Sermon Brief
Date Written: February 14, 2014
Date Preached: February 16, 2014
Where Preached: OPBC (AM)
Sermon Details:
Series Title: A Series from 1 Corinthians
Sermon Title: The “Simple” Gospel
Sermon Text: 1 Cor 1:26-2:5 [ESV] – Read 2:1-2 here
1And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
Introduction:
Last week we learned somewhat of the issues Paul was dealing with in the church at Corinth and it was about the Gospel. Last week we learned that there were many in the church at Corinth who were questioning the Gospel that Paul had preached because it did not fit in with the worldview of those around them…
Paul told the church in Corinth that the Gospel was NOT something the world would agree with, but that it was foolishness to those outside of Christ and even a hindrance to those who THOUGHT they knew God!
We saw how Paul detailed how the Cross was central to the message of the Gospel and that the Cross, no matter how controversial was central in how they were to present the Gospel. That approach was focused on how the church was to present the Gospel to the world…
He instructed them to NOT dilute the Gospel, to NOT be ashamed of the Gospel, to NOT strip the Gospel of its power by removing the Cross…
The world WILL think it to be foolish and the Jews who know God will believe it to be a stumbling block, but this IS God’s plan… this IS the way to redemption… this IS what Jesus came to do and this IS how Jesus accomplished salvation for all who will receive Him!
This morning’s passage is similar but I believe the focus is more internal for those already within the body…those who may be having doubts about the Gospel that they had already surrendered to…
I believe that Paul had rec’d a message that there were many believers who were falling prey to the teaching that the Gospel was too simple and that things had to be added to the Gospel to make salvation real…
So in these verses Paul takes steps to lay out the situation, place his judgment on this false teaching and then lay out the MAIN message of the Gospel…which is the crucified Lord!
Let’s take a look at Paul laying out the situation to these church members, turn with me to 1 Cor 1:26-31…
Paul’s ‘recall’ (1 Cor 1:26-31) – the set up
26For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
The issues in the church in Corinth were not specified directly in Paul’s letter back to the church, however, we can surmise what the church was dealing with by what and how Paul responds.
One particular issue seemed to be the Gospel itself. It seems as if there were people coming in and trying to make the Gospel into something it was NOT… These people were using their intellect and knowledge to intimidate those of the church who were not as knowledgeable. These people were spiritual bullies attempting to take over the church and begin teaching their own personal agenda and gospel.
Here Paul acknowledges that what is going on may be something that is intimidating to theses believers BUT Paul calls on them to consider their ‘calling’ in Christ Jesus! The 1st part of v26 tells them to look back to the time that Christ called and saved them and to be grounded in that promise that Jesus had given!
He tells them that he understands that they not be the wisest or most knowledgeable people… that does not matter, consider your calling in Christ Jesus!
He tells them that he understands that they did not have much clout in society that they may be looked down upon by others in their world, but that does not matter, consider your calling in Christ Jesus!
He tells them that he understands that they may not have been of noble birth… it doesn’t matter, consider WHO called you to redemption!
Who you were before Christ does NOT matter… Paul acknowledges that God does choose the simple and the weak to redeem because this reveals His power and Sovereign nature! This brings shame to those who are in power, to those who are knowledgeable, to those who have influence… because NOTHING they can do can redeem the soul of those whom Christ has saved!
No amount of societal influence will bring about redemption to a lost soul! Consider your calling and that God has graciously called you, in spite of what the world thinks about you… in spite of your lack of wisdom, power and influence… God called you in Christ Jesus and you are important to Him!
Who God is and what God has done/is doing… God has chosen to save those the world has decided to ignore or throw away! In Christ we are saved! But outside of Christ we have NO standing before God. Outside of Christ we are God’s enemy and already judged! There is NOTHING we can know or do to brag about it before God… we are all sinners in His presence!
It is apparent that these people had come in and had attempted to tell those in the church that they were special before God because of their knowledge, power or wisdom or because of their standing in society… that somehow God saw them as special and they had some special connection with God!
Paul wanted the Corinthian believers to understand that there was NO standing before God outside of Christ!
It did not matter how smart you are or how little you know…
It did not matter how important your family was in the community or if your family was the lowest of the low…
It did not matter if you had all the influence and power in the world OR if you were the weakest of the weak…
Christ died for all and only thru Christ can and will you have redemption! These people were casting doubt onto the believers in Corinth and the believers in Corinth were beginning to believe what they were teaching, so Paul had to set them straight!
What you are in Christ (free from sin because of Christ)… Paul basically tells the believers in Corinth that no amount of knowledge, power or social standing can bring you closer to God, but that it is Christ and Christ crucified that brings redemption!
People we often face many who want to interject their own take on Christianity. They try to convince us that we can know God better if we have this or know that or if we achieve this or that…but the fact of the matter is this… Christ and Christ alone is our redemption and anyone who tries to tell you that you need MORE than Christ is DEAD WRONG!
Paul assesses this issue and informs them that these who teach this are wrong and then we find Paul in ch2 begin to ‘judge’ this teaching and what it means…
Paul’s ‘judgment’ (1 Cor 2:1, 3-5) – the argument
1And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom… 3And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
Humility confessed…Paul comes to them and tells them that it was NOT his great education or his standing in the Jewish religious order that brought Christ to them… but that he had come to them humbly out of obedience to God.
1And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom…
He came proclaiming the simple Gospel of Christ. He did not come to them with ‘lofty speech’… lofty speech here means a position of moral or spiritual superiority!
Paul comes to them on an equal footing… Paul came to them as a sinner saved by the grace of God! Sent by God and came to minister to them in obedience to God and in full submission to God’s plan!
Paul was telling them that they were in this together and that God had saved them the same way… through the grace of what Jesus had done on the Cross of Calvary!
How often do we approach those whom we want to share Jesus and our attitude is one of spiritual superiority? You may never say this to them but in your heart you believe that you are better than they are… they are the sinner and you are the saved person! The answer is that you are NOT better than them… you are just better off because of what Christ has done!
If not for Christ, you TOO would be lost and helpless and without redemption! Here Paul confesses his humility before God and before these church members… NOT to exalt himself, but to share with them that God is not looking for those in power, those of position or those of great wisdom! God is looking for obedient and submissive souls to serve Him and be His witnesses!
Paul reveals his humility in Christ, as it is lived out in v3-4.
3And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,
Paul wanted these believers to know and understand that his humility was not a false humility, so he asks them to think about when he came to them… he did not come as a cocky, pretentious pastor, but rather he came to them broken and in spiritual obedience… He came to them with a heavy burden of seeing people come to know Christ as Savior.
He reminds them that his preaching to them was not focused on his command and skill for using WORDS, but that his preaching came directly from God! He tells them that all he brought was based and empowered by the Holy Spirit and the power of God.
After sharing his humility and the goal for that humility Paul relates to this church in Corinth just what has been accomplished through God and His leadership!
Humility’s result…v5
5so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
Paul’s desire for the church in Corinth was that their efforts would be backed by the Power of God! These false teachers wanted them to rest in their wisdom but Paul calls them to rest only in the power and message of God…
The result of a redeemed life is a life that leans upon and relies heavily on the power of God, in all things and thru all situations. Here Paul is challenging these believers to rest in the power of God for their faith! This is what we MUST do… we must rest in the power of God because much of the time we seem to seek out our own way and it is ALWAYS the wrong path to take.
When we humble ourselves before God and when we take the focus off of our own desires, God rewards us with His grace and redemption! The humble heart is the ONLY heart that can receive redemption and so Paul is calling these believers to remain humble…
He tells them to remember that calling they received…to remember their calling from Christ and that it was NOT a calling based on what they had done, but a calling that redeems that which cannot redeem itself! Our faith, our redemption, the Gospel does NOT rest in the wisdom of humanity, but it rests solely and solidly in the bosom of God and His grace, mercy and power!
We cannot allow the world to influence our judgment when it comes to redemption and what the Bible tells us about redemption. Redemption only comes thru Christ … and there is NO wisdom great enough to gain redemption on our own!
Paul assesses the situation at Corinth and then Paul begins to bring judgment to these open allegations. But the message he brings is so simple that most people will not see it OR they believe it to not be adequate! Paul preaches a simple but powerful message and it is revealed in v2:
Paul’s ‘main message’ (1 Cor 2:2) – the focus
2For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
The effect of a simple Gospel – basically in v2 we find Paul saying, “Hey guys, you don’t need all ‘this’ information and ritual these people are pushing down your throat… all you need is Christ!”
Paul wants them to know and understand that redemption is an act of God thru the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ and Christ alone – what Paul is saying here in v2 is that there is a very specific and exclusive nature to the Gospel message and that is Jesus (read John 6:44 & 14:6)
44No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.
6 Jesus said to him, “I am (I)the way, and (J)the truth, and (K)the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Jesus himself set the standard for redemption and it was THRU Him to the Father! He was the exclusive portal thru which we could know God…
This is where MANY in this world get sideways with Christianity. It is the exclusive nature of Jesus within our doctrine of redemption and salvation! We believe in a sole source of redemption while the world still preaches that redemption is all about what you do and who you are! But we find in Scripture that what you do and who you are have NOTHING to do with redemption and salvation:
8For by grace you have been saved thru faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
3For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. 4But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,
Like Paul had already addressed with the Corinthian believers in ch1… we all were foolish and disobedient and trapped in our own desire… our hearts were filled with hatred and envy seeking to hurt others to make ourselves look better!
But God’s grace and mercy were sent by Him and revealed to us by His Holy Spirit… Gods goodness and kindness brings salvation and Paul tells Titus that goodness and loving kindness we receive from God is NOT something we receive because of what we have done or who we are… but it is all about who Christ is and what He has done for us!
We are saved thru His mercy and goodness… by the Holy Spirit entering we become washed and regenerated and part of God’s eternal family! But there are many who simply cannot understand the simple nature of the Gospel! They cannot accept that God died for them and He has done all the work and that our duty is to accept Him or reject Him!
Paul then begins to write about the effective nature of the simplicity of the Gospel. First the Gospel addresses who we are before Christ comes into the picture… we are all sinners before a holy and just God.
In his letter to the Ephesian church he reminded them of their godless beginnings here in this world.
(read Eph 2:1, 12)
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins… remember that you were at that time separated from Christ...having no hope and without God in the world.
He told them that they were ONCE guilty before God and had NO room to be judgmental. But that NOW they had been redeemed by the blood of Jesus and AFTER we come to know Jesus as Savior, we are redeemed and eternally saved… and it was ALL because of God’s mercy!
4But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, 5even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved…
After redemption we are IN Christ and it does not matter what or who we were BEFORE Christ, nothing changes! We are redeemed by His actions and thru His plan, and no words on our part, no actions on our part can or will change or improve what He has done!
So what does this mean for those who know Christ… those who have been redeemed! It means that we have eternal life to look fwd to but it also means that our life in Him here in this world is to be a FULL and RICH life dwelling in Him and His calling!
Remember what Paul says in 1:26? He told these believers to REMEMBER their calling in Christ Jesus! That calling is FROM Jesus and it is a calling to an abundant life, a life of calling from God, a life created for us BY Christ Jesus!
John 10:10
10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy [BUT] I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
Matt 5:16
16In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Eph 2:10
10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Paul calls on these believers to remember their calling… and we can see that Scripture details the calling of the redeemed to live an abundant life is service to Christ here in this world! That redeemed life and service to Jesus brings glory to the Father in heaven!
Paul preached Christ and Christ crucified… a simple gospel and if one accepted Jesus that there was a wonderful eternal reward:
6and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
This simple message of the Gospel bring redemption thru what Christ has done and NOT from what we know or what we have done… the redemption given thru the Christ of the Gospel brings an eternal reward…
Paul says we are going to be raised up with Him… that we will be seated with Him in heavenly places… those IN Christ Jesus! Paul says that in the coming ages Christ will reveal ALL the riches of His grace and kindness toward us… We have a wonderful eternal reward, but it is ALL because of what He has done! The simple Gospel brings about wonderful redemption!
Part of that wonderful redemption that we have in Christ is our heavenly home… Scripture tells us that this redemption that Christ brings thru this simple Gospel brings us an eternal reward in heaven…a dwelling place with Him:
John 14:2-3
2In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.
And in that dwelling place our redemption will be made perfect:
Rev 21:4-5a
4He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” 5And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new...”
Conclusion:
One central truth: This is a simple Gospel… we preach Christ and Christ crucified! Redemption only comes thru Christ Jesus! No amount of earthly knowledge, human effort or anything we can try to do will bring redemption to our soul! It is ONLY thru Christ alone!
One central application: TRUST IN GOD… TRUST IN THE GOSPEL! While the world may seem wise…it is only thru Christ that redemption can be found! Don’t trust the wisdom of the world-- don't lean on your own understanding!
Invitation…
Invitation to non-believers… simple gospel…simple surrender
Invitation to believers… simple gospel…simple obedience & trust in God
Invitation to believers seeking to serve… simple gospel taken to this community by a simple church seeking to serve and be obedient – do you want to be a part?
