Manuscript of this sermon is available for reading services.

Reading: Isaiah 29:9-16
Text: 1 Corinthians 1:18,19

Foolish, a stumbling block or powerful?

Isaiah 29:9-16  New American Standard Bible (NASB)

9 Be delayed and wait,
Blind yourselves and be blind;
They become drunk, but not with wine,
They stagger, but not with strong drink.
10 For the Lord has poured over you a spirit of deep sleep,
He has shut your eyes, the prophets;
And He has covered your heads, the seers.
11 The entire vision will be to you like the words of a sealed [a]book, which when they give it to the one who [b]is literate, saying, “Please read this,” he will say, “I cannot, for it is sealed.” 12 Then the [c]book will be given to the one who [d]is illiterate, saying, “Please read this.” And he will say, “I [e]cannot read.”

13 Then the Lord said,

“Because this people draw near with their [f]words
And honor Me with their [g]lip service,
But they remove their hearts far from Me,
And their [h]reverence for Me [i]consists of [j]tradition learned by rote,
14 Therefore behold, I will once again deal marvelously with this people, wondrously marvelous;
And the wisdom of their wise men will perish,
And the discernment of their discerning men will be concealed.”
15 Woe to those who deeply hide their [k]plans from the Lord,
And whose deeds are done in a dark place,
And they say, “Who sees us?” or “Who knows us?”
16 You turn things around!
Shall the potter be considered [l]as equal with the clay,
That what is made would say to its maker, “He did not make me”;
Or what is formed say to him who formed it, “He has no understanding”?

1 Corinthians 1:18-19 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

The Wisdom of God
18 For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who [a]are perishing, but to us who [b]are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written,

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
And the cleverness of the clever I will set aside.”