SEARCHING FOR THE ANSWERS IN LIFE

Since the beginning, man has innately understood that life on this earth is about something more than being born, living, and dying. Man’s search for answers to questions like, "What is my purpose in life?" and "What will happen to me when I die?" has continued throughout the ages. From the very beginning the search for answers to these questions caused man to realize that there exists a god that created the earth and everything in it. Not only did this god create the earth and all things but also it controls everything that happens. Throughout the centuries man has developed elaborate religious and philosophical systems aimed at knowing God and answering these questions.

But, we cannot know God, nor answer these questions, by our own reason or intellect. For us to know God and to find the answers to these questions he must reveal himself. God chose to do this by inspiring holy men to pen his words on the pages of Holy Scripture. Indeed, we must use our reason and intellect to understand what God has written to us in His Word. But our reason and intellect must not become the standard we use to judge God. Luther said, "If a man wants to be a Christian he must poke the eyes out of his reason." In our lesson for today Paul addresses those who are searching for the answers in life. He warns them not to look to man’s wisdom. He encourages them to look to the cross.

In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul deals with three groups of people. Two of these groups look to their own wisdom to know God. The Greeks looked to wisdom and philosophy to find God. The Jews looked for a powerful Messiah who would free them from the oppression of Roman rule.

Human wisdom led the Greeks to understand that there is a god who controls all things. In fact, they concluded that there must be many gods to rule the universe. They were even so afraid of offending a god that in Athens they had an altar to the unknown god just in case they missed one. Paul dealt with this in his sermon on Mars hill, ""Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you." He went on to proclaim the gospel. The Scriptures tell us a few men believed and followed Paul.

Greeks were also dedicated to Philosophy. Philosophers like Plato and Aristotle were revered in their society. They taught that matter was essentially evil. Therefore, to them the body was evil. It was the goal of the soul to escape the body. They reasoned that man accomplished this through knowledge. For them, knowledge was the path to God.

To those who seek God through human wisdom Paul paraphrases Isaiah 29:14 "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate." Isaiah originally spoke these words during the reign of Hezekiah in Judah. Although the advisors of the king were working feverishly to devise a plan to escape being conquered by the Assyrians, God told Hezekiah that he would deliver his people. In this way, God destroyed the wisdom of those supposed wise men advising the king. Paul tells the Corinthians that just as it was God’s wisdom and power that saved Judah, it will also be God’s wisdom and power that saves all men. In doing so God destroys man’s wisdom.

Paul recognizes that by obtaining our salvation through his death on the cross, Jesus totally set aside the wisdom of man. He asks rhetorically, "Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age?" In asking this question, Paul affirmed the fact that all of these people, be they philosopher or teacher, were conspicuously absent when it came to planning man’s salvation. Man would never be able to gain salvation through his own wisdom.

On the other hand, the Jews looked to knowledge of and obedience to the Law as the path to God. In the Rabbinical schools, children were taught the Torah from a very young age. Their interpretation of the Scriptures led them to believe the Messiah that was to come would do so as an earthly ruler. He would perform many miraculous signs and wonders and set up his kingdom here on earth. All those who were obedient to God would be a part of that kingdom.

To those looking for miracles, Paul calls the message of the cross a stumbling block. The Jews sought an earthly Messiah. They expected him to come as a conqueror defeating the Roman Empire and setting up His kingdom on the throne of David. They expected a Messiah that would come working all sorts of miracles in order to save his chosen people from the oppressive Roman rule. A Savior from sin who would die on a cross to save the people from the death and eternal damnation that their own sins deserved was abhorrent to them. Dying on a cross was not a sign of a strong conquering Messiah. Rather, it was a sign of weakness. It was a sign not of the Messiah promised by God, but of a man cursed by God. Deuteronomy 21:23 says. "Anyone who is hung on a tree is under God’s curse.

Today, the temptations to fall into the traps of depending on human wisdom or looking for miracles still attack us on every side. The eastern religions have grown and are now infiltrating our country. The New Age movement really is nothing but a mixture of the eastern religions and pantheism. God is in everything is a cry that rings out long and loud these days. New Agers tell us to look for the god within us. They look to mystical experiences to hear God speak to them. They will tell you that knowledge will set you free to experience God. But we don’t have to look at the New Age movement or eastern religions to see this. Even among so-called Christian denominations we see these same things creeping in. The television is full of preachers today saying, "follow my Christ because I can perform miraculous healings and tell the future." How many Christian denominations today teach that Christ is going to come back and set up a kingdom on earth and reign for 1000 years? How many teach that if a person truly has the Holy Spirit working in him he will display some miraculous gift such as speaking in tongues? Look at the number of people spending great amounts of time and money going to places where the Virgin Mary has supposedly appeared. They think that, by going there, they can obtain some kind of miraculous healing or at the very least earn favor with God. The simple message that Jesus died on the cross for the sins of the whole world just isn’t enough for them. Paul’s words to the Ephesians, "it is by grace you have been saved through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God" simply isn’t enough. They say, "Somehow, someway, man must need to contribute to his salvation. Either we must show ourselves worthy by earning our salvation through a lifetime of good works, or at the very least we must make a decision for Christ. Surely, faith is not obtained through the Gospel in Word and Sacrament." These kinds of thoughts appeal to our sinful human natures. Our pride does not like to admit that we are not capable of saving ourselves. How often do we think thoughts like "I must go to church this Sunday because I want to please God." rather than saying I must go to church this Sunday because I need to have my faith strengthened by hearing God’s Word and partaking of His body and blood in Holy Communion." How easy it is to look to ourselves and our good deeds instead of to the cross.

Paul’s message to the Corinthians is applicable to these groups today. Those who look to man’s wisdom for salvation are foolish. Furthermore, those who do this are perishing. You think you are wise but your wisdom cannot help you. Your insistence on subjecting God to human reason will only serve to condemn you.

But Paul talks about another group of people. Those who look to the cross and trust in the cross for their salvation. Paul says, "The message of the cross is the wisdom and the power of God to those who are being saved.

To those who believe, the message of the cross is true wisdom. It is the answer to the hard questions of life. It assures us of a life beyond that which exists here on this earth. It shows us our goal and purpose in life. It shows us the way to eternal life with our Heavenly Father. The message of the cross is true wisdom. Because of the sinful nature inherent in man, there is no way we can do anything to contribute to our own salvation. Furthermore, a righteous God demands payment for sin. That payment is death. In Deuteronomy 24:16 God says, "each is to die for his own sin." If we look to ourselves to obtain our salvation then this is exactly what awaits us. The only way, man could have any hope of salvation was for God to devise a plan that takes the responsibility completely out of man’s hands. Jesus’ death on the cross fulfills both of these requirements. Because Jesus was both true man and true God his death paid for the sins of the whole world.

The cross is also the power of God. On our own, even if we knew the way to eternal life, we could never make it. But because of Christ’s perfect life, innocent death, and resurrection we can be assured that eternal life is ours. Because Jesus is true man we know that he was tempted in every way as we were. Yet he kept the law perfectly. He was able to do what we could not do. Because Jesus was true God we know that his death was sufficient to pay for our sins. His resurrection is the Father’s stamp of approval on Jesus saving work. It is our assurance that our salvation is complete. It is also the power that helps us live lives that are pleasing to God. Because the message of the cross creates and sustains faith in us we can now live lives that are pleasing to God. No longer are we slaves to sin. No longer are our works as filthy rags in the sight of God. The message of the cross is the power that sustains us through the trials and hard times of this life. Although friends and family forsake us, the message of the cross proves we have a God that loves us and will never forsake us. Finally it is the power that helps us face death. No longer do we need to fear what is to come after our life on earth is finished. Rather, we wait with joyful anticipation for the time when we will live eternally with our Heavenly Father.

It is so easy to fall into the trap of depending on man’s wisdom to answer all the questions of life. Deep inside of us there is always that voice that tells us that we must contribute to our own salvation. That is why it is so important that we continually return to the message of the cross. We must constantly return to the Scriptures, because they are the means through which the Holy Spirit brought us to faith. And they are the means through which He will continue to keep us in the faith. Regular study of God’s Word should be a part of every Christian’s life. We should make it a regular practice to study a portion of God’s Word and to partake of the Sacraments. Every time we miss Sunday School or Adult Bible Study we are denying ourselves another opportunity to have God’s power work in our lives. We would not think of denying our children the Sacrament of Holy Baptism. We would not think of denying ourselves the opportunity to receive forgiveness of sins by not regularly partaking of Christ’s body and blood in the Sacrament of Holy Communion. Yet we do, many times, deny our children and ourselves the opportunity to have our faith strengthened through the regular hearing and learning of God’s Word. As Luther said, "Are we not the finest fellows to imagine, if we have once read or heard it, that we know it all, and have no further need to read and learn, but can finish learning in one hour what God Himself cannot finish teaching, although He is engaged in teaching it from the beginning to the end of the world, and all prophets, together will all saints have been occupied with learning it, and have ever remained pupils, and must continue to be such."

Many over the years have rejected God’s plan of salvation as foolishness. They have and still do scoff at those who believe. The Greek philosophers in Athens considered Paul a fool. The Roman Catholic Church because of his believing salvation is by grace alone through faith alone thought Luther a fool. Many people today, think we too are fools for hanging on to our faith. But we are no longer searching for the answers in life. We have the only answer we will ever need. We have the assurance that our sins are forgiven. We have the assurance of eternal life. Look to the Cross!

</HTML>

<center>

<b>

This page hosted by

<a href="/"><img src="/pictures/gc_icon.gif"

border=0

align=middle></a>

Get your own <a href="/">Free Home Page</a></b>

</center>