How do you preach so that people don't love the preacher?

How do you witness so that people don't depend on you?

How do you lead a Bible study so that you don't become the foundation of it,

but the Bible and God become the foundation of it?

Are we pointing others to Christ or to ourselves?

In this episode of Light and Truth, John Piper turns to 1 Corinthians 2 verses 1 to 5

to highlight Paul's resolve to preach Christ crucified in how the gospel's power shines when

human pride steps aside. This sermon was originally delivered at Bethlehem Baptist Church

on February 7, 1988. In verses 1 to 5 of chapter 2, what Paul wants to do, I think, is illustrate from his own experience the present power of the cross and what effect it should have upon a believer.

And I'd like to try to lay out the building blocks of this text for you to see one at a time

and then look at a few of them together. What I see in this text are, first of all, two negative

statements about how Paul did not come to Corinth. Secondly, I see two positive statements about how he did come to Corinth.

Thirdly, I see him state the ground or the reason for why he came the way he did in verse 2, namely the cross.

And I see in verse 5 the goal for why he came the way he came, namely so that faith wouldn't rest in him, but in God's power.

Let's take those one at a time.

First of all, the two negative statements of how he did not come to Carth.

The first one is in verse 1.

When I came to you, brethren, i did not come proclaiming to you the

testimony of god in lofty words of wisdom so he says how he did not come not proclaiming the

testimony of god in lofty words or wisdom second negative statement of how he did not come.

Verse four, my speech and my message were not in plausible or persuasive words of wisdom.

And all of that is an echo of what we've seen already, isn't it?

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