The Foolish Plan of God

Transcription

1 The Foolish Plan of God Sermon by Pastor Victor Jibuike Sunday, 7 th March

2 Bible Text: 1 Corinthians 1: 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. 19As the Scriptures say, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard the intelligence of the intelligent. e 20So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. 21Since 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. 22It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. 23So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it s all nonsense. 24But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, f 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. 2

3 Introduction Objectives of the message To show that human wisdom apart from God is powerless to save anyone. To demonstrate that the message of the Cross is the Power of God for Salvation To call and challenge every Christian to commit ourselves to God and to spreading His Kingdom through preaching of this message of the cross. 3

4 A Foolish Plan! 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. The message of the death, resurrection and ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ invites two types of reactions. The first reaction is that the message is seen as being foolish. Anyone who has tried any form of witnessing can relate to this experience. Just as in the First Century, today s society sees the message of the Gospel as stupid and ridiculous. For many people, the gospel is just an old traditional story that has no place in modern life. Why? Here are some reasons. 4

5 A Foolish Plan! Why does the message of the cross seem foolish? The cross speaks of death and this can be too sad and negative in people s minds. People feel no connection to Christ or the purpose of His sacrifice. The message of the cross is essentially that no matter who you are or what you do, every one of us stands condemned before God's judgment because we are guilty. This causes offence. The cross tells us that although we may try to get close to God through our own effort, we will inevitably fail. Jesus is the only way to God. Society, with its simplistic belief that right or wrong is a matter for the individual, has an intense dislike for such absolutes. 5

6 The Power of the Cross But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God The second type of reaction to the message of the cross is to embrace it as God s instrument for our redemption. When a person believes that Christ truly died and was raised and therefore our salvation is in him alone, and repents, they are saved forever, Romans 1:16: For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. History testifies that the gospel converts people - brings them to faith and repentance and gives power to live a life of freedom and purpose. This is despite several attempts to stamp out Christianity and its message. This is the divine power of the Gospel. 6

7 Futility of Human Wisdom I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard the intelligence of the intelligent. e Paul explains that God makes a mockery of human reasononing and wisdom. (see also Isa 29:14) Politicians, scientists, professors, philosophers and all the great thinkers are foolish if their teachings and understandings are not based on the word of God. Their efforts will amount to nothing. We believe that God will yet demonstrate his power against this generation s trend of hostility and dismissiveness towards Christianity and the knowledge of God. 7

8 Futility of Human Wisdom The wisdom of this world is not able to reveal God or resolve the real problem of sin So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world s brilliant debaters? 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.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. For all their discoveries of space and matter, God ensured that the world s greatest thinkers could never discover the way to God using human reasoning. The meaning and the purpose of life will only be discovered through the preaching of the gospel message. What is the implication of this truth for Christians? 8

9 You are God s Plan A God called the things that the world considers foolish 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 not called the great and good of society. Instead, He determined to save people through the foolish preaching of ordinary men and women. This is humbling. God s plan A is that your preaching of the gospel will be the means by which others would come to salvation. God has work for you. Are you available? If not I encourage you to make yourself available to God today. 9

10 Summary 1. The death and resurrection of Christ is God s answer to the problem of Humanity - sin and judgment. 2. Human wisdom and reasoning apart from the gospel message, can never bring man close to God. 3. God has chosen ordinary men and women to preach the gospel and through which, He will deliver and save those who believe. 4. For Reflection: 1. Have you accepted the Crucified Lord or are you still trying to use human reasoning to get close to God? 2. If you are a Christian, are you ready to pledge yourself to be used by God to bring others to salvation as you preach the message of the cross? 10