Are You Being Saved or Are You Perishing?
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The Cross Is Foolishness To The World
The Cross Is Foolishness To The World
Alexamenos Worships His God
The World still today sees the cross in much the same way
The Cross is primitive
The Cross is divine child abuse
The Cross is bloody and horrible - who could be saved by that
How often the church through history has tried to do a Total Makeover of the cross the make it more appealing.
We finished off in verse 17 with Paul telling us that
For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
But the cross holds power...
1. The Cross Divides
1. The Cross Divides
The world can divide us in many ways
Americans-The rest of the world
Union-non-union
Conservative-Liberal
Republican-Democrat
Jew-Gentile
There is only one true divide - you are either of those who are perishing or you are of those being saved
You are perishing
The judgment of God stands against you even now
judgment for your sin
judgement for your cosmic treason against the one true creator, the one and only Holy God
judgement for trying to judge the universe (and thereby God) by your values and morals while ignoring God’s values and morals.
The only value and morals that truly count.
To those who are perishing the cross is folly
Moria in the Greek - where we get our word moron
The cross is moronic, idiotic, folly, foolish, stupid, and dumb
They continuously look for proof against God/His Word/His History
King Belshazzar
In the 19th century - archeology- no proof of him
They found a tablet showing the kind of the time was Nabonidus
Can you imagine how hard it was for believers at the time as those in the world would tell them you scriptures are wrong!
Then right around 1860 they found a tablet that explained that Nabonidus didn’t want to be king any more, but the only way he could stop being king is if he died
So, Nabonidus made his son, Belshazzar, his coregent and gave him the title as King of Babylon.
This actually answered a question long asked… in tells the story of Belshazzar seeing the hand write on the wall
He says that if anyone could read the handwriting he would make him the third ruler of the kingdom
To those being saved
Being saved? I’m already saved
You have been saved - Justification
You are being saved - sanctification
You will be saved - glorification
Salvation is a continuing race
We keep learning
We keep encouraging
We keep stumbling and getting back up
Too many times have I heard the person who says, of course I’m going to Heaven. I was baptised and I’m good now
They have no love for God’s word
They have no love for God’s people
They have no love for the plan of God
Let us remember -
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matt 28.
Are you perishing or are you being saved?
2. The Cross Destroys
2. The Cross Destroys
To those in the world who are wise and worldly, who love wisdom and hold their wisdom up above all things - God will destroy their philosophy
philosophy - love of wisdom. philo - love and sophia - wisdom
This is not a new thing - Paul brings both the OT and NT together by quoting
For it is written,
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”
isaiah 29.13
And the Lord said:
“Because this people draw near with their mouth
and honor me with their lips,
while their hearts are far from me,
and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,
Those people who love their wisdom
Those people even who think they are wise enough to come and go through the motions of religion, but never ever confess Him as Lord (whom their lives and everything they have belong to God)
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?
Paul asks questions - you, who want to take on God, where are you in view of what God has done on that cross?
Where is the one who is wise? The philosophers of the world. The Aristotles, The Socrates, The Ghandi’s. Those who through contemplation believe they have it all figured out.
Where is the scribes? The experts in the law. The religious experts.
Where is the debater? Those who love to argue about anything and are experts.
They can come forward, those who think the Cross is folly, but they will only find out that God will tear down their wisdom and show them that it is their ways ant thoughts that are truly moronic and foolish. For nothing they can reason out, nothing they can piece together intellectually , and nothing they can do will lead them down the path of salvation. Only, Jesus and Jesus alone can bring you to the Father!
At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children;
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
3. The Cross Delivers
3. The Cross Delivers
In the cross is the power to bring the dead to life. For a Christian is nothing more than a person who was dead in their trespasses who is resuscitated as their sins are paid for on the cross and are raised from the dead with Jesus! The cross delivers, the cross saves, the cross rescues!
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.
It please God that He should bring salvation in what so many men and women find foolish.
Through the wisdom, the genius, the great plan of God comes salvation to the world - all of mankind that is lost and dead in their sin.
There is a way that seems right to a man,
but its end is the way to death.
prov 14.12
4. The Cross Contradicts
4. The Cross Contradicts
The cross contradicts the ways of this world.
The cross contradicts the thoughts of those who believe themselves to be so wise.
For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom,
For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles,
The Jews wanted a messiah who would do miracles, remove the yokes of those who held them in bondage.
Not someone who hung on the cross as a criminal. Not someone who is curse by God
his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God. You shall not defile your land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance.
deut 21.23
Not realizing that this man Jesus was cursed by God not for anything He had done but everything we had done.
For the Greek who sought wisdom - how could there possibly be only one way to God. There are many ways up the mountain.
“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.
There is one way to God but many ways that make a huge highway to Hell.
How could a criminal possibly bring anyone salvation?
Jews stumble over the cross - we preach Christ crucified
Greeks laugh and consider us and our message foolish - we preach Christ crucified!
5. The Cross Distinguishes
5. The Cross Distinguishes
Even in among those who stumble and laugh at the cross and whom are dead in their trespasses, among them there comes salvation
but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
Notice, that Paul says that there are those that are called
This is the sovereign, effectual, unhindered call of the Holy Spirit
A Continuing theme throughout this chapter
V. 1 Paul, called to be an apostle
V. 2 called to be saints together
V. 9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into fellowship
V. 24 those who were called
V. 26 consider your calling
Realize that salvation has come into the world, Jew and Gentile, as God calls people from each group
He causes the scales to be removed from our eyes that we may recognize our sins against him
He pours into us new hearts that we may long for the things of God and have faith in Him
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
This happens not through or because of us, but through Jesus who is the power and wisdom of God!
For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
Men may think God is foolish… but God at His most foolish (as if there were such a thing!) is wiser than the wisest of men! The Einsteins, the Hawkings, the Dawkins, and every other philosopher and scientist combined are no match for Him.
Men may think that Jesus is powerless… but God at His weakest is stronger than the strongest warrior or sports star you can find.