What A Good Sermon Looks Like!

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 1 Corinthians 2 And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human 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 with great fear and 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 human wisdom, but on God’s power.
This is one of my favorite passages from the apostle Paul.  It is a good one to memorize.  In it we see Paul's humility and dependence on Christ for all he does.  Paul doesn't claim to be an eloquent speaker or masterful presenter, but he simply preaches Jesus Christ and him crucified.  A lot of times we try to get too cute in our preaching with the perfect joke or analogy, but it is the gospel preached in the power of the Holy Spirit that brings people to Christ.  
The message of Jesus and him crucified is not often a popular message.  People would rather hear a "feel-good" sermon which says if you follow God and Christ your life will be successful in all ways.  There is only one problem with that message, it is not the message Jesus preached.  Of course, Jesus preached abundant life, but it came through the cross.  Jesus teaches us to lay down our lives to find it, and to die to ourselves to truly live.  
And this is where the Holy Spirit comes in.  As we surrender our lives we are available so the Holy Spirit can work through us.  We like to say we need to "get out of the way".  To "let go and let God."  And specifically as Paul preaches he is totally reliant on the power of the Holy Spirit to bring His message. He knows it is not how great of a speaker he is, but his total dependence on God's power.  Most importantly one is trusting in God but not a charismatic personality.  We can see how that has been a problem in the church.  
When you feel weak this week it is a good time to go to God and allow your weakness to show God's strength.  In this way you will point to Christ and His strength! 

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