Christ Church Memphis
Christ Church Memphis
The Prodigal Church #4: Human Wisdom or Divine Power? | Rev. Paul
In a culture addicted to influence, polish, and power, the Apostle Paul offers a radical alternative: faith rooted not in human wisdom, but in the power of God. Discover how 1 Corinthians 2:1–5 still challenges the Church today.
[0:18] 1 Corinthians 2, 1 through 5, part four of our series of about 45 sections we're
[0:24] going to do as we go through this book for the glory of God. That may sound like drudgery to you. I just say, give God a chance. All right. 1 Corinthians chapter 2, hear the word of God. And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. Let me pray for you with my eyes open. So, Father, I pray that a spirit of revelation would rest upon your bride that you bled and died for as we share worship through your holy word. In Jesus' name, amen.
[1:16] So, as we come now to 2 Corinthians 1-5.
[1:20] There's a decision that every preacher and every Christian is confronted with, and that is where we will depend. Will we depend upon human wisdom, human philosophical perspectives, opinions of people, or will we as believers depend upon the revelation of God, the power of God through what Jesus has done in his death, burial, and resurrection and ascension? And Paul begins moving in this direction and giving clarity way back in verse 17 of the first chapter when he says, Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel.
[2:01] Now, whether you realize it or not, that is an incredibly strong statement. And the reason is baptisms, just like we just celebrated, baptism is a sacrament of the church. And so what Paul is teaching us, the apostle, is that not even the sacraments are central in the revelation of God, he decides and expresses in 1 Corinthians 2, 2 that we read just a moment ago, for I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And so the apostle Paul being the spiritual archeologist that he is, is mining out the main thing in order that the Corinthian church will continue to mature and grow as believers. He is gripped by Jesus, the Messiah, son of God, who would go to a cross and bear our sins. He is moved by the seismic implications of Jesus bearing the gargantuan weight of our sin upon his life at the cross. And because of that, he is passionate about keeping the main thing, the main thing. So Paul makes a decision as he's addressing the Corinthian church between a watered down message of the cross of Christ Jesus versus a fully engaged, biblically informed, all-compelling message of the cross, which brings us to our question this morning.
[3:26] Where should I base my faith? Where should I base my worldview as a believer in Jesus? And so we're going to cover three areas this morning as we answer that question.
[3:39] Here's what we learn in these verses. First of all, where should we base our faith? Where is, how do we base the orientation of our worldview? Number one, not on human wisdom. Look at Paul's words. so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men. Now, here's a question. What is it about the wisdom of people that can become destructive to faith? What the context Paul's writing is this. The wisdom of people can have the propensity of undercutting the power of the gospel. Now, we got to do a little bit of context to understand this, because you may remember last week and the week before, we reference that there are many philosophers, many people who are propagating worldviews that were part of the culture of Corinth and really a part of the culture in New Testament times, carrying a variety of perspectives around life.
[4:39] Philosophers, when we use that term, we're not necessarily talking about what you learned in philosophy class in undergrad or graduate school, we're talking about the kind of worldview that trumps the revelation of Scripture that was often propagated in New Testament times, always with the intent of developing a following. In other words, getting people to rally around and become a follower of a particular person who's propagating a certain stream of philosophical thought. And church family, I would submit to you that the church is still vulnerable to this very train of thought today from pulpits in North America and in some places in Europe and other places around the world. And it's prevalent, and it's very subtle, it's prevalent because from many pulpits, there are a propagation of human wisdom rather than the revelation of God. Now, let me explain how this happens. What we often see are persons who may cherry-pick certain scriptures.
[5:49] Ignore other scriptures when they're propagating a particular perspective, and then pull from the original languages in a way where they're pulling meaning from original languages that do not line up with the majority of biblical scholarship, ancient or modern. Now, I know I just shared a mouthful with you. You're kind of like, I'm not even sure I followed that, Paul. And I get that. Another way of putting it is that they exercise theological gymnastics.
[6:23] Let me put it another way. This is a little more down home. If you hear a preacher say that they've come up with something new that has not already been owned by the church and substantiated by Scripture for the last 2,000 years of Christian history, it's probably heresy. And what we're aware of is that this is more common than one may think.
[6:49] The other thing that happens in many pulpits in America that we need to be mindful
[6:54] or, shall I say, guarded around is when the pulpit is politicized. You see, loved ones, when the church weds itself with political power, it always results historically in a neutered church. I know that's strong language. I'm not saying that we should not have political opinions. I have them as well. You have them. And that's good as persons who participate in the life of a democracy.
[7:22] And I also would advocate that when a congressional representative or a senator or a president or any elected official moves in a direction that's to the benefit of the citizens of our nation, that matters to us. And we're even taught in scripture to pray for those in authority. But what we also note is that history itself demonstrates that when the church gets in bed with political power and the pulpit is politicized, it does not take us to good places. And if you study the arc of history, you will see that these things are true. The church of Jesus Christ takes higher ground, and that is, the church should always have her place to speak truth to any political party that may be in power because we are a part of a greater and eternal kingdom. The reason this is relevant is because there are those who take the pulpit and share human wisdom or politicize the pulpit in a way that it cultivates a following of them rather than a following of Jesus Christ. Church, this is a little tender for me to say, and probably more tender for me—well, that's what I said. It's more tender for me than you—.
[8:42] But when God called Missy and I out of Huntsville to Birmingham in 2007, and then when he called us from Birmingham to Christ Church Memphis in 2022, my last Sunday at the closing benediction, I have a talk with the church. And it hurts. It's one of those talks where it hurts you to say something. You ever been there where you need to say something that's true, but it hurts to say it. And it physically hurts the two times that I've had to say this. And this is what I say. As of today, I will no longer be your pastor. Understand I'm speaking of the past, not now. I'm thankful to serve Christ's church. I'm thankful to serve you. But I'm saying it in the first person. As of today, I will no longer be your pastor. You will have a new pastor as of today. And I remind the church that this is Jesus' church. It's not my church, and it will be Jesus' church until Jesus comes again.
[9:47] I have never been here, and I'm not here now, to develop a following. I am called to develop followers, followers of the King of kings and Lord of lords. And I too say with John the Baptist, I must decrease and he must increase. And this is what Paul's driving at in verse 5, so that your faith may not rest in the wisdom of men. He's talking about the philosophers, those that are hijacking Christianity and trying to develop a following by virtue of the opinions and perspectives that they're propagating. Paul did not come to Corinth to glorify himself.
[10:34] He didn't come to Corinth to develop a religious fan club. He came to glorify God. And Paul said it again and again in different passages in Scripture. Romans 1.5, I was given the grace of apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith. In other words, Paul's saying God gifted me so that I could help the bride of Christ mature and grow and develop in Jesus Christ. But notice who it's for. It's for the sake of his name, not for the sake of Paul's name. This is the aim of the apostle Paul, and it's the aim of my life, and it should be the aim of your life. It should be the aim of every pastor, every seminary student, every Sunday school teacher, every discipleship group leader, every believer. And this is why Paul says to us in verses 1 and 2, And when I came to you, brothers, I did not come proclaiming the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. I'm not here trying to develop a following. I'm developing followers of Jesus Christ. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. He said things like this more than once. Galatians 6.14, far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world. So let's ask the question again. Where should we base our faith?
[11:58] Not on human beings. Not on human wisdom.
[12:05] So let's move to the second. The second question, where should I base my faith? Here it is, upon the power of God. Notice verse five. Again, let's finish the verse. So that your faith may not rest in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. When Paul uses the term power of God, because of the context, he's referring to the cross of Jesus Christ, what he's done through his death, burial, resurrection, ascension for your sins and my sins. But he's also referencing, as you'll see in just a moment, the revelation of God. This is the power of God, that we know the story, that we have the word of God, instruction. So when he refers to the power of God, yes, it is the power of the Holy Spirit among us, but he's referring in these contexts to the power of the cross, power of the gospel, power of God's revelation.
[13:00] And so we see this again, not only in verse five, we see it in the 18th verse for the word of cross is folly to those who are perishing back in chapter one, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God. Paul said, I'm not ashamed of the gospel. It is the power of God to save both the Jew and the Greek. And so we see verse 23 in chapter one, which we covered last week. We preach Christ crucified, stumbling block to the Jews, folly to the Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God, and the wisdom of God. And so notice how he's using these terms interchangeably. Some of you know a preacher or know of a preacher named Tony Evans, very gifted preacher teacher. When he was a little boy, when a thunderstorm would come, his grandmother would make him sit down, turn the TV off and the radio off and just listen. And his grandmother would say, Tony.
[14:00] We're going to listen to God. God is speaking. Now, we all know that God's not speaking in the thunder, but to a little boy, a grandmother wanted to remind her little boy of the grandeur or her grandson of the grandeur of God. It was just thunder, but the principle holds true when you hear the Apostle Paul's instruction. God is talking and he wants you to listen.
[14:27] Church isn't it true that there are certain phrases just like tony tony hears thunder and it reminds him that god is talking isn't it true that there's certain phrases that can cause us to remember certain things i mean think about it i mean i'll throw a phrase out you just tell me where this comes from you've got mail okay aol 1990s or or how about this one who let the dogs out, which teaches us you don't have to be a lyrical genius to make millions of dollars in writing lyrics, songs. Or how about this one? My oldest son, his name is Luke. So every now and then, having a little fun with Luke, I'll go, Luke, I am your father. We all know that that comes from Star Wars, the old saga. And so we can hear certain phrases, certain things that remind us of just things that are memories or even precious to us at times. Do you know what sound I hope will characterize a people called Christ's Methodist Church?
[15:42] It's the sound of a thousand people opening their Bibles and turning the swish sound to the text as we're getting ready to read it as an act of worship on Sunday morning. The reason for this is that the source of my authority when I stand in the pulpit is not my wisdom.
[16:04] The source of my authority is the revelation of God.
[16:09] My words have authority only insofar as they are rooted in the proper application of the words of Scripture. I have authority only when I stand under authority, not if I take the text and take authority over it, but I allow the text to have authority over me and over all of us. And our corporate symbol of that truth is your Bible's opening in reading the text. My deep conviction is that preaching from a pastor must show the people what the Bible is already saying about our lives and our circumstances, and it can be shown with no special authority unless we come under its authority. And the Apostle Paul writes this letter to warn the believers against basing their faith on the wisdom of people, the opinions of people, instead of God's revelation and God's power. Therefore, our face should rest on the divine power that's been unleashed through the cross of Christ Jesus, the divine power that's been unleashed, that saves the ungodly, which is all of us, justifies the ungodly, which is all of us, and brings forth his revelation through his word. Loved ones, listen, we can miss what I'm about to say very easily, but real Christianity, real Christianity is pervasively miraculous.
[17:34] And if you think about it, it's a miracle that we're even gathered here in this place. It's a miracle that a man hanging on a cross 2,000 years ago, the momentum carries over today, 2,000 years later, and you're gathered here in a worship center to make much of him. Real Christianity is pervasively miraculous. Therefore, our faith rests on his divine power, unleashed by the death and burial and resurrection of Jesus and the revelation of his word. Francis Schaeffer, the late Francis Schaeffer, was struggling with disillusionment in his life one time with Christianity. And he asked his wife one day, he said this, Edith, I wonder what would happen to most churches and Christian work if we awaken tomorrow and everything concerning the reality and work of the Holy Spirit and everything concerning prayer were removed from the Bible. I don't mean just ignored, but actually cut out, disappeared. I wonder how much difference it would make. We concluded that it would not make much difference in many board meetings, committee meetings, decisions, and activities. It's a sobering comment. Can I take a moment to brag on our church? Can we do that? Is that legal?
[18:54] I just want you to know, here's what I'm witnessing. In a lot of our meetings that take place on our campus, more and more, I'm watching leaders in our church, rather than just have an opening prayer, to spend a season in prayer, like people in the room just taking turns to pray for you. Remember, when we're praying for the church, we're not praying for an institution. We're praying for you. You're the body. You're the church.
[19:21] You're also aware that there were multiple prayer gatherings this morning, one at eight o'clock, another one at 830, where these prayer groups on our campus gather to pray for you, to pray that as Jesus is worshiped and as people are baptized, as the word is taught, that God will show up and speak to your heart.
[19:47] Because I'm aware I don't have anything. My tools of persuasion won't do it. I can't birth you into the kingdom. I can't fill you with the Spirit. I can say words that are encouraging, but I can't transform your life. Only God can do it. And that's why we pray. This is why J.I. Packer used to say to his seminary students every year, do not neglect the revival dimension in your ministry. What he's referring to is your reliance on God to do the things that only God can do as we're gathering in the name of God. So where should we base our faith?
[20:27] Not on human wisdom, but upon the power of God. Thirdly, where should we base our faith? Here it is, in our awareness of human weakness. Now, listen to what Paul says, verses three and four. This is so easy to read over and not see the value in it. He says, and I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling. And my speech and my message were not implausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the spirit and power. Paul is leaning on the power of God to do what God and God alone can do. But loved ones, when you read, I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling.
[21:05] Here's what I would submit to you that's counterintuitive. God meant it that way.
[21:10] He's designed it that way. 1 Corinthians 1.27, we haven't gotten there yet. God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong. The divine power in which our faith rests is not in the power of a rising China or a U.S. Military might, not in the power of serving in a corporation like Apple or Amazon, Google, or serving a particular political party. All those things have their place. Our power is not rooted in a personal charisma, self-assertion, or social status. The power on which our faith and our worldview rests is in the power of divine grace sustaining the humble, the loving heart radiating out through weakness. I know this sounds counterintuitive, but it radiates out of a heart that declares, God, I need you. I need saving, oh God. Only you can do it. You are my only help. You're my only hope. This is why the Sermon on the Mount begins with bless. There's a blessing on the poor in spirit. There's a blessing upon a man or woman who says, God, I need you.
[22:29] You know, the Apostle Paul, when you kind of check out his bio he had something called a thorn in the flesh and many of you have heard of this but.
[22:41] Despite all the scholarship and books being written on this, we don't know what it was. We don't really know what it was. There are people, scholars who speculate he had some type of eye ailment, but the Bible doesn't say that, that his thorn in the flesh is an eye ailment. We don't know whether his thorn was some type of emotional weakness, spiritual weakness, besetting sin, or some kind of ailment that he was dealing with. We just know he had a thorn. We also know that he said to Jesus, Jesus, take this away. Take it away. Deliver me from this. But listen to what Jesus said to him. Jesus said, Paul, my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect. Say it out loud. In what? That was a little weak.
[23:33] Just teasing. We'll move on. We'll move on. my power is made perfect in weakness that's counterintuitive church therefore i will boast all the more gladly about my weakness so that christ's power may rest on me that's why for christ's sake i delight in weakness in insults and hardships and persecutions in difficulties for when i'm weak then i'm strong huh and paul says i was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling. You know what this tells us? I don't think Paul would have made it as a TV preacher. Remember what his enemy said of him in 2 Corinthians 10.10? His letters are weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech is of no account. Think about that, loved ones. Is it not true that there's a brand of Christianity today that would literally have asked of Paul, what good can he do for Christ? I mean, after all, he'll just turn everybody off.
[24:45] I remember years ago, prior to serving Christ Church Memphis, I was preaching through a book in the Bible, and we got to a hard text. How many of you know the Bible says some things that are uncomfortable? And we got to a very uncomfortable text, and I preached right through it, honored the text. I got an email from a lady in the church, whom I love deeply, by the way, Pastor Paul. If you preach texts like that, the church is not going to grow. And she went on to some additional things. Church, let me ask you a question. Is that what this is? Isn't that what you do at a country club? I mean, I'm not saying the country club doesn't have its place, but, you know, you recruit members. Is that what we're trying to do here? Recruit people into Christianity? Selling Jesus? Is that what we're trying to do? I would lovingly submit to you is that we're not trying to sell something. We'll let God speak to hearts. God draw people to Jesus. And what I want you to know that if I ever say something from the pulpit that doesn't align with scripture, please do say something to me. We need each other. By the way, I did speak falsehood a couple of weeks ago. And I was confronted.
[26:14] Houston did not win the college basketball championship, and I misspoke. It was the University of Florida, and I'm giving this gator chop in honor of all those that I may have offended.
[26:32] But, loved ones, there's a brand of Christianity in North America that says, you know, Christ needs good-looking people, people with polish and power and status and flair. Otherwise, how are we going to be able to sell Jesus to the public and get America Christianized? And the Apostle Paul teaches us right here in this passage not to have that kind of worldview.
[26:57] Paul's question was not so much what good can I do for Christ as it was what good can Christ do through me as an unworthy, weak vessel? It was not how much power can I muster for Jesus. It was how much power can Jesus reveal through my weakness? This is how Paul described the power in his ministry. Let me read one Bible verse, 2 Corinthians 4, 7-11. Paul writes, we have this treasure, that is the gospel itself, in earthen vessels. This is a way to demonstrate weakness, weak bodies, weakness of mind and heart and soul, to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed, perplexed, but not driven to despair, persecuted, but not forsaken, struck down, but not destroyed, always carrying in the body the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For while we live, we are always being given up to death for Jesus' sake so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh. Do you realize that this passage of scripture is one of the reasons I looked at an eight-year-old young man named Deacon today and said to him, Deacon.
[28:14] Coming to Jesus doesn't mean there are not going to be any more problems in your future. But the difference is that now that you're birthed into the kingdom of God, you have access to God. And when you encounter difficulty, pain, incongruity that the Scripture affirms are all a part of this life, You have a source to lean into and to develop you and to grow you. And may I go a little further and fit you for heaven and eternity. Let us all recognize that we can base our worldview on the wisdom of people, the opinions of people, or we can base our worldview on the power and the revelation of God.
[29:04] And your strength is found in your weakness as you lean into him. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen. Let's pray, church family.
[29:19] So God, as Paul reminds us of the main thing, we collectively and individually thank you, Jesus, for your obedience to the cross, taking our sin there, bearing it, so that not only is our past wiped clean, but that we have a brand new life in Christ that begins now and goes on to eternity. But we do pray for ourselves as well as one another. God, develop us. Develop us in the way of Jesus. Develop us in the power and wisdom of Jesus. Develop us, O God, that in our weakness, you demonstrate your strength and your glory, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.