Introduction
How would you start a church? How would you start a church in a city such as Corinth? Here are your conditions. It is a major city that is relatively new and prosperous. All kinds of people from around the known world have come to make their fortunes there. You can have your pick of religions and cults. There is a special interest in mystery wisdom, i.e. possessing special knowledge that leads one into the mysteries of God or the cosmos. The one religion that is not known is Christianity. Where would you start? How would you get across your message?
By the way, you are well equipped to do the work. You have had the finest education and have earned respect for your intellect. You also have demonstrated great power – healing a cripple, casting out a spirit from a girl, even striking an opponent temporarily blind. By now you are a veteran in missions, experienced in ministering among hostile and indifferent people.
So, what do you do? Perhaps display a few miracles? That would be sure to draw a crowd and win respect. There are plenty of crippled beggars on the streets. Heal some during rush hour. Surely such display of power would win an audience. And once you have an audience, turn on the charm. The people like an entertaining speaker; they respect eloquence. Furthermore, they are open to new religions and teachings. All you have to do is seem wise and you have a following. It’s the old bait’em and hook’em trick, what every good evangelist and church planter knows.
Except Paul, it seems. Remember what Paul is writing about. He is contrasting the wisdom of God against the wisdom of the world. He reminds the Corinth believers that the message of the cross itself runs counter to the world’s sense of wisdom and power; then he notes that they themselves exemplify what seems to be folly to the world. Now, he reminds them of how he, by the way he conducted his ministry, also contradicted the world’s ways of success.
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Paul says to them, We’ve talked about you being poor material for a church; let’s turn to me. I was determined not to use the techniques that would have gotten your attention.
And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom.
I did not speak eloquently not did I use the terminology that would have impressed you with how wise my message seemed. I did not clothe “the testimony of God” – i.e. the gospel – in clothing that was most appealing to you. Instead, I resolved to present the message unadorned and keep it focused on what is central – the atoning work of Christ. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
Does that mean that Paul did not preach about any other work of Christ? No. Paul preached the resurrection of Christ (cf. 15:15); he preached Christ as the fulfiller of God’s promises (cf. 2 Corinthians 1:19-20); and he preached the Lordship of Christ (cf. 2 Corinthians 4:5). It is the cross, though, that is central. All these other things take place because of, and in context of, the cross.
Why did Paul choose to preach so simply? So that the power of God might be clearly displayed. As he continues to explain: 3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
Let’s go through this long sentence. I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling. It is hard to picture the mighty apostle Paul as weak, fearful, and trembling. We need to take two things into account. First, our image of Paul is like that we have of many historical figures, i.e. bigger than life. The truth more likely is that if we could see Paul, we would respond, “You’re kidding; that’s Paul?” In another letter to Corinth, Paul repeats the talk going around about him: For they say, “His letters are weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech of no account” (2 Corinthians 10:10). Evidently, Paul was not an impressive man. To the Corinthians and the Galatians he makes note of a bodily affliction, even referring to the trial his illness must have been to the Galatians (Galatians 4:14). And though he won many converts, in many towns he was literally run out under the danger of losing his life. In 2 Corinthians 4:7 he refers to his body as a “jar of clay,” a weak vessel.
The other thing to understand is the greater context in which Paul operated. R. C. Sproul says that he always preaches with a sense of trepidation because of the great audience that is looking on. What he means is that whether the number of people present are a thousand or fifteen, he is aware that the audience of heaven is also listening in. This sense of the presence of God and that we are engaged in the work of his divine kingdom shakes us ministers, no matter how long we have been in the ministry. Paul is not starting a franchise business. He is bringing the gospel to a city of lost souls. His work has eternal consequences.
To go on, Paul adds, my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom. In other words, he did not couch his language in such a way as to compromise the gospel and make it seem more reasonable to the secular mind or easier to accept. He determined, instead, to make the message clear and let it have its own effect on the hearers.
And because he did so he was able to display the real power of the gospel. Thus his speech and message were in demonstration of the Spirit and of power. Paul preached the gospel. Some – those who would make up the Corinth church – received the word and were transformed by it, so much so that they became empowered and enriched with the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Do you see what Paul is driving at? By delivering with weakness what seems a foolish message, which is then received by weak people, the power of God is manifested as lives are transformed.
Paul is reminding the Corinthians of this so that their confidence will rest in God and not themselves or anyone else. As he concludes: 5 that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
Lessons
Now it is my turn to be preached to. What is Paul saying to me and all other ministers?
One, the minister must be a preacher. I may be capable of doing other things and may have gifts in other areas, but the work to which I am called is to preach. He did not call me to organize special events or to be an administrator. He did not call me to be a political spokesman or a publicity director. He called me to proclaim the testimony of God, and I had better take that calling with seriousness.
The challenge for ministers in this day is to resist all the tugs for him to be involved in everything but preaching. Within the church we are called to be the planners, the organizers, the cheerleaders, the CEOs, the errand runners, and whatever else may come to mind. Outside the church we are expected to be the board members, the organizers of special events, the phone callers, the liaisons between the church and all the parachurch ministries, etc. If a layperson attends a seminar to learn about a ministry or program, he is sure to be told that the minister must be the one leading the charge.
The one thing that all ministers who preach must be doing is leading their people into the Word of God. They need to be preaching with passion, letting their people know that they love God’s Word, that they are convicted and inspired by the Word, that there is no greater thrill for them than to proclaim the Word of God to their people.
Two, the minister must preach about Jesus Christ. If I preach a sermon about God – what God is like, how to know him, how to serve him – and I do not speak of Christ, then I have wasted my hearers’ time. Worse, I have led them astray. You cannot know God without knowing Jesus Christ. You cannot be saved except through Christ. You cannot pray, cannot serve, cannot have hope without Jesus Christ. I must preach is such a way that Jesus Christ is glorified; that his work is made known, and his hope is given.
It is an offense to God for me to give you a helpful message on how to live without proclaiming the hope of Jesus Christ. It is an offense to him to offer you advice on how to overcome troubles you might be having without making clear that knowing Christ is what life is about.
That is also the reason why I cannot participate in ecumenical services in which I am forbidden to preach Christ or to pray in Christ’s name. Nor can I participate in any event in which I give the impression that Christ is but one alternative to knowing and pleasing God. As much as I may like to be accepted in the community I may not compromise the primacy of Jesus Christ. It is Christ who has called me, given me the gift to preach, and given me my orders.
Three, the minister must preach about Christ’s atoning work on the cross. It is possible to preach Christ and empty him of his power. We have already spoken of the power and wisdom of the cross. By all means, I must declare that power and wisdom. It is a travesty to preach Christ’s work as being nothing more than a good teacher who teaches us how to live. Christ taught us to repent and receive the good news of his salvation. It is unjust to regard Christ as nothing more than a man of God who wanted to show the love of God. Christ shows us the love of God by saving us on the cross! That is real love.
People don’t want to hear this message because it teaches that people are sinners and helpless. They don’t like hearing that they must depend on anyone else than themselves. They don’t like hearing that their power and wisdom is foolishness to God. They don’t like the cross. But the cross is the message that the preacher must preach or keep quiet. He must be faithful to his calling to preach the gospel which is summed up in Christ’s crucifixion, or look for other work.
It is tempting to preach what pleases the ears of those who are without Christ. If we do, they are likely to keep coming, maybe even joining the church, even give money! Let’s draw them in by running sermon series on the family, improving relationships, managing money wisely. There are lots of practical messages that people would like to hear to make life better. But I am given one message – to preach Jesus Christ and him crucified.
Four, the minister must preach substance. I am not called to be entertaining but to be a vessel of the good news. I am not to fill the time given to preach the Word with stories and jokes that keep the audience awake. Every word spoken must be to drive home the message of the biblical text.
And, by the way, the Bible gives the substance. Much of what passes for preaching today is little more than a discussion on some issue in which the preacher may bring in scripture from time to time. The common method of preaching is to read a scripture passage as nothing more than an introduction to the sermon topic. Or worse, it is to use the scripture to teach lessons that it has nothing to do with. I heard one sermon using Luke 7:36-50 which tells the beautiful story of the sinful woman who washed Jesus’ feet and consequently forgiven of her sins. Was his message of the hope we have for forgiveness from Jesus? Was it a lesson on being humble before the Lord or the sin of pride which keeps us from forgiving? These are all obvious lessons from the text. No, this preacher, by weaving in stories about the few times he saw his father cry, taught us that it is all right to cry. He was an excellent preacher, quite eloquent, and most people thought they had received a fine sermon. What a tragedy that by preaching with eloquence of preacher of God’s Word was able to prevent his people from receiving real substance. We ministers are called to feel our people with real food, which is the Word of God.
Five, the minister must understand the eternal context of his work. My job is not to make your life a little more pleasant this coming week. My job is no less than to prepare you for eternity. That shakes me up!
It is my job to lift your eyes up to heaven. It is my job to reveal God’s glory to you. It is to make you dissatisfied with anything that does not bear the mark of “eternal importance.” I have the task of calling you to repent of your sins that separate you from God. It is my duty to see that Jesus Christ is exalted as Savior and Lord. I have to somehow make you aware of the invisible kingdom of God for which we are saved and for which we are called to serve. I am to get across to you that this world is not your home and that a much greater destiny awaits us all beyond this mortal life.
And God, and his angels, are checking up on me! And I need to be aware of that. There are others joining this worship service that we cannot see, and they expect a good sermon. There is more to this world than what we see, more to this little worship service in this small church. We have gathered with the angels and with the saints who have entered into the heavenly temple before us.
Six, the minister must aim to unveil the gospel, not cloak it. It is fine for a preacher to be eloquent. We all strive to be good speakers who keep the attention of our people, and it is certainly important to speak on their level, whether that be with simple words or more academic. But with whatever approach I take, my goal must be to make the gospel clear.
Clarity is my measuring standard. I can veil the gospel by being too entertaining and too dull. I like humor and often will try to use it in a sermon. Used properly it can relieve tension and help apply a tough lesson, or help the hearer remember a point. But used improperly, it can spoil the mood that ought to be conveyed and drive the point out of memory. The same with stories. Used well, a good story can illustrate the message of a Bible verse and make the lesson understandable. But the way stories are often used, they distract the hearers from the message. How many of us recall a preacher’s story but cannot recall the point of the story, if it had any? I can veil the gospel by being too academic and too simplistic. It is easy to lose people’s attention with long words and abstract statements. Sometimes I will completely rewrite a paragraph in simpler language or follow it up with an illustration. On the other hand, one can be too simplistic and obscure what the deeper message of the text. The Bible may be simple, but it is also profound, and I have to lead you through the hard work of delving into its depths.
Finally, the minister must trust, and I must lead you to trust, the power of God alone. You and I, together, are to be demonstrations of the Holy Spirit’s power. I am to demonstrate God’s power by proclaiming the gospel clearly and then standing back as it brings life to the dead and transforms stone hearts into hearts of flesh. It is not my place to manipulate the feelings of hearers to get a reaction out of them. I am to make God’s Word plain so that God’s people will be convicted and inspired by it alone. I have failed if my people look to me, rather than Scripture for wisdom.
And you, well, others should be wondering how people like you can possess such wisdom about matters that they can’t quite get a handle on. They should wonder where you get the strength and peace to handle the trials of life. They may think you foolish for your beliefs, but envy the love, joy and peace in your lives. They should have to begrudgingly admit that there is something to your faith that rests not in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
