In the first century, a crucified Messiah wasn’t a sentimental image placed on a gold necklace or a Christian greeting card. It was scandalous and distasteful. The cross was an instrument of public shame, and a message built on one sounded foolish to a sophisticated world. Has much changed? The problem begins when Christians are tempted to dress up the message to make it more palatable, powerful, and socially credible; to give it a “glow up.” But Paul warns that using worldly wisdom to present the gospel can actually empty it of its power. Worse, the wisdom we are tempted to borrow is itself bankrupt and passing away. In this sermon we look at why the “word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

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