The Foolishness of God
by Thomas K. Tewell
Text: 1 Corinthians 1:25; Matthew 1; Luke 1-2
Topic: How Gods foolishness is wiser than our wisdom
Big Idea: What we think foolish, outrageous, even impossible, God canand doesuse to his glory.
Introduction: The Bible is a foolish story in human terms.
1 Corinthians 1:25
- Illustration: Boy tells his mother a preposterous story about what he was taught in Sunday, because if I told you what our teacher told us, you'd never believe it."
Not even Donald Trump would bet on the odds of David vs. Goliath.
Abraham and Sarah having a baby at their age? Preposterous!
The most foolish story in the Bible is about the birth of Gods Son.
Human wisdom would say he would be born in a palace, not a stinky stable.
Human wisdom would say he would be born to royalty, not teenage peasants.
Human wisdom would say the Jews should be in power, not the Romans.
Human wisdom would say Mary & Joseph would reject the idea, not embrace it.
The foolishness of God is at work in our lives every day.
When things seem foolish to us, God is just rolling up his sleeves.
- Illustration: When Tewell, who lived in New York, was offered a position in Texas, wisdom said it would be foolish to take it, but it was a great move for the family.
When things seem evil to us, God often uses it for good.
- Illustration: When Tewells friend started a church in Iran, it was soon shut down, padlocked, and all Bibles burned, but in underground meetings people began to take the Bible seriously.
When people face adversity or a dead end, they often end up yielding to God.
-nbsp; Illustration: An alcoholic in Tewells church showed up depressed on Christmas Eve and said he was going to get drunk, but that caused the congregation to act.
Conclusion:
We all need to keep our eyes open to see Gods foolishness at work.
by Thomas K. Tewell
Text: 1 Corinthians 1:25; Matthew 1; Luke 1-2
Topic: How Gods foolishness is wiser than our wisdom
Big Idea: What we think foolish, outrageous, even impossible, God canand doesuse to his glory.
Introduction: The Bible is a foolish story in human terms.
1 Corinthians 1:25
- Illustration: Boy tells his mother a preposterous story about what he was taught in Sunday, because if I told you what our teacher told us, you'd never believe it."
Not even Donald Trump would bet on the odds of David vs. Goliath.
Abraham and Sarah having a baby at their age? Preposterous!
The most foolish story in the Bible is about the birth of Gods Son.
Human wisdom would say he would be born in a palace, not a stinky stable.
Human wisdom would say he would be born to royalty, not teenage peasants.
Human wisdom would say the Jews should be in power, not the Romans.
Human wisdom would say Mary & Joseph would reject the idea, not embrace it.
The foolishness of God is at work in our lives every day.
When things seem foolish to us, God is just rolling up his sleeves.
- Illustration: When Tewell, who lived in New York, was offered a position in Texas, wisdom said it would be foolish to take it, but it was a great move for the family.
When things seem evil to us, God often uses it for good.
- Illustration: When Tewells friend started a church in Iran, it was soon shut down, padlocked, and all Bibles burned, but in underground meetings people began to take the Bible seriously.
When people face adversity or a dead end, they often end up yielding to God.
-nbsp; Illustration: An alcoholic in Tewells church showed up depressed on Christmas Eve and said he was going to get drunk, but that caused the congregation to act.
Conclusion:
We all need to keep our eyes open to see Gods foolishness at work.