We’ve been talking about resolutions now into this fourth week. We started with the definition of a resolution: to be fixed on a purpose, to decide to do or not do something. We need to be people of resolve, or more directly in our context- to be fixed on certain purposes which we know God blesses because they are found in the bible, to make the firm decision to do or not do certain things because we know that these decisions will ultimately help us in our walk with God, in our relationship with other people, in our own skin!
We've come a long way to get to this point- resolving to start with an earnest search for God with the promise that God is not in hiding, but in fact, wants to be found and active in our lives. We resolved to stay pure because this is the gift of God, the gift of purity, forgiveness, freedom that none of us can achieve on our own, and that all of us need. And on our part we strive to stay pure because we know this is the best way to live with ourselves, with others, with the world around us. Last week we looked at the resolution to speak well, to let nothing impure come from our mouths, because, as we discovered, what comes out from our lives in a reflection of what’s happening in our lives, in our hearts. This is the litmus test to know the condition of our heart- If we find hurtful words coming our mouths, well we’re probably pretty hurting people inside. If we have angry words, bitter words, jaded words; we have some anger, some bitterness, some issues happening inside. If we have hopeless words, we are hopeless people. And ultimately the resolution isn’t just to manipulate what comes out, but to invite Jesus change us within. The resolution is to quit trying to just work the outside, like the Pharisees did in Jesus’ day, and to invite Jesus to come into our lives, and change us from the inside out.
But there is one aspect of resolutions that we haven’t addressed. And interestingly, you might find, it’s the most obvious one. Missing the forest for the trees so to speak. At the heart of this word, of this whole concept of “resolution” is the search for a solution. To rediscover the solution to a problem. Going back again to some of the top ten resolutions that people make in North America- folks realize that being distant from family, smoking, drinking too much, over eating, and others things are problems. If you don’t get any exercise, that’s a problem. A resolution is simply a search for the solution to the problem. And simply put, today we are going straight to the Solution. That is, the capital “S” solution. The big solution to all the big problems. We are going straight to the answer to basically all the questions, and the dilemmas, all the issues we face in this world, in our lives.
Today I hope we can discover the resolution to know Jesus. The bible, and our experience, seems tells us that our separation from God is the source of our problems. On our own we are disconnected from God, and thus disconnected from our creator, our purpose, our reason for living. But there is a solution- we can know God through knowing Jesus.
1 Cor. 1:18-25, 2:1-5
18For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19For it is written:
"I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate."[c]
20Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. 22Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength.
1When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.[a] 2For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. 4My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, 5so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.
The man who penned this letter, Paul, is the man who wrote most of the books of the letters in the New Testament- because he planted most of the churches we read about in the NT. He came to Corinth on his second missionary journey. He Spent 18 months planting a church there- he taught, nurtured and empowered the people. Then he moved on to Ephesus and into Syria. From the very personal nature of the letter, it is obvious that Paul had regular updates on the church in Corinth. He wrote this letter to address the many questions that came, and settle some disputes and arguments that cropped up, and to prepare for a return visit. But before he got too deep into anything else, he decided to go right back to the beginning, right back to the foundation, right down to the solution for all their problems and disputes.
No, the point is, I asked them to go to the source of the problem- my car isn’t starting consistently. Fix that problem. They misdiagnosed the problem- a bad battery, and that almost ended up with my van in flames in a parking lot in Toronto. It’s worth it to take the time to get to the heart of the problem, and to find the real solution, before you do anything else. The real solution, Paul tells the people in Corinth, goes back to the very basic, very simple message I first came and preached to you. In fact, it wasn’t even so much my preaching or teaching, but something about me. I came to you and resolved to simply know Christ and him crucified- because that friends, is the solution to all the problems.
Now to the original audience this resolution to know Jesus had deep implications. To know in this context wasn’t simply knowledge of or about something or someone. I know of Steven Harper, but I don’t know him, and he doesn’t even know of me. He probably doesn’t even care to know of me as I can’t vote. But I know my friends, I know my family, I know my wife. I know intimately and personally and experientially and relationally my wife. Our knowledge of and about each other runs deep. We know and are known by one another.
And this is exactly the kind of intimacy that Paul wants to convey here. I resolved to know, to know intimately, nothing but the crucified Christ while I was with you. And now let's be perfectly honest- all this talk of knowing Jesus sounds a little crazy. Sure, we can know of Jesus, but how can we really talk about knowing him- personally, experientially, relationally? But that is exactly what the solution is- not just knowing of Jesus, but coming to actually know him through the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
You know what the only thing crazier than believing in Jesus as the Son of God and savior of the world to today is? Believing that he was the Son of God and savior or the world 2000 years ago. I mean now, today, we have a track record that stretches far and wide and deep. And yeah, we have a few blemishes, but we now have thousands of years, and millions of churches, and billions of people who call themselves Christ-followers. We have hospitals and schools and laws and civilizations. There is reason to believe, reason to consider the faith, if for no other reason the shear volume and impact of Jesus on the world as we know it.
Considering and believing in Christ today is nothing compared to confessing him as the Son of God and savior of the world 2000 years ago. Because 2000 years ago Jesus looked like nothing but another name, soon to be forgotten, in a long list of false Messiahs and crucified criminals. Paul writes that the message of the cross is a stumbling block to Jews, because the sign of the savior the people were looking for was a political revolutionary, not a religious and relational revolutionary. They wanted their Messiah to come in on a war horse, ready to take over and take control, to vanquish their enemies and set up a kingdom here on earth based on military might and power. And Jesus simply didn’t fit that bill- He shook up the religious status quo and as we talked about last week, took the focus off of an external religion and put it on an internal transformation, a relationship with God. Then he got himself hung on a cross to die.
And that’s why the message of Jesus was foolishness to the Greeks, the Greco-Roman culture. Anyone who got nailed to a cross was stigmatized. In fact, it was the ultimately sign of weakness, of powerlessness, of defeat. That Jesus was crucified was proof positive that he was a nobody, weak and powerless. In fact, so foolish was crucifixion that anything good or insightful or of value that he may have accomplished in life would have instantly been negated. It would be sort of like saying you know, aside from so-and-so embezzling millions of dollars, he was really a great investor! You just don’t say that and people don’t believe that. That was what crucifixion said about those killed- it wasn’t like folks were going to say, you know, Jesus was a good teacher, a good leader, a morally virtuous and stand-up guy, but he got himself crucified. No- he got himself crucified. That said it all. He was dead, he was worthless, useless, worse, he was a criminal, a threat to society, to the world, to decent and upstanding people like you and me.
So take this man, Jesus, after he has been crucified, a stumbling block to his own people, complete and utter foolishness to the rest of the world- and that is who Paul resolved to know and preach.
Imagine being Paul. He starts off his career persecuting Christians- having them thrown in jail or killed. He was the pioneer of making sure that Christianity, following Jesus Christ, would be a criminal offense against the state. Not just a stumbling block, not just foolish, not just a bunch of deranged and deceived disciples still holding onto their dead Messiah- it was a crime! And the very guy lobbying for this has this life-changing encounter with Jesus- after Jesus has been crucified! The bible tells the story where Paul is on his way to throw some Christians in jail and Jesus speaks to him. “Why are you persecuting me?” “Well who are you?” “Jesus.” “Jesus?” “Yes, Jesus, and you are persecuting my followers and it’s just like you are persecuting me!” Paul’s life is changed forever. The very thing he opposed, he now embraces. The person he hated, he now loves. The Jesus he thought was a crook, he now calls king. The Jesus he thought was crazy, he now believes is the Son of God. The Jesus he thought dead, he now knows as his risen and living Lord!
So Paul, who was so passionate, dare we say obsessed with destroying this fledgling young church, now becomes even more passionate about serving it, building it, sharing Christ with the world! He goes off preaching the story of Jesus, proclaiming him as the savior of the world, the Lord of all life, the true and only God. He goes to the neighboring lands of ancient world- to cities throughout Asia, Galatia, and Cappadocia. And you now what happened- he had a great time. He got himself beaten, stoned, shipwrecked and thrown in jail. He went without food and shelter. He was robbed, he was persecuted, and he was run out of towns.
But you know what else- he got churches started. It was almost this absurd-
“Hello people of (Looks at card) London, Ontario. My name is Paul, you don’t know me. I don’t know you. I don’t come from your land or your people. But I’m here to tell you about a man named Jesus that many of us believe is the Son of God and savior of the world. Now Jesus is not here with us today because he got himself killed- crucified actually. Yes, his own people rejected him and the Roman stated had him killed. But don’t worry, he rose from the dead, and went back to heaven. So now, I invite you to turn from basically everything you were taught to believe. Change your entire worldview and understanding of life. Call on Jesus as your Lord, believe in your hearts that God the Father raised him from the dead, and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit in your life!And… the people… believed! The people actually believed. And people kept believing, and kept believing and kept believing. The believed in the message of Jesus and then took to sharing the message themselves. Many times whole families, even whole villages, came to believe in Jesus. Sometimes they didn’t all believe. Sometimes people rejected family and friends who came to believe upon Jesus. But more and more people heard the message, believed the message, and experienced the power and presence of God in their lives.
Paul said I didn’t come with the eloquence, because there were better speakers than him, men trained and schooled in public speaking and argument. He didn’t come with wisdom, because there were better philosophers than him who could explain and make better sense of the world. If anything he said, he came to them in weakness and fear and trembling. And he meant it. He didn’t know if he’d be rejected, or beaten, or thrown in jail, or even killed. He came with one simple message. All he decided to do, all he resolved to do, was to know and make known the crucified Jesus Christ. And by the power of God, the power of the Holy Spirit, it was enough. Knowing Jesus is always enough. Knowing Jesus is the solution.
We are all about great hospitality- we want you to come here and feel more welcomed than you’ve ever felt anywhere in you life! We want you to know we are not just glad you’re here, we are thrilled you’re here, we have been praying for you to join us, and we want to help and serve you and be a part of your life. But great hospitality and coffee won’t build this church, and it won’t change your life.
We are all about having great singing and creative worship. The band practices, and they rock, we throw in dramas, video clips, and even our own silly little interviews and the like. We think worship is central to who we are as a church, central to who we are as people- we were made to worship something or someone. But great music and creative worship will not build this church and save your life.
We are all about solid biblical teaching. Grounded in God’s word, grounded in application to our world and our lives. But if it just about the teaching, either of the bible, or of simply self-help, you have better options friends. There are many men older and wiser than me that can teach the bible. There are many folks better at helping others than me- just watch Dr. Phil, he’s the man! No, wise words and eloquent speak will not build this church or give you a hope for your future and all eternity.
Only one thing can, only one person can. And that’s Jesus Christ. Today I simply invite you to rediscover the solution. To make the resolution to know Jesus Christ, and him crucified. Not the Jesus who is argued about in headlines even today. Not that Jesus studied in various schools of thought. Not the Jesus of the orthodox or the catholic or the protestant. Resolve to know the Jesus who can come into your life today. The Jesus who invites you into his life today. Because he really is the solution. For the lost he is the way home. For the confused he is the truth. For the dying he is life. For the hungry he is bread, for the thirsty he is the spring of living water, for those in darkness he is the light, for those in chains he is freedom, for those naked he is the clothes of righteousness, for those dirty he is cleansing waters. He is hope for the hopeless, faith for the faithless, love for the unlovable. He is the one who died on a cross so that we would have abundant life on earth, and eternal life in heaven.
What’s gonna build this church? Not coffee, not singing, not teaching. It’s Jesus working through us, changing us, making us and molding us. It’s the Holy Spirit demonstrating his power in our lives. It’s you telling the story of what God has done in your life. It’s you, knowing Jesus.
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