Today we turn to the book of 1 Corinthians chapter
2, and we're going to be considering the first
five verses in this series going through the
book of 1 Corinthians. Hear the word of the Lord.
And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not
come with excellence of speech or of wisdom,
declaring to you the testimony of God. For I
determined not to know anything among you except
Jesus Christ and him crucified. I was with you
in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling.
And my speech and my preaching were not with
persuasive words of human wisdom, but in the
demonstration of the Spirit and power, that your
faith should not be in the wisdom of men, but
in the power of God. Let's pray and ask God's
blessing again on this time together. Lord, we
thank you for this word. It is truly a rich and
wonderful word and it speaks to us. Lord, today
we pray that it would be alive, that it would
be quick and powerful. We pray that you would
pierce our hearts with the word and that you
would edify us, Lord. I pray, Father, that the
words which are spoken today might be to your
praise and to your glory and not to men. Thank
you, Father. For this time together, we pray
that you would open it up and grant us the power
of the Holy Spirit as we preach it and as it
is heard. We pray in Christ's name. Amen. In
the ancient world, a public speaker's initial
visit to a city was critical to establishing
their reputation. Orators would compete for applause
and offer entertainment to diners in between
courses at the very best banquets. Competitive
showmanship was the order of the day. And indeed,
this was the case in the city of Corinth. This
is taken from the pillar commentary on this passage.
Now in a very different setting, but at the same
time period, any number of Jewish scholars, of
rabbis, of students, would gather together to
hear oral and dialogical teaching at the feet
of a teacher, and then they would engage in debate
and questioning with a sharp intellectual exchange.
Study was communal and vocal, with a strong focus
on purity, tithing, Sabbath observance, and the
traditions of the fathers, or what we call the
oral law. Now, Paul would have been part of such
a process, at the feet of Gamaliel, the famous
rabbi, a Pharisee who is held in very high respect
in his day. Paul alludes to this in Acts chapter
22, verse 3. He said, I indeed am a Jew, born
in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this
city at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according
to the strictness of the Father's law. of our
Father's law, and was zealous toward God as you
all are today. But when Paul came to a new city,
he used neither of these methods. He began by
the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ
through the cross. That is the testimony and
the mystery of God. relied on the power of God
by the Holy Spirit to change hearts and minds
and not on human wisdom. Paul's declaration in
this passage is like the angel's revelation to
the prophet Zechariah during the time of the
rebuilding of the temple by Zerubbabel after
the Jews were taken into exile. This is the word
of the Lord to Zerubbabel. not by might nor by
power, but by my spirit, says the Lord of hosts.
Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel
you shall become a plain, and he shall bring
forth the capstone with shouts of grace, grace
to it. Zechariah chapter 4, verse 6 and 7. Now
in verses 1 through 5, Paul declares the method
of his ministry, which is not to argue as the
Greeks or the Jews did, but to preach the word
of God as a proclamation, as a declaration, in
demonstration of the Holy Spirit and power. That
way was anathema to Greek thinking. That a God
would conquer by dying? Especially a death on
the cross? To speak enthusiastically of an executed
deliverer king was an oxymoron. Greeks loved
debate, but Paul used the declaration of the
truth. He sets forth Christ crucified, the power
of God. And then, to those who are mature, after
he has laid the foundation of the simplicity
of the gospel in Christ crucified, he will then
go on to speak of the wisdom that is needed,
that is the heavenly wisdom of Christ, which
God ordained. And this will be taught in the
remainder of this chapter, verses 6 through 16,
which we will look at, Lord willing, next Sunday.
So now let's take a closer look at Paul's method
and then seek to apply it to us and to our world.
So look, number one, Paul did not come with eloquent
speech or superior wisdom to proclaim the testimony
of God. We see this in verses one and two. He
says, and I, brethren, when I came to you, did
not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom.
declaring to you the testimony of God, for I
determined not to know anything among you except
Jesus Christ and him crucified. Paul deliberately
preached the simple message of Christ crucified
when he came to this city. His focus was sharp
and it was pointed as it was wherever he went
to proclaim that Jesus was the Christ, he was
the Messiah, and that he died and he rose again
from the dead. This is the pure and the simple
gospel. Now, considering the Greeks' love of
human wisdom and the Jews who stumbled at Christ,
Paul's method was as he declared back in chapter
1, verse 17. For Christ did not send me to baptize,
but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of
words, lest the cross of Christ should be made
of no effect. And this he did faithfully, although
he was short. Of strength. And weak. He says.
I determine not to know anything among you. Except
Jesus Christ and him crucified. His method was
not to meet them on their terms. In the established
order of the day. But to preach. With a great
proclamation. The gospel. Jesus Christ and him
crucified. Which ended up. Turning the world
upside down. He says, I did not come with excellence
of speech or of wisdom, or as in verse 4, with
persuasive words of human wisdom. That is, he
did not use the type of sophistry and elegance
and sophisticated language as did the Greeks
or the dialectical and sharp method of the Jews.
He came with a very simple method, a proclamation
as a herald of eternal truth that Jesus Christ
is the Son of God. He is the way and the truth
and the life as Jesus himself said. And this
Jesus is the look for and long for Messiah. And
he died in order to forgive sins. And then he
rose again. Acts 18 verse 5 shows this, which
is the account of Paul coming to Corinth. It
says, for when he came to Corinth, Paul, it says,
was compelled by the Spirit and testified to
the Jews that Jesus is the Christ. This is the
testimony of God. This is the unveiled mystery.
It's not with lofty speech and the type of wisdom
that they were used to, but it was in plain direct
speech, proclaiming these truths and calling
people to repentance and to eternal life through
belief in Jesus, whom God ordained and had sent
as a propitiation for man's sin. He says, I determined
to know nothing among you. Except Jesus Christ
and him crucified. But we must clarify something
because the question then quickly comes to mind.
What does Paul mean when he speaks of human wisdom?
Is he referring to the capability of mankind
to use what God has created in them and to draw
inferences and bring conclusions and to use reason
in our speech? Is that what Paul meant? Are the
laws of logic, such as the law of non -contradiction,
are they derived from God or from human reason?
The law of non -contradiction is simply that
contradictory propositions cannot both be true
at the same time and in the same sense. Your
body cannot be physically dead and physically
alive. That is a complete contradiction. We must
understand what Paul is talking about if we're
to get the sense and the full import of this
passage. First of all, Paul is not calling for
ignorance or illiteracy. Let's get that straight.
He is making a clear distinction between human
reasoning according to man versus reason from
God's wisdom and God's declared truth. Understand
this. God is the one who created our minds, and
he gave us the ability to reason, to think, and
to employ logic in our speech, to lay a foundation
and then build on it to prove to the point. God
gave wisdom and required judges to use reason
to carefully question and cross -examine. Back
in Deuteronomy chapter 19, verse 17 to 19, it
brings this out, that if a false witness rises
against any man to testify, And then he comes
before in the controversy. Both men shall stand
before the Lord, before the priests and the judges
who serve in those days. And the judges shall
make a careful inquiry. They use the gifts that
God gave them to determine who is speaking the
truth. And then if the witness has found a false
witness who has testified falsely against his
brother, then. God's word to them is you shall
do to him as he thought to have done to his brother.
So you shall put away the evil from among you.
Good counsel for today, is it not? So reason,
God gave wisdom and reason is essential to biblical
interpretation. The Bereans were commended for
their diligent search. In searching out the scriptures,
Acts 17 and 11, it says they were more noble
-minded than those in Thessalonica. In that,
they received the word with all readiness, and
then they searched the scriptures daily to find
out whether these things were so. Paul explains
this further in verse 13. He says, These things
we also speak, not in the words which man's wisdom
teaches, but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing
spiritual things. with spiritual so in order
to understand the word of God properly we must
learn to compare scripture with scripture in
order to fully understand and get the sense of
what God has revealed and we use our minds that
God gave us to do so now Jesus also commanded
us to love the Lord our God with all of our minds
Matthew 22, verse 37, and Mark 12, verse 30,
and Luke 10, verse 27. Paul himself used reason
to teach and to preach the gospel and to confound
those who thought they were wise but were not.
There are a number of examples. Acts 24, this
is when he stood before the king, Felix, who
came with his wife, Drusilla, who was Jewish,
and he sent for Paul. What did Paul do? He reasoned
about righteousness, self -control, and the judgment
to come. Acts chapter 17. This is on the way
to Corinth. He gets to Corinth in chapter 18.
But in chapter 17, they pass through Amphipolis
and Apollonia. They came to Thessalonica. There
was a synagogue of the Jews there. So what did
Paul do? As the custom was, he went to them.
And for three Sabbaths, he reasoned with them
from the scriptures, explaining and demonstrating
that Christ had to suffer and rise again from
the dead. Acts chapter 17 again, verse later,
when Paul was at Athens, he waited for Timothy
and Silas at Athens and his spirit was so provoked
within him as he saw the city was given over
to idols. So what did he do? He reasoned in the
synagogue with the Jews and the Gentile worshipers.
And then finally, we see it again in Acts chapter
18 when he came to Corinth. What did Paul do
when he came to Corinth? Well, It says here that
he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath and
persuaded both Jews and Greeks. So when it comes
to this portion of scripture before us today,
one wonders when it comes to the preaching of
the gospel and of the crucified Christ, what
is the appropriate means in light of Paul's teaching
and his example? And do the practices of which
we just read in the book of Acts contradict what
Paul is teaching here. Most assuredly, they do
not contradict. The apostle is not being schizophrenic
or illogical. His ministry was both to Gentiles
and Greeks and to Jews, and to them both he begins
with the proper foundation. So in order to understand
this, on one sense here he talks about human
reason and persuasive words of human wisdom.
versus the fact that he used reasoning in order
to speak to them, what this means is that in
this passage, in 1 Corinthians chapter 2, he
is dealing with human wisdom. That is the use
of the mind that God created, but that is fallen.
It is fallen. This is the mind that is suppressing
the truth. of god and both the jews and the greeks
were doing it in different ways we read about
this in romans chapter 1 verse 20 through 22
that what did they do after the creation of the
world when god's invisible attributes were clearly
seen being understood by the things that are
made even his eternal power and godhead what
did they do they did not they are They did not
glorify him as God, nor were thankful, but became
futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts
were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became
fools. Later in verse 28, it says of them, as
they did not like to retain God in their knowledge,
God gave them over to debased mind to do those
things which are not fitting. All reasoning from
the premise of the suppression of the truth of
God will lead one falsely. And this is what Paul
means in using the term human wisdom. In other
words, wisdom that is after the flesh and the
fallen nature and the suppression of the truth.
No one can be a law to themselves, not the Greeks,
not the Jews. and not us. This is one of the
big problems of secular humanism that we see
all around us, and of all argumentation outside
of bowing before Christ. This applies to all
false religions and in the context here to the
Jews and to the Greeks. All human reasoning is
to be with the presupposition that God our creator
has made us and is in authority over us. That
his word is true and that Jesus has been given
authority, all authority in heaven and on earth.
His word is true and therefore we are to take
every thought. That is, every thought that we
have is to be taken into captivity to what? To
the obedience of Christ. That is the proper use
of human reason. For human reason must be under
God's law and subject to Christ's authority.
Paul speaks about this to the Corinthians further
in the next book, 2 Corinthians chapter 10. He
says, for the weapons of our warfare are not
carnal, but mighty in God for the pulling down
of strongholds, casting down arguments, and every
high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge
of God, bringing every thought into captivity
to the obedience of Christ. Now, Paul, knowing
what the propensity of The people to whom he
was preaching was to the Jews and to the Greeks,
especially the Corinthians as he was there. And
so he purposed not to meet them in the same way
that they were expecting, not to start out with
human reasoning, not to come at it in the method
that they had desired and would have liked to
see that was lifting them up. But he rather came
first with a premise. God is God. and he sent
the Lord Jesus Christ, and he was crucified for
our sins. It was a bold and yet very simple proclamation,
and it undercut all of the false reasonings that
were going on in their city. He goes on then,
number two, this proclamation of the gospel in
Corinth was done with weakness. Verse 3, weakness,
he says, I was with you in weakness, in fear,
and in much trembling. Now, where was Paul just
before he came to Corinth? Well, if we go back
to Acts chapter 17 and chapter 18, we can see
he had been beaten badly and imprisoned in stocks
in Philippi. That was very, very hard and difficult,
as you can imagine. Socks are no fun, and especially
if your back has been shredded and you're bleeding
and there's all these wounds and it's excruciatingly
painful. That would be what we call today trauma.
That would be traumatic, wouldn't it? So he had
just experienced that in Philippi. And then after
he was discharged from that, he immediately didn't
have, you know, several weeks of downtime to
rest and recuperate from it all. They had to
leave the city. And so he traveled to Thessalonica.
And what happened there? Well, an uproar occurred.
It happened. And so consequently, he couldn't
stay there. And so he quickly got shifted off
to Berea in order to get out of the anger of
the people in Thessalonica. But then when he
was at Berea, the Jews came and they stirred
up the crowds there. They came over from Thessalonica.
So Paul was sent away again. This time he went
by sea to Athens. He waited there for Silas and
Timothy. In other words, they got him out of
the way quickly and then sent Silas and Timothy
to him a little bit later. And so then at Athens,
he was there for a short time. He again proclaimed
the gospel there on the Areopagus. And then he
came to Corinth. It's not exactly a leisurely
time, a cruise in the seas and tourism on the
land, is it? Now he still may have been quite
ill or weak. Is it any wonder that he says that
I came to you in weakness and in fear and trembling?
Some of the Corinthians looked down on him because
of this. He recounts this in 2 Corinthians 10,
verse 10. Here's what they were saying. His letters...
are weighty and powerful, but his bodily presence
is weak and his speech contemptible. Later, when
Paul was on the way back to Jerusalem, he sent
to the elders from Ephesus to come to Miletus.
When they had come to him, he said to them, You
know from the first day that I came to Asia in
what manner I have always lived among you. serving
the Lord with all humility, with many tears and
trials, which happened to me by the plotting
of the Jews. It's in Acts chapter 20. It said,
I kept nothing back that was helpful to you,
but I proclaimed it to you, testifying to Jews
and to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith
toward our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul was human.
He had times of great weakness. He faced conflicts.
He stared down fears, even fears to the point
of quaking, of trembling. He recounts this in
2 Corinthians 7, verse 5, briefly. He says, For
indeed, when we came to Macedonia, our bodies
had no rest, but we were troubled on every side.
Outside were conflicts. Inside were fears. Fears?
The Apostle Paul? Fears? Yes. Yes, weakness and
fear is how he came to the Corinthians. Now,
the phrase with fear and much trembling can refer
to a couple of things. It could describe the
anxiety of one who distrusts his ability completely
to meet all the requirements and still does his
utmost to fulfill his duty. We see an example
of that later in chapter 4, verse 9. Hear what
Paul says. Again, in the same letter, it says,
I think that God has displayed us, the apostles,
last as men condemned to death. For we have been
made a spectacle to the world, both to angels
and to men. We are fools for Christ's sake, but
you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you
are strong. You are distinguished, but we are
dishonored. To the present hour, we both hunger
and thirst, and we are poorly clothed and beaten
and homeless. And we labor, working with our
own hands. Being reviled, we bless. Being persecuted,
we endure. Being defamed, we entreat. We have
been made as the filth of the world. The off
-scouring of all things until now. This, and
yet, these are human beings and this is painful
and it's hurtful. And so he comes to them and
he says, I was weak. and in fear and trembling,
fear of his life, trembling that could have come
from that weakness and hunger and thirst and
being poorly clothed and persecution and all
of those things. However, there's also another
way to understand this weakness and possibly
illness. It could also simply mean... Or refer
to a humble response to the all -inspiring majesty
of God who had called him. This phrase is used
elsewhere like this in Philippians 2, verse 12.
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed,
not as in my presence only, but now much more
in my absence, work out your own salvation with
fear and trembling. For it is God who works in
you both to will and to do for his good pleasure.
Either way, in this weakness, this fear, and
this trembling, Paul nonetheless declared the
pure and simple gospel, not in the method of
the Greeks, not in the self -confident assertions
of a skilled and accultured orator, and not even
how some of the arrogant ones in Corinth were
speaking, as we see in chapter 4, verse 19. But
in his laying of the foundation of the new temple
of God in Corinth, Paul's work is how? Not by
might, not by power, but by the Holy Spirit working
through him in this weakness. He is stripped
of his own self -importance, of his pride, and
of a competitive spirit. And he humbly proclaims
the message of the cross of Jesus. Paul, he comes
to them in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling.
Number three, then, Paul's preaching was a proclamation.
It was a demonstration of the work of the Holy
Spirit and power. Verse 4 and 5. And my speech...
And my preaching were not with persuasive words
of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the
Spirit and of power. Why? That your faith should
not be in the wisdom of men, but in the power
of God. In addition to the weakness spoken of
in the prior verse, Paul here says that his speech
and his preaching were not with persuasive words
of human wisdom. Both in conversation and in
the proclamation of God's truth, Paul did not
use enticing or persuasive reasoning like the
Greeks so enjoyed and desired. We might say that
Paul received no applause, no shouts of acclaim
as he turned to phrases with wit and wisdom.
He didn't wow the crowd. In this, Paul was in
good company. For when called by the Lord, Moses
said, O Lord, I am not eloquent, but slow of
speech and slow of tongue. Jeremiah said, Ah,
Lord God, be cold. I cannot speak, for I am a
youth. And Isaiah said, when confronted with
the glory and the majesty of God, he said, Woe
is me, for I am undone, because I am a man of
unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people
of unclean lips, for my eyes have seen the King,
the Lord of hosts. And indeed, Paul was one who
had seen the King, the Lord of hosts. And so
this burden was on him, this heavy weight was
on him, that he was to go and to preach the gospel
in places where it had not been preached before.
And he had this urgency on him. And so he spoke
directly, he spoke powerfully, accompanied by
the Spirit of God. Many times in biblical history
and in Christian history, God has raised up those
who sense their unworthiness and their inadequacy
deeply. Let this truth strip us of our own pride.
As well as any thoughts of inadequacy that God
can't use me because of my own limitations or
inability. God delights in using people who are
inadequate and unable. And we see that here.
In this weakness, this fear and much trembling,
the speaking and the preaching, he says, were
a demonstration of the spirit and power. This
demonstration, I believe, is not referring to
signs and wonders, although we know that that
happened in places where Paul went, where great
miracles were done. But I don't think Paul is
speaking about this here because that's something
that would have kind of uplifted and maybe won
some kudos points with the Corinthians. So I
don't think that's what he's speaking of. I think
it's referring here to conversions. The changing
of the heart of men and women from a rebellious
heart of stone, from a heart of pride, of coldness
and indifference, from one that worshiped false
gods and idols and was filled with selfishness
and indulged freely in all sorts of iniquity
and sexual immorality, changed and converted
to a new heart, a new and a clean heart with
sins forgiven and right worship restored to the
triune God. It was a demonstration of the spirit
and of power in the changing of hearts. I believe
that's what he's speaking about. And he refers
to these conversions in chapter 6. Verse 9, he
says, Do you not know that the unrighteous will
not inherit the kingdom of God? He says, Do not
be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters,
nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites,
nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor
revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom
of God. And then he states this phrase, he says,
were some of you. This is how you were, O Corinthians.
But now you are washed, you are sanctified, you
are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and
by the Spirit of our God. What does it mean that
the speaking and preaching was a demonstration
of the Spirit and power? It's that there was
changed lives, that people were converted from
darkness to light. And this was manifested in
a great scale in Corinth. Now I use the word
conversions as is biblically used. It means to
turn off from the old ways, to put off the old
man, and transform to now worshiping the one
true God and to love and obey him. This is a
good word, and it's one that we need to make
good use of in the church again. Often we talk
about someone being saved or someone making a
profession or somebody, you know, depending on
where you are, somebody who responded to an altar
call perhaps or something like that. The word
converted is a good word. It means a change of
heart, a change of direction, where then the
old heart of stone has been cracked to pieces
and been crushed before Christ. Receive a new
heart, even as God has prophesied. We need to
restore this to good and common use in the church.
Psalm 51, verse 12 and 13. David cries out to
the Lord and he says, Restore to me the joy of
your salvation and uphold me by your generous
spirit. Then I will teach transgressors your
ways and sinners will be converted to you. Matthew
18 verse 3, Jesus says, Assuredly, I say to you,
unless you are converted and become as little
children, you will by no means enter the kingdom
of heaven. And Peter preaching in Acts chapter
3 verse 19, as he proclaims the gospel, he says,
Repent therefore and be converted. that your
sins may be blotted out, so that the time of
refreshing may come from the presence of the
Lord. Now the conversions that came to the Corinthians,
it originated not from manipulation, nor from
the power of rhetoric, and not even from pressing
for a decision that involved manipulation or
setting the mood. If these conversions would
have come from soaring rhetoric and impressive
speech, they could have been overturned by someone
who could speak even more impressively or with
greater and better sounding words that would
tickle the ears and delight the fancies of men.
But no, they came from a miraculous work of God
in the heart through the preaching of the cross.
Through the preaching of the cross and a call
for faith. and repentance. Therefore, conversions
must come from a demonstration of the Spirit
and of power. Indeed, we preach, as preachers,
we preach as dying men to dying men. That's a
phrase that's often used. As dying men to dying
men. But we also preach as rescued men to those
who need to be rescued. To be rescued from their
sin and from a dead heart. speaks of the holy
spirit jesus speaks of this in john chapter 16
and verse 8 what did he say and when he has come
that is the spirit when the spirit comes he will
convict the world of sin of righteousness and
of judgment the holy spirit is at work and through
the faithful simple preaching of the cross lives
are changed they are converted to christ going
back now to Our passage here in chapter 2, Paul
continues, he says, that your faith should not
be in the wisdom of men, but in the power of
God. So in other words, it's a demonstration
of the Spirit in power so that your faith should
not be in the wisdom of men. Not by well -turned
phrases, not by some captivating, motivating
speaker who changes you through the force of
his words and only at last, of course, as long
as he's there. No, it is in demonstration of
the spirit and power so that your faith should
not be in the wisdom of men, but in God, in the
power of God. God chooses the weakness of the
preaching of the cross so that your faith and
the Corinthians' faith would not be in the wisdom
of men with the smooth words, the soaring rhetoric,
or the manipulation of emotions, but in the power
of God who does this great work. Faith speaks
of the response to God in belief, in trust, and
in obedience. This is no mere assent to the truths
of Christianity, but is a wholehearted response
to God, believing in Christ who died for our
sins and was raised for our justification, and
we place our trust in him and are obedient to
his ways, his laws, and his commands, even as
Brother Ty brought out so wonderfully today in
the time of confession. Faith comes by hearing
of the word of God. The word of God says in Romans
chapter 10 verse 17, And without faith it is
impossible to please God. For he who comes to
God must believe that he is and that he is a
rewarder of those who diligently seek him. Hebrews
11 verse 6. Faith is a gift from God, not of
our own works, lest we should be proud and boast
in our own abilities. Ephesians 2 and verse 8.
Our faith is not to be in the wisdom of men.
It is to be in the power of God. With this portion
of scripture statement, Paul then finishes up
this section, which began in chapter 1 and verse
17. Again, he said, Christ did not send me to
baptize, but to preach the gospel. not with wisdom
of words, lest the cross of Christ should be
made of no effect. As we have seen, the gospel
that Paul preached comes not with human wisdom,
but is considered by the world as the foolishness
of God. It is not with the world's power, but
with weakness. It's not to things that are, but
to things that are not. and not with a demonstration
of rhetorical skill, but with demonstration of
the Spirit's power. Again, not by might, not
by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of
hosts. Well, let's draw this to a conclusion
and consider again, what all do we do with this?
What shall we then do? What can we learn from
this and take away for ourselves? Well, first
of all, again, as I mentioned last week, focus
on the cross. Remember the cross. Do not put
away the cross from your minds and hearts. Even
as we go on to maturity, even as we look at the
all things of the word of God, it must still,
the cross must be central. We must remember the
cross. Now, we might say then, how then? And
what part do we have to play in reaching the
lost? How do we reach them in light of this?
I have four points here for you to consider as
you interact with people and you meet someone.
Focus on the fact, first of all, that God created
them and that he is holy. And speak to them of
the holiness of God and the sinfulness of man.
And then secondly, because of the sin of man,
everyone is under the penalty of sin. And good
works are not acceptable to pay this debt. Like
somebody told me, I always thought God would
grade me on a curve. And then I realized there
was just too much there. There was just too much
there. I need someone. We need the cross of Christ,
the atoning work of Jesus. So because of the
sin of man, first of all, God created you. God
is holy. And we are not. We are sinful. And because
of this sin, the wages of this sin is death.
We are under the penalty of sin. And good works
will never, ever cover for that debt. Thirdly
then, there is an answer to this dilemma between
sinful God. I mean between sinful man and a holy
righteous God. The answer to this dilemma is
Christ on the cross. It is Christ crucified.
And so therefore the substitutionary atonement
must be understood. That Jesus died for my sins.
Christ on the cross. And this then is proved
by the resurrection from the dead. And then.
We call them to repent of their sins and to believe
the gospel. We call upon God to save us through
Jesus Christ. This is the message. This is the
heart of the gospel. And this is how we can reach
others who do not know God. And then we let the
results up to God. We cannot convert a man. We
cannot change a heart of stone into a heart of
flesh, but God can and God does. And he has chosen
for his own inscrutable wisdom's sake to do it
through the preaching of the cross, through the
testimony of that. Now, we also acknowledge that
there are some countries where one cannot proclaim
the gospel in an open way, like Paul could here,
and like we do here as well. And so therefore,
we have to figure out ways and means to be able
to do that. Especially when you're looking at
predominantly Muslim countries, it can be excruciatingly
difficult to be able to share the gospel. For
a period of years, back... In the early 2000s,
I was working in my business. I was doing something
called Businesses Mission, where I was attempting
to establish some businesses in foreign countries
so that would give opportunity for people who
would work in business to also be able to share
the gospel. I was not able to continue in that,
and there was a number of reasons for that. But
one of the problems was that even then, It was
still very, very difficult. I remember I was
working with somebody in Algeria. An American
couple had gone there and they were seeking to
establish a tomato drying business south of Algiers.
And so they went there and they had to be extremely
careful. They could not hand out Bibles to anybody.
In fact, somebody would have to ask them a couple
times. before they would even give them a Bible
just because the area was that tight and restricted.
But even in doing that and just working with
relationships very carefully, something happened
and I got a phone call and the husband was picked
up by the prison wagon. He was arrested and he
was deported out of the country. So it's just,
it's very, very difficult. And so that's where
we can be very grateful for radio, for internet,
to be able to proclaim the gospel, get them into
places like that. And that is why we pray. We
pray for the persecuted church, that the Lord
would open up the doors so that the gospel can
be proclaimed. But it is true that we have many
more means of reaching them today than what we
did even. 20 and 30 years ago and for that we
give thanks but we need to pray for it that the
gospel could be proclaimed openly thirdly an
application is where's the cross is to be central
it is not the only focus in the christian life
there are many other things that flow out of
it and this we see in the regular meeting of
the church when we gather together Part of the
reason why God gifts the church with pastors
and teachers is so that the church would grow,
that they would mature, that they would grow
in the knowledge of Christ, and that they would
understand doctrine, that they would be like
-minded. And so that takes a lot of work and
exposition and preaching and teaching on many
different subjects. It's teaching the whole Word
of God to do as God would have us do. But even
in that, we must retain the centrality of the
cross and not neglect it. One of the ways that
we are privileged to be able to do that is right
here, where we celebrate the Lord's Supper each
Lord's Day. Every Sunday as we gather together,
whatever the subject matter is for the day, in
expounding on the Word of God, the whole Word
of God, wherever we are in it, We still are brought
back to the cross. So when you partake of the
Lord's Supper. Let that just be a continual reorientation
to you. No matter what it is that I'm working
on. Or that God's working on. Or God's teaching
me in all the word of God. It's the cross. It's
the cross. The foundation of it is Jesus died
for my sins. And forgave me. And therefore I
can live for him. He has changed me. So rejoice
in the Lord's Supper. every Lord's Day, and rejoice
in the cross of Christ. The regular meeting is
not to be an evangelistic service where we continually
focus just on the basics, but we do that in the
Lord's Supper. The foundation is the simple message
of the cross. In our fast -paced, entertainment
-driven, debate -loving age, Paul's model challenges.
both preacher and the congregation. He challenges
preachers. We are to proclaim Christ crucified
plainly and in dependence and humility upon the
Spirit, trusting the Spirit that changed lives
will happen by the work of the Spirit and not
based on the type. Of words that we speak in
all sorts of human wisdom. It is God who changes
the hearts and minds of people. So we must proclaim
Christ crucified plainly. And it depends on humility.
We must trust the spirit for changed lives. Not
clever devices or emotional manipulation. And
this guards against pride and arrogance. And
ensures lasting faith in God's power. As with
the Zerubbabel rebuilding the temple amidst obstacles.
So also our ministry. May mountains become plains
by grace. Grace being shouted from the housetops.
By grace. Let us proclaim the cross boldly in
weakness and watch the spirit work. And may our
faith and may the faith of our hearers rest firmly
in the power of God who saves. We preach Christ
crucified and risen again. and we shall be with
him. Thanks be to God. Let's pray.