Elaine's Notes

Elaine, my wife is preaching this week. Here are some of her notes:I Corinthians 1:18-25

Read Tract!

I Cor. 1:22 – How are we foolish today?

• Jews – tradition, letter of the law, practical (is this our foolishness?), need evidence


• Greeks – Acts 17:21 They sat around speculating on philosophy, proud of their intellect and reasoning.

Can we accept a God that is so gracious?

The preaching of the Cross has great effect, though seen foolish.

Exodus 20:1-7

Are these God’s requirements for salvation? Or does 20:2 represent our reason to follow and be saved?

Word and wisdom

Moses gives the Ten Commandments—the ways of the Lord, his word and wisdom. The psalmist speaks of the power of the law of God to bring wisdom and enlightenment.

The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the decrees of the LORD are sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is clear, enlightening the eyes;

Paul declares that this wisdom is foolishness to those who would see it for what it is.

For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength.

In the gospel reading we see the Jews demanding a sign, and Jesus responds with the foolishness of the gospel.

The Jews then said to him, "What sign can you show us for doing this?" Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."

Last week we began to see the foolishness of the gospel as Jesus introduced the cross for the first time. How can victory and dominion come through death? Yet this is the gospel. It is the fulfillment of the law and the prophets. It is God’s foolishness and wiser than all the wisdom man can muster.

#37. Taking Up Your Cross Daily (Luke 9:22-26) -- JesusWalk

#37. Taking Up Your Cross Daily (Luke 9:22-26) -- JesusWalk:

"The cross in Jesus' day was an instrument of torture and execution, pure and simple. There wasn't a figurative use of 'cross' as a 'burden' or 'trial' in those ways. Death on the cross was shameful, excruciating, and often protracted.

Did you notice this is the first use of Cross in the gospel? What prompted Jesus referencing the cross? Was there a crucifiction near-by? An old field of crosses from the last rebellion?

What would be the kind of shameful death today? AIDS? Suicide?

What so grusome? Leathal injection? The death Tom Fox faced at the hands of his torturers?

Theme

Discipleship only comes by faith.

Markan Distinctives

• Mark Places Peter’s rebuke immediately after his confession (Matthew “from that time on” Luke omits Peter’s reaction.)


• In Mark, seeing the disciples is Jesus’ impetus to rebuking Peter.


• In Mark Jesus calls the multitude along with his disciples to hear about taking up the cross.


• Interestingly only Mark adds the Gospels sake to that which people ought to loose their life for, he also mentions people being ashamed of Jesus’ words. More telling of the other evangelists purposes if we assume Markan priority.


• Hooker: “What he speaks is the word – a term which is perhaps intended to hint at the fact that this message [the prediction of the passion and his invitation to follow] is (paradoxically) the gospel or the good news.


• Typical of Mark, emotions are rawer


• He doesn’t soften the rebuke by calling Peter a hindrance, he is simply Satan.


• Jesus calls the generation adulterous and sinful

Hook words

Rebuking is the verb used in verse 30 of Jesus’ strict injunction to the disciples to say nothing. They have special knowledge of who Jesus is. They incorrectly use this knowledge to rebuke Jesus from talking about the cross. Surely the Son of God will not die.
Get behind me Satan hooks us into: if any of you would follow (get behind) me, take up your cross. Does renouncing yourself sound like the rebuking of the previous verses?

This is the ironic gospel: the attribute of god known as foolishness and weakness. This bad news is the good news.

believe and follow

This week we are invited to take up our cross and follow Christ. As our example, we are given Abraham. We are not told of how he left Ur, or Aram. We do not follow him as he leaves behind families and cities to be a nomad following the voice of God. It would be an easy sermon if we had. We would have a picture of a man taking up his cross… but then that is not what was credited to him as righteousness.

He believed God’s word. We see God’s side in the Genesis story. He comes and makes covenant with Abraham and Sarah. He owns them, names them as his own. It was not his sacrifice in following God’s word that earns him the stamp of righteousness, but simply that he believed. The English origin of that word betrays what has been lost in translation. Believe is to love. It is not mental assent but the heart’s attention.

Paul concludes

Now the words, "it was reckoned to him," were written not for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be reckoned to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification.

God also calls us by name, who love him. Jesus’ invitation is to no less. We cannot claim love with out following. True love demands action.

The Season of Lent

The Season of Lent: "People used to associate Lent with giving things up for penance. Even though many Catholics do give things up that they enjoy during Lent, Lent really focuses on our baptismal promises. "