THE PREACHING OF CHRIST AN HIM CRUCIFIED.
1 Corinthians 1: 23
Sermon by :
Rev. L. Roth
(Especially suitable for the First Lord’s Day of a New Year)
PUBLISHED BY THE
PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE
OF THE
FREE REFORMED CHURCHES OF NORTH AMERICA.
(December 2007)
LITURGY:
Votum
Psalter 257: 1, 2, 4
Law of God
Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 1
Text: 1 Corinthians 1: 23
Psalter 308: 1, 2, 3
Congregational Prayer
Offerings
Psalter 107: 1, 2, 4
Sermon
Psalter 387: 1, 3, 4
Thanksgiving Prayer
Psalter 427: 5, 6
Doxology: Psalter 279: 4
1 Corinthians 1:23
The Preaching of Christ, and Him Crucified
Beloved Congregation.
We are privileged to gather together again for an hour of worship on the first Lord’s Day of this New
Year 2008. May we count it a privilege which by the grace of God will never testify against us. In that
regard we need to ask ourselves the question, What is the purpose of our coming together in the House of
God? What do we expect to find here? Hopefully, we are not merely gathered merely out of custom!
Surely, we are not gathered here to try and sooth our conscience. Or, are we merely in this place of worship
because, well, we had to do, because our parents expect this of us, or because of peer pressure or something
of that nature? Oh that the words of the Psalmist might be the testimony of our hearts for the first time but
also by renewal again and again, One thing have I desired and that will I seek after that I might dwell in the
House of the Lord all the days of my life and inquire in His Temple.
Well now, let us regard the words of our text this morning under the following theme, THE
PREACHING OF CHRIST AND HIM CRUCIFIED. In the first place let us consider A Stumbling
Block to the Formalist. Secondly, let us regard Real Foolishness to the Ungodly. In the third place let us
examine The Wisdom of God to the Called.
In the first place let us consider the preaching of Christ is A Stumbling Block to the Formalist. As we
try to understand the central and only theme of true Gospel preaching, congregation, we must not neglect the
context in which the Apostle Paul speaks these words. He has written these words first of all for the benefit
of the Church at Corinth. And as we have read from the preceding verses, there was a problem of party spirit
in that relatively new congregation. Some said they were of Paul, others of Cephas, referring to Peter, and
yet others declared themselves followers of Apollos. However, as Paul indicates in verse 17, Christ did not
send him first and foremost to baptize, but to preach the Gospel. By the grace of God and His Spirit the
Gospel tidings are the power of God unto salvation. For the message it contains is the good news of
salvation in and through the work of the Lord Jesus Christ as the crucified and risen Savior.
Now, the Apostle Paul himself had experienced the renewing power of Christ’s work as Savior in a
most powerful way on the road to Damascus. He had been changed from a zealous Pharisee who sought to
stamp out the name of the Lord Jesus to a humble supplicant of His grace, Lord, what would Thou have me
to do? Yes, Paul knows what he is talking about from personal experience. He has been there. He knows
what it is to be taken up with one’s own religious exercises and activities. He once was a Pharisee of the
Pharisees, circumcised the eighth day, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews. But all the things
of which he once was so proud of, became loss, for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus.
Yes, congregation, the Apostle Paul knows what he is talking about; he has been there. He knows
how extremely difficult it is lay aside everything which you once thought were plus points in your credit
column. When God’s servant was struck down on the road to Damascus, we read that for three days and
three nights he did not eat or drink. And Ananias was given the message, Behold he prayeth. It was through
this conversion experience that the Apostle was given to learn that all things in this life outside of Christ’s
righteousness is useless refuse. It’s nothing but garbage which cannot save us. It cannot even put us in a
more favorable light with the Lord. It is nothing more than dung, of no value as far as having merit is
concerned.
Well now, Paul declares, We preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block. Why was the
cross of Christ such a stumbling block to the Jewish people? Well, for one thing, the Messiah of their
conceptions was one who would be a glorious temporal prince restoring the throne of David and Solomon in
Jerusalem. He would lead the nation as in former days and restore the former glory Israel. Yes, they hoped
for an earthly utopia wherein they would experience a time of peace and prosperity as a nation once more,
that Israel might be restored to its former glory. But Paul is preaching a Savior Who was crucified. And that
whole idea, congregation, was most repugnant and detestable to their thought. For as the Old Testament
Scriptures teach, Cursed is everyone that hangeth upon a tree. No, this teaching of Paul did not sit well at all
with the Jews. A crucified Savior is no savior to them. That individual is condemned by God. No two ways
about it!
But, while the whole thought of a crucified Savior was repulsive to the Jews because of their
misunderstanding of the Messiah’s fulfillment of the Scriptures, Christ crucified was also a stumbling block
to them for another reason. The offence of the cross also lay in this, beloved, namely, that the preaching of
Christ’s sacrifice reveals the insufficiency of the religious man’s righteousness. Let me state this truth in
another way. Man’s sin is so serious that it required the death of God’s Son upon the cross to atone for it.
And as a result of this, all the activities in which we may engage to please God lie outside the scope of
having any merit whatsoever. That means, congregation, that our best works, our most wholesome activities
mean nothing, absolutely nothing as far as having any meritorious value. Did the Prophet Isaiah not say that
all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags?
What does this then imply also for us today? That means that you and I must be convinced that all our
virtues and so called good qualities are worthless in God’s sight as far as having any merit in them at all.
This includes all your tears, all your prayers, all your sighing and longing. All your labors for the cause of
Christ, your kindness and acts of mercy mean nothing, absolutely nothing. All your virtues and all your so
called plus points are nothing more than a good-for-nothing rag that must be thrown away. It’s not even
good for a grease monkey to wipe off the grime and grease from off his hands. As our Catechism also
teaches us in Lord’s Day 23, beloved, our best works in this life are all imperfect and defiled with sin.
That is an extremely difficult lesson for us to learn. Just as the sailors in the ship on which Jonah lay
sleeping, cast everything overboard to lighten the ship to save their lives, all to no avail, we too must throw
all and everything overboard by which we are inclined to try and find acceptance with God. How blessed,
how unspeakably blessed to be brought to that point in our life by the power of the Holy Spirit, beloved. For
then there remains but one thing left, namely, that perfect righteousness of the Lord Jesus as the Lamb of
God which taketh away the sins of the world. Oh to be brought there, beloved, so that by the eye of faith the
Lord Jesus becomes your all in all. Oh to experience the power of those well known words penned by
Augustus Toplady, Could my tears forever flow, Could my zeal no languor know, These for sin could not
atone, Thou must save, and Thou alone, Nothing in my hands I bring, Simply to thy cross I cling.
Oh how blessed is that man, that woman, that teenager, that child whose only hope is in the blessed
Savior, and Him crucified. Then everything else in life falls into the background. Then the blessed
Redeemer becomes your joy, your boast and the love of your heart. Oh when the beauty and the all
sufficiency of Christ’s righteousness is applied to your heart dear friends, then all and every thing that is of
us, falls away, completely away. Yes, then the remnants of seeking to improve yourself become a burden to
the heart. May we know where to bring all these things, dear friends by the Holy Spirit’s grace. Then alone
can we find true peace. This brings us to our second thought, that the cross of Christ Is Real Foolishness to
the Ungodly.
Now, as you may know, congregation, the Church of Corinth was located right in the middle of the
Roman Empire. While most of the Jews did not receive the Gospel at Corinth, in Acts 18:8 we do read
however that a certain Crispus and all his house believed on the Lord and that not a few Corinthians also
believed and were baptized. And so the Corinthian Church was made up of a mixed congregation, of both
Jews and Greeks. Now, as we just saw, the preaching of the cross was to the Jews a stumbling block. This
basic truth was a real thorn to their way of thinking as well as to the sentiments of their hearts. By the deeds
of the law they thought they were doing quite well. But then Paul also mentions another segment of society,
namely, the many Greeks who were living in that area. To them the preaching of Christ crucified was
foolishness. Let us seek to understand why this was so.
We must realize, congregation, that the Greeks gloried in the fact that their ancestors were the
philosophers and poets since ancient times. We have only to think of Paul’s discussion with them on the
Areopagus concerning the place of the gods. The Athenians, remember, had also made an altar for the
unknown god so as to appease all the gods and win their favor. Well now, Paul declared Him unto them, the
God of heaven and earth who sent forth His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus to pay for the sins of His
people. But when Paul spoke of Christ’s atonement and His resurrection, the philosophers of that day
mocked God’s servant and dismissed him.
Well now, in a similar manner today mankind dismisses the message of the Gospel through the
atonement of Christ. Why? Because man is wise in his own conceits. While we may not be so taken up by
the rhetoric and discussions of philosophy today, by nature we also are indoctrinated with the wisdom of this
world. This wisdom may not be immersed in philosophy per se and yet the underpinnings are subscribed to.
This so called wisdom does not come first of all from God, but is man centered. Today it may be in modern
means of medicine, communication and technology. But it is all centered upon man. For example, today we
have the capacity to probe outer space. We may perform invasive heart surgeries. We may make all kinds of
nifty, time saving gadgets. Oh what great knowledge man has! But at the same time, modern man is blind,
terribly blind to his lostness and his one basic need of a Deliverer from his sin. Instead of climbing the
heights of true wisdom, as a human race we are heading into a free fall of great evils. Drug addictions,
government corruption, sexually transmitted diseases, wars on various fronts, and ruining of the environment
are standard fare. And yet man refuses to face up to his sinfulness. Instead he keeps looking to himself for
the answers to the world’s problems instead of calling upon the living God. If man was truly wise he would
examine his own nature and come to the conclusion that our hearts are desperately wicked; that is the root
problem!
And yet, just as the philosophically inclined Greeks regarded the cross of Christ as absolute
foolishness, so also modern man in the “wisdom” of his own conceits does much the same thing. How can a
“man” who was put to death by crucifixion be the Savior of the world? Oh yes, it’s okay to give some lip
service to the Lord Jesus as a kind of insurance policy; but to actually put all your confidence in that sort of
thing so as to pay homage to the Lord and His Christ, that’s going a little too far. How can anyone be so
naïve so as to put their hopes in that kind of stuff? People who are slaves to that sort of thing are weaklings
who do not take control of their own lives and destiny.
Yes, congregation, that’s the reality when it comes to modern man’s way of thinking. It’s foolishness
to put your hopes in a Son of God Who has laid down His life as a sacrifice for sin. How can that be? You
know, beloved, this vital Truth concerning salvation in and through the Savior is not flattering to mankind at
all.
Because this means that all the wisdom of this world combined amounts to nothing at all. You see,
dear friends when the preaching of Christ and Him crucified is brought home to the heart then we, you and I
become fools for Christ’s sake. But alas, the world has no understanding of these things. New life in and
through the Savior is foolishness to them. Why? Because, as Paul writes in the next chapter, Chapter 2:14,
The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness unto him; neither can
He know them for they are spiritually discerned.
Well now, how is that with us, beloved? What do you think of Christ Jesus? We have just celebrated
His humble birth. Maybe the thought of a Christ Child being laid in a manger is not unaffecting to you.
There is something about that which is touching. But, what about a crucified Savior? What about a
bleeding, dying Surety Who laid down His life as a sacrifice for all manner of sin and uncleanness? Is it true
of you what the Prophet Isaiah had prophesied about 600 years before the actual event of Christ’s suffering,
He hath no form nor comeliness and when we shall see Him, there is no beauty in Him that we should desire
Him.
No, we who are orthodox enough to know that the Lord Jesus is the Savior will not go so far as the
Greeks to say that Christ crucified is foolishness, utter nonsense. But, what then is your relationship to the
Lord? What does the blessed Savior actually mean to you? You see, my dear friends, you cannot just remain
neutral over against the precious Savior and His finished work. You cannot view Christ’s substitutionary
work with a take it or leave it attitude. Remember, the precious work of the Lord Jesus is a savor of life unto
life or of death unto death. It is one or the other. You are either profited by Christ’s work, or you are
condemned by it. And if it is foolishness to you, then it will testify against you one day.
You see, congregation, the real problem lies in view of the fact that while we will never, ever say that
Christ’s sacrifice is foolishness and ridiculous, yet when we do not prayerfully consider His work and
experience its power in our heart and life, then we hold this precious truth with contempt. Let me try to make
this clear with an illustration.
Suppose a little child who had been adopted by parents as an infant was separated from them due to
some unusual circumstances before the age of say about three years old. But, providentially the parents were
able to find out where their child lived about 15 years later. Just suppose now that the parents were able to
prove to this young person that they are indeed his parents beyond a shadow of doubt. And so they open
their home and heart to him. Furthermore, suppose they expressed their willingness to pay for his college
tuition. What would you think of this person if he said, No thanks. I do not want to have anything to do with
you. Please leave me alone. We would say, How ungrateful! How foolish! And yet that’s precisely what
you are doing and even much more when you continue to pay a little bit of lip service to the finished work of
Christ and nothing more. How absurd. Think about this, dear friend. You have heard that Christ was
crucified for sinners. You are a sinner whether you feel it to be so or not. And therefore you need to call
upon the name of the Lord that He would make this vital, precious truth a reality in your heart and life.
Which brings us to our third thought that the preaching of Christ crucified is The Wisdom of God to those
Who are Called.
Thankfully there are people who know in Whom they believe. By the grace of God and His blessed
Spirit, people of God, the Lord Jesus has been made precious. You have been taught from above to see that
your salvation was not bought with silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ as of a Lamb that was
slain. Indeed, you have experienced that there is power, cleansing and renewing power in the blood of the
Redeemer. But the question which we need to address here is, How did this come about in your life? How
has the preaching of Christ and Him crucified been made meaningful and precious to you? That’s what we
need to come to grips with in view of our text.
In verse 24 Paul records these words, But to them that are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the
power of God, and the wisdom of God. Yes, congregation, there is a people who when they think about the
cross of the Lord Jesus they see something very different. It is not a stumbling block, a rock of offence, not
at all. Neither is it foolishness and sheer nonsense, far from it.
But they have experienced that Christ and Him crucified is the power of God and the wisdom of
God. Yes, dear friends, they have learned to see something that cannot be seen with the natural eye. They
have been given insight into the work of the eternal Son of God which the powers of the human mind
regardless of its IQ cannot comprehend. But why the difference? It is because almighty God has made a
difference where there is none.
Just look again at the words of our text. Paul speaks about both Jews and Greeks experiencing the
power of God and the wisdom of God. How come? In what way? God’s servant speaks of those who have
been called. Let us try to examine what this actually means. You may remember from catechism classes,
congregation, that we speak of the call of God in two different ways. There is the external call, which God
gives to many of mankind. This call is the general call of the Gospel that sinners repent of their sins and turn
to the living God. But, alas this call falls upon deaf ears in many cases. Theological terms are heard. You
hear the Gospel call to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, to repent and believe, to confess your sin and so on.
And yet, you do not have the will nor the power to do so. This requires nothing less than the divine power of
almighty God.
And so, secondly, there is also an internal call which not everyone who has heard the Word receives.
This call is efficacious and powerful. For by it the light of Gospel truth begins to dawn upon one’s heart.
Yes, through the Spirit, for the first time you really begin to see what your sin is, namely, that it is rebellion
against the most High. But at the same time the Lord reveals Who the Savior is willing to be for such
sinners. Yes, at such a time of visitation the soul experiences a vital, holy panting after God, to know His
will and to experience His favor. Oh, how precious are those times of the first love, when all things are made
new. Then the will and ways of the Lord become the delight of the soul and you think that you will never sin
against such a good doing God again. And the more you receive instruction from the Word of God, and the
deeper you are led into the mysteries of faith, the more you become convinced that, in that blessed Savior
Who suffered and died upon the cross is life. Yes, Christ Jesus becomes the infinite wisdom of God through
which you too receive a living hope for your never dying soul.
Oh my dear friends there is nothing to compare to the beautiful union which the Lord grants sinners
through His Word and Spirit to the blessed Savior. How blessed when the Lord is pleased to bring the soul
experientially near to the Son of His love by which He communicates precious faith. In this way the Lord
Jesus is looked unto, leaned upon, believed in, and cleaved unto.
Yes then the affections are warmed and one tastes that the Lord is gracious. Then the cleansing
power of His blood being felt in the soul. That, my friends produces a vital union. Oh yes, I know, man does
the believing. He does the waiting and trusting in the Lord, and yet faith is all a gift of God from beginning
to end. Did Paul not say in Philippians 3:10, That I might know Him, meaning Christ, and the power of His
resurrection? Indeed He did. Why? Because Paul too could not attain to that felt union and communion
with his Savior by renewal. He too was so dependent upon the Lord and the manifestation of His grace.
Well now, have we also learned that as well, dear friends? You know, in our text words Paul said,
We preach Christ and Him crucified. That was the sum and substance of all of the Apostle’s preaching. In
Him was the wisdom and power of God revealed. Did the Lord Jesus not say, I am the vine and ye are the
branches. And when sinners as we are, are engrafted in the Vine, then we partake of His life giving power;
then we also share in the wisdom found in the Savior. Nothing can compare to a living union with Him. I
become wise in Him when His wisdom is imparted to me. Can you find anything in the stem which is not in
the branches? No, you cannot. The branches are given life giving sap through the Vine. Even as He has life
in Himself, His people are given life in and through His finished work. Even as He lives, so His people are
given life as well. And that is why the name of the Savior has become so precious unto His own. Isn’t that
true, people of God? The poet summed it up well when he penned the following words,
O Thou lovely, loving Savior,
Plunge us in that crimson ocean,
Bless us with a solemn frame,
Thy atonement made for sin;
Teach us now, henceforth, and ever,
Freed from trusting empty notion,
To adore Thy matchless name.
May we feel Thy power within.
Give us, blessed Jesus, give us,
With Thy presence Lord refresh us,
A sweet glimpse of Thy face;
Aid and keep us by Thy power;
From all carking care relieve us;
May we ever be ambitious
Fill us with Thy boundless grace.
Thee to love, crown, and adore.
Amen