The Power of God 1 Cor. 1: 18-31 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO
In three things God demonstrated more power and wisdom than all of man’s wisdom and power combined. The three things are found in 1 Cor 1:23. Paul said, “We preach Christ crucified.” Preaching involves the words of God; they’re found in the Bible. Christ is God manifest in the flesh. Christ was crucified on a cross. So, the three things in this text that demonstrate the power of God are Christ, the cross and the Bible.
The Power of Jesus Christ – He is the Creator. By him all things exist and consist. He made all of this is just six days. In Joshua’s days he showed up as the Captain of the Lord’s host and brought victory to the children of a bunch of slaves over well armed and trained soldiers. With Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego he showed up in the fiery furnace and protected them; you couldn’t have even smelled the smoke on them. During his earthly ministry he healed the sick, cleansed the lepers, made the blind to see, made the lame to walk, restored the maimed, and raised the dead. After his resurrection he arose from the dead and then ascended into heaven under his own power. He’ll return on his white horse, destroy his enemies in swift defeat and will establish such a lasting peace on earth that even the animals will get along. In the end he will throw the devil in the lake of fire, melt down all the elements in the universe in an instant and start all over again like he did the first time but only better. Now that’s some kind of power!!
The Power of the Cross – According to Rom 5:14 “death reigned.” Christ had to beat death by dying on the cross. At the cross all of our sins were paid for; we cannot be held by the sins of our past. At the cross Jesus was able to exchange his life for ours; we became the current possessors of eternal life by this substitution. By the cross we have the power to live the life of Christ [Gal 2:20]. At the cross our old man perishes and our new man lives. By the cross the world is crucified to me and I to the world. Because of the cross we will get a glorified body one day!!
The Power of the Bible – the Bible is the vast wisdom of God in writing. Every word in there God authored. And Heb 4:12 says, that his words are quick and powerful!! When you read the Bible you can hear the voice of God. You can see the unseen. Right now, God is constructing the household of God which is a temple made up of all believers established on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Jesus Christ as the chief cornerstone. And this temple is a body; the body of Christ [Eph 2:19-22; Eph 3:18; 1 Cor 3:16-17; Jn 2:19-20]. The Bible has the power to save you [1 Pet 1:23]. The Bible has the power to transform your mind and to change your life forever. By it you know all of the written history, science, and theology that God wants you to know. And better yet, the Bible is the only book on earth that can tell you with 100% accuracy exactly what the future holds.
Conclusion: Two things you can know for sure about the future are whether you are going to heaven or whether you are on your way to hell. “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved,” [Rom 10:13]. That’s a prophetic statement concerning eternal life for all who trust Jesus Christ. “Whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire,” [Rev 20:15]. That’s a prophetic statement concerning your future in the lake of fire if you do not trust Jesus Christ. If you have not trusted him you need to trust him now! Rely upon the power of God to save you, to change you and to take you to heaven when you die!