The Cross Of Jesus: Moronic Or Marvelous? - [1 Corinthians 1:18-31]

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What do these people have in common LeBron James Donald Trump and Anthony Fauci, that's true all sinners male
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Polarizing did somebody just say that they are polarizing figures some people look at them and think they're great leaders
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Great athletes and other people look at them and think who are these people? It seemed like that's the way the world is these days polarizing issues when it comes to medical care and vaccines or masks you have people on both sides of the issue and it just seems like things couldn't be more divisive and polarizing
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I Mean it also happens in other areas of life if you go to an art gallery and look at art
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You could go and see a picture or a portrait and stare at it for 10 hours And then other people just walk by it with a glance
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Today, we're going to look at the most divisive thing in the universe in a day of polarizing issues
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We're gonna look at the most polarizing. We're going to look at something that many people think of as Full of contempt
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They hate it with disgust with derision. They look at this thing and say
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I Rejected a full stiff arm and on the flip side other people look at the very same thing and they say
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I Love that I Admire that I am full of gratitude even with tears of joy
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And of course we're talking today about the most divisive thing in the universe Which is about the most divisive person in the universe the
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Lord Jesus Christ and his cross today is
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Supposed to be Ephesians chapter 3. I had a friend call me this week, and he said
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I'm kind of in a pickle he's a pastor and he said we're gonna have a big snowstorm and I want the whole congregation to be at the church when
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I'm in my Series through a book of the Bible so I thought I might try to pull out something I've done before brush it off a little bit and repreach it, and I'm feeling bad about it
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I said my friend do not feel bad That would be an excellent thing to do because I'm going to do that very thing this
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Sunday For snow Sunday you can't feel bad because that would make me feel bad So I have
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Ephesians already I'd like to have the entire congregation here for that so today turn your Bibles to 1st
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Corinthians 1 You love this passage, and if you already know it you say this is one of my passages that I just go to and think
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Oh, this is wonderful as I restudied it this week. You are going to be full of praise and thanksgiving
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You'll also be reminded if you're a Christian today What did I think like when I was a Christian so that you're better equipped for evangelism, so you remind yourself?
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Oh, that's how I dealt with things before I was saved today we're going to go through 1st
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Corinthians chapter 1 verses 18 to the end of the chapter and we're going to look at a divisive issue and Some people look at it as moronic as dumb as stupid that is unbelievers
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But for Christians we look at it as marvelous super simple outline the cross of Christ Jesus Jesus himself in his work.
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Why do some look at it with? Disgust and contempt and others look at it with admiration and joy.
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Let me read the first few verses Let's go to the first nine verses of 1st Corinthians because most people who go to 1st
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Corinthians and think these people are just a bunch Of losers they can't do anything right. This is a Corinthian Church a carnal church
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That all might be true Except these were people that God had done a work in and was working in Listen to what
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Paul calls them by the inspiration of the Spirit of God 1st Corinthians 1 Paul called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus and our brother
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Sosthenes To the Church of God that is in Corinth to those sanctified in Christ Jesus Called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our
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Lord Jesus Christ both their Lord and ours Grace to you and peace from God our
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Father and the Lord Jesus Christ I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus That in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you
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So that you Corinthians are not lacking in any gift as you wait for the revealing of our
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Lord Jesus Christ Who will sustain you Corinthians to the end? Guiltless in the day of our
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Lord Jesus Christ God is faithful by whom you were called in the fellowship of his
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Son Jesus Christ our Lord Don't you love that even though the Corinthians were faithless.
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They didn't always exercise proper Attitudes and faith in the Lord Jesus, but God is faithful He then gives a charge about divisions in verses 10 and following and now we come to Jesus Christ and his power and his wisdom found in verse 18 and Following just repeat one more time.
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We're going to have a very simple outline this morning Number one reasons why the world thinks the cross is moronic and reasons why the church thinks
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Christians think the cross is Marvelous what happens with the cross it has this bifurcating effect this polarizing effect
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Number one reasons why the world thinks the cross is moronic before we get into the reasons Take a look at the statement of fact it is a fact
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Paul says in verse 18 for the word of the cross that is the doctrine of the atonement the doctrine of a
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Sacrificial lamb the God man dying on behalf of sinners so that God's anger might be
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Exhausted and assuaged this doctrine the doctrine of the cross is Folly to those who are perishing
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Now that's kind of an interesting statement because for us. We don't think that way
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I think of singing with maybe my mom or grandma Evie that song called the old rugged cross remember the old rugged cross and you think you know it's it's it means a lot to me, and it's it's sentimental and it's
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I Mean some people wear lockets with the cross or golden chains or bracelets
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We're thinking it's wonderful because we know what it symbolizes, but for them. What's a check say it's
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Folly to those who are in the process of perishing Paul uses a word here in this particular form only in first Corinthians And it's where we get the word moronic and the
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Greek word is moriah moronic the word of the cross is Moronic literally to those who are perishing
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We're talking about wisdom in this section and now the people look at it as unbelievers, and they think that's really dumb
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That's really stupid. It doesn't please me at all So to tease this out let me give you several reasons why
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I think from the scriptures the unbelievers think the cross is foolishness or moronic
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Number one and yeah, I know you know this, but it's good to be reminded the cross was a device to execute slaves and miscreants
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This was for slaves for fugitives for assassins To be crucified if you were a
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Roman citizen you would never be crucified unless you committed treason, but here now We're executing slaves and this shameful disreputable death
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This is for Criminals this is for rebels and now we think the
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Lord Jesus You mean you Christians look up to this Jesus who died on a cross? One man said what would you think if a woman came to work wearing earrings?
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Stamped with an image of the mushroom cloud of the atomic bomb dropped over Hiroshima What would you think of a church building adorned with a fresco of the mass mass graves at Auschwitz?
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The same sort of shocking horror was associated with the cross and crucifixion in the first century
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This is like a swear word. This is like a four -letter word the cross Cicero even wrote the very word cross should be far removed
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Not only from the person of a Roman citizen, but from his thoughts his eyes his ears there was a stigma of Crucifixion for many obvious reasons and you think about that person
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Had to carry his own cross to go be crucified most likely completely naked and he in an agonizing
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Death by slow suffocation would eventually become too tired to pull themselves up to breathe any longer nails ripping through the feet and hands
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Titus Vespasian crucified so many Jews in 8071 report said that the soldiers didn't have enough room for crosses and not enough crosses for bodies
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I mean, this is an awful gross desk death to be flogged first.
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There's already a bunch of blood Not only that unbelievers think the cross is foolishness number two because I mean from the naked eye
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Jesus couldn't even save himself I Mean you're the rescuer turn your Bibles if you would to Luke 23
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No wonder Nietzsche called this the metaphysics of a hangman. He can't even save himself.
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You're here on a rescue mission You you can't save yourself. I'm not going to follow you This is not a message for upwardly mobile people
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Luke 23, you can just I can just sense what's going on here And you could just get a kind of subjective feel of of what the attitude was about the
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Lord Jesus from these unbelievers Luke 23 verse 33 and When they came to the place that is called the skull there they crucified him and the criminals one on his right and one on his left and Jesus said father forgive them for they do not know what they do
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And they cast lots to divide his garments and other people stood by watching
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But the rulers scoffed at him saying He saved others let him save himself if he is the
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Christ of God is chosen one The soldiers also mocked him coming up and offering him sour wine and saying if You are the king of the
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Jews save yourself There was also an inscription over him. This is the king of the
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Jews And now we see it the third time Unbelievers thinking this is the most idiotic thing you're hearing a rescue mission
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You can't save yourself verse 39 one of the criminals who hanged were hanged railed at him
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Saying are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us well back to first Corinthians chapter 1 the unbelievers also think the cross is foolish because Can you imagine number three?
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The fate of every person according to this religion Christianity the fate of every person is determined Based on what they think of this particular crucified
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Jew Heaven or hell based on what you think about this Jew that seems kind of odd for us.
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It's normal of course We've been taught and we're Christians, but for the unbeliever no wonder they think it's weird 2 ,000 years ago some
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Jew died on a cross some people think 30 ,000 Jews died on a cross Why do I have to believe on this one? I've never met him.
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I don't know who he is One writer said that one man dies on a piece of wood on a nondescript hill any nondescript part of the world and thereby
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Determine the destiny of every person who has ever lived seems stupid or moronic
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Number four, I think people think the cross is foolishness Unbelievers think it's foolishness because at least they get this part.
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They realize that Jesus suffers persecution Suffers crucifixion and therefore his followers will as well
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Jesus said in John 15 remember the word that I said to you a servant is not greater than his
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Master if they persecuted me they will also what? Persecute you why would
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I want to follow somebody like that in terms of religious context? I'm going to get persecuted, too. I Mean think about it.
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Let me give you a fifth reason why I think unbelievers think the cross is moronic We can't stomach the death penalty in America and this is crucifixion.
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This is the death penalty This is salvation by death penalty in America People can still die not very often, but they can die in the death penalty from lethal injection electrocution lethal gas firing squad and hanging
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And there's been a long history of how to kill people capital punishment from The death of a thousand cuts to burning necklacing using elephants
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Hung drawn and quartered the guillotine the brazen bull the Catherine wheel bow boiling people sawing them in half
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Salvation through the death penalty salvation through People getting drawn and quartered seems weird
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Sixthly I think this is really foolishness before we get in the bulk of our text today I think it's foolish because people can't understand grace, and they think it's scandalous the scandal of grace
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You've seen this play itself out many times in America the one that I think of the most is
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Jeffrey Dahmer Who was a serial killer and toward the end of his life?
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He was called in he called in a pastor Roy Ratcliffe, and I don't know if Jeffrey Dahmer's a
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Christian or not I don't know if he's in heaven or not But we do know he did call people in and he called in this pastor and Dahmer said
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I'm so sorry for what I've done God help me. I feel very bad about the crimes. I've committed in fact
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I think I should have been put to death by the state for what I did I Agree with you the pastor said you should have been put to death for the state
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By the state for crimes you've committed They tried to kill him in jail and eventually did but one time
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Dahmer said I believe that the only protective grace of our great Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has saved me from serious injury or death
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Now I don't like it when I say to myself. How could somebody like that be in heaven?
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That's the scandal of grace grace. Just saves people Christ death is that great it could just save Jeffrey Dahmer and Then you think of another person that people would look up to mother
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Teresa. She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 she for 45 years ministered to the poor and sick and Orphaned and lepers and those that were dying
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She rescued 37 children among other things at the siege of Beirut in 1982 stopping the fire between Israel and the
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Palestinian guerrillas and mother Teresa said About God some call him Ishwar some call him
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Allah some call him God, but we have to acknowledge that he is who he is What matters is that we love?
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Mother Teresa said make your family one heart full of love the heart of Jesus through Mary She said no color no religion.
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No nationality should come between us We are all children of God when she was dying her friend said do you convert people mother
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Teresa of course? I convert I convert you to be a better Hindu or a better Muslim or a better Protestant once you found
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God It's up to you to decide how to worship him We never try to convert those who receive aid from the missionaries of charity to Christianity But in our work we bear witness to the love of God's presence and if Catholics Protestants Buddhist or agnostic become better men
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Simply better we will be satisfied I Don't know if mother Teresa's in heaven I don't know if Jeffrey Dahmer's in heaven
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But you can sense at that The the tension where you said you know what if mother
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Teresa believed you could get to heaven through Jesus via Mary And everybody had to be a good person, and if she died believing that she's not in heaven
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And if Jeffrey Dahmer although he killed 17 people Trusted in the
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Lord Jesus Christ if he trusted in Jesus on his deathbed. He's in heaven
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That's scandalous. No wonder people despise this idea of grace One person wrote the pastor who went to visit
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Jeffrey Dahmer It is the sickest part of Christian belief that their God will forgive and not send a monster to hell like Jeffrey Dahmer But will burn my loving kind harmless sweet grandmother eternally because she was agnostic
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I have no doubt who the worst monster is I have nothing but contempt for his supporters
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And one other member of the congregation said if Jeffrey Dahmer is going to heaven I don't want to be there and Probably the most reason why people think the unbelievers think that the cross is moronic is because it deals with Lastly number seven.
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I think it is is that number seven? Okay, seven because it deals with sin And if Jesus died for sins and Jesus is sinless he didn't die for his own sins.
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He died for our sins It's okay these days if you call yourself sick dysfunctional ill
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But don't ever call yourself a sinner because your self -esteem might get shot The message of the cross means that we are all sinners
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Jesus had to come to rescue sinners to die on the cross for sinners This is the politically incorrect word the s word the sin word
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Sin, we don't need therapy. We don't need education We need a
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Savior Sproul said sin is cosmic treason We need to be saved from our own sins
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No wonder the Old Testament talks about sin so many different ways in the Old Testament sin could be missing a mark
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Sin could be a breach of relationship or rebellion. I could mean perverseness. It could mean a mistake
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It could mean godlessness. It could mean serious mischief And that's exactly what we were and that's why
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Jesus had to come and save us If I had to summarize all this why do unbelievers think the cross is moronic it's because that they believe in the theology of glory the theology of glory says
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Here, let me explain it this way. Here's a good theology of glory. We need a king. We just finished first Samuel Do you ever think we'd make it through first Samuel?
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Second Samuel is on its way. We need a king. How does the world pick the king?
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most handsome tallest Saul that's the theology of glory Oh, wait a second.
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I'll release because it's your custom Somebody to you so you don't like foment over with a bunch of anarchy
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Do you want Jesus or do you want Barabbas a theology of glory the world picks? Barabbas Because the theology of glory is all about rationalism.
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I'm going to use my mind to think through this only It's all about moralism. Can I be good enough to get into heaven?
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Yes, I can and it's about being triumphant It's about Judah saying you know what for 30 pieces of silver
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I sell Jesus Verse 19 of your text for it is written
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I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and the discernment of the discerning. I will thwart Where's the wise?
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Where is the one who is wise? Where's the scribe? Where's the debater of this age?
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Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world for since in the wisdom of God the world did not know
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God through wisdom It pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe for Jews they demand signs
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Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach
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Christ crucified a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles Well, the first section was more bad news this is gonna be good news
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Let me give you some reasons why Christians think the cross is marvelous. This is why we as a body think
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Oh, this is so wonderful. We used to be the people that looked at the cross and said okay
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No big deal or here's some intellectual Ascent to it or kind of a weird deal that they've got going on whatever we said, but now we've been changed
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We've been born again, and now we think the cross is marvelous
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My kids know I love to to look up words and what words mean and etymology and everything else
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I just looked up a bunch of words of that were synonyms for marvelous These were some synonyms for marvelous wonderful amazing stunning spectacular excellent splendid fabulous for those in the 60s groovy
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I'm not going to call the cross groovy. I just am trying to keep your attention superb breathtaking fantastic impressive magnificent brilliant outstanding
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That's what Christians think about the Lord Jesus and his cross We don't think it's weird.
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We don't think it's foreign We don't think it's odd or unusual or moronic look back at verse 18 for the word of the cross is folly to those who are
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Perishing but to us who are being saved. Here's the first reason the cross is marvelous to Christians because it is powerful
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It's powerful enough to save even the worst sinner even me
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Even you there is in fact power in the blood I Mean think about how powerful and enslaving sin is how can we extricate ourself from that?
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We can't we're going to have to be saved. We're going to have to be rescued I Love it when
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Paul said the same is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance That Christ came into the world to save sinners of whom
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I am the foremost How could someone like Saul the
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Christian persecutor the Christian killer How could you take Saul the
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Pharisee Saul the well -educated Pharisee? Who learned a lot of theology who knew the
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Old Testament, how can you take Paul and Make him love what he hates
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How can you take Paul and make him hate what he loves you can't do that there's no 12 -step group for this there's no
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I Don't know what just came to my mind But I watched that special on Gwen Shamblin and the way down controversy and the cult there
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You can't go through some kind of program that you buy You need power you need resurrection power that takes dead people and makes them alive, and that's exactly what he's talking about here
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But to those who are being saved it is the power of God I think
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Paul never forgot about that we've talked about that in Ephesians on the Damascus Road. He realized the power
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Here's the influential powerful Paul Riding that horse and the next thing you know he's on his hands and knees as it were
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Begging for mercy of this powerful risen Savior No wonder
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Romans 1 that I read earlier. It's the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes there's power
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You say well, I have to understand the cross, and I have to figure it out like a like a Jew Does it point somewhere is there some kind of philosophy behind it?
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Well, let me just put for display number one is it's powerful it works I don't mean pragmatically, but it is powerful and therefore it works it changes lives
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Do you know what every one of us as a Christian? We used to be a sinner by definition by characteristic
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By name by culture and now what are you? I'm not a sinner anymore in the sense of name although.
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I do sin. That's true But I mean my name now is Saint. How can you take a sinner and make them a saint?
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How can you take a blasphemer and turn them into a preacher? Because it's power Christ the atoning sacrifice sealed by the resurrection
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It's power there. This is the power of not creation even though. I think that's impressive. Can you imagine how
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God made the world? World and it exists and now this is recreating power.
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He makes us new He's powerful enough to forgive every one of your sins To redeem those who are enslaved to sins to reconcile those to God For God 2nd
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Corinthians 4 6 who said let light shine out of darkness has shown in our hearts
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To give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ when you think of the
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Genesis account you think of power where God said let there be light and there was Instantly light and now
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Paul is saying when it comes to your Christianity one day God just said let there be light in your hearts, and there was
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Doesn't matter how sinful sin is Doesn't matter that God is thrice. Holy and sin is bad and God is holy, but this is powerful
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No wonder Paul says in 2nd Corinthians 13 Indeed he was crucified because of weakness yet He lives because of the power of God and the power of God that raises
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Jesus from the dead saves Christians Like what Barnhouse said this makes me think
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Jesus is marvelous our sins are forgiven They're forgotten cleansed pardoned atoned for remitted and covered
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They've been cast in the depths of the sea Blocked out as a thick cloud removed as far as the east is from the west cast behind God's back and God saves unrighteous self -righteous terrorists killers prostitutes
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Mormons And kids that grew up in the church because he's powerful That's marvelous to me number two the cross is marvelous to Christians because it displays not just his power, but his wisdom
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It displaces wisdom. Well. What are we gonna? Do I thought God was holy. I thought he's just I thought he's upright
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What's he going to do be like some kind of senile grandfather and just say it's okay. You sinned against me It's no big deal all as well.
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How can God's justice be satisfied his law be upheld? How can righteousness and peace kiss each other as Psalm 85 says?
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verse 24 of your text But to those who are called affectionately called called by the
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Spirit of God sovereignly both Jews and Greeks Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God We look at the cross and say power
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We look at the cross and say wisdom For the foolishness of God verse 25 is wiser than men and the weakness of God is stronger than men
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How can God pardon sinners I thought he was holy the answer is the cross
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People think it's foolishness, but it's the height of wisdom How can
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God justify us and stay holy? Answer because we deserved the death penalty
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God exacts the death penalty on our representative the Lord Jesus Jesus is the one who was the last
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Adam who came and perfectly merited for us salvation by obeying the law for us and So God in his wisdom
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Has a substitute has a representative and now Jesus is our captain and Savior And God looks at the
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Son and treats him as if he's a sinner at Calvary even though He's not and because of that work.
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God looks at us and treats us as if we were perfect even though Practically we're not That's how
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God keeps Wisdom on display because he's gracious in his holiness
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First Peter to the stone which had been rejected by men is choice and precious in the sight of God This precious value then is for you who believe but to those who disbelieve the stone which the builders rejected
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This became the very cornerstone I Mean God is so wise think about it if you had to get to heaven by works
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How many works would you have to do? answer
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I Don't know keep working more You'd be on that gerbil treadmill your entire life thinking to yourself
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I just have to keep doing more you ever watch some of those funny bloopers on YouTube on people falling off treadmills
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That can suck you into a black hole of other things to watch But you just watch those things and I just think of myself
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Just how dumb can people be as I'm on the treadmill myself and then kind of slip, right?
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How could God devise something so he keeps his holiness and righteousness yet still can bestow grace the answer is the cross
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But also then how do we receive these benefits? If that we receive the benefits by doing things
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Well, it'd have to be a perfect doing it have to be lots of doing it'd be have to be perpetual doing But God has so arranged it that even it's in his wisdom that the just are saved by faith
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Even that's the wisdom of God. How do you receive these benefits faith? I Love the story of Ebenezer Wooten.
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Why don't we name kids Ebenezer anymore? Jonathan you want to have about five more kids Name at least you're done
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Here I raise my Ebenezer It's a good parenting stanza. He was an evangelist
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And he was in England in a little village and they would put up a tent and preach The story goes the last meeting had been held
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The crowd was melting slowly away and the evangelist was engaged in taking down the marquee It is what he had set up at the
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Linford Brook That's the place in England in order to conduct the meetings and as he was engaged in taking it down a young man approached him
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And rather more casually than earnestly said, mr. Wooten. What must I do to be saved? The preacher looked up took the measure of the man
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You're too late son. You're too late He said at the account said in a kind of matter -of -fact way
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Glancing up from the obstinate tent peg with which he was struggling. It's too late my friend too late No, don't say that.
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Mr. Wooten A new note of pleading coming from his voice. Surely it's not too late just because the meetings are over Yes, my friend.
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The evangelist said dropping the cord looking him right in the face. It's too late You want to know what you must do to be saved and I tell you you're hundreds of years too late
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The work of salvation is done finished. It was finished on the cross Jesus said so with his last breath
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What more do you want? It sounds like he's kind of a New England guy doesn't it the
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New England evangelist And the account said that man was converted that day because it's by faith.
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You're saved It's not even the faith that saves you. It's the work of Christ that saves Third reason the cross is marvelous to us.
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Yes, it's powerful. Yes, it's wise Because God is powerful and wise but number three because God receives all the glory and salvation the cross allows no human being
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To receive glory War part of salvation is sin.
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Our part of salvation is rebellion. We know us Now we come to the section here
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He says in verse 26 Starts to talk about what God did for consider your calling brothers.
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I mean when you came to God Ephesians of Corinthians Ephesians Philippians it wouldn't matter but here at Corinthians How did you get there because you're smart because you're wise because you're a blue blood
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What's the text say not many of you are wise according to worldly standards. You don't get to heaven by being smart
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Not many were powerful humanly speaking not many were of noble birth But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise
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God chose the wise Chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong in other words
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God saves people so that when we are there in heaven Nobody would say angels wouldn't say wow
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I'm glad that guy's in heaven or that gals in heaven because they did something great. No God receives all the praise
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Why did God choose Israel because she was the least and the weakest so he would receive the praise
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And I like what the text says here for consider. Do you see it in verse 26 the
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ESV? It's where we get the word to see to look just take a good look
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Pretend like you're a bird watcher and you get the binoculars and you sit there and you just look for years
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I've always thought bird watchers were kind of weird But I realized essentially they're just old and that's what they can do right if I can't ride the bike up the mountain
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I watch the birds. I know some of you are younger. I'm gonna get the email.
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I can't believe you offended me pastor I'm 25. I like watching birds But he's saying just just look at it.
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If you have a blepharoplasty, they're gonna fix your eyes your eyelids. This is Blephet a this is just consider and in the world that's rushing around just kind of think about it.
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Why are people in heaven? It's just the smart people just the powerful people
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Just deliberate on that just for a little bit and he said
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I just want you to think about that Now it doesn't say not any you see that there are not many Wise not many mighty not many noble there are some noble there are some wise there are some smart people
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Do you know lady Huntington? She was a very very wealthy lady, and she used to say I'm saved by an
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M How she saved by an M? Because if it said there's not any noble she wouldn't go to heaven
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But it says there's not many and she was noble so she made it. I'm saved by an M The world recognizes certain standards.
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I always think about okay What's the kind of prototypical male? These days, it's probably soy lattes and skinny jeans, but I'm thinking
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Marlboro men those kind of people I Mean the
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Marlboro men make it in No only a few of those do
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Not many wise the text says not many mighty those of influence
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I Mean Christmas and Sathos knees they were rulers of the synagogue, so there's some yes, that's true not many noble That's where we get the word eugenics well born well -bred
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Noble people not not those kind of people don't always make it in a few do Celsius knew this in 178
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AD Let no cultured person drawn near none wise none sensible for all that kind of thing we count evil
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But if any man is ignorant if any man is wanting in sensor culture if any man is a fool let him come boldly
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We see them in their own houses wool dressers cobblers and fullers the most uneducated and vulgar people
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He's talking about Christians He said Christians are like swarms of bats
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Ants creeping out of their nests or frogs holding a symposium around a swamp or worms in a corner of mud
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That's how he sees it But that's not how the Lord sees it that the church is just filled with ordinary people
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If you see a book called radical you can just rip that book up you see a church called radical You just think that's that's not the
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Christianity. This is Christianity ordinary simple People that can't save themselves and know it people that have no pole
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I've used this illustration many a times But I like to see God's greatness in spite of sinful people
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There's a list of things that have gone on with Bible people that maybe would keep them out of heaven
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Or make them like low in society's view Moses stuttered John Mark was rejected by Paul Timothy had stomach problems.
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I didn't write this, but I'm just reading this Hosea's wife was a prostitute I Mean try to try to show up at you know candidating for a pastor, and then you they want to ask your wife
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What's she like? Jacob was a liar David had an affair Peter was afraid
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Paul was a murderer Jonah ran from God Miriam was a gossip This is an older account
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Samson had long hair Noah got drunk and my all -time favorite
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Lazarus was dead But verse 28
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God chose what is low and despised in the world He chooses the things that literally aren't not they are not they're the nothings.
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They're the non -existence he chooses the nothings Everybody wants to have a seeker sensitive service.
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It should be the nothing service Less than nothing service. What do you mean?
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You're gonna offer nothing? No you're nothing That doesn't fill up the ranks This is the low caste
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Hindu kind of language You know you don't say people you know work in your home.
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You don't even call them people you call them that Jesus saves the help
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Because they can't offer anything and then lastly why is the cross marvelous it shows
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God's power wisdom salvation and also sovereignty It shows his sovereignty.
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Do you notice in verse 27? It says
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God chose You notice later in verse 27 God chose verse 28 starts off with God chose this is all the sovereignty of God Sovereignty of God should make
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Christians sing with joy We've learned that Ephesians chapter 1 blessed be the Godfather of Lord Jesus Christ Right who's blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ Even as he chose us in him
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God's the chooser God's the one who ordains God unconditionally elects yes It's counterintuitive, but if you go down to verse 30 you see it right there
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Christian why are you a Christian Christian? Why are you gonna go to heaven answer because of him?
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It's all God's work because of him by his doing You are in Christ Jesus Alistair Begg has that good video
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Snippet about the thief on the cross and the thief doesn't really know how he's gonna get to heaven and the other thief is you know?
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Deriding him and he says essentially I know I'm gonna get to heaven because the man on the middle cross told me
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I could come It's by his doing because he was dying for that thief It's because of him
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No wonder John says in John 1 but as many as received him to them He gave the right to become children of God even to those who believe in his name
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Who were born not of blood nor the will of the flesh nor the will of man? but of God the exact same kind of language and Who is
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Jesus to us? He's wisdom. What's the text say take a look at in verse 30 who became to us wisdom from God that is righteousness
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Jesus perfect righteousness earned by Jesus given through faith and Sanctification we worry for dishonorable use now.
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He set us apart for holy use and Redemption we were slaves to sin and Satan in the world and our own lust and he has set us free
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By his doing if you are right in God's eyes It is by his doing and Christian you are if you are sanctified and set apart for holy use
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It is not by your doing it's by his doing and are you redeemed it is by his doing from start to finish from A to Z Salvation is from the
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Lord. That's why it's called the Alpha and the Omega and it's all because of God's sovereign Why was one thief chosen and the other ones not?
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Answer God's sovereign. That's a there's a better question. Why were either of them chosen?
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And what does this all lead to? verse 31 So that as it is written
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Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord. I mean verse 29 It says let no human being might boast in the presence of God like I saved myself
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But when you recognize it's by his doing he saved me now let those boast but not in themselves boast in the
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Lord Friends you were born just like me a boaster you are made to praise the fall torqued it the fall perverted it
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But we are made to boast and you just see that across the world I don't care if people say here's my new child and look at her and she's been born and we boast in that because essentially
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That's boasting in the goodness and kindness of God, but people boast in I don't know if people will be boasting this afternoon in their favorite football team because New England's out and Tom Brady's out.
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I think Tom Brady's out out isn't he but man we are born boasters I remember having a VHS for the first time like Betamax and you could actually do something
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We could never do in our entire lives freeze frame it and go frame by frame Just slowly watching
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I remember just slowly watching Michael Jordan do some kind of dunk over people over and over and I would just sit there and go oh
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And that is unbelievable Couple you just give me the look like if you haven't been here for 25 years
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You would never do that if I die and you had candidate a new pastor, and he does that don't hire him
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You have to earn this right? It's unbelievable No wonder he says earlier to see consider
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When you consider you think now my boasting starts to happen you think I just don't have much joy
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And I'm kind of down, and I've got a reminder for you dear Christian remember Take a good look take a good picture.
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Just sit there and think yes, I Mike Abendroth I Know some of the depths of my sin, but I don't know it all but God does and it's against him
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And I've sinned against this God And I in fact will die one day and stand before that judgment bar of God, and then what
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I've got one hope And that one hope the
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Lord Jesus by his doing While I used to be enslaved to sin I'm righteous now accounted righteous based on the work of another
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This is why death should not scare a Christian ultimately the second death because we're not going to go there because God sees you as righteous
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Sanctified and Redeemed why would he send you to hell the Lord did that here? We have this boasting.
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Oh, this is amazing. This is wonderful Second Corinthians he said the same thing, but he who boasts is to boast in the
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Lord But what I am doing I will continue to do Paul said so that I may be cut off it from the opportunity from those
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Who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the matter about which they're boasting the unbeliever runs their mouth
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The Christians supposed to be boasting in the Lord, I think you remember the very very famous passage in Jeremiah Jeremiah chapter 9
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I think he understood this very thing Jeremiah chapter 9 thus says
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Yahweh the covenant -keeping God let not the wise man boast in his Wisdom let not the mighty man boast in his might our strength
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Let not the rich man boast in his riches But let him who boasts boast in this
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That he understands and knows me that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love
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Justice and righteousness in the earth for in these things. I delight declares the
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Lord There's no boasting for us Where then is boasting Paul said
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Romans 3 it is excluded So we want to make sure our boasting our rejoicing is in the
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Lord Jesus We live in polarizing times people look at something and then they're on one side or the other
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I Think we have lots of opportunities to evangelize and today in our passage.
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I think we get to see the Concept of God and the cross that the unbeliever has and we know it's the power of God unto salvation by Preaching the word and that's what we need to do and for us as Christians Maybe what you should do this week is pull up an old attributes of God book
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Because today we've talked about God's power God's wisdom God's sovereignty and God's grace bow with me, please
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Thank you father for your word May it be at Bethlehem Bible Church that we do not boast in our wisdom nor in our might nor in our riches
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But we want to boast in you. We want to boast in the Father the
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Son and the Spirit one God three persons Even that we boast in we might not know every little detail because you're infinite in knowledge
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But you have told us in your word one God three persons So we praise today the