Sermon Synopsis for February 28, 2010

“Carry the Cross Challenge: The Power of the Cross” 1 Corinthians 1:17 – 2:5

Do you know what a mondegreen is?
It’s a misinterpretation or a mishearing of a phrase in a song or a poem, slogan or saying.

* CCR “There’s a bad moon on the rise” becomes “There’s a bathroom on the right”
Crystal Gayle “Doughnuts make my brown eyes blue”
*Christmas Carol “Sleep in heavenly peas”
*I used to like the hymn about the “kinky turtle”: Lead on o King Eternal
*We all know God’s name is Andy “Andy walks with me, Andy talks with me”
*Except for the boy who said that God’s name is Howard “Our Father, who art in heaven, Howard be thy name”

We had a letter from "Gladly, the cross-eyed bear (from a line in the hymn "Keep Thou My Way" by Fanny Crosby, "Kept by Thy tender care, gladly the cross I'll bear")
Keep Thou my way, O Lord, be Thou ever nigh;
Strong is Thy mighty arm, weak and frail am I;
Then, my unchanging Friend, on Thee, my hopes depend,
Till life’s brief day shall end, be Thou ever nigh.

Keep Thou my heart, O Lord, ever close to Thee;
Safe in Thine arms of love, shall my refuge be;
Then, over a tranquil tide, my bark shall safely glide;
I shall be satisfied, ever close to Thee.

Keep Thou my all, O Lord, hide my life in Thine;
O let Thy sacred light over my pathway shine;
Kept by Thy tender care, gladly the cross I’ll bear;
Hear Thou and grant my prayer, hide my life in Thine.
JESUS CHALLENGED HIS DISCIPLES TO CARRY THEIR CROSSES

The Apostle Paul knew about carrying the cross; he spoke about it often.
Paul was a highly educated man who thought he had things figured out.
When he encountered Jesus – everything changed. He understood things very differently.
And he understood that people, who don’t have Christ in their lives, aren’t going to understand.

Here’s what he wrote in 1 Corinthians 1:17 to 2:5 (NIV)
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.
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. 19For it is written:
"I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate."
20Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. 22Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength.
26Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29so that no one may boast before him. 30It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."
1When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. 2For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. 4My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, 5so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.
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v.18 – the message of the cross: foolishness to those who are perishing / power to those who are saved.

POWER
We live in a world of power: we enjoy power, we know it when we see it.
I’ve hear church folks talk about the power of their hunting guns, cars, monster trucks, tractors, power tools, (and these days, who has the most powerful snow blower).

In conventional terms, this is the way most people think of power … when we look at the cross, do we see an instrument of power?

In Jesus’ time the Cross was a symbol of defeat / punishment / the ultimate loss of control of your life.
The cross was a way the Romans used to stop the power of a person.

Jesus has a way of turning things around.
First shall be last
Weak shall be strong
Lost shall be found

The message of the cross: A life that is heading in the wrong direction – can be turned toward the right.

WHAT HAS THE MOST POWER IN YOUR LIFE
What has the power to save you?
What has enough power that your life depends on it?

In Paul’s day, people believed there was power in secret and special teachings. This was rampant in places like Ephesus, Colossae and Corinth.

Paul asks (verse 20), what has the ultimate power to save you? Wisdom? Studies? Philosophies? Reason? (all of these are good and well, but they will not save you. If you believe that if you study hard enough, if you go to school long enough, if you get enough degrees, God will save you … you are horribly mistaken) These are good things, tools for life, not a means of salvation.

It’s interesting that the one thing that brings salvation is the death of Jesus on a cross.

Next Paul talks about miracles (verse 22). Some believed that miracles were the way to God. This was especially true of the Jews in his day.

When Jesus was asked to perform a miracle (Mt 12:38&ff) as a sign of his power, he said the only miracle they would see is the sign of the prophet Jonah.

Miracles won’t save you: everyone who was healed eventually died; everyone who was raised from the dead (except Jesus) eventually died.

If you’re looking for the power of wisdom or miracles to save you, Paul says that the cross will look like foolishness and a stumbling block.

TRUE POWER COMES FROM GOD
John 19:10 - Pilate told Jesus, “Don’t you realize I have the power either to free you or to crucify you?”
V 11 – Jesus replied, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above.”

Psalm 89:48 asks the question:
What man can live and not see death, or save himself from the power of the grave?

There is one thing that is outside our “power” to do: Live forever / not die.
As God’s chosen people, we receive eternal life. It doesn’t come through our own understanding or by a great miracle – these can point us to God – but they cannot save us.

CHRISTIANS ARE THE CHOSEN PEOPLE
But what were we like when we were called? (Before we were chosen)

Do you remember sports pick-up games on the playground? There was the line-up. Two captains chose their teams. I was usually among the last chosen (and for good reason).

The Bible says that we are the chosen people – sometimes we think that’s a big deal.
What does this passage say?
v.27 – God chose the foolish things of the world
God chose the weak things of the world
v. 28 – God chose the lowly and despised things of the world, the things that are NOT.

v. 29 - So that no one may boast. (not by my power, but by God’s power)

CONCLUSION
What does your faith rest on – your ability, your smarts, your ability to figure everything out?
God’s power / the Greek word “dunamis” (root for dynamite) means ability, strength, and virtue.

For Jesus, the cross meant stepping way outside his comfort zone. But without the cross we would not have seen the power of God to rise victorious over death.

When it comes to the cross, let there be no mondegreen; let there be no misunderstanding.

Paul said, for those of us being saved, the cross is the power of God.
There is power in the cross! Power to transform our lives into what God wants us to be. Power to enable us to make good decisions. Power to live the Christian life. Power to share the gospel with others.

Invitation:
Jesus challenged his disciples to carry the cross and follow him.
We are Jesus’ disciples today.
It’s not that important that you wear a cross pendant; it is important that you wear the power of the Cross in your life.