The message of the cross 1 Cor 1:18-25

Introduction

The church in Corinth had a problem that churches still face today. They lived in a culture that thought their message was foolish. Yet they wanted the people they knew and loved to believe this message like they had. So their was a temptation to change the message to make it more acceptable.

People in Corinth put a high value of powerful oratory. They liked philosophy and wisdom and they liked it to be said eloquently. They could persuaded to believe something if it was put forth with eloquence, with words of wisdom. If the person proclaiming this message was a gifted speaker then they would listen.

The temptation then was to make the Gospel more pleasing to the people in Corinth. Proclaim the gospel with words of wisdom. Copy the great orators of the day. Do what they do then people will listen.

Show how this argument is relevant today- the church today faces a similar temptation, alter the gospel to make it more acceptable to the culture. Naturalism- Play down the miracles. Diversity- Don’t preach the exclusivity of Christ.

Mansfield- Change your message to be more relevant.

In this passage we are reminded about why the Christian message must not change and why it does not need to change.

Paul refers to the Christian message as the message of the cross.

What is the message of the cross? Jesus the eternal Son of God, took flesh. Lived without sin. Died as a substitute for others to provide atonement for them. He rose from the dead. By faith in his finished work people are forgiven by God, made righteous, given the gift of eternal life.

Three reasons why the Christian message must not change and need not change.

I. The message of the cross saves v.18-19

It divides depending on how a person responds to it.

a) Some think its foolish

To some this message is foolish.

These people are perishing. Being destroyed. Being ruined.

It is defining them by their destiny. Destruction.

Why do they perish? They reject the only way of salvation.

Acts 4:12 “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.””

b) Some know its God’s power

These people have experienced the power of God’s salvation through faith in this message. They have believed the Gospel- Explain faith in Christ.

O 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 dark Calvary.

Application

What is your response to the message of the cross?

Do you reject it as silly? Then you are perishing.

I urge you to take counsel from the Lord Jesus he said these words Matthew 7:13–14 ““Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

Jesus is the narrow gate. Believe in him.

Those who have come to believe this message is true we know it is God’s power for salvation. You are described as being saved. Three tenses of salvation.

II. The message of the cross shows the world’s wisdom is folly v.19-21

God has made foolish the wisdom of this world

v.19- Isa 29:14 God foretold he would do this.

The world through wisdom did not know God.

Philosophy.

God has chosen to save through the foolishness of the message preached

Illustration- Ancient graffiti in Rome mocking Christians. A picture of a crucified human body with the head of a donkey and the inscription “Alexamenos worships his god”.

This is why the Apostles went out preaching. This is why Christianity is a religion that preaches. It has a message to proclaim. Its by the message that people are converted.

When the message is preached it is accompanied by the power of God and it brings people to a true saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.”

Romans 10:17 “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

Application

If you share this message some people will scoff, they will laugh and say its stupid and your stupid for believing it. The irony is that by professing themselves to be wise they have become fools.

Knowing people find the message of the cross silly may make us feel tempted to make it sound more intellectually pleasing to the world. But we must never do this. If we do our message will lose its power. Look at v.17.

That hymn continues -

To that old rugged cross I will ever be true, its shame and reproach gladly bear;

Some people try to avoid the shame of the cross by saying things like “I don’t preach I just try to show people I’m different by how I live”.

There is a saying attributed to Francis of Assisi Preach the gospel and if necessary use words. Whether he actually said it I don’t know but if the Apostles did that the Christianity would have died with them.

People aren’t saved by giving them sandwiches people are saved by the message of the cross. Mercy ministries are good. But it is not merciful to fail to tell people this message.

III. The message of the cross is God’s power and wisdom v.22-25

Jews demanded miracles

Greeks demanded wisdom

But we preach Christ crucified- What is it to preach Christ crucified?

Crucified is in the perfect tense. An on going state with focus on the effects of the action.

What is it to preach Christ crucified?

This was the Christian message and Neither Jews or Greeks found what they were looking for in the message of the cross.

To Jews a Stumbling block. Crucified Messiah contradicted their hopes of who the Messiah would be.

To Greeks foolishness. It did not align with their philosophy.

However, there were some who saw the message for what it really is. The power of God and the wisdom of God.

These are people who had been called.

Called means chosen by God. V.26-28.

They saw the power and the wisdom of this message by grace.

Power of God- through this message we have been saved. Because its by believing the message about what Jesus has done that we receive the benefits of what Jesus has done.

Wisdom of God- No one would have thought

Application

We must have confidence in the Gospel.

Conclusion

The Christians at Corinth were tempted to make the Christian message more pleasing to the ears of the Corinthians. Whether by altering it slightly or at least by presenting it like the great orators of that day would.

However, Paul warns if you do that the message will lose its power.

The message of the cross must not change and need not change because

The message of the cross saves, it makes the world’s wisdom folly and its God’s power and wisdom.

What does this mean for us today?

Let us tell the old old story of Jesus and his love. We must preach the message of the cross Purely and simply. That is where God’s power lies in bringing sinners to himself.