[0:00] Let's join together in a word of prayer. Let's pray. Lord our God, we come before you again this evening. We bow ourselves down before you.
[0:12] We give you praise that you're the God who sees all things, who knows all things. You're the God who, in eternity past, you knew we would be here this evening.
[0:23] We're not here because of our weekly patterns. We're not here because this is what we've always done. We're not even here this evening because we've been perhaps invited along.
[0:34] Lord, we are here this evening because before time itself, you placed us here. You placed us here to hear your word, to be under the gospel, to hear what it is we need to hear to be saved.
[0:49] To hear the glorious good news that there is hope for everyone who comes to you. That you will cast aside no one. Lord, that you have saved your people.
[1:01] You've given us saviour and his name is Jesus. Lord, it's to his name we come this evening. It's for his sake we gather together. It's in his name we lift up our voices and we sing our praise to you.
[1:12] We come today on this set aside day. This day you've given us to rest and to take time to think about you. Take time to praise you.
[1:24] For many of us, a day of family. A day of fellowship. A day of rest. Rest from our works. Rest from the everyday struggle of life.
[1:34] We ask that as we find ourselves resting on this day, we'd have our minds turning to you. As we begin this new week, we would do so understanding.
[1:46] We begin this week with the Lord eternal. The Lord of heaven and earth who rules and who reigns. That he is by the side of his people. Lord, it's to you we come this evening.
[1:59] That eternal Lord. You are God who sees all and who knows all. You are God and there is nothing and no one that is hidden from you. You see and you know all that we are.
[2:12] All that we are in secret. All that we say and that we think. Lord, you see and know all these things. You know us far better, eternally better than we know ourselves.
[2:25] We come this evening and we understand we come before a God who is holy. A God who is perfect in all that you are and in all that you do.
[2:36] And we come and we confess that as we look to ourselves, we see such imperfection. We see such darkness. We see such waywardness. We see our sin.
[2:47] We see and we know the things we think and say and do that bring us shame. The things that we are so ashamed about. The words we say.
[2:58] The things we think. Perhaps how we are, have even been with people this week. Our conduct towards others. And we come just now to our holy God and we think that we have no place before you.
[3:11] And your word tells us that you have no place before sin. That sin cannot appear before you. That you are too perfect to behold sin. So we come this evening not pleading our own goodness.
[3:25] Not pleading our own righteousness. We come this evening and those of us here who know and who love Jesus. We come this evening and we plead his finished work. We come just now clinging on to his person.
[3:38] Cling on to him. Our saviour. The one who loved us. Who gave his life for us. Who rose again on the third day. Who is at your right hand at this very moment.
[3:51] Making constant intercession. Who is in constant prayer for his people. It's to him Lord we come this evening. It's to him we look this evening. It's in his perfection that we enjoy our time of fellowship this evening.
[4:06] For even though we know we are filthy. Even though we know our own sin. Our own danger. Even though we know that we in and of ourselves have no right to come before you. In him.
[4:18] And in him alone. We know that we are called yours. You have perfected us. Washed us clean with his blood. Lord for your people here this evening. Who know and who love Jesus.
[4:29] Help us to approach Lord with boldness. To that place of grace. To that throne of grace. Where you promise to give mercy. And grace and help.
[4:40] In time of need. Help us not to be shy before you. But to come to you as a loving father. Who loves his precious children. Who loves those.
[4:52] Who call him their Lord. I would pray Lord for this evening. For any here who. As of yet cannot say that. Who as of yet cannot call you their father.
[5:03] Who as of yet cannot say that. That they know Jesus for themselves. We give you praise Lord they are here. We thank you Lord that they are under your word. We ask that they would know that we love them.
[5:15] That we care for them. We ask for more than that. We ask that they would know. That you have given them a saviour. That if they would come just now. And turn and trust in Jesus.
[5:26] That they can be saved. That regardless of their past life. Regardless even of their current situation. If they would come to Jesus.
[5:37] And cry out for salvation. With our whole hearts. Mean that cry. That they themselves can know what it is. To feel and to know his love. They themselves can this very evening.
[5:49] Know what it is to be known. And kept by you. I pray for those who. Do not pray for themselves. Those even we love and we care for. Our dear friends and family members.
[6:01] Those who are so often in our minds. Those who even come to mind just now. Those who wouldn't be seen near this building. Those who have no care for their souls. Those who we love so much.
[6:14] Those who we worry about so much. Lord we ask you for them just now. Help us we ask to be witnesses to them. To be bold witnesses. To be careful witnesses.
[6:25] Help us in our words. In our conduct. To show the love that's been shown to us from you. Help us to bring the good news of Jesus. To those who we love and we care for.
[6:38] For siblings. And for family members. For parents. For children. Or for good friends. For neighbours.
[6:49] For those who we long to see in this place. But who as of yet have no interest. We ask you would work in their lives. We ask you would use us. To be salt and light to them.
[7:00] Help us to be brave witnesses. To be bold as we share with them the life-giving gospel. Help us also to be gentle. To be kind. To remember that we are called to be gentle.
[7:12] As doves. We pray for this congregation just now. Lord we give you praise. You have kept your people here. Over this last year and a half or so. We pray for the Kirk session.
[7:25] For the elders. We remember just now. Ian Thompson also. We thank you for him. Thank you for all his work. He's done here. Over the past year. We ask you to bless him. And his own congregation.
[7:36] Bless him in his own personal life. His own family Lord. That they would grow in their love. And knowledge of you also. We pray again Lord. For the Kirk session here. We thank you for them. The Kirk session.
[7:48] And the deacons. For those Lord. Who work behind the scenes. Those involved in Sunday school. Those involved in preparation of teas and coffees. Lord. Those involved in every aspect of your service in this place.
[8:01] You have kept your people serving you. Lord. In this time of vacancy. Lord we ask we would rejoice. That you have a God. Who hears the calls. And the prayers of your people.
[8:13] Lord help us as we begin this new season. To do so. With one mind. With one heart. That together as brothers and sisters. Serving you. Lord faithfully in this place.
[8:23] We would have a heart. And a mind. And a soul. Ready. To see your name known in this place. Help us Lord. To be a praying church. Help us to be a church.
[8:33] That engages. In gospel work. In every aspect. In every way that we can. We do pray for this community. Lord we ask. Something that we know is beyond our power.
[8:44] And we give you praise. It is beyond our power. We ask we would see days of renewal. And days of revival. We ask we would see days of gospel blessing in this place. We ask we would see hearts and minds of stone.
[8:56] Being turned to hearts of flesh. We ask we would see those who have no word about you. Coming to know and to love and to serve you. We ask that for our own homes here represented.
[9:08] We ask that for our neighbours. We ask you would make us willing missionaries. To go out and to serve you in this place. As always as we gather here in such comfort.
[9:19] As we gather here in this beautiful building. We are mindful of our dear brothers and dear sisters. Who worship you. And who love you as we do. But who are gathering this evening.
[9:30] This very moment. In situations so far removed from our own. Brothers and sisters who are meeting in secret at this very point. Brothers and sisters who are meeting in constant fear of the state.
[9:42] Constant fear even of our neighbours. Brothers and sisters. Some of whom we even know by name. Who are in prison just now. Who are in prison for daring to share the gospel. Brothers and sisters who are facing many years in prison.
[9:57] Some who are facing their death. Simply for daring to share the name of Jesus. Lord we ask you be with them. We feel often so far away from them. Lord we ask you bless them.
[10:08] And comfort them. That they would know a special sense of your presence. We ask also for their families. For those with loved ones in prison. With loved ones who are missing. Lord we ask you comfort these families.
[10:21] We ask Lord that your gospel would spread in these places. Places in the world where your gospel is so hated. We give you praise that nothing is a barrier to you. Not age. Not language.
[10:32] Not culture. Not our past. Not our present. You are able Lord to save any and everyone who comes to you. Across not just this island. But across our whole world.
[10:45] We give you praise that we join in this evening. With the worship of brothers and sisters across this world. Lord we find ourselves serving you here in a small part of your vineyard. We give you praise that we have brothers and sisters at this moment.
[10:59] Across the whole face of the earth. Across all the nations. We have those who love you and who serve you. As we think of a world we remember once more.
[11:10] Lord the hard situations we see in Turkey and in Syria. Lord we ask you be with them. And be with those involved in the rescue effort. Lord be with those involved Lord.
[11:20] With those who are offering medical care. We can't begin to enter into their situation. We ask you to make yourself present and make yourself known.
[11:31] Lord even in that complicated and hard providence for us to understand. Lord we ask for help for ourselves even. Even in our own homes, our own villages.
[11:43] As we come up face to face with situations beyond our ability. That we know and we confess we are such poor comforters. That often our words of comfort fall so flat. We do pray Lord just now for those who are mourning here.
[11:56] Those who are mourning a recent loss. And those who are mourning a loss perhaps of many years ago. Pray just now Lord for those here who are weak. Those here who feel weak in our bodies. Those here going through physical pain.
[12:09] Or mental pain. Perhaps even or receiving spiritual pain. You alone know. We ask you to come alongside them. Comfort them. Be with them. Lord help us have a heart this evening.
[12:23] And a heart every day of this new week. And every day of this new season. Set on serving you. Help us to lay aside the burdens and the worries. Lord which so often plague us.
[12:34] These things which keep us from doing the gospel work. Help us to rely on your power. And to have all our mind and our hearts set. On seeing your name glorified in this place.
[12:46] We long to see the day. Of more coming out Lord. Not for the glory of this ministry. Not for the glory of North Tolstice the Free Church. Not for the glory of the free church.
[12:57] Lord but for your glory. We also pray with that in mind. For our brothers and sisters. Worshipping you next door just now Lord. We thank you for their witness. Lord we ask Lord you be with them. In their service this evening.
[13:09] Be with the one who leads them Lord. That you give him your words to say. Even at this time. Help us to serve you well in this place. To honour you in all that we say and we do. We come just now.
[13:20] Lord asking forgiveness of our sins. We come just now. Confessing our waywardness. Even as your people. This past day. This past hour. We come just now.
[13:30] Clinging only to the risen saviour. All that he is. And all that he has done. And all that he is doing for us. As his people. In his name and for his sake we come. Amen.
[13:42] Once again sing to God's praise. This time singing from Scottish Psalter. And Psalm 40. Scottish Psalter and Psalm 40. It's of course in the back section.
[13:55] Of the church psalm books. Scottish Psalter. And Psalm 40. It's on page 259. Of the psalm books. Psalm 40 on page 259.
[14:07] We can sing verses 1. Down to double marked verse 5. If that's okay. Psalm 40 verses 1. To double marked verse 5. I waited for the Lord my God.
[14:19] And patiently did bear. At length to me did incline my voice. And cry to hear. He took me from a fearful pit. And from the miry clay. On a rock he set my feet.
[14:30] Establishing my way. This is of course a psalm of salvation. A psalm that every Christian here knows. That we cried out to God. To save us. And God heard us. And he took us from that awful place.
[14:43] And he gave us life and hope. Psalm 40 verses 1. Down to double marked verse 5. To God's praise. I waited for the Lord my God.
[15:01] And patiently did bear. But length to me did incline my voice.
[15:14] And I did hear. It took me from a fearful pit.
[15:25] And from the night he lived. And God had walked his head my feet.
[15:37] Establishing my way. He put that blue song in my mouth.
[15:49] For God to magnify him. Then he shall see him.
[15:59] And shall be he. And on the Lord we lie. Oh, let's see this.
[16:11] The night you shall. Upon the Lord we lie. O Lord my God.
[16:36] For many of the wonders that I have stand. Thy gracious thoughts to us work that above all those I've done.
[16:56] They are the Lord. They are the land. And pray on them. To be if them declare.
[17:07] And speak of them. Thy holy Lord. Than can be them for now.
[17:19] Thy holy Lord.
[17:49] For me. For me. 1 Corinthians chapter 2. Let's hear again the word of God. And I, when I came to you brothers, did not come proclaiming to you a testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom.
[18:07] 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.
[18:18] And my speech and my message were not implausible 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 the power of God.
[18:32] Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom. Although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the age of the rulers of this age who are doomed to pass away.
[18:43] But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this.
[18:55] For if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it's written, what no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him.
[19:11] These things God has revealed to us through the spirit. For the spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person which is in him?
[19:24] So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the spirit who is from God.
[19:36] For we might understand the things freely given to us by God. And we impart this in words, not taught by human wisdom, but taught by the spirit. Interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.
[19:50] The natural person does not accept the things of the spirit of God. For they are folly to him. And he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
[20:03] A spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
[20:15] But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it.
[20:28] And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. For whilst there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?
[20:41] For when one says, I follow Paul, and another, I follow Apollos, are you not being merely human? What then is Apollos?
[20:51] What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.
[21:03] So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labour.
[21:19] For we are God's fellow workers, you are God's field, God's building. So on, down to the end of the chapter. We give praise to God for his holy and his perfect word.
[21:33] Let's one more time sing to God's praise. Again from the Scottish Psalter. This time from Psalm 106. Scottish Psalter, Psalm 106.
[21:48] We sing verses 1 down to verse 6 of the Psalm. Scottish Psalter, Psalm 106. Give praise and thanks unto the Lord, for bountiful is he.
[22:03] His tender mercy doth endure unto eternity. God's mighty works who can express or show forth all his praise. Blessed are they that judgment keep and justly do always.
[22:16] Psalm 106, verses 1 to 6. To God's praise. Give praise and thanks unto the Lord, for bountiful is he.
[22:40] And stand the mercy of God's praise. And stand the mercy of God's praise. And stand the mercy of God's praise. And come and do unto the eternal King.
[22:55] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. God's mighty works to come express.
[23:05] Amen. Our show for God is His. Blessed are He that judgment here, and just be to all His.
[23:31] Remember me, Lord, with a cloud which I have to find just in.
[23:48] With Thy salvation, O my God, who blessed me, God, dear.
[24:06] That night I chose to live this day, and will in their holy voice, and take with Thine in heaven's hands, cry out with cheerful voice.
[24:41] We with our Father sit down, and all iniquity.
[24:58] To long beyond the world must be, we have the beginning.
[25:16] Let's, for a short time, turn back to the chapter we had, 1 Corinthians in chapter 2. 1 Corinthians chapter 2, and we can take this evening those well-known and beautiful verses, the first five verses of the chapter.
[25:34] 1 Corinthians 2 verses 1 down to verse 5. For the sake of our text, we can just take verses 2 and verse 3 perhaps. For I decided to know nothing among you, except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
[25:49] That I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my message were not implausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of His Spirit, and of power, and so on.
[26:02] And we'll touch in the other parts of chapter 2 and chapter 3 too, as we go on. What do you preach for your first sermon, and your first, as we heard last Friday night, and your first charge?
[26:16] Do you preach your 10-step program for getting things going again? Do you preach your best text you've been working on since your college days?
[26:27] What do you preach? What do you preach for your first sermon, and your first congregation? Who do you look to? What do you talk about?
[26:39] I'm sure there's plenty of right answers. But for this evening, we're going to look at one other preacher, the Apostle Paul. We're going to see what his preaching style was, what his personality was.
[26:56] We're going to see how he taught, what he taught. And we're going to see and try and model, perhaps, our new season of ministry on his style, his message, his method.
[27:11] We see here Paul's writing to the Corinthians, the city of Corinth. And this is quite a new church of sorts. Paul planted this church, if you've got time this evening, back in Acts chapter 18.
[27:25] And Paul plants this brand new church in Corinth. Corinth was a massive city. About 100,000 people lived in Corinth. A big trading city.
[27:37] It was on two crossroads, two big trading crossroads. Tons of money. Big houses. Money coming in. You can imagine a place.
[27:48] Really fine food. Posh, high up society members lived in that area, from across the wider area. It was the go-to trendy city of its day.
[28:02] And in that place, Paul helps to found, to start this small church. And when Paul leaves the church in Acts 18, he leaves a thriving church.
[28:17] A promising young church. And we find the church again some years later here. Paul is writing this letter to them. And what do we find of this young, promising, thriving congregation?
[28:31] Well, they're now, in Paul's letters, they are now marked by disunity. They're marked by division. And sadly, they're marked by distrust of one another.
[28:45] Jealousy of one another. This small, young, promising church is now a disaster. A complete disaster. So in light of all that's gone so badly wrong with this new church, Paul tries to bring them back, as we heard this morning from Ian, back to basics.
[29:08] Back to the building blocks of what they're meant to be as Christians. And to do that, he brings them right back to his first visit with them. And he asks them to think back and to try and remember back to what it was like when he first arrived.
[29:24] What he was like when he first arrived to them. To think back to his preaching style, his personality, his message and his methods. So why?
[29:36] Why does Paul remind them of how they received the gospel? Surely that's obvious. Of course they remember their history. It wasn't all that long ago. What we see and we read in chapter 3, one of the biggest problems of this church in Corinth is that they had started putting far too much emphasis on the ones who preached the gospel, on the ministers, on their leaders, and had begun to lose sight of the gospel itself.
[30:09] As we heard this morning, they began to put their ministers on pedestals, their preachers on pedestals, and they were falling out over who listened to who, over who followed who.
[30:20] And Paul reminds them in his letter, that all that means nothing if they don't love and follow Jesus first and foremost. We read that, didn't we, in chapter 3, verses 4 down to verse 7.
[30:34] One says, I follow Paul. Another says, I follow Apollos. You can imagine, can't you, the chaos as they decided which minister was better, which apostle, which preacher they liked more.
[30:48] And lost in all of this is the fact they're supposed to be Christians worshipping their risen Saviour. This church is in a mess in Corinth.
[30:59] And if we're being honest, ourselves are reflected so much in these verses. Not, of course, Tulsa. I'm yet to find out, I'm yet to learn, of course, anything really about Jews.
[31:14] But ourselves as Christians on the island, ourselves as Christians across the nation, personally, we find ourselves so easily distracted away from the main thing, aren't we?
[31:25] Again this morning, Ian touched on that, the importance of keeping the main thing, the main thing. Why are we here? What are we here to do? Why have you called me here?
[31:36] What is our purpose as brothers and sisters serving together in this place? Well, taking these thoughts in mind, we can look at the verses we have in chapter 2, verses 1 to 5, just under four very general headings.
[31:52] First of all, seeing the method of Paul, his method of preaching, the method of Paul. Then seeing the message of Paul.
[32:04] Then seeing the man himself, the man Paul. And finally looking at the might of God. So the method of Paul, the message of Paul, the man Paul, and the might of God.
[32:23] Before I start, for those here tonight who as of yet can't call themselves Christians, who as of yet don't know Jesus. And I can say this because I don't know many of yous yet.
[32:34] I've been to some houses of course the last few months, last year now. I know where some of you stand, but many faces, I don't know where you stand. If you're here this evening and we praise the Lord you are here.
[32:46] And believe as we say we love that you are here. If you're here this evening, if as of yet you do not know Jesus. I'm actually going to begin just now with my conclusion just for you.
[33:00] You can be honest and we all will be honest with you. How often have we all sat in church, perhaps before we were Christians. And some of us since we were Christians, but before we were Christians and we sit and we think, oh man, how much longer do I have to go?
[33:14] How many more times can I count? There's nothing to count in this congregation. Back home in Gravevers, the wee burning bushes on the thing behind the church. You could count the flock wallpaper as they all heard about.
[33:26] If you're here this evening and you're thinking, please just get on with it. I want to get home, get to my bed, get back to the telly. I want to relax tonight. Here's my conclusion. If nothing else tonight, please listen to this.
[33:39] I am here of course as the new minister called to be here. And for all the vows I said yes to with my heart as full as I can on Friday night.
[33:51] For all the things I signed my name to. For all the years of training and of work behind the scenes. I cannot save you. No new minister can save you.
[34:04] I can come here and pledge myself to doing 30 years of ministry here. 40 years of the Lord spares us all. I can spend every day in the manse, morning to night, working the best crafted sermons.
[34:19] I cannot save you. I cannot save you. I will seek to come alongside you. I will try my best to care for you and to be a friend and to be part of a community.
[34:33] All these things of course. But I cannot save you. A minister, no matter how new he is or how fresh he is or how intelligent he may be, etc.
[34:46] He cannot save you. If as of yet you haven't yet come to know Jesus, I won't change things for you. The gospel I come to preach is the same gospel that the faithful servant before me, that he preached for years in this place.
[35:02] The Lord spares this congregation. The one who comes after me will preach the same sermons, the same text, the same gospel. You must come yourself to Jesus. You've heard it before and you'll hear it again a million times as long as we stand in this pulpit.
[35:18] But you must come to Jesus. You must come to know him for yourself. As the word goes out, each Sunday, this is your chance. Once more this evening, this is your chance to come and trust in Jesus for yourself.
[35:33] So what method does Paul use? He uses, first of all, in verses 1 down to the first half of verse 2, we see two ways Paul shares the gospel.
[35:45] And as we look at these things, brothers and sisters, this is our guidelines as Christians. Not just for me, but all of us who seek to see the gospel spread in this community. These are our guidelines. How do we share the gospel?
[35:57] Well, Paul mentions two main ways, two main methods he uses to share the gospel. Verses 1, again to the first half of verse 2, roughly.
[36:09] First of all, Paul was personal. Paul was personal. And I, when I came to you, brothers.
[36:20] That repeated, and I, when I. That repeated, I, there in the Greek that was used in the letter writing of the day to try and be as caring as possible. That repeated, I, shows that Paul is writing to friends.
[36:34] To be quite honest, this, because we, of course, we read it in a church and in a building like this, we think it's quite formal. Paul was writing quite relaxed to these Corinthians.
[36:45] Friends, folks, folks, when I came to you, friends, when I came to you, this letter is gentle. And there's hard things in this letter. Paul says hard things to hear to the Corinthians.
[36:59] They've gone so far astray. He has many things to say to them, many harsh words to say to them. But he writes to them as friends. He is personal. This is an emphatic I.
[37:12] It's a caring I. And I, when I came to you, brothers. Paul cared enough for them that Paul travelled for miles to the city of Corinth.
[37:24] When he first planted that church, again, if you have time this evening, Acts 18. Read of the planting of this church. Paul travelled to them. He faced so much hardship just to get to them.
[37:37] And he went to them to plant this church. And Paul faced physical hardship. He had to travel, of course, hundreds of miles throughout his whole life, thousands of miles in his life, to do the job he was called to do.
[37:53] But Paul also faced physical and spiritual, and I'm sure mental hardship also we see, to do the work he was called to do. Paul was personal.
[38:06] He was willing to put the work in. He was willing to go to them. He loves these people. He loves the people he was sent to serve.
[38:18] We see that in chapter one. In the first few verses of the introduction. Paul called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus and our brother, Phenesis, to the church of God that's in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of the Lord Jesus.
[38:44] And our grace to you and peace from God our Father, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is personal. He writes to them as fellow servants and fellow saints.
[38:55] He writes to them as sanctified siblings, as those who are with him together in the work of the Lord. And just to note here, since we're now using, of course, the ESV, a clear translation as it is, every time we see the word brother being used here in our context, again in verse two, when I came to you brothers, your Bible has a wee number, I think, there.
[39:21] It goes down to the bottom of the page. In Greek, just the way the language was, you used brothers, the word for brothers, the plural word for brother, to include everyone.
[39:33] That's brothers and sisters. So when Paul wrote this, he's saying, I came to you brothers and sisters. It just so happened they used the plural word for brothers to take in the whole family, just something the Greek language did just the way it was.
[39:47] So Paul's writing to the whole church. I came to you brothers and sisters. Dear friends, as we share the gospel, as we begin this new season of ministry in this beautiful district, we must share the gospel personally.
[40:04] We must be a personable people. We must be willing to put the effort in. Like the apostle Paul, he dedicated his whole life to serving his savior.
[40:16] And we know ourselves at times it is uncomfortable, isn't it, to be a Christian? At times it's uncomfortable to share the gospel. Physically uncomfortable sometimes.
[40:27] Mentally uncomfortable quite often. As you try and share the good news to those who are friends and family members, how hard it is. As you try and look for chances to point them towards Jesus, you think, what am I saying?
[40:44] I'm making a mess of this. We're going to think I am just so weird, so strange and so on. You will and I with you. We will feel uncomfortable as we seek to do the gospel work.
[40:55] And so we should. That feeling of discomfort, it shows us we are striving to do the work. It's very easy to stand back and sit back and do nothing.
[41:07] The apostle Paul didn't do that. In his method, he was personal. He shared the good news in love. But he also didn't compromise.
[41:18] We can be loving, but also not compromise at the same time. The gospel does divide. The gospel is simple. If you know Jesus, if you love Jesus, you'll be with him forever in glory.
[41:35] If you die not knowing Jesus, not loving Jesus, you'll face his wrath forever in hell. We know that. We know the two sides. And that divides.
[41:47] The fact that in Jesus and him alone, we have our only saviour, that divides. The gospel that tells us that each one of us, myself included, that we're all lost in our sins until we come to Jesus, that divides.
[42:02] That causes pain to those who we share it with. The one point we must be careful of is that it's the gospel that offends people, not us.
[42:13] The gospel truth offends people, yes, but not how we've shared that truth. We can share the truth in love. We must do it in love. Carefully, gently.
[42:26] We must also share the truth. The truth does not change on who we share it to. We all think, and I am sure, of those in our homes and those who we love, who we long to see come to this place.
[42:38] Who we long to see go to any church. Who we long to know Jesus and to love Jesus for themselves. It's painful. It's hard. It's awkward, isn't it, at times, to share the gospel with them.
[42:49] We must do so. Paul is personal. Paul is also pure in his sharing of the gospel. And by pure, I mean he preached the simple truth without adding his own spin on things.
[43:02] The second half of verse one. When I came to you, brothers, I did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom.
[43:13] He didn't use lofty speech or lofty wisdom. Lofty speech. He didn't try and make himself sound smart.
[43:24] Now quite easily, Paul could have done this and we'll see this more in a second. But Paul's desire, Paul's wish wasn't that these Christians would think he was smart. His wish wasn't that the community would look at Paul and say, wow, that man, he knows his stuff.
[43:41] His desire was to know Jesus. To think Jesus was superior, not that he himself was superior. Not to say that Paul didn't plan his words carefully.
[43:54] We know ourselves that Paul writes sometimes in ways that are so logical and careful and precise. But even the most glorious use of Paul's logic, of Paul's own intellect, it was always to praise Jesus.
[44:08] Never for his own good. Never for his own benefit. He didn't use lofty speech. He didn't use high and mighty language. He spoke to the people as they were.
[44:22] He spoke to them normally. He also didn't use, we see here, lofty wisdom, the second half of verse one. Paul was a well-trained man to say the least.
[44:34] As we heard, Paul uses again and again logic and wisdom in his writing. But Paul, not once, did he use his wisdom to try and show off.
[44:48] For all the brains that Paul had. All the ability that Paul had. All the training that Paul had. He didn't once use that to try and show off how smart he was. How much he knew.
[45:00] All that he did he sought to glorify God. Dear brothers and sisters, as we seek to share the gospel in this community. As we seek to have this new season of ministry to go out with the gospel in this place.
[45:16] A place which needs so desperately to hear it. We must share the gospel simply. The gospel is not complicated. We complicate it to our shame.
[45:29] We're not called to try and flex our theological muscles. It's wrong. We're not called to try and press those around us. With our knowledge or our maturity and our faith.
[45:42] That's wrong. One good test for us, for this. Is how much emphasis we place on the wrong things. It's a question to ask yourselves.
[45:54] And myself included, very much so. What do you think or say when you leave a service of worship? What do you think to yourself? What do you say perhaps when you leave this building?
[46:06] Do you say, oh well, that man you know. Perhaps, oh, that's how I knew. He was good today or he wasn't good today. Or do you ever?
[46:17] Or how often do you catch yourself saying, I held you, man. Isn't God good? We're all guilty of the former, aren't we? We're also guilty of placing our understanding in the words and the logic and the things that we do.
[46:32] We're missing a fact that we're here to hear the gospel. We're here to share the gospel. The method of Paul. He was personal.
[46:43] He was pure in the gospel sharing. Briefly now, the message itself. Very briefly. Verse 2. What did Paul teach? It's all about Jesus. Isn't it?
[46:54] It's all about Jesus. Verse 2. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. When it comes to the message that Paul had, it's the same message that we have.
[47:07] The same message that I have. That Rory John had. That whoever comes after me will have. The same message we all have. It's the message of Jesus.
[47:19] We, to our shame, we often complicate, don't we? As Christians, we complicate the gospel message. We add layers to those coming to Christ.
[47:30] We add layers to those who perhaps don't know enough. To those who don't act the right way. We add layers to our shame, to our deepest shame. If we dress in a certain way.
[47:42] We should repent of these things. And I hope we do. We add layers even to our fellow believers as Christians. We confuse the law and the gospel. We destroy our own and others' assurance.
[47:55] All these things come from looking away from the main message. The simple, glorious gospel. How did Paul then keep Jesus central to his message?
[48:07] Two simple ways. I decided to know nothing among you. Now, of course, this doesn't mean that Paul taught nothing else about living as Christians, etc.
[48:18] Paul taught lots of things. But just for a shorthand here, Paul says, I decided to know nothing among you. I decided. There's plenty he could have said.
[48:30] Plenty he didn't say. Because Paul's main job was to talk and preach and share and enjoy talking and sharing and preaching about Jesus.
[48:43] He didn't concern himself with any of the added on extras that we often find ourselves going back to again and again. Much like us, the Christians in Corinth, we're so liable to losing sight of what we're called to be and what we're called to do.
[49:01] This new season of ministry for all of us, it's a chance for us to remind ourselves, what are we here for? We're here to glorify and worship our Savior.
[49:12] Brothers and sisters, what is your duty and my duty with you in this place is to share the gospel, to spread the gospel, to be shining glorious witnesses of that gospel.
[49:23] Not one of us here this evening who is a Christian gets to escape that duty. It's for all of us together. We can't afford to concern ourselves with the most minute details that often perhaps sound and feel very good and very holy, but do nothing for the sake of the gospel.
[49:41] Like Paul, we must know nothing but Christ and his crucifixion, Christ and his work in this community. We're called to live and to serve here as witnesses.
[49:56] So begin this new season, let us strive to know nothing but Christ and him crucified. Christ and him crucified. We see here again and again Paul comes back to Jesus, back to the basics.
[50:10] And the hard truth, brothers and sisters, is if our love for Jesus and if our desire to see the gospel known and spread in this place, if that's not our main reason for being here this evening, and we've lost sight of what it is we're called to be.
[50:27] We heard, we're called to be ambassadors, aren't we? Called to be salt and light in our community. If we've lost sight of that, if we find ourselves being distracted, we must come back to Jesus.
[50:41] We're not being called to stop, have we? No one's Bible do we see the command to stop and to stay, to protect what you have, church.
[50:53] No. What does scripture tell us? What does the Lord tell us again and again? To go, isn't it? To go. Go share the gospel. Go tell your friends and family.
[51:04] Go tell the community who Jesus is. Tell them how he saved you. How he loves you. And how that same love is there for them too, if only he would come to him. That's the message of Paul.
[51:19] Christ and him crucified. All that Jesus was and all that Jesus did. Thirdly, we see the man himself.
[51:30] What was Paul like as a preacher? Verses three down to verse four. Paul reminds him as to his role with him as a servant. Verse three.
[51:41] And I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. My speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom. So on. And so on.
[51:53] Paul reminds them just who he is. This is the Apostle Paul speaking. A man who had been commissioned by Jesus himself to share the gospel. The Apostle Paul who had done miracles.
[52:05] The Apostle Paul who had been given the great task of planting and founding these churches across the whole area. How does Paul describe himself?
[52:16] A weak, fearful, trembling man. He had no strength. Paul felt weak. Paul felt weak. Given the size of a task before him.
[52:27] He felt weak. Given the job he was given of looking after all these new congregations. Paul felt weak. Given his own physical, mental, spiritual limitations.
[52:42] Paul felt weak. Yes, Paul was a cold Apostle. But Paul was also just Paul, wasn't he? He was just a man.
[52:53] A normal man. Called to a great and glorious job, yes. A task. But he was still just Paul. As we heard on Friday and we heard from Ian this morning.
[53:06] There is such a great danger. A real danger. When we forget our under shepherds, our ministers are just men.
[53:19] And if we place our hope in those who are called to preach the gospel. If we place our hope as the Corinthians did in the under shepherds.
[53:31] And Paul in Apollos. If we do the same, we will very soon be extremely disappointed and disillusioned. Again, for all the vows and promises I made.
[53:43] And I meant each one to the best of my ability. I stood there before you and I trembled on my knees there. As I signed that. Not for a second think, but I signed that knowing and thinking.
[53:55] I will fulfill these things perfectly. Why? Because much like Paul, I'm just Donald. Every vow made, every promise made was made by a fallible man.
[54:10] Every minister, every faithful minister of the gospel. Who seeks to serve the Lord well. They will come up here in fear and in trembling.
[54:22] It's no surprise, I'm sure to many people. That see standing at the door and grabber all these years. All the supply ministers you see. I've not seen a minister yet. Ever not walking in circles.
[54:34] Pacing the floor. Every session room's carpet is worn down by ministers doing circles. Why? Because they're just men. They're just men. I spotted just now some driving instructors in this congregation somewhere.
[54:50] Ask my old driving instructor if you want to see the reality of who I am and see my faults and failings and flaws. And he'll be glad to tell you that Donald is very much imperfect.
[55:01] Donald is very much not all that great at many things when it comes to lots of things. I'm just a man. Your under-shepherd, your minister is just a man. We heard on Friday night that the reality as to the weight of the job.
[55:17] The weight of sharing the gospel. It's a liar who'll say that he is not like Paul in fear and trembling when it comes to doing this job. John Knox, the great reformer himself.
[55:29] The man who in many ways brought the reformed gospel to Scotland. The Lord working through him. Knox said, I have never feared the devil.
[55:40] Some translations are, I have not often feared the devil. I have not often feared the devil. But I tremble every time I enter the pulpit. I'm happy to stand behind Paul and Knox.
[55:54] For my amen to that. Brothers and sisters, like Paul, you have a new minister that will often be with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. Let us not make the mistake of the Corinthian Christians.
[56:09] Look past the under-shepherd and look together to the great shepherd, our great hope, the Lord Jesus Christ, whose grace and whose power is made perfect in our weakness.
[56:24] Paul came to them with no power, no strength and weakness. He also came to them with simple speech. Verse 4.
[56:36] And my speech and my message were not implausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power. Paul was a trained man. He trained under the finest mind of the day.
[56:50] In today's equivalent, Paul would have been a trained barrister. The equivalent of that, or even more, even higher than that. Paul was effectively a lawyer.
[57:02] Paul could use his words well. Yet, Paul, because of keeping the attention and the focus on Jesus and Jesus alone, he came to them trembling.
[57:13] He came to them not using the logic and the brains he had. He came to them simply. Temptation, isn't it, for us even today, to show what's around us just how good we are as Christians.
[57:30] Just how much we know. Just how theologically sound we are. Does that bring glory to Christ? Does that fervor the gospel of this community?
[57:43] For all our theological soundness, for all, and of course, we're not talking about soundness. Soundness is good. We must be theologically correct. We must strive to be theologically sound. We're called to be that. I'm talking in terms of witnessing, in terms of sharing the gospel.
[57:56] What does our community need to hear? Does our community need to hear just how smart we are? No. Just how intellectual we are? No.
[58:09] We need to hear about Jesus. Who he is. What he has done. What he can do for them. The hope we can find in him. For Paul, and I pray for us, all that mattered was the glory of his Saviour.
[58:23] Will that be said of us? Can that be said of us in the weeks and months and years ahead? That those outside our community will look at our community and say, those folks in North Tolstair, those Christians in North Tolstair, they seek nothing of their own glory.
[58:43] But look at them. They're putting all their effort and hope in seeing Jesus glorified in this place. What happens when we let go of our ego? Let go of our pride?
[58:55] What happens when we seek to glorify Jesus rather than us? Our feeble words, our feeble efforts are used by our mighty God. In demonstration, as we see Paul saying, in demonstration at the end of verse 4, of his spirit and his power.
[59:13] The wee boy, we talked about this months ago, the wee boy who took his breakfast to Jesus, the feeding of the 5,000. That wee boy had his wee breakfast, a few bits of bread and a few bits of fish.
[59:28] Jesus took that small offering and he used it to bless thousands. That offering is small. A congregation, relatively speaking, perhaps quite small.
[59:39] Your faith is quite small. The Lord will use that, does use that and can use that. The famous Baptist minister, Charles Spurgeon, a young man, his early, late teens, I think it was.
[59:57] He was going to a church service one night. He knew his mum wanted him to go, so he went to a church service. He was away from home, but he went to a church service. And the man preaching that night was an old elder who couldn't preach.
[60:09] It was a last minute cancellation and the elder was forced to go up and take a service. This poor elder could only repeat four or five lines of Isaiah again and again and again.
[60:21] Lines that didn't mean much, didn't make sense. God used that elder. And his faithful work. His preaching wasn't perhaps technically good. His preaching wasn't interesting.
[60:33] His preaching didn't make much sense. But he tried his very best and he left it with the Lord. And from that man's preaching, one of his verses stuck in the brain of Charles Spurgeon.
[60:44] That's the same verse the Lord then used to save Spurgeon. Of course, Spurgeon, of course, was then used as a glorious and powerful gospel preacher. God doesn't bless intellect.
[60:56] God doesn't bless fragility. God blesses faith, doesn't he? He blesses trust. He blesses what we take to him and say, Lord, the task is so big.
[61:07] The community is too big. My own family situation. There's so many people who I love who don't know Jesus for themselves. My friends, they don't know Jesus. My own faith is so small.
[61:20] I haven't got much. Lord, I have this. Can you take this? Can you use this? The Lord takes what we have and he uses it. Why?
[61:31] We see that finally. Because we worship our Lord, our God, who is mighty in power. What's the result of us as Christians focusing on Jesus?
[61:42] What's the result of us not looking to ministers but looking to Jesus? What's the result of us putting all our faith in him? Verse 5. Why did Paul come to these Christians in weakness and fear?
[61:54] So that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. Yes, we must, as we heard, respect the place and authority of a church leader as God has placed over us.
[62:12] That is true. Inasmuch as we serve Jesus faithfully, also must be said. But you and I equally, we stand before our Saviour as brothers and sisters seeking to serve him in his place.
[62:27] Our faith, as we said in verse 5, it doesn't rest on changeable men. It doesn't rest in anything or anyone else but God.
[62:39] Your minister has his limits. God does not. Your minister will have off days. God does not. Your minister will get things wrong.
[62:51] God does not. Unlike the many fallible human men that stand up here, it is God and in his power we rest and find our hope in.
[63:04] It's in his power, in his power alone, we trust going forward in this community. Serving together in this next season of ministry.
[63:15] Like Paul, we must seek to serve this community personally, with love and care for those around us. We must seek to serve this community with nothing but the gospel of Jesus.
[63:28] We must seek to serve this community, not looking to simple men, but looking to Jesus. So that together, as we work together, strive together, pray together, the Lord will bless his cause in this place.
[63:45] Ian, this morning, in his speech, talked about the word for the spirit, Pneuma, as in pneumatic drill.
[63:58] And the reality is, the Holy Spirit is able, like that pneumatic drill, to break even the hardest of hearts. If you think just now, in this community, those who are from this community, think of that person, you think, that one person, you think, that person will never be saved.
[64:18] That person has no hope of ever loving Jesus, of knowing Jesus. They're so far gone. Everything they've done, everything they've said, the mess they made of their lives, that person who lives down there.
[64:32] The apostle Paul, the apostle Paul who sanctioned the killing of Christians. The apostle Paul who stood there happily and who watched the death of believers.
[64:47] The apostle Paul whose job it was to find Christians, to hunt them down, to drag them before the courts. In a second, in a second his life was transformed.
[65:00] He became a trembling servant of the Lord. Dear friends, there is no one in this community, there is no one in this building tonight, who is too far beyond God's saving power. That's true because we know it ourselves, don't we?
[65:13] Every Christian here, you and I, we are living testimony to what God can do in our lives. Going forward, we trust in the Lord for his help.
[65:24] That he will build his kingdom with his power in this place. The glorious thing is, yes we must strive.
[65:35] And we're called to be faithful servants, working hard all the days the Lord has given us. But the task belongs to the Lord, doesn't it?
[65:46] The glorious words we read in chapter 3. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. It's never he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.
[66:04] We pray the Lord would bless these few words. We pray the Lord would bless this new season of ministry. We pray the Lord would see, we create many hearts of flesh in this community.
[66:18] We see lives changed. Again, not for my glory, not for your glory, but for his glory and his glory alone. Let's bow our heads now, a word of prayer. Lord, we come before you, we thank you Lord for the truth of your word.
[66:34] We give you praise Lord for the wonder of it. In your word we have the glorious hope that all who come to you, all who come and cry for salvation, Lord, that you will save.
[66:48] That you will save. Amen. I pray again for any here this evening who as of yet do not know you Lord. Even for your word this evening, you would bring them to yourself as they have heard what it is to know and to love and to follow Jesus.
[67:01] The one who has come to save all those who feel lost, all those who are lost, all those who are headed to a lost eternity. Lord, we ask that you would come and put your trust in the one who saves to come all, come all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.
[67:20] Lord, we ask that rest for those here this evening. Help us, we ask as your servants here, as brothers and sisters together, going forward to this new season of ministry, to serve you well in this place, in our own homes, our own places of work, in this community at large.
[67:37] Lord, bless all that is done for your glory and in your name's sake. Amen.