Let's go right to our text, if
you would, 1 Corinthians 2. Now Paul is writing to the church
at Corinth, and he says in verse 1 of 1 Corinthians 2, And I,
brethren, when I came to you, I came to you. Well, why was Paul in Corinth?
There were a lot of places he could be other than Corinth,
but he was there, this special ambassador of God, of Christ,
this apostle, this chosen vessel to
the Gentiles. Why was he in Corinth? Well,
he tells us in the book of Acts, chapter 18, why he was in Corinth. In Acts chapter 18, he definitely
tells us why he was there. He had planned to leave there.
He hadn't planned to be there at all. Persecution had risen
up against him, very, very trying times. He was leaving. And in Acts 18, verse 9, then
spake the Lord to Paul. This was before the word of God,
the scriptures were completed. God spoke to Paul. God speaks to us through his
word. His word is complete. We need no private revelation.
We need no voice in the night. But Paul was a writer of scripture. God spoke to him and he wrote
14 of the New Testament 27 books. God spoke to Paul in the night
by vision and said, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace. For I am with thee, and no man
shall set on thee to hurt thee. For I have much people in this
city." That's why he was there. And he continued in that city
longer than most places where he preached, 18 months. teaching
the word of God among them. The Lord told him to stay in
college. That's why he was there. Because the Lord had much people
there. Many sheep, his elect. And the
elect and the sheep have to hear the gospel. That's what Paul
taught us in 2 Timothy. Turn over there a moment. 2 Timothy. Chapter 2. At this time, when
he wrote this in 2 Timothy 2, he wasn't in Corinth. He wasn't
in a church anywhere. He wasn't in a pulpit. He was
in prison. What's he doing there? Same reason
he was in Corinth. It was God's will. It's where
God put him for a purpose, for the elect's sake. 2 Timothy chapter
2, verse 8. Remember, 2 Timothy 2, 8, remember
that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the
dead according to my gospel. Wherein, because of that gospel,
in the ministry of that gospel, I suffer trouble as an evildoer,
even under bonds, prison, that's where he was, bound in prison. But the word of God is not bound.
You can't bind the word of God. You can put the minister in prison,
but not the word. Therefore, I endure all things
for the elect's sake. That's why I'm here. That's why
I'm writing. That's why I preach. That's why
I was in Corinth. I do it for the elect's sake
that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ
Jesus with eternal glory. Why am I here this morning? that
the elect of God might hear the gospel, believe it, and be saved. That's why Paul was in college,
why he was in prison. That's why any true minister
of the gospel is where he is. Professional preachers are where
they are for gain, personal gain, personal glory, possessions,
whatever. Promote themselves, progress,
promote religion, many purposes. But God's servants are where
they are to accomplish God's purpose, God's will, God's covenant,
God's glory. And you'll keep them there till
that purpose is accomplished, whether it's 18 months, 18 years,
or however long it is. But that's where they are, and
that's why they're there. That's why they go where they
go. Now, here's another reason. And
I, Bredman, when I came to you, I came not with excellency of
speech or wisdom. I came to preach the gospel of
Christ, the testimony of God. And I came to preach it plainly.
Not with oratory, not with excellency of speech. God didn't send us
to impress people. He sent us to instruct them.
Back there in chapter 1, verse 17, Paul said, God didn't send
me to baptize. organized, he sent me to preach
the gospel, and not with wisdom of words, not with eloquence
and art for it. Lest the cross of Christ be made
of non-effect, lest people be taken up with the words, taken
up with the minister, taken up with the words, or taken up with
the illustrations, or the stories, or the jokes, or the organization,
or the ceremony, or the music, are taken up with these things,
lest the cross of Christ be made of non-effect, be overshadowed
by the things. Entertainment. Marvelous message. It's like I told you so often
of the people that from America that went to hear Spurgeon. And
his church was packed out that Sunday morning. They couldn't
even get in. So they went to another church. There were a
lot of great preachers in England in the 19th century, many. Great pulpiteers and orators
and great preachers. They went to hear another man
and on the way out of the church, the husband said to his wife,
what a sermon, what a marvelous sermon. That night they went
to hear Mr. Spurgeon, who preached Christ,
not with wisdom of words, but plainly, simply, powerfully,
so that men in their heads at least could understand what he's
saying. And when that man and his wife walked out of that church
that night, he turned to her with tears in his eyes, and he
said, what a Savior, what a wonderful Savior. That's the difference,
and that's what Paul's saying in both of these verses. God
didn't send me to entertain people, to impress them. He sent me to
instruct them in the gospel of Christ, not with wisdom of words,
not with impressive oratory and excellence of speech, lest the
cross of Christ, the death of Christ, the sacrifice of Christ
be put under, overshadowed, forgotten. What is this testimony of God?
You see where he says in verse 1, Brethren, when I came to you,
I came not with excellency of speech or wisdom, declaring unto
you the testimony of God." What is the testimony of God? Well,
it's the message of God. It's the gospel of God. In Romans 1, it says this, Romans
1, Paul talking about himself, he says, I'm a servant Romans
1, verse 1, I'm a servant of Jesus Christ. I'm called to be
an apostle. I'm separated to the gospel of
God, the testimony of God. And it's no new message. It's
the testimony and gospel he promised afore by his prophets in the
Holy Scriptures concerning his son. That's the testimony of
God. It's concerning his son, Jesus
Christ, who was made of the seed of David,
according to the flesh, he was born of Mary, who was a descendant
of David, according to the flesh, made a man, but declared to be
the Son of God. He wasn't made the Son of God.
He was already the Son of God. He was declared to be the Son
of God. But this testimony of God is concerning his son. And
Paul says here, when I declare the testimony of God, I declare
all the scriptures. We preach the scriptures, the
word of God. If you'll note, in this day,
unfortunately, most people who preach, most of the folks on
television, don't even have Bibles. They're talking about feelings
and experiences and what they think and how they regard situations
We preach the scriptures. The scriptures. We declare the
testimony of God Christ from the scriptures. We might learn
who he is. That we might learn what he did.
I don't want to know, you don't know what, you don't want to
know what I do. You want to know what he did.
You want to know why he did it. I read a while ago, God may know
his acts, what he did to the children of Israel. He may know
his ways to Moses, why he did it. I know what God did. Why did he do it? That's what
you learn in the scriptures. God teaches the scriptures. And
where he is now, when we declare the testimony of God, we declare
the scriptures, verse by verse. We declare Christ incarnate,
behold the man. Our representative, our surety,
our substitute. Our federal head, that's who
he is. We declare Christ obedient. He was a man born under the law,
made of a woman, made under the law, tested, tried, tempted in
all points as we, yet without sin. This is the testimony of
God. This is the record God has given
us eternal life. This life is concerning his son. And declaring the testimony of
God is declaring Christ crucified. We got to preach Christ crucified,
the sin offering, the substitute, the atonement, our ransom. Job
said, let him go. Let him go. I can't let him go. The law has a grip on him and
a claim on him. Let him go. Why? I found a ransom. crucified Christ. The law won't
let anybody go until pardon and peace has been established through
a ransom, a mercy seat. Declaring the testimony of God
is declaring Christ crucified, buried, risen, triumphant, exalted, glorified. Even our
high priest who appears now in the presence of God for us supplying
the imperfections of our prayers and our worship by the efficacy
of his power, declaring the testimony of God is declaring Christ will
come again. He'll come again. He's coming
for his own. He said, I go to prepare a place
for you. We'll talk about that tonight.
If I go to prepare a place for you, I'll come again. to receive
you unto myself, that while I am there, you may be. So brethren,
when I came to you, God sent me. And I didn't come to impress
you, to be clever, to amaze you. I came to instruct you concerning
the testimony of God. And when the preacher's gone,
I hope you'll remember not the preacher, but the testimony of
God. We don't need biographies. We don't need all that stuff.
This is the biography we need, who he is, what he did, why he
did it, where he is now. He said in verse 2, now listen,
I determined, I determined, this takes determination. I determine not to know anything
among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified." Paul didn't despise
knowledge. Paul didn't condemn knowledge.
He was a man of learning. He was a man of education. He
was a man of knowledge. He talked about sitting at the
feet of Gamaliel and being instructed in the things concerning the
law. John Gill, one of the greatest
writers, one of the greatest preachers, pastors of the 17th
century, 18th century, had learned the classics in several languages
by the time he was 12 years old. Brilliant. A brilliant man. Paul doesn't despise knowledge. He doesn't condemn education
and knowledge. We need to learn the arts and
the sciences. We need to learn something about
our world and nature that glorifies God. We need to study history
and government and laws that we might be better citizens.
We need to study medicine. This Thursday, I'll have this
other hour operated on. I'm sure glad that my surgeon,
Dr. Reams, studied 12 years, I'm
so glad. I'm so glad that she has the
knowledge of the human eye and God gave her the gift to operate. I'm thankful for the teachers
here and the scholars and the educators and Paul is not, when
he said, I determined to know nothing among you save Jesus
Christ and him crucified, he's not condemning or despising wisdom
and knowledge and education, but Paul's a minister of the
gospel. Paul is a minister of the gospel.
I'm a minister of the gospel. And Paul knew that the knowledge
of Christ and his person and his worth is esteemed above all
knowledge and all human wisdom, to know Christ first. The scripture says, seek ye first
the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be
added to you. Without a knowledge of Christ, all other knowledge
will one day be useless. That's what I'm saying. That's
what he's saying. This is eternal life that they
might know God and Jesus Christ whom he had sent. In him dwelleth all the treasures
of wisdom and knowledge in Christ. He's the wisdom of God. All this human knowledge will
come to naught, but to know Him is forever. Let me show you, I'll deal with
this tonight, but verse 6, 1 Corinthians 2, verse 6 says,
Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are mature. They recognize
our message as being the wisdom of God, not the wisdom of the
world, nor the princes of this world that come to naught. The wisdom of this world will
come to naught. The wisdom of Christ is forever.
For example, the wisdom of this world is forever changing. I'm having cataract surgery and
I'll go in at 11.30, have this eye cut open, cataract taken
out, a lens placed in, sewed up, I'll leave there in two hours. Walk out. Used to be they put
your head between sandbags, kept you in hospital for three days.
My dad had this. He couldn't move. That's all
gone. The knowledge that they had 50
years ago is changed completely. Brother Cecil had heart surgery
Wednesday and they got him up, thirsty, stood on his feet. I remember when women had babies
in the hospital and stayed in the hospital two weeks. Now they get them up the first
day. Everything, knowledge changes. It comes to naught. Another thing,
the knowledge of the world promises what it can't give. Promises peace and happiness.
Knowledge of this world can't bring you peace. The rich people
of the world are the most miserable people in the world. The educators
and liberals of the world are miserable. There's no peace.
This Unabomber is a highly educated professor, PhD, but it hasn't
helped him. And let me tell you something
else about the knowledge of this world. One bump on the head and it's
all gone. That's all. Some of you fellows here are
brilliant. Brilliant teachers and contractors and builders. You fall down the steps tonight
and hit your head on the basement floor and you are a dummy. From
then on you don't even know your name. Where'd your wisdom go? But if you have a little attack
of Alzheimer's disease, you don't know your wife. Where's your
wisdom? That's the reason it comes to
knowledge. You see what I'm saying? Paul's not despising education
and wisdom and knowledge. He's saying that it's foolish
to give your life to that and not know Christ. That's right. Christ is all and
in all. That's the reason I've determined,
as a minister of the gospel, to know nothing among you save
Jesus Christ and Him crucified. And they're just two attitudes
that a man can take towards this wisdom of Christ. I've determined to know nothing
among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Does that mean
Paul just went around saying cross, cross, cross, blood, blood,
blood, death, death? No. There's a whole lot of wisdom
included in the death of Christ, the death of the cross. To preach
Christ crucified, you have to preach the eternal covenant that
perplexed the cross of Christ. The cross of Christ wasn't just
erected in Jerusalem outside the wall 2,000 years ago. The
cross of Christ was raised in the covenant eternally before
the foundation of the world for the Lamb slain. God erected the
cross in the covenant of mercy. And a man who doesn't know anything
about a covenant doesn't know anything about the gospel. Preacher
knows. David, when he came to die, rejoiced
in the covenant. David never saw the cross. That's
right. He never saw the cross, but he
saw the covenant. And He knew there was a Redeemer
in that covenant. He knew there was a Lamb slain
in that covenant. And to preach Christ crucified
is to preach the fall of man, which made the cross necessary.
Why a cross? Sin. Why a second Adam? Because there was a first Adam.
Why are we restored in the second Adam? Because we died in the
first Adam. You can't preach the cross and
not preach the fall. that made necessary the cross. To preach Christ crucified is
to preach the Old Testament prophecies and promises and tithes which
set forth the cross. As Moses lifted up the serpent,
even so must the Son of Man be lifted up. To preach the cross of Christ,
Christ crucified, is to preach the virgin birth and the incarnation
of the Son of God. He had to become a man to die
on a cross. You can't be saved by a cross,
you've got to be saved by a man on a cross. And not just a man,
the God-man. The God-man. You've got to preach, if you
preach Christ crucified, the holiness of God, which required
a cross, that he may be just and justified. I told Doris last night, or the
night before, I forget, there's just no preaching going on today
in most places. There's no why. There's no who. It's a what. What I feel, what
I do, what I give, where I go. No. Who he is, what he did, why
he did it, where is he then? Why was the cross necessary?
He died unto God. He didn't die to us. He didn't
die to show us something. He died to provide something.
He died to put away a justice and condemnation and a curse.
He died for God's sake that God may be just and justified. I'm
sad. My day is gone. My generation
is bankrupt, seriously. They don't know the answers.
They don't know the questions. Folks you work with, they don't,
they're trying to give the answers. They don't know the questions.
How can God be just and justify? How can he be clean as born of
a woman? Who shall send him to the hill of the Lord? Who shall
stand in his holy place? If a man dies, shall he live
again? If he died under sin, he's not going to live again. Boy, I tell you, you talk about
hurting, this generation is hurting. The priest Christ crucified is
the priest of resurrection, which declares the victory of the cross.
No cross, no crown. If Christ be not raised, you're
yet in your sin. Paul said, you're sitting around
arguing whether there'd be a resurrection. If there's no resurrection, Christ
is not raised. If Christ be not raised, we are,
of all men, most miserable. To preach Christ crucified is
to preach Christ exalted. To apply the blessings of the
cross. You don't apply the blessings he purchased, he gives them.
Joseph filled the storehouse and Joseph will dispense it.
He'll save whom he will, he'll quicken whom he will. He's the
testator, it's his will. And he arose and is exalted to
carry out the promises of that will. It's not what will I do
with Jesus, it's what will he do with me. Pilate said, why, don't you know
I have power over you? He said, you don't have any power
over me, except it be given you from above. Salvation is not my choice, it's
his. You didn't choose me, he said,
I chose you. We're hearing the opposite of
what God says, the opposite. Like the article in the bulletin.
The preachers today say, you're not his sheep because you don't
believe. That's not what Christ said. Christ said, you don't
believe because you're not my sheep. My sheep believe. The clock was running. If you
went to school and taught backwards, they'd fire you. But they promote
the preachers that preach backwards. They get bigger churches. I heard a man recommending his
pastor to somebody. He said, you ought to come hear
our pastor. He don't offend nobody. You see, there's just two attitudes
toward this message. To those that are perishing,
it's foolishness. Utter, absolute nonsense. Covenant, election, sovereignty,
particular redemption, adoption, the new birth, justification,
righteousness, justice, justify, foolishness. But I'll tell you,
to them that are saved, it's the power of God. It's the wisdom
of God. That's right. It's the power
of God. It's the wisdom of God in that
he's just and justifier. It's the power of God in that
all our enemies are conquered. All his righteousness is fulfilled.
All his justice is satisfied. All his laws are honored. All
his people are redeemed. That's the power of God. And
Paul said in verse 3, I was with you in weakness. I'm not trying
to give the impression that I'm strong. I'm not trying to give the impression
I'm anything but a human being. True preachers will readily confess
that the sinner is saved by grace, that without him we can do nothing.
that God had chosen the weak things and the foolish things,
and the things that are despised and the things that are not,
to bring to naught the things that are. Paul said, who is weak
that I'm not weak? But I'll tell you, he said, when
I'm weak, I'm strong. Because his strength is magnified. Who's sufficient for these things? The most contradictory things
in the world is a proud preacher. An arrogant, haughty, spirited
preacher. That's a contradiction. Because
Paul said, I was with you in weakness and I was with you in
fear. He never feared men. He never feared what men could
do to him. That's not the issue. He feared God. What an awesome, awesome, fearful
responsibility to stand here. and speak for God to people who will believe you. Be careful what you preach. Somebody
might believe you. If you don't tell the truth and
they believe you, God said, I require their blood at your hand. If
I tell the truth and they don't believe me, I'm free from the
blood of all men. But I want them to believe. And
I fear God. If you call God Father, you spend
the time of your sojourn here in fear, respect. Somebody said one time, do you
believe a man can believe the gospel of grace and not preach
it? Definitely not. Definitely not. If a man believes the gospel
of grace, he believes God. And he fears only God. And he
desires to please only God. And he, necessity is laid upon
him, woe is him if he's not preaching the gospel. So he doesn't fear
men. He doesn't covet their praise
or their possessions or anything else. He covets the approval
of his father. If he knows him. That's right. That's exactly right. We don't
fear men. We don't covet what men can do
for us or say of us. We fear him. Our times are in
his hands. And he said, I was with you in
much trembling, holy anxiety. Paul magnified his Lord. He magnified
his gospel. He magnified his office. And
he humbled himself. He said, I'm not worthy to be
an apostle. I persecuted the church. I'm less than the least
of all the saints. I'm the chief of sinners. That's right. And I tell you
this too, Bert, my speech and my preaching was not with enticing
words of man's wisdom, persuasion. But I've depended on the Holy
Spirit in demonstration of the Holy Spirit and the power. Here's
where we need to camp, all preachers. We need the ear of every preacher,
every professing minister in the world today. Here's where
we need to camp. It's not our words that convict
men, it's the Spirit of God that convicts men. It's not our words
that convert the soul, can convert a soul or reveal Christ. It's
not our words, it's His words. Preach the words. We're born
of the Word of God and born of the Spirit of God. And my speech and my preaching
was not with persuasible intent. Won't you please do this? No,
no. This is the way salvation is.
It's in Christ. It's up to us. Lord, won't you
please open the heart? Won't you please make this effectual? Don't leave us alone. and thy servant will hear." And when we preach this gospel,
all these things I've talked about this morning, only the Spirit of God can give
a man understanding of these words. And faith and belief,
faith's a gift of God. Repentance is a gift of God.
It's the goodness of God that leads a man to repentance. Face the gift of God, not of
works, lest any man should boast. I am what I am by the grace of
God, by the Spirit of God. We know that the Son of God hath
come and given us an understanding, that we may know him that is
true, even his Son, Jesus Christ. And this is the true God. No
man knows the Father but the Son, and he to whom the Son will
reveal him. Paul said the Holy Spirit has
got to make the word effectual. And that brings me to the last
verse, in order that your faith should not stand in the wisdom
of men. My preaching, not a job, not
a vocation, it's a calling. It's not oratory or entertainment
or human wisdom, it's the message of God. Your faith, your hope
of glory, your hope of mercy, our hope of forgiveness, life
eternal, our hope of deliverance in Christ. Not in the wisdom
of men, but in the power of God. And that power of God is Christ.
I trust Him to intercede. I trust Him to put away my sins. I trust Him to be my faithful
high priest. Must not be, cannot be in anyone
or anything but Christ. That's why that preacher and
his preaching, and that's why God sent him and why he's saying
what he said, that your faith and hope and trust might not
be in books and arguments and debates and this as opposed to
that, but my hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood
and his righteousness. The sweetest thing, I wholly,
completely lean on Jesus' name. His oath, His covenant, His blood
support me in this whelming flood. And when all around my soul gives
way, He is my hope and stand. And when He shall come with trumpet
sound, O may I then in Him be found. Dressed in His righteousness
alone, boldly, to stand before his throne. That's the gospel. It's a good gospel. It's a great
gospel. It's a saving gospel. It's a wonderful gospel. It's
a gospel of grace. It's the only gospel. I hope
God will let it be preached from this pulpit for a long time to
come, till every one of us, every one of us, come to rest in Him
who is our gospel. In Him.