Turn to first Corinthians For this place an extremely familiar
passage of scripture And an extremely familiar subject I believe First
Corinthians, and I'm gonna go ahead and read from 17 to 24 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 it is the power of God. For it is written,
I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and will bring to nothing
the understanding of the prudent. Where's the wise? Where's the
scribe? Where's the disputer 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. For the Jews
require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom. But we preach
Christ crucified. Unto the Jews a stumbling block,
and unto the Greeks foolishness. But unto them which are called,
both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom
of God. Like I said, a very familiar
passage of scripture to this place. To other places, maybe
not so much. But that's their shortage. I
want to speak today about Christ crucified. I want to preach Christ
crucified. This, I believe, is the major
theme of the Bible from beginning to end. There are other things,
certainly, But from my perspective, which is the perspective of a
depraved, fallen human being, this is the most important theme
of the Bible. Because without Christ crucified,
there is nothing. Absolutely nothing. I see nothing
more important to me than Christ and Him crucified. Because there
is nothing more important to me. than Christ and Him crucified. Now, I realize, I understand,
and I will fully confess that this is a self-centered point
of view. But I am a self-centered person. That was a confession. I feel better now. It's the truth. My perspective
matters to me. It does. And I read this book,
and I see the overall theme But yes, I am looking for an application
to me. I am looking for the truth of
God to be revealed to me, and I hope that's what you're wanting.
And Christ crucified is necessary, absolutely, positively necessary
for the salvation of my soul. And that's as self-centered as
I can get. I'm not claiming any credit for it. I'm not going
to let anybody else claim any credit for it if I can help it.
Not in my hearing. They will, but I'm not. But it
is absolutely necessary for the salvation of my soul and of yours. And Christ crucified shows us,
emphasis the us here, the power and wisdom of Almighty God. And this is actually what we
endeavor to do every time we preach. Because this is where
salvation lays. This is where it was purchased. This is where it is provided
and this is where it is shown to us in Christ crucified. Of course now verse 17 starts
off with Paul saying, 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 the word, actually, preach
the gospel is one word here. And it's based on our, what we
have transliterated into evangelize. Proclaim the good news. Preach
the gospel. We proclaim the good news, not
with wisdom of words, but with the truth that is revealed in
the scriptures. We've got nothing else. I mean,
that's what, there are people, and I mean, you know, I was listening
to some things about preachers and preaching that Dr. Jones had done. And there's a
thing in there where he talks about, he says, he talks about
eloquence. And there are some very eloquent
people out there. And I mean you can read some
of the old writers and I mean they wax poetic and they've got
wonderful phrases and some of them are really good and I'm
going to steal one here at the end. As for my conclusion. That's
right. When there are better things
written I'm going to borrow them. He's dead he don't mind. You know. But He said, and I agree with this,
he says, if you are an eloquent person, fine, be eloquent, but
don't try and force it. You don't use the wisdom of words
to try to get a point across from the scripture, you use the
scripture. This is what we have, this is what God has given us,
this is what worked on me. Not like that song I heard this
morning before our radio broadcast that the Salvation Army put out.
Boy, I mean, you know, I'm better off hearing about Lucretia McEvil
than the song they sang. They sang a song that's called,
I Believe the Word of God. And that part was OK. But then
it said, it gave me life. And I was wondering, did I hear
that right? Because it said, it gave me life. No, no, no. If he didn't give you life, you
ain't got life. The Word of God does, and we
are to believe the Word. The Word that was God, and was
with God, and is God, and now it's seated at the right hand
of the Father. But this book does not give us
life. This book will reveal life, but
it doesn't give us life. And that's not why we're here
with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made
of none effect. That's the danger. That's the
warning from Paul. Don't make the cross of Christ
not a fact. Christ crucified is what we're
shooting for. Christ crucified is what we are to preach. That
is the good news, which I'll get to later here. It says, for
the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness.
But unto us which are saved is the power of God. Now this word
preaching is actually the word logos. the logos of the cross
is to them that perish foolishness. And that's what it is. That's
what it was to me before he gave me life. It was foolishness. I mean, I'd been around Jesus
people and they irritated me. I've told you guys this before.
And it's the truth. People who wanted to talk about
Jesus used to irritate the dickens out of me. I would leave. And
if I was stuck at my place of work, I'd go to another room
and shut the door or something. But anyhow, the fact that our salvation was
purchased on the cross by the son of God, that he died for
the sins of his people, is to those who don't know Him, it's
foolishness. And it doesn't matter what wisdom
of words you want to use, it's still foolishness to them. Because the preaching of the
cross is not foolishness, unless you don't get it. For it is written, I will destroy
the wisdom of the wise and will bring to nothing the understanding
of the prudent. The God we preach destroys. The world doesn't understand
that at all. They see that stuff in the Old Testament. Well, that
was God. See, Jesus is nice. I don't know what book they're
reading. Well, actually, I know what book they're not understanding.
I hope they're reading this one, but this is the whole point.
Christ himself said, fear him, who has the power to destroy
both body and soul in hell. That's what it says. Those are
the words of sweet little Jesus, meek and mild, look upon a little
child. Those are the words of the Lord
of glory. God destroys when he wants to
destroy our God creates when he wants to create And I will destroy the wisdom
of the wise and will bring to nothing the understanding of
the prudent Some people don't like that,
but that's their problem The wise and the prudent of this
world do not know what is going on in this world. They don't get it. I see it and
I believe you see it too. If you know Christ, He's going
to show the world to you. First He's going to show it to
you in your own heart. He's going to show it to you
in your own heart and you're going to learn to hate it. It's still there and I still
hate it. But I see in the world what God
is doing. How things are moving nearby
me and far off. Because this man, this Christ
did what he did for his people. He was crucified. But the world
will never see it, the wise and the prudent will never see it.
Verse 20 says, where's the wise, where's the scribe, where's the
disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the
wisdom of this world? Yes, he has, if you have eyes
to see. The wisdom of this world, I can
tell you exactly how I can prove it to you, if you've got eyes
to see and ears to hear. how the world's wisdom is foolishness
with God and proven every day because every day man's wisdom
changes. Every day. Every day. Sometimes it's small changes,
sometimes it's big changes. Science textbooks have always
got to be updated. And they are being updated even
as we speak. And by the time you get one,
it's out of date. It's wrong. There's something
in there that's changed. I've told you sometime before,
I remember the 50s. I wasn't there for much of it,
but I do remember it. I've read old stuff of it. They
used to believe outer space had something in it because it carried
radio waves. They didn't know what it was,
so they called it the ether. Now we say it's a vacuum. But
it's a vacuum full of hydrogen that flows from the sun and everywhere
else, and they don't know where any of it come from. And they'll
tell you they don't know, but then they get mad if you tell
them they don't know. Ain't that the beauty of it?
You can't tell them they don't know, but they might mention
it in passing that they don't know. You'll hear them every
now and then. I've heard them on television.
They still don't know exactly how electricity works. They know
what it does, and they know how to switch it from here to there.
And they know how to produce it here and send it down a wire. But they don't actually know
what it is. The wisdom of this world is foolishness
with God. History books have been changed
and are being changed. And I'm going to tell you this
right now, more of them need changed. Man's knowledge, falsely
so-called, is always changing. Sometimes, to add more lies,
it's foolish. It's foolish. In the sight of
God, man's wisdom is nothing but foolishness. And they will
completely, totally, unequivocally deny the work of God in anything. to do with this world. And that is utter foolishness. 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. We did not pick this way of doing
things. It wasn't up to us, was it, Walter?
I would just as soon have somebody else do this or have it done
another way. I could sit here quietly and try and commune or
pray or whatever. No. He said, preach. That's what he told us. And that's
what this word is. Here, preach. The foolishness
of preaching. Again, I loved Earl. Not the
preaching of foolishness. But the preaching is the proclamation,
again. The public, public announcement
of Christ and Him crucified. The public announcement of what
God has done from His Word that we have been given. This is what
we are to do. This is the way God chose for
this to be done. Now, I do want to point out that it's not by the foolishness
of preaching Okay? That we're given faith. It says the foolishness of preaching
to save them that belief. If you don't believe, my preaching
will do you no good, right? And that's just the way it is.
And actually, if you really want to know about it, that's base
logic. My preaching will not make you believe. Okay? You're either uncircumcised
in heart and ears or you're not. And if these words fall on those
uncircumcised ears, that uncircumcised heart, you will always resist
the Holy Ghost. That's what Stephen said when
they were stoning, getting ready to stone him. You always resist
the Holy Ghost. Why? Because your heart's uncircumcised
and your ears are uncircumcised. It's going to be foolishness
to you. That's what he just said. If you don't believe, if you
have not been given faith by God, you're not going to believe. No matter what I say. However, if you have been given
faith, you will hear us. And you will believe. You will
believe. For the Jews require a sign,
and the Greeks seek after wisdom." The Jews wanted a sign, Walter.
They asked Christ for one. They didn't believe the signs
of God. He healed the sick and raised the dead, and guess what?
They killed Him. He fed 5,000. After He talked to them, they
left. Jim McLarty said something wonderful about that. I got thinking
about that. You know, them 12 apostles that started off with
them. When he preached and those 5,000 were fed and they listened
and they heard and they followed him around the lake and everything
else. You know, they said, man, we got it made now. We got a
big church, Mason. Christ spoke to them and they
all left. Then Christ looked at his disciples and he said,
you want to go too? Why did they want to leave? Because
he said, it ain't of you. It's of God. And guess what? They've left
this place because we've preached that. They turned and walked
no more with the Son of God because of what he said. That's the way it is. That's
the way man is. The preaching of the cross is
to him foolishness. To him, but not to us. Not to us. Verse 23, but we preach
Christ crucified. unto the Jews a stumbling block,
and unto the Greeks foolishness." Again, this is herald, proclamation,
preaching. But what I want to point out
here to start with is preaching the gospel, that evangelizing,
preaching the cross, and preaching Christ crucified, they're all
the same thing. Whether you're evangelizing or
you're talking to the flock or you're what? If you're not preaching Christ
crucified, you're not preaching. If you're not preaching the salvation
of God, you're not preaching. And the salvation is of the Lord. Guaranteed. Christ the Anointed One, God's
elect, crucified. the Christ was put to death for
crimes he did not commit. That's the message. His death
on the cross, the crucifixion of Christ is the crux, the center
of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Because it's not an afterthought.
I don't know how many people are, you know, come up with that
great idea. It's not a contingency plan. It was a result. It wasn't a result of things
that went horribly wrong, Walter. Things just got out of hand.
This was the plan from the beginning. This was the plan from the beginning
of the salvation of his people. Christ had to be crucified. This
is exactly the way It was supposed to happen. People don't like
that. People don't understand it. They
want to talk about Jesus in a manger, sweet little baby. They want
to talk about Him. Oh, He fed the sick and healed
the hungry. I don't know. The other way around.
He fed the hungry and He healed the sick. Yes, He did. Yes, He did. And they left Him. Not so much the ones He healed,
necessarily, but the ones He fed. There are those out there,
Paul writes, whose God is their belly. Yeah. You feed a man, he'll put up
with some stuff. Won't put up with Christ preaching
though. That's right. He'll put up with some. That's
one way the Salvation Army does their ministry, remember? They
call in, they have soup kitchens, and I'm wonderful, I'm glad they
do. But while they're doing it, somebody's up there talking.
And you know, if it wasn't for them guys getting fed, I don't
think they'd be there. They think they got a captive
audience and they think maybe their preacher's gonna do them
some good. But no, preaching only works on those that believe. That's what Paul writes here.
Christ crucified was not an afterthought. It wasn't a second opinion. Christ Jesus and Him crucified
is the plan to accomplish the purpose of God for the salvation
of His people. The first message preached at
Pentecost was the evangelizing good news of Jesus Christ and
Him crucified. Peter preached it. Ye men of
Israel, hear these words. Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved
of God among you, by miracles and wonders and signs, which
God did by Him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know,
but won't admit. Him being delivered by the, what?
Determinate counsel. and foreknowledge of God. Ye have taken, and by wicked
hands have crucified and slain. Whom God hath raised up, having
loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that he should
beholden of it. That was the first message of
Pentecost. What was it? Christ crucified. by the determinate
counsel and the foreknowledge of God. And you did it. I did it. If I'd have been there, I'd have
been there right with the mob. Come on. Fess up. I don't know, but I used to hate
religious people. Well, in some ways I still sort
of do. But I like believers. I like
his people. I like his gospel. And his gospel
says that his son was crucified by the determinate counsel and
the foreknowledge of God. It was the plan. It was the plan. It was done on purpose. Now you
did it. You're guilty of it. Just like those Philistines attacking
Israel. God sent them. God led them.
And they taught Israel a lesson. Didn't last long, but they taught
them a lesson. And then he blamed the Philistines
for it. Because they did exactly what they wanted to do. That made them guilty. And these
men wanted Christ dead and thereby they were guilty of it. Even
though it was determined by God. For ordained of God and carried
out by God Christ himself said don't you know I can call 12
legions angels He could have stopped it That idiot saying
oh, it was the greatest crime in history and I'd have stopped
it if I'd have been there well Yeah, if you'd have tried he'd
have killed you Because it was the plan Jesus Christ was going
to be crucified And we're going to preach him crucified, right? But unto them which are called,
both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom
of God. Them which are called. Well,
if you want to go back to verse 18, but unto us which are saved,
that's the same people. The saved are those that are
the called. And the called are those that
are saved. No one else. No one else. The word called here is not a
noun. It's actually an adjective. It's
the called them. It's a modifier. That's what
an adjective is. It modifies a noun. Well, I like
the word. It's a descriptor. It describes
a noun. Them are called. That's what
it is. Them are saved. Called Jews, called Gentiles,
called men, and called women. Them are saved. Us, which are saved. Verse two,
this whole letter is written to them that are sanctified. Called saints. Now they put that little 2b in
there, but you're better off leaving that out at this point.
Called saints. Called saints, called believers,
called saved. Our preaching is a call, but
it's not this call. Again, the first message preached
to Pentecost. Acts 2.38, Peter said unto them,
repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus
Christ for the remission of sins and ye shall receive the gift
of the Holy Ghost. That is one of the most abused
verses by the Pentecostal movement. They love that, they'll put that
up on a building, but they won't read the next verse. Acts 2.39,
For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to
all that are afar off. That's us. That's me. Even as many as the Lord our
God shall call. That's what Paul's talking about
here. That call. The good shepherd calls his sheep
by name. Says it three different times, three different ways.
To him the porter openeth, and the sheep hear his voice, and
he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. Other sheep I have which are
not of this fold, them also I must bring. God, I like that. And
they shall hear my voice. and there shall be one fold and
one shepherd." And the third one he says, my sheep hear my
voice and I know them and they follow me. Now notice very carefully
all those scriptures there are about the call. There's nothing
said because there's nothing there about anybody listening. It's not because you're listening
that you hear his call. That's the way people preach
it. Wrong. If God calls, you'll hear. If Christ calls His sheep by
name, that sheep hears. And, I know them, they follow
me. There's results to this call.
Every single time. Christ didn't say, and if you
will, You can follow. If you will, you'll hear. He
ain't worried about you hearing. He'll give you hearing. He's
got to give you hearing. Somehow that uncircumcised heart
and ear has to become circumcised. And when he calls, you'll hear.
That's who Paul's talking about here, the called. Nobody else
to the world, to the wise, to the prudent, this is foolishness.
But you people, I believe, know what I'm talking about. Because
this is the way God saves His people. There's no mention in John or
Acts of anyone listening. Neither you or your children
are listening, Walter. But the Lord our God shall call.
The sheep are not said to be listening. They're said to be
astray. But it said, he calls and he
leads and they follow. They shall hear my voice. My sheep hear my voice. When God calls, when the good
shepherd calls, you will hear and you will follow. I love that scripture, Paul quotes
in Romans that he got from Isaiah. I was found of them that sought
me not. I was called on by people who
didn't know me. How does that happen? He calls, and they are the call. Unto them
which are called, both Jew and Greeks, it doesn't matter which,
Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. These are the call to whom preaching
Christ crucified is the power of God and the wisdom of God.
We publicly proclaim the truth, but we know this for a fact,
only some will hear. We say it out loud. We're on
the radio now. We've been on YouTube. We've
got a website. We've had a few people, mostly
because of other connections. But the world won't have this
gospel. I can tell you that right now. He that is of God, heareth
us. That's them called. He that is not of God doesn't
hear us. That's what John said. Those who have not been called
are not of God. Now what do the called hear and
see in Christ crucified? The power of God and the wisdom
of God. Now here's that statement I stole. Christ crucified While it reveals
God's judgment upon all flesh He also reveals his salvation
of the lost and the guilty sinner Sin is perfectly judged in Christ
crucified and the sinner is perfectly saved in Christ crucified God perfectly revealed and perfectly
glorified in Christ crucified. I like that. And that's what
I see in the cross. His punishment for sin on His
Son. And if God didn't spare His Son,
He ain't sparing anyone else. His well beloved, well pleasing,
perfect, holy, righteous Son of God was on a tree, as Walter
preached ably, was made to be sin. We see God's holy, righteous,
marvelous anger and judgment on His Son on that cross with
Christ crucified. Sin must be punished. That's the word from the Lord.
The soul that sinneth, it shall die. That's the judgment. That's the
punishment for sin. Death. But, no, not but, and. We see God's holy, righteous,
marvelous grace and mercy in Christ crucified. You can see
both. They're both there. The judgment
of God and the mercy of God. The punishment of sin and grace
from above are all there in Christ crucified. Because while He was
being punished for sin, He was taking away our sin. He satisfied the Holy God and
saved His people from their sins in that He was crucified. God was reconciled, both Jew
and Gentile, He reconciled both Jew and Gentile unto himself
in Christ crucified. And having made peace through
the blood of his cross to reconcile all things unto himself, by him
I say, whether they be things in earth or things in heaven. Believers. Don't think Christ
crucified is foolish. The world does. The world does. And the world always will. But we, believers, hear, see,
and know the power of God and the wisdom in sacrificing Christ, sacrificed
His life, He saved His people from their sin. That's the power
of Christ's crucifixion. And it's all His work, none of
it ours. And it has accomplished exactly
what He intended for it to accomplish. Those that are called here of
a just God and a Savior in the preaching of Christ crucified. And I love it. I love it. Our Heavenly Father, we are thankful
for this time and this place. Most of all, thankful for You,
our Lord. You sent Your Son to be a propitiation,
and He became a propitiation. He offered Himself in our place,
in our stead, and took upon Himself our sins, and purged them with
His own precious blood. Gave His life on a cross, never
having committed His own sin, never knowing sin except from
the outside, He was made to be sin for us, and died the death
I was supposed to die. Thank you, Lord. In Christ's
name we pray.