Sermon: Jesus Christ, the Power and Wisdom of God

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:18-25

"As if you know everything." I still remember when I was in junior high school, that was the line of my English teacher every time the class was getting noisy, and no one was listening to her. Can we assess ourselves if there’s a possibility that we can know everything? Is our knowledge or wisdom enough to help us and save us from all trials of this world? Can we rely on our knowledge or wisdom? Whom knowledge and wisdom do we seek and need?

The message of our scripture in 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 is about Jesus Christ the power and wisdom of God.          

1. We need the wisdom of God to be saved from the penalty of sin called death.

 

 How can we assess if someone’s wisdom is worth believing?

 

           In this modern world, there is a saying “to see is to believe.” Some might ask for evidence or rational reason to believe. Apostle Paul wrote a letter to the church in the Corinthians (which is located in Greece). He said, “For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (v.18). 

 

What is the message of the cross? The message of the cross is Christ Crucified. 

 

The Jews or the people of Israel have the belief that the worst person or the criminal was the candidate for crucifixion. Jesus was crucified. Did Jesus sin? Is he a criminal? Jesus has no sin. Jesus was not a criminal. 

But why do you think he was crucified?

 

Roman 3:23-26 23 Since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; 24 they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness because in his divine forbearance, he had passed over the sins previously committed; 26 it was to demonstrate at the present time his own righteousness, so that he is righteous and he justifies the one who has the faith of Jesus.

“The message of the Cross is foolishness to those who are perishing” means that there are people who are still living in sin and do not believe in the message of the cross. 

“The message of the Cross is the power of God to those who are being saved” means they believe that Jesus died for them and set them free from their sins.

All of us are sinners. God wants us to be with Him because He loves us. But we cannot come to God because we are all sinners, and He is righteous. God does not want us to perish because of our sins. That is why he gave his only son Jesus, that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. Jesus Christ died for our sins to bring us to a new life with God. Jesus Christ revealed God’s love for all of us. Through faith in Jesus, we are saved from our sins. 

 

2. Only Jesus Christ, the power and wisdom of God, can save us.

           1 Corinthians 1:19-21 19 For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.” 20 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? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe.

           22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, 23but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles.

 In Greece, they value philosophy and believe in thoughts and reasons. That’s why nowadays, people tend to ask for knowledge and evidence to believe. Think about the most intelligent person in the world. Can that person explain everything and answer our question? Can the most intelligent or smartest person in the world save us from various circumstances in life? I don’t think so.  25 For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength. Our knowledge or wisdom is not enough to overcome the world. We need the wisdom and power of God who is Christ crucified. Christ who was crucified, died, and buried is the way to know God. 

           I proclaim the message of the cross. Jesus Christ's crucified is the power and wisdom of God. Through believing in Him we can overcome the trials of this world; we will not perish because we are now saved. The power of God in Jesus can transform our lives. Always giving us hope and assure us in times of trial.

The questions for each one of you are: Do you still rely on your wisdom? For you, is the message of the cross foolishness or the power and wisdom of God? It is up to you to decide. 

 

This is the message of God for the people of God. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit Amen.