"A Simple Message For the Day"

Billy Sunday was a professional baseball player turn evangelist.... his messages were quite simple… “Hell is hot, Heaven is sweet, sin is black, judgment is sure, and Jesus saves” Then the power of God would come down upon the place; and when Billy Sunday gave an invitation people started coming forward to give their hearts to Jesus Christ.

His Biographer called him God’s Laugh Preachers.” Adrian Rodgers tells a story about Billy Sunday that was told to him by one of his seminary professors.... Sunday had given an invitation and people were flooding the alter. One of the men who came forward had a long flowing white beard, and Billy got his eye on that beard and couldn't take it off. He was fascinated by that old man’s white beard and finally temptation overcame him. Now the man was standing near the platform and Billy walked over to him, knelt down a little and grabbed the man by the beard and tugged on it and went honk.... honk.... Can you imagine! But God used Billy Sunday and his simple message to reach over a million souls.

As we examine this text we must understand that when Paul came to Corinth he had just left the intellectual capital of the world, Athens. There he preached what many call his finest sermon, the sermons on Mars Hill..... He had been reasoning with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles each day in the market place and preaching Jesus and the resurrection. He was brought before the Athenian Council and he reasoned with them using rhetoric, quoting famed Greek poets, and speaking briefly on the resurrection of Jesus and some people believed.

Most preachers have dropped a few eggs and I am not saying by any means that Paul’s sermon on Mars Hill was an egg but it seems that Paul reflected on that message and found room for improvement because in Corinth his message changes, he returns to the mere basics of evangelism, with a simple message about the person and the work of Jesus at the cross. While the hope of the Gospel is the Resurrection… the heart of the Gospel is the cross!

Now Corinth was only 50 miles away from Athens, so it was influenced by Athens but what was not accomplished in Athens was accomplished in Corinth (Acts 18:8b) and many of the Corinthians believed and were baptized. Why.... It was the simple message of the CROSS!

CPS: Today I want to tell you that I believe in the importance of skillful preaching, it is valuable.... but it is the simplicity of the message that really counts and all messages must point to the cross so today I want to point you to the cross.

I. The Importance of preaching the Cross (1-2)

When Paul came to Corinth he came preaching a simple message about the Person of Jesus and the Work of Jesus. Now it is safe to say, that most preachers love to preach, I love to preach, and spend many years learning how to preach. When I was in school I elected to concentrate my studies on Hermenutics and Homoletics, that is the science of biblical interpretation and preaching. Paul was keenly skilled in the rhetoric of his day that is the art of effective or persuasive speaking That much is evident from his sermon on Mars Hill.... (Acts 17) Rhetoric was one powerful way to acheive influence and significance in the Greco Roman World. But Paul didn't want to become famous he wanted to make Jesus famous. In the verse preceeding our text (1 Cor. 1:31) Paul writes Let Him who boast, boast in the Lord, it is a quotation from Jer. 9:22-26.... God will judge all the earth and human wisdom will stand the test of time only knowledge of the Lord by grace through faith in Jesus will save.

When Paul came to Corinth he laid aside all aspects of human wisdom and simply glorified Jesus! Wisdom is an important word in our text it is used 3 times, Paul is continuing his comparison of the wisdom of God and the wisdom of man from chapter 1 (1 Cor. 1:18-31). In these few verses Paul uses Wisdom/wise 10 more times. It is the Greek noun sophia it is the insight or a content of what was regarded as wise. Paul tells us that God has not chosen the wisdom of the world but the foolish things of the world to bring about salvation from sin. That is Christ Crucified ***(1 Cor. 1:23)*** So when Paul came to Corinth He intentionally did not depend on his highly polished rhetoric or superior wisdom He told of Jesus and Him crucified.

A. The Person of Jesus. (Acts 18:5)

He is the Christ, God come in flesh, Perfect Righteousness, Innocent lamb.

B. The Work of Jesus

Crucified for the sin of the world.

This was foolishness to Jews (Deut. 21:23) How can someone who is accursed of God be the Savior of the world. Because He became our curse! This was foolishness to Gentiles, How can a dead man be the Savior of the world, because He died for us! But for those who are being saved, it is the power and wisdom of God (1 Cor. 1:24)

Too often preachers talk over the heads of their audience they use $5 words when $0.05 words will do. Often times we preach in our flesh hiding the wonderful savior who needs to be made known.

ILL: A certain church had a beautiful stained-glass window just behind the pulpit. It depicted Jesus Christ on the cross. One Sunday there was a guest minister who was much smaller than the regular pastor. A little girl listened to the guest for a time, then turned to her mother and asked, “Where is the man who usually stands there so we can’t see Jesus?” Paul simply pointed people to the Christ on the Cross and today I do the same.

II. The Power of preaching the Cross (3-4)

I spent many years in sells and out performed many of my peers. I learned over the years that its not always the skilfulness of the salesman but the quality of the product that closes the sale. As a preacher I could try to use my skills of selling to sell you on Jesus but it wouldn't work. I could try to persuade you to Jesus but it would not work. If I did persuade you to Jesus someone or something else could eventually persuade you away.

Paul looks back on his time in Athens, it was the only place in the world that he did not establish a group of believers, neither of Jews or Greeks.

His polished rhetoric and persuasive words had not worked and it may have felt like a personal blow. In others words its possible that when he came to Corinth he felt weak and insecure. He had preached fine messages in Athens, he would have made am “A+” in Sermon delivery. He started at the General Revelation and quoted atleast 2 Greek poets, hoping to endure himself to the sophisticated Greeks, but when he eventually mentioned Jesus Christ and His resurrection he was laughed out of the meeting (Acts 17:32).

Let me point out, there is no record of Paul referring to Jesus crucifixion, common sense says that in order to preach the resurrection there has to be mention of the crucifixion. Its seems that Paul majored on the minors while the main thing should have been the main thing. I’m not short selling the resurection, that is the basis of our hope and Paul writes a complete chapter about the resurrection in Chapter 15, but there is something about the cross

“oh that old rugged cross, so despised by the world, has a wondrous attraction for me; for the dear lamb of God left His glory above to bear it to dar Calvary”

Paul came preaching JEsus Christ and Him Crucified and what human wisdom and persuasive speaking could not do the message of the Cross did, it demonstrated the Power of God to save people and to change their lives!

ILL: Renee from Quality Gold. Her friends daughter who had been living as a lesbian called her after attending a funeral where she heard again about what Jesus had done for her, she was saved. A few weeks later she called again and told Renee that she knew she had to change her life.

Likewise the people of Corinth through Paul’s simple message had experienced the power of God as many were saved and the their lives changed. 1 Cor. 6:8-11! So today I want to point you to the cross!

III. The Effect of preaching the Cross. (5)

I want to make clear that I am not berating Paul or his message. Nor am I downplaying the preacher who is skilled in his craft, I’m not belittling education I pursue it. I am merely pointing out the importance of the message its self! Paul preached not to have people trust in him or follow him. Unfortunately there was that in Paul’s day and in ours. But the purpose of preaching is to bring about mature faith in Jesus and only the Power of God can do that. And only is the Power of God sufficient and capable for your faith to rest in. 1 Cor. 1:23-24 tells us that the Power of God is Christ Crucified....

ILL: There was a fine professional man who faithfully attended a rather large church who was not saved. He was not antagonistic to the Gospel but simply did not believe. Many church members prayed for him as he continued to listen to the word. One day a well meaning member decided to win him to the Christ or else! He spent several hours presenting argument after argument and finally the man prayed the sinners prayer. Then he stopped coming to church, why? Because he was talked into something that was not real, and he knew he could not follow through. Later on, he did trust Christ and through the Holy Spirit, have assurance of salvation. But, up to that point, if anybody asked him if he was saved he replied, “sure- Tom told I was saved.” What a difference the Christ makes… it saves and changes lives, so today I want to point you to the cross.