I'm not help by my own strength. I feel my life on Jesus. You are. You are there. Heat. Yeah. Heat. Good morning, Madison family. Good morning. This is the sound of family. This is the sound of being uh glad to be gathered together in the house of the Lord. Welcome to you that are here gathered in this space physically as well as to so many of our family members that are streaming in. Good morning. The Lord greets you as well.

We trust that the spirit of the Lord will make himself evident that he is with you. I want to also invite you to greet one another in the chat online. Welcome to the house of the Lord. I'd love to invite you to stand as some of our brothers and sisters are still making their way in and finding their seats. [music] I want to invite you to open your hands recognizing that you are in this [music] posture not grasping onto anything, not holding on to anything, but releasing what [music] you come with, releasing what has been heavy, but also hands postured to receive what God [music] has for you today.

The Lord greets you with grace, [music] peace, everything that he is. [music] Read these words over us in Psalm 34. You'll see have us uh my Bible here, but my Pentecostal roots are here. I'm sorry, New King James. I've got to say it the way that I grew up hearing it. I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the Lord. The humble shall hear of it and be glad.

Oh, magnify the Lord with me. And let us exalt his name together. [music] I sought the Lord and guess what? He heard me and he delivered me from all my fears. They looked to him and were radiant and their faces were not ashamed. [music] God, [music] your people who look to you, your word says [music] that their faces are radiant. I pray that we would turn our face to you. That we would turn our faces to you, Jesus. [music] That when you look on us, God, that we would be changed.

That you would hear us. That those things that we are not necessarily speaking, but we're lifting to you, Lord. That you would take the weight of it, I don't know what we come in with in this space, [music] but you do. Lord, meet us as we are. We will not be ashamed. [music] You will not let us fall. You hold us. You cover us. [music] You shield us. You protect us. And in this space when you [music] say, "Let my people go that they may come and worship me.

You transform us. You change us. You strengthen us. You lift us. [music] Father, I pray that you would do all of that in this space. that your body would be strengthened. [music] Give us a new song in this place. Pour out your glory on us. Change us and release us [music] to be your hands and your feet in the earth. Have your way in Jesus name. Amen. Amen. Would you greet a brother, a sister, say, "Welcome to the house of the Lord." And those streaming, if you would greet your brother and sister.

Good morning. Welcome to the house of the Lord. Heat. [music] Heat. >> [music] [music] >> Heat. Heat. [music] Heat. [music] [bell] Heat. [music] You put your [music] hands together. [music] who breaks the power of sin and darkness. [music] Whose love is mighty and so much stronger. [music] The King of glory. The King above all kings. [music] Who shakes the whole earth with [music] holy thunder. Who leaves us breathless in awe [music and singing] and wonder.

The king of glory, the king above [music] all kings. This is amazing. >> [music] >> This is a heavenly love that you would take my place [music] that you would bear my >> [music and singing] >> lay down your life that I would be set free. Oh Jesus, [music] I sing for all that you've done for me. [music] Who brings our chaos back [music] into order? Who makes the orphan a son and daughter? [music] The king of glory. The King of glory who rules the nations with truth and justice [music] shines like the sun in all of his [music] brilliance.

The king of glory, the king [music] above all kings. This [music] is amazing. This is [music] unfailing love. That [music] you would take my place. [music] That you will bear my cross. [music] You lay down your life. That I [music] would be set free. [music] Jesus, I sing [singing] for all that you've done for me. [music] Worthy is the lamb who was slain. [music] Worthy is the king who conquered the grave. Worthy is the lamb who was slain.

Worthy is the king who conquered [music] the grave. Worthy is the lamb who was slain. [music] Worthy is the king who conquered the grave. Worthy [music] is the lamb who was slain. Worthy, worthy, worthy. [music] This is amazing. [music] This is unar. [music] You lay down your life [music] and I will be set free. Oh Jesus, I sing for [music] all that you've done for me. All that you done for me. All [music] that you done for me.

Hallelujah. Come on. Would you lift your voice and thank the God who has [music] done it all for you? Amen. 1 Corinthians 15:54-7 [music] says, "When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable and the mortal with immortality, [music] then the saying that is written will come true, death has been swallowed [music] up in victory." Where, O death is your victory? Where, O death is your sting? The sting of death is sin and the [music] power of sin is the law.

But thanks be to God. Come on. He gives us the victory through our [music] Lord Jesus Christ. And we stand on that victory this morning. [music] So when we sing this next song, would you remember that and sing from that place? Let's [music] sing. [music] >> [music] >> You sing, "How great, how great the chasm [music] that lay between us. How high the mountain I could not climb. [music] In desperation, I turned to heaven [singing] and spoke your [music] name into the night.

Then through the [music and singing] darkness, your loving kindness tore [music] through the shadows [singing] of my soul. The work [music] is finished. The end is written. Jesus [singing and music] Christ. Jesus Christ my livinging hope. [music] Who could imagine so great a [music] mercy? What heart could follow such [music] boundless grace? The God of aes step [music] down from glory to wear my sin and bear [music and singing] my shame.

The cross has spoken. I am [music] forgiving. The King of Kings [music] in me his own. Beautiful [music and singing] Savior. I'm yours forever. Jesus [music] Christ my living. So Hallelujah. Praise [music] the one who set me free. Hallelujah. Yeah. [music] Lost it grip on me. You have broken every [music] chain. There's salvation in your name. Jesus Christ, my living. [music] Then came the morning [singing] that sealed the bro.

Come on, sing that out. [music] Your baby body began to breathe. Out of [music] the silence, the roaring lion [music] declare the grave has no claim on me. Sing that again. [music] Come on. in the morning. Let's seal the [music] proise [singing] of everybody we [music] dare to read. Out of the silence, [singing] the roaring might [music] be the so Jesus [music] is the victory. [music] Hallelujah. [music] Praise the one who set me free.

Hallelujah. Death has lost his grip [music] on me. You have broken every chain. There in your name, Jesus [music] Christ, my living. Hallelujah. [music] Praise the world. Set me free. [music] Hallelujah. You has me. You have broken [music] every chain in your name. Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ my living. [music] Sing that one more time. Jesus Christ my living. >> [music] [music] >> The one who set me free. [music] Hallelujah.

Sing that again. Has lost his [music] grip on me. You have broken every chain. The [music] salvation in your name. Jesus Christ my livinging home. [music] Jesus Christ my livinging home. Hallelujah. We lift [music] you up, Lord Jesus. Amen. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 says, "But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.

That is why, for Christ's sake, [music] I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." >> Amen. How [music] deep the Father's love for us. How vast beyond all measure that he should give his [music] only [singing] son [snorts] to make a wretched treure. How great the pain of searing loss. The father turns [music] his face [singing] away as [music] wounds which mar the chosen ones bring many unto [music and singing] glory.

[music] Behold the man [music] upon a cross. My sin upon his shoulders. [music] Ashamed [singing] I hear my mocking voice. Call out [singing] among the stars. It [music] was my name. >> [music] >> until he was a complex. His [music] dying breath has brought me alive. I know that it [music] is finished. >> [music] [music] >> I will never No, [music] no gifts, no power, no wisdom. [music] But I will boast in Jesus Christ.

[music] He said the resurrection. [music] Why should I gain from his reward? [music] I cannot give an answer, but [music] this [singing] I know with all my heart [music] >> [music] >> Why should I get from his [music] I cannot give but this I know [music] my >> [music] >> to pay my ransom. [music] Amen. Let's pray. Lord Jesus, thank you for paying our ransom. Thank [music] you for paying the c the cost, oh Lord, on the cross.

Father, we thank you for your love, your immeasurable [music] love, a love that bubbles over, a love that does not keep an [music] account of what is our wrongs, Lord. So, Father, as we ready ourselves for your word, Holy Spirit, would you move and may we be reminded of the love that is [music] deep and wide and beyond anything that we can imagine. So, we sit in that today. [music] We bless you. We bless you. You're awesome.

You're powerful, your precious name. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. [music] [music] And you may be seated. That deep, deep love that the father [music] pours out on us, that the father allows us to sense and to feel when we are together. [music] I want to lean into that a little bit as well in word um in deed. So love in word and [music] indeed. And recognize a couple birthdays among us. We are grateful for each and every [music] one of you for your life.

Um so just want to recognize a couple birthdays that I know of and then I'm going to put the rest of [music] you on spot in just a moment. Want to recognize one of our staff members, Dan Haidima. Today is his birthday. [music] Happy birthday, Dan. [applause and music] Also, Mary Vanderamp, happy birthday. [applause and music] Andy Rice Camp, I don't see him, but it was his birthday yesterday. And so, we could get in trouble doing this, right?

Cuz people could leave and say, "Oh, [music] my birthday was." So, I just want to take a moment and say um if your birthday was this week, would you raise your hand? OH, SEE, [applause] so I know we we are very diverse here. So, we have introverts, we have [music] extroverts. If our brothers and sisters that are surrounding those whose birthday it was this week, would you just lean over and give them some love [music] and say happy birthday?

So, happy birthday, brothers and sisters. We love you. Now, we're going to have to step our game up a little bit because when I go to Liberia, they have a birthday song and everybody comes around and dances around them. I don't know if we're there yet, but we might have to switch some things up. Maybe we [music] do that once a month. Well, uh let's go ahead and move into our kids dismissal. It is time for our children to be poured into um for children's church.

So kids, if you'll stand up and [music] follow Pastor Christie out, would you stretch a hand to our children and say, "Lord, bless your little ones." Lord, we pray that your word would just I mean spring up a well in them and that it would pour into [music] their hearts that you would bear much fruit with their lives and their formation in Jesus name. Amen. Amen. [music] We are going to go into offering in a in a moment.

So I just want to prepare our offering servers to pre prepare the baskets. Before that I do want to invite our treasurer Kate Mayhew to come and share some information about uh Square Finances. Hello everyone. Can you hear me? Yes. Um so I am Kate Mayhew. I'm the treasurer for Madison Church and I've been on uh volunteer duty since about April or May. Um and I am bringing to you an update on our budget. So about four or five months ago, we approved a budget uh that's about $1.5 million and about 52% of that cost is staffing.

But where we landed last year um was in the red unfortunately and giving was a bit under target. We held the line on expenses and expenses were also under target but we unfortunately closed the year in the red. So uh as you can see we we have both here we have our net revenue and our working capital. I like to explain net revenue as how much water is added to a bathtub throughout the year or taken away from a bathtub.

Working capital is about how much water we have in the bathtub. So, we are looking pretty thin on both working capital and net revenue. And it has kind of gone down in the past two months since our fiscal year closed. Um, unfortunately, if this continues, we'll have to bring our vision down to a size that we can afford. Um, and probably cut back on our budget for the year. So, I'd like to invite you all. We are not a church that takes W TWS at the door to make sure that you're giving as much as you should.

And we are not a church where the ministry staff knows how much you're given. Um there are only a few people, one person on staff and me who have access to the giving portal. Um all the ministry staff do not know who is giving and who is not. Um but if Square is your church home, we invite you to take this message home and pray about it, think it through, and see if you can uh give a little bit more to close our gap for this upcoming year. >> [applause] >> It's okay.

Thank you, Kate. Um well, let's lean into faithful giving and cheerful giving as the word tells us to. So, want to welcome um our offering servers to bring forth the baskets. Um you will see two offering baskets come through. The first is general offering. The [music] second since it is third Sunday is 4:15 um capital campaign. So you'll be giving to both [music] of those. Thank you for being obedient to um to giving.

Uh let us pray over this offering, this opportunity. [music] Lord, we thank you for the work that you have given this church. We thank [music] you that you are sustainer of the work and you do that through so many random ways. I [music] have seen you call this church into big bold steps of faith that people thought this is crazy and yet [music] you call us into deep steps of faith. And so Lord we we sew into that today.

We [music] give into that um faithfully and cheerfully Lord knowing that you will spring forth an harvest of generational blessing and generational work that you have called [music] this body to do. Thank you for the opportunity to give to that and to faithfully see how good you are when we [music] give in Jesus name. Amen. Amen. As we are [music] passing baskets, I would love to invite um our missionary from Buffalo, New York, Diane [music] Takens to the platform to share about our ministry.

Welcome Diane. >> Thank you. Thank you. So, um, this morning when I was having my cup of tea, I'm not going to lie, I was looking at piece of the city's audit. And so, my heart is with you, Madison leadership, when you put those numbers up there. I understand. But I also want to let you know before I share the great news from Buffalo that I and my brothers Dan and Doug and my sister Debbie all were a part of Christian education because churches gave.

We would not have been in Christian schools without our local churches giving to that because my family could not afford it. Um so I wanted to note that. I also want to note missions. I'm a nearly 40year supported Madison missionary. [applause] So, I guess I just needed to point out before we give, right? Giving is real, money's real, and it makes the world go around in the ways we as Christians hope it does. So, I wanted to note that um for all of you.

So, my name is Diane Takens and um I wanted to also acknowledge that I'm a part of Madison because of my aunt Marian Takens who is watching on Madison Avenue that way on live stream because she brought me to Madison when I was in fourth grade in 1976. That's right. And I also want to acknowledge unknown to me the names of the people who came to Calvin and picked up um students like me and took me to Madison for the morning and evening services.

Those of us who didn't have transportation, Madison saved me during my Kelvin years. Not saved like believed in Jesus. I'm talking saved me. So, um, God knows who you were who volunteered and, um, brought students like me, um, hurting students like me to this church, old sanctuary, right? So, um, with that in mind, I want to, um, see if we have any math majors out there. So, 1992, I founded Peace of the City in Buffalo, New York.

I'm going to be 60 in three weeks. Woo. Right here. What year of programming has Peace of the City started this September? Oh, okay. I'm going to give it to you. Easy. 35 years. So, this is the 35th year of Peace of the City um running programs in the hardest and poorest neighborhoods in Buffalo, New York. And um the best way to try to capture years of goodness to me is what is the example? What is our example is Christ telling stories.

So I'm going to tell you a story to let you know what's going on in Buffalo, New York. So you may ask, and people have asked, and I haven't always known what to do about it. Why am I still there? Why have I not passed on the reigns? why um have we not brought in somebody else? And I asked myself that and that was in process until COVID hit. And then as many of you who work or um are really familiar with nonprofit work, it was like starting all over again.

And um it was not a time to abandon ship even though it would have been easier in some ways. Um, so I'm still there only if those around me can confirm in brutal honesty if I'm still relevant. Am I still relevant? And what that means is God is still speaking. Amen. >> Amen. Well, then that means we're hearing God through an evolving, changing world. And that to me is a good thing. That is a good thing. messages are being put out there and received in ways we never thought imaginable.

This bracelet right here, my daughter Summer and I, we went and paid respects to the um murder place of George Floyd and there was an artist there. And so the impact that that murder had on people across the country could never have been shared. God is still speaking through the internet. People were coming up to me saying, "I now know there is something terribly, terribly wrong. Can you help me understand how that can happen?" So, I try to find my place in that Madison.

Um, I see every Madison check that comes to peace of the city. I know this is not a wealthy church. I know the money that makes up that check is from hardworking folk, right? I take it seriously. So, one of the ways I see if I'm still relevant is can I still teach these kids? And so, last year I said it's time to see if I can. So, the high schoolers and um I'm going to tell you a story about one of the high schoolers who was a part of our Shakespeare, The Tempest. any of you were here when we brought our Romeo and Juliet to the stage here.

[laughter] That's great. Thank you. Um and um I just thought the only gift I can truly give these young people is um the gift from this young boy, his name is Chris Conklin 30 years ago when somebody asked him what is homework club, that's what it was called then, about and he said, you know, it's about that man named Jesus. So, I keep Chris's words. He's 45 and lives and works in Rochester. We actually stay in touch.

Um, I keep those words in my in my head. So, I go, "All right, best way to do that is the biatitudes sermon on the mount." So, I was doing the biatitudes each week each week. And um, knowing I've got about a six minute attention span, right? And I just say, I just want to keep introducing you to the reason why there is a piece of the city. And that usually gets their attention right there. Right. And I was nervous about this one.

Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted because I had three kids whose parents whose father had been murdered in the two years previous. So how you going to do this one, Diane? No, think about it. I refuse to be. Isn't Isn't that great? There's a verse for you. No, these kids are suffering and they will continue to suffer. So, I tell the story and what I thought might happen did of the three. It was dinari right here who looked at me and I could feel it coming.

He says to me, "What?" So, miss, I'm blessed because my dad is dead. And the two other kids who had murdered parents were looking at me, too. And I'm sure all of you at least once in life have had that moment when the air is so thick with the spirit of God. Which way do I go? So, I went the way that I knew from my own personal experience. And I said, I'd like to add a phrase to that. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted by the very God of the creation himself.

And dinari dinari wasn't having it. Not quite enough really. He goes, "My mom now works two jobs because he's not around." And I said, "I welcome your questions. I welcome your challenge. I welcome you testing. Never stop. Don't slip into Okay, I guess that's a good answer. And then I said, let's talk about what has changed in your life since your dad was murdered. What's the biggest change? And then he knew that I knew that he knew.

And he said, "Peace of the city." His mother grew up in peace of the city and after his father was murdered um she reached out to me and said I don't know what it's going to take but I've got to get dinari in peace of the city and then dinari saw it the presence of God and I said once you see it you cannot unsee it keep looking dinari keep looking but right now. You're right. This is the presence of God in your life.

Thank you, Madison. I'll be in the back if you want to talk more. Thank you. [applause] [music] If everyone could please stand with us. We're going to just continue our time worship. >> [music] [music] >> We fall down. We lay our crowns [music] at the feet of Jesus. [singing] The greatness [music] of your mercy [singing] and love at the feet [music] of Jesus. And we cry holy, holy, [music] holy. And we cry holy, holy, [music and singing] holy.

And we cry holy, holy, [music] holy [singing] is the lamb. Come on, [music] if you know this song, would you sing this out? We say we fall down. [music] We fall down. [singing] We [music] lay our crowns at the feet [singing] of Jesus. The greatness [music] of mercy and love at the feet [music] of Jesus. And we cry holy, holy, holy. And we cry. Come on, we sing holy. We cry holy. And we cry holy, [music] holy, holy is the lamb.

[music] Yes, we cry. We cry oh and we cry holy, holy, [singing] holy. And we cry holy, holy, holy. [music] And we cry holy, holy, [music] holy is the name. You are [music] awesome in this place. Mighty God, you are [music] awesome in this place of a father. You are worthy of [music and singing] all praise. To you our lives we raise. You are awesome in this place. Mighty [music] God, you are awesome in [music] this place.

Mighty God, you are awesome in this [music] place. Father, [music] you are worthy of all praise. To you alive, we raise. You are awesome in this place, mighty [music] God. And we cry holy. [music] Come on, every voice. That's right. Cry, [music] holy, [singing] holy, holy. Come on, would you lift your hands? We cry [music] holy, holy, holy are you, Lord is. [music] We cry holy. Come on, we say that one more time. We cry and we cry, "Holy, [music] holy, holy." We surrender.

We cry holy, [music] holy, [singing] holy. We cry holy, holy, holy [music and singing] is our name. We [music] cry holy when we have nothing left to say. Yes. We cry holy, holy, holy. We have nothing left. >> [music] >> We cry holy, holy, where everything's wrong. We cry holy, [music] holy, holy [singing] is heaven. Holy, holy. [music] >> [music] >> We give thanks. We're just going to take [music] a minute. Would you just give thanks for what the Lord has done for you today as [music] he's brought you through these doors?

And if you have nothing else to say, we're going to cry holy one more time. Come on, we're [music] going to sing we cry. We cry holy, holy, [singing] [music] holy. And we cry holy, holo. Come on, every voice we sing. Yes, [music] we cry holy, [singing] holy, holy [music] is the lamb. Hallelujah. Would you lift up a shout of praise? Hallelujah. We sing holy, holy, holy are you Lord. [music] [music] on reaching up on reaching up Sunday.

I talked about how worship recalibrates us. Do you feel the recalibration that is [music] happening here this morning? The the recalibration away from self and toward a holy God. A recalibration that says I will not boast in anything that I have, but I will boast [music] in the life and death and resurrection of my Lord and Savior. We are being reformed even [music] as we worship this morning. So, thank you worship team for the ways that you have been God's tools this morning in that sort of reccalibration that we've needed this morning.

And our text today is sort of a an extension of that recalibration. I believe, as you know, last week we began a new sermon series in the book of First Corinthians, life in the body of Christ. And I basically spent the first week only preaching verse two to the church of God in Corenth. And uh at that rate, we'll still be in this book when I retire. So we are going to have to speed it up just a little bit through First Corinthians.

Um and I'll be pulling in uh some of what I'm not reading today, but we're going to kind of jump to verse 18 in this book. And so continuing on, I'm going to ask that you would rise in body or in spirit. I know we've just been standing, but we're going to rise in in body or in spirit for the reading of God's word. 1 Corinthians chapter 1. We're going to jump right into it here at verse 18. Verse 18. 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 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? For since in the wisdom of God, the world through its wis wisdom did not know him, God was pleased, through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.

Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom. But we preach Christ crucified. 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 human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. Brothers and sisters, 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. 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. 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 the one who boasts boast in the Lord. This is the word of the Lord. >> Let's pray. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, open our eyes to see what is in your word today. Open our ears to hear what you have to say to us. soften our hearts that we might receive this message and ready our hands to serve you in every way. Would this word today be a continuing extension of the recalibration we have been experiencing in our time of sung worship?

We pray that you would truly show us who you are and who we are through your word. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. So here we are again today back in Corinth, one of the great cities of the ancient world, a crossroads of trade and philosophy and diversity. This city was full of ambition and money and ideas. Corinth was an impressive city full of impressive people. If you got rich or got smart or got connected, you climbed that social ladder here.

The higher you went, the better. And it is here in in the midst of that context that this fledgling church sits. Paul had been there a few years back. You can read about that in the book of Acts. He spent a year and a half among them reasoning with with both Jews and Greeks, sharing with them the word of God, preaching the message of Jesus to them. And he was one of those preachers who only has one sermon, Christ and him crucified.

But not surprisingly, the values of that message, the value structure of the cross, Christ crucified, clashed with the values that were embraced in the city of Corenth. And so the church that's sitting there is having some troubles with those clashing values. other teachers had come through the place after Paul [snorts] and the competition and the comparison game that that Corinth was used to playing well that started to leak into the church as well.

The followings of some of those teachers began to grow. Some of them were incredibly smart like the philosophers of the day and and others of them were really eloquent speakers like the oral debaters that you could find in the public square where rhetoric ruled. And yet others were knew the art of argument and they could convince anyone of of anything by the way that they argued it. And so as the believers are drawn in by all of these different personalities of different teachers, they're they're drawn in by those teachers but pulled away from one another.

Actually pulled apart from one another. The church was breaking off into little factions, little groupies had had formed around certain teachers. Which leader was the most impressive would draw the most followers. I follow Paul, some said, and others Apollos and yet others Cphus. That's what comes right before our text. And when Paul hears that they are magnifying human leaders in the church, he cannot believe it. He can't believe it.

He says, "Think of what you were when you were called. you weren't wise or noble or influential by any worldly standard. And that was true because most of the people that came into the church at its beginning stages were from the edges of society. That's who the church attracted. Not people from the center of power, people from the edges of it. There weren't many in the early church there that were significant in in military circles or religious circles.

They weren't born into wealthy families or with any sort of pedigree. That's what Paul is telling them. The church that Paul had planted in Corenth was not made up of the movers and the shakers. It was not made up of the influencers. If you were looking for status or for reputation or for power, you would not go looking for it in the church. But as they continued to grow there, steeped in Greek philosophy, steeped in the intellectual rigor of Corinth, steeped in all the impressive rhetoric that was around them, surrounded by the pride of Corinth, and Corinth was a prideful place.

Boasting was practically a competitive sport. as [snorts] they were influenced by all of this ladder climbing in Corenth, those worldly patterns got imposed onto the church. Even though they had received the true message of Jesus Christ at the beginning, there were certainly some fits and starts happening in in them becoming the kind of community that a gospel like that creates. a community that is committed to non-egocentric and non-self-seeking postures in its context and in its community.

And so then where we pick up our text today at verse 18, it might sound to you like Paul had turned the corner of ideas that he had turned away from this conversation about divisions happening among them based on what teacher they followed. But he's not starting a new topic. And that's important for us to know. It seems like he's moved on from the topic of divisions, but he's actually continuing on in this ongoing thought.

He's applying the gospel to their specific problem, which is what he does throughout this whole letter, all of First Corinthians, is Paul naming a problem and then applying the gospel to that problem. Every problem that he brings up, he then applies the gospel to it. And that's what he's doing right here. The problem is that they are becoming divided from one another because they have been accepting the world's value systems, pedigree and prestige, influence and and intellectualism.

They've been throwing their allegiance behind whoever seemed to be the most impressive teacher, the most eloquent. And Paul can't believe this. He says, "Was Paul crucified for you?" He doesn't even want them saying, "I follow Paul." He's like, "I wasn't crucified for you." Were you baptized into the name of Paul? No. He wants them to be Christ exalting, not Paul exalting. Not not leader exalting. No human teacher should get that exalting.

Only Christ should get it. And so in a city that is full of boasting and full of self-promotion and pride, Paul does the opposite. He says, "It's actually not about me at all. It's not about me. It's not about Apollos. It's not about Cphus. It is about Jesus. It's about Jesus." You are chasing human wisdom, but true wisdom is found in the cross of Christ. And that is a stumbling block. He's honest about that. That is a stumbling block for people.

The Jews wanted a sign and the Greeks wanted eloquent speech and and and they desired public honor. But a public crucifixion on a cross is not really a very good sign. And it's also definitely not public honor. It's actually tipping pretty heavily in the shame direction as far as being an honor and shame culture. A public crucifixion heads in the shame direction. To those obsessed with climbing the ladder of status, they're going to be missing Jesus on the way down that ladder.

The pattern of the cross that it imposes on our life is different than the one that the world would impose on us. The pattern of the cross imposes on the life of a believer descent, not ascent. descending, not ascending. Serving class, not ruling class, self-giving rather than selfserving. It is a climbing down the ladder toward obscurity and toward humility. It is self-sacrifice. That is actually the truest wisdom Paul is telling them.

But that does not really match the vibes in Corenth. That message, no wonder it is a stumbling block to people there. It doesn't match the vibes. Corinthians were way more familiar with the top of the ladder with self-promotion, not self-sacrifice. They loved proximity to somebody to somebody's to people who were important. They craved public recognition and they embraced things that were elite and they followed anyone who had good influence or who had status among others.

And of course that is not just a first century Corinthian temptation. Let the American church in 2026 have ears to hear. Being noticed can be intoxicating. self-promotion instead of Christ promotion is a temptation to to feel a little bit of traction of growing influence or a or an increasing platform or social advancement through your accomplishments or your wealth or your position or your smarts to be thought of as a somebody instead of a nobody.

Who doesn't want that? Oh, it's just me. All right. All right. Y'all are sanctified. Who doesn't want that to be known as a somebody and not a nobody? To find yourself in close proximity to somebody's up there with the high flyers and and inside of the inner circle. It's alluring to people outside of the church, but also people inside of the church. to be seen as wise or or important in the eyes of the world, to impress people with your gift, to gain followers, to be a crowd-pleaser, to achieve just one more rung up on the ladder of social status.

Those things are tempting. All of this is as common inside of the church as it is outside of the church. But Paul is applying the gospel to this problem. He's saying, "No, no, no, no. The value system of the cross turns the value system of this world completely upside down. Right? >> We aren't supposed to be impressed by the things that the world is impressed by. Do not be conformed to the patterns of this world. Here we go again.

I feel like that's been coming into every sermon so far since I've been back. Do not be conformed to the patterns of this world. We're meant to be a contrast community. Don't fix your eyes on impressive people or impressive ideas. Paul tells them, fix your eyes on Jesus Christ and him crucified. Fix your eyes on the cross. Because if Jesus did all the work to accomplish your salvation, then who in the world can boast in themselves?

Who can boast in themselves? You love power and wisdom, Paul says. Well, the cross is God's power and it is his wisdom to those who are perishing. I know it seems like absolute foolishness, but here's the thing. God will use foolish things to shame the wise. God will use foolish things to shame the wise. God will use weak things to shame the strong. God prefers to work through nobody's rather than somebody's. >> This is a broad biblical pattern.

Of course, if you read the Bible again and again, God keeps working through what looks insignificant or what looks small or what looks foolish by ordinary human standards. God is stubbornly committed, stubbornly committed to using people and things that accomplish his purposes that that the world would easily overlook or or dismiss or see as weak. If you ever if you're sitting there and you ever feel like a nobody or you feel like a zero or you feel like you live on the bottom rung of that ladder, I I'm going to tell you, you better look out.

You better look out because you are prime material for God to use. That's his preference, not the exception. Think of Gideon. He's chosen to lead an army against the Midianites. And he's like, "I'm from the weakest tribe. And not only that, I'm the weakest in my clan. And God says, "You're my guy." And then to add foolishness to foolishness, God reduces his army down to 300 people. Why? So that they cannot boast in their own strength when they win.

And God chooses Israel not because they were the largest or the most powerful or most impressive nation. In fact, God says to them, "You were the fewest of all people, but I chose you. I set my affection on you." or David being God's next king, but he's not even in the lineup when Samuel shows up to anoint the next king. He's not considered important enough in his own family to even be brought in from the field to stand in that line.

Samuel has to ask Jesse, "Do you have any more sons?" Cuz none of these are it, right? An afterthought. Overlooked, too weak, too foolish, too small. Non maybe one of my favorite stories in the Bible. Although I I feel like I say that about a lot of different stories, but non might be one of my favorite stories because he wanted an impressive moment of healing, right? A public miracle that would match his own impressiveness, his own credentials.

But he is given an instruction by the prophet that is so ordinary it's insulting to him. Go and take a dip in the Jordan River. How foolish is that? That's foolishness. That's weak. That's nothing. And yet, that's what God uses. God chooses younger brothers against the traditional regard of the firstborn. He works through barren women overlooked in their own culture, but chosen by God to become mothers of the promise.

Sarah and Rebecca, Rachel, Hannah, Elizabeth. He he esteems the lowly over and over. Mary is chosen to carry and bear the savior of God's people. And so she sings at that news. She says, "God scatters the proud and he has sent the rich away empty, but he has looked on my humble estate." And the Messiah comes to his people not as someone that is impressive. In fact, the servant song in Isaiah 53 tells us as much. It says that he had no beauty or majesty that would attract us to him. nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

And it says this, he was held in low esteem. Not high. That's not the top rung of the ladder. He was held in low esteem. Bottom rung of the ladder. He didn't show up as a conquering general or an imperial ruler or some great philosopher. God enters human history as an infant who has to be carried and fed and washed and swaddled and and protected. The creator enters his own creation as a baby that can't even hold up its own head.

This is so foolish. This is weakness. This is this is nothingness. This fragility of God on display. the word becoming flesh. None of this would make any sense to worldly wisdom. Even where Jesus is born fits the pattern of God. Micah says it says, "But you, oh Bethlehem, though you are small, you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come one who will be ruler over Israel, a ruler for all of Israel, born into a workingclass family." That's foolishness.

See the pattern of God throughout scripture. It is small and seemingly weak and seemingly foolish. And then Jesus grows up and he says things like, "Blessed are the meek and blessed are the mourers and blessed are the merciful." This does not sound like an invitation of a great king to the top rung of the ladder for anyone who follows him. It does not sound like that at all. It doesn't sound like come on up here with me.

We're going right to the top. Y'all come with me. It sounds like an invitation to the bottom rung. It sounds like joining Jesus at the bot bottom of low esteem. You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lorded over them. Jesus said to his disciples, you know that their high officials exercise authority over them, but not so with you. Not so with you. Not so with you. Instead, whoever among you wants to be great must first be a servant. a servant to all just as the son of man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.

And that is the ultimate foolishness of this whole message of everything that Paul has been trying to preach to these fledgling churches that he had been planting. The ultimate foolishness of all that Jesus saves the world, saves us not by strength or by force or by some wisdom of a worldly kind, but actually by willingly laying down his life >> in the lowest way possible. In an honor and shame culture, he chose shame all the way down the list. crucifixion by the Romans as a criminal, naked and beaten, mocked and publicly humiliated.

Why? For love. For love. And this foolishness is the wisdom of God. This foolishness is the wisdom of God. This is the power of salvation to those who believe. We sang it today. His dying breath has brought us life. I know that it is finished. His dying breath has brought us life and we would boast about our life. The weakness of God is the strongest force in all the world. The fact that Jesus willingly laid down his life, that apparent weakness is the strongest thing about him that he willingly sacrificed himself in love.

And this is, I hate to break it to you, this is the pattern that we are then called to as believers. The pattern of the cross, the the pattern of Jesus, this self-sacrifice is now the pattern that gets imposed on our life. So anytime someone wants to tell you you should become a Christian because you know the only way is up after that most of Christianity is down down right it's descent it's going down into the waters of death with Jesus in baptism and yes then we are also joined with him in his resurrection but most of the Christian life is dying to self for the sake of others.

Jesus said, "Whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple." And if you are carrying a cross, it's pretty hard to climb a ladder at the same time. And if you are following Jesus, then you're probably not following him up, you're following him down first in humiliation before the exaltation. For though he was rich, he became poor for our sake so that we might be rich. And though he was God, he did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage, but made himself nothing, taking on the very nature of a servant.

Be likeminded, Paul says in one of his other letters. Be likeminded to that because the pattern of the cross gets imposed on us as believers. Do nothing out of vain conceit. Do nothing out of selfish ambition. Rather, in humility, value others above yourselves. Now that message to people who are perishing sounds crazy. It sounds foolish. It sounds weak. It does not sound wise whatsoever. But to those who are being saved, the message of the cross is the power unto salvation.

The power unto salvation. We sang this today. Today again, I will not boast in anything. No gifts, no power, no wisdom, but I will boast in Jesus Christ. his death and resurrection. Why? Why would we boast in that? Because by taking on the lowest rung of the latter, Paul says God exalted Jesus to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every other name. That at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and and even more under the earth. heaven and earth and under the earth.

Every knee will bow and every single tongue will confess that he is Lord. >> Every single person will recognize they had the latter flipped upside down. They were seeing things completely the wrong way around. And all will bow low before God's wisdom and God's power and God's strength. And so we might as well start now, right? We might as well start now in that posture of bowing low before God's wisdom, which looks like foolishness to the world.

Bowing low before God's strength, which often looks like weakness. Theologian and scholar Carl Bart wrote many volumes of systematic theology. He was considered one of the great intellectuals um and and wise by any standard. But near the end of his life, someone asked him. They said, ' Do you think you could summarize the essence of the millions of words that you have published? And he replied with this. He said, "Yes, Jesus loves me.

This I know for the Bible tells me so." Would our best wisdom lead us to the same conclusion? Our best wisdom lead us to that same conclusion. Jesus loves me, this I know. for the Bible tells me so. Would we be foolish enough to lay down our crowns at the feet of Jesus? As we sang today, foolish enough to lay our crowns at his feet, the one who wore a crown of thorns in our place, but is being exalted to the highest place as king of all things.

And let none of us be counted among those who are perishing, who think all of this gospel talk, cross talk, death talk sounds like foolishness. No, let us be counted among those who are being saved, who fix our eyes on the cross as the power of God unto salvation for each and every one of us. And to God alone be the glory now and forever. Amen. >> Amen. Let's pray. God, we thank you for your upside down message, for the pattern of the cross that is imposed on our lives.

Would we receive it with gladness and not see it as foolishness? For we know that your foolishness is wiser than the world's wisdom, and your weakness is stronger than the world's strength. I pray God that we would live into this pattern, that we would meet Jesus at the bottom rung of that ladder, that we would boast in him in his life and death and resurrection and not in ourselves. And when we are tempted to take on the patterns of this world, that we would not be conformed to them, that we would not be impressed by worldly wisdom, but rather be impressed with Jesus at every turn, fixing our eyes on him, fixing our eyes on the cross.

I pray that we would be wise in the wisdom that comes from you. And you tell us that if we want wisdom that comes from you, we should ask for it. And so we are asking you for godly wisdom in our lives. I pray that you would keep us from dividing up the way that the Corinthian church was dividing up, following people instead of Jesus. May we be one in spirit, one in unity, following you, Jesus, everywhere you go. And we know that following you everywhere you go mostly means on the descent before the ascent.

And so even in that humility, would we be exalted with you at the end of all things when you make all things new? So God, would you give us the strength to carry this out in our daily lives Monday through Saturday and then come back here on Sunday to be reccalibrated in worship once again to keep our eyes fixed on you and your holiness and your righteousness which you have so graciously given to us. And would we boast in Jesus alone?

We give you thanks and praise for the recalibration of today [music] and for this word that we've sat before. May it bear fruit in our lives [music] and may it challenge us and convict us and encourage us on the journey toward you. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. >> Amen. Would you rise in body or in spirit? We will have prayer servants available for you at the front after [snorts] this service. If you're new here, if you're a guest, there will be someone at the welcome desk to greet you and answer any questions you might have.

Make sure you find Diane Takens out in the lobby. She'll be ready to greet you. Especially if you're someone that remembers any of the things she was talking about, you should really go and greet Diane. And if you're a new face who didn't know that Diane was one of our missionaries, it would [music] be wonderful if you would go and greet her as well and ask her about her work in the lobby. We give thanks for all of you that have been celebrating uh birthdays this week.

I know there were a lot of them at senior lunch and there were like five milestone birthdays. We give thanks for all of you that [music] have contributed to life in the body of Christ together with us. And so receive God's blessing this morning. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. May God smile on you and give you his peace. Amen. We'll close in song. >> [music] >> Amen.

We're just going to close out crying out holy, holy, holy is the [music] lamb together as we end our service this morning. [music] We fall down. [music] We lay our ground at fear. >> [singing] >> of Jesus. [music] The greatness [singing] of mercy [music] and love at the feet [singing] of Jesus. [music] And we cry holy, holy, holy. [music] And we cry holy, holy, holy. [music and singing] And we cry holy, holy, [music] holy is the name.

[music] Holy, holy. See me fall down. [music] We fall [singing] down. We [music] lay our ground at the feet of Jesus. The [music] greatness [singing] of mercy and love at the feet [music] of Jesus. And we cry holy, holy, holy. [music] And we cry holy, holy, [music] holy. And we cry holy, holy, holy is [music] the name. We cry holy. >> [music] >> We cry holy, holy, [music] holy. We cry holy, holy, holy. [music] We cry holy, holy, [music] holy name.

Cry holy, [music] holy, we [music] cry. We cry holy. We cry. [music] We cry holy. [music] Bless you church. May you cry holy, holy, holy out in your weak. [music] May your peace be with you. [music] Heat. >> [music]