WEBVTT 00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:02.720 2 Corinthians chapter 10. 00:00:02.879 --> 00:00:06.320 If you are able, please stand for the reading of God's Word. 00:00:07.200 --> 00:00:11.919 Now I, Paul, myself, appeal to you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ. 00:00:12.080 --> 00:00:25.039 I who am humble among you in person, but bold toward you when absent, I beg you that when I am present, I will not need to be bold with the confidence by which I plan to challenge certain people who think we're behaving according to the flesh. 00:00:25.280 --> 00:00:36.000 For although we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh, since the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds. 00:00:36.159 --> 00:00:43.759 We demolish arguments in every proud thing that's raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to obey Christ. 00:00:44.000 --> 00:00:48.079 And we're ready to punish any disobedience once your obedience is complete. 00:00:48.960 --> 00:00:50.640 Look at what is obvious. 00:00:50.799 --> 00:00:54.479 If anyone is confident that he belongs to Christ, let him remind himself of this. 00:00:54.719 --> 00:00:57.200 Just as he belongs to Christ, so do we. 00:00:57.439 --> 00:01:04.000 For if I boast a little too much about our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for tearing you down, I will not be put to shame. 00:01:04.239 --> 00:01:07.120 I don't want to seem as though I'm trying to terrify you with my letters. 00:01:07.280 --> 00:01:13.120 For it is said, his letters are weighty and powerful, but his physical presence is weak, and his public speaking amounts to nothing. 00:01:13.439 --> 00:01:21.120 Let such a person consider this what we are in our letters when we are absent, we will also be in our actions when we are present. 00:01:21.359 --> 00:01:30.879 For we don't dare classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves, but in measuring themselves by themselves and comparing themselves to themselves, they lack understanding. 00:01:31.280 --> 00:01:38.799 We, however, will not boast beyond measure, but according to the measure of the area of ministry that God has assigned to us, which reaches even to you. 00:01:39.040 --> 00:01:45.680 For we are not overextending ourselves as if we had not reached you, since we have come to you with the gospel of Christ. 00:01:45.920 --> 00:01:49.200 We are not boasting beyond measure about other people's labors. 00:01:49.599 --> 00:02:02.480 On the contrary, we have the hope that as your faith increases, our area of ministry will be greatly enlarged, so that we may preach the gospel to the regions beyond you, without boasting about what has already been done in somebody else's area of ministry. 00:02:02.719 --> 00:02:06.000 So let the one who boasts boast in the Lord. 00:02:06.319 --> 00:02:10.960 For it's not the one commending himself who's approved, but the one the Lord commends. 00:02:11.199 --> 00:02:12.719 Go ahead and have a seat. 00:02:13.039 --> 00:02:16.319 Lord, I thank you so much for today, and I ask that you would be glorified. 00:02:16.400 --> 00:02:26.159 I ask that you would fill me with your spirit to teach your word, that you would speak exactly, uh give me, uh empower me to speak exactly what you want, nothing more, nothing less. 00:02:26.319 --> 00:02:31.520 That you would fill the hearers with your spirit, to hear and rightly divide and discern what is of you. 00:02:31.840 --> 00:02:45.280 That we would be able to take your word and receive it and apply it and grow closer to you as a result, to grow in our faith, to be conformed to your image, and to rejoice in the hope we have in you. 00:02:45.439 --> 00:02:46.240 In your name. 00:02:46.560 --> 00:02:47.199 Amen. 00:02:48.080 --> 00:03:00.479 So for the past few weeks in 2 Corinthians, we have been navigating the uh interesting and sometimes fun and touchy subject of giving, which is a hot button issue for some people. 00:03:00.639 --> 00:03:12.719 So we are at this wonderful spot where we are leaving that hot button topic of giving and going into the familiar and comforting topic of church disunity. 00:03:15.680 --> 00:03:17.039 It'll be okay. 00:03:17.280 --> 00:03:18.000 We got this. 00:03:18.080 --> 00:03:27.520 So, with that in mind, we're gonna see here what we've been alluding to all along that Paul is speaking to a church that is divided. 00:03:27.759 --> 00:03:44.719 Some of them who are following Christ and are hearing the word and ministry and heeding the ministry of Paul, and some who are following what they call superapostles, which we'll get to in a few weeks, who uh denigrate Paul and speak against him for reasons that we'll see in this chapter. 00:03:44.960 --> 00:03:53.439 And so it's a divided church, and this should not surprise us because we saw in 1 Corinthians they were divided from the beginning, they loved their teams. 00:03:53.599 --> 00:04:04.159 I am a Paul, I'm of Apollos, I'm of Cephas, I follow this leader, and that makes me a better Christian, that makes me a more accurate person. 00:04:04.319 --> 00:04:10.080 And of course, we would never do that, but back then they did those crazy kinds of things, but nowadays never. 00:04:10.319 --> 00:04:13.840 And this is what we see happening here in real time. 00:04:13.919 --> 00:04:25.360 And so Paul in this chapter is addressing that issue and that conflict and how that's going to take place when he arrives. 00:04:25.600 --> 00:04:29.759 So it seems that he visited and it went bad. 00:04:29.920 --> 00:04:31.360 The painful visit. 00:04:31.600 --> 00:04:34.720 And then it's possible that he sent a letter instead of revisiting again. 00:04:34.800 --> 00:04:42.480 We're not sure if that's that one or this one, and then here we are as he's writing, and he's planning to come again when the gift is ready. 00:04:42.720 --> 00:04:52.079 And basically, how do we pad that visit with as much expectation preparation and not avoiding the real issues as possible? 00:04:52.160 --> 00:04:53.600 And that's what we see here. 00:04:53.920 --> 00:05:03.360 Really, really important thing to remember as we're navigating this chapter, he is talking to the church of Corinth. 00:05:04.000 --> 00:05:05.120 To the church. 00:05:05.439 --> 00:05:11.759 He is talking to believers, those who have confessed Christ at one point in time at least. 00:05:11.920 --> 00:05:20.160 Because it's very easy to take this and to take the topic and the content and jam it into a different context and go kind of weird with it. 00:05:20.319 --> 00:05:23.600 He's talking to believers and navigating that. 00:05:23.680 --> 00:05:28.720 So when he's talking about these conflicts, it's conflicts within a body of believers. 00:05:28.879 --> 00:05:37.279 When he's talking about this warfare and things that need to be taken captive, it's it's within the context of Christians. 00:05:37.920 --> 00:05:39.040 Why do I say that? 00:05:39.199 --> 00:05:42.240 Because he's not setting up an earthly kingdom here. 00:05:42.480 --> 00:05:56.079 If we are not careful when we read these things and read when we get down to these things of his the weapons of warfare, powerful, demolition of strongholds, and all these things, then all of a sudden, if we're not careful, we start marching around the room seeing onward Christian soldiers. 00:05:56.240 --> 00:05:58.399 And that's not what he's talking about here. 00:05:59.040 --> 00:06:10.800 This is not an issue of attacking or uh navigating the culture that Corinth is in, which is messed up, but rather the messed up things that are happening in this church. 00:06:11.120 --> 00:06:11.759 Make sense? 00:06:12.000 --> 00:06:12.240 Yes. 00:06:12.480 --> 00:06:26.560 Okay, here's the problem and the challenge when uh navigating discord and division, we want to believe with all of our hearts that there are good guys and there are bad guys. 00:06:26.720 --> 00:06:43.120 And the good guys always do the right thing, and the bad guys have like mustaches that they twirl when they talk, and you know, they you know, they want to like tie the maiden to the train tracks and all these things. 00:06:44.160 --> 00:06:54.959 And it's very, very easy to want to think through those things in that way, and that does us no good because we live in a fallen world, and we all have challenges with that. 00:06:55.040 --> 00:07:11.839 And so the difficulty is that even the people who are divisive here, they're not divisive because they are sociopaths, they are divisive because they think they're doing the right thing, and that's what's hard sometimes. 00:07:12.079 --> 00:07:18.000 They think oftentimes the most divisive people think that they're protecting unity. 00:07:18.160 --> 00:07:31.439 And that's what's crazy, is that oftentimes the people who sometimes create the most discord think that they're actually doing so in the Lord's name, and that's why this gets messy. 00:07:31.759 --> 00:07:39.279 So, with that, we see this play out and how it's now how it's attacking the situation with Paul here. 00:07:39.360 --> 00:07:43.439 So, when we start in verse one, we should probably get in this chapter, right? 00:07:45.120 --> 00:07:59.360 Now I, Paul myself, appeal to you by the strength of my authority, the demonstration of the miracles the Lord has done through me, the it doesn't say that. 00:08:00.879 --> 00:08:04.160 By the meekness and gentleness of Christ. 00:08:04.399 --> 00:08:20.319 Here's the thing the people who are speaking against Paul, which you see in this chapter, do not appreciate that he comes across as humble, as meek, as lowly, and see that as a sign of weakness. 00:08:21.680 --> 00:08:25.839 And Paul here is not saying, like, I'm gonna show you that that's not the case. 00:08:25.920 --> 00:08:27.279 He doubles down on that. 00:08:27.439 --> 00:08:29.120 Why on earth does he double down on that? 00:08:29.199 --> 00:08:39.360 Because he's saying, I'm appealing to you by the meekness and the gentleness of Christ, because that's the example we have from Jesus. 00:08:40.960 --> 00:08:45.360 Meekness and gentleness are not popular things. 00:08:45.679 --> 00:08:58.799 But we see in Philippians 2, 5 through 8, adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus, who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited. 00:08:59.039 --> 00:09:06.000 Instead, he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity. 00:09:06.320 --> 00:09:14.399 And when he had come as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even to death on a cross. 00:09:14.799 --> 00:09:28.320 Throughout this book, we see Paul reminding that the example we have from Christ is of lowliness, is of service, is of humility, and is of gentleness, even to one's own harm. 00:09:28.559 --> 00:09:36.320 Which is crazy to a subset of the Corinthians who are like, I am not signing up for that at all. 00:09:37.120 --> 00:09:44.000 Meanwhile, these guys over here, they look pretty good, they look very charismatic, they're promising prosperity and a lack of suffering. 00:09:44.159 --> 00:09:45.360 I choose door B. 00:09:45.919 --> 00:09:50.480 And here Paul is doubling down on the meekness and gentleness of Christ. 00:09:51.039 --> 00:10:10.639 I who am humble among you in person, but bold toward you when absent, I beg you that when I am present, I will not need to be bold with the confidence by which I plan to challenge certain people who think we are behaving according to the flesh. 00:10:14.480 --> 00:10:15.120 Parents. 00:10:16.960 --> 00:10:25.519 Sure we have all experienced this moment where we're like, kids, I I really don't want to have to. 00:10:26.159 --> 00:10:27.200 I don't want to do this. 00:10:27.360 --> 00:10:29.519 Can you just do the right thing, please? 00:10:29.759 --> 00:10:33.679 I don't want to have to be the bad guy right now. 00:10:34.240 --> 00:10:38.799 We've actually had uh conversations with our kids who are amazing, by the way. 00:10:38.960 --> 00:10:44.960 I just brag on my kids because their character is amazing, but with that, uh their mom is responsible for that. 00:10:45.200 --> 00:10:51.919 Anyway, the uh but with that, we've had the conversation of like, do you realize that disciplining you does me no good? 00:10:52.320 --> 00:10:58.639 That it actually would be easier just to say, do whatever you want and go through the 25,000 things on my plate right now. 00:10:58.960 --> 00:11:04.000 It is actually harder to engage in that. 00:11:04.240 --> 00:11:10.799 So here Paul is saying, like, I really don't want to have to be bold with you. 00:11:11.120 --> 00:11:15.840 Bold, by the way, that word is out of six times, five of it is in 2 Corinthians. 00:11:16.000 --> 00:11:19.440 There's a there's a theme here of having to have that boldness. 00:11:20.000 --> 00:11:26.799 With the boldness that I am in absent, by which I plan to challenge certain people who think we behave according to the flesh. 00:11:26.879 --> 00:11:32.799 Now, first of all, he's asking, I don't want to have to be heavy handed here. 00:11:33.039 --> 00:11:39.759 It is a red flag if a leader really gets excited by conflict. 00:11:39.919 --> 00:11:41.519 Just gonna throw that out there. 00:11:41.759 --> 00:11:52.639 That on one side of the, like if we're going down this road on one ditch, it's a disturbing thing when somebody is like gets excited by friction and conflict. 00:11:52.720 --> 00:12:04.559 And it's just that weird, there's a stereotypical leader that you can conjure up who he wears like the tap-out ultimate fighting shirt, and it's just like he's just ready to go at all times. 00:12:07.360 --> 00:12:09.440 Meekness and gentleness of Christ. 00:12:09.519 --> 00:12:14.080 You know, there's a definitely that should that should give us some red flags. 00:12:14.159 --> 00:12:25.840 And Paul doesn't want to go there, but he has to address these people who think that they are behaving according to the flesh. 00:12:26.000 --> 00:12:34.480 Now, here, there's gonna be three church challenges here of how we can make things harder in a church body. 00:12:35.360 --> 00:12:57.279 Challenge one, the background narrative pushers, the people who work the phone lines, who basically there is a way to actually go, like, I'm just going to sew my narrative in as many people as possible in a very friendly conversational way. 00:12:57.840 --> 00:13:03.679 And that is the problem with that is that number one, it's immensely effective for promoting your agenda. 00:13:03.840 --> 00:13:12.480 Number two, uh, we can really think and we can paint over that with so many different things to make it sound like we're doing a noble thing. 00:13:12.639 --> 00:13:15.360 So let me couch this really quick with a few different things. 00:13:15.600 --> 00:13:18.639 Uh, processing is good, and we have our people that we process with. 00:13:18.720 --> 00:13:19.519 That's not a bad thing. 00:13:19.600 --> 00:13:22.399 I'm not saying you can't actually talk about hard things. 00:13:22.559 --> 00:13:30.399 But doing so in a place that's trusted, where the people know that you're not actually like telling facts, but rather processing how you feel, that's really, really important. 00:13:30.799 --> 00:13:34.559 Um and being able to navigate that. 00:13:34.639 --> 00:13:38.960 But it's well, I'll put it this way: Absalom. 00:13:41.279 --> 00:13:42.960 2 Samuel 15. 00:13:43.279 --> 00:13:45.679 We see Absalom's gig. 00:13:45.840 --> 00:13:47.600 So David is king, right? 00:13:48.480 --> 00:13:54.559 One of his sons, Absalom, did not challenge David directly. 00:13:55.039 --> 00:13:56.559 Kind of a bad idea. 00:13:56.879 --> 00:13:58.159 Giant killer. 00:13:58.879 --> 00:14:03.759 Uh what he did was position himself at the gates of the city. 00:14:04.000 --> 00:14:21.039 And so when people would come to that area for uh help, for discussion, for justice, he would position himself there and he would be like, Oh, I really wish that there was someone from the king who could take up your cause, but he's too busy for you. 00:14:21.200 --> 00:14:22.480 I'll help you. 00:14:22.960 --> 00:14:28.799 And he, in the words of scripture, stole away the hearts of the people. 00:14:29.519 --> 00:14:35.600 And that is the challenge that can happen in the body of Christ. 00:14:36.399 --> 00:14:41.039 The side conversations about things, hey, what did you think about that thing that was said? 00:14:41.200 --> 00:14:42.320 I thought this. 00:14:42.559 --> 00:14:44.000 I really thought it was this. 00:14:44.159 --> 00:14:54.399 There's innocence in there, and then there's pushing agenda in with that, and we have to be very, very careful about that because this the problem with that is it metastasizes. 00:14:54.879 --> 00:14:58.720 You can sow enough lemon, and suddenly it's risen. 00:14:58.960 --> 00:15:07.360 And here, Paul, it's gotten so big that he's heard about it in a completely different country. 00:15:07.840 --> 00:15:19.679 That's not a good sign that there are people who are, and so let me put it this way: just a little, I'm giving you this much, and I will not give you any more than this, so do not ask me. 00:15:19.840 --> 00:15:25.120 Uh, we have we experienced lots in our different ministry things, in our different navigation with that. 00:15:25.279 --> 00:15:29.679 We did experience an incredibly difficult and abusive situation in ministry. 00:15:30.000 --> 00:15:32.559 Horrible, hard, difficult. 00:15:33.279 --> 00:15:46.159 What was harder is when we left, the narratives and falsehoods that were sown about us were what did more damage than the actual direct abuse that happened for years. 00:15:46.480 --> 00:15:52.559 And to this day, and again, if you ask me more information on that, you're not going to get it, so don't. 00:15:52.720 --> 00:16:06.320 But with that, we have spent 10 years having to have difficult conversations with people when they have that weird look, and I have to sit down with them and be like, okay, what's going on? 00:16:06.480 --> 00:16:16.799 And they're like, well, I heard this about, and it's just it is just the carelessness of what happened a decade ago still makes life hard for us to this day. 00:16:17.120 --> 00:16:21.519 So that's just what I ask as application in this challenge. 00:16:21.759 --> 00:16:28.320 We need to be careful with how we communicate because it does more damage than we can imagine. 00:16:28.480 --> 00:16:37.360 And so here in Corinth, the people who don't like Paul are saying, yeah, they work according to the flesh. 00:16:37.440 --> 00:16:39.759 Do you know he's asking us for money? 00:16:40.000 --> 00:16:41.440 They're asking us for money. 00:16:41.600 --> 00:16:42.240 That's crazy. 00:16:42.399 --> 00:16:43.600 Look how weak this guy is. 00:16:43.679 --> 00:16:48.080 Sure, he puts on it, he writes real good, but when he shows up, not so much. 00:16:48.240 --> 00:16:50.960 And so, what is Paul's prescription here? 00:16:52.159 --> 00:16:54.240 He's gonna show up and he's gonna talk to them. 00:16:54.399 --> 00:17:03.919 And that's really what the only thing you can do is sit down to get past the keyboard courage and sit down and go, what's going on? 00:17:04.319 --> 00:17:07.920 We heard this, this doesn't sound like you talk to us. 00:17:08.000 --> 00:17:19.599 And so, with that challenge number one within the body that creates a discord, I cannot think of a single time, a single time, where all those side conversations have furthered the kingdom. 00:17:19.680 --> 00:17:21.519 And I can think of countless times where they have. 00:17:21.599 --> 00:17:25.680 And we it's become such a normative part of our culture that that gets difficult. 00:17:26.160 --> 00:17:37.279 And I will say this in defense that becomes a normative part of our culture because things get messy sometimes within churches, and sometimes leadership doesn't take discussion well. 00:17:37.359 --> 00:17:38.960 So I understand why. 00:17:39.279 --> 00:17:41.039 No good guys, no bad guys. 00:17:41.200 --> 00:17:42.240 Hurt people, hurt people. 00:17:42.319 --> 00:17:43.359 That's where we got here. 00:17:43.599 --> 00:17:53.599 So here's Paula saying we're gonna have to show up and we're gonna have to be bold in talking to individuals who say we're behaving according to the flesh here. 00:17:53.920 --> 00:18:00.240 So, continuing forward, although we live in the flesh, we don't wage war according to the flesh. 00:18:00.480 --> 00:18:05.279 Since the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds. 00:18:05.359 --> 00:18:12.000 We demolish arguments and every proud thing that's raised up against the knowledge of God and take every thought captive to obey Christ. 00:18:12.160 --> 00:18:12.480 Okay. 00:18:14.079 --> 00:18:18.240 The challenge in this moment is he's using the word flesh in different ways. 00:18:19.039 --> 00:18:26.480 So, in the flesh involves physical, corporal self. 00:18:27.359 --> 00:18:33.680 In the flesh also is a metaphor for that which is in contrast to the spirit. 00:18:33.920 --> 00:18:37.519 And you get a nice little mixture of that in this passage. 00:18:37.680 --> 00:18:52.319 It makes things a little complicated with that, because when he says they think that we're behaving according to the flesh, it is according to ways that are contrary to the spirit for one's own sinful purposes. 00:18:52.880 --> 00:19:00.160 And he says, although we live in the flesh, look, we're human beings, however, we do not wage war according to the flesh. 00:19:00.240 --> 00:19:02.799 What does it look like to wage war according to the flesh? 00:19:02.960 --> 00:19:09.119 Uh, David Gusig said this really, really well in one of his commentaries of how this looked like in the Church of Corinth. 00:19:09.359 --> 00:19:14.880 And he went through the uh armor of God and the contrast of that. 00:19:14.960 --> 00:19:21.039 So for here, Gusig says, instead of the belt of truth, they fought with manipulation. 00:19:21.519 --> 00:19:26.240 Instead of the breastplate of righteousness, they fought with the image of success. 00:19:26.720 --> 00:19:30.880 Instead of the shoes of the gospel, they fought with smooth words. 00:19:31.119 --> 00:19:35.599 Instead of the shield of faith, they fought with the perception of power. 00:19:36.319 --> 00:19:40.640 Instead of the helmet of salvation, they fought with lording over authority. 00:19:40.880 --> 00:19:45.119 Instead of the sword of the spirit, they fought with human schemes and programs. 00:19:45.440 --> 00:19:49.200 But there's a really good picture of what does it look like the waging war according to the flesh? 00:19:49.279 --> 00:19:54.640 And we see these things popping up in the Church of Corinth, especially those who are working against Paul. 00:19:54.720 --> 00:19:57.519 And in the contrast, what does it look like to wage war according to the spirit? 00:19:57.680 --> 00:20:07.359 Where we just went through the armor of God there, the belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, shoes of the gospel, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, sword of the spirit. 00:20:07.680 --> 00:20:09.839 For what purpose? 00:20:10.000 --> 00:20:12.880 What does non-fleshy God-fueled warfare look like? 00:20:13.119 --> 00:20:18.160 First of all, just a reminder, he's talking to the church. 00:20:18.480 --> 00:20:22.319 He's talking about people who confess believers. 00:20:22.720 --> 00:20:28.319 So, this is the weapons of their warfare are not in the flesh in verse 4. 00:20:28.400 --> 00:20:31.759 They are powerful through God. 00:20:33.359 --> 00:20:39.359 So they're God fueled for the demolition of strongholds. 00:20:39.680 --> 00:20:41.119 What does that look like? 00:20:41.440 --> 00:20:48.480 We demolish arguments and every proud thing that's raised up against the knowledge of God. 00:20:49.039 --> 00:20:59.599 So these demolition of strongholds with their God-fueled weapons are against arguments against God, proud things raised up against the knowledge of God. 00:20:59.759 --> 00:21:01.440 That's what he's fighting here. 00:21:03.599 --> 00:21:07.839 And we take every thought captive to obey Christ. 00:21:08.079 --> 00:21:11.359 Take every thought captive to obey Christ. 00:21:11.680 --> 00:21:12.720 Show of hands. 00:21:12.960 --> 00:21:17.680 How many of you never struggle with fleshly thoughts? 00:21:18.880 --> 00:21:21.279 Hey, we've got no liars in the room today. 00:21:21.519 --> 00:21:22.640 That's a good sign. 00:21:23.200 --> 00:21:29.680 So, this idea of taking captive thoughts. 00:21:31.839 --> 00:21:34.400 I don't know, I can I can't speak for you. 00:21:34.720 --> 00:21:36.319 I can speak for me. 00:21:36.799 --> 00:21:48.000 The whispers of the enemy in the thoughts fuel more discord and division in my own heart than anything else. 00:21:48.160 --> 00:21:54.400 And that's where the battle really rages in all of us. 00:21:54.960 --> 00:22:02.160 How do we take those thoughts captive and bring Them to the king. 00:22:03.920 --> 00:22:05.279 That's hard. 00:22:05.759 --> 00:22:09.200 That's not, and that's also not natural. 00:22:09.839 --> 00:22:23.680 So once again, if someone says, I'm just naturally gifted at taking thoughts captive, liar! But it is a discipline, it's something we work at. 00:22:24.799 --> 00:22:31.759 So that means there's going to be days of success and days of failure. 00:22:32.240 --> 00:22:33.680 And that's okay. 00:22:33.920 --> 00:22:38.880 On the days of failure of taking thoughts captive, God doesn't love you less. 00:22:39.599 --> 00:22:47.680 On the days of taking thoughts captive in success, God isn't that much more willing to save you. 00:22:48.240 --> 00:22:51.279 It's a battle and it's a constant thing. 00:22:51.440 --> 00:23:00.640 And so the battle here is spirit-fueled because the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 00:23:00.880 --> 00:23:02.640 That's James, by the way. 00:23:03.119 --> 00:23:11.519 And for the purpose of demolishing arguments against the knowledge of God, every proud thing raised up against the knowledge of God. 00:23:11.680 --> 00:23:15.039 And waging war on our thoughts. 00:23:16.079 --> 00:23:18.240 Why do I say on our thoughts? 00:23:18.559 --> 00:23:23.599 You really can't wage war on other people's thoughts in a healthy way. 00:23:25.359 --> 00:23:27.119 Anybody like gaslighting? 00:23:27.599 --> 00:23:27.920 No? 00:23:28.240 --> 00:23:29.119 Brainwashing? 00:23:29.279 --> 00:23:29.599 No? 00:23:29.759 --> 00:23:30.640 Okay, good. 00:23:32.240 --> 00:23:33.279 We're safe. 00:23:33.599 --> 00:23:37.279 We're waging, we're taking captive our own thoughts. 00:23:37.839 --> 00:23:50.319 And the cool thing about that is that God is not either surprised or horrified by our thoughts, because he already knows them and he knew them before he died for us. 00:23:50.640 --> 00:23:54.000 And that's really, really cool is he's not put off by honesty in that. 00:23:54.160 --> 00:24:06.000 So, having that said, some of the antidotes to what's happening here, to the division, to the whispers, to the narrative pushing, to the Absaloms, is number one, we're going to talk to them directly. 00:24:06.160 --> 00:24:10.000 But number two, we need to be waging war in the process against what? 00:24:10.799 --> 00:24:17.200 Not what wages, not which is built up against my own agenda, but against the Lord. 00:24:17.359 --> 00:24:20.319 And then number two, taking our thoughts captive in the process. 00:24:20.480 --> 00:24:22.640 That's the war that we wage. 00:24:22.799 --> 00:24:29.039 And verse six, we are ready to punish any disobedience once your obedience is complete. 00:24:30.799 --> 00:24:34.160 So think about the parable of the wheat and the tares. 00:24:34.960 --> 00:24:36.160 So is the wheat. 00:24:36.319 --> 00:24:39.039 And then the enemy comes along and sows tares. 00:24:39.200 --> 00:24:40.559 Who does that, by the way? 00:24:40.799 --> 00:24:47.200 I don't like, you know, I can't imagine like disliking my neighbor enough to be like, I'm gonna go plant wheat in his crops. 00:24:48.079 --> 00:24:50.880 But having that said, it's a parable. 00:24:51.039 --> 00:24:53.279 And they go, hey, do you want me to go pull up the tarot? 00:24:53.599 --> 00:24:54.960 And they're like, no, you can't do that. 00:24:55.039 --> 00:24:57.200 You can't go through and pick out all the tarotes now. 00:24:57.359 --> 00:25:00.960 Wait till it comes to maturity and you can separate those out. 00:25:01.119 --> 00:25:05.759 So here, he's punishing disobedience once the obedience is complete. 00:25:05.920 --> 00:25:11.599 Once you can see that that obedience has come to maturity, you can prune out that which is cancerous. 00:25:13.119 --> 00:25:25.599 Um, fun thing, number one, we see in Acts, when Paul is talking to the elders of the Church of Ephesus, he warns them that wolves are going to come up from among them. 00:25:26.160 --> 00:25:31.039 Not from the outside, but from among themselves, from their own church. 00:25:33.519 --> 00:25:37.599 You know how you can tell what a wolf is? 00:25:38.559 --> 00:25:45.759 When they start eating the sheep, it's really hard to tell beforehand. 00:25:46.160 --> 00:25:55.599 And when you want to preemptively start shooting sheep just in case they might end up being wolves, you will find out, number one, not a healthy culture. 00:25:55.839 --> 00:25:58.880 Number two, you're gonna wonder, like, where'd all my sheep go? 00:25:59.200 --> 00:26:02.400 Be like, hey, you know, we really don't like getting shot at. 00:26:02.640 --> 00:26:13.359 So I heard somebody say everybody likes to uh talk about shooting wolves until you're called a wolf, and all of a sudden there's a big problem there. 00:26:13.519 --> 00:26:16.559 And in the same way, you can't tell that until it manifests. 00:26:16.640 --> 00:26:27.599 So Paul is dealing here with that manifesting, but it has to be dealt with once he sees this church's obedience to the gospel on display. 00:26:27.920 --> 00:26:33.359 He's not going to deal with this preemptively and go, collateral damage. 00:26:33.519 --> 00:26:34.559 It's not going to work that way. 00:26:34.720 --> 00:26:36.880 He's going to wait until it is evident. 00:26:37.039 --> 00:26:43.839 And the cool thing here, remember when I said it's a red flag when a leader is excited by confrontation? 00:26:44.079 --> 00:26:51.279 The other side, the other ditch on that road, is when a leader is passive and avoids confrontation at all costs. 00:26:51.599 --> 00:27:02.240 Paul's willing to do this, he's just not really excited about it, and he does it in a timely fashion, in the proper time and in the proper way. 00:27:02.960 --> 00:27:05.440 Handled with wisdom fueled by the Spirit. 00:27:05.759 --> 00:27:14.000 So we never want to seek out conflict, and we never want to avoid conflict. 00:27:14.160 --> 00:27:15.519 How do we do that? 00:27:16.160 --> 00:27:18.240 It involves relationship. 00:27:18.480 --> 00:27:35.440 And healthy relationship is sometimes hard, is sometimes uh messy, and it is important to always come with meekness and the gentleness of Christ that we saw in verse 1. 00:27:35.680 --> 00:27:40.319 Continuing forward, look at what is obvious. 00:27:43.200 --> 00:27:46.960 That should be the slogan of our youth ministry now. 00:27:47.680 --> 00:27:49.119 Look at what's obvious. 00:27:49.599 --> 00:27:50.799 Hey, where's that thing? 00:27:50.960 --> 00:27:51.920 Look at what's obvious. 00:27:52.079 --> 00:27:53.039 I can't find my shoes. 00:27:53.200 --> 00:27:53.920 Look at what's obvious. 00:27:54.079 --> 00:27:54.559 Okay, I'm done. 00:27:54.720 --> 00:27:58.160 So we're good. 00:27:58.319 --> 00:27:59.839 So, look at what's obvious. 00:28:00.000 --> 00:28:03.039 If anyone is confident that he belongs to Christ, let him remind himself of this. 00:28:03.200 --> 00:28:06.720 Just as he belongs to Christ, so do we. 00:28:06.960 --> 00:28:13.759 Remember when I said in 1 Corinthians 1, this church was uh infamous for having their teams of leaders. 00:28:14.400 --> 00:28:20.400 I'm on Team Paul, I'm on Team Apollos, I'm of Team Cephas, and all these different things. 00:28:20.880 --> 00:28:27.920 Paul is cutting right through that and saying, look, it's Team Jesus or not Team Jesus. 00:28:28.079 --> 00:28:31.759 And that is what actually matters here. 00:28:32.960 --> 00:28:46.000 So when you have in the Church of Corinth these super apostles, which we'll start getting to next week, who are saying, we are the right ones, and every and everyone else is wrong, and also we are healthy. 00:28:46.160 --> 00:28:48.079 Paul is teaching you the wrong way. 00:28:48.319 --> 00:28:55.920 We're not going to teach you the gospel, we're not going to teach you Jesus, we're going to teach you our thing, and we're going to look really convincing while we do it. 00:28:56.799 --> 00:29:04.319 Paul's not a, he's saying, What matters is if we are on God's side. 00:29:04.559 --> 00:29:07.680 He's not saying, you need to get on Team Paul. 00:29:08.240 --> 00:29:10.319 Team Paul is the only team. 00:29:10.880 --> 00:29:15.119 He says, Team Jesus is all that matters. 00:29:15.359 --> 00:29:16.960 Do we or do we not follow him? 00:29:17.200 --> 00:29:27.359 Do we or do we not confess faith in him and the salvation that he offers through faith in him and belief in the salvation that he offered us through the blood of his son on the cross? 00:29:27.599 --> 00:29:29.039 That's the team that matters. 00:29:31.519 --> 00:29:39.440 Verse 8, if I boast a little too much about our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for tearing you down, I will not be put to shame. 00:29:39.839 --> 00:29:44.720 Even if I'm going a little too far about our authority, I ain't gonna feel bad about it. 00:29:45.200 --> 00:29:50.480 And for what purpose is that authority the Lord gave given by who? 00:29:50.720 --> 00:29:51.599 By the Lord. 00:29:51.839 --> 00:29:54.000 And also for the purpose of building up this church. 00:29:54.160 --> 00:30:01.599 So his goal here is to build the church into a healthy thing, into a growing thing. 00:30:02.160 --> 00:30:11.920 If you have rotten timbers in your walls, do you say, huh, let's just keep going with it? 00:30:12.160 --> 00:30:13.519 It's fine, it's fine. 00:30:13.680 --> 00:30:16.480 Throw another floor on the like another whole story on the top. 00:30:18.880 --> 00:30:21.759 You can tell how deep my building understanding goes. 00:30:24.160 --> 00:30:28.240 No, you gotta tear out the rotten timbers in order to make the structure healthy. 00:30:28.480 --> 00:30:30.079 That's an aspect of that. 00:30:30.240 --> 00:30:34.319 But it has to be, you don't at the same time look at a wall and go. 00:30:35.920 --> 00:30:38.319 I bet there's something funny going on in there. 00:30:39.440 --> 00:30:41.359 I think that wall's gotta go. 00:30:42.000 --> 00:30:46.480 And be like, I think you just like your project is what you're just looking for more work. 00:30:46.640 --> 00:30:59.440 But uh with that, it's for the purpose of building up, and building up sometimes involves exposing what's rotten, but it's also for the purpose of edifying what is sound and shoring that up. 00:31:00.720 --> 00:31:06.079 Continuing forward, I don't want to seem as though I am trying to terrify you with my letters. 00:31:06.640 --> 00:31:15.039 For it said, his letters are weighty and powerful, but his physical presence is weak, and his public speaking amounts to nothing. 00:31:17.680 --> 00:31:25.680 There's a specific look on people's face when you call them on what they have whispered about you to them. 00:31:26.559 --> 00:31:27.359 Oh wow. 00:31:27.599 --> 00:31:28.880 Don't recommend that. 00:31:28.960 --> 00:31:32.880 Unless, you know, you know, that's not that's not something I don't, I'm not saying, hey, do that. 00:31:32.960 --> 00:31:47.440 I'm saying, at the same time, we see Paul saying, like, so I don't want to scare you with my letters, because I hear that my letters are nice and scary, but when I show up, what were the words you guys used? 00:31:47.759 --> 00:31:51.039 Physical presence is weak and his public speaking amounts to nothing. 00:31:51.279 --> 00:31:57.440 That's the that's the uh narrative that's being pushed all the way from Corinth to where Paul is. 00:31:58.799 --> 00:32:02.480 So here's the challenge. 00:32:02.559 --> 00:32:06.240 We talked about the the whole narrative pushing the back, the Absaloms there. 00:32:07.359 --> 00:32:11.440 What's the second challenge we see here that can happen within churches? 00:32:12.640 --> 00:32:17.440 For many, the leadership profile just doesn't match what's clear in scripture. 00:32:19.359 --> 00:32:27.759 There are very clear-cut qualifications for leading in church. 00:32:28.960 --> 00:32:30.880 Are they given to vice? 00:32:31.440 --> 00:32:34.240 Like love of money or drunkenness? 00:32:34.559 --> 00:32:36.960 Do they manage their home well? 00:32:37.200 --> 00:32:40.319 Are do they are they devoted to their spouse? 00:32:40.559 --> 00:32:42.079 Are their kids out of control? 00:32:42.400 --> 00:32:46.000 Like if they can't run their if they can't manage their house, how are they gonna manage a church? 00:32:46.319 --> 00:32:52.400 Do they have a good reputation, not only within the church, but on those on the outside of the church? 00:32:52.640 --> 00:32:54.319 So many different things with that. 00:32:54.799 --> 00:33:04.160 The challenge is that oftentimes we are very fluent in these words, and we go, yes, this is what the Bible says, I'm gonna do what I want. 00:33:04.799 --> 00:33:14.480 And here, their leadership profile has absolutely nothing to do with what we see in Scripture. 00:33:15.759 --> 00:33:18.079 His physical presence is weak. 00:33:18.559 --> 00:33:25.680 They want someone charismatic, they want someone imposing, they want someone who is marketable. 00:33:26.960 --> 00:33:34.000 Uh spoiler alert, in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1, marketability is not in the list of qualifications for a leader. 00:33:36.880 --> 00:33:38.880 I'm not saying it's a bad thing either. 00:33:38.960 --> 00:33:42.000 If somebody is charismatic, cool, go for it, that's awesome. 00:33:42.160 --> 00:33:46.640 That's you know, at the same time, I'm not saying you don't need to be suspicious of other people who are actually. 00:33:46.960 --> 00:33:49.519 But at the same time, that's not a qualification of leadership. 00:33:49.680 --> 00:33:51.519 And if public speaking amounts to nothing. 00:33:51.680 --> 00:33:56.960 Teaching is a qualification, being able to teach is actually a qualification in there. 00:33:57.119 --> 00:34:22.800 But at the same time, being an eloquent, convincing um orator and debater is just not there, and so that can be the challenge here is they're actually uh comparing Paul against something that is just not there, and so just that's the second challenge is what do we actually consider important in that? 00:34:22.880 --> 00:34:24.719 And how does that compare to scripture here? 00:34:24.960 --> 00:34:29.360 Because let's say it's true, let's say physical presence is weak and his public speaking about something. 00:34:29.519 --> 00:34:30.320 Who cares? 00:34:30.559 --> 00:34:32.400 The Lord clearly is working through him. 00:34:33.280 --> 00:34:34.719 So why would that matter? 00:34:34.960 --> 00:34:44.159 But for those, the super apostles who are clearly very charismatic, very marketable, very eloquent, they're gonna double down on their strengths and say, this is what truly matters. 00:34:44.320 --> 00:34:46.880 Paul don't got it, we got it, follow us instead. 00:34:47.199 --> 00:34:51.760 Team us! And so, what does he say in verse 11? 00:34:51.920 --> 00:34:55.440 Let a person consider this when we're what we are in our letters when we're absent. 00:34:55.599 --> 00:34:57.920 We will also be in our actions when we are present. 00:34:58.159 --> 00:35:11.039 So, once again, he's not looking for a fight, but he's also willing to speak directly with those who will not speak directly with him to cut through all of that. 00:35:11.440 --> 00:35:22.400 Verse 12, continuing forward, for we don't dare classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves, but in measuring themselves by themselves and comparing themselves to themselves, they lack understanding. 00:35:22.639 --> 00:35:26.559 All those years of reading Fox and Sox to my kids prepared me for that verse. 00:35:28.960 --> 00:35:32.559 Commend themselves, measuring themselves by themselves, comparing themselves to themselves. 00:35:32.880 --> 00:35:33.679 My goodness. 00:35:33.840 --> 00:35:36.239 When Tweedlebeetle fights, I'll Tweedlebeetle bowling. 00:35:36.639 --> 00:35:38.800 Okay, um, so sorry. 00:35:40.000 --> 00:35:41.199 Flashback, we're back. 00:35:41.440 --> 00:35:46.880 So, with that, this is issue number three. 00:35:47.119 --> 00:35:50.559 What I'm sure you've heard from me a million times, the bubble. 00:35:51.519 --> 00:35:52.719 The bubble. 00:35:54.159 --> 00:35:57.039 Especially this because this is especially prevalent in churches. 00:35:57.199 --> 00:36:04.639 We compare ourselves to ourselves by ourselves, and we have a close circle, and we are amazing, and we do everything the best. 00:36:04.800 --> 00:36:10.559 And how we do this is better and awesome, and everybody else outside of our walls does eight wrong. 00:36:12.239 --> 00:36:16.320 Now, surely that's painting with broad broad with a broad brush, with broad strokes. 00:36:16.480 --> 00:36:20.159 But here's the issue that we run into the pot roast principle. 00:36:20.239 --> 00:36:21.440 I'm sure you've heard this before. 00:36:21.599 --> 00:36:21.760 Okay. 00:36:22.320 --> 00:36:23.840 You many different ways to say this. 00:36:24.000 --> 00:36:30.000 What I've heard is you have a kid who wants to help mom with dinner making the pot roast. 00:36:30.719 --> 00:36:33.360 First thing she does is she cuts the ends off of it. 00:36:34.079 --> 00:36:36.639 Those beautiful, crispy ends. 00:36:38.159 --> 00:36:39.920 And he's like, why do you do that? 00:36:40.000 --> 00:36:41.280 Well, because that's the best way to do it. 00:36:41.360 --> 00:36:44.159 That's what you have to do in order to make it the best cooking. 00:36:44.320 --> 00:36:45.519 It cooks through all the way. 00:36:45.679 --> 00:36:46.320 You do that. 00:36:46.400 --> 00:36:47.840 This is what I learned from your mom. 00:36:48.000 --> 00:36:48.960 From me, from my mom. 00:36:49.119 --> 00:36:50.480 So the kid goes to grandma. 00:36:50.719 --> 00:36:53.679 Grandma, why do we cut the ends off of the pot rows? 00:36:54.000 --> 00:36:58.800 Well, because that's clearly the best way to do it so that it's cooked through, so that it's most juicy and delectable. 00:36:58.880 --> 00:37:01.840 You have to do it this way, or else it doesn't turn out right. 00:37:02.079 --> 00:37:04.000 That's how I learned from great-grandma. 00:37:04.480 --> 00:37:08.639 Go up to great-grandma, grandma, why are they cutting the ends off of the pot road? 00:37:08.800 --> 00:37:12.639 And I heard that it makes it the most juicy, most delectable, the best way to cook it. 00:37:12.800 --> 00:37:17.039 It cooks it through, and she's like, My pan was this big. 00:37:17.199 --> 00:37:18.960 I had to cut the ends off. 00:37:19.119 --> 00:37:20.880 That's why we've been doing it the whole way. 00:37:21.039 --> 00:37:22.559 They're still doing it that way? 00:37:22.719 --> 00:37:23.119 What do you? 00:37:23.360 --> 00:37:23.920 Yeah. 00:37:24.880 --> 00:37:44.639