Alright, turn back with me to
1 Corinthians 1. We're going to pick up where
we left off in the Bible study with verse 17. 1 Corinthians
1 verse 17 says, For Christ sent me not to baptize,
but to preach the gospel. Not with wisdom of words, lest
the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. Now let me ask you this question.
Answer this in your own heart. Each person in here. I want each
person in here to answer this question in their heart. What is the gospel? What is the gospel? We get up
on Sunday morning and we're going to go to a place to hear the
gospel, right? Well, what is the gospel? How do I know if I'm hearing
the gospel? Verse 17, he said, For Christ
sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel. He said, Not with wisdom of words,
and he answers it right here, lest the cross of Christ lest the cross of Christ, look
at verse 18, he says, for the preaching of the cross. Verse 23 says, but we preach
Christ crucified. If a man does not preach Jesus
Christ crucified, He is not preaching the gospel. That's all there
is to it. Paul said in chapter 2, look
at chapter 2 verse 2, he said, for I determined not to know
anything among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. He said, I've determined that's
all I'm going to know among you. the preaching of the cross. A man can preach on any subject.
We go through this word. There's a lot of subjects in
the word. And a man can preach on any subject, but until he
preaches Jesus Christ crucified, he's not preaching the gospel. He's just not. The gospel is the cross of Christ. It's the fiber. It's the foundation
of every single thing that we read in this word, cover to cover. The scriptures talk about giving, giving, and we'll, we'll deal
with it. We'll go through it. We'll come
to it. How will we deal with it? We'll deal with it in light
of everything Christ gave on that cross. Do we give so we can be saved?
No. We give out of thanks and love
for every single thing that Christ gave on that cross. We'll get
to forgiveness. Should we forgive each other?
Absolutely. The Lord said to. How do we deal with that? We
deal with it in light of everything that Christ forgave on that cross.
This is what he said. Forgive one another as God for
Christ's sake has forgiven you. the preaching of the cross. Now I have two more questions
for us this morning. The first one was, what is the
gospel? The gospel is the preaching of the cross. The second one
is, how do we preach the gospel of the cross? How do we deliver
this message? And the third one is, What is
it to preach the cross? We said it's the cross. Well,
what is it to preach the cross? Now, I titled this message, What
is it to preach the cross? But first, I want to look at
how do we deliver this message? All right, how do we deliver
this message? Verse 17 says, For Christ sent me not to baptize,
but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should
be made of none effect. Paul said this gospel is not
to be preached with wisdom of words. Absolutely not. Nobody understood this better
than Paul. Nobody go with me over to Matthew chapter 4 Matthew 4 verse 18 says And Jesus, walking by the sea
of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew
his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishers."
Not scholars. Fishers. Now, I want you to realize
something. Do you know that God does all
the choosing? Did you know He could have chose anybody He wanted
to when He came down here? And did you know that the earth
was full of scholars? We're about to look at one, right? He could have gone to anybody.
Why did he go to the ocean? Why didn't he go to the temple?
Why didn't he go to the college? It's stumped down there. There
was a lot of cussing down there. He walked up to some fishers,
verse 19, and he said unto them, Follow me, and I will make you
fishers of men. And they straightway left their
nets and followed him. And going on from thence, he
saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee and John his
brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets.
And he called them, and they immediately left the ship and
their father and followed him. All right, now turn with me over
to Acts chapter 4. All right, now this is Peter
and John, those same two men, two of the four. Peter and John,
they're brought before the rulers, they're brought before the scribes,
these men who took the word of God and wrote it so there would
always be a copy. They're brought before the high
priest. And verse 7 says, when they had set them in the midst,
they asked, by what power or by what name have you done this? And Peter told them in verse
10, be it known unto you all and to all the people of Israel
that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified,
he's already preaching the cross to them. whom God raised from
the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.
Verse 13 says, Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and
John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men,
they marveled, and they took knowledge of them that they had
been with Jesus. They immediately could tell by
the way these men talked that they didn't go to school
for this. Something not right here. Their words are unlearned and
ignorant. And they marveled. How do these
men know this? We just read in the Bible study,
they shall all be taught of God, didn't we? These men marveled. Why would
God use them? Here they are standing, they
just saw a miracle. A lame man stood. How did you
do that? I did it by the name of Jesus
Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from
the grave. We'll go back with me over to
the text in 1 Corinthians 1. Verse 17 says, For Christ sent
me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of
words, lest you should be taken up with my wisdom. and not with
the cross of Christ. That's what he's saying. Look
at verse 19. For it is written, I will destroy
the wisdom of the wise and will bring to nothing the understanding
of the prudent. Where is the wise? Where is the
scribe? Where is the disputer of this
world? Hath not God made foolish the
wisdom of this world? Now, as I just said, Paul understood
this better than anybody. Absolutely better than anybody.
Everybody here knows Paul was a learned man, right? We all
know that. Educated in religion. And there
is nothing wrong with education in the things of this world.
Young people get a college degree. We need doctors. We need architects. We need accountants. We need
these things. But God is saying right here
that man's wisdom plays no role in the things of Jesus Christ
and Him crucified. Right? We have no part in it. No part at all. Not in the cross
of Christ. Look at Acts 22 with me. Acts 22. This is Paul speaking. Look at verse 1. Men and brethren
and fathers, hear ye my defense, which I make now unto you. And
when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them,
they kept the more silence, and he saith, I am verily a man,
which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought
up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, this man Gamaliel. And I was taught according to
the perfect manner of the law of the fathers and was zealous toward God as you all are this day. Paul was in seminary. That's
what he's saying. And I was zealous toward God. Gamaliel was his
teacher. All right, now hold that and
turn with me to Philippians chapter 3. Philippians chapter 3, look at
verse 4. This is Paul speaking. Though I might also have confidence
in the flesh, if any other man thinketh that he hath whereof
he might trust in the flesh, I more. Circumcised the eighth
day of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, A Hebrew
of the Hebrews as touching the law, I was a Pharisee. Concerning zeal, persecuting
the church. I persecuted the church, I was
so zealous for God. Touching the righteousness which
is in the law, blameless. If anybody could go down the
list of those Ten Commandments and look at anybody and say,
he's the best one. Paul says it was me. Verse 7,
he says, But what things were gained to me, those I counted
loss for Christ. That word loss means detriment. It means damage. He's saying
it actually set me back. God had to take me out into Arabia
and undo every bit of that stuff. That's what he's saying. Verse 8, Yea, doubtless, and
I count all things but loss For the excellency of the knowledge
of Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss
of all things, and do count them but dung that I may win Christ." All the learning, all the religion,
all the money I spent on it, all the time I spent on it, It's
all dung, he says. It's all worthless. It's all
useless. And I had to undo every bit of
it. Verse 8, he said, I have suffered
the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may
win Christ and be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness,
which is of the law. But that which is through the
faith of Christ, Christ's faith given, the righteousness which
is of God by faith, that I may know Him. This is what he gets
down to the end of it. After all of that stuff that
Gamaliel put into him, he said, oh, that I may know Christ. All
that stuff is dumb now. I just want to get to Him. "...that
I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship
of His sufferings being made conformable unto His death, if
by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead."
He's saying none of that stuff meant anything. It just didn't
mean anything. The only thing that matters The
only thing that matters is that I take part in the cross of Christ. That's it. That I take part in
the cross of Christ. John the Baptist said the exact
same thing. They came to him, again we just
said this, but they came to him and they said, what's your name? Who are you? Are you that prophet? And John
did not say, by God Almighty, I was given the Holy Ghost from
my mother's womb. By God Almighty, I was written
about in the book of Isaiah as the one who would prepare the
way, crying, all flesh is grass. This is what he said. I'm just
a voice. What's your name? Doesn't matter. Are you that prophet? No, I wouldn't
tie his shoes. I wouldn't defile the man's shoes
with my own hands. The only thing that matters is
that I take part in the cross of Christ. That's it. What is the gospel? It's Jesus
Christ and Him crucified. How do we deliver this message
of the cross? not with wisdom of words. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians
11 with simplicity. Simplicity, simplicity. It has been said that our Lord
almost always spoke with one, two, or three syllable words. All right? One word right here,
post-millennialism. Postmillennialism, that's seven
syllables. Okay, now listen to this, just
listen to this. Come unto me, all ye that labor
and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. I thank thee, Father, that you
hid these things from the wise and the prudent and revealed
them unto babes. Go with me back to 1 Corinthians
1. Verse 17 says, For Christ sent
me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel. not with wisdom of
words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.
For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness."
It's just too simple. It's just too simple. It just
does not tickle the mind. Just foolishness. Verse 18, the
preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness,
but unto us, which are saved, it is the power of God. Now the preaching of the cross
is the gospel. We are not to deliver that message
with wisdom of words, lest we should muddy that message, confuse
it, just confuse people and confused. What's he saying? Just confuse
the message. and that the cross of Christ
should be made of none effect. But our last question this morning
is, what is it? What is it, okay? What are we
telling men and women about it? What is it to preach the cross? What does that mean? Let me take
a few minutes. I'm gonna take you through the
word of God for just a second and I'm gonna show you. Go with
me first to Galatians 5. In Galatians chapter 5, look
at verse 11. And I, brethren, if I yet preach
circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? Then is the offense
of the cross ceased. To preach the cross is to preach
the offense of it. Do you know why Christ had to
go to that cross? Why did Jesus Christ go to that
cross? Here's why. Had he not gone to
that cross, every single man and woman on this earth would
run straight into hell. That's hard, isn't it? That's
offensive. That word hell is offensive.
I don't want to hear that word. Well, outside of Christ, that's
about all I have. All have sinned and come short
of the glory of God. We know that's what the word
says. There is none that doeth good. No, not one. Isaiah said
all flesh is grass. That's it. And but for the cross
of Christ, we would all be burn up. We'd all be burn up. To preach the cross of Christ
is to preach the sin that put Christ on that cross. That's
what it is. Every single person on this earth
was born dead in trespasses and sins. Every single one. Here's
the truth of the cross. Here's the, based on God's word.
Here's the truth of the cross. Christ did not die on that cross
for every single person in this world. He just didn't do it. That's
offensive. He died for all that the Father
chose. He died for all that the Father
gave to Him. He died for all that were put
in Him. Is that what it says? He died for His elect. People
say, that is not fair. No, it's not. Christ didn't deserve
one ounce of the sin that was laid on him. That's not fair. He took it willingly. He took
it willingly. He had mercy on many. He had
mercy on a number no man can number. So thank God for the
cross of Christ. All right. Now look at Galatians
6. Verse 14 says, But God forbid that I should
glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the
world is crucified unto me and I unto the world. To preach the
cross is to preach the Christ of it. Lord means He is God. To preach the cross is to preach
who hung on it. Lord means Jehovah. It means
He's God. Who hung on that cross? God did. Jesus means He's a man. That's
His name of humanity. He is 100% man. A man hung on that cross. Christ
means the union of both. Just because he's God, it doesn't
mean he is one ounce less man. And just because he's man, it
doesn't mean he's one ounce less God. Explain that one to me. I can't.
But that's what God said. God was manifest in the flesh. And He was manifest for one reason
only. It was to go to that cross. That's
the only reason He came. It was to go to that cross. The
Christ of the cross. Alright, now look right here
in Ephesians 2 verse 16. Ephesians 2 verse 16 says, And
that He might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross,
having slain the enmity thereby. To preach the cross is to preach
the reconciliation of it. We sing that song at Christmas,
Heart the Herald Angels Sing, Glory to the Newborn King. God
and sinners reconciled. How? The reconciliation of it. Man
is so sinful, man is so vile, man is so wicked. There's a poem
that says, far, so very far from God, we could not far or be.
Look right here in Ephesians 2 at verse 12. It says that at
that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth
of Israel. Without Christ and aliens. Strangers
from the covenants of promise. Having no hope and without God,
In the world, man was nothing but rebellion and enmity against
God. There was no hope for man. So
God became a man. Isn't that wonderful? And he went to that cross and
he paid for the sin. Every sinner that was put in
him, he paid it in full. And he did it, verse 16 says,
that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross,
having slain the enmity thereby, and came and preached peace to
you which were far off, and to them that were nigh. For through
him we both have access by one spirit unto the Father. Now therefore
you are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens
with the saints and of the household of God. Isn't that wonderful? Thank God for the cross. Thank
God for the cross. That's what I ought to name it.
Thank God for the cross. To preach the cross is to preach
the offense of it. To preach the cross is to preach
the Christ of it. To preach the cross is to preach
the reconciliation of it. Look at Philippians chapter two,
verse eight. Philippians 2 verse 8 says, And
being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became
obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. To preach
the cross is to preach the death of it. The death of what? Death. Did you know death died
on that cross? Did you know that? Do you know sin died on that
cross? The grave, it was all abolished through that cross. In the cross of Christ, death
was swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting?
O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin, and
the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God which giveth
us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. When Christ went
to that cross, he went to battle with death and death lost. That's what happened. Death lost. And now he says, whosoever liveth
and believeth in me shall never die. Colossians 1. I'm almost finished. Colossians
1. Colossians 1 verse 20 says, and
having made peace through the blood of His cross. Man, this one was my favorite
as soon as I saw it. By Him to reconcile all things
unto Himself. By Him, I say, whether they be
things in earth or things in heaven. His cross. To preach the cross is to preach
the owner of it. It was His cross. Well, He died
on my cross. No, He died on His cross. If He was not made guilty, if He was not made guilty, I'm
in trouble. You know what I mean by that?
If it was not His cross, I'm in trouble. I'm in a lot of trouble. You see, He was made sin. He was made my sin. He did not
die for the idea of sin. He did not die for this thing
that's floating over the world called sin. He died for my sin. He died for the sin of His elect. He took my sin off of me and
He laid my sin on Him. He bore it and He wore it. He became me. To preach the cross
is to preach the substitution of it. Substitution. Listen to this. He rightfully
died. That's not fair. No, it was not
fair. He didn't deserve it. But once he took it willingly,
he was fair. Shall not the judge of the earth
do right? He rightfully died with my sin
on him. My sin was rightfully punished.
I deserved it. I died in him. God killed me
in him. And the only reason I get to
live is because I get what he got, what he earned, substitution. Look at Colossians 2 verse 14,
it says, blotting out the handwriting of ordinance that was against
us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing
it to His cross. His cross. The offense of it,
the Christ of it, the reconciliation of it, the death of it, the owner
of it. Here's the last one. Go with
me to Hebrews 12. Hebrews 12 verse 2 says, looking
unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy
that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame
and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. To
preach the cross is to preach the joy of it. Joy? Everything we just said? Why joy? Here's why. It's finished. The battle's over. It's finished. There'll be no
more war. It's finished. The end of all
conflict. It's finished and Jesus Christ
is Lord. There is no more work to be done. What must I do to be saved? Nothing. Nothing. Christ finished it all. But don't I have to live right?
No. Now we ought to live right. Why? Everything Christ did on that
cross for us. We want to live right. Why? Everything Christ
did on that cross for us, we have to live right. Why? God's
made a new man here because of everything Christ did on that
cross. He has finished all of the work
and we just read that he is set down at the right hand of the
throne of God. Just rest in the work that he
accomplished. What do I have to do? Well, there's
the easy chair right there. Rest in the work that he has
accomplished. You just believe his word that
it's all done. It's all done. Paul said back
in our text in 1 Corinthians 1.17, For Christ sent me not
to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words,
lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. For the
preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness,
but unto us which are saved is the power of God. The power of
God. All right, let's stand together.