THE WISDOM OF THE GOSPEL Sunday, August 21, 2016 AM I CORINTHIANS SERMON SERIES Text: I Corinthians 1:18-2:5 In the first part of chapter 1 Paul stated that the Corinthians had a problem with disunity due to following after men. Pay attention because all of the problems outlined further in the book can be related back to one of these problems stated here in the first chapter. Paul begins to refute these problems that he would call worldly wisdom in the church, by bringing their attention to the wisdom of the gospel. Think about this question, what is the difference between a wise person in a wise guy? You could probably list a dozen or so things. But one thing is true in every case. Wise people know how to use their intelligence to serve others and to help those around them. Wise guys are out for themselves. They use their intelligence to destroy. In this passage Paul addresses those in the church at Corinth who claim to be wise. They use their wisdom to divide the church and to promote themselves. Paul show these people that their so-called wisdom was worthless. It could not save anyone, nor could it further the cause of Christ. All it did was destroy, bring division, and was opposed to the gospel. As far as Paul was concerned these people were not wise truly, but were wise guys. Tonight from this passage I want us to learn what Paul has to say to refute the problems of the church with the wisdom of the gospel. Read I Cor. 1:18-31 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. For the Jews
2 require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom. But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. I. The Gospel Contradicts Worldly Wisdom v. 18-25 Paul said that the worldly human wisdom cherished by unbelievers opposes the wisdom of God revealed in the gospel. But the Corinthians basing their divisions on human wisdom, the Corinthian Christians revealed that they had forgotten this basic truth that God opposes the wisdom of the world. There are two things we need to know about human wisdom, and the wisdom of the gospel. A. Human wisdom thinks the cross is foolishness v. 18 for the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; Paul describes the standards of human wisdom which the Jews and the Gentiles endorsed: The Jews require a sign. If you remember in the gospel accounts the Jews were constantly requesting signs from Jesus to prove he was from God. Yet even the miracles he performed didn't satisfy them because he did not perform them according to their asking. They reasoned in their own minds that the true Messiah would
3 provide whatever proof the Jews required. Because of that type of reasoning, the Jews rejected Jesus. Paul also pointed out that "Greeks seek after wisdom", and by and large, many believers @Corinth were Greek. They did not demand miracles to believe the gospel, instead they exalted the standards of their pagan philosophers and poets. Alexander, Plato, Aristotle, Socrates were all well-known Greek philosophers. Ancient Greece was well-known as the seat of many influential philosophers. The Greeks took pride in their philosophical sophistication. They were loyal to rational thinking according to their own fall in standards of human wisdom. You see the Jews understood the cross of Christ as a demonstration that Christ was cursed by God not blessed as they expected the Messiah to be. Many Gentiles could hardly believe or imagine a more ridiculous religion than one that proclaimed salvation through the death of one man on a Roman cross. The Greeks reasoned in their minds, they could not believe or trust for salvation in a God who could not overcome his human enemies and who died at their hands like a common thief. You see not a lot has changed in today's society, there are some who still seek a sign, they want God to jump through their hoops before they will believe. They believe that God has to somehow rescue them from every human ailment, including poverty and sickness. If God can do that for them, then they will not believe. There are still some today who believe that the cross is foolishness because they reasoned in their minds that they have to do something to earn salvation, the cross was not enough. They reasoned in their minds that there has to be some human effort involved in true salvation. You see human wisdom thinks the cross of Christ is foolishness. B. The work of Christ is wise and powerful v. 24 but unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God." Paul explains that it was
4 God's sovereign pleasure to choose something that the wise of the world would consider foolishness-the crucified Savior. By ordaining this seemingly foolish means of salvation, God made the world's socalled wisdom to be foolishness. Although the Jews and Gentiles rejected the true gospel because it did not meet their standards one group of people joyfully accepted the gospel of the cross "unto them which are called". When God's grace touched their lives, their old standards of judgment fell away, whether it was seeking a sign, or rational thinking. They saw with new eyes and understood that the gospel of the crucified Christ was the power of God they could rescue them from the dominion of sin and darkness and bring them into the light of God's salvation. As believers we have come to recognize something about the gospel: it is wiser than man's wisdom, and is stronger than man's strength. We cannot rescue ourselves from the bondage of sin or its punishment. But by the power and the wisdom of God through Christ God made away for salvation by the blood of the Messiah. II. The Grace of the Gospel contradicts Human Pride v. 26-31 The Corinthians needed to remember something about their status in the world when they were called. When they received the gospel, most of them were not wise by human standards. They were not influential nor of noble birth. When they were called, they had no basis to assert some superiority over another person or to boast that they had wisdom, or status, or power. When they were called, they believed in the simple gospel, that they were sinners in need of a Savior, and by God s grace, through the blood of Jesus Christ shed on the cross of Calvary, they received this salvation. Many of these in the church had forgotten this experience and they began to appeal the human wisdom to exalt themselves and to divide from one another. The Bible clearly teaches us that none of us are more superior than the other-there should be no division among us, because we all came to
5 the same cross cleansed by the same blood of Christ. All of us are sinners in need of a Savior. This passage is not meant to belittle us or was it meant to belittle the Corinthians, but to remind them and to remind us that there is no basis for boasting in our own selves. In order to dispel any remaining pride in the Corinthians, Paul reminded them why they believe the gospel. It was not because they were wise or powerful enough to receive salvation. It was because of God that they were in Christ Jesus. God himself is the ultimate force behind the salvation of those who believe. You see no credit belongs to us as man can t come to Christ. All credit belongs to God. We would do well to remember what Paul is telling the Corinthians that Christ is our righteousness, we have no righteousness apart from Christ, so when we want to boast about how good we are, and how we do so much good and how we're so spiritual as compared to others in the church, we need to remember that Christ is our righteousness. If it were not for him we would all be doomed to hell. Christ is our holiness, there is nothing about ourselves that would set us apart and make us holy before a holy God. Christ is the source of our holiness, he is the strength that enables us to live holy or set apart from the world lives. Christ is also our redemption, all believers all of us who were believers were bought at a price. So when we want boast about how good we are or about how holy we are or about the salvation that we have, we should do as Paul told the Corinthians-he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. III. Human Wisdom Is Entirely Absent From The Gospel 1 Cor. 2:1-5 And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and
6 of power: that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. Paul's argument is, is that he did not present the gospel according to the world's wisdom. He didn't want to sway any of them with human ingenuity, or sophisticated speech, he wanted them to be swayed by the Holy Spirit and the preaching of the cross. Paul says he made Jesus the center of his teaching while he was with them in Corinth. He had determined to teach them nothing except Jesus Christ and him crucified. This true gospel message opposed human arrogance, and human wisdom, but it was simply a display of the power of God for salvation. LIFE APPLICATON: The wisdom of God, which the Corinthians had placed their hopes of salvation, opposed the human wisdom that had crept into the church and began to destroy it. Often times we try to prop up our lives based on our own wisdom. We think we know better than God. The problem is when we do it in our own strength we will fail every time. May the words we preach and our actions not impress man with our wisdom but rather point them to Christ and allow them to see His Power! Human wisdom divides us, but the gospel unites us & points others to the cross of Christ and allows them to see His Power!