The Calling of the Foolish
Practical Church (1 Corinthians) • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 10 viewsThe foolish are called to magnify the greatness and power of God. Our boasting should be in the wisdom and sovereignty of God.
Notes
Transcript
Announcements
Good morning. Welcome to Southern Hills Baptist Church. Thank you for joining us today.
If you are a first-time guest with us, you will find a Connection Card in the pew rack in front of you. We would appreciate it if you would fill that out and place it in the offering plate. That gives us a record of your visit and allows us the opportunity of reaching out to you this week to answer any questions that you might have.
Online giving is available at our website, southernhillsbc.com. By clicking on GIVE, it will take you to our giving page where you can easily give by electronic check or credit card. You can also give during our offertory time or in the box at the info table. If you are a guest, please know that we do not expect you to give. Our members and regular attenders provide for the ministry of the church
Roger Umland announcement (Sat Nov 22)
See bulletin for Calendar Updates
Special-Called Family Business Meeting after service
If you are a guest with us, know that this is our weekly Family Worship service. Our children will remain with us for the entire service. We do have a nursery available for children under 4 just down the hall if you would like to use it.
Please stand as I read our Call to Worship.
Call To Worship
Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Opening Hymn
Scripture & Prayer: Pastor Bob, 1 Chronicles 16:8-11
Song #1
Offering & Prayer
Song #2 (Shout to the Lord)
Lord’s Supper
Please be seated.
(beat)
In Luke 19, the good doctor Luke records the Triumphal Entry of Jesus the Messiah into the city of Jerusalem. There, his disciples and the people receiving Him welcomed Him with praise and worship. The Pharisees were indignant that Jesus should be willing to accept worship that was only due to God.
His response to them was one of certainty. Luke 19:40 “He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”” You see, the entrance of the prophesied Son of David into His own city should be a call for celebration. Jesus, God in the flesh, must be worshipped by creation, for He is the Almighty Creator. If His human creation wouldn’t recognize this fact, surely the stones would have.
Jesus rode into the city, weeping over it because He knew what was coming and that the hearts of her people wouldn’t be softened. The consequences of sin were inevitable. Jesus would bear them for His church. But those who would not believe and bow to their King would live to carry their own consequences to the grave. And Jerusalem, once the city of peace, would be overturned in turmoil for the rest of the age.
We’re going to continue our reading about Jesus from the book of Mark. Today we will venture on in chapter 13 as Jesus reflects on Jerusalem and the temple:
“But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let the one who is on the housetop not go down, nor enter his house, to take anything out, and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! Pray that it may not happen in winter. For in those days there will be such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, and never will be. And if the Lord had not cut short the days, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he shortened the days. And then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. But be on guard; I have told you all things beforehand.
“But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.
At this time, I am going to have our ushers come forward. If you are a follower of Jesus, in that you have accepted Him as Savior, bowed to Him as King, and been baptized in obedience to His commandment, we invite you to participate with us. In just a moment, we will pass the plates. Please take a piece of bread and a cup and hold it until we take together.
Pass
Instruction from Jesus: Read Luke 22:14–20
And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.
Prayer of Blessing on bread and cup
Song #3
Pastoral Prayer
World - Afghan Christians being deported from Tajikistan, Missionary pilot kidnapped in Niger
Country- Our leaders would seek Christ
State- Farmers as they harvest (safety & blessing)
City- Stir hearts
SHBC- Equip us for mission
Introduction
Where do you come from? And I don’t mean, where do people come from?. That is a much more interesting answer, and if you need help with it, my office is open to you all week.
(beat)
But where do you come from? It’s a question that we often ask as we get to know each other. Knowing where someone comes from may help you understand their background and culture, but more than anything, it gives us some context for being able to relate to one another. A poor farm girl from the Midwest has seemingly little in common with a young man from New York’s Upper East Side. Someone classically educated in a preppy British boarding school likely has little in common with someone who raised themselves on the streets in the slums of Calcutta. And yet, as we begin to learn each other’s stories, we find points of connection. Those are good and right things. As creations of God, we will all have some points to connect on.
But sometimes it’s important that we ask ourselves the question. Where do I come from? As our life proceeds, many of us have a goal of doing better than the generation before us, of giving our kids more than we had. The person I was as a teenager would have a hard time relating to the person I am today. My family’s story is filled with ups and downs, high points and hardships. In the 1930’s, all of my family migrated from the South to California to get away from the great Dust Bowl. They had little to their names. In fact, they were lucky to find stable housing. My grandmother was a poor farm girl. My mom grew up fairly poor. I grew up lower middle class. But my children Have grown up fairly comfortably. And one day, I hope that my grandchildren will have plenty. I want to leave my family generational blessings, not just financial security.
But when I look back, I see the struggle that came before me. I remember that my grandmother had to serve beans and home-grown tomatoes with most every meal to feed her 8 children, while my grandfather squandered countless paychecks at the local bar. My grandmother was a strong, stubborn woman. But she did not rise to pull herself up by her bootstraps every day to create a better life for her children. She battled in spiritual warfare on her knees by her bedside each morning. I watched her do this, even as she aged. As she got older, she would sit at the edge of her bed in the early morning light praying for every one of her children and grandchildren by name.
She couldn’t drive and she never held a job; her work was raising a brood of wild and rebellious kids with a husband who was rarely present. But in her weakness, she found strength in God. She trusted that God knew better than she did. She was not proud or arrogant. If she ever was, God had long since worked it out of her by the time I came along. But God lifted up this woman and used her to mightily to impact her family.
And the church is filled with people like her, who come from all sorts of backgrounds and cultures, but who find strength in their weakness. A month ago, we began a study in 1 Corinthians called Practical Church. Over that time, we have come to understand the context for the letter and see that Paul was thankful to God for the church that he had started in Corinth, but that he had serious concerns for their disunity and their misuse of spiritual gifts. They were beginning to splinter into factions and Paul was calling them back to find unity in the body by focusing on Jesus.
Last week, we saw that Paul laid out a dichotomy of wisdom. On one side was human wisdom that has been learned from years of knowledge and experience. And on the other was the cross, emblematic of God’s wisdom which runs contrary to men. As we closed last week, we heard Paul’s call to the church to recognize human wisdom as a tool only—not something for us to glory in—and, instead, understood that we should seek only after the wisdom of God. That each of us must daily put our pride and arrogance to death and embrace the cross, which seems foolish to mankind, but is in fact God’s wisdom. Jesus has called His church to revel in the foolishness of the cross and to proclaim it every moment of every day.
[TITLE SLIDE]
For the foolish must preach foolishness, for that is all that they know. The weak, like my grandmother, only know weakness. So, let us, as the people of Jesus, hold fast to the foolishness of the cross as we heed the call of our Savior. Let us bask in the foolishness of the world, for God has called us to embrace it as His wisdom.
If you have your Bibles, this morning, turn with me to 1 Corinthians chapter 1. We will be starting with verse 26 as we close the opening chapter:
[MAIN PASSAGE SLIDE x3]
For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; (/) God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, (/) so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
Ultimately, in this passage, Paul is calling these believers to think back to where they came from. “Remember who you were, Corinthian, when the love of Jesus found you.”
[POINT 1 SLIDE]
Roots (vv 26-28)
For, surely, it wasn’t Socrates who had been responsive to the call to embrace foolishness. Instead, it was the bumbling fool who God had called to embrace weakness. Those who glory in the wisdom of the world cannot tolerate weakness, but God recruits it. If God was building a basketball team, Paul says that He is not choosing Michael Jordan to lead His team. Instead, He is calling the undersized 5’2” reserve point guard on the bench of the local men’s league who struggles making a layup in practice. Why? Because any success that comes from this small, untalented reservist can only be attributed to God.
And, even those of the Corinthian believers who have found success in the eyes of the world, have had their times of weakness as well. Paul tells them, in verse 26, to remember their roots. He writes:
[PASSAGE SLIDE]
For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.
He tells them to wipe the cobwebs from their eyes and to look backwards to the time when they were called by God. Back then, few of the Corinthian believers were people of means. The world values wealth and power and nobility. But for most people in the church, their calling did not come to them while they held positions of power, or large bank accounts, or positions of authority. For most of them, their calling came when they were powerless and destitute, or as Jesus will refer to it, humble of estate.
Two notes here in verse 26. First, notice that Paul says that most were not “wise according to worldly standards.” The literal interpretation here is “according to the flesh.” This word for flesh in Greek in sarx and Paul uses it often. It speaks of the physical body and its base, sinful desires—those that are contrary to God’s design. Again, Paul is saying that most of these Corinthian church-members were not seen as respected sages and philosophers at the time that God called them. They were, instead, called from a low station in life. They were not esteemed by the world.
Second, I want you to notice that Paul leaves room for those who were called and responded to the call from a high station in life. As we survey the New Testament and Paul’s letters, we will find that God does sometimes call and use leaders and nobles and the wealthy as a way to give grace to His church. There were many times that wealthy individuals, who were found humble in heart, gave the church a place to meet and aided the furthering of the gospel. But this is, in Paul’s judgment, the exception, not the rule.
Normatively, God calls those of humble circumstances to come. Why? Is it because they are more righteous than the rich and powerful? No. It is because their hearts are softer and more ready to accept the wisdom that the world calls foolish. Their spirits are more willing to yield to the gospel message. As Jesus said, it is the one who is “humble” like a child who will be “great” in the “kingdom of heaven.” In Matthew 23, He reminds the crowd of Pharisees that:
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
Back in verse 26, Paul uses the phrase, “not many.” Not many of them were philosophers, not many were rich and influential, not many were of noble lineage. This noble class thing was big for the Romans. Wealth wasn’t as important to them as was citizenship. You could only be a Roman citizen by birth, by military service, or by a special decree of the Emperor. This social distinction was important within their society, especially in a place like Corinth, filled with the haves and the have-nots. This is one of the things that made Paul unique. He was a Roman Citizen by birth, probably due to military service by his father. And he was trained by one of the wisest Rabbi’s that ever lived. But all of that counted for nothing. God is not glorified by raising up the noble.
In fact, if you remember Paul’s story in the book of Acts, Jesus had to humble Paul before He could use him in His service. He had to turn Paul into a laughing stock and a disgrace in the eyes of his peers. But, unlike Paul, most of these believers were already of humble estate. They were already looked down upon by their culture and were more willing to accept the foolishness of the cross than Paul was. “Not many” of them were like him. Three times he has said “not many.” And in the next two verses, he is going to respond to the threefold charge. Notice how he starts:
But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are,
His response to the general insignificance of the Corinthian believers is to point out that God chose them. Effectively, Paul says, “Not many of you are wise or strong, but that is by God’s design.” You see, in His upside-down kingdom, God raises up the weak and lowly and humbles the strong and proud. He uses people with no power or money or influence to shame those with all of the attributes that the world desires. God finds value in the things that the world thinks are foolish. And so, He will dishonor and humiliate those who value the wrong things. For God calls and uses the humble, not the strong.
I want to take a moment to speak of God’s choosing. Surely, Paul’s words here in verses 27 and 28 match up with his use of the word “calling” in verse 26. He definitely means to say that God’s effective call is part of His choice in those who make up the church. This accords well with what he writes to the Ephesians, where he says that God “chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.”
Paul is describing what he will call “predestination.” By that, he means that God has foreordained salvation for a people; that He has chosen beforehand what will happen in the end of the age. But, we have to be careful not to bring our presuppositions into the text. Presuppositions are the things that we believe. Just because we believe something to be true does not make it true. Scripture is our source for truth, so we must lay aside our thoughts on a subject as we approach it. The Bible must inform our belief, rather than our belief informing the Bible. So, let us be accurate in saying what the text says and no more.
Paul is speaking to the church collectively. He says, in plural form, that the church should consider their calling. These gathered believers have responded to God’s call, which is what makes them the church, God’s adopted children. It is, then, God’s choice to elect His church to salvation. Now, I want you to note that this is not saying that individual election is impossible. Surely, God has the power to do as He pleases and it would be wrong for us to claim otherwise. But it would be equally unwise for us to read individual election into a passage that is written to the collective church body.
Paul is saying here that God’s pattern is to normally to work by choosing what is weak in the world to represent Him. Human weakness is valuable in God’s economy specifically because it emphasizes His greatness. God’s church will be reflective of this fact. And by elevating that which the world finds foolish, God turns human wisdom on its head. He brings shame on all that things that the Corinthians would normally value in their flesh. For the two types of wisdom are diametrically opposed to each other.
The scholar Thomas Schreiner defines the word for “shame” as nullify. God is bringing to nothing the wisdom and power of the world. He is removing its power. Its wealth and influence has no effect on the kingdom of God. The Pharaohs would be buried with their treasure to use in the afterlife, not realizing that it was worthless in the age to come. To step into heaven trying to use what the world values would be like us trying to buy all of the gold in Fort Knox with Monopoly money (some would say that the Federal Reserve is doing this now). The currencies and wisdom and power of the world holds no sway over God and His kingdom. Instead, the currencies of the kingdom of heaven are humility and kindness and meekness. Those are the attributes that God’s people should desire.
Remember the roots of God’s people. God chose make His own people out of the Israelites. After dividing mankind and disinheriting them at Babel, He could have picked the most mighty nation to be His chosen people. He could have made them fight for supremacy and given the winning tribe His blessing as His adopted son. But He didn’t. Instead, He chose one old man without an heir to his name. Abram had no purpose, no family, no promise. Everything he owned was going to be left to a disloyal nephew. But God used what was weak to emphasize His power, to bring Himself glory.
And so, Paul explains that the Corinthian believers should see their human wisdom and other attributes as a loss rather than a gain. They must stop idolizing eloquence and wealth and nobility, so that they don’t boast in the things of the world.
[POINT 2 SLIDE]
Boasting (vv 28-31)
It Is silly for us to boast in things that have no power. Imagine someone bragging about being able to open a banana or knowing how to tie their shoes.
Paul continues in from verse 29, saying that God chose the weak and despised and foolish:
[PASSAGE SLIDE]
so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
Believers should not boast in the treasures of this world, in the things our culture values, because they will come to dust. They mean nothing in the kingdom of heaven. To arrive at judgment with full pockets and an empty heart will not go well for you and me. We cannot boast in the presence of God, for we have nothing to boast about. We bring nothing to the table. Not one thing do we contribute to our salvation. Jesus did and does all of the work. It is Jesus who embodied God’s wisdom. It is Jesus who imparts His righteousness on us to make us holy. And it is Jesus who redeemed us by His blood. His sacrifice paid our debt for sin. He restores us to correct alignment with God and to eternal life. And we do absolutely nothing apart from acknowledge Him as King.
We will each stand before King Jesus at the day of judgment. Will we come in humility and honor Him or will we try to teach Him how to open a banana?
(beat)
Isaiah tells us what will happen on that day:
[PASSAGE SLIDE x3]
The haughty looks of man shall be brought low,
and the lofty pride of men shall be humbled,
and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.
For the Lord of hosts has a day
against all that is proud and lofty,
against all that is lifted up—and it shall be brought low; (/)
against all the cedars of Lebanon,
lofty and lifted up;
and against all the oaks of Bashan;
against all the lofty mountains,
and against all the uplifted hills;
against every high tower,
and against every fortified wall;
against all the ships of Tarshish,
and against all the beautiful craft. (/)
And the haughtiness of man shall be humbled,
and the lofty pride of men shall be brought low,
and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.
The day is coming when the wise and powerful will tremble in terror and those poor in spirit will be lifted up as royal siblings to King Jesus.
[POINT 3 SLIDE]
Application
So what do we do with this information? We understand the two types of wisdom and that we should no longer value what the world values. But how do we live in light of this information? Let’s get back to verse 31:
[PASSAGE SLIDE]
Paul closes by writing, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” He is not writing the Corinthians to tell them to stop striving to be better or to stop being proud. He is writing to teach them that they are striving for and having pride in the wrong things. “Your status in the culture, your money, your influence don’t matter at all in the kingdom economy.” Chase after the right things, the good and beautiful things that God has designed you for. In Matthew 6:33, Jesus says “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
What will be added to you? Everything that you need. You will not lack a thing because the Father cares about you and has a plan for your life. After all, as a part of His church, He chose you for a purpose. Boast in the Lord who created you, provides for you, and redeems you. Speak His name at every opportunity. tell people what He has done in your life.
In verse 31, Paul is quoting a portion of Jeremiah, where he writes:
Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.”
[PREVIEW SLIDE]
Application
Boasting in our worldly treasures comes from our insecurity. We want other people to love and accept us. But we need to remember that the things that our flesh wants to boast in is temporary. They do not bring security. They do not bring peace and joy. They do not bring contentment. Security and peace and joy and contentment can only be found in Jesus. Be content in your weakness. Find joy in your frailty. And boast of God’s greatness, who can take a lowly sinner like me and make me a prince. From beans and tomatoes to a feast at the King’s table.
As you remember your roots, remember also the story of Mephibosheth. This son of Johnathan was crippled in an accident as a child. After David became king of Israel, Mephibosheth was of no worth to anyone. But when King David found out that he still lived, he demonstrated love to him because of his father Johnathan. 2 Samuel 9:7 says, “And David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your father, and you shall eat at my table always.””
David invited the weak and lame Mephibosheth to eat at the king’s table. And in verse 11, it says that he ate at David’s table, like one of the king’s sons.
(beat)
This is why we hold tightly the foolishness of the cross. This is why we boast in our weakness. Paul would later write to the church at Corinth 2 Corinthians 12:10 “For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” In our weakness, we find strength through Him who strengthens us. In our weakness, His power is magnified. And that is all the more reason to tell the world about Him.
Invitation
For those here who have not made a decision to follow Christ, this message is for you. You will never find joy and contentment in the things of the world. But if you embrace your weakness, if you are humble in heart, you may hear God’s call this morning. He calls you to come and be part of His family. He wants to lift you up and set you on the right path; the one that He created you for. You have a purpose. Come and join us as we boast in the greatness of God.
CLOSE IN PRAYER
CLOSING HYMN
Special-Called Family Business Meeting after service
CONGREGATIONAL BLESSING
