1 Corinthians: Jesus Is The Power And Love Of God
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PREACHING CHRIST THROUGH THE BIBLE |
1 Corinthians: Jesus Is The Power And Love Of God
1 Corinthians 1:18-25 (ESV)
18 For the word of the cross is folly 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 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, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.
22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom,
23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles,
24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
I just returned from Doha, Qatar, for almost two weeks of mentoring the King of Kings Christian Fellowship in their E12 Discipleship process. It was a blessing to see how the believers there are so excited to follow the Lord in fulfilling the Great Commission.
While I was in the city of Doha, I especially noticed all the ongoing constructions they were doing in preparation for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Games. And with all these road and highway constructions, there are also lots of detours and rerouting going on, and sometimes you hit some heavy traffic; some areas are messy and dirty. But the consolation for the people who live there is that all these hassles are temporary. But in the second half of next year, everything will be beautiful, and the city of Doha will attract many tourists who will enjoy all the upgrades they have done to the place. After reflecting on what I saw in that city, I was reminded of everything God is doing to His church. Without a doubt, when we look at the church today, we often get frustrated with all the problems we see; Christians in general, even church leaders are demonstrating immaturity, churches have some inter-personal conflicts, and programs are sometimes disorganized and lack direction; the church is messy. But the truth is that all this messy stuff is present because the church is still "under construction." One of these days, we can all look forward to the day when Jesus Christ is done, and He would present a beautiful perfect bride without any spot, wrinkle, or blemish. Listen to these words in Ephesians 5:25-27 (ESV):
25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,
26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,
27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.
As you can read from these verses, Jesus loved the church and gave Himself up for her so that He could cleanse the church and present her in the future in all her beauty and glory. So, whenever you are a bit disappointed about the church, I would like to encourage you not to give up on the church yet because she is undoubtedly "under construction."
Now, as we move to our assigned book this morning, which is 1 Corinthians, it would be helpful to keep this truth in mind. You see, many referred to this book as the "problem book" because the apostle Paul wrote this book to address many of the existing problems within the church. For example, the Corinthian church was plagued with divisions and factions among members, hero-worship of leaders, immorality, legal battles, marital problems, questionable practices, and abuses in their practice of some spiritual gifts. And through this Epistle, Paul took the time to rebuke and encourage these believers to remain steadfast and faithful to Jesus Christ.
With all these problems in the book, you might conclude that it's not worth your time to read it. However, this perception is not valid! There are so many precious teachings here that can affect our spiritual walk and service to the Lord. The portrayals of Jesus Christ in the book, which emphasizes His power and love, will be part of those we can truly appreciate. But before we go there, let me give you some background information.
The city of Corinth was a prominent city in the Greek state of Achaia. If the city of Athens were the intellectual capital of Greece, Corinth would be considered next to Athens. Also, it was the commercial capital of Achaia to Macedonia, and most commercial vessels going to Rome would stop in Corinth port. So, economically, the city is well off.
Paul visited the city of Corinth during his second missionary journey somewhere between AD 49 and AD 52 and stayed in the city for only a year and a half (Acts 18:1-17). This visit is when the church in Corinth was planted.
While Paul was in Ephesus during his third missionary journey, he heard about all the problems in the church of Corinth through "those in Chloe's household (1:11), so he wrote them this letter around AD 55 or AD. 56.
Having established these facts, let's now cover these three essential instructions in the book of 1 Corinthians:
I LOOKING FOR REMEDIES IN THE WRONG PLACES
Once, the French philosopher Blaise Pascal has stated clearly: "There is a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be satisfied by any created thing but only God the creator, made known through Jesus Christ."
Unfortunately, there are still so many people who are trying to fill the vacuum in their hearts by going to the wrong places; they are seeking answers trying everything and anything except for Jesus Christ. This truth was quite evident amongst the people in Corinth whom the apostle Paul addressed in his letter. Listen to these words in our main text:
1 Corinthians 1:22-23
22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom,
23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles,
Generally speaking, Paul was well aware that there were two major ethnic groups that he needed to reach for Jesus Christ in Corinth, and they have their assumptions of what to look for to find the correct answer:
A. The Jews Demanded Signs (Supernaturalists)
The Jews were so privileged to have the Old Testament Scriptures, which should have provided them sufficient guidance to know Jesus as the Messiah they have been waiting for. However, instead of trusting the Word of God, they were looking for supernatural signs to authenticate Him:
Matthew 12:38-40 (ESV)
38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, "Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you."
39 But he answered them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
40 For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
This passage was one example of the religious leaders of the Jews asking Jesus Christ for a direct sign that He is the Messiah. But Jesus did not give them any sign except for the His resurrection. By the way, at this point, Jesus has already performed so many miracles, yet they were still asking for more signs. So the reality is that faith does come from miraculous signs, but from the Word of God:
Romans 10:17 (ESV)
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
Do you know of people saying that unless they experience healing or answers to their prayers, they won't believe in Jesus Christ? The truth of the matter is that man will never be satisfied with supernatural signs; they'll keep craving for more signs. Jesus ministry was filled with signs, but the same people who saw His miracles were the same people who shouted, "crucify Him,"
B. The Greeks Demanded Wisdom (Rationalists)
If the Jews were looking for signs, the Greeks were after wisdom; they were lovers of reason and logic. So, in their minds, the truth must conform to a pattern of reason. However, the apostle Paul was well aware that the message of Jesus dying on the cross defies reason and logic. Why? During those times, the cross was associated with shame and suffering reserved only for criminals. No wonder Paul directly said in verse 23 these words, "we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles."
Undoubtedly, the message of the cross is foolishness to the Greeks. With this truth, Dr. David Jeremiah commented:
"Apart from divine revelation, man can never through his own wisdom come to the knowledge of God."
Looking at this truth, I'm grateful that you and I came to know the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior. I know that just like the Jews and the Greeks, all of us for sure have been looking for the answer at the wrong places, but God in His goodness opened our hearts to understand the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
II LIFTING THE POWER OF CHRIST THROUGH THE CROSS
As we come to the second primary instruction in the book of 1 Corinthians, we would find the first representation of Jesus Christ is the power of God. Think about it - How can the most dreadful death, which is death on the cross, be the means to demonstrate the power of God?
To answer this question, we have to go back to verse 18 – "For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." Although, the cross became a stumbling block for the Jews and the Greeks, for the ones who have trusted Jesus as their personal Savior, it is the power of God. Again, allow me to emphasize that only those who have been saved can see the power of God through the cross.
How is the power of God demonstrated through the cross?
A. Through the cross, Christ was able to shed His powerful blood.
Throughout the Old Testament times, people offered animals and shed their blood on the altar of sacrifice, hoping that God would offer His Lamb one day, who would take away the sins of the world. When Jesus went to the cross, He offered His blood once, and it was enough to provide eternal redemption. Listen to this verse:
Hebrews 9:12 (ESV)
12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.
There are two phrases here that we should not miss – "once for all" and "eternal redemption." For the phrase "once for all," the emphasis is that the blood shed on the cross was so powerful that He did not need to keep offering Himself.
Then, the phrase "eternal redemption" is the dynamic effect of His blood. It can provide us forgiveness from the day we receive Jesus Christ until we go to heaven. Thus, we don't have to worry about being ever condemned because of our sins. Do you believe this truth? If you are doubtful, check Romans 8:1 (ESV):
1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
B. Through the cross, Jesus satisfied the wrath of God.
In God's holiness, sin cannot be tolerated; it must be punished. This demand was satisfied when Jesus went to the cross as our substitute. Instead of us being punished for our sins, Jesus suffered on the cross for us. Paul mentioned this truth in Romans 3:24-25 (ESV):
24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.
The keyword in this passage that we need to mark is found in verse 25, which is "propitiation." This word means that Jesus satisfied the demand of God's wrath towards sin. Therefore, since sin was punished in Jesus Christ, we who believe in Christ have received the forgiveness of our sins.
Today, people might laugh at our message that we can receive eternal life through Christ's death on the cross. But I trust that we don't get embarrassed sharing this message because it is the power of God to bring salvation to all who are lost. Paul declared it clearly in Romans 1:16 (ESV):
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
III LEARNING GENUINE LOVE THROUGH JESUS CHRIST.
Lastly, the second representation of Jesus Christ in the book of Corinthians is that He is the love of God. With all the problems in the Corinthian church that Paul addressed in the book, you might think that the book is all about problems. That's not really true! In this book, you will also find the most dynamic descriptions of what genuine love is, which is found in 1 Corinthians 13. Let's read some of the most familiar verses from the chapter:
1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (ESV)
4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant
5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;
6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.
7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never ends.
Perhaps, you have heard this passage regularly read during weddings. Just some context from1 Corinthians – beginning from chapter 11 to chapter 14, the apostle Paul discussed their unfair practices regarding spiritual gifts like speaking in tongues. Unfortunately, they were craving to practice these gifts, thinking that they were better than other believers because of the presence of these gifts. But they have forgotten that the presence of spiritual gifts was not really for their personal benefit, but to be able to minister and help other believers in the church of Jesus Christ. This conflict of interest is why they need to understand genuine love.
When you read this entire passage, you will not find any reference to Christ. That is false because Christ is all over the passage. If you examine the words in the text, Bible scholars agree that love here is described as an imitation of the life of Christ. So, it is safe to say that Jesus embodied the love depicted here. So, in the verses we read earlier, replace the word love with the name of "Jesus Christ." It will read then,
4 Jesus Christ is patient and kind; Jesus Christ does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant
5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;
6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.
7 Jesus Christ bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Jesus Christ never ends.
Can you see how applicable it is to Jesus Christ? Therefore, if we want to be genuinely loving people, we only have to follow the life that Jesus Christ has set before us. The truth is that if you depend on the world to teach you how to be a loving person, it would be so hard because the love the world knows always puts you before others. And this concept has brought so many conflicts in our interpersonal relationships.
Allow me to close this study this morning by going back to the conclusion of chapter 1:
1 Corinthians 1:27-31 (ESV)
27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;
28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are,
29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.
30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption,
31 so that, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord."
God using the cross to save us may sound foolish, or the idea that Jesus dying can give us eternal life may sound ridiculous. But, all of these were designed so that we cannot boast about ourselves. All the glory only belongs to Him. He who loved us with an everlasting love found a way to save us, and He alone deserves all the honor and glory for everything He is willing to do for us! May we be forever grateful to Him for everything!
-Bishop Jeremiah Lepasana