All wisdom and no relationship

(, ESV)

“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.”

Good morning everyone two weeks ago, we covered verse 10-17, which dealt with division, following the teacher instead of worshipping our Heavenly Father. Before we dive into this morning sermon, we need a refresher that we cannot allow for division in the church based upon things of the world. This could be a particular color of paint on the wall, the music or a particular way of doing things. Our focus must always be on our heavenly Father.

Additionally, we learned that we are to be the students of the word. Without spending time in the word by ourselves and in church, then our relationship with our heavenly Father will be Lukewarm. If we are not putting the time and effort into our time with our Father, then we are doing a disservice to him who sent his son to die on the cross. Our Heavenly Father must be our number one priority just like taking our medication and paying the electric bill. Next, we learned that we do not worship the biblical teacher but our creator and sustainer of the earth. The job of the Religious leaders and Biblical teachers is to protect the church and not their ego. They are the shepherd who protects the flock and those in the seats.

The Title for our Message this morning is All wisdom and no Relationship

Now that we have given our cliff notes version of the previous pericope let's dive into verse 18 and see what the Apostle Paul is saying.

“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.” (, ESV)

The verse dives deep into your heart because we, as Believers, must understand that not everyone will care about their savor. The individual has to have the indwelling of the holy spirit to have the desire to have a relationship with their heavenly Father. IF we look at the word folly, it actually translates to a ridiculous thought to non-believers because they do not have a glorified body. They will not walk the streets of God and they do not care about what our Heavenly Father has written in his book.

For example, this would be like trying to talk to me about baseball. You could talk about the stats, runs, and the players but I honestly would not care. Or this would be like talking to Pastor Rich about the Florida Everblades and how they are doing towards earning the Kelly cup this year. The whole thing we have to remember is that we are meant to be different. We as believers, were selected before the foundations of the Earth to be children of our Creator. We do not know who has their name in the book of life but we still have to try. WE can’t be offended if they just don’t wanna hear it. We just keep going just like the little engine that could.

“For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.” (, ESV)

The author is stating that the wisdom of man will not last forever. This is referring directly end times and .

“They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.” (, ESV).

If we decide to go on strictly on the wisdom, knowledge, and grit of ourselves, then we will perish just like all of the roses that will die weeks after valentine’s day. We are not eternal in any aspect and we must relay and focus on our Heavenly Father. If we do not do this, then we will be thrown in the pits of hell instead of partying with Jesus. If we do not rely on our Heavenly Father, then we will flounder adrift in an ocean. How many people remember how they were before they were saved ? Of course, becoming saved does not mean that everything will be perfect with no struggles, challenges or attacks from the lord of darkness, but we are not trying to tackling all of this without the assistance of our heavenly Father. However, this is not the first time that we have had our Heavenly Father give us the warning that the wisdom of man will perish. Let's look at

“Therefore, behold, I will again do wonderful things with this people, with wonder upon wonder; and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden.” (, ESV)

The Apostle Paul writes in the new testament what He was taught as a good Jewish boy from the Old testament. We know that Scripture interpreting Scripture is the best way to ensure that we are following our Heavenly Father. You could have all the knowledge in the world or be one of the famous scientists like Stephen Hawking who was an open Atheist who did not believe in a Creator but an impersonal God. (Time Magazine) A guy that had an IQ of 162 could not escape death and without a relationship with his creator was sent somewhere we never wanna go. The second part of verse 19 has some dense language that requires some digging. The Discernment of the discerning I will thwart. I admit most of these words I had no clue at all what they meant and I spent some significant time trying to ensure that I get it right. So let's dive into it. Discernment is the comprehension of knowledge but the New American Standard version uses cleverness.

NASB version

For it is written,

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,

And the cleverness of the clever I will set aside.” NASB

[1]

Next, we need to move into discerning, which is an individual that understands what is going on through the knowledge that has been gained. This is different from the standard definition of someone with sound judgment. And the last word Thwart means to invalidate.

I am going to break it down into terms that we all understand because this was some major vocab lesson going on.

I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and the comprehension of those that have gained the knowledge. The knowledge will be invalidated and destroyed. To put it into terms that most people would think is funny but perfect for our world. WE all have a favorite brand of soda or pop. Imagine that the soda is the wisdom and knowledge that you have gained. You are just doing your thing and all of a sudden your favorite soda is discontinued. They no longer are making it and you cannot do anything.

1 Corinthians 1:20 ESV

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?

“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? ESV

The Apostle Paul has continued from the previous verse but is using something from the past that He was taught as a boy. He was very familiar with the Torah, and He is paraphrasing something from .

“Where then are your wise men? Let them tell you that they might know what the LORD of hosts has purposed against Egypt.” (, ESV)

We have to kind in mind that we must use Scripture to interpret scripture, and this is exactly what the Apostle Paul is doing. He is using the knowledge of what He was taught. For example, we all are taught not to put a fork in an electronical outlet or to make sure that we wear clean underwear when we are driving so if we are in a car accident, we are not embarrassed. The key is this was ingrained in him.

However, there is more to dive into this passage that the Apostle Paul is unpacking. He mentions who is the wise person, and where is the scribe? The term scribe might not be necessary for our time frame but in the time of the writing of this, not everyone could read and write. The Old Testament was told as a story or read aloud in a group setting. Education was a privilege and the ability to read written communication and write letters was something for the well off. It was a luxury and for the wise and smart in that sense. This is entirely different then what we deal with today. They did not have the chance to take for granted that they could read the Bible or the menu board at the local Mcdavid. Of course, they didn’t have fast food joints but this is something that we take for granted. They were taught by their parents the life of trade. Look at the life of Jesus who was taught by Joseph the life of a Carpenter and how to be a man with his hands.

Next, we have a mention of the debaters of this age and this is tied directly to the type of education and those of the more fortunate. There was no public school system and of course, there was no Roman Testing that the kids had to pass. They were taught by their elders with discussions just like we do during Sunday school or the dinner table at our house. The point of these debates was to expand the wisdom or knowledge that the individual had. There is an old adage that those who can't teach but this gives us discredit to the teachers that spend thousands of hours outside of the classroom creating lesson plans, grading papers and other items related to teaching our children. The best way to learn how to do something is to show someone else how to do it? I learn so much when I am teaching and explaining things to others. For example, When we had after hours, there was a wealth of experience gained because I had to break it down to the point of people of little to no religious education or different backgrounds.

There is something that I must ensure that we understand is that all of the knowledge, education, training, and other resources that we have in this world does not replace our Heavenly Father. It doesn’t matter if you understand why the sky is blue or how a single cell can become a very active little girl because if that is all we are looking at, we are missing the bigger picture. The picture that our heavenly Father loves us and wants a relationship with us and we should not focus on wisdom and knowledge to replace him but to help us grow with our relationship with our pops.

Now that we have unpacked the first verse of this thought, we must understand what is continued in verse 21.

1 Corinthians 1:21 ESV

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.

(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.”

The Apostle Paul pulls out all of the stops to drive home that everything we know does not matter and does not give us a relationship with our Heavenly Father. I can spend hours studying God’s word, but if I do not have a relationship with him, then it is all in vain. If we are not taking the alone time with our Heavenly Father, then we are merely treating studying his word like we study a manual for our new smartphones or the robot that can clean the floors. WE have to spend time alone in a corner or outside in fifty-degree weather to sit there quietly listening to what our Heavenly Father is saying through his scripture. The issue that some pastors have is that they put more stock in the resources they have instead of the Canon of Scripture. They have placed the importance of man's wisdom above what our Heavenly Father has inspired through human writers like the Apostle Paul in this passage.

I love the second part of this verse, and it really places us believers in our place.

“it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.[2]

Our heavenly Father is pleased , overjoyed, excited when we as Believers are trying to save our loved ones, coworkers, and those that have been lost. WE are called to minister to those in our lives that are living the way of the world instead of what God has intended. Sometimes after a rough day at work, I vent to my Beautiful wife about my workday and She gives the perspective that there are always two sides to something. Our Creator has placed those people that are lost, walking away from God in our path so that we can minister to them. WE could all easily just walk through life and not interact with people in our workplace, at the grocery store or the gas station. But what if God has placed that person that is homeless in our path so that we can minister to them.

I have to say that there is nothing that we can do to help those that are lost without the indwelling of the holy spirit inside of the individual. It doesn’t matter what we say but that we are trying. The Apostle Paul uses the word Folly in this verse which in Greek means a Ridiculous Thought. It doesn’t matter what we do on earth but what our Creator is doing.

“ It Pleased God through the Ridiculous thought of what we preach to save those who believe” Looking at it in this light might make us think of what we will do to save our own skin when someone is dying, or we have fallen on hard times. It doesn’t matter if you use a script to talk to someone you are trying to reach because it is all up to God. However, this still means we must do our job as children of God and spread the word throughout the world. We do not know who has been called to party with Jesus, but we still must do what our Heavenly Father has requested us to do.

“For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom,” (, ESV)

1 Corinthians 1:22 ESV

For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom,

IN our next verse, the Apostle Paul points out something that has been going on for some time with the demands of signs from our Heavenly Father. The Jewish people were demanding signs from God to ensure that He was the one and only God. We know from our study of other books that the Jewish people were seeking signs or miracles to have proof that Jesus was the Messiah. We know from last time that there was a division in the church because the Believers in Corinth were following the Man instead of our Heavenly Father. Something intriguing was the Jewish people given their sign or miracle when Jesus was born of a virgin to Mary. Whipped, tortured and crucified on a Roman cross and then ross in three days. This alone was proof that Jesus was the messiah because it was foretold in the Old Testament but they were clouded by wanting miracles to understand that they had all been provided. Additionally, I am not including the many miracles that Jesus did while He was walking on this earth – the feeding of the five thousand and the four thousand, curing the woman who kept bleeding for years, raising Lazarus. This is just a small list of what Jesuses did, yet the Jewish people were asking for more proof? The writing was on the walls to show that Jesus was the son of God.

Next, we deal with the Greeks or the Gentiles who are seeking wisdom. They are seeking what we have addressed throughout this morning, but they do not understand that even with all the wisdom of the world. All of the resources, books and knowledge that you can cram into your brain without understanding that our Heavenly Father is a supreme being that created everything and gives us wisdom and knowledge to follow him and the creation that He has entrusted us to take care of. WE are told in Genesis to be good stewards and this includes understanding the knowledge that our Father has given us but also to realize that without the relationship with our Father, then we are lost with nothing. Our Heavenly Father is the keeper of all things, and we must worship him and not the wisdom of the world.

“But we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, (, ESV)

1 Corinthians 1:23 ESV

but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles,

I know that I have said this, but the Apostle Paul is one of my Favorite writers of Scripture because He has just hit the Reader with a giant book. The Author has stated what we are all thinking about how can the Jewish and the Gentiles struggle with the idea that Jesus is God in human form. Of course ,this is a really simplified version of this portion of the Trinity but they could not understand that Jesus was God. They had all the proof they needed. It is our job stemming from the moment that Jesus died on the cross to the very moment that we are raptured and taken home to be with God that we preach, tell and spread the word to those that will listen that Jesus covers our sins and transgressions. The Jews had a stumbling block with believing that Jesus is the messiah. If we look at the word block in Greek, we find out that it was much stronger than something they couldn’t understand but they were opposed to it. They were completely against the idea that Jesus was the Messiah. It would be equivalent to saying to me that I am lazy or that Walmart fried chicken is better than Publix. Of course, my example is lame but this dives down to the very core of their being and it was beyond offensive to them. The reasoning was the Jewish people were told that the Messiah was going to be a strong king that was going to give them freedom from the Romans and the situations of the day. But God had bigger plans , plans that free them from the chains of their sins, and transgression . This was just the Greek people that had issues. We look at how this was just a ridiculous or laughable thought that Jesus was the Messiah.

“but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” (, ESV)

1 Corinthians 1:24 ESV

but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

The Apostle Paul does not beat around the bush and says that everyone is going to be in Heaven but says that those that are called to be in Heaven with our Creator, including Jewish and Gentile have to go through Jesus because He is the power and the wisdom of God. He is the gatekeeper, the one who paid for our sins and transgressions even though He did not sin. He was the perfect child, and you definitely would not want him to be one of your siblings. Jesus possesses the power and knowledge of our Heavenly Father. Believers of Christ have a tendency to forget that Jesus was God in human form. He performed miracles and Jesus knew what was going to happen from the very beginning.

“For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” (, ESV)

1 Corinthians 1:25 ESV

For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

In this last Verse of the Pericope or logical chunk, we have the Apostle Paul does a Mic drop-in which He tells the church in Corinth that even if our Heavenly Father was foolish as the man He would still be more knowledgeable and stronger than Man. This concept ties into the aspect that no matter if you are the most magnificent human being in the world, you’re the smartest, most handsome or pretty, you have all of the friends and people wanna people like you. “ Kinda like high school and the popular kids” it doesn’t matter because you and your acts don’t matter.

Our Heavenly Father does not post on Facebook about his most significant accomplishment. He is silent in self-promoting but instead continues to love and disciple us. He doesn’t go on Facebook and say, guess what I did ? I got Bob to go to church or that I donated a massive amount of money to kids in China. If God did this, it would far outweigh anything that anything we could do as human beings.

After us going over this pericope what is some takeaways that we can stash in our brain for next time

Take-A-ways

1. The unsaved don’t care about God =Non- Believers don’t care about Scripture and what is right and wrong. We are just called to love them and show them what God says in Scripture

++2. -Believers cannot control who is saved - This all depends on our Heavenly Father is working inside of the individual. We are called to spread the Gospel, but we cannot force them to become saved. We are just the mega-phone

++3. Knowledge isn’t power – you could be the smartest person in the world, but without God, then you are nothing. God uses knowledge to allow us to develop a relationship with him

++4. The proof is in the pudding – our Creator has provided the signs and miracles we need. Believers should not ask for signs but look at what our Creator has done in Scripture.

++5. We can’t measure up to Greatness -WE must keep in the back of our mind that we will and can never measure up to our Heavenly Father, and we are tainted with the sin of this world.

[1] New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), .

[2] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), .