I Corinthians 2:1-16
Introduction: Turn to I Corinthians chapter 2
- I'd like to begin by talking about: 2 Important Reasons
To Study This Chapter
1) Because it teaches us how to more effectively share
the gospel with those who don't already know Jesus
Christ as Lord and Savior.
INPUT - why should it be important to us that we
become more effective to speaking to others about
the Lord Jesus Christ?
INPUT - How important is it that our evangelistic
methods are consistent with God's Word and why is
that important?
(only God understands the human mind)
(only God understands the nature of the gospel)
- we're not saying that every person's evangelistic
methods have to be exactly the same.
- we're not saying that every person is won to
Christ in exactly the same way.
- but regardless of the variety of methods and the
variety of evangelistic situations, everything we
do in those situations must be consistent with
and in response to what God has revealed to us
about this important topic.
- I'm going to use a couple of "big-sounding" words in the
next two minutes not because I think we all need to
remember the words, but because we all need to be aware of
the concepts behind the words.
- What we're talking about right is called in academic
settings "apologetics."
- literally means - "how you defend or share the faith."
- we get that word from verses like I Peter 3:15 - "But
sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and be ready always
to INPUT - What? (give an answer to every man who asks you
a reason of the hope that is in you, with all meekness and
fear.)
- phrase "give an answer" is the word "aplogia"
- while most of probably don't use that word, we ought to all
be very concerned about what the Bible says about
the subject of apologetics, because we're all concerned
about the best and most biblical ways to "defend or share
our faith in Jesus Christ."
- now, like many subjects, there's not complete agreement in
the Christian world about apologetics, or the best, most
biblical ways to evangelize.
- what you believe on this subject will radically affect the
way you go about it.
- the two positions are:
- rationalistic or pre-suppositional
- now again, I'm not expecting us to memorize those words or
go around using them all the time, but the ideas they
represent are very important.
- Those who are rationalists (and there are many in the
Christian world) believe that:
- unsaved man's reason is competent to judge truth
- the truth of the Bible can be demonstrated by
historical and scientific proofs that will be
accepted by the unsaved mind using the scientific
method.
- INPUT - let me ask you even before we talk about the
other position, "What are some of the
implications of the rationalist's position?"
(How important is the knowledge of the
"presenter?" What impact might this have on
the place of the Holy Spirit in the process?
What kind of activities might these kind of
folks be involved in?)
- The other position is know as the pre-suppositional
position. This position holds that:
- unsaved man's mind is depraved and he is unable to
judge spiritual truth on his own.
- a person must accept the existence of God and His Word
by faith.
- The truth of the Word of God stands on its own. (it's
true because it's true - not because someone decides
it's true. "Sanctify them through thy truth, thy
Word is truth -John 17:17")
- The Holy Spirit is an important part in anyone
discerning spiritual truth or coming to know Jesus
Christ.
- What are some of the implications of that position?
- not going to be arguing with folks. We will always
seek to direct them back to the truth of the
Scriptures:
- what the Scriptures say about salvation through
Jesus Christ
- how accepting Christ has Savior has impact your
life
- now, at this point I'm not going to ask you which one of
those positions you hold, nor am I going to tell you which
one I hold...
- but I Cor. 2 will help us greatly in understanding what
the Lord says about this issue.
- the second reason we ought to study this chapter is :
2) Because it teaches us about God's wisdom so that we can
avoid being proud in our knowledge of Him.
- INPUT - what was the first problem Paul talked to the
Corinthians about? (divisions in the church).
- INPUT - How were they demonstrating their
divisiveness? ("I am of Paul," "I am of Apollos:)
- Paul is doing a spin-off of that subject in speaking
about the difference between the man's wisdom and God's
wisdom, but he's not done with the issue of
divisiveness.
- let's "take a peek" at what's coming up in the next
chapters:
- I Cor. 3:4
- I Cor. 3:18
- I Cor. 3:21 (NIV) - SO THEN, no more boasting about
men! All things are yours, whether Paul or
Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death
or the present or the future--all are yours, and
ye are of Christ, and Christ is of God."
- point is - the Corinthians had received the truth about
salvation and the truth about how to live and it was
making them proud.
- the message of chapter 2 was intended to stop that
- in these verses, Paul gives us three important trues
about the message of God
- Read 1-5
- in these verses, Paul is saying:
I. Our Message Must Be Presented In A God-Honoring Way
- INPUT - please tell me, from these verses, what didn't
Paul do in his presentation of the gospel to
the Corinthians?
A. What Paul didn't do?
1. come with excellency of speech or wisdom
2. to "argue" with you about philosophy
3. come with "wise or enticing" words
- INPUT - on the other hand, how did Paul come, according
to his own testimony?
B. How he came.
1. in "weakness"
2. in "fear"
3. in "much trembling"
- one more question from these verses: - why did Paul
come this way?
C. Why he came this way
"so that their faith would not rest in the wisdom of
men but in the power of God."
- now, I think we need to be careful with how we handle what
Paul has said here
- when Paul says, "I didn't come with excellency of speech",
he's not saying that he used poor grammar or mixed his
metaphors
- he's not saying, I didn't seek to explain the gospel in
clear, understandable terms
- there's no question that Paul was a wise, learned man
- In fact, told the Philippians, "If any other man thinks
he has reasons for which to trust in the flesh, I the
more" (Phil. 3:4)
- he told the Corinthians - for in nothing am I behind
the chiefest of the apostles
- so what did he mean when he said - "I didn't come with
excellency of speech or wisdom"
- point is - Paul wasn't depending on his wisdom as being the
most important part of his ministry to the
Corinthians
- sure he had thought through the gospel carefully
- he was presenting clearly
- but he wanted to be sure that his method of
presentation enhanced the gospel but did not take its
place
- he wasn't going to try to impress them philosophically
- he wasn't going to use big words or "flowery" language
- he wasn't even going to engage in discussions about
those matters
- Paul knew that salvation is spiritual business
- he wanted their faith to be in the power of God and the
message of God, and not his intellectual ability
- the same thing is true when Paul said, "I came in weakness,
and fear, and much trembling"
- we'll talk about the conditions in Corinth when Paul
arrived in a minute, (its true that he had gone through
some difficult times in the previous places) but...
- I think we overstate that if we think of Paul as
slinking down behind the "Corinthian pulpit" like a
little milk toast of a fellow
- Paul was a bold person
- he preached boldly, lived boldly, counseling others to
be bold in the things of the Lord
(cf. Acts 13:46, 19:8, Eph. 3:12, 6:19)
- Often times when he talked about fear and trembling, he was
talking about genuine concern over an important, urgent
issue
- so again, when he said, I come in weakness and fear and
much trembling
- he's talking about
- here's what I'm emphasizing
- here's what I'm depending on
- here's what's most important
- its not my skills in oratory
- its not my powerful persuasiveness
- He wanted his presentation to enhance the power of God's
message but not take its place
- bottom line is:
- Paul wanted all the focus to go on the plain, simple,
life-changing, powerful truth of salvation through
faith in Jesus Christ
- he didn't want to take the emphasis off of that with:
- flowery words
- philosophical arguments
- self-induced pride/boldness
- "That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men,
but in the power of God."
- now we'll talk about some specific applications to the
way we share the gospel today in a minute, but first of
all we need to say this:
- this emphasis in Paul's ministry is especially
amazing when you think about the context out of
which Paul was ministering to the Corinthians
D. This is especially amazing in light of the context
- let me ask you to turn back to Acts 16 and lets see
what was happening in the life/ministry of Paul
before he came to Corinth
- INPUT - In chapter 16, what happened when Paul
preached in Phillipi? (he was thrown in
jail) (of course they got out - but he took
a earthquake to get them out)
- that would shake a guy up!
- INPUT - According to Acts 17:5, what happened when
Paul went to Thessalonica? (Jews stirred up the
people - Paul and Silas had to leave)
- INPUT - according to Acts 17:13, what happened when
Paul and Silas went to Berea? (same sort of
thing, the Jews stirred up all the people - some
were saved but there was TREMENDOUS OPPOSITION)
- INPUT - in the next verses, Paul goes to Athens
- according to verse 18, what did the people say
about him?
- what will this babbler say?
- he's just a setter forth of strange gods
- according to verse 32, what happened when
he was done speaking? (NIV - when they
heard of the resurrection of the dead,
some of them sneered)
- now you know that the next place he goes is Corinth
- the point is:
- in several previous cities, the Jews have stirred up
mini-riots against them
- the Greeks have made fun of his presentation of the
gospel
- he's a babbler
- he's a setter forth of strange Gods
- when he spoke of the resurrection, they sneered
at him
- that didn't fit into their philosophical system
- you'd think by now Paul would be ready for a change
- INPUT - what might you expect Paul to do?
- quit
- change/water down the message so it was more acceptable
to his philosophically oriented audience
- try to dress up the message with flowery words so
people were impressed by his intelligence
- might come in "like a bull in a china shop" - no one's
going to push me around and I'm going to wow these
folks with my power and persuasiveness
- but see, Paul didn't do that
- Our Message Must Be Presented in a God-honoring way
- Paul reminds the Corinthians
- I didn't do anything:
- in the kinds of words I used
- in the way in which I spoke them
- in the subjects I addressed
- I didn't do anything to take attention away from the
plain, powerful message of the gospel
- God's work must be done his way
- I never depended on, or trusted in, my wisdom or my
ability to speak
- I wanted your faith, not to be in the wisdom of men, but
in the power or God
- now Paul builds on that idea in the next verses
- because even though he's made the point perfectly clear, it
going to take more to convince the Corinthians
- they would look at verse 1-5 and say, "thats weakness"
- power comes through intellect and oratory
- Paul says - let me talk to you about power, let me talk to
you about effectiveness in God's work
- READ 6 - 10a
II. Our Message Is Powerful Because of its Divine Source
A. Our message shouldn't be universally accepted
- Paul says - Corinthians – that’s one of your main
problems
- that’s why your church is so divisive
- that’s why your church isn't effective for God
- you want a message that is universally accepted so
you can be thought of by everyone around as wise
- Paul says – that’s the last thing I wanted
- if I had come to Corinth
- took the emphasis off the plain but powerful
message of the gospel and placed it on wisdom
and oratory
- if everybody had responded with "I like this
message, it appeals to my natural mind"
- then that kind of message wouldn't save
- because it wouldn't require repentance and faith
- v.6 - we're not looking for the conventional wisdom of the
age
- we're not looking for wisdom that appeals to the
princes
B. Its a mystery
- not that its strange or puzzling
- but natural man can't figure it out on his own
- cf. v 14
- what's the clear proof of that according to verse
8? (the crucifixion)
- Paul says - you need to get over this desire to
have a message that’s universally accepted so that
you can be thought of as wise by everyone else
because you believe it
- buts that’s not weakness, that's not bad
- because as you share that message
- without focusing on or depending on your wisdom
or skills in presentation
- as you focus that person on the clear claims of
Christ
- on salvation through faith in Him
- WE ARE SHARING A MESSAGE THAT HAS A DIVINE SOURCE
C. Consider and stand in awe of its Source (v. 10a)
- now, this passage frees us in one sense and grabs
us in another
INPUT - in what sense does it free us? (we don't have to
have the answer to every question before we can talk
to someone about the Lord Jesus Christ)
- now you know we're not advocating biblical
ignorance
- we're not saying folks shouldn't study, and work
harder at how to present the gospel
- and how to handle some common objections
- but the bottom line is, some of us have placed more
emphasis on and dependence that part of the
equation than we should of.
- so in that sense, we're freed
- but that very concept comes around and grabs us
- INPUT - How?
(some of us have a lot of excuses for not talking to
others about Jesus Christ, and many of them center
around ideas like, "He never accept it", "I could never
convince him" etc.
- Paul says - our faith isn't in the wisdom of men - its
in the power of God
- that’s why we're not rationalists in our apologetics
- we believe that the hearts and minds of men have been darkened by sin
- while we seek to present the gospel clearly
- we're trusting in and depending on an all-powerful God
to work in and the bless the presentation of that
powerful gospel
- I think the Lord would be greatly pleased if the rest of
the summer and onto in the fall would be characterized by
you and I being more aggressive about sharing our faith
because of what we don't have to depend on
- and what we can depend on
- the Lord can do great things with humble people who stand
in awe of the gospel message
- I mentioned this morning that a group of Christian
businessmen called Dave Howard this week and said they
had all the printing equipment he had asked for the
Romanian Christians
- let me tell you a little bit more about how that happened
- this week Dave was supposed to be printing a big mailing
for us that was scheduled to be delivered here on
Thursday and mailed on Friday
- we had a number of ladies lined up for Friday and things
seemed to be going well
- at the beginning of the deacons meeting on Thursday,
someone mentioned that Dave had called to tell us about
the printing equip. and we all rejoiced in that just like
you did
- I got to thinking during the meeting - I don't remember
the printing for the mailing being delivered today
- so at the break, I came up to the office and looked and
sure enough - no printing
- I called Dave at his office and he was still there
- I said, Dave, what's the status of our mailing?
- He said, Didn't you hear? Someone gave us everything we
need for the Romanians!
- I said, that’s great, about the...
- He said, yea, As soon as I heard, I dropped everything
(including our printing) and went to Indianapolis
- He said, you ought to see it
- the press is an "Olympus 4207A" (or some such number)
- I said No (having no idea what that was) - he said "Yea"
- he went on to describe all the equipment
- then he said - and someone's probably going to have to go
over there and help them learn to run it
- I wanted to say - I wonder who that will be!
- it took a long time before we got back around to talking
about our mailing because like I said this morning, "He
was beside himself"
- He is absolutely convinced that if they can gets tracks
and other Christian literature printed and in the hands
of the Romanian people - that many will come to know
Jesus Christ as Savior
- and he wants to be part of it
- he doesn't know any Romanian
- he doesn't understand the culture
- he's not an unusually articulate person
- but you know what - he believes the gospel has a
divine source
- he believes in the power of the gospel
- he doesn't have to have the wisdom of words or the
excellency of speech
- he just wants to be a faithful ambassador
- I think a good question for us to ask tonight would be:
- What do my witnessing habits reveal about the strength
of my faith that the source of the gospel is divine?
- Now, if the Corinthians are thinking, at this point they're
going to be saying things like:
- if in witnessing, we need to focus our other's
attention on the clear gospel of Jesus Christ
- we need to study that gospel to present it as
clearly as possible
- not out of balance with all we've said
- but to complement what we've said
III. Our Message Has Been Miraculously Revealed
- read 10-11
A. By revelation
- Paul says - God didn't entrust this job to an angel
- the message of eternal life through trusting Christ
as Savior and Lord was communicated through the
Spirit of God
- Paul says- He's uniquely qualified, as a member of
the godhead to communicate the way of salvation
- our message came by miraculous revelation
B. By inspiration
- vs. 12
- the we's in this passage apply primarily to Paul
and the other writers in the New Testament
- it's just like John 14:26 where Jesus said that
when the Holy Spirit came, He would "teach you all
things, and bring all things to your remembrance
that I have said to you."
- that’s speaking about the individuals who would
write the Scripture
- Paul said, "All scripture is given by inspiration
of God"
- therefore, you can be sure as you share the
gospel
- regardless of how others respond
- you are speaking words that were
communicated to us through the inspiration
- cf. Sam and Jamie - its hard to see folks you love travel
to a foreign country
- would seem like a waste except for passages like
this
- not just any message, but a message from God
Himself
C. By illumination
- read 13-16
- Paul says, the Holy Spirit will even help you as
you seek to understand that message and present it
with clarity
- Psalmist said - "Open my eyes, that I may
understand wonderful things from thy law"
- Martin Luther - "The Bible cannot be understood
simply by study or talent, you must count only on
the influence of the Holy Spirit."
- not that we're going to know it all - Deut. 29:29
says we never will
- not that we don't need teachers - Eph. 4:11-12
says we do
- not that it won't take hard work - Paul told
Timothy to be a good workman in II Tim. 2:15
- but you can have confidence that your message is a
supernatural one