3.6.37 8.10.2025 The Church is the Voice, Jesus is the Message 1 Corinthians 1.20-25

Start:

Entice: The 1980’s were an interesting time to be educated for ministry.

I can’t remember how many times in Seminary my mentor Dr. James Strauss lamented “3/4 of the world is under Godless Communism…” I purchased many books contrasting Biblical faith with communism. Oops.

An emerging discipline in the 80’s was

“Media Studies”

which dealt with how things like TV, Motion Pictures, and (a wee bit of) computers, which  were just beginning to change the nature of communication. One of the formative books of my education during this period was Neil Postman’s Amusing Ourselves to Death. If I could assign one book (besides the Bible) to help you understand the complexities of the Post Modern world, that would be it. 

Engage: Think through your list of remarkable occurrences or events you have experienced in your lifetime and the messaging surrounding it. Example.

Space Shuttle explosion,

9/11,

Cubs winning world series 

Your list will be different than mine. Memory research tells us that our memories are narrative driven not data driven. In other words we don’t remember things by recalling data points, but by telling ourselves stories. We mostly remember content, not form. Unfortunately we live in in a world where form now takes precedent over content. 

Email begat texting, begat, facebook, begat tiktok

As the various form’s of storytelling become more abbreviated we are losing the ability to communicate deep content. Pray tell that never happens to our Gospel

The Church is called to be the voice communicating Jesus, the content of our message. 

Expand: Corinth was in its own way in its day a Media capital. Paul had to tell the tale of Jesus amid

Rhetoricians,

Poets,

Lawyers,

Sports personalities, 

Politicians,

Philosophers, 

and

competing faith systems.

To tell the story well meant that He had to tell it straight. He had to guarantee that form never overwhelmed content, that he never lost the plot in seeking to tell the story of Jesus in new ways. 

Excite: With Social Media, Streaming services, Podcasting, and a fragmenting Media ecosystem we must guard the content of our Gospel while uncompromisingly using the right form, at the right time, in the right place. Today we will look at a text that reminds us to be vigilant in our efforts to give the story of Jesus a resonant voice in our culture. 

1 Corinthians 1:20–25 ESV

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? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

Explore:

We provide the voice, Jesus is the message. 

Expand: Paul reminds us of the constituent elements of the message we live and speak. 

Body of Sermon: First consider the

1 Source

From where or more importantly, whom do we get the message we speak on behalf of Christ? There are alternatives Paul wants us to consider as we make the right choice. First he looks at 

1.1 “Natural” wisdom.

1 Corinthians 1:20 ESV

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?

After he considers what humans bring to the table Paul reminds us of the real animating source of our message…

1.2 Divine Wisdom

1 Corinthians 1:21 ESV

21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.

Knowledge of God.

“Folly of what we Preach”.

Outcome of faith.

For the next element we need to consider 

2 Strategy.

We need to be able to take a step back, asses our culture, and use the tools and technologies without losing the heart of the message. 

Our strategy must take into account Worldly abstractions and personal realities. 

2.1 Worldly abstractions

1 Corinthians 1:22 ESV

22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom,

Signs

Wisdom

2.2 Worldly distractions

1 Corinthians 1:23 ESV

23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles,

Our answer to the folly of the world and misdirected requests for signs, we offer our proclamation of Christ.

Consequently, the origin of our story and the reason we communicate it are all about the

3 Subject.

We have one message; Christ.

3.1 Christ Crucified.

1 Corinthians 1:23 ESV

23 but we preach Christ crucified,

Which is also…

3.2 Christ rejected

1 Corinthians 1:23 ESV

a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles,

Who succeeds as 

3.3 Christ victorious.

1 Corinthians 1:24–25 ESV

24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

Shut Down

It is right and good for us to want to be effective communicators. The church is a messaging service. In word and deed we are always saying something about our faith and reflecting on Jesus.

I spend a lot of time and write a lot of words to encourage young preachers to improve both the input and the outcome of their work. I believe that to a great extent the gifting is the call. So when I identify someone with the necessary gifts for communicating the Gospel and preaching the Word—they go on the list.

Here in Grayville this Church is the voice of Jesus. In your neighborhood, at the store, at school, or work you are the voice of Jesus.

We can get better at communicating Christ, so long as we remember we are just the voice. I am afraid that too many believers mistake form for content and confuse the message of the cross with cultural talking points.

I try to do my best not make that mistake.  We must use the tools available in our time and place. We must have working knowledge of the media tools and expectations of our culture so long as we use them to 

proclaim Him,

His Word,

and

His Gospel.

Of all the good we do,

of all the lives we touch,

of all the things we say…

our central task is to

preach Christ crucified.