Sovereign Grace Chapel, located
at 135 Annabel Lane in Beaver, West Virginia, invites you to
listen to a gospel message concerning Jesus Christ our Lord. For this morning's message, if
you wish to follow along, turn with me to 1 Corinthians chapter
two. That's 1 Corinthians chapter
two. I'll read the first two verses
of this chapter where the Apostle Paul writes these words. And our brethren, when I came
to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring
unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know
anything among you, save Jesus Christ and him crucified. That's what the Apostle Paul
wrote, or a part of what the Apostle Paul wrote to the local
assembly at Corinth, and it's recorded for us. in 1 Corinthians
chapter two and verse one and two. My title, of course, for
this morning is found right here in the context. The title is
this, Jesus Christ and Him Crucified. I want to start by asking you
a question. If you happen to be up at this
early hour on this Lord's Day morning, I have a question I
want you to ask yourself. Think about the answer to this
question. of all the preachers that you see on TV, or all the
preachers that you hear on the radio, how many simply preach
Christ? How many of them simply have
Christ as the sum and substance of their message? How many of
them have Christ's person, that is, who He is, and Christ's work? It is what he accomplished when
he came to this earth, when he came to do the will of the Father.
All the preachers on TV, all the preachers on radio, all the
preachers on the internet, how many simply preach Christ? Yes,
there are many subjects in Scripture. There are no doubt thousands
of different things that need to be dealt with. Some things
we are to stand for, some things we are to stand against, but
all of these things must have as their sum and substance the
preaching of Christ. This is what Paul said, and our
brethren, when I came to you, I came not with excellency of
speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.
That's another way of Paul saying, I'm preaching the gospel of Christ,
the testimony of God. For I determined, Paul had it
set within his heart and mind, I determined not to know anything
among you except, that's what the word save means, except Jesus
Christ and him crucified. So we can ask, of all the preachers
that you hear, TV, radio, online, how many just preach Christ's
person at work to you? How many of them do so and never,
beg you for money? How many of them simply preach
Christ and His person and work and never ask you to join their
mailing list? How many of these preachers that
you listen to plead with you to attend their services? How
many of these preachers do you hear, that you maybe listen to,
that rather than boasting about themselves, bragging about themselves,
bragging about their church, bragging about their denomination,
how many of them, rather than doing these things, that's asking
you for money, begging you for money, how many of them plead
with you to join some mailing list, or maybe get on some prayer
list? How many of them plead with you
to attend their services, or just sit around, rather than
bragging about themselves, they just try, they try with all that's
within them, they try to simply preach the glory of the personal
work of Jesus Christ. See, of all the churches you
know, how many, how many men that are preaching try to lay
great stress on just a few things? Praying, praying to God. Singing,
singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God. And primarily,
all of that has the preaching of Jesus Christ and his person
and work as the central thing. If you know of one, If you do,
you are blessed. You are blessed. Most churches,
and I do not say this to try to criticize, but this is a warning. Most so-called churches are social
centers of entertainment. These social centers of entertainment
are there to, most it's sad to say. I don't like having to say
this. But most of them are social centers
of entertainment. They are places, as my late pastor
Earl Cochran used to say, they're places where people come together
to brag on one another about how good they are. These social
centers of entertainment usually play to the egos of men and women,
and men and women who are sadly stuck on the broad road of destruction. Think about that. Consider Paul's
words. Consider the words. Consider
what Paul was actually saying, what Paul actually meant when
he wrote the words of our text. And he didn't just write them,
but he felt that way. When he first came to Corinth,
he said again, and I, brethren, when I came to you, came not
with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you
the testimony of God. The glory of that which pleases
God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that
believe. The glory of that is not in the eloquence of the speaker.
It's in the fact that the spirit of God moves this clay pot to
speak the truth of God in Christ and not lie. To tell the truth
to men and women about who God is and who these men and women
are. And he said, well, I determined not to know anything among you
except, that is, save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Consider the
astounding statement that he's just made. Think of it in the
light of the context of this city of Corinth. Now, there's
a lot of history. that we have about Corinth in
that day. But I don't want to deal with man's writings on Corinth. I want to look at just first
of all, try to be brief on this, three things about the city of
Corinth that ought to arrest our hearts and minds when we
see these three things, and yet we see Paul saying, for I determine
not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and His crucified.
Now, if you're following along, turn to Paul's second letter,
his second epistle to the church at Corinth, and turn to 2 Corinthians
chapter 11. And I want to read a few verses
here. And in this passage, 2 Corinthians 11, the verses I will read, Paul
is dealing with money. He's dealing with those things
that are necessary for the everyday common walk of life. But look at what he says. And
think about this. Although Paul does not directly mention that
Corinth was a city of great commerce, he alludes to it here. He infers
this. But look at what Paul said. 2
Corinthians 11, and let's just begin in verse 7. Have I committed
an offense in abasing myself, that ye might be exalted? Because
I have preached to you the gospel freely. Now, what does he mean
by that? He's saying, I wouldn't take
any money from you. That's what he's saying. There
were no charge for my services. I did not come to preach to make
money. Have I committed an offense and abasing myself that ye might
be exalted because I have preached to you the gospel of God freely?
I robbed other churches. Now, that's a figure of speech.
Paul doesn't mean he went over to the collection plate and stole
some coin out of that and stuck it in his pocket. That's not
what he's talking about. But this is the way Paul felt about
it. Paul was not preaching for money. He said, I robbed other
churches, taking wages of them to do your service. Paul said,
was supported by other churches. I took support from other churches
so I didn't have to take a dime from you. Let's read on. And
when I was present with you and wanted, that is he had a need,
he had a need, I was chargeable to no man for that which was
lacking to me, the brethren which came from Macedonia supplied.
And in all things I have kept myself from being burdensome
unto you and so will I keep myself. Corinth had money. It was a city
of great commerce, and some people were upset that Paul would not
take any money from them. Isn't that an amazing thing to
happen for a church and a pastor? Look at it. And when I was present
with you and wanted, I was chargeable to no man for that which was
lacking to me, the brethren which came from Macedonia supplied,
and all things I've kept myself from being burdensome unto you,
and so will I keep myself. Paul said, I'm not going to change
my mind about this. And look. as the truth of Christ is in
me. Now, when it comes to this thing of money, isn't it a man's
lot just to hammer on, hammer the people about the real dangers
of money and the real benefits of money? No, look at what Paul
says. As the truth of Christ is in me, no man shall stop me
of this boasting in the regions of Achaia. Wherefore? For what
reason? Because I love you not? God knows. The answer is rhetorical. He
does love them. Look, but what I do, that I will do, that I
may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion, that wherein
they glory, they may be found even as we. But look at what
he says now. For such are false apostles,
deceitful workers. These are those preachers that
came along and they were more than glad to take the Corinthians'
money. They were more than glad to take the Corinthians' money.
They probably were of that ilk that thought the Corinthians
actually owed them some money. Look, for such are false apostles,
deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles
of Christ, and no marvel, Paul writes, no marvel. For Satan
himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore, it
is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers
of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works.
So do you see how Paul makes it clear? Though the city of
Corinth was a city of great commerce, many of the Corinthians no doubt
had money. Yet Paul wouldn't take a dime
from them, we might say. Paul took money from other places
to avoid being any kind of burden to these people. Why? Because
it's not about money. But what's his answer to this money thing?
It's the person and the work of Jesus Christ. It is exposing
false apostles, false prophets, false preachers, and declaring
unto them what? I determined to know nothing
among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified. Also, 1 Corinthians
chapter one, if you turn to 1 Corinthians chapter one, we see that Paul
alludes to or infers that the city of Corinth was a great city
of worldly wisdom. Corinth was probably what we
would call today a cosmopolitan city. Cosmopolitan. Listen to
what he says in 1 Corinthians 1 and listen to verse 17. For
Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not
with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be of
none effect. For the preaching of the cross
is to them that perish foolishness, but unto us which are saved it
is the power of God. For it is written, now look at
it, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise. Now, God's not saying
man doesn't have some wisdom. Man has a lot of wisdom, but
it's worldly wisdom. And look at what Paul goes on
to say, for it is written, this is God speaking, I will destroy
the wisdom of the wise and will bring to nothing the understanding
of the prudent. Where is the wise? Where is the
scribe? Where is this disputer or the
arguer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the
wisdom of this world? For after that, in the wisdom
of God, the world by wisdom knew not God. It pleased God by the
foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. But note here,
Paul said the preaching of the cross, not just any kind of preaching,
but the preaching of the cross. Why? Because he determined When
he came to Corinth not to know anything among them, save Jesus
Christ and him crucified. That doesn't mean Paul never
dealt with all kinds of different subjects, but he's saying that
all these things fall up under the canopy, the umbrella, of
the person and work of Christ. He goes on, verse 22. For the
Jews require sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom, but we preach
Christ crucified. Unto the Jews a stumbling block,
and unto the Greeks, yeah, it's foolishness, but unto them which
are called, it's called of God, but unto them which are called,
both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God, and the wisdom
of God. Because the foolishness of God
is wiser than men. Astounding statement, isn't it?
Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness
of God is stronger than men. For you see your calling, brethren,
how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not
many noble are called, but God hath chosen the foolish things
of the world to confound the wise, and God hath chosen the
weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty,
and the base things of the world, and the things which are despised
hath God chosen, yea, and the things which are not, to bring
to naught the things that are, that no flesh should glory in
his presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus,
who of God is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification,
and redemption, that according as it is written, he that glorieth
Let him glory in the Lord. So you see, Paul is summing up
even great wisdom. That's not what's going to bring
men and women to Jesus Christ. The wisdom of this world God
holds in contempt as foolishness. What is the wisdom of God? It's
the preaching of Jesus Christ and him crucified. Thirdly, the
apostle Paul either alludes or infers to the fact that Corinth
was a city of great fleshly, worldly pleasures. Turn to 1
Corinthians chapter six, if you wish to read along there. 1 Corinthians
chapter six. Listen to what it says, verse
nine. Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom
of God? Be not deceived. Now look, he deals with several
subjects here. Now does he not? Now look at
it. Be not deceived, neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor
adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor
extortioners shall inherit the kingdom of God." And look what
it says, and such were some of you. You see it, and such were
some of you. Yes, Corinth was a city of great
commerce, but Paul wasn't concerned about the money. Yes, Corinth
was a city of great worldly wisdom. It was cosmopolitan. It was the
place to be in that day. And yes, Corinth was a city of
great worldly fleshly pleasures. And Paul warns men about these
fleshly pleasures. But look at what the answer to
it. As such were some of you, but ye are washed. but ye are
set apart, you're sanctified, but ye are justified, how? In
the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. Take notice. Notice now, if you're
still with me, if you've hung in there with me this far, I
want you to take notice of this. Christ, notice that Christ and
his crosswork is central in all these areas. Christ and his crosswork
is the answer to all these dilemmas. More bluntly, Christ and His
crosswork is the only answer for all of our sin and our sins. I know, I know of a few pastors. I know of a few churches, that
is, local assemblies, that is, God has His church, some call
it His church universal, that it's made up of all the elect
of God of all ages, and there's no problem with that. But here
he's talking about even a local assembly, this place at Corinth,
a place of great commerce, a place of great worldly wisdom, a place
of great worldly fleshly pleasures. But Paul here's talking to one
church. And I'm here to tell you this
morning, I know of a few pastors, a few churches where this is
the case, where it is Christ, Christ, Christ, Christ is the
message. Christ, Christ, Christ is the
message because they understand that it's the preaching of the
cross of Jesus Christ that is the only message that brings
deliverance, salvation to God's people. I know of a place called
Central Grace Church in Rocky Mount, Virginia. It's probably,
I live in Southern West Virginia. It's probably about maybe two
hours and 15 minutes away, but maybe there's someone that's
hearing me this morning on TV. you're down near Rocky Mount,
Virginia. There's a place called Central
Grace Church in Rocky Mount, Virginia, where there's a faithful
pastor that preaches Christ, Christ, Christ. There's another
one, it's called Zebulon Baptist in Pikeville, Kentucky, and it's
several hours away from southern West Virginia. But still yet,
if you're in that area, there's a place you can go, and you will
hear many, many things dealt with, but you will also hear
Jesus Christ and Him crucified as the sum and subject of all
things. There's a place also called Katie
Baptist Church in Fairmont, West Virginia. Maybe you live a little
further north up in West Virginia, but there's a place called Katie
Baptist, Fairmont, West Virginia. There's a place called Millsite
Baptist Church in Cottageville, West Virginia. That's up in the
middle of the state. These places are places where
men stand and and strive to faithfully declare
the truth of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the
sum and substance of all their singing, of all their praying,
of all their preaching. There's a place called Dingus
Grace Baptist Church in Dingus, West Virginia, down in the coalfields
of West Virginia, a place where a man attempts to faithfully
preach the gospel of Christ. And that's just to name a few
that's within just a few hours drive of Southern West Virginia.
I got another question. If you stuck with me this long,
I got a question. Has God given you a belly full of self-centered,
egotistical, professed Christian religion? Has he? Now maybe he
hasn't. Maybe there's someone listening
to me, maybe he hasn't. Maybe what I'm saying to you offends you, but Paul
was clear that that's what happens sometimes. When a man or a woman's
heart's not been made right by God, they get upset with a man
who tries to preach the truth of the person and work of Christ.
But if God's given you a belly full of this self-centered, egotistical
professed Christianity, I ask you this question. Do you truly
care about the danger of the corruption you see in yourself?
Has God showed you how bad you really are down inside? Oh, I
know. If you're like me, we put on
a good facade for people. I do that, and you do that, too.
But God knows our hearts. God knows where we're really
at. God knows where we're coming from, as we say. Do you truly
care about the danger or the corruption you see in yourself?
Here's a question. Does your sin and your sins burden
your heart, mind, and soul? Let me try to stop for just a
moment. I'll try to be brief, but let me try to explain to
you what I'm saying here, because I'm not saying the same thing.
I'm not talking about one sin as compared to many sins. I'm
saying, does your sin, that is what you are, what I am deep
down inside, that my heart is desperately wicked above all
things, and God's given me even just a little glimpse, and I
hate myself. I hate not just what I do, but
I hate what I am, and that's what I'm talking about. Do you
see your sin and your sins, the things that flow out of that
wicked heart, the things that we do out here on the outside
because of this rotten fountain that's down on the inside? Does
your sin and your sins burden your heart, your mind, and your
soul? Do you understand that the corrupt fountain, at least
in some degree, none of us understand it yet as we ought to understand
it, but God gives his people some understanding of how bad
we really are and that the bad things that we do flow from our
bad mess. Seek Christ. Seek the Christ
of God. Seek out a gospel preaching assembly. Look for a place that is has
a man or men, for that matter, that's not the point, one man
or many men, doesn't matter, but seek out a place where a
man or men are trying to tell men or women the truth about
what they really are by nature. I know it doesn't feel good.
I know it doesn't make us leave this place feeling great about
ourselves, but we are desperately wicked. One prophet put it this
way, wounds, bruises, and putrefying, that's rotting, stinking sores. And we are that from the top
of our head to the soles of our feet. Seek out a place that preaches
Christ. Seek out a gospel preaching assembly.
And I say this, for the sake of your spiritual sanity, if
you know you're bad, a halfway message about Jesus Christ ain't
gonna do it. It ain't gonna do it for you.
That's why if you're really, if God's really shown you what
you are, that's why if you're in a church that's not preaching
Jesus Christ and him crucified, that's why, I'm telling you,
I know, I've been there, that's why you're so miserable. That's why
there doesn't seem to be any peace to your soul. For your
sake, the sake of your spiritual sanity, abandon, listen to me,
I know what I'm talking about. Abandon the man-centered. free
will worship of modern day professed Christianity. I said, abandon
it. Get out of it. Find a place that
has a man preaching the truth about man and the truth about
the person and work of Jesus Christ. May God strengthen you
in this necessity. Now, one more passage. I'm still
in the Corinthian epistles. And if you're still following
along, if you're still with me, If you're still interested in the
gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, if you're still interested in
that message that Paul said, I determined to know nothing
among you, I don't care how much worldly wisdom you got, I don't
care how much money you got, I don't care the great fleshly
pleasures that you've engaged yourself in, there is hope in
Jesus Christ. But it's only in the message
of Jesus Christ and him crucified. Listen to what Paul wrote in
2 Corinthians chapter six. And I will, for the sake of time,
I have to move along. So we will look at verse 11.
Start there, verse 11. O ye Corinthians, still talking
to these Corinthians. Remember, cosmopolitan city.
Great worldly wisdom, great commerce, great fleshly pleasures were
there. He says, O ye Corinthians, our mouth is opened unto you.
Our heart is enlarged. Now that's in the English, from
the Greek, Paul is saying you're deep down in our souls. We really
care about you from the deep down inside. Look at, you're
not straightened in us, but you're straightened in your own bowels.
There were people who were angry with Paul, but look at what he
says. For now for a recompense in the same I speak as unto my
children, be ye also enlarged. Be ye not unequally yoked together
with unbelievers. Let me tell you, there's a lot
of churches that are filled and run by unbelievers. Be ye not
unequally yoked together with unbelievers? For what fellowship
hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light
with darkness? And what concord hath Christ
with Bilal? Or what part hath he that believeth
with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple
of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the
living God. As God has said, I will dwell
in them and walk in them and I will be their God and they
shall be my people. Wherefore, do you see that? Next
word, you see it? Are you reading along with me?
Wherefore, look at what it says, come out from among them, and
be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing. It doesn't matter whether it's
the uncleanness of immorality or it's the uncleanness of false
professed Christian religion. Wherefore, come out from among
them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean
thing, and I will receive you, and I will be a father unto you,
and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. But
don't stop there. Remember, these chapter divisions
and verse divisions were put there to help us find passages
in the Bible. Paul didn't write chapter one,
chapter two. This is one letter written to a local assembly.
Look at it. saith the Lord Almighty. Verse 18, the next words are,
having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse
ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh. and the spirit,
perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Receive us, receive us,
and let me tell you something. You believe God's gospel, you're
gonna receive those God sent to preach that gospel. Receive
us, we have wronged no man, we have corrupted no man, we have
defrauded no man. I speak not this to condemn you,
for I have said before that you're in our hearts to die and to live
with you. Great is my boldness. of speech
toward you, great is my glorying of you. I am filled with comfort,
I am exceeding joyful in all your tribulation. Seek out a
place that preaches Christ. Seek out a place that Christ
is, the message of Christ preached is the preeminent thing. I pray
God Almighty might move upon your heart this morning, even
this very morning. I want to remind you on the same
station, WVVACW, at 12 noon every Lord's Day, every Sunday, you
can find a portion of our Lord's Day Sunday messages recorded
and televised.