By God’s Wisdom Not Ours

The Ridiculously Wonderful Wisdom of God

3.3.24 [1st Corinthians 1:18-25] River of Life (3rd Sunday in Lent)

We’ve all done it more than once. Something comes up in some conversation and we don’t know what they were talking about—maybe it was something technical: medical, political, or financial—and everyone else there seemed to get it. Or maybe you have some hearing issues, dealing with background noise, or you just weren’t paying attention. The point is—either because of what’s going on with your ears or between them, you didn’t know what everyone else seemed to know. But instead of asking a question or two, you played along. Your contribution to the conversation was a half dozen quick head nods with a mumbled mmhmm even though you had no clue, no idea what everyone else seemed to know, no business agreeing to whatever was being said. But agree, you did. Why?

It’s because you didn’t want to look foolish, right? Everyone else knew what was going on—or at least that’s the impression you had—and you didn’t want to feel like the only one who didn’t.

But there have been times when those quick head nods have gotten you into trouble. Sometimes, someone asks you a question that can’t be answered with a simple yes or no. Or you find out that you’ve committed to giving or doing something you wouldn’t have otherwise. Suddenly, you feel even more foolish than before.

Not wanting to feel or look foolish is a pretty dominating desire. It has made fools of us all, at some point or another. None of us want to feel or look foolish. And Satan knows that about mankind. He realizes how powerful our pride can be in this area. So, as he does with so many of our weaknesses, he uses it against us to destroy us. That’s the snare of Satan that God wants to show us today.

Paul begins by acknowledging the predominant viewpoint of this world. (1 Cor. 1:18) The message of the cross is foolishness. Even today, we come across this way of thinking everywhere we go. Even though we live in a place where the symbol of the cross is still relatively recognized & still outwardly respected, the message of the cross is still treated as utter and contemptible foolishness.

What is the message of the cross? Well, it has two parts. You & I spoke the first part this morning when we confessed your sins.

The first part of the message of the cross is that all people are by nature dead in sin. There is no such thing as a good person, by nature. The message of the cross is that all people sin constantly. Sometimes we know it even while we are doing it. Sometimes we don’t see it even when someone points it out. Whether we know it or can’t see it, we cannot stop sinning.

But it gets worse. We can’t make up for our past sins. And because we are, by nature, rebellious sinners, we don’t deserve anything good from God. In fact, we deserve eternal damnation.

It’s not hard to understand why this message is so despised. Who wants to hear that they’re a bad person!?! Who wants to tell their friend that they don’t deserve to be in God’s presence?

That’s rough enough. But the second part of the message of the cross is even harder to swallow. The second part of the message of the cross is that, by nature, we are so wicked that we need someone to be condemned in our place, to die for us. We can’t fix our own problems. We can’t atone for our own guilt. We can’t wash away any of our shame. We can’t redeem ourselves. Only God can.

That’s the message of the cross. All people are corrupt, rebellious, and deserve to rot in hell. Everything good that exists in this world ultimately comes from God and only he can do something to save us. And he has. God died for us.

To the world around us that is utter foolishness. How can we claim that (Rom. 3:12) there is no one who does good? How can we say that everyone is born (Eph. 2:1) dead in sin?

We live in a world where many (1 Cor. 1:20) wise people claim that this is nonsense. That people are, at their core, good, not bad. That the bad we see in this world is the result of poor upbringings or adverse conditions. The wise person, according to this world, says that if we stop restricting our children, or if we eliminate the stress of living hand to mouth, then people will start to treat each other well.

But look at this world and you will see that God has exposed this as utter foolishness. Are people really better to each other when they’re better off? Are children who grow up doing whatever they please more productive, resilient, content, and considerate?

Of course not! If that were the case, rich people would never steal. If that were the case, trust fund kids would be the most sympathetic and selfless adults money could buy. If that were the case, beautiful gated neighborhoods would never have ugly things like greed and gossip, bursts of anger, bitter feuds, and torrid affairs. Luxury and comfort do not eradicate sin. Sometimes they unlock it all the more!

The teacher of the law might say that we need greater self-discipline. If we focus more on others, we can be good people. While these teachers of the law recognize that people need the structure of the law, they fail to see the limitations of the law. The law coerces people to do what is right out of fear of the consequences. When the consequences are not so scary, or not so likely to come down on me, then the law has little impact. Even when the law forces people to serve their neighbor, it cannot make him love his neighbor.

That’s when the philosopher of this age says it’s all a waste of time. Live however you want. Do whatever pleases you—so long as you aren’t hurting anyone. This is where we are living today. And, despite that rider to “not hurt anyone” it isn’t working out too well. People are hurting. And they’re hurting each other. And things are going from bad to worse.

But it’s not just out there where foolishness reigns. This same nonsense plagues our hearts and minds. One moment, we tell ourselves we’d do the right thing if we had more blessings or advantages. If we had more money we’d be generous. If we had more time, we’d help more. But guess what? We got some of those things & still broke our promises.

So then we listened to the teacher of the law. We tried out rigorous self-discipline. But it didn’t last. Too often we do just enough to skate by.

After going through the first two stages, the sinful nature loves what the philosopher has to say. Do whatever you want. Live for yourself. How hard can that be? But it is hard on us because it destroys our souls.

And now we are left looking even more foolish than before. We have blamed our circumstances and situations and then been exposed as liars. We have tried to try hard. Now we know how faithless we can be. Finally, we tried only caring about ourselves. And then we found out how lonely and empty and meaningless self-idolatry ends up being.

What should we do? What else can we do?

God says clearly: nothing. You and I are the problem. We cannot be the solution. Only God can. So God did the inconceivable.

Our Lord was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of an otherwise unremarkable virgin from Nazareth. Then God’s Son was raised by first-time parents, who were poor and also sinners.

After growing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man, the God-man was baptized in the same manner sinners were. Then he was tempted by one of the fallen wicked angels that he created to be his perfect servant. After resisting temptation, he returned to society to call people to repentance and discipleship. Just when his power began attracting followers, he said unpopular things like (Jn. 6:53) unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood you have no life in you. When most of them stopped following him, he told the twelve who remained loyal to him that one of them was a devil. Then he told them that he was going to suffer and die and that anyone who wanted to be worthy of him had to pick up their cross, deny themselves, and follow him.

If that weren’t crazy enough, he did it. He allowed himself to be arrested. He allowed himself to be condemned and crucified. God was pleased to offer himself as a sacrifice for our sins. God was pleased to make himself weak, condemned, & even taste death so that we would be made strong, justified, and no longer fear death.

This is inconceivable to us, by nature. No human mind would come up with such a plan and pitch it to God. But that’s because God did this of his own free will. He prepared and followed through on this plan because he loves us. And he has revealed it to us in his Word. In his Word, God has revealed to us mysteries that might sound foolish to those who do not yet know his wisdom or power.

In his Word, God has revealed that plain water, connected with his powerful promises, washes away sin, creates faith, and claims his enemies as his beloved children. In his Word, God has revealed that bread and wine, connected with his powerful promises, are more than meets the eye. These simple elements are both bread and body. Both wine and blood. Both are given to sinners for forgiveness. In these, our faith does not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.

Because we have been saved by God’s ridiculously wonderful power and wisdom, we choose to live foolishly in the eyes of this world. We pray, trusting that the God who made all things hears us and cares. We honor the Sabbath Day by prioritizing spiritual rest over recreation or recharging our physical batteries. We submit to the governing authorities even when they have failed us. Again. We discipline our children, not so that they don’t embarrass us or so they have a good life, but because this pleases the Lord. We are content with what God has given us. And generous, too. We forgive people who don’t deserve it.

In the eyes of the world, these things may look foolish. To our sinful natures, they may feel that way too. But we cannot just nod our heads through life. Not when we know that the world’s wisdom can never know God. Not when we know the power and wisdom of God. What looks weak and what seems foolish to fallen man—Christ crucified for sinners—is the power and wisdom of God for salvation. Amen.