We preach Christ and Him crucified. We preach the sovereign Lord
of all that is, who gave himself for us on the cross. Why? What is so important? I know
that in this flesh, in this body that stands before you, I know the experience of messing
things up in great ways. Brother Bruce Crabtree wrote
an article, and I've read this at least once before, but oh does this article fit
John Reeves. It's titled I can't mess it up. He writes, a dear friend and
I were talking about how blessed the gospel of Christ's grace
was. He says, I can't remember all the details we talked about.
I suppose that we talked a little about electing love, probably
some redeeming grace. Most definitely how the Lord
in tender mercy called us out of darkness with a call that
we could not resist. And how the Lord keeps us till
that very day and refused to let us go. You see, when saints
get to talking about spiritual things, they often talk about
such subjects as these, But when our discussion was almost over,
my dear friend put the icing on the cake, as it were. And
one of the best things about this gospel, he said, is this.
I can't mess it up. Brother Crabtree goes on. He
said, Jesus has finished the work. It is already done. So I can't mess it up. My sins
have already been punished and atoned for, so I can't mess it
up. I am in Christ accepted and complete
and sealed unto the day of redemption in Christ now and in Christ forever,
so I can't mess it up. I feel like I have messed up
everything else. But thanks be to God, I can't
mess this up. It's an un-messed-up-able message. That's hard to say, un-messed-up-able
message. But that's exactly what it's
all about. See, that's what preaching about
a sovereign God is. Many stand in pulpits today talking
about Jesus. to Jesus who was waiting for
somebody to do something. If my Jesus was waiting for me
to get up and walk down the aisle and make a decision for Him,
I tell you what, I would mess it up. If my Lord was waiting for me
to do something, I would mess it up. But thank God. That He's not waiting for me
for anything. That as God, He has covered it all for me. Turn,
if you would, to the book of 1 Thessalonians chapter 1. This sovereignty that we're talking
about, this sovereign Lord of everything. What does that word
sovereign mean? It means by His will and by His
will alone. That means he's not needing any
help from the outside. He doesn't need help from John
Reeves. He doesn't need help from any of you. He's sovereign
over everything. The very one who knows every
hair on our head, every particle of dust that floats in the windows
as the sun comes through, is floating exactly in the direction
and going exactly to where our Lord and Savior, God Almighty,
has determined it to go. In Ecclesiastes 8, verse 4, you
don't need to turn there. Allow me to read a couple of
scriptures for you. It says this, where the word of a king is,
there is power. And who may say unto him, what
doest thou? Who are we to ask of the potter,
what doest thou? We are vessels unto creation.
And the Lord creates some vessels unto honor, and others unto dishonor. That's scriptural. That's God's
Word. That's not John coming up with an interpretation. That's
God's Word. He has mercy on whom He will
have mercy, and others He will harden. That's God's Word. In 1 Corinthians 4.20 we read
it this way, For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in
power. Look with me if you would again
at these first five verses of Thessalonians chapter 1. Paul,
and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians,
which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ, grace
be unto you, and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus
Christ. We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention
of you in our prayers, remembering without ceasing your work of
faith and labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord
Jesus Christ in the sight of God our Father. You recall last
week if you were here, Thessalonians were being persecuted. We saw
in Acts chapter 17 how they The men who were preaching there
were being persecuted by the leaders of the church. And those
who heard the Word of God preached, who had been touched and the
Lord of God being revealed to their hearts, those who had been
born again, were being persecuted for their belief in an almighty,
all-sovereign God. You see, the religious people
of that day were no different than the ones today. They said
you had to do something. You have to go get washed. You
have to do this. You have to perform the ceremonies
of the Sabbath. You have to do this. And they
did not see the Lord Jesus Christ as the one who completed all
those things. And they had the people under
their power. If you'll just do this. And then
once they did that, now if you'll do this. And it's gotten so much
to the point now where there are those who will sit on a TV
screen and say, if you'll just send me $20. And you know that's
true because you've seen him. We've all seen that guy. You don't think some people don't
fall for that? I mean, obviously somebody does, right? I mean,
he keeps coming back every Sunday. If people didn't fall for that
stuff, then he wouldn't be here every Sunday, would he? It's no different. The nature of men has not changed. Power and authority is something
that is craved by most people. Look at our government. See it
right there. These folks at Thessalonica were
being persecuted for their belief in a sovereign, ruling god. And because they began to follow
this sovereign ruling God, the rulers of the church got jealous. Did you know that Cain killed
Abel over jealousy? God accepted Abel's sacrifice. What's wrong with mine? And he
killed his brother for it. Remembering, as it says in verse
3, without ceasing, your faith and labor of love and the patience
of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ and the sight of God our Father.
Knowing, verse 4, brethren, beloved, your election of God. Your call of God. Not a call
to what they were being done, but their call unto salvation. God's elect. His chosen people
that were chosen in Christ before the world was. They were chosen
in Christ when He went to the cross. They were chosen in Christ
when He shed His blood for them on that cross. He who knew no
sin was made their sin. He was made sin so that they
would be made righteous in Him. This very one, knowing, brethren,
of your election of God for our gospel, Paul says in verse 5,
came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the
Holy Ghost, and in much assurance, as ye know what manner of men
we were among you for your sake. Blessed assurance. Jesus is mine. How do I know that? Because Christ
has come to me in the power of the Holy Spirit and has shown
me the truths of His Word and who He is, God Almighty in the
flesh. My title this morning is The
Word of Power. And I'd like you to turn now
over to 1 Corinthians chapter 1. Mark your page because we'll
probably leave this chapter for just a couple of moments and
then come back to it several times. Men who are no more than
any other sinners saved by grace who have been sent to preach
the Word are just that. We're just men. It's so easy. for us by nature
to take somebody and set him up on a pedestal that they shouldn't
be sitting on. I know because we've all done
that with our fathers, have we not? At one point or another,
I know some fathers don't deserve that pedestal. But for some time
in our lives, he sat on his pedestal, or somebody in our life did.
I know those who have put pastors on their pedestals. God, help
us not to do that. We're just men. We're saved by
grace just as any child of God is. We're blessed with an honor.
We're blessed with the ability to preach. But we all have a
blessing of some case or another that the Lord is leading us on
a path to. some to preach, some to teach,
some just to be a witness, some just to live their life according
for God so that others will see the difference in us. Not the
difference is, oh, that guy doesn't smoke anymore, oh, that guy doesn't
cuss anymore, but oh, that guy believes in God Almighty as God. We have no power. We have no access to the hearts
of people. We have no power to apply the
things of God to His chosen loved ones. And for the most part,
we are unlearned men. In Acts chapter 4 verse 13, we
read this, And now when they saw the boldness of Peter and
John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men,
Peter and John preached messages that brought 8,000 plus people
in a three-day period to the Lord Jesus Christ. And it wasn't
Peter and John, it was the message of Christ and Him crucified and
risen again, sitting on His throne right now. They marveled, it says. These
men who were fishermen, they didn't go to college and learn
everything. They were preaching about what they had saw. They
had just witnessed the very fact that the Lord Jesus Christ was
put in a tomb, and that Mary and others had gone down to the
tomb and the tomb was empty. They had witnessed that the Lord
stood before them and said, touch and feel. Feel the holes in My
hands. They were telling the people
of what they witnessed, not some theological, theologianal message. But Christ in Him crucified.
Not some special way of how you should live, but Christ in Him
crucified. This is what the Lord has done
for me. This is what the Lord has done for you if you belong
to Him. He's laid down His life out of
love for us. And that's our message. They marveled, it says in Acts
4, verse 13, and they took knowledge of them that they had been with
Jesus. We come before men teaching and
preaching what we have learned. Peter and John had experienced
the resurrection. I come before you this morning
teaching and preaching grace. Because that's what I have experienced.
As a blind man at one time, I see what I was before and I see the
grace of God and how He has done a work in my heart. A heart that
was cold black and wanted nothing to do with God at one time. But by His power, by the love
of His power, He came to me when I was dead in trespasses and
sin, and He gave me a new heart. Because that's what God does
with His people. It says, all that the Father
giveth me shall come to me. How do we know that? Because
Christ will not let any of His children go. You belong to Him,
you shall come to Him. It says in John chapter 6 verse
45, it is written in the prophets, and they shall be all taught
of God. Every man therefore that hath
heard and hath learned of the Father cometh unto me. When Peter
was asked, Whom say ye that I am? Peter responded, Thou art the
Son of the living God. And here's what the Lord said
to him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona, for flesh and blood
the preacher standing before you taught you nothing. It was
God the Father that revealed these things to you. It takes the power of God to
reveal these truths of God's Word. Look with me, if you would,
at verse 17 of 1 Corinthians chapter 1. For Christ sent me
not, says Paul, to baptize, but to what? Read what we see here
next. But to preach the gospel, not
with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made
of none effect. Not with some theological concept, but with the simplicity. Oh, how many people stand in
pulpits today and make it so complicated. It's as simple as
this. Jesus has loved a people from
before the world began. And by that point, He came to
this world, became flesh. He laid down His life for that
people. And to wrap it all up, He was
raised again and sits on His throne right now, continuing
to rule. And then look what we see in
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 word of power. Paul declares
that the preaching of the gospel of Christ's foolishness to natural
men, the mysteries of grace, are hidden from the wise and
prudent. That's what we read in Matthew 11.25. Our Lord says,
I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because
thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast
revealed them unto babes. That's the Lord's Word. You can't argue with that. Look
over, if you will, hold your place here in 1 Corinthians and
turn over if you would to 1 Corinthians chapter 2. Oh wait a minute, that's only one
page. Look over at chapter 2 verses 7 and 8. But we speak the wisdom
of God in a mystery. even the hidden wisdom which
God ordained before the world unto our glory, which none of
the princes of the world knew. For had they known it, they would
not have crucified the Lord of glory. Had they known who the
Lord of glory truly was, they would have never hung Him on
the cross. But they did, didn't they? Why? Because they didn't
know who He was. Even though he had performed
miracle after miracle after miracle after miracle, they came to him
and said, if you be the Christ, prove it to us. Tell us. Don't
keep us in doubt of this. I have told you, he said. The
miracles that I've done prove who I am, that I am from God
the Father. The reason you don't believe is because you're not
my sheep. You see the grace? We could be just like that. We
could be down here in one of these churches, just hooping
and hollering and jumping up and down and having a good time,
going to work on Saturdays. Working for the church. Knocking
on the doors, oh, look how I'm bringing souls to the Lord Jesus
Christ. Look at all the stuff that I'm
doing to bring souls to God. We could be right there, but
by God's grace, we are not. We're here at rescue, hearing
about the One who saved us. We could be just like that. Princes
of the world who had known who it was, they would not have crucified
the Lord of glory. So you see, it's nothing unusual
for men who are distinguished for wisdom in other areas to
reject totally and despise the gospel of redemption. Back in
our text. 1 Corinthians chapter 1, 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. This is a quotation from Isaiah
29, 14. Paul is telling us how unreasonable
it is to question the gospel of the cross on the grounds that
the so-called wise men of the world call it foolishness. Our
Lord says, I will render useless the wisdom, the learning, the
philosophies of this world. The learning, the whys of this
world are the reason why we have so many different Jesuses. Have you ever stopped to stop
and think about how many different kinds of Baptist churches there
are? You've got at least 20 different kinds of Baptists, right? Calvary,
Southern Baptist, First Baptist, Free Will Baptist, I can go on
and count on more. You've got the Mormons who say
they believe in Jesus to a certain point. You've got the Seventh-day
Adventists. I can go on and count on, right?
How is it we've got so many people reading the same book and coming
up with a different Jesus? It's because wise men want to
make Jesus like men. They want to make a Jesus that
they can manipulate. Because men and women can be
manipulated. Plain and simple. And there's a lot of men and
women who have figured it out. Men who are wise in their own
esteem become fools, as it's saying. Men who profess to see
the light of human wisdom are struck blind, and the wisdom
of this world becomes vain and worthless when it exalts itself
against God. In 2 Thessalonians 2, verses
10 through 12, we read this. And with all deceivableness and
unrighteousness in them that perish, because they receive
not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for
this cause God shall send them strong delusion that they should
believe a lie, that they all might be damned who believed
not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." And then
in 1 Corinthians 3.18 we read this, "...let no man deceive
himself. If any man among you seemeth
to be wise in this world, let him become a fool that he may
be wise." Now back in our text. Let's continue in verse 20. Where
is the wise? Paul says. Where is the scribe?
Where is the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolishness
the wisdoms of this world? Where is the wise man who boasts
of his superior wisdom and knowledge? He's in some kind of a Cadillac
over there in Rome. Driving around, people kiss his
hand. Oh, what a wise man. He knows all about the Bible,
doesn't he? Where is the wise man who boasts
of his superior wisdom and knowledge? Where are the scribes and the
scholar? Where is the debater and the
disputer of this world, who derives his wisdom not from the Holy
Spirit, but from human understanding? They are not to be found among
those, those whom the Lord uses to minister the gospel, to write
the scriptures or to load his church. With Christ, all sciences
are vain. All roads lead to ruin, and all
human wisdom is foolishness. The Gospel exposes all worldly
wisdom to be just that, foolishness. Hold your place here and turn
back a little bit to Romans chapter 1, verses 18 through 24. Romans
chapter 1. The next book to the left. Romans chapter 1, beginning at
verse 18, we read this, For the wrath of God is revealed from
heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who
hold the truth in unrighteousness. In other words, they hold back.
the truth by conducting themselves in unrighteous works. Because
that which may be known of God is manifest in them, but God
has showed it unto them. For the invisible things of Him
from the creation of the world are clearly seen, but being understood
by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead,
so that they are without excuse." Those who say they are wise,
They know that God rules all things. They know that God has
created all things the way they are, yet they'll use their wisdom
to come up with different things. That's how we've got thousands
and thousands and thousands and thousands of years that people
say this world has been around. The science of men. Now, I'm not saying all science
is bad. God has gifted this world with science that helps a lot.
Look at all the fact that they take a heart, a beating heart
out of one person and put it in another. That is science that
just blows my mind. But that's worldly science. It's
a science that usually will ignore, completely ignore spiritual science. And that is
Christ Almighty, the creator of all things. Oh, where was I? Romans 18, right? 118? Oh, continue on if you would please,
verse 21. Because of that, because of the Lord, because they have
no excuse, Because that when they knew God, they glorified
him not as God, neither were they thankful, but became vain
in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing
themselves to be wise, they became fools and changed the glory of
the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible
man and to birds and four-footed beasts and creeping things. Wherefore,
God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lust of their own
hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves. Now, look back in our text, we'll
go on with verse 21. 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. Preaching,
sharing with those The very thing that we have experienced, these
unlearned men who stand before God's people and preach Christ.
When the world, with all its worldly wisdom, failed to recognize
and to know the living God by the means of its own, God, in
His wisdom and purpose, was pleased to reveal Himself and His salvation
through the very means the world calls foolishness. How can we
be saved by that guy that got hung on the cross and died? Let me tell you. Give me just
a moment. While the wildest men of the
world left to perish in their sins, ignorant of God, the gospel
that despises has been the power of God unto salvation to all
that believe in Christ. Look again, if you would, at
Romans chapter 1, this time verses 14 through 17. Romans chapter
1, verses 14 through 17. Paul says, I am the debtor both
to the Greeks and to the barbarians, both to the wise and to the unwise.
So as much as in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that
are in Rome, that are at Rome also. For I am not ashamed of
the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation
to everyone that believeth, to the Jew first and also to the
Greeks. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to
faith, as it is written, that just shall live by faith. Back again in our text in 1 Corinthians
1, look at verse 22. For the Jews require a sign,
and the Greeks seek after wisdom. The Jews of that day required
a sign. They had been looking for the
Messiah for years. The Messiah, the one who would
come and sit on a throne. Even the disciples at first thought
this is what Jesus had come to do, to sit on his throne. Peter
stood up and rebuked the Lord. No, no, no, you're not going
to die. We're not going to let that happen. You're going to
sit on your throne, is what he was thinking. And the Lord rebuked
him and said, that's not what I came here for. Get thee behind
me, Satan. Our Lord came here for one reason,
folks, and that's to save us. to give himself for us, to be
our substitute, to provide us a sacrifice. That's exactly what
he did. They sought wisdom, or they sought
signs. They got signs, but they didn't
see them. Though miracles were performed and Scriptures were
fulfilled, they required their own signs and their own way and
their own wisdom. Wait a minute, that's not a sign
of what we're looking for. We're looking for the One who's going
to sit on His throne and deliver us from Rome. The Greeks, those distinguished,
superior, intelligent people who sat around and had all kinds
of thought tanks surrounding Rome. Never mind, I won't go there.
They seek after that which satisfies human intellect. See what we
can figure out? In verse 23 we read this, but
unto them which are called both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power
of God and the wisdom of God. We preach Christ and Him crucified,
bearing our sins in His body on the tree, forsaken of God
and rejected of men. To the Jews, this message is
a scandal and it's offense. It's a stumbling block. And to
the Greeks, it's sheer nonsense. Verses 24 through 25. But unto
them which are called, unto God's elect, both Jews and Greeks,
Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God, because the foolish
of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger
than men. Once again, hold your place and
turn over to the third chapter of Romans. Romans chapter 3, and read along with me verses
19 through 26. Now when we know that what things
whoever the law saith, it saith unto them who are under the law,
that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become
guilty before God, therefore by the deeds of the
law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But
now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested,
being witnessed by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness
of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all
them that believe, for there is no difference. For all have
sinned, this is speaking of the Jews and the Greeks, everyone,
Gentile and Jew. For all have sinned and come
short of the glory of God, being justified freely by his grace
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God has
set forth to be a propitiation, a mercy seat. a payment, a passing
over through faith into his blood to declare his righteousness
for the remission of sins that are passed through the forbearance
of God. Those who are called enlightened
children of God, Christ crucified is not only the power of God
to save, but it is the wisdom of God. We see in Christ the
law is honored. Justice has been satisfied, and
every attribute of God glorified. It does not glorify God when
a man can say, I started following the Lord. I made a decision to
follow Him in 1972. I got baptized a month after that. I did this. I go down, I feed
the poor. That is not glorifying God. Glorifying
our Savior is saying, Lord, have mercy upon this poor soul. Lord, it is Your mercy, it is
Your grace that has saved me. What men call foolish, In other words, what men call
the things of God is wiser than men, and what men call weakness.
If it is of God, it is stronger than men. Look at verses 26-28
of our text. Once again, in 1 Corinthians
chapter 1. For ye see, ye are callers, brethren,
how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not
many noble are called, but God hath chosen the foolish things
of the world to confound the wise, and God hath chosen the
weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty.
and the base things of the world and the things which are despised
hath God chosen, yea, the things which are not to bring to not
things that are." Consider your own calling. Look about you in
the church. Not many. Now notice the Lord
didn't say, not any. He just said, not many. Think about this for a moment.
Not many mighty are called. but some were. Those who were considered to
be wise according to human standards, not many of us are influential,
are we? You couldn't say there's a lot
of powerful people sitting here in this building today, or high
and noble of birth. But God chose those for whom
the world calls foolish to put the wise to shame. The very ones who stand before
us and tell us they are unlearned, unlearned in the ways of men,
put the wise who have gone to college for years to shame because
our message is Christ in Him crucified. Now, I'm not saying
it's a bad thing to go to college. I'm just saying it's not helpful.
Pastor Gene had told us. How many of us have sat under
Pastor Gene's messages for all those years? You'll recall he
mentioned this once or twice, maybe. He had a conversation
with Pastor Henry Mahan. When Henry Mahan was talking
to him at the beginning of his stages of being the pastor here
at Rescue, and he said, I don't know that I can do that. I've
never been to college to learn. I've never been to a Bible college
and Henry Manahan leaned over to me and says, that's the best
thing for you. Your mind hasn't been messed
up by the wisdom of this world. Let God be your teacher through
the scriptures. Consider your own calling, how
that not many wives are called. Those who are born of a lower
status, of a mediocrity, even those are looked upon as nothing
that he might bring to nothing high. Who was it in the corner
pounding his chest, asking for mercy of God? Was it the righteous
man? Was it the righteous leader?
Or was it the beggar over in the corner? Lord, have mercy
upon me. Now look at verses 29-31 and I'll bring this to a close. Why does our Lord save beggars that no flesh should glory in
His presence? Do you know that It takes the
Lord to take a wise man, a proud man, a man who is rich of all the things
of this world and make him a better. We have to be brought to understand
that we are sinners before God, before we can cry out, Lord,
have mercy upon me. that no flesh should glory in
his presence, but of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God
is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption,
that according as it is written, he that glorieth let him glory
in the Lord. So then it is written, In Jeremiah
chapter 9, he that boasts, rejoices, and glories, let him glory only
in the Lord. Thus saith the Lord, let not
the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory
in his might. Let not the rich man glory in
his riches, but let him that glorieth glory in this, that
he understandeth and knoweth me. This is what I am and all
of God's preachers are to do, to stand before the people of
God and tell you about the One that we know. The One who has
saved us with His blood. The One who hung on the cross
and said, it is finished. Let him that glorieth glory in
this, that he understandeth and knoweth Me, that I am the Lord,
which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in
the earth. For in these days, in these things, I delight, saith
the Lord." The true child of God loves to glory in our Lord. We glory in who He is. God Almighty
in the flesh. We glory in what He has done.
He has taken our sins into the grave with Him. He was made sin
that we would be made righteous in Him. And then we glory in
where He is right now, sitting on His throne, working all things
out according to His counsel. I like a God who I can call God. I'm not interested in a God who's
waiting for something to be done. I like a God who has done it
all and is making it all happen according to his counsel. Stand
with me.