1 Cor 2:1-5
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. 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.
Paul concludes his talk on human wisdom versus God’s wisdom in today’s section.
• He has been telling the Corinthians that their preoccupation with human wisdom and abilities, reflected in their divisions over the leaders, was uncalled for.
• They did not come to this point in knowing Christ because of human wisdom, not in the message, not in the recipients, and not in the preacher.
• It has been entirely the work of God.
LET US RECAP. Paul highlighted the few aspects of “foolishness” that were seen in the salvation of man.
• First, in the PROCLAMATION, the MESSAGE of the cross.
• It was a “stumbling block” to the learned Jewish scribes and regarded as “foolishness” by the intellectual Greek philosophers (cf. 1:23).
• The MEANS of salvation for the world – the CROSS – turns out to be incomprehensible to the “wise men”. It was the “foolishness of God” (1:25), Paul exaggerates.
Secondly, look at the PEOPLE. Even the recipients – the Corinthian believers – were not exceptional people.
• The people who heard the Gospel and believed were not intelligent or powerful.
• 1:26 “For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.”
• You were not saved because you are wiser, more powerful than others, or of noble birth.
Finally, the PREACHER (Messenger) of the Gospel was not great, Paul said referring to himself.
• TWICE he said it - 2:1 “I did not come proclaiming the testimony of God with lofty speech [eloquence] or wisdom.”
• 2:4 “…and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom [persuasive], but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power…”
• The greatness was not in me but in the Spirit of God, who convicts and changes the lives of those who receive the message.
So whether it is the MEANS of salvation, the PEOPLE receiving it, or the PREACHER who preaches it, no human wisdom was involved.
• No one can boast that they played a part in the work of the Gospel. The salvation of our souls is entirely the work of God!
• It is the wisdom and the power of God, from start to finish, from inception before the foundation of the world to our consummation, the future glorification at the end.
The revealing of Christ as Saviour is the wisdom and the power of God.
• Paul has been emphasizing this from 1:18 up to this point, in our text today.
• He ends with an introduction to the Spirit of God. It is the power of His Spirit that is at work in our hearts bringing conviction and life change.
• Paul will be talking more about the Spirit in the next section.
In today’s text, we learn of the work of God through the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. I want to ponder these 3 areas:
1. Our Faith in the Testimony of God (2:1)
2. Our Faith in the Work of the Spirit of God (2:4)
3. Our Faith in the Power of God (2:5)
HAVE FAITH IN THE TESTIMONY OF GOD
Paul did not come to them proclaiming the testimony of God with lofty speeches or wisdom. He came in weakness, with fear and trembling.
• Paul does not want to boast about his preaching or to focus on the manner of his preaching but rather on the MESSAGE that he has brought.
• It’s the testimony of God, the message of God concerning Christ and Him crucified.
• “I would prefer to know nothing among you except this.” (v.2)
Paul came not as a gifted preacher but as a faithful WITNESS of the testimony of God concerning Christ.
• He came with God’s message, the revelation of God. And if it is a testimony of God, it means it cannot be of man and it did not originate with men.
The message is above the messenger. The message is from God and of God.
• This is the distinguishing mark of Christianity. The Gospel is a message of God given to us and now entrusted to us as believers. It is not a message of man.
• The messengers are servants of Christ and stewards of God’s message.
• 1 Cor 4:1 “This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.”
We have to distinguish the message from the messenger. They are not on par.
• Messengers are servants and stewards of God, entrusted with His Word.
• Messengers are fallible but not the Word of God.
Paul has been trying to show the Corinthians, in every possible way, that their obsession with human wisdom was not good.
• Even the preacher, whom God used to bring the Gospel, did not come with his own ability to persuade the people.
• The One who could bring conviction and help the listeners believe in the testimony of God is the Spirit of God.
Rather than engaging in lofty speeches, Paul came bearing witness to Christ, testifying to what God has done in Christ in bringing salvation.
• “I have decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” (2:2)
• Not that he knows nothing, or pretends to know very little when he was among them – we know Paul has great knowledge from the letters he wrote - but he would rather leave such knowledge aside and focus on Christ and Him crucified.
• Comparatively speaking, that is more important. That is the wisdom and power of God! (1:24)
Our faith is in the message, not the messenger.
A church has a beautiful stained-glass window just behind the pulpit. It depicted Jesus Christ on the cross. One Sunday, there was a guest speaker who was much smaller than the regular pastor. A little girl listened to him for a time, then turned to her mother and asked, “Where is the huge man who usually stands there so we can’t see Jesus?”
He stands out so much that they cannot see Jesus. The messenger covers the message.
If you walk into the bookstore, you might have noticed that many books feature the face of the author on the front cover. They still have the title of the book, of course, but the face covers the whole front.
I find that odd. Why are you showing your face, and not highlighting the message of the book? What are you trying to convey? Are you selling the message or the messenger? Your good look or the things you want to tell me in the book? Which is more important?
HAVE FAITH IN THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD
Paul went on to tell us – 2:3 “And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling…” We do not know for sure the causes for this.
• Many possibilities. It could be some physical conditions or limitations, the difficult environment he was in, the persecutions from Judaisers, or a combination of these.
• But suffice to say that Paul did not come to them with self-confidence or arrogance.
• He did not present himself as an articulate orator or great philosopher but as an ambassador for Christ.
Being Paul, this was quite remarkable. He could have shared his knowledge of the Law, his ministry experiences, or even his miraculous conversion.
• Phil 3:4-6 “If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.”
• Yet we find Paul preaching and talking mainly of Christ and the Gospel. If you want to boast, boast in the Lord (1:30).
The Corinthians’ conversion was evidence of God’s power and not his preaching.
• It was the “demonstration of the Spirit and of His power” (2:4), “so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” (2:5)
• Their salvation has nothing to do with Paul’s persuasive preaching, which is external. It has to do with the work of God’s Spirit, which is internal.
• The Lord says when the Holy Spirit comes, “And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment…” (John 16:8)
• The Corinthians’ life change was evidence of the work of God’s Spirit in their lives.
Even though the message was “foolishness” to many, the listeners were not wise, powerful or of noble birth in the eyes of the world, and the preacher was weak and not eloquent, the Corinthians believed.
• Their coming to faith in Christ showed that there was no lack of power.
• The power was not in the person or the presentation of the preacher but in the Spirit of God, who brings conviction.
• This was evidenced by their conversion when they responded to the Gospel in faith.
Charles Spurgeon:
“The power that is in the Gospel does not lie in the eloquence of the preacher, otherwise men would be the converters of souls. Nor does it lie in the preacher’s learning, otherwise it consists in the wisdom of men. We might preach until our tongues rotted, until we would exhaust our lungs and die. But never a soul would be converted unless the Holy Spirit be with the word of God to give it the power to convert the soul.”
HAVE FAITH IN THE POWER OF GOD
Paul’s concluding remark is important – 2:5 “…so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”
• Our faith is in the message, and not in the messenger. The power to save comes from the Word of God and not the preacher.
• Those who believe in the message of the cross experience His saving power, because only the Spirit of God can convicts a man and only God can change lives.
• Rom 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”
Paul is not saying therefore the wisdom of men is useless, but that it cannot be the basis of our faith.
• Our faith is in the testimony of God, the witness of God concerning Christ, and not in human wisdom or speculation.
• The difference here is in the result. Human wisdom puffs us up with pride, the other, the wisdom of God, leads us to repentance.
• The work of the Spirit of God in our lives brings conviction. Hence Paul says, “I am not here to give you my opinions and views, my philosophy or some wise sayings. I am here to tell you what God has said about His Son Jesus.”
LET ME CLOSE WITH THIS THOUGHT about the Testimony of God regarding His Son.
It is interesting to know that in the accounts of Jesus’ life, we have 3 occasions when the voice of God was heard audibly by men.
• After Jesus was baptised - Matt 3:16-17 “16And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
• On the Mount when He was transfigured – Matt 17:5-6 “5He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” 6When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified.
• On the day of His triumphal entry into Jerusalem – John 12:27-30 27“Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. 28Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” 29The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” 30Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not mine…”
Three times we heard the audible voice of God and all three times the Father testified about His Son. It was not meant for Christ to hear but for men.
• Let me finish what Jesus said in John 12. John 12:31-33 “31Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. 32And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die.
• Jesus was pointing to the cross when He would be lifted up and crucified for the sin of the world.
• His death was in no way a defeat. Through the cross, Jesus will draw people to Himself so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.
God wants us to know Christ and the reason for His death.
• The question we need to ask is, am I prepared to believe what God has revealed? Will I put my trust in Jesus Christ, my Saviour and Redeemer?
• If you have not met Christ and you are searching, pray and ask God to show you.
• Prov 3:5-6 “5Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
• He will direct you, through the revealed testimony of God, the Word of God. Read and hear what God says about Christ. Believe Him and you shall be saved.
PRAYER:
Dear Lord, we celebrate the Gospel, the message of the cross. We are changed today because of the cross. It is a display of your wisdom and your power.
We exalt Your Name. Help us centre our lives around you. Grant us the faith to see you clearly and hear you well. We trust and obey you, Lord.
We pray for your Spirit to enlighten those who are seeking and bring conviction, that they may be led to repent and believe Jesus as their Saviour.
This we pray in Jesus' Name. Amen.
You can hear the audio sermon with slides at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ca1jUukl12w
You can hear all earlier sermons at https://tinyurl.com/KTCC-EnglishService
