When You Believe

When You Believe 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 New King James Version (NKJV) 18 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. 19 For it is written: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. 20 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. 22 For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. Let us pray Holy Father, creator of all that is good in the universe, we come to you as humble servants. We ask that You bless this worship service this morning with Your presence and that the word that You would have us to hear come forth in the message this morning. We ask these things in the name above all names, your Son Jesus Christ, amen. First lets look at why Paul was writing to the people of the church of Corinth and see what his message meant for them and then well get into what it means for us today. Most likely, Paul was writing to the Corinthians while he was in his last year of his three year stay at Ephesus while on his third missionary journey. Pauls epistles, which make up much of our New Testament, were his instructions and sometimes reprimands to the churches hed planted throughout the Mediterranean on his mission trips. Paul was the greatest evangelist to ever live aside from our Lord Himself. We may not have a church to worship God in today were it not for this apostle of our Lord. I dont normally quote word for word, but when I was reading from my Thomas Nelson study bible, these words struck me as so poignant; I felt I just had to share them with you. In verse eighteen, Paul preached of the message of the cross. The message of the cross is the gospel, the Good News about Christs death and resurrection for our sins. The gospel penetrates the core of self-centeredness. For those who exalt self, the message sounds absurd. But, for those who bow humbly in faith, it becomes the power that is able to snatch them from death and impart eternal life. No wonder Paul put such confidence in this message. Then he goes on to speak of the wise of scribes, and of disputers. The wise is probably a reference to Greek philosophers. The scribe is a technical term for a Jewish scholar trained to handle the details of the law. The disputer refers to a Greek person, especially one trained in rhetoric. These professionals tried to solve every problem with logic and debate. The point of this passage is that all human efforts to find favor with God fall woefully short. Only through faith in Christ can we be saved from our sins. In reference to verses twenty-two and twenty-three, the Jews sought miraculous signs from the Messiah to signal the beginning of the deliverance God had promised. The Greeks, especially the philosophers, sought to use wisdom to answer their questions about God and life. To the Jews, who expected a political savior, Jesus was a stumbling block. To the Greeks, whose self-centered wisdom could not make sense of the cross, to believe in Jesus was foolishness. Does all of this not sound painfully similar to what we are experiencing in our world today? Scientists are continually searching for the secrets of human origins and for the construct of the universe. They insist that through their telescopes pointed out into deep space and their microscopes pointed at the smallest building blocks of the human body that they can explain where we came from and where and when the universe began, but all they have to offer us are hypothesis. Do you know what a hypothesis is? Its an educated guess. On the other side of the coin, archaeology continues to prove biblical teachings as truth. Like last year when a group of archaeologists were digging in Turkey in the ruins of the city of Gath. In this dig the scientists discovered the ruins of the temple of Dagon. Part of the construction of the structure were two large pillars, like the ones were told of in the bible that Samson pushed down and brought them temple down upon himself and his heathen captors. Also found in the ruins of Gath was pottery engraved with the name of Goliath, the giant of a man that the shepherd boy David slayed with his sling before he would eventually become king. Here we see two stories of the bible supported by evidence from one archaeological dig. Once again, the foolishness of man is trumped by the wisdom of God. I dont mean to discredit the values of science. Without scientific research, we wouldnt have many of the medications we have to treat illness or many of the creature comforts we enjoy. Im just saying that there are some things that science isnt meant to do. Only God can reveal to us the details of our creation and the creation of the universe around us., but you can get an idea of it all if you start reading at Genesis chapter one, verse one. So, how does all of this apply to our lives in todays world? Lets read our scripture again. 18 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. 19 For it is written: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. 20 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. 22 For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. God is stronger than men. This short sentence of scripture carries so much weight. When it says men, it means mankind; man, woman, and child. Our world is full of trials, adversities, hurt, illness, heartache, betrayal, abuse, and all sorts of other pains created by mankind. The power of the message of the cross can overcome all of this. Jesus told us so in the book of John. John 16:33 New King James Version (NKJV) 33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. The power of the message of the cross for the believer is the way of overcoming the trials of this world. This power can overcome the pain of seeing a loved one suffering from an illness, the pain of heartbreak from a broken relationship, the pain of the death of someone you love, the disappointment of seeing a personal hero fall into scandal, the loss of employment and the wondering of what to do next, the impending loss of a business youve worked so hard to build, and sometimes even the hurt that comes from within the church itself. Through these past four plus years of ministry, Ive seen all of this and more. Sometimes life gets to the point that it seems like God is all that we have. Its in those times that we hold onto Him for dear life and that is what He wants us to do. He is our rock. He is the deliverer for the believer. But, what does it mean to be a believer? Does being a believer simply mean saying I believe in God? Does it mean you stood up in front of the church and recited a sinners prayer that someone taught you to say? Let me read to you from Jesus conversation with Nicodemus in the book of John. John 3:1-21 New King James Version (NKJV) 1 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him. 3 Jesus answered and said to him, Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4 Nicodemus said to Him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mothers womb and be born? 5 Jesus answered, Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, You must be born again. 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit. 9 Nicodemus answered and said to Him, How can these things be? 10 Jesus answered and said to him, Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? 11 Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but[b] have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God. For me, to be a believer means you have been born again of the spirit as Jesus explained to Nicodemus. It means you have submitted your life to living by Jesus teachings and His example. It means that you have gone to God on a very personal level and admitted to God that Lord I cant do it on my own by my ways anymore. I need your help Lord. I dont want to live without you in my life any longer. Youve started listening to the nudges He gives to your heart when dealing with situations in life. It means youve gotten into His Word and are putting it into action in your life. It means that you have said in your heart Your will be done, not mine Lord. That is what being a believer and what being saved means to me. It doesnt mean that we are perfect by any means. As human beings we will make mistakes throughout our lives. Thats where Gods grace comes into the picture. Without Gods grace and forgiveness of our sins, we would have no hope as the flawed children that we are. The gift of grace doesnt mean that we go out and sin willingly and intentionally, thinking that its already forgiven. It doesnt mean embracing the things in our lives that arent right. It does mean that when we slip while trying to live a godly life, that His grace is there to cover the falls of His faithful. Like when we fell as children while doing something we shouldnt have been up to in the first place and mom or dad picked us up, dusted us off, told us it would be alright and sent us on our way, telling us not to do that anymore. No, Gods grace is definitely not a get out of jail free card for us and our sins that we wallow in like a pig in the mud. We dont know what Gods love is truly like when we embrace sin over Him. He will definitely hold us accountable for our actions. Gods grace, salvation, and love are our way to eternal life when we embrace His ways and not the worlds. The kingdom of god awaits us when we believe. Remember what were taught in Deuteronomy 6:5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. That is believing in God. I want to share with you something that may sound a little out of place here. But youll see where Im going when its done. You see, my dad was born in 1936. He grew up watching the old Universal Studios monster movies like, The Wolfman, Dracula, Frankenstein, and The Mummy. As a kid I watched these classic horror movies with him. Over the years I continued watching horror movies and I still love the classics I grew up on even though theyre in black and white and were made in the 1930s and 40s because they remind me of times with my dad who passed away over twenty years ago now. Occasionally the modern studios will make a decent movie that reminds me of the old classics I watched with my dad. Several years ago, I was watching a movie called Dracula 2000. It was basically a rehash of the same legend told through the years. In one seen, a young man is facing Dracula and holding up a cross trying to ward him off as is the legend in most vampire tales. They are repulses, driven away by the sight of the cross of Christ because they are children of darkness and not the light. To the young mans astonishment, Dracula continues to advance on him, even though he is holding up the cross for protection. At the sight of the boys surprise, Dracula tells him That only works if you believe in it. My friends, I pray that you all truly believe in the message of the cross of Christ and understand the power it has against the trials of the world. In the name of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, Amen.