Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1916-07-29
international Sunday
School Lesson
For July 80
THE WORD OF THE CROSS

Lord Jesus Christ" Gal. 6: IA.
Lesson Text.-I Cor. /: IL: g.
| Commit /: 22-24
0@ For the preaching of the cross
is TO them that perish foolishness
but unto us which are saved, it is
the power of God G9) For it, is
written, | will destroy the wisdom OF
the wise and will bring to nothing
the understanding of the prudent
| (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? (2D 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 (22) For
| the Jews require a sign, and the
Greeks seek after wisdom: l23) But
We. preach Christ crucified, unto the
Jews stumbling block, and unto the
| Greeks foOlishness; (24 But unto
them which are called, 10th Jews and
Greeks, Christ the power of God, and
the wisdom of God. (25) Because
the foolishness of God is wiser thar
men; and the weakness of God is
stronger than men (2G) For We ser
your calling, brethren, how that no
many wise men after the flesh, not
many mighty not MANY noble. are
"a'led; t2O But God hath chosen the
foolish things of the world to CON
found the wise: and God hath chosen
the weak things of the world to CON
found the things which are mighty
(2Sl And base things Of the world.
and things which are despised, hath
God chosen, yea. and things which
are not to bring to nought things
that are: 800 That no flesh should
glory in bis presence. 1901 Pit o.
him are We in Christ Jesus who Of
God is made unto us wisdom and
| righteousness. and SanCtificatiOn, and
redemption: (3D That according as
ii is written, He that glorieth. let him
glory in the Lord. % And |, breth
rem. when I came to you, came not
with excellency of speech or of wis
dom. declaring unto you the testi-
mony of God. ~ For / determined
not to know any thing among you,
save Jesus Christ, and him crucified
Time-A d. 81 or 5S A. d. Place
Ephesus
Expostion-I. The Wisdom Of God
and the Wisdom of the World, 1925.
To a mind blinded with sin the
preaching of the cross is fQolishnesS.
unregenerate men ridicule the doc
trine of the. atonement Even men
who call themselves christian theo-
logians" reject as unphilosophical. the
doctrine Of substitution that is found
everywhere in the Bible lisa. 30: h
Gal 3: l3. , Cor. 5: 2D. II the doc
trine of the cross Is foolishness To
anyone 1t only proves that he belongs
TO them that perish. Unto US wh"
ara saved" the preaching Of the cross
is "the power Of God" 1t has proven
itself the power of God in our lives
In olden times God had prophesied
that He would destroy the wisdo1a
Of the wise" and bring to nothinr
the understanding of the prudent
lisa. %: a. cf Jer 3: ~. In nothing
else does this prediction receive SO
complete a fulfilment as in the cross
of Christ II is also being fulfiued
daily. the Hisdom of the philosopher
fails. the boasted discoveries of the
scientist are proven untrue and
worthless but the the simple minded
God reveals the path of life Mat II
% God is constantly making foolish
the power and wisdom of this world
The world in all its wisdom knows
not God Philosophy discovers the
absolute" "the unknowahle. and tries
to make god after that pattern, bnt
II does not satisfy the cry Of the
heart, but God through the foolish
ness of the thing preached q. e. tina
which seems foolish to the blind
PHILOSOPHER. the CROSSE Is pleased to
gave them which believe them that
believe" that that which the world
/ calls "foolishness." but which proves
itself in experience to be the power
of God" Jews ask for signs ttoT
some miracle to be performed. Mat
y: $50. and Greeks seek after wis
dom Cor philosophical reasoning), but
we ureach Christ crucified. such
preaching is unto Jews stumbling
block" and 1t Is today to many Gen
tiles also. Such preaching is unto
the Greek (and unto all that pride
themselves upon their philosophical
bent of mind) foolishness, but unto
them who are called" Christ Is the
power of God" and the 'wiSdorS 81
God" How worthless is all man :
wisdom alongside Gods wisdom, and,
how impotent is all mans powers
alongside Gods omnipotence; and the
weakness Of God is stronger than
men,
H. Whom Cod Chooses. 1851. These
are very wonderful words. To the
PROUD in heart they are full Of dark
ness and gloom, but to the humble
they are fun of light and promise
God chooses Just those whom the
world rejects. The world rejects the
foolish" God chooses them: the world
rejects "the weak" God chooses the
weak. "Not many wise. etc, arr
called" that is the way it was In
Paurs day, and that ms the way it Is
in our dav But to what end has
God chosen the foolish? "To coniound
(o- to put to shame) the wise GOO
is constantly choosing the foolish tt
put to shame the wise. Bible history
Is fun of that (Ac. 4 10; Jno. 1: -
49, Modern history is just as full
of It: how often God passes over the
learned scholarly preacher and uses
some illiterate man of God. The oh
ject of God in thus choosing the
foolish, weak and despised. is, "tha
no flesh should glory before Cod. II
we had any wisdom or strength OIL
our own and God should use us. We
would take all the credit to ourselves
but. being weak, foolish and deS-
pissed as we are, if anything Is done
1t is evident that it must be God AND
not we who 40 it, and SO God gets
all the glory. While we are nothing
in ourselves, "in Christ Jesus we
are of Him" chat is of Cod Il
matters not how much We lack il
ourselves, Christ is everything WI
need God has made Christ unto Us
wisdom there is infinite wisdom il
Him, and it is all for us, Col. 2: 3, 9
10, K. VI: and righteousness q. e
Gods own righteousness is provide,
for us in Christ 2 Cor. 5: Il; Rom
5: ] Phil. 3: 9, r. VI; and "sancti
ficatiOn" IT, e.. in Him we are sep
arated from the world unto God, from
sin unto holiness); and redemption
ii, e., in Him we are redeemed from
sin and all its consequences. Their
ic mo of QrlnfsVlnO