The Message of the Cross - 260302

SPEAKER A 00:00:00 - 00:01:02 Hello, I'm Rod Butler. Welcome to Let God Speak. The cross was a shocking symbol of Roman torture and shame. Yet in a divided and sophisticated city like Corinth, the Apostle Paul refused to rely on human eloquence or philosophy to reach the hearts of the people. Instead, he preached only Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Today we'll discuss why this seemingly foolish message transforms the lives and remains the central answer to the division, pride, and sin in every generation. On our panel today, we have Lena Yoon and Joshua Wood. Welcome. SPEAKER B 00:01:03 - 00:01:03 Thank you. SPEAKER C 00:01:03 - 00:01:03 Thank you. SPEAKER A 00:01:04 - 00:01:22 Before we commence our discussion, we're going to have prayer. Gracious Father, we thank you, Lord, for this powerful message of the cross. As we discuss this message today, we ask for the Holy Spirit to guide our discussion, and may the viewers get a clear understanding of this power. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. SPEAKER C 00:01:23 - 00:01:23 Amen. SPEAKER A 00:01:24 - 00:02:13 Well, the Apostle Paul faced a church in Corinth torn by divisions. It had a culture that prized wisdom and supernatural signs. His solution for healing this church was simple yet revolutionary: centre everything on the cross. Today we will discuss how the cross reconciles us to God and defeats sin and calls us to humble faith. We're going to start by reading our first text, and I've got a question for you, Lina, on this first one. I'm going to read 1 Corinthians 1:17. For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. Why would Paul emphasize preaching the gospel without relying on the wisdom of words, Lina? SPEAKER B 00:02:13 - 00:03:17 It was because our human eloquence or human wisdom or even clever rhetoric can distract from the simple yet profound God's truth. And so, when we actually focus on impressive words, we may risk turning the gospel into another philosophy. And therefore, the cross has to be central because it shows God's power, not ours. And also here, Paul, he did not want the glory of the cross of Christ to be obscured by human wisdom or reasoning, and thus the glory be given to man instead of God. And the preaching of the cross or the message of the cross depends for its success not upon the human power or human reasoning and such, but it actually depends on the power of God and, you know, guided by the power of the Holy Spirit. SPEAKER C 00:03:17 - 00:03:18 Hmm. SPEAKER A 00:03:18 - 00:03:19 It's very deep. Thank you for that. SPEAKER B 00:03:19 - 00:03:20 Yeah. SPEAKER A 00:03:21 - 00:03:57 Well, let's keep reading. I'm going to read now the same chapter, 1 Corinthians chapter 1. I'm going to read verses 22 to 24. And it says, For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: but we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; but unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. So, Joshua, from those texts, what does this teach us about how different groups relate to the message of a crucified Messiah? SPEAKER C 00:03:57 - 00:04:56 Yes, it's a fascinating portion of Scripture, this one. And here we're sort of presented 2 different groups. There's the Jews and then there's the Greeks. And the Jews, they expected this conquering Messiah who was going to come and he was going to defeat Rome But instead we see that Jesus was crucified and that became a stumbling block for them. And then we've got the Greeks. And the Greeks, on the other hand, they prize philosophical wisdom. And to them, the idea of the cross, which is a very barbaric death, and the cross being a sign of power, to them just didn't make logical sense. So we've got these 2 different groups here, but then it also goes on to talk about those who are called by God. And to those that are called by God, The message of the cross is an incredible symbol of power and wisdom and shows that a lot of the time God's ways contradict our own human ideas. SPEAKER A 00:04:56 - 00:05:19 Yeah, the cross really challenges the thinking, doesn't it? Whichever way you come from, it's so different and it, yeah, it's amazing. Now, Leon, I want to go back to you and I want to sort of tease out a bit more of what you said in your first, your first answer. Let's discuss a bit further. In what ways can elaborate discourses and human wisdom obscure the message of the cross? SPEAKER B 00:05:19 - 00:06:04 Here Paul saw divisions arose partly from eloquent leaders. And there are several ways that, you know, human wisdom or reasoning can obscure the message of the cross. So first, it might shift, you know, our focus from God to human wisdom. And also, if we emphasize human wisdom, it may actually fit into our own logic and thus make it philosophically respectable and turn it into another philosophy, as I mentioned earlier. And also, it elevates human wisdom above God's divine power and also encourages intellectual pride. SPEAKER A 00:06:04 - 00:06:04 Yes. SPEAKER B 00:06:04 - 00:06:43 You know, rather than humility. So, the cross humbles us because it shows us that salvation comes through God's grace, through faith in Jesus Christ and Him crucified. But human wisdom cannot solve the problem of sin. Only the cross can through our Savior, Jesus Christ. So, we're going to go and read 1 Corinthians 2:2. Here it says, For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. So it actually here, Paul focuses on the message of the cross and Jesus, Him crucified. SPEAKER A 00:06:43 - 00:07:16 Yeah, that's interesting, isn't it? That message cuts through if you have this human philosophy and you're giving that sort of human philosophy, that's gonna give you a big head in many ways. That's the human pride thing coming through. plus the impact it has on the, on the hearers. So, Joshua, just got a— for you, why does Paul's straightforward proclamation of Jesus Christ and him crucified produce more fruit than using the logic and philosophy that he used in Athens, for example? He's just come from Athens where he used that. Why do you think his approach has changed? SPEAKER C 00:07:16 - 00:08:20 Yeah, in Athens, Paul, we see often quote a lot of the poets to build bridges with the people in Athens. However, in Corinth we see he instead focuses on the cross, and he looks at the demonstration that the cross gives us of power instead of using persuasive words. And this is really incredible because the cross confronts pride. It confronts the pride of the people, and it reveals the saving power that it has and the way that it goes beyond what human reasoning can comprehend. And yeah, I'd love to just read this verse in 1 Corinthians 2:4-5. It says, And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. I think that verse just really gets us straight to the point of what Paul's all about. SPEAKER A 00:08:20 - 00:08:47 Yeah, indeed it does. Well, let's keep reading. Also, I'm going to read 1 Corinthians 1:19, and it says, for it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Now Paul here is quoting Isaiah, How does this show God's response to human wisdom that rejects the cross? SPEAKER B 00:08:47 - 00:09:47 So, here God frustrates self-reliant human wisdom that tries to bypass the cross. And actually, it sounds like here that, you know, all of the efforts of man to try to find a way of salvation through human wisdom or reasoning or godless thinking will be rejected by God and will be brought nothing. But in actual fact, those who reject God's offer brings destruction upon themselves, which is the self-destruction. And also, the cross reveals the inferiority of human wisdom, but the superiority of the divine power, which is very important. And also, salvation doesn't come through cleverness or human intelligence, but through, you know, God's grace and, you know, by faith in Jesus. Jesus Christ, Him crucified. And so true wisdom actually starts or begins with fearing the Lord and embracing Christ, Him crucified. SPEAKER A 00:09:47 - 00:09:51 Yeah, what does it say in Proverbs 9:10? Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. SPEAKER B 00:09:51 - 00:09:52 Yep. SPEAKER A 00:09:52 - 00:10:22 Very good. I'm going to change over to Colossians now and read Colossians 1 and verse 20. I've got a question for you on this, Josh. 1:20 says, and having made peace through the blood of the cross, of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself, by him I say, whether they be things in earth or things in heaven. So from that, what did Jesus accomplish at the cross according to this verse? SPEAKER C 00:10:22 - 00:11:16 Yeah, according to this verse, the cross was an act of reconciliation. Sin separated us from God, but Jesus came down to make us at peace with God and to bridge that gap that sin had made between us and God. And this cross, it paid a debt that we could never pay and gave us eternal life through it. And I love the image of the cross because it really demonstrates God's humility and His love at the deepest level. that we can ever see. And I love what Peter says, and we'll just read it in 1 Peter 2:24. It says, who himself bore our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness, by whose stripes you were healed. SPEAKER A 00:11:16 - 00:11:38 Yeah, it's a very, very deep text, that one too, isn't it? By his stripes we are healed. Well, in 1 Corinthians 1:18, for the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness, how do the repeated references to foolishness in that verse help us to understand that it is foolishness? SPEAKER B 00:11:38 - 00:12:15 Here Paul uses foolishness, or terms like foolishness and foolish, multiple times to contrast human judgment and wisdom with God's. And, you know, to those in rebellion or who, you know, to the perishing, actually it seems, you know, like an idea of crucified God seems absurd and ridiculous. And, you know, if you think of a Galilean Jew, you know, executed by Rome, surely could not be the Savior because we do not want that sort of Savior. SPEAKER A 00:12:15 - 00:12:15 Right. SPEAKER B 00:12:16 - 00:12:44 And yet, but this foolishness is actually the divine power. It is because it emphasizes that the problem is not about intellectual inability but a heart unwilling to actually follow God and His grace and His offer. And so the cross actually shows the divine power and human pride. SPEAKER C 00:12:44 - 00:12:44 Yes. SPEAKER B 00:12:44 - 00:12:58 So we can go and read 1 Corinthians 1:21 here. For since in the wisdom of God the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. SPEAKER A 00:12:58 - 00:13:04 Hmm. Now you mentioned how many times in those verses, which is what, from 18 to 30? SPEAKER B 00:13:04 - 00:13:05 Yeah. SPEAKER A 00:13:05 - 00:13:25 Foolishness is in 6 verses, or foolish or foolishness. So Paul is really hammering the point. how human wisdom is foolish compared to the wisdom of the cross. So Joshua, how does the message of the cross display both the worst of humanity but also the best of God? SPEAKER C 00:13:25 - 00:14:27 Yeah, the cross is really a kind of a paradox. It shows both the incredible cruelty and injustice that people can show and the ultimate rejection of God's Son. But on the other side, it also shows Christ's incredible love, His incredible humility, His self-sacrifice, His willingness to lay down everything for us. And it's incredible how God was able to use this terrible evil of the cross to demonstrate His unfathomable love. And I love this verse we see in Philippians 2:8. And I'll just read it for us. It says, and being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. And this verse here really shows just how much Christ has humbled himself, even to the point of death and dying for our sins. SPEAKER A 00:14:27 - 00:14:37 Yeah, we, we've got no way of comprehending that humility to do what he's done, from where he's come from to what he's done for us. It's It's just very hard to sort of grasp, isn't it? SPEAKER C 00:14:37 - 00:14:38 Yeah. SPEAKER A 00:14:38 - 00:15:17 But we're discussing many aspects of the meaning of the cross here. Now I'm going to just jump back to Acts. This is Acts 13, and I'm going to look at verses 38 to 39 because this gives us another look at the meaning of the cross. And I've got a question for you on this, Lena. So I'll read Acts 13:38-39. Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, That through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins, and by him all that believe are justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses. So, Lina, what does that tell us and teach us about the meaning of the cross? SPEAKER B 00:15:17 - 00:16:27 Yeah, through the crucified and risen Christ, here according to this text, the forgiveness of sins is offered to all who believe. And also here, the cross of Christ justifies what the law could, you know, ever, you know, could never do and/or achieve. So obviously, it fulfills God's salvation and promise of salvation, extends it to the Gentiles, to the ends of the earth. And Also here, what is important here is that cross is not defeat, but the means of victory over sin and death. That's the most important thing. We're going to go and read Acts 13:26. Here it says, Men and brethren, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to you the word of this salvation has been sent. So here, this verse tells us the message of salvation has been sent to directly us, and therefore the cross is the heart of the gospel for all nations. SPEAKER A 00:16:27 - 00:17:17 Very good. Well, let's keep reading in 1 Corinthians chapter 1. I'm going to read verses 26 to 29. For you see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called, But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise, and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty. And the base things of the world, and the things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are, not to bring to nought things that are. that no flesh should glory in the presence. When you go through those texts, what message does that hold for us today? SPEAKER C 00:17:17 - 00:18:06 Yeah, it shows that God often chooses those things that are weak, those things that are foolish and lowly, and those that are underqualified to shame the strong and the wise. And we see this all through Scripture. It's a common example, God using humble people to To accomplish His purpose, and this prevents boasting and glorying in our own ability. We instead are able to see that that God uses us because of what we lack, and God can can His strength is made perfect in our weakness. And this encourages us because it shows that God can use us despite our weakness. Yeah, I love it because the yeah the cross. It just levels the playing field. We are all equal at the foot of the cross. SPEAKER A 00:18:06 - 00:18:14 And none of us have any excuse for giving our hearts to God and serving Christ because it's, as you say, it's a level playing field. SPEAKER C 00:18:14 - 00:18:15 Yeah, yeah, that's it. SPEAKER A 00:18:15 - 00:18:29 Well, I'm going to read verse 30. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption. How is the Christ the wisdom and power of God, Leena? SPEAKER B 00:18:32 - 00:18:55 Um, Christ embodies God's wisdom by solving the sin problem that human wisdom could never achieve or solve. So, through the cross, Christ actually becomes our righteousness, holiness, and redemption. And through His power also, we can become the same, like we can become holy, righteous, wise, and redeemed. SPEAKER A 00:18:55 - 00:18:55 Yes. SPEAKER B 00:18:56 - 00:19:20 And here, what the world sees as foolishness, actually it is the power of God, which actually can transform and save lives. So, here we can clearly see that God uses the weak cross to accomplish what the strong cannot. So, that wisdom leads to true knowledge of God and salvation. Amen. SPEAKER A 00:19:21 - 00:19:29 Well, just on that point, Josh, why is it important to, to recognize that God doesn't work the way we expect? What would you say about that? SPEAKER C 00:19:29 - 00:20:39 Yeah, definitely. Yeah, the cross is definitely an unexpected— was, yeah, it was definitely unexpected by, by the people, by the Jewish people. And it teaches us that we need to trust in God, that even when life might seem upside down, that we can, we can trust him even when isn't fully making sense. And our expectations, they often stem from human logic. But we can see here that God's plan and trusting His plan brings us to greater redemption, greater glory through that. And it builds our humility and faith to depend on God. And even when our circumstances might seem a bit confusing. I love this verse that we find in Isaiah 55:8-9. It says, for my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. SPEAKER A 00:20:40 - 00:21:00 This just gives us so much assurance that we can have faith in Yeah, we have to remember that, that his ways are different to ours, so we can't expect God to act the way we want him to act, or act what's in our best interest. Lina, the Corinthian church was in sort of turmoil. There was sin there. How did the message of the cross affect its unity? SPEAKER B 00:21:00 - 00:21:55 Obviously, divisions arise when we actually focus on human leaders or wisdom or status. And but the cross humbles everyone equally and brings us to the same level, rich and poor and Jews and Gentiles. And because we are all saved by God's grace, we talked about earlier, and through faith in Jesus Christ, Him crucified. So, when we center on the cross, unity follows because we do only boast in the Lord. And, you know, 1 Corinthians 1:10, here it says, now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among you, that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and the same judgment. So unity naturally comes from the cross-centered gospel. SPEAKER A 00:21:55 - 00:21:58 So it would have had a big impact on the church for sure. SPEAKER B 00:21:58 - 00:21:58 Yeah. SPEAKER A 00:21:58 - 00:22:08 Josh, you mentioned about the the humility in that. How is the cross the ultimate symbol of Jesus' humility? SPEAKER C 00:22:08 - 00:22:50 Yeah, well, Jesus, even though He was equal with God, we see Him step down and we see Him humble Himself to the most degrading form of execution that was there at that time. And He did this, and He came this low so that we could be lifted up to Him, so that we could be brought back into a saving relationship with him. And this humility, it contrasts so steeply with the human pride and ambition that we see all around us in the world. And I love it because the cross instead shows this model of servant leadership and what it means to truly sacrifice self for the good of others. SPEAKER A 00:22:50 - 00:23:04 Yeah, it's certainly servant leadership. That's very Lena, just going back to the cross and what the cross means, talk to us about the immense debt that was paid at the cross. SPEAKER B 00:23:04 - 00:23:51 Yeah, so we're gonna first go Colossians 2:14. Here it says, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us, and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. So basically, you know, our sin created immense debt we could never pay. But Jesus paid the debt. And according to this verse, and He canceled the handwriting of requirements and nailing it to the cross. So, He actually paid the full price for us. And this payment brings complete forgiveness and reconciliation. Only He can. Jesus could do that. do this, no human effort. So the only perfect sacrifice of the sin is the Son of God. SPEAKER A 00:23:51 - 00:24:11 Okay. I'm just going to go back to verse 18, which we looked at earlier. For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness, but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. What is the contrast there? What would you say, what does that contrast teach us about salvation? SPEAKER C 00:24:13 - 00:24:50 Yeah, it contrasts— it shows us that salvation is entirely from God. We are being saved, not saving ourselves. Salvation comes from Christ alone, and those who try to gain salvation through their own means will fail. We need to come to the cross and to instead fully rely on Christ for our salvation. I'd just quickly like to read Romans 6:23. It says, for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. It's a gift. All we need to do is accept it. SPEAKER A 00:24:50 - 00:25:02 It is definitely a gift. Josh, just staying with you, you know, what practical encouragement does the story of Corinth give us when we face opposition in our church today? SPEAKER C 00:25:04 - 00:25:50 Yeah, it shows us that despite cultural sophistication and even outright rejection of the cross, there were still souls that were won in Corinth. And God has His people. He always has a people whose hearts are still open. And we should not be discouraged by the opposition, but instead remember to remain faithful to Christ and to proclaim Him simply. as, as him crucified. And the power of this message is still very relevant for us today, and it's— it can give us confidence that the— we have Christ to rely on and that we can share his gospel wherever he places us in the world. SPEAKER A 00:25:50 - 00:26:15 This goes back to the point that we're all equal, we all can share the gospel. Christ will give us that power to speak for him. So, as you say, it's the great leveler. The gospel is fantastic. There's no class distinction. So, Lina, look, just in closing, Lina, as we conclude, why must the message of the cross occupy the central place in our preaching and living today as Christians? SPEAKER B 00:26:15 - 00:26:48 It is because the cross is the power of God for salvation and the answer to every spiritual problem such as division and pride. So, it also keeps us humble and unified and dependent upon God's grace. So, everything in the Christian life flows from and points back to the cross, as Paul declared in 1 Corinthians 2:2, and may we resolve to know nothing except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. SPEAKER A 00:26:48 - 00:28:00 Amen. Well, look, that's a great place to leave it today. Thank you, Lina. Thank you, Joshua, for your comments. Well, the message of the cross doesn't make sense to the perishing, as we discussed, yet it is the power of God to those being saved. It reconciles us to the Father, pays our debt of sin, and humbles our pride while exalting God's wisdom. In a world still divided by human wisdom and status, The cross calls us back to unity in Christ. If you have never experienced the transforming power of the cross, today is the day to pick up your Bible and start reading the Gospels. Ask Jesus to come into your life. Well, thank you for joining us on Let God Speak. Our past programs plus teacher's notes are available on our website, 3abnaustralia.org.au. Email us on [email protected]. May the Lord God bless you as you reflect on the amazing love displayed at Calvary. Tell your friends about the program. Join us again next time as we continue letting God speak through the Word. God bless. SPEAKER B You have been listening to let God speak, a production of 3ABN Australia television. To catch up on past programmes, please visit 3abnaustralia.org.au. Call us in Australia on 02 4973 3456. Or email [email protected]. we'd love to hear from you.