Waking Up To Reality | 1 Corinthians 1

The congregation celebrated a pair of public baptisms as a visible sign of new life, gratitude, and the Spirit’s movement among all ages. A moment of worship and prayer opened the gathering, and an invitation was given for anyone in pain or confusion to receive a brief, personal prayer at the front. Attention then turned to the New Testament, as First Corinthians chapter 1 was introduced under the theme “waking up to reality.” The historical setting was sketched: Paul planted the church in Corinth, departed, and later wrote back to correct a fellowship that was letting cultural wisdom and private comfort corrupt its witness.

The central text, 1 Corinthians 1:18–25, was read aloud to expose a hard theological truth—Christ crucified is scandal to those who reject God’s work and power to those who receive it. The talk traced how worldly wisdom and religious expectations both failed to grasp God’s purpose: Jews sought signs; Greeks sought philosophical proof; God offered the cross. The cross, then, is not neutral. It divides loyalties, calls for a decision, and demands an active, ongoing faith that cannot coexist with spiritual neutrality.

Practical implications were pressed home through pastoral candor and real-life stories of suffering, rescue, and perseverance. Testimonies of family crises, church trials, and narrow survivals illustrated that following Christ does not exempt one from pain, but anchors one in grace that sustains amid wounds. The congregation was urged toward teachability, continual obedience, and mutual care—encouragement to help one another, to correct where needed, and to press forward in faith. The address concluded with a benediction asking God’s continued mercy, blessing on leaders, and readiness for Christ’s return, reminding listeners that victory is promised but lived out by steps of faith and communal faithfulness.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. The cross brings inevitable division The proclamation of Christ forces a moral and spiritual sorting: some receive the cross as power, others count it foolishness. This division is not an incidental byproduct but the necessary consequence of a Savior who reorients ultimate loyalties. Refusing neutral ground, the cross exposes whether a life rests on human wisdom or on God’s redeeming action. [47:21]
• 2. Faith reveals true belonging and identity Belonging in God’s story is shown by a present, active trust, not mere assent or cultural affiliation. To be “being saved” is an ongoing posture—choices today demonstrate whether someone is moving with God or drifting from him. True identity in Christ reorders relationships, priorities, and responses under pressure. [47:58]
• 3. Salvation by grace, not greatness Rescue is given, not earned; wounds and failures do not cancel God’s gift but often become the context where grace proves stronger than human ability. This truth reframes suffering: catastrophe does not indicate divine absence but the arena for God’s sustaining power. People are called to receive mercy, then live from it rather than perform for it. [71:32]
• 4. Obedience requires continual steps of faith Spiritual life is forward motion, not a static position on a greased pole; obedience emerges in both dramatic and mundane choices. The call to “take ground” in Joshua’s pattern shows that promises require movement—waiting with readiness, then stepping when God directs. Daily faithfulness and courageous public obedience shape a church’s witness and sustain its people through trials. [65:07]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [05:37] - Baptism introduction & family
• [06:40] - Prayer and worship moment
• [19:21] - Testimony and altar invitation
• [29:06] - Preparing for Scripture and teaching
• [40:29] - "Waking Up to Reality" — Corinthians intro
• [45:07] - Reading 1 Corinthians 1:18–25
• [47:21] - The division produced by the cross
• [53:43] - The limits of worldly wisdom
• [65:07] - Joshua model: step out in faith
• [71:32] - Saved by grace, not greatness
• [77:21] - Personal trials and family stories
• [83:13] - Call to obedience and mutual care
• [88:47] - Benediction, blessings, and close

Bible reading
1 Corinthians 1:18-25 (ESV)
For 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. For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.” Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

Observation questions

1. According to 1 Corinthians 1:18, what are the two different responses to the message of the cross and what does each group consider it to be?
2. What two things were the Jews and the Greeks each seeking, according to verse 22?
3. The sermon described the Christian life as not being able to exist in a "neutral position" but rather requires active, forward motion. [51:35] What analogy was used to illustrate this point?
4. What personal story was shared about a grandson falling from a window to illustrate being saved by grace in a moment of crisis? [01:17:21]

Interpretation questions

1. Why is the cross considered a "stumbling block" to some and "foolishness" to others? What about the message of Christ crucified offends human wisdom and expectations?
2. The concept of "being saved" is presented as an ongoing, present-tense reality, not just a past event. [47:58] What does this imply about the nature of faith and daily choices?
3. The sermon stated that division is not the goal of Jesus' ministry, but it is the consequence of his message. [50:58] Why does the gospel message inevitably cause division and force a decision?
4. How does the story of Joshua and the conquest of the Promised Land [01:05:07] serve as a model for the kind of faith that "takes ground" and requires movement?

Application questions

1. The cross is not neutral and forces a decision about where our ultimate loyalty lies. [51:17] In what area of your life right now are you most tempted to remain spiritually neutral or avoid taking a stand for Christ?
2. Salvation is by grace, not personal greatness, and our wounds often become the context where God's sustaining power is most clearly seen. [01:11:32] Where is a place in your current struggle or pain where you need to stop trying to be great and instead receive God's grace?
3. Obedience requires continual steps of faith, both in dramatic moments and mundane daily choices. [01:05:07] What is one "step of faith" God is asking you to take this week, whether it seems big or small?
4. We are called to mutual care—to encourage one another and correct where needed. [01:23:13] Is there a brother or sister in your life who is weak or going through a tough time? What is one tangible way you can "bear them up" this week?
5. Following Christ does not exempt us from pain, but anchors us in grace that sustains us amid wounds. When you face a crisis or tragedy, what practical steps help you to "continue to choose Jesus" and cry out to God, rather than fold or give up? [01:04:17]
6. The decisions we make now to live a life of faith have real-time impacts. [54:14] Looking back over the last year, what is one choice you made—either for or against walking with God—that had a significant consequence you now see?
7. True identity in Christ reorders our relationships, priorities, and responses under pressure. What is one relationship or priority in your life that might need to be reordered to better reflect that you belong to God's story?