Balancing Your Christian
Life
I Corinthians 2:1-5
Introduction: Nik Wallenda is a believer in Jesus who comes
from an interesting family: like generations before him He is a “tight rope
walker.” He was in the news in recent years when he walked over the Niagra
Falls. He also had crossed a cable suspended between Sky Scrapers in Atlantic
City and again in Chicago, and he crossed another stretched over a portion of
the Grand Canyon, 1500 feet above the little Colorado river, and 1400 feet
across. He says the key to safely completing these feats is his training (he’s
been doing it since he was 2), and keeping his focus on a solid object on the
other side. He has used his celebrity as an opportunity to point others to the
solid Rock, His Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Remember the words of the writer to the Hebrews in 12:1,2a of that
epistle…
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a
cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so
closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder
and perfecter of our faith…
Probably
40 years ago Charles Ryrie wrote a book entitled, “Balancing the Christian
Life.” I am only borrowing the title of the book, because just as Wallenda
needs to maintain his balance on the high wire, fixing his eyes on a solid
object on the other side, we need to maintain balance in the Christian life by
looking to Jesus. I think Paul exposes in this passage the attitudes that
complicate maintaining “balance ”— specifically we get out eyes off of Jesus
and begin relying on our efforts or what seems reasonable to us.
Context: Paul
has confronted the divisive spirit and spiritual pride in the Corinthian church
by reminding them that a right understanding of the doctrine of grace must lead
us to a proper humility.
The Big Idea:
We can stay balanced in the Christian Life by relying on God’s power and remembering
that our life, ministry, and message must be centered on Jesus.
I. REMEMBER the Lord: Keep the focus on Jesus (2:1,2).
And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the
testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom.
2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ
and him crucified.
- Paul’s initial approach: “And I,
when I came to you brothers…” Paul just talked about them and their calling
at the end of chapter 1. He reminded them of their humble backgrounds and made
it clear that it was only by grace that they had been chosen by God. Now he
turns the lens toward his arrival and his ministry among them. In short it
wasn’t about him, he always sought to point them to Jesus. So again, as a
brother speaking to brothers, “And I,
when I came to you brothers…” He is gently inviting them to think back to
his early ministry among them.
First Paul says what he did not do when he began his ministry in
Corinth: “I did not come proclaiming to
you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom…” After his time in
Athens, speaking on Mars Hill and debating with Epicurean and Stoic
philosophers, Paul might have been a little disappointed by the relatively
small response to his preaching. Just a few converts. As he came to Corinth and saw the streets
crowded with people, trying to get ahead, a place full of commerce and wealth,
but also, like Athens, a city full of idols, the temple of Aphrodite with its
temple prostitutes overlooking the place. He did not resort to rhetoric or eloquence or
philosophical arguments to win people to the Lord. He was determined not to
stand in the way of the gospel.
Notice the positive statement concerning Paul’s approach in
v.2, “For I decided to know nothing among
you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified…” Is Paul saying that for 18 months in
Corinth he never went beyond the basic facts of the gospel? I don’t think that’s
the point. He determined to keep his message focused on Jesus, on his person
and his work. That’s a good decision for
any preacher to make, after all, Jesus is the center of the message of the
Bible and he must be both the solid rock that we look to, and the source of
life that we need. Paul sums it up well in Colossians 1:16-20…
16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and
on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or
authorities- all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things,
and in him all things hold together. 18
And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn
from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of
God was pleased to dwell, 20
and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in
heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
Jesus Christ and Him crucified! We can stay balanced in the Christian Life by
relying on God’s power and remembering that our life, ministry, and message
must be centered on Jesus.
II. RELY on God’s power, not our ability or cleverness: Remember He is the source of power
for life and witness (3-5).
3 And I
was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4 and my speech and my message
were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and
of power, 5 that your faith
might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
First, Paul
describes his ministry among the Corinthians in terms of his “Weakness” – A conscious recognition of
his own limitations. In 2 Corinthians Paul uses this term as he talks of God
teaching him humility in the context of the apostolic revelations he had
received:
7 So to keep me from being too elated by the
surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a
messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from being too elated. 8 Three times I pleaded with the
Lord about this, that it should leave me.
9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you,
for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the
more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon
me. 10 For the sake of
Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions,
and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).
It is not only
in “weakness,” but with “fear and trembling” that Paul ministered
to the Corinthians. This pair of terms is always used by Paul in contexts that
affirm God’s majesty and His sovereignty [especially in salvation]. Remember
from the Old Testament that true wisdom is characterized by the “fear of the Lord,” a reverence for
Yahweh that trembles before his awesome presence (cf. Prov 1:7). As Paul
exhorts the Philippians in 2:12,13 of that letter we see the interplay between
God’s sovereignty and human responsibility,
12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed,
so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your
own salvation with fear and trembling,
13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to
work for his good pleasure.
As we remember who we are: fallen, weak, and sinful… and reflect on who God
is: awesome, omnipotent, holy, just… We should tremble at His presence and
power working in us! Paul was with them in weakness, and in fear and trembling,
and that should be our attitude in the Christian life.
“…My word and my message were not…." He uses again the word “logos” to describe his speech, and he refers to his “message,” kerygma. This is the heart of the
doctrine that he taught. Paul uses the term logos
in every one of his letters except Philemon, so it is not rare by any
means. But he does use it more in I Corinthians than in any other letter. Most
frequently Paul uses the term to describe the word of God, or to contrast the
word of God and the word of men. For example note this verse where the word
appears three times,
“And we also thank God constantly for this, that
when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted
it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of
God, which is at work in you believers…” (I Thess 2:13).
These are the first six uses of “logos”
in I Corinthians, two of them in today’s passage:
1
Corinthians 1:4-5 4 I give thanks to my God always
for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, 5 that in every way you were
enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge-
1
Corinthians 1:17-18 17 For Christ did not send me to
baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom,
lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. 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.
1 Corinthians 2:1 And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you
the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom.
1
Corinthians 2:4 4 and my speech and my
message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the
Spirit and of power…
1
Corinthians 2:13 3 And we impart this in words
not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual
truths to those who are spiritual.
Throughout
these first two chapters Paul has been contrasting “words of wisdom” (human,
earthly, carnal wisdom) and the Word of the Cross, or, as he’ll say in 2:13, “words taught by the Spirit.” Where do you want to put your trust: in the
best ideas that fallen humans can come up with, or in the God who spoke the
universe into existence, “the Word who was made flesh”? The writer to the Hebrews says, “In these
last days He has spoken in [the] Son…”
The complementary term Paul
uses here is not nearly as common, “message,” kerygma. It only appears six
times in all of Paul’s letters, three of those in I Corinthians. Here are the
six times Paul uses the word:
Romans
16:25 25 Now to him who is able to
strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ,
according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages…
1
Corinthians 1:21 21
For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it
pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who
believe.
1 Corinthians 2:4 …and my
speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in
demonstration of the Spirit and of power…
1 Corinthians 15:14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching
is in vain and your faith is in vain.
2 Timothy 4:17 [probably the last
letter written by Paul before his death] But
the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message
might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued
from the lion's mouth.
Titus
1:2-3 2 in hope of eternal life, which
God, who never lies, promised before the ages began 3 and at the proper time
manifested in his word through the preaching with which I have been
entrusted by the command of God our Savior…
The English word “preaching” just
doesn’t appear full enough. Paul seems to use kerygma to summarize the apostolic message, the sum total of the
revelation of God in Christ that they were proclaiming to the world.
His preaching was not in
persuasive words of wisdom, “…BUT…” a
strong contrast, “on the contrary,” rather than human ingenuity, eloquence, or
wisdom, Paul’s message was “…a
demonstration of the Spirit and of power.” If you live anywhere near the
church, you heard (and felt!) the blasting that was going on across the street
(I don’t know if it’s stopped for the winter or if it is really complete!).
Those charges of dynamite shake the ground for hundreds of yards. That is a lot
of power. God is all powerful.
God uses his word to break through the “stony heart” of fallen humans, and he
gives us a new heart, as the prophet says, “a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 11:19;
36:26).
V.5 gives a purpose clause, that is, the reason that
Paul relied on God rather than seeking to use whatever means he could to “win
friends and influence people,”
“…[in order] that
your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”
After all faith, true faith, saving faith, comes by hearing, and
hearing by the word of God. Faith is taking God at HIS word. For the glory of
God and for the good of his listeners, Paul wanted to stay out of the way and
let the Word of Christ do its powerful work in the hearts of his hearers. Listen, we are not going to argue anyone into
heaven or bully them into becoming believers. If that were the case it would
depend on us. Rather, with love and compassion we want to share the word of the
Lord with them, knowing that it is only as the Spirit applies the word to a
human heart that it will be received, by faith.
Instead of human wisdom or eloquence Paul desired to
see a demonstration of “the Spirit and of
power…” I think the NIV gives the sense of this when it says a
demonstration of “the Spirit’s power.” Paul wants God to be put on display, publically
placarded, all the glory going to Him.
He wants to say “Look at Jesus, see what He has done!” This word “power”
or “dunamis” is common in Paul’s
letters. However it’s another word that he uses more times in I Corinthians than
in any other of his letters (so far we’ve seen 1:18,24; 2:4,5).
·
Remember the
contrast between the “words of eloquent wisdom” and the “word of the cross” in
1:17,18. God’s word is powerful and true.
·
Though God’s
message is foolishness to some and a stumbling block to others (1:23), to the
called it is the power and wisdom of God (1:24).
·
Here, Paul relied
on the Spirit to empower His words rather than trusting in his own eloquence, because
he desired that his hearers have their faith on Christ, the Solid Rock—all other
ground is sinking sand (2:4,5).
He wants his readers to reflect on the spiritual power
of the Word of the Cross, the gospel message by which they had been saved. They needed to keep their eyes on Jesus, the
author and perfecter of faith.
What is God saying to me in this passage? Balancing the Christian life: We can
stay balanced in the Christian Life by relying on God’s power and remembering
that our life, ministry, and message must be centered on Jesus.
What would God have me to do in response to this passage? Nik Wallenda has well illustrated the
importance of maintaining balance by keeping our focus on an immovable,
unshakable object. That’s as true in the Christian life as it is on the high wire.
Jesus is the Rock of Ages, the Strong Tower, the Mighty Fortress in which we
can trust. Have you begun by faith and
slipped into trying to be perfected by human effort? As Paul says elsewhere, “He who has begun a good work in you will bring it to completion in the day
of Christ Jesus.” We need to stay balanced, keeping our focus on Jesus,
relying on His power, remembering that our message and ministry, our very life,
must be centered on Him.
The Lord’s Table
is a periodic opportunity to re-focus on Jesus, to make sure we are keeping the main
thing the main thing, to get our balance. It draws our eyes to the Cross, to
the price that was paid to redeem us. It reminds us that He is God, Savior,
Master, and we can trust Him. He
deserves the glory. Think about that.
AMEN.
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