The craziness of preaching.
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· 13 viewsThe craziness or foolishness of the gospel should possess us.
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Read 1 Cor 1:17-29
Never before in history had Mthe preaching of the gospel become of so crucial importance as today. Not that it wasn’t important before, but the times we live in demand it even more. Times when the Bible has been rejected as never before; science has become king, a false king of course! Times like those described by Paul in his letter to Timothy:
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.
2 Tim 4:3-4
People want teachers who teach them or speak to them what they want to hear: they want “tickle-tickle” in their ears.
That’s why today’s preferred methods to fill the church are telling inspirational stories, telling jokes, and motivational self-help sermons. They may motivate and provoke laughs, but they do not save anyone, they do not bring anyone to repentance.
“Woe of the pastor or worship leader that creates an entertainment atmosphere in his church where this kind of seriousness [for the preaching] it feels out of place!” (John Piper)
“¡Ay del pastor o del líder de adoración que crea un ambiente de entretenimiento en su iglesia donde esta clase de seriedad [por la predicación] se siente fuera de lugar!” (John Piper)
We must be possessed by the craziness or the foolishness of preaching the gospel!
Such craziness or foolishness is the explanation to Paul abandoning his previous beliefs, enduring persecution from former colleagues, being stoned, beaten, thrown in jail, suffering death attempts, shipwrecks, and eventually dying for the gospel’s cause.
As he explained it to another Greek church, the one in Philippi:
But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ,
Pero todo lo que para mí era ganancia, lo he estimado como pérdida por amor de Cristo. Y aún más, yo estimo como pérdida todas las cosas en vista del incomparable valor de conocer a Cristo Jesús, mi Señor, por quien lo he perdido todo, y lo considero como basura a fin de ganar a Cristo,
We’ve been sent to preach it.
We’ve been sent to preach it.
“For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel,” 17
Baptism is for those that hear and believe the gospel.
Baptism is for those that hear and believe the gospel.
“Christ did not send me to baptize,” 17a
It seems that Paul was contradicting the Great Commission: “make disciples, baptizing them...”; but he was not, he was putting things in order: baptism does not make sense without the preaching of the gospel.
There is a place for baptism, but in the right order: believe, be baptized, and be taught to obey.
Faith comes by hearing, not by being baptized! Baptism is the public declaration made by those who have heard and believed.
To preach it with simplicity.
To preach it with simplicity.
“not in the cleverness of speech so that the cross of Christ would not be made void.” 17b
(not with words of eloquence (“sofía”)...
The Corinthians were part of the Greek world, the world of the philosophers and great thinkers (Aristotle, Plato, Socrates, and many more). A world where eloquence, deep thoughts and analysis were sought and admired.
It was craziness or foolishness to come to them with such simple message as the gospel. People may have asked, “Are you crazy Paul?” Do you think that you will convince them with your simple speech?”
The gospel is the tool that the Holy Spirit uses brings conviction to the heart: conviction of sin, righteousness, and judgment.
Was he craz
Was Paul crazy? Yes, he was! He was crazy for the preaching of the gospel. That was a consuming craziness! Like the consuming fire mentioned by Jeremiah, the prophet:
O Lord, You have deceived me and I was deceived; You have overcome me and prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all day long; Everyone mocks me. For each time I speak, I cry aloud; I proclaim violence and destruction, Because for me the word of the Lord has resulted In reproach and derision all day long. But if I say, “I will not remember Him Or speak anymore in His name,” Then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire Shut up in my bones; And I am weary of holding it in, And I cannot endure it.
Have you noticed that nothing can stop a crazy man? Nothing stops you when you are crazy for the preaching of the gospel. Neither shyness nor personality can stop you!
Have you noticed that nothing can stop a crazy man? Nothing stops you when you are crazy for the preaching of the gospel. Neither shyness nor personality can stop you!
We must be crazy for the preaching of the gospel because:
The gospel is the power of God.
The gospel is the power of God.
“For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” 18
“but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” 24
The gospel is the “dynamis” of God!:
To destroy worldly arguments.
To destroy worldly arguments.
For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And the cleverness of the clever I will set aside.” Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?
1 cor 1:19-20
Have you ever seen an implosion? Great buildings can demolished by simply detonating small charges of dynamite in strategic places of the building.
Have you ever seen an implosion? Great buildings can demolished by simply detonating small charges of dynamite in strategic places of the building.
The gospel is the dynamite God has given us to implode the philosophical buildings and barriers erected by man to oppose God. It’s just a matter of knowing how to use it, knowing where to set the charges that will implode opposing arguments.
It is crazy that the same message that destroys the wisdom of the wise is the message that also saves. It is like a knife in the hands of a killer or in the hands of a surgeon!
The gospel carries God’s saving power!
It carries the saving power.
It carries the saving power.
“but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” 18b
For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.
1
The piercing power of the gospel brings healing to the soul. It fulfills God’s promise of healing to His people:
‘Behold, I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal them; and I will reveal to them an abundance of peace and truth.
Jer 33:6
‘I will cleanse them from all their iniquity by which they have sinned against Me, and I will pardon all their iniquities by which they have sinned against Me and by which they have transgressed against Me.
Jer 33:8
We must be crazy for the preaching of the gospel because:
The gospel shows the wisdom of God.
The gospel shows the wisdom of God.
“the power of God and the wisdom of God.” 24b
The Gentiles (Greeks) loved wisdom (sofía), but even the wisdom of all their philosophers put together did not amount to even a bit of the wisdom of God.
With all their wisdom, they did not come to know God; on the contrary, they became idolaters. As such, in their pantheon, they had gods for every necessity. They had Aeolus (wind and air), Aether (space and heaven(, Apollos (arts), Asclepius (health), Chronos (time), Donysius (wine), Eros (sex), and many more.
That’s not surprising! The same Paul explained the reason:
For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.
:21-23
“the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” 25
It is the wisdom of God communicated thru the gospel that opens man’s eyes to see the truth, “to turn to God from idols to serve a living and true God,” ()
How couldn’t we be crazy for the preaching of the gospel?
Let’s let it consume us! Let’s preach it without shame! Let’s us not stop preaching it!