Recap
New book of the Bible – 1 Corinthians. Written by Paul after visiting Athens. Stayed about a year and a half.
Corinth was very commercialized and morally corrupt. The new Christians were coming out of and still surrounded by this type of society. Not unlike the PNW.
Greeks were into art, culture, education, philosophy – intellectual things. Pagan gods. Also a decent population of un-converted Jews.
Pastor Matt’s message – Jesus Christ is Lord!
Pastor Jay’s message – Hero Worship. Don’t elevate people or ministries above Jesus.
Tonight, we’re going to be finishing up chapter 1. Starting in verse 18, it says…
1 Corinthians 18-31
The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. As the scriptures say, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard the intelligence of the intelligent”. So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. Since God in His wisdom saw to it that the world would never know Him through human wisdom, He has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense. But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength. Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, 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. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God. God 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. Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the LORD”. (NLT)
My first point it this….
God always has a plan, and that plan will not always make sense.
If we were on the same level as God, then everything He did, the manner in which He did it and the timing of when He did it would always jive with what we thought should be happening as well. And life would probably be a lot easier! But we know from Isaiah that is not the case.
Isaiah 55:8-9
“My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts”. (NKJV)
Lots of examples of this. The people didn’t have the benefit of being able to read ahead in the story. They must’ve had so many doubts and questions. For example:
- Moses being called to free the Israelites – made no sense to him.
Exodus 3:11 – “But Moses protested to God…”
Exodus 3:13 – “But Moses protested…” - The Israelites slaves being told they would plunder their Egyptian masters. “Sure, we’ve only been in slavery for as long as we can remember. How in the world is that supposed to happen?”
- Esther – speaking to the king could’ve cost her her life. She had to have thought there was a better way to save the Jews.
- Abraham – being asked to sacrifice Isaac, his beloved son. How many questions do you think were running through his mind on their way up the mountain?
We know how these all turned out. Moses led the Israelites out of slavery, the Israelites did plunder the Egyptians, Esther talked to the king and saved the Jews, God stayed Abraham’s hand and provided a different sacrifice. God always had a plan and it always worked out.
And just like God knew what He was doing in all these situations, He knew what He was doing when it came to the plan of salvation. He knew that His creation would need a way to be reconciled back to Him and He had it all planned out from the beginning of time.
Ephesians 1:4
Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes. (NLT)
God knew that it would be through Christ that we would be reconciled to Him. Through Jesus, we would be presented blameless and holy. And God knew that it would all happen through Jesus’ death on the cross. That was ALWAYS the plan.
But this plan didn’t (and still doesn’t) make sense to everyone. And that is what Paul is addressing in this passage regarding the Jews and Greeks in Corinth.
1 Corinthians 1:25
This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest human plans…
Paul is being sarcastic.
The Jews were expecting their savior to rescue them from earthly oppression. Exodus all over again, but bigger. Jesus didn’t come for that reason. He came to die on a cross. Shame and dishonor. The cross was for criminals, not Saviors.
The Roman statesman Cicero said, “The cross, it speaks of that which is so shameful, so horrible, it should never be mentioned in polite society.”
Galatians 3:13
Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’). (NKJV)
The Jews didn’t respect a death on the cross. That couldn’t be their Savior.
And the Greeks couldn’t fathom a worshipping someone who died on a cross. Their gods were strong and skilled (Zeus, Apollo, Eres). Christians were foolish and stupid – just like in the carving of Alexamenos.
So, the Jews and the Greeks, in large part, rejected salvation because they rejected God’s plan. Because it didn’t line up with what made sense to them. The plan was offensive and foolish.
Maybe God’s plan of salvation makes sense to you. But how many times do we miss out on the other plans that God has for us because we don’t understand or agree with what He’s doing? Do we question or do we trust?
Jeremiah 29:11
“For I know the plans I have for you”, says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope”. (NLT)
It says “I (God) know the plans”. It doesn’t say “I have these ideas that I’d like to sit down and roundtable with you. Let’s brainstorm some options and see what we can come up with”.
Now, that’s not to say we don’t play a part in what’s going on in our lives. We can make plans within the confines of what He says is acceptable. But He’s the one who should direct us and have the final say in what we do.
Proverbs 16:9
We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps. (NLT)
The struggle comes when He’s leading us in a different direction than where we want to go. We start analyzing and overthinking His plan.
Like a kid on the edge of a pool.
We’re no different. Sometimes we miss out on so much because we simply don’t trust God’s plan. We question if our Heavenly Father really has us.
Could be big plans (career move or getting married and having a kid or deciding to quit a job so you can homeschool your kids) or small plans. God has it figured out. Trust Him enough to jump.
My second point is this…
God’s plan was always the cross and you can’t preach the gospel without preaching the cross.
The cross is still an offense to people. Maybe not for the exact same reason it was to the Jews and the Greeks. But it’s still an offense:
- Because it points to the fact that we are sinners.
- Because it points to the fact that there is something from which we actually need to be saved.
- Because it points to the fact that we aren’t basically good and even if we were, our “goodness” is not enough to save us.
- Because it says no amount of behavior modification or money put in a basket is going to make us right with God.
Those things are offensive.
And there is this huge push in American Christianity to not be offensive. So, we’ve come up with different messages that make becoming a Christian less offensive. We’ve “softened’ the message to make it more palatable. But the Bible has a very strong warning about this.
Galatians 1:9
As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. (NKJV)
Those are Paul’s words. So, I think we need to ask the question, “what is the gospel they received?”
There’s a mathematical property that says “If A = B and C=B, then A=C “.
1 Corinthians 1:17-18
For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (NKJV)
Romans 1:16
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. (NKJV)
1 Corinthians tells us that the message of the cross is the power of God (A=B)
Romans tells us that the gospel of Christ is the power of God (C=B)
Therefore, the message of the cross is the gospel of Christ! (A=C)
The cross gets taken out of the equation and is replaced with humanism.
Humanism can be defined as “a system of thought that focuses on humans and their values, capacities and worth”. It’s a theology that the American church has embraced whole-heartedly and has used to replace the message of the cross. And it has happened because the Church (big C) didn’t cover its crack! This shift in American Christianity didn’t happen overnight. It’s been a slow fading away.
Story of the strong church and the ivy.
First, the ivy covered the words so the inscription read “We Preach Christ”. And the church started preaching “Jesus the Great Man” and “Jesus the Moral Example”.
Then, the ivy continued to grow and pretty soon it only read “We Preach”. And the church stopped talking about Jesus and started talking only about religious platitudes and social graces.
Eventually, as the ivy grew the only word left uncovered was “We”. And the church became another social gathering place, all about we and not about God.
Story of our church before FVC. It became very “seeker friendly”. Cared more about numbers than souls saved so they changed how to “draw” people.
- Promoted church as hip and fun – or even as a party, routinely referencing “Jersey Sunday” or “Ice Cream for Everyone” or “the Bouncy House Bonanza”, but rarely anything about worship or the preaching.
- Installed a big, fancy coffee bar so people can get their latte fix
- Played pre-service hype music by popular non-Christian artists
- Built a Chip and Joanna Gaines platform
- Switched “Sanctuary” to “Auditorium”
- And honestly, the list goes on and on…
It’s possible to do this and preach Biblical truth. But unlikely. All that changes and the preaching and worship changes too.
I think it’s one thing to flat our reject the message of the cross, but it’s another thing to preach a gospel where the cross has lost its power. Where it is no longer enough to save.
The “gospel” became about the marginalized. Taking care of them, promoting them, etc. How can that be the way to salvation? What hope do they have?
The church continued down the path of wokeness.
I tell you that story to challenge each of us personally. It’s not the story of FVC. We have to cover our crack with the teaching we accept. It’s not about that church or that pastor. I bought into the lie. It became appealing and easy. It felt good to meet people’s needs and it felt good to never be confronted with messages about the sin in my life. Christianity was easy and convenient.
That type of message sucks you in. Eventually, we moved on, but the warning still applies. We need Biblical discernment to avoid itching ears and sowing discord.
The gospel of Jesus Christ IS the message of the cross. It doesn’t need to be revamped. It was good enough for Paul to preach in a society like Corinth and it’s good enough for us to preach in a society like Seattle.
My third point is this…
You don’t have to be “somebody” in order for God to use you to accomplish His plan.
God has a plan for us, but bigger than the other things mentioned earlier. A “big picture” plan that is the same for all of us. We were created to bring glory to His name.
Isaiah 43:7
Everyone who is called by My name, whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes I have made him. (NKJV)
Matthew 5:16
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. (NKJV)
We point other people to God – He sees them, knows them, wants eternal relationship with them. So often I feel inadequate to be part of this plan.
Maybe the church in Corinth felt the same way. So Paul reminded them that’s who God uses.
1 Corinthians 1:26-28
Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, 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. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important.
Your life doesn’t’ have to be a mess. God uses everyone. Even Paul himself was very educated.
The world looks exclusively to those types of people. God uses the weak, the meek, the lowly and the broken. Just look at His disciples. God sees differently than man.
1 Samuel 16:7
… For the LORD does not see as man sees; for the man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart”. (NKJV)
God doesn’t care about your physical abilities or your IQ or how many heads turn when you walk down the street. He doesn’t care about your age. He cares about your heart, even if you have doubts.
Story of preaching at youth retreat. October 2021, again in 2022. Not really sure why P. Jeremey asked, but I agreed and struggled through the preparation and nerves. Each time would be the same thing. Feeling very unsure and if there was any point. Never made sense.
May 2023 – same thing. Natalie and Jio (unsaved at that point) came to support me. Didn’t feel confident in my sermon or the delivery.
Jio raised his hand for salvation the next day at church and I missed it because of camp. Really questioned if it was worth it.
Read Jio’s bday note. God had a plan to use me in Jio’s journey to salvation.
The story is not about me. It’s all about God. His way flies in the face of worldly wisdom. How things get done and who does them. Sometime we JUST plan, sometimes we JUST water. Only God makes it grow and He gets the glory.
1 Corinthians 1:29 and 31
As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God. Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the LORD”. (NLT)
I have no doubt that God has a plan and a purpose for all of us that ultimately brings glory to Him. I hope you will spend some time reflecting on what that looks like in your own life. What things are you holding onto that are keeping you from fulfilling His call on your life? Doubt, fear, pride? Whatever it is, I pray that you would ask the Lord to remove it, to help you overcome it so nothing hinders you from bringing glory to His name!
God always has a plan. Whether it’s for salvation, the minute details of your life or using you to glorify Him. His plan is perfect! It doesn’t always have to make sense to us. Trying to figure it out can be frustrating, scary and discouraging. Especially since so often it seems like He’s slowing rolling the reveal of what He’s up to. He’ll show you what you need to know as you need to know it. Just give yourself to Him. Cling tight to the truth and let Him use you. Trust Him, trust the process, trust the plan. Eventually, it’s all going to come together – for your good and His glory! Amen!
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