\n\t\t\t\t\t\tDownload Audio\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\tText: Isaiah 55:6-11<\/p>\n
<\/p>\nI. Have you noticed the Bible contains one message, but that message causes conflicting\nresponses\n A. One group sees the gospel as foolishness, while the other sees it as the power of\nGod – I Corinthians 1:18; Romans 1:16\n
B. The difference is not in the message delivered but in the people listening to it<\/p>\n 1. A division is created between the perishing and the saved – I Corinthians\n2:14-15\n
II. God chose this method to confound the wise – Isaiah 29:14<\/p>\n
A. On the surface, it appears that God’s method of delivery is weak<\/p>\n
1. Why depend on humans who error to teach the message?<\/p>\n 2. It depends on men convincing other men about the importance of Christ\nbeing crucified for the sins of men\n
B. God doesn’t do things the way people would do them – I Corinthians 1:19<\/p>\n
C. Paul asked a series of questions – I Corinthians 1:20<\/p>\n
1. The questions harken back to Isaiah 33:10-20<\/p>\n a. God challenges the Assyrians, who had planned out their assault on\nJerusalem\n b. Despite the plans, Sennacherib was sent fleeing in terror when God\nwiped out a great portion of his army in one night.\n
2. Paul is hinting that God is doing it again with the Gospel<\/p>\n
3. People think they are so clever<\/p>\n
a. Yet, time and again, God manages to make them look foolish<\/p>\n
b. The wise men (the scribes), who have a deep knowledge of the law<\/p>\n
c. The philosophers (the debaters)<\/p>\n
d. They are all made to look foolish.<\/p>\n 4. Each sets himself up to bring down God’s truth in some fashion, and they\nalways fail – II Corinthians 10:3-6\n D. Because men, through their concept of wisdom, did not arrive at a knowledge of\nGod.\n
1. God’s own creation did not know their Creator – John 1:10<\/p>\n 2. They knew God, but did not honor Him, and instead, sought to replace\nHim with images fashioned after the creation – Romans 1:20-23\n E. Therefore, God was pleased to select a method that appears foolish to men, to\nsave men through belief – I Corinthians 1:21; Luke 10:21\n
III. God chooses ways that are unexpected – I Corinthians 1:22<\/p>\n
A. Jews tend to want miraculous signs – Matthew 12:38; 16:1<\/p>\n 1. However, even though signs were given, they rejected them because they\ndid not want to believe – Luke 12:54-56\n
B. The Greeks demanded deep philosophy – Acts 17:21<\/p>\n 1. While deep discourses exist in the Gospel, they are rejected because they\ndo not match what they want to believe – Acts 17:32\n
C. God gives a message of a crucified Savior – I Corinthians 1:23<\/p>\n 1. The Jews stumble over this because they refuse to accept Jesus as their\nSavior – Isaiah 8:14-15\n 2. The Greeks stumble over this because this isn’t how they imagine the\nworld could be saved\n D. But to those being saved, Jews and Greeks alike, the Gospel is seen as the power\nof God – I Corinthians 1:24\n
IV. One message brings a division between the worldly and the spiritual.<\/p>\n
A. The division demonstrates God’s wisdom – I Corinthians 1:25<\/p>\n
B. What the Jews and Greeks were seeking is found in the Gospel by believers<\/p>\n C. What appears to be weak to men demonstrates God’s power to save – II\nCorinthians 13:4\n
V. Wisdom seen in the results<\/p>\n A. When we look at who responds to the Gospel, we don’t often see great\nintellectual, wealthy, or powerful people – I Corinthians 1:26\n
B. God chose the poor to have rich faith – James 2:5<\/p>\n
C. God’s power to save doesn’t depend on men’s intellect, wealth or power<\/p>\n
1. It isn’t that God can’t save such people<\/p>\n
2. Rather, few people in these categories want to be saved.<\/p>\n 3. God purposely selected a method to save people that doesn’t require or\nappeal to such people – Psalms 8:2\n
4. It emphasizes that men cannot save themselves<\/p>\n
VI. God doesn’t operate the way men do – I Corinthians 11:27-28<\/p>\n A. God uses the apparently foolish, weak, and despised things to overthrow the\ncreations of men\n
1. Seen in how people were upset by Christians – Acts 17:6<\/p>\n
B. God creates things that never existed before<\/p>\n
1. Seen in God giving Abraham a son in his old age – Romans 4:17<\/p>\n
C. He takes taking men off guard, even though He announces His intentions<\/p>\n
1. Seen in the saving of the Gentiles – Romans 9:25<\/p>\n
VII. In the end, men cannot take credit for their salvation – Romans 3:27; Ephesians 2:8-10<\/p>\n
A. The glory belongs solely to God – I Corinthians 1:29<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: Isaiah 55:6-11 I. Have you noticed the Bible contains one message, but that message causes conflicting responses A. One group sees the gospel as foolishness, while the other sees it as the power of God – I Corinthians 1:18; Romans 1:16 B. The difference is not in the message delivered…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[119,32],"tags":[1868,47],"class_list":["post-91722","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-audio","category-sermon","tag-paradoxes","tag-salvation"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":44967,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/seven-paradoxes-of-the-cross\/","url_meta":{"origin":91722,"position":0},"title":"Seven Paradoxes of the Cross","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 27, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jonathan Perz Spreading the Gospel","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":91311,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-paradoxes-of-god\/","url_meta":{"origin":91722,"position":1},"title":"The Paradoxes of God","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 16, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Floyd Chappalear via\u00a0Sentry Magazine, Vol. 18 No. 1, 31 March 1992 A paradox is that which seems contradictory in fact or experience; hence, unbelievable. There are some profound paradoxes associated with God. For instance, God is sovereign, yet man has free will. Jesus was human, while remaining Deity. Man\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":44905,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/2015-spring-meeting\/","url_meta":{"origin":91722,"position":2},"title":"Spreading the Gospel","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 22, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jonathan Perz Are You Open Minded? Traditions House to House He Preached Jesus to Him Judas Iscariot Imitating God Choices Seven Paradoxes of the Cross","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":42812,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-paradoxes\/","url_meta":{"origin":91722,"position":3},"title":"Bible Paradoxes","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 3, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Author Unknown A paradox is a tenet contrary to received opinion; seemingly contrary to common sense but is actually true. We may be last though first (Mark 10:35-45) We lose by saving our life (Mark 8:34-38) We live by dying (II Timothy 2:11) We see unseen things (II Corinthians 4:18)\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":28994,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/biblical-paradoxes-in-the-world-but-not-of-the-world\/","url_meta":{"origin":91722,"position":4},"title":"Biblical Paradoxes: In the World, But Not of the World","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 19, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: John 17:6-16 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A paradox is a true statement that either is contrary to conventional wisdom or is seemingly absurd \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Paradoxes can be a useful tool in teaching because it requires you to think more carefully about what is being said. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Most people, when they\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":61603,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-god-seen-in-nothing\/","url_meta":{"origin":91722,"position":5},"title":"The God Seen in Nothing","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 28, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"by Matthew W. Bassford I love that God thinks so differently than we do. Because His ways are not our ways, He consistently reveals Himself to us using means that we never would have chosen. We prefer straight lines and straightforward propositions, but God works in subtlety and paradox. 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