Jehoshua is on the throne of David in New Jerusalem and He is the King of a New Israel
1 Corinthians 1:17-19
17 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. 18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Paul is addressing divisions that are springing up in the Corinthian assembly and is bringing the emphasis of the cross to their rememberance. Paul is minimizing the importance of baptism here but rather stating that his specific goal was to preach the gospel of the Kingdom. Likely, it was the bishops and deacons who did the bulk of the baptisms subsequent to those who were saved by Paul's preaching. Paul's preaching was not smooth or complicated with high sounding words as he simply preached the cross. Once someone gets into philosophizing the faith they have made the cross of none effect. Once someone makes the gospel smooth with fair speeches they have made the cross of Christ of none effect. Expect that you will look foolish to people when you preach the cross of the Son of God. Many mainstream Christians shy away from street preaching as they say it looks crazy and makes Christians look bad. This is exactly what preaching of the cross is supposed to look like i.e. foolishness. When you are viewed as a fool by people because you are out there preaching the death and resurrection of Christ then you know you are doing what is called of you by God. So many professing Christian's feel like they have to dress up the gospel with nice sounding words yet in doing this they have made the cross of none effect. The truth is these professing Christian's are ashamed of the simplicity of the cross of Jesus. The simplicity of the cross confounds the wise men of this world. This is because they cannot get their minds wrapped around the fact that their good works mean nothing to God and He desires a contrite and broken heart. The cross of Christ is the great equalizer, it brings mighty men down and lifts the downtrodden up. To those that are spiritually dying the simplicity of the cross is foolishness. When you preach the cross and are mocked just know that these scoffers are spiritually dead. Those who don't mock, but still see the foolishness that one is saved by the work that Jesus did on the cross are also spiritually dead. It was through the cross that Jehovah God made of none effect the wisdom of the wise. The wise and prudent men of this age can't comprehend the power of the ransom sacrifice of the Son of God. They trust in their own human wisdom and rely on the philosophies of men to explain life. For those of us who are saved the cross is the power of Jehovah God. The cross is the manifest evidence of God's love for us: 1 John 4:9-10 9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. God loved us before we loved Him. His love was made evident towards us as He sent His only begotten Son to be the mercyseat for our sins. This was so that we might have spiritual life through the holy vine of David Jesus Christ. Also, that we might have eternal life in the age to come. 1 Corinthians 1:20-21 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?21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. What the world considers foolish is the very thing that saves them that believe. The idea of the cross and it's ability to save is ludicrous to the world as they cannot believe in the simplicity of it to save souls. The world promotes the idea of earning favor in the afterlife with good works. They promote an idealogy of outweighing the bad with the good. The cross confounds the intelligent debater of this age. Jesus said that in order to enter the Kingdom one must be like a child. One must believe in the power of the cross to save in order to enter God's Kingdom. Someone with a childlike faith will take God at His word and put His trust in the ransom sacrifice of the Son of God for forgiveness of sins and favor with God. Those who are wise over complicate the simple message of the gospel and mock the idea that one can be forgiven for the bad that they have done by simply putting their faith in the blood atonement of Christ. God does what He pleases and need not explain himself to man. It is Jehovah's perogative to save people by the foolishness of preaching as He counsels with Himself and does not ask man's permission: Ephesians 1:11 "in whom also we were made a heritage, having been foreordained according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his will" Jehovah's ways differ than man's and He only gives the precious truths to those who have childlike faith not those who think they are too smart for the "foolishness" of biblical things. 1 Corinthians 1:22-23 22 Seeing that Jews ask for signs, and Greeks seek after wisdom: 23 but we preach Christ crucified, unto Jews a stumblingblock, and unto Gentiles foolishness. Religious people seek for signs and wonders, however those who are truly spiritual believe by faith. The intelligencia of this world seek out philosophical wisdom but we who believe God by faith preach the cross of Christ and Him crucified. This stumbles the religious who rely on signs and outward rituals and it is foolishness to the wise and intelligent of society. 1 Corinthians 1 24 but unto them that are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. Christ and Him crucified is the power and wisdom of God. It is the power to save the lost and it reveals the wisdom of God as the cross makes everyone eqaul showing them their need for a savior. God used the simplicity of the cross to show His power over the wise men of the world. The weakness of God made evident by the cross is stronger than the mightiest of men and their high minded philosophical ideologies. 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 26 For behold your calling, brethren, that not many wise after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: 27 but God chose the foolish things of the world, that he might put to shame them that are wise; and God chose the weak things of the world, that he might put to shame the things that are strong; 28 and the base things of the world, and the things that are despised, did God choose, yea and the things that are not, that he might bring to nought the things that are:29 that no flesh should glory before God Ever wonder why most of the admired men and women of this world reject the gospel? It's because they look at the gospel of the Son of God as foolish fables or religious babble. They are minded about things of this world that are "important" and of higher learning. They are sophisticated and look at Christianity as mere superstition. Pride is at the root of these mindsets. God chooses the foolish men and women of the world to confound the wise and mighty. These foolish men and women were called by God due to their child like faith in the simplicity of Christ. They bring to shame those who are wise and mighty through their preaching. The preaching of the cross changes lives and has been doing so for 2,000 years yet the intelligent of this world are on a never ending quest for spiritual peace but cannot obtain it. The preacher of the gospel is on the most despised figures in society yet His preaching turns the world upside down and brings to no effect the people and things that are esteemed by society. This is because the cross nullifies man's pride and his self reliance. God often chooses the foolish and not the mighty so that those who are chosen do not boast before Him but rather are humble since they know it wasn't because of their own pedigree that they were called. 1 Corinthians 1:30-31 30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who was made unto us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption: 31 that, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. Jesus Christ is the express image of Jehovah God as He is the exact representation of the Father in character. The Son of God lived out and taught the wisdom of God. He is our example of what the Father's character is. Jesus is Jehovah our righteousness (Jeremiah 23:6). He was the spotless Lamb of God showing us what God's righteousness looks like. Jesus kept the Father's commandments. Jesus sanctifies us i.e. sets us apart through His Spirit which dwells in us and gives us the ability to keep the Son of God's commandments (John 14:15). The Son of God was made redemption to us as His blood cleansed us from all sin. Jesus is the mercyseat for our sins fulfilling the day of atonement thereby reconciling us to God the Father.
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