Welcome!Get ready – these are some awesome verses you are about to read!
1 Corinthians 1 20 Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. 22 Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.
In these verses God is reminding me that things work differently in His Kingdom – under His rule and reign. No wonder Jesus’ opening line for His earthly ministry was “Repent, the Kingdom of heaven is near!” The kingdom or reign of God is so different that it takes “Repentance” – literally a change of mind and thinking to embrace it.
At the heart of this different kind of kingdom is sacrifice! Jesus truly came into His kingdom – His rule and reign - when He sacrificed Himself on the cross for the world. Paul seems to indicate that this message is foolishness to human thinking. Maybe that is why Peter responded the way he did in the verses we covered in Sunday’s message. Jesus began to tell the disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and be handed over to the leaders and be killed – Peter said, “No way – not on my watch you’re not!” Jesus straightened him out real quick, “Peter, you have in mind the things of men – not the things of God!”
In these awesome verses from 1 Corinthians Paul seems to have run into the same problem. The message that victory over sin and brokenness came through the self-sacrifice of God for the world is foolishness and nonsense – to a broken world. In God’s kingdom that which seems weak, foolish, and un-scholarly is actually quite powerful. The fact that God would win the victory of sin, death and the devil by humbling Himself to even death on the cross - might seem ridiculous – but it is God’s way! And God’s way is always wiser than man’s way!
I think it is that last line in these verses that I hope sticks with me today! “For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.” I get to live today trusting in God to lead me in His ways – His wisdom - even when it contradicts my wisdom! His wisdom in Christ has made life and hope possible for me today and His wisdom will sustain me, grace me, fill me and energize me for this day!
Awesome!
delton
What grabbed you from these amazing verses? Let me know – I would love to hear!