Title: Preaching
of Christ Crucified
Text: 1
Corinthians 1: 23-24
Date:
January 3, 2013
Place: SGBC,
New Jersey
1 Corinthians 1: 23: But we preach Christ
crucified,…
Subject:
Preaching of Christ Crucified.
If
someone asks you, what does your pastor preach?
This is our answer: we preach Christ crucified. If they ask, “What else?” You say, “Nothing
else is worth preaching?” We preach
Christ crucified.
There
are three “unto’s” that follow which will make up our divisions. Our divisions will be in the form of
questions.
Divisions:
I. WHAT IS THE PREACHING OF CHRIST
CRUCIFIED TO THE JEW?—v23: unto the Jews a stumblingblock, II. WHAT IS THE PREACHING OF CHRIST
CRUCIFIED UNTO THE GREEK?—V23: and unto the Greeks foolishness; III. WHAT IS THE PREACHING OF CHRIST
CRUCIFIED UNTO THEM WHICH ARE CALLED?--24: But unto them which are called,
both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.
Proposition: The gospel which declares that Christ is the Wisdom and
Power of God to save his people, with no help from those being saved, is
despised by all except those who are called.
Our text says, “Unto the Jews a
stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness.” All men who have not been called of God are in one of
these two groups, some may be in both, but all are in one or the other.
I. WHAT IS THE PREACHING OF CHRIST CRUCIFIED TO
THE JEW?—v23: unto
the Jews a stumblingblock,…
Who Are the Jews?
The
Jews, in the sense used here, represent all who are religious but attempting to
come to God either without Christ or by adding to the work of Christ. They may not be natural descendents of
Abraham. They may not even claim to be Jewish.
They may claim to be Christians. But
all who add to the work of Christ in any way are a Jew as it is used here. The preaching of Christ crucified is a
stumbling block to them—they balk at it—get tripped up—they would rather kick
it out of the way and keep on their walk.
The Jew is Self-Willed and Self-Taught
The Jew
thinks they came to Christ by their wisdom and power. If you do not preach to
them that man’s will is free—they stumble.
Man’s will is not free—it is bound to his nature. Natural man cannot change himself unless God
creates him anew.
John 3: 1: There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus,
a ruler of the Jews: 2 The same came to
Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come
from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with
him. 3 Jesus answered and said unto him,
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the
kingdom of God. 4 Nicodemus saith unto
him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into
his mother’s womb, and be born? 5 Jesus
answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of
the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and
that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7
Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou
hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it
goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. 9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can
these things be? 10 Jesus answered and
said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? 11: Verily,
verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have
seen; and ye receive not our witness. 12
If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye
believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?
John 5: 43: I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive
me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.
John 6:44: No man can come to me, except the Father which
hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
The Jew is Self-Righteous
The Jew
is a self-righteous man. He does not believe all men to be depraved—that we
fell in the garden. He believes his works to be righteous and to count toward
his salvation. He will not deny what I
am about to read you with his mouth, but he will by his works—because he
stumbles at Christ being all our Righteousness period. He does not believe in
his heart this right here:
Romans 5: 19: For as by one man’s disobedience many were
made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. 20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence
might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: 21
That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through
righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.
The Jew is Self-Sanctifying
Next,
the Jew stumbles because he does not understand the lawful use of the law which
God gave at Mt. Sinai. Again, I remind you he could go by the name of a
Christian—but he is no different than a Jew, no different than a Pharisee.
Romans 5: 20:…the law entered, that the offence might
abound…
Romans 3: 19: Now we know that what things soever the law
saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped,
and all the world may become guilty before God. 20: Therefore by the deeds of
the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the
knowledge of sin.
Because
the Spirit of God has not given him a new heart, purging his conscious from
dead works, to serve the true and living God, he has a zeal for God but not
according to knowledge. He really does not believe…
Romans 10:4: For Christ is the end of the law for
righteousness to every one that believeth.
The
reason they go on trying to establish a righteousness is in the last phrase—to everyone
that believes. They do not believe
Christ is the end of the law for righteousness.
Those who do believe know Christ is the end of the law for
righteousness. He will not say he is
keeping the law for righteousness sake, only for sanctification—to make him
more holy.
Galatians 3: 2: This only would I learn of you, Received
ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 3: Are ye so
foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?
The Jew is Self-Redeeming
The
reason the Jew stumbles is that Christ has not made him free. He has not been made to believe redemption is
accomplished by Christ alone. In fact,
he is afraid of liberty—of the word freedom. He takes the one of the most
glorious doctrines: redemption from the law’s yoke and rule, from the law’s
judgment, from the law’s guilt, from the law’s curse and condemnation. So he calls it licentious doctrine. He says if you tell a man the truth that “If
the Lord shall set you free you shall be free indeed” you are telling a man he
is free to live like he wants to. I am
telling you the believer lives like he wants too—but those born of the Spirit live
wanting to serve Christ, to serve Christ, not to sin; not by force, by faith; not
by law, by love--The just shall live by
faith.
He may
very well be a five-point Calvinist in letter, on paper and in the head. When he is with believers he says salvation
is by the irresistible grace of God but when he is with his better friends he
proudly recounts how he accepted his jesus and let his god save him. With believers he will declare the flesh
profits nothing but with those he is most comfortable with he will proudly tell
you how he keeps the law. He can stomach
to hear that Christ died for a particular people now and then but it’s all the
same to hear a message that Christ died for all men. With believers he may not
speak much of the signs he seeks and can see like: morality, Sabbath-keeping,
tithing, abstinence, humanitary missions—but with his good friends he will
proudly talk about the sin he has stopped sinning and the sinfulness of others.
He makes sure all know that he tithes, he prays and ironically, that he is
self-abasing. With believers he may say he has no confidence in traditions of
men—but he really takes great confidence in the religion of momma/dadda, in a
certain denomination and history.
He
receives every person who professes to believe God, to believe Christ, with the
exception of one: those who declare Christ is All. Even one as pious and tolerant and
open-minded as he, can only stomach so long that septarist group, that sect, he
labels as hyper-Calvinists. For he says, “They take the finished work of Christ
too far! They take the absolute sovereignty of God too far! To hear them talk you would think God is
actually God! That Christ actually governs
his church all power is his, that Christ is All! That the believer is complete in Christ! That Christ is the fullness of the Godhead
bodily and the believer is as complete in Christ as Christ is the fullness of
the Godhead bodily!”
Yes, we
say the Son of God is the whole message of earth as well as heaven! Yes, we believe Christ is All, we really are
determined to know nothing among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified. And my hearts prayer for any who does not, as
Paul said, ‘is that they might be saved,” that God may give you grace to turn
from that helpless god of your own hand, to Christ Jesus. So for the sake of his own vain glory, the
man who trusts in his own power and wisdom, stumbles at the truth of Christ--unto the Jew the preaching of Christ
crucified is a stumblingblock.
So when
the Jew hears us preach
1 Corinthians 1: 30: But of him are ye in Christ Jesus,
who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and
redemption: 31: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him
glory in the Lord—
Christ
can’t be all or all his works of righteousness are vain and he has no room to
glory in self!—that is the real and only issue behind all his smokescreen of
lies!
Listen and hear me: Vain, man-exalting, works religion is by far the worst
enemy of souls. Preacher did you just
say a man is worse off being in a church if that church is not preaching the
gospel? That is exactly what I
said. The Lord Jesus said that,
Matthew 23:15: Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is
made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.
Matthew 21: 31:…Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto
you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.
Matthew 6: 23: But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body
shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness,
how great is that darkness!
II. WHAT IS THE PREACHING OF CHRIST CRUCIFIED
UNTO THE GREEK?—V23:
and unto the Greeks foolishness;
Who Are the Greeks?
The
Greeks represent all who have their heart set on the world: its wisdom, riches,
applause, sports, so on. Again, he may be from Greece. He may be from some
other background. He may dabble in religion—for its wisdom’s sake,
intellectually, of course. But for the most part his mind is set on the world--To the Greek the preaching of Christ
crucified is foolishness.
Greeks Love Worldly Wisdom
Give
him philosophy—he loves it. Give him arts
and sciences or history and politics, sports and recreation, even study of
religion and philosophy as academics or history or the memorizing of systems of
theology—but in his heart of hearts—the
preaching of Christ crucified is foolishness to him.
The
Greek usually considers all religious people as hypocrites—but give him a
hypocrite (actor) on the silver-screen, in the theater, or on capital hill and
that suits him. Give him a novel or just
tell him something new and novel—anything but the scriptures.
He will
take the latest song, latest theory, latest joke, latest quip of useless
trivia, a few lines of a foreign language, a visit to the museum, a walk in
nature. He may be rich or poor, eating goose liver on hundred dollar saltines
or potted meat on wonder bread and he will take any worldly thing just do not
mention going to the church house unless it is in jest or for hearing some new
thing for unto the Greek the preaching
of Christ crucified is foolishness.
Those
are the two categories all unbelievers fit into: they are either self-righteous
refusing to bow to the truth that Christ is all or they are brilliant
ignoramuses thinking our gospel is foolishness or a mixture. They may be rich and recognized or poor and
unnoticed—but these are the two groups all are in.
III. WHAT IS THE PREACHING OF CHRIST
CRUCIFIED UNTO THEM WHICH ARE CALLED?--24: But unto them which are called, both
Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.
Unto Them Which Are Called
These are
the elect of God. They were called of God from eternity in divine
election blessed with all spiritual blessings.
Ephesians 1: 3: Blessed be the
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4 According as he hath chosen us in him before
the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before
him in love: 5 Having predestinated us
unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good
pleasure of his will, 6 To the praise of
the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
Romans 8: 28: And we know that all
things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called
according to his purpose. 29: For whom he did foreknow, he also did
predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be
the firstborn among many brethren. 30: Moreover whom he did predestinate, them
he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he
justified, them he also glorified. 31: What shall we then say to these things?
If God be for us, who can be against us?
These were called
effectually of God in time by the preaching of Christ crucified by the Holy
Spirit.
1 Corinthians 1: 30: Of God are ye in Christ Jesus who of
God is made unto us—ALL!
By the
grace of God, by the power and wisdom of God these are born again, created
anew, given the mind of Christ, given faith, granted repentance and blessed of
God to believe on Christ.
Both Jews and Greeks
Believers
come from these two groups. God has made
us one in Christ from all kinds of backgrounds.
Revelation 5:9…for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us
to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
The
grace of God does in the hearts of his people what the religions and politics
of this world only attempt and fake!
Christ the Power and Wisdom of God
Christ
crucified is the message which declares the perfection of God’s Power and
Wisdom. Why did God allow the Jew and
the Greek to even come about? It was God’s way of making the wisdom of
this world to appear to those he calls, as just what it is, utter foolishness.
1 Corinthians 1: 19: For it is written, I will destroy
the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the
prudent. 20: Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of
this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21: For after
that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by
the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
God
gave fallen man the heavens and the earth which declare his eternal power and
Godhead—and God gave the Jews the very oracles of God—for 4000 years—to figure
out who God is and how God will be worshipped. The consummate wisdom of man—the grand
conclusion man left to his own wisdom is: man worships man.
Romans 1: 20:..so that they are without excuse: 21 Because that, when they knew God, they
glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their
imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22: Professing themselves
to be wise, they became fools, 23: And changed the glory of the uncorruptible
God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted
beasts, and creeping things. 24: Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness
through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between
themselves: 25: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and
served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
But in
the fullness of time, God sent the One he purposed from eternity
1 Corinthians 1: 21
For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it
pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
God
came forth from the womb of a virgin—a babe born in a manger. He called forth those he would use to preach
his name. They came forth not dressed in
the delicate dress from the ivy halls but in rubber boots from the fishing
docks; not with pretty pedicured fingers but with fish scales stuck to their
fingers; not speaking over the people’s heads with the crafty, intellectualism
from the seminary of Gamaliel they came speaking the truth of God in such plain
unadorned language that it was impossible for anyone to misunderstand their
message. Why did God do such things?
1 Corinthians 1: 25: Because the foolishness of God is
wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 26: For ye see
your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many
mighty, not many noble, are called: 27: But God hath chosen the foolish things
of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the
world to confound the things which are mighty; 28: And base things of the
world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which
are not, to bring to nought things that are: 29: That no flesh should glory in
his presence.
We
preach Christ crucified the only Power and Wisdom in this world! The justice of the law satisfied and
everlasting mercy given to God’s people by the person and finished work of
Christ Jesus our Wisdom. More wisdom and
power than creation, even the creation of man, is the salvation of sinners in
perfect justice by the Wisdom of God accomplished in Christ. Incarnate God upon the cross! The substitute atoning for the guilt of his
people! Christ satisfying the justice of heaven! Mercy delivering the
rebellious sinner! All so-called wisdom
of men must bow into nothingness at this Power and Wisdom of God in Christ.
For
those called we have the mind of Christ.
True wisdom comes from God in the heart of his people by making us to
know Christ our Wisdom. Nature becomes a
united creation which glorifies Christ in some way or another.
Isaiah 55: 12: For ye shall go out with joy, and be led
forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into
singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
We
glory only in the Lord—that is why we preach Christ crucified. Christ is our
Wisdom. Christ is our Righteousness. Christ is our Sanctification. Christ is our
Redemption. Christ is our Acceptance and Completion. Christ is our
Glorification and our Glory. Christ is our Inheritance and our Reward. CHRIST
IS ALL AND IN ALL!
Amen!