God's Wisdom in the Christmas Story (1 Corinthians 1:21-25, Jeff Kliewer)

The Foolishness and Wisdom of Christmas

We're all foolish. We're all foolish. When children stand up here and preach about Jesus Christ. They display a wisdom that's greater than the smartest men on earth the greatest scientists on earth. They preached a message that came not from man, but from God and in fact you can see it in their faces.

They had faith Like children because they were children. Faith is believing God Taking him at his word. I wanted to read just three passages today each one short, but each one of them refers to foolishness.

The first thing I'd like to say is that Christmas is the story of a baby right a baby being born in Bethlehem. It's a story about shepherds. It's a story about animals and hay and innkeepers and It seems childish it almost seems foolish.

Yet this is the story of the salvation of people. This story is in fact true. Some people consider it folly. But it is in fact the wisdom and power of God first. Corinthians 1 21 to 25 says for since in the wisdom of God.

The world did not know God through wisdom. It pleased God. Through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe for Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles.

But to those who are the call both Jews and Greeks Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God now hear this for the foolishness of God is wiser than men and The weakness of God is stronger than men.

Could it be in the wisdom of God to confound the wise? Those who are wise in their own eyes. He chose to save the world by sending a being Who would grow up in order to die? And not an ordinary death, but a torturous death on a cross.

Could it be that this is in fact the very wisdom of God? Well my second point Says that those who look for signs they think themselves too wise to be doomed. But the eyewitness testimony of some women was reliable and there were prophecies given that are unassailable.

You see Jesus Christ rose from the dead and When he did there were some women who went to the tomb where Jesus had been buried. When they got there, they found that the tomb was empty and an angel told them he is not here.

He has risen. They looked in and saw that this tomb was empty, but when they went back to report to the men the twelve the apostles. They didn't believe them. In fact two of those disciples who hung out with the twelve decided to go for a walk.

They went on a seven-mile walk. In other words, they were leaving town. They were done with this whole Christianity thing. As they walked they were talking about Jesus and the things that had happened in Jerusalem at that time as They talked and as they walked along came a stranger who they did not recognize at the time.

Their eyes were kept from seeing who he was. It turns out it was Jesus Christ himself. And he questioned them. What are you talking about? And they said well, haven't you heard of all the things that have happened here in Jerusalem how there was a Messiah?

We thought he was the chosen one, but the the officials they took him and they crucified him and If that's not strange enough our women amazed us. They came and told us That he is risen from the dead.

Ah. They were confounded by these things. You see listen in their tribe. They needed more evidence Than the testimony of some women Who said that he rose from the dead who said they saw an angel they needed more in their mind.

They were too smart for that. They could not be duped by a tale like this. Now, how do you suppose gentle Jesus dealt with that? Surprisingly He said Oh Foolish ones and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken.

Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer and enter into his glory? Then we're told that beginning from the beginning of the Bible the Old Testament. Through Moses and all the prophets he began to explain to them That the things written of the Christ that come true in Jesus.

Well, they got to the house where they were going and as Jesus came into that house with them He broke bread and as he broke the bread. Their eyes were opened and they saw that they were sitting in the very presence of the risen Jesus Christ.

They saw him with their own eyes. Eyewitness testimony. So that brings it back to us. I haven't seen him with my own eyes. Have you anybody seen Jesus? But we have eyewitness testimony of the women and then each of the twelve disciples saw him.

They were told in first Corinthians 15 that more than 500 people saw him alive. And they've written for us their eyewitness testimony. But Jesus didn't only point to that eyewitness testimony as evidence that he in fact has risen from the dead.

He said you're foolish. Because what you're slow of heart to believe all that the prophets and written. I was in Walmart I told the congregation this morning. We got to talking to a guy at the candy isle.

And he opposed the things of Christ. He opposed the Christian message. One of the things I told him was there are prophecies. Written hundreds of years before Jesus came about how he'd be born in Bethlehem.

Riding on a donkey and all the things that would happen to him that he would be pierced through his hands and feet. His tongue would stick to the roof of his mouth. He'd be pierced through his side. He'd be surrounded by wild men.

All of these things are written in the Old Testament scriptures. Couldn't get out much. But as soon as I said that he said there's prophecies like that written in the Vedas. Referring to the the Buddhist scriptures that he believed in he identified himself as a Zen Buddhist.

Now listen. If it's true what he said. That there are prophecies in the Vedas about Jesus. That would only confirm the fact that Jesus was sent from heaven. But I investigated those things and I've read Nostradamus and I've read the other so-called prophecies.

That are written about the future and these so-called prophecies generally say something vague and. Then look to all of history for some reference to the thing that they spoke of. Because they don't have the supernatural ability that prophets of the Old Testament had to speak for God.

Only God can look down the corridors of history and thousands of years hundreds of years before something takes place. Declare it perfectly and specifically. The prophecies about Jesus Christ have been studied by mathematicians PhDs.

One took the top eight prophecies that are spoken of by Christians. That he'd be born in Bethlehem. Then he pierced through his hands and feet that he'd be born to a virgin. Someone would claim that all of these eight prophecies that people have claimed speak of Christ.

He calculated the odds that any one man could fulfill those things. It came to one. To the tenth to the thirty-first power. One times ten to the thirty-first power. In other words the odds of one man fulfilling these prophecies is infinitesimally small.

Unless there's a miracle. Now scientists will say yeah, but the world just came into being. The world has no creator. We've explained it all through science. But what is their answer for this question.

And ask yourself this question where did All the mass and energy in the world come from in the first place. Before the supposed Big Bang. Where did that mass and energy come from. Their answer is chance.

They give it enough time. That chance will allow, but what is chance? Chance is only a mathematical construct. It's not a thing itself. There is no explanation, but that God spoke the world into being.

That's what math will tell us. But listen you can't get to faith through math. The wisdom of the Word of God Corroborates itself because it is true. The prophecies are there because it's true. Eyewitnesses saw Jesus rise from the dead because it's true.

But these things cannot open your eyes to the gospel. One more scripture in Galatians chapter 3. There is a group of religious people Who have come teaching a religious system of how people could get right with God?

They were saying that a person had to become Jewish and obey all of the Jewish law and then believe in Jesus. And then they could be saved. Paul takes a page out of Jesus's book. Here's how he answers.

Oh foolish Galatians. Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as Christian. Paul calls them foolish. He's not very tactful. But it's powerful what he's saying.

Oh foolish Galatians who has bewitched you? Why do you think that you can be religious enough to earn anything from God? Why do you think you can make yourself good and make yourself holy? He says it was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified, but the Galatians never saw Jesus crucified.

They weren't there. They were in Galatia. How then can Paul say it was before your eyes that Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? It was through the preaching of the message of Jesus Christ. Paul came and he declared what you yourselves saw today.

That there were shepherds on a field keeping watch at night and there were angels that appeared and said that the Son of God was born and he's laying in a manger. A Preacher named Paul came to Galatia and said that this Christ is the hope of the world.

The world would be judged through him and by him. But this Christ Was crucified. Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified through the preaching of the word of the cross. Paul told them That he was lifted up on a tree stretched out and exposed pierced through his hands and feet and that he died not for his own sin, but as a substitute to carry the sin of the world.

And When they heard their eyes were open their ears were unplugged and they said yes, this is truth. The Word of God Manifested the truth of God and they believed. And so Paul is confused. How now are you trying to earn your salvation by religion?

You can't be religion a religious enough to earn anything from God. Your only hope is to trust in the Savior Jesus Christ. So in closing Where is your hope our scriptures tell us. It's foolish to believe that you can earn anything from God.

Our scriptures tell us it's foolish to doubt what the prophets have foretold For thousands of years that a coming Messiah would suffer. It's foolish to doubt what eyewitnesses have seen the resurrected Christ.

These are people Who died? Preaching the message of Jesus. It cost me nothing to stand here and tell you this because in this country were free. But these were people who were chased down and hunted down and killed.

For preaching about Jesus Christ and yet they wouldn't stop. Paul wouldn't stop. That's what sent him to Galatia and guys for 2 ,000 years. This Christian message is not stopping is it? Do you know that it's growing more now than ever.

There's probably a hundred million believers in China. Turning people turning to Christ in Iran. Sub-saharan Africa is probably the largest center of Christianity in the world. This message keeps going through preaching.

My final closing question is are you humble. To believe the message is foolish sounding isn't it? That your only hope is not you being good enough. But this other person who is the Savior of the world he's God's provision for you.

The word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. This is the wisdom of God. The world did not know God through wisdom. It pleased God through the folly of what we preach.

To save those who need right now before we sing our last two songs. I'm just going to close in a word of prayer. And if you will humble yourself before God. You don't need to do anything to redeem yourself to save yourself.

But you do have to humbly put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. So I'm just going to ask everybody to bow your head, so you're not distracted by others. You're not Worried about what anybody else is doing.

Just close your eyes if you would like to accept Jesus right now. He's willing to forgive your sin. Will you slip your hand up in the air so I can see. Nobody else needs to see. Good good. Awesome. Praise God.

Raise your hand. Awesome awesome. Yep, you can put it down. Listen. Just between you and God. Humble yourself before him and confess that you're a sinner in the quietness of your heart. Ask him to save you.

Don't think you're wise enough to come up with a way. To save yourself, but believe in the one that God has sent. Pray a prayer like this. Say in your own heart quietly say God I am a sinner. I Can't save myself.

I would be foolish to try but I see that Jesus Is your wisdom. A baby born in a manger? It's my only hope. A Messiah. Crucified and risen from the dead I believe. Please save me from my sin. I put my faith in Jesus Christ.

Jesus name I pray. And tell them that confess with your mouth with what you've done in your heart. So at this time We have about 10 minutes left. I usually preach a lot longer. So this is a miracle.