A Letter Of Concern- Scandalous Series

Series: Action [#71]

A LETTER OF CONCERN- SCANDALOUS

1 Corinthians 1:18-31

Introduction:

We live in a time of scandals. Politics seem to be 1 scandal after another. COVID-19 seems to have many scandalous things going on. With that in mind, I want to show you this morning that for many, Christianity is scandalous.

1 Corinthians 1:18-19

For the lost…

1. The cross is scandalous.

Christians talk often about having faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus; but to the world, this seems crazy. A person who was crucified was cursed, so how could Jesus be different? For someone to die for people from the past, present, and future makes no sense; but it is still true. Christians, the power of God is shown in His Children.

1 Corinthians 1:20-25

For the lost…

2. Preaching is scandalous.

How is using some regular person to preach God’s Word make any sense? If the person is really smart or important maybe; but someone like me? If a person is preaching or teaching God’s Word in their own power, there is going to be a serious problem. The preacher has to get out of God’s way and allow Him to speak through them.

The World does not want to hear a person teach about grace, mercy, and love. The World wants it like the Jews, they want signs. They want God to prove to them that He is real. The preaching of the cross to the Jews is a stumbling block. The Greeks were all about philosophy and being more wise than others. The message of the cross was simply foolishness.

Preachers of the Gospel of Jesus, must allow the Holy Spirit to speak through them. The most important subject of every sermon is Jesus Christ crucified and raised from the dead. How the message of Jesus is presented might be different; but the message never changes.

1 Corinthians 1:26-31

For the lost…

3. Christians are scandalous.

Christians, think about who you were before you were saved. Most of us are not geniuses, influential, or from the right family; but thank God, that is not who He is looking for. God uses the weak and lowly to shame the ways of the World; and to further His Kingdom.

Our wisdom from God is righteousness, holiness, and redemption. We are scandalous to the lost because we are different. We do not handle situations in the same way. We are different from other people- We are set apart. This should not give us reason to brag about ourselves; but to brag about God.

Conclusion:

If we appear to be the same as those who are not saved, we will hinder the Gospel of Jesus. The message of the cross from Preachers who are not perfect, might seem odd to some; but is proof that God can use anyone He chooses to further the Gospel of Jesus.