Preaching Jesus

1st Corinthians chapter 1 I think we've been in here 5 weeks 4 weeks will continue to be in here another week after this. No sweat and then I can't wait at Todd is going to be preaching two Sundays from now. Alright, looking forward to that. He's got all of chapter 2 or as much as he can get through on that just pray one more time. Thank you for your love your kindness and generosity and this morning as we study or are we asking your spirit move your spare Works in our hearts? That you would grow us challenges and courage is in the name of Jesus. Amen. Amen. Where at in 1st Corinthians. Is this section? We're Paul has been dealing with a church. That is somewhat divided into factions over leaders that they really are drawn to it's much like a teenage girl in the 90s who was Backstreet Boys or Nsync and they had their little groupies and they thought themselves. These are my guy. These are my songs. I'm up Timberlake. I'm up whoever else there is that was in the other band shows you how much I know about those boy bands and these groups begin to form and they were saying this is the leader I want to listen to and Paul is about ready to rebuke this church, and he says here this morning. No, it's all about Jesus and this is a slogan that even in my own family. My kids have began to adopt for example. Couple weeks ago we were going out to dinner and we were talking with our children about where we wanted to go with carrots bad idea. When you have four kids every family has an Eleanor Eleanor is our third child. Everybody wants to go one place and she wants to go to the other place and my oldest Ava is very very black and white looks like Eleanor Eleanor. It's not about you. It's all about Jesus.

Don't know about the contacts, but amen sister. I agree last night. I was officiating a wedding and we're driving home from the wedding and because it's you know, like October 13th. My little Eleanor is thinking about Christmas. She gets it from her mother and she goes she's got the cutest little voice and she's like Daddy can barely hear from the back of the car. I think they put her back there. So her opinion doesn't get thrown out there and I barely hear her and she pipes up and she goes It's Christmas all about caring and sharing and able to look Saturn turn around. It's all about Jesus. Little bit better contact contact. It's all about Jesus. And we just really use this in our family over and over again to get our eyes off ourselves and put her eyes on Jesus and what Paul is doing is he's beginning to present what Martin Luther call a Theology of the cross for Geology of Glory a Theology of Glory in the context of 1st Corinthians chapter 1 really in these verses 18 through about 31 or 30 where the chapter ends its idea that God exists for my need my once my desires my glory human wisdom and understanding are the greatest mean in achieving this sort of Glory. Sort of existence that genie in the bottle or the mediator to the thing that I really want in life. So if you're telling me this Jesus can give you the glory but I desire that I'm going to follow after him. This might ring a bell if you've been around Prosperity teaching or spent too much time on TV. And if you don't have cable and a silly channel that comes through this Theology of Glory gets twisted and taken and placed upon oneself and says, how are you going to be my helper? God to get me what I want versus a Theology of the Cross going to describe geology of the Cross talks about somebody who's been suffering who is dying has been emptied who is selfless and self giving an order that others might have life biology of Glory is one. How can Jesus make me cool? How can Jesus make me powerful? How can Jesus do these things in order to enhance my life and Tall comes in a very unexpected way because as these groups are forming in a trying to maybe Vie for power in their communities as they align themselves with typical great preachers like Apollo or they want to go with really smart intellectual teachers Paul or they safe, you know, what Peter is so relatable and we love him. We're going to get into the shefa stamped Paul comes in and he rebukes them and he says look, it's not about who baptized you it's about the name you were baptized into it's not about who is speaking the message, but it's about the power in the message. That is the gospel the good news of Jesus Christ verse 17 here this morning. I want you to filter that into your mind and I want you to read this with me and look at the kind of language Paul uses look at the repetitive words that Paul talks about and you can probably come to some pretty good conclusion and what he's trying to get across three says in chapter 1 verse 17 The Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel not with words of eloquent wisdom less the Cross of Christ be emptied of its power for the word of the Cross is folly to those who are perishing bunch of us who are being saved. It is the power of God for it is written. I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and the discernment of a Discerning of a fort where is the one who is why where is the Scribe? Where is the debater of this age has not God made the wisdom of the world for since in the wisdom of God. The world did not know God through wisdom it pleased God for the Folly of what we preach to save those who believe for the Jews demand signs in the Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified a stumbling block to the Jews of falling to the Gentiles which of those who are called with Jews and Greeks. Christ the power of God and Anime wisdom of God for the foolishness of God is wiser than men and the weakness of God is stronger than men what Paul is getting at here is he links the gospel the good news of Jesus Christ and the cross together say, this is our God that's for 17 vs 18 the word of the Cross. Those who are being saved is the power of God then in verses 23 through 24, the we preach Christ crucified Christ is the power of God the cross the atoning work of Jesus Christ is essential to the message of a Paul Sherry and trying to get across to this church at corn and there's something I said last week and I want to make it a greater Point here this morning because what we're trying to do is we're looking at a letter. To a bunch of Christians who are really bad at being Christians going to bring this up all the time sounds really relatable doesn't it? But we also want to do this morning is relate this to preaching the gospel for Christians who aren't very good at preaching the gospel for those of us who have given that moment an opportunity. What would I actually say? How would I actually go about it? I don't sound like you Lee tram. I don't sound like the pastor who preaches on Sundays really you want me God actually share the gospel and here is good news for you all better preachers Don't Preach a better gospel. Better preachers do not preach a better gospel because the power is not in the person speaking, but it is in the message of the cross that they are proclaiming. The message is Christ crucified. I put this up on Instagram and Facebook. There's a plug if you want to follow me those for redeemers. There's a quote from what I saw this week. When does not preach the cross to win the admiration of the audience. That's where a lot of people are in Ministry today. They want to win favor with people and I want you to like them and they want more but sandbox and buildings and bricks and everything else and they say that's what defines us and makes us successful or not for the admiration of the audience. The goal is to have them look up a nod to cross which implants new ideas and uproot the old ways of interpreting Define an Earthly reality. You know, it's Classic. This is so sad noted but Stewart who is here at last week leading Us in worship with his wife Alicia. He works for Facebook and you get these credits and so he actually boosted our post from last week for us and under the comment section. Obviously somebody we don't even know or have a clue wrote underneath of this quote that makes me want to throw up. Not surprising cuz it's this idea that there's adversity we're going to talk about this morning this idea that there are those who just simply hate the good news of Jesus Christ. There are those who look at the cross and he despised it because to them it is just so far removed and then comprehensible this could actually be something of God working in moving and saving people have to give him a new reality new outlook IMAP all does for this church what we need to do it our world today is he dismantled their arguments about which group they should be in by bringing them back to the very basics of who Jesus Christ is and what Jesus has done because it's all about Jesus. All about Jesus and what we're told in this is we can all be evangelist Albion Angeles. I was reading some commentaries this week and I turned it one of my favorite teachers Timothy Keller and he said God never calls you radically in without sending you radically out. He never calls you radically in to be a follower of Jesus without them sending you. Radically I think it through this story of Abraham there you had a world that was really disintegrating in falling apart. They thought they had reached the Pinnacle of society as everybody was able to communicate under one voice one language and they were building this Vigor at this massive Tower a place of worship worship the Gods in the under God's if you would the spiritual being so they thought would give them hope and teas and satisfaction and that these people built the city and built a tower God then comes down. But it's not like in the Incarnation. God becoming man and coming to people he comes down and he's not pleased for the should have known the truth. But they rebelled against it and he disperses the people and then right after that we don't know how much time passes but sometime after we read that God calls a man by the name of Abraham. I. Called Abram radically in and he says Abram I want to use you. I want to bless you. I want to multiply you. I went all of the world to be blessed through you through Abraham back out onto the world is the way in which God wanted to work and God wanted to move and he promised him and Sarah this child. We should leave Goforth go out. I want you and God calls him radically in to then send him radically out. Too much of evangelicalism is being called radically and to be sheltered and stay here real nice and cute to feel like we're really safe in these four walls and got calling me radically out. I don't think so. But in here hallelujah, praise the name of Jesus, I will sing at the top of my lungs. It's Jesus this in Jesus. We love Jesus, but we step out of that building.

He's pretty good for me on Sundays and makes me feel kind of nice and I get around those people and their friendly. Oh, but I walk out of this building. And it's Jesus who until next week God call Abraham radically and God calls us erratically in to send us out. Now when we hear messages like this message is worried should be eager to share the gospel. Sometimes you feel a little guilty. Don't we? I don't do that very much. And when I do I don't do that very well. And if you leave here this morning feeling that way I've done a poor job. But what I want to preach this morning his preaching the gospel is not something I want to give the single person into the preaching the gospel should flow from a love of Jesus and what he has done in our lives. I want you to think about it in these terms. Let's just say for a moment. You found something new in your life something you love something you like if it's a new relationship when you find a new relationship you keep it to yourself. Don't tell people about it. My boyfriend's my girlfriend's my new friends. But see you find some new fad diet. That was working. What do you do to probably sign up for multi-level marketing and then you begin to produce that and put that out on social media. This is working. This is great. And you begin to share the good news of what this diet pill of what this diet of what this cookbook of what this friendship of whatever it is that you bought into has done for you and what you begin to do. If you want to Prost wise other people to your product to your thing because it has been so life-changing in the Revolutionary in your own life. You can't help but share it ever a great new song. What do you want to do with it? Please share it with somebody you want to tell them about it. Ever watched a great movie.

What you want to do with it you want somebody else to enjoy it the way that you enjoy it? How many problems is many of us have been brought up and cultural Christianity and raised in the church and just kind of Jesus this Jesus that alright, let's get in and get out and go our way when somebody gets radically saved and their hearts change it revolutionized everything in them and they can't help but share it and that's what sharing the gospel. To look like in our lives is not this better do this. I'm going to get zapped or he's going to be really mad or my pastures putting pressure on me to get out there and hand out the tracks and stand on the corner and share all this to my friends here when they don't even want to be here when Jesus was moved in our hearts and our life erratically begins to flow out of her life because of what he has done. We want other people to experience its But other people to know it. Because of that we're free to share the proclamation of the power of God. This gospel is good news. And in that it's both free and Mandy screen and demanding it's free. It's free because it allows for you to share the gospel. And when you know, it's the power of God to save you don't have to convince your friends your neighbor. Your cousin you don't have to give them these are tied arguments and say Here's everything just... Line up its frame because the gospel is the power of God to save not your arguments. Not your great analogy. Not sure really hard convicting slogan that just get right at the core of something. It is the gospel. That is the power of God to save its demand because really were that excuse. I mean God has done this incredible work in our lives and he's told us to go forth and make disciples and to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ and the power is not in the preacher that God has given the church preachers and teachers and feeding to talk about Apostle and evangelist be as gifted the church and placed people in certain roles and positions to operate and function in a certain way within the church, but then in 1st Peter as we saw months and months ago, he calls us the royal priesthood the royal priesthood of the believer means all have this Placements the man is call on our lives to share the good news of Jesus Christ when we look in church history has a question that arises why was the early church so effective in sharing the gospel. Let me tell you something. Remedies that may be narrow not a good dude.

Definition not a good dude, and you can list a host of other Emperors the last thing you did when you are persecuted church was tell your neighbor about the church service and bring them they're going to go. I kill people for going to those Gatherings. They dragged him out of homes. I don't want to be there this Sunday Gathering wasn't the place of evangelism. The place of evangelism was around the table was talking with your neighbors about who this king is we're not going to have this public setting in which they would know where you're at. And so what one commentator talks about his name's Michael Green, he says every single Christian with a prophet priest and King every single one you want to know why they were effective holy lives and open mouth. Holy lives in open mouths that I did not they have this change in them because of what Christ had done they look so counter to the Pagan world around them that wouldn't worship to the gods and goddesses that partook in the temple sacrifices and their lives begin to end their sexuality and how they handle their money and how they treated their neighbors how they treated the poor what it was recorded by Josephus at one of the emperor's said the Christians who we despised take better care not only of their own but ours as well take better care than we do. It's recorded in church history and secular history of how these holy Life begin to impact heart and then they preached the good news. How precious are the feet that are shod with the gospel Romans chapter 10? How will they know though? If we do not go unto them which of the people took this good news? Because their lies have been so changed they were hospitable and generous and should sympathy and how they handle both Seeking Justice and their generosity. God worked through them. In the shared the gospel now during the gospel is an interesting thing. Maybe you had the opportunity as of late or in time past where you sat next to somebody on the airplane and you like sucker 13-hour flight you're going to hear about or maybe even sharing with a friend a cousin a child. What do we do when opportunity comes first and foremost, I believe sharing the gospel is really one conversation, but it's several covers. Really in order to show the whole gospel really too many people to really what they need to hear to be done. We can minimize it we can shorten it. We can put it into a simple set of do you believe a Jesus there with the thief on the Cross Fitness Gear you will be with me in Paradise, but there's a whole lot of contacts in that man's life. They were probably not even aware of it is religious upbringing and understanding probably in a place pretty ride to actually hear that gospel. When we live in a very secular society that is adverse to the things of God and what we tend to do and we go to share the gospel is we skip about five six Millennia and jump right into the New Testament not a bad idea and we begin to sit down with somebody go, you know. You just need Jesus. Tell me about me. Just needing Jesus. Who is this Jesus? We see there's this virgin and she had a baby and then they lived in Egypt and then they left Egypt and lived in obscurity for about 30 years. And then one day his cousin was out baptizing people and he said Lo Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world in Jesus goes to get baptized in the heavens open in this dub descends on Jesus like are the spirit descends on Jesus like a Duff and the heavens. Boom. This is my beloved Son and then he like just Totally healed people and does walks on water and does some Miracles and they hate him. Okay, and then he goes to a cross cuz he loves you and he's crucified and resurrected. You should believe Jesus that conversation. They're like, whatever you smoked this morning. Can I have some please and you're probably like weird and I didn't even talk to you about Balaam and the donkey that talks in the Old Testament Shrek ish and end with an get into Jonah in this following of a human and spit out on Nineveh on this like naked preaches to this whole community and they repent or than a cash the serpent there in the garden who convinces Eve to sit and we begin to even wonder do I do this is weird stuff as we begin to share the gospel and we just sort of get lost in it. Then again, I'm not very good at it. Restart really. Well, you need Jesus as a problem and their sin but what is the remedy for that medieval experienced sharing the gospel like that? And you felt a little embarrassed. Christianity. Couple defensive about Christianity in the second to begin to talk about love or like what about the Crusades not on the right page? What about all the pain? What about all the suffering? How could God do this? And they're all a little gun-shy now, aren't we? There's some things in here that are like it's hard to swallow. But I know I believe it changed my life and I want to share the so what are we doing? And how do we share the good news? And what I want to do with you guys this morning, I just talked a little bit about how do we go about sharing the good news? It's really hard because as a Christian people out there who don't know Jesus all have different angst against Christianity. Some people just absolutely hate the fact that their suffering others can't handle the fact that maybe their minds and miracles or that why God would do or allow or could this actually beat the scripture? And so what I want to share with you guys is how do we go about doing this? Because you never know what you're going to get. I was at breakfast about 3 months ago and I got there early and this guy was kind of talking with me and waiting on me. Like what are you do I'm a pastor and the first thing he says is I should probably go to church and I'm like, dude. We need to have a different conversation. But sure you can come to church if you'd like. You know, there's just so many good religious teachers out there. We need to kind of put all of those together and I looked at this man and I said, well Jesus pretty exclusive. And so if you want to let Jesus into that, he says I am alone in this and I am the way the truth and the life no one comes to the father, but by me and we can exclude all this other gods and religious teachers and everyone else and or maybe just called you a liar lunatic or crown him as long as he doesn't fit that category and and so he came at me with that and others will come at me with other ants against Christianity. So what are we doing? First of all, let me Define the good news. Good news, not the gospel, but just just good news of the Gospel means good news is something that happened. We talked about this off and on here good news is something that has happened good advice is something that you should do all religious systems outside of Christianity Bank their success on good advice here is what you should do to be right with the gods. Here's what you should do to be right with the universe treat people nice and kind and then I'll repay you back at some Karma asked for be sharing and caring thanks Eleanor Grace be kind and go to the temple and sacrifice and give of yourself and give of your stuff and then the gods will approve. Except you and bless you. That's good advice. Something to go do what is good news something that has been done for you that is strikingly different when you begin to comprehend their that the good news is something that was done. And so when we look at The Gospel According to the four gospels what you put an S on there cuz they're floor, but they're actually all about the same good news of Jesus. They present this idea that God becomes king and Hebrew the word the Tsar is the same kind of word for gospel and it means a national announcements. In Isaiah, it's just good news at this Cosmic king would come to restore the rule the goodness of his kingdom. This is the good news that God promised to do the thing. He said he would do and the whole story is about something absolutely shocking and startling that God has done. It's a public announcement how much something has happened in the world but not of the world an entirely different place. You sure that this is the good news of the Gospel that God has promised to do something in upon him doing something. The whole world is a radically different place now because of what he has done and this is the news that Paul is sharing at core. This is the news that we share it with others something thrilling something exciting has happened. Someone has comp who's going to restore right order and hope and bring about the restoration of all things, but he didn't do it or you would have imagined and it's going to frustrate a lot of people and talk apps on that when we share the good news.

Why are people so it first to it? Why does it feel so hard and difficult? Why when we know we have a cousin uncle aunt child that does not walk with Jesus is so hard to have Jesus conversations. I'm is it? Is it just me or do you know that we're going to sit down and go? Okay. Here's the conversation. You ready? Why is it feel that way the one there spiritual warfare? People are just vehement Lee opposed to the good news. Paul tells of this Jesus warns of this other than going to be those are always just want nothing to do with this came here in these versus a firm's are two kinds of people in the world those that are perishing and those that are being saved each respond to the gospel in a different way and then in verse 21, it continues to explain that in their fallen saved in their worldly wisdom. They reject God the turn from him So in their Rebellion, they said we want nothing to do with you God. That's one of the reasons why it is so hard to share the gospel. Cuz you're bad at it cuz there's a spiritual Force at work and people are blinded and their adverse to it. They want nothing to do with it. Number two in this is the big one in here. It just seems foolish. for the Jews Listen to a lot of people going to look Jesus the God man, that's hard to comprehend in that day in age. There was a category for the to be a God man that walked the Earth and what I mean by that is if today in our secular society, somebody said that is God In the Flesh. There is no category comprehension outside of a certain religious group to actually believe that could really happen. Agathe de doorns human flesh and a walk on the face of the planet, but the Jews had a category for this man to come the Messiah to rain for the king to return in a fashion that would stomp out Roman rule. The Gentiles had a category for this. In fact in acts when Paul and Barnabas, we're sharing the gospel those gents. This is a polyp. Mrs. Zeus there amongst us. They're down here. The gods have come to talk to us and they go Not who we are Finn struggle with that category with a juice struggled with is this is not the Messiah we want it. This is not the kind of chain. We're going to follow then you have the Greeks and they're saying if you're going to know God has got to be through philosophy. Got to be through these highest forms of intelligence in the rhetoric. And for many it was a stumbling block and foolishness to them. Oh and the fact that they could actually murder their God you got to be kidding me and for us today. People want to determine my what means they will come to the conclusions about God and this is what Paul is warning us. The Jews have a way in which they want to know God and have conclusions or drawing on which way they're going to know God the Gentiles are the same way. They're saying if we're going to know God has to be through philosophy an intellectual is a man has to be envious this vein in which we will come to know him and see what happens in our cultures. We adopt the same kind of mindsets and we say things like if God was real baby, but answer all my questions I wouldn't have a hinge of doubts that I could ask him any philosopher our philosophical inquiry that you would have Pat answers to suffering. You must meet all my demands an answer my questions to my sufficient liking when people talk to me about that. That's just flat-out arrogance. Sorry. And maybe that's you. Like I need to know this this and this and God better respond in these ways and a sitting on the throne and they're saying to God you answer my questions. I was a problem the Greeks. The Greek problem the Jewish problem was Give Me A Sign give me a miracle. If I'm going to be a follower of Jesus in the night when that big huge moon is going to come up anybody going to watch that thing tonight will be a shooting star that goes across sitting at that moment. I will know that you are real. Give me some kind of feeling in miraculous sign is not that God can't. But he will not be our puppets. He will not serve Us in that capacity for the son of man came to serve and not be served. He doesn't have to go about it in those waiting for then. They thought we can't believe this guy. You're in here today same I need Miracles. I need all my questions to answer all my questions answered your starting in the wrong place. You need Jesus need to understand the truth of the Gospel. You don't start with the speculation of philosophies. But you start with a few ology of the Cross. What is the cross tell me about who God is and who I am. What is the crossing about the purpose of my life? Because on the cross the ology of suffering it says that Jesus stood in my place and we'll really left with his two choices you either begin with human speculation or you begin with divine revelation. Even speculation or divine revelation each and every person approaches God begin with someone or somewhere other than the cross. Are you begin with Jesus dying for my since it is a stumbling block for many people work for Zenni and sharing the gospel with them and what it does for us visitors us and it puts himself in all sorts of side arguments spent the Traxxas with the messages that the message is the cross. That is the power of God working through the good news of Jesus Christ number three people just don't want to submit to a King. I want to be their own King. So when you want to share the gospel and you say you know, what you really need Jesus if I don't judge me bro don't judge me. You have no right to look into my life and tell me there's anything amiss even though the other side they probably giving you about the good reason and even the opportunity to speak that into their lives, but they don't want to get off the throne. They demand to be on the throne and what happens in this is because of modern culture and wanting to individualize all our assets to make us who we think we are as important. So I money and success and looks and we say these things are important to me species are what make me me and I want to be seated on the throne. I want to use these things to Define me people don't want to get off at thrown into know Jesus number for And maybe you've done this. Maybe this has been done to you. But part of the reason why it's hard to share the gospel that because other people that have shared the gospel people and not share the gospel with them. They showed their version of a gospel, but it's not the gospel and what I mean by that is many evangelicals have treated the receiving and believing in Christ as some sort of magic prayer and there's as wanted to get the washed over you and all your problems are going to go away so it sounds something like this. Oh dear sister you struggle with anxiety just come to Jesus and we'll be gone. Oh dear, brother you have addiction just come to Jesus and it'll be gone and wiped away. And so they come running down the aisle and they lift their hands and they worship God. What are they being promised? The problems will go away. Your marriage is struggling just come to Jesus. You just need Jesus just try Jesus and watch and see what happened here is what is so attracted to that message. It's a partial truth. Destiny Jesus. Yes, they have problems. And yes when Jesus captivating captures our hearts and we begin to turn our affection and attention to him. It pushes out our affection for the things of this world and God begins to move in a way that bring peace and hope and understanding but it's also only a partial truth because yes, we Are Spiritual Beings. We are also physical beings aren't we score emotional beans or physiological beans and some people who struggle with things like anxiety and depression the part where they can be a spiritual problem and they need Jesus to move in. They might still have this physiological issue. And now we promised them they'd be filled and guess what? They're not healed there for Jesus is not real. You shattered them giving him a false gospel.

I want hard for this because I know many Christians who struggle in this area and they Wonder does God even love me. Am I even saved if I still have issues? I still have problems. I still have an addiction. I still have anxiety my saved because what they have been saved to its health. I didn't say from the troubled life on Earth. What is the gospel actually saying you're being safe from God to God? Screensavers from his wrath to his glory so many well-meaning Christians come alongside say bippity boppity boo. Now, you're all healed nose hold her songs pretend to be problems. And if there is what's wrong with you that is not the gospel and then if people try to make it incredibly palatable you wanted to be this Burger King has to have it your way and causes. No it's my way. So what is the gospel and how we going to share the gospel? I'm going to put it in smart man terms and then a little bit and put it in layman terms.

next week

That's what I'm going to do next week. Do you need to come back next week? Because I want to prevent the home of the gospel and the love of Jesus next week and what I want you to hear this morning. You don't know Jesus as your promise something false. Please talk to whoever brought you unless they're the ones that told you that and grab one of the elders from Susan grab somebody and talk to them through. This Jesus is because Jesus does have a hope and a piece and a love you need to know that you are a sinner in Rebellion against this God and you need to be reconciled unto him. You need to hear all this and I'm going to unpack all of this next week. What you need to know that? Yes, you do need Jesus, but you need to know the gospel and the good news of Christ was praying father. Thank you for your love and generosity. 54 You working in our hearts and our lives and our church? We love you God and we praise you that you would save sinners from any of us. Can Echo pause words and say I am chiefest of them. And that you have brought us close unto you and giving us fellowship and relationship because of the good news of Jesus Christ. We confess. Are desperate need for you and they cling to you and we love you in Jesus name. Amen.