1 Corinthians: A Gospel Cure for What Ails the Church 1:18-25

1 Corinthians 1:18–25 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.

Introduction:

Family matters are sometimes to most difficult to deal with.

The gospel is God’s wise plan to redeem sinful man.

If you believe the gospel is foolish you will perish.

1 Corinthians 1:18 (ESV)

18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing...

If you believe the gospel you will be saved.

Redemption is not a quick fix for disfunction.

They had disfunction -

Division - Is Christ Divided?

Perversion - There were unspeakable immorality that wasn’t even named among the pagans.

Pollution - They were tempted towards idolatry.

Confusion - in their worship - Confusion in their doctrine.

Sometimes the hardest thing about leadership is knowing what to do when the church is in an unhealthy state.

Where do we turn?

Don’t turn to plagiarism.

Just because one church has had success and turned things around doesn’t mean you and I should grab their box and try to put our church in it.

Kevin DeYoung

Far too much ministry today is undertaken without any concern for holiness. We’ve found that changing the way we do church is easier than changing the way we are. We’ve found that we are not sufficiently unlike anyone else to garner notice, so we’ve attempted to become just like everyone else instead.

Don’t turn to pragmatism.

John MacArthur

Pragmatism is quickly replacing supernaturalism in many churches. It is an attempt to achieve spiritual objectives by human methodology rather than supernatural power. Its primary criterion is external success. It will employ whatever method draws a crowd and stimulates the desired response. Its underlying presuppositions are that the church can accomplish spiritual goals by fleshly means, and that the power of God’s Word alone is not sufficient to break through a sinner’s blindness and hardness of heart.

Paul turned to the gospel.

Desperate times in ministry shouldn’t drive us to the world but to the word.

The gospel is sufficent to deal with our folly.

The gospel is God’s appointed means of saving souls.

1 Corinthians 1:21 ESV

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 gospel is God’s appointed means of saving the church.

What does God want me to do in this mess where we have normalized disfunction?

Faithfully preach the gospel.

1 Corinthians 1:23 (ESV)

23 but we preach Christ crucified...

Fully apply the gospel.