796 - Les Feldick Bible Study - Lesson 1 Part 4 Book 67 - But God! (Where Sin Abounded) - Part 4

https://lesfeldickbiblestudy.com Through the Bible with Les Feldick LESSON 1 * PART 4 * BOOK 67 BUT GOD! (Where Sin Abounded) – Part 4 Rom. 5:20, Rom. 6:22, I Cor. 1:23, I Cor. 1:27 Okay, we’re still on the “But Now’s, But God, But – whatever.” In our last program, we just got started with the next one that we want to look at. It’s in I Corinthians chapter 1 and I’m heading down to verse 23 where Paul said, “But we preach Christ crucified.” You know, this is the thing that I cannot comprehend, and I still run into it all the time. Why do people detest Paul and his epistles? And if they don’t detest him, they at least ignore him. Why? In fact, we were just talking about it at break time. Why is Christendom so adamantly against Paul’s gospel of salvation? Paul isn’t elevating himself. He’s lifting up the crucified and resurrected Christ. I just can’t comprehend it. But it’s evident almost everywhere we go. All right, back to I Corinthians chapter 1 and we might as well retrace our steps in the closing minute of our last program. Let’s go down to verse 17 where, contrary to John the Baptist who was sent to baptize the Jews with “the baptism of repentance,” Paul goes on the other side of the coin and says: I Corinthians 1:17a “For Christ (Not some man, not some organization, but Christ Himself) sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel:…” Now, isn’t that simple? To preach the gospel of salvation, and that’s all it takes. Because when the gospel of salvation that Paul preached takes a hold of people, it transforms lives. All right, so he was sent to-- I Corinthians 1:17b “…preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words,…” Not as a showoff order, not as a pulpit pounding preacher. I think Paul simply laid out the truth in language that anyone could understand. In fact, on our Aegean cruise, Bill, didn’t you appreciate when the fellow dramatized Paul? I was really impressed with the young man. He was dressed as Paul probably was dressed and believe it or not, in one of his dissertations, he quoted almost, not quite, but almost verbatim all of I and II Timothy. It was like a sermon. I mean, I just soaked it up. Well, same way here. I don’t think Paul ranted and raved at people. I don’t think he tried to show his intelligence. He didn’t try to show people how much more intellectual capacity he had. He simply got down on the ordinary man’s level and preached the gospel that “Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and rose again.” All right, now let’s read on. Verse 18, this is why he preached the gospel. I Corinthians 1:18 “For the preaching of the cross (the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ) is to them that perish (the lost world, it’s a bunch of) foolishness; but unto us who are saved it is the power of God.” And as I mentioned in my closing remarks in the last half-hour, the power that it took to save every one of us in this room; the power that it took to save all of you out there in television; it was a power exhibition. How all of the forces of sin and death and Satan were broken when He brought us into salvation. All right, now let’s read on in verse 19. I Corinthians 1:19-20 “For it is written, (Now, he goes back to the Old Testament.) 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?” Now again, Bill, I’m picking on him because I know he was along on the cruise with us. You remember at Mars Hill, Bill, there was only one big bronze plaque, and it wasn’t to any of the Athenian philosophers. It wasn’t to Archimedes. It wasn’t to Homer. It wasn’t to any of the others. Who was it to? Paul. Here’s this brass plaque commemorating that it was on this Mars Hill where the Apostle Paul confronted the intellectuals of his day. Whenever you read these verses, this is what you have to understand. All of the intellectual big-wigs of Athens came to nothing. They aren’t even remembered by the secular world for tourist’s sake on Mars Hill. But here’s this bronze plaque commemorating the Apostle Paul. This is exactly what I think he’s referring to. I Corinthians 1:21a “For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God,” Now, I’ve got to think. Let’s go back to Romans, and I think it’s in chapter 1. Romans chapter 1 verses 21 and 22. Now, don’t get me wrong. I don’t ridicule educated people. That’s not the point. The only time I make it a point of ridicule, is when they think their education is superior to the Word of God. #LesFeldick #BibleStudy #Bible