I Corinthians 1:18  For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
19  For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
20  Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
21  For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

Interesting things are taking place in the Middle East at this time. Israel has been in a tense battle for almost a year now. The latest act which is credited to them is the blowing up of hundreds of pagers and then walkie talkies owned by Arab terrorists has increased the hatred for Jews across the world. The world does not get very upset when a Jew is killed, but when a Jew hater is killed, that is a terrible thing. War is a terrible thing. War is deadly. God led the nation of Israel into many wars in Bible times. There were nations that needed to be destroyed because of their wickedness.
God also sent the Assyrians against the northern tribes of Israel to punish them for their constant rebellion against Him. He sent the Babylonians to punish Judah. God would rather see people saved and serving Him. The nation of Israel was created by God to be a testimony to the world of His goodness. Israel rejected that privileged place and wanted to be like the world. They adopted the idolatry of the nations around them. They never figured out that their problems began because they rebelled against God.
Unlike humanity, God is holy and just. He created man with free will but He also told man that there were consequences to the choices he makes. There are great blessings for those who choose wisely. There are dire consequences for those who choose to rebel.
Israel is suffering today due to its longstanding rebellion against God. God sent them many good prophets to remind them of His will and the importance of repentance toward Him and faith in His promised Messiah. There are Jews who are very religious today, but they are lost. They have distorted the truth in a similar manner to that of the Pharisees and Sadducees. They are pious, but lost. They are also very stubborn. God knows the nature of the heart. He has prophesied that Israel will face much greater trouble than they are facing now. This is all necessary to break their stubborn hearts.
The things that have happened, and are happening to Israel are there to warn us, Gentiles, of the need to know and trust the true God. Yet many Gentiles are also just as stubborn as the Jews. Many Gentiles have chosen to run after false teachers rather than follow the truth. Some will argue in support of their choice to follow false teachers. They know what the Bible says, but they want to justify their disobedience.
Things are heating up in the Middle East. Yes, we have things happen in the Western world as well, but we are ignoring the hand of God to our own peril. We need to listen to God and know Him in order to have His peace in our hearts.
In our text, the Corinthian saints were fixated on certain speakers, but they were missing out on what was important. It is not important that the preacher be the most “charismatic” type of preacher around. He certainly does not need to know how to tell jokes. He needs to know the God of the Bible and he needs a clear understanding of the Gospel. He needs a boldness that can only come from knowing the true God and walking humbly with Him.
Paul reminded the saints that the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness. They reasoned that a dead person cannot save anyone. The Jews mocked Jesus by saying:

Matthew 27:42  He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him.

They failed to accept the fact that Jesus is the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world. They failed to accept the fact that they were lost sinners in need of a Saviour. They rejected the need of a Messiah Who would need to die and shed His blood for their sins. They rejected the fact that the Messiah was going to rise again the third day after His crucifixion. They made up a lie and told Pilate and the soldiers what to say. But Jesus appeared after His resurrection many times to many people.
No, Jesus did not come down off that cross. No one could be saved if Jesus Christ had accepted the taunting of those Jews.
Many people have been saved because Jesus endured the cross. Those who mocked Him know better today. Unless they were saved later, they have had many hundreds of years to think about their foolishness as they suffer in torment in hell.
Those who are saved know that the preaching of the cross is what saved them. It is the demonstration of the power of God to lay down Jesus’ life and to take it up again. Jesus Christ provided the only means for man to be forgiven and saved. We need more than a covering for our sins. We need them removed. The blood of bulls and goats cannot do that. The blood of the Lord Jesus Christ did that.
In verse 19 we are reminded that the wisdom of the wise and the understanding of the prudent is destroyed by the preaching of the cross. We have “wise” people today who cannot help the drug addicts so they have opened “safe” injection sites. People are o.d’ing because of this foolish policy. Those who are implementing these insane policies think they are helping the addicts.
Thousands of people have enrolled in AA over the years and none of them has been saved through attending those meetings. They have rejected the true God and present a god of their own imaginations. At their meetings they are constantly reminded that they are “recovered” drunks, but they can never say, I will never touch another bottle again. They sometimes “fall off the wagon” and need the flattery of others at those meetings to get back up and try again.
When a person gets saved he/she is delivered from the powerful grasp of liquor on their bodies and minds. They are delivered from the desire for that poison. The same is true for any sin. There is power in true Biblical salvation.
In verse 20 an important question is asked. Where is the wise? Yes, there are people with degrees but they cannot fight their way out of a wet paper bag. They are clueless when it comes to matters of the soul. The scribe might copy down some words, but he dies. There are thousands of books of fiction that are not worth the paper they were written on. Thousands of people have wasted countless hours reading those books. They want to live in an imaginary world. But they die and where do they go? There are professing Christians who waste their time writing fiction. Why encourage people to live an imaginary life. When a person is saved, he can deal with reality. He has a hope and a peace that passeth all understanding.
Charles Darwin wrote a large book supporting his worthless theory of evolution. Thousands upon thousands have read that book. They believe the lies promoted in that book. Where is Charles Darwin today? He is dead. I know there are reports that he repented before he died. There are also reports that refute that story. God knows what he did before he died. His theories are worthless and his book is a good fire starter but nothing more.
What about the disputer of this world, where is he? There are people that make a living of debating others. Not that long ago the two nominees for president of the U.S. wasted time babbling at each other. One was an habitual liar who was propped up by a corrupt news agency. The other one is also a liar who has some good points but is too full of himself to know how to govern properly.
If you ever watch question period in Ottawa, you certainly would need to ask “where is the disputer of this world?” The time wasted in that chamber is astounding. It is our tax dollars that are wasted there. As I have said before, our taxes would be a fraction of what they are now if we would fire that crew and get a few decent men in there.
Paul asked an important question. God has made the wisdom of this world foolish. As noted already, the discussion on Parliament hill or in any legislative assembly is a shameful use of hard earned tax dollars.
Verse 21 tells us that the world does not know the wisdom of God, nor do they know Him. God chose preaching as the means of saving those that believe. We see here again what the duty of the preacher is. He needs to use persuasion and conviction to proclaim the message of the cross with the power of the Holy Ghost working through him. He needs to show the relevance of God’s Word to this present age. That is what Jesus did and that is what the apostles did. The people could see what was going on. Many took offence but a few were saved.
The world sees preaching as foolishness. That is why the latest thing is story telling. We had a visitor in church recently who commented on what he heard in our church compared to what he has heard in other places. He was pleasantly surprised by what he heard in our church. He is a rare person and we will see how long he comes. He is obviously being drawn to the truth by God. He does not sound like a saved person but if he gets saved he will desire the truth and be faithful. The truth is powerful. It is important. It is what the sinner needs to hear and respond to.
Those who are called to preach need to know the true God and they need to be bold and faithful to the God Who saved them. Forget about trying to be politically correct. Honour God and preach His Word faithfully. Use relevant illustrations to show that God’s Word is still the only answer to man’s needs.
We need to know the Lord and understand the supremacy of the preaching of the cross in these last days.
Pastor Bartel