Sermon Tone Analysis

God’s strange Wisdom

Introduction

Illustration

Generally people give themselves away by what they go on talking about the most almost to the point of obsession.

It doesn’t take much time before we discover.

If we had any doubt about what Paul was the most excited about, the first paragraph of 1 Corinthians gives is away.

His central concern is all about Jesus.

It would be easy to read this letter and assume that Paul’s main concern was to whip the Church into shape.

You only go around once in life, go for the gusto.

This focuses on you and your desires.

You deserve a break today.

Focuses on You, and today.

A confident individualism, a personal felt deserving of all this life can give to us.

Our own individual consciousness is revered.

What do you think?

We have created think tanks for people just to go built up our own knowledge and own thoughts.

One idea that is prominent in the New Testament and the history of Christianity, but has almost faded into the backdrop of our society today, that’s the idea of the Church.

Don’t get me wrong I don’t think that the church is going to shut it’s doors all together, in fact you have more mega churches than ever before that are bursting at the seams.

They have become no more than the passing expression of their church members.

There churches doctrine is determined by their internal poles, there services are determined by what they perceive those outside of their churches want, there budgets reflect nothing more than the desires of their members, they see Sunday morning gatherings as nothing more than their once a week personal devotionals.

This is not your quiet time.

When we come to church we do not come as merely individual consumers pushing our shopping carts down the isle of the church.

I wonder why you come to church?

What is the use of the church?

If you are a non-Christian this morning I understand that this may not be speaking directly to you.

What use is the Church is not so much what it does for you as what it does for God.

We need to turn the corner of self-centered and self-absorbed view of the Church.

Paul begins to look at how we look at and respond to the Church and it’s members.

HISTORICAL BACKROUND

This is the 2nd letter that Paul wrote to.

Paul founded the Church at Corinth, in fact he spent a year and a half in Corinth.

Paul was very familiar with the life and people of Corinth.

The city of Corinth was on a major trade route to the east.

It was in response to a letter that the church had written to him, it say’s for example, “now about such and such.”

This is the second longest letter that Paul wrote.

Paul covers a large range of thoughts and questions not only of Christian living but also in everyday life.

The main concern of Paul is to teach the church of what it is to be like.

Paul gives away at the very beginning of his letter to the Church at Corinth his two main concern for the church.

He tells the church in that we are to be HOLY.

Also in verse 8 that God would keep you guiltless until the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

1) Our Speech (how we talk or communicate our message)

2) Our Knowledge (the way we think)

This is possibly one of Paul’s more intimate letters simply because of his close relationship with the Corinthians.

Paul highlights 2 very important aspects of how we live the Christian life.

1) Our Relationship to the World.

2) Our ongoing conflict with the world.

The church and the people at Corinth were definitely a beautiful mess or you could say a hot mess.

Paul reminds them that the thing that bonds all Christians together is our personal relationship to Jesus Christ.

BIG IDEA: To ensure that you are mature avoid the allure of the immature.

The mature listen to real TRUTH, boast in the POWER of the cross, seek the WISDOM that does not come from this world, are filled with the SPIRIT

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1.WHAT TRUTH ARE YOU BEING LED BY?

v.10-17 Paul states the Problem

*Who is leading you?

Are you following biblical teaching?

(many are led by peer pressure, religious opinions formed without careful study of the Scripture of Biblical foundation.)

4 Issues identified

1.) Arguing over teachers as rallying points.

2.) Arguing in the name of Wisdom.

3.) Arguing that led to boasting in mere human wisdom.

4.) Arguing that led to Paul being judged.

Truth has died in our Culture

The concept of truth has been dying a slow death for many years and has become more noticeable in the past decade or so.

In the early 2000s, comedian Stephen Colbert picked up on this cultural phenomenon by coining the term "truthiness," which went on to become Merriam-Webster's word of the year in 2006.

Similarly, in 2016 in the wake of our presidential election, Brexit, and accusations across the political spectrum about "fake news," Oxford Dictionaries named "post-truth" its word of the year.

Shortly thereafter, commenting on the presidential inauguration, Kellyanne Conway famously spoke of "alternative facts."

In response, Time blazoned the question "Is Truth Dead?" on its April 3, 2017 cover.

Then in 2018, former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani claimed "truth isn't truth" during an interview with Chuck Todd on NBC.

What exactly was causing the division at Corinth? Paul is concerned that the church at Corinth should learn the right way of dealing with what we have called ‘selectivity’.

Basically when a few Christians begin to stress one aspect of truth over another, they need to be aware of what they are doing and must refuse to react negatively.

The major problem with all of these splintered groups was the fact that they had all taken their eyes off of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Historical: The Hellenistic culture was a great influence among the Corinthians.

There were many philosopher’s, many who were sophisticated in their language and their thinking.

NOTE: Paul reminds the Corinthians that he did not come to them with lofty speech or wisdom.

When the word of God is not set up as the supreme authority, division is inevitable.

Paul in 2:2 say’s that he desires to know nothing among you except Christ Crucified.

This happens in churches today when evangelical pastors and leaders begin substituting their own ideas for the truth of Scripture.

The substitution may not be intentional, but it will always happen when the Bible is neglected.

A Bible that is not studied carefully cannot be followed carefully.

1:12 “I follow Christ”.

This is the most difficult slogan of all.

The very placing of Christ’s name next to merely human leaders and the probability that ll of these leaders were equally following Christ, the fact is that this is what Paul would desire that they all do, this was used to show the ridiculousness of their division and quarreling.

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Roman soldiers divided the earthly belongings of Jesus, by gambling for His seamless robe rather that tear it.

These were hardened men, but they saw the beauty and value of the robe and refused to tear it.

Perhaps this is an illustration of the unity of the church.

To divide the church was to “tear” or destroy something of great value and beauty that belongs to Christ.

v. 13 Question: “Is Christ Divided?” - No human leader, not even an apostle, should be given the loyalty that belongs only to the Lord.

Such an elevation of leaders leads only to contention, disputes, and a divided church.

Christ is not divided and neither is the body, the church.

Paul depreciates his worth in comparison to the Lord Jesus.

v. 18 Question: “message of the cross?” - God’s total revelation, that is, the gospel in all its fullness, centers on the incarnation and crucifixion of Christ (2:2).

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2.WHAT POWER ARE YOU BEING LED BY?

The Cross is the Power of God to those who are being Saved by it.

There is nothing ambiguous about the Cross.

For the Christian the cross needs no explanation.

It is everything for life and Christian living, but for those outside of the church it has no real bearing on their lives.

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Hut!