Him Crucified (1 Corinthians 2:1-5)

Tweets from the seat: I'm taking a different approach to this week's sermon wrap up. There were so many quotes in this message that were worthy of tweets that I thought it would be fun to format with them. (What are tweets and twitter? Click here:http://twitter.com/)

Click here to read the sermon's key passage: 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 Listen to the sermon by clicking here: Him Crucified

Message and methodology can't be separated. "And when I came" methods match the message. simply the cross of Christ. 1 Cor 2:1

Every true conviction is fleshed out in your methods. How you are going about in ministry reveals your convictions

What are the primary aims of ministry? The gospel is driving it. The pressure for pragmatism is intense. 1 Cor. 2:1-5

Ministry aim 1: I hope to be an embarrassment to you, a fool for Christ. That my devotion to Christ would make you uncomfortable. 1 Cor. 2:1

Ministry should be raw, direct and the same like a guy mowing his grass in black socks and a wife beater t-shirt. No frills

Ministry aim 2: I want to be redundant. 1 Cor. 2:2 nothing but Christ. Paul was not the poster child of the church growth gurus.

Preaching is ignoring criticism especially when its, "your message was irrelevant to me!" Christ is the power not my program.

"May every sermon I preach sound like spikes being driven into human flesh"

Ministry aim 3: I want to be forgettable. 1 Cor 2:3 You wouldn't  follow Paul on a podcast. Same simple message over and over.

Paul's messages were like simple flannel graph kids Sunday school lessons. Basics on Christ and the cross. 2 Cor. 10:10

Paul's fear was not his audience but his message. He didn't want anyone to be impressed by him and thus minimize the cross.

Not what a great sermon but what a great savior

Your faith should not rest on the method or the messenger but the message of Christ and the cross. 1 Cor. 2:1-5

Follow Byron Yawn on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Byronyawn

What God Does (1 Cor. 1:26-31)

Who do you think Jesus went to first and who do you think responded to His message with the most gusto: the wise, the strong and of high station with the perfect pedigree, or the weak, foolish, good for nothing gutter rats? You guessed it, those very people here in Nashville that we are the most afraid of, those that live on that street, those whose lifestyle of abuse, drugs, crime and ignorance have dropped them on the stoop of the red light district. 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 addressed this in wonderful terms and Byron nailed it with a royal illustration and three points about God in his sermon.

The message of Christ and the cross is all about God, His sovereign grace and His glory. Our response is to totally boast but not in our 'great, smart decision' but in God's gracious motivation, aim and ability.  When Christ came to the earth to seek and save the lost He started at the back of the line where the religious culture dares not tread. Sovereign grace is the great equalizer of the salvation playing field where wisdom, strength and high social position are boastable hindrances to God's glory. From this passage you see that God does it so that He alone gets all the glory. God's motivation for saving was from within Himself and not from what He saw or even hoped for in man. God's aim in salvation was for Himself, so that boasting would be reserved for Him with none going to man. God's ability to save is expressed by the "so short and undeniable" phrase, "by Him," in verse 30. How does God save? By Christ alone, which is the whole, simple point of the Gospel. So by verse 31 the boasting in the Lord alone becomes very obvious.

I believe the point that struck me the most in this particular message was the most remarkable contrast between what man loves and looks for: wisdom, strength and noble birth verses where Christ came and dwelt, with the fools, the weak and the social mutants. Byron said that God's sovereign grace is the great leveler of the playing field and that we must see everyone as an equal target for the Gospel. I think maybe I've been aiming at the clean cut wise and stepping over the dirty sinners. Christ Himself said it best: only the sick need a doctor and with that only the lost need a savior.

The View from the Tomb (Luke 24:36-53)

When the angel rolled the stone away it wasn't to let Jesus out but to let us in. The view from the empty tomb would change the world forever. Resurrection Sunday always brings out the "once a year Christians" who take a quick glance toward the tomb in a dared sort of way. This yearly ritual reminds me of  Clark Griswold gathering the family around the precipice of the Grand Canyon only to give a quick nod and then herd the family back in to the car to get on with real life. Surely the consideration of the empty tomb is supposed to be an everyday experience that changes us and motivates us, not a holiday called Easter. After the Resurrection the church exploded onto the scene as shown in the book of Acts. I thought Byron made a crucial statement:
"The resurrection created the church not the other way around."
Luke 24:36-53 was the key text for this sermon (CBC Sermons). Remember the six practical provisions the resurrection provides for us.

1. Victory in life, in witness and over sin. (Rom. 6:1-6) 
2. Hope for the future especially after we die. (Acts 17:30-32)
3. Freedom from materialism. (2 Cor. 5:15)
4. Joy in obedience (Phil. 3:10-14)
5. Confidence in the Gospel. The empty tomb proves that its true. (2 Cor. 5:14-17)
6. Forgiveness of all our failures and embarrassments. Always an encouragement and helping hand back into the battle and ministry.  (Matt. 28:10)

Well, here we are, Easter is over now what? Its the same as on the very first resurrection morning. Quickly now go tell his disciples that Jesus Christ is no longer dead. Who will you tell today?