I've had a few requests to post this sermon on the blog and send it out to all of you, so you get two from me this week. Blessings as you expect great things from God and his grace!
In Him,
Pastor Guenther
Expect Great Things!
A sermon based on 1 Corinthians 2:1-5
Sunday, July26, 2009 - Installation of Rev. Mark Schroeder
Well, today is a big day for everyone, isn't it? Mark and Alissa, you're just starting to get settled at home, but now it's time to get to work. Members of Tree of Life, you've got the house ready, you got the Schroeders moved in and their pantry filled, and now it's time to see him in action. And so, as Tree of Life begins a new chapter in its history with it's second resident pastor, I'm sure that for both members and new pastor alike, there are some big questions. "What can we expect?"
Mark, you may be wondering, "What can I expect from this congregation? Will they be supportive of my ministry? Will they back my ideas and follow my lead? Or will their be resistance? Will they support the work that we do? Or will I be doing most of it myself?"
Members may be asking, "What can we expect from our new pastor? Will he be friendly and outgoing? Or shy and reserved? Will he be smart and well read? Or will he have some learning to do? Does he have a sense of humor? Or is he pretty dry? Will he be a fan of the Tar Heels? Or the Wolfpack?" All important questions.
When the apostle Paul went to the city of Corinth, there were similar questions, "What can we expect? Is he as good a preacher as Apollos was? Does he have the same authority as Peter? Does he have the charisma to help our church grow quickly?" And in response, Paul wrote the Corinthians to tell them what they should (and should not) expect. He wrote to remind them of what was the most important quality to look for in a pastor. He told the Corinthians that they could expect great things!
And members of Tree of Life, brother Mark, guest and friends, so can you! Listen now to Paul's description of every faithful pastor, as it is recorded for us in 1 Corinthians 2:1-5…
When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. 2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. 4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, 5 so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.
I. Not From Your Pastor
While Paul made it clear that the Corinthians could expect great things, he also made it very evident that they shouldn't expect those great things to come from their pastor. He first pointed out what they should not expect in a Pastor. Paul told them, "I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom… My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words…"
On my drive to Tree of Life this afternoon I'm sure I passed dozens of churches. And I'm sure that if you tried, without too much difficulty, you could find a pastor with more eloquence and charisma than Pastor Schroeder. While he may find a good illustration to bring out the point of the text one Sunday, he may lose you completely on the next. Some Sundays he may keep you poised on the edge of your seats just waiting to hear what he says next, on others he may bore you to sleep.
But either way, Mark, you would be a complete failure if you thought it was your job to entertain, and impress, and grow your church with great rhetoric, eloquence, or wise and persuasive words rather than a faithful message. And while it doesn't give you the excuse to be lazy and sloppy in your speech, that's not your primary concern. Members, don't demand or expect it. Because it's not the most important thing.
While Pastor Schroeder does have his Masters of Theology, many others have their doctorate. And they certainly have a few more years of experience than he. Mark, while that's no excuse for you to stop studying and learning (ever!), gaining greater learning isn't your primary concern. Members, don't expect superior wisdom. Because it's not the most important thing.
Mark, don't rely on your wisdom or eloquence to help you carry out your task. Members, don't expect him to. That's a sure recipe for failure. But while Paul points out things you shouldn't expect of your pastor and of your calling, he also points out that there are some things you can and should expect from him always. Paul writes, "I proclaimed to you the testimony about God… I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified."
While you can't expect your pastor to solve every problem you'd like fixed (in your church or in your life), you can and should expect him to point you toward the one who has already solved your greatest problem of sin and hell. Mark, you are not called to be like a weather vane, being moved by every passing breeze of popular opinion or the latest fad you read from a best-seller. Instead you are called to be like a compass, pointing people to Christ no matter what the situation.
Members, expect great things from your new pastor! You can and should expect your pastor to use the law to point out how hopelessly lost you are on your own, doomed to spend an eternity in hell. You can and should expect your pastor to comfort you with the gospel promise that Christ took the punishment of that hell for you on the cross, that he removed your every sin - even those false hopes and false expectations and demands you place on your parishioners and on your pastor. He - that is, Jesus, not Pastor Schroeder - rescued you from the hell you deserved. And you can and should expect your pastor to proclaim that message of Christ Crucified boldly and to encourage you to live every day of your life in thanksgiving to your Savior who rescued you from the depths of hell.
But since he's still a sinful human just like you, you can also expect your pastor to come at times, as Paul did, "in weakness and fear and with much trembling." You can expect that on occasion you will upset one another. You can expect that from time to time your pastor, your members will fail you and let you down. You can expect that you will both need forgiveness from each other. But never, never expect God to let you down! While you can't always expect great things from your members, or from your pastor, you can always expect great things from God and from his power!
II. But From God's Power
How do you know you can expect great things? Because God promises you can! Paul writes in verse 4, "My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power." The word translated here as "demonstration" is a Greek word they used in court. It means "proof." Paul could point the Corinthians to the proof; to the results the gospel had already had in their lives.
Paul showed them the evidence of the Spirit's power in the gospel. The church was not built by Paul persuading the people into joining, or by guilting them in by the law. No! Instead, the Holy Spirit softened people's stony hearts with the message of Christ and him crucified. Paul pointed to the love of God for the lost sinner that changes people's hearts. This is a power that makes spiritually dead people alive in Christ. This is the power of which Paul wrote to the Romans, "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes." (Romans 1:16) This is the power of God that works in the infant, in the mentally handicapped, in the ungodly, and in everyone sitting here tonight. This brings a person to faith and keeps him in the faith—not a faith which rests on something as wavering as human wisdom or your IQ or ability to persuade others, but a faith firmly planted on the rock of God's almighty power.
And you can all continue to expect great things from God. For what he has accomplished in you, he will bring to completion when he takes you to be with him forever in eternity. God's promised it. So you can expect it with certainty. And what he has accomplished in you, he can and will certainly accomplish in others, through weak, fearful, and trembling sinners like you and you.
III. Through You
Do you sometimes think to yourself, "I can't share the gospel with my co-worker. I wouldn't know what to say." Do you think, "I can't lead this group of God's people. I'm too young. Too inexperienced." Do you ever think to yourself, "I'm not fit to carry out the ministry of the gospel - sinner that I am."? When we do, we can find a little comfort in knowing that so did the Apostle Paul. But we can find even greater comfort in knowing that God doesn't call the equipped, but instead he equips the called.
It is by the same powerful Word of God that turned Saul, enemy of the church, into one of the church's greatest missionaries, that Paul's ministry was a success. It is by the same powerful Word of God that brought dead sinners like you and me to life, that will bring success to your ministry together here at Tree of Life. And it is this powerful Word of God that, when we share it with one another and those who don't yet know it, will accomplish great things.
A little over a century ago a man by the name of Robert Morrison set sail for China. He wanted to be a missionary and share the gospel with the Chinese. It seemed a very foolish idea to the captain of the ship who asked him, "Do you really think that you are going to convert China?!" "No," Morrison replied, "…but I believe that God will." Morrison understood that great things were about to happen. Not because he had any self-reliance, but because he trusted in the power of the Spirit working through the gospel—the same power that had created faith in his heart.
You can look forward to some exciting things that are bound to happen here at Tree of Life. Not because of you or your efforts. Not because of your new pastor or his efforts. But because of God and his mercy. Because of the Spirit and the same power he has shown in you. Expect great things to come! Amen.
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