I come to you this morning in weakness and in much fear and trembling.
So let's pray.
Lord, we thank you that by your grace you have gathered us here this morning.
And we thank you that your spirit, Lord, enables us.
Lord, enables us to hear your word, enables us to sing your praises.
Lord, enables us to turn towards you.
Lord, when in all of our bent we would turn away and run.
In all of our bent we would do something else.
But God, you have turned us towards you.
And what a grace that is.
Lord, I pray this morning that you would be manifest among us by your spirit.
Lord, that as we look at your word, you would fill our hearts with the glory of all that you are.
And we would respond in worship.
Praise.
Adoration.
Love.
Sacrifice.
Service.
For you.
We pray this in Jesus' name.
Amen.
I wonder if you've ever been embarrassed by Jesus.
I was thinking about this as I was preparing this week.
A couple of years ago I had the privilege of opportunity.
Privilege might be the wrong word.
I had the opportunity to go to one of my uncle's funeral.
He had lived a good life.
And I had a chance to go.
And interact with my extended family that I don't get to see very often.
And the question always comes up.
Oh, so what are you up to these days?
What are you doing?
Well, I'm a...
And I found welling up in my heart just a little bit of embarrassment.
Embarrassment about how they might view my answers.
What they might think.
You're an Ivy League graduate who's a Baptist pastor.
You identify with those people that I really have no interest in knowing.
From what I know.
From the media.
From my perception.
I found myself traversing the minefield of what I feared their perceptions of my answers might be.
But deep down inside I wonder too if I was just a little embarrassed about Jesus himself.
If I was just a little bit concerned about how...
More concerned about how they would think of me than what my Lord would think of me in that moment.
And underneath that I wondered if maybe deep down I lacked a kind of certainty in the moment.
That Jesus would be all that I could ever want him to be.
For me and for this world.
You know, in that context I want to be winsome and not unnecessarily offend.
I don't want to be boorish or identified with some things that honestly I'm embarrassed by.
And the perception of what people think about what it means to be a follower of Jesus in this world.
I want to avoid those things.
But I wonder...
What I saw that day in my own heart was that...
At its core it wasn't just those things.
It was that I was a little embarrassed.
I was a little uncertain as to whether Jesus really was all that I need him to be.
This doubt is reinforced in the worlds that maybe you live in.
The academy asks...
Aren't we beyond that?
That's so 30 AD.
We've gone beyond that now.
Our knowledge has increased.
That can't be real.
Or we meet the suffering.
And they say...
Where is this Jesus?
He hasn't fixed my problem yet.
We meet the businessman.
And he says...
Well, what good is Jesus going to do for my bottom line?
That's not very practical.
So heavenly minded but no earthly good.
The high achiever says...
Jesus?
I've made it this far on my own.
Why would I need him?
The tolerant society says...
You don't really think Jesus is everything, do you?
Like...
How could you deny all these other things?
And the hurting say...
Why...
Why would Jesus be everything to me if I still hurt the way I do?
I don't know if you're here exploring Christianity here this morning.
Maybe you've been in church for a long time.
But you find that you ask these questions.
You hear these questions.
And you see in your own heart some doubt.
Some uncertainty.
You ask yourself...
Is he really enough?
How do we show this in our lives?
Well...
I think sometimes we hedge our futures.
Yeah...
Jesus is everything I need.
But I really need a really killer resume as well.
So that I can get ahead.
Yeah...
Jesus is all that I need.
But in these contexts, I kind of need to downplay that.
And let people know about these other things that are going to be really impressive.
These other identities that I embrace.
So that you'll think highly of me and accept me.
We hedge our reputations.
I don't want to be known as that guy in my circle.
That kind of fringy, out there, Jesus guy or gal.
And ultimately, friends, we can hedge our very salvation.
Yeah, Jesus is everything for me.
But don't I have to...
Can I...
Isn't there something I need to do?
Isn't there something I need to add to it?
Isn't there something else that I contribute to it?
That...
I feel so helpless.
I feel like I should be doing something.
So that Jesus will find me acceptable.
These are ways in which I think we show our doubt.
That Jesus really is enough.
That Jesus is all that we would want.
Our passage this morning helps us think more clearly about it.
We're continuing in our series in 1 Corinthians.
We're looking at page...
1 Corinthians chapter 2, verses 1 through 5.
We're on page 952 in the Pew Bible.
If you want to look there with me.
And as you're turning there,
let me just give us a little bit of recap of where we've been.
This whole section, starting back in chapter 1, verse 10,
is about divisions.
And divisions that have divided the church
related to their identification with particular leaders.
I'm of Paul.
I'm of Apollos.
I'm of Cephas.
Those sorts of things.
And Paul says,
your divisions are rooted in misplaced identity
and a missed evaluation of what's really important
in your spiritual leaders
in such a way that you have allowed the wisdom of the world,
the way that the world around you,
the Corinthian world,
the competitive get-ahead,
ride-the-coattails-to-the-top world,
you have allowed those things to shape
how you are living together as followers of Jesus.
You are more Corinthian than you are a Christian
in these ways.
The Corinthians were on the side of worldly wisdom
rather than God's wisdom,
which makes foolish the wisdom of the world.
And he went on in verses 18 through 25 to say,
God showed the foolishness of the wisdom of the world
through the very act of salvation,
by the cross of Christ,
by sending Jesus to die.
He shamed all of this worldly wisdom.
He exposed all of the human-centeredness
of those in the church.
And he said,
I want you to see this so clearly,
how you have been infected
and how you have been shaped
by the wisdom of the world.
So he went on at the end of chapter one,
verses 26 through 30,
and he says,
look,
you're competing with one another
about being great or being wise
or being powerful or being spiritual
or being important.
But who were you?
You can't even make it in the world's eyes,
let alone by the kingdom of God.
But isn't it great that God has chosen you
to display his grace
and so that you might not boast in yourselves,
but that you might boast in God
and the greatness of the work that God has done.
Paul's saying,
in your Corinthian example,
this is partly how you see the cross of Christ
shaming the foolishness of the world
and exalting the wisdom of God
in achieving salvation the way he did.
And then the passage we come to today,
chapter two, verses one through five,
he says,
and not only was your experience of that,
but remember what I was like among you.
I want to use my own ministry as an example.
of what God is doing
when he confounds the foolishness of the world.
So, having said that,
let's look at the passage together.
Chapter two, verse one.
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,
that your faith might not rest
in the wisdom of men,
but in the power of God.
Paul uses his own example,
his mode of ministry,
to try to point the Corinthians again
to the thing that he's been trying to help them see
for quite a while now in this passage.
He's reminding them again,
Jesus Christ and him crucified
is everything you ever need him to be.
He's the content of the gospel.
He's the pattern of the gospel messenger.
And he alone is the one
who gives us true hope of real salvation.
So let's look at those things,
the content, the pattern,
and then the hope of salvation.
In verses one and two, look with me again.
What we see is that Paul says
that the content of the gospel testified to
is the crucified Christ.
His point is actually really simple.
It doesn't take a lot of exegesis
to see what his main point is.
I decided to forsake
all of the forms of speech and pattern
that you might think would be so impressive
and to simply proclaim to you
the message of Jesus Christ
and him crucified.
Paul says,
what did I talk to you about?
What did I boast to you about?
I talked about one who came and died,
one who came and lived a perfect life.
And yet, though he deserved all honor
and glory and power,
he humbled himself,
made himself a servant,
offered himself up in the place
of you and me,
was crucified as a rebel,
he who had always obeyed his father.
He offered himself up in the place of our sin
as the perfect substitute
and as a sacrifice,
giving his very own life
to pay the penalty that our sins deserve.
He said,
this is what I knew among you,
you worldly wise who love all these other things.
He says this in a context where
the Corinthians loved
those who were self-reliant
and self-exalting in their rhetoric.
We might know of a place like that nearby here
where people think well of fine-sounding arguments
and brilliance
and groundbreaking ideas and concepts,
where people are in love
with those kinds of shows and displays.
And underneath it,
Paul's exposing the heart,
the heart of the wisdom of the world
that says,
can you meet my standard of judgment?
Can you entertain me,
tickle my fancy,
impress me, will you?
Can you compete
and show yourself to be impressive?
And you know,
it's not only at that fine university next door,
but in all of our tribes,
no matter where we live,
there's gonna be some evaluation
of I'm gonna give you respect
because you speak to me
or you show yourself in a certain way.
Those of you who are in high school,
think about this.
What do your high school friends value?
Sarcasm.
Irony.
Quick banter.
An ability to communicate
in incomprehensible acronyms
on a little device in your hand.
That's my old man's version of it, right?
140 characters.
Whatever it is, I don't know.
You guys know better than I do.
But in each of your tribes,
there are gonna be certain ways
that you're gonna be seen as impressive.
In each of your little social milieus,
there's gonna be a certain way
that people are gonna think well of you
if you kind of play along and do the dance.
Paul says,
I will not play along
in order to be heard.
Now, let's make sure we don't misunderstand Paul
in some other ways
that people have misunderstood him.
Paul is not saying
that you shouldn't be thinking
or engaged in a healthy conversation with people.
Right?
If you go through the book of Acts,
particularly chapters 18 and 19,
in Thessalonica, Athens, Corinth, and Ephesus,
you see Paul reasoning and persuading.
Paul isn't saying,
I just am gonna preach,
Jesus died on the cross for your sins
and that's all I need to say.
Paul was engaged in these long conversations,
proving from the Old Testament
how Jesus was the Messiah,
showing how Jesus is the hope,
and by the resurrection of the dead
that he is actually the thing
that you've been longing for
as you worship these idols
that you don't know about in Athens
and on and on and on.
So it's not about not thinking
or not engaging
or not seeking to persuade a reason.
It's also not about not contextualizing.
As we read ahead in chapter nine,
Paul himself will say,
I became all things to all men
so that I by all means might win some.
To the Jews, I became like a Jew.
So we wanna remove every stumbling block
to someone understanding the gospel,
every cultural barrier,
every personality trait
that might somehow mar my ability
to share with you
about the great news
of what God has done in Christ.
There's an important place for that.
It's not about Paul saying,
well,
in order to depend on the spirit and power,
I'm not gonna prepare
for my sermon this week.
I'm just gonna believe
that God's gonna lead me
and give me the words,
and so I'm just gonna stand up there
and be completely unready
and hope that God will bless me.
That's not what Paul is saying.
Paul is also not saying
that he didn't know anything.
He actually knew how to make a tent,
it seems,
because that was his job.
He's not saying that
the only knowledge
that has any value in the world
is the knowledge of Christ.
So for those of you
who are exploring the intricacies
of how the immune system
is unable to attack a cancer cell,
for those of you
who spend your life
figuring out the best way
to parent a teenager
through all of the joys
and trials of that time of life,
for those of you
who actually know
how to change a tire
and swing a hammer,
all of those knowledges
God blesses
and then loves
and enjoys
and wants you to see it.
There's an important place for it.
But what Paul is saying
is that I am focused
on this above all things.
I am focused on Christ.
If I know all things
but I don't know Christ,
I don't know anything
that's really important.
And if I know Christ,
all the other knowledge
that I have
becomes properly placed
in my world,
I find that my exploration
of all this other knowledge
becomes a great joy
because I see it fitting in
with a God
who created the world
and a God
who has redeemed the world
and a God
who will remake the world one day.
But Christ is at the center
and the focal point
of all of that understanding.
And Paul's not only saying
this is what I focus on
but he's also saying
this is what I rely upon.
It's not my message.
Did you see in verse 1?
I did not come proclaiming to you
the testimony of God.
Paul's saying
this isn't my story
that I've made up for you.
I am simply telling you
what I have seen and heard.
What God has objectively done
in history
that I am now explaining to you
and proclaiming to you.
This isn't a self-generated message.
This is one that I have received
and that I am passing along to you.
This is what Paul was trying to say
in verse 17 and 18 of chapter 1
when he talks about
I wanted to come to you
but not in words of human eloquence
lest the cross of Christ
be emptied of its power.
Verse 18
For the word of the cross
is folly to those who are perishing
but to us who are being saved
it is the power of God.
And that's what I'm relying on.
God's message is going to come to you
and as I speak it
it is God's power
that is going to be at work at you.
Not because I'm clever
or because I'm impressive.
There are lots of applications
for us today
lots of ways for us
to think about
how we pursue ministry
but we have much more to say
so quickly
I simply want to ask these questions
what do you focus on?
What do you focus on in your life?
What do you spend time investing in?
What do you talk about?
What do people know you for?
Secondly
what do you rely on?
When things get difficult
when the pressure is on
where is your default?
Is it to run to the shadow of the cross
and to find their strength
and comfort
and solace and hope?
Or do you run to every other strategy
every other hope
every other prop
to try to get you through?
And Paul says
I determined to know
nothing among you
but Jesus Christ
and him crucified
he's saying
Christ is all
that you ever really need.
He's not only the content
of Paul's preaching
but he's also
the pattern.
Look with me again
in verses 3 and 4.
Let's read it.
And I was with you
in weakness
and in fear
and in much trembling
in my speech
and my message
were not in plausible
words of wisdom
but in demonstration
of the spirit
and of power.
Again
it's fairly straightforward
it seems
Paul's saying
I wasn't relying
on myself
I actually came to you
in weakness
and in fear
and in trembling.
And it's interesting
the commentators wrestle with
what was Paul afraid of?
Paul didn't seem
to be shrinking back
and not proclaiming
the glory of Christ
nor in fact
did it seem like
he was ineffective.
There were actually
people responding
to his preaching
but interestingly
in the middle
of that account
where some were responding
and some were not
as is typical
as we saw
in the book of Acts
as we saw
the proclamation
of the gospel
the Lord comes
to Paul at night.
Do you remember
what he says
in Acts 18?
The Lord says
don't be afraid
I have many more
in this city.
Paul wasn't afraid
of man's response.
He wasn't afraid
of persecution.
He wasn't afraid
of his own inability.
I don't even think
he was afraid
of the fruitlessness
of his ministry.
I think he was afraid
that he might not
be able to faithfully
discharge
the calling
that God has given us.
And he might be afraid
humanly.
He might have said
is this really
is this really worth it?
Can I actually do this?
And God comes in
and he says
Paul remember
this isn't your
ministry.
This is mine.
I'm using you.
Go be faithful
but do so
in great freedom
and boldness
not fear.
Do it in great faith
because I am the God
who already has people
in the city.
I'm going to be at work.
So don't be afraid.
Paul's weaknesses
in Corinthians
are often tied
to his physical inability
to his lack
of impressiveness
of his persona.
There are lots
of different ways
that people have seen this.
Paul says
I came to you
in that way.
It reminds you
a little bit
oh and then he says
I came to you
in that way
in a demonstration
of the spirit
and of power.
Well what does
that look like?
It reminds you
a little bit
of the church
in Corinth.
Paul writes
to them about this.
We know brothers
loved by God
that he's chosen you
because our gospel
came to you
not only in word
but in power
and in the Holy Spirit
and with full conviction.
You know what kind
of men we prove
to be among you
for your sake
and then he goes on
to say
and you endured
great suffering
as a result
of your faith
and you were steadfast
and that's because
I saw that
though I came
and proclaimed to you
what was real
was that God
had worked
in your life.
In fact
this is exactly
what he says
further on
in the letter
of 1 Thessalonians
chapter 2
verse 13
he says
we thank God
constantly for this
that when you receive
the word of God
which you heard
from us
you accepted it
not as the word
of man
but as what it
really is
the word of God
which is at work
in you believers.
Paul says
when I came
the whole manner
of my coming
was not to make
much of me
but to follow
in the patterns
of John the Baptist
I must decrease
so that he must increase
so that Jesus
would be exalted
so that when
when others
heard his preaching
they didn't think
wow
Paul's a great order
they thought
wow
Jesus is a great savior
and they would be
cut to the quick
they would see
the weight
of their sin
and the offensiveness
before God
and they would see
the glory
of what God
has done
in Christ
and they would
turn and believe
and be filled
with joy
at their forgiveness
that they have
be filled
with a new life
that overflowed
in so many ways
Paul came
with dependence
not displays
or skill
or ability
he came
in humility
not in human
exhibitionism
he came
in weakness
not in a show
of power
or authority
he came
like the blind
man
in John
9
said I don't
know about
that Jesus
but once I was
blind
and now
I can see
he came
like the woman
in Samaria
who went back
to her town
that had shunned
her and said
come
see a man
who told me
everything I ever
did
her shame
was completely
gone
as she knew
the acceptance
of this Jesus
he came
as one beggar
telling another beggar
where to find bread
and it's humbling
isn't it
it's humbling
to admit
you're a beggar
who needs bread
and that's how
God shames
the wise
and the self-sufficient
and the self-important
and the self-reliant
Paul
then finishes
this sentence
with a purpose
statement
and this is actually
where I want
the weight of our time
to land today
Paul came
saying I came
only proclaiming
Jesus Christ
and him crucified
I came
demonstrating
this as a pattern
of how I want
to live
but verse 5
is the sweetness
of this
passage
I believe
in so many ways
and you see
the heart
of the apostle
look with me
at it
verse 5
that
might even be
stronger translated
so that
in order that
I did these things
with a purpose
that
your faith
might not rest
on the wisdom
of men
but in the power
of God
Paul's greatest fear
is that as the
Corinthian church
was influenced
by the world
that they lived in
as they took up
the mantle
of this wisdom
that was being
that was infiltrating
into their hearts
and minds
as they were beginning
to esteem
and to trust in
and to rely on
and to honor
these things
that their faith
would be put
in the wrong thing
that their faith
would ultimately
be put in something
that cannot bear
the weight
of what they're
trusting it for
that their faith
would be in the wrong
foundation
that they would
build their identity
on the spiritual
leaders
they
attach themselves
to
and in doing so
they would divide
over a competitive
spirit
as they tried
to find themselves
getting ahead
in the church
that in their
comparison
they would fall
into boasting
about themselves
and ultimately
finding
as many of us
do at one point
or another
in our life
that the things
that we boast
about
and the things
we rely upon
cannot bear
the weight
that the wisdom
of the world
is ultimately
shown to be
empty
and therefore
foolish
to trust in
he wants
to destroy
this self-exalting
self-saving
self-justifying
spirit
to point
to another
way
so that your
faith might
not rest
on the wisdom
of men
but in the
power of God
now I want you
to look with me
for a minute
go back
to verse
18
of chapter 1
because the power
of God
there is not
just a generic
power of God
so that your faith
might rely
on the power
of God
because he created
the world
even though he did
that
or the power
of God
because he can
move mountains
because he can
do that
but it's not
it's not a generic
term for him
it's actually a part
of his argument
verse 18
for the word
of the cross
is folly
to those
who are perishing
but to us
who are being
saved
it is
the power
of God
as Paul says
in Romans 1
the gospel
is the power
of God
unto salvation
for all
who believe
it is this message
not just the message
of Jesus
but particularly
the message
of Jesus Christ
crucified
hanged
on a tree
nailed
in a bloody
execution
Paul says
this
is the one
place
where you
will find
something to
believe in
that will not
fail you
something to
believe in
that will not
let you down
because
as verse
24
says
Christ
is the
wisdom
of God
and the
power of
God
Christ
crucified
how can
this be
true
when I
walk into
my
family
reunion
when you
walk into
your lab
at work
when you
go about
your daily
life
raising
your kids
doing your
shopping
taking your
classes
whatever it
is that
employs
your day
how could
it be
true that
Jesus
Christ
crucified
is the
wisdom
of God
and the
power
of God
I think
this is the
question that
Paul wants
us to
dig into
to understand
why he did
what he
did
Christ
the wisdom
of God
Christ
crucified
the wisdom
of God
how can
that be
it seems
foolish
right
the king
of the
world
the creator
takes on
human form
and becomes
a part
of the
creation
he who
had all
power
laid it
aside
he who
knows
everything
submitted
himself
to another
why is
this the
wisdom
of God
to do
it this
way
well
there are
lots of
arguments
and lots
of ways
we could
explore this
I want
to explore
it in one
particular way
that I hope
you will find
sufficient
turn with me
over to
Romans
chapter 3
there's a
statement here
that
when we
understand
it
will help
us see
the wisdom
of God
in Romans
3
21
through
25
if you
don't
know
this
passage
you should
spend
the next
three
months
reading
it
because
it is
one of
the most
significant
explanations
of the
very core
of the
Christian
message
in the
gospel
then
read
the rest
of
Romans
for the
next
10
years
and
then
you'll
understand
how
significant
it
is
and
then
man
your
heart
will
be
in
a
good
place
but
verses
21
through
25
Paul is
saying
that
the
problem
of
sin
against
a
holy
God
has
created
a
huge
problem
how
can
we
stand
as
sinful
people
before
a
holy
God
where
can
we
find
a
righteousness
sufficient
for
us
in
that
courtroom
and
in
his
presence
and
Paul
says
well
he's
provided
Jesus
and
his
perfect
righteousness
is
now
given
to
us
so
that
he
is
given
to
us
as
a
propitiation
by
his
blood
to
be
received
by
faith
this
was
to
show
God's
righteousness
because
in
his
divine
forbearance
he
had
passed
over
former
sins
verse
26
here's
the
key
it
was
to
show
his
righteousness
at
the
present
time
so
that
he
might
be
just
and
the
justifier
of
the
one
who
has
faith
in
Jesus
now
in
our
culture
today
this
doesn't
seem
very
impressive
do you
know
why
we
think
we're
okay
and
we
don't
think
God
has
very
high
standards
so
we
walk
into
the
holy
courtroom
and
we're
like
hey
I
know
the
speed
limit
says
30
but
I
was
going
34
it's
not
that
bad
your
radar
can't
really
calibrate
to
within
five
so
I'm
good
I've
got
to
be
good
before
like
I'm
really
okay
here
I need
to be
let
loose
I need
to be
set
free
I need
to be
justified
in this
courtroom
I didn't
really do
anything
wrong
deep
in our
hearts
we want
God to
be
God
who
says
yeah
that's
okay
it's
not
that
bad
don't
worry
about
it
it's
fine
and
that's
why
this
verse
doesn't
have
any
meaning
to
us
but
if
we
understand
that
God
is
perfectly
holy
and
in his
holiness
he
loves
all
that
is
good
and
beautiful
and
right
in the
world
and
therefore
any
deviation
from
that
perfection
is
an
aberration
and an
offense
to the
beauty
of that
perfection
that
God
is
and
that
God
intended
for us
as
human
beings
and
that
our
step
away
and
out
of
all
of
that
goodness
and
beauty
and
perfection
that
God
is
an
act
not
just
of
misstep
but
is
an act
of
rejection
it
is
an
act
of
wanting
to
go
in
the
ways
of
the
world
and
to
say
I
know
better
than
God
what
is
good
and
right
in
this
world
and
in
light
of
that
when
you
see
the
depth
of
the
offense
of
sin
and
how
tragic
and
how
terrible
it
is
you
are
then
left
with
a
question
if
you
follow
the
logic
well
how
then
can
God
ever
accept
any
where
is
there
a
righteousness
that
I
can
stand
in
under
which
God
will
accept
me
and
Paul
says
this
is
Christ
crucified
because
only
a
God
who
became
man
could
live
a
sinless
life
only
a
man
could
offer
himself
up
in
the
place
of
another
man
for
their
sin
only
Jesus
could
live
both
the
perfect
sinless
life
that
was
required
for
a
righteousness
that
was
acceptable
before
God
and
offer
himself
up
in
the
place
of
sinful
man
and
so
we
see
the
remarkable
wisdom
of
God
how
else
can
we
be
saved
all
the
Corinthians
things
that
they
were
running
after
were
different
ways
of
saying
maybe
this
can
save
you
maybe
this
can
save
you
maybe
this
can
save
you
maybe
these
things
will
be
enough
or
hedge
your
bets
by
including
these
things
in
the
process
but
the
gospel
says
friends
there
is
nowhere
there
is
no
righteousness
good
enough
there
is
nothing
you
can
build
there
is
no
goodness
you
can
create
concoct
or
dream
up
or
live
out
that
will
ever
overcome
the
sin
that
stains
your
heart
the
fatal
flaw
of
self
that
John
preached
about
a couple
of
weeks
ago
and
so
God
has
stepped
in
and
in
his
infinite
wisdom
has
done
something
unbelievable
no
one
would
have
thought
this
up
the
mystery
of
the
trinity
becomes
the
mystery
of
the
incarnation
becomes
the
glory
of
the
crucifixion
and
the
resurrection
so
that
God
might
accept
sinners
like
you
and
me
this
is
the
wisdom
of
God
yes
God
had
created
by his
own
righteousness
and by
the
sin
in
the
world
what
seemed
to
be
an
unsolvable
problem
and
then
he
stepped
in
and
he
solved
it
in
the
most
unimaginable
way
so that
we
might
know
that
salvation
is
not
of
us
but
it's
of
God
from
first
to
last
so
that
we
might
not
boast
in
anything
of
ourselves
but
boast
only
in
Jesus
Christ
this
is
why
Paul
felt
that
that was
sufficient
for
his
preaching
content
this
was
sufficient
to
say
what
he
needed
to
say
this
is
the
wisdom
of
God
and
when
we
receive
this
then
we
are
free
we
are
freed
from
all
of
the
performance
and
all
of
the
effort
we
spend
trying
to
make
ourselves
good
enough
we
are
free
from
all
of
our
trying
to
figure
out
if
I
can
only
latch
myself
on
here
or
develop
this
skill
or
get
ahead
in
these
ways
things
we
are
free
from
the
illusion
of
self
promotion
and
self
boasting
and
we
are
free
instead
to
receive
from
God
a
salvation
that
we
could
never
create
on
our
own
and
in
doing
so
we
have
an
untouchable
confidence
before
God
not
only
is
Christ
crucified
the
wisdom
of
God
in
this
way
but
Christ
crucified
is
the
power
of
God
the
power
of
one
whose
life
was
not
taken
from
him
but
who
laid
it
down
willingly
in
love
for
his
people
the
power
of
one
through
whose
death
the
power
of
the
devil
that
is
the
enemy
who
seeks
to
accuse
and
destroy
us
was
broken
according
to
Hebrews
2
turn
with me
in
1st
Corinthians
again
to
the
end
of
the
book
1st
Corinthians
15
well
known
verses
Hanel's
Messiah
captures
it
beautifully
death
where
is
your
victory
death
where
is
your
sting
the
sting
of
death
is
sin
and
the
power
of
sin
is
the
law
but
in
the
flow
of
the
argument
Jesus
Christ
is
risen
from
the
dead
and
therefore
thanks
be
to
God
who
gives
us
the
victory
through
our
Lord
Jesus
Christ
because
when
we
are
identified
with
Christ
by
faith
when
we
take
upon
his
righteousness
then
we
now
know
that
we
will
be
raised
with
him
that
death
is
no
longer
the
great
enemy
but
death
is
a
defeated
foe
and
death
is
actually
a
gateway
into
eternity
and
glory
with
God
that
the
stain
of
sin
has
actually
been
removed
and
by
his
resurrection
we
know
that
there
is
a
life
for
us
that
will
have
no
more
sin
and
therefore
no
more
tears
no
more
sorrow
and
no
more
strife
and
also
no
more
boasting
and
no
more
self
promoting
and
this
is
the
power
of
God
that
this
creator
God
who
entered
in
to
this
incredible
act
of
crucifixion
he
also
rose
from
the
dead
and
he
did
this
to
rescue
us
and
to
create
a
kingdom
not
by
oppression
not
to
impose
himself
forcefully
upon
us
but
by
humility
and
by
submission
to
his
father
by
offering
himself
up
as
a
sacrifice
he
gained
the
greatest
victory
in
all
the
world
friends
we
want
so
much
for
there
to
be
a
power
in
the
world
that
makes
things
right
don't
we
want
the
famine
to
end
we
want
the
terrorists
to
be
stopped
we
want
the
sickness
to
be
cured
we
want
our
own
little
kingdoms
of
our
lives
to
be
successful
and
happy
but
friends
Jesus
comes
and
he
says
all
the
powers
of
this
world
can't
solve
those
things
they've
been
going on
for a
long
time
haven't
they
as much
as we
so
desperately
want to
believe
it'll
get
better
it's
not
going
to
but
Jesus
has
come
and
Jesus
has
defeated
the power
of sin
and death
in this
world
and
those
are the
greatest
enemies
think
about
how
the
world
would
be
changed
if
we
were
not
afraid
of
death
anymore
think
about
how
much
good
we
could
do
in
the
world
if
we
didn't
spend
all
of
our
time
justifying
ourselves
see
about
how
different
it
would
be
if
we
walked
in
the
pattern
of
one
who
came
not
to
be
served
but
to
serve
and
give
his
life
a
ransom
for
many
the
power
is
not
in
the
display
and
the
power
is
not
in
the
show
the
power
is
in
the
substance
of
Jesus
Christ
and
him
crucified
and
part
of
what
Paul
is
saying
to
the
Corinthian
church
is
you
know
this
power
because
you
are
here
you
have
heard
this
message
and
it
has
changed
your
life
and
I
say
that
to
many
of
you
this
morning
you
know
this
power
don't
doubt
it
don't
question
it
what
we
think
is
wise
is
not
really
wise
enough
to
help
us
navigate
the
world
we
live
in
what
we
think
is
strong
isn't
really
strong
enough
against
the
most
profound
enemies
of
life
but
friends
we
have
Christ
crucified
the
wisdom
of
God
and
the
power
of
God
and
if
you're
exploring
this
morning
figuring
out
what
Christianity
is
all
about
I
tell
you
this
is
it
Jesus
Christ
and
him
crucified
understand
it
seek
it
seek
to
understand
how
this
could
be
true
how
anyone
could
believe
this
and
if
you
are
a
believer
be
strengthened
in
your
belief
don't
doubt
don't
doubt
don't
be
embarrassed
by
Jesus
and
him
crucified
but
believe
let's
pray
Lord we
thank you
for
Jesus
and we
thank you
for him
crucified
Lord this
is the
great work
that you
have done
for us
Lord we
pray that
you would
this morning
help us
to understand
and to see
it and in
in doing
so that
we would
believe
and by
believing
we would
have life
in your
name
for your
glory we
pray in
Jesus name
amen
there's no
fitting way to
follow up
from a sermon
like this
than to do
a baptism
to testify
to the
power of
God
in our
lives
so John
or Greg
I don't
know
what
the
thank you