[0:00] Through chapter 2. Verse 5. So again. 1 Corinthians 1.17. Through chapter 2. Verse 5. For Christ did not send me.
[0:17] To baptize. But to preach the gospel. And not with words of eloquent wisdom. Lest the cross of Christ. Be emptied. Of its power.
[0:30] For the word of the cross is folly. To those who are perishing. But to us who are being saved. It is the power of God. For it is written.
[0:41] I will destroy the wisdom of the wise. And the discernment of the discerning. I will thwart. Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe?
[0:52] Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish. The wisdom of the world. For since. In the wisdom of God. The world did not know God through wisdom.
[1:06] It pleased God. Through the folly of what we preach. To save those who believe. For Jews demand signs.
[1:17] And greets seek wisdom. But we preach Christ crucified. A stumbling block. To Jews. And folly to Gentiles.
[1:28] But to those who are called. Both Jews and greets. Christ. The power of God. And the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God.
[1:39] Is wiser than men. And the weakness of God is stronger than men. For consider your calling brothers. Not many of you are wise.
[1:50] According to worldly standards. Not many were powerful. Not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world.
[2:00] To shame the wise. God chose what is weak in the world. To shame the strong. God chose what is low and despised in the world. Even things that are not.
[2:12] To bring to nothing. Things that are. So that no human being. Might boast. In the presence of God. And because of him.
[2:25] You are in Christ Jesus. Who became to us wisdom from God. Righteousness. And sanctification. And redemption. So that.
[2:36] As it is written. Let the one who boasts. Boasts in the Lord. And I. When I came to you brothers. Did not come. Proclaiming to you. The testimony of God.
[2:47] With lofty speech. Or wisdom. For I decided to know. Nothing among you. Except Jesus Christ. And him crucified.
[2:58] And I was with you. In weakness. And in fear. And much trembling. In my speech. In my message. Were not in plausible words of wisdom.
[3:10] But in demonstration of the spirit. And of power. So that your faith. Might not rest in the wisdom of men. But in the power of God.
[3:21] Let's pray together. Amen. Dear heavenly father. We again ask for. Your spirits working. Among us. In the preaching of the word.
[3:32] Lord. We're reminded. In this passage. That it's not the. Wisdom. Or lofty speech. Of. The preacher. It's the foolishness.
[3:43] Of the gospel. It's the power. Through the spirit. Working in hearts. Of those. Whom you've called. Lord. Make that power. Manifest among us.
[3:54] Work. Powerfully. Through the foolishness of the gospel. We pray. In Christ's name. Amen. So in many ways. It's a sad day for me.
[4:04] But it's also a joyous one. Today. We're really. Work. Or doing the transition. To. Pastor Dave Thompson. As. Your senior pastor. And so.
[4:16] For me. It's a blessing. To commend a man. That I've. Grown to know. And to love. And who I believe. Will shepherd you well. Over the coming years. You all have seen his love.
[4:26] For you. Over the years. You know his care. His compassion. His love. For you. And so. As we. Look at today's passage. I really. I'm preaching. A sermon.
[4:36] That's. Geared toward him. And setting a. A pattern. Prayerfully. For. His ministry. But also. For all of us. To hear. And think about. What is the work.
[4:46] Of the pastorate. What is that ministry. That he has been called to. So. I want to consider. What should characterize. The pastor's.
[4:57] Ministry. What is it. That should characterize. The pastor's ministry. And then. The second. And third point. Would be. What will kill. The ministry. And what will motivate.
[5:09] Or empower. The ministry. Okay. So first. We'll consider. What should characterize. The ministry. And I just. Summarize this point.
[5:20] As foolish preaching. So foolish preaching. Should be. What characterize. Your ministry. Dave. And the ministry. Of all God's pastors. And that.
[5:32] Foolishness. That's spoken of. In this passage. That characterizes. The ministry. Is really the gospel. It's Christ crucified. Is how he lays it out. Later on. In this passage.
[5:43] Jesus Christ. Crucified. It's the gospel. That he's speaking of here. That he says. Is foolishness. And he explains. Why this is the case.
[5:54] He compares this. With the wisdom. Of the world. And what that might look like. And one way he puts it is. In words of. Eloquent speech. Verse 17.
[6:11] For Christ did not send me to baptize. But to preach the gospel. And not with words. Of eloquent wisdom. Lest the cross of Christ. Be emptied of its power. So I feel like I'm starting.
[6:24] With the bar kind of low here. Making it real easy for you Dave. Just don't preach. With eloquent wisdom. Right. Avoid eloquent wisdom. Why is that? Well he says. That eloquent wisdom.
[6:36] Robs the cross. Of its power. It robs the cross. Of its power. And so somehow. As difficult as it is. For us to understand. The power of the gospel.
[6:48] That message. Is tied to. The foolishness. Of the nature of it. Not the wisdom of it. Now the way this works out.
[7:00] And I think what he's doing with this. In this passage. Is especially in Corinth. You're talking about a town. In which philosophers. Would have traveled through. And they would have tried. To impress people. With their. Oratory abilities.
[7:11] Their speech. Their eloquent words. And oftentimes. They were supported in that way. They'd gather a following. Maybe they'd travel with them. Groupies to another city. Or when they came back through.
[7:23] These men would support him. But it's all about. Gathering people to yourself. To be your followers. Because you're such a great speaker. And you're so wise. And Paul says.
[7:36] That's not. What the ministers to do. With the gospel. With the preaching God's word. We're not to gather. Fans or groupies. To Dave Thompson. Or any preacher of the word.
[7:50] That's not. Nor should it ever be. The goal of the gospel minister. Because. When you convince people. To follow you. Or even to. Be a part of the church.
[8:01] Because. Of your wisdom. And your eloquent speech. What have you won them with? It's the wisdom. And eloquent speech. What are you going to keep them there with?
[8:13] The wisdom. And the eloquent speech. If they're coming to. If we can even call it Christ. Let's call it the church. If they're coming to church. Because of how great a preacher you are. Then you've robbed the cross.
[8:24] Of its power. It's your power. That's brought them in. And not. Usually into the kingdom. But into your fan club. That's robbing the cross. Of its power.
[8:35] That's not what we. As gospel ministers. Are to do. And then he explains. The foolishness. In verse 18. That the gospel. Is foolishness. For those who are perishing.
[8:51] We see this in the world. All around us. Don't we? How foolish the gospel is treated. And when Paul speaks. Of the gospel being foolishness. I think part of what he's explaining is.
[9:02] Salvation. In Christ. Is through trusting in him. And his work on the cross. What do I contribute. To my salvation. Deadly squat.
[9:14] Nothing. Zippo. It's God. Who saves. Jesus. Now that sounds foolish. And I would even prove that. By saying. Look at every other religion.
[9:25] In the world. Every other religion. And I would even specify. Apart from. Evangelical Christianity. Every other religion. teaches you have to contribute.
[9:37] To God's work. To save yourself. So for example. In Islam. It's the. The pillars. That you have to do. That you.
[9:48] Do these pillars. And then. You become. A part of. God's people. Or. Even in Catholicism. The sacraments. I've been to many. A funeral.
[9:59] Where they praise. The fact. That the person. Was baptized. Into the church. But doesn't actually. Speak of any faith. In Christ. It's these acts. That contribute. To your salvation. Christianity.
[10:10] Stands alone. In that. It's solely. The work. Of Jesus Christ. Now that sounds. Like foolishness. How do you save yourself? Will you stop. Trying to save yourself?
[10:20] That sounds foolish. Doesn't it? And instead. You look to one. Who's already. Accomplished that work. Jesus Christ. And so. Our world. Around us.
[10:31] Counts across. As foolishness. How could they hope. In a God. Who dies. Even in. The idea. Of a risen. Savior. How can they hope.
[10:42] In that which. They do not see. How can they hope. In something. That took place. Two thousand years ago. It looks like. Foolishness. Even in terms.
[10:54] Of what God's word. Teaches. Is not even. The gospel itself. But. The issues. That are facing us today. With. Homosexuality. And. I think. I have a lot of respect. For.
[11:05] Some of the churches. In the United Methodist. Denomination. You may have heard. This week. But. They are pushing. To have. To endorse. Homosexuality. Female pastors.
[11:16] And even. Homosexual. Female pastors. And. The church. In my hometown. The United Methodist church. In my hometown. Stood against it. And. They basically. Were kicked out of the church.
[11:27] The denomination. Owns a property. And they're out now. Because they stood against. What. God calls immoral. What God calls sin. But to the world. That looks like foolishness.
[11:38] All the more so. With the gospel. I think we've seen it. Even. Here. Among our own people. That we've seen. Some who have. Walked away.
[11:48] Or even walked away. From the faith. Because. They believed. The gospel. To be. Insufficient. We need to preach. Something. More than the gospel. It's not enough.
[11:58] To preach. Christ crucified. We need to preach. Christ. Plus. Maybe it's political. Or medical issues. Whatever. It's not Christ. We preach Christ.
[12:10] And him crucified. That looks like foolishness. To the world. Why aren't you talking like. The news station I watch. Or. The articles I read online. Why does it look different. In the church.
[12:21] Why do you keep. Depending upon. Something that's. Thousands of years old. So some have counted.
[12:33] The word of the cross. As foolishness. As insufficient. Or even as we see. In verse 23. For the Jews. A stumbling block. It's something that.
[12:44] That trips them up. It keeps them from. Doing what they need to do. It doesn't seem like. They can follow this. Or trust. In that gospel. And.
[12:59] The foolishness. Of the gospels. Contrasted with. Worldly wisdom. And when I say. Worldly wisdom. It's wisdom. It's wisdom apart from Christ. Apart from God. It's the philosophy.
[13:10] I mentioned earlier. It's other ways. In which we see. Our world thinking today. That it knows better. Why can't you just love. And accept one another. Why can't.
[13:20] Why can't. My truth be. Your truth. Or you not judge. My truth. Or. Whatever the worldly wisdom. Might say. Well notice what it says. In this passage. Verse 19.
[13:32] For it is written. I will destroy. I will destroy. I will destroy. The wisdom of the wise. And the discernment. Of the discerning. I will thwart. And then.
[13:43] In verse 20 as well. Where's the one who is wise? Where's the scribe? Where's the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish. The wisdom of the world? How has God made the wisdom of the world foolish?
[14:00] If you look at America today. It looks like the wisdom of the world is winning. And Christianity is looking more and more foolish. So how has God accomplished this purpose?
[14:11] We'll look at verse 21. For since in the wisdom of God. The world did not know God through wisdom. It pleased God through the folly.
[14:22] Of what we preach. To save those who believe. So there's Paul's answer. All the wisdom in the world. Will not get you saved.
[14:34] I was talking this week with someone about philosophy. And how philosophy really is. The search for purpose in the world. Why do I exist? What was I made for?
[14:45] Was I made maybe even these days. But what is my purpose in this life? And as good as that sounds. That's a proper and good search I think. But if you do that search.
[14:57] Apart from Christ. Apart from the gospel. I think the best that you can hope for. Is to realize. That you are a creation. That's created for a purpose.
[15:08] But even not to understand. What that purpose is. And especially not to. Have faith in a crucified savior. Worldly wisdom doesn't get you there. And so.
[15:19] God has made. The wisdom of the world. Foolishness. Because in their search for purpose. They came up empty. And God through the foolishness of the cross.
[15:30] A dead savior. He has saved us. Foolishness. And so that foolishness. Is God's wisdom. And it's made the worldly wisdom.
[15:41] Into foolishness. Because it cannot do it. It cannot save. Anyone. So how do we have. Power.
[15:52] In preaching. And in ministry. Now. We've already talked about. It's not in words of eloquent speech. Or wisdom. I thought. Somehow. In God's providence.
[16:02] My sermon came out. In bright yellow paper. That doesn't actually add any power. To the sermon. Or to the ministry. I won't lose my paper. But. It doesn't add any power to it.
[16:14] Right. Where does the power come from? This is very important. The power does not come. From. The man. And even his ability.
[16:25] That's not the source of the wisdom. Or the power. Power.
[16:36] In preaching. Is the word. Of the cross. Or to say it another way. It's Christ. Jesus Christ. And him. Crucified. That's power.
[16:47] Look at verses 23 and 24. But we preach Christ crucified. A stumbling block to Jews. And folly to Gentiles. But to those who are called. Both Jews and Greeks.
[16:58] Christ. The power of God. And the wisdom of God. So. Where does power and wisdom come from? It's found in Jesus Christ. And so we're getting here to.
[17:09] Really the point that I was saying. What is ministry. Of any pastor. And here of Dave Thompson. To be characterized by. The foolishness. Of priests.
[17:20] Preaching the cross. Of Jesus Christ. Him crucified. That's where power and wisdom are. That's where they come from. Not in the man. Or the person. But in the message.
[17:34] In his faithfulness. To the word. And so. My encouragement. For the ministry. And for Dave. Is to preach. Jesus Christ. And him crucified.
[17:45] That's verses 2. I'm sorry. Chapter 2. Verses 1 and 2. And I. When I came to you brothers. Did not come. Proclaiming to you. The testimony of God. With lofty speech. Or wisdom. Can you imagine.
[17:56] How tempting. That would have been. For Paul. He's coming to Corinth. All these philosophers. Are coming through. These big names. They're the big speakers. The mega church leaders.
[18:07] Whatever you want to call them. And everybody's hearing them. As they come through. And they're used to hearing. A good show. Great speech. Impressive rhetoric. And Paul says.
[18:17] So when I came to you. I didn't do that. I preached the gospel simply. The foolishness of the gospel. Is what I gave you. Without those words. Of eloquent speech. And then verse 2.
[18:29] For I decided to know. Nothing. Among you. Except Jesus Christ. And him crucified. Crucified. If only that would characterize.
[18:40] The ministry of all. Gospel pastors today. I'm committed to know nothing. But Jesus Christ. And him crucified. That's where power in ministry.
[18:51] Is going to come. It's knowing Christ. And him crucified. Preaching that message. That's a source of power in ministry. That is what is glorifying to God.
[19:03] In ministry. If I were to say it another way. I'd say. Just be faithful to the word of God. Preach what's in God's word. Some time ago. I added two little. Quote.
[19:15] Scripture passages here. On the pulpit. For my own sake. And I hope they'll be of help to Dave. As he preaches. And so. Over here on this side. I have. I decided to know nothing among you.
[19:26] Except Jesus Christ. And him crucified. First Corinthians 2. 2. And then under that I wrote. Preach Christ. And him crucified. That's his message. That's what gospel ministry needs to be.
[19:37] Preaching Christ. And him crucified. So again. Be faithful to the word. Paul.
[19:48] As. Really a father in the faith. To Timothy. In preparation for Timothy's ministry. Writes him in 2 Timothy 4. And tells him this. Paul says. I charge you in the presence of God.
[19:59] And of Christ Jesus. Who is to judge. The living. And the dead. And by his appearing. In his kingdom. Preach the word. Be ready in season.
[20:10] And out of season. Reprove. Rebuke. And exhort. With complete patience. And teaching. For the time is coming. When people will not endure.
[20:22] Sound teaching. But having itching ears. They will accumulate for themselves. Teachers to suit their own passions. And will turn away from listening to the truth. And wander off into myths.
[20:35] As for you. Always be sober minded. Endure suffering. Do the work of evangelists. Fulfill your ministry. But you hear in there. Preach the word. Be ready in season.
[20:46] Out of season. Here in America. We are. Out of season. It's winter time. Right. It's not the season for. Things to grow. Like we might expect.
[20:57] It is the season. In which people. Want their itching ears. To be. Tickled. Or scratched. Churched. And so. Rather than preaching Christ. And crucified. We want this topic.
[21:08] Or that topic. Whatever we. Are personally interested in. Not that. Which God has called us to preach. Not that. Which God has says. Has power in the ministry. Not that.
[21:19] Which will change lives. But my soapbox. Is what I want to hear. And when we don't get it. We leave. And try to find it somewhere else. Or maybe we start a church. Just.
[21:29] It's just going to be my family. I'm going to preach my soapbox. Even when that happens. Dave. Be faithful. Preach the word of God.
[21:41] That's what he's called you to. Faithfulness to. That message of Jesus Christ. And him crucified. Even when the world calls it foolish. We know that it's the power of God. And the wisdom of God.
[21:53] Right. So that should characterize ministry. Now I said. What will kill it. And then thirdly. We'll look at. What will empower it. So what will kill this ministry. Is fear of man.
[22:08] And I associate closely with that. Pride. Because fear of man really is. We want people to think highly of us. I'm worried about what people. Think of me.
[22:18] And how they see me. And so. Fear of man will ruin ministry. It's a ministry killer. So my big encouragement.
[22:29] As I. Or as we prepare Dave for his work. Dave get ready for this. You're going to be real excited to hear this. Dave you're weak and foolish. And you need to remember that.
[22:42] Okay. That's verse 26. I'm not just making this stuff up. For consider your calling brothers. Not many of you are wise. According to worldly standards. Not many were powerful.
[22:53] Not many of noble birth. So it's not just talking about the pastor. It's talking about all of you guys. Congratulations. One reason God chose you is because. You're weak and foolish.
[23:05] You're not as great as you think you are. Why would God do that? It's just like the speech. If we win people.
[23:17] To our eloquent speech. Who gets the glory? I do. Or whoever can speak better than me. There's plenty of them out there.
[23:27] But I'm the one who gets the glory. Because you're impressed with what I did. And so God intentionally chooses. For Christians. And I would say for the ministry as well.
[23:39] Often. Weakness. Foolishness. That which is despised by the world. So that. In that weakness. The power of God. And the wisdom of God.
[23:51] Might be exalted. So I'm telling you. Embrace it. I should say we. Instead of you. We are weak and we're foolish men. But God uses that for his glory.
[24:04] Your weakness exalts the power of God. We need to pray that God would be glorified in the ministry. Not the pastor. Now remember my sermon from last week.
[24:14] I'm not encouraging you to go and make sure. That your pastor has no reason to have pride. Right. You're not personally called to be the one who humbles your pastor. Okay. Go back and listen to last week's sermon.
[24:27] But. At the same time. We cannot be puffed up in ourselves. So I thought of. I said I had my two quotes here. I haven't talked about the other one yet. But I will.
[24:38] But I thought if there was maybe an image that would represent this. Well it's the jars of clay. From 2nd Corinthians 4 7. So. I'm not suggesting this. But a jar of clay.
[24:48] You know. Just envision that when you get up to preach. 2nd Corinthians 4 7. But we have this treasure in jars of clay. To show that the surpassing power.
[25:00] Belongs to God. And not to us. And so the concept. We can think of maybe terracotta. Maybe some of you have terracotta pots. That you put flowers in. If it's just plain orange terracotta pot.
[25:13] No one comes to your house and says. Wow. That's a beautiful pot. You've got that flower in. Right. The pot's not supposed to steal. The glory. That belongs to the flower.
[25:24] Right. The flower should get the glory. That's where the beauty is. In this case it would be. Treasure. Perhaps gold or coins. That are hidden in there. No one's impressed with. The jar. You throw the jar down.
[25:35] You crack it. So you can get to the gold inside. That's how he speaks of the Christian. And I think again. The minister of God. We need to remember. That we are just a vessel.
[25:46] Used to. Give. To provide. God's glory. His power. His riches. His treasure. And so it's never to be about us.
[26:00] 1 Corinthians 2. 3-5. And I was with you. In weakness. So our passage. Right after what we just read. I was with you in weakness.
[26:12] And in fear. And much trembling. And my speech and my message. Were not implausible words of wisdom. But in demonstration of the spirit. And of power. So that your faith.
[26:22] Might not rest in the wisdom of men. But in the power of God. So. If nothing else. Be encouraged by. Paul's ministry. Paul who we respect. Who we've read. So many bullets of.
[26:34] Who seems like such a great theologian. He says. His ministry in Corinth. Was characterized. By weakness. Fear. Much trembling. And my speech and my message.
[26:45] Were not implausible words of wisdom. But. In all that. God's glory was manifest. It was obvious.
[26:55] Those. Who came. To follow Paul. Weren't really following Paul. But of Christ. Paul wasn't worthy of the glory. But Christ was. One more.
[27:07] Such passage. 2 Corinthians 12. 7-10. Paul speaks here of the thorn in the flesh. A passage probably many of you are familiar with. So to keep me from becoming conceited.
[27:20] Because of the surpassing greatness. Of the revelations. A thorn was given me in the flesh. A messenger of Satan to harass me. To keep me from becoming conceited.
[27:32] Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this. That it should leave me. But he said to me. My grace is sufficient for you. For my power. Power is made perfect. In weakness.
[27:44] Therefore. I will boast. All the more gladly. Of my weaknesses. So the power of Christ. May rest upon me. For the sake of Christ then.
[27:56] I am content with weaknesses. Insults. Hardships. Persecutions. And calamities. For when I am weak. Then I am strong.
[28:08] And so really. Just another expression of the same thing. Paul's given great revelations. He's seen things that other people haven't seen. And it would be easier for him to be puffed up.
[28:18] I think about again. I think it's in numbers. Right? The passage where. And Moses was the most humble man in the face of the earth. And Moses is really God.
[28:29] Now he's not the most humble man in all the face of the earth. Right? You don't need to know that and hear that. Paul would have great reason to be puffed up. To be proud of himself. And whatever this is.
[28:41] God put something in his flesh to limit him. To keep him from being great in every category. To remind him of his weakness. And so that the power of God would be manifested in Paul's weakness.
[28:57] And so. Again. From our passage. Verse 29. So that no human might boast in the presence of God. God chose you Dave.
[29:08] Because you're low and despised. I'm full of compliments today. But there's a reason for that. So that we might not boast. In the presence of God.
[29:20] We have nothing to boast about before God. Whatever glory. We should see come upon Grace Fellowship Church. It will be God's glory. Not the glory of any man. And verse 30 tells us.
[29:32] It's to bring an end to boasting. It's to bring an end to boasting. So when you worry about what others think about you.
[29:44] Ministry's failed. Right? That's what's going to kill ministry. When you begin worrying what other people think about you. Now I want to be careful here. Because I think.
[29:54] We need to carefully heed criticism. We shouldn't just discount everything. And think well they just don't know. They're wrong. We need to hear criticism. And we need to go to God in prayer.
[30:06] But at the same time. There's a point to. Stop thinking about yourself. This ministry is not about you. Don't seek approval in the eyes of men.
[30:20] Don't desire grounds to boast. Verse 31 tells us. Let the one who boasts. Boasts in the Lord. We've already got grounds to boast. It has nothing to do with us. We can boast in the Lord.
[30:33] And the accomplished work of Jesus Christ. So fear of man. Robs God of his glory in ministry. We are more worried about what people think of us.
[30:44] Than we are about what they think of God. And how he would get the glory. I remember. Early.
[30:56] In my ministry. Being trained by another minister. Steve Martin. I don't remember if this was. His words. Or if he was quoting someone else. But. He often told us.
[31:08] He would say. I began. In the ministry. Wanting to be great. To be some great pastor. To maybe.
[31:18] To be well known. But he said. I want to end the ministry. By being faithful. The young man's dream. His goal is.
[31:29] I will be well known. I'll be great. But what we need to see is. That we would finish faithful. Remember that quote. That statistic. I gave you last week. That one in ten men.
[31:41] Who begin. Who finish seminary. And begin in the ministry. Actually finish in the ministry. You hear that statistic. And what you need to be praying is. God help me to remain faithful. To the very end.
[31:58] Ed Welch. In his book. When people are big. And God is small. He says. Regarding other people. Our problem is that. We need them. And he specifies. We need them for ourselves.
[32:09] More than we. Love them. And he specifies. For the glory of God. And so the task. God sets for us. Is to. Need them less.
[32:21] And love them more. So there's. An encouragement. For you in the ministry. Need people less. And love them more. And I think there is.
[32:33] That correlation. And we'll get there. But there's a correlation. Between. How big we view people. And how big we view God. An inverse correlation. So.
[32:44] Seeking to please men. Has no place. In the gospel ministry. So I told you about. My quote over here. Over here. I have another quote. Galatians 1.10. For am I now.
[32:54] Seeking the approval. Of man. Or of God. Or am I trying. To please man. If I were trying. To please man. I would not be. A servant of Christ.
[33:06] There's no room. For trying to please men. When you're a servant. Of Jesus Christ. There's no room. For that in the ministry. He's saying. If that's what I was concerned about. I would have pursued. A different. Occupation.
[33:17] There are plenty of jobs. That you could do. That would put. Lots of praise upon you. Maybe I would have sought. To be a professional athlete. Well. If I could have made it. I think even today.
[33:29] Politicians. Maybe I would have been. An actor. Or celebrity. There's plenty of room. To have. People focus upon you. But he's saying. If the approval of man.
[33:41] Is something I was concerned about. I never would have entered the ministry. That's not where you go. For the approval of man. Or to say it another way again. Seeking that. Will ruin ministry. And so.
[33:52] You need to be encouraged. To work. To please the Lord. I could decide. If this goes to the second point. Or the third point. So. Maybe a transition point here. But work. To please the Lord. Colossians 3.
[34:03] 23 through 24. Whatever you do. Work heartily. For the Lord. And not for men. Knowing that from the Lord. You will receive the inheritance. As your reward. You are serving the Lord.
[34:13] Jesus Christ. And so. That's true for all of us. But especially the gospel minister. Our reward. The Lord. Isn't the praise of men. Does that mean.
[34:26] That we are to slack often. In the work. He says. No. Work heartily. Because you are working for the Lord. That's where your inheritance comes from. That's where praise. Is to come from. And so.
[34:37] I said. Our third point. The message is. What will empower ministry. And I would just briefly sum it up. As delighting in God. Seeking.
[34:49] God. In his glory. And so. We see that in our passage. Verse 31. Let the one who boasts. Boasts in the Lord. So boasting. Isn't excluded.
[35:00] It's just never about me. We have grounds to boast. We boast. In the cross. Of Jesus Christ. We boast in salvation. Through the finished work. Of our Savior.
[35:11] Not in how great I am. How smart I was. To figure it all out. Boy. I must be really wise. To be a Christian. Knowing God. In his mercy. He chose me. A jar of clay.
[35:24] Something despised. And weak. And foolish. By the world's standards. To be a part of his kingdom. That his glory. Might be manifested. And so.
[35:35] Our boasts is the Lord. Because. The source of salvation. Of conversion. Is the power of God. Through the cross. Through Christ crucified. Through the gospel.
[35:46] And not through. The words of wisdom. Of the minister. I think even of you. When you go share the gospel. With your co-workers. I think sometimes. What holds us back.
[35:57] From evangelizing people. Is we're afraid. We won't get it all right. When we think that. What are we depending upon? If I say the right words. In the right order. The right way.
[36:07] If I know the right answers. Then they'll believe in Jesus Christ. Is that not. My wisdom. The eloquence of my words. My rhetoric.
[36:17] The structure of my grammar. Is that what's going to save people? No. It's the foolishness of the gospel. That saves them. And everyone in this room. Knows that gospel. Maybe another way of saying this.
[36:32] I said boasting the Lord. Really is our first point. Under the lying God. Take for example. The ministry of John the Baptist. I always love John. Saying John 3.30. John the Baptist says. He must increase.
[36:44] But I must decrease. There's a goal to achieve. For your ministry. Think of where you are now. And try to make it less. Completely contrary.
[36:54] To the thinking of the world. Foolishness to the world around us. That's all about self-promotion. The best thing. The Christian can do.
[37:04] And the gospel minister can do. Is forget about ourselves. Decrease our own glory. That the glory of God might be. Increased. More manifest. That Christ may increase.
[37:16] Or to say it another way. Get out of the way. And let the gospel work. Is our faith in God. In his word. In the cross. And in the working of the Holy Spirit. To change hearts.
[37:28] Or is it in. Me. In many ways. That's an encouragement for me as well. Because I think. We see in God's word.
[37:39] God moves his soldiers around. It's not about. Pastor Chad. Neither. Will it. Or should it ever be about. Pastor Dave. It's God's.
[37:52] Gospel. That is the message. message. And so the man can change. The message. And the power. And the wisdom. Never do. Because they're in Christ. So.
[38:05] First. Boasting the Lord. Second. Find joy. Foremost in God. And not in people. I had to work in. My favorite verse again. Into this sermon. So. Psalm 1611.
[38:16] You make known to me. The path of life. In your presence. Is fullness of joy. And at your right hand. Are pleasures forevermore. So. If we were to turn that around.
[38:27] And say. In the presence of people. And their approval. Is joy. What happens? Well one. We don't find joy. Right. Because it's only in the presence of God.
[38:38] That we have. Full and lasting joy. And then we rob. The gospel. Of its power. Because we make it about us. Instead of making it about Christ.
[38:50] So. Foremost. Find your joy in God. And I think in many ways. The rest will. Will fall into line. If that's my delight. I mean. This is true in all of our life.
[39:01] We love to talk about. That which we delight in. It's natural for us. Delight in the Lord. And third.
[39:11] And finally. Pray for the people. Placed under your charge. One. I think this is glorifying to God. Because. What prayer does. Is say. God.
[39:22] I'm incapable. I need you to work in this situation. We can even evaluate our own lives. When do we pray. And ask God for help. I will confess.
[39:33] It's usually after I've given my best try. And realize I can't do it myself. That's not how God taught us. Or Jesus taught us to pray. We approach everything in weakness.
[39:45] It's only by God's power we accomplish anything. But sometimes I think. I got this. And I'll pray to God about the more important things. But prayer is an acknowledgement that.
[39:55] I don't have it. That I never did. That all my work is dependent upon the Lord. And therefore God I need your help. And so when you pray for the ministry.
[40:07] When you pray for the preaching. When you pray for God's people. It's a way of producing humility in your heart Dave. It says. It's God who accomplishes this work. It's a way of acknowledging that it's only through God.
[40:21] That you'll ever be able to shepherd them. And so. Preach the word. Preach the gospel. Don't look for. Joy or approval in man.
[40:33] Delight yourself in God. Shepherd him in his strength. Let's pray together. Dear Heavenly Father. We thank you that you.
[40:44] Are God of power. That. Your power and wisdom is made manifest in Christ. And the. The cross and the gospel message. That though the world may count it as foolishness.
[40:57] Lord we pray that we would see it as powerful. And Lord that we would not be ashamed of the gospel. But know it to be the power. Your power. And to salvation for all who believe. Lord we pray for.
[41:12] The ministry of Pastor Thompson to come. The ongoing kingdom work. Of Grace Fellowship Church. That it would be characterized by faithfulness to the gospel. Characterized by.
[41:25] Preaching Christ. And him crucified. Characterized by seeking your glory. And not the glory or approval of any man. We ask this all in the name of our great savior.
[41:36] Jesus Christ. Amen. Amen. This time I want to invite our elders forward. If you'll come on up. We're in a little bit of a unique situation.
[41:52] And I would say a good. Situation. Dave Thompson has gone through an ordination council before. He has been ordained in the ministry many many years ago. We have already ordained him as an elder.
[42:05] Which is the same office as pastor in this church. So in some ways we're not really. Ordaining him to something that isn't already his. Yes. But we are setting him aside. Praying the business will sell.
[42:16] Setting him aside. That he can focus full time upon the ministry work here. And so we're going to lay hands on him as elders. And I'm going to lead us in prayer. For Pastor Dave. Dear Heavenly Father.
[42:36] We thank you for. Our brother Dave Thompson. For what you've done in his life. How you raised him up. Lord even the theological transformation you brought him through. Lord he's served in your ministry before.
[42:50] He's known the hardships. Lord we pray that. In this work. In this ministry. He would know joy. Not again in the approval of man.
[43:00] But joy. In you Lord. To know that he is a man who's serving you faithfully. That he's preaching your word. He's giving the gospel. That God would be glorified.
[43:11] Through his work and ministry. Lord we pray for the elders. That they would support him in this. Help him in the work. Join him in prayer. Accompany him in the preaching.
[43:23] We pray also for. Us as a church. That. We would pray for our pastor. That we would be. Diligent to listen to the foolishness of the gospel.
[43:34] Knowing that there's true power and wisdom in it. Lord that you would keep us from. The false teachings. All around us in the world. The temptation to go after that.
[43:44] Which is. Of. Unique interest to us. But Lord help us to desire. To hear Christ. Preached. Lord we pray that you would attend.
[43:56] This ministry of power. In that way. Lord that you would keep Dave. Faithful to the end. That you would guard him from temptation. That you would bless his marriage.
[44:08] That he would model for the church. Though. Imperfectly as a fallen man. But that he would model Christ to your people. Not that much would be made of him. But that you would be glorified.
[44:20] In this jar of clay. We pray this in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Amen. Thank you Dave. I'll get the last song.
[44:33] I'll get you. If you'll please stand and join me for our last song. I'll get you.
[44:45] Thank you. If you'll please stand and join me for our last song. Thank you. Thank you. Bye. Thank you. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye.
[44:56] Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye.
[45:06] Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye.