"Our Calling"

1 Corinthians 2:1-5

I’ve went back and forth the last couple of weeks on what I felt led to share with you this morning. And a passage from 1 Corinthians chapter 2. kept coming to mind.

This isn’t some last resort text or when all else fails, i can always Preach Christ and Him Crucified. But it’s quite the opposite.

This is the Main idea of the Gospel. For all Believers, It’s Christ and Him Crucified. WITHOUT Christ we have nothing. Without the Cross and His Crucifixion we have nothing.

Since Christ is Alive, and since He died in our place on the Cross and then rose again three days later, We have the Hope that we too will rise when that day comes. Because of Christ, those who Believe in Him have everything.

Let’s look at the Text together, 1 Corinthians chapter 2, verse 1. When you get there would you please stand with me while I read God’s Holy and Living Word.

Read verses Chap. 2, verses #1-5.

Pray then have them be seated.

Today’s message and I Believe every message should be centered around Jesus Christ and Him Crucified.

The Title for today is “Our Calling.”

The Apostle Paul is one that knew and answered his Calling. To give us some of the back story, Paul was in Corinth around 50 AD to 52 AD, while there many Jews and Greeks came to Christ. Then after about 18 months with the Church, he left (Ac 18:11) and went to Ephesus for about three years. He had gotten word that the Church in Corinth had many things that were dividing them.

Paul within this letter gives the Church many different answers or solutions to specific problems that they were facing. But the Main Solution to all the problems that the Church was facing, was that its members needed to live Christ- centered life.

Let’s look together at verse one of chapter two.

(Verse one), Paul says, When I came to you, brothers and sisters, announcing the Mystery of God to you, I did not come with brilliance of speech or wisdom.

Notice he says When I came to you, brothers and sisters. At that moment they were Paul’s brothers and sister’s. Because they had been born again. But when he first came to them, they were lost. Paul being obedient to the Lord and listening to the direction of the Holy Spirit of God, led him to Corinth in the first place. Paul answered the Call to go and to proclaim the Gospel.

Every Believer has this Call on their lives. To go and tell someone about Jesus. Paul’s life is a pretty good example to us all on living a Christ centered life. Their is no one in here, more than likely, that has done the things he did to oppose Jesus and his teachings, being apart of ripping people from their homes, beating them, and far worse for believing in Jesus. It took Him being Blinded in order for Him to be able to Truly See and if Jesus can show up and blind this man in his tracks as he’s headed to try to destroy the Church. If he can save this Enemy of the Gospel, Friend their is Hope for you today if you don’t know Christ. I Believe their is no one out of the reach of my Savior.

Paul was radically transformed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. His life was never the same again. He Answered His Call when Jesus showed up.

If you look back at Chapter one verse 18. It says “ For the Word of the Cross is Foolishness to those who are perishing, but it is the Power of God to Us who are Being Saved.

This message was Foolishness to Paul until Jesus stopped Him in His tracks. It was Foolishness to me until Christ showed up in my life and rescued me.

Church you and I need to realize something today. When someone who is lost does something you don’t agree with or you know it’s wrong, we have to understand they are Lost. Lost People do Lost things. It shouldn’t shock us. No matter who it is or where they are at , If you been Called Out and set apart by God, You are to go to them with the Gospel no matter what.

Over time this Church had allowed sin to corrupt their lives. Which spilled over into the Church. Some had begun to not think as Highly as they once did about PAUL. We want to follow Apollos or Peter. Paul tells them in Chapter one, you don’t belong to this person or that person, or follow this person or that person, YOU FOLLOW CHRIST. YOU BELONG TO CHRIST. ONLY CHRIST DIED IN YOUR PLACE.

When I came to you, Brothers and Sisters, announcing the Mystery of God to you, I did not come with brilliance of speech or wisdom.

Announcing the Mystery of God to you. Your translation may read the Testimony of God. What is the Mystery of God?. Paul in other passages tells us that Christ is the mystery revealed to those who Believe, and that He is the Manifestation of the Great Mystery. (Eph 3:4 and Col 4:3) You see for the Jews and Hebrews of this time, they knew the Messiah would come, But so much was a Mystery. PAUL revealed to them that Mystery. It’s Jesus Christ. He is the long awaited Messiah.

The Mystery or Testimony of God was revealed to many in Corinth because Paul was faithful to go and tell them about Christ. Church we need more Believers who are Faithful to go and to share their Faith. There are plenty who look no different than the world in churches all over. God has Called you Out from among the world, so you can go tell the World about Him.

Their are too many sideline Christians. It’s time to get in the Battle that’s taking place for the very Souls of everyone you know and Love. We all know the saying Out Of Sight Out of Mind? There’s a Spiritual Battle that’s taking place all around us. We often forget what’s going on. I Promise you the Enemy hasn’t forgot and We as Believers cannot forget either. You were saved to tell those around you about about the Savior.

HE SAYS-I Did Not come in Brilliance of Speech or wisdom. Paul isn’t against someone being intelligent or someone being Wise, But it’s in whose Wisdom they are seeking. Some of these believers were trusting in mans wisdom again. Look over at verse 19 of chapter one. ( Read #19-25)

He came to them with a Humble attitude and a simple Gospel Message.

(Verse 2) I decided to Know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him Crucified.

Paul knew he was but a servant of the Lord. Look at Chapter 3 verses #5-9. We are all Gods, We are all co laborers of the Gospel Message. He knew Jesus Christ was the Foundation. His whole life was for Christ. His Calling to get the Good News to as many as he could.

He didn’t plan this huge presentation or some philosophical system to impress them, His plan, was only to preach “Christ Crucified”. For it was by this message they were Saved in the first place. He didn’t rely on mans wisdom but on the Holy Spirit.

A.W. Tozer says,

I would rather be among those who are unknown, unsung and unheralded doing something through the Spirit of God that will count even a tiny little bit in the kingdom of God than to be involved in some highly-recognized expression of religious activity across which God will ultimately write the judgment: “This too shall pass!”

Exodus 4:10–12; Jeremiah 1:5–8; 1 Corinthians 12:22–25; 1 Corinthians 15:58; 2 Corinthians 10:10

Tragedy in the Church: The Missing Gifts, 32.

A. W. Tozer

Paul is pretty well known, but that’s not what he was seeking. His Life was all for Christ. His Life was lived to bring Glory to the Father and Not himself. For the Believer we are called to a Life that Christ is the Center. How we act, How we talk, How we treat other people, How we treat each other within the Church, How we act at home around our family. How we act at work. Everywhere we go, we represent Christ.

You may be living a Christ Centered Life or maybe your just doing what you want to do, when you want to do it. Either way we need to be reminded daily that we’ve got the Greatest Message the World has ever known and the God of the Universe has Saved us from our wicked ways so we can be apart of proclaiming His Message.

(Verses 3-5) I came to you in Weakness, in Fear, and in much Trembling. (4) My Speech and my Preaching were not with Persuasive Words of wisdom but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s Power, (5) so that your Faith might not be based on human wisdom but on God’s Power.

(Verse 3) I came to you in Weakness, In Fear, and in much Trembling.

Look at Verses 26-31 in Chapter One. Read the verses.

He understood it’s not by his strength, but by the Lord’s. We are weak, but He is Strong. We have to allow His strength to work through us. He came in Humbly because the Gospel had changed Him and the Spirit now living within Him, He now has a Fear of the Lord. Within the Wisdom Literature in the Old Testament (Proverbs 9:10) says the beginning of Wisdom is the Fear of Yahweh. In ( Eccl 12:13) Says Now that all has been heard, the final conclusion is, Fear God and Keep His Commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. To Fear the Lord within the Old Testament would have meant your Faith was in the Lord.

To Fear the Lord, meant you had great Respect and Reverence for the Lord. You would be in awe of Him.

Verse 4- My speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of wisdom but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s Power,

A lot of the things this early Church was dealing with, some of the same things take place within Churches today. Preachers all over come in with fancy words and smooth talk, only trying to get a fan base. Only preaching for the applause of man. They have their reward. My confirmation comes from God Almighty. (1 Cor 1: 25) Let’s be reminded again that God’s foolishness is Wiser than human Wisdom, and Gods weakness is Stronger than human strength. There is No Greater Wisdom or Strength than the Lord’s.

This Church was looking to man’s wisdom and not to the Holy Spirit that changed their lives in the first place. All throughout Scripture we see God’s people needing a reminder not to trust in themselves and the things of the world, but to remain Faithful to God and His Guidance, His Wisdom.

(Verse 5) so that your Faith might not be based on human wisdom but on God’s Power.

Paul knew the importance of allowing the Gospel to be the Gospel. To allow the Word of God to speak for itself. To allow the Holy Spirit of God to work and move among its Hearers. That it wasn’t him or any other man that saved anyone. But by God’s Grace and His Mercy given to man through Christ Jesus and His Atoning Death upon the Cross. That way no man could Boast and say look what i’ve done, but rather look what Christ has done. For the lost today, he can do the same for you if only you would Believe and Repent of your sin, put your Faith in Him and not in the things of the world.

Acts 20:24, says, I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and ministry that I recieved from the Lord Jesus, to Testify to the Gospel of the Grace of God.

How can we apply a few of the Truths we’ve read about about?

Every Believer has this Calling on their lives. Just as Paul did, to go and share the Good News.

We don’t follow men, we follow Christ.

Christ must be the Center of Every Believers Life.

Our Personal Sin always affects the Church body.

God has Called you out from among the world, so you can tell the world about Him.

We must remain Faithful to go and to Preach the Gospel. ( often times people want to only put this on the Pastor. Because it says Preach. But most of the time Paul spoke of preaching the Gospel, the word for Preach in the Greek is translated Evangelize.

So we must all remain Faithful to go and Evangelize the Gospel. We who have been Called Out will be without excuse. Will you answer His Call on your Life?!!!

As the Worship Team makes their way, I want to give you the chance to respond to however the Spirit is leading you.

Are you here today and you know you know the Lord. But maybe you haven’t been Faithful to your Calling, To tell others what he’s done for you. Will you repent and ask the Lord to use you.

Maybe your here today and none of this makes since, religion has always bothered you, Well Friend I want to ask you to try Jesus, not religion. Only Jesus can forgive you, only he can Save you. If He’s calling you , will you respond this morning.

Those that are being Faithful with the Good News, be encouraged today that God see’s you, your work is never in vain, keep pursuing Him. Keep Sharing.

It’s not by chance that you are here this morning, God is extending his Grace and His Mercy to you this morning, if you need Him, YOU COME!!!