The Foolishness Of God Series

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.