The foundation God is come to build our lives upon is Christ crucified.  There’s a wisdom revealed in Christ crucified that is the foundation from where you begin to experience resurrection life.  There’s a wisdom in Christ crucified that will cause you to give up the ghost, and lay down the life you have from the world.

In his letter to the Philippians Paul describes a dynamic he saw in himself where he received strength from the cross to lay down the life he had from the world, and he says thats when he began to experience the power of the resurrection in his life.   He says when he fellowshipped with the wisdom of the cross he considered the life he had from the world dung and that when he began to experience the power of the resurrection.  

There’s a lot of things we can say about the cross.  It’s the manifold wisdom of God thats revealed there..... 

Jesus takes the sin of the world upon himself at the cross.  He is the lamb God provided to take away the death that was reigning over the world.  

Jesus came in the likeness of David, slaying the giant of death that stood against us.  Jesus crushed the head of the serpent on the cross by taking away the power the serpent had over us through our union to death. 

The sin of the world was forgiven at the cross.  It was at the cross Jesus divorced mankind from their union to death so we could be free to be joined together with God and His eternal life.  

The sin of Adam was causing death to reign over all people, keeping them from the tree of life.  The righteous act of Jesus resting in God on the cross caused grace to much more abound, restoring all people’s access to the tree of life. 

As Jesus breathed his last breath, and said it is finished, the veil that guarded the way to the holiest place was torn from top to bottom.  The veil represented the cherubims that guarded the tree of life in the garden of eden.  The veil was torn giving all people free access to the tree of life because it was at the cross mankind was divorced from their union to death.  All people are now free to eat from the tree of life and be joined together with eternal life through faith because of the cross.  

The cross demonstrates the love God has for us, and His righteousness towards us.  

At the cross we see God loving mankind even as we set ourselves up as His enemy.  He turns the other cheek.  He blesses us as we are cursing Him.  He prays for us as we despitefully use Him.  He prefers our lives over His own.  He lays His life down for ours.  He embraces us in love even as we are nailing Him to a tree.

There’s also a lot of things we can say the cross is not about.

The cross is not about God being angry with you over your sin.  The cross is not God pouring his wrath out on Jesus instead of you.  The cross is not about God forsaking Jesus so He can accept you.  Psalm 22 says God did not abhor Jesus in his affliction.  It says Gods face was not hid from Jesus while he was on the cross.  Jesus says in Johns gospel the Father will be with me when I’m on the cross.  Paul says God was in Christ on the cross reconciling the world to Himself.  

1Co 1:18  For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
1Co 1:19  For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
1Co 1:20  Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
1Co 1:21  For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
1Co 1:22  For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
1Co 1:23  But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;
1Co 1:24  But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.  
1Co 1:25  Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
1Co 1:26  For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
1Co 1:27  But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
1Co 1:28  And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
1Co 1:29  That no flesh should glory in his presence.
1Co 1:30  But of God are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
1Co 1:31  That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

The apostle Paul says God made foolish the wisdom of the world at the cross.  

Paul goes on to say the world by its own wisdom was not able to know God.  

The world wanted to know God, and what the world said is it’s the strong; it’s the wise; it’s the noble that can know God.

But, the strong of the world; the wise of the world; the noble of the world were never able to know God.  

Now because the world was not able to know God by its own wisdom.  What happened is God came and made the wisdom of the world look foolish at the cross.   

Explain knowing God

Knowing God isnt talking about knowing of God.  It isnt about just having the knowledge that God exists.  When Paul talks about knowing God he is talking about an experiential knowing.  He is talking about a knowing that comes from having experienced something firsthand.  

If I think of a roller coaster.  You can know of a roller coaster and not know the roller coaster.  You can know there is such a thing as space mountain or you can know space mountain because you’ve been on that roller coaster yourself.  

In Genesis it says Adam knew Eve and she bore him a Son.  The knowing there is talking about being intimately acquainted with something because you’ve experienced it yourself.  

There’s a cliche that says try walking a mile in my shoes.  The implication is that you can really get to know someone if you are able to experience their life.  

If I walk a mile in your shoes I can really know you because I will have experienced your life.  I’ll be intimately acquainted with the things you think and the things you feel because I will have experienced your life for myself.  

Jesus put on corruptible human flesh and became intimately acquainted with us because he tasted our weakness and our suffering himself.  He was intimately acquainted with the thoughts that came to us and the things we felt because he experienced the same death we experienced.

When Paul talks about knowing God he’s talking about having intimacy with God through His life.  He’s talking about walking a mile in God’s shoes.  He’s talking about experiencing Gods life yourself.  He’s talking about being one with God and His eternal life.  

When we experience the fruit of the Spirit we are knowing God.  When we experience the love of God we are having intimacy with God and his eternal life. 

Now the world through its own wisdom was not intimate with eternal life.  The world was not intimate with God or the fruit of His eternal life.  The world was not able to know God because it was trying to experience His life through its own wisdom.  

So God was like man I brought these guys forth from my loins so they could experience My life.  But, they are not able to experience Me; they are not able to know me because they are trying to be intimate with my life through the strength contained in their own hand.  So God said to Himself let us show them the wisdom of the world can never give them intimacy with Us or Our eternal life so they can know Us.

The cross isnt only about the physical act of Jesus dying on the cross.  Yes, Jesus had to physically die on the cross for us to be divorced from death and free to be married to eternal life.  

But, the cross is also about God reasoning with us.  Talking with us.  Telling us the reason He conceived us was so we can be intimate with Him and the eternal life He has in Himself.   God is with us at the cross telling us He wants us to experience all that He is and the life He has in Himself, that we being filled with all His fulness can comprehend the height, and the depth, and width of His love, and through that know Him.

Its God with us at the cross telling us “you cannot know Me or my eternal life through the strength you can gain from the world; or the wisdom you can gain from the world; or the good reputation you can gain from the world.  Its not being strong according to the world; or wise according to the world; or noble according to the world that is the power unto knowing Me and tasting the fruit of my life.  

Example of Lazarus and rich man 

In the story of Lazarus and the rich man,  Jesus confounded the wisdom of the world.  He revealed the idea that its the riches of the world that is the power unto knowing God is foolishness.  It was the weakest man who was despised and rejected by the world, who even had dogs licking his sores, that knew God and inherited Gods eternal life in the story.  And it was the rich guy who the world esteemed that went down into the chambers of death. 

Jesus revealed the same thing on the cross.  He revealed that which the world calls strong; that which the world calls wise; that which the world calls noble can never give you intimacy with God’s eternal life.  He made the wisdom of the world look foolish on the cross by revealing that not only can it never cause you to know God and His eternal life, it will cause you to be intimately acquainted with death and destruction.  

God unveiled the wisdom of the world for what it is at the cross.  He showed His people the wisdom of the world was causing them to be intimately acquainted with destruction so they could receive strength to lay down the life the world is offering them, and their intimacy can be with Him and His eternal life.  

God said to Himself, “if my people can see the life the world is really offering them.  If they can see the best the world has to offer is the death of the cross.  They can be persuaded to lay that life down.  They will see the worlds wisdom as folly and lay it down.  

It can be difficult sometimes for us to lay down the life the world offers us because it looks like it can give us intimacy with the fruit of God’s life.  The treasure in the world can look like it can feed us with life.  We see there are things in the world that are to be enjoyed and we can become confused and be deceived into thinking those things are the treasure that can cause us to know the fruit of the spirit.  

example of strange woman in proverbs 

Its like with the strange woman in chapter 7 of the book of proverbs.  It says she comes to the young man and kisses his face and tells him I have peace offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows.  I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt.  I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.  It says with her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him.  

Now it looks like there is something beautiful to behold in the strange woman.  It looks like she can offer pleasures forever more.  She is very persuasive.  

But proverbs 7 goes on to say those who go after her are like an ox going to a slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks; Til a dart strike through his liver, not knowing it will cost him his life.  It says she has wounded many, yea many strong men have been slain by her.  Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.  

Behold i show you a mystery but this is talking about the wisdom of the world and how the life the world offers us looks like the treasure that can give us intimacy with God and the fruit of His life. 

Jesus received strength to lay down the life he could gain from the world because he saw it for what it was.  He saw the life the strength of the flesh could build is but dust.  He saw the life the world had to offer was full of decay.

Just as the book of proverbs talks about Solomon being taught the truth of God’s grace by His mother and father, and they taught him to wear their teaching around his neck so it would keep his heart from the strange woman and the folly of the wisdom of the world.  

Jesus was taught of the Father and the Holy Spirit.  The truth of God’s grace was written on his heart and bound on his neck.  He saw the life the world could offer him for what it was.  He saw what the world had to offer wasnt a treasure at all.  He saw the intimacy it could give him was with death.  He saw it could never give him intimacy with God’s life.  He wore that around his neck, and it kept him from being led astray by the strange woman.  It kept his heart from the world’s folly.  

Jesus saw the strange woman for what she was.  He did not see her full of beauty he saw her full of decay.  She didn’t smell nice to him she reaked of rotten flesh.  

Movie the shining women in tub looks beautiful and to be desired but .....

The cross removes the veil from your eyes.  It reveals the strange woman for what she is.  It reveals the best that being strong in the worlds eyes can give you; the best that being wise in the worlds eyes can give you; the best that being noble and esteemed in the eyes of the world can give you, is the cross.  The best the world can offer you is the death of the cross.  All the worlds roads end in the death of the cross.