Immediate Action Required : 1 Corinthians 16:13–14

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Alright, well let's grab our Bibles. First Corinthians chapter 16. Uh we uh we have uh come to the last chapter. I know we're kind of like uh we're kind of like horses, right? Riding a horse on a trail, and I'm not I'm not the horseman, so do not pretend that I'm a cowboy, but I have gone on guided trail rides before, where you know the horse is like a train just following the horse in front of it. But when it sees the corral, when it sees its home, all of a sudden it's ready to get there, right? It's ready to finish this thing out and uh wrap this uh ride up. It's probably tired of a city guy who has no idea what he's doing, riding on his back, and it's like, get me out of here. And I feel like that's what we do when we come to the end of a chapter, a study. We're in 1 Corinthians 16. We've spent months here, we have dealt with some depth here, and now the end is in sight, and it's one of those like just wrap this thing up, let's get to the next thing. And I'm not gonna do that. I'm gonna slow us down again just to stop and think about some of the jewels that we are finding in this last chapter before we just rush past them. I think they're here for a reason, and it's important for us to get them. So, 1 Corinthians 16 is where uh our attention is uh today. Now, there's something cool that's happened here today that I think I appreciate, and that is uh where our text, just a couple verses we're gonna deal with in just a moment, but our text is uh something uniquely applicable, uh something powerful uh for a certain demographic of our church. That demographic is those I would say are transitioning into a new stage of life. So I think about specifically our graduates, high school graduates. They're they're heading towards the end. They've got a week left, and it really isn't really a week of school. It's just kind of formalities and field days and sunrise, senior sunrises and senior sunsets and uh all sorts of stuff that I think are really dumb right now because I have a senior, okay? So they're just all really dumb. And I'm just like, this is pointless, just ways for me to be reminded that this is it. She's not dying, I know, but it feels like it in some ways. And uh so we have this reminder on our on our hearts and uh in our minds. And and so I just find that 1 Corinthians 16, verse 13 through 14 is uniquely powerful for those who are transitioning, especially those transitioning from, and I got to use that word lightly in our current cultural context, right? They are transitioning in grade, not in gender, because that's not a thing we do, but transitioning from senior in high school to freshman in college or some other path that they are walking down. So this transition spirit period, this uh this time of change, but listen, it's not just for those that are graduating high school or those who are changing from uh one grade to the next, it's for all of us. The apostle Paul in his in his wisdom uh really starts to give us some summarizing uh uh imperatives, some things that just bring everything tight together. He's putting some of the final finishing touches on the letter. And verses 13 through 14 are some of those. Now, what I'm reminded of when I read 1 Corinthians 16, 13 and 14 is that we as Christians do not live and exist on a playground. We live and exist on a battlefield. Those are different. And I think we all appreciate the severity of the difference between those two. Our life, following Christ on this earth, is not a playground. There's not slides and swings and all kinds of fun things like that. There is uh real threat. There is a real battle. Nowhere in the Bible do we have the Christian life likened to ease and comfort and fun. There are those things, and I don't want to be the party pooper today and just kind of put a put a damper on the spirit, but there are those things, and that's one of the graces that God gives us. But the reminder regularly in scripture and the wording that he uses is that this is real, the battle is intense, and you are in a hostile environment. So let's remember that today as we read 1 Corinthians 16, 13, and 14. Two verses. That's all we got. Pretty tight, pretty simple verses that give us five things to consider. So, verse 13 and 14, consider these with me as I read them out loud. Scriptures on the screen. If you need a Bible, we give them away because of our conviction that God's word is profitable and must and should be read by all of us. We want you to have your own copy of it. But let me read these over us. These are God's words for us today. Be watchful. Stand firm in the faith. Act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love. So be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong, and let all that you do be done in love. These are God's words that we want to understand today. Not on accident, not just filling gaps because Paul had a few more white lines that he needed to fill. Led by the Spirit, God's words for us, for this day, for that day, for all days in which Christians find themselves living in a hostile environment. So there's two verses, and over the top of these two verses, I think we've got to get this big idea this morning. Christians, those who have placed faith in Christ, those who've trusted him, those who have been born again, those who have been regenerated, Christians, must live in this hostile world with immediate and sustained action. We must live. So, graduates, as you enter into a new season, you must determine in following Christ that you are not entering into another playground, you are entering into another battlefield. And as a Christian who lives in a hostile world, you must have immediate and sustained action. Not one-day actions, not occasional actions. In fact, Chuck Swindall said Paul's commands were not merely to be memorized or written down, they were meant to be put into practice immediately and lived out continually. And so in these uh five clear, really crisp charges, he gathers together the duties which he has been unpacking or he has been establishing, and he likens it to the duties of a Christian soldier. One commentator said four of these have reference to spiritual foes and perils, while the last one sums up their duty to one another. They are an army in the field, he says. They must be alert, steadfast, courageous, strong, and in all things united. The four imperatives are directed respectively against the heedlessness, fickleness, childishness, and moral innervation of the Corinthians. So these were not just random thoughts that he's like, we should tell them these things, but they had real meaning and real bearing on the life of the Corinthians, and I would argue they have real meaning and should have real bearing on our lives today. So as a Christian who lives in a hostile world, and mark it down and do not be deceived, we are in a hostile world. This world is not friendly towards Christianity. This world and all of its philosophy does not want to live or coexist with Christianity or with Jesus Christ. They want to redefine him, strip him down of everything that he is, and form a new Jesus, and then uh attack anybody who tries to hold to any sort of uh conservative biblical view of who Christ is and what Christianity is. It's a hostile world, and in a hostile world, there are, excuse me, immediate today and continual or sustained actions that are needed in this hostile world, okay? There's five of them. I want you to see them today. Uh what are they? What are the immediate and sustained actions needed in the hostile world? So, so everybody listen in, lean in, perk up. Let's jot some notes down as God leads you to jot some notes down to remind you of these things, jot them down. Graduates, I'm especially thinking of you today. My my heart is heavy, my my mind is there because I have one, and I know the weight and the frustrations and the temptations that are on you and awaiting you. So let's think about these things for the next few minutes today. We'll do it this way: living in a hostile world. I must be, number one, I must be vigilant against danger. I must be vigilant. First two words, be watchful. Some translations may put this as be alert. It was used in a moral and a religious sphere. It was used to call for one to be on alert. So we created in America the different colors that indicate different alert levels for terror activity. This is red alert. This is be on red, constant state of readiness and vigilance. It's a military idea. It's telling us to be like the soldier who's guarding a city wall at night. Don't fall asleep. It's simple. A sleeping soldier is a dangerous soldier. Spiritually speaking, one of the greatest dangers to Christians is not open rebellion. I would dare say that you're here today, and your biggest problem, and I know I would say my biggest problem, is not necessarily open, outright, explicit rebellion against God. It is rather probably a spiritual drift into drowsiness and sleep. And here Paul is aware of that, and so he says, be watchful. The Corinthians had become spiritually careless. They tolerated sin. We studied that. They entertained worldliness, they blurred doctrinal lines, they became self-confident instead of spiritually discerning. These were things that were all true in their gathering as a church. And Paul says, Wake up, be alert, be alert. The Bible consistently teaches that. Again, the believers live in spiritual conflict. We know this. 1 Peter 5 8 pulls all of that together when he tells us this, and I'll throw that this on the screen for you. Be sober-minded, be watchful. Same word. Be awake, be alert, be watchful. Why, Paul, Peter? Why? Because your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. Paul does not say that Satan is annoying, he is uh persistent, he is distracting. He says that Satan is hunting. He's on the prowl, and like a hungry, roaring, angry lion, he's trying to come out after you. Keep your head on a swivel. One other one I think of is Acts chapter 20. I'm not gonna throw this on the screen, but just think about Paul is meeting with the leaders of Ephesus. So he's on his way back to Jerusalem. He calls the leaders of Ephesus, the church leaders of Ephesus, to meet him in a place called Miletus. And in Miletus, Paul says to them that he is warning them that after his departure, fierce wolves. So now the enemy is likened to fierce wolves. Peter likens them to a lion, but he says, fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. That is his way of saying these wolves are not coming to just hang out next to the sheep because they just enjoy the pastures that sheep like to eat in. No, he said they're coming in to devour, to eat, to destroy. And then he warns that even from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things. So Paul was aware to the church in Ephesus that from outside wolves will come in, and from within people will rise up. So think about this. Right in this very room, some of you, according to Paul's warning, will rise up, dividing the church to speak twisted things that are not doctrinally accurate and draw disciples after you. And so when Paul's talking to the leaders in church about the wolves from without and the false teachers from within, he says, Therefore, be alert. Stay awake. Keep your head on the swivel. The enemy wants to devour, the enemy wants to destroy, the enemy wants to destroy your marriage. The enemy wants to destroy your purity. The enemy wants to destroy your testimony. The enemy wants to destroy your children. The enemy wants to destroy your future. The enemy wants to destroy your joy. The enemy wants to destroy this church. The enemy wants to destroy your mind. And one of Satan's greatest strategies is spiritual complacency. I'm in the process of teaching another driver in my home how to not die behind the wheel. That's how I feel about it. It's not like I'm just teaching you to drive, I'm teaching you to avoid the crazies and not die. And uh Allison is now 15 and a half, she's driving, and I appreciate her driving because she is obnoxiously alert and careful. I caught myself saying something I didn't think I'd ever say, and that was Allie, speed up. I was like, I cannot believe I just said that, but speed up. The person behind you is gonna kill you. Let's go. Get this thing going. Those first few days, maybe even weeks, she is, they are intensely alert. Mirrors, cars, cones, you know, my love affair with those. Hands tightly gripping the wheel, eyes constantly scanning, watching the mirror. But after a while, they start driving like my other daughter, who's already an expert. She's pretty much Formula One level driver at this point. And she's in and she doesn't even care if I'm following her anymore. She's running cars off the road and she's throwing birds. No, she's not doing that, I promise. But I don't think she is. Hope not. I can't be sure anymore. But after a while, comfort sets in and they become careless. And that's what he's saying is don't let the comfort set in. Don't let comfort set in. Don't get used to the roads. Don't get used to the enemy. Don't get used to coexisting with lions and wolves. Don't get used to false teaching, always trying to rear its ugly head in your midst. Keep your head on a swivel. Stay alert. Don't get comfortable in dangerous environments. Never start thinking that this world is our home. Continually sing songs like Hymn of Heaven, where we are called again to remember that this is not where we are forever. This is not an eternal resting place. This is a hostile land that we are passing through to get to our home country. Don't begin tolerating things you once rejected. Don't stop guarding your hearts. Don't stop praying. Don't stop examining yourselves. Spiritual sleepiness is dangerous. Watch your doctrine. Students about to head off to college. Watch yourselves, protect yourselves. Head on a swivel. You are not safe. Only in dependence upon Christ and the power of his spirit are you safe. So keep your head on a swivel. Stay alert. Don't drift through the Christian life half awake. So living in a hostile world, I must be vigilant against real danger. That's number one. Number two, living in a hostile world, I must be grounded in truth. Next phrase, stand firm in the faith. Stand firm in the faith. So let's just think about that phrase for a second. The phrase the faith. I think uh it's best to understand that as referring not to just subjective faith, but to the objective body of the Christian truths. Doctrinal steadfastness is what he's talking about here. But I don't think it's just doctrinal steadfastness, because I don't think that you can ever take your doctrine and separate it from your practice. I think what you believe always informs how you behave. And so when he says stand firm in the faith, he's not just saying make sure you believe some things. I think he's saying make sure that you believe some things, and that doesn't change, and that what you believe affects how you live. Because that's what he's been doing this entire book. The Corinthians were unstable. They were an unstable church, they were a dangerous church because they were allowing worldly thinking to influence biblical truth, and that was influencing the way they acted. And that same danger exists today. We live in a culture that pressures Christians to soften truth, to round the edges, to redefine sin, to reinterpret scripture, to abandon biblical convictions, to ask things like, is Jesus really the only way? Is the Bible really to be trusted? Is truth really uh uh absolute or is it relative? Biblical Christianity does not evolve with culture. Truth does not change with public opinion. We do not do what we do because it's working, we do what we do because it's right. And he says, when you establish that reality of what you believe, your doctrine, and how it then affects your life, stand firm. Means to be constant, to persevere, to remain steadfast, to continue in a certain state, be firmly committed in conviction or belief. It's the call to stand means believers are to persevere and continue in the faith. 2 Thessalonians 2, 15 and support here. He says this. So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter. Now that's very apostolic, that's spirit-led, that's doctrine, that's Bible. That's not just man's traditions, that's the traditions of what they were referring to as the authoritative word of God. And he's saying, stand firm and hold on. Hold on. Galatians 5.1, Paul was pretty frustrated with the church in Galatia because he said that they were, they were fooled, they were bewitched, they were led into uh astray, into uh uh false belief again. He was frustrated there. And so in Galatians 5.1, he said, listen, for freedom Christ has set us free, therefore stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery. Don't go back to another way of living, stand firm, uh uh planted deep in what you believe and how you act because of those beliefs. Stand firm, stand strong, be solid. I think what John MacArthur says here is helpful. It says this Satan cannot take away saving faith, cannot take saving faith away from us. But he can and often does obscure the content of our faith, the sound doctrines of God's word. And if we do not hold fast to right interpretations of scripture, we are certain to slip into wrong thinking, wrong belief, and wrong behavior. Listen, those of you that are trans transitioning from one school to another school and you're entering into adulthood, remember that Satan cannot take your faith in Christ from you, but he can obscure the doctrines that you have been taught and hold to. And by doing that, he can bring you into a place where you slip into wrong thinking, wrong belief, and wrong behavior. So, what do we do? We put our feet firmly planted in truth. We will not move. At the height of World War II, a Protestant theologian named Dietrich Bonhoeffer was imprisoned for taking a stand against Adolf Hitler. He continued to urge his fellow believers to resist Nazi tyranny. A group of Christians came to him and believing that Hitler was actually the Antichrist. They asked Bonhoeffer, why do you expose yourself to all this danger? Jesus will return any day, and all your work and suffering will be for nothing. Dietrich Bonhoeffer replied, If Jesus returns tomorrow, then tomorrow I will rest from my labor. But today I have work to do and I must continue the struggle until it's finished. Firmly planted, standing strong on the faith in the truth. So when culture mocks truth, when professors try to attack the foundation of truth, when you are mocked for standing up for truth, when you are ridiculed or cut off, or even isolated because of your stance and conviction for truth, when obedience is costly, when biblical conviction becomes unpopular, when compromise seems the easier route, stand firm. That's Paul's point. That's Paul's point. So living in a hostile world, I must live vigilant against danger. That is, be watchful. I must be grounded in truth. That's standing firm in the faith. And number three, living in a hostile world, I must be courageous in conduct. Next phrase act like men. Act like men. Act. The word's there. It implies do the things, perform, or work in such a way. It's an action in a valiant and courageous way, would be the understanding. Be brave. Conduct oneself in a courageous way. Behave with the wisdom and courage of a man as opposed to a babe. So this isn't woman or men. He's not telling you to not be a woman, be a man. He's telling you stop being a child, be a man. Phrase is not about masculinity, it's it's a call to courage and maturity. The idea is, excuse me, play the man. Shorthand. It's a phrase used not just here, but other Greek uh writings where it implies grow up. Stop acting like little children in your fear and timidity. My mind immediately goes to childhood dares. Right? I bet you won't jump off the roof into the pool. I only use that because I actually dared people to do that after I did it because I was crazy, but I bet you won't do that. I bet you won't jump off that that rock into the water. I dare you. I dare you, I double dog dare you. No, I quadruple dog dare you. Like you have to do it at that point, right? Like if you're gonna, if you're gonna die, you still have to do it, or you lose all courage points. And when they would get up there and they would be timid, what would we say? We would say, stop being a baby. Act like a man, grow up. Right? That's what we're saying. Find some courage. I don't think Paul's using it in a way that's mocking that way. I do think he's using it in a way, though, that is calling on them to mature, to be courageous like mature men, as opposed to little children. The Corinthians had been acting like spiritual children. Paul calls that out multiple times. They were selfish, they were whiny, they were divisive, they were they were pushing their own agenda, they were emotionally driven, they were immature, they were afraid to stand against the culture. And Paul had called this out several times already. In 1 Corinthians chapter 3, verses 1 and 2, he's like, listen, I couldn't address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I would love to talk to you like mature people, but I can't talk to you like mature people. I have to talk to you like you're infants. I fed you with milk, not solid food. He's playing on that illustration. I still had to nurse you, I couldn't give you meat, for you were not ready for it. And even now you're not yet ready for it. And then in chapter 14, he tells them in verse 20 do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature. It's the same idea. Act like men, have courage like men, be strong. So immaturity runs from responsibility, but maturity embraces it. Immaturity seeks comfort in only that which is the ease. Maturity pursues obedience. Immaturity complains, maturity endures. And that's the call that he's giving them today is grow up. Stop thinking like a child. When you become a man, put off childish thinking, put off childish ways, put off childish temptations. Let's grow up and be courageous and strong in the midst of a culture who's trying to attack you in Corinthian, in Corinth. I think Chuck Swindall said it best. Let me show you what he says here. He says they needed to set aside their fussiness, whining and complaining, and instead progress towards maturity in Christ. But they had failed to shed their dependence on the blankies, bottles, and binkies that had soothed them in their baby Christian days. These props of comfort were closely connected to the secular world around them. How easy it was for them to slip back into the secular crib of their infancy rather than learn to walk on their own two feet by the grace of God and through the power of the Spirit. So grow up. That's it. That's what he's saying. Grow up. I'll say that with as much kindness and pastoral angst as I can. Let's grow up. Take responsibility for your walk with Christ. Pursue holiness seriously. Stop depending on spiritual crutches or blankies, binkies, and bottles. Stop depending on spiritual crutches in that way. Stop being unwilling to endure difficult situations, but endure faithfully. Obey courageously. Listen, your parents' faith may have been a good example set for you, but it will not be enough to sustain you in this next season of life. One of the most important diets that produces growth for any Christian is God's word. 1 Peter 2, 2 tells us to be like newborn infants who long for the spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation. And I believe that's a reference to the truths of God's word. 2 Timothy 3, 16 and 17, common verses, known verses, that scripture is breathed out by God. That means it's inspired, it's breathed out by God, and it is profitable that the man of God, that the Christian may be complete, equipped for every good work. What does that mean? It means that the Bible is sufficient to grow you and mature you so that you can be courageous and strong like a man. And I don't mean that in the in the in the gender way. I'm talking about in the mature way. That's what he's getting at here. So please think about, just do some analyzing. Am I am I mature? Am I still needing the infant level of uh of crutches and comfort things? Am I still needing my binky to soothe me through this? Or am I ready to graduate to the next thing and to maturity? And I would just say that if you uh want to grow, then there has to be some rhythms of growth that you set in place in your life. Disciplines, like reading God's word, pursuing Him. So we're in a hostile world. It's not a place for children. Playgrounds are, but we're not on that. We're we're in a battlefield. So I must be vigilant against danger. Head on a swivel, not sleeping spiritually, not unalert, because there's an enemy that's trying to come from without, and there is division coming from within. And I must be grounded in truth. My firm must be planted. I gotta put the spikes of the gospel on, and I gotta plant my feet strong in the faith, and I must be courageous in conduct as a mature person, not as a timid child. And then number four, living in a hostile world, I must be strengthened by God. Here he says those words, be strong. Closely connected, I think, to act like men, but there's nuance. So in this word, strength, he refers to might, um strength that is manifested, power, uh, increased vigor, to be uh to strengthen with the implied meaning of to be established, to grow strong, to be made strong, to be braced, to be invigorated, to be fortified, to be fortified. That's a good word. To fortify, to shore up. Think about uh Gulf Coast states bracing for a hurricane, uh Category 5 hurricane. They're shore things up, they're putting wood over the windows, they're they're looking for weak spots in their structures so that they can fortify it. They're building up the fortifications, they are bracing and strengthening for an attack of wind. That's the idea here. And I know that that comes in different ways to different people, and some of you might be feeling too weak, too overwhelmed for me to stand up here and say, just be strong. You might be thinking, I can't do anymore, I don't have any more strength, my margin is gone, my my strength is fading, my energy level is low. I have no ability in this world, in all of its hostility and all of its pressure and all of its frustrations, I have no ability to deal with what it is. And here's the good news all over the New Testament, including this verse, the idea of being strong is in the passive voice. Now that may mean little to you, but it's gonna be good in a second when I explain it. This indicates that strengthening comes not from within a person, but from an outside source. Be strengthened is the idea. Don't strengthen yourself, but be strengthened. Allow the strengthening power that is available to you to do its work in strengthening you or fortifying you or making you capable of dealing with the things that are pressuring you in this hostile world. So let's go somewhere to see this played out for us in Ephesians. A couple chapters to the right. Ephesians chapter 3. Turn there. Let's go there. Ephesians 3. Ephesians 3. Just a pretty simple turn, pretty simple uh field trip for a second to Ephesians 3. Let's read what Paul says. This is his prayer. Paul's praying for the church in Ephesus. This is a regular theme of Paul. My prayer for you is that you would be strengthened, not that you would get stronger, but that you would be strengthened. In Ephesians chapter 3, Paul tells us his prayer in verse 14. He says, For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father. That's a way of saying, I'm praying for you. I pray for you, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, Lordship and Majesty of Jesus, that according to the riches of glory, relative to the amount of glory that he possesses, that he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his spirit in your inner being, so that he, in his spirit in you, relative to the amount of power that he has to provide you with, which, by the way, is unlimited, that you would be strengthened in the inner man, so that Christ, verse 17, may dwell in your hearts through faith, that you being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength through the power of the Spirit, relative to the amount of power that he possesses, which is unlimited, that you may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and the length and the height and the depth, to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God, that you may have strength to be filled with the knowledge of God and the fullness of knowledge of him, that you may have the strength to know what it is that he has made available to you. And you're like, okay, well, how much strength does he have? Well, verse 20 speaks to it. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us. To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. So according to, relative to the riches of the glory that he would grant to you to be strengthened. That's verse 16. See it again on the screen. That according to the riches of his glory, he may grant to you to be strengthened, to be strengthened, not to get strong, but to be strengthened with power through his spirit. In Ephesians 6:10, Paul finishes up the letter by saying, Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. When I was a teenager, all I ever wanted to do was grow. Grow strong and tall. That's all I ever wanted to do. I didn't want much else. I didn't have a lot of wishes for Christmas. I didn't have a lot of presents I wanted. All I wanted was, I want to be strong and I want to be tall. Because tall, I figured tall is strong, and that was gonna go hand in hand. That's all I wanted. I did everything I could do. I did everything I could do, which wasn't very much, but I thought it was. I I did the Brady Bunch thing. Remember that guy that was short and he hung on the swing set. Remember that? Those of you who know who the Brady Bunch are. Those of those of us, those of you don't, great, no problem, just be strong. But I wasn't growing taller. And I wasn't growing taller for one key reason. It wasn't in my genetics. It wasn't possible in myself to make myself grow beyond what my genetics limits were set. And you know, I've often brought that same mindset into my spiritual life. I've tried so hard to be stronger. I've tried so hard to white knuckle this thing. I've tried so hard to just be more mighty. Just get yourself together, Andrew. You've got this in you. However, it is just isn't in my fallen nature. I need an outside source to make me strong enough to deal with this life. And that outside source is the power of God through his spirit in you. One man said it this way: the strength to obey the Lord is not connected to an Olympian physique. Hear that again. The strength to obey the Lord is not connected to an Olympian physique. It comes by the power of God to the inner person. The unseen character, attitudes, affections, and passions that drive us toward the good and away from the bad. Our responsibility is to take on the world's challenges with strength, but we must do so knowing that our strength comes from the Lord, not from ourselves. One of the key elements to Christianity is to remember that this whole thing is not about you getting stronger in yourself, it is living more in dependence upon the strength and power that He provides. Philippians 2 13 says it this way: it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. That means that it is God who provides the desire and the power to live for the glory of God. So here's what I would say is that stop saying the lie to yourself that God will never give you something more than you can carry. He absolutely will give you more than you can carry. He absolutely does give you more than you can carry. The difference is not that he doesn't give you more than you can carry, is that he gives you more than you can carry, and then he supplies you with the strength to be able to carry it. So Philip Brooks said, do not pray for easy lives. Pray for stronger men. Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers through him equal to your tasks. Then the doing of your work shall be no miracle, but you shall be a miracle, because you have been equipped by the power of God to live up to the task that He is calling you into. So depend on God through prayer, through Scripture, through obedience, through communion with Christ, through reliance on the Spirit, depend on the strength that He provides. And listen, those of you jumping from high school into a new uh path, a new school, a new college, a new journey, listen, understand that you are not strong enough to deal with the enemy and the pressures and the weights that await you in that next chapter. You are not strong enough. You are not white-knuckling enough. You did not get enough from your parents, you did not get enough from your pastors, you did not get enough from your church to make you capable of handling the things that come your way, but you did get enough when the Spirit of God indwelt you, and according to the riches of the glory of his power, he is able to give you the power to sustain you through the trials and frustrations that lie ahead of you. So remember that. So living in a hostile world, I must be vigilant against danger. I must be grounded in truth. They're on the screen. They will be on the screen. I must be courageous in conduct, I must be strengthened by God. And then lastly, one more thing that he summarizes for us here in the last one, it's in verse 14. I must be marked by love. Let all you do be done in love. Now, here's what he's not doing here. Just understand this. Paul is not adding a fifth disconnected command. He's actually defining something for us. He's defining the atmosphere in which all the other commands must operate. Here's how we know that, because of the nerding out tenses of these things that I have. It's in a present imperative middle voice. So we understand that to mean that he is calling for the keeping of all four commands in verse 13 and everything else you do to be done in an atmosphere of love. It's an ingredient that was in short supply in Corinth. That's why Paul touched on it so much. This was a nail that he just kept coming back to with his hammer and hitting it again. So this is one last reminder. This is one last call to everything that he said in 1 Corinthians 13. Let that be the atmosphere in which you live and exist. Again, notice it's not, it's worth noting that he didn't say with love. He said, Do it in love. That's why we know it's in this atmosphere. If he had said do everything with love, it would have just been one of the fifth commands of the list that he gives. But in is a locative sphere, meaning that it's picturing love as the atmosphere in which these things thrive. So again, love must be the atmosphere. So think about the culture. Think about the feel of your life, that everything you do exists in this realm of love. It's saturated with love, it's it's coated with love. If you ever had a dust problem or a smoke problem, you know that that thing lands on that stuff lands on everything. There's nothing that is immune to the settling of dust or the influence of smoke in your home. And he's saying, Let love be like that. Let it saturate, permeate every area of your life. And he defines that for us already in 1 Corinthians 13. And so let me warn you, you should not make up the definition of what love is. Scripture does. Scripture declares what it is, and it is modeled perfectly by Jesus Christ. And love is a common theme that he goes back to, reminding us again that love is not the result of us just determining to love more, it is the result of the power of the Spirit of God in us. Because in Galatians 5 22, he tells us that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, fruitfulness. It's a fruit of the Spirit. So the Spirit empowers the love that he's calling us to have. So where there's a lack of love, you are showing a lack of knowledge of God because those who know God show that through their love. In fact, one of the evidences that a person may not know God is that there's not genuine, authentic love that saturates their life. And Paul wanted the church in Corinth and he wants the church in Las Vegas to make sure that the atmosphere of their church life together was love, which implies leaning into community, not isolating from it. So let's think about that as you journey into this next chapter of life. Students into college and your career, don't lean away from the community that God establishes around you where you are, but lean into it and let love be the thing that defines you as a follower of Jesus Christ. John MacArthur, I think, said, well, I'll give you one more quote, we'll summarize this up. But I love how he puts this. He said, love complements and balances everything else. It is the beautiful, softening principle. It keeps our firmness from becoming hardness and our strength from becoming domineering. It keeps our maturity gentle and considerate, and it keeps our right doctrine from becoming obstinate dogmatism and our right living from becoming smug self-righteousness. See, all of the other things could become dangerous without the atmosphere of love. But those things in the atmosphere of love make the Christian living in a hostile world the way that God has called us to live. So, church family, these are not optional qualities for the elite Christians. This isn't special services or elite forces. These are essential marks of faithful believers living in a hostile world. We must remain vigilant against danger. We must stay grounded in truth. Today, we must immediately and persistently live courageously in the face of opposition. We must depend on God's strength and we must be marked by love. Now, maybe this morning, as we've walked through these commands, you realize something. You haven't been very spiritually watchful, you have not been standing firm, you have not been spiritually mature, you have not been spiritually strong through his spirit, and your life is not marked by genuine biblical love. Here's the reality: the truth is that left to ourselves, none of us naturally live this way. These commands ultimately expose one of our greatest truths today, and that is our desperate need for Jesus Christ. Because Jesus fulfilled these perfectly. And on the cross, Jesus bore the judgment our sin deserved. He died in the place of us sinners. He rose again victoriously from the grave, and now he calls all people everywhere to repent and believe the gospel. So you don't become these things and right with God and living for a Christian as a Christian in a hostile world by trying harder. You are saved and live as a Christian by turning from your sin and trusting fully in Jesus Christ alone. Maybe you've attended church for years, maybe you know the Christian language, maybe you have those verses memorized, maybe you have a pretty good moral behavior lifestyle. But if you've never surrendered your life to Jesus Christ in faith, today you need to come to Him. Repent and trust Christ as your Savior. And then watchfulness and courage and grounded in truth and love will mark your life. Apart from that, these are legalistic lists of things to do that make you feel better about your life, hoping that God loves you at the end. But with Christ, these things are realities that ooze from your existence here on earth in this hostile world. So run to Christ, trust Christ, stand in Christ, and live courageously for Christ. Amen? All right. Three quick truths to life. Let me give them to you quickly. One, ask yourself this question. I in or out of this hostile world. Am I in or am I out? Are you in or out? To be not with Christ means to be of the world. And if you're not with Christ, you are in a system of hostility towards God and towards Christ. And so if you say, Well, I'm out, I'm not with Christ, or I'm out, I'm not with this hostile world, then that would imply that you've placed faith in Christ and you've been transformed from this realm in this world to a position in Christ. And if you are in this hostile world, meaning that you are aligned with that because you've rejected Christ, then you are on the wrong side of the victory at the end. Come to Christ. That's the question. Number two, who encourages me in these immediate and sustained actions? Who am I surrounding myself that is encouraging me in these immediate and sustained actions? Who am I listening to? Who am I allowing to influence me? What's my social media doing to encourage me in these things? What's the music I'm listening to that's encouraging me in these things? What's my community doing that's encouraging me in these things? Who encourages me in these immediate and sustained actions? And number three, how am I reaching this hostile world I live in? We're not called just to persevere in this hostile world. We are called to take over this hostile world with the gospel, to turn the world upside down. So the question is, how are you capitalizing or utilizing the opportunities that you have been given in your workplace and at your gym and in your community to leverage the gospel for the transformation of people who live in this hostile world? Christians must live in this hostile world with immediate and sustained action. Let's pray together before we turn our attention to the communion, bread and the cup. Well, Father, thank you for these simple verses like this that just cause us to stop and think, what's really being said here? What's really happening in these verses that we we need to pay attention to because they were put in your word. They were preserved for our good. What is it? So I pray that rather than looking at these truths and think those are those are simple, may we look at these truths and think, I need to shore up some of those. So help us to be alert. Father, help us to be grounded. Help us to be mature and courageous. Help us to be dependent on the strength you provide and help all of those exist and thrive in the atmosphere of love. And where a person in this room may see those as a list that they can add to other lists in a hope that they will make themselves lovable by you, I pray that they would see this isn't a list for things to get us to God. These are a list of things that the Spirit of God produces in us when we live dependent on Him. And may they come to faith in Jesus Christ who died for their sins. See that today as the call for their lives. Love you. Thank you for this time we have together to study your word. Now we turn our attention to the bread in the cup to remind us of the perfect example of every one of these things in Jesus Christ. I pray that we would be reminded, that we would remember well and honor you as we take of the Lord's Supper, as we take of this communion time together. Thank you for it. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.