . . appears [as] foolishness to [unbelievers].” (Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, 1997), 1 Co 1:17.)

I think we can all relate to this concept that unbelievers think of the crucifixion and really the Gospel as foolishness because I’m certain that we all have friends and even family that think that we’re foolish for the commitment that we make to follow Jesus, obey His Word, and even make the effort to be at special services like a Good Friday Service.

To the world of unbelievers, this all seems to be a great big waste of time, money, and energy; but to us, it’s our response to the Gospel—it’s a result of our belief.

Or in other words, to us, it makes sense to do these things because in our mind, since Jesus did this to save us; the very least we can do is serve Him.

But that’s not how unbelievers think nor is it how they feel. What do they think of all this? According to Paul, they view it as folly, foolishness, and stupidity.

But God chose the cross even before the cross happened or really even before the idea of the cross existed. V. 19 says “For it is written, ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”

This is a quote from Isaiah 29:14, which is used by Paul here to show us that this plan of God to utilize something that’s seemingly foolish was His plan since at least Isaiah’s time, which was about 830-850 years before the cross.

There is sometimes this idea amongst Christians that the cross was something that was accidental, that it wasn’t necessarily supposed to happen that way, but if you read the Old Testament carefully, you can’t help but to see how intentional it all was.

To the extent that Isaiah describes the beatings that Jesus endures, Psalm 22 prophesies the very words that Jesus says on the cross. I mean, Jesus, before His death, states that the Scripture, meaning the Old Testament all testify of Him—and His life, His burial, His resurrection, and really who He is.

The plan of God was for Jesus to be crucified on a Roman cross, which is an instrument utilized for the torture and execution of criminals.

It seems absurd, foolish, dumb, and stupid, and yet, that is how Jesus saves.

Vv. 20-25, then continues by stating at length, why unbelievers think the cross is foolish. Paul poses four questions in a Socratic manner—meaning, he already knows the answer but he wants them to think through the question and provide the same answer.

So, he asks these questions in v. 20, “Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?”

He uses these questions to then dig into his thesis—that unbelievers think the cross is foolish. And the idea at hand is actually rather simple—think of the ones that you think are wise or intelligent. In those days, it would primarily be philosophers, scholars, and those who could debate (maybe those who studied Law).

What Paul is stating then is rather simple—we think of these people as being rather intelligent and wise but the reality is that through the gaining of wisdom and knowledge through study or philosophy or debating—they still completely missed salvation in Christ alone by grace alone through faith alone.

Human wisdom and knowledge alone cannot save nor was it intended to save, but rather, v. 21 says that “it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.”

Well, what exactly are we to preach or proclaim? Think all the way back to Matthew 28 in the great commission. Matthew 28:19-20 “19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to keep all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”” (LSB)

Or even think of Romans 10:6-10 “6 But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way . . . that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, leading to righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, leading to salvation.” (LSB)

What is the Gospel that we preach—that looks like foolishness to the world? It’s this: That Jesus was born of a virgin and lived a perfect, sinless life, and died on a cross for our sins. He was our substitionary atonement in which we believe and He provides salvation to any who call upon His name, repent of their sins, and follows Him.

The world thinks that this is foolish and Paul explains just how foolish it seems to them by showing us what unbelievers are looking for instead. Believers point to the cross but the unbelievers point to pretty much anywhere other than the cross, vv. 22-25 says, “For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”

Or in other words, what Paul is saying is this—Christians understand that our whole faith is based on the cross, the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, the repentance of sin and belief in Him—that is absolute truth, but unbelievers don’t accept it as truth, so they turn different ways to look for their own truth.

Some look for signs—meaning miraculous events and spontaneous miracles, some are looking at human wisdom meaning what they can deduce through their own thinking and their own rationality.

But God chose what appears to be foolish and weak—God chose the crucifixion and God chose the death of Jesus on the cross as the means to save us, which, let’s be honest, is completely different than what we probably would’ve chosen to do; and yet, that’s what God decided to do because His foolishness is wiser than our wisdom and His weakness is stronger than our strength.

Now, in vv. 18-25, there are already significant amounts of application available to us but Paul has some specific application in mind that really drives home his whole point. We find it in vv. 26-31. In the last few verses of this chapter, Paul shifts from speaking about how unbelievers view the cross to how believers ought to view the cross. Let’s read the last six verses:

Our Response to the Cross (26-31)

1 Corinthians 1:26–31 ESV

26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

Paul ends this chapter in a way that might seem offensive. The Corinthians were a people that were obsessed with position, authority, power, and wealth. But Paul quickly squashes that idea:

He literally calls them a bunch of nobodies—they weren’t wise according to the word, they weren’t powerful, they weren’t part of the nobility.

But God chose them anyway—to shame the wise and the strong.

God chose them despite their shortcomings and He did this intentionally.

Really, what Paul is saying is this, “you guys are so obsessed with yourself when the reality is that most of you aren’t that great according to the world, really you’re nobody, but Jesus is great and He picked you.”

And He picked you despite knowing you really weren’t that great and the world doesn’t think too highly of you.

And He does it for a very specific reason, which we find in v. 29, “So that no human being might boast in the presence of God.”

Or in other words, the whole point that Paul is making is that despite their desire to be somebody amazing—to have position, authority, power, and wealth; God chose them because they didn’t have position, authority, power, or wealth.

And really, what vv. 30-31 ends with helps us understand this better.V. 30 says that “because of him [meaning God] you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.’”

Or in other words, even though the Corinthian people are obsessed with position, authority, power, and wealth; it isn’t through them that God saves—it is through Jesus that God saves.

It isn’t through who the Corinthian people are, it’s only through Jesus Christ—”who became to us wisdom from God [as well as] righteousness and sanctification and redemption.”

The world is looking at us as we remember the crucifixion of Jesus and they think that we are foolish, stupid, and dumb because they think the Gospel is foolish, stupid, and dumb.

But it is through the cross that God’s wisdom is revealed and it is through the crucifixion that Jesus becomes our substitutionary atonement, and it is through Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection in which righteousness, sanctification, and redemption even become a possibility for mankind and a reality for those who believe.

The world sees all of this—the Good Friday Services, Maundy Thursday, Resurrection Sunday, and really even just our regular weekly meetings and they think that we’re completely wasting our time, our effort, and even our resources; but we see the cross as the center of our faith, of our belief, and really of our hope.

Paul then ends this paragraph with a simple statement that really sums it all up, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

It isn’t about you, it’s not about what you’ve done or what you can do, it isn’t about your status, your position, or your authority—it is all about Jesus and His Gospel.

Salvation isn’t something you do, it’s something that Jesus did for you.

So, if you’re going to be boastful about something, be boastful in Him alone.

Friends, it is perfectly fine that the world thinks that we’re dumb, foolish, and stupid for our focus on Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection because to them it does look like foolishness.

In fact, it really shouldn’t surprise us—we shouldn’t be shocked when unbelievers think and act like unbelievers.

We should expect them to look within themselves for truth, to seek miracles rather than Jesus, and to look at philosophers, scientists, and maybe lawyers and judges as the arbiters of ultimate truth.

But we preach Christ and Him crucified—and we will boast in the Lord.

Which brings us this evening, in our last few minutes to our application. And I want to end this evening by asking a question that I alluded to at the beginning--why do we keep reiterating Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection year after year after year; and why do we proclaim His death when we partake in the Lord’s Supper?

1 Corinthians 1:18-31 provides the answer for both of these questions. We reiterate the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ because the Bible makes it abundant clear that the cross is at the center of the Gospel—we reiterate the cross because the cross is the means through which Jesus saves. With that in mind, there’s really two applications that I think are abundantly clear in this text, so let me give them to you and I’ll take just a few minutes to explain them to you: (1) You need to stop boasting in yourself—it’s not about you, it’s all about Jesus; and (2) You need to proclaim Christ crucified because that’s how He saves.

You Need to Stop Boasting in Yourself (26-31)—in our sin, it is very easy to think that life is all about us.

The Corinthians were obsessed with power, authority, position, and money; and you might hear that and think, “oh, but I’m not like that.”

Oh really!? How important is your house to you? What about your job or the money you make. How often, when you speak to other people do you base your opinion of others on what they wear or what they own or what job they work?

Just like the Corinthians, we’re obsessed with power, authority, position, and money and we boast in who we are and what we have done.

The reality is, even if we were wise according to worldly standards or powerful or of noble birth—without Jesus, we are nobodies that have nothing and are absolutely without hope. Without Jesus, we’re done for.

So, what does this all mean? It means that life is not about you and it isn’t about me. It’s all about Jesus.

It’s not about what you’ve done, what you’ve accomplished, or what you hope to do. It’s all about what He has done, what He accomplished on the cross, and what He will do.

Stop boasting about yourself; don’t try to make life all about you—boast in Him and in Him alone.

You need to proclaim Christ Crucified (18-25)—Part of the boasting in Him results in the simple proclamation of Jesus Christ. Paul makes the statement that the “Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified.”

It is easy for us as humans (especially if we’re still boasting in ourselves) to desire anything other than Jesus.

We seek wisdom in human philosophy, we look for knowledge in man’s ideas, or we long for some sort of human experience, so we dig into new age ideology.

And then while we’re seeking hope in these other things, we drag other people down by proclaiming how great human philosophy, manmade ideas, or experiences are—and instead of pointing people to Jesus, we point them the opposite direction.

The Corinthians wanted to be wise, they wanted knowledge, and they sought the adulation of the people’s around them and we do the same exact thing.

And in desiring these things, we choose not to proclaim Christ when the reality is that the proclamation of Christ and Him crucified is the most important proclamation to make.

Stop desiring to look wise or intelligent in human standards—stop pointing people at your knowledge of new age ideology or anything else you could point them to. You need to point people to Jesus and proclaim Him crucified.

What is the point of Good Friday and really of celebrating the Resurrection every year? Paul tells us what it is in 1 Corinthians 1:18-31. The whole point is to remind ourselves of the wisdom of God in the cross. What appears to be foolishness to everybody else is the power by which Jesus saves. So, this weekend and really you ought to do this every day, remind yourself of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for your sins—then stop trying to make life all about you and go proclaim the Gospel to every nation.

Pastoral Prayer

Congregational Singing

At the Cross