MPC
9th March 2008.March 9 - 1 Corinthians 1:1-2:5 - "The Crucified Messiah"
MPC
9th March 2008.
Derek Hanna
What do you as a Christian have to offer?
That is, what is it about being a Christian that you can't get as a member of the local RSL? It's an interesting question I think, and one worth pondering. Especially seeing as there you can get $8 steak on Tuesday down at the local Leagues Club.
Because in a world that craves status, power and answers... the church is probably the last place you'd look. Because you're not going to find status, respect and power in the Church. Respect for the church as an institution has been declining for 30-40 years... possibly more. And when I tell people I work at a church as a pastor, the politest response I get is a smirk. And even holding the status of a Christian is something which has the effect (in general) of lowering people's opinions of you, rather than raising it.
And people don't turn to the church anymore for wisdom. The church is seen as irrelevant to modern life. And that is precisely the reason that it's dying they say - because we live in the 21st century, but the church is providing 1st century answers.
But from the time that Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, up until the present day, there is the same desire within people. People wanted to status. They desired to be somebody. People wanted answers and power. When they spoke, they wanted people to listen and people to take notice. It was a thriving city, at the crossroads of trade in Greece, with entrepreneurs, bustling market places, an accessible port, and their very own commonwealth games (called the Isthmus Games) held every 2 years.
But the thing that Corinth held in the highest esteem was oratory. It was what provided people with status, with wisdom, with power. The ability to make people laugh and cry, to inspire or deflate, to be wise and to be powerful... all with mere words. That was wisdom. That was power. And to be known to be able to do that, or be associated with people like that - that is status. And so you would follow these people, you would want your children to be trained by them... as that was the road to wisdom and power.
Now Paul knew this. He would have known it before he went to Corinth, and he certainly would have known it at the time of writing the letter as he had spent 18 months there. (Acts 18)
And when you read about Paul in the New Testament, you get the impression that he probably had the ability and the education to mix it with the best.
And so knowing this, it's interesting to see what he says in 2:1-5.
He didn't come with eloquence or superior wisdom. (2:1) He didn't come spouting great knowledge. (2:2)
In fact, he entered the city not with great fanfare as many of the orators did... but Paul came in weakness, fear and with much trembling (2:3). And just to top it off... his message and his preaching wasn't wise and persuasive (2:4).
You see, Paul is the anti-orator. He is the very opposite of what the Corinthians expected, what they revered, and what they desired to be like.
But Paul did this on purpose. And his purpose was this (2:4-5). There is something fundamentally different about Paul's message that he doesn't want anything to distract from it.
Because to Paul his message was like diamonds... and all the other stuff was like broken glass. And you know if you stick it on a table, it's hard to tell the difference sometimes. But one is valuable, and the other is dangerous.
I read a book a while ago called Status Anxiety. It's a short book, big print with pictures, so I got all the way through it. It's not a Christian book, but one of the observations it makes is that the reason we are so prone to self-confidence problems and doubt is that we define ourselves by things which we have little control over and which can change at a whim.
When we have a good job, we feel we're valuable. When we're made redundant, we feel we're worthless. When people praise us, we feel as if we are important. But when there is silence, we begin to doubt our worth.
Now have a look in 1:1 how Paul defines himself. Paul's importance lies in this - that he is called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, by the will of God. That is how he defines himself.
Paul is not defined by what the Corinthian Christians think of him, nor the judgements that Corinthian society would place on him. Paul is defined by the fact that he has been called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ.
But let me show you how he defines the Corinthian Christians in 1:2-9. While he spares just one line for himself, he goes out of his way to describe the status of the Corinthian Christians.
They are sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be Holy, along with everyone who is in Christ Jesus (1:2). They have been enriched in every way in Christ Jesus (1:4). Even in their speaking and in their knowledge... the very thing Corinthians society valued so highly. They lack no spiritual gift, because they are in Christ Jesus (1:7).
And look at v.9 - Just as Paul has been called, so the Corinthians have been called. Called into fellowship with God's Son, Jesus Christ. Paul's goes to pains here to redefine for them who they are. Ten times in nine verses he mentions the difference.
They aren't people who are defined by how well they speak, how much they know, or which great orator they trained under. They are people who are in Christ Jesus, with all the benefits that flow from that.
Now this is a remarkable opening to the letter I think. I'll tell you why - because the church in Corinth, as you find out as you read through the letter, was having just enormous problems with their behaviour. Now I'm not talking about gossip and slander... although I'm sure there was plenty of that going on.
As you read through this letter you find out that in this church that has been called into fellowship with the Lord Jesus, there are factions forming over different leaders, there is incest, sexual immorality, people suing one another.
And yet Paul starts the opening of the letter with this - "I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus." (1:3)
Their status of being in Christ Jesus has nothing to do with them, and everything to do with God. They are enriched because they are in Christ Jesus. They cannot lose it by how they behave, because they did not earn it because of how they behaved. They have it because of God. Their status, their importance is in Christ Jesus. And these opening nine verses are as true for us as God's people today as they were for the Corinthians. And I suspect, that like never before have we needed to know how it is we define ourselves, and what it is that gives us meaning as people.
Our status as people, our status as a church is not and never will be defined by what we do for jobs, by how much money we earn, whether we have kids, don't have kids, whether we suffer depression, whether we're outgoing...
Out status as people is that we are in Christ Jesus. We have been enriched in every way. We have every spiritual gift. We are people who have been saved by the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and are now a part of the family of God. That is who we are, each and every one of us who calls on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
But Paul is writing to the Corinthians not because things were rolling along nicely in Corinth, but because they were reverting to stupidity. While they were now in Christ Jesus, they were still viewing the world, themselves and their fellow Corinthians in exactly the same way as they did before they were called.
Paul wants them to see the world as God sees it, and express their new status in light of that. Have a look at what I mean in 1:10-17.You see what's he's pleading with them there in v.10? That there wouldn't be divisions, but that they would all live holy lives, together with all those who call on the name of the Lord Jesus (1:2).
What he's saying in this verse is not that they need to agree on everything. It's that because they are in Christ Jesus, they need to consider the good of others, and not just their own good in making decisions. He picks up on that later in the letter.
But his problem with them here is that they are doing exactly what Corinthian society does. They were aligning themselves with a teacher, an orator, and acting as their disciples.
So in v.12, some are saying they belong to Paul, some Apollos, some Peter, and others are super-spiritual and saying they belong to Christ.
But they've missed the point. Paul doesn't want disciples, and no one else deserves disciples... because it was not words that saved them... it was the cross of Christ. Look at v.17. Paul wasn't sent to baptise, but to preach the Gospel. And not as an orator would, but simply, plainly. The power of the message he has is not in the delivery, but in what it does for those who hear it and believe. Now let me give you an example of v.17, because it is so prevalent today.
In reaction to the trend of the world to see the church as irrelevant and out of date, a number of Christian preachers have arisen who's message is very different to that which Paul preached. These people have the gift of oratory. They know how to work a crowd. They know how to draw people in, they know how to uplift them... and they know how to manipulate them. They know the desires of people's hearts, and they distort God's Word to say what people want to hear... with the end result that they as preachers end up very wealthy.
This whole process of oratory, of a semi-Christian message, empties the cross of it's power, because it takes away the crucified Christ. It preaches not that we are helpless sinners in need of saving, but that we are good people gone astray. It preaches that life is not about following in the footsteps of our saviour, a life of hardship and struggle as we wait for his return, but that God has a plan to make this life comfortable and as profitable for us if only we'd turn out bank account over to him... via the preacher.
Now I ask you - where is the need for a saviour if we don't need saving? And where does the command to take up your cross and follow Christ lead, if God plans for all his people is to make them wealthy and comfortable? It's nonsense. And it empties the cross of power, because it is not a message that will save, but one that will disappoint.
And that's what we see in v.18. Fancy words, elaborate delivery empty the cross of Christ of its power. Look at the point Paul makes in 1:18-25. There are two types of wisdom and power. One that looks like wisdom and power... and the other that actually is wisdom and power.
See God is bringing to nothing the wisdom and intelligence of this world (1:19). Now if you think mocking Christians is a new thing, have a look at this graffiti from the first century.
It's a picture of Christ on the cross, with the head of a donkey, a man worshipping it, and the comment, "Alexamenos worships his God".
Even in the first century, the message of the cross was considered ridiculous, and those who held to it were mocked. But the wise man, the scholar, the philosopher... they all sound good and they all promise a lot... but there is one thing that all this speculation, all this rhetoric, all the inspirational speeches in the world can not do. Save mankind from the wrath of a just God. It's not about how something looks or sounds... it's about what it achieves, and Paul tells us twice in this section what that is.
v.21 - The world did not know God through it's wisdom, but "God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe".
v.22 - The Jews demand signs (of which they missed the greatest one), and the Greeks are looking for wisdom... .but 1:23-24.
So what is wise? Is it that which sounds and looks impressive? Is it that which we determine with our intellect sounds the most plausible? Is it that which is the least embarrassing, or most socially acceptable at the time?
No, it is the message which has intrinsic power and wisdom. It is the message that brings hope to dying people. It is the message of a crucified Messiah.
People think they are so smart these days. Between Phillip Adams, Richard Dawkins, and every other person who is jumping on the band-wagon to say why there is no God at the moment... they have a message, and it sounds convincing, and it appeals to the intellect... it looks wise and powerful. But in the end it has no power, and there is no wisdom in it. It does not give hope, it brings despair. It does not give meaning and truth, it brings confusion and doubt.
While the crucified Messiah may not sound like much, the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength. And the Corinthians are examples of this you see.It's the weak and unimpressive who God called to be in fellowship with the Lord Jesus.
v.27-28 - He chose the foolish things to shame the wise. He chose the weak to shame the strong. He chose the lowly and despised things to bring down those who think they are something without God. These people are reflective of the situation of mankind.
We are paddling in an endless ocean, and no matter how brave we think we are, no matter how vocal and confident you might appear to be, no matter the explanations you come up with for being in the middle of an ocean with no land in sight... eventually you're going to drown.
You see, there's no power in oratory there. There's no power in appearance, money and impressiveness there. We're all in the same situation. We're all going to drown. And it's for that reason that we cannot boast.
Look at v.30. It is because of God that you are in Christ Jesus. A crucified Messiah who has become our wisdom. Our right-standing with God. Our holy life before God. Our redemption into God's family.
So what is there to boast in? That you saved yourself? Not likely.
That you worked out salvation on your own? Don't think so.
That you were the exception and were saved because you were good? Hardly.
The only boasting that can be done by people is by those who are in Christ Jesus, and it is boasting in the Lord. (1:31). Now that is wisdom and that is power. Now can you see what this passage is saying to us today?
What does the church offer the world today? What do Christians have to offer the world? Not mere words. We have the message of the crucified Christ - the wisdom and power of God.
Everything we have as the people of God we owe to this message that the world considers foolish. That a Jewish man was crucified so that mankind could be right with God. We offer salvation through Christ.
We are not merely a social club here, we are not an RSL, Lion's club, a philosophical debating club or even a social welfare group. We are people who preach Christ crucified. The only hope of salvation for this world.
So when you come here or any other church on a Sunday, that's what you should hear. If you go away being impressed by the speaker, by his jokes, his charisma and his oratorical skills... then you haven't encountered wisdom and power, you've just encountered a comedian in disguise.
If you go to a church each week and hear that God is wanting to make you rich and prosperous, and it's only your lack of giving to the church that is holding you back... then you haven't encountered wisdom and power, you've just encountered a charlatan.
When you go to church, there is one thing that you should always hear. The message of the crucified Messiah. That is wisdom and power. And that is what you'll get at MPC. You're not going to get brilliant oratory, I'm sorry. My jokes are generally lame, and my story-telling lacks zest. But you will hear Christ crucified - the wisdom and power of God. And you will hear what it means to live as those who are in Christ Jesus.
So as a Christian, take confidence in what you have to offer. The world thinks the gospel is foolish. Very few of us are eloquent in our speech and know the answer to every question asked. The world thinks Christians have little offer, and in many ways that's true. But the crucified Christ who has made us who we are, is the salvation and hope for the world. Even if they don't yet know it.
Trust in the power of the crucified Christ. Endure in the face of those who laugh. Hold true to the thing that has saved you and will save them, because to alter the message of Christ is to have men's faith rest on men's wisdom, and not on the power of God.