I. Introduction
A. Review Paul’s introduction
-Last week we looked at the beginning of Paul’s correcting words to the church at Corinth.
-He is laying a foundation for what is necessary to have a strong church.
-Paul told the church that it is critical that they be unified.
-That they have a strong fellowship.
-Necessary if they are to survive and thrive.
-It’s strength will be based upon two things:
1. Their joint fellowship with Jesus Christ.
-Illustration of a wheel with spokes. (Wheel powerpoint)
2. Their unity in doctrine.
-A church must be unified in their doctrine if they are to be strong.
-1 Corinthians 1:10 – “Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.”
(powerpoint)
-Today we are not going to continue with the topic of fellowship.
-Today we will discuss foolishness.
-Specifically, the foolishness of God.
(title powerpoint)
PRAYER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-Please turn to 1 Corinthians, chapter 1
B. In the remainder of chapter one Paul talks about foolishness.
-Here we will look at a contrast in views on foolishness. (powerpoint)
1. There is the foolishness of men.
-Which they think is wisdom. (2 powerpoints)
2. The wisdom of God.
-Which man thinks is foolishness. (2 powerpoints)
-A contrast between God’s true wisdom and man supposed wisdom.
-God’s supposed foolishness and man’s true foolishness.
II. The Foolishness Of The Cross (v.18-20)
A. The context
-The Greeks loved wisdom and thereby philosophy.
-“philosophy” comes from the Greek, philosophia, or love of wisdom.
-This is wisdom developed by man.
-To answer those questions we all ask at some point.
-What is the purpose of life?
-Why am I here?
-Where am I going?
-Philosophy, or man’s wisdom, is very dangerous. (powerpoint)
-It attempts to answer infinite questions with the finite mind.
-It is based on man’s limited and fallible insights and understanding.
-Oftentimes it disagrees with Scripture. (3 powerpoints)
-When it does, it tells you that human reason trumps scripture.
“The whole drift toward modernism (term for modern day philosophies) that has blighted the church of God and nearly destroyed its living gospel may be traced to an hour when men began to turn from revelation to philosophy.” (powerpoint)
Martyn Lloyd-Jones
“The trust in human wisdom that we call modernism is hardly modern. It began with Adam and Eve, when they set their own judgment above God’s, and was in full bloom in Paul’s day. Whenever human wisdom, whether a definite philosophical system or not, gets mixed with divine revelation, revelation loses.”
John MacArthur (powerpoint)
-Colossians 2:8 – “Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ” (powerpoint)
-We may not speak in such philosophical terms as the ancient Greeks.
-We are still steeped in philosophy.
-Examples of modern day philosophies: (powerpoint)
-Contrary to one another
-Rationalism
-the criteria of the truth is not sensory but intellectual and deductive. (2 powerpoints)
-Not based on what is, but on what you think it is.
-Empiricism
-Believes that knowledge comes only through the senses and can’t be rationalized. (2 powerpoints)
-If you can’t experience God with your senses, He cannot exist.
-Philosophy, or mans’ wisdom, sometimes influences Christians to believe what they want.
-To act as though Christianity is a menu religion.
-You take what you like and leave the rest.
-Christian, this is a big mistake.
-God has fully paid for your buffet of blessing.
-We don’t get to pick and choose what is good for us anymore.
-When we do, we pick and choose wrongly.
-God knows this.
-And, if we are honest, so do we.
-1 Corinthians 6:20 – “For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.” (powerpoint)
-Everyone is searching for answers.
-They will either look to God or to man for the answers.
B. God’s wisdom is superior to man’s wisdom.
-It is often been said by parents to their children, “Don’t put people down. A person only does this to feel better about themself.”
-Seems to be so true.
-Rather than give concrete reasons, one tries to belittle someone instead.
-In 1999, then governor of Minnesota, Jesse Ventura was quoted as saying, “Organized religion (church) is a sham and a crutch for weak- minded people who need strength in numbers.” (powerpoint)
-He didn’t give anything better to take its place,
-God is the one who teaches about a need for a local fellowship of believers.
-In essence, Ventura was calling a God designed, God intended thing, foolishness.
-Thereby calling God a fool.
-He is not the first to call something that God has done foolishness
-1 Corinthians 1:18 – “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.”
(powerpoint)
-“The message of the cross is foolishness”
-Message = logos, or word
-Foolishness = moria, silly or absurd.
-From which we get the word “moron”
-Better interpreted as “the word of the cross is absurd.”
-God’s message of redemption is ridiculous.
-It is silly.
-To those who reject it and are perishing the gospel is just that.
-They may not say it this way.
-Actions speak louder than words.
-Why would they think it to be foolish?
1. The humble origin of the Lord Jesus. They despise him that lived in Nazareth; that was poor; that had no home, and few friends, and no wealth, and little honor among his own countrymen.
2. They despise him who was put to death, as an impostor, at the instigation of his own countrymen, in a manner on the cross-the usual punishment of slaves, murderers, and thieves.
3. They see not why there should be any particular benefit in his death. They deem it incredible that he who could not save himself should be able to save them; and that glory should come from the shame of the cross.
-To those who are perishing, for whatever reason, God’s perfect plan for saving man and reconciling them to God is foolishness.
-But to those who are not perishing, it is POWERFUL!
-“To us who are being saved it is the power of God.”
-Power = dunamis (doo'-nam-is); force, miraculous power
-Paul stressed God’s grace in the first several verses of his letter to Corinth
-The power of this grace is that God chooses to save those who come to Him through faith in what Jesus Christ did at Calvary.
-All that man can develop or think cannot save a soul.
-Only God can.
-Now that’s power!
-The gospel is called "the power of God," because it is the MEDIUM through which God exerts his power in the salvation of sinners.
-It is the way He has chosen.
-He could have used His power to place everyone in heaven.
-He could have used His power to choose only some.
-He could have used his power to make heaven unattainable in any way.
-Instead, God has chosen to make heaven available to all those who come through faith in Jesus Christ.
-Who come via the cross is the only way.
-John 14:6 – “Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (powerpoint)
-Acts 4:12 – “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Peter preaching)
(powerpoint)
-John 3:16
-The gospel is God’s wisdom put into action…and man calls it foolishness.
C. Man’s inability to understand God
-1 Corinthians 1:19-20 – “For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent." Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?” (powerpoint)
-We see here a quote from Isaiah 29:14
-Isaiah 29:13-14 – “Therefore the Lord said: "Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far from Me, and their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men. Therefore, behold, I will again do a marvelous work among this people, a marvelous work and a wonder; For the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden.” (powerpoint)
-In Isaiah’s day people were determining their view of God and His ways “by the commandment of men”
-Through man’s wisdom.
-Paul is reminding the church that man’s wisdom will one day be done away with.
-We will realize how foolish we are.
(1 Corinthians 1:19-20 powerpoint)
-In verse 20 Paul calls out those who think they are smarter than God.
-[Where is the wise] sofos
-At first the Greek men of learning were called "wise men" sofoi like the magicians of the East.
-They afterward assumed a more modest title, and called themselves the "lovers of wisdom" filosofoi or "philosophers."
-This was the name by which they were commonly known in Greece in the time of Paul.
-[Where is the scribe?]
-The scribe among the Jews was a learned man originally employed in transcribing the law.
-the term came to denote a learned man in general.
-[Where is the disputer of this world?]
-The word "disputer" properly denotes one who "inquires" carefully into the causes and relations of things;
-one who is a subtle and inquisitive investigator.
-These are those who always want to debate things.
-Paul wants to know what they have to say.
-God has made a way of salvation, have you?
-Where are your answers to life’s big questions?
-You have talked about it for hundreds of years but have to concrete answers.
-[Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?]
-Has he not by the originality and superior effectiveness of his plan of salvation, poured contempt on all the schemes of philosophers?
-Shown it to be foolishness?
-Not only without the aid of those schemes of human beings, but in opposition to them.
-Not only did God not need mans’ help, His plan was in opposition to how they would have done it.
-God has devised a plan for human salvation in the conversion of sinners, and in destroying the power of wickedness.
-The meaning is that in all their professed investigations, in all their subtle and difficult questioning, they had failed at ascertaining the way in which man could be saved.
-God had devised a plan which had baffled all their wisdom, and in which their philosophy was disregarded.
-God has made man’s wisdom to appear foolish.
-Paul then proceeds to tell us how.
-We will look at that next time.
III. Conclusion
-What way have you figured out to be reconciled to God?
-Being a good person?
-What if our standards for good differ from each other?
-What if God says good works won’t do it?
-Isaiah 64:6 – “For all of us have become like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment;” (powerpoint)
-You can think of numerous ways in which you think you can earn God’s forgiveness for sin.
-Your way will always be wrong.
-Not in good works.
-Not in church membership.
-Not in a denomination.
-Not because you don’t think God will punish sin.
-Not because you think heaven is a guarantee.
-Proverbs 14:12 – “There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.” (powerpoint)
-Anything contrary to the word of God is eternal separation from God.
-God says:
-We are all sinners
-Romans 3:23 (For all have sinned…)
-We have all earned something for our sin
-Romans 6:23 (The wages of sin is death)
-Death = eternal separation from God
-God will pay the penalty through Christ suffering on the cross.
-1 John 4:10 – “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (powerpoint)
-Propitiation means payment.
-We must receive this gift through faith.
-Ephesians 2:8,9 (For by grace you are saved through faith…)
-Are you saved?
-Do you seek answers to things in this life and about the life to come?
-Your first step is to come to Christ.
-Won’t you do it today?
PRAYER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
