Good morning, church family.
If you can turn your Bibles or devices open to 1 Corinthians 1,
and we're picking up from verse 18.
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.
For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise
and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.
Where is the one who is wise?
Where is the scribe?
Where is the debater of this age?
Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?
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.
For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom,
but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles.
But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks,
Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
For the foolishness of God is wiser than men,
and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
For consider your calling, brothers.
Not many of you were wise according to worldly standards.
Not many were powerful.
Not many were of noble birth.
But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise.
God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong.
God chose what is low and despised in the world,
even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are.
So that no human being might boast in the presence of God.
And because of him you are in Christ Jesus,
who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption,
so that, as it is written,
let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.
Well, looking at you this morning,
there's a lot of people here I don't know after six months,
which is a lovely thing,
but I'm assuming that since you belong to this church,
you want it to not only survive, but thrive.
Those are two important words in the life of a church family.
And I'm assuming, therefore, on the basis of that,
you're not just sitting back on your backside
waiting for somebody else to make it survive and thrive,
but you see that you've got a really important part to play in that.
So I'm assuming, therefore, that you each want to be useful
in growing this church, humanly speaking, into the future.
That is, that you each want to make a difference.
That you each want to have a significant impact
on the health and unity of this church family.
But having said that, perhaps you feel stuck.
You think, well, great intention,
but I actually don't think I've got the skills or the ability
or the gifts which are required to be really useful
in this congregation.
So yes, I would love to be useful,
but I just don't think I can cut it.
And so what you find yourself doing is relying on
or remaining in the background,
convinced that others in the church,
those that you might think are upfront people,
the go-getter type people,
they're the ones that will carry the church into the future.
Back in February, I planned this series of four sermons,
plugged in and switched on to Jesus.
Because I wanted to conclude formal ministry here at GECN,
have encouraged you to understand
what a truly helpful disciple looks like on the ground
and how you actually get to be a truly helpful disciple
and what it looks like in the context of, say, this church family.
I want to encourage you this morning
and over the next three weeks,
last week and this three more weeks,
I want to encourage each of you to be convinced
that you will have the most influence in this church family
and make the most difference
in the lives of those around you here this morning
and others who are yet to join the congregation in the future.
As you're not only plugged into Jesus,
that is, as you're a believer,
but as you're switched on to him
in every aspect of life.
Picking up from last week,
as you be what you are in Christ,
that will overflow into expressing Christ
in your interactions at a hundred different levels
in this church family.
being will lead to doing.
You'll be the most,
you'll be the wisest,
most powerful agent for unity and growth
in this church family going forward
as a disciple of Jesus,
plugged in and switched on.
That is, switched on to your identity in Christ.
I said last week,
you have it all,
every blessing in Christ.
He defines you.
Your security isn't him.
Your future isn't him.
Your present isn't him.
So as you understand that
and express that then in an overflow of passion
to see others become more like Jesus
in this church family,
then my friend,
you will be incredibly useful,
incredibly wise,
incredibly powerful in this church family.
And that's something that's open to each one of you
if you're plugged into Jesus.
So let's jump into the text this morning
recapping the problems in the church at Corinth.
Perhaps you weren't here last week,
so I'll recap some of it.
So the situation in Corinth,
young church,
many people had become Christians,
part of this new gospel community
or church family,
but
their old Christian,
their old pre-Christian worldview
was dominating and shaping
their thinking and actions
more so than Jesus.
Again, going back to the heading of this series,
they were plugged into Jesus,
but not switched on.
So worldview
is like the lens of my glasses.
It's the matrix
or the lens
through which you understand the world.
It's a framework of thinking
and understanding
that shapes how you operate
practically in the world.
It determines
how you think of people.
It determines what you think
is important to do.
It determines how you evaluate things.
It determines what you seek after
as the most important.
Well, the Corinthian worldview
in Paul's day
was driven by
an incredible confidence
in human thinking
and ability
to define
and create
the good life
they so much desired.
Corinthian culture
promoted
personal freedom
and happiness.
Promoted pleasure.
These are the measures
of the good life.
I have to stop
and say,
as I said last week,
that sounds so,
so familiar
to the Australian culture,
doesn't it?
So if you want to be
an authentic person
in Australia,
well, you pursue
freedom,
personal freedom,
happiness,
pleasure.
And that means,
essentially,
when you look at it
in practical terms,
that means
each person
does what they like
in order to be
the best possible
version of themselves.
And the city of Corinth
prided itself
on its tolerance
and unity
in inclusive society,
we'd say,
in these days.
Any viewpoint
apparently was accepted
equally.
But when you sort of
scratch into us
a culture like ours,
like theirs,
as is the case with ours,
when you scratch
below the surface,
it's anything
but exclusive
inclusive.
In fact,
this whole notion
of inclusivity
actually thinly
covers
disunity
and dislike.
And so,
what they had
in the church
at Corinth
was competitive
individualism.
So,
yes,
different views,
but they weren't
harmonious.
They were all
vying for
dominance
and preeminence.
They were all
after status.
My view
is the best view
and so,
subtly,
perhaps,
I'm going to
diss your view.
And the worldview
was causing
major problems
in the church.
Factions
dividing over
different personalities,
different emphases,
and competing
to make their
favored personality
dominant
while
perhaps,
as I say,
being a bit subtle,
but they're
passive-aggressively,
perhaps,
we could say.
As they try to make
their favored personality
dominant,
then they're
actually working
to undermine
others,
dismiss others
in the church
family.
And Paul's
antidote,
as we saw
in the verses
1 to 17
last week,
was to remind
the believers
that in Christ
they had a deep
unity.
Why?
Because they were
defined by him.
They were blessed
equally in him,
plugged into Jesus.
As I've already said,
they had it all
and needed to
think and act
practically in the
light of who they
were in Jesus.
And this point
was very simple.
If they're doing
that,
then factions,
divisions,
disunity,
and enmity
would disappear.
How would that
work?
Well,
as they were
focused on
expressing their
indebtedness to
Christ,
and expressing
their being defined
by Christ,
and their security
in Christ,
rather than
expressing all
those things
in terms of
allegiance to
people,
then all those
things would
disappear.
As they focused
on making Jesus
dominant,
and preeminent,
then they
wouldn't also
make individuals
within the church
family dominant,
and preeminent.
In our focus
verses today,
that was read to
us,
Paul presents
the gospel as
a radically new
worldview at
odds with
human ideas of
what is wise
and powerful,
and of who
is wise and
powerful.
His point is
very simple and
very blunt,
I think.
He's really
saying to these
believers at
Corinth,
your old
pre-Christian
worldview is
wrong,
and has no
place in the
church.
Why?
Because it's
actually contrary
to the gospel.
Your old
pre-Christian
worldview,
your Corinthian
culture worldview
is not
grace-based
or Jesus-focused
living.
So,
one aspect,
and it's just
one aspect,
behind their
competitive
individualism
and striving
for dominant
status,
was a worldly
view of
leadership.
If you read
through the two
letters to
Corinth,
you see that
leadership comes
up time and
time and time
again.
A worldly
way of
ranking usefulness
within the
church family.
That's what was
happening in the
church at Corinth.
They were using
a worldly
category of
what was
essential to
the health
and growth
of the
church.
And so,
a wrong
understanding of
wisdom and
power was
destroying the
church,
diminishing the
lordship of
Jesus,
because it
was taking
them away
from Jesus
and putting
the focus
on individual
people.
So,
let me give
you a little
bit of a
glimpse into
what wisdom
in Corinth
was deemed
to be.
In Corinthian
culture,
wisdom was
about self
promotion.
The person
who was
confident and
out there,
particularly with
the ability to
win arguments,
to out-argue
those around
you, to
impress others
with your
words and
with your
demeanor and
with your
aggressiveness,
perhaps, in
argument.
That's wisdom.
power was
the reward
for wisdom.
Because as
you were
dominant by
taking others
down, then
you became
powerful and
influential.
And so
power was
actually very
transactional.
To remain
powerful, to
get powerful,
you actually
had to use
and at
times even
abuse other
people to
gain dominance
over them,
to gain high
status, to
gain reputation.
It was a
very powerful
aspect of
Corinthian
culture.
And boy,
oh boy,
do we see it
in our own
Australian
culture these
days.
It drives
social media,
doesn't it?
But when you
look at it,
it's pretty
ugly.
It's pretty
ugly.
Transactional
and
destructive.
Well,
verse 18,
Paul says,
for the
word of the
cross
is folly
to those
who are
perishing.
That word
folly there
is the
word in
Greek,
moron.
the word
of the
cross is
absolutely
moronic
to those
who are
perishing.
That's how
unbelievers
think about
the gospel,
isn't it?
It just
makes no
sense to
unbelievers
to talk
of Jesus
being God's
son.
And then
to add to
that that
God's son
would be
crucified as
a criminal.
And all of
that in
order to
secure
forgiveness
and make
us people
acceptable
to God.
And then
add to
that
resurrection.
And then
add to
that
modeling
yourself
on this
Jesus
who was
defeatist
and who
urged
self-sacrifice
and generosity
towards other
people.
Putting other
people before
your own
rights.
It was
moronic
to the
unbelieving
mind.
people will
only take
advantage of
you if
you try
to be
selfless
and generous
towards
others.
You can't
do that.
You have to
stand up for
yourself.
Stand up for
your own
rights.
Take
people down
before they
take you
down.
The gospel
is moronic.
Their
assessment of
the gospel
you see
was based
on their
own
wisdom.
What was
that wisdom
telling them?
That well
I have
inherent
goodness.
And that
if I do
the right
thing with
my inherent
goodness
then I
have already
what I
already
deserve
and I
can earn
God's
acceptance.
So
it's
moronic
to talk
to me
about needing
to be
saved.
Needing
to be
rescued.
Because
I'm bad.
But
against that
you see
believers
have come
to understand
their
rebellion,
their guilt,
their helplessness
before God's
justice and
gladly accept
Jesus as
God's powerful
means of
salvation.
And there
the second
part of
that.
The word
power there
is dunamis.
That's the
word we
get dynamite
from.
So that
which
unbelievers
consider
moronic
is
actually
God's
dynamite
that
blasts
us free
from our
sin,
clear out
of hell
into heaven.
There's
no point
of overlap
between those
two worldviews,
is there?
What
unbelievers
despise
will always
be central
to believers?
And when
God's people
are operating
practically
in line
with God's
wisdom and
power,
they will
always be
totally at
odds with
the world
around them.
And don't
we feel that
particularly
in this time
in our
culture?
Paul illustrates
this point with
three case studies
of disastrous
consequences of
worldly wisdom
and power.
Verse 19
refers back to
Isaiah chapter
29.
In Isaiah's
time,
God's people
were facing
invasion,
imminent invasion,
by the ruthless
Assyrian
army,
which hitherto
had swept
all resistance
before them,
brutally
and ruthlessly.
God says
to his
people,
trust me,
I will
care for
you and
I'll
protect you.
God's
people,
in their
own
wisdom,
decided that
that wasn't
good enough.
And so,
contrary to
God's
explicit
statement,
they went
and formed
a political
military
alliance with
Egypt.
That's
where our
security
and future
will be.
Well,
you can go
and read it
for yourself.
But essentially,
when push
comes to shove,
the Egyptians
did nothing.
But God
destroyed the
Assyrian army
miraculously
overnight and
delivered his
people.
Paul's point?
Their wisdom,
their own
wisdom,
almost destroyed
them.
But the
Lord graciously
and miraculously
delivered them
as promised.
Verse 22a,
that the
Jews
demand
signs.
Well,
I think,
what does that
mean?
Well,
it's a little
bit hard to
know.
I think this
is what it
means.
The Jews,
in their
wisdom,
were convinced
that Messiah,
when he would
come into the
world,
would do
spectacular
things.
And so,
their measure
of Jesus'
ministry was
in terms of
show us
more spectacular
things,
because that's
what we
expect that
God would
do through
his Messiah.
Give Israel
dominant status
among the
nations.
But when
they confronted
Jesus,
he was not
spectacular.
And his
message appeared
to them as
one of
defeat.
So,
in their
wisdom,
they rejected
Jesus and
missed out on
the salvation
that they had
waited for for
generations.
man's wisdom
against God's
wisdom.
And verse
22b,
the Greeks
seek wisdom
in a similar
process.
I think that's
what Paul's
saying here.
In a similar
process,
the Greeks
decided,
well,
the gospel
is just
weird.
It's
certainly not
intellectual
enough for us
Corinthians,
who pride
ourselves on
learning and
philosophy.
And again,
it just
doesn't fit
with our
idea of
how God
would do
things in
this world.
It didn't
leave any
room for
people's own
cleverness,
for people's
own ability
to impress
God.
Paul's point,
once again,
their so-called
wisdom was
in danger of
making them
miss out.
on the
very thing
they needed.
And in
verses 21,
Paul, I
think,
saying,
look, you
guys in
Corinth,
you've got
the same
choice to
me.
So he
says to
them,
where is
the one
who is
wise?
Where is
the scribe,
the great
writer?
Where is
the debater
of this
age?
Again,
high status,
high dominance
in
Corinthians
society,
being able
to use
your words
to achieve
great things.
Has not
God made
foolish the
wisdom of
the world?
For since
in the wisdom
of God,
the world
did not
know God
through wisdom,
it plays
God through
the folly
of what we
preach to
save those
who believe.
life.
Practically,
the church
in Corinth
needed to
decide who
and what
was important
in the
church.
Would they
do it based
on their
old pre-Christian
ways of
thinking?
And there's
already evidence
they were doing
that in the
church with
the factions
and divisions.
Their old
pre-Christian
ideas of who
was wise and
who was
powerful.
Or would
they frame
their thinking
and actions
in light of
God's wisdom
and power
displayed in
Jesus?
In 23,
24,
and 25,
Paul, I
think,
affirms his
choice of
God's wisdom
and power.
But we,
it might just
be Paul and
his companions
or it might
be we
collectively
as believers,
but we
preach Christ
crucified,
a stumbling
block to
Jews and
moronic to
Gentiles.
But to
those who
are called,
both Jews
and Greeks,
Christ,
the power
of God
and the
wisdom of
God.
For the
foolishness of
God, if
such a thing
could even
exist, it's a
hyperbole,
for the
foolishness of
God is
wiser than
men.
And again,
the hyperbole,
the weakness
of God is
stronger than
men.
In other
words, it's a
no-brainer,
says Paul.
It's a
no-brainer.
Paul's not
aiming to
make God
number one
on his
agenda.
Rather, he
recognizes that
God is in
Jesus, has
set him a
complete new
agenda, a
complete new
worldview.
Therefore, to
change the
gospel message,
move away from
the so-called
foolishness of
Christ crucified
would be to
reject God's
wisdom, would
be to promote
competitive
individualism,
would be to
give worldly
wisdom dominant
status, even
though it
leads to
destruction.
people.
And the
weird thing is,
I was having
two conversations
this morning
before church,
two guys at
least in this
church know
what is to
be in another
church where
precisely that
has happened.
world.
Well, in sharp
contrast to the
destructive impact
of worldly
wisdom, Paul
describes the
Corinthian
Christians as a
case study in
God's wisdom and
power.
And this, I'm
just going to read
it again, it's
going to take extra
time, but I'm
going to read it
because it almost
speaks for itself.
He's just asking
them to reflect on
this issue of
wisdom and
power.
It's almost as if
he said, look,
just guys, just
stop for a minute
and look around
the church family
you're now part of
in Corinth and
just ask, where's
the wisdom and
power evident?
For consider your
calling, brothers.
Not many of you
were wise according
to worldly
standards.
Not many were
powerful.
Not many were of
noble birth.
But God chose
what is foolish in
the world to
shame the wise.
God chose what is
weak in the world to
shame the strong.
God chose what is
low and despised in
the world, even
things that are not
or of no consequence,
to bring to nothing
things that are.
So that no human
being might boast in
the presence of God.
He is the source of
your life in Jesus
Christ, whom God
made our wisdom, our
righteousness, our
sanctification and
redemption.
Therefore, as it is
written, that the one
who boasts, boasts in
the Lord.
So just look around.
Just do a brief survey
of the church family
around you and you
will see that God
doesn't pick
intellectuals.
He doesn't pick
influential people.
He doesn't pick
people of status
necessarily in our
society.
He doesn't pick the
best educated people.
There's nothing about
the church family in
Corinth, says Paul,
that's elite or
highbrow or
preeminent.
In fact, says Paul,
the point of the
gospel is that
quite unremarkable
people are saved
and become incredibly
remarkable people in
Christ.
And that proves that
God doesn't care for
the values and
assessments of this
world.
The end point of
that, here's the
really practical term,
the end point of that
is no believer can
big note themselves
as a Christian,
either because of
their personality or
because of their
understanding or
because of their
actions.
In fact, says Paul,
if you want to
brag, and that
bragging was one of
the baseline features
of Corinthian culture,
Paul says, well,
okay, let's just
look at the word
bragging.
If you only brag,
if you only boast,
well,
boast about Jesus.
Because that's the
only thing you have to
boast about.
The only thing you
have to boast about
or brag about is
God's amazing grace
in saving you.
Friends, I hope you
see Paul's point here.
The categories that
matter in God's
church are not
being clever,
not being necessarily
naturally gifted,
not being
influential as our
society would
call influential,
not being
sophisticated as our
society would deem
sophistication,
but those who
happily show God's
wisdom and power
by reflecting
the character
and death and
resurrection of
Jesus.
people.
And that, my
friends, is every
one of you here
who is a believer.
So putting Paul's
argument together,
verses 2 to 9,
we're not far from
being finished.
Jesus defines you
as a believer
individually and
together as a
church family.
And it's Jesus and
the gospel in verses,
that's verse 2 to 9,
and it's Jesus and
the gospel in verses
10 through to 31,
that should define
their thinking and
actions in respect of
each other and in
respect of the
message.
So, circle
back around to my
introduction.
The most important
takeaway from these
verses, I believe.
You will be most
useful in this church
family.
You'll be most
powerful in this
church family.
You'll be
outstanding in
wisdom in this
church family as
you strive to
promote Jesus.
As you strive to
be like Jesus
before others.
That will be
wisdom and power
that, humanly
speaking, will not
only help this
congregation survive,
but will make it
thrive.
if you can do
that, if you can
see those things as
the defining
categories of
everything that
happens in this
church family,
then you have
every reason to be
confident moving into
the future.
Remember, you have
everything you need
in Jesus to be
grace-based and
Jesus focused.
Making, as I say,
your own involvement
in this church a
model of God's
wisdom and power.
And qualifying you,
therefore, also, my
friend, to challenge
others when you see
worldly wisdom or
worldly means of
power creeping into
this church family if
and when that
happens.
you, individually,
each one of you,
has a responsibility
to make sure the
church survives and
thrives by being
grace-based and
Jesus focused.
And the overflow of
all that will be the
deep unity, verse 10,
that we spoke about
last week.
So, simple, very
simple, practical
question.
You need to look at
your own engagement
in this church family
and ask, are you
predominantly driven
by grace-based,
Jesus focused
categories?
Or are you
predominantly driven
by human categories
of who and what is
important in the
church?
So, let me just
tease that out a
little bit.
You need to ask
yourself, who is it
in the church that
you value?
What is the
personality in the
church you think,
yeah, they're the
people I want to be
like?
Who is it you
desire to be around
in the church family?
Yeah, I just need to
hang out with this
person because he
will, his grace-based
or her grace-based
Jesus focus will just
flow over onto me and
that's exactly what I
need.
Or are you still
drawn to the high
profile people?
The cool people?
Maybe the fashion-savvy
people like myself?
The nice people like
Simon?
It's really bad when a
pastor holds a grudge,
isn't it?
The successful people.
The people with formal
positions in the
church.
The people, perhaps,
who just talk enough
about godliness and use
the language of the
Bible but don't really
actually challenge you
to change your views,
change your behaviors.
Churches are full of
people like that.
Are you applying God's
wisdom and power to
your relationships?
I talked about that
last week, especially
broken and strained
relationships with your
brothers and sisters in
this church family.
Or as I said last week,
are you living happily
with spiritual
disfigurement because we
got spiritual breaks,
we got relational breaks?
See, at the heart of the
gospel is reconciliation.
The reconciliation that
God effected between us
and him is far, far more
costly and profound than
anything we will be called
to do in reconciling with
brothers and sisters that we
fall out with.
It's the model of carrying
offense at a personal level
rather than demanding
rights.
That's God's wisdom and
power.
It's forgiving when the
person who's offended you
isn't necessarily truly
repentant.
That's God's wisdom and
power.
It's a challenge to us.
We need to address
hurts and differences on
the basis of God's wisdom
and power.
Reminding yourself as you
engage at that level that
you have so much in common
in Christ.
You actually have the
platform from which you
can resolve those issues.
Last Sunday, as I wound
up, I asked, based on
verse 10, about the idea
of knitting together, I
asked each of you to be
knitters.
Yep, and that included the
blokes.
You need to take the lead in
this church family in being
knitters.
Well, today I'm asking you
to be braggers, boasters.
Make it your goal to be
known in this church as
someone who just boasts
incessantly.
not about your own
abilities, not about your
clever use of words, not
about your grievances with
others and how I gave them
a bit of a rev up and I
took them down and I
sorted them out and they'll
never speak to me like that
again.
But boasting about being
shaped and blessed in Christ
together with every other
believer in this church
family.
Would that we were a
congregation of boasters in
that context.
Well, pray with me, please.
Lord, we just get it so
wrong.
We know what's right, we
want what's right, but we
get it so wrong.
We just default back and
under pressure, we default
back into that old pre-
Christian way of
thinking and evaluating and
acting.
Help us to be grace-based
and Jesus-focused.
Help us to be those who
boast in nothing other than
our identity in Christ,
our security in Christ,
and our unity in Christ.
in Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.