The Gospel and the WorldI. Introduction   A. 1 Corinthians 1:18-25   B. These verses demonstrate what the Gospel is in the world, and the three       groups of individuals within the world      1. the saved (verse 18): the Gospel is the power of God to salvation      2. the Jew (verses 22-23): the Gospel is a stumbling block, as they seek          signs      3. the Gentile (verses 22-23): the Gospel is folly, not a conception in          their minds   C. These categories still stand today      1. the Jew         a. a religious person, fervent in desire for the things he has been             taught          b. however, does not have the full truth, and will not accept it      2. the Gentile         a. a person of the world, having loose morals         b. the Gospel, and following such, makes no sense to him   D. Let us examine these two groups for whom the Gospel needs preachingII. The Jew   A. In the first century AD, the Jews were recognized for having a stricter       form of morality than the pagans   B. Unfortunately, they cared too much for their traditions, and would not       recognize the truth in Christ Jesus   C. Matthew 13:11-17      1. Jesus explains the problem with the Jews- they have become dull in          heart   D. Romans 10:1-4      1. Paul here clearly explains the path of the Jews      2. Paul wants them to be saved, as they have a zeal for God…      3. …but not in accordance with knowledge (verse 2)   E. Gospel is then a stumbling block      1. the Jews were not happy with the preaching of the Gospel by any means      2. stoned and persecuted those who preached it (Acts 5:40, Acts 7:54-61,          Acts 12:2, Acts 14:9, Acts 16:22-25, etc. etc.)      3. their opposition to the Gospel was not merely ideological, as with          the pagans, but to them it represented a real threat to their way of          life, and thus they fought      4. and it is true: through Christ, a new covenant was made, canceling out          that which was made under Moses! (Colossians 2:14, Hebrews 9:15)   F. Modern Day Applications      1. surely the stumbling block still applies to the Jews, but it also          applies to any who lead principled lives      2. the preaching of the Gospel is vehemently opposed by those who teach          false doctrines (1 Timothy 6:3-10, 2 Timothy 4:3-5)      3. persecution and false witness also follow      4. Why?         a. the true Gospel may show those led astray that they are in error,             and many cherish their errors and do not want to turn from the truth         b. hence, there will always be those who are like the Jews; those who             have great zeal for God, but are misdirected by traditions and             error, and yet the stumbling block may not be removedIII. The Gentile   A. The Gentiles of the first century AD followed after their lusts and       attempted to justify them through "religion"      1. As Dr. Merrill C. Tenney says in his work New Testament Times,          "Paganism is the human attempt to satisfy an inner longing for God          by the worship of a deity which will not obstruct one's desire for          self-satisfaction."        2. He continues later, "Rome was generally tolerant of the peculiarities          of a national cult [i.e. Judaism] but could not understand why men          who were not obligated by racial ties would wish to abstain from the          pleasures in which the majority indulged."      3. We may try to think our world is more decrepit than that of Rome, but          at least people can understand how one can be a Christian, although          they may not agree.  The Romans could not even understand why someone          would not fornicate, or get drunk, etc.   B. Not only did they not understand the moral life, their pursuit of       "wisdom" did not correlate with the Gospel   C. Acts 17:16-21, 32      1. Paul preaches to the Athenians in the Areopagus, a place to hear of          some new philosophy      2. Some heard with interest, but most sneered, as resurrection from the          dead was to them completely impossible   D. Colossians 2:8      1. Paul warns the Colossians to not be taken captive by, in effect,          Gentile "wisdom"      2. Gentile philosophers like Plato and Aristotle had attempted to          understand the basic concepts of existence, and their conclusions led          them to an almost atheistic belief   E. Hence, the Gospel is to them foolishness      1. their natural philosophies brought them to their current conclusions          about how to live      2. they cannot understand how anyone would not indulge in the pleasures          of sin      3. hence, to do so is folly   F. Modern Day Applications      1. Gentiles are those who live in the world and according to the morality          of the world, and find the "prohibitive" nature of the Gospel "stupid"          or "anachronistic," or other such things      2. i.e. "what's wrong with homosexuality?"  "Alcohol is okay" etc. etc.      3. many will try to find religions who will cater to their desire to do          whatever they wish without restrictions from an Almighty         a. taking Eastern paths which focus more on the mental discipline             than the deeds of the flesh         b. rebirth of paganism via Wicca     4. Therefore, as long as the Earth is here, there will be those who follow         after their lusts, finding that which God has said to be foolishnessIV. Conclusion   A. The Gospel is a stumbling block for those who practice religion not in       accordance with truth, and is foolishness for those who live worldly       lives   B. Yet Christ is our power, and God is our wisdom, for 1 Corinthians 1:25       is true   C. We have all come, as verse 24 states, from either as the Jews, those       with zeal, or as Gentiles, those of the world   D. We must strive to keep ourselves pure, not being deceived by the errors       of the "Jews" (2 Timothy 4:3-5) or the empty philosophy of the "Gentiles"       (Colossians 2:8)   E. If you have been as the Jew, living with zeal for God yet not in accord       with knowledge, or if you have been as the Gentile, living a life of       worldly pleasure, finding the Gospel to be foolishness, the time for       repentance is here, and you can make your life right today   F. If you want to turn from the Jew and the Gentile and be one of the called       out of God, we give you an opportunity to do so today   G. so please come to the front as we stand and sing