WEBVTT 00:00:01.390 --> 00:00:03.990 Hello, you are listening to Second City Sermons, 00:00:04.370 --> 00:00:07.110 a ministry of Second City Church in midtown Harrisburg. 00:00:07.769 --> 00:00:09.390 This fall, we're studying the book of Second 00:00:09.390 --> 00:00:12.429 Corinthians. Second Corinthians is a heartfelt 00:00:12.429 --> 00:00:15.330 and practical book calling us back to the life 00:00:15.330 --> 00:00:18.870 of the cross. We, like the Corinthians, so often 00:00:18.870 --> 00:00:22.350 pursue glory, admire eloquence, shun suffering, 00:00:22.670 --> 00:00:26.230 hide hurt, and hoard our goods. And yet the gospel 00:00:26.230 --> 00:00:29.230 of Jesus tells us that resurrection comes after 00:00:29.230 --> 00:00:33.149 a cross. that comfort comes after being crushed, 00:00:33.810 --> 00:00:36.090 that the way up is the way down, that the way 00:00:36.090 --> 00:00:39.210 to glory is through suffering, that his strength 00:00:39.210 --> 00:00:44.130 is made perfect in our weakness. We'd love to 00:00:44.130 --> 00:00:46.070 meet you and we hope you'll consider coming and 00:00:46.070 --> 00:00:48.390 joining with us each Sunday morning at 10 a .m. 00:00:48.409 --> 00:00:50.950 in the heart of Midtown Harrisburg. You can find 00:00:50.950 --> 00:00:53.869 us online at secondcitychurch .org and on Facebook, 00:00:54.149 --> 00:00:57.109 Instagram, and YouTube. We hope you enjoy this 00:00:57.109 --> 00:01:02.310 sermon. God bless. Please pray with me. O Lord 00:01:02.310 --> 00:01:06.150 God, you are good. Your mercy endures forever. 00:01:06.250 --> 00:01:08.569 We thank you, O Lord, for coming to us in such 00:01:08.569 --> 00:01:13.430 kind ways through your preached word, through 00:01:13.430 --> 00:01:16.549 the sacraments. We ask that you would enrich 00:01:16.549 --> 00:01:20.769 us, help us to know and to love and to treasure 00:01:20.769 --> 00:01:23.730 you better for our time together this morning. 00:01:23.810 --> 00:01:34.019 We pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen. I 00:01:34.019 --> 00:01:37.939 want to begin our discussion of the Apostle Paul's 00:01:37.939 --> 00:01:42.579 letter to the Corinthians with a quote from Harrisburg 00:01:42.579 --> 00:01:46.400 native and former Philadelphia Eagle, Lashon 00:01:46.400 --> 00:01:53.500 McCoy, who apparently attended the Seventh Day 00:01:53.500 --> 00:01:58.140 Adventist School on Her Street until he was in 00:01:58.140 --> 00:02:00.079 eighth grade, and that's like a block from my 00:02:00.079 --> 00:02:04.170 house, so we're practically neighbors. Anyway, 00:02:04.489 --> 00:02:06.609 Shady McCoy is one of the more beloved running 00:02:06.609 --> 00:02:10.669 backs in Eagles history, but in 2015 he was traded 00:02:10.669 --> 00:02:14.770 away from the team by recently hired coach Chip 00:02:14.770 --> 00:02:17.849 Kelly. As a Sports Illustrated article put it, 00:02:18.030 --> 00:02:21.090 this was a major part of, quote, the coach exerting 00:02:21.090 --> 00:02:25.189 his control of or putting his stamp on the roster. 00:02:25.889 --> 00:02:29.870 So Kelly, the coach, wanted to remake the Eagles 00:02:29.870 --> 00:02:37.090 in his own image and McCoy became sort of a casualty 00:02:37.090 --> 00:02:39.590 of that situation. One of the more interesting 00:02:39.590 --> 00:02:43.569 parts of this whole story is Kelly's feud with 00:02:43.569 --> 00:02:47.710 Howie Roseman, the then and current general manager. 00:02:48.370 --> 00:02:51.289 So Kelly was not able to outright fire Roseman 00:02:51.289 --> 00:02:53.650 because the owner, Jeffrey Lurrie, liked the 00:02:53.650 --> 00:02:58.210 guy a lot. But he did have Roseman's desk removed 00:02:58.210 --> 00:03:02.030 from the building. He put him with the marketing 00:03:02.030 --> 00:03:06.729 team He banned so Roseman the general manager 00:03:06.729 --> 00:03:08.870 that's the guy who officially declares who's 00:03:08.870 --> 00:03:11.069 on the team and who isn't he banned that man 00:03:11.069 --> 00:03:16.169 from Eagles practices In an interview later McCoy 00:03:16.169 --> 00:03:19.289 Claimed that his own trade and Roseman being 00:03:19.289 --> 00:03:21.310 shut out from all -player interactions was because 00:03:21.310 --> 00:03:25.629 quote this dude ie Chip Kelly wanted power so 00:03:25.629 --> 00:03:28.849 bad He was willing to do whatever he needed to 00:03:28.849 --> 00:03:32.879 get it The happy ending to this story is that 00:03:32.879 --> 00:03:36.159 Kelly was fired shortly afterwards. My neighbor 00:03:36.159 --> 00:03:41.360 Shady retired with the Eagles and Roseman has 00:03:41.360 --> 00:03:44.840 two Super Bowl rings and counting. Go birds. 00:03:46.460 --> 00:03:49.039 I bring this up not because any of the characters 00:03:49.039 --> 00:03:51.520 that I've mentioned are noted Bible experts. 00:03:52.150 --> 00:03:55.289 but instead to show that the type of conflict 00:03:55.289 --> 00:03:58.430 that Paul is talking about here in the 10th chapter 00:03:58.430 --> 00:04:01.310 of his letter has not gone from the earth. It 00:04:01.310 --> 00:04:04.270 is not unbelievable. It happens all the time 00:04:04.270 --> 00:04:07.689 publicly in high places, and I suspect it happens 00:04:07.689 --> 00:04:12.289 secretly in our own hearts as well. So, let's 00:04:12.289 --> 00:04:14.789 think about the broad context of the book. We've 00:04:14.789 --> 00:04:18.519 been through the bulk of 2 Corinthians now. Well, 00:04:18.540 --> 00:04:21.360 in chapter 10, there's sort of a discernible 00:04:21.360 --> 00:04:25.480 change in tone. The apostle becomes very tense, 00:04:25.740 --> 00:04:28.839 as it were, specifically about his apostolic 00:04:28.839 --> 00:04:33.220 authority. You can see this in most of the beginning 00:04:33.220 --> 00:04:40.399 of that chapter. which people in Corinth apparently 00:04:40.399 --> 00:04:42.699 had been challenging while Paul has been away. 00:04:42.800 --> 00:04:45.699 This changed tone continues on through the end 00:04:45.699 --> 00:04:48.220 of the letter and it's such a marked change that 00:04:48.220 --> 00:04:50.620 some scholars suggest that chapters 10 through 00:04:50.620 --> 00:04:53.899 13 are actually a different letter and it sort 00:04:53.899 --> 00:04:57.519 of got added to the end of this other letter 00:04:57.519 --> 00:04:59.560 almost by accident like an appendix or something. 00:05:00.860 --> 00:05:04.220 I don't see any compelling reason to adopt this 00:05:04.220 --> 00:05:07.550 theory. letter writers are allowed to change 00:05:07.550 --> 00:05:09.610 tone when they want to and actually I think it 00:05:09.610 --> 00:05:11.610 makes a lot of sense that Paul would have this 00:05:11.610 --> 00:05:14.029 sort of kindly pastoral tone while he's asking 00:05:14.029 --> 00:05:17.629 for money as he does in chapters eight and nine 00:05:17.629 --> 00:05:20.689 and Then gets a little bit fiercer as he deals 00:05:20.689 --> 00:05:22.569 with the other stuff on the docket as it were 00:05:22.569 --> 00:05:25.529 So in any case here in chapter 10 Paul shows 00:05:25.529 --> 00:05:29.180 that he's ready to do battle New Testament scholar 00:05:29.180 --> 00:05:32.180 David Alan Black says that Paul's, quote, change 00:05:32.180 --> 00:05:35.540 in tone came because he was speaking to a still 00:05:35.540 --> 00:05:39.660 rebellious group in church. And what seems like 00:05:39.660 --> 00:05:41.800 happened is that between the writing of 1st and 00:05:41.800 --> 00:05:45.199 2nd Corinthians, a new group of people had moved 00:05:45.199 --> 00:05:47.740 into the church in Corinth, which is the church 00:05:47.740 --> 00:05:50.180 Paul had founded. We can read about this in Acts 00:05:50.180 --> 00:05:54.639 18. And this new group has been trying to discredit 00:05:54.639 --> 00:05:59.839 Paul so as to gain more influence on the church's 00:05:59.839 --> 00:06:05.399 movements and life, social life apparently together 00:06:05.399 --> 00:06:09.120 as distinct from Paul. We don't know anything 00:06:09.120 --> 00:06:11.620 about these guys except what Paul writes about 00:06:11.620 --> 00:06:15.040 them, but scholars generally agree based on internal 00:06:15.040 --> 00:06:18.620 evidence, they are people with a Jewish background. 00:06:19.040 --> 00:06:22.560 who have at least some Greek education. That 00:06:22.560 --> 00:06:25.920 is, they are people very like Paul himself. And 00:06:25.920 --> 00:06:28.420 perhaps because they're like Paul in their education 00:06:28.420 --> 00:06:30.779 and their background, they feel confident they 00:06:30.779 --> 00:06:36.860 can beat Paul at his own rhetorical games. So 00:06:36.860 --> 00:06:39.579 the way Paul goes about arguing against this 00:06:39.579 --> 00:06:43.279 renegade group here in chapter 10 is pretty remarkable. 00:06:43.879 --> 00:06:46.670 There's so much here. And there's so many different 00:06:46.670 --> 00:06:48.670 topics that are fascinating that I feel like 00:06:48.670 --> 00:06:50.550 there's no way to do justice to all the different 00:06:50.550 --> 00:06:53.029 things Paul is saying. Looking at this chapter, 00:06:53.329 --> 00:06:57.069 I feel the same way as when I go to Aldi's and 00:06:57.069 --> 00:06:59.970 presumptuously, again, having never learned from 00:06:59.970 --> 00:07:02.290 my mistakes, I think, I don't need a cart, I'm 00:07:02.290 --> 00:07:04.189 just getting a few things. And by the time I 00:07:04.189 --> 00:07:07.350 get to the end, I'm like balancing things on 00:07:07.350 --> 00:07:09.209 the things that I'm balancing in my elbows and 00:07:09.209 --> 00:07:11.329 trying to hold them with my chin. There's just 00:07:11.329 --> 00:07:14.279 a lot of stuff in here. Look at this list of 00:07:14.279 --> 00:07:17.519 topics. Paul brings up spiritual warfare and 00:07:17.519 --> 00:07:20.160 taking every thought captive to Christ. That's 00:07:20.160 --> 00:07:22.519 verses two through five. There's proper church 00:07:22.519 --> 00:07:26.300 authority in verses six through 11, not comparing 00:07:26.300 --> 00:07:30.199 oneself with others in verse 12, and then staying 00:07:30.199 --> 00:07:33.980 within one's proper limits in verses 13 through 00:07:33.980 --> 00:07:37.540 18. It's chapters jam -packed with really interesting 00:07:37.540 --> 00:07:41.629 material. A good preacher Not me necessarily 00:07:41.629 --> 00:07:43.790 but a good preacher could give you a full sermon 00:07:43.790 --> 00:07:47.569 on each one of the sub topics. Books have been 00:07:47.569 --> 00:07:51.509 written on them but. Paul doesn't present these 00:07:51.509 --> 00:07:54.870 different topics as separate items they're all 00:07:54.870 --> 00:07:58.629 part of his one argument so our task today is 00:07:58.629 --> 00:08:02.170 going to be to try. to make sense of all of these 00:08:02.170 --> 00:08:04.649 different strong flavors of topics and not get 00:08:04.649 --> 00:08:07.269 distracted into just dealing with one of them, 00:08:07.490 --> 00:08:09.670 but instead to try to see how they all fit into 00:08:09.670 --> 00:08:12.350 Paul's purpose together and what we can learn 00:08:12.350 --> 00:08:15.810 from that practically. Okay, but before I'm strong 00:08:15.810 --> 00:08:18.449 and disciplined in this exegetical way, I want 00:08:18.449 --> 00:08:20.569 to take a moment and read this great quote from 00:08:20.569 --> 00:08:22.949 the very funny and very profound Anne Lamont. 00:08:23.560 --> 00:08:26.379 And it corresponds to verse 12 in here. She says, 00:08:26.920 --> 00:08:29.839 don't compare your insides to other people's 00:08:29.839 --> 00:08:32.559 outsides. It'll just make you worse than you 00:08:32.559 --> 00:08:36.700 already are. And I think that's just very needed 00:08:36.700 --> 00:08:40.539 wisdom for us in this world. I love the language 00:08:40.539 --> 00:08:43.000 of the King James here in verse 12. It says, 00:08:43.460 --> 00:08:46.139 comparing themselves among themselves, they are 00:08:46.139 --> 00:08:49.919 not wise. So this is just a minor point of application 00:08:49.919 --> 00:08:51.980 for us all before we dive into the argument. 00:08:52.399 --> 00:08:57.440 Friend, be wise. Don't compare your internal 00:08:57.440 --> 00:09:00.419 lived experience with what you must feel like 00:09:00.419 --> 00:09:03.399 it's like to be somebody else who you admire 00:09:03.399 --> 00:09:06.519 or envy. That's a good way to make yourself crazy. 00:09:07.759 --> 00:09:10.519 Diversion over. So back to history. Paul had 00:09:10.519 --> 00:09:12.820 once had a good relationship with the Corinthians 00:09:12.820 --> 00:09:15.220 and then there was this rough relational period. 00:09:15.580 --> 00:09:18.639 He has rejoiced back in chapter seven that this 00:09:18.639 --> 00:09:21.190 relationship seems to have been renewed. And 00:09:21.190 --> 00:09:23.210 now that the relationship is renewed, he's going 00:09:23.210 --> 00:09:25.769 to address the people who have been making life 00:09:25.769 --> 00:09:31.470 difficult for him in the Corinthian church. So 00:09:31.470 --> 00:09:33.950 what we will hear when we get to chapter 11 is 00:09:33.950 --> 00:09:36.450 that these guys are either calling themselves 00:09:36.450 --> 00:09:41.570 or just behaving as super apostles. So Paul's 00:09:41.570 --> 00:09:44.070 an apostle, but these guys are super apostles. 00:09:44.110 --> 00:09:46.509 That at least is what Paul uses as a derisive 00:09:46.509 --> 00:09:51.210 term against them. And all of the individual 00:09:51.210 --> 00:09:53.009 sections of this argument here in chapter 10 00:09:53.009 --> 00:09:57.409 must be responses to their claims about his behavior. 00:09:58.350 --> 00:10:01.350 So, for instance, if Paul says he doesn't dare 00:10:01.350 --> 00:10:04.029 to classify himself or compare himself with some 00:10:04.029 --> 00:10:05.710 of those who are commending themselves, verse 00:10:05.710 --> 00:10:08.789 12, it must mean that these guys, these other 00:10:08.789 --> 00:10:12.289 guys, are making lots of comparisons in order 00:10:12.289 --> 00:10:17.120 to tear Paul down and also commending themselves 00:10:17.120 --> 00:10:22.960 to show off how great they are. So what I want 00:10:22.960 --> 00:10:26.279 to say today, my thesis this morning is based 00:10:26.279 --> 00:10:30.639 on Paul's broad argument. So Paul shows us in 00:10:30.639 --> 00:10:34.279 this passage how a person who identifies with 00:10:34.279 --> 00:10:37.820 Christ can handle conflict. And my sub points 00:10:37.820 --> 00:10:42.779 today are really simple. When we experience interpersonal 00:10:42.779 --> 00:10:46.179 conflict, and we will, that is strained between 00:10:46.179 --> 00:10:49.919 ourselves and other people, we want to, point 00:10:49.919 --> 00:10:54.340 one, not behave according to the flesh, as Paul 00:10:54.340 --> 00:10:57.379 says in verse 3, but instead, point two, we want 00:10:57.379 --> 00:11:00.399 to behave in a counter -cultural way, like Paul 00:11:00.399 --> 00:11:03.139 himself, and then we want to behave in that way. 00:11:03.139 --> 00:11:05.539 Why? Because, point three, it will be better 00:11:05.539 --> 00:11:10.779 for us in the church if we do so. So, Point one, 00:11:11.299 --> 00:11:16.519 don't behave like the bad guys. That's obvious. 00:11:17.200 --> 00:11:21.399 It's also way too simple. I think that unless 00:11:21.399 --> 00:11:24.639 we're willing to sympathize with Paul's opponents 00:11:24.639 --> 00:11:26.700 a little bit here, we're gonna miss the strength 00:11:26.700 --> 00:11:29.580 of what Paul is saying and perhaps how it's going 00:11:29.580 --> 00:11:31.799 to be painfully applicable in our own lives. 00:11:32.399 --> 00:11:37.059 So while these mysterious bad guys Are in fact 00:11:37.059 --> 00:11:39.679 the bad guys we want to be team Paul on this 00:11:39.679 --> 00:11:42.799 one right consider this did they think they were 00:11:42.799 --> 00:11:46.759 the bad guys. Obviously not right it's almost 00:11:46.759 --> 00:11:50.899 a psychological impossibility right. Consider 00:11:50.899 --> 00:11:53.779 these are guys with a jewish background who have 00:11:53.779 --> 00:11:58.139 some greek education what purpose would there 00:11:58.139 --> 00:12:01.960 be in faking christianity. They don't have a 00:12:01.960 --> 00:12:05.440 lot to gain. In their society, they would be 00:12:05.440 --> 00:12:07.840 in some danger. One would think socially and 00:12:07.840 --> 00:12:09.940 also physically, as Paul himself was, if they 00:12:09.940 --> 00:12:13.559 were faking this Christianity. So probably these 00:12:13.559 --> 00:12:15.519 guys thought they were doing the right thing. 00:12:16.059 --> 00:12:18.759 They thought they knew how to help the Corinthian 00:12:18.759 --> 00:12:20.740 church to run itself well. It's just that they 00:12:20.740 --> 00:12:24.899 were doing it wrong. And that's the problem with 00:12:24.899 --> 00:12:28.340 moralism, isn't it? The preacher stands up here 00:12:28.340 --> 00:12:30.759 and says, don't be bad. And we all sort of nod 00:12:30.759 --> 00:12:32.120 our heads. But the problem with that is we're 00:12:32.120 --> 00:12:35.320 sinners. We're people who don't know how to be 00:12:35.320 --> 00:12:37.860 good. We're people who think we know how to do 00:12:37.860 --> 00:12:40.940 good, but actually we do bad doing it. Think 00:12:40.940 --> 00:12:43.480 back to Chip Kelly. The guy wasn't a secret agent 00:12:43.480 --> 00:12:49.779 for the Cowboys. As far as we can tell. He was 00:12:49.779 --> 00:12:52.799 a bad coach not because he was trying to be, 00:12:52.820 --> 00:12:54.879 but because he thought in order for him to be 00:12:54.879 --> 00:12:57.779 a good coach, he had to have total control over 00:12:57.779 --> 00:13:00.019 the team. And in order to get that control, he 00:13:00.019 --> 00:13:03.129 was willing to do things that seem in retrospect, 00:13:03.490 --> 00:13:07.610 to be obvious, to be cruel and manipulative and 00:13:07.610 --> 00:13:13.149 lose him the respect of the players. So, if we 00:13:13.149 --> 00:13:15.769 put ourselves in the position of people who want 00:13:15.769 --> 00:13:18.870 to do right, but who are willing to do morally 00:13:18.870 --> 00:13:22.470 questionable things to get there, then I think 00:13:22.470 --> 00:13:25.049 we'll be able to see what Paul is really arguing 00:13:25.049 --> 00:13:28.490 against. Think about what these guys are saying 00:13:28.490 --> 00:13:31.639 to each other. right? When the other Corinthians, 00:13:31.799 --> 00:13:33.559 the sort of regular Corinthians, are coming back 00:13:33.559 --> 00:13:35.519 to them in support of Paul. Think about it. They're 00:13:35.519 --> 00:13:38.399 saying to each other, well, you've got to break 00:13:38.399 --> 00:13:41.440 some eggs to make an omelet. They're saying to 00:13:41.440 --> 00:13:43.480 themselves, sometimes you just got to step on 00:13:43.480 --> 00:13:46.159 a few toes, right? This is the way the world 00:13:46.159 --> 00:13:49.480 is. I'm just being a realist. And we can say 00:13:49.480 --> 00:13:54.019 these things ourselves, can't we? In our workplaces? 00:13:55.080 --> 00:13:58.399 Can we say them in the church? Can we say them 00:13:58.399 --> 00:14:01.940 in our own families? So children, especially 00:14:01.940 --> 00:14:04.940 my children, this applies to you as well. Do 00:14:04.940 --> 00:14:07.600 you ever put your siblings down so that you feel 00:14:07.600 --> 00:14:12.440 better? Do you ever choose to hang out with? 00:14:12.899 --> 00:14:15.019 Who to hang out with at school because they have, 00:14:15.019 --> 00:14:17.580 say, more power to make decisions about what 00:14:17.580 --> 00:14:21.759 games get played during recess? Husbands and 00:14:21.759 --> 00:14:26.720 wives, do you ever play power politics with each 00:14:26.720 --> 00:14:30.250 other? Do you allow yourself to slip into manipulation 00:14:30.250 --> 00:14:33.710 rather than dealing with your wife or your husband 00:14:33.710 --> 00:14:37.549 with Christ -like kindness? Do we wage our wars 00:14:37.549 --> 00:14:39.889 according to the flesh? It's really easy to do. 00:14:40.809 --> 00:14:44.250 Paul says if we don't take every thought, every 00:14:44.250 --> 00:14:47.149 thought captive to Christ, we will fall into 00:14:47.149 --> 00:14:49.610 the temptation to fight according to the rules 00:14:49.610 --> 00:14:52.750 laid down by the devil rather than the Lord. 00:14:53.190 --> 00:14:56.149 Thoreau talks about people who quote, as they 00:14:56.149 --> 00:14:59.769 rarely make moral distinctions are as likely 00:14:59.769 --> 00:15:03.149 to serve the devil without intending it as God. 00:15:03.649 --> 00:15:05.549 I suggest we don't want to be those guys. Let's 00:15:05.549 --> 00:15:09.009 make some moral distinctions. So, Paul cautions, 00:15:09.649 --> 00:15:11.929 let him that boasts boast in the Lord. That's 00:15:11.929 --> 00:15:15.110 verse 17. This is what the Corinthian faction 00:15:15.110 --> 00:15:18.129 is not doing. They're boasting in something other 00:15:18.129 --> 00:15:21.330 than the Lord. They're boasting in their churchly 00:15:21.330 --> 00:15:27.000 ability. And this is a temptation for us, right? 00:15:27.059 --> 00:15:29.279 There's a real temptation for church people, 00:15:29.279 --> 00:15:32.259 especially to stop boasting in Christ and start 00:15:32.259 --> 00:15:36.860 boasting in what we do for Christ. And if we 00:15:36.860 --> 00:15:39.679 do that, we'll start comparing ourselves with 00:15:39.679 --> 00:15:42.019 one another. We'll start looking over other people's 00:15:42.019 --> 00:15:44.460 shoulders to see how much better we're doing 00:15:44.460 --> 00:15:47.940 than they are, and we'll start feeling underappreciated. 00:15:49.080 --> 00:15:51.899 Do you see how much venom can creep into our 00:15:51.899 --> 00:15:55.629 relationships? If we let the focus slip from 00:15:55.629 --> 00:15:59.830 Christ to ourselves. So all that was point one. 00:16:00.289 --> 00:16:03.230 Don't be like the bad guys, but note that you 00:16:03.230 --> 00:16:05.529 often are like the bad guys. How about that? 00:16:08.830 --> 00:16:11.070 And here's the actually frightening thing about 00:16:11.070 --> 00:16:13.850 this whole thing. If we persist in acting like 00:16:13.850 --> 00:16:18.230 the bad guys here, we might win. These methods, 00:16:18.230 --> 00:16:23.990 they do get results. But. Even if we win whatever 00:16:23.990 --> 00:16:26.549 battle we happen to be in at the time, we might 00:16:26.549 --> 00:16:29.309 wreck our faith, right? This is kind of a big 00:16:29.309 --> 00:16:33.370 deal. So what do we need to do to make sure we 00:16:33.370 --> 00:16:36.450 don't get this wrong? We need to, as Paul says 00:16:36.450 --> 00:16:38.610 in his first letter to the Corinthians, follow 00:16:38.610 --> 00:16:43.049 Paul as Paul follows Christ. That's point two. 00:16:43.210 --> 00:16:45.830 Don't be like the bad guys, be like Paul instead. 00:16:46.129 --> 00:16:50.730 And the way that we need to do that is to, as 00:16:50.730 --> 00:16:54.490 the saying goes, Stay in our lane. Stick with 00:16:54.490 --> 00:16:56.389 me. Let's look at the language in the middle 00:16:56.389 --> 00:17:09.829 of this chapter. Verse 13, it says, We do not 00:17:09.829 --> 00:17:13.650 boast beyond limit in the labors of others, but 00:17:13.650 --> 00:17:18.069 our hope is that as your faith increases, our 00:17:18.069 --> 00:17:22.150 area of influence among you may be greatly enlarged, 00:17:22.210 --> 00:17:24.829 so we may preach the gospel and lands beyond 00:17:24.829 --> 00:17:28.390 you without boasting of work already done in 00:17:28.390 --> 00:17:33.269 another's area of influence." That phrase, area 00:17:33.269 --> 00:17:35.769 of influence, comes up three times in a four 00:17:35.769 --> 00:17:39.589 -verse span. That phrase, in each case, is translating 00:17:39.589 --> 00:17:42.789 the same Greek word. It's canonai. That's the 00:17:42.789 --> 00:17:44.750 word from which we get our word canon, as in 00:17:44.750 --> 00:17:47.789 the canon of scripture. It can mean a rule or 00:17:47.789 --> 00:17:51.660 a way of life. Area of influence. appears to 00:17:51.660 --> 00:17:54.880 be just fine as a translation, but this is what's 00:17:54.880 --> 00:17:57.940 really interesting to me. One of the ways that 00:17:57.940 --> 00:18:00.940 this term is used in the broader Greek -speaking 00:18:00.940 --> 00:18:04.839 world is as a technical term in athletics. Listen 00:18:04.839 --> 00:18:08.299 to this. Quote, the metaphor that Paul is using 00:18:08.299 --> 00:18:11.579 is that of the athletic contests for which Corinth 00:18:11.579 --> 00:18:16.319 was renowned. In the games, a course or a lane 00:18:16.319 --> 00:18:18.380 was measured out for each of the runners which 00:18:18.380 --> 00:18:22.920 was marked by a line. Canon. The lane measured 00:18:22.920 --> 00:18:26.599 out by God for Paul was the one which led him 00:18:26.599 --> 00:18:31.799 to Corinth. End quote. And so metaphorically, 00:18:33.279 --> 00:18:36.019 this is what Paul is saying. He's saying I have 00:18:36.019 --> 00:18:39.660 stayed in my lane. You stay in your life, right? 00:18:39.779 --> 00:18:42.059 Paul is running his own race, which is a metaphor 00:18:42.059 --> 00:18:44.880 he uses multiple times, and these super apostles 00:18:44.880 --> 00:18:47.299 are coming in here and trying to trip him. They 00:18:47.299 --> 00:18:50.779 should find their own course to run. So in this 00:18:50.779 --> 00:18:55.359 metaphor, Christ is the one who has laid the 00:18:55.359 --> 00:18:58.259 course for Paul, and by implication, he's also 00:18:58.259 --> 00:19:01.579 led a course for each of us. He has a race for 00:19:01.579 --> 00:19:05.240 us to run. He has a job for each of us to do. 00:19:05.630 --> 00:19:08.930 And His burden is light and His yoke is easy. 00:19:09.069 --> 00:19:11.869 Why? Well, because Christ Himself, who knows 00:19:11.869 --> 00:19:18.029 us and loves us, has assigned us to it. And to 00:19:18.029 --> 00:19:22.329 rest content with His plan is the best way to 00:19:22.329 --> 00:19:24.410 our own happiness and the usefulness of the people 00:19:24.410 --> 00:19:27.700 that we love. And here's where I want to just 00:19:27.700 --> 00:19:30.680 glance at our broader culture and say that contentment 00:19:30.680 --> 00:19:33.200 and this willingness to stay in our olin that 00:19:33.200 --> 00:19:36.539 Paul is displaying here is almost an act of defiance 00:19:36.539 --> 00:19:39.539 right now. Right? Think about what our culture 00:19:39.539 --> 00:19:44.720 says. Get more. Do more. Be more. You're important. 00:19:44.980 --> 00:19:48.000 Act like it. Get a bigger car. Make people notice 00:19:48.000 --> 00:19:50.640 you. This is what I see when I watch commercials. 00:19:52.500 --> 00:19:57.279 The desire to be where we should be and do the 00:19:57.279 --> 00:20:00.160 work that's given to us to do and to enjoy the 00:20:00.160 --> 00:20:01.859 process, that's about as counter -cultural as 00:20:01.859 --> 00:20:04.460 you can get right now. And I'm not saying this 00:20:04.460 --> 00:20:06.900 is easy. Consider, if we are staying in our lane 00:20:06.900 --> 00:20:10.400 and lane is an athletic metaphor, we should work 00:20:10.400 --> 00:20:12.720 as hard as possible. That's what an athletic 00:20:12.720 --> 00:20:16.500 means, right? Even if the yoke is easy, a yoke 00:20:16.500 --> 00:20:19.299 is still an implement for plowing a field, right? 00:20:20.609 --> 00:20:23.150 It's not going to feel restful, but if we do 00:20:23.150 --> 00:20:25.450 it in the right way, we will find rest for our 00:20:25.450 --> 00:20:29.150 souls, which is what Jesus says in our gospel 00:20:29.150 --> 00:20:32.589 reading. We will know that we're doing what we 00:20:32.589 --> 00:20:36.150 need to be doing. I tried to play soccer when 00:20:36.150 --> 00:20:38.029 I was in middle and high school and I was awful 00:20:38.029 --> 00:20:40.250 about it because I never knew where I was supposed 00:20:40.250 --> 00:20:42.210 to be. I never knew who I was supposed to be 00:20:42.210 --> 00:20:44.829 covering. It's a really bad way to play sports, 00:20:44.869 --> 00:20:47.730 right? That's what I loved about cross country. 00:20:50.579 --> 00:20:52.400 In cross -country, it's really simple, right? 00:20:52.900 --> 00:20:54.660 When you hear the gun, you start running that 00:20:54.660 --> 00:20:57.880 way. When you see a sign, turn left, okay? Go 00:20:57.880 --> 00:21:00.519 as fast as you can, see you in 18 minutes. Bye. 00:21:01.859 --> 00:21:04.460 You can rest in knowing that the course is there. 00:21:04.480 --> 00:21:06.640 All you have to do is go after it with everything 00:21:06.640 --> 00:21:09.680 you've got. If you feel, by contrast, that it's 00:21:09.680 --> 00:21:12.200 up to you to figure out what you need to be doing, 00:21:12.339 --> 00:21:14.859 where you need to be to chart your own course, 00:21:15.619 --> 00:21:18.299 you'll make yourself nuts. And you might start 00:21:18.299 --> 00:21:20.980 tripping other people up. Stay in your lane! 00:21:21.380 --> 00:21:25.519 That's why I chose that for my title. Respected 00:21:25.519 --> 00:21:28.940 biblical scholar, Bruce Weatherly, in his recently 00:21:28.940 --> 00:21:30.960 published book, Holness, which you can get if 00:21:30.960 --> 00:21:34.180 you play your cards right, he says that reliance 00:21:34.180 --> 00:21:37.299 on Christ allows us to keep running in the path 00:21:37.299 --> 00:21:40.359 of his commands and that gives us freedom from 00:21:40.359 --> 00:21:44.599 the rampant sin of insistence on control and 00:21:44.599 --> 00:21:48.890 the misery that comes with it. I've got a couple 00:21:48.890 --> 00:21:51.029 of sub points for you here. We can stay in our 00:21:51.029 --> 00:21:53.849 lanes morally. Paul begins this whole chapter, 00:21:53.869 --> 00:21:56.450 if you remember, he entreats us by the meekness 00:21:56.450 --> 00:22:00.289 and gentleness of Christ. Christ is meek and 00:22:00.289 --> 00:22:02.710 gentle and therefore we should be too. So if 00:22:02.710 --> 00:22:04.829 we are feeling tempted to be something other 00:22:04.829 --> 00:22:07.190 than meek and gentle in our relationships with 00:22:07.190 --> 00:22:09.049 other people, we can know we're doing it wrong. 00:22:12.160 --> 00:22:14.660 Paul's opponents might want to do this competing 00:22:14.660 --> 00:22:17.119 gift showdown, but Paul doesn't need to. He could 00:22:17.119 --> 00:22:19.680 just rest in Christ. We can also stay in our 00:22:19.680 --> 00:22:23.599 lane in a big picture sense. We can trust in 00:22:23.599 --> 00:22:27.660 God's providence. We can follow his leading and 00:22:27.660 --> 00:22:30.599 his leading, I guarantee you, will not bring 00:22:30.599 --> 00:22:32.640 us to a point where we have to elbow somebody 00:22:32.640 --> 00:22:34.579 else out of the way to get where we're going. 00:22:35.200 --> 00:22:37.220 We don't need to attack anybody else's character 00:22:37.220 --> 00:22:39.160 ever in the Christian life because it's not a 00:22:39.160 --> 00:22:42.779 Christian thing to do. You run your race and 00:22:42.779 --> 00:22:44.920 you'll know you're doing what God planned for 00:22:44.920 --> 00:22:48.000 you. Let God be God And then if we stay in our 00:22:48.000 --> 00:22:50.619 lane, what will happen? We might not see great 00:22:50.619 --> 00:22:52.940 things in a worldly sense happen in our lives. 00:22:52.940 --> 00:22:55.019 That's true We might not shoot up the corporate 00:22:55.019 --> 00:22:56.720 ladder. We might not got a million followers 00:22:56.720 --> 00:23:01.500 on Instagram But we can and we should expect 00:23:01.500 --> 00:23:04.819 this our faith will increase and the work of 00:23:04.819 --> 00:23:08.059 Christ will prosper That's point three. Look 00:23:08.059 --> 00:23:11.200 at verse 15 with me I read this already. We do 00:23:11.200 --> 00:23:13.599 not boast beyond limit in the labors of others, 00:23:13.680 --> 00:23:17.759 but our hope, Paul's hope, is that as your faith 00:23:17.759 --> 00:23:22.579 increases, our area of influence among you may 00:23:22.579 --> 00:23:25.980 be greatly enlarged. So if the ordinary Corinthians 00:23:25.980 --> 00:23:29.319 stay in their lane, if they refuse to be a part 00:23:29.319 --> 00:23:32.200 of this faction that allows itself to fight according 00:23:32.200 --> 00:23:36.660 to worldly values, what happens? The exercise 00:23:36.660 --> 00:23:38.480 of their faithfulness will increase their faith, 00:23:38.480 --> 00:23:41.440 for one thing. And then secondly, Paul's area 00:23:41.440 --> 00:23:44.640 of influence, his canon, his lane among them 00:23:44.640 --> 00:23:47.380 will be enlarged. It will be made great. And 00:23:47.380 --> 00:23:49.440 then in the next verse, it says that their faithfulness 00:23:49.440 --> 00:23:53.160 will allow Paul to travel further. That's the 00:23:53.160 --> 00:23:59.319 great commission being fulfilled. Their work 00:23:59.319 --> 00:24:04.220 allows Paul to do his work and all of it is Christ's 00:24:04.220 --> 00:24:07.690 work. And it just seems obvious that if this 00:24:07.690 --> 00:24:09.390 is true of the Corinthians, it's also true for 00:24:09.390 --> 00:24:11.970 us. If we will stay in our lane, if we will work 00:24:11.970 --> 00:24:15.529 the hardest at the thing that God has assigned 00:24:15.529 --> 00:24:17.809 us to do, our faith will be strengthened and 00:24:17.809 --> 00:24:21.309 the church of God will spread. And what follows 00:24:21.309 --> 00:24:24.549 from that is we will be commended by God himself. 00:24:24.670 --> 00:24:26.690 That's the end of this, right? It is not the 00:24:26.690 --> 00:24:28.210 one who commends himself who's approved, but 00:24:28.210 --> 00:24:32.789 the one who the Lord commends. I want to make 00:24:32.789 --> 00:24:35.450 a few important distinctions before I finish 00:24:35.450 --> 00:24:37.690 up here. So first, the title and the main point 00:24:37.690 --> 00:24:39.630 of the sermon has been to stay in your lane, 00:24:39.849 --> 00:24:42.769 and that includes not attacking anyone else and 00:24:42.769 --> 00:24:46.490 not usurping their God -given authority. So I've 00:24:46.490 --> 00:24:49.250 been urging us to make sure that in interpersonal 00:24:49.250 --> 00:24:51.730 conflict, we're trying to do what the Lord would 00:24:51.730 --> 00:24:53.509 have us to do to try to work with a Christ -like 00:24:53.509 --> 00:24:58.029 character. I don't want you to take me as saying 00:24:58.029 --> 00:25:01.309 that unlimited bullying against you is fine. 00:25:02.360 --> 00:25:04.539 that's not the point that I'm trying to make. 00:25:05.500 --> 00:25:08.940 We all have legitimate authority over our own 00:25:08.940 --> 00:25:11.220 conscience, and it is totally within your lane 00:25:11.220 --> 00:25:14.000 to determine if the people around you are behaving 00:25:14.000 --> 00:25:16.440 in a Christ -like manner or not, especially in 00:25:16.440 --> 00:25:18.619 the church, especially in families, right? And 00:25:18.619 --> 00:25:21.940 if things are habitually going badly, you can 00:25:21.940 --> 00:25:24.799 and you should ask the godly people around you 00:25:24.799 --> 00:25:28.279 for advice on how to get things to change. In 00:25:28.279 --> 00:25:30.160 a sense, that's exactly what Paul is doing here, 00:25:30.200 --> 00:25:32.859 right? He's beseeching his hearers by the mercies 00:25:32.859 --> 00:25:35.099 of Christ, and we, in our words and our actions, 00:25:35.119 --> 00:25:39.720 should be doing the same. So, disclaimer over. 00:25:39.839 --> 00:25:42.140 Now let's flip the whole situation around and 00:25:42.140 --> 00:25:45.299 look at it for just one more perspective. Question, 00:25:45.619 --> 00:25:48.200 what would have been the godly thing for Paul's 00:25:48.200 --> 00:25:49.799 opponents to do when they receive this letter? 00:25:50.799 --> 00:25:54.160 It's repent, right? It's to publicly say that 00:25:54.160 --> 00:25:55.839 they were doing the wrong thing, they were trying 00:25:55.839 --> 00:25:57.839 to... get into an area of influence that didn't 00:25:57.839 --> 00:26:00.660 belong to them. They needed to make Christ more 00:26:00.660 --> 00:26:03.200 important in their own lives than their own ambitions. 00:26:05.039 --> 00:26:06.460 What does that look like practically? It looks 00:26:06.460 --> 00:26:10.099 like this. They need to be willing to lose. And 00:26:10.099 --> 00:26:12.880 friends, I suggest, again, counterculturally, 00:26:12.920 --> 00:26:14.640 what that means is that we need to be willing 00:26:14.640 --> 00:26:19.019 to lose in interpersonal conflict. Your Christian 00:26:19.019 --> 00:26:21.980 life is probably not going to look like an unbroken 00:26:21.980 --> 00:26:27.369 series of a success. If you're like me, it will 00:26:27.369 --> 00:26:29.450 feel a lot of the time like failure and confusion 00:26:29.450 --> 00:26:34.789 and dismay. And all of that is okay, because 00:26:34.789 --> 00:26:37.549 as with the Corinthians, our following of Christ 00:26:37.549 --> 00:26:40.450 will sometimes look like painful repentance. 00:26:40.470 --> 00:26:44.009 We don't have to be the winners. That argument 00:26:44.009 --> 00:26:45.509 that you're always having in your head, just 00:26:45.509 --> 00:26:50.049 let that thing go, man, right? That nagging feeling 00:26:50.049 --> 00:26:52.369 that you're not being appreciated properly, man, 00:26:52.390 --> 00:26:56.049 let it go. It's not worth it. We don't need to 00:26:56.049 --> 00:26:59.930 throw fits to get attention. We don't need to 00:26:59.930 --> 00:27:03.990 pout. When we stay in our lane and when we wrestle 00:27:03.990 --> 00:27:06.910 against this cultural pressure to want more, 00:27:07.029 --> 00:27:10.950 more, different, exciting, we will be able, by 00:27:10.950 --> 00:27:13.150 the help of the Holy Spirit, to boast in the 00:27:13.150 --> 00:27:17.869 Lord rather than what we have done. And here's 00:27:17.869 --> 00:27:20.809 the implied point of this chapter. Here is the 00:27:20.809 --> 00:27:22.809 point that's foundational for all of the other 00:27:22.809 --> 00:27:27.130 points. The Lord is worth our boasting. He is 00:27:27.130 --> 00:27:31.009 our rock and our deliverer. He is worthy to be 00:27:31.009 --> 00:27:33.609 praised. Run to him. Don't trust in your own 00:27:33.609 --> 00:27:38.750 works. Praise Christ for his works instead. And 00:27:38.750 --> 00:27:41.650 here's what I want to leave you with. We don't 00:27:41.650 --> 00:27:43.930 know how these false leaders responded when they 00:27:43.930 --> 00:27:47.349 got the letter. We don't know what they did when 00:27:47.349 --> 00:27:50.470 they were called out. We do know from the book 00:27:50.470 --> 00:27:54.150 of Acts in chapter 20, that Paul went back to 00:27:54.150 --> 00:27:55.910 Corinth after he wrote this letter and he stayed 00:27:55.910 --> 00:27:57.789 there for three months and he had a productive 00:27:57.789 --> 00:28:01.430 time. He wrote the letter to the Romans. After 00:28:01.430 --> 00:28:04.049 that, he was going to go on from there to Syria, 00:28:04.309 --> 00:28:06.890 but as it says in Acts 20 verse three, quote, 00:28:07.250 --> 00:28:13.190 a plot was made against him by the Jews. And 00:28:13.190 --> 00:28:15.769 it's hard for me to think about this chapter 00:28:15.769 --> 00:28:21.210 and not wonder if his opponents here became part 00:28:21.210 --> 00:28:24.109 of that conspiracy that we read about in Acts, 00:28:24.690 --> 00:28:28.130 right? Did they on reception of this letter, 00:28:28.130 --> 00:28:30.289 did they totally rebel? Did they quit the church 00:28:30.289 --> 00:28:34.049 entirely? Did they set themselves satanically 00:28:34.049 --> 00:28:37.069 against the work of the gospel? Because that's 00:28:37.069 --> 00:28:40.849 available to us. Or did they hear what they needed 00:28:40.849 --> 00:28:43.480 to hear and repent? because that's also available 00:28:43.480 --> 00:28:46.180 to us. We can choose how we will respond to setbacks 00:28:46.180 --> 00:28:48.519 and personal conflicts and frustrations. Lashon 00:28:48.519 --> 00:28:51.980 McCoy had over 5 ,000 all -purpose yards in the 00:28:51.980 --> 00:28:55.460 four years he was with Buffalo, right? Friends, 00:28:55.579 --> 00:28:58.960 we can stay humble. We can make our boast in 00:28:58.960 --> 00:29:01.359 God who has saved us and who will guide us in 00:29:01.359 --> 00:29:08.380 the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Let's pray. Oh Lord 00:29:08.380 --> 00:29:13.990 God, we influenced by our culture. We often want 00:29:13.990 --> 00:29:18.029 to chart our own course. We want to attain power 00:29:18.029 --> 00:29:22.049 for ourselves. We often feel like we need to 00:29:22.049 --> 00:29:26.230 do nasty things to get it. Forgive us for this. 00:29:26.490 --> 00:29:29.230 Cleanse our hearts as we've prayed already this 00:29:29.230 --> 00:29:33.130 morning. Feed us by yourself. And Lord, change 00:29:33.130 --> 00:29:36.349 us to be those who like Paul will seek you under 00:29:36.349 --> 00:29:38.549 whatever circumstances we find ourselves in. 00:29:38.759 --> 00:29:42.119 Lord, we ask these blessings in Jesus' name. 00:29:42.299 --> 00:29:42.559 Amen.