1 Corinthains 1:26-29 – Do You Want to be Used of God? – Bible study

1Cor 2:7-8 Jesus Crucifiers Tonight we celebrate the Lords Supper together. Jesus only request for us in partaking of this fellowship was that we remember Him when we do it. Lu 22:19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. So tonight, lets think of our Lords death and ask ourselves, "Who were Jesus crucifiers?" What type of men (or women) would hang Jesus, Gods Son, on a cross? For that matter, what kind of person would hang anyone on a cross? The Bible gives us some indications as to what kind of people would do such a thing and we might be surprised to find out that they are not so different from us. Keep your place at our text for I will use it later. Who were Jesus crucifiers? I. Evil doers were Jesus crucifiers. John 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. A. Jesus often referred to Himself as Light, meaning that He is the One who puts the light on hidden sin. 1. Jesus is the Light that exposes sin. 2. \#John 3:20\ Those who do evil hate light for they want to keep their sins secret. (a) Of course that is how sin works in a decent society. (b) In America today people parade their sins in the open and only get mad when you tell them it is sin. 3. Still it is the same. Whether the Light is exposing our sin or exposing our behavior as sinful, people dont like the Light. B. So gathered around the cross that day were evil doers, people whose lives were bound by evil actives and they did not want Jesus exposing that, so they killed Him. C. Most people do not understand how powerful sin can be. 1. Sin has a binding affect. (a) Sin usually starts off slow, gentile, controllable, but it is not long before it controls you. (b) Think of your first cigarette, beer, cuss word, drug experience, or any other sinful activity. (c) In the beginning, you could have done it once or twice and walked away, but what about now? (d) Now, think back. (1) Exactly when it was it that you stopped controlling it and it started controlling you? (2) You dont remember, do you? The truth is, you probably never noticed, but it did because it always does! 2. Sin has a bullying effect. (a) Sin not only wants to control you, it wants to control more and more of you. (b) They are playing some good commercials on television trying to get people to stay away from cigarettes these days. One has a teen trying to play video games or watch TV with his friends and someone keeps calling him and finally grabs him and drags him outside. Once outside, we find out the man is a cigarette. (c) So it is, lying, cheating, stealing, lusting, drugging, being jealous, envious, hatful whatever the sinIt cant be content with owning you for a few minutes each day or controlling just one avenue of your life. (d) Sin wants more and more. It becomes bigger and bigger, and you become weaker and weaker. (e) One day, it will control your actions, the next your attitudes. (1) You begin to defend it. (2) Then you begin to fight for it. (3) Then you begin to hate any that disagree with it. John 15:25 But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause. 3. Sin has a baneful effect. (a) That simply means deadly. (b) Sooner or later, sin will turn on you. II. The wise and prudent were Jesus crucifiers. Matt 11:25 At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. A. Jesus wasnt really talking about the wise. He was talking about those who THINK they are wise. B. Have you ever met a know-it-all? 1. These are people you cannot teach anything! 2. They surrounded Jesus His entire life. a. On one occasion (John 5), Jesus healed a lame man on the Sabbath. By the worlds standards, the man was a nobody. He was born that way so he probably had no education. He was a beggar because that is all he could be. Jesus healed him and the religious crowd was furious that he was carrying his bedroll on the Sabbath! They questioned him, his parents, and probably anyone who had ever seen him. The man just stuck to what he knew. He did not know who Jesus was but he figured anyone with that kind of power had to be of God! The Pharisees finally threw him out. They knew too much to be taught by a beggar. b. And so Jesus told them that they had better go and reward the Scriptures! Joh 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. c. Jesus was telling them, "You are not as bright as you think you are!" C. These were the people who crucified Jesus! In fact, the very same people. 1. The same scribes, priests, and Pharisees. 2. I am always concerned at how easy it is to become a "know- it-all!" a. These people were trained in the Bible and thought they understood it and stood for it yet they were WRONG! b. I dont want to be one of them! c. I dont want to be a "doubt-it-all" or a "know- nothing-at-all," but I dont want to be a "know-it- all" either. 3. I think that is where humility and teachability come in. a. Lets listen and weigh their logic against the Word of God. b. But lets always go with the Word of God! 4. Know-it-alls crucified our Lord! III. The religious crucified Jesus. A. I hesitate to mention this group; not because I am protecting my own, but because they were also the know-it-alls. Yet, I feel I must. B. Some people mistakenly believe that to have religionany religionis better than not having any. 1. Not true. 2. Bad religion has never helped anybody and it is hurt many. 3. It was the religious who arrested Jesus, beat Him during the night, hired liars to incriminate Him; and delivered Him to the Roman government insisting that He be crucified. 4. I have heard atheists and god-haters make the claim that religion has caused more wars and taken more lives than any other cause on the planet. a. I do not disagree. b. Bad religion has done just that. 5. In fact, it is not religion that we want you to have at all. Religion does not save. It does not change. It does not help. 6. What we want people to have is righteousness! C. Sadly, most people cannot distinguish between bad religion and righteousness. 1. Righteousness speaks the truth whether it is liked or not. 2. Righteousness has faith in Jesus works not in the efforts of mans works. 3. Righteousness changes people from the inside out, not outside to inside. 4. Righteousness loves whether it is returned or not. 5. Righteousness will die for you but it wont hurt you. 6. Righteousness produces peace, power, deliverance, hope, and satisfaction not fear, despair, bondage, and hate. IV. The unbelievers crucified Jesus. Ac 14:2 But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles, and made their minds evil affected against the brethren. A. That passage does not relate to Jesus but it does to His disciples. 1. It makes sense that unbelievers would be Jesus crucifiers. We certainly would not think a believer would. 2. Yet, I do not think we understand the situation unbelief places a person in. B. An unbeliever is someone who must get on the opposite side of Christ at some point. 1. I know there are many unbelievers who are good, moral people. 2. However, the time will come when unbelievers will sell out Jesus. The stakes just have to get high enough. Matt 12:30 He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad. Mt 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. C. Let me show you. 1. \#Heb 3:19\ tells us that many unbelievers traveled with Moses out of the Promised Land. 2. That was alright until trouble came, but what happened when the stakes got high enough? a. They always turned on Moses! b. What happened when Pharaoh started beating the Jews because their straw was cut back? \#Ex 17:4\ Moses said they were almost ready to stone him! c. When they came to the Red Sea? The people wanted to make a new leader and go back. d. What happened when they got to the Promised Land? They refused to enter. 3. Whenever the stakes get high enough, unbelievers will sell out Jesus! D. Listen to Jesus words: Matt 10:34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. 35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. 36 And a mans foes shall be they of his own household. 1. Some people think that is figurative language. 2. Think again. When anti-Christ puts the mark on his people and stops the others from buying and selling, you will be amazed at how fast some of your own family will turn on you! E. The truth is that unbelief in Jesus and friendship with Christ is a fence you can only straddle for so long. 1. Why? 2. Because both Jesus and the devil want all of you and only one can get that. V. The ignorant were Jesus crucifiers. A. We are back at our text. 1. Paul writes that those who crucified our Lord just did not know who He was. 2. He goes further to state that if they had, they would not have crucified Him. B. This is born out in other texts. Luke 23:34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. Acts 3:17 (Peter to citizens of Jerusalem) And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers. C. Of all the conditions we have discussed, this is the best one to have. 1. Why? 2. Because you can fix this one. 3. You can learn who Jesus is and trust Him as your Savior. 4. I pray you will tonight.