Let us open our Bibles together this evening to the prophecies of Isaiah chapter 29, the verses 13 to 24. Let us listen then to the Word of our God as we have it in Isaiah 29, beginning at verse 13 to the end of that chapter. The Lord says, these people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men. Therefore, once more I will astound these people with wonder upon wonder. The wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish. Woe to those who go to great depths to hide their plans from the Lord, who do their work in darkness and think, Who sees us? Who will know? You turn things upside down as if the potter were thought to be like the clay. Shall what is formed say to him who has formed it, He did not make me? Can the pot say of the potter, He knows nothing? In a very short time will not Lebanon be turned into a fertile field, And the fertile fields seem like a forest. In that day the deaf will hear the words of the scroll and out of gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see. Once more the humble will rejoice in the Lord, the needy will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. The ruthless will vanish, the mockers will disappear, and all who have an eye for evil will be cut down. Those who with the word make a man out to be guilty, who ensnare the defender in court, and with false testimony deprive the innocent of justice. Therefore this is what the Lord who redeemed Abraham says to the house of Jacob. No longer will Jacob be ashamed. No longer will their faces grow pale. When they see among them, their children, the work of my hands, they will keep my name holy. They will acknowledge the holiness of the Holy One of Jacob. and will stand in awe of the God of Israel. Those who are wayward in spirit will gain understanding. Those who complain will accept instruction. We turn next to 1 Corinthians, the letter of Paul to the church at Corinth, chapter 1, beginning at verse 18, to chapter 2, verse 5, which is also our text for this evening's sermon. 1 Corinthians 1, beginning at verse 18 of chapter 1, ending at chapter 2, verse 5. And there the Apostle Paul writes, under the inspiration of the Spirit of the living God, 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, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate. Where 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? 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. Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom. But we preach Christ, crucified. 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. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength. Brothers, 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. 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. He 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. it 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 therefore as it is written let him who boasts, boast in the Lord but I came to you brothers I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God for I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power. Thus far the reading of God's holy word. May he bless it to our hearts and to our lives. After the proclamation of the gospel this evening, let us respond with the singing of Psalter, hymnal 439, I will sing of my Redeemer. Beloved congregation of our Lord and our Savior Jesus Christ, Ipsos Reed, George Gallup, George Varna. Have you ever come across those particular names? The first name probably is largely unknown to you because it's a Canadian name. The second name, as well as the third, are American. And all of these names have something in common in that they are the names of popular polling firms. You know the kind of people who phone you up at the most awkward hour of the day, probably when you're having supper, and then they want to know what it is that you eat and where you shop and which products you tend to buy. These are also the companies that politicians use to gauge public opinion on different issues as well as to determine levels of popularity. It's also noteworthy that the last of the three names, George Barna, represents a popular religious polling outfit. These are the people who try to find out what it is that you and I believe. And they attempt to identify human likes and dislikes, needs and wants, desires and ambitions. And once they have garnered all of the necessary information together, they turn around and they try to sell it to big business. or to various churches and denominations. It's supposed to help them market and sell their products. In the case of religion, it's supposed to inform churches and their leaders how to shape and to mold the gospel message, how to make people interested in religion, how to come across in a very effective evangelizing manner. Now, that is the modern approach, but imagine, just imagine going back 2,000 years if the Apostle Paul, before coming, say, to the city of Corinth, had hired a religious polling firm for advice, and if he followed its findings. What would the advice and the approach have been like? Well, I'm sure of one thing, and that is that it would have been radically at odds with our text of this evening. For if you look at 1 Corinthians 1, the verses 18 to chapter 2, verse 5, you can see it's kind of a long text. It's also rather detailed, and we do not have the time this evening to dwell on every aspect of it. But it's also something else. It's a most surprising and astonishing part of Holy Writ. For what does it not tell us about God? And what does it not tell us about the spread of the gospel? The gospel of His Son, Jesus Christ. And because of this, I would like to preach to you this evening on the following theme. God's way with the gospel shatters all our expectations. And we see this, first of all, in the preaching of the gospel. Secondly, in the recipients of the gospel. And finally, in the servant of the gospel. Imagine for a moment you are the Apostle Paul. That Paul came to the Greek city of Corinth and that he immediately hired a religious polling firm to find out just exactly how he should now tailor the message of the gospel to the people of that particular Greek city. What would his findings have been like? And what would have been their advice on strategy? And what kind of an approach should he have adopted? I think the answer would have been something like this. Paul, you need to recognize some very basic facts here. Most of the population of Corinth is made up of Greeks as well as Jews, two totally different types of nationalities with very different religions and cultures. When it comes, for example, to the Greeks, what you need to do is you need to approach them in a very deep philosophical manner. You come at them with the latest terminology, you use the proper distinctions, You recognize their way of thinking. You adopt and adapt to their style of debating. You also get used to their thoughts and their prejudices. And if you do all of that, you'll have a really good chance of making an impact and winning a number of them over to the gospel of Jesus Christ. In short, what you need to do is you need to modify, you need to revamp, You need to restructure the gospel to their tastes and then you can be sure of success. Now that's the way to approach the Greeks in Corinth. As for the Jews, well, they're a different bunch altogether. What they will demand and expect from you has little to do with philosophy and philosophical arguments. No, what these people want are signs, miracles, wonders. Ask your God to give you special powers and then use those powers to bowl them over. And that will really impress them. And it will win them over to your cause in no time. And before you know it, your church will be up and humming. Well, sounds about right, does it not? Now, it comes across as rather scientific, analytical, sophisticated. And surely the Apostle Paul should adopt some of these strategies. But does he? Does God tell him this is the way to go? Does the Lord order him to bring the gospel in these different ways? Hardly. Look at the verses 22 and 23. Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified. A stumbling block to Jews, foolishness to Gentiles. Quite simply you can say, the Apostle Paul comes to Corinth and elsewhere with a radically different message. And it is not a message that is based on human likes or dislikes, it is not based on human tastes and attitudes, rather, and neither is it based for that on human expectations. No, what Paul brings to Corinth is the gospel and the message of the crucified Christ. And it is, beloved, a most unpopular, scandalous, offensive, even humanly ridiculous message. Well, you can almost hear the Greeks complain even today. What is this? We are supposed to believe in and submit our lives to a Jew? We are expected to admit that we have sins that need to be paid for? We are called upon to believe that someone crucified at the wrong end of the Roman Empire is the Savior of the world? Can you imagine that? Get real. and as for the Jews, you can hear them too. Do you expect us to believe that our Messiah is someone who died on a Roman cross? Do you really expect us to embrace someone who suffers such an awful and disgusting death? Do you actually think that we are going to trade in our triumphant Messiah for your despised and rejected Messiah? Not in your life. Beloved, the distance between the expectations of these two groups and the message of the gospel could not be greater. You might say they're at opposite ends of the spectrum. And yet you'll notice the Apostle Paul says this doesn't matter. This will not deter him. And why not? Because this, he says, is the power of God and the wisdom of God. You Jews need to realize that this crucified Messiah represents the almighty power of God. And you Greeks need to realize that this Jew who died on that rubbish heap outside of Jerusalem represents the great wisdom of God. This astounding message is Paul's way of reminding Greek and Jew alike that God's ways are not their ways. And indeed, his ways are so much higher, greater, deeper, even, you might say, shocking and more offensive. Why, you can say that the gospel of God is designed to go against almost all human prejudices and expectations. The Apostle Paul says the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing. Quite simply, the perishing, the unsaved, the unbelieving will stumble all over this gospel. They will always write it off. As a matter of fact, that's what they're meant to do. The gospel cuts like a two-edged sword. It will either defend you or destroy you. It will either convert you or condemn you. But that's not all the gospel does. It also humbles. The Apostle Paul quotes from Isaiah 29 where God says, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate. In other words, if you are of the conviction that God thinks like we do, That our worldly standards always dovetail with His heavenly standards. That our human intelligence is somehow in sync always with His divine intelligence. Think again. And you'll notice rhetorically the Apostle Paul asked, where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? And then we instinctively as believers know the answer. And the answer is nowhere. and when Paul adds and asks, has God not made foolish the wisdom of the world? Again, we know that there's only one answer, and the answer is, of course, He has. You see, what the world calls foolishness, believers call salvation. For since in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom didn't know Him. God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Salvation, beloved, comes through the preaching of the cross. And it comes to all who believe that the crucified Savior is God's solution for human sin and estrangement. And, beloved, do you believe this? Do you really believe it, embrace it, and confess it? Are you also convinced that this offensive gospel is the true gospel of God? And are you committed to loving, serving, worshipping, and obeying a Savior who died even on a cross? that's the unlikely gospel that the Apostle Paul brought to Corinth that missionaries brought to your forefathers that the church of Christ and the people of God even you must still bring out into the world today do not be offended by it receive it embrace it rejoice in it freely spread it as Paul says the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength. But then, beloved, if the message of the gospel that the Apostle Paul brings to Corinth shocks and unsettles many, the audience that he addresses and expects is no less so. In this regard, too, a religious pollster would tell the Apostle Paul that he has it all wrong. When you enter a foreign city like Corinth, this is what you have to do. You have to target the rich, the nobility, the politicians, the makers and the movers and the shakers in that particular society. And once you have those people, then you have the city. And you'll have a core group for a thriving, prosperous, respected church of Jesus Christ. So again, is that what the Apostle does? Is that his strategy? Is that his approach? Well, look at our text and you can see once again the answer is a resounding no. Paul says, brothers, 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. It would appear that in the Church of Corinth, there weren't a lot of PhDs. There weren't any cabinet ministers or senators or well-connected political figures. And certainly there were no dukes, earls, princes, kings or queens or any other kind of royalty. And if you think of it, in that particular regard, not much has changed. As I look around in this church building this evening, and of course I don't know most of you as a visiting pastor, but I didn't hear about any billionaires, about any movie stars, about any famous intellectuals here this evening. In short, if you are looking for the kind of people that the world adores and worships, then you had better look elsewhere. And when this worship service is over this evening, you will not find a bunch of screaming people looking for autographs at the door, nor will you find television commentators waiting for interviews. And why is that? Does the fault lie with us? Are we to blame? No, the Apostle Paul says the answer is deeper than that. It has to do with the fact, as he says in verses 27 and 28, that God chose the foolish things of the world. God chose the weak things of the world. He chose the lowly things and the despised things and the things that are not. Why are we such a bunch of lowly people? You might say in the end it has everything to do with our God. As God decides on the message of the gospel, so God decides on the recipients of the gospel as well. And Paul tells us that God purposely opted for the foolish things, the weak things, the lowly things, the despised things. That's part of God's divine plan and purpose. But why? Why does God in the world do something so obviously at odds with good strategy and popular opinion? Well, the answer can be found in the verses just quoted, where it says that God did so to shame the wise, to shame the strong, to nullify the things that are. And if you ask why do the wise and the strong need to be shamed and why do the powers that be need to be nullified? Why is this necessary? Because fundamentally, he says, they boast. They brag. They strut around like peacocks. They become puffed up with conceit and self-importance. For you see, if the church of Jesus Christ was composed predominantly of intellectuals, important people and nobility, you and I can almost predict how it would go. Every new convert, every new church, every new victory for the gospel would be attributed to these people in the church. And they would get swelled heads and conclude that they are the reason for the progress and the advance of the gospel. In short, the church of Christ would be puffed up. And filled with inflated egos. And the focus would be on these somebodies in the congregation. Whereas the Apostle Paul says it's God's intention that the focus be elsewhere. It's God's intention that the focus be on Christ Jesus our Lord. He has become for us wisdom from God. He is our righteousness, holiness. And redemption. You see, true boasting has to be directed at God. And at the Son of God. For after all, He is our righteousness, which means that He saves us from the penalty of our sins. He is our holiness, which means that He saves us from the power of our sins. Finally, He is our redemption, which means that He saves us from the presence of sin. And what this really is, is Paul's way of reminding us that every treasure, gift and blessing that we possess as the children of God comes to us from Christ. He is the source, the fountain, the dispenser. Everything that we need in this life and in the life to come is to be found in Him. And so then why boast in men? Why be so concerned about having or not having the rich and the powerful in the church? In the final analysis, the church and its progress in the world does not depend on such people. anyway. It depends on Christ. Yes, and that, beloved, is something for us to think about and to live out, too. If you think that the success of the church depends on you, on your abilities, on your gifts, and your talents, you need to think again. The secret behind the defense, the preservation and the growth of the church is Christ. And therefore when people ask about church growth and about wanting the church to grow the answer really is quite simple and fundamental. The answer is confess Christ. Gossip Christ. Model Christ. Live Christ. Boast of Him in all that you do. That's the answer. that's always been the only biblical answer. Everything else is window dressing. But there is one more thing. One more thing in our text, and it has to do not with the message of the gospel or the recipients of the gospel, but with the servant of the gospel. We turn to our religious polling firm once again and we ask, who would make a good servant of the gospel of Jesus Christ? And do you know what they would surely say? I can predict that it would be something like this. What you need to find is an Anthony Robbins type. Some of you probably know who Anthony Robbins is. He's just about the slickest, slyest, smoothest salesman on the face of the planet. he could sell lawn chairs to the inhabitants of Greenland and the dead of winter and he could sell fur coats to people living in Trinidad and Tobago in the height of summer and so what you do if you want to market the gospel somewhere you have to find yourself one of these super sales types someone you know who looks impressive someone who is filled with confidence can talk smoothly is able to melt an iceberg. And again we ask ourselves, now that's popular advice, but is that good biblical advice? Is that smart strategy? Is that the way to go? But again, if it is, it's radically at odds with what we find in 1 Corinthians chapter 2, the verses 1 to 5. For there, Paul says, when I came to you, brothers, I didn't come with eloquence or superior wisdom. I came to you in weakness and fear and with much trembling. My message was not with wise and persuasive words. When you read this, you have to wonder. If an ad had been placed in the Corinthian Times newspaper asking for someone to apply for the job of evangelist, And if the Apostle Paul had have applied, he probably would have come in dead last. He would never have gotten the job. It seems that his speaking skills, his mannerisms, or his outward appearance were all against him. But of course you might wonder, is that really true? Or is the Apostle Paul perhaps engaging here in a lot of false modesty? We read his letters and we know he can write. We analyze his arguments and we know he can think. And of course it's true that the Apostle Paul has ability. But you know that ability always comes across as ability wrapped in weakness. His letters seem to indicate in vague ways that his looks were not much. They seem to suggest that he might well have suffered from some kind of handicap, being a speaking one or a seeing one or some other kind. In addition, his health doesn't appear to have been the greatest. And so if you put it all together, you would say that Paul doesn't consider himself to be a very good ambassador for Christ. He's convinced that the reason for any and all success lies elsewhere. He's always saying, it's not me. Don't pat me on the back. Or as he says in true biblical language, we have this treasure in earthen vessels. Referring to himself and the other preachers of the gospel. And so the Apostle Paul never points at himself. He always says, you need to look somewhere else for the answer when it comes to the success and the progress of the Gospel. You need to look to Christ. To Jesus Christ and Him crucified. And you need to look to the Spirit of Christ. My message, He says, and my preaching were with a demonstration of the Spirit's power. And you need to look to God. For your faith rests not on human wisdom. but on God's power. What that means, beloved, is that it are the crucified Christ, the active spirit and the powerful God who are doing the real work in the church. Paul sees himself simply as an instrument and a not very great instrument at that. Oh, and how the Corinthian believers and all of us can learn from this. It strikes me that when you read so many modern publications and the way it's often put, it looks as if God is always in need of us. God needs our smarts. He needs our money. He needs our sales pitch. God needs our organizational skills. He needs our decisions and our wills. But Paul scoffs at all of that. We're the clay. He's the potter. We are the sowers. He's the grower and the reaper. We're the servants. He's the master. And so, beloved, realize and realize well you don't need to alter the gospel you don't need to give it a makeover in order to make it effective you don't need to target the right kind of sociological audience in order to build a church you don't even need to hire the right man to make it succeed all you need to do that you and I need to do and that the church needs to do is to preach Christ. Crucified. Preach Him, no matter what the audience. Preach Him in spite of the shortcomings of the preacher. And you know, if we do that, God will bless it. And the church will grow. For success doesn't lie with slick marketing techniques and fancy polling firms. But as we read in the Word of God, it lies with the crucified Christ, with the Spirit, and with a demonstration of the Spirit's power. Let us look to Christ and let us broadcast the name of Christ and the work of Christ and the death of Christ as our Lord and Savior every way. Let us pray. Almighty God and gracious Heavenly Father, we come to you this evening and we need to confess that so often, even as believers, we cannot see the forest for the trees. We do not see what is sometimes at the heart and center of the gospel and that it is Christ as our Savior and Lord. Christ crucified. The Christ who died for us, was humiliated for us, who suffered. And the Christ who rose again and ascended to glory and is today seated at your right hand. Oh, Father, we thank you for such a great and beautiful Savior. We thank you that he came down from heaven to do your will, to take upon himself our humanity, to do your work in perfect obedience, to pay for all the sins and transgressions of your people. And Father, we pray that we who are the recipients of his work through faith in him may now be so encouraged and so moved that we're not afraid or ashamed to spread the gospel even of a crucified Savior. Lord, may his sacrifice mark our lives and influence and impact on the way that we live. May it truly be said of us that we are the people of Christ. That we follow Him and bring honor and praise and glory to Him every day. Father, we pray that You would grant Your blessing upon us in the remainder of this day. bless our rest and our fellowship. We pray also, Father, that your blessing may continue to rest upon this congregation here in Escondido. We pray for all the office bearers in this congregation, for the work that is done by the deacons as they collect the offerings and as they work among those who are in need, making sure that no one in this congregation will live outside of the joy of the gospel. And Father, bless the elders as they too look after the sheep. As they visit, as they instruct, encourage, even admonish. Father, help them to do their work faithfully and wisely. And Father, we also pray that you would be with Reverend Voss and Reverend Donovan and their wives and children and families as they minister to the needs in this congregation. Lord, may they receive from your fatherly hand all that they need so that truly they may do their work in humble obedience to you, relying upon your grace and your spirit every day. Give, Father, that your word may be faithfully proclaimed Sunday after Sunday. And give, Father, that your people may be instructed and encouraged in the faith, the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. Father, we are thankful that we may be your children. We're thankful that we have your word and that we have the spirit living in our hearts. That your promises support and surround our lives. We're thankful for the treasure of the gospel, for the faith in all of its dimensions and richness. And we pray, Father, that every day we may count our blessings and be mindful of your gifts. Father, would you bless your people, bless your people here, bless them throughout this country, bless them throughout this world, that in many places, in many tongues, your name may be praised, honored, and glorified. Father, we thank you for the great work of our Savior, Jesus Christ, who died so that each and every one of us might live. Amen.