The Cross: Foolishness to the World, Power to Us
January 4, 2026 · 1:58:35 · Watch on YouTube ↗
Summary
On this first Sunday of the New Year the church gathered for communion, remembering the death and resurrection of Jesus. The preacher invited everyone to climb to Golgotha in their hearts, recalling how Jesus foretold His suffering in Mark 10 and how Abraham went up the mountain only for God to provide the Lamb in his son's place. What we remember at the table is not a defeat but a victory over sin and the devil, a victory we share by faith.
The main message came from 1 Corinthians 1:18: the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. It sounds like folly to the world because it exposes the sin in every heart (Romans 3), because it demands that Christ be placed above family, comfort, and self (Matthew 10), and because it calls us to die to ourselves so that Christ may live in us (Galatians 2:20). The world, driven by the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, will not surrender these things.
In God's kingdom the math is reversed: to gain more you give more, and to be great you become a servant. The service closed with a sober warning. A brother who had announced that Christ would return in 2025 repented when it did not happen, and the leaders reminded the church that no one knows the day or hour but the Father alone (Matthew 24:36). Stand on the Word as your foundation, and never forget that you are saved because He first loved you.
Key Points
- The word of the cross is folly to the perishing but the very power of God to the saved.
- The gospel first exposes our sin and our need of a Savior, and the proud heart resists it.
- Following Christ means reordering your life and putting Him above family, comfort, and self.
- You must lose your life to find it: deny yourself, take up the cross, and let Christ live in you.
- The world chases the lust of the flesh, the eyes, and the pride of life, while we store up treasure in heaven.
- To have more, give more; to be great, become a servant.
- No one knows the day or hour of Christ's return, so stand on Scripture and not on sensational claims.
Devotional
The cross still divides the world. To those who cling to themselves it sounds like foolishness, but to those who have died to self it is the power of God. Ask yourself today where your treasure really lies and what you are still unwilling to surrender. Remember that you are not saved because of what you have done or how often you attend church, but because He first loved you. Take up your cross, lose your life, and you will find it again in Christ.
“At the table we remember not a defeat but a victory, victory over sin and the devil.”
“You are saved not because you go to church, but because He first loved you.”
“To have more, give more; to be great, become a servant.”
