Who You Gonna Call

“Who You Gonna Call”

1 Corinthians 1: 24-31

Intro: As I am walking onto the stage, play a clip from Ghost Busters.

. How many remember those movies. Ghost Busters. You see what we want to do as humans is when we have a problem or an emergency, we want an expert don’t we.

.When the world is in trouble, we want a super hero don’t we.

. Superman, the man of steel. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, faster than a speeding bullet more powerful than a locomotive.

. Batman can be called with a signal in the air over Gotham.

.How many of you remember atom ant? He starred on the same show as secret squirrel. He would be down in the ground in his secret hideout and would get the call. You would see him fly out into the air and his battle cry was “up and attem atom ant” and he would go and save the day.

. Another one of my favorites was underdog. A Beagle with super powers who could save the world. The show would come on with a theme song and all I remember of the song is “speed of Lightening, roar of thunder, underdog.

. That’s what we want though when we need saving, a superhero.

. Someone who is larger than life.

. When we think of superheroes though, words like gentle humble and loving don’t come to mind.

. We want someone who is powerful and dynamic to save the world don’t we.?

. Folks, make no mistake the world is certainly in need of saving. The world that was created by God was beautiful. It was a perfect paradise. But God, in his infinite wisdom and incredible love for us gave us the gift of free will. Man could chose to obey God and live in paradise, or he could chose to rebel against God, rejecting him and cursing the world God had lovingly created for him. And man, through Adam and Eve, chose to rebel. The result is that the world we live in is cursed. Sin dominates our world and with it come disease, hatred, war, pain, suffering and selfishness. The world is broken and is need of a savior.

.If we were putting together the plan to save the world we would call in the powerful, the charismatic the special people in the world wouldn’t we?

. Those that could get things done. That’s what we look for in our leaders.

. God doesn’t work that way.

. Speaking through the prophet Isaiah about the salvation of the world, God says this in Isaiah 55: 8-9

8“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the LORD. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.

9For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

. God is forewarning us that my way to salvation is going to be a little different than the way you would do it.

. Rather than send a powerful hero into the world, rather than call for Atom Ant or Superman, or place a sign in the sky for Batman he sent a defenseless baby.

God always has done things differently than the way we would do them.

. Paul addresses this in our scripture this morning.

. 1 Corinthians 1: 24-31

. 24But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.

25This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.

26Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you.

27Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful.

28God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important.

29As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.

30God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin.

31Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the LORD.”

. Paul is reminding the Corinthian Christians That even though God’s plan may seem foolish on its face, it is actually brilliant.

. It’s strength is stronger than any human strength and yes even stronger than any super hero.