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The message you're about to hear was preached at Liberty Baptist
Church in Easton, MA. You can find out more about us
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message from God's Word will be a blessing to you.
First Corinthians chapter #2 again is where we are in the
Word of God. I have a question for you this
evening, and I want you to maybe consider it in your own heart
tonight. And that's question, is this
what makes a sermon? What makes a sermon?
You know, for me, sermons are, well, it's kind of my life.
You know, at this point, I have preached a little bit over 1400
messages since I have been here at Liberty Baptist Church.
And it makes me tired just thinking about preaching that
many sermons. And I imagine for my wife, it
makes her tired thinking that she's heard that many sermons
over the last. She didn't say anything.
All right, that's good. That's.
Yeah. So Can you imagine that's the
case? And and, you know, sermons are
my life even when the Sunday comes and Sunday is gone.
I preached 2 sermons at 3 sermons if you consider Sunday
school as well. But then Monday comes and guess
what? There's another week of sermons
that are coming. It just never stops.
It keeps coming and I'm thankful for that.
It's the calling that God's placed upon my life.
I say that's not as a complaint or so that you feel sorry for me
this evening. In fact, don't feel sorry for
me. I'm thankful that the Lord has
entrusted me with the ministry to be able to preach the word of
God. But if I was to ask you that,
what is it that makes a sermon? What is it that makes a sermon A
sermon? Or or maybe we even put it this
way, what makes an effective sermon if we're and to maybe
drill down on that a little bit, there's a lot of different
things that people could maybe say.
A good sermon is made by a good oration just by speaking
eloquently and clearly. There could be some that would
say that's what makes for a great sermon.
A well constructed outline, you know, one that's very easy to
take notes to so that when you're done taking notes, you
can go back and very easily see the structure of the outline.
It's very easy to follow along. That could be something that
people would say, maybe having some sort of presence in the
pulpit, being funny or humorous or something like that.
That's what really, you know, makes a sermon, short sermons
that makes a sermon, Amen. Anyone is like, well, like not a
liberty, all right, But you know, maybe the length of it, it
could be somewhere around 20 to 25 minutes, some kind of
inspirational kind of thing where you hear it and you move
on that. What about volume?
It's not real preaching unless the preacher starts hollering,
Amen. That's what you say in the South
hollering, you know, maybe that's what a sermon is all
about. You know, a lot of people
probably have a lot of different ideas of what really makes a
sermon. But tonight Paul helps us tackle
this issue of what a sermon is all about.
And I want to send these few moments that we have tonight to
look at the 1st 5 verses of First Corinthians chapter 2 so
we can answer this question. But I believe if I was to
summarize here at the beginning of the message, what makes a
sermon A sermon, I believe it would be this.
A sermon is just a speech if it doesn't have the power of God on
it. A sermon is just a speech if it
doesn't have the power of God on it.
That more important than the outline, more important than the
oration, more important than the humorous antidotes that are
given, more important if it's loud or soft.
And the most important thing is that the power of God is upon
that message and upon that messenger.
Look at what it says here in verse #1 chapter 2.
And it says, I, brethren, when I came unto you, or came to you,
came not with Excellency of speech or wisdom, declaring unto
you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know
anything among you, save Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much
trembling. And my speech and my preaching
was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but a
demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should
not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
Well, Paul is continuing what he was talking about in chapter #1
what is real wisdom? Remember, we had some several
sermons talking about what this issue of real wisdom is.
And it seems like he's continuing that thought here as
we open up chapter #2 And there's several things I want us
to look at about this text here tonight and this issue of what
makes a message a message or what makes a sermon A sermon.
And the 1st is this, I want us to see Paul's preaching.
So if you're writing on the back of your prayer bulletin, you can
write #1 Paul's preaching. And he starts in verse number
one with two words. And I, now that tells us, once
again, these small words in the Bible that we're looking at.
It tells us that Paul is continuing the thought that
happened previously, that chapter 2 doesn't necessarily
start a new thought. It's just a continuation of what
has been spoken of in the previous chapter.
Well, what was spoken of in the previous chapter, you might ask,
well, let's go up to verse #31 so just one verse up where it
says chapter 2, go right above that.
And it says this, that according as it is written, he that
glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
You remember we ended there last week, this reciting of Jeremiah
Chapter 9, verse 24. That we don't have anything to
boast of. If anything, Buddy has anything
to boast of. That we boast of the Lord and
what He has done in our lives. So with that thought out of the
way, Paul says this and I as meaning well, nobody has
anything to boast of. And it's almost as if he's
saying that includes me. And listen, Paul may have been
an apostle, Paul may have been the writer of the epistles, but
Paul understood who he was. Paul understood that he was no
more than just a humble servant of Jesus Christ where he could
have lifted himself up to a great place.
In fact, Second Corinthians chapter 12 talks a lot about
that, that he was given a thorn in the flesh, so he didn't think
too highly of himself. So they had to rest on the grace
of God and he's saying to them, listen, we have nothing to boast
of. And I am included in that as
well. There's a lot of people who
think everyone else should be humble, but it's not them.
And the issue is you need to be humble, but I need to be humble
too. That we all have to have
humility before the Lord and understand that anything that we
have to glory in is of the Lord. First Corinthians chapter 4,
verse 10. We've actually looked at this
before. We are fools for Christ's sake,
but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong.
You're honorable, but we are despised.
Paul is saying to the church at Corinth, he says, listen, you
think far too highly of yourselves.
But I've gone to the place where I realized that I am in need of
Christ every day and every hour. I am poor, I am weak, I am
despised. He saw himself for who he was.
Now he shows this thought process in a couple different
ways, and the first is that he presented weakness in his inward
thoughts. He showed his inward thoughts
were weak. He didn't in fact go back to
verse #1 it says, and I, brethren, when I came to you,
came not with Excellency of speech or wisdom, declaring unto
you the testimony of God, for I determined not to know anything
among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
He says this, I don't want to think, and therefore I don't
want to speak in a way that would give glory to myself
because when I think and when I speak, I want to make sure that
all the glory goes to the Lord. Now listen, he's not saying here
that he is speaking without thinking.
That's not what he's saying. We're talking about the apostle
Paul here. The apostle Paul was very well
regarded in the sense that he knew much about the Scriptures.
He wasn't just spouting off any time that he gave a message.
You know, he was well thought out.
But what he is saying is that he refused to have his preaching
eloquent in words, but light on wisdom.
He's making sure that when people left that they said Wow.
He's a great speaker. He wanted people to say, Wow,
isn't God good? That was Paul's desire.
And by the way, that's my desire.
I don't want you to leave here from Liberty Baptist Church on a
Wednesday night or a Sunday morning or Sunday night and say,
wow, pastor was really riled up today.
Wow, Pastor was really funny today.
He ought to comedian, he ought to go to open mic night.
That ought to be not what Simon Says when they leave here.
Wow, pastor was really motivational.
Wow, pastor made me cry. Listen, that's not what we're
looking for. I hope and I pray that just
through my personality, that's what preaching is.
It's true through the personality, the preacher is
that when it is given that when you are leaving Liberty Baptist
Church, you say this, wow, isn't God good?
Well, I'm so thankful that God spoke to me through His word
applied by the Holy Spirit. That is the goal, and that's
what Paul's saying here. I don't want my eloquence to be
that which bleeds over into the minds of the people who are
hearing. I want them, if they get
anything to say. This God is good.
The young preacher, fresh out of seminary, was invited to speak
at a large church. He practices sermon in the
mirror, fine-tuned every word, even had dramatic pauses marked
in his notes. When the day came, he stepped
into the pulpit with confidence and flair, voice booming,
gestures rehearsed and vocabulary polished to a shine.
Afterwards, he stepped by the door, shaking hands and waiting
for compliments. By the way, that's not why I
stand at the door, all right, waiting for compliments.
An older gentleman came through the line, smiled kindly and
said, Son, that was the most eloquent, nothing I've ever
heard. That was the most eloquent,
nothing I ever heard. Listen, it doesn't matter how
silver your tongue is if there's no substance behind it.
And that's what Paul is saying here.
He said, I don't want it to be about me.
I don't want it to be about what I think the Excellency of speech
or my wisdom. And really that speech that goes
outwardly starts with the wisdom that he had in his mind.
He says, I don't want this to be about my wisdom.
I want it to be about the wisdom of God.
And where does the wisdom of God come from?
Well, the word of God, and that's where the authority rests
in the preaching of the word. Now, why is this important?
Well, because Paul knows who he's talking to.
Paul knows who these people are. The people of Corinth, remember,
we've already talked about this in chapter #1 they wanted
worldly wisdom. They came from that Greek
culture that looked to like Athens, that they look for
something new and something better, something to tickle
their ears, the commentator William Barclay said of Corinth.
Corinth put a premium on the veneer of false rhetoric and
thin thinking, the commentator Barnes says.
To have adorned the gospel with the paint of the Grecian
rhetoric would have obscured its wisdom and simplicity, just as
gilding of a diamond would destroy its brilliancy.
You get that that that metaphor, gilding a diamond?
The idea is, imagine having a beautiful cut diamond and then
overlaying it with gold. It's like, wow, that makes
something that's expensive even more expensive, and it's also a
waste because it would obscure the beauty of the diamond.
And so to take man's wisdom and to overlay it on the wisdom of
God is to take something that is beautiful and to obscure it so
that no one understands the true beauty of that which is being
represented. Paul understood this.
I'm an ambassador. I'm not a Christian salesman.
There's a big difference. I'm an ambassador, not a
Christian salesman. Second Corinthians 520 Now then,
we are ambassadors for Christ as though God did beseech you by
us. We pray you.
And Christ said, be reconciled to God.
He knew that he was an ambassador and that we all are
called to be ambassadors on behalf of Jesus Christ.
But it wasn't just that his preaching was about his inward
thoughts being right, but it was also that his outward traits
need to be right as well. His inward thoughts had to be
right, but his outward traits need to be right as well.
Look at verse #3 And it says, And I was with you in weakness,
and in fear, and in much trembling.
You know, when I think of the apostle Paul, apart from the
word of God in the sense that maybe apart from the epistles
where we get these glimpses of who He is.
When you read his sermons, whether it would be in front of
those magistrates, judges and kings, whether it would be in
Ephesus or whether it would be in Ephesus.
In Acts chapter 20, when he was speaking to the church at
Ephesus for the final time, he knew at the end of the third
missionary journey he would never see him again.
The eloquence that comes from that chapter is unbelievable.
Mars Hill, as we've mentioned many times before, Acts chapter
17, when we look at the Word of God and see Paul, I just think
of this orator, the man who always had it together, the man
who is imposing presence, the man who just stood in the pulpit
and it looked like the pulpit was made for him.
You know what I mean? Like this man is a speaker
extraordinaire, except there's one problem.
He never defines himself as that in the Word of God.
I mean, did you see what it said?
Verse three, He says, when I came to you, it was in weakness
and in fear and in trembling. Could you imagine having a
pastor get behind the pulpit? And of course, I have no doubt
that they didn't have pulpits in the way that we did today in the
first church. But you understand the idea that
Paul's coming. You got to hear this guy.
Do you hear about him? He is one of the apostles that
God is using him in a major way, even though he was an apostle,
born at a due time and out of due season.
The word of God says, but he is 1 nonetheless, and he writes
these letters. Can you imagine?
And he gets in front of them and his knees are knocking and he's
shaking. That doesn't even seem to fit
with what we think. But this is how Paul describes
himself. And it's not just this way here
2nd Corinthians 10, verse 10. For his letters, they say, are
weighty and powerful, but his bodily presence is weak and his
speech contemptible. Say this, We read his letters
and we think he's this. And then we see him and hear
him, and he doesn't seem anywhere like the man that we
read in those letters. 2nd Corinthians 11, verse 6 But
though I'd be rude in speech and might say rude in speech, that
doesn't mean he was like, you know, rude to everybody.
But the fact that, you know, he was rough in his speech.
But though I'd be rude in speech, yet not knowledge.
But we have been thoroughly made manifest among you in all
things. He says this.
It's almost as if he's saying this.
I know what to say, but by the time they come out of my mouth,
it doesn't seem to always connect with what I'm thinking
and what I'm saying. Does anybody ever feel like
that? There are times I'm standing up
here and I feel like that. It's like I know what's here, I
know what's here, I know what's here, but it's not coming out
here. And Paul says this is the way it
is. He says I've got the knowledge,
but my speech sometimes is rude. Early church tradition says that
Paul was a man of small stature with crooked legs, but eyes full
of fire and benevolence. Now, whether that's true or not,
it's found not found in the word of God.
But there does seem to be some traditions that Paul was not a
very large man or very imposing man, William Burkett said.
Tradition tells us his stature was low, his body crooked, his
head bald. Go in there.
And when it is added that his speech, look, it's just right
here, all right. And when it is added that his
speech was contemptible, it refers rather to some infirmity
or natural impediment. G Campbell Morgan said so great
was his sense of weakness and fear, and so profound his lack
of trust himself, that he quaked, he trembled.
Those are the secrets of strength.
In all preaching, the idea was he was not weaker for being
weak, he was actually stronger for being weak because he
recognized his weakness and he cast himself fully and totally
upon Jesus Christ. This might be a quick place for
us to take a time out and mention something like this.
You know, God doesn't just use those who are polished of
speech. God doesn't just use those who
are comfortable speaking in front of people that God does
use those who may be don't feel as great talking in front of a
crowd that God does use. Those who maybe feel like if
they speak in front of a church, they might throw up in front of
the church, that not only does God use those type of people,
but I believe God takes great pleasure in using those types of
people. Why would that be?
Well, because it's very obvious that when they speak, they speak
in such a way that the power of God is the one that's sustaining
them and not their own. I've been there before within my
own life. I've shared my testimony with
you before that when I was a young person, it's not like I
wanted to speak in front of people or they speaking in front
of people. It was quite the opposite.
Only the Lord through His grace that has allowed me to be able
to speak in front of a crowd because that was not the way
that I was when I was younger. But I will say that if you think
God just uses the eloquent, then you were missing out on what God
may want to do in your life. And I'm not saying everyone,
every man needs to come and and preach a message or that
everyone has to be able to give a testimony in front of everyone
else. But I will say this, if you have
just decided you can't, don't give in to that because you have
something that God wants to give to someone else and
encouragement and love and help. Think about this.
God has used you in your life to be able to see some things,
experience some things, and learn some things.
And what you've seen and experienced and learn is
different than what I have seen and experienced and learned.
You know, I'm not talking about different types of truth.
There's only one truth, But I'm just talking about live truth
that you take in the Word of God.
You've lived it in your own life and you've seen what's happened
when you've applied it, and you've seen what's happened when
you've ignored it. Do you realize that you have
wisdom that could help someone else?
And maybe it's not a crowd, but maybe it's just a group of
people, maybe at a ladies group, at a ladies Bible study.
Hey, a ladies Bible study, how about that at a ladies Bible
study or a men's Bible study or at men's prayer or something
like that? That God, listen, God has given
you experience and he will give you the power to be able to.
Paul wasn't the order that we think he was, but yet God used
him and God can use you as well. Don't limit what God can do in
your life. Don't limit what God wants to do
in your life. Don't limit the help that you
could be to someone else that you can't be to someone else by
not saying that which God has put into your heart.
No, he had some inward ideas that were difficulties, but he
also had these outward traits as well.
But this was all part of his preaching is that he knew that
inwardly it all had to be about Christ, and outwardly it all had
to be about Christ as well. And listen, that that doesn't
mean that as a preacher that, you know, I should just say,
well, listen, it's all about Christ.
So it really doesn't matter. You know, whatever I say or
however I present it as a preacher, I always want to do
better in my presentation. I I work at at my presentation
and there are times I have to listen to my own sermons.
I would tell you this. There are times I just listen to
a sermon and I say, I just want to put out a mass text the whole
church and just say, I'm sorry. All right, because wow, it's
like they sat through that. And some of you are thinking.
If I left, do you think he would notice?
You know, I'm sorry, but it's but I always want to do better.
I do. That's my desire.
I haven't just gotten to this place where it's like, well,
this is the way I preach and I just, you know, I've plateaued,
you know, I want to do better. I want to learn more.
I'm not an expert, but I will say this.
I can't just quote UN quote get better and that means you will
have a better presentation. You know what it's really about.
I need to make sure that I am preaching with the power of God
upon my life because that counts more than the style, that counts
more than how loud or soft or length or any of those things is
that the Spirit of the Lord is able to work in the service,
just as Paul is saying here. So first we see Paul's
preaching, but #2 I also see this Paul's power.
I see Paul's power. So if his power didn't come from
his inward thoughts or his outward traits, well, where did
it come from? Well, first number four says
that it did not come with the enticing words of man's wisdom,
but rather it was in demonstration of the spirit and
of power. In essence, he's saying this
when it comes to the issue of preaching.
It's a demonstration, not a performance.
Do you get what I'm saying? That's right there in the verse.
It says in demonstration of the spirit and of power.
Preaching is not a performance. This is not a performance art.
We'll have to get up and make sure that I make you laugh at
the right times and cry at the right times and make sure that I
have the right sob story at the end to make everyone feel really
sorry for themselves. And so everyone runs at the
altar at the same time. Could you imagine what happened
if everyone ran to the altar at the same time?
Like, excuse me, Excuse me? Everyone's going to the altar.
Yeah, I can't imagine that either.
But anyway. But I could try to craft a
message just like that to to entice you.
But you know what it would be, it would be a performance.
And preaching is not about a performance, but it's about a
demonstration, a demonstration of the Spirit and of power.
First Thessalonians, chapter one, verse 5.
For our gospel came not unto you and Word only, but also in
power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance, as you
know what manner of men were were among you for your sake.
Ephesians 3, seven and eight, whereof I was made a minister
according to the gift of grace of God-given unto me by the
effectual working of His power unto me, who am less than the
least of All Saints is His grace given, that I should preach
among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.
Paul says this, It's all about the power of God.
Now listen, I do believe this, that when a preacher preaches,
he ought to look like he believes what he's preaching as
Abraham Lincoln, who says that he liked a preacher who looked
like when he was preaching, they was swatting a swarm of bees
when he was in the pulpit. Now, I don't know about that.
I was thinking about talking to Scott and Lisa about that,
trying that one Wednesday night. But it sounds like that would be
difficult for all of us. But the idea is it's not about
performance, it's about this, that the true conviction of the
word of God is within the pastor.
And that's presented in such a way that you would come to
believe that I believe it. And if I believe it and I live
it, that you ought to believe it and you ought to live it.
Pastor, that seems like that puts a lot of burden on you.
If it's done right, yes. If it's just a speech, no.
Because I can just recite a speech and hopefully make
everyone feel good and leave. And guess what?
Nothing happens and nothing changes.
Or if it works through me first and then goes to you, then God
can truly do something in all of our lives.
And isn't that what being in church and listening to a
message all about? Wouldn't it be ashamed to listen
to 40 minute messages? That's what I average around 40
minutes, give or take. I, I, I cut them up every week
in the podcast. So I do know that that's true.
Somewhere around 40 minutes, give or take, that you could
have heard dozens and dozens and dozens of hours of preaching
maybe just this year. And if it wasn't given through
the power of God that it would fall flat compared to what God
intended. That's a heavy burden for me
that preaching is not just about, I got to get this outline
ready. I got to, I got to figure this
out. If I don't have something
they're going to, they're going to know that they're going to
know I didn't study well. I need to study one to show
myself approved unto God, a Workman that needed not to be
ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth, as Paul told
Timothy, the young preacher. But it's that this isn't just
about making sure I have enough content to fill up 40 minutes.
It's about am I preaching what God wants me to preach with
power and authority that can only come from the Spirit of
God. See, there are those who think
the gospel isn't powerful enough or persuasive enough.
That's what it says that they're, they use enticing words
of man's wisdom instead. It's like there are people that
think the gospel itself isn't enticing and so they have to do
something to add to it. And that's why you have so many
other versions of the gospel out there today.
There's the Prosperity gospel teaches that faith and giving
combined will result in material wealth and physical health.
There's the Social gospel. It emphasizes societal reform
and justice as central to the Christian mission, prioritizing
social issues over salvation. There's works based gospel
claims that salvation is earned through good deeds or religious
rituals rather than by grace through faith alone.
There's the Easy Believism gospel, having people pray a
little prayer without even understanding what they're
praying, as long as they pray this prayer without even really
giving them the understanding of sin and righteousness in heaven
and hell. There's a universalist gospel.
It holds that all people will ultimately be saved regardless
of faith in Christ or their response to the gospel at all.
There's liberation theology views the gospel primarily as a
means to liberate the oppressed from socio political injustice.
And these are all types of enticing words that are being
preached from pulpits today. But none of these are the gospel
because the gospel means good news.
And none of those are the gospel because guess what?
They're fake news. They're not the good news of the
gospel. We don't need to entice.
We don't need more. Listen, we ought to protect it
and make sure that we are preaching straight and true.
You know, I've never been to France and I've never seen the
Mona Lisa. But if you're like me, you've
probably seen pictures in the Louvre of people going to see
the Mona Lisa. It's incredible.
It's in, it's encased in glass, bulletproof glass.
No one can get close to it within probably about 15 or 20
feet. There's a barrier with guards in
between. There's no flash photography.
There's 24/7 surveillance, there's vibration and impact
sensors to make sure that nobody touched it.
Why? Because even a fingerprint would
ruin it. It's classic.
Don't touch it. Well, if that's true about the
Mona Lisa, how much more true is that with the Gospel?
Listen, don't touch it. Don't mess with it.
I mean, don't touch this and don't partake it.
No, don't try to change it into something else that is more
enticing. There is nothing more enticing
in this world than the gospel. So just give it straight and
true. That's what preaching is all
about. Just preaching this word as it
is to men and women as they are, and let the chips fall where
they may. Why?
Because the power of it is not in US changing the gospel or
power of it is not in our enticing words of wisdom.
The power is in God and God alone.
Power in and of itself doesn't come from Polish, preparation,
presentation. It comes from the all powerful.
1 So we see these things, but also #3 I wanted to see this
this evening, not just Paul's preaching and his power, but
also Paul's purpose. Preaching strategies centered on
the wisdom of men around emotion, entertainment, human
personality may yield a response, but not results for
the Kingdom of God. See, it's not just about a
listing a response. Response is good.
But response without results for the Kingdom of God means this,
that decisions are made and forgotten just as quickly,
because perhaps they were made out of emotion, because of the
personality of the pastor, because he captivated the
audience but never captivated the heart through the Spirit.
Paul says this. His purpose is singular.
Look at verse #5 What was the purpose?
That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the
power of God. That your faith should not stand
in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
Now Paul showed this in his own life through the church at
Corinth. I want us to look at two
different passages very quickly. You don't have to stay in First
Corinthians chapter 2. Turn to Matthew chapter 28.
I want us to look at a very familiar passage of Scripture.
When you think Matthew chapter 28, very likely you are thinking
about the Great Commission. Remember that we as a church
have been given a Commission to be able to go and make disciples
of all nations. So look at verse #18 Matthew
chapter 28. This will be the first stop that
we'll make here. Matthew 28, verse 18 it says,
And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given
unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the
Son and the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things
whatsoever I've commanded you. And lo, I am with you all way,
even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Now I firmly believe that this Commission was not just given to
the disciples, because it was given to the disciples.
It would have died with the disciples.
I do believe that was given to the church that was already
established by Jesus Christ, that first church that was with
the disciples and that was empowered by the Spirit in Acts
chapter 2. And that pre-existing church was
given this Commission. And I do think that's important
because that means the Commission was given to us just
as much as it was given to them. That we are to go and we are to
teach all nations of salvation. We're to baptize and then
teaching them to grow. And he says this, lo, I'm with
you all way, even until the end of the world.
Now go to Acts chapter #18 you might remember this was a couple
months ago that we preached the very first message of the series
out of Acts chapter 18. And the reason why?
It was because we were introducing you to Paul and
Corinth as they came together for the first time in that 18
month period where they were together.
But look at what it says in Acts chapter 18 and verse #1 and I
want you to see the parallel between Matthew chapter 28 and
what Paul does here in Acts chapter #18 Look at verse #1 it
says after these things, Paul departed from Athens and came to
Corinth. And if I was to take verse #1
and match it up with the Great Commission, I could take where
it says go ye. Therefore, what did Paul do?
He went. Where did he go?
He went to Corinth. Now look at verse #8 it says
this. And Crispus, the chief ruler of
the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house.
And many of the Corinthians heard, believed, and we'll stop
right there. And many of the Corinthians
hearing believed. Well, that goes back to that we
were to teach all nations that's back in the great, Great
Commission that we're to teach unto salvation.
Well, that's why they believe, because they were taught, they
were preached to about Jesus Christ.
And then what happens in the Great Commission after
salvation? Baptism.
Well, what's the very next words?
They're in verse #8 and we're baptized, and then after that
happens, there's discipleship that we're to teach them all
things that's in the Great Commission.
So look at verse #11 it says, and he continued there a year
and six months, teaching the word of God among them.
And then do you remember the very end of the Great
Commission? What did Jesus say?
And lo, I'm with you always, even to the end of the world.
But go back up to verse #10 if you have a red letter Bible,
that means that Jesus is speaking here.
Remember that for I am, He said, with thee.
Do you see the great parallel between the Great Commission and
what happened in Acts chapter #18 that the Great Commission
was given to the church? And here is Paul and he says
this. My purpose is this.
My purpose is just to preach as God has told me to preach.
My purpose is to do that which God has called me to do.
And as I do it, I know that He will be with me.
So why would I do anything else? Because if you do something
else, you have no promise that He will be with you.
And I will tell you, there have been sometimes in this pulpit
that I have felt very, very alone.
And that's not because of those who are listening.
That's because I know that my heart has not been right before
the Lord and I've not properly prepared myself for a message.
And I was giving a presentation, but I wasn't showing a
demonstration of the Spirit and of power.
Hey, pastor, this is a great message.
It's too bad it's for none of us.
It's it's only for you. And the answer is, well, yeah.
I mean, a lot of it does have to do with me being the pastor and
looking at Paul and how he preached.
Now he presented himself and how I am supposed to preach the word
of God. But again, what we read here in
First Corinthians chapter 2 is not presented in a vacuum
because remember, Paul is speaking to a local church.
He's not just explaining this because he needs to fill up 16
chapters with information. He's like, talk about next.
Oh, let me just talk about how my, the way I preach.
No, he's talking about it because he wants the church, the
church accord to learn something.
And it's important for them to understand.
And we'll see some more of that unfold to us in the next few
weeks as we continue through First Corinthians chapter #2 But
verse #5 does give an important spiritual truth.
And I'll read it, for I told you not to stay there, but I'll read
First Corinthians chapter #2 verse 5 for you again.
It says that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men,
but in the power of God. And this is what's so important
here. He wants them to stand in the
power of God. Now, there is an important
spiritual truth that I think it's that we should remember.
And it's this, that what's in the root comes out in the fruit.
Pastor, what did you just say? What's in the root comes out in
the fruit. Jesus put it this way.
Matthew 717. Even so, every good tree
bringeth forth good fruit, and a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil
fruit. A bad root system does not bring
forth a healthy tree. A good and healthy root system
will bring forth a good and healthy tree.
What is in the root is what comes out in the fruit.
And so Paul says this If my preaching is based on man's
wisdom or on man's power, then the people who hear it can only
stand in man's wisdom and in man's power, he says.
But if my preaching is based on God's wisdom and God's power,
then the people who are listening can stand in God's
wisdom and in God's power. It's why emotionalism in
sermonizing doesn't last long. And I'm all about giving sermon
illustrations that might tug at the heartstrings.
But I will tell you this, that's not what changes hearts is heart
wrenching illustrations, heart wrenching stories.
It's why we're not giving a Ted talk or a motivational speech
here. Something that makes you fired
up when you leave and then 20 minutes later you say, what was
that I heard? I don't even remember.
I just remember being fired up when I was done.
No, what we have to realize is that if I preach in that manner
for emotionalism or for show or for simply motivation, for
motivation, say, what ends up happening is whatever I present
on my end. That's what you stand on in your
own Christian life. And I have to be able to make
sure that I preach in a way that is good and right and pleasing
to God so that you can be who you need to be as believers.
See Pastor, will you think it's all up to you?
No, I'm not saying that. I'm saying there is a spiritual
principle here for a pastor that is mighty, mighty important.
And it's why our preaching is Bible based and not emotion
based. It's why our preaching is Bible
based and not motivational speaking based.
It's because it must be about the wisdom and of the power of
God because a sermon is just a speech if it doesn't have the
power of God upon it. So I end with this.
He said, still this doesn't have anything to do with me.
I think it does because the manner in which I preach is the
manner in which our church stands.
That's the connection here in verse #5 you.
We can't get away from that. He said, I'm preaching in this
way because I want you to stand in that same way.
And if I preach in that other way, that's not good, not right,
Then you will not stand in the ways that are good and right.
So here's the application tonight.
Would you pray for your pastor? And I know many of you do.
In fact, oftentimes you tell me that you're praying for me.
But can I ask you to pray for me in some very specific ways as
you think of praying for your pastor?
Could you pray for me in some specific ways?
Pray for me not just in the pulpit when I present a message,
but pray for me even in the construction of those same
messages on Wednesday nights. I usually get my Wednesday night
messages ready on Wednesday, and now I'm actually starting on
Tuesdays. You could pray on a Tuesday and
a Wednesday that the Lord would help me in sermon preparation.
I start my sermon preparation for Sunday on Thursday.
And in both cases, there's changes that are being made all
the way up to pretty much I get into the pulpit and my notes
would bear that out because there's 10 marks all over it
every week. Because up until the moment I
preach, I'm still making. Would you pray not just that
it's delivered well, but just that it is constructed well?
Would you pray for my delivery though, that I wouldn't be
distracted, That I'll be able to think clearly that my own
personality wouldn't get in the way of the Word of God?
And I like using humor, I do, but I don't even, I don't want
my humor to get in the way of the real serious message of
God's Word. Because listen, we can have a
time where we joke around in the pulpit, but the preaching of the
Word of God is not a joke. It's serious.
I take it seriously. And maybe sometimes you wouldn't
think that because of the way that I present myself, but
sometimes I find it's interesting or helpful to
captivate or capture people's attention with humor.
But it isn't a comedy set. No, we're talking about life and
death issues. And would you put for me in that
way, would you pray for me that I rely on God's power and not
just the fact that I've preached messages before.
I've mentioned I've preached over 1400 messages here at
Liberty. And if I'm not careful, I could
get in the pulpit with the idea and the attitude of I've done
this before. But you know, message 14 O1 is
just as important as message one, maybe more so because
almost nobody from message 1 is still here, and thankfully
there's no recording. I don't know how I want to go
back and hear it, but message 14 O 1 and beyond it are just as
important as the ones before. Would you, would you pray that I
wouldn't get used to that? And would you pray on your end
that God would help you to receive the Word when it's
given? That God would give you the
grace to look past some of my own personal idiosyncrasies, but
I'm in the pulpit. That you would hear Perhaps not
the Hemming and the hawing and the UMS and the stammers and all
the other things that when I listened on the podcast, it
drives me crazy. But the Lord would lie to look
past all of that and look, look to what's most important, and
that's Him and His Word, because that's what changes lives.
I'll end with Paul's own words to the folks in Thessalonica,
Second Thessalonians, chapter 3, verse one.
Finally, brethren, pray for us that the word of the Lord may
have free course and be glorified even as it is with
you. Thank you for listening to the
sermon from the pulpit of Liberty Baptist Church.
If this message was a blessing to you, or if there's any way we
can serve you, please let us know by contacting us at
info@mylibertybaptist.org. Or you can visit us this Sunday
at 800 Washington St. in Easton, MA.
May the Lord bless you as you grow in His Word.