What great hope we have, a coming Savior, an eternal home, life forever in Jesus Christ. If you take your Bibles with me this morning and turn to the book of 1 Corinthians chapter 2, 1 Corinthians chapter 2. If you were to ask ChatGTP, what is the most influential American speech? No question, the first response would be Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, quickly followed by Martin Luther King Jr.' 's speech, I Have a Dream. These speeches are the fabric of our country. We remember them, we celebrate them, not just because of the days in which they were given, but because those speeches elicited a response. It gave courage to causes of right. The speeches were more than mere platitudes, they were pronouncements of change. What if I told you that there was a speaker more powerful than Lincoln or King with us today? No, it's not me. You know that. Through the means of His word and the mouths of men, the Holy Spirit of God has enabled the greatest of transformations. of any person or society on record, the Holy Spirit is here and He preaches for change. 1 Corinthians chapter 2, we have been learning about this church at Corinth. It was known for its wealth, ports of trade. It was known for its wisdom, notable speakers and philosophers. It was noted for its wickedness. In fact, the term to Corinthianize meant to be immoral. It himself had become a euphemism. It was also known for its pagan idol worship. Paul came in a weakened state, Acts chapter 17. He's worn, he's tired. And he comes to this wicked city and he preaches the gospel. He's on a second missionary journey, and as he preached, the Spirit of God worked, and people were saved. Lives were genuinely transformed, and God established there in Corinth a local church, which would have tremendous potential to make a difference in the world. But factions, we've been hearing, learning about the factions that arose in their ranks. These people had problems in their pews. So Paul pens a letter. What he says to the church, I think the Spirit is saying to all churches, all Christians who take up the Word of God. So what was taking place in Corinth? They prized philosophy. They enjoyed rhetoric. And Paul explained that it was the preaching of a bloody cross, the brutal death of Christ, His burial, His bodily resurrection that secures the power of God. What the world might consider foolish and weak, God calls wise and strong. And so, as we began last week looking at the end of chapter one, we see that Paul contrasts both wisdom and foolishness, the wisdom of God and the foolishness of the world. What the world might consider foolish and weak, God calls wise and strong. So the contrast of foolishness continues here. And Paul's gonna give a personal object lesson. He's gonna give his own life, his own testimony about going to Corinth as an illustration of what Christ can do by his power through the work of the Holy Spirit of God. Let's read verses one through five of 1 Corinthians chapter two. And I, brethren, came not unto you 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. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. Let's bow for a moment in prayer. Father, guide us now. We ask for the power of your Holy Spirit to open our eyes, to illumine them to your truth. I pray that we would see Jesus Christ as he is revealed in your word, and as we're exposed to him, He would expose to us our needs, our lack, our desperate need for him. I pray that we would be changed by your word in Jesus' name, amen. Preaching Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit changes lives. That's what Paul is trying to convince the Corinthians of. They had personally experienced this transformation. They were changed because God used a weak man. There was once a weak speaker. You would probably say the golden age of speeches or oratory was in ancient Greece, the fourth or fifth century BC. One of the notable figures of that day was named Demosthenes. And there was a time when Demosthenes thought it was his time to take the stage. He spoke before the people of Athens and they hissed him off the stage. But he said in his heart, they will hear me yet. And so he went to work. He isolated himself. To do that, he shaved off half of his hair. People thought he was weird, and so they wouldn't talk with him. He had contorted expressions in his face, and so he looked in a mirror, and he worked on perfecting his facial expressions. He had a weak and stammering voice. And to overcome this, he practiced speaking with pebbles in his mouth. And he would go down to the Aegean Sea and he would try to speak over the waves crashing in. Lastly, he had a very strange and peculiar hitch in his shoulder. And as he spoke, he would lift his shoulder up. It was annoying. And he knew it was a problem. And to overcome this, he suspended a sword from his ceiling and placed it just above his shoulder. So as he practiced speaking, he would not be tempted to raise that shoulder again. Well, the day came, Philip was attacking Athens, and they called two of the greatest orators in the world. They invited both Aristotle and Demosthenes to address the people, to raise up a consensus, to raise up a people willing to fight. Aristotle, the great orator, spoke. And they said, oh, what a wonderful speech, what great oratory, what skill he has. Demosthenes followed him. And when he finished speaking, the people said, come, let us fight Philip. He had had his day. When we come to 1 Corinthians chapter 2, it's almost like Paul did that in reverse. Whatever great skill or oratory ability he may have had, he seems to have done away with it when he came to the city of Corinth. What was Paul? Paul understood the power of words. Words can woo, but Paul wasn't counting on his words. When he came to Corinth, he was trusting in something greater than Paul. Paul wasn't a political pundit, he wasn't a pop therapist, he wasn't a celebrity performer, he didn't have a podcast, there are no sold out stadiums, he didn't have designer threads or not even sequins on his robe. Quoting a second century source, it was said of Paul, Paul is said to be a man of small stature, with a bald head and crooked legs, in a good state of body, with eyebrows meeting, and a nose somewhat hooked. One author continued to say, Paul's very defects had afforded the most convincing demonstration of the power of the Spirit. It wasn't Paul who impressed, it was the power of the Spirit of God. So as Paul preached in this passage, as he explains his preaching He wasn't audience-centered, was he? He wasn't speaker-centered. The stories didn't center around his successes. He was Christ-centered. As he preached to the people of Corinth, his message wasn't altered. His method wasn't adorned. So how could God use him? We live in an entertainment-saturated culture. Has there ever been more opportunities to be entertained, to be engaged. Could God work today? How could God work today? You see Corinth needed something that couldn't be manufactured. It needed something that couldn't be curated or marketed or sold. They needed something that did not originate in the mind of man but would come from the heart of God. And as Paul preached to them, it wasn't about Paul, it was about God's word going forth as he exalted Jesus Christ and he exposed the needs of man. E.T. Robertson said, Gullible people are easy marks for these plausible pulpiteers. Corinth put a premium on the veneer of false rhetoric and thin thinking. And so Paul comes with a source of power. Can you spot the source of power mentioned in these verses? In verse 4, he says, my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom. They prized language. You say, if he's going to reach his community, if he's going to reach his culture, he should appeal to them in a form that they appreciate, that they respect. But again, it seems like he did the opposite of that. He came not in the power of Paul, but in the power of the Spirit of God. He said, but in the demonstration of the Spirit and of power. And the reason being, verse five, that your faith should not rest, should not stand, excuse me, in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. He didn't want them to trust him. He wasn't so concerned with them quoting him. He wanted them called to God. One study Bible said it this way, mere intellectual persuasion does not save people. Saving faith is produced by the heart-changing power of the Holy Spirit as the gospel is proclaimed. That's where God does His work, through His Word. In Ephesians 1 verse 19 it says, And what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward, who believe according to the working of His mighty power, which He wrought in Christ when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in heavenly places? My friends, God has power. And Paul was convinced he needed God's power, not his own power, not his own persuasion, not his own intellectual arguments. Paul was a brilliant man, what we know of him. He was wise. In fact, Peter made the comment of him. He says, you know, sometimes it's a little difficult to understand what Paul is saying. And he wasn't saying that Paul was incomprehensible. What he was saying was Paul is so deep, there's a depth to what he says that you're going to have to mull this over for some time, as many of us have done. as we're exposed to the Word of God. Ephesians 6, verse 10, it tells us to be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. That's our calling as Christians, to live our life in enemy territory in the power of God, to be strengthened with God's might, not our own. Then in Ephesians 6, 18, he encourages the church to pray for him. He says this, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit. Then he says, and for me that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel. Paul's revealing to us a source of power. It wasn't Paul, it was the Spirit of God, prayed down by the people of God. Certainly Paul was praying about his sermons. Paul was praying about his missionary adventures, his pioneering into new places. He was praying about that and others were praying about that. And what showed up? The power of God. 2 Corinthians 10 verse 4 says, for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, or the idea is like fleshly, man-made, but they're mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds, casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. You understand something? Human influence, human weaponry doesn't do the job. Not the tremendous work that God needs to do in our community, not the tremendous work that needs to happen in our country, not the desperate need that we have in our world. We don't need more machinery. We don't need more programs. We need the power of God. So here lies the danger. For you and I, you and I can skim the surface of our Christian life. without ever going deep. I'm Christian enough. I do enough Christian-y things. I'm just skimming along, but we have no depth. We can speak Christian-y as we know all the terms. Holiness, grace, mercy, love. But you're foul-mouthed, ill-tempered, lusting machines. You're not a testimony to yourself, let alone your loved ones. Paul prayed in Philippians 3.10, he says, that I may know him, that's Christ, and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable unto his death. It's not enough just to skim along as a Christian, just surf the surface. Be easy to follow. Well spoken. eloquent speakers who may or may not be speaking truth. And if there's no depth to you, you're not going to pick up on it. You're not going to understand that. And so it's dangerous. It's dangerous that you may continue to be spiritually immature because you've personally never plunged the depths of Scripture. You and I, my friend, need the power of God. We need the Spirit of God to speak to us. We need to come ready Sunday by Sunday, not for entertainment, but for a change in our lives by the Spirit of God using the Word of God and the people of God. The power did not come from Paul. Bruce Barton said the power of their conversion was not through him and his preaching, but through the Holy Spirit. it wasn't Paul it was God who had done the work over in chapter 1 verse 2 he says unto the church of God which is at Corinth to them that are sanctified in Christ called to be saints with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord both theirs and ours the gospel came and they genuinely received it they turned from their sin they believed on Christ and they were truly truly saved Wilson points out that a faith that depends upon clever reasoning may be demolished by a more acute argument, but the faith which is produced by the power of God can never be overthrown. There are tremendous logical preachers who can give you common sense messages, but if it's not bound to the word of God, if it's not empowered by the spirit of God, it may not last. And so what are we doing here today? We're gathering around God's word to hear God's voice by God's Holy Spirit. Are you being changed by the power of the Spirit? I mean, when was the last time you experienced some change in your thinking, your understanding, your living, because the Spirit of God spoke to you through the Word of God? Did that happen in your home this week? Did that happen between you and God? You say, Pastor, that's your job. That's why we're here today. Wait a minute. You're not just a Christian on Sundays. You have a relationship with God. And what we're talking about today is not just like pulpit pew. We're talking about people and God. It's our relationship with God. We're so dependent upon Him. We need His Word to speak to us. We need His Word to change us. Are we truly being changed by the power of the Spirit? You find yourself powerless in your Christian life, powerless to overcome temptation, powerless to overcome addiction, powerless to live victoriously in your home each day, in your workplace, in your neighborhood. Are you the one that when they see you coming, they say, oh, there she is. Oh, there he is. Watch out. Is that you? Then maybe you need the Spirit of God. to do a work in your heart? Do you doubt the goodness of God? Maybe you've been trusting logical argumentation rather than the finished work of the cross. Maybe you've trusted a tremendous 12-step book on how to overcome and how to have victory. It may or may not have referenced Scripture. You're trusting in some man's formula. My friends, we don't need a formula. We need the fullness of the power of God through His Word to change us. Christians need change. Unbelievers are desperately in need of change. They need to be saved. Are you depending upon yourself? Do you esteem examples of others or your own efforts of higher value than Jesus Christ? Is there very little growth in your life? Have you aligned yourself with certain positions or people or preferences? rather than the person of the work of Jesus Christ. Psalms 20 verse 7 says, some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we will remember the name of the Lord our God. There's always gonna be something else that you can trust in. There's always something else you can lean on. But my friend, the calling of a Christian, the calling of a Bible believer is to be a Bible believer who trusts in God and trusts in his word. That's where the power is. When I was 14, I started working in a little grocery store. And I worked all the different areas in the grocery store. It was also a meat market. And they called it kind of a promotion to be moved into the meat department. I didn't think so. Sometimes it was kind of gross. I mean, not what they served. It was fantastic. It's cleaning up. Afterwards, it was disgusting. But I remember one day I was cutting some steaks. They had beef tenderloin. And we were cutting them into filet mignon. We're going to wrap them in bacon, stick a toothpick in it, and sell them for 10 bucks a pop, you know. And I remember one day I was helping, and you cut them, and then you weighed them. And I remember, you know, cutting the steak, and I was just doing a little motion like this, and my boss Tom says, Jason, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Don't saw it to death. Let the knife do the work. Wow. The knife is sharp and it actually cuts. Sometimes it's that way with the Word of God. We're trying to force change in the lives of people we know and we love and we're related to. We're trying to force them into salvation. My friends, it's not for you and I to hack our way into transformation in people's lives. It's for us to trust the Spirit of God to do the work of God. Let the knife do the work. Let the Spirit, by His Word, do the work. Psalms 147 verse 5 says, Great is the Lord and of great power, and His understanding is infinite. Great is the Lord. Do you see the centrality of Christ? Look what it says here in verse 2, For I determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. That sounds like a tremendous statement. But don't you find yourself suspecting, like, is that really true? Like, Paul, could that be the only thing that you were thinking about that day? Is this the only thing? He limited himself, he limited his message to one single topic. He wasn't gonna philosophize on the philosophizers. He wasn't gonna demonstrate that Christ is superior in his intellect than any man. He could have done it, but he did not do that. He limited himself to one thing, the person of Jesus Christ and the work of Jesus Christ. The person, the work, the finished work of Christ on the cross. That's what he limited himself to. Do you see the centrality here of Jesus Christ? Paul says, I've determined. He's made up his mind. This is what I'm after. This is what I'm committing myself to. Colossians 1.14 says, in whom we have redemption. through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins, who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature. Speaking of Jesus, for by Him were all things created that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. Pause. Anything going on in our country? Are you nervous? Are you worried? Are you concerned about the future of our country? I think you should be. But are you trusting God with it? Because the Lord Jesus Christ not only formed this world, but He is the one who assumes the authority over the principalities, powers, and authorities. He says thrones and dominions, not only those who lead nations, but sometimes we find in Scripture that there are darker forces leading them. Jesus Christ has authority over them. And he says, and he is before all things. And by him, all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead. Now here's the climax. That in all things, he, Jesus Christ, might have the preeminence. The top slot. The name of the count, the top of the flow chart. It's Christ. Nobody else, it's Christ. Will you watch God work with weakness? Of these verses we're looking at here, the majority of them are speaking of Paul's humble state. Maybe he was physically ill, and maybe he was spiritually burnt out. Maybe he was tired. But it wasn't Paul who came, it was the Spirit of God. Derek Prime said, Paul's weakness presented no problem to God. Rather, it provided a platform or a stage upon which God could demonstrate His power. The weakness of Paul provided a platform for God to show His power. And God is seeking to do that in our world today. Verse 3, he says, I was with you in weakness, notice this, and in fear. I mean, the apostle Paul. Forget the fact that his eyebrows were growing together. Remember, this is the Apostle Paul. Once a persecutor, now a preacher. Someone who had suffered, suffered dearly for his faith. And we find that he was filled with fear. He says, and in much trembling. Faith finds its proper foundation in God alone, not in its messengers. and God would work in the city of Corinth and raise up a church of believers in Corinth, not because of the strength of Paul but because of the weakness of Paul being a means by which the power of God could flow. 2 Corinthians 11.29 it says, who is weak? I'm not weak. who is offended, and I burn not. If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities. That's 2 Corinthians 11, 29, and 30. Paul says this, here's what I'm finding myself celebrating, what I'm excited about. I'm excited about my weakness, because that's where God does his work. 2 Corinthians chapter 13 and verse four says, for though he, speaking of Christ, was crucified through weakness, Yet he liveth by the power of God, for we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you." He found the answer. God works through weakness. What was the source of power? It was the Spirit of God. What was the central focus of his message? It was Jesus Christ. And how did this happen? Through a weak vessel. When Paul preached to the church at Galatia, in chapter four, Galatians 4.13, he says, you know, how through infirmity of the flesh, I preach the gospel unto you. My temptation, which was in my flesh, ye despised not nor rejected, but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus. Now, the church at Galatia, was much more gracious towards Paul's infirmities than the Church of Corinth. The Church of Corinth was about the presentation. They were a church who was wowed by performance. I mean, they wanted a show. They wanted to know they could be confident in their belief because of the power of the orator, the power of the preacher. And Paul came to them in the opposite. He came to them not in power, but in weakness. So what is our response to this passage, these few verses here? Number one, take responsibility for your spiritual appetite. According to the Bible, it's a personal problem. If you're not hungry for the word, it's your fault. Over in chapter three, verse one, it says, and I, brethren, could not speak unto you speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ, as babies in Christ. I couldn't speak to you as I wanted to. You didn't have an appetite for it. You had a personal problem. Hebrews chapter 5 verse 13 says, And everyone that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe, a baby. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. So who is that on? That's on me. If I'm not being fed, if I'm not growing, If the Word of God is being preached and taught in your church, who's that on then? 1 Peter 2 reminds us, as newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the Word, that they may grow thereby. You know, God, by His Holy Spirit, who indwells every believer, has given you an appetite. An appetite for God and an appetite for His Word. You know, little children, they can have appetites for good things. But occasionally there are those who spoil those appetites. Our son Josiah, father, soon to be father of two, but when he was little, little, I'm talking weeks old, after church there was a little bit of a coffee fellowship. And there was a lady, oh boy, she saw my son. In her hand was a plate with chocolate cake. And she thought it was her job, without even asking permission, to take that fork and shove it into his mouth. Wow! His face was a mess. His eyes were glazed. And we looked at each other. And we wanted to say, what are you thinking? You're spoiling his appetite. But we didn't. Let's not do that again, OK, Brenda? Sometimes a problem is that it's not that we're not hungry. We've been filling ourselves with the things that aren't essential. That's true of unbelievers, right? They're filling themselves with something, trying to fill the void of their heart. They will never be satisfied. But it's also true of Christians. Sometimes we try to fill our lives with things that we think will satisfy, that will appease or assuage our hunger pains, but it's not truth. And it's not God's truth. It's not the best truth. We need the Word so we can grow. We need to develop an appetite for truth. We need to long for the Spirit of God to use the Word of God in our life. We have a passion problem. 2 Timothy 4, verse 3 and 4 reminds us, for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine. but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers having itching ears. They shall turn away their ears from the truth and they shall be turned unto fables. You say, not me, not ever. Oh. We're so used to entertainment. Sometimes that becomes an entanglement. Everything has to be in constant motion. constant movement, constant updates, and commercials, and ads, and everywhere you go, it's a constant flurry of information presented in a interesting, dynamic way. And you say, so we're gonna come around this book, you know, black words on white pages, and we're gonna have a demonstration of the Spirit of God here? His power's gonna flow through what were this? That's what God said. Let me remind you what it says in verse 18, for the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness. But unto us which are saved, this is chapter 1 verse 18, but unto us which are saved, it is the power of God. So we've got the problem. We need to also submit to the voice of the Holy Spirit. When He speaks, do you obey? You see it's been a long time since I've heard the Holy Spirit. Have you obeyed the last thing He spoke to you about? Whether it was last week, last year, ten years ago? Have you submitted to the voice of the Spirit? 1 Timothy 4 verse 1 says, Now the Spirit speaketh expressly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits. So these are people who make up churches. People who sit in pews and chairs like ours. People who make up churches in America and around the world. He says that those, there will be some who will depart from the faith. Maybe never truly believers or believers who find themselves backsliding, living a self-willed, self-serving life, not lost, but in a difficult place. Those are the ones Jude says to pull from the fire. He's not talking about hellfire. He's talking about this trap. Believers who aren't living like believers. He says, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. What? What? Christians who might believe the message of demons? Bible tells us it will happen. Speaking lies and hypocrisy and having their consciences seared with a hot iron. So how do I combat that personally? Well, I need to submit to the voice of the Spirit. When He speaks, I obey. I don't put it off. I don't harden my heart. I humble myself. 2 Corinthians 11, 4 reminds us Satan himself is transformed to an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed to the ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works." I'm talking about professional preachers. And maybe they have the show on the station, and maybe they have the radio program, maybe they have the podcast, maybe they have their own YouTube channel, their own X-profile, whatever. They may have all these things and they may not be of God. Just because they have a cross on their neck, just because they have Christian words and verbiage doesn't necessarily mean they're speaking on behalf of God, they may be speaking on behalf of demons. 1 John 4 tells us to try the spirits, and it gives us a test. 1 John 4 verse 1, Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God. Because many false prophets are gone into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God. Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God. And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God. So you got the test. Here's the test. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is he of God? He was the sinless Son of God who took on human flesh. bore our sins on the cross, was buried and rose again. It's Jesus, he's the test. And so, okay class, we're gonna do a little work, what do you call it, story problem? Okay, here it goes, okay. I'm gonna give you a quote from this week and you tell me, is this the spirit of God or the spirit of Antichrist? Pope Francis said to children in Singapore this week, all religions are paths to reach God. There's only one God and each of us has a language to arrive at God. Some are Sheik, Muslim, Hindu, Christians. They are all different ways to God. True or false? False. Hey, the Spirit of God helped you to answer that. Because Jesus Christ is a litmus test. We don't evaluate our faith on the words of men, we evaluate on the Word of God, by the Spirit of God. So we try, we test the Spirit. Romans 8 verse 9 says, But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit. If so, be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now, if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And so, Christian, if you're saved, you've got the Spirit. The Spirit is there to help you. He's to guide you. In fact, that's what it says in John chapter 16, verse 13. How does the Spirit speak to us? It says, how be it when the Spirit of truth has come, he will guide you in all truth. So God, by the Spirit, uses the word. He shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak. He shall hear, that he shall speak. And he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me, for he shall receive of mine and shall show it unto you. What quenches the voice of the Spirit of God? Carnality, acting in the flesh rather than the power of the Spirit. acting on your impulse rather than the promptings of the Spirit. Ephesians 4.30 says, and grieve not the Holy Spirit of God. We can grieve Him. We can quench Him. He says, whereby you are sealed into the day of redemption. The Spirit has been given. He's in you. He's going to stay there until you get to heaven. Forever you have Him. But it says in verse 31, and let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice. In other words, there's things I can harbor in my heart that are going to hinder the work of the Spirit. A lack of forgiveness, bitterness of heart, critical tongue that it talks about in verse 29. These things can hinder the voice of the Spirit of God. Well, if God used Paul in Corinth, when he came without great words and great speeches, simply preaching Christ crucified. He was in weakness, fearful, trembling. It wasn't his words, not with enticing words. If God could use him then, there, can the Spirit of God work today? Will he work today? July 8, 1741, in Enfield, Connecticut, Jonathan Edwards preached a message. It was the second time he had preached it. He had preached it in his own church, really to no effect. But on that day, at that time, on a hot summer day, no doubt, in a calm, monotone voice, Jonathan Edwards preached. What's considered by many the most well-remembered, most well-revered human sermon, centers in the hands of an angry God. His style of preaching was typically unemotional and restrained. According to the historical accounts, he didn't rely on dramatic gestures or vocal intensity, but instead calmly read the sermon. allowing the powerful imagery and the theological content to evoke a response from the listeners. It wasn't Jonathan Edwards that day, it was the Spirit of God. Many listeners reportedly wept and cried out in fear. As the sermon progressed, not because of any dramatic flair from Edwards, some listeners reportedly clutched the pews or the pillars of the church, feeling as though they were on the brink of falling into hell themselves. It's been a quick second since 1741, but God still works by his spirit. I'm not saying that all preaching needs to be like Jonathan Edwards, but I'm saying in that time, in that day, it was important that the people knew it was the power of God on display. And so let me ask you a couple of closing questions. Our time's about done. Has the Spirit exposed your sin and need for a Savior? Are you here today and have never personally received Jesus Christ's gift of salvation? Is the Spirit speaking to you today? Is He touching your heart, exposing to you? Maybe you feel a restlessness or discomfort. You say, I see that I have a need. And I know that I need the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior. Would you trust Him today? Would you come to Him by faith? Would you believe the Word of the Spirit, the Word of God? It says in John chapter 1 verse 12, but as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name. Would you receive Him today? Will you hear His message? Will you heed His message? Is there something that's keeping you from hearing God's message today? Are you at the point in your spiritual life where you're saying to yourself, well, I'm just not getting anything. I'm not getting fed like I need to. I'm not getting, I don't leave church encouraged. Because you're going to encourage yourself all week, right? Probably not. Are you at that point in your life where you say, I'm not hearing anymore from God. I have a relationship with Christ, but I'm not hearing God. There may be a reason for that. Maybe you need to clean out your spiritual ears with confession, with humility, with prayer. God, speak to me today, change me. It says, in fact, James chapter one, verse five, if any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not. If you're struggling, if you're lacking, if you're needy, if you need answers, God says, ask me. And I believe the spirit of God takes the word of God and helps us, guides us, directs our daily steps. You ever had one of those days, everything went wrong? You went to bed not thinking, hoping maybe you don't wake up the next day. I don't want another one of those. But then you wake, and you go to the Word. As if the Holy Spirit of God comes and puts His arm around your shoulder. And He says, I'm talking to you. I have something for you. I love you, and I'm gonna help you. And He does that. It's as real as if somebody in this room did that to you. It's the Spirit of God who lives inside of you, comes to you and me. If we'll hear Him. John 10, 27 reminds us, God delights to hear his children speak, but he also delights to speak to us. My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me. God wants to talk to you. John 17, 14, and then down through verse 17. John 17, 14, I have given them thy word, Jesus said. Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word. It's true. So the most powerful preacher is with us today. It's the Spirit of God. He preaches for change. The question is, will you hear? I'll give you one last point. Prize the cross at all costs. Verse two, Paul says, I determined. Have you determined not to know anything but Christ? To center your life, to focus your life, that He be the focal point of your life. Jesus Christ in Him alone. For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness, but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. So what needs to change in your life today? You need to be saved. Only God can produce that work, you can't. You have to come to Him humbly and accept what He has offered for you, Christ Jesus, on your behalf, who died in your place so you could be forgiven forever. Are you willing to accept God's change, transforming you from death to life, from darkness to light, from condemnation to forgiveness? Are you willing to accept that? Christian, how about it? Maybe you have settled that long ago, but today you'd say God is, either He isn't speaking to me, I'm not hearing Him, then I would encourage you to follow that up with another question. What are you speaking to me about, Lord? Why am I not hearing you? Is there something that's hindering your voice in my life? Have I quenched the Spirit? Or perhaps today God has spoken to you and you know what He has said, and you've been unwilling. You've resisted him. And today you need to say, God, I'm gonna come clean. I wanna hear your voice once again. I wanna walk with you. I wanna enjoy the pleasure and the power of God and the life lived for you. And I can't close the message without one more thought. This is a message we can all rally around, right? As Americans, we might rally around the Gettysburg Address. We can rally around the gospel, right? Hoorah, here we are, we've got the gospel. But when you leave these doors today and you go home, you're gonna pass by dozens, if not hundreds or thousands of people in their homes and their cars and their businesses who don't know. And they need to hear the Spirit of God. They need to hear you share the gospel. They need to be invited to a church service like this where the gospels preached so that they will hear. How shall they hear? Except they have a preacher. How shall they preach? Except they be sent. So according to the spirit of God, just as Jesus said, as the Father has sent me, even so send I you. I'm gonna take that as our commission, right? As God sent Jesus and he went, so Jesus is sending us and we go. and it matters. For all eternity, it matters. They will spend eternity somewhere, and they need to be exposed to the gospel of Jesus Christ preached in the power of the Holy Spirit through us. Father, I thank you for your word. I pray that we would be changed by it. Help us to learn something today that maybe we didn't know before, not just a tuck as a feather in our hat. but so that we can live changed lives. Use us as your messengers of the gospel, in Jesus' name, amen.