Wenn eine Predigt einschlägt...

The Bering Crater in Arizona is probably the most impressive meteorite crater in the world. It has a diameter of one point two kilometers and a depth of one hundred eighty meters. Even though it is not necessarily the largest impact crater in the world, it looks particularly stunning. This is especially true because it has been so well preserved due to the desert climate.

As a thirteen-year-old teenager, I stood in front of this crater. I was on a father-son vacation with my father. He took me to Arizona, and I still remember very clearly how impressed I was as a young teenager standing in front of this crater. That gives you a rough idea of how powerful this meteorite impact must have been.

I also remember that there was a research station there. Scientists, probably from all over the world, were stationed there to conduct research around the crater and derive various insights into the impact.

I would like to talk to you today about a sermon that had a huge impact. And I would like to go to the crater with you. We are not just looking at what this sermon did, but at what prerequisites have to be in place for God's Word to really have an impact. What makes a sermon that has an impact?

You know, there is a difference between a real sermon and an impactful sermon. I have heard many real sermons, and they were good. I mean, better a real sermon than a fake sermon, right? Well, they were good. The text was explained. All the principles that you learn in Bible school in the field of homiletics were applied. And you sit there after the service and say: Yes, that was good, that was good. And then you leave.

But I have also heard impactful sermons, even from this pulpit. And when a sermon has an impact, then you know the difference. Then you know exactly that the Holy Spirit has really impacted my life today. He has convicted me of sin. Or he has spoken so much comfort into my situation. And you sit there after the service and are really overwhelmed in a positive sense by the Word of God.

There is a difference between real sermons and impactful sermons. My sermon this morning is called: When a Sermon Impacts.

The Bible text comes from First Corinthians, Chapter Two. I will continue my series through First Corinthians, and we will first read the first five verses in one go. Then we will do what we usually do: go through the Bible text verse by verse.

 1. Korinther 2,1-5. Paul writes the following to the Christians in Corinth:

“Now when I came to you, brothers, I did not come with the gift of speech or wisdom to proclaim to you the mystery of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. And I came to you in weakness, fear, and much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”

Paul is speaking here in retrospect about his preaching in Corinth, and in verse 4 he says that this preaching had a complete impact. Verse 4: My preaching was not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power.

The impact was great, but it did not leave a crater. Rather, it produced spiritual life. The church in Corinth was born.

The question is: Why does he mention Paul looking back at his first sermon that he preached in Corinth? We need to know that, in the course of the first letter to the Corinthians, we have now reached the point where Paul is still addressing the major problem of the church, and that is division. That is the obvious problem.

But we have noted that the division is based on something else: a certain behavior. Spiritual leaders are hyped up in Corinth, and this creates camps. We will see that again in a moment in the sketch on the wall. This behavior, however, is in turn due to a certain attitude, an attitude of the heart, which leads to this behavior in the first place. And here we see that the real problem is that the Corinthians place a great deal of value on worldly wisdom, on rhetoric, on self-promotion, on the art of speaking, on self-realization. The things that are important to the world are important to them.

And Paul tackles this problem at its root, taking the time to expose this wrong way of thinking in Corinth. He does this by giving three counterarguments.

Counterargument number one was my penultimate sermon: the cross does not meet the criteria of this world.

Argument number two was my last sermon: God’s election program does not meet the criteria of this world.

And today comes counterargument number three: Paul’s sermon did not meet the criteria of this world. And yet, or rather precisely because of that, this sermon was such a big hit, because it did not meet the criteria of this world.

And today we want to look at the elements of a big-hit sermon.

But I can imagine you sitting here and saying, André, I’m not a preacher. Then there’s not much for me today, is there?

But stay tuned for two reasons.

First, I believe that even if you are not a preacher here in the pulpit, you share God’s Word in many different ministries and areas of life. If you are involved in youth ministry in our church, you share God’s Word with children on Friday evenings. If you are involved in pastoral care, have a baptismal partnership, or are simply involved in mentoring, you share God’s Word and speak God’s Word into the life of another person. If you are a small group leader, you have this function. If you are a mother or father, you should speak God’s Word into the lives of your children. If you are a husband, you should speak God’s Word into the life of your wife.

And that is when we realize: Okay, we all are, or most of us are, in some way, in the broader sense of the word, proclaimers of God’s Word.

Aber selbst dann, wenn keines der eben genannten Dienste oder keine der genannten Lebenssituationen auf dich zutrifft, gelten die Grundsätze, die ich heute anhand des Textes erklären möchte, zumindest teilweise auch für ganz andere Arten von Dienst. Und es gibt einen zweiten Grund, warum es so wichtig ist, dass du diese Predigt trotzdem sehr aufmerksam verfolgst: weil es so wichtig ist, dass du Predigten beurteilen kannst.

Warum? Es gibt viele Predigten, viele Prediger und viele gute Inhalte auf YouTube. Und dafür sind wir dankbar. Wir nutzen diese Plattform auch als Gemeinde. Aber dort wird auch viel Unsinn verbreitet. Vielleicht bist du neu im Glauben und noch nicht in der Lage, beides voneinander zu unterscheiden. Dann kann die heutige Predigt für dich hilfreich sein. Du solltest auf diese Dinge achten, wenn du dir einen Lieblingsprediger aussuchst. Ja, das sind wichtige Kriterien. Aber auch einfach für dich als Gemeinde ist das wichtig.

Uns als Pastoren ist es wichtig, dass ihr hier sitzt und geschult werdet und bestimmte Erwartungen an die Predigt und an einen Prediger habt. Denn was ist, wenn wir uns als acht Pastoren zusammensetzen und plötzlich in die völlig falsche Richtung gehen? Dann ist es wichtig, dass die Gemeinde aufsteht und sagt: Moment mal, hier stimmt etwas nicht.

Und ich möchte diese Predigt heute dazu nutzen, euch die Kriterien zu geben, nach denen ihr jede Predigt beurteilen solltet, die hier gepredigt wird. Deshalb ist diese Predigt für uns alle sehr, sehr wichtig. Paulus nennt hier vier Elemente, die seine wirkungsvolle Predigt in Korinth geprägt haben.

Kommen wir zum ersten Punkt. Wenn eine Predigt wirkungsvoll ist, geht es nicht um Selbstdarstellung. Ich lese noch einmal Vers 1: Paulus sagt: Und ich, als ich zu euch kam, Brüder, kam nicht mit überragender Rede oder Weisheit, um euch das Geheimnis Gottes zu verkündigen.

Paulus erinnert die Korinther hier an seinen ersten Besuch in Korinth. Er kam mit der Absicht dorthin, ihnen das Geheimnis Gottes zu verkündigen. Das Geheimnis Gottes ist das Evangelium, das für jüdische und heidnische Christen gleichermaßen gilt.

Was hat Paulus verkündigt? Und er sagt, dass er hier auf bestimmte Zusätze verzichtet hat. Er verzichtete auf überragende Rede und Weisheit. Überragende Rede meint eine Rhetorik, die alle anderen überstrahlt. Weisheit meint hier nicht biblische Weisheit, sondern eine Art von Klugheit nach außen hin.

Und obwohl wir bedenken müssen, dass Paulus auf diese Dinge verzichtete, obwohl gerade diese beiden Elemente in Korinth so beliebt waren, waren dort zwei Dinge besonders wichtig: Rhetorik und ein eloquentes Auftreten auf der Bühne. Die Sophisten waren damals in Korinth aktiv, das ist historisch belegt. Die Sophisten hatten etwas mit Philosophen gemeinsam, waren aber stärker Rhetoriker.

Stell es dir so vor: Damals gab es kein Netflix, und die Menschen wollten unterhalten werden. In der Stadt wurden Bühnen aufgebaut, und die Sophisten traten als Redner auf und traten gegeneinander an, um zu zeigen, wer besser reden konnte. Und um diese Sophisten herum bildeten sich Fangruppen. Das war ein Phänomen zur Zeit des Paulus.

Eck Schnabel schreibt darüber: Der erste Besuch eines Sophisten in einer Stadt legte den Grundstein für einen erfolgreichen Dienst. Deshalb war es wichtig, dass er das Publikum bei seinem ersten Auftreten mit Proben seiner Beratungskunst beeindruckte, wodurch er mit den wichtigen Familien der Stadt in Kontakt kommen konnte.

Das bedeutet: Als neuer Redner in Korinth konntest du die meisten Punkte sammeln, wenn du sofort deine rhetorischen Fähigkeiten zur Schau stelltest. Wenn Paulus auf dem Marktplatz gestanden und seine rhetorischen Fähigkeiten präsentiert hätte, hätte er schnell Fangruppen um sich gesammelt. Wenn Paulus vor der Gemeindegründung strategisch vorgegangen wäre, von Haustür zu Haustür gegangen wäre und gefragt hätte: Ich möchte hier eine Gemeinde gründen, was kann ich euch anbieten? dann hätten ihm die Leute einstimmig geantwortet: Gib uns Weisheit, gib uns eine gute, eloquente Art.

Und wisst ihr was? Paulus kommt in diese Stadt und weiß, dass diese Stadt von den besten Rednern der Welt geprägt ist. Sie wollen Rhetorik, sie wollen eloquentes Auftreten, und Paulus ist ganz bewusst nicht auf diesen Zug aufgesprungen. Das ist der Punkt. Er hat sich ganz bewusst davon ferngehalten und jede Form der Selbstdarstellung abgelehnt.

Und meine lieben Freunde, Gott segne genau diese Predigt. Diese einfache Predigt, die er in Korinth ohne jedes Aufsehen gepredigt hat. Gott segne diese Predigt. Umgekehrt kann man sagen: Eine Predigt, die nur dazu dient, den Prediger selbst darzustellen, wird niemals wirksam sein. Niemals!

Ich bin jetzt seit etwas mehr als zwanzig Jahren hier im Dienst, aber die Predigt, für die ich mich am meisten schäme, war nicht meine erste Predigt. Die schlechteste Predigt, die ich hier je gehalten habe, war vor neun Jahren. Ein Abendgottesdienst für junge Leute. Wir wollten sie wirklich gewinnen, die Studenten. Ich war an der Reihe, und ich versuchte, möglichst cool und klug rüberzukommen.

Ich erinnere mich noch genau: Ich ging auf die Bühne und fühlte mich selbst cool, das gebe ich zu meiner Schande zu. Und ich stand dort und bemerkte sehr schnell etwas, das ich als Prediger vorher nie bemerkt hatte. Heute ist vieles anders. Ich rede, aber Gott schweigt.

Ich war froh, als die Predigt vorbei war, und Gott hat mir eine Lektion erteilt, die ich nicht vergessen möchte. Aber vielleicht kennst du das auch aus deinem eigenen Leben, sei ehrlich. Wie schnell kann man seine Fähigkeiten zur Schau stellen, um Menschen zu beeindrucken. Wie schnell kann man denken, man könne sein Publikum mit der Wortwahl für sich gewinnen.

Ich sage nicht, dass Rhetorik unwichtig ist. Wir sollten uns um verständliche Sprache bemühen, damit es dem Publikum leichtfällt, zu folgen. Aber wir dürfen niemals darauf vertrauen, dass darin die Kraft liegt. Niemals.

Könnte es sein, dass du durch dein attraktives Aussehen auf dich aufmerksam machen willst? Das ist Selbstdarstellung. Der Gottesdienst beginnt morgens vor dem Kleiderschrank. Ein Buchhalter hat einmal über die coolen Outfits von Predigern gesagt, dass, wenn der Text nicht mehr zählt, die Kleidung umso mehr zählt. Ich glaube, da ist etwas Wahres dran.

Und wisst ihr, was an Selbstdarstellung fatal ist? Selbstdarstellung funktioniert eine Zeit lang. Selbstdarstellung bringt Klicks. Und das Fatale ist: Unsere Herzen sind so trügerisch, und ich spreche dabei auch von mir selbst. Das Fatale ist, dass man es als Segen von Gott ansieht, aber es hat keine durchschlagende Wirkung. Höchstens kann man Menschen begeistern, aber Herzen werden nicht verändert.

Ihr wisst: Prediger, die sich selbst in den Mittelpunkt stellen, sind in einer Hinsicht den Priestern des Baal in der Auseinandersetzung mit Elia auf dem Berg Karmel ähnlich. Sie machen viel Lärm, aber das Feuer kommt nicht. Das Feuer geht nicht aus. Keine geistliche Kraft.

Ihr wisst: Gott teilt die Bühne mit niemandem. Sie gehört immer entweder Gott oder dem Prediger, niemals beiden. Niemals beiden. Wenn du also das willst, und ich gebe zu, dass du das willst, wenn dein Leben einen Unterschied machen soll, wenn dein Dienst wirklich wirksam sein soll, dann bete darum, dass du sehr, sehr klein werden kannst und dich niemals in den Mittelpunkt stellst. Denn sonst kommst du Gott in die Quere. Gott teilt seine Bühne mit niemandem.

There are other elements of a powerful sermon. When a sermon hits home, the focus is on Jesus Christ.

In verse 2, Paul writes: “For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” Look, after Paul told us in verse 1 what he did not focus on, he now tells us, on the other side, what his focus was. And he says this very deliberately, because he decided that a Christ-centered sermon does not just happen. Paul had thought about it beforehand. He was coming to Corinth, the city that wanted to see rhetoric, and he decided to know nothing but Jesus Christ, the Crucified One.

That is, his preaching plan, which he had put together beforehand, consisted of just two words: Jesus Christ. His humble agenda consisted of a single Person: Jesus Christ. And we see that in the Book of Acts. In Acts, Paul comes to Corinth, and in verse 5 it says, “Now when Silas and Timothy had come down from Macedonia, Paul was urged by the Word and testified to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ.” Paul preached Christ. But he did not just preach Christ among other things. Look at what the text says here in verse 2: it says nothing else. That is, Paul preached Christ without any additions.

Paul did not preach Christ, but also humanistic philosophies. Paul did not preach Christ, but also legalism. Paul did not preach Christ, but also human church systems. Paul did not preach Christ, but also psychology. Paul did not preach Christ, but also sociology. Paul simply preached Christ.

By the way, not only in his first sermon in evangelism. Paul also preached Christ for the instruction of believers. Here is some homework for you to do in your personal Bible study: look how often Paul mentions Jesus Christ in the first ten verses of the first letter to the Corinthians. He constantly talks about Jesus Christ. He sees that the church has problems; his solution is Jesus Christ. Also for believers, they too need the gospel over and over again.

There are certain preachers who have favorite topics, and perhaps you know such preachers. Perhaps you have already figured this out with us pastors: yes, that is more his favorite topic, that is more his favorite topic. I do not think that is fundamentally wrong. But then there is an extreme form, namely, there are preachers who, no matter what text they have, use the text as a springboard and still end up with their favorite topic.

Yes, these preachers remind me of a song by Judy Garland. Judy Garland wrote the song Johnny One Note. This song is about little Johnny, who can only sing one note. And no matter where little Johnny is, he always sings just that one note. There are such preachers. There are Johnny One Note preachers. No matter what the text is, they always preach on their favorite topic.

There was a Baptist pastor, for example. His favorite topic was baptism. In every sermon he preached about baptism. And at some point the deacons of the congregation got together and thought it would be nice to hear something different for once. I mean, the whole counsel has to be preached. Come on, he should preach about creation. They got together, decided, and approached the pastor, very politely, a bit indirectly. It would be nice if you could preach about creation. And he would say, Oh yes, I will. Thanks for the tip.

The next Sunday he will take the pulpit. Dear brothers and sisters, God created heaven and earth, and then he divided the earth from water. And when it comes to water, dear brothers and sisters, you know, two thirds of the earth is covered with water, only one third with land. And do you know why God created so much water? So that there would be enough water for all people to be baptized. Then he was back on his topic and continued talking about baptism.

My dear brothers and sisters, we should not do it like that. We should not do it like that. We are called to preach the text and not our favorite topics over and over again, or we will be Johnny One Note. But there is one exception. There is one topic in the Bible that we should come back to over and over again. There is this one note that we, as preachers, that we, as ministers, that we, as parents, that we, as husbands, that we, as small group leaders, should sing over and over again. And that is Jesus Christ. That is our Lord.

We preach Christ crucified, true man and true God, who came into this world to die for miserable sinners. Jesus is the only way. He rose victoriously on the third day. He is the only way to God. He is the reason for our salvation. He began a good work in us; He will complete it. Nothing can separate you from His love. Beloved, that is the message that we should preach over and over again, that you should expect when you come to this church.

You may be feeling down. Maybe you are burdened with guilt from the coming week, from the last. Maybe you are a single parent going through a tough time. Maybe you are suffering from depression and anxiety. When you come here on Sunday, you should expect to hear about Jesus Christ.

My dear friends, let them say of us in Austin that we can only sing one note. If that note is Jesus, then that is a compliment. And I want to focus on that in my ministry, no matter where I am. And I want to encourage you, no matter where you are, to focus on that.

If you are a father, when you gather your family before you for family worship, please do not just give moral lessons. Show them Jesus. If you are a pastor here, yes, it is good to show compassion by seeking help. That is where all good pastoral care begins, but compassion alone will not help. Show them Jesus in light of the problem.

There is a situation in the Gospel of John, an incident where the Greeks come to Philip and they make this polite request to Philip in John 12,21, and they say, “Sir, we would like to see Jesus.” That is the request you should bring to church. I was at a pastors’ conference in Jacksonville, Florida a while ago, and the congregation did such a great job. They put up a sign in front of the pulpit for the preacher, and it was this exact text from John 12,21 as the congregation’s request to the preacher: “We would like to see Jesus.”

Do you hear your children telling you this request? They may not be able to verbalize it, but they carry it in their hearts. Dad, Mom, we would like to see Jesus. Will you give it to Jesus? When someone comes to you for pastoral care, look at them with this request written on their forehead: I would like to see Jesus again.

My dears, that is what it is all about, and it changes everything when we have this focus. In that sense, we are Johnny One Note preachers, because ultimately we are always concerned with the one note: Jesus.

Mike Abendroth once said that we either preach Christ in the text or we preach Christ from the text. Not every Bible text is about Christ. But even if we have such a Bible text, we show how this one Bible text is connected to the whole story of salvation. And Jesus is the central figure in this salvation story.

Tell your children about the Flood, the Flood and Noah, but then add at the end that the Flood could not solve the problem of sin, but that someone came, Jesus, who can solve your problem of sin. Tell your children the story of David, but also point out that a greater David was promised, the Son of David, the Messiah, Jesus. In this way, we either preach Christ in the text or we preach Christ from the text, just like Heinrich Dietrich does in his third book. He is always with Christ at some point.

That is exactly how we should preach. That is how we should do our ministry. And when we talk about Jesus, then our ministry has the potential to be successful. When we talk about ourselves, it will not be successful. Billy Graham was once asked, “What is the greatest sense of achievement in your ministry?” And Billy Graham said, “It is quite simple: I talk very little about myself. I talk a lot about Jesus.”

That is exactly what it is all about. Let us move on to the third point.

When a sermon has an impact, then there is human weakness. And this point may surprise you, but it is so true. When a sermon has an impact, then there is human weakness. Verse 3: “And I was with you,” and Paul is still talking about the preaching that took place in Corinth, “and I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling.”

An effective sermon does not depend on human strength. The sophists in Corinth came out strong. There was a lot of self-confidence there. Paul says, I did not have that self-confidence. Paul describes his behavior with three completely opposite terms: weakness, fear, and trembling. These are not human criteria for successful ministry.

Weakness here is not necessarily limited to a specific weakness, but is meant quite comprehensively. We as humans are weak. We sometimes forget that. Paul did not come to Corinth strong. A good illustration of his weakness can be found in the Book of Acts. Take a look at chapter 18, where it says in verse 8, “But Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord with his entire household, and many of the Corinthians who heard believed and were baptized.” That is, here we first see that a lot is happening in Corinth. And then in verse 9, interestingly enough, the Lord spoke to Paul through a vision in the night: “Do not be afraid, but speak and do not be silent, for I am with you, and let no one dare to harm you, for I have many people in this city.”

Why does God have to say to Paul supernaturally at night, “Do not be afraid”? You know, this request, this invitation, “Do not be afraid,” is always found in the Bible where people have been afraid. That is, we read in verse 8 that something happens, people come to faith, but Paul is so weak, so weak indeed, that God in such a friendly way, and so our Lord, speaks this comfort to His servant supernaturally at night: Paul, do not be afraid.

This weakness is then further specified in our sermon text. Paul goes on to say, “I was with you with fear and much trembling.” This is a fixed phrase in the Bible, fear and trembling. And we find it above all in the Old Testament, and it actually always describes an attitude toward God. Paul did not tremble before the Corinthians. Paul was aware of the magnitude of his mission. He comes here to a city that does not know God, and he is burdened because he is preaching as a dying man to the dying. And this awareness has literally overwhelmed him and made him tremble, because this is a matter of life and death, of heaven and hell.

Brian Chappell writes, “When we are standing before real people with eternal souls who are between heaven and hell, then the meaning of the sermon fills us with deep awe and makes us more aware of our shortcomings.”

You know, dear congregation, as preachers we are not faced with a difficult task. As preachers we are not faced with a challenging task. As preachers we are faced with an impossible task. And we would do well to become aware of this powerlessness. How often do I go to the pulpit and say, Hey, if you do not do anything, nothing will happen to you today. We cannot bring about spiritual life in the listener. We cannot cause someone who is sitting here today and has become lukewarm to be rekindled for Jesus from the pulpit. We as human beings cannot do that.

And it is precisely this mission, combined with this powerlessness, that pushes us to our limits, but at the same time also makes us aware of our dependency. And then there are the human weaknesses that we bring to the pulpit: physical ailments, sleepless nights before the sermon, emotional and psychological challenges, fears, temptations, hostility from loved ones that discourage us, worries about our own marriage, worries about our children, a guilty conscience in view of our many shortcomings, periods of melancholy, and so on and so forth.

Then we go to the pulpit and sometimes we simply think: What will become of this today? I have nothing to give today. I have at most five loaves of bread and two fish. Lord, do something with this. And this awareness is at the same time the best prerequisite for a powerful sermon, because God does not want our strength. God wants our weakness.

Paul writes in 2. Korinther 12,9-10: “And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.’ Much more gladly, then, I will boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me. Therefore I take pleasure in weaknesses, in abuses, in hardships, in persecutions, in distresses, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”

A powerful sermon is never connected to a powerful preacher. A missionary in southern Germany, with whom I once spoke, experienced this very impressively. He had founded a church in southern Germany. He came from America, and he said that they had such a difficult start. Their own family in America had turned against them. Why did you go to Germany to found a church there? There was psychological terror over the phone. Then there was the language barrier. They had to learn German.

He said that it was so difficult for me to learn German, but at some point he decided to go with his limited knowledge of German. I will go up to the pulpit now and give one of the first sermons. And because his German was not that good yet and his accent was so strong, he just read the sermon straight from the manuscript. He stood there and tried to somehow get the message across, and he told me, I was so discouraged, this cannot work. And at the end of the sermon, he puts the manuscript away and sees, there is a person who wants to be converted.

My dear friends, this is how God works. This is how God works through weakness. God works in our weakness. You know, maybe you are feeling pretty down as a worker right now. Maybe you are sad about yourself. Maybe you are depressed by your circumstances, sick, tired, because you have so much to do, because there is so much to do. Maybe you long for times when you had more joy in life, when things simply went more easily, and you realize that those times are over. Everything is so hard. Maybe you sometimes think about just giving up your ministry, because you are so weak.

Do not do it, because in your weakness the Lord can surprise you enormously. In your weakness the Lord is so strong. Maybe you think you are a second-rate church member here because you struggle with depression, with anxiety, because you think, what can I do to support the growth of the church? If you are, you are in exactly the right place where God can use you especially. And my encouragement to you today is: trust in that. Just take God at His Word in your weakness. Say, Lord, I trust. I will continue, and I simply trust that You will take me as a construction site and make something out of it.

God does not want our strength. God wants our weakness. But you know what? The opposite is also true. If you do not experience any authority in your ministry, if you do not see any impact from your ministry, it may be because you are too strong in the sense of self-confidence, because you trust in your gifts, because you think, I will do this already.

You know, let me tell you this today, and I have experienced it myself before: before God can use you, He wants to break you. And by that I mean a loving breaking, a breaking of your pride, so that you realize that you really cannot do anything and are completely dependent on Him.

And I think you are sitting here today and you do not want to, I do not think anyone is sitting here who just wants to waste their life. I think we are all here today and we want to be able to say at the end of our lives, yes, God used me. My life made a difference in society, in the lives of other people. When you want to say that at the end of your life, it always starts with breaking.

And my question is: Are you willing to pray this prayer, that you say, Lord, use me, please let my life, let my ministry make a difference, even if it involves weakness and brokenness. But if that is what it takes for You to be glorified through my life, then I trust You and say, Lord, please break me.

Do you want to pray this prayer today? I invite you to come forward here at the end of the sermon. Today I invite those who want to cry out to God anew in their ministry, who want to say anew, Lord, break me and use me.

But first, let us come to the last point in the sermon. Our attitude with which we do our ministry is, on the one hand, the awareness of our own weakness, but not only that, but on the other hand, also trust in the power of the Holy Spirit. And with that I would like to conclude; we come to the fourth point.

When a sermon has an impact, then the power of the Holy Spirit is at work. Paul writes in verses 4 and 5: “And my speech and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith may not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”

First of all, we need to note that Spirit and power are not two concepts here, but in the Greek we have a construction here according to which one thing is explained with two terms. So it is not about power and Spirit, but about the powerful work of the Spirit. That is what Paul is talking about here. And that is exactly what he trusted in: this powerful work of the Spirit.

Paul had to decide whether to trust in his rhetoric or simply trust in the power of the Holy Spirit, that He can work mightily through the simple proclamation of the Word of God. And Paul trusted in this, in the Holy Spirit, and the sermon had an impact.

Some time ago I heard a very moving sermon by David Wilkerson. The sermon is only available in English on YouTube and is titled A Call to Anguish. In German, it translates to a call to torment or a call to fear in the sense of fear and trembling. And in this sermon he describes in a testimonial way how, as the leader of a small church, he saw little spiritual progress in his church. The church was just drifting along, just a few people, and nothing spiritual was happening.

And at some point David Wilkerson went into prayer and said, “Lord, if that is all the Holy Spirit can do, then I do not want it.” Now you might say, wow, that is not a reverent prayer. But David Wilkerson was driven by a holy discontent. There is a holy discontent. It has nothing to do with ingratitude, but with a spiritual discontent, with a lukewarm status quo. And he prayed, Lord, Your Holy Spirit can do so much more. Please work here. Please grant revival.

That was our prayer in 2019, when we saw that our church was just stagnating. Christians who had become lukewarm were sitting in the pews, and we prayed as a whole church, Lord, grant revival. You know, Dwight L. Moody, the evangelist, once said that the best way to revive a church is to light a fire in the pulpit. Let us reach out for that fire, and by that I do not mean charismatic phenomena, so that we do not get it wrong, but that the Holy Spirit works powerfully, that people will come back to us.

Wisely, that we also pray for our country. Imagine if in our country, in these dead churches, the pulpits were to burn again. You know, fire does not need advertising. Where there is fire, people come. What if the pulpits were to burn again, if Christ were to be preached again, and not that everyone in Germany needs social insurance, a social gospel in the regional church. If we proclaim Christ again, I would like to speak again about Mount Carmel. Elijah had such high expectations that God would send fire that he even took the trouble to pour water on the altar so that no one could say that it was human. And then this Elijah knelt down and simply prayed, Lord, give fire. The fire came.

And that is what I would like to invite you to do today. I would like to invite us to do what the Lord protects us from: complacency. Yes, in our church the sermons are right. Are the sermons right? We do not need real sermons in the end times. We need impactful sermons. We need sermons that shake people up in a completely new way. We need sermons that those who sit here in these rows today and are flirting with sin, living in sin, will be convicted and will end their lukewarm Christianity, that they will make a real new beginning with Jesus and say, Lord Jesus, take my whole life. I want to live for You alone.

We need that. I so wish that in the end, when we look back, we can say that about our ministry: my ministry did not consist of persuasive words of wisdom, but of demonstrating the Spirit and of power, so that your faith does not rest on human wisdom but on the power of God.

That is also our motto for the year. We pray that Your kingdom come in me first, but then also in our city, in our country, in this world. And I would like to invite you today: while we sing the closing song, you can come forward so that you can recommit to the Lord and say, please Lord, use my life, use my ministry to really make a difference in this world.

Maybe you are just doing your ministry out of routine and are wondering why nothing is happening. Maybe we should start praying again and ask for the authority of the Holy Spirit. If you would like to do that, you are welcome to simply come to the cross here during the song. You can make this a moment between Jesus and you alone and just say to the Lord Jesus again: Lord, please take me, use me. I do not just want to do things right. I want to do them in the power of Your Holy Spirit. Amen.

Let us stand up for this song. Ah!