PCRT 4

Ligon Duncan: “The Gospel Preaching of the Cross”

Ligon Duncan is one of my favorite preachers and it is not just because of his amazing voice. Dr. Duncan has a peculiar gift of combining exegetical precision, doctrinal depth, and pastoral warmth in all his preaching. His message at Together For The Gospel this year is a wonderful example of this.

1 Corinthians 1:17-31:

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. 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,

            “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? 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, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

            For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world 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, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

Paul explains here how, why, and to what end he does ministry. This is why Paul endured countless discouragements in his life. Paul is aware that what he is giving himself to looks foolish and weak to so many. So Paul explaining why, considering the reaction, he continues to do what he does.

1. The activity of preaching (the how of Paul’s ministry)

The Lord sent Paul to preach, not baptize (V. 17). Paul wants the Corinthians to understand how God uses the preaching of the cross in the lives of his people.

“Preaching entails a word-mediated encounter with the living God."

Paul contrasts preaching with:

a) Baptism

Paul is not denigrating baptism. However, this is a death blow to all sacerdotalism (a priestly theology of baptism).

Sacraments are always confirmatory of the Word, not primary over it. Apart from the preaching of the Word, sacraments are empty. The Word is always primary.

b) Eloquent rhetoric

It is clear that some among the Corinthian believers wanted a sort of “sacred rhetoric” from Paul. There were those who had a very low opinion of Paul’s skills as a preacher. So he is letting them know that his task is not to achieve recognition for eloquence.

The method and means of preaching was chosen by God to highlight His own power. Preaching is proclaiming what God has done in Christ Jesus. Preaching points to God’s activity. It magnifies His power and glory.

To the mind boggling challenge of billions of lost men and women in the world, the risen Jesus says, “Preach the cross and I will build my church.” The method seems so silly and weak. There is no boasting in this method. Only God can use such a weak means to accomplish such a grand goal.

Preaching is explaining an event that has claims upon every soul.

“A sermon is an applicatory declaration spoken in God’s name and for his praise in which some part of the written Word of God delivers through the preacher some part of its message about God and godliness in relation to those whom the preacher addresses.”

- J.I. Packer

Ezekiel 37 – The vision of the valley of dry bones which is a picture of Israel having no hope because of their sin. God asks the prophet, “Can these dry bones live?” Ezekiel replies, “You know Lord.” Indeed He does. So God calls the prophet to preach to the bones. In response the Spirit of God so moved that the dry bones were brought to life and built into a mighty army. It is through the preached Word of God that the Spirit of God brings His people into an encounter with the living God.

How can we know God? The answer is, however God determines that we will know him. God makes himself known through the preaching of his Word (Romans 10).

Pray for your preachers not to lose confidence in preaching.

2. The message that Paul is called to preach

The Word of the cross is the power of God (v. 18).

Doctrine is more important in Christianity than in any other religion because all religions save Christianity are interested primarily in offering good advice for self-improvement. But Christianity is about the truth of who God is, who we are, and what God has done to save us. Therefore we need doctrine to understand what we must know. We must look outside ourselves for the answers we need.

Romans 8:32

He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

a) The Father’s love

b) The cost which the Father has born for our salvation

c) The preciousness of the Son

d) The Father has offered His precious Son for us

Romans 5:6, 8, 10:

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly…but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us…For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.

3. The effect of the preaching of the cross in the lives of those who are saved

Vv. 26-31:

For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world 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, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

Through the cross God deals with the penalty of sin, the power of sin, and the presence of sin.