The Foolishness Of God - Part 2 Series

God chose the things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are. Why?

1 Corinthians 1:29 …so that no human being might boast in the presence of God (ESV).

God chooses misfits like you and me, so refrain from boasting about your own wisdom, and set aside your pride. It will go a long way towards repairing your broken relationships.

A man in India angrily confronted his pastor, making many unfair and untrue accusations. Then he asked his pastor what he had to say.

In response, the pastor got up from his chair, walked to the washroom next door, filled an empty basin with water and came back to the room. The angry man was surprised when he saw the basin of water and asked what it was for. The pastor replied that even though the accusations were not true, that since the person was nevertheless upset with him, he felt the right thing to do was ask for forgiveness. The pastor then offered to wash the man’s feet, who broke down in tears at this act of humility. Then he opened his heart to the Lord. The pastor's humility was shown to be a strength and not a weakness! (Palitha Jayasooriya in his sermon, Beautiful Acts for God, Peoples Church, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 8-27-14; www.PreachingToday.com)

Humility is powerful when it comes to repairing broken relationships!

Dr. Robert (Joseph Pershing) Foster put it this way: “Sometimes you have to stoop to conquer” (Isabel Wilkerson, The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration, Knopf Doubleday, 2016, pp. 140-41; www.PreachingToday.com).

So set aside your pride, and remember what you were before you came to know Christ. Then…

REALIZE WHO YOU ARE IN CHRIST TODAY.

Understand all that God gives you because of your relationship with Christ. Appreciate how richly God blesses you because you belong to Jesus.

1 Corinthians 1:30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption.

Jesus is everything you need! HE is your wisdom, giving you the skill to live for Him.

And HE is your righteousness. The Bible says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified [or declared righteous] by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24). So that “There is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). God declared you righteous when you trusted Christ to save you from your sins.

Christ is your wisdom, Christ is your righteousness, and Christ is your sanctification (or holiness)—That is to say, He sets you apart from sin unto God. Romans 6 says, “Our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin” (Romans 6:6). Only in Christ do you find the strength and grace to live holy lives every day.

Christ is your wisdom, Christ is your righteousness, Christ is your sanctification, and Christ is your redemption. The Bible says, “In Him we have redemption through His blood” (Ephesians 1:7). He set you free from the penalty of sin. He is setting you free from the power of sin. And one day, He will set you free from the very presence of sin in your life. Jesus is everything you need!