1 CORINTHIANS 2, 1-5
When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.
You ask someone, “Are you a Christian?” And he smiles the biggest smile you’ve ever seen, and says “Oh, yes! Most definitely!” And then he tells you the miraculous story of how he was brought to faith. He was sitting in a dark motel room, with an empty bottle of whiskey, and a loaded gun. He hated the world! He hated God. Everything he ever loved had been ripped from his hands. There’s no reason to keep on living! Then, suddenly a light appeared in the darkness, and enveloped him. He felt strong arms hugging him tightly, and suddenly all the hate and fear, and sadness disappeared, and his heart was filled with light, and love and hope. He knew that God loved him, and had a plan for him. And from that day, he has been an energetic, and enthusiastic follower of Jesus. And we think, “Wow! That’s amazing!”
And then he asks you, “How did you become a Christian?” And you say, “Well, when I was a baby, my parents brought me to church where I was baptized, and from that day forward I’ve been following Jesus!” And you realize how weak that sounds. No miracles! No power! Just a pastor pouring some water on my head. And you might begin to question how valid my salvation really is. I mean that guy is a super-charged Christian doing extraordinary things for Jesus. And me? Well, my efforts to serve my Lord pale in comparison! So, am I really a Christian? Or am I only fooling myself?
If you’ve ever felt that way, Paul’s words this morning, can give you great comfort. Paul answers our question. WHY ARE YOU A CHILD OF GOD?
I
Paul tells the Corinthian Christians, “When I came to you brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.” If Paul had access to expert church developers, he would have done a deep dive search as to what type of community Corinth was! What type of people lived there. What other churches are there? What language do they speak? How educated are they? What type of things are happening in their lives? What topics upset them? How should Paul temper his message to effectively touch the people’s lives? Should he hire a good band to attract people? Maybe he should hire a stylist to make him more attractive, and more acceptable to the crowds!
But Paul didn’t have access to an expert church developer! Nor did he want one! He didn’t come with “eloquence or superior wisdom.” He didn’t try to figure out what people wanted to hear, and how he should tailor his message to meet their needs! In fact, Paul says, “I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” He didn’t care how sophisticated and educated people were! He didn’t care how much the people liked to take part in the sexual immorality for which Corinth was known. He didn’t care about what these people wanted to hear from him! He only cared about what these people needed to hear from him. Regardless of how different each person was in that city; they were all exactly the same! Sinners who need to hear about Jesus, who took those sins a way, and gave them eternal life with God in Heaven. The only message Paul would preach is “Jesus Christ, and Him crucified!”
Add to that this fact! “I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling.” Paul didn’t come to Corinth as a polished and amazing speaker. Paul wasn’t filled with confidence, and courage, as he preached. In fact, Paul looked like a mess! By all logical reasoning, Paul’s message in Corinth should have failed miserably. The Message he preached was offensive, and ugly. And the Messenger preaching was a weak frightened mess! Why should anyone listen to him?
And yet Paul says “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.” Paul’s message was successful! Very successful! Miracles happened! Lives were changed! Souls were saved! A church was begun. People came to believe in Jesus as their Savior. Not because of Paul’s brilliant preaching! But by the Spirit of God, working in their hearts, overcoming unbelief; creating faith, and bringing the light of salvation to troubled souls.
And the reason God does this, is “so your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.” WHY ARE YOU A CHILD OF GOD? Not by the wisdom and power of human beings! Not by spectacular events that amaze me! But only through the miraculous power of God’s gospel. My baptism shows that very clearly. I did nothing to get baptized! And yet through that weak, insignificant little ritual, Jesus unleashed His almighty power of grace, to bring me into His kingdom. And even my friend who saw a miracle! It wasn’t the miracle that saved him. It was the reminder from God and His Word, that He has put his arms around you, and saved you, and watches over you every day of our life. Not by amazing demonstrations of God’s power that my eyes can see! But by the simple Gospel message from Jesus, that touches my heart and demonstrates the almighty power of God’s grace as He brings me into His kingdom and keeps me there! Not by man’s wisdom! By God’s power. That’s why I cam a child of God.
II
But what about now? WHY ARE YOU STILL A CHILD OF GOD? The same answer! The message that Paul preached to the Corinthians! The same message your pastors, Sunday School teachers and your parents taught you when you were growing up. The Message of the Gospel! “Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” Sometimes, we think, “Oh, yes, those Bible stories we heard as children, they were good for children. But I’m an adult now. I have adult problems! I am going through troubles and issues that only adults can understand. So, perhaps I need something a little more “adult!” Something a little more mature, and more meaty, and more sophisticated. After all, I’m more sophisticated. Perhaps the message I hear needs to be more sophisticated.
You might have a point! The issues we face today totally different than the problems we had as children. The issues we face today were totally different from the problems our grandparents endured. Perhaps before I preach a sermon, I should try to figure out what issues are bothering my sheep, and try to tailor my sermons to deal with those issues. I should also figure out what topics are still rather sensitive to each of my sheep, and perhaps stay away from talking about those things. The only problem with that is, I’m not smart enough to figure that out!
The only thing I can do is to follow Paul’s lead. “I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” When you come to church, you aren’t going to hear anything new! Because we still preach God’s Word. And God’s Word doesn’t change. You are going to hear the same stories you heard in Sunday School! The Bible doesn’t change! You may want to hear about how can I deal with that co-worker who is driving me up the wall! Or how I can talk to my children to keep them away from drugs and alcohol. Or how to make ends meet better? But I am not the best person to give you those answers.
But I can tell you about Jesus! And what He feels about you! And what He has done for you! And what He is still doing for you every day of your life. If you’re in the middle of a stormy sea, and your little boat is being swamped by the waves, I can remind you of Jesus who has power to calm even the most troubled sea! If you are troubled over how to make ends meet, I can remind you of how Jesus can still feed over 5,000 people with five loaves of bread and two small fish. And if you are troubled about how far you have drifted away from Jesus, and whether Jesus could still forgive you, I can remind you how far Jesus went to save you. To the cross! To the grave! And then coming back from the grave, just so you could have eternal life.
Sometimes, when we are embroiled in the wars and conflicts that are going on all around us in our world, our hearts may tell us that we need something new, we need something powerful, we need something more sophisticated to help us out. But that’s not true. We don’t need anything new! All we need is the Word of God, yes, the same Word of God you heard as a child. And as we listen to it at Church, or open it up and read it at home, we hear the reassuring voice of Jesus saying, “Welcome home my Child.” as He puts strong arms around us, and hold us close and tells us “You are my child, and I will keep you safe in my arms until you are safe with me in Heaven.” And suddenly we know, everything’s going to be OK, because Jesus is in Control.
Not by man’s wisdom! Not by miracles that amaze us! But by the almighty power of God’s grace, that comes from something so seemingly insignificant as His Word. That is WHY I AM CHILD OF GOD?
