Studies in 1 Corinthians Series 5 1 Corinthians 1 2631 June 1 2014 Pastor Paul K Kim THE SLIPPERY SLOPE OF SECULARIZATION IN THE CHURCH Lack of Godcenteredness it leads to mancenteredness ID: 569761
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Slide1Slide2
God’s Counterintuitive Choice
Studies in 1 Corinthians
Series [5]
1 Corinthians 1
:
26-31
June 1,
2014
Pastor Paul K. KimSlide3
THE SLIPPERY SLOPE OF
SECULARIZATION
IN THE
CHURCH
Lack of
God-centeredness:
it
leads to man-centeredness
[me
-centeredness
] by default.
Lack of
Discernment:
it leads to careless
openness
to worldly wisdom and values.
Lack of
Vigilance:
it leads to a ripple effect of subtle worldly influence.
Lack of
Spiritual Hunger:
it leads to
gradual
apathy to joy in God.Slide4
IN WHAT WAYS DOES GOD’S
COUNTERINTUITIVE CHOICE SHOW GOD-CENTEREDNESS?
1)
God chose us
although not many of us were wise or powerful by worldly standards.
26
For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you
were wise according to worldly standards, not many were
powerful, not many were of noble birth. (v. 26)
“
C
alling” here
refers to God’s
effectual calling
of his elect; most
Corinthian Christians were from humble backgrounds.
Many of them were former slaves who became a Roman citizen—
they were ordinary people in worldly standards.
God’s choice is counterintuitive; it is to show God’s wisdom and power completely
apart from human merit and pride.Slide5
IN WHAT WAYS DOES GOD’S
COUNTERINTUITIVE CHOICE SHOW GOD-CENTEREDNESS?
2
)
God
chose
the
foolish and weak to shame the wise and strong in the world.
27
But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise;
God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;
28
God
chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that
are not, to bring to nothing things that are (vs. 27-
28)
God’s choice is God-centered—it often looks foolish and weak in the eyes of man-centered world and its wisdom.
God’s prefers to
choose
the foolish and weak in the world to shame the wise and strong in a supernatural way.
Why? It is to
get ride of all of the obstacles to seeing the reality of our utter need of God’s grace and God’s power.Slide6
What Do We
Christians Really Rely O
n
?
We
Christians often quote
‘not
by might nor by power, but by my
spirit,
saith
the LORD
,’
and yet in practice we seem to rely upon the mighty dollar and the power of the press and advertising. We seem to think that our influence will depend on our technique and the program we can put forward and that it would be the numbers, the largeness, the bigness that would prove effective. We seem to have forgotten that God has done most of his deeds in the church throughout its history through remnants. We seem to have forgotten the great story of Gideon, for instance, and how God insisted on reducing the 32,000 men down to 300 before he would make use of them. We have become fascinated by the idea of bigness, and we are quite convinced that if we can only stage, yes, that's the word, stage something really big before the world, we will shake it and produce a mighty religious awakening. That seems to be the modern conception of authority
.
—
Martyn
Lloyd-
JonesSlide7
IN WHAT WAYS DOES GOD’S
COUNTERINTUITIVE CHOICE SHOW GOD-CENTEREDNESS?
3
)
God
chose
the low and despised in the world so that no one might
boast in themselves but boast only in the Lord.
29
so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.
30
And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom
from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that,
as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” (vs. 29-31) Slide8
23
Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom,
let not the mighty man boast in his might,
let not the rich man boast in his riches,
24
but let him who boasts boast in this,
that he understands and knows me,
that I am the Lord who practices
steadfast love, justice, and righteousness
in the earth. For in these things
I delight, declares the Lord.
”
Jeremiah
9:23-24Slide9
IN WHAT WAYS DOES GOD’S
COUNTERINTUITIVE CHOICE SHOW GOD-CENTEREDNESS?
3
)
God
chose
the low and despised in the world so that no one might
boast in themselves but boast only in the Lord.
29
so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.
30
And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom
from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that,
as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” (vs. 29-31)
Ultimately, God’s counterintuitive choice
leads all of us stop boasting in our own wisdom and abilities.
In so doing, we see God in the right view—the
Wise One
who saves us
by giving us
worth, holiness, and usefulness for God.
Hence, our humility in God’s choice ought to lead us to a commitment to boast
of the Lord alone for his glory!Slide10
Only the prisoner shall be
free;Only the poor shall be rich;
Only the weak shall be strong;
Only the humble exalted;Only the empty
filled;
Only nothing shall be something.
Martin LutherSlide11
THREE PRACTICAL QUESTIONS
FOR OUR EVERYDAY LIFE
In what ways are you thankful for your calling—that God chose you? How does this humble you?
How does God’s counterintuitive choice help you become more God-centered in your everyday life?
What do you need to stop boasting about?
What
would it mean for you to boast only of the Lord? Slide12