The Declaration of God’s Word: Biblical and Faithful Preaching, 2/8/26

Today we turn to the book of 1 Corinthians chapter

1 Corinthians 2 · chapter mention

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

Acts 22:3

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

Zechariah 4:6

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

Acts 18:5

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

Deuteronomy 19:17–19

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,

Matthew 22:37 Mark 12:30

and Luke 10, verse 27. Paul himself used reason

Luke 10:27

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

Acts 17 · chapter mention

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,

Acts 17 · chapter mention

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

Acts 18 · chapter mention

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

1 Corinthians 2 · chapter mention

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

Romans 1:20–22

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

2 Corinthians 10 · chapter mention

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

Acts 17 · chapter mention

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,

2 Corinthians 10:10

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,

Acts 20 · chapter mention

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

2 Corinthians 7:5

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.

Philippians 2:12

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

Psalms 51:12

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

Matthew 18:3

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

Acts 3:19

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

John 16 · chapter mention

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

Romans 10:17

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

Hebrews 11:6

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.