Preaching in Spite of Weakness and Fear 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 In this last week, as many of you know, my mom passed away. She was 75 years old and was worshipping as she went out. It was here in the second service. She had a massive stroke and by Friday she stepped into eternity. I want to thank Wildwood for being there for me and my family. My brothers visiting were blown away by the compassion and hospitality that you showed us. Her memorial was last Sunday. It was the hardest week of my life, and the hardest event to attend. I knew the Lord was going to put it on my heart to share something about mom. It became very clear that I was to read the Word of God, to read Proverbs 31 it was a true representation of God s grace in my mom. I knew if I stuck to the Word, I knew I would make it. It was one of those times of great weakness. I am reminded of what Jesus told the apostle Paul And He said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:9 Paul, in his letter to the church of Corinth, speaks of how he came to Corinth in weakness, in fear, in trembling and it was that very weakness that kept him focused on speaking the Word of God, the gospel of Jesus Christ. He did not put a spin on it, he did not add to it, or dilute it. Vs. 1 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. Paul described his arrival in Corinth in Acts 18. It was here that he met fellow believers, Aquila and Priscilla. Copyright 2012 Chris Fraley 1
They were also tentmakers like Paul. Paul was able to support himself while planting the church in Corinth. He actually stayed in Corinth for over a year. Notice, Paul speaks of how he came [I] did not come with excellence of speech Paul knew how to weave a persuasive sermon, how to build bridges, and connect with an audience. In Acts 17, before the philosophers in Athens, he even quoted some of their poets that believed they were the offspring of God. In Acts 26, before King Agrippa, as he connected with Agrippa through the Old Testament prophets and prophecies, Festus thought he was mad but Agrippa said, You almost persuaded me to become a Christian. If need be, Paul could build a bridge to connect with the philosophers of the day or those who had positions of power. Paul could look back and see that he had not tried to connect with the Corinthians through philosophy, not through human wisdom, not like that of a salesman trying to convince you of a product. Paul saw himself as an ambassador for Christ. A salesman is all about the sale getting you to sign, getting that money in your wallet, so they will package it any way they can to get you to buy it, so that you believe you re getting a deal. On the other hand, an ambassador is only representing the one that sent him. He is there because his boss can t be. He may be diplomatic but he has no right to misrepresent. He is only there to represent, to speak what his boss would speak, to speak for the one he represents. Paul was a representative of Christ. In Corinth he made a conscious decision to put the emphasis on Jesus Christ and Him crucified, declaring to his audience the testimony of God. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ s behalf, be reconciled to God. 2 Corinthians 5:20 Copyright 2012 Chris Fraley 2
Vs. 2 For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I determined not to know anything In other words, I made a conscious effort. Paul s focus was to point and lift up the work of Jesus Christ on the cross he made it the center of his message. But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Galatians 6:14 If a preacher is not careful, he will get in the way of the gospel instead of being a servant of the gospel. David Guzik (www.blueletterbible.com, 1 Corinthians 2 A.1.b.iii) I attended a church with my nephew in Florida. It was a church that had six services and a satellite service. It was dark inside and during worship there was a light show cameras and cameramen on stage. Then, about two songs in the smoke machines started producing smoke! The songs they chose were great, I wanted to worship, but I was too distracted by all the smoke and cameras. When the pastor started teaching, he used the Word of God, but he introduced his message with a video. Then he had two or three illustrations that were also with video. It just felt like he was trying too hard. The gospel, the Word of God, the simplicity of worshiping God, it was all clouded by the bells and whistles. Vs. 3 I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. Paul had not shown up in Corinth with self-confidence or selfreliance. So great was his sense of weakness and fear, and so profound his lack of trust in himself that he quaked, he trembled. Those are the secrets of strength Copyright 2012 Chris Fraley 3
in all preaching. Morgan (www.blueletterbible.com, 1 Corinthians 2 A.1.d.ii) The key is that you don t see Paul allowing fear to take him to a place that was unhealthy. He did not retreat from the challenge to bring the gospel to Corinth. It caused him to focus his attention on the cross, which is the power of God unto salvation. But it also caused him to rely upon the Holy Spirit to speak. Vs. 4 And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power Not with persuasive words of human wisdom but rather a demonstration of the Spirit and power. In other words, Paul allowed his fear to push him to a greater power than himself the Holy Spirit. It was spoken to Isaac And the Lord appeared to him the same night and said, I am the God of your father Abraham; do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for My servant Abraham s sake. Genesis 26:24 It was spoken to Jacob So He said, I am God, the God of your father; do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there. Genesis 46:3 It was spoken to Joshua about entering into the Promised Land And the Lord said to Joshua, Do not fear them, for I have delivered them into your hand; not a man of them shall stand before you. Joshua 10:8 It was spoken to Ruth Copyright 2012 Chris Fraley 4
And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you request, for all the people of my town know that you are a virtuous woman. Ruth 3:11 It was spoken to young David And he said to him, Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you. Even my father Saul knows that. 1 Samuel 23:17 Jesus told the disciples Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Luke 12:32 Paul told young, timid Timothy For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7 Fear can be the very thing that pushes us away from God, away from the ventures of faith that God would have for us or it can be the very thing that God uses to bring us to faith, to bring us to a greater dependence upon the Holy Spirit. It s how we deal with fear that s important do we let it grip us and freeze us, or do we allow it to move us to the Word to find faith, to push us away from independence and self-sufficiency, to dependence and Christsufficiency? Notice, Paul would even point out the result of not only pointing them to the cross, but also the fruit of preaching in the power of the Holy Spirit, not in the wisdom and personality of our flesh. Vs. 5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. Their faith was in the power of God. Copyright 2012 Chris Fraley 5
I heard it said many years ago, Whatever you catch people with is what you will have to keep people with. In other words, it s what we gain an appetite for. When a ministry is built upon a human personality, or even slick entertaining marketing strategies to lure people, then you will have to keep people with that. When my family from the east coast comes out, we hit In-N-Out Burger a few times before they leave. The other day, we were all sitting down eating at In-N-Out and I thought to myself, They have been making the same burger for years nothing has changed. It s exactly what they say they are, quality you can taste. The menu has stayed the same the same burger, the same fries, that same shake. Sure you can add a few things here and there, but for the most part it s the same as it was when I was a kid. History of In-N-Out Burger: Refusing to change the menu was unusual for a fast-food chain, but adding other items, the Snyder s feared, would affect the quality of the food and the service. By keeping the menu short, In-N-Out Burger could maintain control and guarantee high-caliber food. In the July 24, 1989, issue of Forbes, Rich Snyder stated, It s hard enough to sell burgers, fries and drinks right. And when you start adding things, it gets worse. Let s be honest, does the cross need our help? No, it stands all by itself and works every time. In every situation, in every experience, it s every season of life. And when we put our faith in the finished work of the cross, it will always be an anchor, an immovable anchor, unlike putting our trust in a man, in a message, in a church, in a religious institution. Paul preached the cross and it worked and it still works today! It s the solution to man s sinful heart. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1:18 My mom stepped into heaven last week and the last message she heard was on the cross. Copyright 2012 Chris Fraley 6
The reason she stepped into heaven? the cross. How about you today? Have you allowed the cross to do its work in you? Copyright 2012 Chris Fraley 7