The foolishness of God

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The Foolishness of God
by Thomas K. Tewell

Text: 1 Corinthians 1:25; Matthew 1; Luke 1-2

Topic: How God’s foolishness is wiser than our wisdom

Big Idea: What we think foolish, outrageous, even impossible, God can—and does—use 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 God’s 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 Tewell’s 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 Tewell’s 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 God’s foolishness at work.
 
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