The Cross Speaks
1.
That the world’s wisdom is foolish (wisdom)
2.
That we are helpless (power)
3.
Christ as God’s power and wisdom
1
Corinthians 1:20-25 Where is the philosopher? Where is the scholar? Where is
the debater of this age? Hasn't God made the world's wisdom foolish? 21 For
since, in God's wisdom, the world did not know God through wisdom, God was
pleased to save those who believe through the foolishness of the message
preached. 22 For the Jews ask for signs and the Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we
preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the
Gentiles. 24 Yet to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is God's
power and God's wisdom, 25 because God's foolishness is wiser than human
wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength. (HCSB)
These
are God’s Words. He wants us to have confidence that they are trustworthy and
true. Faith is based in the Word of God, and therefore, the confidence we have
as believers is rooted in God’s truth. Dear fellow redeemed.
God
makes some bold claims in these verses. He defiantly questions the nature and
origin of the world’s philosophers, debaters, and scholars. He declares that He
made the world’s wisdom foolish. He summarizes, God’s weakness, if there could
even be such a thing, is stronger than any form of human might.
You’re
probably familiar with this section. Do you believe what God claims?
It’s very easy for us to gloss over sections of the Bible without actually
taking them to heart. Do you fully understand what it means to believe what God
says here? Do you value God’s truth over the world’s wisdom? Does the Bible
dictate and shape how you live your life – the words you speak, the thoughts
you think, the ideals and positions you support before others? When someone
tries to understand what your philosophy is, do they see Christ as presented in
God’s Word, or is another philosophy of the world blocking the view?
These
are tough questions because our human nature falls into one of two categories.
The nature in your heart wants you to consider God’s Word either as foolish or
offensive. And God knows that. He knows that He is being bold in the face of
human nature to make these claims. And, therefore, He also describes the
reaction to His Word – these two positions: …a stumbling block to the
Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles.
The
conclusion of God’s bold claims is that we are helpless on our own. Wisdom
affects power. God is describing that relationship here as it pertains to our
faith. Because the world’s wisdom is foolish, those who live in the world are
powerless against so many things in life, maybe not all things, but certainly
the bigger things, and definitely the spiritual things.
But
God is not just being bold here. He has something for you to learn. He wants
you to take something away from this reality check that will make you wiser and
stronger – but not on your terms. His wisdom and strength comes from the cross
of Christ. Everything in this section, yes even in our faith, hinges upon the
cross of Christ. This morning we study three things that the cross speaks. The
world’s wisdom as foolishness. The reality of our helplessness. And the power
and wisdom of God in Christ Jesus. May the Holy Spirit use these words of truth
to guide and bless us.
The
cross of Christ speaks, but so do many other things in the world. That’s kind
of the point that God is making here. As Christians, don’t be surprised when
you see different philosophies and beliefs touted in opposition to the gospel.
God knows this is occurring and he warns us about it. But, we also know that as
Christians we do not discard other sources of knowledge, instruction, and
learning. It is not wrong to use the great realm of human wisdom in a variety
of subjects to increase our understanding of the world, and our lives, and to
work for the betterment of life here on earth. God does not disagree either.
The point of this section is about ideas and beliefs that contradict God’s Word
– and God’s Word is going to speak primarily to our spiritual lives. So, how do
we navigate this in life so that we don’t unintentionally block out the message
of the cross?
One
way is to consider the intended purpose of the knowledge you are using and
analyze its usefulness in your life. Keep each belief in its proper mode and
function. Don’t let it shift from its true value. Here’s an example: Martin
Seligman is a psychiatrist who developed a new mode of treating depression in
the 1960s. His theory was called “learned helplessness,” and the idea was that
people become depressed when they believe 1. They no longer have control over
rewards and punishments and 2. They are responsible for their state of helplessness.
Seligman’s
premise is that people can actually be conditioned to accept helplessness by
the influences in their life, even if in reality they are not helpless at all.
To test his theory, Seligman did an experiment with dogs. On one day, a dog
would be held in a hammock and electrically shocked at certain times. Try as
they would, the dogs could not escape and therefore were helpless against the
shocks. The next day, the same dogs would be put into a cage with a small
barrier in the middle. On one side the dog would be shocked, but they were able
to jump over the barrier to a safe spot on the other side of the cage. Because
of the helplessness of the prior day, most dogs would simply lie down on the
one side of the cage. Instead of jumping to safety, Seligman concluded that the
dogs had simply learned to accept their helpless state, even though they
weren’t helpless.
As
a form of treating depression, the theory of learned helplessness applies the
same lessons to human suffering. Go back to Seligman’s two main premises -
people become depressed when they believe 1. They no longer have control over
rewards and punishments and 2. They are responsible for their state of
helplessness. We can see the rationale in these thoughts, yet these exactly two
truths that God teaches us in our text. We do not have control. We are
responsible for our state of helplessness. The Bible is clear on both points. I
would say that even our own experiences reinforce these truths. We are living
in times that dictate, in no uncertain terms, our helplessness. We are
responsible, either fully or in part, for so many of the troubles we face. This
is true personally, but it is also true collectively. We may not commit the
same sins as others, but ultimately, all suffering is the result of human
actions – going all the way back to the very beginning, and as humans we
experience the consequences of sin together – whether we are the direct guilty
party or not.
There’s
sound wisdom to the learned depression theory and many other philosophies like
it. But a problem can develop when it is used in place of what God alone has
done through Christ. There’s a growing belief in our society that the
principles of Seligman’s theory, and those of other positive psychology
movements like it, can be legitimate and healthy answers for the problem of
sin. The idea is that we are fine on our own – spiritually. To speak of the
need to repent, the danger of sin, the priority of God’s truth, or any of the
other standards of Christianity is to feed into this demeaning image of the
self that leads to a place of helplessness. Many today see the law of God as a
mechanism of self-abuse. In one sense, skeptics of God’s truth are right. The
areas of God’s righteousness and justice that expose our sins do bring us to a
place of helplessness. But that’s not the whole story from God and the law of
God is only abused when it is used to justify ourselves. Our helpless state can
only be answered by Christ and the message that His cross speaks. That is the
only lasting, true, and healthy solution for our lives – both physically and
spiritually.
Indeed,
part of God’s plan in these verses is to dispel any notion that we can gain
spiritual life with God on our own. Verses 27-29 read, Instead, God has
chosen what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen what
is weak in the world to shame the strong. 28 God has chosen what is
insignificant and despised in the world-- what is viewed as nothing-- to bring
to nothing what is viewed as something, 29 so that no one can boast in His
presence.
This
is a hard message to hear but it’s one that is healthy for our lives. It’s like
distasteful medicine that fights an infection or a surgery that cuts away a
disease. The Psalmist wrote of God’s judgment over sin in light of His desire
for mercy in the same way, Psalm 30:5 For His anger lasts only a moment, but
His favor, a lifetime. Weeping may last for the night, but there is joy in the
morning.
There
are helpful tools from human wisdom in theories like learned helplessness. That
particular belief sounds a warning about despair and living in a state of
perpetual helplessness that betrays reality. But that wisdom is taken out of
its proper, God-given use when it becomes a substitute for Jesus. The Bible
clearly teaches that we are helpless on our own, and that we are responsible in
many ways for that situation. This section from 1 Corinthians is one such part
of the Bible that speaks that truth.
But,
God is being very specific about wisdom that we look to for moral, emotional,
and spiritual deliverance in life. Though the voice of God’s law certainly
speaks helplessness and accountability, the declaration of the cross is much
stronger. Christ’s cross lifts us from a position of helplessness to a station
that is higher than the temptations of Satan, sounder than the philosophies of
the world, and
more
comforting than the enticement of your sinful flesh. This position is also fit
to stand before the Almighty God when the philosophies of the world fail test.
You don’t have to worry about your eternal fate, as if it doesn’t exist, or as
if it’s in the hands of some other person. The wisdom of Christ’s cross speaks
a simple, splendid, and secure word of hope just as Jesus did so many times, “Be
of good cheer, your sins are forgiven.”
The
power of the cross is also apparent in the fact that it’s not about you. When
the world’s wisdom is applied to spirituality, it tries to convince you that
you hold the key. It says, don’t diminish your spirit because you can
accomplish anything. It promises, be your true self and your greatest needs
will be met. These thoughts might work for some temporary issues in the world,
but applied to spiritual life they are dangerous lies. What will human spirit
and an authentic self do in the face of death? The answer is there day after
day, those things wither and fade.
God
leads you away from trusting in yourself, however positive it may sound, not to
leave you in helplessness, but to show you Christ’s cross more clearly – that
you may have hope. God would go on to say as much in chapter two, through Paul,
For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him
crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4
and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in
demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith might not rest
in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
There’s
nothing more helpless than being face-to-face with your own mortality. Maybe
you’ve seen that before in someone else, maybe you’ve experienced it for
yourself. Whatever the case may be, we all confront that reality at some point.
Ignoring your helplessness will not be an option. The only hope in that moment
is Christ. Only He triumphed over death by the cross and the grave. And the
mercy of that truth speaks a louder message than the judgment of which it
warns. God’s word to you this day is simple. If such a blessing exists in
Christ – use it, not just when death is near, but today and every day. Don’t
let the world’s wisdom hold preeminence in your heart. Use it for its own
purpose, in its own way, but never let become more important to you than Christ’s
cross. Amen.
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