Preaching in Power
Practical Church (1 Corinthians) • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Transcript
[OCC VIDEO]
Announcements
Good morning. Welcome to Southern Hills Baptist Church. Thank you for joining us today.
If you are a first-time guest with us, you will find a Connection Card in the pew rack in front of you. We would appreciate it if you would fill that out and place it in the offering plate. That gives us a record of your visit and allows us the opportunity of reaching out to you this week to answer any questions that you might have.
Online giving is available at our website, southernhillsbc.com. By clicking on GIVE, it will take you to our giving page where you can easily give by electronic check or credit card. You can also give during our offertory time or in the box at the info table. If you are a guest, please know that we do not expect you to give. Our members and regular attenders provide for the ministry of the church
It is good to see you all. It has been a difficult couple of weeks for our church family, losing two of our members. Jeanie Walker’s funeral will be here tomorrow at 10:00 AM. Visitation with the family will be today from 2-4 PM at Christy-Smith in Morningside.
Roger Umland’s funeral will be held here on Saturday, November 22. I’ll remind you of that as we get closer.
But, while we grieve our brother and sister who have passed on, we know that they are in a much better place. They have not died, but finally know what it is to be fully alive. Friday, we declared Jesus’ victory over death. And so, today, as we come together, we celebrate life—both the life to come and new life here on earth.
See bulletin for Calendar Updates
If you are a guest with us, know that this is our weekly Family Worship service. Our children will remain with us for the entire service. We do have a nursery available for children under 4 just down the hall if you would like to use it.
Please stand as Pastor Atreju comes to read our Call to Worship.
Call To Worship
Thus says the Lord:
“In a time of favor I have answered you;
in a day of salvation I have helped you;
I will keep you and give you
as a covenant to the people,
to establish the land,
to apportion the desolate heritages,
saying to the prisoners, ‘Come out,’
to those who are in darkness, ‘Appear.’
They shall feed along the ways;
on all bare heights shall be their pasture;
they shall not hunger or thirst,
neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them,
for he who has pity on them will lead them,
and by springs of water will guide them.
And I will make all my mountains a road,
and my highways shall be raised up.
Behold, these shall come from afar,
and behold, these from the north and from the west,
and these from the land of Syene.”
Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth;
break forth, O mountains, into singing!
For the Lord has comforted his people
and will have compassion on his afflicted.
Opening Hymn
Scripture & Prayer: Pastor Daniel
Special Prayer
Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church
Prayer guide (IMB) at the info table
Pray with me
Father God,
We come before you this morning, recognizing you as the Almighty Creator God. We glorify you and lift up your Son, by whom we share in the inheritance of the ages. And it is in Jesus’ powerful name that we pray this morning.
Today, we come to you specifically to intercede for our brothers and sisters around the world who are persecuted daily by their fellow creatures. God, we pray that you would give them courage and strength to endure, comfort and joy to gladly bear beatings and death for the Name. And I pray that you would shape our hearts in the same way. Help move us to our knees in intercession every time you bring them to our minds.
Lord, there are too many groups of persecuted believers for us to name each by name. First and foremost, we lift up those who are under threat of genocide because they bear the name of Christ. We pray for those in North Africa who are being hunted and systematically murdered daily. We pray for those in countries like North Korea, Afghanistan, and the Maldives, where it is illegal to be a Christian. We also lift up those who are in countries like China and Saudi Arabia, where it is not accepted to practice Christianity in public.
Father, we bring before your throne the Afghani Christian refugees who are being deported from Tajikistan. We pray that you would protect and sustain them as they are moved back into Afghanistan. We ask that your Holy Spirit would move ahead of them, softening hearts and laying the groundwork for an underground, subversive, and powerful church.
We ask for you guidance and protection for our missionaries and believers in Eastern Europe, South America, and the South Pacific. We pray that your church would continue to move forward and that we would be ready, willing, and equipped to follow.
Thank you for our International Mission Board and their willingness to engage in spiritual battle around the globe. God, I pray that we would keep our eyes open and always remember them in prayer. We know that Your church will move forward and that Your promises are true. Help us to labor each day in our mission as we wait for Jesus to return. And above all, let Your will be done in all things.
It is in the Powerful Name of Jesus that we pray,
Amen
Song #1
Offering & Prayer
Song #2 (King of Kings)
Child Dedication
We have the wonderful opportunity today to observe a time of child dedication. The dedication of a child is a special time for both the parents of the child and for the church. For the church body, we rejoice in another young life that is being dedicated to Yahweh God. For the parents, they get to see a community of faithful believers pledging to support them in the difficult task of rearing a child in our lost world. We celebrate this time together, and yet we approach the throne of grace with solemnness and humility.
Dedicating a child to the Lord is not an ordinance from Scripture like baptism or the Lord’s Supper is. Rather, it is a tradition that has been passed down through the ages of the church. It does not guarantee salvation for the child, nor does it ensure that the child will follow Christ when they become an adult. It is simply a public recognition that the parents of the child have chosen that they want to raise the child to know who Jesus is. Rather than the child being pledged, it is the parents of that child, who have sworn allegiance to Jesus as King, who are entering into a vow to raise their child according to the holy scriptures: to know and to honor God, to respect the adults placed in authority over them, and to love and serve others.
Likewise, our local church membership is also vowing to support them in that decision and to help guide the child in the knowledge of God’s story and to understand how they fit into that story. We, at Southern Hills Baptist Church, will promise to help them along the way; to love the family, and to provide care, shepherding, and discipleship. We take this vow in all seriousness, as we know that we will give an answer to the Chief Shepherd as to our thoughtfulness and intentionality as we lead little ones to the cross.
Call up Family (Dustin & Casie Widman) [Hadley Jo]
We seek for generational blessings for this family in their dedication to Jesus as Lord. I will read the admonishment that Moses received from God to share with the Israelites. This is from Deuteronomy 6:
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
To the Parents: Parents, you are entering a vow with God before this church body and all the faithful witnesses in heaven to raise this child in the knowledge of Jesus.
To the Church Body: Church Family, you are entering a vow with God before these parents and all the faithful witnesses in heaven to support this family however is needed to help them raise their child in the knowledge of Jesus.
Vows (Parents & church body)
To the Parents: Parents, in presenting your child to the Lord, do you promise in dependence on God’s grace and upon the partnership of Southern Hills Baptist Church, to teach your daughter the truths of the Christian faith, to set a good Christian example for her, to bring her up in the instruction and discipline of the Lord, and to encourage her to accept Christ as Savior and King under the guidance of the Holy Spirit?
Response: We do
To the Church Body: Members of Southern Hills Baptist Church, do you promise to join these parents in the teaching and training of this child that she may be led in due time to trust Christ as Savior and King and to confess Him in baptism and church membership?
Response: We do
To the Church Body: If you have accepted this vow of support, please stand to encourage these faithful parents.
(pause for standing)
Thank you. Please continue standing. I charge you thusly: to accept and love this child, to protect her from any physical or spiritual danger from both outside and inside these walls, and to set Godly examples of grace, mercy, and love to her as well as to her parents.
You may be seated.
Anointing
I will now anoint Hadley and her parents with oil and we will pray a blessing over them.
Blessing
May the generations that come after you be blessed and always know the Lord Jesus.
Prayer of blessing
[everyone sits]
Lord’s Supper
Please be seated. [if needed]
(beat)
It is always a privilege to celebrate as we watch our church family grow. We have just vowed before God to covenant with this family and their little one, just as we covenant with one another. It is only fitting, then, that we now enter into this time of communion, where we seek greater unity with the Father and with each other.
It is here, at His table, that we come together and bask in His glory. It is here that we remember His Son Jesus, who made it possible for us to approach the table at all. It is by His body and blood that we come.
We’re going to continue our reading about Jesus from the book of Mark. Today we will finish chapter 13:
“From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
“But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning— lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.”
At this time, I am going to have our ushers come forward. If you are a follower of Jesus, in that you have accepted Him as Savior, bowed to Him as King, and been baptized in obedience to His commandment, we invite you to participate with us. In just a moment, we will pass the plates. Please take a piece of bread and a cup and hold it until we take together.
Pass
Instruction from Jesus: Read 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Prayer of Blessing on bread and cup
Song #3
Pastoral Prayer
World - Hurricane Melissa (Jamaica)
Country-
State-
City-
SHBC- Shape us by the Word
Introduction
We are a month into our series called Practical Church as we work our way through 1 Corinthians. If you have your bibles with you, please turn with me to 1 Corinthians chapter 2. Last week, we finished the opening chapter, where Paul established his thankfulness for the church in Corinth and tipped his hand regarding his concern for their holiness and their abuse of spiritual gifts.
He also broached an issue of dividing factions within the church, where groups of people had separated themselves based upon which evangelist they enjoyed listening to the most. Paul reminded them that their eyes should be firmly on Jesus and staying united as His holy church and that any wisdom rooted in men is nothing but empty talk. Instead, true wisdom is found only in Christ. And it is His wisdom that we are called to proclaim in power.
[TITLE SLIDE]
As we enter chapter 2, Paul will lean back into this topic of preaching that he launched in the first chapter. Before we get to this morning’s text in chapter 2, let us first remind ourselves of what he said in chapter 1, verse 17:
[PASSAGE SLIDE]
For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
Paul picks this thought up in chapter 2, starting with verse 1:
[MAIN PASSAGE SLIDE x2]
And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, (/) and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
Paul continues his thought of preaching only Jesus and the cross, that is His death and resurrection. In doing so, he begins to teach these church members what faithful, gospel-centered preaching looks like. It doesn’t look like arrogant men speaking big words and seeking recognition for their speaking ability. Instead, he is going to show them that true preaching—that is the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus as the wisdom of God—is simple, focused, and powerful.
[POINT 1 SLIDE]
Simple (v 1)
First, he says that true preaching is simple. Look at how he describes this in verse 1:
[PASSAGE SLIDE]
And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom.
Paul says that when he came to them, he did so with simple words. He says so by contrasting “lofty speech or wisdom.” Here, he speaks of the worldly wisdom that we have been discussing. He did not come to them like one of their philosophers, using grandiose and sophisticated speech to win them over. Instead, he came as a simple speaker of truth.
Paul’s point here is that followers of Jesus, who preach God’s truth, should speak simply and plainly. Why? Because those who care nothing about self-promotion don’t need to impress the elite. And it is the societal elite who speak with big words to puff themselves up. Sophisticants are not interested in plain speech, nor are they interested in a solution to their elitism.
Paul uses himself as an example for these Corinthian believers. He shows them that you don’t need to be like the philosophers to speak the truth of the gospel. Paul wasn’t seeking popularity, and neither should they. They must put to death their love of the world and embrace the simple nature of the gospel.
If I stand up here and impress you with big words and a convincing TED talk so that you come to agreement in my position that Jesus lived as God in the flesh and went to the cross to pay for the sins of humanity, it is a waste of my time and yours. Why? Because you have acquiesced to my position without a change of heart.
Simple speech cuts to the heart because it works in cooperation with the Spirit of God. And Paul says that this is why he came speaking simply. It’s because he understood that preaching truth in human wisdom works against the gospel. Human wisdom is prideful, but God’s wisdom if graceful.
We, as believers, have this tendency to complicate the gospel. And I think it is because of how life-changing it is. Think about it. If someone came up to me and asked me, “What is marriage?”
“Oh, boy. How much time you got?”
(beat)
There is a lot to talk about!
(beat)
For most humans, marriage is the most rewarding and most frustrating thing you will ever do in your life. On both sides. One minute you are cuddling on the couch and planning your next weekend away from the kids and 15 minutes later, you’re standing in the closet in the basement banging your head against the wall just hard enough that she won’t hear you.
But the gospel is not like that. There no story about me going to God in prayer and He interrupts me to remind me of the one time twelve years ago when I shrunk His favorite shirt in the dryer.
The gospel is simple. God created everything. We broke the relationship. He restored the relationship by Jesus’ death and resurrection. Jesus is now King and we are all called to bow to Him and serve Him with our lives.
That’s the whole gospel. It’s simple. But for some of us, it’s too simple. And so we throw our baggage into sharing the gospel. Look, there is plenty of time for us to discuss details and help them count the cost of following Jesus, but not when we are preaching. Keep it simple.
Now there is a small difference in the text for us to point out. Here, the ESV uses the phrase “testimony of God.” Some older texts say “mystery of God.” This is made up of a difference in one Greek letter. Either way, it points us to the same place. If it is the hidden and mysterious truth of God that Paul is proclaiming, or if it is simply the true gospel story, either way, He is revealing and preaching the truth to these believers in a simple way.
We see this in Acts 18, when Paul first arrived in Corinth. In verses 4 and 5 it says that he “reasoned” with them and “testified” that Jesus was the Christ. I think Paul was both uncovering God’s mystery and preaching the simple gospel. To the Jews, who had a concept of a Messiah, he explained how Jesus fit the OT promise of the Anointed One. And to the Gentiles, Paul spoonfed them the simple truths of God’s love and grace personified in the person of Jesus.
So, we understand that true preaching is simple. It is the proclamation of the revelation and testimony of Jesus. We simply present the facts of history when we unfold the gospel story. And as we do so, we find that true preaching must also be focused.
[POINT 2 SLIDE]
Focused (v 2)
For those of you who don’t know, I can’t see very well without my glasses. Past 18 inches or so, everything becomes a Monet painting: just blurry blobs of color all running into one another. Do you guys remember Mr. Magoo?
For those of you who don’t know, Mr. Magoo was a cartoon character in the 1950’s and 60’s. By all accounts, Quincy Magoo would have been legally blind, at best, if he were real. In fact, he should die multiple times in every episode, but for his never-ending luck.
Mr. Magoo couldn’t focus on anything. But Paul was quite the opposite. Paul was extraordinarily focused on one thing. He continues in verse 2:
[PASSAGE SLIDE]
For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
Paul says that while he knows things, he narrowed his focus to a singular point while he was in Corinth. He decided to know nothing other than Jesus and his cross. Paul was singled in on preaching this offensive message of foolishness. It was this message that he said in chapter 1 was a “stumbling block to the Jews and folly to the Gentiles.” And yet, that is his focus. Stumbling blocks and folly, rather than human wisdom.
We, too, must focus on this offensive message. For many in the West, it is scandalous to even consider that anyone put to death by the state could be a good person. That the God of the universe would come and suffer and die in our place sounds outrageous. But it is the cross that breaks down barriers. It is Jesus who brings restoration in the lives of the hearers.
Paul’s simple approach denied himself and focused in on what was important. He knew the focus should never be on the preacher, but on the One who was preached. In fact, it seems very clear that He had a healthy fear of adding his own wisdom to the gospel. He knew that he could contribute nothing to the cross. It was the cross that was the demonstration of God’s love to His human creation.
One scholar notes that Paul’s use of crucified is presented in the “perfect tense.” Just really quick: unlike English, where we have only 3 main tenses with variations, Greek has 5 tenses. One of these tenses is the “perfect tense.” The “perfect tense” refers to completed actions with present relevance. In other words, Paul isn’t simply reflecting on the fact that Jesus was crucified. He is preaching a message on the cross that carries deep relevance to the audience.
For Paul knows that the proclamation of the simple truth of the gospel of Jesus and the cross comes with power.
[POINT 3 SLIDE]
Powerful (vv 3-5)
True preaching is simple and focused. And it is powerful. Paul closes this section in the next few verses:
[PASSAGE SLIDE]
And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
Paul says that while he was there, he was there in weakness and fear and trembling. In this, Paul does not mean that was acting in weakness and fear, but he speaks of his state before God. For Paul, he is following the example of Jesus. In 2 Corinthians 13:4, her writes that Jesus “was crucified in weakness” and that we “are weak in him” so that we can live “by the power of God.”
Paul is, again, presenting himself as an example to these Corinthians. He did not come speaking in power and with influence like some honored rhetorician. Instead, he came in the weakness of one who was fully dependent on Jesus for everything. His “fear and trembling” speak of his humble response to the Savior of all creation. Just as Moses did before the rumbling mountain of the Lord, Paul kneels in obedience to the Most High God.
Paul goes on to recognize that his speech and message were not of human wisdom. And the inference here is that human wisdom is powerless. Worldly words are a demonstration of pride and intellect, but the proclamation of the gospel truth is a “demonstration of the Spirit and of power.”
What is the Spirit and power of God? Well, while this is the first time Paul has mentioned Him in the letter, the Spirit is the life giving force of God. It is the Spirit who accompanies the proclamation of the gospel and draws the hearts of men. We see here that Paul correlates the Spirit with power. So, what then is the power of God. Well, let’s jump back a few verses:
[PASSAGE SLIDE]
but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
In 1:24, Paul calls Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. So, if Christ is the power of God and the Spirit is tied to the power of God, then it follows that the Spirit is the Spirit of Jesus. It is Jesus, the living Word of God, who had embodied the Wisdom of God, who sends His Spirit and His power to change human hearts and bring them back to restoration of relationship with God. Jesus went to the Father’s side so that He could send His Spirit to lead the church in power.
[PASSAGE SLIDE]
The proclamation of the gospel comes with power because the truth is carried forth into the hearts of men by the Holy Spirit. It is God’s wisdom, in the form of Christ, that molds and shapes hearts. Words don’t make the preacher powerful, it is the Spirit that does that. The Spirit guides the faithful preacher and the Spirit softens the listening heart. The Holy Spirit is the only force that can move your heart.
A talented preacher may get you out of your seat, but a faithful preacher will walk in step with the Spirit to move your heart. The preacher is merely a conduit of truth. This doesn’t excuse the preacher from preparing. They must know the Word of God to be useful to the Spirit in proclaiming truth and building the church. But, ultimately, all faith should rest firmly in Jesus. Not in the preacher, not in your dad, or your husband, politician, president, pope, or any other human office.
The Spirit moves in hearts when the gospel is preached. And our proper gospel response is faith. Not applause or admiration, not understanding or assent or agreement. Proper response to the gospel is worship of the Tri-un God alone. No man is worthy of your worship.
Notice how Paul closes in verse 5: “so that your faith might no rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”
In Acts chapter 8, Simon Magus saw the Holy Spirit moving in Samaria after the Apostles preached the gospel. He offered them money for the power of the Spirit. Peter rebuked Him and called Him to repentance.
For the power of God is not available for purchase. It is only available to those who have bowed the knee to King Jesus and seek to follow Him in obedience. It is for those who are filled with the Spirit and obey in proclaiming the gospel as they go.
If you are a follower of Christ, you have been sealed with the Holy Spirit. The power of God dwells inside of you. But how often, believer, do you seek to be filled with His power for the work of the ministry. How often do you pray for His power to work in your sharing of the gospel and in the hearts of those that you speak to?
Our preaching must be prayer-filled if it will ever be Spirit-enabled. Prayerless preaching is powerless preaching.
E.M. Bounds was a preacher in the 19th century from Missouri who would travel preaching around the South to help them seek revival in prayer. This man of prayer often rose at 4:00 AM and would pray until 7:00. He wrote several books on the subject, where he describes this idea of unction.
Unction is defines as “an anointing” or as “an expression rising from deep emotion.” It is the anointing of the Holy Spirit on a preacher so that they may preach in power. Bounds says that “this unction comes to the preacher not in the study but in the closet.”
This unction is the Spirit who is the power of God. Think back to all the times that Jesus sought to be alone and pray. He needed to to be in communion with the Father through the Spirit. He needed more anointing from the Spirit to power His ministry on earth.
Paul seems to understand this. Preaching with intelligence and talent, using complicated speech and hitting every topic, will never win anyone to Christ. It is a gutless model built on human wisdom. It has no unction. Godly wisdom would have us preach simple, focused, and in the power of the Spirit.
[PREVIEW SLIDE]
Application
Good stories have the power to stir our emotions, but only gospel-centered proclamation has the power to stir our hearts. The gospel is not just about Jesus; the gospel is Jesus. His entire person is imbued within the gospel message.
You, as a follower of Christ, have been called to ministry. Bathe your ministry in prayer. Seek the unction of the Spirit. Look for opportunities to speak proclaim Jesus simply and focused, and watch the power that will come as the Spirit moves their hearts.
Invitation
For those here who have not made a decision to follow Christ, you may not feel the need to preach just yet. But I ask you to listen. Seek truth with your whole heart and allow the Holy Spirit to shape you into the person that God has designed you to be. If you have questions, I would love to speak with you more after service today.
CLOSE IN PRAYER
CLOSING HYMN
Vote Darla Miller in as a member
CONGREGATIONAL BLESSING
