Foolishness

When the simple is confusing

Side note: I am attempting something new that you can get on the outline printed or on the Faithlife outline on our site, a fill in the blank for some of, if not all of the questions asked today. This is an effort to help us to keep in on the facts of the scripture and to help us grow personally and grow together too. So be sure you get the outlines.

The message of the cross, the gospel message is simple, yet in this world today, as in the days gone by it can be confusing because of its simplicity.

Paul’s mission, message was the gospel (1Cor1:17)

Paul did not come to baptize but to preach the gospel which brings unity between man and God and man and man.

The message brings unity and prevents division (1Cor1:10)

1 Corinthians 1:10 NASB95

10 Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment.

Paul pleaded (NKJV) , appealed (NIV), exhorted (NASB), beseech (KJV)

As the church may we remember who we are in Christ (1Cor1:5-6)

expand briefly about being “in” Christ

Also enriched with all things.

Salvation

Spiritual gifts (Corinthians)

And God’s faithfulness to those who have fellowship through the Son (1Cor1:9)

Called by faithful God through the Gospel (good news, D,B,R of Jesus, the blood shed on the cross)

(Transition) Like the Corinthians we face today many of the same issues they did then:

Moral issues related to good and evil

Doctrinal issues about what is right or wrong

We may turn to any things, many people regarding authority or assumed authority, including about moral and doctrinal issues. For them it was:

Greeks - the Philosophers like Aristotle, Epicurus

Jews - tradition, they demand physical proof (signs, wonders)

Question: What about today? What, who do we turn to?

(Transition) This afternoon we are looking at the foolishness of man, seeking man and his wisdom vs. the wisdom of God. Paul offers strong warning to a divided church against such thing, trusting the folly of man and human wisdom.

So, here is a simple breakdown for this afternoon.

Revelation of God’s wisdom (1Cor1:18-25)

God’s choosing, or man’s choice, you chose (1Cor1:26-30)

If you are going to boast, boast in the Lord (1Cor1:31)

Revelation of God’s wisdom

We hold God’s revealed wisdom in our hands. Paul uses the foolish things to prove the foolishness of man’s wisdom vs. the power of God.

1 Corinthians 1:18–19 NASB95

18 For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And the cleverness of the clever I will set aside.”

1 Corinthians 1:20–21 NASB95

20 Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.

1 Corinthians 1:22–23 NASB95

22 For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness,

1 Corinthians 1:24–25 NASB95

24 but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

What do you see, what do you notice, what sticks out to you?

What is the contrast offered in (v.18)?

Cross is foolishness to those perishing ; but it is also the power of God to those being saved (v.18)

What was God’s promise (v.19)?

I will destroy the wisdom of the wise (v.19)

In (v.19) Paul is pulling from Isaiah , 29:14 and 33:18. God makes the wisdom of man, and of mans perceived wise people nothing in light of the wisdom of God and the message of the cross.

God has made foolish the wisdom of this world (v.20)

God’s design was to make the wisdom of the world foolish, in the message preached (v.21)

The reason is by reasoning, the message of the cross is not reasonable, it is too simple to the Greek and too obscure to the Jews. To the Jew cursed is the man who hangs on a tree (Deu21:23)

Deuteronomy 21:23 NASB95

23 his corpse shall not hang all night on the tree, but you shall surely bury him on the same day (for he who is hanged is accursed of God), so that you do not defile your land which the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance.

The wisdom of this world rejects God, you can see the proof of this by idolatry in Paul’s day (Rom1:18-23) and idolatry today which can be framed in humanism, theories of evolution, and the acceptance of immoral behavior.

The Jews look for signs; the Greeks seek after wisdom (v.22)

But we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jew and foolishness to the Greeks. (v.23)

to the Jews a stumbling block for how could one who would be considered cursed under the law be the messiah? The Jews were looking for great sign’s and wonders, for clearly that would be a sign of the messiah.

Jesus even warned of that problem was going to come (Mt24:23-26)

Matthew 24:23–24 NASB95

23 “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘There He is,’ do not believe him. 24 “For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.

Matthew 24:25–26 NASB95

25 “Behold, I have told you in advance. 26 “So if they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out, or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them.

and since I opened that door, did you know that in AD45 there was a man named Theudas, he persuaded thousands of people by his signs to abandon their homes and follow him out to the Jordan with a promise that he was the messiah and he was going to part the Jordan at his word. IN AD54 there was an Egyptian who led people to the Mt of olives with the promise that by his words the walls of Jerusalem would fall down. That is the kind of sign the Jews were looking for. Sure, lowly, humble, meek Jesus who hung on a tree could not be the Messiah. So it was a stumbling block to them.

(Transition) I have not forgot about the Greeks, let’s deal with them now. what did the Greeks think of the message of Christ crucified? (FOOLISH) (v.23) Like the Jews let me offer up a couple of thoughts

To the Greek they believed that a characteristic of God is apatheia (which is even more than apathy) it is the inability to feel at all, so how could God feel (love the world) and how could God incarnate man. To the Greek the incarnation was a total impossibility according to Celsus, a chief critic of Christianity in the 2nd century, by the way who became a believer.

To the Greek they sought wisdom so the message of the cross was too simple for them, they could not reason it out, remember they are philosophers, debaters, disputers, scribes, in other words they were critical thinkers.

Do we have that problem today? Can people over complicate the simplicity of the gospel?

So, in the reasoning of the Greeks and the mindset and history of the Jews the message of the cross and of Christianity had little chance of success. But wait look at (v.25)

Foolishness of God is wiser than men, weakness of God is stronger than man. (v.25)

We can become frustrated, we can become depressed over the foolish political or judicial decisions, or we can know, by faith, that God is in control and this was all a part of his plan in the first place. Meaning the foolishness of this world is a part of God’s plan according to commentator Jon Courson.

We have our hope restored by the foolishness of the message of the gospel, the message of the cross that cannot be reasoned out but accepted by faith.

A simple test about if the preaching is the power of God unto salvation or the preaching of foolishness is simple, if it does not line up with the scripture, than it is foolishness of the world.

If you wanted to sum up the Christian message, the teaching, doctrine, practice see in the life of Jesus, in the teaching of Jesus and the Apostles, look in gospels and in the book of Acts and they are simple to pick out.

The Christian message:

The great promised time of God has come (Act2:14-39)

There is the gospel itself, life, death, burial and resurrection (Act3:12-26)

By both the previous there is the fulfillment of prophesy (Act4:8-12)

There is both promise of Jesus return (Act10:36-43)

An an urgent appeal to repent and obey gospel (Act2:38, 22:16)

(Transition) -Now Paul’s next statement, or point of reference is out of this world, may we now look at the next portion of scripture together and see what I mean, and what Paul says.

God’s choosing

Paul confounds the world with the wisdom of God. God does not do things the way that many think He should do things.

1 Corinthians 1:26–27 NASB95

26 For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; 27 but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong,

1 Corinthians 1:28–29 NASB95

28 and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, 29 so that no man may boast before God.

1 Corinthians 1:30–31 NASB95

30 But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, 31 so that, just as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

What do you see, what do you notice, what sticks out to you?

God chooses

Not many wise, not many mighty, not many noble (v.26)

Previously Paul asked where these type of people were (v.20)

Paul seems to expound on the fact that God chooses the simple, the humble, or as Jesus would say “child like,” people

Now there are some of higher society that are Christians, were Christians then such as Dionysius (Act17:34)Sergius Paulus of Crete (Act13:6-12) then some women of nobility noted in (Act17:4, 12).

Chose the foolish, the weak, the base things to shame the wise. (v.27-28)

So writing to the church at Corinth with all the philosophers, aristocrats, as well as idolators God chose the foolish, weak and base things, ones to show the wisdom of God and the simplicity of the message of the cross.

Question: Who are the people who are most receptive to the gospel message today?

Is it not the humble, meek, the broken hearted, one with a contrite heart as the scripture says (ref. Ps51:8)

God’s choosing with a purpose, that no flesh shall glory (v.29)

In Eph2, Paul says “that no man should boast.” It is nothing that man does but only in what God has done through the cross of Christ.

I think I should put this verse up in front of us again.

1 Corinthians 1:29 NASB95

29 so that no man may boast before God.

God is not on an ego trip, God is not in need of your affirmation. God uses the foolish, weak and base things of this world because we need Him and the Cross of Christ. If he used the mighty, noble, strong things of this world man would rely on them and not on Him and our eternal life is based on Him not on man.

(Illustration) In Isa6 there is a story of when Isaiah saw the Lord sitting on the throne (Isa6:1) and that was after the death of King Uzziah. King Uzziah was known as a great king who increased the boundaries of Israel, brought about economic prosperity to the people, and whose name was on everyone’s lips (see 2Chr26:8). It was not until the wisdom of the world was out of the way (here by form of death) that Isaiah saw the Lord.

We want people to see the Lord not see us! We want people to see the Christ “in” us, again may we turn back to our passage.

1 Corinthians 1:30–31 NASB95

30 But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, 31 so that, just as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

Those in Christ became wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption (v.30)

True wisdom is from God (see Col2:2-3 too)

Colossians 2:2–3 NASB95

2 that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

From true wisdom comes righteousness, sanctification and redemption (Php3:9; 1Cor6:11, Eph1:7)

Philippians 3:9 NASB95

9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith,

Question: Where does our righteousness come from according to this verse?

oh yeah and have to add in this one

Ephesians 1:7 NASB95

7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace

Question: How do we have our redemption? Why do we have our redemption?

Paul has methodically laid out a few things that Christ is for us, and that would surely make us want to boast in Him, Him, being the Lord, not Paul.

He is wisdom

It is in receiving Him and following Him that we have, know, and walk in wisdom that is from out of this world.

He is righteousness

Righteousness, in having a right relationship with God through the message of the cross. Not by any works of righteousness that we may have done as noted in (Tit3:5) but in what Christ did for us, while we were yet sinners (Rom5:8)

He is consecration

It is only in the presence of Christ that we can be in the presence of the Father. There is no being in the presence with the message and acceptance of the cross of Christ.

He is deliverance

Jesus can deliver someone from past sin, present helplessness and future fear. He not only makes an emancipation proclamation, He is the emancipator taking us from slavery to a freedman in Christ!

(Transition): through Christ, God has taken what the world would say are great men, women and turned them into children of God, those who had no respect and gave them self-respect “in” Christ; those who had no life, gave them eternal life, those who did not matter to society that they matter greatly to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, someone worth dying for! Now having said that who would not want to boast of the Lord as it says in (v.31)

1 Corinthians 1:31 NASB95

31 so that, just as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

Some closing thoughts today:

If you are going to boast

Boast of what God has done

Boast of what God has promised to do

Boast not of your works, but His

Ask if any closing thoughts or comments, (Prayer) pray (Exit slides)