Holy Spirit Empowerment

Really? We're pretty much driven by the philosophical World by philosophy and, you know, by men's ideas in human wisdom. Those were the things that ruled the day and their society. And because of that, you know, the Corinthians had been fragmented into a bunch of different groups with a bunch of different loyalties. And that's all the results of that. They were basing everything off human wisdom. So that resulted in human loyalties and human beliefs that were based solely on the reasoning, a man. And Paul reminded them when he first came into Corinth that he presented the gospel message cuz remember they had this see no statue to the unknown. God and he used that to speak to the people and say let me tell you who that is. But 1st Corinthians chapter 2 verses 1 and 2.

Paul's talking to them he says. And when I came to you brothers and sisters, I did not come and someone Superior and speaking ability or wisdom as I Proclaim to you the testimony of God for. I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ. And him crucified.

You know, Paul was no doubt referring to you know, all the philosophers and those who I'm sure would get up in public, settings and share their latest greatest, revelation of this great thought that they had had that they were sure. No one else has thought of you to Enlighten everyone else to their wisdom. So you're gets Paul gets up and says, I'm not the best speaker. That's not how I came to you. I just came to you to share a testimony about God.

Cuz the gospel of God's wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and Redemption cannot be obtained through human wisdom. That's what he was trying to point out to them that he wasn't going to try to use the most current modern philosophical arguments to explain who sees me, explain who God was and how he worked among them know. He was using God's word to explain who God was in his wisdom. He came only to proclaim a testimony about who God was.

You know the truth is, you know, we shouldn't come to church on a Sunday morning to hear a pastor's opinions about politics psychology, philosophy, economics or really even religion.

You know, we should come to hear a word from the Lord through the pastor.

You know, God's word, educates and enlightens and it unifies. We're on the other hand, human opinions confusing divide, which usually leads to conflict. Which is something that I think any of us as human beings know, all too. Well, that when you have more than one opinion in the room, which if you have more than one person, most likely you do. It can lead to confusion. It can lead to division especially when those things aren't clearly stated. Assured the Corinthian. Set not come to them with a lot of Human nonsense to try to argue based off of human opinion about who God was, and why they should believe in them. He was simply presenting them a testimony about who God was based off of God's truth based off of what he had personally experienced. You know, some years later, he assured them in 2nd Corinthians, chapter 4 verse 2. It says we have recounted the things hidden because of Shame not walking in trickery or distorting the word of God, but Buy open proclamation of the truth. Committing ourselves to every person's conscience in the sight of God.

Nepal is pretty clearly stating that the primary task and I would say, the only task of the preacher or of any Ministry is to reveal and demonstrate the truth of God. Which is simply to expose you to the word of God. Our simple task, that's what we're here to do.

To be honest, one of those statements. That's probably a major pet peeve of mine. Is that when I hear a pastor say that he preaches with the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other. Because to me by making that statement, you're acting like the two are equal. And they're not. Are nowhere close to it? Yes, we can speak to what God's word says about things, but we can't let what's published in the paper Drive. The message that for sharing with the church.

You know, Paul Warren Timothy in 1st, Timothy Chapter 4, verses 1 and 2, but the spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith paying attention to deceitful, spirits and teachings of Demons by Maines of the hypocrisy. Of liars seared into their own conscience as with a branding iron.

Pretty graphic description, really. But you know, Timothy was saying that, you know, give your attention to the scripture. That's used when the speaker is speaking. Pay attention to the scripture that's used in the church service. So, you know. and, He's telling Timothy be sure that you use those scriptures to give advice to given true courage meant to give counsel to the people. You know, if you're giving advice and counsel to the people of God, it makes sense to be doing. So through the truth of God through God's own words. Instead of the philosophy of, man.

Your Timothy was to teach from God's holy word. Paul's telling him, that is your primary job. Really? That's every preachers job. And to do anything else. Not like this. Whether it was said by a commentator, says to do anything else other than to preach God's. Holy word, prostitutes, the pulpit. It does when we allow other things to drive, what we're saying at church and how we are making decisions. It isn't something that God likes. You're on his second letter to that Timothy, Paul charged him in the presence of God, and of Jesus Christ, that he would preach the word.

You know, I've never been able to comprehend anyone who calls himself. A minister of God, and they do everything, but preach the word of God.

You're nothing makes my heart sadder than to go into a church and speak. And for them to say, well, that's the first time we've heard a sermon from the Bible in a long time.

I always want to ask Google. What did you hear sermons from them? Cuz really, it wasn't a sermon. Then if it wasn't from the Bible. It was just storytime.

But, you know, the sad thing is, I think we've gotten into that Trend because unfortunately, there are many congregations and many Christians out there that don't necessarily want their pastors to preach every week from the Bible. They don't want to be challenged by what it says. They don't want to have that magnifying glass of scripture. Reveal their own sinful nature than they just don't want to deal with it.

Scripture tells us they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires.

I think those are some very true and wise words from scripture, cuz we see it over and over again. When people don't hear what they want to hear.

They'll find someone who says what they want to hear.

I mean, we've all had that friend or family member don't lie, who you know will continually keep going. Asking the same thing of everybody until they finally find the one person that says what they want to hear. They just keep going. They don't want to face the reality of the situation.

Sino. Paul is just making it very clear that as he came to the Corinthians and as he was preaching to them and sharing God's truth.

You know, he didn't want his here's to know anything other than Jesus Christ and Christ crucified. That's what he came preaching. That's what he came teaching. That's what he did his best to live out interested in coming and discussing other men's ideas and insights and what this great philosopher thought about this for what he thought about that.

Cousin Paul's mine, and I'd imagine he wasn't all that politically correct about it, you know, if it wasn't from God's word. It was rubbish. It didn't matter to him. It wasn't even worth considering because Paul with Proclaim nothing, but Jesus Christ. Crucified risen in the redeeming Hazard, redeeming savior. And really, that's what our job is for. All of us as Christians.

You know, Paul didn't preach that Jesus was simply perfect, teacher that he was the perfect example of who we should be as a person. You know, he didn't teach that even though Jesus was all those things, the foundation of his teaching, in his preaching, was Jesus as Our Risen Savior, plain and simple, but it's what he always share. They talked to Full Count. So, love God, you knows his writings make clear. Now, yes, of course, they didn't have the New Testament like we do, but he talked all of the word of God. You didn't fall into the Trap that we so often fall into now in this day and age where well, you know, that whole Old Testament thing that's not even really relevant anymore. You know, we hear that all too often, but I always think, If that's not relevant to this, then that means everything that the apostles taught which is the New Testament isn't relevant, right? Because it's all based off of what was taught in the old. So you can't pick and choose what you like of scripture and that's what Paul is charging Timothy with. It's what Paul is testifying to the Corinthians that he did in his ministry.

1st Corinthians chapter 2, verses 3 and 5 Paul goes on to say I also was with you in weakness and fear and in great, trembling in my message and my preaching were not in persuasive, words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the spirit, and of power, so that your face would not rest on the wisdom of mankind, but on the power of God.

You at first, when you read that Passage?

Me, the thing that jumped out at me is that weakness, fear, and trembling just don't seem appropriate for what? I know about the Apostle Paul. That's just not him. You know, he doesn't seem like that timid person but we have to realize that the type of weakness that Paul is talking about to the Corinthians here, isn't, you know, fear and trembling like we might think of where, you know, a person is mentally afraid of this or trembling inside because they aren't sure if they should say it this way. That's not what Paul is talking about when he says he comes and weakness, fear and trembling. What is talking about is that? as he comes in, he preaches so boldly and he teaches so boldly and he lives so boldly, as he tells the Corinthians about the thing of a lordly fear and trembling that he has, Is out of his deep reverence for the word of God. He has that fear and trembling because to him, it is a sin. That he shares this truth with other people.

And it is such a sacred thing to him that it. Is something that he wants to make sure he gets right? So as he boldly proclaimed, he does it with a sense of fear and trembling. Knowing the great responsibility than it is to share this gospel with these people. And you know, this is why I love these passages of scripture cuz I think it's where I'm most relate to Paul as A fellow minister of the gospel because I feel that every time I get up to speak. That fear, that trembling, that inadequacy. But I think that's a good thing. That's how we should feel. When we're sharing the word of God. We should feel like it's something we can't do on our own. You know, Paul was afraid that he was not worthy of the Monumental task of explaining God's truth, other people.

But that is something that we should all feel as Believers. Because the truth is none of us are.

But that's why we talked about the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.

That's how we're able to do those things. That's how we can Faithfully share the word of God with people because the Holy Spirit empowers us to do that. It gives us a strength and Ability Beyond our own. To be able to witness to people.

But you know, it was this fear and trembling in this feeling of unworthiness here. That's why paulinho was so certain that his message in his preaching, work necessarily with great eloquent persuasive words.

But you know, we got to realize that human words of wisdom, no matter how impressive her, how persuasive they might appear. Always fall short of the power contained in God's, holy word.

Yelp also, no place for the theatrics that we see. Go on sometime.

in certain people's Ministries or the, you know, oratory techniques, they might use to try to build excitement or to get an emotional response out of people. You know, the problem is when we do those sort of calculated things. It robs the gospel of its true power because we're relying on something that we're doing and not the power of the Gospel itself. Putting the power somewhere else. And you know, it's kind of funny when we read that because I think most people would agree with me that, you know, from what we know of Paul. Paul had great natural abilities.

But what Paul is revealing to us all here is that his confidence was not in his own abilities. Paul knew that even the most eloquent human words, any inspired wisdom of an apostle were not enough to save a person. He knew that. You know, all too often. People get into that trap of thinking. They are the one who does these things that they are the one who saves people. The Jesus is the only one who saves. It's always been true and it always will be. And you know what? Paul was making sure of was that his Corinthian listeners weren't identifying with any part of his wisdom, but that they fully invested and knew that it was all about God. That it was God's wisdom that they were hearing not Paul's wisdom.

Cuz you know if the Corinthians had come to faith based off the wisdom of man, even Paul's wisdom. Yeah, they might have changed intellectually. They might have new more. But they would have not been changed spiritually. And all too often. That's the thing. We have a lot of Highly, scripturally Educated people. Better still spiritually dead. Because they don't get the difference.

Your part. Not come with his own message, but had come simply as a Channel of God's message.

And that's what we have to realize that the only the word of God brings with it, the power of God.

I guess that's why I'm glad. I never took a preaching class cuz I always thought it was stupid. When my friends who did take a preaching class with talk to me about your sermon, has to have this many points. You have to have this many illustrations, you need to have. And my fault would always be.

But what if that's not what God's leading you to say.

Maybe this week your sermon has one point. Maybe next week. It has 45. I don't know. Don't worry James. It doesn't. I just saw a look of Terror on his face, but Maybe I think that's what happens all too often. Is we try to structure something so much do things. So much that we lose that guidance of the Holy Spirit.

You know, I've had weeks when I've walked up here and much to my surprise. As I start speaking. I use very little of my notes that are here.

But anymore, I bring notes because I'm not always sure where my mind's going to wander too. And I always remember that the great old preacher. Jonathan Edwards was in reference. For God's word that he would literally just stand and read all of his sermons because he didn't want to get it wrong. He didn't want to convey anything that just came from his mind and his wisdom. He wanted it all to be exactly what he'd studied, exactly what he had seen.

We get away from that sometimes.

What you doing order for us to be empowered, by the Holy Spirit? We have to realize that. You know, if we want to do life and Ministry with the boldness that Paul did it, we have to ask for it.

Ian, the videos we watched in Sunday school class, it talked about that and there was a Pastor Ron Woburn who shared the story of you know, when he first started out in Ministry pretty much did like all of us do when Intuit guns blazing and after a few months he thought I can't keep doing this. He was burning himself out. And you know, he told his wife, he's like you unless we are filled with God's. There's no way we're going to be able to continue this in Ministry.

So they went to a conference where they talked about it and at the end, you know, they were like hey if you want to be filled with the Holy Spirit Come forward and will pray for you. Well, they went they got prayed for couple days later. He and his wife getting a huge fight. She's like that. Holy Spirit thing. Definitely didn't change you. He unwisely made the comment back her while I didn't change you either. So. They struggled and they continued to struggle, and they didn't get it. So a few months later or one of his Elders from his church, brings him a pamphlet about another conference going on. It's like, hey, I think you should take the time to go to this. So he goes to it and he said that this conference, you know, there's this older gentleman, walks up to him and Was like, you know, are you ready to be filled with the spirit? He's like, well, that's why I'm here.

The old man looked. I'm not ready locked away.

Little bit later. He sees the old guy same conversation. The last night of the conference, then they have kind of an altar call thing. They want all the pastors that are at the conference to come forward so they can pray over him. Me and Ron said, lo and behold when he gets up front, who's the guy standing in front of him? Same old guy that, I talked to him a few other times.

And no guy asking the same question. Do you want to be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit? Do you want to be filled with God's love? And Ron said I start to say yes. That's why you know, same answer. I gave him a two other times, but he said instead of that answer coming out of he just broke down. He started bawling. Does any older gentleman like Sanchez?

You know, what of questions I asked during Sunday school is your, what is it? Do you think that keeps us as Believers in Christ from being filled with the Holy Spirit? I think a lot of it has to do with, we don't want to surrender that much. Yeah, it was brought out in Sunday school. We don't want to give up that control. We don't want to get to that point in our life. For we say, you know, what? Lord I am fully yours. Use me for Whatever Whenever Wherever. I just want to be used by you. That's a scary statement to make.

Oh, my goodness. Might call you to be a missionary and some place like, Africa.

Might even send it to you. A small town called Monroe. You never know where you'll end up. I just never have to go to the ninevites and burn, but, you know.

We let a few of yet and it's okay.

But we don't know, and we have that fear of taking our hand off of it, and giving God complete control. And I think that's what keeps us. From taking that final step.

but we have to get over that, we have to get past it and, you know, an important thing we talked about in Sunday school also was

Mentors are to that whole process.

And you know, something I'm plaid and Sunday school, but I think everyone could pick up the subtext on. It was I said, most churches have a wealth of experience.

If they aren't using that, they aren't sharing. Meaning, we have a wealth of people who have been Believers and Christians for a long time. They aren't sharing that. You know, that older gentleman, who kept coming up to Ron Woburn, you know, I'd imagine the reason he knew Ron wasn't where he needed to be was because he had walked that road already. He knew what it took for him to be at that place that he was broken enough. That he knew he couldn't do ministry on his own and it was only in the power of the Holy Spirit.

He knew that from his experience.

And, you know, another part of that, that I talked about, you notice. I look around our congregation and I see

silver tinted Saints in our church. I think that, you know, we aren't sharing with the younger generation. What we have.

You know, in youth every Sunday night, they would love some of the wisdom from the things you've experienced.

We all know that we can share our wisdom, all we want with our own kids, but they sell them listen to us. But they'll listen to somebody else who tells him the exact same thing.

It's the same. And, you know, it's a lot of the younger people come into church the difference. Now, from when I grew up in this church. Is a lot of the younger people who come don't have a church background. They didn't grow up going to Sunday school like we did. So when they sit here and they Harris refer to a Bible story that we think oh, that's a familiar one. We talked about that every year.

They didn't do that. They didn't have that same experience and think of the wealth of knowledge of how God works that we have here. And if we could pass that along,

that's why we've worked so hard to rebuild the teams here over the summer because we want them all to be a multi-generational thing. We want it to be where we are allowing those who have experience to share it with those who don't.

And you know this, I thought about that. I thought it's just so fitting is Connie said, you know, God likes to put things together that we could never think up for pair together.

But, as I thought about that, then I thought. You're talking about experience in. How you know, people can share how God has worked in their life for, you know, the journey God took them through and how that can encourage someone else. But it reminded me then, you know, what are the two main sacraments that has the church were told to

Jesus.

Baptism and communion, right? Those are the main things. The last week we had a baptism. And this week, we'll have communion. I think that's just the beauty of how God works. And he reminds us that he is in control. He is ordering everything.

And as we come for communion today, the thing I want us to do while I pray, I'll take a moment of silence. But when I do, I want us to take a minute to examine our hearts to think about. Okay? Lord. Is there something that I'm allowing to get in the way that I refuse to lay down so that I can truly be filled with your Holy Spirit.

And if there is, are we willing to surrender it so that we can live our life more boldly for Christ like Paul did.

If you don't have your little communion cups, raise your hands. Rodger Keith back. There can get you one or there's some up there. The price will bring you if you need one.

Scripture says, you know that a man ought to examine himself before he eats the communion bread or he drinks, the communion cup. And the reason for that is that it's better for you to not take communion. If you know that you're not right with God or you're not right with someone else. Then it is to take communion when you're not right with God.

So that's why we always take time to reflect and examine our hearts because it's not a shameful thing for you to decide us better for me to put this communion cup back this week.

Because you know, you have something you need to settle with God. That's fine. If you can show up at any time throughout the week and say, hey, I'm ready to take communion and I can find you one of these little cups.

Please bear with me in prayer. Heavenly father as we come before you Lord. We thank you for the many blessings. You give us Lord. We thank you that you give us this opportunity to come to your house and Worship. The Lord. Is it real?