Sermon Tone Analysis

*Fear and Trembling that leads to Joy and Rejoicing*

*1 Corinthians 2:1-5** (NIV) \\ */When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony [mystery]  of~/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*.

/

*Philippians 2:12-18** (NIV) \\ */12 //Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always *obeyed*—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—*continue* to work out your salvation with *fear and trembling*, 13 for it is *God* who *works in you* to *will and to act according to his good purpose*.

/

/14 //Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you *shine like stars* in the universe 16 as you hold out~/on to the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labour for nothing.

17 But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you.

18 So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.

/

Brothers and sisters, dear friends, this morning we have read two these two passages from Paul’s letters with a very specific purpose.

Both consist of an explanation and an appeal; both make a reference to fear and trembling; both address something that man does and something that God does; both emphasise the primary position of Christ in our faith-walk.

Now, having said this, I want you to understand that all of Scripture, every ounce of our faith, all our convictions and actions as believers would be completely and utterly useless were it not for the foundational, pivotal, and historical truth of God’s intervention in our history in Jesus Christ.

Paul reminds the Christians in Corinth and Philippi and with them us as well, that for this very reason he trembled with fear.

Since his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus he became convinced that he must proclaim Jesus Christ crucified and resurrected.

And this very message calls to mind two very distinct sensations: On the one hand fear and trembling and on the other indescribable joy!

Friends, in our minds these two sensations are mutually exclusive.

I am suggesting to you that this is not true.

In the case of the Christian faith they are mutually inclusive.

I would like us to consider this carefully.

Allow me to say something about *fear and trembling* first: We find 18 references in Scripture to this word group: 12 in the Old Testament and 6 in the New Testament.

I would like to highlight a few of them for you:

In *Exodus 20:18* we are told that when Moses went up the mountain to meet with God and the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they *trembled with fear*.

They stayed at a distance and didn’t go closer.

The Psalmist was instructed to pen these words in *Psalm 2:11* /“Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling.”/

In *Psalm 119:120* the Psalmist confesses: /“My flesh trembles in fear of you; I stand in awe of your laws.”/

According to *Jeremiah 5:22* the Lord God declared: “/Should you not fear me?

Should you not tremble in my presence?

I made the sand a boundary for the sea, an everlasting barrier it cannot cross.

The waves may roll, but they cannot prevail; they may roar, but they cannot cross it.”/

*Acts 7:32* retells the story of God’s self-revelation to Moses and Moses’ response to this revelation: /“‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.’

Moses trembled with fear and did not dare to look.”/

*Hebrews 12:21* reminds us that the sight was so terrifying that Moses said, “/I am trembling with fear.”/

In *1 Corinthians 2:3* Paul reminded the Corinthians of his attitude when he started his ministry among them: /“I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling.”/

In the *2nd Corinthian* letter, chapter *7:15* Paul once again appeal to the Corinthians to keep in that: /“[God’s] affection for you is all the greater when he remembers that you were all obedient, receiving him with fear and trembling.”/

In our second Scripture reading *Philippians 2:12* Paul mentioned this attitude again: /“Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.”/

There are nine more references that I’m not going to mention today.

These will suffice.

Friends, I have a major concern lie within my heart.

When I observe Christianity around me it seems to me that we lack this reverence and awe for God and that deeply concerns me.

There is no doubt about it in my mind – God expects from us to revere Him.

There is no doubt in my mind – those who have had a real encounter with God tremble in His presence.

Friends, I don’t see that in Christianity anymore.

And the nagging question haunting me day and night about this matter is: /“Why?

Why are we not filled with reverence and awe?”/ Could it be, dearly beloved in Christ that we have become so used to the Christian message that we have become calloused - that we hear without listening?

Could it be that our focus in life is so far removed from God and all that He does that His testimony makes no impact on us anymore?

Could it be that the message being proclaimed to us is so watered down that we don’t recognise the awesome, all-powerful presence of God at work in our lives anymore?

Could it be that our perception of salvation and eternity is so warped that God’s appeals to live close to Him have no impact on us anymore?

Could it be that we have such a distorted view of God’s amazing grace in Christ that we don’t see the need revere God?

If I read Scripture the right way Paul was greatly concerned about this as well.

That is why he when he arrived at Corinth he made a conscious decision.

He says to the Corinthians, /“I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.”/

Paul is not saying that he only had one sermon.

He is not admitting that he was a lazy preacher who never spent time in diligent study.

Rather, He is saying that all of his sermons were Christ and cross-centred.

He preached about /“Jesus Christ”/ – who He is.

And he preached about /“him crucified”/ – what He did.

/“Jesus Christ and him crucified”/ is the substance of the gospel.

And every doctrine of Christianity goes back to /“Jesus Christ and him crucified.”/

Paul said: /“All I want to know around you is Jesus.”//

/So we can say:

v  The Driving force of Paul’s preaching was the death and resurrection of Christ

v  The Subject matter of Paul’s preaching was the death and resurrection of Christ

v  The Message of Paul’s preaching was the death and resurrection of Christ

v  The basic code of Paul’s preaching was the death and resurrection of Christ

v  The Heart of Paul’s preaching was the death and resurrection of Christ

Why is this kind of preaching important?

Friends, it is important because it places the emphasis at the right place.

It is important because it evokes in us a holy reverence and awe for God.

Only when we are filled with reverence and awe do we understand that

      By the death and resurrection of Christ we are cleansed and freed from sin

      By the death and resurrection of Christ we are made acceptable to God

      By the death and resurrection of Christ we are justified

      By the death and resurrection of Christ we are eternally redeemed

      By the death and resurrection of Christ we are delivered from death

      By the death of Christ we are delivered from condemnation

      By the death and resurrection of Christ we are delivered from the condemnation of the Law

      By the death and resurrection of Christ we are delivered from the judgment and wrath to come

      By the death and resurrection of Christ we are delivered from the present evil world

      By the death and resurrection of Christ all men are drawn to God

      By the death and resurrection of Christ we have access to the presence of God

      By the death and resurrection of Christ we know the power of God

Friends, because of these truths Paul were not concerned with entertaining his listeners.

Paul states, /“When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom.”/

Paul writes in his second letter to the Corinthians that some of his critics said, /“His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing”/ (*2 Corinthians 10:10*).

I don’t believe that Paul was a bad communicator, but he didn’t attempt to impress people with his style of speaking.

Paul says in *Galatians 1:10*, /“Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God?

Or am I trying to please men?

If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.”/

Paul preached the Word of God with authority.

Paul writes to the Corinthians, /“I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.”/

To /“proclaim”/ the Word of God is to /“declare it with authority.”/

Notice that Paul was not preaching his testimony about God; he was preaching God’s testimony about God.

His message came from God, not himself.

Paul’s counsel to the young pastor Timothy was to always preach the Word even if some people don’t want to hear it.

/“In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage – with great patience and careful instruction.

For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine.

Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.

They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths”/ (*2 Timothy 4:1-4*).

Friends, this is not a 21st century phenomenon.

Right from the beginning of Christianity this was the case.

If I would ask you: /“Who was the greatest preacher of all times,”/ what would your answer be?