1 Corinthians chapter 1, verse
22, answers a question. 1 Corinthians 1, 22, answers a
question. What do people want from preachers? What do people want from preachers
and from those who say that they speak for God or those who represent
God? What do they want from them?
Well, it says here the Jews require a sign. Now, who are the Jews?
Well, the Jews represent the religious population, the religious
population in any day. They were the religious people
back when Paul was writing this word. They were the traditionalists. They were the temple dwellers.
They were the folks who went to church. They were the folks
who said they believe in God. What do they want? What do they
require? They require a sign. Show us
a sign. Let us see signs and wonders.
Let us see miracles. Let us see healings. Let us see
impressive movements. And let us see crowds. Prove to us that God is among
you. Prove to us by signs and wonders
that God is with you. Prove to us that you speak for
God. That's what they said at the
cross to our Lord. They said, if you be the Christ,
prove it. Come down and we'll believe. They said to the disciples and
to our Lord, what signs show us thou? Show us a sign that
we may believe. Our Lord said, this evil and
adulterous generation seeketh a sign. No sign shall be given. The rich man in hell said to
Abraham, Father Abraham, send Lazarus back to the earth. If
you'll send a man back to the earth who has been dead and risen
from the dead, my brothers will believe you. All they want is
a sign. They just want some proof. That's what it says here. What
do people want from preachers and those who say they speak
for God? They want proof. They want signs. They want miracles. That accounts for the success
of preachers who will give them what they want. That accounts for the following.
Though they are saying nothing, and everybody knows they're saying
nothing, but they're at least doing something. And that impresses
folks, isn't that right? Sure it impresses folks. A football
stadium filled with people, surging masses going down to an altar,
that's impressive, that's a sign. Somebody breaks a wheelchair,
or breaks a crutch, or throws a cane away, Some fella comes
in down, says he can't hear, and he goes out saying, I can
hear. That's impressive. People want to see something.
Show us a sign. Prove that God's with you. The
Jews, the religious traditionalists, the temple dwellers, they want
to see something. They want to see something. They
haven't changed. They said to our Lord, show us a sign. He
said, this evil and adulterous generation seeketh a sign, and
no sign will be given but one, the Word of God. What do people want? Well, the
question is posed and answered further, verse 22, and the Greeks. What do they want? What do they
require? What are they seeking? Father, they seek after wisdom. The Greeks seek after wisdom,
not the wisdom of God, mind you. There are very few people who
are interested in the wisdom of God, which is Christ. There
are very few people interested in the wisdom of God. But the
wisdom that they're seeking is the wisdom of me. And you see
Corinth, this city here, where these people live, where these
believers live, to whom Paul was writing, Corinth was a center
of learning. It was a center of philosophy
and human wisdom, and the Greeks were in love with, in love with
oratory. They were in love with intellectualism. They were in love with human
wisdom, and that's what they wanted. They wanted Paul and
these other preachers to show them some human wisdom. They
wanted clever preachers, not Christ preachers, Paul. They
wanted clever preachers. That's what our generation wants.
They don't want Christ preachers, they want clever preachers. They
want the ear tickle, not the heart prick. I'm not interested
in your sending me out of here weeping. I want you to send me
out of here feeling good. I want my ear tickle. I don't want this heart broken.
They want to hear of science, not sin. They want one to deal with human
rights, not the crown rights of King Jesus. I'd rather you
wouldn't deal with that. Deal with our human rights. We
have a right. Speak of reformation, not regeneration. I'll tell you, like Paul of old,
I honestly, sincerely weep for my generation. I weep for them. This is my generation right here.
The religious require a sign, proof, miracles, crowds, movements,
wonders. That's what they require. They
want to see something, feel something, excitement, emotionalism. And
the rest of them seek after wisdom. They want clever preachers, not
Christ preachers. I had a man say to me, The other
night after I preached up in the mountains of Kentucky, in
Turkey Creek, Kentucky, an older gentleman, I've known him for
thirty-some-odd years, actually thirty-five years, stayed in
his home one time when I preached up in Chatteroi, West Virginia.
And he came out of the meeting on Thursday night and shook my
hand and he said this, preachers like you, preachers like you,
Preachers of Christ, preachers of the gospel, are a vanishing
breed. And unless God is pleased to
raise up some young men who are bold and willing to preach
Jesus Christ, the next generation is in serious trouble as far
as hearing from God. Well, God's raising up some here. who are preaching Christ. And
I believe in some other places there are men who preach Christ.
But I weep for my generation. Paul describes his generation
and ours too in Romans 10. You want to look at it? I weep for my generation. The religion of this day the popular accepted religion
of this day and the religion of this town. And I'm not a fanatic,
I'm not a radical, I'm not an alarmist. I don't even claim
to read the signs of the time, but I know what I'm hearing and
I know what I'm reading. And the religion of this day
and of this town is as far from Almighty God and the holiness
of God and the glory of God and the redemption of God in Christ
Jesus as it's ever been in the history of this world. I believe
that, Ronnie. It's sickening. Utterly, absolutely sickening. People are not preaching the
Word of God, they're declaring what they think. and what they
believe and how it ought to be from man's standpoint. No, from
women's standpoint. They've taken over. You know
it and I know it. They've taken over the churches.
God forbids a woman to preach or teach or usurp authority in
the Church of God. And we are pushing them to the
forefront because they are the ones that are given to this emotionalism,
entertainment, and folly. Men have no backbone. That's
our generation. The preachers have no backbone.
They're cowards. We're gone unless somebody dares
to stand up and speak. I'm telling you the truth. In
Romans 10, brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for
Israel is that they might be saved. That's my prayer for my
generation. Saved. Not religious, saved. Not traditionalists say, I know
my Bible. I know you do, but you don't
know God's Bible. Well, I know what I believe,
but you don't know whom. That's the problem. I bear them
record. They have a zeal of God. You
say, preacher, this generation has more zeal for God than any
generation I've lived in. You're right. They have, no question
about it. They're God, not this God. They
have a zeal of God. But it's not according to knowledge.
It's not according to knowledge. They're ignorant of God's righteousness. God's righteousness. I'll harp
on it till somebody picks up the tune. God's righteousness. They're ignorant of it. And they're
going about feeding the hungry, healing the sick, building their
schools, keeping their kids off the streets, keeping them out
of drugs and dope, keeping the girls straightened out, fighting
abortion. They're going about to establish
their own righteousness. their own holiness, their own
goodness before God. And they will not submit. Will
not submit. They will not submit. That's
the O for submission. The Bible says over in John 1,
as many as received him. You know what that word is? Submit
to him. To them gave he the right to
become sons of God. They will not submit unto the
righteousness of God for Christ. is the goal, the consummation,
the end of the law for righteousness. You don't have any. It's in him. I weep for my generation. I weep for them. I don't weep for the preachers.
I weep for the people. The preachers are deliberate
liars. The problems not in the pulpit
are not in the pew, it's in the pulpit. They're professional
con artists. They have no love and regard
for God Almighty. In verse 17 of 1 Corinthians
1, listen to it. Paul said, God didn't send me
to baptize, to organize, to promote, to charm men, to build religious
empires. God sent me to preach the gospel.
And that not with wisdom of words and eloquence and charming charismatic
excitement, lest the cross of Christ should be made of non-effect. Now watch this. Now listen to
me. There's just two attitudes. There's just two attitudes that
a person can take toward the cross of Christ. God sent me
not to baptize, but to preach the cross. Verse 18, for the
preaching of the cross. Now listen to me. When Paul says,
the preaching of the cross, he's not referring to the cross on
which Christ died. Do you understand that? That's
not what he's talking about. The preaching of the cross is
to them who are perishing foolishness. The preaching of the cross is
to them who have saved the fire of God. God sent me to preach
the cross. He's not talking about that block
of wood on which our Lord died. We need to take all the signs
and the symbols like this out of religion, totally away, so
people won't have their mind on a thing but on a person. Most ridiculous thing in the
world. Even my kids out in the yard playing vampire, they'll
get them two sticks of wood and go at the vampire like this,
you know, across. Paganism. But their preachers
wear them on their coats, on their robes. And the churches
have them on their steeples to ward off the evil. We have them
as symbols of our God. A hated, despised, ignominious
cross is not a symbol of my God. A throne is a symbol of my God.
When Isaiah saw the Lord, he didn't see him on a cross, he
saw him on a throne. Do you understand that? And when we talk about the cross,
we're not talking about that block, that tree on which he
died. We're talking about, listen,
when he talks about the cross of Christ and the preaching of
the cross, he's talking about all that's included and accomplished
in his death. in his eternal covenant, in his
divine purpose to redeem, in his high priestly work, in his
substitution, in his sacrifice, in his sin offering, his life,
death, and resurrection to honor God's law and satisfy God's justice. The cross of Christ is all that's
required to enable God to be just and justified. That's the
preaching of the cross. See that, Dan? That's so. That's
the preaching of the cross. The cross, when he says here,
for the preaching of the cross is to them who perish foolishness.
The preaching of the cross, verse 18, is to them which are saved
is the power of God. It's the preaching of all that
Christ is and all that Christ has done and all that Christ
does and all that Christ will do in the redemption of his people
toward the holy law and justice of God, substitution, satisfaction,
sin offering, sacrifice. That's the cross. The cross is
just the acme, the paramount, when it all was culminated, when
Christ literally died. But everything that led up to
the cross is included in the cross, and everything, Charlie,
that happens after the cross is included in the cross and
was accomplished at the cross. Understand that? That's the preaching
of the cross. Now, there's two attitudes you
can take toward that gospel message, two attitudes. Number one, foolishness. Sheer nonsense. That's what it
says here. Verse 18, the preaching of the
cross is to them that are perishing, foolishness. Sheer nonsense. I can tell you why. I can tell
you exactly why. I don't know whether anybody
here is of that opinion, but I know that opinion does reign. Foolishness. And I can tell you
why. I can tell you exactly why the preaching of the cross God's
election. God in His holiness looking with
favor upon man in his sinfulness because of assurity. God in His
righteousness forgiving and pardoning a sinner in his rebellion through
a ransom paid by a Redeemer. And men say it's foolishness.
I'll tell you why. You know why they say it's foolishness?
I'll tell you three reasons. Number one, It deals with a subject
in which they have no interest, salvation from sin. You know
why the people you work with, the people you live with, the
people in your family, at your family reunions, you know why
they don't want to talk about Christ, about his cross, about
his death? Because that deals with a subject
in which they have no interest. They're not interested in the
curse of the law. They're not interested in the wrath of God
being appeased. They're not interested in salvation
from sin. because they that behold need
not a physician. That's what. I'm not too interested in a lecture
this afternoon on heart trouble and bypass surgery. I'm not interested. You know why? I've got no trouble. I'm not a candidate for bypass
surgery. Oh, but you say you may be. That
has no bearing on it. It's what I am right now. And
you know who's not interested in the cross? They have no trouble. They have no sin. Our Lord said, I've come not
to call the righteous, but sinners. It's just that simple. Only a
sinner needs a Savior. Only a sick man needs a physician.
Only a lost man needs a Redeemer. Only a lost man needs a cross. So they're not in. It's foolishness.
Here's the second reason. See, this is not true. It's foolishness to them because
it deals with a subject in which they have no interest. Secondly,
the cross of Christ, substitution. It does not recognize in any
shape, form, or fashion human merit. It doesn't recognize it. It does not recognize human works.
It does not recognize human goodness. The cross of Christ drags human
merit out into the light of God's holiness and pronounces it guilty
and nails it to a cross. And that's not too popular. The cross of Jesus Christ drags
human merit and human works, anything you've ever said, done,
or given, religiously, drags it out into the searchlight of
God's holiness and says, filthy rags, nail it to a cross. When one acknowledges the cross
of the representative, he takes sides with God against him against
his human wisdom, merit, righteousness, and says, with God at the cross,
there's none good. No, not one. There's none righteous. There's none that understand
it. Why is it foolishness? It deals
with a subject in which they have no interest. And not only
that, but it antagonizes them because it deals with their righteousness
and merit as a criminal. And then I'll tell you why they
don't like the cross. The cross of Christ thirdly has to do with
declaring openly and positively the righteousness of God. That's
what the cross reveals. Listen to Romans 1. Paul says, I am not ashamed of
the gospel of Christ. It is the power of God unto salvation
to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For therein is the
righteousness of God revealed. Where? In the gospel, in the
cross, the righteousness of God. Now listen to this. Not only
does the sinfulness of men require a cross, but the righteousness
of God requires a cross. Do you know the average religionist
never wrestles with these questions? How can man be just with God?
He doesn't wrestle with that question. Why not? Because he's
never seen the holiness of God or the sinfulness of man. He
never wrestles with the question, how can he be clean as born of
a woman? That's for a man that's unclean
in the sight of God to be troubled about. He never wrestled with
this question, how can God be just and justify me? You know, when Isaiah saw the
Lord high and lifted up, his train filled the temple. And
the seraphims and cherubims cried, holy, holy, holy. Isaiah said,
oh, woe is me. I'm cut off. I'm undone. I'm
an unclean branch of an unclean tree. I'm finished. My eyes have
seen the Lord, the King, the Lord of hosts. I've seen the
Lord. I'm cut off. Then he started asking questions. How can God
be holy and merciful to me? How can God be righteous and
redeem me? How can God be just and justify
me? That's when you become interested
in a cross and a ransom and a redeemer. That's right. In most churches in our land
today, this subject's not going to be dealt with. You know why?
It's a subject in which the people have no interest. They have no
interest. They're good folks. Their preacher
told them they were good. Their mothers told them they
were good. Their daddies told them they were good. Everybody,
they're good people, wonderful people, fine people. They're
not sinners. They're against sinners. We can't,
we can't even have a man run for the Supreme Court that smoked
a little marijuana back in 1960. We got a clean requirement now. I hope they don't start investigating
those fellas that are already in there. This is a clean, this is a religious
nation. This is a religious nation. This, we're going to expose them
in the media. The tabloids and all. Yeah, that's right. That's right. Nobody will run for president
now because he's scared of being examined. We're clean, good people. Our churches are full of good
people. So why do we need a cross? And we're certainly not going
to let our human merit and human works and human goodness be drug
out into the streets and crucified. Foolishness. But watch here,
I'm glad that's not all. He says in verse 18, the preaching
of the cross is to them that perish, are perishing foolishness. But unto us it is said, that
cross and all that's implied and included and accomplished
is the very power of God. You know what it said down here
in verse 23? We preach Christ crucified to the Jew, a stumbling
block under the Greeks' foolishness, but unto them that are called,
unto them that are called, help! I've heard that voice. To them
that are called. It's the power of God. It's the
wisdom of God. What is this call? Everybody
hadn't been called. Few are chosen, do you know that?
Oh, many are called, but few are chosen. Everybody had heard
this. What is this call? Well, let's see what the Bible
says about this call. Let me just read you this. In Romans 1, it says, Among whom
are ye also the call of Jesus Christ? Romans 8 says, And we
know that all things work together for good to them who love God,
who are the call. They called according to his
purpose. For whom he foreknew, he predestinated. Whom he predestinated, he called.
1 Corinthians 1 says, God is faithful by whom you were called
into the fellowship of his Son. Galatians 1.15 said, God separated
me from my mother's womb and called me. Ephesians 4.4 says,
there's one body, one spirit, even as you are called. in one
hope of your calling. What is this calling? Well, turn
to 2 Thessalonians. I will have you turn to this
one. Let's see what this calling is. Now, to them that are perishing,
this cross and all that's included and all that's accomplished is
foolishness. But to them that are called,
a peculiar people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, they're called. It says here in II Thessalonians
2, but we're bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren,
beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen
you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the
truth. And He called you, He called you by our Gospel to the
obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. He chose you. He loved you, He chose you, and
He called you. This calling is a spiritual birth. It's an awakening. This calling
is an effectual call by the Spirit of God. This calling is a gospel
call. It's a gospel call. And with this call, look back
at our text now. I want you to look at this text
again, 1 Corinthians 1. Verse 23 says, Christ to the
Jew is a stumbling block to the Greek foolishness, but to them
who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ
is the power of God, Christ crucified, that's what we're talking about,
Christ to the cross is the very power of God and the wisdom of
God. You see, with this call comes a knowledge of sin. With
this call comes a profound interest in how God can be just and justify
the sinner. With this call comes an understanding. I told my class this morning, I grew up in a Baptist church,
in a fundamental Baptist church, in the same type of church that
we have so many of around here, just a fundamental Missionary
Southern Baptist Church. And I wasn't a nominal attender. My father was a deacon. I was
there every service, every revival meeting, every service, every
prayer meeting, every Bible conference, every BTU, every Sunday school
class. I was there. And so was my family. Until I went away to the Navy
and I was 17 years old. And then I came back, started
right back. Married the church secretary.
and worked with the young people and came up here and worked with
the young people. And then went to preacher school
and pastored a church. And I never one time, I went
to a preacher school, I sat in a seminary in classes of theology
and never one time heard anybody talk about or teach or read anything
about the attributes of God Almighty. Never. Never. Not one time. God is love. We were in the soul
winning business. We were in the soul winning business.
We were promoting religion. We were trying to get people
to accept Jesus. Why? I don't know. Or which Jesus?
We're not sure. But just accept Jesus. We were
in the soul winning business. You know what I'm talking about.
Some of you grew up the same way. I never heard, nobody ever
took the time, no preacher, teacher ever took the time to try to
get me to understand, like Isaiah of old, or Job. Job said, I've
heard of you with the ear, now I see you. Therefore I hate myself. Isaiah said, when King Uzziah
died, I was busy with King Uzziah writing all about it, and he
died, I saw the Lord. And I cried, I'm cut off, I'm
undone. Nobody ever took the time to
tell me of the majesty and holiness and greatness of God, the preeminence
and sovereignty of God, the incomprehensible, unapproachable God who dwells
in a light to which no man can approach. I never entertained
the notion. Well, I thought God was sort
of, you know, trying to get everybody to come to church. I thought
everybody was running around in God's presence, and he's patting
us on the head, and we did good, do good, and shaking his finger
in our face, and we did bad. But I didn't find out that when
Adam sinned, we got put out of the presence of God. I didn't know that. I thought
if I just said, Oh, God, and God responded. It's not like
pulling a bell. You pull a chain, and God comes
running. Well, I didn't know that that
we're not in touch with God anymore. Our sins have separated us from
God. Did you know that? God doesn't hear you. God doesn't
hear you. God doesn't do any business with
you. None whatsoever. When you say, Oh God, He doesn't
hear you, you're never in God's presence. Never, never, never,
never, never. We've been separated from God by our sins. The only
one who can bring us to God is Christ. Did you know that? He
died, Don, that he may bring us to God. We're not there. He
brought us. We're out of the God business. But we won't be
denied. We'll invent us a God, then.
Children of the lesser God. He's not as big as the one we
read about, but He's a God. He's not sovereign. He's not
almighty, but He's a God. We give Him that name, God. G-O-D. Liturgy. And we got us a valet,
and we named him Jesus. But the God, I didn't hear about
it. I didn't hear about it. I didn't
hear about the awesome God that said, no man can look on me and
leave. And I didn't hear about what happened in the garden,
how depraved and defiled and wretched and vile and filthy
we are. None can please God. In the flesh
dwelleth no good thing. I didn't see from the sole of
my feet to the top of my head nothing but wounds and bruises
and putrefying sores. Nobody told me that. Did they
tell you that, Doc? You grew up in church. That God is holy and righteous,
men are sinful and depraved. That God is just and true. And
in order for God to show mercy to defile creatures, there's
something got to take place in here. There's something got to
take place. Somebody's got to represent these
to Him and Him to them. Somebody who can touch God and
somebody who can touch men. There's no communication between
this Mass and this holiness. And that someone who is the mediator,
the one mediator on high priest has got to come from Him, not
from them. And he's got to be one with him and numbered with
them. And he's got to do for them what he has required. He can't change. See what I'm
talking about? We're not going to send any of
them back. We're not going to go up to heaven and bring Christ
down. He's got to be sent on the initiative of him, on the
direction of him. and to accomplish His glory and
His mission and His work and His holiness. He sent Him down
here, made in the likeness of sinful flesh, took on Himself
the form of a servant, became obedient unto death, even the
death of the cross, that He might bring us to God. And I tell you
this, when He brings us to God, He's going to bring us holy,
spotless, unblameable, and undefiled, or God will spit us out again.
See what I'm saying? Well, I'm doing the best I can.
Sorry, it's not good enough. Well, I'm putting forth an effort.
You're wasting your time. But I'm going to go to God and
see if He won't receive me. At least I'll forget it. He can't
and be God. How can we be just with God? You figure out a way. Get them
baptized. Bring them down to the front.
You accept Jesus, pray the sinner's prayer, sign the card, join the
church, give your tithe, quit smoking, quit drinking, straighten
up your life. God'll accept you. No, he won't. Now, your God will, but that
one won't. He can't. Your God can, he can't. You see
what I'm saying? You understand what I'm saying?
It's critical. It's a crisis. And that's the
reason to them that are being saved by that God, being called,
being saved, being redeemed by that God. The cross is not foolishness
to them. Under God it's a joy. It's the
power of God and the wisdom of God. It's what enables God to
be who He is and what He is and stay where He is and take me
to Him. That's the place I can make it.
But nobody ever told me that, Charlie Payne. Nobody, I was
playing church, Ed, you were too, all the rest of us were
playing church, every one of us. Nobody ever told me that
there's a critical, there's a crisis, there's a, there's a something
shake heaven! Something angels turn around
in amazement and look at! God acting, working, accomplishing
a mystery to enable that God to save that bunch of wiggling
maggots. and lift him from the dunghill
to the throne, holy, unblameable, and perfect. Do you? That's magnificent. And you just tell me who's saying
that, and I'll have him come here and preach it to you. Go
out there and get me one of them. You say, oh, so-and-so said a
good thing, but he didn't say this. This is the good thing. The cross is the good thing.
God's justice in operation and mercy in operation and righteousness
in operation through a representative. That's the good thing. And if
you don't say that, you hadn't said any good things. No good
news for me. Righteousness says, with these
scales of holiness, I have weighed men and found them wanting. I've tried them, all of them.
And I find them lighter than vanity. I've not only found me
in destitute of all that God requires and all that God is,
but I've found me in full rebellion and enmity against God. And I
found me in contrary to all that God is, says, and does. And I
say that men cannot be justified at the expense of God's holy
law and God's holy character because the living God hath pronounced
wrath against all sin. And to free one sinful man without
a perfect obedience to God's law and justice will be to retract
all that God has spoken. Can't be done. But love speaks. Now listen. Love speaks. O Lord, Thou art plenteous in
mercy, and Thou art almighty, power of God, and Thou art wise. Is there not in Your wisdom a
way? May not by your wisdom and power
a ransom be found? May not an atonement be made? Can one be found to stand as
a mediator? Can one be found who is without
sin? Can one be found whose character
is such that he can bear thy wrath and satisfy thy justice
and thy holiness? Is there not in all of heaven
One who can be identified with men and accepted of thee? Is
there not one? Is there not one in heaven who
can satisfy your justice and put away your wrath? Is there
not one who can honor your holiness? Can one be found who can die
to put away man's sin and yet live to plead his wounds? Is
there not one? O God, if such a one can be found,
surely his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the
Prince of Peace.