Us against the World

Introduction:

It’s hard to argue that Apple was one of the most innovative companies of the early 2000s. And the crazy thing is that they were innovating on things that no one was asking for. They decided they were going to do things differently.

While people were trying to figure out how to make a scratch resistant CD, they were working to make CDs obsolete. They brought us the iPod which has changed the music industry.

While people envisioned phones getting smaller and smaller, they said, let’s give people a computer in their pocket. They brought us the iPhone.

And while you can argue that Apple has gotten stagnant in the last few years, it’s hard to argue that they didn’t change the world by refusing to think the way the world thinks. By defying conventional wisdom and blazing new trails that no one knew were there.

There is the great quote from henry ford where he says, “If I would have asked the people what they wanted they would have said faster horses.

For followers of Jesus we live in a world that is growing increasingly hostile to our faith and to our God. Sadly many of us are trying to figure out a way to synchronize our faith with the world around us. We’re trying t make the ways of God fit with the ways of the world like it’s a business strategy. We try to compromise and dial it down a notch. Maybe we make it private. Many of us are asking God for ways that will make our life easier and people will be less hostile. Essentially we are asking God for what our limited minds can think up. But if we really want a life that matters and life that is fulfilling, we have to come to grips with the idea that the ways of the world don’t mesh with the ways of God. They just don’t fit.

God has something better. God’s ways don’t line up with the worlds ways. The faster we realize that, the easier it will be for us to move on into the plan God has for us.

Transition to the Text: Turn with me in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians 1:18-30. We’ve talked many times here about how Paul was a man transformed by the power fo the gospel. But I’m not sure we realize just how much had to change in Paul’s life.

Everything he believed and held firm to about God changed in the blink of an eye. He had been living under a way of the world....religion. Not like religion the way that Christianity is a religion, but religion in that this is how you please God. Even for Jewish people, what they really wanted to know, and we see this even in the time of Jesus, they wanted to know how they could follow the law better or which laws do we not have to follow. But even in the religion of Judaism, we learn that God’s ways are not their ways.

Even the ways of the world seem to imply that religion is the way that you get and stay right with God. but God’s ways are not our ways.

Let’s see why.

Introduce: Before we dive into God’s word, let’s look at our Transformational Principle.

Transformational Principle: We must accept that the world’s ways are at odds with the ways of God.

Read:

1 Corinthians 1:18–31 ESV

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.”

Transition:

Transformational Principle: We must accept that the world’s ways are at odds with the ways of God.

Transition:

Main Point #1 - Christianity is by its very nature nonsense to those who are outside of it. (18-21)

Explanation: Paul comes right out and says what we are all thinking. The story of the gospel is amazing and it is outlandish. It is hard to believe. It seems impossible.

But that’s why it’s true. God’s ways are so often in complete contrast to the ways of the world. And because of this, they look like craziness to a world that wants to explain everything.

So many times, we as followers of Jesus come across as ashamed of the gospel. We try to explain away things that are weird of don’t make sense. We try to explain away the folly. We try to allegorize things or say things are only figurative and not to be taken literally.

However, we actually need to embrace the folly and embrace the idea that the ways of God are not like the ways of the world. That yes, the stories of the Bible don’t and can’t make sense to those people outside of the family of God.

And of course, it starts with the cross. The cross is folly to those who are perishing. Who are those who are perishing? Those outside of the family of God.

But with those with the Holy Spirit teaching us and illuminating the Bible to us, it is the power of God.

Paul has a similar more morbid sentiment in

2 Corinthians 2:15–16 ESV

15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, 16 to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?

So yes, only the gospel has the power to transform lives, but we must remember that the natural carnal person has no capacity to understand it apart from the grace and mercy of God in the first place.

Illustration:

Application: Christian: As we look at this from a Christian perspective, we need to be ok when the world doesn’t understand what we believe or calls it nonsense. We need not explain it away. Certainly there is always the idea that we take things on faith. But we as Christians can be honest and admit that the truths of the Bible are hard to accept for those who are on the outside looking in. As we see here in this passage, Paul has no problem conceding this. So we as Christians don’t need to be ashamed to admit it. Because the fact that the Bible doesn’t explain it away and doesn’t shy away from stating the obvious is actually further evidence that the Bible is true. Hear me out....why would the Bible give us evidence to disprove it?

God wouldn’t. So for Christians, this is an encouragement when people call you stupid or tell you you believe in fairy tales. You’re in good company.

Non-christian: But if you are on the outside looking and think this is foolishness. We know that’s what it seems like. But this is all more reason to accept the invitation to look deeper. Because if it is foolish, it doesn’t matter. But if it’s true, it will change your life.

Main Point #2 - The Gospel is an equal opportunity offender. (22-24)

Explanation: Paul goes on to tell us that the gospel isn’t just offensive to one group of people. It’s offensive to everyone. And he doesn’t spare anyone either. Let’s think about who this letter was written to....Jewish people and greeks. You might think that because Paul was a Hebrew (actually from the tribe of Benjamin but by this time they were all called Jews even if they were descended form the tribe of Judah). Would Paul try not to offend his brothers? Nope… What about the greeks? Would he risk stereotyping to make his point. You betcha.

Now Jews were always looking for signs. And this wasn’t a bad thing. God had regularly given signs. Even the birth of Jesus was laden with signs and wonders. God gave signs throughout the old testament. But there comes a time when how many signs is enough. There were thousands. Yet even Jesus said, and perhaps this is what Paul had in mind:

Matthew 12:39 ESV

39 But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.

and again...

Matthew 16:4 ESV

4 An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” So he left them and departed.

Stop asking for more signs and believe the ones you’ve seen!!!!!

Greeks on the other hand were looking for wisdom. They thought themselves smarter than everyone else. They were the first intellectuals. And don’t get me wrong, the Bible is not anti-intellectual. But when it comes to the Bible you have to stop trying to explain everything. So much of what we see as the western world is seen through the lens of Greek Philosophy. The need to explain everything. The need to know everything. The need for facts and truth. Aristotle and Plato and the Socratic Method of teaching. It doesn’t mesh well with a Bible that is hard to believe and difficult explain.

Sometimes you need to choose to believe even without all the facts explained.

And then we get to the cross.

It’s offensive to the Jewish people because the idea of their Messiah dying on the cross is offensive because

Galatians 3:13 ESV

13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—

or

Deuteronomy 21:23 ESV

23 his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God. You shall not defile your land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance.

This was a big deal to them. And seriously the Messiah dying? Where’s that in the Old Testament. It’s actually everyone, but they weren’t ready for the conversation. Of course God would never allow this, right? Or would he. Remember God’s ways are not our ways. But still it’s offensive to them.

And then the Greeks had a really hard time with the resurrection.

Let me show you. When Paul was in Athens he had the opportunity to speak before the Areopagus. And they were always interested in hearing new ideas. They were pretty open and tolerant of all ideas regardless if they disagreed. They were following along until he got to the resurrection...

Acts 17:30–32 ESV

30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” 32 Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, “We will hear you again about this.”

Why because it’s folly to them.

Illustration:

Application: This comes back to the idea that the gospel is for all nations. It’s not for the jews and it’s not for the greeks. It’s for everyone. But we just have to realize that everyone brings their own boundaries to the table. These are boundaries to our own transformation and reveal that it is only God that can transform. As Jesus prayed.

Matthew 11:25 ESV

25 At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children;

Main Point #3 - God’s Ways are not our Ways (25-30)

Explanation: Paul seems to be hammering it into our heads that God is not like us. He doesn’t think like us and he doesn’t act like and he doesn’t use the same criteria when choosing the best person to accomplish His will.

Vs. 26 is a verse that I’m often comforted by. Because it reminds us that God doesn’t call the qualified, he qualifies the called. Because how many of us are wise by worldly standards? Powerful? Noble birth? And the point is that none of those things matter to God. He doesn’t care about your education or your achievements or even who your parents are.

And that’s the thing about God. He often chooses the ones that most of the world would write off.

Illustration: Just take Paul and King David.

Who would imagine that God would use someone who wasn’t a disciple of Jesus’ earthly ministry to be the greatest evangelist of all time, to write most of the New Testament (including this letter) and to call the world of the Gentiles to follow Jesus regardless of where and who they were born to? Paul was a legalistic Pharisees bent on destroying the church and running down the name of Jesus. Not the person you would think. But God’s ways are not our ways.

Then King David. The youngest son of an insignificant man in an insignificant family. Israel had an imposing powerful looking King who looked the part. Saul was a head taller than everyone else. He was regal.

David was a shepherd. Even Samuel, who was tasked with anointing David as King wasn’t impressed, but God told him...

1 Samuel 16:7 ESV

7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

And it doesn’t even have to be a willing heart. Paul wasn’t willing. God had to knock him off his horse. God didn’t actually give Paul a choice. You’d think that even God would want to use people that wanted to be used. God can transform even the most stubborn heart and use them His glory.

Application: So often we get in our head that God can’t use us. Maybe it’s because we aren’t wise from worldly standards, not powerful, not of noble birth. Maybe it’s because someone else has written us off. None of that matters. God can use whom He chooses by transforming that person.

Sometimes this starts with our own salvation. Can we accept that God would love a person like us? Or do we still feel that we need fix ourselves and make ourselves worthy?

At the same time, lets never write off someone else for God because they don’t meet our expectations of what a Christian looks like.

Samuel would have written off David because He didn’t look like a King. A man named Ananias almost wrote off Paul because of his past. Even the person with the hardest heart may be the person God is going to use to change the world.

But as Paul says, not one of us can boast in what God does through us. God gets all the credit and all the glory.

Response: Have you accepted any worldly wisdom or practices that God is calling you to abandon?

Summation:

Transformational Principle: We must accept that the world’s ways are at odds with the ways of God.

Main Point #1 - Christianity is by it’s very nature nonsense to those who are outside of it. (18-21)

Main Point #2 - The Gospel is an equal opportunity offender. (22-24)

Main Point #3 - God’s Ways are not our Ways (25-30)

Closing Illustration:

William Franklin Graham Jr. was born on November 7, 1918, in the downstairs bedroom of a farmhouse near Charlotte, North Carolina.[17] He was of Scots-Irish descent and was the eldest of four children born to Morrow (née Coffey) and William Franklin Graham Sr., a dairy farmer.[17] Graham was raised on a family dairy farm with his two younger sisters, Catherine Morrow and Jean and a younger brother, Melvin Thomas.[18] When he was eight years old in 1927, the family moved about 75 yards (69 m) from their white frame house to a newly built red brick home.[19] He was raised by his parents in the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church.[20][21] Graham attended the Sharon Grammar School.[22] He started to read books from an early age and loved to read novels for boys, especially Tarzan. Like Tarzan, he would hang on the trees and gave the popular Tarzan yell, scaring both horses and drivers. According to his father, that yelling had led him to become a minister.[23] Graham was 14 when Prohibition ended in December 1933, and his father forced him and his sister Katherine to drink beer until they became sick. This created such an aversion that Graham and his sister avoided alcohol and drugs for the rest of their lives.[24]

Graham had been turned down for membership in a local youth group for being "too worldly"[24] when Albert McMakin, who worked on the Graham farm, persuaded him to go and see the evangelist Mordecai Ham.[10] According to his autobiography, Graham was 16 in 1934 when he was converted during a series of revival meetings that Ham led in Charlotte.[25][26]

After graduating from Sharon High School in May 1936, Graham attended Bob Jones College. After one semester, he found that the coursework and rules were too legalistic .[24] At this time he was influenced and inspired by Pastor Charley Young from Eastport Bible Church. He was almost expelled, but Bob Jones Sr. warned him not to throw his life away: "At best, all you could amount to would be a poor country Baptist preacher somewhere out in the sticks ... You have a voice that pulls. God can use that voice of yours. He can use it mightily."[24]

So often we look back on what God has done and claim that we always knew that person had potential. But none of us really knows what God will do and who he will use. Our job is to be faithful and obedient.

So don’t give in to the world’s ways. Trust God’s ways.

Let’s pray.