THE CROSS - THE FOOLISHNESS OF GOD!

I Corinthians 1: 18-25

Kenyon P. Kalvesmaki, Pastor

Central Presbyterian Church, Russellville, Arkansas

April 9, 2000

Few films from Hollywood do justice to the message of the cross of Christ.  The movie, BEN-HUR, forty years ago has come closest to tell the story of Jesus Christ, while still making money.  Two stories were interwoven, one fiction, the story of Judah Ben-Hur.  The other, the wonderful story of our Lord Jesus Christ.  The scenes of the crucifixion reveal once more cold, calloused leaders crushing one man from the region of Galilee.  A hammer pounds huge spikes into flesh.  We jump inside...for we get a glimpse of the horror of the death.  Blood flows from feet, hands, head,and from His side.

We watch His disciples - disillusioned, scattered, frightened - fearing death for themselves.  He DID claim to be Messiah.  How could He die on a cross?  The storm crashes upon all gathered there.  Blood and water wash the foot of the cross - death has come.  But the temple curtain rips from top to bottom.  Two women, who had contracted leprosy, are stunned...they see each other WITHOUT THE DISEASE!  We EXPECT miracles after the crucifixion.   Here bursts into the world THE FOOLISHNESS OF GOD!  Out of destruction - healing.  Opposites...become part of the same truth!

This is not a contradiction. We call this a Paradox.  Our dictionary declares: "a seemingly absurd statement."  A more complete definition helps:  "two statements that need each other to make sense."   Here is the wonder - Jesus Christ showed us what looked bad for Him was good for us. 

The word of the Cross is the greatest paradox.   TO THOSE WHO ARE PERISHING FOOLISHNESS, BUT TO US WHO ARE BEING SAVED, THE POWER OF GOD!...WE PREACH CHRIST CRUCIFIED...THE POWER OF GOD AND THE WISDOM OF GOD.  What a mighty God!   Yet, how foolish He seems to be to the world.  Look around.  Wisdom and power are honored. We can understand the wisdom of our wise thinkers.  Libraries overflow with books that reflect the wisdom of the ages.  We understand power.  Power rules.  Get too big, though, and others pull them down.  The company Microsoft is accused of being a monopoly.  Deep-down people love the Microsoft-kind of power.  They can grasp it.  They want it.  But God has more power!

He showed His own wisdom and power that continues to confound and to shake the world.  How? He did things that the world cannot understand.  God seems to contradict Himself.  He looks foolish.  The most foolish act was for Jesus to die on a cross - It makes no sense!  Unless, unless, ...

You have lost your way - you stand confused about life itself - or, maybe you  lost your place in your own climb to power or to security.   Consider the word of the Cross, even if it seems foolish!  See the wonder of God in Jesus Christ...and all that He offers to you!

Not only does our Lord show us paradox...we also begin to show the world the foolishness of God IS OUR LIFE!  What looks bad for us can bring glory to God.  Consider four paradoxes...they are part of the great mystery of what it means to follow Jesus. The foolishess of God!

FOOLISHNESS AND WISDOM

The world asks, "How could God gamble everything on the cross?"  Yet, God sent His Son to the cross in faith that LOVE AND NOT FORCE  will win the hearts of proud and selfish men and women.  Turn to a difficult moment in the ministry of Paul.  Enemies came and were causing trouble against him in Corinth.  He answered the church, "I must have been a fool, wasting my time on you.  Do I love you? You know that I do!  So, as a fool, let me boast a little."  He lists the beatings, shipwrecks, stoned, attacked- ...and it was all to tell of Christ who was crucified for them! (2 Cor. 11)

I hope you meet Fritz Manampiring.  He still  pastors his church in Bekasi, Indonesia, now 13 years.  The community boiled over with anti-Christian sentiment. At the end of 1997, he and his wife were attacked by Moslem radicals bent on driving out Christians.  At the height of the attack against him, he called out the name of Jesus each time the knife plunged into his body. His wife escaped to seek help.  Finally recovered, one amazing event happened.  One of the attackers came back to his church and wanted to know more about "this Jesus - the One whom he and his wife were calling upon during the attack."  The foolishness of God becomes our wisdom!

What seems foolish to you as a Christian?  Have you doubted His power to show His wisdom in where He has you?  Take a fresh step and thank Him for where He has you, even if it seems not very wise of Him!

WEAKNESS AND STRENGTH

The world shouts, "Only the strongest can live!"  Yet, Jesus stayed on that cross.  Almost everyone mocked Him, spit upon Him, or made sport of Him.  Yet, God becomes our STRENGTH TO CHANGE US TO LIVE VICTORIOUSLY!  At the end of the list of Paul's ministry, he said, "If I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my weakness!" (2 Cor 11.30)  Paul closed his letter to Corinth, talking about a "thorn in the flesh,"...But God spoke to Paul: "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness."  So, he bragged about his weaknesses, so that the POWER OF GOD WOULD DWELL IN HIM! (2 Cor 12.7ff)

A Presbyterian, who served in the Christian Medical College, Vellore, India, told me about Mary Verghese.  I can't forget her.  She began her work at that hospital in 1951.  She was a brilliant orthopedic surgeon.  The future was ahead of her.  A car crash left her paralyzed in both legs.  She couldn't even sit up.  Only  her head and arms worked.  She was told that her medical career was over.  She took the news, but expressed faith God was not through with her, yet.  After many surgeries, she was able to sit up in a wheelchair.  She began studying hand and foot and face reconstructions...all surgeries that could be accomplished from a wheelchair.  She would never have done that had she not gone through something that made her weak.

What has been your own strengths? Have you lost them?  Only thing left are your weak things? As you give yourself to Christ, yield what you have to Him...His power will be perfected right there!

SUFFERING AND COMFORT

The world wants comfort....it avoids suffering at all costs.  Yet God SUFFERED ON THE CROSS.  Out of His suffering God BECOMES OUR COMFORT IN OUR SUFFERING.  Paul declared, FOR JUST AS THE SUFFERINGS OF CHRIST ARE OURS IN ABUNDANCE, SO ALSO OUR COMFORT IS ABUNDANT THROUGH CHRIST. (2 Cor 1.5)  Now, we in America enjoy our comforts.  We do not like to suffer.  That includes the Church.  But suffering can come unannounced.  We dare to ask, "Why, God, am I suffering?"  What if He answered, "Why not?  Why not you?  Will you take on suffering for My sake?" 

Men and women in Christ become a living paradox.  Despair can become a comforted despair.  Suffering can become an overflow in comfort to others.  Have you ever noticed that the great sufferers in Christ are rarely great complainers?  What gets most of us down are the petty things.  I like to call them the sand that gets in our shoes.  Stuff that brings out the self-pity right away!  But when you have real purpose in life, suffering takes on a whole new dimension.  The man and woman who lose personal family, or posiiton, or property, yet know they are living for Him...rise above to be with Him. 

In Les Miserables, the story unfolds with Jean Valjean released from prison for stealing a loaf of bread.  He encounters a simple priest who opens his home and offers him food on the best silver service.  Valjean late at night steals the silver and escapes - only to be returned early in the morning by the police.  The priest declared the silver was a gift, "but you did not take the candlesticks, as I offered."  With that he gives the final silver pieces.  It was too much for Valjean.  He asks forgiveness, and the priest gives it.  "I rescued your life for God.  Serve Him."  The rest of the story Jean Valjean who, through his suffering gave comfort and hope to others in Christ.

What are you suffering today?  Have you embraced Him who can give you comfort?  Will you allow Him to work through your life to bring comfort to those He brings your way?

DEATH AND LIFE

"Nothing comes after death," the world bitterly cries.  Yet God brought His Son from death to life!  Through His Son, He continues to bring new, wonderful, powerfilled Eternal Life for everyone who places their trust in Him alone for salvation.  Paul painted a picture about death and life for us who love Christ."We have this treasure in earthen vessels...carrying about the dying of Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body...death works in us, but life in you." (2 Cor. 4)

Jim Elliott inspired many to enter the gospel ministry.  Until he died, hardly anyone knew him.  He graduated from Wheaton College in Illinois.  He wanted to serve the Lord where the gospel had not been given.  He and his new wife, Elizabeth Howard, went to Ecuador.  There, with other missionaries who had the same dream, they planned to contact the Auca Indians.  Those Indians had only bad memories of previous white people going to them.  But five young men committed to the Lord to reach them.  In 1956, they made contact by their airplane.  Then, the second day, they landed on a sandbar in the middle of the river.  All of the young missionaries that morning met Jesus face-to-face.  But the story was not over.

When news broke in America, thousands of young Christians who liked their comforts, said "Yes" to God, and entered full-time mission work.  And most remarkable, two of the widows with their children, Rachel Saint and Elizabeth Elliott, contacted the tribe.  They lived with them, and watched as God brought all the killers into the Kingdom of God.  Death and life!

How will you die?  Living for Him, death has been taken care of!  That is the foolishness of  God that was displayed for the whole world.  What a God...that is the One you and I can love more dearly and serve more clearly each day...fools for Christ!  That's a pretty good reward!