Sermon 13 - 1 Corinthians 2:1-5

Introduction

In the last sermon, I focused on Paul’s preaching content. First, Paul referenced his content as the testimony of God (2 Corinthians 2:1). “Testimony” means that God has given evidence that certain pieces of knowledge are true. We discovered in 1 Corinthians 2:2 that the testimony of God includes two truths: “Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.”

Earlier last week, I heard a sermon preached by Voddie Bauckham centering on the importance of Jesus Christ and His resurrection. In Acts 3, Peter and John healed an impotent man as they made their way into the Temple. God used the healing to create a platform for the Apostles to preach the Gospel in the headquarters of the wicked. The Temple authorities not thrilled with them preaching about Jesus Christ and His resurrection, arrested them. The next day, Peter and John stood before the Sanhedrin (Israel’s Supreme Court for all religious matters) and preached a stunning sermon that included Acts 4:12: “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Luke records their verdict in Acts 4:18 “And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.” They were not commanded to refrain from miracle working, from speaking or teaching in the name of Jesus.

The Jewish leaders understood how powerful the name of Jesus Christ and His resurrection was in spreading the Gospel. Peter and John doing miracles did not bother them. However, Peter and John doing miracles and preaching in the name of Jesus bothered them. Do you know why people on the left are seemingly more pro-Islam or pro-Hindu than they are pro-Christianity? The answer is both groups reject Jesus as the Christ according to the New Testament and His resurrection. The Sanhedrin wanted what our world wants, a religion that removes Jesus as the Christ that delivers people from sin and His resurrection. If you remove Jesus as the Christ and His resurrection then Christianity’s mission is ineffective.

What is at stake if we remove Jesus as the Christ and His resurrection? We are left hopeless. “The resurrection of Christ is the central event of the Christian faith and, indeed, of all world history. If Jesus did not bodily rise from the dead after three days, Christianity is false and all people remain dead in their sins (1 Corinthians 15:14-17).”

Paul was laser focused on not allowing anything to get in the way or interfere with “Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.” Paul’s purpose in writing about his preaching content was not to differentiate his content from Peter and Apollos. Paul’s passion for preaching “Jesus Christ, and Him crucified” was not just his; Peter, and Apollos preached the same truth. His purposes were to question why they were so divided over preachers who preached the same truth, and why they would accept any preacher who did not preach “Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.”

Not only did Paul, Peter, and Apollos preach the same truth but their character as preachers were the same. Even though Paul highlights his character as a preacher, he was not separating himself from them. Paul’s point was in all the important and essential areas of evangelizing and discipling we are united. If we are united than why are you divided over us and divided over one another who do not share our content and character in preaching? The Corinthian Christians had yearned for their speakers to model after the famed speakers of their time. In so wanting, they diminished the effectual power that “Jesus Christ, and Him crucified” had.

Last week, I focused on the content of Paul’s preaching. This morning, I want to focus on Paul’s character in preaching. Ultimately, I pray that we see how his content and character should unite us around the Gospel of Jesus Christ as our message and bring togetherness amongst the assembly.

Paul’s approach in declaring the testimony of God

The Apostle Paul speaks of his approach in declaring the testimony of God in both negative and positive terms. He did not declare the testimony of God with excellent speech or man’s wisdom (1 Corinthians 2:1 “And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God”). Instead, he preached “in demonstration of the Spirit and of power” (1 Corinthians 2:4 “And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power”). We will look at the negative first and the positive second.

Negatively - The Apostle Paul did not preach with “excellency of speech or of man’s wisdom.” “Excellency of speech” focuses on form, and “man’s wisdom” focuses on content.

He did not preach with “excellency of speech.” John Gill wrote that “excellency of speech” was “pompous language, with the flowers of rhetoric, and the eloquence of the Grecians.” In other words, “excellency of speech” means to speak with a superior or pompous edge. To speak with “excellency of speech” is to say: “look at how smart and brilliant I am.” Paul is not arguing that a person cannot improve his public speaker as a preacher; rather, that a person should not speak in a way that makes him out to be great. I have not read from anyone who did not believe that John the Baptist was a dynamic speaker. Yet, he was careful not to allow his dynamic speaking ability to cause people to make much of him. Our goal as preachers is to make much of Jesus Christ.

In the book of Job there are five speakers before God speaks. Job, Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar, and Elihu. Job’s three friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar were miserable comforters (Job 16:2). There are two reasons for this: they did not comfort with truth; they spoke with an attitude of arrogance or superiority. Elihu was different. Not only did he speak truth but he spoke from a different perspective. He did not rebuke Job from a spirit of arrogance or superiority but from humbleness. Elihu knew he was not better than Job. He said to Job in Job 33:6 “Behold, I am according to thy wish in God’s stead: I also am formed out of the clay.” Even though Elihu asserts that he is advocating for God, he understood that Job and him were on equal footing.

Menno Simmons, a Reformer, was an Ana-Baptist pastor of a group of people in Holland that eventually became known as Mennonites, said: “By the grace of God I am not minded like those who, in their imagination, soar above the clouds and want to be like unto the Most High. But, I repeat, I am a poor, miserable sinner who must daily fight with the flesh, the world, and the devil, and daily seek the mercy of the Lord, and who with holy Paul boasts of nothing but Christ Jesus alone and that He was crucified for us.”

David Mathis wrote that a church looking for a pastor should focus on these three areas: humbled, whole (the idea of being whole is complete in the faith, not a novice), and honorable. Conversely, the Corinthians wanted the same kind of speakers they heard while lost, men who had an air of superiority. Unity cannot happen when their are superior attitudes within the church.

“A preacher can opt to impress people with his cleverness or he can impress them with Jesus, but one cannot do both!” Carson wrote: “What Paul avoided was artificial communication that won plaudits for the speaker but distracted from the message.”

Not wisdom - Nor did the Apostle Paul preach from wisdom. Wisdom is a theme in the first part of chapter 2. Paul mentions wisdom seven times in the first seven verses. There is “the wisdom of men” (1 Corinthians 2:5 “That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God”), and “the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 2:7 “But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory”). This morning, we will focus on “the wisdom of men” because this is Paul’s reference point in v.1.

Paul avoided the wisdom of men in his preaching. What is “the wisdom of men”? Verse 4 gives us insight into what Paul meant by “the wisdom of men.” 1 Corinthians 2:4 “And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:” “The wisdom of men” includes incorporating “enticing words” to move people forward. The idea is “philosophical subtlety.” In other words, to use gimmicks in language to convince people. The Apostle Paul purposefully and intentionally anathematized what happens in many, if not most churches in America. He was not interested in getting large crowds or filling the altar during the invitation this is why he rejected “the wisdom of men.” Paul was interested in people experiencing the new birth, which is a work of the Holy Spirit. His confidence was in the Holy Spirit and not literary devices designed to produce a favourable result.

Positively

His demeanor - 1 Corinthians 2:3 “And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.” We need to know why he was with them “in weakness…in fear, and in much trembling.” One answer could be that he was afraid of the Corinthians. Yet, this would not make sense to what we know about the Apostle Paul. In Paul’s first missionary journey he encountered a satanically possessed person and was stoned. In Paul’s second missionary journey he was beaten and imprisoned in Philippi, and escaped with his life in Berea and Thessalonica. None of these troubles he experienced slowed him down in declaring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to new areas or regions. Adding to this one pastor wrote: “he preached boldly, lived boldly, and counseled other believers to be bold in the things of the Lord.” Therefore, we should not understand v.3 in terms of Paul being afraid of the Corinthians.

Another answer could be that he was emotionally distraught after his beaten in Philippi, forced to evacuate Berea and Thessalonica sooner than he wanted, and being mocked by the Athenians for believing in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Though he could have been emotionally, mentally, and spiritually exhausted by the time he arrived in Corinth which could explain his weakness, this does not address his fear and trembling.

If we follow Paul’s train of thought, then his coming to them in weakness was about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 1:25, 27: “Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men...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;” He came to the Corinthians with a message of “Jesus Christ, and Him crucified” that they would discard as weakness in their sinful state. On his current missionary trip (His second), he had been beaten and imprisoned, he had action worthy threats on his life in Berea and Thessalonica, and the Athenians thought he lost his mind over trusting in the Gospel. However, the reason Paul came to Corinth in weakness with a message they would despise and treat as foolishness was his observational and experiential knowledge of God’s power manifesting through the Gospel. John MacArthur wrote: The weakness in which Paul had come to Corinth was the weakness of the gospel, which is really the power of God.” Divine and unlimited power works through a message the world believes is weak.

The key in getting positive results in preaching the Gospel is not our own stylistic presentation of the Gospel or the way we can woo people in an invitation. Both of those approaches are open confessions that the Gospel is too weak to save sinners and needs our help to strengthen the core message. Paul knew and embraced that he was too weak to strengthen the Gospel story. God’s dynamic power to change lives works through the message and not our stylistic approach or invitational prowess. Enticing words (1 Corinthians 2:4) are not the answer in solving man’s eternal problem but embracing our weakness and the perceived weakness of the “Jesus Christ, and Him crucified” have power to save anyone.

This is an important truth to get across because it means that Paul did not come to Corinth with self-confidence in his own abilities. He knew that without God working through His preaching the Corinthians would have disdain for the Gospel message.

Also, he came “in fear, and in much trembling.” Paul used this phrase four times in his epistles: 1 Corinthians 2:3, 2 Corinthians 7:15, Ephesians 6:5, and Philippians 2:12. In each of these occurrences is the idea of anxiety and urgency. Anxiety comes about because of the weight of the Gospel. The most important story to get right is “Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.” If we miss tell the story or come to the wrong conclusion then the story is of no value. In addition, there is anxiety knowing people can be overly critical with a sermon preached. Perhaps, the point that Paul had in mind was anxiousness crept in because the Good News will sound ridiculous to the lost or be viewed as a threat. However, Paul does not argue that his fear and trembling was a negative but a positive virtue. “Someone said to Charles Spurgeon, ‘I get so nervous when I preach. When do I get over that?’ Spurgeon said, ‘Pray you never do, for then God cannot use you.’” C. Campbell Morgan wrote: “So great was his sense of weakness and fear, and so profound his lack of trust in himself that he quaked, he trembled. Those are the secrets of strength in all preaching.”

Demonstration of the Spirit - 1 Corinthians 2:4 “And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:” Paul rejected “excellency of speech” and “enticing words of man’s wisdom” for the “demonstration of the Spirit and of power.” Later in chapter 2, Paul writes: 1 Corinthians 2:12–13 “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.” The word “demonstration” means “to show forth.” Paul wanted to empty himself so that people can see God. There is nothing wrong with a preacher using his God-given personality and ability to preach the word so long as he does not forget God is the key and essential element and he is not! 1 Corinthians 3:5–7 “Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.” David Guzik wrote: “Paul knew it is the preacher’s job to preach and it is the Holy Spirit’s job to demonstrate.”

In spite of all Paul went through in evangelizing the world, how did he enjoy the success of starting churches throughout the Roman Empire? In the “Demonstration of the Spirit and power.” “Paul depended on the Spirit for any ‘success’ he would experience.” The word “demonstration” speaks of showing forth irrefutable evidence in the court of law. All we can do is preach the word, the Holy Spirit reveals the irrefutable truth of “Jesus Christ, and Him crucified” to those who will be saved. Ray Pritchard wrote: “We need the unction of the Holy Spirit that will take our feeble human words and fill them with supernatural power.” “God can use a quiet man or a powerful orator like George Whitefield to reach people for Christ when these men are yielded and dependent upon the Holy Spirit to work in people's hearts.”

“D. L. Moody was to have a campaign in England. An elderly pastor protested, ‘Why do we need this 'Mr. Moody'? He's uneducated, inexperienced, etc. Who does he think he is anyway? Does he think he has a monopoly on the Holy Spirit?’ A younger, wiser pastor rose and responded, ‘No, but the Holy Spirit has a monopoly on Mr. Moody.’ Let me ask, ‘Does the Holy Spirit have a monopoly on you? Are you under His control?’

Power - Paul’s goals in preaching were for the Holy Spirit to show forth irrefutable evidence in “Jesus Christ, and Him crucified” and for power to save sinners. The power that Paul writes about in 1 Corinthians 1:4 is the same power is wrote in 1 Corinthians 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.” Paul wanted the power of God to bring the increase (1 Corinthians 3:6). The Greek word for power is Dunamis. “Dunamis is the word generally used by Paul of divine energy to accomplish something supernaturally which cannot be accomplished naturally.” Paul was right to reject “ excellency of speech or of wisdom” as a means to convert people to Christ. Divine energy is the only way a sinner can be saved. As Christians, we must rely on the Holy Spirit for power. Oswald Chambers wrote: “Never rely on the clearness of your exposition, but as you give your exposition see that you are relying on the Holy Spirit. Rely on the certainty of God’s redemptive power, and He will create His own life in souls.”

Summarizing - Many, if not most people who come to Christ had heard the Gospel message more than once and from different speakers. Perhaps we were convicted of sin or dismissive of what the preacher said, but the result was the same: there was no movement to Christ or our movement was in the “wisdom of men” but not the power of God. We stayed in this condition until The Holy Spirit convinced us with irrefutable truth about “Jesus Christ, and Him crucified” and the saving power of God blew our way (John 3:8). The difference was not the preacher but God!

His purpose

1 Corinthians 2:5 “That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.” The first word in v.5 “that” means “in order that.” Paul’s reliance on the Holy Spirit and divine power at the exclusion of “excellency of speech…(and) enticing words of man’s wisdom” was so that people have the right faith.

There is more than one kind of faith. Paul highlights two kinds of faith in v.5. He went through necessary extremes so that people’s faith would be rooted in the right power. A. T. Robertson wrote: “The only secure place for faith to find a rest is in God’s power, not in the wisdom of men.” As Gordon Fee noted: Paul comes full circle in v.5. His argument began in 1 Corinthians 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.” The cross, which the world views as ridicules and folly is God’s saving power to those who believe. The goal of God’s activity is “to disarm the wise and powerful so that those who believe must trust God alone and completely.” Paul’s purpose was not to anchor people to men, which is what the Corinthians were doing, but to anchor them in Christ.

There are a couple applications: first, in many pulpits across America pastor’s preach with the sermon being the goal. Trust me when I say this, that is not hard to do. The pastor is relieved because the sermon went out flawlessly or depressed because he butchered the sermon. In my early years of pastoring, I would sometimes find myself absolutely depressed because of the sermon presentation but not depressed or sad if God did not move mightily in the service!

Second, last week, a pastor that I had the utmost respect for was forced out of the pulpit and ministry because of an inappropriate relationship he had with a woman. I have several of his books, went through an expositor academy that he taught, and enjoyed his expositional sermons. He was passionate and fiery in his preaching. He had been in ministry for decades as a pastor, teacher, conference speaker and author, but his ministry collapsed at the age of 73. The news was both tragic and devastating; especially, to his family, church, and students. His dismissal sent shock-waves throughout much of Christianity. However, his falling from ministry did not change my course because my faith did not stand in his wisdom but the power of God. Men’s wisdom will fail but never God’s power!

Third, our unity exists within the sphere of truth and not the influence of men. The above pastor’s church had posted on their website regarding the elders took after hearing about their lead confess to them his activity. A portion of their post reads: “Jesus Christ will continue to lead His Church, including Trinity Bible Church here in Dallas, just like He has from the start of this work on January 5, 2018.  Since that time, the elders have focused on the primacy of biblical exposition knit together by various men filling the pulpit each week.  The Lord was building Trinity Bible Church of Dallas well before Steve became our Lead Preacher, and He will continue to build this church long after Steve Lawson, or any other man for that matter.” In the face of this tragedy, their hope is in the truth!

Conclusion

A Christian's testimony: “I was guilty of "persuasive words" ("wisdom of men") one Saturday afternoon when I spoke with an atheist for 5 hours straight and finally "broke him down," so that he said "Okay, I believe in your Jesus." He even went to the Easter service with me the next day and cried during the service. Within 2 months he had a change of heart and was writing me hateful notes about the foolishness of the Cross and Bible. About 6 months later he joined a nudist colony! It was painful lesson for me that God did not need my persuasive words of wisdom, but only the profound word of the Cross.”