The Corinthian Correspondence, Part 4: 1 Corinthians 1:18-31; "Christ Crucified": Useful or Captivating?

The Corinthian Correspondence, Part 4—1 Corinthians 1:18-31 “Christ Crucified”: Useful or Captivating? Let me address the elephant in the room: “Why is the cross right here and why in the world is it covered?” There is a reason for that. And I will explain it at the end of the message. So, don’t let your not knowing right now distract you from the message. We have a most important passage of Scripture to address today—or should I say we have a most important passage of Scripture to address us today. The question before us says it all: “Christ crucified: useful or captivating?” As we get started today, if you were here last week or were able to catch the message on our website or Facebook, what was the reason I gave for all the problems the Corinthians had? Disunity. Remember how I mentioned that regardless of whether the problems were social, or moral or doctrinal, disunity was the key. They were not all looking to Jesus. The eyes of their hearts were looking elsewhere. We talked about the 4 factions in the Corinthian church: the Paulites, the Apollosites, the Cephasites, and the mystical Christites. The leaders of these factions led the way in their house churches to elevate their leader above the others. Each of these leaders had their own power. Their own charm. Their own effectiveness. And the more outspoken ones pushed their agenda on the other house churches. There were divisions. Quarrels. So, what does Paul do? In a word, he says, “Stop it! All of you! The reason why you are together as a church is not because of any human leader. It is not because Paul or Apollos, or Peter or even mystical experiences have begun a religious movement among you.” Remember what Jesus said in the days of his ministry? “I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.” But even after only a couple of years, the one church in Corinth was now splitting up into 4 denominations. Paul said to them, “Christ did not send me to start a religious enterprise among you. He did not direct me to amass followers and have them be baptized in my name—even if I lead them all to Jesus. No, Christ sent me to preach the gospel.” A little quiz now: what is the complete gospel Paul preached? We often refer to a passage that Paul addresses later in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4: Christ’s death, burial and resurrection. Paul actually called this the gospel in v.1: “Now I would remind you, brothers of the gospel I preached to you.” This certainly was a summary statement of the gospel. But let’s not allow the summary statement be the entire message. Remember the gospel Jesus preached? When Jesus actually said, “repent and believe the gospel,” he did not say, “repent and believe that I am going to die on the cross for your sins,” though this is, of course, a part of that. Here’s what Jesus referred to as he preached the gospel, Isaiah 52:7: How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.” By the way, imagine living in the days of Jesus’ ministry. Under the brutality of Rome. Caesar dictating things from the capitol. No freedom. Martial law. And now to hear Jesus saying, “The God of Israel reigns!” Wouldn’t that be good news? So, when Paul said, “Christ sent me to preach the gospel,” the same earthly government was in charge. This gospel was a subversive message! The true and living God reigns, not Caesar! God owns the world and he gave it to his Son, the Messiah as his inheritance! We read in Psalm 24:1: The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein. That’s the gospel, one part. The second part of the gospel is found in a 2-word phrase in our passage today. It’s a phrase that many of us might take for granted. Old hat. Yawn material. “Tell me something I don’t know, pastor.” But in this phrase is the doorway to life itself. The millions who have walked through this door experience the reality that has been true since Genesis 1:1: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” And this phrase is found in 1:23: “Christ crucified”. Like hinges on our doors, everything turns on these 2 words. And with that as a setup, let’s dive into our passage for today. There are 2 statements that Paul makes regarding “Christ crucified”. The first statement is Paul’s indictment of the world and is found in 1 Corinthians 1:18-25: 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. For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.” 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? 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. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. From the get-go, Paul describes the message of the cross as poles apart from what the world considers valuable. Like the difference between the north and south poles—though technically they are shifting and that is part of why our weather is so weird, I get that—but go with me here—the message of the cross to those who are, literally on their way toward complete destruction is folly. But for us who are, literally on our way to complete salvation, the same message of the cross of Christ is the power of God. Let me point out something here. “Folly” is the Greek word where we get “moron” from. It’s important that we keep this in mind from a practical standpoint. The truth of the matter is the unsaved do not see the gospel as a great thing if only we would present Jesus in a way that is right to them. For example, how many of us have heard of the statement, “people far from God need to see what we are for and not what we are against.” It’s as if it’s our fault that the perishing don’t accept Jesus. If we would only get them to see how much God loves them and how desperately he is for them to be with him. It reminds me of the lyrics of one of the most popular songs ever: “What a Beautiful Name”: “You didn’t want heaven without us, so Jesus you brought heaven down.” What is wrong with this picture? Heaven got along just fine before God created us, that’s what! The bottom line is that the unsaved do not appreciate the message of the cross. They think the gospel, that God reigns and that the cross of Christ gives salvation is ridiculous. Moronic. And only morons would believe such a thing. Even if they don’t actually tell us this. But they are convinced of this precisely because they are perishing—they are on their way to eternal destruction. They are living their lives under what I call the “Ecclesiastes Cloud”, where Solomon said, “all is vanity—life is meaningless.” And we will come back to the Ecclesiastes Cloud in a bit. So, Paul’s general indictment: it is the perishing who refuse the gospel. Now Paul gets a bit more specific. He indicts 3 categories of people: the wise, the scribe and the debater of the age: the categories of philosophy, morality and “all must agree with me.” The wise person of the world is one who has all the pieces of life squared away—he has it all figured out—so he thinks. He knows how the world operates. He also knows how people tick. That’s why the wise guys of the world can move an audience. Show their superior intellect and ways to the unwashed masses. His philosophy brings life together. The scribe is the next category of person. This one is all about law keeping, as the Jewish scribes were. They are the ones who are committed to morality as the world defines it. Like so many of the world today. Political Correctness anyone? How about conventional wisdom? What is the latest study on climate change for example and how we all need to do our part to make sure the planet does not overheat? Or making sure we call transgenders by their preferred pronouns. Or even the egg study du jour? This week, eggs are terrible for us. But just last week, eggs were great! The point is that morality—as set up by the morality makers of this age—is what we need to follow. And the “scribe” sees to it that we do. Third, the debator of this age. The one is compelled to prove his or her point, engaging in vigorous argument. Think of keyboard warriors. Or what we saw in the impeachment saga. Both sides vigorously presented their cases. These are the people who have the political power to dismiss the President of our country. Regardless of what you think about the current debate, this is the picture Paul is painting here. The debater of this age commits himself or herself to getting everybody to agree with him or her. All 3 categories are those who are the movers and shakers. Powerful people of the world. So along comes Paul with his gospel. But from God’s standpoint, how necessary is Paul’s message? Absolutely vital. He tells us that the wisdom, the power of the world’s ways do not reveal God. “But we preach,” we proclaim, Paul said, “Christ crucified.” This proclamation, Paul declares, is moronic to unsaved gentiles and a stumbling block to unsaved Jews. Why is that? It is moronic to gentiles and a stumbling block to Jews because of the historical event—crucifixion, and who was in the center of the event—Christ. The gentiles saw the gods as powerful. Overwhelming. Destructive. Aloof. Many gods, not just 1. All battling for control. Then to hear of the deity, not merely a deity, up close and personal, who served, who died for sins, that was, at best, ridiculous. The Jews were convinced that the Messiah was a conquering hero. One to deliver them from all their oppressors. Now, for Paul, this former Jewish rabbi, to proclaim that Jesus—the one who died in weakness and did not deliver the Jews from their oppressors, this message was met with a resounding rejection. And basically the unsaved Jews and gentiles said in unison, “that’s all you got? This Jesus, the weak, a servant, non-descript nobody who claimed to be somebody who was crucified? He is the one we are to submit ourselves to? He is the one who saves us? Paul, you guys have got to do better than that!” But in this one historical event, the death of the Messiah of God, is the doorway to life. The heart of what both Jews and gentiles seek is found in Christ—the wisdom and power of God. And Paul tells us plainly, those who are called have found in Christ to be everything the heart longs for. And now a little theology lesson. When Paul refers to the called, or the chosen, he means the saved. Let me explain it this way. I can’t thank God enough for the Holy Spirit! If it wasn’t for him, we all would be lost! Scripture makes it plain: there is no one who seeks after God. But Jesus said, “I will send the Holy Spirit. And when he comes he will convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgment.” The Holy Spirit’s convicting work is God’s call to salvation. He is right now, bringing his conviction upon every heart of every person on the planet. God is calling. And those who respond are the called. When it comes to “the chosen” or “elect”, things are a little different but it is vital that we understand. In a nutshell, in God’s salvation plan, the elect is the elect One, who is Jesus. And all those who have received eternal life through repentance of sin and belief in the gospel of Christ are in Christ, hence, the chosen. So, to crack the code here. Paul says we are the called. He says we are chosen. Two different words meaning the same thing: all who are true Christians are called and are chosen. And so Paul’s indictment on the world is simply, Christ crucified. This proclamation is the foolishness of God and the weakness of God. Foolishness. Moronic. Weakness. But to us who are saved. The power and wisdom of God. The doorway to life itself. So we have seen Paul’s indictment on the world through this most powerful proclamation: Christ crucified. Now let’s see Paul’s instruction in the church in 1 Corinthians 1:26–31: For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” What is Paul saying here? In a word, God uses the church as an instrument to humble the world and its ways. The called of God come from all walks of life. Some from the upper crust to be sure, but others from whom the world despises. Those who are non-descript. Those whom the world throws away and counts as insignificant. Worthless. With God, there are 2 classes of people: the saved and the lost. Those in Christ, and those outside. But in the world, there are layers in society and discrimination abounds. Like India. It’s no secret that India has always had a caste system in their culture, in large measure driven by their religion. Karma is what we’re talking about. Everybody believes that the reason a certain person is born in a certain caste is because of how they lived in their previous life. If they lived a good life, they came back as members of one of the higher castes. If not, then they were born in a lower caste. In this system, there have traditionally been 4 castes, with the Dalits as the lowest of the low. Even though the caste system has technically been illegal since the 1950’s, old ways are hard to die. I found this story written in 2012 from the BBC: As the glass flew across the room and straight into the wall, a dozen or so men stopped drinking their tea. Dr Vinod Sonkar threw money on the counter - enough for the tea he drank and the glass he had smashed - and walked out. Dr Sonkar's soft voice turns angry as he describes the scene. For years, he says, he worked hard to leave behind his childhood of poverty, abuse at school and teasing at university. By the time he had walked into the Rajasthan teashop, he had turned his life into a success story. He had a PhD in law and a teaching position at a Delhi university. Yet, as the shop owner handed him his tea, he asked him what caste he belonged to. "I am a Dalit," Dr Sonkar said. "In that case, wash your glass when you are done," the shop owner said. "He didn't want to touch whatever I had touched. I made it impure. I am an untouchable," says Dr Sonkar. But the gospel went as far as to save the Dalits of India. And as of 12 years ago, there were 24 million Dalits who followed Christ. Twenty four million people whom those in India, by and large, despised. But the Dalits have been accepted by God and are part of the body of Christ! The bottom line of Paul’s instruction here is that God uses the church to show just how different his ways are from the world. The world says, “get rid of the non-descript. Non-movers and shakers need not apply.” But God says, “I will use precisely what the world casts off as my movers and shakers.” Because God’s movers and shakers are in Christ. Now, I mentioned the “Ecclesiastes Cloud” a few minutes ago. I also talked about Christ crucified is the doorway to life. Let me tell you what I mean and the vast difference between the 2 ideas. In God’s economy, not only are there 2 classes of people—those in Christ and those who are outside of Christ, there are those who live under the Ecclesiastes Cloud and those who have gone through the door and experience true life. The theme of Solomon’s Old Testament book, Ecclesiastes, is how pointless, how meaningless life is “under the sun.” This is Solomon’s way of saying that there are many who experience their days under a so-called cloud that separates them from real life. Some are like Eeyore. You know, “everything is dark and dreary.” Or pig-pen who has the dirt of the world swirling about him. Or evil men with evil permeating their very pores—like Hitler and Stalin. They want power and they will do anything to seize it. Those who live under the Ecclesiastes cloud scratch and claw their way around. It’s this cloud that blocks the reality that there is a s-u-n. For those under the Ecclesiastes Cloud, in order to find meaning, they must find things useful. Beneficial to them. To make some sense out of their existence. Some find it in all kinds of pleasure. Some find it in power and influence. Some find it in material wealth. So whatever or whoever comes their way, they must find some way to make it benefit them and their circumstances. Tragically, there is a lot of that even in relation to the church. You may have heard of the “seeker sensitive” church. Or the prosperity gospel. Or the notion called “easy believism”, where Christ can be someone’s savior but he is not Lord, unless the so-called believer allows Jesus to be his Lord. These ideas of church are foreign to the all-important phrase “Christ crucified.” People in these kinds of churches may know of Christ. Some understand who Jesus is. They may even believe what Jesus has done. But they fail to proclaim what Paul proclaimed. They fail to preach the gospel that Jesus preached. Those who hold to the prosperity gospel, the seeker sensitive church idea or easy believism attempt to make things beneficial for the customer, for that is often how the leaders in these kinds of churches see their members or those who attend. Ask me how I know. There are many people in many churches who live under the Ecclesiastes Cloud. On the other hand, those who heed the gospel call of Christ crucified see the God-man has having died, raised from death and coming again. It is Christ who was crucified. He is the Lord. He is the one who has inherited the nations and will rule them with a rod of iron. He has purchased all people by his own blood. All who have heeded the gospel call of the crucified one have walked through the door. Jesus is that door. When they do, they go beyond the Ecclesiastes Cloud and enter into true reality as proclaimed in Psalm 24:1: The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein. Those who have entered the door of eternal life have real hope. No matter how bad things look under the cloud, those who live true reality know that the one who is over all is indeed in control of all. He will bring justice and righteousness and deal with all wickedness in his time. The bottom line is this: Christ crucified is the lens through which almighty God looks at humanity. Like the brightest of lights Christ crucified reveals every heart of every person. Christ crucified tells us something as well: whether we live under the Ecclesiastes Cloud where we attempt to make everything beneficial, or we have entered the door where we live out what has been true since Genesis 1:1, that the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein. The glorious reality is that we don’t have to live for own benefit. Christ crucified means that we have the incentive and the ability to live life the way God intended, for his glory and not ours. Christ crucified is the only cure for disunity in the church as well. There are many in the church who may be true Christians but are immature. There are also many who attend a local church but are not part of the ekklesia. In other words, they are not born again by the spirit of God. They are unsaved. But there is one truth that every Christian, whether immature or mature, needs to more fully embrace: Christ crucified. There is one line of division that separates the true from the false: whether one refuses or embraces Christ crucified. Those who refuse him will live for themselves. They will use things and people for their benefit. And disunity will be a hallmark of that focus, because the focus will be on other things, and not Christ. But the degree people in the local church embrace Christ crucified is the degree we will be unified. Unity is a glorious benefit of all in the church who embrace Christ crucified. But there is more! Christians are content and are overwhelmed with the gifts God gives them, namely his wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption. Divine wisdom is putting his truth to practical use in our lives that we might reflect the beauty and glory of Christ. Righteousness is another gift. God declares us to be in a right relationship with him, and at the same time, we show we are his sons and daughters by living out his right ways. Sanctification is a third gift—set apart for him—we live for his purposes and an exclusive relationship with him. No idols. No so-called gods are cherished in our lives. Finally, redemption. Paul will cover this glorious truth later in the Corinthian correspondence. Redemption: the blood of Christ has purchased us. We are God’s property. What a glorious master we have! And so there we have it. Christ crucified. The very heart of the matter. Those who are on their way to eternal destruction will scoff and treat this glorious good news as moronic. But those of us who are on our way to eternal salvation will consider this most precious. Christ crucified is the wisdom and power of God. The bottom line is simply this. Is Christ crucified useful to you or is he compelling? Are you captivated by him or do you consider him useful to get what you need, even if your need is desperate and that you know only he can meet it? See, if he is only useful to you, then there will be a limit to how far your walk with him will go. There may come a time when you will say, “that is a bridge too far, Lord. I’m outta here.” But what if Christ crucified so captivated you and me that yielding to sin’s temptation would not even be interesting? What if we took to heart the words of one my heroes, Bryan Chappell? Here’s what he said about sin. “Why do we sin? Because we love it. We prefer to sin. So what do we do? We replace our love for sinning with a greater love—the love of Jesus.” To conclude the message this morning, I want us to begin to rethink things. I want us to re-examine our lives and why we do what we do at Grace United. We can say that we meet together upon the foundation of prayer, that we love God, learn the Bible and care for people. We can say that we believe the Lord has given us 3 tasks, to evangelize the lost, disciple saved and live together in love and unity. But in our quiet moments, in the recesses or our hearts, would we find these things as convictions, or just some nice things to do? Or even that we don’t really believe that these things are what the Lord would have us be about? And now the unveiling. I want us, as we seek to apply the central truth of the gospel, Christ crucified, to survey the cross of Jesus. The words will be on the screen if you don’t know them. Let me quote the lyrics for you, then we will sing them as we indeed survey the Wondrous Cross. Then we will have a moment of quiet as we try to take in what we heard today. Has Christ crucified become useful to you? Or has he captivated you? Are you compelled to love and serve him because the one who died for you is Christ the Lord? Hear now the great words of Isaac Watts’ “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.” When I survey the wondrous cross, on which the Prince of glory died. My richest gain I count but loss and pour contempt on all my pride. Forbid it Lord, that I should boast, save in the death of Christ my God. All the vain things that charm me most, I sacrifice them to his blood. Were the whole realm of nature mine, that were a present far too small. Love so amazing so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.