The 5th Sunday Of Epiphany

SERMON - God—Not Man—Establishes the Basis of Our Faith and Life!

INI

Text: 1 Corinthians 2:1-5

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. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

In Christ Jesus, who is the Cornerstone of our faith and consequently of our lives, dear fellow redeemed:

Who or what forms the basis of your faith? That may sound like a highly theoretical question—perhaps even a strange question, but it really is not! The practical, everyday decisions you make in life and, therefore, the path you choose to take in life generally flow from your belief system, whether you are aware of that fact or not! Upon whom or upon what then do you build your faith? Do you base your faith upon the pronouncements of the church, or the thoughts of a single member of the church such as your pastor? Many people do. “I believe this because my church teaches it, or because my pastor says so!” Do you rather base your faith upon the opinions of your family members or the views of other intelligent people for whom you have a lot of respect? Again, many people do. Recently, in an initial Bible Study, I asked an individual why he believed in God. He answered quite honestly that he did not know, but he guessed it was because his parents had believed in God, and they had taught him to do so as well. People regularly put their faith in and therefore base their decisions upon the views, the opinions, and the teachings of other people…educators, scientists, politicians, or the pronouncements of institutions, all of which are the product of minds and activities of other people. My dear friends, this is extremely dangerous to do at the base level! Every human being, no matter who he or she is, is sinful and fallible, and his or her views, opinions, and teachings will often not only change, but also prove to be false!

You and I need something far stronger than a fellow human being or an institution created by a human being upon which to base our faith and by which to build and direct our lives. The apostle Paul addresses this topic in our text today. He reveals to us that GOD—NOT MAN—ESTABLISHES THE BASIS OF OUR FAITH AND LIFE! He does so through His Message, by His Spirit, and with His power!

I.

Paul founded the Christian congregation in Corinth during his 2^nd Missionary Journey. He had spent eighteen months in Corinth, and the Lord had blessed his ministry. Corinth was one of the largest urban centers in ancient Greece. It was a commercial center like Los Angeles or New York. It was also a center of culture—education, the arts, and religion. It, therefore, attracted men and women of great talent and strong opinions. It was rather amazing, quite frankly, that Paul had been so successful in his ministry in Corinth, for Satan had many allies in Corinth with which to oppose him. Yet, shortly after his arrival in Corinth, Jesus appeared to Paul in a dream and told him not to fear or remain silent because He had many people in that city who would come to faith. Consequently, a large congregation had developed—perhaps the largest of Paul’s ministry. Over time, however, problems arose within this large congregation and among its talented members. The world affected them. Their opinions divided them. They needed to be reminded of the proper basis for both their faith and their lives. Paul provided this reminder by recalling for them his arrival in Corinth and the nature of his initial ministry.

He begins by saying: “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. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” The Corinthians loved an orator—someone who could speak with passion and skill, someone who could excite their imagination, expand their minds, and move them to action. The trouble with putting your trust in and basing your decisions upon individuals with such skills is that such people can often lead you and others astray. Something said very well, does not necessarily mean that what is being said is right or true.

Paul came to Corinth, he said, and did not attempt to sway the people with mere rhetoric. He came bringing the simple truths of God with an emphasis upon “Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” As Paul would later indicate: “No other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:11). Paul revealed both the law and the gospel. The law condemned their sins, as it does ours. The law revealed to them the just judgment they deserved in view of those sins, even as it does for you and for me. But Paul’s emphasis was God’s grace—His love in sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to be a solution for sin. Jesus solved their and our problem of sin by placing Himself under God’s law, first, to observe it perfectly in our place, and then, secondly, to sacrifice Himself upon the cross in order to pay the just penalty we deserved. “What wondrous love is this” the hymn-writer proclaims (WS 723:1)! It is with that message of wondrous love that God paves the way for a joyous reunion of man with Himself. It is that message of wondrous love, which then serves to motivate us to seek to respond to God with love! GOD, therefore,—NOT MAN—ESTABLISHES THE BASIS OF OUR FAITH AND LIFE! He does so through His message!

II.

He does so through His Spirit! Paul writes, “I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power.” Later on in this same chapter, Paul explains, “The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Cor. 2:14) By nature and in view of our sin, we cannot of our own power grasp, understand, and believe the truths of God. Paul, therefore, says that it was in weakness and with much fear and trembling that he approached the task of preaching in Corinth. He had been in Athens, another of the great Greek cities shortly before arriving in Corinth. He had little success in that city. In fact, when he spoke of Christ’s death and resurrection, the vast majority of his listeners had mocked him (cf. Acts 17:32). They deemed themselves too sophisticated for such teachings.

Why, however, had so many of the people of Corinth not only listened to Paul—in spite of his apparent weakness and fear, but also had come to believe in what he preached? The answer is that the Holy Spirit used Paul’s preaching to create faith and so permit their understanding and accepting the truths he proclaimed. As Paul would once again later in this Epistle explain, “No one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:3). Once the Holy Spirit enters a heart and creates faith, then the renewed human mind can begin to comprehend both the nature of God and His good and gracious will for mankind.

The Holy Spirit came to the Corinthian believers with power. As we read Paul’s two epistles to this congregation, it is apparent that the Holy Spirit granted many of these believers special gifts. For instance, the ability to speak in previously unlearned foreign languages, as was experienced by the believers in Jerusalem on the first Pentecost, was also experienced in Corinth. But the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit was experienced in Corinth even as it is within our hearts and lives today, as He leads us to live our lives in simple holiness and joy in our Savior!

Paul would later write to the Ephesians that the Holy Spirit is given by God to us believers in order to do two things. He, first of all, “seals” us with His “promise” (cf. Ephesians 1:13). A seal on any document identifies to whom the document belongs and under whose protection the document falls. When the Holy Spirit seals us, He claims us as God’s own and places us under His protection. That means that we can be confident that His promises to us will be kept! We do not have to live in fear as we approach our individual lives, because our God is present with us! Paul then goes on to say that the Holy Spirit has been given to us as a “guarantee” (cf. Ephesians 1:14). He is the guarantee that we will one day be taken bodily to heaven, for Paul asserts we have been redeemed and so belong to God. He will not and cannot abandon us in this world to Satan, but rather will guard, protect, and provide for us until that day of final redemption! GOD, therefore,—NOT MAN—ESTABLISHES THE BASIS OF OUR FAITH AND LIFE! He does so through His Spirit, who calls us to faith through His power and then indwells our persons in order to sanctify our lives!

III.

Finally, GOD—NOT MAN—ESTABLISHES THE BASIS OF OUR FAITH AND LIFE through His power! Paul concludes out text by saying: “Your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” This truth should be obvious to us all, but unfortunately all too often it is not! Consider virtually any figure in this world’s history, and you will see that we ought not place our faith in the wisdom of man. From the ancient Biblical world consider Solomon—arguably the wisest man ever to live. Yet, throughout much of his adult life, he wandered from the Lord, overtaxed his people, spent in excess of his income, and ultimately lost his kingdom for his son. From the ancient secular world consider Alexander the Great. He conquered more territory and created a bigger empire than anyone in his day—doing so in less than twelve years. He had fond hopes of Hellenizing the entire world, bringing to all of the lands he conquered the glories of Greece, but then he died as a young man, leaving his empire to be divided among warring generals.

Coming to our present day, you can consider the supposed knowledge of scientists, only to find out that figures are fudged to gain grant money. You can consider politicians of any party, who make such good speeches and make such glorious promises only to find out that they never accomplish all that they claim they will do, and all too often behind the scenes you find scandal and deal-making that ought to make men blush with shame.

My dear friends, Jesus alone really possesses “all authority in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18) and will keep all of His promises to you! It is through Jesus alone that your future beyond this life is secured, and that your future in this life will truly be blessed. He has the power to protect you from Satan and every other evil! He has the power to provide for your every need—no matter what that need might be!

I mentioned earlier in my sermon that the Corinthian congregation was facing tremendous problems, most of them self-inflicted. Paul’s advice always directs the Corinthians to Christ (I would urge you to sit down today or over the next several days and read the two Epistles to the Corinthians—see Christ). Christ is the “Cornerstone” of our faith (cf. Ephesians 2:20). His grace is the motivating factor for our lives, and by His power we will be preserved unto everlasting life. GOD—NOT MAN—ESTABLISHES THE BASIS OF OUR FAITH AND LIFE! Amen.

—Pastor Paul D. Nolting
To God alone be the glory!