A rest in men's wisdom, but in God's power.
Thank you very much, Stephen.
Well, please keep your Bibles open.
And we're going to pray.
Let's do that now.
Father, as we look at your word together, and as I speak, we pray that we would all be filled
with the power of your Holy Spirit, so that our faith might rest not in our own clever thoughts,
our own clever ideas, or anything about us,
but our faith would rest in the one and only true God and his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Father, be at work amongst us, we pray.
In Jesus' name.
Amen.
Well, sadly, division had taken place.
Small groups within this church at Corinth had formed, and they all thought themselves to be spiritually superior.
Have a look back at chapter 1, verse 11.
He tells us how the division came about.
He says,
What I mean is this.
One of you says,
I follow Paul.
You see, Paul started the church, and he baptized me, so I'm in Paul's gang.
Another said,
Well, we follow Apollos.
It was through his ministry that I got my great gifts, and I am where I am today.
Still another said,
Well, we follow Cephas, or Peter.
You know, he was a disciple of Jesus.
He knew Jesus.
He always knows what's best.
We're in Peter's group.
Instead of uniting around Christ and his cross,
they were dividing over people and their status.
Each group all looking down on each other,
thinking themselves to be spiritually superior.
Now, scratch the surface, and we can find the same things going on today.
You know, I've been in the church here now from the very beginning.
I'm a founding member, you know.
Well, I've been a Christian for 30 years.
My church has seen three people come to faith in this last month,
and last week we baptized five.
Well, our church has seen two new churches planted,
and we're now planting our third.
Our pastor, well, he's always invited to speak at conferences.
He's such a dynamic and well-liked guy.
Well, our pastor, he led a healing service the other week,
and 12 healings were reported.
It's ugly, isn't it?
It causes division.
Each one looking down on other people and other churches,
thinking ourselves to be spiritually superior,
that we're God's elite.
So how do we, as Paul was encouraging them,
to be perfectly united
and to stop all this sinful behavior from taking effect?
Well, there's two big things that he teaches us,
and they're really quite shocking,
because they humble us.
The first thing that we must remember is
that we are all foolish people called by grace.
Foolish people called by grace.
Brothers and sisters,
think of what you were when you were called.
So if you're a Christian here this morning,
think about what your life was like
when you became a Christian.
And in case we can't remember what that was like,
he goes on to show us.
First, he reminds us that we had nothing to offer.
Look at the rest of verse 26.
Not many of you were wise by human standards.
Not many of you were influential.
Not many of you were of noble birth.
Some, perhaps, but I guess most of us here
were not leading professors in the world of academics.
There may be some people,
but most of us were not powerful CEOs or politicians
influencing the nation's economy.
There may be some who were born into great wealth,
but most of us were not born with status and privilege.
It's really quite shocking.
He's saying, catch yourselves on.
We're a bunch of nobodies.
As far as the world's elite and standards go,
we're nothing.
We don't even register on the scale.
Yes, of course, we have our education
and we've got a few letters after our name, perhaps,
and we've got a few qualifications,
but we're not being chased up
to have our thoughts published to the world.
And when God looked at us,
we weren't standing out in the crowd.
We weren't spotted by God in Hello magazine
or the pages of the Irish Times.
We had nothing to offer in the eyes of the world.
We're just nothing special.
And that's a very humbling thought, isn't it?
Because we all like to think we're somebody special.
Or at the very least,
I'm a little bit better than the person sitting next to me.
So if we have nothing to offer,
how did we ever become a Christian
in the first place?
Well, he goes on to remind us
we have nothing to offer,
but we have been chosen by God's grace.
Look at verse 27.
But God chose the foolish things of the world
to shame the wise.
God chose the weak things,
that is, weak people,
to shame the strong.
He chose the lowly people of the world
and the despised people
and the people that are not
to nullify the things that are.
Let me make it crystal clear.
We did not choose God.
God chose us.
If you're a Christian,
you didn't become a Christian
because one day you woke up
and you decided,
today I think I'll become a Christian.
No.
God chose you.
God worked in your life
in such a way
that he gave you the desire
to call out to God
and he gave you the faith
to believe in him.
And let's be clear
that when God chose us
and when he gave us that desire
and that faith,
it wasn't because any of us
were particularly special.
Do you remember your school days?
Rewind the clock.
There you are standing in the playground.
They're picking teams
to have a race.
All the sporty people
and the fast ones,
they always got picked.
Wonder where you came
in the pecking order.
The ones that couldn't run
weren't fast.
Well, they were ignored,
weren't they?
Or do you remember
your first time
at the school dance?
The music slows
and all the good-looking girls
are swooped upon
like bees round honey.
Where were you?
Were you ever asked to dance?
Rejected?
And it's no different today
as we get older.
The world still picks
the beautiful,
the wealthy,
the clever,
and the popular ones.
The world likes them.
But God does not choose
by the standards
of the world.
God isn't influenced
by anything about us,
whether it's good
or bad,
how we look
or what we do.
He is simply
motivated and driven
by his grace.
Look again
at verse 27.
God chose
the foolish things,
people like us,
to shame the wise,
to show that,
well,
wisdom does not
give you credibility
with God.
God chose
the weak things
of the world
to shame the strong,
so those who are
influential and powerful,
that's got no street cred
with God either.
He chose
the lowly things,
the things that are nothing,
to show
the world
that by their standards
God works
in a totally
different way,
motivated by his grace.
You see,
if we are Christians,
we can never ever say,
it was me.
I decided.
Why?
Well, look what he says
in verse 29.
So that no one
may boast
before him.
if ever I say,
I'm a Christian
because
I,
then I have reason
for boasting.
Because then it becomes
something I've done.
I responded.
I decided.
And that makes me
spiritually superior
to the other person
beside me.
No,
I didn't choose God.
God chose me
by his grace,
motivated by his grace,
so that he may show
how great he is.
So we have nothing
to offer.
We're chosen by grace
and nothing that we do.
And third,
and wonderfully,
he says,
we've been made
God's new people.
Look at verse 30.
It is because of
him
that you are in
Christ Jesus.
There we have it again,
don't we?
It's because of
him.
It's because of God,
not us,
that we are
in Christ Jesus.
Now that little phrase
there when it says
we are in Christ Jesus
is important.
It means that we
become part of Christ,
that's true,
but we become part
of his body.
And we remember
from last week,
his body is the church,
the family of God.
So by his grace,
he is taken weak
and foolish
and lowly
and despised
and nobodies
and nothings
and he takes us
by his grace
and he makes us
his new people
of God,
the church.
Verse 30.
It's because of
him that you are
in Christ Jesus
who has become
for us
wisdom from God.
That is,
Christ is our
righteousness,
Christ is our
holiness
and Christ is
our redemption.
Christ on the cross
took all our
unrighteousness
on himself
and he took
the punishment
that we deserve
and in its place
he has clothed us
with his righteousness
so that we are
now acceptable
to God.
That is God's
wisdom.
And Christ
has taken
all our unholiness,
all our impurity
and he has now
given us
his holiness
so that we can
now begin
to be living
his way
and treated
as blameless.
That
is God's
wisdom.
And Christ
has redeemed
us from a life
of slavery
to sin
where we are
always saying
yes to sin
and he has now
filled us
with his spirit
and he has now
given us a new
way to live
for him
so we say
yes to what
is right.
That is
God's wisdom.
And it has
all come to us
through Jesus
Christ.
None of us
by ourselves
qualify us.
It is all
through him
and he
qualifies us
he makes
us his
very own
part of his
body
the church
a righteous
people
a holy
people
and a
redeemed
people.
Now can you
see what he's
building up to
in all of this?
That once we
begin to apply
grace to our
lives
there is
absolutely
no room
for superiority.
None of us
here this
morning
can claim to
be better
or more
deserving
than the
person next
to us.
The reality
is every
single one
of us
are foolish.
Foolish people
called
by God's
amazing grace.
There is no
elitism here.
look again
at verse 31
therefore as
it is written
let him who
boasts
boast in
the Lord.
Not in
myself
not in my
wisdom or my
cleverness or my
intellectuality or
can't even say the
word that's how
intellectual I am.
We have nothing
to boast in
only in
Christ.
So we are
foolish people
chosen by
God's grace.
Here is the
second big thing
he tells us.
We are weak
people.
If you thought
foolish was
bad enough
we are weak.
Weak people
used by
God's power.
You see
the reality
is if we
do anything
for God
if we
lead somebody
to Christ
Christ.
If our
church should
manage to
plant a
new church
it's not
because of
our
superiority
it's all
because of
God's
power.
Did you get
that?
If we lead
somebody to
Christ
or if our
church happens
to plant a
new church
if we do
any kind
of service
it's not
because of
our superiority
superiority
or because
we're special
it's because
of God's
power.
First he
reminds us
that we are
nothing special.
Verse 1
chapter 2
verse 1
Paul says
look it's
exactly the
same for me
as it is
for you.
When I
came to
you brothers
and sisters
I did
not come
with eloquence
or superior
wisdom
as I
proclaimed to
you the
testimony
about God.
I wasn't
great at
public speaking
I wouldn't
get a job
in the
lecture halls
of Corinth.
No one
was taking
my number
and asking
me to come
back and
speak again.
In fact
verse 3
he says
I came
to you
in weakness
and fear
and with
much trembling.
Paul we
know was a
physically weak
person.
He was
somebody who
suffered bad
health.
We know
that from
his other
letters.
he
struggled
and he
was fearful
of going
to such
a great
intellectual
city
like
Corinth.
What if
people don't
listen to
my message?
What if
they think
the gospel
is stupid?
What if
they have
better
debaters
than me?
And it
all caused
him such
a great
concern
it tells
us in
verse 3
that he
was
trembling.
You know
that knot
that you
get in
your stomach
where you
just feel
like throwing
up.
You're so
nervous.
That's
how he
feels
as he
entered
into
that
city.
And I
imagine
that's
how we
all feel
at times.
Perhaps
we're the
only Christian
in our
class or
college.
We're
afraid
that if
we say
something
we won't
know how
to answer
or we'll
even look
stupid to
the rest
of the
class.
Maybe
we're
terrified
that somebody
at home
or at
work
will find
out that
I'm one
of those
people who
believe the
Bible.
Maybe we
feel weak
and inadequate
because,
well,
we just
go to
that odd
church that
meets in
the community
center.
The point
is,
we're just
nothing special.
We're just
ordinary folk.
people who
speak up.
He says
we're nothing
special and
we just
have a very
simple
message.
Because when
we do speak
up, when
we do say
something,
what we have
to say
seems utterly
foolish and
stupid to
the world.
Look at
verse 2.
He said,
for I
resolved to
know nothing
while I
was with
you except
Jesus Christ
and him
crucified.
we don't
have some
kind of
new teaching
that the
world is
going to
love and
we'll have
all the
reporters
coming in
wanting to
declare it
to the
nations.
We don't
have this
killer
argument that's
going to
stop everybody
in their
tracks and
make everybody
listen.
No, we've
got a message
he's been
telling us in
chapter 1
that the
world thinks
is foolish
and stupid.
Of course,
there are
those who
change the
message,
to make
it more
popular and
acceptable.
Like the
new book
that I saw
advertised
recently called
The Power
of I
Am.
Here's what
the little
blurb said
on the
back.
The Power
of I
Am shows
readers how
they can
redirect the
course of
their lives
through the
words they
say.
When you
speak the
right words,
the I
Am's,
you're
inviting God's
goodness into
your life.
I
am victorious,
I
am blessed,
I
am talented,
I am
anointed.
Your words
have creative
power,
with your
words you
can bless
your future.
Wow,
sounds great,
doesn't it?
God's
but it's
not true.
It's
not the
gospel
message.
Paul
says,
verse 2,
I
resolved to
know nothing
while I
was with
you except
Jesus
Christ and
him crucified.
I'm not
going to
change that
message.
I'm going
to present
to you
Christ and
the cross.
That
beaten,
broken and
disfigured
body,
hanging on the
cross,
bleeding and
dying,
rejected,
mocked and
ignored.
It may be
weak and
foolish to
the watching
world,
but it is
God's power
to save
people like
you and
me.
So he
says,
look at
you,
look at
us,
we're
nothing
special.
And we've
got a
very simple
message.
But,
we have
God's
great
power.
Verse 4,
he says,
my message
and my
preaching
were not
with wise
and persuasive
words,
but with a
demonstration
of the
Spirit's
power.
You see,
if any
good comes
through us,
if our
church does
anything
that is
good,
it is all
down to the
power of
God at
work through
simple
people with
a simple
message.
If somebody
becomes a
Christian through
your witness,
because you've
shared your
testimony,
or you've
given them
a book,
and you've
explained to
them something
of the good
news of
Christ,
and they
turn to
Christ,
it's not
because of
you,
it's God's
power.
If we
manage to
plant a
church,
and as a
group of
churches,
as we'll be
thinking next
Sunday,
we delight
in the
fact that
yes,
so many
churches
have been
planted,
but it's
not down
to us,
it's God's
power.
If a
pastor is
used to
grow a
church,
or if a
pastor is
used to
do wonderful
things,
it's not
him,
it's God's
power.
It doesn't
happen by our
wisdom or
persuasive words,
it's not the
message we
choose,
or the
technology that
we have,
it's not
slick
presentations,
or the
dynamic
speaker,
or the
amount of
letters that
comes after
their name,
or the
colleges that
they come
from,
it's all
because of
God's
power at
work in
simple people
with a
simple message.
Why is it
like this?
Well,
look at
verse 5.
So that
our faith
might not
rest on
men's
wisdom,
but on
God's
power.
We don't
want people
trusting in
us,
or the
church.
We don't
want followers
of a
preacher or
a program.
We want
people to
follow Christ
and his
cross.
You see,
when we
begin to
apply this
power and
this grace
of God
in our
lives,
there is
absolutely
no room
for superiority.
not one
of us
here can
stand up
and say,
it's because
of me
that God
has done
X, Y,
or Z.
It's because
of what I
have or
what I do
or what I
say that
makes the
difference.
The reality
is,
we are all
weak people
used by
God's
power.
There is
no elitism
here.
So how
do we
deal with
spiritual
superiority?
If we
spot it,
if we
see the
roots of
it in
our own
lives,
if we
begin to
see it
at work
in the
life of
the church,
how do
we deal
with it?
How do
we nip
it in
the bud
and cut
it out?
Well,
we remember
that we're
foolish people
chosen by
God's
grace,
and we
are weak
people used
by God's
power,
and that
changes
everything.
Because
instead of
superiority,
we now
have
humility,
because we
all suddenly
wake up to
the fact that
well,
I am
nothing
special,
and I've
got nothing
to bring.
Instead of
superiority,
we have
equality,
because we
are all
chosen by
God's
grace,
all by
the same
simple
message,
all equally
loved,
and all
equally
treasured.
And instead
of superiority,
we now
have unity.
We are
God's
new people,
gathered
together as
the holy,
redeemed,
and righteous
people of
God,
gathered to
serve him
together with
the gifts that
he has given
to us by
his amazing
power.
No elitism
in the
church of
God.
Humble,
gracious
people
filled with
the power
of God.
Let's
pray.
Father, would
you please
help us to
see ourselves
correctly,
not to
see ourselves
as the
world looks
at us,
or to
judge others
by the
standards of
the world,
but to
see ourselves
as you
see us,
as weak
and as
nothing,
but changed
by your
amazing grace
to become
the righteous,
holy and
redeemed
people of
God,
God's new
community,
God's special
people,
filled with
the power
of your
Holy Spirit.
We thank
you that it
isn't because
of us,
anything we
do or say,
but all
down to
your amazing
grace.
We pray
that you
would work
this deep
into our
lives,
so that
this
church
and that
our lives
would be
marked with
humility,
with that
equality,
and that
we would be
strengthened in
our unity,
all for the
glory of
God.
Amen.