1 Corinthians 1 Series

1st Corinthians 1

August 25, 2024

• Corinth is a fascinating city in Greece that was a major center for International east-west trade.

• When Paul lived there, Corinth was the host of the Isthmian Games, second only to the Olympics in popularity.

• Paul most likely lived in a small apartment directly above the shop owned by Priscilla and Aquila.

• Corinth was a Greek city, but the Romans had re-settled it in the year that Julius Caesar was assassinated.

• People from all over came to this prosperous place to make their fortunes.

• The city was marked by athletic competition, consumerism, Roman rule, lots of military retirees.

• They cherished success and worshipped winners.

• “Getting ahead” and “Win at all costs” were the norms of the culture and in many ways, the church.

• Many people had come from very poor and humble backgrounds, but were now wealthy, living in a really prosperous city with a lot of natural resources.

• Outside the city – Temple of Aphrodites – 1000 female prostitutes – “Corinthinized”

• Paul arrived here around AD 50 and stayed about 18 months. He wrote this letter from Ephesus.

• The message of a humble Jesus who died on a humiliating cross was not going to be popular.

1 Corinthians 1:18 NIV

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

v. 18b - but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (Present Participle)

1. I’m confident of my rescue.

2. I’ve not arrived.

3. I’m thankful to be headed to shore.

v. 19-23 For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate." 20 Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher 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 know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. 22 Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, …”

Remember the strange reversals Jesus spoke of in the Beatitudes.

The Corinthian people were hoping for something more triumphant like:

“Blessed are the smart and savvy”

“Blessed are those who help themselves”

“Blessed are the ambitious and strong”

Instead, what Jesus said must have sounded foolish to these successful people:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit”

“Blessed are those that mourn”

“Blessed are the meek”

“Blessed are the merciful”

We cannot come to Jesus except through the cross.

Christ died on the cross to show us a new use of power.

The world says power is to be used “over people”

Christ humbled himself to the cross “for people”

1 Corinthians 1:26-30 MSG

“Take a good look, friends, at who you were when you got called into this life. I don't see many of "the brightest and the best" among you, not many influential, not many from high-society families. 27 Isn't it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses, 28 chose these "nobodies" to expose the hollow pretensions of the "somebodies"? 29 That makes it quite clear that none of you can get by with blowing your own horn before God. 30 Everything that we have — right thinking and right living, a clean slate and a fresh start — comes from God by way of Jesus Christ.”

Because Jesus became low, there is no one who is too low to be saved.

Because Jesus became a nobody, all the nobody’s in the world can be saved.

On the cross Jesus did for us what we could have never done for ourselves.