Intro: Who do you know that comes up with crazy plans? I can think back to my neighbor growing up. Gary Kaytor. Gary lived across the street and was 2 years older than me. Gary was the type who everything always worked out for. Gary knew how to turn every situation to his advantage. I remember we would be up the street playing, and Gary would say, Oscar Lease has a soda machine on his porch. Let’s run down there and act like we’re really tired and hot. We would run down, pant, Gary would say, “It sure is hot out” and believe it or not, Oscar would take out some change, put it in the soda machine, and buy us a soda. Now, I don’t think we fooled him, I think he just loved to do nice things for others.
In high school we got a new principal my junior year. He was a big wrestling fan and lined up all the boys in the gym. He started trying to recruit all the boys for a new wrestling team. Several signed up, and as part of their practice, they would pair up to wrestle. Now the guys in my class would set up their practice: you can take me down, then I’ll escape, them you put me in a headlock, etc. They would plan what they would get points for. They probably would have done well in “Professional Wrestling.”
This morning, I want us to look at another plan that on the surface seems foolish, something that makes no sense, something that wouldn’t work. Yet, this plan is the greatest plan ever made. Look with me in 1 Corinthians 1.
Read Text: 1 Corinthians 1:17-2:10
PRAY
We find here the great plan of God in the provision of the cross.
I. The cross seems foolish to many
Why would the God of all creation choose to become a man. Think about it. If you are witnessing to someone at work, telling them you believe in God, telling them God created everything, and then you tell them that this same powerful God became a man -- it doesn’t make any sense.
The analogy is often used of a bird that flies into a big cathedral. It flies up against the window banging its head. It can find no way out. The pastor thinks, if I could just become a bird, I could show it the way out. That is what God did for us: he became a man to show us how we should live, to show us the way out of our sin, to show us the way to our heavenly father.
1:23 says the cross is a stumbling block to the Jews. Why? The Jews were looking for their Messiah. They were looking for the one who would come and set up his earthly kingdom. They wanted someone to overthrow the Roman oppression and set them free. Yes he came, but he didn’t come as they expected. He came to set up a spiritual kingdom, not an earthly one. He allowed himself to die, so that the great plan of God could be accomplished. He wasn’t tricked and killed: he chose to die. The Jews could never understand how Messiah could be killed. They stumbled over this truth and so did not believe Jesus was Messiah.
Many times we stumble over the way God works. We think if God really loved us he would work everything out the way we think it should be. Yet often he does things different than we expect. Let’s make sure that we don’t try to tell God what is the best plan for our lives. Let’s remember his plan is best, even when we don’t understand why he does what he does.
1:23 also says the cross is foolishness to the Gentiles. Why foolishness? The Greeks thought themselves wise. They wanted to figure out things. They could never figure out if Jesus was God, why we he allow himself to be crucified on a cross. It didn’t make any sense.
The plan of God to have Jesus come and die on a cross seems foolish to many. Yet we know it to be God’s plan. We know it to be the best plan. We know it to be the only plan of salvation.Why?
II. The Cross shows the Love of God
When we think of the shape of the cross, we see a large beam going from top to bottom. The cross is high enough to reach from God to man. The scriptures tell us that our sins have separated us from our God. Try as we might, there is no one who could earn his salvation, or merit it by good works alone. Yet in the cross we see God showing us the way that we can come near to him. In the salvation offered by Jesus’ death on the cross, a sinful people can come near a holy God. God shows his love in offering a way for our sins to be forgiven.
The cross also has a beam going from left to right. The arms of the cross are wide enough to embrace any who come to him. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you have done. God chooses to offer forgiveness to whoever--no matter what their past, no matter what their race, no matter what side of the tracks they are born on--God accepts any who will turn to him.
When we think about the cross, we see the great love of God displayed. God chooses to offer his salvation to whoever will come to him. John 3:16 states For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
III. The cross shows the power of God
Why would Jesus give himself to die? Because of love. Yet, the cross also shows the great power of God. As we think of God’s plan, we see that through sacrifice there is salvation. The Jews had known this for centuries. Throughout the Old Testament, whenever the Jews sinned they were to bring a lamb to the priest. That lamb would be killed, and by it the people’s sins were covered. Yet those sins were never taken away.
Heb. 9 tells us The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
There is great power in the cross. Through the death of a perfect sacrifice, God is able to offer his great forgiveness.
Through the cross also we see the power of God displayed in the resurrection. If Christ had never died, we would never know that God had the power to raise him from the dead. The resurrection shows us that because Christ lives, we can also live again.
1 Cor 15 reminds us But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
The cross shows the love of God. The cross shows the power of God.
Finally --
IV. The cross shows us the plan of God.
Why would Jesus, God himself, the creator of the universe, choose to come and die? He did it to show us his love. He did it to show us his power. But it also is because this was the plan from the foundation of the world. Before God made the universe- before man was formed from the dust of the ground - before the animals were made - before the sun and stars -
before Genesis 1:1 - in the beginning - before it all, God had made a plan to redeem mankind when they choose to sin.
Look at 1 Cor. 2:7 again - No, we speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him"-- this was God’s plan from the start.
1 Peter 1:18 - Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, [as] silver and gold, from your vain conversation [received] by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.
God’s plan was made before he created the world. The cross shows us the wisdom of our great God. Yet we know that this plan was the only plan. There is no other plan of salvation. In the garden, Jesus prayed, Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.
Acts 4 tells us Salvation is found in no-one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."
Now, it may not be politically correct to speak on only one way to heaven. Yet that is what God says.
Concl: What does this mean for us today?
*If you are trusting something else to get you to heaven, realize that the only salvation if found through Jesus Christ.
**If God loved us enough to provide us salvation, we need to be willing to tell others about this
***If God has his plan worked out before the foundation of the world, we can trust our God in all matters and details of our lives. Let’s commit ourselves to trusting him each day.
We can trust the plan of God. It may seem foolish to some, but the cross shows us the love of God, the power of God, and the plan of God. We trust the God who loves us.
