FOOLISH WISDOM-VI—1Corinthians 1:26-28(1:18--2:5)
Attention:
Something deceptively seen by the heart’s predisposition.
There was a huge influx of people to central & south Florida following WW-II. BUT the people who bought land & built businesses & houses there, quickly discovered that regular & prolonged flooding occurred along the Kissimmee River, & so, throughout the Everglades. That flooding put a damper on ‘economic progress’ in those areas under development. And ‘progress’ was only viewed as contained within the confines of what people thought ‘economic growth’ should look like. In that day & time, ‘economic progress’ was based on standard housing & farming practices. Nobody looked outside the box. And as it so often does, MONEY became the god of central & southern Florida developers.
The ‘not-so-brilliant’ solution according to the land sellers & political powers of that day, was to literally, ‘drain the swamp!’ They saw everything thru the lens of their making or losing multi-millions of speculation dollars!
So in the 1950s, Congress tasked the USArmy Corps Of Engineers with straightening & dredging the ‘seemingly’ aimless winding of the Kissimmee River, as part of a vast program of ‘water management’ in south Florida. They eventually dammed certain areas of Lake Okeechobee as well, to their detriment. Miles & miles of canals were dug. The projects were only beneficial, in that it did reduce flooding for a time, but it also messed-up everything about how the natural river-floodplain worked. Salt-water began to intrude into freshwater wells.
They saw the Everglades as something to ‘control’, rather than something that they should allow & nurture.
Long-story-short, in the mid-1970s, efforts began, to UNDO the debacle that the previous 30 years of ignorance, short-sightedness, & greedy ‘development’ had wrought in the Everglades. And those efforts surrounding the return of the Everglades, continue to this day! In the year 2000(25 years ago), “the largest hydrologic restoration project ever undertaken in the United States, began, with a cost of more than $10.5 billion, & a 35+ year time-line.
As with the Everglades catastrophe, so there are ‘deceptive predispositions’ of the heart, that can destroy a person’s life & the lives of others. FOOLISH WISDOM-VI—1Corinthians 1:26-28(1:18--2:5)
Need:
God tells us to:
1Tim. 2:1-4—“Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, & giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings & all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet & peaceable life in all godliness & reverence. For this is good & acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved & to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
Mat. 6:21-23—Jesus warns us,—“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!”
Depending upon the ‘heart’s attitude’ that a person uses in their observations, what is actually ‘foolish’ may be viewed as ‘wise’(1:18)!...& conversely, what is actually God’s ‘wisdom’ may be viewed as ‘foolish.’
The recognition & identification of truly ‘Foolish Wisdom’, depends entirely upon the condition of your heart toward God!
The apostle Paul related that the actual God-ordained wisdom in the Cross-work of Christ, was seen as foolishness by those who were perishing.
The wisdom of the Cross can be misconstrued.
BUT:
How can wisdom be properly interpreted?
9 means of understanding/interpreting foolish wisdom.
‘Foolish Wisdom’ is interpreted thru...
So far, in our examination of 1Corinthians 1:18-25, we have found that ‘Foolish Wisdom’ is interpreted/understood thru...
1. The MESSAGE Of The CROSS(:18)
2. PROMISED FUTILITY Present In The World(:19)
3. The VACUUM Present In The World(:20-21)Absence/Dearth of wisdom
4. GOD’s ANSWER To Adulterous SIGNS & WISDOM(:22-25)
Today I invite you to consider with me, that...
5—Foolish Wisdom is ALSO interpreted thru...
The TOPPLING EFFECT Of GOD’s WEAKNESS(:26-28)
Explanation:(:26-28)
1:26—“For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.”
“For” answers verse :25 regarding the real power in God’s supposed ‘weakness.’
The church at Corinth, & the Church at large, is composed of the individuals who are “called” by God to Himself thru Christ Jesus.
•One result of God’s “calling”, is a common or shared family or brotherhood. All God’s people in Christ are “brethren.”
•God “calls” to us, to personal faith in His Good News, that Jesus is the Christ, our Savior, & our Lord!
•And we, in turn, who respond to that “call”, are considered “brethren.” Those who answer God’s “call” thru faith in Christ Jesus, are deemed “brethren.”
•And those who refuse to answer God’s “call” thru faith in Jesus, are NOT in league with those who have faithfully answered God’s “call”, even if those who do NOT ‘answer’ thru faith, might ACT religious & may be SYMPATHETIC to Christian ideals(politicians/law makers/enforcement entities).
•Rom. 10:13—“For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”[Joel 2:32]
Paul urges the church to observe themselves...That is, to observe the composition or consistency of those whom God has “called.”
By the Holy Spirit, Paul urges the church, in verses :26-28, to consider the utter scarcity of certain brands/types/kinds of people who are among their number.
Paul encourages his Christian audience to consider at least three measures of ableness, suitability, or fitness, for God’s family to operate as seen by the world. This ‘listing’ is to be informative, illuminating, & instructive.
There are “not many” of certain types of people, who truly belong to the family of God.
1)Those among the family of God, are by-&-large “not” considered “wise” in the eyes of the world, or by any fleshly standards of “wise.” Even though, a truly Christian life is intended to be a witness, & is appreciated by many(Gal. 5:22-23) in every category.
•Very few recognized as “wise” by the world, would even consider Christianity(trust in Christ) as valid, given that their ACTUAL trust would be in a wholly natural ability to sway people & circumstances, by means of their naturally limiting & misguided capacity for reason.
2)Those with whom Christians align themselves, are also by-&-large “not” considered “mighty”/“powerful/able”...That is, they are “not” “mighty” in the eyes of the world, nor are they “mighty” by any fleshly standards of “might.”
•Very few recognized as “mighty” by the world, would even consider Christianity(trust in Christ) as valid, given that their ACTUAL trust would be in a wholly ‘natural’ ability to sway people & circumstances, by means of a limiting & misguided capacity of their unaided human ability.
3)Those among the family of God, are by-&-large “not” considered “noble”(‘well-born’)...That is, they are “not” “noble” in the eyes of the world or by their fleshly standards of what is recognized as “noble.”
•Very few of ‘high rank’ as it were, would even consider Christianity(trust in Christ)! Because the REAL TRUST of the world’s “noble” people is built upon their thru economically ‘successful’ business practices, a family blood-line, & the assumed ‘intelligence’ that rewards such a ‘high position’ by a lost world.
One writer(A.T. Robertson) reminds us that what Paul mentions here—the “wise”(wise, philosophers, culture), “mighty”(men of dignity & power/might),, & the “noble”(nobility, high birth)—are “the three claims to aristocracy(culture, power, birth).”
The Christian’s consideration of those three areas of acceptance by the world, forces God’s people/Christians to reexamine their reasons for being Christians in the first place! ?Are your reasons for claiming to be a Christian valid, or are they forced?
•And as such, God’s people are to measure what they accept as truly “wise”, “mighty”, & “noble” by what God has wrought in them, rather than by the ‘aristocratic’ determinations of the worldly.
1:27—“But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, & God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;”
1:28—“& the base things of the world & the things which are despised God has chosen, & the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are,”
Verses :27 & 28 answer verse :26.
What the world sees as a ‘restrictive’ calling of God’s people(:26), God shows to be personally freeing & empowering!...
•Because God pits what the world considers “Foolish”—God’s plan & people— against what the world considers to be “Wise”!
•Because God pits what the world considers “Weak”—God’s plan & people—against what the world considers to be “Mighty”!
•Because God pits what the world considers “Foolish”—God’s plan & people—against what the world considers to be “Wise”!
In doing so, God highlights His people’s “wise”, “mighty”, & “noble” empowerment thru trusting God’s reality & voice above that of mere men!
•And likewise in verse :28, God pits what the world considers “base” & “despised” against what the world elevates to the level of “the things that are”—that is, their fitness to exist at all, or to ‘be’(“are”), or their worthiness to remain standing in the eyes of lost people.
It has been by God’s perfect “choice” that such “foolish things of the world”—those things that are accepted, approved, & professed by & thru the ‘talking heads’ of the lost world— be employed as those very things that will “shame” what the world accepts as “wise”, & “mighty”!
God has secured & guaranteed the “shame” of worldliness by means of those very “things” that are regarded by the world to be “foolish.”
God has done that thru His message of personal life accomplished & lived thru Christ, by means of all that surrounds the Cross. Such a shameful irony is incomprehensible to the willingly lost.
God “called”(:26) His own people to Himself, whom the world regards as “base things.” These “base things” that are so “despised” by the world & rejected by fleshly man, God “chose” as His diplomatic representatives or emissaries to the world!
In the world of lost mankind, there is a constant striving for greater knowledge. However the ‘knowledge’ attained thru worldly means is completely nullified by means of the very “things” the world disdains & “despises”!
•These “base things” consist of everything that surrounds the message of the Cross, God’s power to save, & God’s power to permanently create new life thru faith in Christ Jesus alone. These “base things” consist of God’s people who are actually ‘born-again’, & so, ‘new creations in Christ.’(2Cor. 5:17)
•And being “base things”, in the opinion of the world, God’s people & much of their works, are considered to be ‘non-entities’ or “the things which are not.”
Those very “things which are not” have been “chosen” by God, from before the creation of the world, to ‘entirely undo’ the ‘false reality’ established by the world at large thru the failed opinions of lost mankind!
Argumentation:
2Cor. 10:3-5—“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments & every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,”
2Cor. 12:9-10—The Lord revealed to the apostle Paul,—“And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Mat. 20:25-28—Jesus to His disciples—“But Jesus called them to Himself & said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, & those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave-- “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, & to give His life a ransom for many.””
Rom. 3:21-26—“But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law & the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all & on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned & fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just & the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”
Illustration:
Architects & engineers can design & build amazing things:
•Buildings that stand nearly 2000 ft tall(Burj Khalifa, Dubai).
•Farm Tractors that operate independently of a person.
•Bridges that can span mile after mile of an area.?(Danyang–Kunshan Grand Bridge, China--spans 102 mi. built for high-speed rail/train traffic).
•Passenger Jets operating as public transportation, granting access to the entire globe within hours.
•Road systems that can traverse most any terrain.
•Ventures into outer space.(Peer into other planets).
•Satellites systems for everyday use.(Global Positioning Satellites(GPS)).
•Automobiles.
•Wireless Telephones. •Etcetera!
And so, the world that rejects Christ, considers itself ‘master’ over everything.
Yet there are natural, physical ‘forces’ that God has built into the natural creation. These ‘physical forces’ God has ordered to work for &/or against man’s desire. Those ‘forces’ constantly stand as a testimony to God, so that man MUST work in, around, or with them. The constant presence of those ‘forces’ should wake-people-up to mankind’s high-mindedness, & to God’s presence, & His lovingly creative power!
And so, the world that rejects Christ Jesus, perverts the reality of God as Creator, & the open knowledge of the Creator God that comes thru it. What those who reject Jesus Christ do with that glaringly present knowledge of God thru creation, is to ‘pride THEMSELVES’ in elevating HUMANITY’S abilities to the level of God! And pervertedly putting themselves in God’s place, they meet the challenges intended to bring them closer to God, by fleshly power alone, & call the outcome, ‘SUCCESS & PROGRESS’!
*All of that humanistic ideology is toppled thru God’s wisdom!*
The TOPPLING EFFECT Of GOD’s WEAKNESS
Application:
?Do YOU properly interpret The TOPPLING EFFECT Of GOD’s WEAKNESS for yourself & others?
?Are you a competent interpreter of Foolish Wisdom?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
As with the Everglades catastrophe, so there are ‘deceptive predispositions’ of the heart, that can destroy a person’s life & the lives of others.
Depending upon the ‘heart’s attitude’ that a person uses live their life, what is actually ‘foolish’ may be accepted by them as ‘wise’(1:18)!...&, what is actually God’s ‘wisdom’ may be accepted by them as ‘foolish.’
The recognition & identification of truly ‘Foolish Wisdom’, depends entirely upon the condition of your heart toward God!
Action:
Foolish Wisdom is interpreted thru...
5. The TOPPLING EFFECT Of GOD’s WEAKNESS(:26-28)
1. The MESSAGE Of The CROSS(:18)
2. PROMISED FUTILITY Present In The World(:19)
3. The VACUUM Present In The World(:20-21)(Absence/Dearth of wisdom)
4. GOD’s ANSWER To Adulterous SIGNS & WISDOM(:22-25)
Pnt#5 only! Presented 09/28/2025am to:
Salem Baptist Church
1618 Salem Rd.
Bennettsville, SC 29512
Pt#3 only! Presented 09/22/2013am to:
FBC’belle
206 Storrs Ave. SE
Carrabelle, FL 32322
