I Corinthians 1:18-31
Notes
Transcript
Corinthians 1:18–31 - Rough Draft
18 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. 19 For it is written,
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”
20 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? 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. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
26 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. 27 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; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
Natalie McLeod
Introduction with Power. Power to change.
We are going through major changes in our world.
Lets avoid the political, viral, racial, economic changes.
Let me give just 2 examples of technological change:
a. As a young person when you memorized your multiplication tables or when you were learning algebra someone asked, “Why do we have to memorize this when we can use a calculator?”
Teacher, You won’t always have a calculator with you.
That is not true anymore.
Children are born from the womb with a computer in their hand. Some of your kids and grandchildren by age 1 can not only open their own app to play a game, but they can program their own software.
-They can use a computer before they are potty trained.
-Will this have a powerful impact on our culture? Yes
Example 2:
Space-X, a private space company, Elon musk, launched astronauts on May 30th to connect with the international space station. Here is the impressive part.
The first stage of the rocket powered the capsule into the upper atmosphere, then it separates and falls back toward earth. We’ve the 1st stage separate and fall back to earth since the 1950’s.
This 1st stage was different, It didn’t fall back to earth, burn and crash in the ocean. It falls back to earth steered by special fins toward a landing barge in the ocean, at the perfect time it re-ignited it’s rockets & without anyone on board of the rocket, it directs itself, gently lands right side up, on a drone barge, so it can be reused again. Add picture.
Will the advancement of this technology have powerful influence in the way we live life? Yes!
There are powerful changed happening in this world.
Transition - However, There is nothing that man can create that has the power to bring positive eternal spiritual change the soul of another person.
All the power that technology gives, can’t change change the heart of a man.
This supernatural power is only found with God and His Word.
In verse 18 we see our first truth.
I. The Gospel is “The power of God in my life.” vs. 18
18 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.
Please here this - Listen carefully.
The spoken Gospel in and of itself has power.
The Gospel not only HAS the power to change lives.
Listen to this, The Gospel IS the power to change lives.
Underline the word “IS” in your Bible.
Reread verse vs. 18, “...It IS the power of God.”
??? gives us a contrast between the spiritual viewpoint of unsaved man versus how the saved person views the Gospel.
Verse 18 tells us the unsaved person sees the Gospel as foolishness.
Why? Why does the unsaved person see the Gospel as foolish. I would ask you to turn in your Bible to Romans 3:10-12.
Pick up your Bible
10 as it is written:
“None is righteous, no, not one;
11 no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.”
The power of unregenerate man - unsaved man- left to himself, is zero.
-Not only is the unsaved unable to understand spiritual things, but he will not even seek for God.
The point is this. Left to your own, without God, you are lost - you don’t know you are lost.
You don’t on our own have the desire to seek God. If you did desire to seek God, you couldn’t even understand the compass that would lead you to God. You are hopeless.
Contrast this with the Power of the Gospel. Turn left just 1 or 2 pages to Romans 1:16-17.
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”
The power of the Gospel, Romans 1:16-17
God uses the Gospel to awaken the dead heart.
God uses the Gospel to bring clarity to a lost mind.
God uses the Gospel to bring about faith in an unbeliever.
Romans 1:16 “...It is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.”!!!
Todays text, I Corinthians 1:18 tells us the Gospel is the Power of God. Romans 1:16 tells us the Gospel “the word of the Cross” is the power of God.
What is the Gospel?
Brief Gospel explanation:
-God created humankind to worship, adore and have intimacy with Him.
-Adam and Eve sinned. This sin wrecked their relationship with God.
-A holy God is sickened by any sin.
- Sin was passed on to all other humans through Adam’s sin.
-The consequence for sin is physical death, the wrath of God against you, eternal death in hell.
-As broken humans, We live a life of spiritual lostness. Wandering away from God.
-But GOD - in His great mercy made a way for YOU to be saved from your sin and the eternal consequences of your sin.
-Jesus left the glory of heaven and came to a dirty earth, lived a perfect life.
-Died on a cross to make a payment for your sin.
-God is inviting you right now to fully trust, follow Him, turn from you sin, surrender your life.
-Those who have done this have forgiveness, have peace with God and have escaped His wrath.
-They have entered into a relationship of love, forgiveness and joy.
-I’ve got great news for those who have not accepted Christ as you Savior… - you can be saved today.
If you right now are coming under conviction that you need to be saved, this is the power of God’s Word reaching into your soul and helping you see the love of God reaching out to you.
Will you, right where you are, say yes to Jesus?
You don’t know if you will ever get another opportunity to be saved.
You could leave this church house, get hit by a car, get sick with the virus and never hear the Gospel again.
-Today is the day of salvation for you.
-Will you say “yes” to Jesus right now?
-Push away your excuses. Push away your fears.
-Trust in Jesus right now with your life. Long Pause.
The Gospel IS the Power of God to save.
The Gospel is not only the Power of God, but it is the wisdom of God.
II. The Gospel is “The Wisdom of God in my life.” vs. 19-25
Illustration - Through the generations man has attempted to make wise predictions about the future or the value of things.
Listen to some of the wise predictions of the past.
"Nuclear-powered vacuum cleaners will probably be a reality within ten years." Alex Lewyt, president of Lewyt vacuum company, 1955
On Drafting Michael Jordan
In 1984 Rod Thorn, the Chicago Bulls general manager, said this about drafting Michael Jordan.
“I wish Jordan were 7-feet. But he isn’t. There just wasn’t a centre available [to draft]. What can you do? Jordan isn’t going to turn this franchise around…he’s a very good offensive player, but not an overpowering defensive player.”
listen to this wise prediction about the Harry Potter series:
Publishing executives sounded pretty positive that Harry Potter would be a flop when they wrote this to J.K. Rowling in 1996: “Children just aren’t interested in witches and wizards anymore.”
Transition - So many times the wisdom of humankind falls way short.
When it comes to believing in the Gospel the unbeliever thinks it is foolish.
The Greeks of Paul’s day were looking for a new teaching that was explained in with glorious words and high speech. A story of new knowledge and human thought.
They wanted special knowledge and wisdom.
The Jews were looking for miracles that would point to a political king.
Americans look to science to solve problems. We deny the supernatural.
In God’s infinite wisdom - God determined the story of redemption would be a miracle story. It would be a story that no one else would have ever thought to write.
A story about how a traitor race that rejected and cursed God. How God would decide to sacrifice His Son for this unworthy race (a race that hated Him) to save them (show compassion to them) and to bring glory to Himself.
The greeks looked at Jesus as an impoverished untrained teacher who gave his life for people who hated him and they thought it was foolish.
The Jews looked for a Messiah King that would come in power to create an earthly kingdom of honor. This earthly king would repel the Romans from their land - bring them freedom, strength and respect.
The thought of a Jewish Savior hanging naked on a Roman cross - defeated - would make a Jewish person nauseated. This would be a man of shame, not a man of power and glory.
God works in ways that we would never imagine.
It should not surprise us that God would choose to change the hearts of the lost by you simply proclaiming the Gospel to an ordinary person like your friends and family and me.
God chose to save through “the word of the cross”.
For Americans that look to science for our answers - we are blind to the supernatural.
Science cannot explain it - so it is rejected.
As Christ followers we have hope.
25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
We have hope that God will save. God will not only save us, but He can save our friends, family and the lost.
-When you speak the words of the Gospel to someone else. You do not save that person - The Gospel is the power of God to salvation.
This is the Gospel shared. The Gospel declared.
Transition - Why do we share this Gospel? It has changed your life.
III. The Gospel is “The Testimony of God in my life.” vs. 26-31
26 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. 27 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; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
vs. 26 - Paul tells the Corinthians, “Most of you don’t have anything in your life that makes you stand out to others.” You’re just an average person.
Without God most of us would live a pretty vanilla life.
Left to yourself you would simply be another person who blindly lived life for self, had a family and died in an insignificant town Georgia town.
At death you would be surprised when the gates of hell met you and you were under God’s wrath forever.
vs. 27 - BUT GOD decided to include what is foolish in the world’s eyes in His great story. He decided to include you in the Lambs Book of Life. He decided that you would be born in an area of the world where you would hear the Gospel. He decided that someone would share the Gospel with you. Through the power of the Gospel, your heart was changed, you came to Christ.
-You are now a beloved child of The King.
Transition - There is a reason that God would choose the un-noticed of this world to be His own.
vs.28 - That God saved the broken and the insignificant so that we could not boast in our own doing, but give God the glory.
Illustration, Woman at the well - Jesus gladly met face to face with a Samaritan woman - Someone that the Jews would consider a filthy dog.
He met her in her failure, loneliness - He met her in her insignificance.
He loved her and He saved her. He invited her in to know God intimately.
She could not boast that she had earned or done something great. She could only bring glory to Him.
Christ Follower - God has met you in your sin and your insignificance. He has taken your dead heart and given you a spiritually alive heart.
He has loved you. He has written your name in His book and proclaimed that you are his.
You did not earn this - He paid for you on the cross.
Unbeliever - Will you today, right now, give your life to Him. Will you in the quietness of your seat right now say “yes” to Jesus. Yes Jesus please save me.
Pray.
Practical take away of boast in the Lord.
___________________________________________
Use this illustration elsewhere...
Illustration - You think you can fix your husband or wife. You are a fool to try, but God can.
-You think you can save someone by your effort. If you say the words just right. If you make a convincing argument. You can’t change the heart, but God can.
-Share the Gospel in faith.
Share with your one.
-God through His Gospel message is the power to save.
-You must believe the Gospel message and you must share the Gospel message.
__________________________________
Illustration about mans foolish wisdom.
"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers."
Thomas Watson, president of IBM, 1943
"Television won't be able to hold on to any market it captures after the first six months. People will soon get tired of staring at a plywood box every night."
Darryl Zanuck, executive at 20th Century Fox, 1946
On Not Signing The Beatles
Decca Recording Company expressed their opinion on signing the Fab Four in 1962–and it wasn’t positive: “We don’t like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out.”
In 1966 Time Magazine imagined what the world might look like in the year 2000. Among other prediction it said: “Remote shopping, while entirely feasible, will flop – because women like to get out of the house, like to handle merchandise."
It was through the spoken word of God that the earth and everything in it was created.
When Christ returns the wisdom of the wise will be seen as foolishness, and the foolishness of God (in the Cross) will be seen as eternally wise.
Quote- verse 25 here.
In 70 A.D. the Jews believed that at the Temple, in front of the alter where sacrifices were given - a miracle happened. They beleived that a heffer (a female cow who had never given birth) gave birth right in front of the alter and birthed a lamb. A cow gave birth to a sheep. They believed that this was a miracle - a sign - that the messiah would soon come.
-The Jews were looking for a sign regarding the Messiah - Jesus.
-In their spiritual blindness they had already rejected the sign that God has given them. God gave them one who made the blind see, made the crippled walk, raised the dead & raised himself from the dead.
For the Jews and the Greeks, Jesus was foolishness.