God's Wisdom in Humility

Bottom line

The wisdom of God is found only when we humble ourselves the way Jesus humbled himself.

Opening Line

Have you ever wanted a normal life?

Introduction

Maybe your kids were going insane or doing something weird and you thought, “Why can’t you be normal?” I know in our house, when life is chaotic and crazy, Michelle and I will often wonder what it would be like to have a normal life. What would a normal life even look like?

Main Point

As I pondered this, I remembered shortly after the pandemic when the restrictions were fully lifted, I preached a sermon series on the new normal. At the time, many churches were making the decision to try to go back to the way things were before the restrictions. I suggested to OneChurch that there was no going back, things had been changed forever, and it was time to embrace the new normal.

Recently, I started reading Craig Groeschel’s book Weird. I’m not very far into it, but I think I get the premise of the book. The truth is, normal isn’t working. Normal results in record high divorces, personal debt at all time worst, and a culture that is full of social media but there really isn’t anything social about it. The premise of Craig’s book is that the church, and people in general, really need to embrace a little bit of weird.

Why it matters

I think that is a great way to set the tone for this morning. We are going to wrap up chapter 1 and all of chapter 2 this morning, and the theme throughout all this scripture is the idea of wisdom. Paul is going to suggest that God’s wisdom is a little different from the world’s wisdom, and at times it is going to feel weird. So church, as we dive into 1 Corinthians this morning, I’m just wondeirng:

Who’s ready to be a little weird?

Scripture

1 Corinthians 1:18–23 NLT

The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. As the Scriptures say, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.” So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense.

blank

Doesn’t it feel like this has begun? God is starting to make the wisdom of this world look foolish? It feels like nowadays that people are making really bold statements with lots of passion and no common sense. I was going to pick on a current a trend but I will refrain.

But what does Paul mean when he says that Christ crucified is offensive to the Jews and nonsense to the Greeks. Well, much like last week, I think the modern church can actually relate to these two positions more then we’d to admit.

Jews are Offended

Before Jesus arrived, and even continuing today I suppose, what kind of Messiah were the Jews expecting? A conquering king! They expected the Messiah to come as warlord, remove the Romans from power, and re-establish the kingdom of Israel. Even the disciples, as Jesus was ascending, were still holding out hope that Jesus would redeem Israel to power. But instead of a conquering king, Jesus came as a poor baby, born in a manger and killed on a cross.

I wonder if there are some that are holding out hope for that kind of Jesus. I’m a Christian now, and I expect my life to always go according to plan and nothing bad to happen. You may not use the words of conquering king, but you believe in your heart that as a believer, you should experience victory in everything. You forget that Jesus actually called his followers to deny themselves, and take up their cross to follow him. Jesus never promised to take away hardship; He promised to be your strength in the midst of it. That you may find offensive.

Greeks say it’s all nonsense

For the Greeks, the message of the cross is too simple. Greeks relied on reasoning to reach their conclusions, but the Son of God being crucified doesn’t follow any kind of human logic.

The simplicity of the message takes another form. Today, there are some who believe that the church should take on issues like dysfunction within the family, addictions counselling, and a multitude of other social issues. Sticking to the message of the cross is too simplistic. It doesn’t make sense to always circle back. But Paul says this in the next verse.

1 Corinthians 1:24–25 NLT

But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.

blank

For those who have been saved by the Good News of Jesus, you know something entirely different. The name of Jesus is the power of God to conquer the sin in your life and live with an abundance you never understood before Jesus saved you. Jesus is the conquering Messiah, who has redeemed you from a spiritual enemy, and who will one day return to establish His kingdom. There is power in the cross.

There is wisdom in the cross. After salvation, you understand just how fallen you were, and you were not capable of knowing God or achieving salvation. You needed Jesus to die for you because you aren’t capable of salvation on your own. You understand that God’s plan and His ways are so beyond human comprehension that it may seem foolish to the world but it is profoundly wise and powerful.

For the rest of chapter 1, Paul notes that not many in the church of Corinth were wise, powerful, or weathly before they were saved by grace. The city may have been known as a centre of philosophical thought, but the church wasn’t. But that was part of God’s plan. God chose to reveal the good news of Jesus to the lowly in order to humble the lofty. It is at this point you begin to realize that Paul hasn’t really been talking about wisdom, but he is actually talking about humility. Just like the church in Corinth, knowledge is power and wisdom is something that gives you an advantage in life. Yet God has chosen not to reveal himself to us through the usual means, but rather to those who are willing to humble themselves to Him. It is why the message of the Good News is more openly received in regions where poverty is rampant. Jesus said it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle then for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. I wonder if he would include those who are considered wise in the world’s eyes in that category. Wisdom and knowledge can so easily lead to arrogance, but God’s wisdom is only attainable when you humble yourself before him. Those who have already been humbled are in the best place to receive God’s grace.

Which brings us to chapter 2, and a passage that I always circle and come back to.

1 Corinthians 2:1–5 NLT

When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters, I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan. For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified. I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling. And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God.

blank

This is such an interesting statement from Paul, because he was anything but simple and timid. This guy was the Pharisee of Pharisees. He hunted Christians before his conversion. When it comes to being knowledgeable, Paul was no slouch.

Yet, he chose to keep his messages plain, not relying on his immense knowledge and finely crafted speeches. Why? So that the church would rely on God’s power rather than clever phrases.

I think that is beautiful. But what does that mean, to rely on God’s power rather than clever speeches. Well, in our argumentative culture that loves to debate the facts, I think the power is our testimony. I promise you, you will never argue someone into the kingdom of God because there will always be someone out there who’s got a better argument. But who can debate your story, your experience of the power of God in your life. Your testimony isn’t based on something you read in a textbook or a well crafted message you heard at church. Your testimony is about how your life changed when Jesus entered it, and how it continues to change because Jesus is still a part of it. Jesus is still changing lives. He is still breaking addictions and healing relationships because of what he accomplished on the cross. The power and the wisdom and always will be in your testimony.

But it is not just relying on God’s power that Paul is calling us to.

1 Corinthians 2:10–15 NLT

But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us. When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths. But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things, but they themselves cannot be evaluated by others.

blank

If you want to truly understand the things of God, if you want the kind of wisdom that comes from your Father, you can only receive and understand it by the Holy Spirit. You need to humble yourself before God, rely on the Spirit inside of you rather than your own intelligence or logic. You cannot reason your way to God or His plan; it is only attainable through the Holy Spirit.

Transition to Application

So how do you grow in your reliance on the Holy Spirit in your life?

Main To Do

You pray. This week I want each of you to make a concerted effort to pray before you make any big decision. What do I mean by big decision? I believe in your ability to pick out your outfit each day, and decide what to eat throughout the day. Most of those day to day decisions, I think you got those. But before any meetings you have, any conversations, any purchases. I would say once you get into those level, pray about it.

Why it matters

It will create in you a habit of relying on the Holy Spirit. Are you capable of many of the decisions, sure. But if God’s wisdom is only attained by humbling ourselves, then isn’t it worth the effort to humble ourselves regularyly and receive God’s wisdom through it all?

Let me be clear, I don’t mean say a prayer and do what you were going to do anyways. I mean pray and actually wait for an answer. God may answer you with an idea, an inspiration. He may allow you to see things from a different perspective, and he may even audilbly speak to you. But pray expecting an answer. The more sensitive and reliant you become on hearing God’s voice, it may surprise the things that He may say to you. I’ve heard of pastors being told by God to wear a certain shirt or take a different route to work. Even though it seems small, God can use even the smallest detail to arrange a divine appointment and make an eternal impact. But you will never know if you are not in a place to hear His voice in your life.

Closing Line

Discussion Questions

What stood out from the message?

In what ways can we practice humility in our daily interactions with others to align ourselves with God's wisdom?

What steps can you take this week to intentionally seek God's wisdom in your decision-making processes?

How can you identify and acknowledge areas in your life where pride may be hindering you from humbling yourself before God?

Can you share an experience where relying on God's wisdom instead of your own led to a surprising outcome?

How does understanding the foolishness of God's wisdom challenge your perspective on societal norms?