I have a great relationship with my parents and I'm very grateful
for them.
I love them dearly.
I have two great moms once in heaven and once here still.
And God has been really good to me.
I have an awesome dad.
I have an almost daily relationship communicating with my
dad.
Love him a lot.
And I am thankful for him.
And I am thankful for cell phones and video calling that we can
still connect with each other and stay together.
Stay communicating with each other every day.
But I also remember a time when I was pretty upset with my
parents.
Anybody have that going on in your life?
Times when my parents frustrated me and I have taken that legacy
and I do that with my kids today, I'm sure.
I remember my parents being pretty strict with us in some
areas.
I really like music and my parents are pretty strict with
music with me.
And so I remember having a Walkman who remembers Walkmans with
cassette tapes and headphones.
And I remember listening to tapes that they didn't know I had and
that I recorded off the radio and thinking, man, I wish my
parents weren't so lame.
I remember thinking, you guys are like looking at me like,
did anybody here ever have that kind of a thought process?
My parents, I remember thinking, and I remember thinking if
those people were my parents, then everything would be okay.
You guys are like judging me right now.
I feel like.
I was real young, okay?
But I remember thinking if I had other parents, they would be a
little bit less strict and my life would be so good in so many
ways.
I would have so much more freedom because my parents cared
about what I did and what came into my life, what voices I was
listening to.
And as a teenager, that's not always fun.
But today, I'm really, really thankful for my parents.
And I literally remember the people that I was thinking about,
if they were my parents, then now I know what happened to their
kids and I'm like, I'm glad they weren't my parents.
Because my parents really helped me out.
I remember the people I was talking about, like I said,
and I'm really glad that my parents, that my wishes,
sometimes the prayers you don't have answered are God's grace in
your life, amen.
Not that I prayed for my parents to go.
That sounds weird, but my point is the wishes and hopes that I
had, I'm glad that they didn't happen.
The discipline and correction my parents were demanding in me, I
am so grateful for today.
And maybe you're a teenager in here and you have thoughts like
I have.
I think it's normal for teenagers to want more freedom.
But maturity demands that freedom comes with responsibility.
Right?
Responsibility demands discipline.
Right?
What we're trying to do with our kids is to go from my discipline
putting put on them to self-discipline happening in their
lives and to listening to the conviction of the Holy Spirit
disciplining their own hearts and their own minds.
Is anybody on that train with me?
That's what we're trying to do.
And self-discipline isn't always fun.
Now I want you to think about God's plan of redemption.
I want you to think about how Jesus showed up and how it works
about being saved and being born again and what that means.
In God's plan for us, now I want you to think about this.
Maybe you've never thought in these terms.
God's will is not just for converts.
God's will is for disciples.
Okay?
God's will is not just for converts.
God's will is for disciples.
Jesus does not want just converts.
Now, does God want people to be saved?
We want people to be saved.
We want people.
I want Finley to get saved.
That's what I want.
You want that?
Want Hancock County to get saved?
I pray for my kinsmen that they would be saved.
That they would know Jesus Christ.
But that's not where it stops.
Because we want that, we also want people to follow after Jesus
as disciples.
A convert, they get saved and then they move on.
A disciple says, this is not the end.
The baptism isn't the end.
The baptism isn't what converts them, by the way.
It just is a first step of obedience.
But that step of obedience continues in our everyday walk with the Lord.
Salvation being born again is the beginning of the Christian life, not the end.
How many of you guys are excited about people getting baptized, getting saved, ran and I'm
so excited?
Your father-in-law led you to Christ.
That's an amazing thing.
What a great way to start a relationship.
What an incredible thing.
Even this week, people are not in the building, outside the building.
Our people, our church members helping people come to know Christ.
That's an amazing thing.
That's an incredible thing.
But that's not where we stop.
It's where we start.
In the Great Commission, there's this phrase that says, teaching them to observe all things
I've commanded you.
Go into all the world and preach the gospel of your creature.
That's part of it.
Go, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and
the Holy Ghost.
Teaching them to observe or to obey all things that I've commanded to you.
We reach people, then we teach people to obey all that God commanded.
The obedience is not so that they will be saved.
The obedience that we're looking for is because they have been saved.
Do you get it?
And so, think about this.
Have you ever noticed that the word disciple is closely connected with the word discipline?
Disciple discipline.
To follow Jesus, to observe all the things he commanded us to do, means we must be disciplined.
And walking with him through prayer and scripture, hearing it from him through your scripture
eating.
That takes discipline.
And using not just to hear the word, but to do it takes discipline.
And this means that in the discipline process, if you're being discipled or if you're discipling
others, and by the way, if you follow Jesus, God's plan for your life is to make disciples.
Right?
This is God's, God desires for everybody who's a believer to make disciples of all nations.
It's not something for us to get interns to do.
Right?
It's for everybody.
Say everybody.
Yeah, that's right.
Everybody that knows Christ ought to make disciples.
Okay.
So, this means that in the discipleship process, if you are being discipled or you're discipling
others, there is a necessary place for, here's the word, dun dun dun.
That's like, you know what I mean?
Dun dun dun.
It's like, oh no.
There's a need for correction.
Ooh, correction.
Who likes correction?
Right, nobody.
Nobody likes correction.
In fact, the Bible says about itself, all scripture is given by inspiration of God and it's profitable
for doctrine, what we believe, for reproof, stop thinking that way, that's wrong.
For correction, stop acting that way.
For instruction and righteousness, start acting this way, right?
That's God's plan.
If you're going to grow to be like Jesus, to start to observe all the things He's commanded
you, there are things that need to be corrected in your life and in my life too.
I'm in the boat with you.
The subject at hand today then, as we're looking at the passage, why I'm bringing all of that
up, is correction.
The subject at hand is correction.
It's really kind of the subject at hand in almost all of the book of 1 Corinthians.
Paul is correcting the Corinthians and he's been correcting them throughout the book and
he addresses that fact here.
Here's what I want you to know.
Correction is essential in your life.
Correction is essential in my life.
Anybody here ever do anything wrong?
You're laughing.
Like, anybody here do anything wrong?
I do things wrong all the time.
I need to be corrected, right?
It's essential in our lives.
But nobody loves correction, do we?
Who loves being grounded?
Who loves being restricted?
Who loves spanking?
It's not fun.
But the correction is essential for all of us to be what God wants us to be.
So what I love about exposition preaching, meaning going book by book through the Bible,
is that this is not a passage of the scripture that I can't wait to get to the correction
passage.
This is going to bring all kinds of people here.
Hey, come to my church, hear about correction, right?
And how you need to be corrected, right?
But there's so much life in discipline.
There's so much life in obedience and doing what God wants us to do.
And when God says, don't, he wants you to, what you need to hear is, don't hurt yourself.
You need corrected and so do I.
As believers in Christ, we must understand the role of correction in the discipleship
process, becoming like Jesus, and what's needed for that to take place.
And correction best happens with these three elements in mind, okay?
The first thing that really helps correction to actually be effective and actually to work,
okay?
The first element is this relationship.
Relationship.
Now, we're going to read through this passage starting in verse 14.
But before we do that, and we've already done it, but we're going to do it as we go through,
think about this.
Paul has been really direct with the Corinthians.
He had called out division in their ranks in this church.
And he's told them that the division is coming from pride, right?
He told them in verse 6 that the purpose, back in the same chapter in verse 6, he tells
them that the reason that he keeps bringing himself and Apollo's up is to humble them.
He used himself and his Apollo's as an example, as it says in verse 6, so that no one of you
will be puffed up for one against the other.
Towards the end of today's text, he says to them, but I will come to you shortly if the
Lord will and will know not of the speech of them which are puffed up, but with power.
We're going to look at that in a second.
But basically he's saying, some of you that are talking junk, you don't think I'm going
to come and I'm coming.
And we're going to deal with what you're talking about.
I don't worry about what you're talking about.
I care about what you do.
That's what he's saying.
So they have this arrogant attitude as a church.
And he's coming to correct that arrogance.
And that's what he's been doing for four chapters.
And in so doing, he's been firm and direct and even employed what looks like sarcasm
in verse 8 to 10, which is much to my delight.
I love sarcasm.
So when we get to verse 14, we see why Paul feels like he can do this correction.
And it's this idea of relationship.
Look at verse 14.
He says, I write not these things.
What are these things?
The things that I've been doing and correcting you.
I'm not telling you these because I'm trying to, what does he say, verse 14, shame you.
I'm not trying to embarrass you or to shame you or to put you down.
Here's why I'm doing it.
But as my beloved sons, I, what is it?
Warn you.
His goal is not to shame.
There's a difference between humility and shame, right?
What he's trying to do is give them a different way to think.
And he says, I'm doing it, my approach to you is like a dad to sons.
And he calls them beloved sons.
What does beloved mean?
You are dear to me.
I care about you.
I love you.
You are like my beloved sons.
And any dad that loves his kids will correct his kids.
If you don't discipline your kids, you're not loving your kids the way you ought to love
them, right?
It's the same with Paul.
Paul is saying, I'm like a father.
I am, I love you.
And so what I'm doing is I'm warning you.
He calls them sons because it's a familial and accurate representation of their relationship.
He loves them and is connected to them like a father.
So his response is to lovingly warn, warn them.
To warn means this, that the price of the correction is worth it to avoid the price
of the bad behavior.
Does that make sense?
The price of the, this is a great principle when it comes to dealing even with our own
kids.
The price of correction has to be worth it to fix the behavior.
Like a father who loves his kids and will warn them incorrect than Paul is warning these
Corinthians.
Now, why does he feel like he's a dad?
Why does he feel like he has this dad relationship?
Look at verse 15.
He says it.
For though you have 10,000 instructors in Christ, instructors like a teacher, like a
helper, yet you have not many, what does it say?
Teachers.
For in Christ Jesus, I have begotten you through the gospel.
So here he's differentiating himself between people who are teachers and people who are
fathers.
What does that look like?
Well, fathers have a relationship with their kids from conception to death.
You agree?
You're like, well, my dad isn't around.
Yeah, but you were around because your dad was around.
Does that make sense?
So everybody has a father.
Everybody has a father.
Our father's ought to be present, amen.
And life begins at conception.
Right.
So, but fathers have a relationship with their kids from conception to death.
Fathers share a name with their kids.
Right?
Fathers, you can have far more teachers than you have fathers.
Right?
You have one father, you have lots of teachers.
Fathers should be personally invested in their kids in a way that even teachers aren't.
Fathers, fathers get to know their kids uniquely.
You have a lifelong insight into their behavior.
Right?
Fathers are deeply connected to their kids reputationally.
Right?
If you've got a bad kid in your class as a teacher, you're dealing with them, but they'll
be gone next year.
But if your kid's not acting right, they have the same last name you got.
Right?
All my kids are Jennings.
Sometimes that's good.
I'll stop there.
Okay.
So, it's always good, amen.
So Paul says that he feels the position of a father toward them because he was there.
He says, I have begotten you through the gospel.
Now Paul's not claiming that he's the one that saved them.
What Paul's saying is, I shared the gospel with you and because you heard the word, faith
comes by...
Is that the verse?
Yeah.
Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.
I was there when the word was spoken to you and it got planted into your heart and you
responded and faith became salvation.
God saved you.
You were born.
What?
Again.
I was there when you were born.
Right?
That was a part of what God allowed me to do.
And so, he's saying, I was there when you first believed.
I was the one who tried to raise you and I'm going to continue to lead you.
He has a relationship with them because the gospel and the Holy Spirit brought the life,
brought that message that came to them under Paul's faithful stewardship.
So he's not saying this in a way that he's claiming to be better than anyone else.
He just spent the whole last four chapters saying, no one's...
This is all God did this, right?
But in terms of responsibility and stewardship, he's saying, I'm like a father to you and
I'm loving you and I'm warning you and I care about you and I have this relationship.
And if I can't correct you and if I can't correct you, who can?
If you haven't been, it hasn't been proven to you that I love you, I loved you before I met you
because I gave my life to the Lord to come and give the gospel to you.
Does that make sense?
What am I trying to say?
He was invested in a relationship with them, right?
He's saying that he has the position to correct them because he has this unique position.
Now there is something to this, to relationship when it comes to correction.
There are some things that only a father can say to their kids.
As a dad, I have a unique ability to disciple my kids that you do not have.
And as I'm having that ability, I have a responsibility with my kids that you don't have.
You know why?
You don't live in my house.
You don't have a responsibility to their mother like I do.
You haven't known them like I do.
There's a greater chance that you won't be around them in 20 years.
A greater chance than me in that.
Here's what it means for, so what am I trying to say?
I'm not saying I'm better, I'm just saying there's a personal relationship that happens
and because of that we have a responsibility and sometimes that means to warn, to correct.
That's why when my kids say, but dad, that family does it, those kids do it, I said they're not my kids.
You're my kids and in our house we're not going to do that.
That make sense?
Because I have a relationship with them, that's how it ought to be.
And as that I have a responsibility to them.
Here's what that means for the discipleship of other people.
There has to be a relationship that's established so that people give you permission to correct them.
Right?
You don't go up to somebody in the grocery store and say, that was a horrible choice you just made with your kids.
Oh, my name, I'm Ben Jennings.
Right?
Like, who are you to correct me?
You don't even know me.
Does that make sense?
Do some people need to be corrected?
Do I need to be corrected?
Man, I take that a lot better if you know me.
If you have a relationship with me, if you care about me, man, I'll be a lot more willing
to listen to you and to receive that correction.
You know what that means?
That means church is important.
We ought to have relationships with each other.
We ought to know each other and love each other.
Sometimes that correction is allowed by people because of the position that you employ.
You're the boss, you're the teacher, you're the pastor.
Sometimes people respect the position so they listen to the person that occupies that position.
But eventually, when corrections needed, people will only listen to you because they know you love them
and that you have their best interest at heart.
People don't care about what you know until they know that you care.
There must be a relationship with them.
And so that means this, and this is true in parenting and it's true in our relationships.
Rules without relationship leads to rebellion.
Rules without relationship can lead to rebellion.
It's true in our parenting, it's true in discipleship, it's true in our relationship with each other.
Relationship is a key.
If correction is needed, you have to have a relationship.
It's what happens best.
So how does that happen?
Well, there's a second element that must be part of the discipleship process when correction is needed.
That second element is investment.
It's cool to have a positional relationship, but that happens when you...
What needs to happen in that relationship is investment.
So he says in verse 16, wherefore, because this is true, because I have this relationship with you,
because I've already invested in you, he says, wherefore, on the basis of what I just said,
because I have a history with you, because I was there when you were saved
and I'm warning you against that which could hurt you and divide the church,
because we are called to steward the relationships and the assembly and the gospel itself,
on that basis, he says, I beseech you, I plead with you.
I've warned you now, I'm asking of you, be ye followers of me.
Be ye followers of me.
Now that's a bold thing to say, isn't it?
That word, followers, the word in Greek, mimitates.
It's where we get the word mimic from.
He's saying, imitate me.
Be like me.
Another place he says is, follow me as I follow Christ.
Right.
So he's saying, hey, I beseech you, I plead with you.
Do what I do.
Think like me.
And obviously he goes on to say, act like me.
Do the kind of thing that I would do.
This is not Paul saying here, just to be clear, I should win the leader contest.
Right?
He says, some of you say I'm a Paul, I'm of Apollos, I'm of Cephas, and I'm of Christ.
He's not saying, forget those other guys, be like me.
That's not what he's saying.
He's saying, I was there when you got saved.
I have a relationship with you, I'm invested in you.
So act like me, do what I do.
I led you to Christ, lead someone else to Christ.
I'm calling you to unity with each other and to not be puffed up.
I'm calling you to humility, to be willing to suffer for Christ's sake as good stewards
of the gospel.
So what he's saying is, do that, act like that, stop fighting.
Do what I've invested in you, do what is in keeping with that investment.
Then he says, let me make another investment into you.
Look at this, this is amazing, look for 17.
For this cause, what's the cause?
What's the cause?
I want you to imitate me.
I want you to be like me.
Stop doing this, start doing this, be like me, so that you can be like me.
For this cause, I have sinned unto you, what's the next word?
Timothyus, who was Timothy?
Timothy was Paul's son in the ministry, and that's what he says.
I sinned unto you, Timothyus, who is my beloved son?
Who are they?
He says it.
You guys got to stay with me.
It's cold outside so it's hot in here.
Some of you guys, I'm putting you to sleep, I'm sorry.
Stay with me, all right?
He says, what does he call them when he says I warn you?
As my beloved sons, I warn you.
Now he's saying, because I want you to imitate me, I have sinned unto you, Timothy, who is
my beloved son and faithful in the Lord.
He's saying, I've invested in Timothy like I've invested in you, and Timothy is acting
like me.
Timothy's doing the things that he should be doing, and so what I'm going to do is I'm
going to send him.
Paul had invested in Timothy like a father does a son, and the result of that was faithfulness
and fruitfulness.
He was trying to get the Corinthians to be faithful and humble and fruitful, so he says,
I'm sending you Timothy, what's he going to do?
What do I expect Timothy to do when he gets there?
Who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ?
Hey, I want you to act like me.
It's not just know what I know, it's do what I do.
So to do that, I'm sending you someone who acts like me, someone who's being obedient
the way I am.
I'm sending you him, my ways which are in Christ.
So here's the important topic, all right?
Some of you just got saved, baptized, praise the Lord, that's not the end, it's the beginning.
Some of you have been doing this a long time, you need to say to somebody, hey, follow me
as I follow Christ.
Here's what it means, though.
Discipleship is not just about knowing.
Following Jesus isn't about knowing, following Jesus is about doing.
Discipleship is about doing.
Paul knew Timothy was ready to help this church because Timothy lived the way he ought to live.
He did the things Paul taught him to do.
It's about doing because Paul had invested in Timothy through discipleship until Timothy
became a mimic of him as he followed Christ.
Because the Corinthians had been evangelized by Paul and had a relationship with him through
which they could receive this correction, now they could have this Timothy come and help
them to be and to do what Paul was trying to get them to do.
What did that mean for Paul?
Well, finish the verse.
He'll bring you to remembrance of my ways which be in Christ as I teach everywhere in every
church.
You know what that means?
Because I multiplied in Timothy and he can go help you, I can go do for somebody else.
What's been done for you?
Isn't that a cool way to do things, right?
It wasn't all on Paul.
Paul was freed up to invest in other people to do the same thing.
And this is the way we think about it in the Great Commission.
That's the mission of our church.
It's the key to leading your family.
You get to raise your grandkids' parents.
Who thinks that's a good idea?
Because you don't want to raise your grandkids, you'll do it if you need to, right?
We get to raise the next generation's parents.
It's the key to leading our family.
It's the key to our church.
We reach people, we teach people, then we send them out to minister.
People get saved, people get trained, people are sent out to do the same.
Evangelism, discipleship, service and sending.
And what's the aim of the discipleship?
Here's a good question.
This is a good question.
I should have put it on the screen, but it's a great question.
Is the person being discipled, imitating the person who trained them?
And is that leading to God honoring faithful and fruitful ministry?
That's the question.
Is the person being discipled, imitating the person that trained them?
And is that leading to God honoring faithful and fruitful ministry?
Are our ways the ways of Christ?
And are people following and imitating Christ because they're following and imitating us?
Anybody ever hear be a parent and realize, my kids are watching me?
Anybody see kids imitate you?
All of a sudden you play that song on the radio and they start singing the lyrics and
you're like, what are you saying?
I need to turn that off.
Right.
Because they're going to imitate what you do.
It's an important thing.
Here's the last thing.
Element number three, it's important in correction.
To call people to a decision.
Element number three is decision.
Verse 18, here's what it says.
Verse 18, now some are puffed up as though I would not come into you.
What are you saying?
Some of you are prideful.
You think you're just going to keep living however you want to live and running the church
however you want to run it in ways that aren't right.
And you think I'm not coming to correct you.
That's what he's saying.
Verse 19, but I will come to you shortly.
Why do you think he said shortly there?
Everybody here ever heard of life 360?
Know what that is?
Or if you have an apple phone, you have find my.
What it is for those of you who aren't as nerdy as I am.
Everybody that's in your family, there's a service where you can see where their phone
is and you can see where they are, right?
And so I'm excited about that when Megan's coming home to make dinner.
You know?
And I'm like, oh, she's around the corner, amen.
They didn't have that in Paul's day, right?
And so what he's saying to them is some of you think I'm not coming.
Let me tell you, I'm coming shortly.
My parents used to go on dates when I was a teenager and they'd give me a list.
Anybody ever have that?
A list of chores to do.
And I didn't know when they'd be back, but I knew that they'd be back.
And I knew that I was supposed to have that list done before they got back.
And when that garage door started to open, I was either thrilled because it meant they're
bringing home, my mom's going to have a to-go box and I'm pretty excited about that to-go
box.
Or it meant, oh, no, I didn't get the list done.
So I was either excited or I was terrified.
You guys with me?
Okay.
Paul's saying, you think I'm not coming to correct.
I'm coming to correct.
Shortly.
It's going to happen.
And of course he says, if the Lord will, and we'll know not the speech of them which are
puffed up, but the power.
What is he saying?
There are people in your midst that are creating division.
They think I'm not coming to correct and they're talking a good game while I'm not there.
But when I get there, I'm going to find out not what they've been saying.
I'm going to find out what they've been doing.
Not just the speech, but the power.
Right?
Does that make sense?
So he says, he goes on to say, here's my point.
It's one thing to talk about life transformation and spiritual insight.
It's another thing to have that be the fruit of your life and ministry.
That makes sense?
So he says, verse 20, for the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.
Now if you were to take this verse out of context and just read that verse, you would
come to a conclusion that it contradicts so much over the scripture emphasizes the word,
right?
The word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword.
The truth that this word in word here is not referring to the word of God, but to the word
of the puffed up people in verse 19.
To deal with it on a more practical level, think of it this way.
Many people talk a good game, but don't put any points on the scoreboard, right?
I remember early on playing basketball and my dad saw me talking trash to the guys I
was playing and after the game he said, son, stop talking.
Let your game do the talking.
Let the scoreboard do the talking.
You shut your mouth, right?
And that talking is only good until you can back it up, right?
So what he's saying is, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.
By your fruit you shall, by their fruit you shall know them, right?
So what Paul ends this section, what he's saying is, you need to act right and I'm going
to come and correct you and see if you're acting right.
And then he ends the letter with this, of this section of the letter with this question.
I love this.
Verse 21, what will ye, you know what he's saying?
What do you want?
How do you want this to go?
I'm like your dad, I'm showing up.
How do you want it to be when I show up?
Shall I come into you with a rod?
What's a rod?
It's an implement of discipline.
Anybody here, I'm not going to ask you to raise your hand.
Is anybody here familiar with the idea of a paddle?
I'm very familiar, right?
That's what he's saying.
Are you going to need more correction when I show up?
Or am I going to show up and we're going to be able to have love with each other?
In a spirit of meekness.
Do you want me to come with a rod?
Should I bring the paddle?
Should I bring the rod of correction?
Should I come in a disciplinary tone?
This is not advocating that we have a Trinity Baptist rod, by the way.
We're not beating people.
It's a symbolic thing, right?
Should I come in discipline?
Or should I come having you already showed yourself to be humble and corrected and right
with each other and loving each other?
Do you want me to come more tenderly because you've already humbled yourself?
Do you want my discipline or do you want self-discipline?
You get it?
So here's my point.
Discipline is needed for life.
Parents have to distribute discipline among the children until the children take discipline
on for themselves.
And an enemy to discipline is pride.
That's what he's trying to correct in them.
You're puffed up.
You're arrogant.
You're not teachable.
Be teachable is what he's saying.
I don't have to be, people sometimes think I don't have to be disciplined because I've
already arrived.
I don't have to be disciplined because I don't think it's that important.
And what Paul is saying is this, follow me as I follow Christ.
Live like me.
Be reminded of my ways by Timothy.
And I'm coming if the Lord wills and I will come ready to impose discipline on you.
But it would be way better if you humbled yourself and began to live as Christ followers
should.
So what's your decision?
Which one do you want?
Now here's what the Bible says about our relationship with God.
Whom the Lord loves, he chasens and scourges every son he receives.
And if you know Christ is your Savior, you can live in such a way that goes in opposition
to what God wants.
Or you can just be obedient and do what he wants.
You know what he wants?
It's right here.
You can do what he wants.
You can live as he wants you to live.
And it is so much better.
And so let me just make this real practical.
You're like, this is a weird message.
I'm just delivering the mail.
Let's just ask ourselves some questions.
Ready?
Some of you may need to write this down.
Here it is.
I'm putting this in first person, my, me, I.
Are you ready?
Is there any need for correction in my life?
You know what I have noticed in my life?
It's a lot easier to see the need for correction through the window than it is in the mirror.
Anybody with me?
Man, it's a whole lot to know how to deal with my kids.
And it's sometimes hard to deal with a man in my mirror, right?
Is there a need for correction in my life?
Number two, am I prideful or arrogant in any area of my life, fostering an attitude that
is not very teachable?
Am I being prideful and fighting what God is trying to teach me?
Number three, here's a good question.
Who do I have in my life that I've given the ability to correct me?
Sometimes everybody around you knows what needs to happen, but nobody wants to tell
you because you're not making it easy on them to tell you.
So are you all raised right?
Neither am I.
I have that same problem.
Who have you given that you've given the ability to correct you?
Number four, when it comes to my family, my kids, here's a question.
Do I have the kind of relationship with them that fosters the ability to correct them?
What do I mean?
You have the responsibility to correct your kids, but if you're a jerk to them all the
time, if they don't know that you love them by your actions and your words and your deeds,
it's going to make it really hard for them to listen to you.
If you're telling them to not do the things that you're doing, if you're hypocritical,
it's going to be a hard thing for them to follow your correction.
Are you investing in them?
Am I calling them to making right decisions?
So do you see how this connects with the text?
Like am I investing in my kids?
Do I have a relationship with them that helps them in that?
Number five, here's a question.
Am I making disciples?
Meaning, are there people who are following Jesus and becoming fruitful?
Because you're following Jesus and you're teaching them how to be fruitful.
Is there anybody that you're able to look at and say, follow me as I follow Christ?
Are you making disciples?
So if you're a believer and you're here today, those are five great questions that maybe you
need to answer.
Now, one last thing.
The first correction that needs to be made in your life, if you haven't corrected this,
is your view of Jesus.
God sent Jesus to perfectly keep the law.
Jesus never sinned.
Jesus never needed to be corrected.
Are you with me?
Jesus never needed to be corrected.
He never sinned.
But then he died on the cross, taking the payment that we owed, that you owe, which is
the wrath of God.
And because he died on the cross and died for our sins and rose again from the dead, you
can righteously be forgiven by God.
I was talking to some people before the service today, and they said, people don't know sometimes
what they don't know.
People know that Jesus died on the cross for our sins.
And so sometimes they think, well, if Jesus died on the cross for my sins, I'm good.
But it takes a step of faith, for by grace are you saved through faith and that not of
yourselves is a gift of God.
Not of work, not of any man should boast.
It's not enough to just know that Jesus died on the cross.
At some point you have to repent and turn to Him by faith and believe.
Not believe that he did it, but trust in him and his salvation for you.
Because he did, you can righteously be forgiven by God.
When you call on the Lord to save you, he'll do it.
The Bible calls that being saved.
It calls it being born again.
If you've never been saved and you die, you're going to spend eternity separated from God
and hell forever.
Not a very marketable thing to say, but it's the truth.
If you're a sinner, you are a sinner.
And you've never trusted in Jesus Christ as your Savior.
You need to get that corrected.
We don't want that for you to go to hell.
That's not God's desire for you.
Be open to correction today.
Don't let pride keep you from believing in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation.
Repent and believe the good news that Jesus Christ died, not just for everybody, but that
he died for you.
Place your trust in him and be saved.
Here's what I know.
If you pray and ask God to save you from your sins, he will save you.
He'll save you.
Would you bow here and close your eyes today?