Listen Here
Nothing But Jesus Crucified
“I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ,
and Him crucified.”
Ponder that statement a moment.
Paul is saying that when he did his work in Corinth the
whole point, the only message that he had for a year and a half was … Jesus
Christ, and Him crucified.
Why?
Because Jesus Christ crucified changes everything. His death
is redemption, salvation, life, hope, love, forgiveness, a new beginning,
everything!
So as Paul deals with these people who are full of earthly
wisdom and worldly status his message is, “Jesus died for you. Christ was
crucified to pay for your sins, and not just yours, for everyone … everyone who
believes in him receives the forgiveness he won when he was crucified.”
This message gets to the ground floor of our condition as
sinners and our need for reconciliation with God. And in the end, it doesn’t
matter how many good deeds you do, how many children you feed, how many
homeless vets you house, how many refugees you resettle, how many dollars you
donate, or how much sacrifice you make if you don’t have Jesus Christ, … and
not just any Jesus Christ, he’s the crucified Christ who died for you.
God knows us so well. He knows how so often we put the cart before the horse. How we love to
put deeds before creed – action before faith … and vice versa … when in truth
they are two sides of the same coin. Faith and Works belong together … but
works tend to look a lot more impressive, wisdom looks more notable, and status
seems so wonderful.
None of it is worth anything without the crucified Christ.
Later in this letter Paul will speak of the person who lacks love as a
resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. Well, Jesus is love. And without Jesus …
in God’s economy, it all ends up being worthless. And on the flip side, with
Jesus, even our smallest deeds done in faith is an expression of our hope that
is rooted in his love and praiseworthy in God’s sight.
It’s not that we have nothing to offer the world. We have “a secret and hidden wisdom of
God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None
of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they
would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written, “What
no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God
has prepared for those who love him”— these things God has
revealed to us through the Spirit.” It is a wisdom that honors the weak over the
strong, and God’s foolishness over the wisdom of this world. It is a wisdom
that knows we are created, limited by our sinful condition, and, therefore,
throws itself in full reliance upon God. It is a wisdom that is scoffed at in
the world, and that submits to his Word and Will. It is a wisdom that we see
shining from the cross as the holy one dies for the sinner, and the Living One
gives his life for those dead in trespasses and sins. It is a wisdom that sees
that this act of salvation has consequences for this life for those who believe
it.
The cross in our life, our hope, and our salvation. It also
stands as a great turning point for us. It is what causes us to turn from
ourselves, our power, our wants, and our self-interest to God’s interest … and
he invests his interest in people and their well-being; both spiritual and
physical.
You have wisdom from God. And wisdom deals with how we live
… not just what we know. It impacts our relationship with our neighbor. It
impacts our submission to God’s Word, the mind of Christ, because, well, we are
connected on one another in his mind. It moves us past rote worship to a life
of compassion as Isaiah described in our O.T. reading. Worship is not just
singing songs and giving our offerings. Worship is the application of God’s
wisdom in our day to day lives as we live opposing wickedness, setting sinners
free, and caring for the needs of others. That flows from the mercy we received
from Christ crucified – and never forgets Christ crucified.
You are the salt of
the earth. You have God’s wisdom to flavor and preserve the lives of
others. The same way every sacrifice of the Old Testament was seasoned with
salt, your faith seasons your every deed making it pleasing to the Lord and
bringing wholesome life to others.
You are the light of the world. You have God’s wisdom to
open the eyes of others: to help them see sin, right and wrong, ethics,
morality, and all those things, yes, but more importantly to shine light on
their savior, to show them God as He really is. His Spirit is in you so you can
proclaim the mind of Christ – the message of the cross – redemption and
salvation.
And to some it will seem like folly. This is part of our
cross to bear. But others will experience the gospel as the power of God for
salvation.
I look at the history
of the church – not just our congregation, but the Church which we are but
a small portion of – and in that history the church has often been distracted
from its purpose always to its harm. But always God gave people to proclaim the
cross and to help the church get back on track. 500 years ago Martin Luther was
one of those people. The time and place we live in has its challenges, too. We
have become in some ways like the Corinthians – worldly wise, proud of our
status, comfortable, divided, etc. And like the Corinthians we are still the
Church – and we still have the gospel, thanks be to God. But perhaps it is time
for us to think more deeply about what it means to know nothing except Jesus
Christ and him crucified in our lives, and in our culture. What does it mean
for us to live by grace through faith if not to keep Christ crucified at the center
of all that we do and living by the power of his salvation at work in us and in
our relationship with one another, and our witness to the world. Amen.
Comments