PODCAST
The Power of the Cross Proclaimed
February 4th, 2014
1 Corinthians 1:10-17
A young pastor’s first sermon was based on the narrative of Matthew 9:18-26. Jesus was on His way to the home of a synagogue leader when a woman suffering from a 12-year illness touched the hem of His garment. With his best oratory skills, the young pastor preached a clever sermon on “Interruptions.” He compared the interruptions we face from day to day to the interruptions Jesus faced with the woman and the crowds. It was a secondary focus of the Scripture passage–the primary focus being the ability of Christ to heal.
Challenge to Holy Living
The Corinthian Christians were trying to identify themselves with some specific church leaders. The point was, they were missing the primary thrust of the gospel–the power of the cross of Christ through the proclamation of the Word. Baptism, as important as it was in Christ’s missionary priorities, had become divisive, a diversion leading away from the centrality of the power of His cross. Paul tells the Corinthians, and us, to identify with Christ whose cross experience brought the power of salvation to each of them.
Author: Richard H. Neiderhiser
