I’m work­ing on my next ser­mon. For the night ser­vices at Wil­lows on the 28th of June. Here’s the pas­sage I’m preach­ing on — it’s in the con­text of a series on evan­ge­lism in the morn­ings… an imag­i­nary Freddo Frog to the per­son who first guesses what direc­tion I’m going in with this passage…

1 Corinthi­ans 1
“17For Christ did not send me to bap­tize, but to preach the gospel—not with words of human wis­dom, lest the cross of Christ be emp­tied of its power.

Christ the Wis­dom and Power of God
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. 19 For it is writ­ten:
“I will destroy the wis­dom of the wise;
the intel­li­gence of the intel­li­gent I will frustrate.“[c]
20 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? 21 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. 22 Jews demand mirac­u­lous signs and Greeks look for wis­dom, 23 but we preach Christ cru­ci­fied: a stum­bling block to Jews and fool­ish­ness to Gen­tiles, 24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wis­dom of God. 25 For the fool­ish­ness of God is wiser than man’s wis­dom, and the weak­ness of God is stronger than man’s strength.
26 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. 27 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. 28 He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nul­lify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 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. 31 There­fore, as it is writ­ten: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.“[d]

1 Corinthi­ans 2
1 When I came to you, broth­ers, I did not come with elo­quence or supe­rior wis­dom as I pro­claimed to you the tes­ti­mony about God.[e] 2 For I resolved to know noth­ing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him cru­ci­fied. 3 I came to you in weak­ness and fear, and with much trem­bling. 4 My mes­sage and my preach­ing were not with wise and per­sua­sive words, but with a demon­stra­tion of the Spirit’s power, 5 so that your faith might not rest on men’s wis­dom, but on God’s power.”

Author: Nathan Campbell

Nathan runs St Eutychus. He is currently a student at the Queensland Theological College. In a previous professional life he worked in public relations for an economic development and tourism marketing organisation. He is married to Robyn. He likes coffee and the internet.

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