May 07th, 2023

Sunday Sermon
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Title: Foolishness of God 1Peter 2:2-10
 
Our epistle lesson from 1Peter says that it is a stone of stumbling a stumbling block a rock of offense to the world.  The message of the cross, is foolishness to the non-believer.  As a Christian, as a person who has tasted the love of Christ, as a person who has received the forgiveness of God, who have been given the gift of eternal life… you might wonder “Why in the world would the gospel be a stumbling block?”  “Why in the world would anyone think of it as an offence?”  “Why are there people who actively deny the word of God.” 
 
These are the things they say:
I’m not against Christians.  “What you believe is good for you” but “what I believe is good for me” and you cannot judge me.  You cannot say “what I believe is wrong,” any more than I can say “you are wrong.”  There are no absolute rights or wrongs in this world.  Because you can’t really know for sure, its just your opinion vs.  mine
 
That’s what the world says.  What you believe is just your opinion, and you can’t judge me!  That’s what the world says. 
 
However, God says otherwise.  God says “There is a right and wrong.” He is the creator and there is a right way of looking at the world.   He has revealed that to us through the bible.   But more than that… God has shared with us Good News!   the Gospel.  He has told us that we can be part of His kingdom a member of His family.
 
One of the reasons why the people of this world say stuff like “there is no right or wrong” is because if there is no “right or wrong” then I do not have to be accountable to anyone… or more importantly, I do not have to be accountable to God.  I remember a time when I was not a Christian.  I remember rejecting the Word of God.  I remember distinctly trying to disprove the Bible.  I was afraid of the Bible.  The sad part is that I tried to disprove the bible without even ever having read it.  At best, I was willing to say that Christianity was just one of the many roads to Heaven, because if I could prove that it was just one of many paths, well then… any way into Heaven would suffice.  And if any way sufficed… then MY way would suffice, too… and I would avoid judgment.  When I look back, the main reason “Why I tried to disprove Christianity,…” the main reason “why I never read the Bible,…” the reason “why I did these things… was “because I was afraid.”  I was afraid that it would condemn my lifestyle,  I was afraid that it would condemn me, to eternal suffering in Hell,   and that there was nothing I could do about it.  And so I was afraid.
 
Unfortunately, I was correct.  The Bible does condemn me to Hell for what I am.   And in fact there              IS      nothing       “I”     can    do      about          it.  There is nothing “I” can do about it.  But the Bible does not stop at the condemnation.  The Bible does not stop at our helplessness to be right with God.  The Bible also has good news.  The Bible also has the Gospel.  And it is only the Gospel message that there was hope.  It was precisely because my fear kept me from reading the Bible that I was kept ignorant of the Gospel message.  And because I was ignorant of the Gospel, I was left in fear.  It was my fear which drove me into denial.  It was my fear which drove me to deny God.  It was my fear which made me make up my own religion about God.  If I could just prove that Christianity was just one of many paths, then any way would be okay, and as a result my way into Heaven would be assured. 
 
The problem is that Christianity is NOT one of many paths.  There is only one way to God.  That one way is through faith in Christ.  All other ways are darkness.  It was this darkness, this ignorance, which I walked in.  It is this darkness where “those who do not believe in Christ” are left.  Without the Holy Spirit, without faith, Man is blind to God’s ways.  Not only is he blind but according to scripture sin makes him an enemy of God.  Even given all knowledge about God, “the man without faith” is lost.  Do you know someone who walks in darkness?  Do you know someone without faith?  Do you know someone who is lost?  I have good news for you though!  
 
The amazing part of all this is that God still loves them.  As irritating as they may be as disgusting and worthy of despising as they may be As dumb and self centered they seem to us God still loves them!   And God calls us, us believers, to seek out after these lost.  We know that it is the Holy Spirit which works faith in humans.  But God has decreed that faith will come only through the Word of God, and that the Word of God comes TO men only THROUGH man.  No other way.  This is why it is so important that people share the Good news with others.  God is calling us, “me!”, to seek after these lost.  Our job is to connect with the people of this age, to get them to hear the word;  not just hear the Word physically, but to hear it with their mind, their heart, and their soul. 
 
Now there are many who panic about this.  Me!?  Share the gospel???  I’m sorry but, if the salvation of unbelievers depends on me, then they are in a lot of trouble.  It’s like if we are ever together in a sinking boat.  I suggest you find something quick to hang onto.  Cuz, I am such a lousy swimmer.  I can’t help you.”  
 
But the sharing of the Gospel with those sinking in this sinful world, is not like that.  The Gospel message is the power of God.  The Gospel message is the wisdom of God.  It is the power of God.  It is the word of God which has the power, not me.  It is the power of the word of God which will work in people.  You know the amazing miracle of evangelism is that even when we, sinful, weak human beings share the gospel even if we do a poor job of sharing the gospel, IT STILL WORKS.  Scripture calls us “clay pots.”  God is the potter!  We are pots of imperfect clay, but we have been entrusted to carry a wonderful golden treasure, called the Gospel.  It is amazing how the power of the word of God works.  There are many stories of the crazy way people are converted.  Even if all I do is walk up to people and say “Jesus loves you” hand out tract with John 3:16 and quickly run away.  God can work through that.  On the other hand, sometimes it takes time, patience and just dumb luck.  My friend Paul, shared the message of Christ with me for 15 years.  Others talk of miracles in which people are converted.   Some of my fellow seminary students who came from other countries would share some of the miracles they had seen, miracles which brought whole villages to faith.  God uses many ways to bring people to faith.  God calls us to share this message to a conflicted world, a world struggling with the concept of right and wrong, to be a beacon of light to a world of darkness.  We must be a beacon of light to a dark world. 
 
To those who are self-centered, to those who are blind to God’s ways, the Gospel is always a message of foolishness.  Even to us, the thought that “a righteous God, maker of the universe should care at all about a bunch of sinful rebellious creatures,” is crazy.  However, Scripture says God’s foolishness is greater than Man’s wisdom.  If the Gospel is foolish, it is not because the word of God is foolish.  It is because God has chosen to use foolish things to save.  It is because foolish things were required to save us.  God was willing to lower himself to use foolish things because he loves us. 
So how do we bring good news to those who do not wish to hear it?  It will not be by persuasion or great knowledge.  It will not be by charisma, It will be by sharing the Love of God.  As a person comes to know the Love of God, they will come to accept God’s foolishness.  As the Holy Spirit comes upon them through faith, they will see the wisdom of God in the foolishness of God.  There is no opinion about this, There is no “your point of view or my point of view” There is only God’s point of view.  He has come to tell us that He loves us, and that he has sent is only son to die for us, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  Foolish but true.  Foolish but loving.  Foolish but still the way to life, to eternal life.  God’s foolishness is greater than the wisdom of men.  For His love for us is greater than our sinfulness.  Let us not fear the way of foolishness.  Amen 

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