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The Wisdom of God…
- A 2nd cause of divison in the church…
So if we boast – we have only to boast in what God has done for us!
Paul goes on to give a second cause for division within the church – the wisdom of men…
When men think they have all the answers – trust in their wisdom…
It means they are not trusting in the Lord – and the result is division…
Paul contrasts the wisdom of God – and the wisdom of men – in 2 areas…
1st – The wisdom of God’s message… (3 things) vs. 18-25
1st – The message of God is the cross of Jesus Christ… vs. 18
To those who are on the road to destruction – the message of the cross is foolish…
Christianity is the only faith – whose focus is the humiliation and death of God…
To those who are on the road to hell – that message seems like a foolish idea…
The answer to life is to believe in the death of God…
In order to have abundant life – we must take up our cross and follow Jesus…
From a ‘human perspective’ it does not seem to make much sense…
So those who walk down the road to destruction – don’t believe the message…
* Matthew 7:13-14 – “The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose the easy way. But the gateway to life is small, the road is narrow, and only a few ever find it.
Men have all kinds of ideas about how to get to heaven – men’s wisdom…
From the simple – ‘be a good enough person’ – ‘follow all the rules’ – to extreme:
Muslims who are willing to strap bombs and blow themselves up for Allah…
Hindus who pull heavy carts with hooks attached to your back…
‘Christian’ who practice flagellation and crucifixion (usually during Lent)
But all of men’s ideas, all their rules and religions, lead to destruction – hell…
The cross may seem to be an outlandish / utterly foolish message…
But the truth is we are foolish if we do not to believe it!
The word ‘foolish’ – is the word ‘moros’ – the root of the word ‘moron’…
Paul is subtly calling those who reject the cross – walk the broad road – morons!
To those who believe – the cross is the power of salvation…
John 10:9 – “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved.”
There is no way to heaven – only through grace by faith in Jesus!
The cross is the power of God to save sinners – the only way to be saved!
We would be a fool/moron to reject the cross – to reject the only way to heaven!
2nd – The message of the cross – makes the wisdom of men look foolish… vs. 19-21
Quoting Isaiah 29:14/Isaiah 33:18 – God will destroy the wisdom of the wise…
The context of Isaiah – the siege of the city of Jerusalem by the King of Assyria…
He had come to conquer Jerusalem – with an arm of 185,000 men!
The wisdom of men would say the Jews were doomed – they stood no chance…
If they had trusted in their army – or other nations to help – they’d have perished…
But Hezekiah – the king of Judah – instead did something foolish – he prayed to God…
* Isaiah 37:36 – “Then the angel of the LORD went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty–five thousand…”
Like Elisha & his servant when he was surrounded by all the armies of Syria…
His servant panicked – with apparent good reason – thinking they were dead men…
Two men against a well trained army – how foolish – yet…
* II Kings 6:16 – “Elisha answered, ‘Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’”
The Lord opened the servants eyes and the whole mountain was full of Angels
When we feel overwhelmed – when life becomes to be too hard…
Trusting in the Lord may seem like foolishness – but in truth its great wisdom!
Those who trust in the wisdom of men – are blinded to the need for the cross…
If you attend a university today – schools of ‘higher learning’…
You are not taught about the consequences of a life of sin…
Instead you are told there is no right or wrong – it is all relative…
There is no sin – as long as you think it is ok – it is good…
Judges 21:25 – “Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”
You are not taught about the hope of God – the saving power of the cross…
In fact you are not even taught about God – you are taught there is no God…
You are a product of 18 billion years of evolution – you are an accident…
Because they want no accountability – no judgment – no heaven or hell…
This is the wisdom of men – this is man’s answer to life…
Romans 1:22 – “Professing to be wise, they became fools…”
3rd – Men’s wisdom looks for any other answer – but the cross… vs. 22-25
The Jews seeks a sign…
In Matthew 12:38 – the Jewish leaders asked Jesus for a ‘sign’…
Jesus could have done 10,000 miracles – they still would not have believed
The problem was not Jesus – the problem was with their hearts…
Why doesn’t everyone want to be in church to hear about the Good news…
Why are people so resistant when it comes to talking about Jesus…
* John 3:19-20 – “The light from heaven came into the world, but they loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. They hate the light because they want to sin in the darkness. They stay away from the light for fear their sins will be exposed and they will be punished.”
Men stay away from Jesus because they love their sin…
They seek a ‘sign’ in order to justify why they stay away!
The Greek seek knowledge…
The Greek word for wisdom is ‘Sophia’ – Philosophy is the love of wisdom…
Greeks loved their pursuit of knowledge and understanding…
To them it was the answer to life – it was their salvation…
Not very different from our culture today – education is the answer…
If you want a better life – if you want a meaningful life – get an education…
But an education – apart from the cross – only becomes an escape from the truth…
II Timothy 3:7 – “Always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
So we preach Jesus – the message of the cross…
The foolishness of God – that is wiser than the wisdom of men!
The weakness of God – that is stronger than the might of men…
In the moment when Jesus seemed the weakest – His death on the cross…
Was the same moment when God defeated sin – opened the door to heaven…
2nd – The wisdom of God’s messangers… vs. 26-31
Those who are called by God to preach the message – are as foolish as the message…
God does not pick many wise – mighty – or noble…
There is a common misconception that God only uses the ‘elite’…
In order to be used by God you have to have a 4-year degree – PhD in theology…
That is the wisdom of men – a worldly idea that has crept into the church…
You don’t see any Bible colleges or seminaries in the Bible – you just see sinners…
God chooses simple fishermen (Peter/James/John) – criminals (Paul/Moses/David)…
Instead God chooses the foolish things of this world… (4 things)
1st – So if we are weak / a coward / despised / un-important – we are qualified!
You might be thinking that God could never use you…
Thinking that you don’t have the right education – you have no money
You might think you’re only from the Bukid – not famous or influential…
What you may not realize is that you just gave yourself all the right qualifications!
You’re exactly what God chooses to go and preach the message of the cross!
2nd – So we understand God expects very little from us…
Interesting word ‘foolish’ – ‘moros’ – or morons…
God choose us because we were morons!
Psalms 103:14 – “He understands how weak we are; he knows we are only dust.”
God uses the foolish – and that should bless our hearts!
Since God choose us because we are foolish – He does not expect much from us!
3rd – So people see Jesus and not us…
Acts 4:13 – “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.”
Unlearned – agrammatos – illiterate / Ignorant – idiots – Idiot…
The Jewish leaders were not impressed by who Peter and John were…
But they did take note – they had been with Jesus!
When God uses foolish people – you don’t give credit to the person…
You stand amazed and recognize it must be Jesus working through the person!
4th – So no one can glory in God’s presence…
When we get to heaven – no one will be able to say it was by their efforts…
No one can say they were strong enough – wise enough – smart enough…
God uses the foolish so all of the credit goes to God!
Ephesians 2:8-9 – “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
So God made Jesus true wisdom – and only in Christ are we acceptable to God…
Jesus made us pure – holy – he purchased our freedom from sin and death!
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