Sermon – “Foolishness or Power” (Good Friday 2016 – Bishop Gary Trail)

For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect. 18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.” 20 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. 22 For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

Per script or less than the seeding I’m going to read all the way to the end of the chapter. For those of you who are following along. This is from First Corinthians. The first chapter verses seventeen all the way through thirty one. Hear the word of the Lord. For Christ did not send me to baptize. But to preach the gospel. Not with wisdom of words. Lest the cross of Christ. Should be made of no effect. For the message of the cross is foolishness. 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 bring to nothing. The understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise. Where is the scribe. Where is the disputer of this age. Has not God made foolish. The wisdom of this world. For sense the wisdom of God for since in the wisdom of God the world. Through wisdom did not know God. It pleased God through the foolishness of the message. Preached to save those who believe. For Jews. Request a sign. And Greeks. Seek after wisdom. But we preach Christ crucified. To the Jews a stumbling block. And to the Greeks foolishness. But to those who are called both Jews in Greeks. Christ. The power of God. And the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than man. And the weakness of God is stronger than man. For you see your calling brothers and sisters. That not many were were wise according to the flesh. Not many mighty. Not many in Noble. Are cold. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world. To put to shame the wise. And God has chosen the weak things of the world. To put to shame the things which are mighty. And the base things of the world. And the things which are despised. God has chosen. And the things which are not. To bring to nothing. The things that are that no flesh should glory. In his presence. But of him. You are in Christ Jesus whom became for us. Wisdom from God and righteousness and sanctification. And redemption. That as it is written. He who glories. Let Him glory. In the Lord. Here is this reading of the lesson from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians Let us pray for a moment. See from his head. His hands his feet. Sorrow and love. Flow mingled down there such love and sorrow meet. Or thorns come. Pose. So Rich a crown. We meditate. Their Lord. Tonight on the cross. And we cannot fathom. All the mystery in the majesty of the work of Jesus on the cross. But help our poor preacher. In his feeble attempt to explain a little more of the mystery. That we might be nourished in the word. That we might be blessed. And that we may not be as the world. But as Jesus. In whose name we pray. Amen. Foolishness. Or power. For the message. Of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing. But to us who are being saved. It is the power of God. We live in a time when there are debaters and. That’s mentioned in the scripture. And people who think that they are wise but. Yet in the things of the Lord they are very foolish. And really know very little. I would rather know what I know. Because I know Jesus. And I know that I know Jesus. Not because of any goodness of mine. But because of the work of the cross. So we preach Christ crucified. Verse twenty three. Why do I preach Christ crucified. Because somebody preached Christ crucified to me. And it helped me to move a little closer to that understanding where Christ. Didn’t just die for the sins of the whole world. But he had died for my sins personally. And that meant all the difference in the world. And I can tell you right now that I humbly believe that if you’re not prepared to die. You’re not really prepared to live. Because when I had Christ in my heart and was prepared to die. I really began to live. And I’m so grateful because life. Made a big change from that point on. Oh. I didn’t hear any. Thunder I didn’t see any lightning. I simply was challenged by a fellow student at Frostburg University. In fact it was a. It was a State Teacher’s College there. So it wasn’t a university. But I was challenged. Did I know that I know that I was saved. And I him hold about it and he said. Well if you’re not. If you if you don’t know you’re not. And I had read my Bible through at least five times by that time. And still had not seen. What I should have seen. My eyes were not open. I was too wise in my own eyes. I was wise in in my. Recitation of the Scriptures. But I needed to know that that cross was for me personally and I when it examined the word. And all of a sudden it looked differently. My eyes were really open to the Scriptures. And so. It makes a difference. And I know something else. As I reflected on this. Cross. Tonight. About forty eight years ago. A little girl was watching T.V. on Good Friday. All of a sudden she burst into the kitchen. And said to her mother. Mommy mommy. And she was crying and sobbing. They’re killing this good man. And it’s awful to think about it brothers and sisters. Except he become as little children you show no case in or into the kingdom of heaven. This little girl understood something. She understood that this man was different than any other man. She also understood that even though she was very very young. She had a consciousness. Of be of seen. She knew what guilt was. You know. We experience in a very very early age in which we go against even what we know to be right. Even though. We go against what people have told us is the right thing to do. There is something in us. Which is the sin principle it’s not just a bunch of C M’s although. That’s bad but it’s a very gone wrong us are bent. To sinning. And Jesus Christ. Dealt with that. On the cross. I believe. Little children can understand from a very early age. They can understand that that there is death in the world. Death is a reality. And a good man can be tortured and dying. And that sense of death unset sense of. Of I need. This Jesus who died in my place. They can understand that one could die a very ignominious death. To free us from the captivity of sin. And the captivity with a capital S.. There is that. Need in us that we need. The Cross. And in our day and time. It is a more dangerous world that I have ever been in. Even the time in the fifty’s when we hid under the desks. Thinking that that intercontinental ballistic missile was going to come across at any minute. With a big hydrogen bomb. But that didn’t happen. But death is coming closer. In fact. There are people who will be on the highways this weekend who will die. Because they want to celebrate Easter. They’ll have car wrecks. There are people who will do the wrong thing and. Hurt themselves and hurt others. Are you to. This night prepared to die. And to face a Holy God. A holy God. With your sins Unforgiven. I was not prepared to live until I was prepared to die. And there is a choice tonight. Do we have foolishness. Or power. Now. We have our text the Sebring verse eighteen. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing. But to those of us who are being saved it is the power of God. The word translated in this translation is message. But it’s the word law goddess. Which can be also translated the devide word as in John’s gospel. In the beginning. Was the law God’s the Divine Word. And the law Gus was God was with God and the Word was God. And it also can mean and. John Wesley translates it as the doctrine of the cross. The doctrine of the cross. Is foolishness. To those who are perishing. And it can be. Also translated message. And I think in a way it can be translated as additive because it is from the heart of God. This additive. Of of the. Of the cross. All it’s a mystery. And yet we can understand anough to be saved. I don’t understand all mysteries. I wonder Stana mystery of what I read recently. About scientists saying that the base. At the very base. Part of who we are of the composition of our bodies. There are these little crosses. No I haven’t seen it under. Super super super microscope. But that’s what they’ve discovered at the very center of our being these little crosses that make up our bodies. I don’t understand it I haven’t seen it. But I believe it because I believe in the cross I was thinking tonight. Of all times I forgot to wear my crossed and. I always wear a cross and Mary says. There are crosses around here. So I thought. OK I’ll be a kid again to count the cross. So I thought well I’ll count the cost. I counted three up there on and on that door. If you count the others it makes ten. That I could see from from the pew. There you go. There you can. One there. About one right there. And I’ll bet there are some others. With even some of the reflections of the lamps. Might even have a bit of a cross in them. But it’s there and as is who we are. The crosses Various to very beginning it. And yet the cross for Jesus was the most extreme. Method of torture. Ever devised. To his time. I have a feeling that men have gotten so sinful when human beings have gotten so civil there’s. There’s even worse methods of torture now. But for Jesus day that was the worse and. There are some scholars who believe that. When Jesus was a small child. There was a hot. A lot more who all the way down the every pew every pew has a cross. See when we become kids again we could see the cross. But. Jesus maybe as a small boy. Because there was a rebel. A Galilean rebellion. When he was small. And the Romans did not like rebellion and they Jesus may have seen hundreds of people on crosses. Near his hometown. Even as a small boy and I wonder. I wondered in my imagination. Did Jesus. Help his dad. Make some of those crosses. Because his father was a carpenter. And in one Gospel Jesus is called the carpenters Well that’s a mystery. I don’t know. But one could hang on a cross. In the heat and in the cold and in extreme agony. Muscles cramping for days and days. It was something of a supposed to be reserved for the worst kind of criminals. If you were a Roman citizen you couldn’t be crucified. Paul was a Roman citizen so he could be crucified. When he was martyred he was. He was executed. Another way. And people going by made it so much worse because they. They picked on people who were on crosses. They jeered. People who are old crosses and we know that when Jesus was on the cross. There were people who may have cheered on Palm Sunday. But out jeered. On Good Friday. Human beings have this cussedness in them that we need someone who is perfect. To take away the sins of the world. And so in Paul’s day to tell of a God who is also a man. The God man Jesus dying on a cross with bullishness to some people. To a lot of people. To the Jews it was a scandal. And the word is a stumbling block. But all. But the Greek word is scandal it’s M I. Which we get the word scandal. And to the ethanol lost the nations it was fully snus. But some people. Both Jews and the other ethnics. It became the most wonderful power. As they experience salvation. And the word power is doing a mosque from which we get the word dynamite. This cross. Has enough dynamite to blow the say in the way from our lives to that wonderful a mystery. I can understand it all I can explain it but it is a reality. People perishing in sin. Are pulled out of that mire. By the power of the cross. That dynamite power that. The poles and salvation does mean to be pulled out from drowning. So the word of the cross. Is either foolishness or power. It’s either. Foolishness. For those people who are perishing still drowning. Still in the mire. But to those who trust in Jesus on the cross. It is the power of salvation. And so as the Word became flesh. Jesus came it became one of the. One of us. And the Bible says the word became flesh. And pitched his tent among us. That’s that’s the literal. Dwelt among us being. Jesus pitched his tent and became one of us. But is this wonderful dynamite power of the law Goss the message of the cross combined. In nails and blood and pain and torture. In taking away the sins of the whole world. And that means. Yours and mine. Well that wonderful him a sin though the bliss of this glorious law of my sin not in part but the whole. Is nailed to the cross. And I bear it no more. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Oh my soul. If now. It’s the eternal now. It’s not when I get good. Then I could be saved then I could accept Jesus. It’s now. It’s not. When I get my life straight that. That will never happen. And it’s now. It’s not when I start back to church. It’s now. Not when I become more perfect. It’s now. I bear the sin no more. Now. Tonight we have had the log off which also means the Divine Word. The Divine Word. Of the cross divine word of the cross so we need to decide whether we have power or foolishness. Power of salvation or foolishness and perish save from his head his hands his feet. Sorrow and love flow mingled down there such love and sorrow meet. Or thorns composed so rich a crown. Invite. Jesus crucified into your life. Tonight let him have his way with you. And let him be the true wisdom from God. The true righteousness. The true sanctification. And the true we jump in and I’ll close with. Wesley’s rendition. For his commentary on that one verse toward the end of our reading think I had to put my glasses for his fine print. Wesley. Wesley translated the New Testament years ago. From Greek. And he also wrote a commentary on. Every preacher ought to have it. You know that was hard to get my copy was printed in England. And I had to get it. I don’t remember where I got it. But I’m glad I got it. Here’s what he says. Out of his free grace and mercy R.V. engrafted into Christ Jesus. Who is made unto us that believe. Wisdom. You are made wisdom through this. Wisdom who were before. Utterly foolish and ignorant. You are made righteousness the righteousness of God. The soul ground of our justification which means justification means to be put in a right relationship. Now because your sins are taken away. You are in right relationship with God. You can connect to a Holy God. A perfectly. Holy God. To a perfectly. Holy Jesus crucified. Righteousness the SO ground of our justification who were before under the wrath. And the curse of God. I think. My little girl. Felt something of that wrath even though an early age. But she. Because she knew instinctively that this Jesus was dying for her. And. Sanctification. A prince. God becomes for us. Sanctification. A principle of universal holiness. Wherefore before. We were altogether. Dead in sin. People are not only perishing out there but they’re dead. Spiritually. They are. Perishing in sin. But the remedy is the cross. And it’s redemption. The complete buying back of us. We are already sold out to the devil. But Tom I was fifteen I had committed enough sins to be sold out to the devil. Probably the time I was three or four. Redemption that is a complete deliverance from all the evil. And eternal bliss both of soul and body. My brothers and sisters. That’s why I need to cross. That’s why I need Jesus on the cross. That’s why I have the message of the cross. The doctrine of the cross. The divine word of the cross. Foolishness yes will be made. They always be to some people I hope that everybody will realize how foolish they’ve been. In real in. Going from thinking I’m really wise. To coming to the truth about themselves. A child can understand it. But the what I do want have anything to do with the is according to the world. Accept Jesus. And this cross. And for those of us who’ve been following Jesus. For years. Go deeper. Go deeper into the cross. Yeah there’s a cross for everyone there’s a cross for you and me. That’s what the old hymn says. Let’s pick it up if we have to. Let’s pray Lord. To The Old Rugged Cross. I will never be true and shame and reproach. Gladly bear. Then Jesus you’ll call me some day to my home far away. Where forever your glory. I’ll share and I want everyone in this room. To share that glory. I want everyone who’s in the sound of hearing of my voice. To share in that glory how the wisdom of God in the righteousness. And the sanctification. And redemption. It’s yours free is a gift. Through Jesus. Thank you Jesus. We’ve only touched a little bit about the cross tonight. But bless. What we’ve said. In your name. Amen.