May God be pleased to bless us
together this evening as we meditate in his word. Let us turn to the
first epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, the first chapter,
and we'll read verse 18. For the preaching of the cross
is to them that perish foolishness, but unto us which are saved it
is the power of God. The Apostle Paul didn't just
write this to the church at Corinth, because he tells us, he writes
to all those who are called to be saints, with all in every
place, call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs
and ours. So It'll be a blessing for all
of us tonight if we are amongst those who call upon the name
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, this verse tells us of two
types of people. It tells us those who are foolish,
and who perish, and those who are saved. and there are only
two types of people in the world those who perish and those who
are saved and every one of us tonight falls into one of those
two types we are either those that perish or we are amongst
those who are saved and really the question or the answer perhaps
revolves around the cross of Christ. That cross upon which
the Lord Jesus was crucified. And therefore the Apostle tells
us here, very straightforwardly and very simply, that the preaching
of the cross, and of course preaching means to give the people understanding,
that's the job of a preacher, to give the people by the grace
of God and by the Spirit of God a right understanding of the
truth of Scripture so that people don't leave and say well they
don't understand what was being preached. It's a very sad thing
if that happens and I can say that if any of you don't understand
what I'm saying please ask me and I'll try and answer because
it is necessary that we gather together for worship to hear
the preaching of the Gospel and to benefit from it and to not
go away and say well I didn't understand anything that was
said today we want to be able to understand what is said we
only have to go back to the Old Testament in the days of Ezra
and Nehemiah and they were days of when people wanted to know
The truth of God, they'd been away in Babylon in captivity
for 70 years, and they were now returning to Jerusalem. And there
was that wonderful occasion when all the people came to hear the
preaching of the word. And with the preacher, there
were those who stood by him to give the people an understanding. And it is necessary that we all
appreciate that. We don't just come to chapel
just to waste our time. We don't just come to chapel
because it's some duty that we think we should do. We come to
chapel to hear the preaching of the gospel. We come to chapel
to hear what God the Lord is speaking to our very souls. And
not just to satisfy our minds with some wonderful statement
or some wonderful lecture. Because the chapter that we read,
this first chapter, very clearly tells us that it's not the wisdom
of this world that would do us any real good. It is the preaching
of the Gospel, indeed the preaching of the cross, which would do
us real good. And let us remember, let us be
conscious that we are favoured to hear the Gospel preached.
And we should never ignore that great truth. There are millions
and billions in the world today who have never heard the Gospel
preached, have never read the Word of God, have never met with
the people of God. And so just think of that, that,
you know, in a situation in eternity, all of us here will be without
excuse. and perhaps we can imagine or
try and think of the terrible scenario which would exist in
hell of those who've never heard and those who have heard and
have turned their back upon the things of God it would be a terrible
a terrible scene which you and I will never be able to get rid
of that we've sat and heard the gospel and yet it's never had
any effect upon us we have been foolish we've not really understood
in a spiritual way the blessing of the gospel so tonight if we
don't understand the glorious truth of the gospel then may
we pray earnestly to God that we may understand it before we
die you see all of us here tonight alive we don't know how long
we'll be alive for God knows we don't the great thing is to
know that we are amongst those who are saved that means saved
from our sin that means delivered from the wrath of God and you
see the separating the dividing truth is the cross of Christ The Lord God in his wonderful
design and wonderful purpose ordained, that means he agreed
in eternity past that there should be a way whereby those who sin
can be saved. Now everyone from Adam and Eve
has sinned all of us therefore are sinners and I hope we all
recognize that I hope we all tonight realize we are sinners
and then to realize that no sinner can enter into heaven you might
say well that means none of us can well we can if we've been
saved from our sin and that's the great important consideration
to know tonight that we are amongst those who are saved and the Apostle
tells us very clearly if we are saved it is by the power of God
by the power of God it's not because we are very intelligent
it's not because we can work out the plan of salvation in
our own mind and therefore conclude that we are saved it's far deeper
than that because what it is it's the power of God through
the Holy Spirit that comes into our hearts and convinces us of
our sin before a holy God and that to know that because of
our sin we are amongst those who are to perish unless we know
the blessing of the gospel and are saved and when that comes
when that knowledge comes it is the power of God and it's
like this we then understand what it is
to be a true believer and that really is brought to us when
we come to the cross when we come to view the Lord Jesus Christ
as the only one who can save our souls and it's only through
the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ upon that cross
that can save souls so our only hope all our hope must be centered
upon what the Lord Jesus Christ completed on that cross at Calvary
and so we should never despise the preaching of the cross we
should never say well I've heard all that before and I'm not going
to listen to it tonight You see, the preaching of the cross is
food, spiritual food to the true believer. And it's not something
that a true believer gets tired of hearing. It's good news. It's joyful news. It's wonderful
news to know that we who were perishing because of our sins
have been saved by the power of God. Well tonight, all of
us here, every one of us and all those listening are amongst
those who either are perishing or those who are saved. Those
who by the grace of God know the power of God or those who
are not saved and do not know the power of God and do not know
the value of that great salvation which was brought about by the
Lord Jesus Christ when he died upon that cross at Calvary. Now my friends, just go back,
look back and recognise how the Lord gloriously sat before us. There would be that time in the
Garden of Eden when he spoke to Adam and Eve that the seed
of the woman would bruise the serpent's head, would squash
Satan. And it is the seed of the woman.
And the seed of the woman was some 4,000 years in coming to
that wondrous person, the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, no doubt
there were those who had thought and pondered and wondered how
they were to be saved. knew that we need to be a Messiah
it was expressed especially in the some of the minor prophets
but that of course was relatively in the latter part of those 4,000
years there have been many years before when they would have no
doubt wondered how they were to be saved from their sin and
so today we have a a wonderful privilege, a wonderful privilege. We have the Bible to read and
the Bible explains to us very clearly the way of salvation. I remember there was that occasion
with the Philippian jailer when he came and he asked that question. Paul and Silas he said what must
I do to be saved he was concerned about it well what a good thing
tonight if you and I are concerned about it and we come and we say
what must I do to be saved because religion is very personal and
it won't matter about anybody else in one sense we will be
concerned about others but our condition would be the most important. What must I do to be saved? And how did the Apostle Paul
respond? He said, believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. Now in believing on the
Lord Jesus Christ, it really means coming to the cross of
Christ because it really means understanding with our spiritual
mind that Lord Jesus Christ died upon that cross at Calvary to
save our souls. See, it's so important, this
great theme. It's so relevant. We must not
turn away from it. We must be concerned that we
do know that the preaching of the cross is unto us which are
saved the power of God and you and I will know the effect of
the blessed work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts and it will
really be like this again go back to the Damascus
Road and the Apostle Paul what happened there? a light from
heaven shone into his heart that's just what it is with us today
a light from heaven shines into our heart it probably won't be
in the same dramatic way that it was with the Apostle Paul
but nonetheless the light does shine into the hearts of God's
people and it is the power of God is a divine light is a heavenly
light and it shows us the wonder of salvation and it shows to
us the Lord Jesus Christ and it leads us to see what he did
to save our soul and what did he do to save our soul he gave
his life he laid down his life His life was taken. He gave it
away. He gave up the ghost, we read. He gave up his life because the
work that his father had given him to do in order to save his
people from their sins was completed. When the blessed Lord spoke those
wonderful words on the cross at Calvary, it is finished. That work, which had been prophesied
for some 4,000 years, was now completed. Satan was defeated. He'd endeavoured to cause the
Saviour to sin, but he'd failed. The Lord Jesus did not fail. He completed the work that his
Father gave him to do. Now that today, my friends is
the power of God to our souls as we look to the cross of Christ
and view there the Savior taking our sins every sin not some of
them every sin bearing them away and the cost was his life and
the evidence of his life being taken was his blood being shed
there we have the wonderful plan of salvation fulfilled at Calvary
so my friends tonight do we know in our own hearts that the light
has shone and it is the power of God which has entered into
our hearts to make that change whereas we were those who were
foolish ignoring the truth of God passing it by putting the
things of this world in front of the things of God more concerned
about the things of time than we were about the position of
our soul but oh bless God tonight if the preaching of the cross
is to us the power of God. Because if it is, what does it
mean? It means we're saved. We're saved
from our sin. We're eternally safe. We're united
to Christ. We shall spend eternity in heaven. That's the great and glorious
truth for all those who are blessed with this wonderful evidence
of the power of God in their hearts and so what does the Lord
Jesus Christ mean to us tonight? what does He mean to us tonight? well you know the question was
asked by the Church of God to somebody we read of in the Bible,
we read of her In the Song of Solomon, referred to as the Bride
of Christ, and the question was asked, what is thy beloved more
than another beloved? And what that meant was this,
what is Jesus Christ more than everyone else? What is Jesus
Christ to us tonight more than everyone else? it's a very important
and a very searching question but you see the bride of Christ
was able to answer it very wonderfully and you can read it in the fifth
chapter of the Song of Solomon but she comes down to this he
says he is the chiefest among 10,000 and they're all together
lovely she really valued the Lord Jesus Christ what a blessing
it is for us today if the Lord Jesus Christ to us is the cheapest
among 10,000 and the altogether lovely and if he is so it's because
of the power of God what a mercy then tonight we understand something
of this great truth and the Apostle goes on you see in this chapter
and he says I will destroy the wisdom of the wise that's naturally
wise people think that they can naturally search out spiritual
wisdom no spiritual wisdom is given to us the Lord God gives
us spiritual wisdom it's not something that you and I can
earn not something you and I can work for We can seek for it,
we can pray for it, we can desire it, and we can earnestly seek
that God will grant it to us. It's not something that you and
I can earn or find out by our natural wisdom. You know the
wonderful effect of the grace of God in our hearts is this
cause us to fall down before God and pray, God, be merciful
to me, a sinner. Now, that's a good prayer and
that's a God honouring prayer. And if that comes from our heart,
it's a God given prayer. And God will be merciful because
God has said, seek and you shall find. And so may we be found
in our testimony, in our experience, coming, have come to that condition,
to that situation and come before a holy God, a holy God. People today don't recognize
the holiness of God. We sang this morning in that
first hymn, holy, holy, holy. Yes, that's what God is. Holy,
holy, holy. And what a good thing it is when
the Holy Spirit shows to us the holiness of God. And when you
and I have some view of the holiness of God, you know what the effect
will be? you'll tremble before God you
won't just cast it off you won't be proud you'll tremble before
God because you realise that naturally you have been foolish
and therefore you are on the road to perish you will need
to know the wonderful wisdom of God not the wisdom of man
I would destroy the wisdom of the wise and will bring to nothing
the understanding of the prudent. And the apostle goes on. Where
is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is
the dispute of this world? Hath not God made foolish the
wisdom of this world? For after that, in the wisdom
of God, the world by wisdom knew not God, It pleased God by the
foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. Well, perhaps we could ask ourselves
the question, have we truly benefited from hearing the preaching of
the gospel? If I said to you tonight, well,
get out your pen and paper and write down the times when the
preaching has been made a blessing to you when the preaching has
touched your heart when the preaching has led you to the Lord Jesus
Christ I wonder how many of you would have a blank sheet nothing
to write it's a very sad thing isn't it my friends bless God
you're still on praying ground you haven't been dealt with as
your sins deserve you haven't been cast into hell you're still
here tonight may you be blessed then to earnestly seek for this
wisdom of God yes for after that in the wisdom of God the world
by wisdom knew not God it pleased God by the fervent of preaching
to save them that believe well we need to ponder these things
because They're clearly set before us in the Bible. We have these
words before us for our instruction. You know, some people have gone
through their life and come to the end of their life and they've
never heard the preaching of the gospel. They were never able
to write anything down about the blessings they'd received
from hearing the preaching of the gospel no they'd wasted their
time many many hours they'd wasted in pretending to hear the gospel
pretending to hear the gospel it's not you see what we evidence
outwardly see we can look all very prim and proper we can look
as though we're listening hard and we might be way away we may
be thinking about the things of the world what we've done,
what we're going to do tomorrow people may conclude well that's
a good person they may be far wrong it's between our souls
and God but what a blessing it is when we understand the great
and glorious truth of the cross of Christ and it is to us the
power of God well let's put it another way Do we feel to need
a saviour? Do we recognise that we are a
lost sinner? You see, every sinner is a lost
sinner until they are saved. What a blessing, therefore, if
we are a lost sinner and know we are a lost sinner and desire
that we might indeed be amongst those who are saved now if we
are amongst those who are saved we will acknowledge it is the
power of God that has saved us it is the blessed power of God
that has led us to the cross of Christ and as perhaps we've
stood trembling now wondering whether we are amongst those
whom Christ died then you see to hear those words
yea I've loved thee with everlasting love and therefore with loving
kindness I've drawn thee that's the effect of the power of God
that's the blessing of the power of God that's what will grant
us the evidence that we are amongst those who are saved and therefore
we shall not perish and we are not then amongst those who are
enumerated as foolish. It's a mercy to know that we
are blessed indeed by the wonderful favour and blessing of Almighty
God. You see the Apostle Paul was
concerned to speak about these things and he said, he says,
that in everything ye are enriched by him, the Lord Jesus Christ. The previous verse says, I thank
my God always on your behalf for the grace of God, which is
given you by Christ Jesus. And what is the grace of God?
It is the free, unmerited favour of God, and especially if you
and I have had that brought about in our life, to understand the
power of God. It is the grace of God, it's
not something that you and I can merit. And so the Apostle says,
that in everything ye are enriched by Him. By Him. He might have all the honour
and all the glory. In all utterance, and in all
knowledge, even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you,
so that ye become behind in no gift, waiting for the coming
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall also confirm you unto the
end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus
Christ. You know, we do want these great
truths confirmed to our souls. So as the apostle was able to
declare humbly, truthfully, I know whom I have believed. And my
friends, if the blessed spirit has saved us by the power of
God, we are able to say, I know whom I have believed. Perhaps
it's not very fashionable to speak in those terms, but my
friends, it's God honoring to speak in those terms. we don't
want to be found amongst those who are denying the work of grace
in our souls we want to be amongst those who are acknowledging the
work of grace in our souls so that we are able to bring to
him the glory due unto his great and holy name because the last verse in this
first chapter we read is this that according as it is written
he that glorieth let him glory in the Lord and I'm sure there's
no doubt about that and if the Holy Spirit has come and saved
us by the power of God we will have to glory in what Christ
has done we will want to glory in what Christ has done we would
desire that he will be lifted up because he is worthy of all
our praises in saving such a rebel as you and me. Rebel against
God. While we've all been rebels,
perhaps some of you are still rebels, are still turning your
back upon God, are still ignoring the truth of God and are still
continuing on in your sinful way to a lost eternity what a
blessing then to have the evidence that you're not amongst those
who are perishing you're not amongst those who are foolish
but you are amongst those who are saved by the power of God
unto us which are saved, it is the power of God. Nothing less
than that will save our souls because it's power that is required
to raise the dead. Think of it in this way. A dead
person, you and I, cannot possibly raise from the dead. my friends it's the same in our
spiritual life because we are dead in trespasses and in sins
and you and I cannot raise ourselves and no one can raise us from
that dead spiritual state but the power of God and so what
a blessing for us tonight if we have the evidence that we
were dead, but now we are alive, spiritually alive. Our position
has been changed. We have different values. We
have different desires. We have different longings. We
have different aims. And we have a different destination.
to where we are going it's the power of God what a wonderful
thing therefore if we are blessed with the wonderful evidence of
that now this preaching of the cross the preaching of the cross
is to them that perish foolishly and the apostle goes on further
down in verse 23 he says but we preach Christ crucified that
means preaching the cross Unto the Jews, a stumbling block,
they couldn't understand it, and unto the Greeks, foolishness.
And so, the vast number of people, they stumbled at this glorious
and simple truth, they couldn't understand it, they couldn't
really believe that through one person dying upon the cross at
Calvary would save their souls. They didn't understand. It wasn't
revealed to them that this was not an ordinary man. This was
the son of God. This was the glorious savior,
the Lord Jesus Christ. And so tonight, what is our view
of Christ? Is he a stumbling block to us? Is he foolishness to us? Or is
he this wonderful power of God well these things are so important
for us to understand and I'm very conscious very conscious
it's only the Holy Spirit that can grant us that spirit to understand
the great truth of these things but if the Holy Spirit does or
if the Holy Spirit has we shall rejoice in the truth of the Word
of God and we shall bless God for it and we shall be surprised
that we never understood these things before we shall be surprised
our eyes have been blinded but now we will come and be able
to join in with that man that blind man who was asked what
he saw what he knew and he said one thing I know whereas I was
blind now I see that was naturally it's exactly the same in our
spiritual life we are blind until the Blessed Saviour comes and
gives us the gift of eternal life and as of course in that
case it was the power of God to naturally give sight so it
is today the power of God to give spiritual sight and as we are able to appreciate
the wonder of it and the wonder that God should have come and
looked upon you and me as individuals in this vast world of billions
of people come and given us that light. Caused us to know the
power of God. Isn't it humbling? Isn't it great? Isn't it glorious? Do we not
praise God? I hope we do. There's little
praise is there in the day and age in which we live really.
And yet the Church of God have much cause to praise God. You and I, if we are amongst
those who know the power of God we have much cause to praise
God because we've been delivered from the wrath to come we've
been given a spiritual understanding that it is well with our soul
and we should therefore go on our way rejoicing you know these
things were so important to the Apostle Paul and he begins the
second chapter He says, and I, brethren, when I came to you,
came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto
you the testimony of God. It wasn't with clever words.
It was with simple words applied by the power of God. And he says
this, for I determined not to know anything among you, save
Jesus Christ and him crucified. Well, I trust that's my desire.
And I trust that all of you may indeed know Jesus Christ and
Him crucified. And the Apostle explains his
position. And I was with you in weakness
and in fear and in much trembling. Yes, the Apostle, what a wonderful
description of a man of God. And my speech and my preaching
was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration
of the spirit and of power. He said the Lord takes the words
of a poor preacher and applies the word with power to our souls. And he gives the reason that
your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the
power of God. Oh, it's so important for us
to know the blessed power of God in our hearts, which has
brought us spiritual life, brought us to realise the glory of the
Gospel and the wonder of the cross of Christ, the wonder of
the life and death of the Saviour and to think that that was graciously
and gloriously ordained sometimes like to think of the life of
the Lord Jesus as he was born as we are thinking of very soon
the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ born into such humble circumstances
no one in this world is born into a more humble circumstance
than the Lord Jesus Christ born and put in that manger You see,
He was therefore able to align Himself with everyone. He wasn't born in a palace, as
the Jews thought He would be. No, He was born in those very
humble circumstances. And of course, the wonder of
it was, it was first revealed to those shepherds. Yes, shepherds
were not a very high quality job in those days, but nonetheless,
the Lord graciously revealed it, the birth of the Saviour
to the shepherds. And of course, the Lord lived
but that wonderful life for those 30 years really no one knowing
really who he was his parents had that one time when he was
remaining in Jerusalem speaking amongst the elders but really
none until he was 30 years of age and then he was revealed
as John the Baptist was able to say behold the Lamb of God
that taketh away the sin of the world and then for those three
years he demonstrated the power of God in so many ways. He lived a life, a glorious life,
not pleasing himself, doing the power of God, doing the will
of God, performing all that his father gave him to do. He didn't
back away at all. He set his face to Jerusalem.
He knew what he was going to have to suffer, but he willingly
suffered in order to redeem His people. And therefore tonight,
what a blessing to have the evidence the blessed Saviour died to redeem
our souls. So that by His grace, one day
we shall be united with Him in glory to praise Him without any
sin in that perfect sinless environment. Well, that should be attractive
to the true church of God it won't be attractive to the world
it won't be attractive to those who are perishing but it will
be attractive to those who are saved by the power of God and
so what an evidence that is if heaven is an attractive place
to you and me it'll be because we have taken we've tasted something
of the power of God and this resurrection power in our souls
by God's grace one day we shall know the resurrection power of
our body well this is a very important consideration for the
preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness
but unto us which are saved it is the power of God and all tonight. May all of us have the evidence
that we are saved because we have the evidence of the power
of God in our hearts granting to us the spiritual life through
the wonderful light given to us through the work of the Holy
Spirit. Amen.