Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Well thanks again for welcoming Gretchen and me into your fellowship this morning.

It is always an honor and a privilege to be invited to lead in worship through the preaching of the Scriptures.

This morning I’d like to ask you to turn to and stand and read along with me as we submit ourselves to God’s Word.

As you read along silently in your copy of the Scriptures, I will be reading this morning at times from either the Holman Christian Standard Bible or my own translation from the SBL Greek New Testament.

, beginning in verse 18:

1 Corinthians 1:18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but it is the power of God to us, the ones being saved.

19 For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will set aside the understanding of the experts.”

I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will set aside the understanding of the experts.

and I will set aside the understanding of the experts.

20 Where is the philosopher?

Where is the scholar?

Where is the debater of this age?

Hasn’t God made the wisdom of the world into foolishness?

21 For since, in God’s wisdom, the world did not know God through wisdom, God was pleased to save those who believe through the foolishness of the message preached.

22 For the Jews ask for signs and the Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles.

24 Yet to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is God’s power and God’s wisdom, 25 for the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

26 So now brothers, consider your calling: For not many are wise from a human perspective, not many are powerful, not many are of noble lineage.

27 Instead, God has chosen the foolish of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen what is weak in the world to shame the strong.

28 God has chosen what is insignificant and despised in the world—what is viewed as nothing—to bring to nothing what is viewed as something [that is, divine wisdom], 29 so that no one can boast in his flesh in the presence of God. 30 But it is from God that you are in Christ Jesus, who became God-given wisdom for us—our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, 31 in order that, as it is written: “The one who boasts must boast in the Lord.”

26 Brothers, consider your calling: Not many are wise from a human perspective, not many powerful, not many of noble birth.

27 Instead, God has chosen what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen what is weak in the world to shame the strong.

28 God has chosen what is insignificant and despised in the world —what is viewed as nothing—to bring to nothing what is viewed as something, 29 so that no one can boast in His presence.

30 But it is from Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became God-given wisdom for us—our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, 31 in order that, as it is written: The one who boasts must boast in the Lord.

May God bless the reading of his Word.

Please be seated.

Well if you haven’t noticed yet from the eleven uses of the root word, this morning the Scripture points us toward the theme of wisdom.

Wisdom is a feature of creation which God has emphasized in my call to ministry in several ways.

First, I have been led into the study of theology (what we believe about God) and philosophy (the study of wisdom).

Second, God has provided me the opportunity to train his servant leaders and serve in ministry leadership.

Directing students who already serve or are called to serve local churches is a great test in wisdom as to how to apply truth.

Third, when I look back on the full course of my life, I can testify to the wisdom shown by others speaking into my life and ministry calling.

You can probably look around this sanctuary and see the men and women whom God has called to help shape your life by speaking truth in love and by sharing their discernment with you.

Now we will see in a few moments that the Scriptures demonstrate that we have to be careful how we approach wisdom, but if I could give us a short, handy starting point for understanding wisdom it would be “life well lived.”

There are several books in the Bible which focus on wisdom: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Job in the Old Testament and James in the New Testament.

We find a couple consistent elements of wisdom is not from these books.

Wisdom is not just knowledge about an isolated subject: even if I knew all the baseball statistics across decades of baseball history, that would not help me survive if I was lost in a thick forest.

Wisdom is not just an isolated skill: no one can personally train at wisdom like one can do math homework.

And yet, wisdom does require knowledge and experience with skills - to live life well, you need to know about the world and you need to know what equates to good and bad.

Wisdom is then in the application of knowledge through experience.

Key to our Scripture this morning is the context of the first letter to the Corinthians: the Apostle Paul is writing to quell divisions and rivalries in the local church.

Read verses 10-17 with me:

1 Corinthians 1:10 Now I urge you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree in what you say, that there be no divisions among you, and that you be united with the same understanding and the same conviction.

11 For it has been reported to me about you, my brothers, by members of Chloe’s household, that there is rivalry among you.

12 What I am saying is this: Each of you says, “I’m with Paul,” or “I’m with Apollos,” or “I’m with Cephas,” or “I’m with Christ.” 13 Is Christ divided?

Was it Paul who was crucified for you?

Or were you baptized in Paul’s name?

14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so that no one can say you were baptized in my name.

16 I did, in fact, baptize the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don’t know if I baptized anyone else.

17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to evangelize—not with clever words, so that the cross of Christ will not be emptied of its effect.

It seems that the Cornithians were not lacking in knowledge or passion.

The problem was that the congregation was not (in verse 10) “united with the same understanding and the same conviction.”

While different parties were emerging within the church boasting the leader they followed or their emphases on minor topics, Paul urged the Corinthians to find their unity in Christ, the one who was crucified for their salvation.

Paul likewise reminds them that his ministry is not about standing out, not about impressing, not about being the most learned- his ministry was about preaching the gospel of Christ crucified.

Whereas Paul and Apollos were both very well educated and Cephas [who is the Apostle Peter] walked with Jesus during his earthly ministry, the Word of Christ was the only message which should unify the church.

When we explore this passage seeking that Word of Christ which should unify us we realize that Christ is God’s divine wisdom in action: a mystery revealed to those who believe.

God’s Wisdom Hidden ()

Read the first section of our text again with me:

1 Corinthians 1:18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but it is the power of God to us, the ones being saved.

19 For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will set aside the understanding of the experts.”

20 Where is the philosopher?

Where is the scholar?

Where is the debater of this age?

Hasn’t God made the wisdom of the world into foolishness?

21 For since, in God’s wisdom, the world did not know God through wisdom, God was pleased to save those who believe through the foolishness of the message preached.

The clear notion from this passage is that Christians should not bank on wisdom: only the point is not to bank on human wisdom and instead seek God’s wisdom.

The clear notion from this passage is that Christians should not bank on wisdom: only the point is not to bank on human wisdom and instead seek God’s wisdom.

In each sentence a contrast is drawn between the wisdom of this world—wisdom that we can gain over time on our own—and God’s wisdom—wisdom that is hidden in his glory and nature.

The notes in your Bible may point out to you that verse 19 is an allusion to .

In that passage which Paul recalls, God is giving a message of judgment to Isaiah to preach against Jerusalem.

Note how God makes clear in that prophecy that he knows all and understands all.

Humans are subject to God’s rulership because he is the Almighty maker of heaven and earth: Isaiah 29:13 Because these people approach Me with their mouths to honor Me with lip-service — yet their hearts are far from Me, and their worship consists of man-made rules learned by rote— 14 ((therefore I will again confound these people with wonder after wonder.

The wisdom of their wise men will vanish, and the understanding of the perceptive will be hidden.))

15 Woe to those who go to great lengths to hide their plans from the Lord.

They do their works in darkness, and say, “Who sees us?

Who knows us?” 16 You have turned things around, as if the potter were the same as the clay.

How can what is made say about its maker, “He didn’t make me”?

How can what is formed say about the one who formed it, “He doesn’t understand what he’s doing”?

The same contrast of human wisdom and divine wisdom is found in where God reminds Job that his knowledge and experience with the world does not compare to God’s rulership over creation:  Who is this who obscures My counsel with ignorant words? 3 Get ready to answer Me like a man; when I question you, you will inform Me. 4 Where were you when I established the earth?

Tell Me, if you have understanding.

5 Who fixed its dimensions?

Certainly you know!

Who stretched a measuring line across it?

6 What supports its foundations?

Or who laid its cornerstone 7 while the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

Back in our passage in 1 Corinthians, the Apostle Paul contrasts the wisdom of the world with the wisdom of God.

No wise one in our world today can even know God unless they submit to him and his Word.

Philosopher?

Greek “lover of sophia,” seeking the order behind the world.

Philosopher?

Greek “lover of sophia,” seeking the order behind the world.

Scholar?

Look at the proliferation of degrees

Debater of this age?

Look at the absurdity of moral arguments today

Through all the time up to Jesus, God’s wisdom lay hidden in his transcendence.

God had spoken directly to a handful of people in the Old Testament, but even this did not ensure they would understand.