“This Wisdom Which Surpasses All Understanding“

            1 Corinthians 1:18&25 ¹⁸For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

²⁵For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

            Who is stronger than our Creator, and who is wiser than our Creator?  Yet we think in the way we live our lives we are both stronger and wiser than God by trying to create a designer god that is of our desires.  You don’t believe me?  Which of you feel you don’t need to be in the word of God, or that you are in the word of God at least one hour a week on Sunday morning?  Which of you listen to God and always do as He says, or feel it is not necessary to listen to God because you got it?  Of course if you are not constantly in His word it would be hard to listen to Him.  Which of you when things get tough feel you do not need God to help you get through those tough times or this is the only time you want God around.  Which of you think you can choose to go to heaven and that is the way it will be regardless of God’s choice?  And, which of you think God is not big enough to forgive you by His choice and through His Son.  Which of you think you can hide from God’s sight?  Which of you would willingly go to the cross with the weight of everyone’s sin past, present, and future and die a painful death?

            In man’s wisdom we are happy to crucify the one sent to be our Messiah, in our strength we nailed our savior to a large wooden cross so He would die.  Maybe we are wiser, and stronger than God?  Or are we?  In man’s wisdom we fend for ourselves, to us we, our self, are numero-uno, number one and we serve ourselves first, and sometimes only ourselves.  In the wisdom of Christ He put Himself lower than the angels and came not to be served but to serve, and to serve us.  In man’s wisdom it is about me, me, me, me, in Christ wisdom it is about all of God’s children.

            In man’s strength we fight each other, we tear each other down, we crucify at the blink of an eye, and we blame because we feel somebody has to take the blame and somebody has to be punished not forgiven.  In Christ’s strength He died so that our life could bear fruit and so we are forgiven.

            John 12:24–26 ²⁴Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. ²⁵Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. ²⁶If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

            In the wisdom of man we cling to this life, serve only that which is important to this life, and ignore God’s word daily then we turn around and give glory to ourselves and not to God who does more for us than we count.  But Jesus saw that He was to serve His Father and His Father saw to glorify Jesus through His death. 

            When we serve Jesus, our Father in heaven will honor us, otherwise if we do not serve Jesus we won’t receive honor and just might only receive forgiveness.  Are you sure you can live with that?  We all look for the easy, the means to do the least, and then worry if we had done just enough to get by so we can receive God’s mercy and grace.  You are forgiven, are you honored?  Something to ponder in your prayers, do you have a servant’s heart?  Jesus had a servant’s heart.  Aren’t we all supposed to be like Jesus or is it just the pastor who is to be like Jesus?

            John 12:27–33 ²⁷“Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. ²⁸Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” ²⁹The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” ³⁰Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not mine. ³¹Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. ³²And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” ³³He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die.

            Our Father in heaven glorified His only begotten Son in a way that we would not consider a means to glorify our own children.  Though we too would not like to die in this way, when we realize why Jesus did it, we find comfort and joy that Christ died so that we may live. 

            Our Father in heaven glorified His Son by letting Him be crucified on a cross meant for the worse criminals.  However, this Father we speak of did not let His Son die on this sinner’s cross in vain.  And though many times we try to take the glory away from our Lord, our Lord and Savior had the strength to follow through and die for all of our sin. 

            What wisdom does it take to save the offspring of one’s creation?  What strength does it take to endure the pain given by the very ones you are trying to save?  This wisdom which surpasses all understanding can only come from our Christ who found wisdom and strength through His love for His Father and our Father, and the love of a God who loves and saves His children.  Amen.