1 Corinthians 1:10-18 (New International Version)

Divisions in the Church

 10I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. 11My brothers, some from Chloe's household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. 12What I mean is this: One of you says, "I follow Paul"; another, "I follow Apollos"; another, "I follow Cephas^[a]"; still another, "I follow Christ."

 13Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into^[b] the name of Paul? 14I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15so no one can say that you were baptized into my name. 16(Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don't remember if I baptized anyone else.) 17For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

Christ the Wisdom and Power of God

 18For 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.

Footnotes:

1. 1 Corinthians 1:12 That is, Peter
2. 1 Corinthians 1:13 Or in; also in verse 15

Title:  The Message is the Power

Text:  I Corinthians 17-18

17  For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

Christ the Wisdom and Power of God

 18For 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.

Introduction:

In today’s lesson, Paul is dealing with a division in the Church at Corinth.  The issue of the division is the issue of what the people hear and how they receive what they hear. More specifically, Paul deals with the issue of Salvation as it is in Christ Jesus, the Messiah and how God has establish the reason and purpose for the entire message of Christ Jesus.  For Paul, the people of Corinth were hearing the Gospel being preached with eloquent words.  For Paul the people of Corinth were hearing the Gospel being preached to them in a high social distinctive class and manner – Chloe, Paul, Cephas, and Apollos.  For Paul the people of Corinth were hearing the Gospel being preached to them in way that their ministries were weak and their purpose was not wholistic.  In fact the way that they perceive themselves and the purpose thereof, the Church was really going through the motion.  For Paul, the people of Corinth were hearing the Gospel being delivered to them as separating people into several groups of elites.  The Gospel did not sound like the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Rather the Gospel sounded like a fairy tale of some sort where everything is alright as long as you can reference some religious figure in what you are saying and what you are doing.  For one elite group would talk about one thing and another elite group would talk about something else.  The entire Gospel was not being taught or preached.  For in fact, they were so elite until some of them did not want hear the message being preached.  They rather believe what they wanted to believe and expected that the preacher only say what they wanted to hear.  The Gospel message had become so disjointed and divided that some of them did not know whether they were going North, South, East or West.  For there was no wages of sin is death and in Christ Jesus there is eternal life.  For there was no preaching that God is not mark, whatsoever you soeth that what you will reap.  There was no for God so love the World that he gave his only begotten Son that whoever would be believe on him shall be saved.  There was preaching that God was going to separate the wheat from the tare.  There was no preaching that Jesus is able to change a sin-sick world, society, and person.  No, the Gospel was not being preach to tell men and women, boy and girls, that we are to love one another as God loves us.  For there was no preaching that Jesus suffered and died on the Cross for your sins and my sins.  For there was no preaching that God raised Jesus from the dead.  For there was no preaching that if you put your faith in Jesus, that when we come to the end of life’s journey, that Jesus will be the undertaker and the angels will be the pallbearers.  For there no preaching that there is only one heaven and only one hell.  For there was no preaching that Jesus is able to do anything but fail.  For they had stopped preaching that Jesus is a friend to the friendless, and a mother for the motherless, and a father for the fatherless! For they stop preaching that everybody talking about heaven is not going there.

The Message is the Power.

I.                              It communicates from God to Humanity

a.                Preaching is expounded Words of God.

b.                Preaching is the Announcement from God

c.                 Preaching is a Word from God to the world or to a people or to a person

d.                Preaching is God’s medium to talk relevantly to the world

e.                Preaching is God’s communication to humans whereas God places the call from Heaven instead of the world dictating to God

f.                  Preaching communicates to us a wake up call from God that is still in control and that God cares.

II.                          It communicates from God a message to Humanity.

a.                In Antiquity, God’s message was creative – the burning bush

b.                In antiquity, God’s message was for devotion – Chose you this day whom you will serve

c.                 In antiquity, God’s message was for consecration – take off your shoes because the ground you are standing on is Holy ground

d.                God’s message communicates to humans how God expects for us treat and love one another

e.                God’s message was used by Moses to tell Pharaoh to let my people go

f.                  God’s message communicates to us to worship the Lord in the beauty of his holiness.

g.                God’s message communicates to us a message of liberation and redemption

h.                God’s message communicates to us God’s plan of salvation – if you would confess with your lips the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God raise Jesus from the dead, and that God is going to judge everyone according to our faith, then thou shall be saved.

i.                   God’s message communicates woe, destruction and consequences for not heeding to God’s communiqué

j.                  God’s message communicates to us that God is God.

III.                       It communicates God’s urgency to humanity to respond now or suffer the consequence of delaying

a.                It calls us to respond in the now

b.                It calls us to live right now

c.                 It calls us to treat one another right now

d.                It calls us to get our business in order now

e.                It calls us to move now

f.                  It calls us to get ready now

g.                It calls us to stop playing around now

h.                It calls us to understand that today is the day of salvation

i.                   It calls us to be reminded that tomorrow is not promised

j.                  It calls us to be reminded that this may be our last time

k.                 It calls us to get right with God and do it now

l.                   IT calls us to put a little pep in our steps and a glide in our stride

m.              It calls us to look around and see that this world is not our home and that we are passing through

n.                It’s a message in the right now time.

o.                It’s a message that God is a right now for a right now people.

IV.                        It communicates Salvation is in serving Jesus Christ our Redeemer.

a.                Jesus is the message is in message

b.                Jesus is the goal of the message

c.                 Jesus is the purpose of the message

d.                Jesus is the reason for the message

e.                Jesus is beginning and the end of the message.

f.                  Jesus is the Salvation in the message.

1.                Hope

2.                Joy

3.                Peace

4.                Happiness

5.                Love

6.                Friend

7.                Strength

8.                Eternal life

9.                Goal – Meeting Jesus for ourselves

10.           Gathering with our love ones in heaven

11.           Living eternally in Heaven