Don't Miss the Main Thing

CHURCH 911

SERMON 4

INTRODUCTION:

ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS THINGS THAT CAN HAPPEN TO A LOCAL CHURCH IS FOR IT TO SHIFT ITS FOCUS AWAY FROM WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT.

IN THE VERSES WE READ THIS MORNING, PAUL POINTS TO THE CROSS AS A CENTRAL POINT OF EMPHASIS FOR FOLLOWERS OF JESUS CHRIST.

THE CROSS IS NOT THE CENTRAL FIGURE OF SCRIPTURE – THAT HONOR IS RESERVED FOR JESUS – BUT THE CROSS IS ESSENTIAL TO THE CHRISTIAN FAITH.

WITHOUT THE CROSS, THERE WOULD BE NO REDEMPTIVE EVENT.

NOTHING TO WHICH WE CAN LOOK FOR ASSURANCE THAT OUR SINS HAVE BEEN OR CAN BE ATONED FOR.

THAT THERE IS AN AVENUE FOR FORGIVENESS FOR THE PERSON WHO RECOGNIZES HIS OR HER NEED FOR FORGIVENESS.

HERE IN , PAUL IS INSPIRED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT TO REMOND THESE CORINTHIAN BELIEVERS OF THE NEED TO FOCUS LESS ON WHAT DIVIDES THEM, AND FOCUS MORE ON WHAT UNITES THEM, NAMELY THE CROSS.

SO LET ME CALL YOUR ATTENTION TO A FEW TRUTHS THAT WE FIND IN THIS PASSAGE.

HERE’S THE FIRST THING…

1. DON’T MISS THE CONNECTION.

a. 18 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.

i. THE WORD “FOR” IS IMPORTANT, BECAUSE IT REMINDS THE READERS (US) THAT THIS IS NOT A NEW ISSUE THAT PAUL IS TAKING UP, BUT IT IS A CONTINUATION OF WHAT HE HAD BEEN DISCUSSING TO THIS POINT.

ii. HIS POINT IS THAT THE DIVISIONS THAT EXISTED IN THE CORINTHIAN CHURCH – OR ANY CHURCH, FOR THAT MATTER – ARE DAMAGING, AT BEST…

1. SINFUL, IN MOST CASES…

iii. THEY ARE DAMAGING, BECAUSE THEY DIVERT THE ATTENTION OF THE CHURCH OFF WHAT IS THE CENTRAL POINT OF AGREEMENT AMONG BELIEVERS – THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST.

1. WHAT SEEMS TO BE FOOLISHNESS (OR FOLLY) TO THOSE WHO ARE NOT IN CHRIST IS THE VERY SOURCE OF THE POWER WE HAVE FOR LIVING OUT OUR CHRISTIAN FAITH.

iv. I LIKE THE WAY PAUL USES THE PHRASE “THOSE WHO ARE BEING SAVED,” WHICH REMINDS US THAT OUR FAITH IS A JOURNEY, NOT A DESTINATION.

v. MARK TAYLOR SAYS THAT “THE CROSS IS PRESENTED ‘AS BOTH THE WAY OF SALVATION AND THE WAY OF LIFE.’ THE CROSS IS BOTH THE REMEDY FOR PAST SINS AND THE BASIS OF CHRISTIAN IDENTITY.”

vi. SALVATION IS NOT SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED TO BELIEVERS…

vii. SALVATION IS SOMETHING THAT IS HAPPENING TO BELIEVERS.

viii. SO PAUL IS MAKING IT CLEAR THAT THE DIVISION IN THE CHURCH IS DETRIMENTAL TO THE GOING FORTH OF THE GOSPEL.

ix. AND THAT THE GOSPEL IS AN ELUSIVE CONCEPT FOR THOSE WHO TRY TO FIGURE IT OUT ONLY BY USING HUMAN WISDOM.

x. SO IN VERSE 19, HE WRITES THIS…

b. 19 FOR IT IS WRITTEN, “I WILL DESTROY THE WISDOM OF THE WISE, AND THE DISCERNMENT OF THE DISCERNING I WILL THWART.”

i. ;DLSFKJDSL;FKJF

c. 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?

i. IN THE CROSS GOD HAS “TURNED THE TABLES” ON THE WISE BY TURNING THEIR WISDOM INTO ITS VERY OPPOSITE—FOOLISHNESS.

d. DON’T MISS THE CONNECTION: DIVISION IS ALWAYS THE RESULT WHEN A CHURCH TAKES IT’S EYES OFF THE CROSS.

e. BUT HERE’S ANOTHER THING I WANT YOU TO NOTICE…

2. GOD USES WHAT SEEMS FOOLISH TO THE WORLD TO ACCOMPLISH HE IS PURPOSE.

a. 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.

i. WISDOM ALONE IS NOT A SUFFICIENT METHOD FOR KNOWING GOD.

1.

ii. IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT, THE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPEL IS A BIT OUTLANDISH.

1. THINK ABOUT WHAT WE PREACH…

2. THE CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE, SUPERNATURALLY IMPREGNATED A VIRGIN GIRL, AND THROUGH HER, BIRTHED HIMSELF INTO THIS WORLD.

3. HE THEN WENT ON TO LIVE A LIFE UNAFFECTED BY THE TEMPTATIONS OF THIS WORLD, A SINLESS, PERFECT LIFE, IN ORDER TO PROVIDE TO HIMSELF THE ONLY ACCEPTABLE SACRIFICE FOR THE SINS OF MAN…HIMSELF.

4. HE ATONED FOR THE SINS OF THE PEOPLE HE CREATED BY ALLOWING THOSE PEOPLE TO CRUCIFY HIM ON A ROMAN INSTRUMENT OF DEATH – THE CROSS.

5. AND HIS OWN DEATH WAS A SUFFICIENT SACRIFICE TO HIMSELF TO REDEEM THE SINFUL MEN HE CREATED FROM THE CURSE OF THEIR SINS.

6. BUT, AS IF THAT WASN’T ENOUGH, HE ALLOWED HIMSELF, IN THE PERSON OF JESUS, OF COURSE, TO BE PLACED IN A TOMB, AND AFTER THREE DAYS, HE BROUGHT HIMSELF BACK TO LIFE, IN ORDER TO GIVE HOPE OF ETERNAL LIFE TO THOSE WHO WOULD BELIEVE ALL THESE THINGS ABOUT HIM.

iii. IT SOUNDS CRAZY!

iv. BUT THE CRAZY PART IS THAT IT IS ENTIRELY FACTUAL, ENTIRELY TRUE.

v. BUT SOME PEOPLE ARE NOT SATISFIED WITH THIS STATED TRUTH.

vi. FOR EXAMPLE…VERSE 22…

b. 22 FOR JEWS DEMAND SIGNS AND GREEKS SEEK WISDOM,

i. SOME SAY THAT THEY WILL ONLY BELIEVE IF THEY SEE PROOF, WHILE OTHERS TRY TO FIND SALVATION IN THE WISDOM OF THE WORLD.

ii. SIDE NOTE…

1. GOD DID GIVE THE JEWS A SIGN, BY THE WAY…

2. SEVERAL SIGNS, TO BE CLEAR.

a. THEY HAD THE MANIFEST PRESENCE OF GOD IN HUMAN FORM IN THEIR MIDST FOR YEARS IN THE PERSON OF JESUS.

c. 23 BUT WE PREACH CHRIST CRUCIFIED, A STUMBLING BLOCK TO JEWS AND FOLLY TO GENTILES,

i. CHRIST CRUCIFIED IS A STUMBLING BLOCK TO THE JEWS, BECAUSE THEY WERE LOOKING FOR A MESSIAH ON THEIR OWN TERMS.

1. SADLY, MANY PEOPLE TODAY ARE MISSING THE MOST FULFILLING RELATIONSHIP AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT WILLING TO SURRENDER THEIR OWN PRE-CONCEIVED NOTIONS ABOUT JESUS AND RECOGNIZE GOD’S MESSIAH.

ii. THE GREEKS THOUGHT IT FOOLISH THAT THE SALVATION OF MAN COULD BE ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH SOMETHING AS SIMPLE AS THE DEATH OF CHIRST ON A CROSS.

1. AGAIN, SADLY, TODAY MANY PEOPLE ARE MISSING JESUS BECAUSE THEY ARE UNWILLING TO ACCEPT THE SIMPLICITY OF GOD’S PLAN FOR REDEMPTION.

d. 24 BUT TO THOSE WHO ARE CALLED, BOTH JEWS AND GREEKS, CHRIST THE POWER OF GOD AND THE WISDOM OF GOD.

i. BUT TO THOSE WHO ARE WILLING TO RECEIVE JESUS BY FAITH, HE IS THE POWER OF GOD, AND HE IS THE WISDOM OF GOD.

ii. IN HIM, GOD POWERFULLY WORKS TO SAVE THE LOST.

iii. AND IN HIM, WE SEE THE WISDOM OF GOD AT WORK.

e. AND WE RECOGNIZE THAT GOD DOESN’T WORK THE WAY WE THINK HE SHOULD.

3. WE SEE THE UNCONVENTIONAL WORKING OF GOD.

a. 25 FOR THE FOOLISHNESS OF GOD IS WISER THAN MEN, AND THE WEAKNESS OF GOD IS STRONGER THAN MEN.

b. I LOVE THE UNCONVENTIONAL WORKING OF GOD

c. HE QUALIFIES THE UNQUALIFIED.

d. HE TAKES THE INSIGNIFICANT AND USES THEM TO DO WORLD-CHANGING WORK IN HIS NAME.

e. HE MOLDS AND SHAPES PEOPLE INTO THE IMAGE OF HIS SON, SO THAT THEY CAN BE INSTRUMENTS OF HIS PEACE TO THE NATIONS.

f. HE SHAPES US, SO THAT WE CAN HELP OTHERS BE SHAPED INTO WHAT HE WANTS US TO BE.

g. THE BEST THING A PERSON CAN DO IS FOLLOW HARD AFTER GOD’S PURPOSE IN HIS OR HER LIFE.

h. EVEN IF IT IS UNCONVENTIONAL.

i. BUT KNOW THIS, GOD WILL NEVER TRY TO PRODUCE SOMETHING IN YOU THAT IS CONTRARY TO HIS WORD OR TO HIS CHARACTER.

CONCLUSION:

WHAT UNCONVENTIONAL WAY IS THE LORD TELLING YOU THAT HE WANTS TO USE YOU?

WILL YOU SAY YES TO HIM?