WEBVTT 00:00:00.280 --> 00:00:05.700 This week we'll continue in 1 Corinthians chapter 1, and starting in verse 17, we read, 00:00:06.480 --> 00:00:15.320 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. 00:00:16.140 --> 00:00:22.800 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God. 00:00:23.219 --> 00:00:29.780 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart. 00:00:30.559 --> 00:00:35.460 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? 00:00:35.899 --> 00:00:38.120 Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 00:00:39.079 --> 00:00:47.500 For since in the wisdom of God the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. 00:00:47.780 --> 00:00:56.620 For Jews demand signs, and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews, and folly to Gentiles. 00:00:56.619 --> 00:01:02.839 But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 00:01:03.280 --> 00:01:08.859 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 00:01:09.280 --> 00:01:10.379 This is the word of God. 00:01:10.379 --> 00:01:40.359 For the foolishness of God, and the truth is the word of God. 00:01:40.379 --> 00:01:51.079 This morning I want to ask you a similar but slightly different question, and that is, how do you feel about church, particularly when it seems unexciting? 00:01:52.039 --> 00:01:53.599 Somewhat boring. 00:01:54.179 --> 00:01:57.840 When it seems out of date with modern times. 00:01:59.159 --> 00:02:01.919 Friends, how do you feel about preaching? 00:02:01.920 --> 00:02:09.960 Some bald old guy standing up on stage for 30 minutes, speaking a monologue without any discussion. 00:02:10.159 --> 00:02:10.979 What's up with that? 00:02:12.120 --> 00:02:15.159 Surely it's time for us to modernize things a little bit better. 00:02:15.680 --> 00:02:16.960 No more monologues. 00:02:17.360 --> 00:02:18.539 More discussion. 00:02:19.699 --> 00:02:22.420 Surely the time has come for us to be a bit more entertaining. 00:02:23.099 --> 00:02:23.979 A bit more interesting. 00:02:24.939 --> 00:02:26.840 Maybe we should try church in the metaverse. 00:02:26.840 --> 00:02:31.360 We should all come with our AR goggles or stay at home and do church in the metaverse. 00:02:32.360 --> 00:02:35.920 And maybe, maybe church needs to be a little bit more lighthearted. 00:02:36.780 --> 00:02:38.280 We don't need to be so serious. 00:02:38.420 --> 00:02:41.159 There's enough sadness and difficulty in the world as there is. 00:02:41.539 --> 00:02:43.180 Life is hard enough as it is. 00:02:43.620 --> 00:02:48.280 Why do we need to come to church and talk about things like sin and death and repentance? 00:02:49.719 --> 00:02:52.800 Friends, isn't it time that church got a bit more practical? 00:02:52.800 --> 00:02:56.840 I mean, enough of one guy telling us for 30 minutes about God. 00:02:57.420 --> 00:03:00.780 Surely we should do workshops on how to make life work. 00:03:01.180 --> 00:03:04.900 And how to raise our kids and save money for our retirement. 00:03:05.260 --> 00:03:07.000 And advance in our careers. 00:03:07.740 --> 00:03:09.500 And care for the environment. 00:03:11.520 --> 00:03:15.260 Surely the whole Jesus dying on the cross and sin and repentance thing. 00:03:15.340 --> 00:03:16.600 And salvation and judgment. 00:03:16.780 --> 00:03:18.400 And never mind heaven and hell. 00:03:18.500 --> 00:03:20.120 That way, way out of date. 00:03:20.120 --> 00:03:24.439 Isn't it time the church had a bit of a modern makeover? 00:03:24.620 --> 00:03:26.580 Or at least a software update. 00:03:28.259 --> 00:03:35.400 Friends, if you've ever thought such thoughts, you may be surprised to know that you're not the first one that's had such thoughts. 00:03:36.000 --> 00:03:41.480 In fact, those thoughts, those conversations are as old as Christianity themselves. 00:03:41.479 --> 00:03:50.439 Because in the very first century, the Christians in those days, or at least the people that are part of the church, were having similar thoughts. 00:03:50.859 --> 00:03:51.759 Similar conversations. 00:03:52.579 --> 00:03:54.359 Maybe not the metaverse one. 00:03:54.719 --> 00:03:54.959 Okay? 00:03:55.060 --> 00:03:56.579 But at least the other conversations. 00:03:57.699 --> 00:04:02.799 And in this passage, the Apostle Paul is going to address some of that. 00:04:02.800 --> 00:04:06.780 And he's going to tell us what the church is all about. 00:04:07.340 --> 00:04:10.340 And why it is that it does what it does. 00:04:10.439 --> 00:04:12.840 And so, look with me at verse 17. 00:04:12.980 --> 00:04:15.260 If you've got your Bible or your bulletin, look at verse 17. 00:04:15.820 --> 00:04:16.819 Paul writes and he says, 00:04:17.360 --> 00:04:20.319 Christ did not send me to baptize people. 00:04:20.780 --> 00:04:23.220 He means there, start a religious gathering. 00:04:23.759 --> 00:04:26.220 Start a community of religious folk. 00:04:26.699 --> 00:04:27.720 Create a movement. 00:04:27.720 --> 00:04:30.840 No, he called me to preach the gospel. 00:04:31.780 --> 00:04:33.640 And not with words of eloquent wisdom. 00:04:34.380 --> 00:04:37.520 You could say, but with simplicity and clarity. 00:04:38.200 --> 00:04:41.980 Lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. 00:04:43.720 --> 00:04:47.960 Paul tells us here that Christianity, tells the Corinthians, 00:04:48.200 --> 00:04:51.760 Christianity is not a self-help mechanism or a religion. 00:04:52.400 --> 00:04:55.660 It's not good advice on how to live your best life now. 00:04:55.660 --> 00:05:00.340 Actually, at the heart of Christianity is a proclamation, a declaration. 00:05:01.640 --> 00:05:06.060 Good news about how to be saved from futility and vanity. 00:05:06.780 --> 00:05:08.140 And even more so, destruction. 00:05:08.620 --> 00:05:10.560 How to know God personally. 00:05:11.240 --> 00:05:13.980 And to know the God that made you and loves you. 00:05:14.460 --> 00:05:17.740 And designed for your life to correspond with his plan. 00:05:18.480 --> 00:05:19.920 That's what this passage is about. 00:05:20.040 --> 00:05:23.820 Paul wants to urge us to, as counterintuitive as it is, 00:05:23.819 --> 00:05:30.680 he wants us to embrace the old, old message of Jesus and the cross. 00:05:31.959 --> 00:05:35.159 Now, before we look into it, one objection you may have. 00:05:35.579 --> 00:05:38.879 You may say, okay, but that was the apostle Paul. 00:05:38.959 --> 00:05:39.839 I mean, look what he says here. 00:05:39.879 --> 00:05:42.019 He says, for Christ did not send me. 00:05:42.480 --> 00:05:44.360 So maybe that's just Paul's calling. 00:05:44.480 --> 00:05:46.899 Or maybe that's Paul's personality type. 00:05:47.339 --> 00:05:50.159 Or maybe those are Paul's ideas about church. 00:05:50.160 --> 00:05:53.540 But what's to say that we, in modern 21st century Hong Kong, 00:05:53.760 --> 00:05:56.320 should think of our church the way that he thought of our church. 00:05:57.020 --> 00:05:58.760 And maybe we've got a different calling. 00:05:59.620 --> 00:06:02.060 But if you'll notice, as we work through this passage, 00:06:02.200 --> 00:06:03.460 one of the things I want you to see, 00:06:04.200 --> 00:06:08.580 Paul's reason here is not based on personality or personal preference. 00:06:09.180 --> 00:06:12.460 It's based on the understanding of who God is. 00:06:12.459 --> 00:06:15.879 And secondly, how God works in the world. 00:06:16.939 --> 00:06:17.139 Okay? 00:06:17.779 --> 00:06:20.459 So, let's dive into this passage. 00:06:20.659 --> 00:06:26.199 And in this passage, we're going to see a sustained contrast between two things. 00:06:26.579 --> 00:06:32.779 On the one hand, our way of thinking versus God's way of thinking. 00:06:33.139 --> 00:06:37.620 Our way of viewing the world and God's way of viewing the world. 00:06:37.620 --> 00:06:43.280 How we naturally think and how God thinks about things. 00:06:43.379 --> 00:06:48.360 And what we're going to see here is that God's way of working and thinking is completely different, 00:06:48.500 --> 00:06:51.000 even in verse two hours. 00:06:51.720 --> 00:06:51.939 Okay? 00:06:52.579 --> 00:06:58.639 So, the two contrasts is the wisdom of the world and the upside down wisdom of God. 00:06:59.319 --> 00:07:01.740 So, let's look at the first one, the wisdom of the world. 00:07:01.740 --> 00:07:07.180 Now, if you'll remember, this book is written to a church in the city of Corinth. 00:07:07.720 --> 00:07:11.259 Corinth is a city, a Greek city in the ancient Roman Empire. 00:07:11.420 --> 00:07:16.579 So, it's got these two influences, two cultures, Greek culture and Roman culture. 00:07:17.220 --> 00:07:26.480 And for Greeks, philosophy, human wisdom, oratory, and wonderful speaking are extremely, extremely important. 00:07:26.480 --> 00:07:34.819 The kind of people that everybody in Corinth looked up to weren't necessarily the richest or the wealthiest. 00:07:35.140 --> 00:07:38.420 They were the most sophisticated, the most educated. 00:07:39.140 --> 00:07:42.120 Those that were considered wise in their culture. 00:07:42.780 --> 00:07:48.879 So, in Corinth, the cultural currency of the day was wisdom, sophistication. 00:07:49.420 --> 00:07:49.540 Okay? 00:07:49.860 --> 00:07:52.980 That's what made you a cultural elite. 00:07:53.319 --> 00:07:56.100 Now, just a quick sidebar here. 00:07:57.480 --> 00:07:59.220 The Bible has a lot to say about wisdom. 00:07:59.580 --> 00:08:03.920 In fact, there's a couple of books in the Old Testament that we call the wisdom literature. 00:08:04.560 --> 00:08:06.460 The Bible says we should get wisdom. 00:08:07.500 --> 00:08:14.759 But the Bible's understanding of wisdom is life orientated around how God has designed life to work. 00:08:14.900 --> 00:08:20.379 So, the Bible says wisdom is to know how God has organized life to work. 00:08:20.819 --> 00:08:25.420 And then to the skill of doing life according to God's blueprint or God's plan. 00:08:25.420 --> 00:08:29.640 And God's blueprint or plan is to have God at the center of our lives. 00:08:30.000 --> 00:08:33.639 That's why the Bible says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. 00:08:34.399 --> 00:08:39.480 Now, the kind of wisdom that the Greeks were interested in was a very different kind of wisdom. 00:08:40.220 --> 00:08:43.039 Their kind of wisdom was more about sophistication. 00:08:43.740 --> 00:08:44.960 Heirs and graces. 00:08:44.960 --> 00:08:52.080 Speaking in a certain kind of tone or kind of philosophical musings about life. 00:08:52.180 --> 00:08:55.220 That didn't have any practical reality on the ground. 00:08:56.019 --> 00:09:00.680 And so, that's the kind of wisdom that the Greeks loved and valued. 00:09:00.679 --> 00:09:05.059 So, the Greeks loved wisdom and sophistication and education. 00:09:05.959 --> 00:09:09.899 Now, the Romans, the other people in the city, what was their cultural currency? 00:09:10.579 --> 00:09:11.979 It wasn't wisdom or education. 00:09:12.500 --> 00:09:13.219 It was power. 00:09:13.759 --> 00:09:14.519 It was influence. 00:09:14.620 --> 00:09:15.500 It was might, right? 00:09:15.919 --> 00:09:17.500 What is the Roman Empire built on? 00:09:18.399 --> 00:09:20.759 The ability to destroy your enemies. 00:09:20.959 --> 00:09:21.500 Defeat them. 00:09:21.919 --> 00:09:24.579 So, here you have these two kind of cultural currencies. 00:09:24.799 --> 00:09:26.179 Wisdom and power. 00:09:26.419 --> 00:09:26.719 Might. 00:09:27.479 --> 00:09:29.899 Now, look what Paul has to say about this. 00:09:30.899 --> 00:09:38.919 Paul is going to tell us that in God's economy, the things that we tend to value and esteem and put so much weight and emphasis on, 00:09:39.360 --> 00:09:45.059 the things we hope in, in God's economy, when you look at the world through God's spectacles, 00:09:45.600 --> 00:09:47.379 actually, they look entirely different. 00:09:47.500 --> 00:09:48.360 They're upside down. 00:09:48.919 --> 00:09:49.639 Look at what he says here. 00:09:49.699 --> 00:09:50.620 Look at verse 19. 00:09:51.179 --> 00:09:52.139 Quoting Isaiah, he says, 00:09:52.720 --> 00:09:53.419 God says, 00:09:53.419 --> 00:09:56.039 I will destroy the wisdom of the wise. 00:09:56.599 --> 00:10:01.679 And the discernment of the discerning, or the intelligence of the intelligent, I will thwart. 00:10:01.979 --> 00:10:04.339 Thwart means to frustrate or obstruct. 00:10:05.399 --> 00:10:06.139 Verse 20. 00:10:06.479 --> 00:10:08.279 Indeed, where is the one who is wise? 00:10:08.439 --> 00:10:09.559 Where is the scribe? 00:10:09.679 --> 00:10:12.360 Where is the debater or the philosopher of our age? 00:10:12.919 --> 00:10:15.719 Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 00:10:15.720 --> 00:10:21.399 For, in the wisdom of God, the world does not even know God through its wisdom. 00:10:22.279 --> 00:10:27.920 So Paul's saying here, all these things that the cultural elites are admired and loved for, 00:10:27.980 --> 00:10:32.019 and even they get some kind of celebrity status, and they're all revered for these things, 00:10:32.160 --> 00:10:37.399 because of their great learning and their oratory and their ability to speak and their sophistication. 00:10:38.000 --> 00:10:40.040 He says, what has it really given them? 00:10:40.039 --> 00:10:42.719 At the end of the day, what do they have? 00:10:44.019 --> 00:10:44.839 And the answer? 00:10:45.759 --> 00:10:46.079 Nothing. 00:10:47.500 --> 00:10:47.939 Foolishness. 00:10:48.659 --> 00:10:49.740 A pile of hot air. 00:10:50.860 --> 00:10:51.259 Vanity. 00:10:51.699 --> 00:10:52.139 Verse 20. 00:10:52.500 --> 00:10:56.039 Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 00:10:56.939 --> 00:11:00.579 Paul says, you're running after these things, and you think these things are going to make you great? 00:11:01.019 --> 00:11:02.339 And what does God say about them? 00:11:03.139 --> 00:11:03.860 Hot air. 00:11:04.419 --> 00:11:04.699 Nothing. 00:11:05.899 --> 00:11:07.199 In fact, Paul says more than that. 00:11:07.199 --> 00:11:08.860 He says, it's not just a pile of hot air. 00:11:09.300 --> 00:11:10.440 It's actually dangerous. 00:11:10.899 --> 00:11:11.860 It's destructive. 00:11:13.039 --> 00:11:14.659 Paul says, it's not just that it gives you nothing. 00:11:14.800 --> 00:11:17.680 It puts you on a collision course with God himself. 00:11:18.139 --> 00:11:19.440 Look at verse 19. 00:11:20.039 --> 00:11:24.000 God says, I, God, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise. 00:11:24.500 --> 00:11:28.440 I will frustrate the intelligence and their plans. 00:11:29.180 --> 00:11:33.560 God says, he's going to take this kind of thinking, he's going to turn it upside down in his head, 00:11:33.560 --> 00:11:36.960 and we're going to find ourselves on a collision course with God himself. 00:11:36.960 --> 00:11:38.620 Look what he says. 00:11:38.680 --> 00:11:43.940 Even more sadly, Paul says, this kind of thinking actually stops us from knowing God. 00:11:44.480 --> 00:11:45.100 Verse 21. 00:11:45.620 --> 00:11:50.340 He says, for the world cannot know God through human wisdom. 00:11:51.379 --> 00:12:00.560 Remember, the Greeks in the ancient world, their aim and philosophy was to try to know and to understand the thinking of the gods and the thinking of the deities. 00:12:00.559 --> 00:12:06.299 And they were philosophizing and thinking, what would the gods want us to know and think? 00:12:06.879 --> 00:12:12.639 And Paul says that when your thinking is like that, actually, it stops you from knowing God. 00:12:12.919 --> 00:12:16.439 You get more and more lost in all your philosophizing. 00:12:16.440 --> 00:12:19.580 So, it's kind of like this. 00:12:20.140 --> 00:12:25.180 It's like, imagine you are stuck in a snowstorm in the mountains, right? 00:12:25.660 --> 00:12:29.000 You're in the mountains and there's a snowstorm that's brewing. 00:12:29.360 --> 00:12:31.520 And you think, I know how to get home. 00:12:31.600 --> 00:12:36.500 I've just got to go down this path, left at the tree, right at the big rock, and I'll get my way home. 00:12:37.440 --> 00:12:42.880 And actually, not knowing that the further you go down, the more lost you are becoming. 00:12:42.879 --> 00:12:51.039 Paul says that in their culture, they are philosophizing and thinking and wondering and seeking wisdom. 00:12:51.659 --> 00:12:54.340 And they're actually getting more and more lost. 00:12:55.259 --> 00:12:56.639 You cannot know God. 00:12:57.659 --> 00:13:01.939 But ultimately, he says, the great problem with human wisdom, with trying to do life in our own way, 00:13:02.779 --> 00:13:08.360 it leads to this separation from the God who made us to know Him and love Him and encounter Him. 00:13:08.360 --> 00:13:10.019 Look at verse 18. 00:13:10.019 --> 00:13:14.879 He says, for the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing. 00:13:15.740 --> 00:13:18.779 Perishing means eternal destiny away from God. 00:13:19.899 --> 00:13:24.699 Verse 17 says, the wisdom of man empties the cross of its saving power. 00:13:26.279 --> 00:13:27.340 You see what Paul is saying here? 00:13:27.639 --> 00:13:30.340 Here in this culture, there's this cultural currency. 00:13:30.500 --> 00:13:34.000 If only we can get more wisdom, more sophistication, more education. 00:13:34.360 --> 00:13:36.220 We will make it in life. 00:13:36.340 --> 00:13:37.199 Life will work. 00:13:37.539 --> 00:13:38.779 We will be successful. 00:13:38.779 --> 00:13:45.179 And Paul is saying, actually, as you pursue that, you're going to go further and further into the woods. 00:13:45.879 --> 00:13:47.559 Deeper and deeper into the snowstorm. 00:13:47.939 --> 00:13:50.319 You are going to get more and more lost. 00:13:50.379 --> 00:13:54.399 And what you're going to find is that God Himself is going to be opposed to you. 00:13:54.399 --> 00:14:04.819 Now, I know that we have some friends here this morning that are students, HKU students of philosophy and even a professor of philosophy here. 00:14:04.820 --> 00:14:10.920 Well, friends, I hope you can see that what the Apostle Paul is saying here. 00:14:10.920 --> 00:14:13.940 He's not critiquing the academic field of philosophy. 00:14:14.080 --> 00:14:15.920 He's not critiquing education at all. 00:14:15.919 --> 00:14:22.179 What Paul is asking us here is, what are the cultural currencies of our city? 00:14:22.620 --> 00:14:24.759 What are the cultural currencies of our day? 00:14:24.839 --> 00:14:29.279 That our city says, if you can get this, you will have made it in life. 00:14:29.759 --> 00:14:37.599 If you can attain more of this, what Jeremy said, if you can obtain your more, this will make you your life work. 00:14:37.600 --> 00:14:48.320 Friends, in what realms of life are we adopting the thinking of our city, seeking to become more impressive, more powerful, more set apart according to values of our culture? 00:14:49.580 --> 00:15:03.360 Friends, how many of us spend countless weekends doing 400 million cultural engagements in order to get our three-year-old child into the very best primary school possible, 00:15:03.360 --> 00:15:09.159 so that they can get into the very best secondary school, so that they can get into the very best university, 00:15:09.659 --> 00:15:14.560 so that in the thinking of our city and our peers and our culture, we will have made it? 00:15:16.220 --> 00:15:24.620 Friends, how many of us are pushing ourselves physically and emotionally and financially and destroying our mental health to get one more degree, 00:15:25.080 --> 00:15:29.379 one more qualification, one more accreditation on our resume, 00:15:29.379 --> 00:15:34.200 or to get that promotion, so that finally we would have made it? 00:15:36.340 --> 00:15:38.679 Friends, how many of us are getting ourselves into debt, 00:15:39.379 --> 00:15:41.840 buying things we don't really need, 00:15:42.059 --> 00:15:43.799 going on trips we can't really afford, 00:15:44.000 --> 00:15:46.279 living a lifestyle that we can't really sustain, 00:15:46.939 --> 00:15:50.939 in order to look impressive to our colleagues, our friends, our neighbors? 00:15:52.240 --> 00:15:53.679 You see what Paul was telling us here? 00:15:54.679 --> 00:15:58.679 Paul was saying, seeking to be wise and sophisticated and impressive and brilliant, 00:15:59.379 --> 00:16:03.840 in the eyes of our society, of our culture, will destroy us. 00:16:04.600 --> 00:16:05.740 It will eat you alive. 00:16:06.460 --> 00:16:10.480 And we think that we are being wise, but actually we're going to become fools. 00:16:11.419 --> 00:16:15.600 We think that we are earning social capital and credit, but we're going to be ruined. 00:16:16.759 --> 00:16:19.840 You think you're becoming impressive and remarkable and outstanding, 00:16:20.240 --> 00:16:24.580 but these things will leave you empty and weak and miserable. 00:16:24.580 --> 00:16:30.240 Friends, human wisdom, trying to make life according to our own brilliance, 00:16:30.340 --> 00:16:34.520 is a sure fire way to a vain and an empty life. 00:16:37.000 --> 00:16:38.980 I wonder how many of us feel that this morning. 00:16:40.400 --> 00:16:43.720 Friends, maybe you come here this morning and you feel empty. 00:16:44.540 --> 00:16:46.879 You've chased down and maybe you even succeeded, 00:16:47.040 --> 00:16:48.139 maybe you've even obtained. 00:16:48.660 --> 00:16:51.220 The things that our city tells you will give you meaning and purpose, 00:16:51.220 --> 00:16:53.500 and yet it feels so empty. 00:16:54.879 --> 00:16:58.139 Friends, maybe you've spent years coming across as impressive, 00:16:59.100 --> 00:17:01.000 smart, someone that has it all together, 00:17:01.800 --> 00:17:07.519 and yet you feel lame, fake, stupid, weak. 00:17:08.660 --> 00:17:10.380 Friends, maybe you're a Christian this morning, 00:17:10.440 --> 00:17:11.380 but if you're honest, 00:17:11.799 --> 00:17:15.799 you actually spend your life chasing the things that our society tells you to chase. 00:17:15.799 --> 00:17:17.419 And so you're a Christian, 00:17:17.619 --> 00:17:21.819 but the things that really drive you are the things that drive our city. 00:17:22.799 --> 00:17:24.819 And your spiritual life feels empty. 00:17:24.940 --> 00:17:25.619 It feels weak. 00:17:25.740 --> 00:17:26.779 It feels meaningless. 00:17:27.359 --> 00:17:27.980 And you wonder, 00:17:28.299 --> 00:17:30.000 does Christianity actually work? 00:17:32.240 --> 00:17:34.919 Friends, and you wonder whether your faith makes any difference at all, 00:17:34.980 --> 00:17:37.940 because your life is the same as your secular friends. 00:17:39.059 --> 00:17:40.039 And so the question is, 00:17:40.139 --> 00:17:41.339 is there another way? 00:17:41.339 --> 00:17:46.099 Well, this passage tells us there is another way. 00:17:46.919 --> 00:17:49.159 And yet, it's the most counterintuitive, 00:17:49.359 --> 00:17:51.740 the most upside-down way imaginable. 00:17:52.339 --> 00:17:56.639 And that is to embrace the upside-down wisdom of God. 00:17:57.240 --> 00:17:59.039 Look at what Paul says here. 00:17:59.619 --> 00:18:01.179 Contrast to the wisdom of the world, 00:18:01.279 --> 00:18:03.099 and the philosophy of humanistic thinking, 00:18:03.259 --> 00:18:04.339 and power plays, 00:18:04.439 --> 00:18:05.699 which promises so much, 00:18:05.759 --> 00:18:06.639 but leaves us empty, 00:18:07.240 --> 00:18:08.139 powerless and poor, 00:18:08.259 --> 00:18:09.299 there is another way. 00:18:09.299 --> 00:18:14.359 And that is to come and see life as God has orientated it, 00:18:14.419 --> 00:18:15.779 and God has designed it, 00:18:16.180 --> 00:18:18.680 which primarily means having God at the center, 00:18:19.039 --> 00:18:22.919 to receive it and embrace what God says really matters. 00:18:23.579 --> 00:18:26.279 And yet, it's so counterintuitive. 00:18:26.480 --> 00:18:27.419 It's countercultural. 00:18:28.019 --> 00:18:32.339 Because God says at the heart of His revelation about how life works, 00:18:32.839 --> 00:18:35.119 stands a crucified Messiah, 00:18:35.720 --> 00:18:38.720 a Savior who looks weak and unimpressive, 00:18:38.720 --> 00:18:40.819 that to make life work, 00:18:40.880 --> 00:18:43.660 you need to embrace the Creator's vision, 00:18:43.779 --> 00:18:45.420 the Creator's blueprint for life. 00:18:45.799 --> 00:18:46.880 And in order to do that, 00:18:46.940 --> 00:18:49.420 you need to embrace the heart of life, 00:18:49.779 --> 00:18:51.339 stands a crucified Messiah. 00:18:52.620 --> 00:18:53.579 Now, you may think, 00:18:53.920 --> 00:18:55.620 Kevin, that is ridiculous. 00:18:55.819 --> 00:18:57.400 I mean, we live in the 21st century, 00:18:57.400 --> 00:19:00.680 life is so much more scientific and modern. 00:19:00.940 --> 00:19:03.700 We've proved already that people don't die and rise again. 00:19:04.019 --> 00:19:06.220 That is the most ridiculous thing you can imagine. 00:19:07.180 --> 00:19:08.180 But as I said earlier, 00:19:08.680 --> 00:19:10.519 that's exactly what the ancient world thought. 00:19:11.380 --> 00:19:12.480 Just by the way, 00:19:13.180 --> 00:19:15.380 it's not only modern people that think 00:19:15.380 --> 00:19:17.140 dead people don't rise from the grave. 00:19:17.280 --> 00:19:19.700 Even people in the 1st century thought that as well, right? 00:19:20.400 --> 00:19:21.600 That's not a modern notion. 00:19:21.599 --> 00:19:23.199 But remember, for the Greeks, 00:19:23.740 --> 00:19:26.599 no wise or sophisticated or educated person 00:19:27.339 --> 00:19:29.879 would ever allow themselves to get in a position 00:19:29.879 --> 00:19:32.939 where they were tried and condemned 00:19:32.939 --> 00:19:34.639 and then crucified on a cross. 00:19:35.119 --> 00:19:36.839 I mean, only stupid people did that. 00:19:37.219 --> 00:19:39.099 Only low-class plebs did that. 00:19:39.539 --> 00:19:42.639 No wise person would ever allow themselves to get crucified. 00:19:43.419 --> 00:19:45.359 Who on earth would follow Jesus? 00:19:46.119 --> 00:19:47.579 That's the most foolish thing you can do. 00:19:48.240 --> 00:19:49.359 And for the Romans, 00:19:49.359 --> 00:19:50.779 what do they think? 00:19:51.399 --> 00:19:53.279 Which powerful person 00:19:53.279 --> 00:19:54.899 is ever going to allow themselves 00:19:54.899 --> 00:19:56.899 to be condemned 00:19:56.899 --> 00:19:58.979 and crucified on a Roman cross? 00:19:59.459 --> 00:20:00.979 Only weak people did that. 00:20:01.299 --> 00:20:02.419 Only defeated people. 00:20:02.539 --> 00:20:04.099 Only shameful people did that. 00:20:04.699 --> 00:20:06.479 Why on earth would anyone choose to follow, 00:20:06.579 --> 00:20:07.459 never mind worship, 00:20:07.599 --> 00:20:08.479 someone like that? 00:20:09.579 --> 00:20:10.979 And yet look at what Paul says. 00:20:12.240 --> 00:20:13.419 Look at verse 18. 00:20:14.579 --> 00:20:14.979 He says, 00:20:15.119 --> 00:20:16.779 For the word of the cross 00:20:16.779 --> 00:20:18.259 or the message of the cross 00:20:18.259 --> 00:20:21.039 is foolishness to those who are perishing, 00:20:21.640 --> 00:20:23.079 but to us who are being saved, 00:20:23.680 --> 00:20:25.039 it's the power of God. 00:20:25.720 --> 00:20:26.539 Verse 21. 00:20:26.759 --> 00:20:28.079 For since, or although, 00:20:28.559 --> 00:20:30.180 the world did not know God 00:20:30.180 --> 00:20:31.240 through its own wisdom, 00:20:31.819 --> 00:20:33.900 it pleased God through the foolishness 00:20:33.900 --> 00:20:35.019 of what we preach 00:20:35.019 --> 00:20:37.140 to save those who believe. 00:20:37.299 --> 00:20:38.640 And what is it that they preach? 00:20:38.940 --> 00:20:39.640 Verse 23. 00:20:40.140 --> 00:20:42.379 We preach Christ crucified. 00:20:43.099 --> 00:20:43.539 Admittedly, 00:20:44.019 --> 00:20:45.240 a stumbling block to Jews, 00:20:45.839 --> 00:20:47.079 foolishness to Gentiles, 00:20:47.079 --> 00:20:48.579 but to those who are called, 00:20:48.679 --> 00:20:49.819 both Jews and Greeks, 00:20:50.359 --> 00:20:50.899 Christ, 00:20:51.339 --> 00:20:52.539 crucified Christ, 00:20:52.779 --> 00:20:54.240 is the power of God 00:20:54.240 --> 00:20:56.000 and the wisdom of God. 00:20:56.819 --> 00:20:57.339 Friends, 00:20:57.379 --> 00:20:58.439 you see what the Bible is saying here? 00:20:59.179 --> 00:21:00.399 The Bible is saying, 00:21:01.059 --> 00:21:03.299 how does God deal with the lostness 00:21:03.299 --> 00:21:04.939 and the futility 00:21:04.939 --> 00:21:07.059 and the emptiness of our world 00:21:07.059 --> 00:21:09.019 and the emptiness of our souls 00:21:09.019 --> 00:21:10.639 and the vanity trap 00:21:10.639 --> 00:21:11.859 in which we find ourselves? 00:21:12.899 --> 00:21:14.720 How does God deal with this? 00:21:14.720 --> 00:21:17.299 He sends a savior. 00:21:18.400 --> 00:21:19.700 He sends a rescuer. 00:21:20.420 --> 00:21:21.740 He sends a messiah. 00:21:22.640 --> 00:21:24.440 But he sends one that will undermine 00:21:24.440 --> 00:21:26.259 and confront and frustrate 00:21:26.259 --> 00:21:28.240 and challenge all our ideas 00:21:28.240 --> 00:21:29.519 of what a messiah and a rescuer 00:21:29.519 --> 00:21:30.180 should be like. 00:21:30.900 --> 00:21:32.440 He sends us one who is weak 00:21:32.440 --> 00:21:33.940 and powerless. 00:21:34.600 --> 00:21:36.019 One who looks pathetic 00:21:36.019 --> 00:21:37.680 and unsophisticated. 00:21:38.400 --> 00:21:39.799 He sends us a savior 00:21:39.799 --> 00:21:41.139 who looks vulnerable 00:21:41.139 --> 00:21:42.099 and weak 00:21:42.099 --> 00:21:43.419 and unoppressive. 00:21:43.619 --> 00:21:45.419 Who was killed by his enemies 00:21:45.419 --> 00:21:47.000 and shamed on the Roman cross. 00:21:47.659 --> 00:21:49.000 And then God says, 00:21:49.680 --> 00:21:50.339 trust him. 00:21:51.819 --> 00:21:53.000 Bank your life on him. 00:21:54.259 --> 00:21:55.819 Give everything you have 00:21:55.819 --> 00:21:56.639 over to him. 00:21:57.619 --> 00:21:59.500 Give yourself completely to him. 00:21:59.599 --> 00:22:00.759 He is your hope 00:22:00.759 --> 00:22:02.399 in life and in death. 00:22:03.759 --> 00:22:04.079 And friends, 00:22:04.159 --> 00:22:05.099 because as unimpressive 00:22:05.099 --> 00:22:05.819 and as foolish 00:22:05.819 --> 00:22:06.539 and as pathetic 00:22:06.539 --> 00:22:07.799 as he may seem, 00:22:08.599 --> 00:22:09.980 he holds the key 00:22:09.980 --> 00:22:10.720 to life. 00:22:11.619 --> 00:22:12.980 And he holds the power 00:22:12.980 --> 00:22:14.119 to the life 00:22:14.119 --> 00:22:14.879 that you want to live. 00:22:15.720 --> 00:22:17.019 He reveals God's true wisdom. 00:22:18.339 --> 00:22:18.740 And therefore, 00:22:18.859 --> 00:22:19.359 knowing him 00:22:19.359 --> 00:22:20.119 and embracing him 00:22:20.119 --> 00:22:20.939 and surrendering him 00:22:20.939 --> 00:22:22.279 is the only way 00:22:22.279 --> 00:22:23.379 to know God 00:22:23.379 --> 00:22:24.480 and the life 00:22:24.480 --> 00:22:25.759 that God has planned for us. 00:22:26.460 --> 00:22:27.179 Verse 22. 00:22:27.819 --> 00:22:29.339 Some people demand signs. 00:22:30.039 --> 00:22:31.279 Other people seek wisdom. 00:22:31.439 --> 00:22:32.379 But we proclaim 00:22:32.379 --> 00:22:33.399 Christ crucified. 00:22:33.619 --> 00:22:33.839 Yes, 00:22:33.839 --> 00:22:34.579 a stumbling block 00:22:34.579 --> 00:22:35.319 to some people, 00:22:35.720 --> 00:22:36.619 foolishness to others. 00:22:36.679 --> 00:22:37.119 That's true. 00:22:37.559 --> 00:22:38.559 But to those who are called, 00:22:39.199 --> 00:22:40.740 Christ is the power of God 00:22:40.740 --> 00:22:41.839 and the wisdom of God. 00:22:42.359 --> 00:22:43.819 For the foolishness of God 00:22:43.819 --> 00:22:45.019 is wiser than men 00:22:45.019 --> 00:22:46.980 and the weakness of God 00:22:46.980 --> 00:22:48.099 is stronger than men. 00:22:49.740 --> 00:22:50.179 Friends, 00:22:50.319 --> 00:22:51.019 embrace Christ. 00:22:51.740 --> 00:22:51.960 Okay, 00:22:52.039 --> 00:22:52.980 so what should we do with this? 00:22:53.119 --> 00:22:54.759 What does this actually mean for us 00:22:54.759 --> 00:22:55.939 in our day and age? 00:22:56.019 --> 00:22:56.220 Well, 00:22:56.419 --> 00:22:57.019 great question. 00:22:57.500 --> 00:22:58.759 Let me give us two things 00:22:58.759 --> 00:22:59.579 to think about. 00:22:59.740 --> 00:23:00.480 First is this. 00:23:00.939 --> 00:23:02.879 If you are going to know God 00:23:02.880 --> 00:23:03.440 deeply, 00:23:03.980 --> 00:23:05.400 you must be willing 00:23:05.400 --> 00:23:07.080 to be surprised by him. 00:23:07.700 --> 00:23:07.940 Okay? 00:23:08.060 --> 00:23:09.340 If you are going to know God deeply, 00:23:09.760 --> 00:23:10.460 if you are going to 00:23:10.460 --> 00:23:11.540 center your life on God 00:23:11.540 --> 00:23:13.080 and live life 00:23:13.080 --> 00:23:14.200 according to his blueprint, 00:23:14.520 --> 00:23:15.400 you must be willing 00:23:15.400 --> 00:23:16.560 to be surprised by God. 00:23:17.260 --> 00:23:18.140 The Greeks 00:23:18.140 --> 00:23:19.280 thought that the problem 00:23:19.280 --> 00:23:20.000 with the world 00:23:20.000 --> 00:23:20.720 was that people 00:23:20.720 --> 00:23:21.780 didn't think enough. 00:23:22.280 --> 00:23:23.020 If only people 00:23:23.020 --> 00:23:24.300 thought a bit more clearly, 00:23:24.720 --> 00:23:25.780 life would make sense 00:23:25.780 --> 00:23:26.540 and life would work. 00:23:26.820 --> 00:23:28.300 If only we got more education. 00:23:29.299 --> 00:23:30.359 The Romans thought 00:23:30.359 --> 00:23:31.799 the problem with the world 00:23:31.799 --> 00:23:33.759 is that there's not enough power 00:23:33.759 --> 00:23:34.139 in the world. 00:23:34.220 --> 00:23:35.059 We're not in control. 00:23:35.639 --> 00:23:36.779 If only we can defeat 00:23:36.779 --> 00:23:38.139 those pesky rebellions, 00:23:38.240 --> 00:23:39.919 we will make life work 00:23:39.919 --> 00:23:40.819 and get a utopia. 00:23:41.539 --> 00:23:42.899 And if you ask people today, 00:23:43.339 --> 00:23:44.059 what do we need 00:23:44.059 --> 00:23:44.740 to make life, 00:23:44.859 --> 00:23:45.980 the world a better place? 00:23:46.399 --> 00:23:47.680 You'll get all sorts of kinds 00:23:47.680 --> 00:23:48.619 of interesting answers. 00:23:49.240 --> 00:23:50.059 More education, 00:23:50.639 --> 00:23:51.639 more human rights, 00:23:52.119 --> 00:23:53.700 equal access to education 00:23:53.700 --> 00:23:54.700 and water and food 00:23:54.700 --> 00:23:55.240 and sanitation 00:23:55.240 --> 00:23:56.639 and all those things. 00:23:56.940 --> 00:23:58.099 And those are all good answers. 00:23:58.299 --> 00:24:01.079 But Paul's point here is 00:24:01.079 --> 00:24:02.619 none of those things 00:24:02.619 --> 00:24:04.180 lead to the blueprint 00:24:04.180 --> 00:24:05.539 about how life 00:24:05.539 --> 00:24:06.740 is meant to work 00:24:06.740 --> 00:24:07.779 as God has designed it. 00:24:09.559 --> 00:24:11.079 If you're going to discover life 00:24:11.079 --> 00:24:12.079 as God has designed it, 00:24:12.500 --> 00:24:13.299 you must be willing 00:24:13.299 --> 00:24:14.419 to be surprised 00:24:14.419 --> 00:24:16.940 by finding that God's ways 00:24:16.940 --> 00:24:17.339 of thinking 00:24:17.339 --> 00:24:18.259 is counterintuitive. 00:24:19.019 --> 00:24:20.339 The God of all creation 00:24:20.339 --> 00:24:21.099 comes along 00:24:21.099 --> 00:24:21.619 and he says, 00:24:21.740 --> 00:24:22.480 I'm going to put 00:24:22.480 --> 00:24:23.559 the world right again. 00:24:24.059 --> 00:24:25.180 I'm going to fix the problems 00:24:25.180 --> 00:24:25.720 with this world 00:24:25.720 --> 00:24:27.019 and I'm going to bring it back 00:24:27.019 --> 00:24:28.599 Eden again. 00:24:29.139 --> 00:24:29.980 But I'm going to do it 00:24:29.980 --> 00:24:30.660 through the weakness 00:24:30.660 --> 00:24:32.240 and the foolishness 00:24:32.240 --> 00:24:33.420 and the powerlessness 00:24:33.420 --> 00:24:35.460 of my son Jesus 00:24:35.460 --> 00:24:37.139 dying on the cross. 00:24:38.440 --> 00:24:39.559 And to our modern minds, 00:24:39.680 --> 00:24:40.220 that doesn't make 00:24:40.220 --> 00:24:41.220 any sense at all. 00:24:41.619 --> 00:24:42.779 But that's how God works. 00:24:43.519 --> 00:24:43.799 Friends, 00:24:43.839 --> 00:24:44.660 if you're going to know God, 00:24:44.720 --> 00:24:45.379 you've got to be willing 00:24:45.379 --> 00:24:46.539 to be surprised by him. 00:24:47.180 --> 00:24:48.319 But here's the second thing. 00:24:48.759 --> 00:24:50.059 If you're going to know God, 00:24:50.279 --> 00:24:51.420 you must be willing 00:24:51.420 --> 00:24:52.879 to be challenged by him. 00:24:52.880 --> 00:24:54.380 Not only surprised, 00:24:54.520 --> 00:24:55.260 but challenged 00:24:55.260 --> 00:24:56.780 and personally challenged. 00:24:57.360 --> 00:24:58.580 What I mean by that is this. 00:24:59.020 --> 00:24:59.980 You must reckon 00:24:59.980 --> 00:25:01.320 with what God says 00:25:01.320 --> 00:25:02.120 about Jesus 00:25:02.120 --> 00:25:03.440 and the cross. 00:25:04.700 --> 00:25:05.760 Elsewhere in the New Testament, 00:25:05.880 --> 00:25:06.740 the Apostle Paul writes, 00:25:06.800 --> 00:25:07.160 he says, 00:25:07.620 --> 00:25:08.600 the saying is trustworthy 00:25:08.600 --> 00:25:09.260 and deserving 00:25:09.260 --> 00:25:10.100 of full acceptance. 00:25:10.800 --> 00:25:11.780 Jesus Christ 00:25:11.780 --> 00:25:12.900 came into the world 00:25:12.900 --> 00:25:14.680 to save sinners 00:25:14.680 --> 00:25:16.740 of whom I am the worst. 00:25:17.400 --> 00:25:17.620 Okay? 00:25:18.240 --> 00:25:18.460 Now, 00:25:18.620 --> 00:25:19.640 as you heard last week, 00:25:19.720 --> 00:25:21.080 actually I am the worst, 00:25:21.079 --> 00:25:21.399 Kevin, 00:25:21.519 --> 00:25:22.419 of all sinners. 00:25:23.059 --> 00:25:23.960 But Jesus Christ 00:25:23.960 --> 00:25:24.759 came into the world 00:25:24.759 --> 00:25:25.939 not to teach us 00:25:25.939 --> 00:25:26.599 how to be wise, 00:25:26.839 --> 00:25:28.199 not to make life work, 00:25:28.500 --> 00:25:30.460 but to save sinners. 00:25:31.039 --> 00:25:31.960 And what that means 00:25:31.960 --> 00:25:33.319 is Jesus' verdict 00:25:33.319 --> 00:25:33.859 in the world 00:25:33.859 --> 00:25:35.359 is that all of us here 00:25:35.359 --> 00:25:36.839 are in deep trouble 00:25:36.839 --> 00:25:38.799 apart from his saving grace. 00:25:39.599 --> 00:25:40.740 In the first century, 00:25:40.899 --> 00:25:41.679 every Jew 00:25:41.679 --> 00:25:42.639 knew what the problem 00:25:42.639 --> 00:25:43.379 with the world was. 00:25:43.799 --> 00:25:45.000 The problem with the world 00:25:45.000 --> 00:25:46.879 was those Romans. 00:25:47.359 --> 00:25:48.279 I almost said something else. 00:25:48.379 --> 00:25:49.240 Those Romans, 00:25:49.240 --> 00:25:51.000 they were the problem 00:25:51.000 --> 00:25:51.519 with the world. 00:25:51.799 --> 00:25:52.599 They were corrupt, 00:25:52.920 --> 00:25:53.640 they were brutal, 00:25:53.960 --> 00:25:54.680 they were unfair, 00:25:55.000 --> 00:25:55.980 they were power hungry, 00:25:56.380 --> 00:25:57.759 and what we really need, 00:25:57.839 --> 00:25:59.019 what God's people need, 00:25:59.279 --> 00:26:00.220 is a Messiah 00:26:00.220 --> 00:26:01.539 like Moses 00:26:01.539 --> 00:26:02.680 rescued people 00:26:02.680 --> 00:26:03.279 from Egypt. 00:26:03.660 --> 00:26:04.539 We need a Messiah 00:26:04.539 --> 00:26:05.420 that's going to save us 00:26:05.420 --> 00:26:06.480 from those horrible Romans. 00:26:08.000 --> 00:26:08.880 But the message 00:26:08.880 --> 00:26:09.620 of Christianity, 00:26:10.259 --> 00:26:11.339 the message of Jesus, 00:26:11.960 --> 00:26:12.660 is we don't need 00:26:12.660 --> 00:26:13.640 political liberation. 00:26:14.740 --> 00:26:15.240 We don't need 00:26:15.240 --> 00:26:16.160 economic liberation. 00:26:16.160 --> 00:26:18.060 We don't even need 00:26:18.060 --> 00:26:19.420 mental health liberation. 00:26:20.440 --> 00:26:21.240 What we need 00:26:21.240 --> 00:26:21.960 is to be saved 00:26:21.960 --> 00:26:23.440 from the slavery of sin 00:26:23.440 --> 00:26:24.840 and idolatry 00:26:24.840 --> 00:26:26.320 and self-centeredness 00:26:26.320 --> 00:26:27.880 that is destroying us. 00:26:28.660 --> 00:26:29.920 The problem with the world 00:26:29.920 --> 00:26:30.460 and the problem 00:26:30.460 --> 00:26:31.259 of each one of us 00:26:31.259 --> 00:26:32.000 is that we keep 00:26:32.000 --> 00:26:33.140 on coming against 00:26:33.140 --> 00:26:34.759 the problem of our hearts. 00:26:34.880 --> 00:26:36.000 And Jesus came in the world 00:26:36.000 --> 00:26:37.460 not simply to comfort us, 00:26:37.680 --> 00:26:39.000 but to save us. 00:26:39.700 --> 00:26:40.519 To save us. 00:26:40.880 --> 00:26:41.960 That's what our passage says, 00:26:42.040 --> 00:26:42.180 right? 00:26:42.320 --> 00:26:42.880 Verse 18. 00:26:43.259 --> 00:26:44.000 The word of the cross 00:26:44.000 --> 00:26:44.759 is foolishness 00:26:44.759 --> 00:26:45.640 to those who are perishing. 00:26:46.119 --> 00:26:47.440 To us who are being saved. 00:26:47.819 --> 00:26:48.759 It's a power. 00:26:49.460 --> 00:26:50.299 Power that will turn 00:26:50.299 --> 00:26:50.960 your life around. 00:26:52.160 --> 00:26:52.460 Friends, 00:26:52.539 --> 00:26:53.099 save from what? 00:26:53.740 --> 00:26:54.660 Save from emptiness 00:26:54.660 --> 00:26:55.519 and futility 00:26:55.519 --> 00:26:56.200 and vanity 00:26:56.200 --> 00:26:57.579 and depression 00:26:57.579 --> 00:26:58.200 and anxiety. 00:26:58.379 --> 00:26:59.220 Yes, yes, yes. 00:26:59.700 --> 00:27:00.379 But more than that, 00:27:00.440 --> 00:27:01.339 save from our sins. 00:27:02.279 --> 00:27:02.960 Save from hell. 00:27:03.819 --> 00:27:04.640 Save from perishing. 00:27:05.779 --> 00:27:06.059 Friends, 00:27:06.119 --> 00:27:07.680 unless you see yourself 00:27:07.680 --> 00:27:09.440 not just as somebody 00:27:09.440 --> 00:27:10.359 weak, 00:27:10.720 --> 00:27:11.680 but as a rebel 00:27:11.680 --> 00:27:13.099 against God, 00:27:13.099 --> 00:27:14.779 the cross 00:27:14.779 --> 00:27:15.959 will always just be seen 00:27:15.959 --> 00:27:18.519 as a good example. 00:27:19.279 --> 00:27:21.000 How to forgive our enemies. 00:27:21.179 --> 00:27:22.379 How to turn the other cheek. 00:27:22.939 --> 00:27:23.899 But it will be emptied 00:27:23.899 --> 00:27:24.779 of its power. 00:27:25.639 --> 00:27:26.679 And your Christian faith 00:27:26.679 --> 00:27:28.240 will be weak 00:27:28.240 --> 00:27:29.099 and meaningless 00:27:29.099 --> 00:27:30.079 and vain. 00:27:30.919 --> 00:27:32.240 And only if you see yourself 00:27:32.240 --> 00:27:32.799 as somebody 00:27:32.799 --> 00:27:34.000 that has rebelled against God 00:27:34.000 --> 00:27:35.419 and Jesus came to die 00:27:35.419 --> 00:27:36.000 for you 00:27:36.000 --> 00:27:36.659 and for me 00:27:36.659 --> 00:27:37.819 to save us 00:27:37.819 --> 00:27:38.500 for our sins. 00:27:39.500 --> 00:27:39.980 That's 00:27:39.980 --> 00:27:41.339 where the power is. 00:27:41.339 --> 00:27:42.740 That's where God 00:27:42.740 --> 00:27:43.500 changes us. 00:27:44.199 --> 00:27:45.019 So dear friends, 00:27:45.079 --> 00:27:46.139 as we come to a conclusion, 00:27:46.839 --> 00:27:47.959 how do you feel about church? 00:27:48.720 --> 00:27:49.699 How do you feel about church 00:27:49.699 --> 00:27:51.059 when it seems unoppressive? 00:27:51.939 --> 00:27:52.879 How do you feel about church 00:27:52.879 --> 00:27:54.139 when it seems out of date? 00:27:55.179 --> 00:27:55.759 And what do you think 00:27:55.759 --> 00:27:56.879 about an old bald guy 00:27:56.879 --> 00:27:57.879 standing up week in, 00:27:57.959 --> 00:27:58.399 week out, 00:27:58.500 --> 00:27:59.579 speaking for 30 minutes 00:27:59.579 --> 00:28:01.039 about Jesus and the cross? 00:28:02.019 --> 00:28:02.319 Friends, 00:28:02.359 --> 00:28:03.079 do you feel the church 00:28:03.079 --> 00:28:04.439 needs to get a bit more practical? 00:28:05.139 --> 00:28:05.939 Leave all that Jesus 00:28:05.939 --> 00:28:07.000 dying on the cross stuff 00:28:07.000 --> 00:28:08.339 to other people. 00:28:09.059 --> 00:28:09.779 Maybe we need to have 00:28:09.779 --> 00:28:10.379 more workshops 00:28:10.379 --> 00:28:12.180 on how to make life work, 00:28:12.740 --> 00:28:13.940 how to advance our careers, 00:28:14.059 --> 00:28:14.920 how to raise children 00:28:14.920 --> 00:28:15.960 and care for the environment 00:28:15.960 --> 00:28:17.519 and save for the future. 00:28:18.579 --> 00:28:18.920 Friends, 00:28:18.980 --> 00:28:19.839 as long as this church 00:28:19.839 --> 00:28:20.480 shall stand 00:28:20.480 --> 00:28:21.460 and as long as this house 00:28:21.460 --> 00:28:22.059 will be visited 00:28:22.059 --> 00:28:22.960 by worshipers, 00:28:23.660 --> 00:28:24.339 I propose, 00:28:24.500 --> 00:28:25.200 along with my friend 00:28:25.200 --> 00:28:25.980 Charles Spurgeon, 00:28:26.460 --> 00:28:27.440 that the ministry 00:28:27.440 --> 00:28:28.240 of this house 00:28:28.240 --> 00:28:29.740 should be Jesus Christ 00:28:29.740 --> 00:28:30.799 and Christ crucified. 00:28:31.519 --> 00:28:32.119 That we should 00:28:32.119 --> 00:28:33.099 week in and week out 00:28:33.099 --> 00:28:33.579 gather 00:28:33.579 --> 00:28:34.779 to tell one another 00:28:34.779 --> 00:28:35.740 and to sing songs 00:28:35.740 --> 00:28:37.039 and to take communion 00:28:37.039 --> 00:28:38.200 and to proclaim 00:28:38.200 --> 00:28:38.940 to one another 00:28:38.940 --> 00:28:41.100 that the center of life, 00:28:41.519 --> 00:28:42.440 that life works 00:28:42.440 --> 00:28:43.200 when Christ 00:28:43.200 --> 00:28:44.100 and Christ crucified 00:28:44.100 --> 00:28:44.880 is at the center 00:28:44.880 --> 00:28:46.620 and that God 00:28:46.620 --> 00:28:48.000 is the one that we need. 00:28:48.100 --> 00:28:49.259 And so this week again, 00:28:49.680 --> 00:28:50.539 as you go 00:28:50.539 --> 00:28:52.299 into the great city 00:28:52.299 --> 00:28:53.059 of Hong Kong, 00:28:53.460 --> 00:28:54.299 the greatest city 00:28:54.299 --> 00:28:54.980 in the world, 00:28:55.340 --> 00:28:55.640 Jonathan, 00:28:56.360 --> 00:28:57.000 as you go into 00:28:57.000 --> 00:28:57.519 the great city 00:28:57.519 --> 00:28:58.039 of Hong Kong, 00:28:58.720 --> 00:28:59.279 what message 00:28:59.279 --> 00:29:00.120 are you going to trust? 00:29:01.200 --> 00:29:01.840 What wisdom 00:29:01.840 --> 00:29:02.420 are you going to put 00:29:02.420 --> 00:29:02.799 your hope 00:29:02.799 --> 00:29:03.819 and your confidence in? 00:29:04.840 --> 00:29:05.100 Friends, 00:29:05.160 --> 00:29:06.240 what source of power 00:29:06.240 --> 00:29:07.160 are you going to look to 00:29:07.160 --> 00:29:08.140 to get you through 00:29:08.140 --> 00:29:08.680 this week? 00:29:10.140 --> 00:29:11.180 Here's what 1 Corinthians 00:29:11.180 --> 00:29:11.920 will tell us. 00:29:12.480 --> 00:29:13.480 When life is hard 00:29:13.480 --> 00:29:14.720 and our job is on the line 00:29:14.720 --> 00:29:15.860 and our boss is difficult 00:29:15.860 --> 00:29:17.120 and parenting is hard 00:29:17.120 --> 00:29:18.120 and money is short, 00:29:18.940 --> 00:29:20.920 embrace the apparent foolishness 00:29:20.920 --> 00:29:22.300 of Christ and the cross. 00:29:23.240 --> 00:29:25.040 Embrace the upside down wisdom 00:29:25.040 --> 00:29:25.960 of putting Jesus 00:29:25.960 --> 00:29:27.340 at the center of your life. 00:29:28.120 --> 00:29:29.259 For humanistic thinking 00:29:29.259 --> 00:29:30.100 will be discarded 00:29:30.100 --> 00:29:31.380 and one day will perish. 00:29:32.019 --> 00:29:33.480 But those who embrace Christ 00:29:33.480 --> 00:29:34.740 and his upside down wisdom 00:29:34.740 --> 00:29:36.539 and salvation plan 00:29:36.539 --> 00:29:38.440 will know the wisdom of God 00:29:38.440 --> 00:29:40.220 and the power of God 00:29:40.220 --> 00:29:41.740 and will experience 00:29:41.740 --> 00:29:43.200 his life transforming power 00:29:43.200 --> 00:29:44.700 and be saved. 00:29:45.180 --> 00:29:46.059 Let's pray together. 00:29:47.440 --> 00:29:48.599 Lord Jesus Christ, 00:29:49.240 --> 00:29:51.180 the old, old message 00:29:51.180 --> 00:29:51.859 of the cross. 00:29:54.039 --> 00:29:55.359 Father, we confess, 00:29:56.039 --> 00:29:56.980 I confess, God, 00:29:57.059 --> 00:29:58.319 sometimes I feel like, 00:29:59.000 --> 00:30:00.099 okay, I've heard that enough, 00:30:00.220 --> 00:30:01.000 I know it enough. 00:30:01.599 --> 00:30:02.500 Yes, let's move on 00:30:02.500 --> 00:30:03.519 to more exciting things. 00:30:05.099 --> 00:30:06.539 Jesus, won't you forgive us? 00:30:07.019 --> 00:30:07.620 But more than that, 00:30:07.700 --> 00:30:09.059 won't you also help us? 00:30:10.160 --> 00:30:11.319 God, help us to see you 00:30:11.319 --> 00:30:12.279 for who you really are. 00:30:13.279 --> 00:30:14.539 Help us to see that wisdom 00:30:14.539 --> 00:30:16.099 and power and strength. 00:30:16.960 --> 00:30:18.579 And the secret to life 00:30:18.579 --> 00:30:19.900 is to really to come back 00:30:19.900 --> 00:30:20.779 to that old message. 00:30:21.819 --> 00:30:22.680 As upside down, 00:30:22.839 --> 00:30:23.900 as counterintuitive, 00:30:24.059 --> 00:30:25.960 as countercultural as it seems, 00:30:26.819 --> 00:30:28.819 Jesus, you are what we need. 00:30:31.420 --> 00:30:32.339 God, this morning, 00:30:32.440 --> 00:30:34.019 we want to freshly surrender to you 00:30:34.019 --> 00:30:34.799 and bow down to you. 00:30:34.839 --> 00:30:36.400 We want to embrace 00:30:36.400 --> 00:30:38.079 the message of the cross. 00:30:39.180 --> 00:30:40.099 We want to embrace, God, 00:30:40.139 --> 00:30:41.980 that only by coming to you 00:30:41.980 --> 00:30:42.660 can we be saved 00:30:42.660 --> 00:30:43.660 and only by centering 00:30:43.660 --> 00:30:44.519 our lives on you 00:30:44.519 --> 00:30:46.039 can we discover 00:30:46.039 --> 00:30:47.299 the blueprint of life. 00:30:48.379 --> 00:30:49.460 Won't you help us this morning? 00:30:49.559 --> 00:30:50.339 God, for those of us 00:30:50.339 --> 00:30:51.039 that are Christians, 00:30:51.259 --> 00:30:52.000 but if we're honest, 00:30:52.079 --> 00:30:52.660 we've been living 00:30:52.660 --> 00:30:53.619 according to the wisdom 00:30:53.619 --> 00:30:54.299 of this world, 00:30:55.259 --> 00:30:56.440 won't you help us, God? 00:30:57.559 --> 00:30:58.339 Won't you help us 00:30:58.339 --> 00:30:58.879 to once again 00:30:58.879 --> 00:30:59.900 center our lives on you? 00:30:59.900 --> 00:31:02.960 Jesus, come and have your way. 00:31:03.660 --> 00:31:04.759 We pray this in your 00:31:04.759 --> 00:31:05.840 great and wonderful name. 00:31:07.100 --> 00:31:07.400 Amen. 00:31:07.400 --> 00:31:07.500 Amen.