Jesus is Everything We Need W/ Pastor Brad

We're in a series this fall on the letter to the first Corinthians.

The letter to the Corinthians.

And in preparation for today, I've got a prayer for you that's been on my mind.

My prayer is that God's word would just meet you exactly where you are at today.

If you're aware of the vision of our church here at Madison, it's following Christ together as a diverse community.

That's our vision.

That's what we're living out here at South Hill and at the North Campus and at the square.

And our mission is centered around a couple of R's, around reaching, right?

Reaching up with lives of worship.

That's what we did this morning, being led by Ryan and the team today.

Reaching in is around discipleship.

And we heard a clear call for that today as well.

Reaching across is about living lives of racial reconciliation and racial justice today.

And then reaching out is with the act of evangelism, receiving God's light and his good news, and then sharing it near and far where God calls us.

Now, I realize that with that mission and vision, it falls on our ears today.

And there is a whole range of folks who are here, right?

So from teens among us, teenagers to the oldest among us, we got folks here who came from upstairs.

Others drove quite a ways to be here today.

There are folks here from all across the city.

It's amazing.

There are also folks here from all over the world.

We're like a mid-sized church, more or less, but there are folks here who have lived in many different parts of the world.

And we we love that.

We celebrate that.

You know, once a year we have a multicultural meal here representing different cultures and countries, and it blows my mind seeing more than 30, 40 different dishes representing all across the globe.

It's incredibly a gift, it's an incredible gift among us.

And I've wondered, how do I preach in a relevant way to every person here?

And I realize this as a confession today.

It's impossible.

I can't do it.

God's word, on the other hand, does perfectly, right?

My hope is that uh I get out of the way and you experience the word of God.

You experience Jesus today through this letter to the first Corinthians.

I pray that the word comes alive for you.

And so let's uh let's stop by Corinth today, take a little drive, be a long drive, across the pond here.

Corinth is located in modern day Greece today, right?

And what's amazing about Corinth from back in the day is that it was known for its trade, it was known for its business.

And I've mentioned this in previous weeks, and I just want to repeat it briefly for a moment.

There are two diagonals of traffic that are taking place here.

So there's land traffic that comes from one side to the other, and then there's sea traffic as well.

And there are cases too of boats that were of business and trade that instead of sailing all the way around the peninsula of this state that Corinth was in, this Greek state called Achaea, instead of sailing all the way around with 300 miles, they would just put the small boat on some logs and just roll it right in to Corinth with all its goods to trade.

Corinth is really at the heart of business and commerce.

And God calls Paul, who's the author of this letter.

This is exactly where I want you to set up shop.

This is where I'm calling you to plant a church.

And he preached, and many came to faith.

He was there for some time, but then he leaves.

And when he leaves, the problems pick up, and this is why he writes this letter.

So we're essentially reading someone else's mail.

Okay.

And so let's go verse by verse here, section by section, as we finish out chapter one here today.

And then I'll close in prayer.

And then during that time, we'll then fade out of the live stream and into a time of joys and concerns where we will pass the mic with one another.

And I heard this uh this past week um from a congregant here who said this about the love that he has for this church.

He said, I love the size, Madison Church South Hill.

This is a place where you can be known, not anonymous here.

And I was just thinking of uh Rachel's announcement too of our phones today.

There is so much that can get in the way of community building.

This is such a gift, just in and of itself, to kind of put technology off to the side and to receive each other, to pray for each other, to worship together, to be in the word together.

Um, and so as a pastor, I want to help steward this time.

I look forward to times of joys and concerns to hear from the life of the church from the front to the back.

And so, as you're maybe being prompted in your heart to share, maybe you haven't shared before, but keep it in mind.

Stay tuned as we hear from the life of the local church the gift that God has given us.

Amen?

All right, all right, let's jump right in.

Verses 18 and 19.

Hear the word of the Lord, and you can remain seated this morning.

Paul says this in the center of this very urban multi-ethnic city, 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.

For it is written, this is going back to the middle of the Bible, the prophet Isaiah, God says, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise.

Show me your ponder emoji face on this.

I will destroy the wisdom of the wise.

Hmm.

The intelligence, we're hearing a lot of that word today.

The intelligence of the intelligent, I will frustrate.

Can I get an amen?

Something I've learned in researching Corinthian culture is that they believed the death of someone on a cross, crucifixion, as a way of execution, was so crude you couldn't mention it out loud in company.

It was considered even inappropriate to say.

Paul comes in, walks on the street, on the block, and reminds them by quoting this old prophet of Isaiah.

God will destroy the wisdom of the wise and the intelligence of the intelligent.

I will frustrate.

In other words, the message of the cross is foolish.

It's silly to those all about themselves.

But to those who are hungry for the salvation of God, it makes absolutely perfect sense.

Church, God's way is not like the world's.

We can spend a lifetime getting wisdom and still missing the main thing, the actual purpose of our lives.

We are invited to believe in the crucified and risen Christ to receive eternal life, and then we are invited to this joy of a living relationship with our Savior.

So let's go a bit further here.

I love this next one, verses 20 through 21.

Where is the wise person?

Where is the teacher of the law?

Where is the philosopher of this age?

Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?

And watch the direction here.

For 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.

Stay with me, church.

The Corinthian church, they lived in a place in a side where they worshiped several things.

They worshiped power, they worshiped wealth and influence.

And so, church, it's the same way here.

The good news of Jesus sounds crazy to a culture that worships power, influence, and wealth.

But the roots, the beginning of our faith, it began in a place like this.

It began in the place of Galilee, where the majority of the ministry of Jesus began right here.

A place that was uh quite desolate, it was poor.

Jesus came as a servant for poor fishermen.

You don't see phones here back in the day, you don't see high-rises, you don't see an advanced city, but it's intentional.

This is where Jesus ministers, and he comes on the scene in this place and he says, Repent.

For the kingdom of God is near.

He says other words, like if if any of you want to follow me, he says, You must deny yourself, pick up your cross, and follow me.

He says, in another place, if you hold to my teaching, if you rest in it, if you abide in my word, then you are my disciples.

Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

Jesus says these truths over and over again.

The people, their minds are blown because any of this would look utterly foolish to the world.

But it is the only way that we can be safe from ourselves, from the bondage of sin, the traps of life.

Because we're living in a unique time, aren't we?

The age of artificial intelligence.

But the most authentic intelligence, the greatest wisdom anyone could have is to know Christ and then to make him known step by step through the power of the Holy Spirit as he leads us today.

Watch what is said in verses 22 through 25.

Ooh, I love this.

Um, Jews demand signs, and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified.

It's a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God.

And we continue to see this theme be played out, this couple of both foolishness and wisdom, and God's view of it.

For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

This is so massive here.

The message of Christ's death will sound foolish to those who don't believe.

And back in the day, the references who those two audiences were.

It was on the one hand the Jew, the religious insider, or the Gentile, the non-religious outsider.

Because back then, death on a cross was just, you know, that's the end.

That's it.

Curtains closed.

And the ultimate weakness, as Corinthians would see.

But Jesus went through that on the cross for us, and he did not stay dead.

His resurrection demonstrates his power over death, and he will save us from death and give us everlasting life when we trust him as Savior and Lord of our lives.

The gospel is so simple.

The message of it, as Paul was going street after street, it's simple, church.

And it's all we need.

Jesus is all we need.

Paul's saying to folks living in one of the most advanced cities of his time, simply believe Christ and live for him.

Sounds crazy and simple, but he would even say it's a blessing to be a fool for Christ.

The foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom.

Watch the flow here because he goes a bit deeper here in verses 26 through 29.

Brothers and sisters of Corinth, of South Hill.

Think of what you were when you were called.

Go down memory lane a little bit.

Not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were influential, not many were of noble birth, but God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise.

God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

And he goes even further here.

God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things and the things that are not to nullify the things that are so that no one may boast before him.

Greek Corinthians, back in the day, they viewed themselves as a bit of a sophisticated people who were interested in being filled with wisdom, cultured wisdom.

But Paul's saying, listen, at the end of the day, none of it matters.

God transforms us not because of abilities or accomplishments or allegiances or strengths.

In fact, he will choose the foolish things, the weak things, the lowly things out of the darkness into light, out of death into life.

And this church, uh, this is not new.

This is really the story.

The Bible is filled to the brim of how God chooses the most unlikely to bring about his plans.

The most unlikely situations, the most unlikely folks, so that when you read it, you can say, Oh, me too.

If God does it there and then with those folks, how much more will he do it today and now?

And I kind of lost track of how many different examples in the Bible that I could reference.

Uh, but I landed on one, kind of deep buried in 1 Samuel.

1 Samuel 22 verse 2.

1 Samuel 22:2

Um, David, who's a significant character in the Bible, and God is using him to help build a team, and he really needs a team around him.

He was in a tough spot, and this is exactly the team that God brings David's way as he's stuck in a cave.

And I love this one verse.

1 Samuel 22, verse 2.

1 Samuel 22:2

Consider all these folks that come his way.

All those who were in distress, all those who were in debt or discouraged, gathered around David, and he became their commander.

About 400 men were with him.

That's quite a group.

You know, if if today we wanted to build a team for David, you know, we'd go to the top, we'd look at Navy SEALs to help him out.

That's not who God is looking for.

He's choosing folks who are distressed, in debt, and discouraged.

And I bet every single one of us here probably can resonate with one of those D words.

You know?

Are you feeling or experiencing any distress or debt or discouragement?

God chooses the foolish things of the world to shame the strong.

He takes the weak things of the world to bring about his plans and his purposes.

Friends, isn't it amazing that God deliberately chooses men and women who are completely in over their heads or who the culture completely overlooks.

God chooses the nobodies and he makes them somebodies for him.

Here's maybe a way to break this down.

When my daughter was maybe um like two or three-ish, she had this blanky, and it was called DD.

And she needed Didi, yeah, LT remembers those days.

Uh, she needed DD to sleep.

And if we couldn't find Didi, if Dee Dee was lost, it was a whole situation.

And the house needed to look high and low to find this blankie that brought her comfort.

And when she would get it, she'd nestle up with it, she'd snuggle up with it, and then she'd go to sleep.

And then every once in a while she'd play this game with me where she'd ask me to go on the couch, lay down, and then she'd put the blankie on me.

She'd say, Night night, daddy, night night, daddy.

And then we'd have this game where she would shake me and she'd say, Wake up, dad, wake up.

We need to wake up to the reality of God's kingdom and how he is leading and guiding his people today.

It is so foreign to how the world functions.

And we get this picture, we get the heart of Paul, where he's coming alongside this church of pretty much brand new believers, and he's helping them understand that God's power is made perfect in weakness.

And that there is an invitation to follow Christ in humility.

That sounds foolish, but it's simple.

And the gospel is all over it.

Your life did not begin when you were born.

Your life was significant already in your mother's womb.

You are God's handiwork.

Jeremiah the prophet says, Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, I chose you.

Before you were born, you were set apart.

God knows the plans for you, plans to prosper you, plans to give you a hope and a future.

Psalm 139 says, All the days for you were ordained, written in his book before one of them came to be.

You are fearfully and wonderfully made.

And each of these verses build to these last two of 1 Corinthians 1, verse 30 and 31.

1 Corinthians 1:30

It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us the wisdom of God.

That is, we had a few titles here of who Jesus is.

He is our righteousness, our holiness, and redemption.

Therefore, as it is written, let one who boasts boast in the Lord, right?

The word tells us that Jesus is our wisdom, our righteousness, our holiness, our redemption.

In other words, Jesus is everything that we need.

Which is actually the title of my message today.

Tried to keep it simple.

Jesus is everything that we need.

These verses are so incredible.

It's contrary to the world.

This is the way of Jesus.

We have a lifelong opportunity to learn and to grow from this.

And Jesus wants us to give our life to Him and to boast in Him.

And so let's do that today.

This past weekend, Madison hosted a worship conference, really for anybody, but we had a number of worship leaders and instrumentalists who gathered at the square.

It was so powerful on Friday night, and then most of the day yesterday.

There was a lot of breakthrough and freedom in the house and tears at the altar and getting some practical training as well.

And one of the main leaders, Pastor David, he's a worship leader over at Res Life.

And he just had such an incredible, memorable testimony.

My kids were floored by it.

I was too.

One of the parts of his testimony, Pastor David, who was raised in Uganda, is a worship leader now.

He leads Really all over the country.

But he he was born mute and he couldn't speak.

In fact, he mentioned that the first time he was able to put together a sentence was at the age of 14.

And now he's singing and leading and helping folks grow and just giving their lives to Jesus and to live lives that are lives of worship beyond Sunday throughout the week.

He would say it's a ministry all the time.

And he sang a song over us, and here were a few of the lines.

It is the gospel.

The love of Jesus has found us, meets us, especially in the areas where we need it the most.

His blood shed for us on the cross, in our place, is Christ crucified and resurrected.

And through that sacrifice we are saved.

And then his word, which we come to together, day after day, week after week, changes us.

So as scripture said, let those who boast boast in the Lord.

When you woke up this morning, God bless you.

When you breathe, it's not your breath, it's God's gift to you.

When we gather, it's not us, but it's God sustaining us.

When you leave here, it's God strengthening you to be a witness for Him.

If you play an instrument or have a skill, it's not you but God who's given this to you.

If you are a leader of any capacity, it's not you but God's gift that you are called to honor and steward for him for such a time as this.

If you passed a test this past week, it's not you but God blessing that mind.

If you got a promotion, it's not you but God.

If you're wondering about job security right now, God's got you.

If you're in a season of difficulty, hear this from 1 Peter.

After you have suffered for a little while, the God of grace who has called you to eternal glory in Christ will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

If you've become a follower of Jesus recently, or if you've been a follower for a while, it's because of God.

And if today is that day where you want to say yes to following Him, it's God's voice speaking to you, to your heart, through the power of the Holy Spirit.

As verse 30 says, it is because of God that you are in Christ Jesus, a righteousness, holiness, and redemption.

Therefore, let those who boast boast in the Lord for the Lord.

Let's pray.

Holy Spirit, reveal to us and convict and call us to turn and to repent today from pride.

We don't got this.

You got this.

You got us.

Whatever this may be, Lord, we thank you that you've got us.

Forgive us for our self-dependency.

Help us to learn how to see how you choose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise.

You choose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

You choose, you choose the lowly things of this world and the despised things and the things that are not to call out the things that are so that no one may boast.

Lord, we boast in you.

Oh Lord, so we're gonna do that.

We thank you that the foolishness of God is wiser than our strength.

We thank you that the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

We thank you, Jesus, that you are everything that we need.

You are our wisdom, our righteousness, our holiness, redemption, and our salvation.

And so as we go into this time of joys and concerns, Lord, we want to give you all the glory in advance.

We offer up before you what is on our hearts.

We thank you for the gift, the invitation to live out authentic community, hearing each other, seeing each other, helping carry each other's burdens.

Because when we do that, we get a picture of what you have ultimately done for us.

The ultimate burden bearer.

Oh Lord, we love you.

We praise you.

You are the great way maker, promise keeper, the light in the darkness.

You call us to receive your light and to share it.