God's Wisdom Repudiates Division

Raul Ries: Hundreds and thousands and millions of people have never learned how to die to themselves. So they don't know the experience of the cross of Jesus Christ. You see, it's not the short time, it's longevity. That's important. And it all depends on your relationship with Jesus Christ today. And how you're learning, and how you're rooting and grounding yourself in the word of God.
Guest (Male): Welcome to Somebody Loves You Radio. The Bible teaching ministry of Raul Ries in Diamond Bar, California. We're thankful to have you along with us as Raul returns to First Corinthians for an illuminating look at what it means to trade the wisdom of the world for the foolishness of God. The idea of taking up your cross to follow Jesus may be counter-intuitive, but as you'll see today, dying to yourself is exactly what Jesus requires. Stay with us for encouragement to submit to Christ and glorify God with all of your life. Here is Raul Ries in the book of First Corinthians.
Raul Ries: And now in chapter one verse eighteen, we're going to see Paul now showing the folly of exalting men. Building up men and not emphasizing the real promotion on the cross of Jesus Christ. How the gospel is the most important thing in the world. I don't know why, but people always get hung up with the instrument instead of the message. And we shouldn't do that. We should never, ever, ever take the glory for anything that God has done in our lives. He deserves all the glory and all the honor. We would not be today what we are because of Him. That we are who we are. He takes up one, He takes down the other. He can do whatever He desires in our lives. And so Paul the apostle was one of the great apostles of Jesus Christ. And Paul never, ever took the credit for himself. He always gave exaltation and he always pointed to Jesus Christ. And the way he starts out in verse eighteen, he says, "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing." Imagine what he says here. The word message here literally should be in the Greek, "preaching." The preaching of what? The cross of Jesus Christ. We don't preach ourselves, but we preach Jesus Christ crucified and resurrected. That's the message. We are the messengers, and we have the message. And the message is the cross. The cross of Jesus Christ. Now, what's interesting about here is that his first message here as we see it, is point to that message of the cross of Jesus Christ, which is opposite of all that men consider to be true wisdom. The wisdom of this world, Paul said, is foolishness. But the world looks at the cross as foolishness. And yet through the cross of Jesus Christ, it is the power unto salvation to everyone who believes in Jesus Christ. But to those who are perishing, notice what he's saying here. To those who are perishing. He says, "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God." Now, I found something interesting here, that as he says, "but to us who are being saved." I thought we were saved. You notice what he said, "being saved." There is a problem in many times with Christians and I think a doctrine that has been discussed for a long, long time is eternal security. Eternal security. In eternal security, they say that they believe that once you're saved, you can never lose your salvation. That's what they teach. And yet the Bible says that salvation is the free gift of God. Jesus, in speaking in the gospel of John chapter fifteen between the vine and the branches, He says, "He who abides in Me." Notice, abides in Me. He's grafted into the vine, and will continue to be fruitful. Then He talks about how the vine, He takes and He trims it. And those branches that are not bringing forth fruit, He cuts them off and He puts them in the fire to be burned. But those that are truly saved and are continuing in faith in Jesus Christ every day, He doesn't cut them off, He trims them to bring forth more fruit. More fruit. So many times as you talk to people in the church, over the last forty years I've seen it happen. Where people come to know the Lord, they get saved and they get excited. And then it's like the parable that Jesus gave us of four types of hearers. Those, number one, that have no faith. Those that are emotional hearers. They come, they listen for a little while, they get excited, but eventually over a couple weeks or months, they fall away. And then the third group is the ones that come to church, they like what they hear, but the things of the world are more convenient to them and more powerful, so they never really truly come to faith in Jesus Christ. But the fourth are the best. Those are the true believers. Those that come and hear and they do what God's word says, they bring forth thirty, sixty, and a hundred-fold in fruit. We have to be fruitful, not unfruitful. And one of the things about the cross of Jesus Christ, it focuses on who Christ truly is. When He went to the cross and He died for the sins of the world. And that's why Jesus in Matthew in chapter sixteen verse twenty-four, remember He said, "If anybody desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me." The cross, the instrument of death. If you want to live, you got to learn how to die first. So that God can resurrect you in fullness of life. And that's a problem that I think we have within the church today, that hundreds and thousands and millions of people have never learned how to die to themselves. So they don't know the experience of the cross of Jesus Christ. It's not the short time, it's longevity. Where will you be thirty, forty years from tonight in the Lord? That's important. And it all depends on your relationship with Jesus Christ today. And how you're learning, and how you're rooting and grounding yourself in the word of God. Because we are living in very dangerous days. We're living in days of apostasy. Many people where you sit tonight, sat where you sit tonight, and they're gone today. They're gone. Many of them are back in the world. And at one time, they sat right where you're sitting. And they were saying amen to the messages of God. And then at the same time, you think about the value of the cross as Paul is talking about here. The message, or the preaching, of the cross. The instrument of death is stupidity or foolishness to those who are perishing. Non-believers. They don't want to hear it. They don't want to hear it. But then Paul takes it positive. He says, "But to us who are being saved, it is the power, the dunamis power of God." It's a transition, it's a transformation. It's the power of God that has transformed me into the image of Jesus Christ, and He's made me a new creation in Christ Jesus. And the power of the cross has not only the power to transform us, but has the power to forgive us for our sins. If there was no cross, there would be no gospel and there would be no salvation without the cross. That's the reason that Jesus had to go to the cross and die for the sins of the world. When He was in the garden of Gethsemane, remember the disciples? They were sitting there and they fell asleep. And what did Jesus do? He went three times and He got on His knees and He said, "Father, if there's any other way to the cross, show Me. Not My will, but Thy will be done." And finally, he submitted to the will of the Father to go to the cross and to die for the sins of the world. Otherwise, we would have no hope. No hope at all. Check this out. In verse nineteen, he quotes now from the Old Testament, from the book of Isaiah 29:14 to confirm what he's saying here. He says, "For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise." See? All these philosophers. All these people with great knowledge and wisdom in the world. "And I will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent." Notice that. Which means here that the fact that the gospel would be offensive to human wisdom was prophesied here by the prophet Isaiah. That people were being offended by the gospel. Especially the cross of Jesus Christ. And yet it is the power unto salvation. Without the cross of Jesus Christ, there is no salvation. No salvation at all.
Guest (Male): You're listening to Somebody Loves You Radio with Raul Ries. It's always our privilege to equip you with the truth of God's word. Visit us on the Somebody Loves You Worldwide YouTube channel for a variety of helpful podcasts, as well as livestreamed teaching, including Straight Talk with Raul. Let's continue now with more of our study, God's Wisdom Repudiates Division.
Raul Ries: Notice Paul's next hurdle here. It's a defiant challenge he brings here. He gives the answer. Notice. "Where is the wise?" Three questions. Three rhetorical questions. "Where is the smart people? Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? Has not God made foolishness the wisdom of this world?" It's an emphatic no. Imagine that. The world thinks they're really, really smart. And here Paul, in writing concerning the cross of Jesus Christ, he's bringing a great challenge by asking three major questions. "Where is the smart people? Where is the teachers? And where is the disputer of this age?" And then he says, "Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?" Yes, through the cross of Jesus Christ. That's the reason why people are perishing. For since in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God. So the world thinks they're real smart. Go up to a smart person in the world that's not a Christian. Do you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? "Oh man, I don't believe in that kind of stuff." The only way you can come to the knowledge of God is through the word of God. By humbling yourself before God and asking Jesus Christ to forgive you by repentance and coming to Christ and then reading the word of God. That's why he starts and says, "For since in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God." In other words, and it pleased God through the foolishness of preaching to save those who believe. Can you imagine how simple that is? The preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Imagine if He would have made ten rules in order to come to Jesus Christ. Rule number one, rule number two, three, four, five, six. There's none of us that would have ever come. I wouldn't have come. And He made it so simple and yet so hard for the natural man, the people in the world. And think about this. How easy it is to go to heaven and why is it that billions and billions of people will go to hell? Because they don't have the simplicity of faith to believe in Jesus Christ. They'd rather believe in Plato and Socrates. They'd rather believe in all these knowledgeable people, in the knowledge and the wisdom of this world, than to humble themselves and accept the true message of Jesus Christ and the true wisdom and power of God through the cross of Jesus Christ. They will give you salvation. That's the power of the cross of Jesus Christ. You see, it pleased God by preaching of the cross. A message that seems foolishness, stupidity, to the men that are in the world. They don't want to be saved, and we should never force ourselves upon them. We should never do that. Unless they ask, I'll tell them. Unless they're willing to humble themselves. But if they want to be argumentative with me, I won't even talk to them. I will not do that. I won't waste my time. And it's really important that if we do have the message of the cross, it's not by our preaching, but by our living that people will come to know Christ. Check this out. Verse twenty-two. "For the Jew is always requesting a sign. The Greeks are always seeking after wisdom." The knowledge of this world. Notice that. And verse twenty-three, "But we, the Christians, preach Christ crucified to the Jew, a stumbling block, and to the Greeks, foolishness." Notice that. The cross of Jesus Christ is what we preach. We preach Christ crucified to the Jew. A stumbling block. And to the Greeks, notice, foolishness. They were so hung up in knowledge. So much hung up and the Jews were so hung up in their laws and regulations. In verse twenty-four, he says, "But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God and wisdom of God." That word power is in reference to the redemption of Jesus Christ, His blood. When He went to the cross and He died on the cross, when he pierced His side, remember the water and the blood came forth? He died of a broken heart for you and for me. That's how much Jesus Christ loved each one of us individually. He loved us so much that He was not willing that any should perish, but all should come to repentance and receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Then why is it that people get so negative and so defensive when you talk to them about the cross of Jesus Christ? And yet everybody, men in the world, likes to wear a cross. And yet they don't believe in the power of the cross. Nobody should wear a cross unless you believe in the power of Jesus Christ. The cross of Jesus Christ. It is the power of God unto salvation that is given to us. And so Paul was kind of frustrated with the Greeks and the Jews because they always were asking for signs. Now in chapter one again, verse twenty-five now. He says, "Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men." Notice how beautiful that is. You see, actually there is neither foolishness nor weakness with God. There's not. It is the power of God unto salvation. But the apostle Paul is saying that what seems to be foolishness of God to the world, to us, it is the power of God unto salvation. Totally different. The world can't accept by faith the power of God through the cross of Jesus Christ. It is stupidity to them. Verse twenty-six. "For you see your calling now, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called." This verse twenty-six, if you want to mark it, this is the scripture that Calvary Chapel uses for all pastors in the ministry. Because God did not call smart people in the hippie movement. He called all like Greg Laurie, he called like Jeff Johnson, Jon Courson, He called all these guys. All of us together. And He called us by the cross of Jesus Christ to come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. And then we couldn't even preach or teach and God did the work that He wanted to do. It's so cool. Without going to seminary. But you know what? It's because the power of God. The power of God unto salvation is not by your piece of paper hanging on the wall, it's by being born again of the Holy Spirit that God will empower you. And God will use you, and you don't ever have to go to college. You don't ever have to go to college. I did it because everywhere you go in the world as a pastor, they're always asking for doors to be open to go into a college or to go into different places. They want to know if you graduated from a college. Because that's the status of the world. But not with Jesus. So don't ever feel intimidated by people that have education. Don't feel intimidated. It's the power of God that brings us to the place where God wants us to be. You see, to the world, preaching is foolishness. To us, it's the power of God unto salvation. That's why Paul says here, "Because of the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men." Watch verse twenty-six again. "For you see your calling, Calvary Chapel, notice, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, nor noble are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things that are mighty." Isn't that amazing? The power of God. Notice that. The power of God. Think of how the book of Acts started with 120 in the upper room. Peter, a fisherman. Paul the apostle was the only educated one. I mean, he was really educated. A Roman citizen, a Jew taught under the foot of Gamaliel. And at the same time, think of Peter, James, John, which they were fishermen. Andrew. And at the same time God chose them. And here is Peter, he writes two letters in the best Greek you could ever have it in the manuscript, first and second Peter. James, the brother of Jesus, writes the epistle of James. Paul the apostle, the theologian and apostle of Christ, gives us fourteen letters, Romans to Hebrews. And then the gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Matthew was a tax collector. A Jew. He writes his gospel to the Jews. King of the Jews, Jesus Christ. Mark. Mark was writing his gospel. Notice, his uncle was Barnabas. He writes the gospel to the Romans. To the Roman Gentiles. The son of man. And then check this out, and you go to the gospel of Luke. Luke wasn't even an apostle. He was a Greek doctor. And he came into the picture and what did he write? He wrote the gospel of Luke. And he writes it in the best Greek you could ever have it in. He was a Greek. And he gives us the gospel of Jesus Christ. And then John the beloved, he gives us the gospel of John as Jesus Christ being deity, the son of God. No, deity, God's son. And he wrote also first, second, third John and the book of Revelation. John, the beloved brother of Andrew. Imagine that. And it's incredible how people look at that and they don't even see it. The power of God, the way it works. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise. When people look at you, they say, "Man, how did you get in that position?" It's the Lord. The Lord puts up one, the Lord puts down the other. He does whatever He wants to do in our lives fully and completely.
Guest (Male): If today's study has resonated with your heart, we pray you'll begin to bring all of your life's aspirations and longings under the lordship of Jesus Christ. You're listening to Somebody Loves You Radio with Raul Ries. We've made a complete copy of today's lesson available to you in its unedited form for a donation of five dollars or more. To get your copy, just call us at 800-634-9165 and mention today's title, God's Wisdom Repudiates Division. Now we'd also like to tell you about Raul's eleven part series titled Unity, Holiness, and Love. It's available on CD or USB. Providing biblical direction for both new and seasoned believers, this study will help you walk in God's wisdom as you choose the path of humble obedience. You'll see that you can bring faith in Christ into all areas of your life, from your relationships to your finances, and bring glory to God in even the most practical decisions. Visit somebodylovesyou.com or call 800-634-9165 to order this eleven lesson series. We'll send you the CD set of Unity, Holiness, and Love for twenty-three dollars, or if you prefer the flash drive for just fourteen. That's 800-634-9165. If you'd like to order this resource by writing to us, the address is Somebody Loves You Radio, Post Office Box 4440, Diamond Bar, California 91765. Be sure to utilize our many free resources. You can access them from home, at work, or on the road if you're traveling this summer. For podcasts of all of these programs, browse iTunes and Spotify. And you can also download our app for livestreamed Bible teaching and digital Bible studies. Somebody Loves You Radio with Raul Ries is completely listener supported. Your tax deductible gifts are a great blessing to this ministry and we're grateful for your faithful partnership. Thanks for including us in your day today. We always enjoy exploring the Bible with you and we invite you to join us again next time as we take a few moments to quiet our hearts and minds before the Lord, asking Him to speak to us through the pages of His word. Now with the closing thought, here is Raul once again.
Raul Ries: Check this out. Verse thirty. He says, "But of Jesus Christ, you are in Christ Jesus." You see that word "in"? Circle it. You know why? That's your position in Christ. It's not outside of Christ, I'm in Christ. My position is in Christ. And then he says what? "Who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness." How's that? Through faith. "And sanctification," positionally, "and thirdly, redemption." Three things. Notice that. The verse here is emphasizing again, righteousness that comes only by faith in Jesus Christ, and then sanctification, my position separated to Jesus Christ, sanctified, and then thirdly, the redemption that I receive in my life by the blood of Jesus Christ, washing and cleansing me from all of my sins. Not guilty ever again. The cross of Jesus Christ. He's the only one that could forgive sin like that. And notice, he quotes now again. "That it is written, he who glories," who does he glory in? He glories in the Lord. In the Lord. Who gets the glory? Jesus.