1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:09,080 We're going to pick up our study in this important New Testament epistle written to the Church 2 00:00:09,080 --> 00:00:14,160 in Corinth. 3 00:00:14,160 --> 00:00:16,160 First Corinthians chapter 2. 4 00:00:16,160 --> 00:00:19,800 We'll read the first five verses for our text today. 5 00:00:19,800 --> 00:00:27,240 And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, 6 00:00:27,240 --> 00:00:30,840 declaring unto you the testimony of God. 7 00:00:30,840 --> 00:00:38,640 For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 8 00:00:38,640 --> 00:00:44,640 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. 9 00:00:44,640 --> 00:00:51,560 But and rather my speech and my preaching were not with enticing words of man's wisdom, 10 00:00:51,560 --> 00:00:57,240 but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not stand in 11 00:00:57,240 --> 00:01:02,720 the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. 12 00:01:02,720 --> 00:01:10,520 The apostle Paul returns at this point in his writing to the preaching ministry that 13 00:01:10,520 --> 00:01:14,040 he had in Corinth when he first went there. 14 00:01:14,040 --> 00:01:18,440 The historical data for this is Acts chapter 18 verses 1 through 18. 15 00:01:18,440 --> 00:01:22,840 We're not going to read that today, but it's helpful if you're not familiar with it to 16 00:01:22,840 --> 00:01:25,640 go back and see the background. 17 00:01:25,640 --> 00:01:31,440 It will give you insight as to what Paul means as he writes these five verses for us. 18 00:01:31,440 --> 00:01:37,120 Actually he introduced the subject in chapter 1 verse 17 where he said, Christ sent me not 19 00:01:37,120 --> 00:01:40,480 to baptize but to preach the gospel. 20 00:01:40,480 --> 00:01:45,600 And then Paul began to digress regarding the wisdom of man versus the wisdom of God. 21 00:01:45,600 --> 00:01:51,040 But as he comes now to chapter 2 verse 1, he returns to that theme of his preaching 22 00:01:51,040 --> 00:01:54,080 ministry among them. 23 00:01:54,080 --> 00:01:58,520 The apostle Paul does something I think that is very important. 24 00:01:58,520 --> 00:02:02,840 He becomes transparent before these people. 25 00:02:02,840 --> 00:02:09,280 He is willing to allow the Corinthians to see inside his heart so that they may know 26 00:02:09,280 --> 00:02:11,800 what he's really like. 27 00:02:11,800 --> 00:02:15,100 That's a need among us, isn't it? 28 00:02:15,100 --> 00:02:22,480 Because all of us tend by nature to throw up disguises. 29 00:02:22,480 --> 00:02:25,680 We masquerade. 30 00:02:25,680 --> 00:02:30,840 We come to church and we act as though our lives are perfectly put together and we have 31 00:02:30,840 --> 00:02:33,040 no problems that we face. 32 00:02:33,040 --> 00:02:38,080 And yet the truth is there's not one of us here today that isn't fighting some kind of 33 00:02:38,080 --> 00:02:41,520 a battle in his life, at least one battle. 34 00:02:41,520 --> 00:02:44,200 And many of us are fighting many battles. 35 00:02:44,200 --> 00:02:45,880 Many of us roar on many fronts. 36 00:02:45,880 --> 00:02:48,960 For some of us it's personal problems. 37 00:02:48,960 --> 00:02:53,440 For others it's problems in the home or problems in the business or financially. 38 00:02:53,440 --> 00:02:58,600 Maybe spiritually we're going through a tough time. 39 00:02:58,600 --> 00:03:03,160 What we really need folks is to become more open to one another. 40 00:03:03,160 --> 00:03:08,420 So when we hurt and when we have needs and weaknesses and when we fall flat on our faces 41 00:03:08,420 --> 00:03:12,760 as we all do, we're willing to allow others to see that. 42 00:03:12,760 --> 00:03:16,440 Now I'll tell you why that's important. 43 00:03:16,440 --> 00:03:22,920 It's important for us, first of all, so that we're honest and we're not being deceitful. 44 00:03:22,920 --> 00:03:23,920 God hates deceit. 45 00:03:23,920 --> 00:03:25,360 And God knows what we're like. 46 00:03:25,360 --> 00:03:26,760 We're not fooling him. 47 00:03:26,760 --> 00:03:30,880 It's possible for us to be self-deceived. 48 00:03:30,880 --> 00:03:33,520 That's perhaps the worst kind of deceit that there is. 49 00:03:33,520 --> 00:03:38,960 But it's not only important for us that we be transparent, but it's important for those 50 00:03:38,960 --> 00:03:45,200 around us, especially as important for new believers or even for non-believers. 51 00:03:45,200 --> 00:03:51,480 Here there are some times when new Christians come to a church and they look around and 52 00:03:51,480 --> 00:03:59,160 they see people dressed in their nice suits and dresses and they have this angelic look 53 00:03:59,160 --> 00:04:05,480 on their face and they see them as people who have no battles and no problems. 54 00:04:05,480 --> 00:04:08,840 And they say, man, I just can't relate to that. 55 00:04:08,840 --> 00:04:12,800 That's not my world because I'm fighting things. 56 00:04:12,800 --> 00:04:16,520 I have problems and weaknesses and temptations. 57 00:04:16,520 --> 00:04:21,660 And I think that because we sit in church and we look very pious that we have overcome 58 00:04:21,660 --> 00:04:25,840 all of our problems and we have no difficulties to face. 59 00:04:25,840 --> 00:04:30,000 But we know the truth, don't we? 60 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:36,080 It's important that others are able to see that we have needs. 61 00:04:36,080 --> 00:04:40,000 And there are things that we ourselves are struggling with on the inside. 62 00:04:40,000 --> 00:04:42,800 Paul was willing to admit this to the Corinthians. 63 00:04:42,800 --> 00:04:46,760 I respect him for that. 64 00:04:46,760 --> 00:04:50,440 He was willing to open up his heart so that they could see how he really felt when he 65 00:04:50,440 --> 00:04:51,440 came to Corinth. 66 00:04:51,440 --> 00:04:56,760 It was good for them and it's good for us that we see Paul's heart because it gives 67 00:04:56,760 --> 00:05:00,240 insight as to how Paul ministered. 68 00:05:00,240 --> 00:05:05,920 And it tells us how we can be more effective sharers of our faith. 69 00:05:05,920 --> 00:05:06,920 How we can be better witnesses. 70 00:05:06,920 --> 00:05:13,120 I don't think there's any of us who know Christ this morning who don't want to be more effective 71 00:05:13,120 --> 00:05:19,360 in this matter of sharing our faith with our friends, our neighbors, and even our enemies. 72 00:05:19,360 --> 00:05:24,880 How can I be a more effective witness for Jesus Christ? 73 00:05:24,880 --> 00:05:30,400 Well, we can if we look at what Paul was like in Corinth and follow some of his example. 74 00:05:30,400 --> 00:05:37,600 Later on in the book, Paul is going to say to the Corinthians, imitate me as I imitate 75 00:05:37,600 --> 00:05:38,600 Christ. 76 00:05:38,600 --> 00:05:45,960 He was not suggesting that they should imitate his outward movements, his actions, try to 77 00:05:45,960 --> 00:05:46,960 be little Pauls. 78 00:05:46,960 --> 00:05:54,240 He was saying that they should imitate what he really is on the inside, the substance 79 00:05:54,240 --> 00:05:55,240 of Paul. 80 00:05:55,240 --> 00:06:01,520 There's a certain school that I'm familiar with and which I respect a great deal in the 81 00:06:01,520 --> 00:06:06,320 South, but you can always tell when a preacher comes out of that school. 82 00:06:06,320 --> 00:06:10,160 And the reason is that all those preacher boys preach exactly like the founder of that 83 00:06:10,160 --> 00:06:11,160 school. 84 00:06:11,160 --> 00:06:16,160 If you closed your eyes, you would think it was that far out there in the purple. 85 00:06:16,160 --> 00:06:22,960 And I suppose that all of us at times have that tendency, don't we? 86 00:06:22,960 --> 00:06:27,840 And Paul does not want us to imitate what he was like on the outside or his actions, 87 00:06:27,840 --> 00:06:33,400 but he doesn't want to match his personality as he does want us to imitate what he was 88 00:06:33,400 --> 00:06:34,400 on the inside. 89 00:06:34,400 --> 00:06:39,200 As we have these insights into Paul and these five verses, let's follow them and learn how 90 00:06:39,200 --> 00:06:41,720 to be more effective sharers of our faith. 91 00:06:41,720 --> 00:06:44,760 In verse one, we have the declaration of Paul. 92 00:06:44,760 --> 00:06:53,040 He says, our brethren came to you, declaring the testimony of God. 93 00:06:53,040 --> 00:06:59,880 The subject of Paul's declaration was, those last three words in the verse, the testimony 94 00:06:59,880 --> 00:07:02,440 of God or the witness of God. 95 00:07:02,440 --> 00:07:06,480 Some manuscripts and some translations read the mystery of God. 96 00:07:06,480 --> 00:07:07,480 The thought is the same. 97 00:07:07,480 --> 00:07:10,480 It's referring here to the gospel of Christ. 98 00:07:10,480 --> 00:07:16,960 Paul says, I came to you and I declared to you the saving message of Christ, that Christ 99 00:07:16,960 --> 00:07:22,280 died for our sins, who was buried, and that he rose again, the third day. 100 00:07:22,280 --> 00:07:27,000 That is the witness or the testimony of God that Paul preached. 101 00:07:27,000 --> 00:07:31,000 Now, in that sense, was this a witness of God? 102 00:07:31,000 --> 00:07:37,440 What is God trying to witness to us by the work of the cross? 103 00:07:37,440 --> 00:07:44,520 God's testimony or his witness to us through the cross is at least two-fold. 104 00:07:44,520 --> 00:07:50,320 The cross in the first place tells us how much God hates sin. 105 00:07:50,320 --> 00:08:00,040 We say Jesus Christ, God's beloved, pure, holy, sinless sin, became sin for us at the 106 00:08:00,040 --> 00:08:01,040 cross. 107 00:08:01,040 --> 00:08:07,960 He bore the penalty and the guilt of my shame and sin and yours. 108 00:08:07,960 --> 00:08:11,720 So let's say that God turned his back on his son. 109 00:08:11,720 --> 00:08:20,520 Jesus on the cross cried out, in Psalm 22, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? 110 00:08:20,520 --> 00:08:26,040 And yet in the very next verse in Psalm 22, we learn to say, but thou art holy. 111 00:08:26,040 --> 00:08:31,680 You see, that's the reason that God turned his back on his son, because God is holy and 112 00:08:31,680 --> 00:08:37,480 he was offended by the very presence of his own son, because his son became sin for us. 113 00:08:37,480 --> 00:08:39,560 And we now think of the cross. 114 00:08:39,560 --> 00:08:45,640 That might not be just a romantic kind of thing that we sing about, but the cross is 115 00:08:45,640 --> 00:08:53,040 a place that witnesses to us of God's holiness and is hatred for sin. 116 00:08:53,040 --> 00:08:58,840 It also witnesses to us of something else, of God's love for the sinner. 117 00:08:58,840 --> 00:09:01,920 For God despises sin. 118 00:09:01,920 --> 00:09:03,760 It's an offense to him. 119 00:09:03,760 --> 00:09:04,760 God loves the sinner. 120 00:09:04,760 --> 00:09:10,560 Put with me John 3.16, and we have the proof text for this. 121 00:09:10,560 --> 00:09:17,520 For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth 122 00:09:17,520 --> 00:09:22,680 in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 123 00:09:22,680 --> 00:09:30,320 God so loved the world of sinners, including us, that he gave his only begotten son. 124 00:09:30,320 --> 00:09:36,360 God loves us, despite the fact that we're sinners, and he gave his son to die for our 125 00:09:36,360 --> 00:09:37,360 sins. 126 00:09:37,360 --> 00:09:41,160 And so the message of the cross is a two-fold witness of God. 127 00:09:41,160 --> 00:09:47,640 It witnesses of his holiness on the one hand, and it witnesses of his love on the other 128 00:09:47,640 --> 00:09:48,640 hand. 129 00:09:48,640 --> 00:09:55,400 His offense and hatred of sin, but his desire that the sinner be saved from condemnation. 130 00:09:55,400 --> 00:09:59,000 Paul says, I came declaring that subject. 131 00:09:59,000 --> 00:10:03,440 Now, once you'll notice the sense of responsibility this man felt. 132 00:10:03,440 --> 00:10:09,520 He says, and I, brethren, when I came to you declaring this message, notice those pronouns, 133 00:10:09,520 --> 00:10:10,520 I or I. 134 00:10:10,520 --> 00:10:14,280 Later he speaks about it being his gospel. 135 00:10:14,280 --> 00:10:22,240 There are some people who say that Paul created Christianity. 136 00:10:22,240 --> 00:10:25,440 These are the liberal school. 137 00:10:25,440 --> 00:10:29,920 These people say, I don't mind Jesus so much, but as Paul I can't stand. 138 00:10:29,920 --> 00:10:35,680 They accuse Paul of taking the life of Jesus and creating a whole religion around it. 139 00:10:35,680 --> 00:10:38,200 And nothing could be further from the truth. 140 00:10:38,200 --> 00:10:43,320 When Paul is speaking about the gospel being his gospel, it means that God has committed 141 00:10:43,320 --> 00:10:48,400 this message to him and he feels a personal responsibility to give it out. 142 00:10:48,400 --> 00:10:51,640 Now, once you'll notice he mentions two things. 143 00:10:51,640 --> 00:10:54,240 He says, I came and I declared. 144 00:10:54,240 --> 00:11:00,520 If it are going to be witnesses, effective witnesses for Christ, it involves those two 145 00:11:00,520 --> 00:11:01,520 things. 146 00:11:01,520 --> 00:11:03,960 We have to go and tell somebody. 147 00:11:03,960 --> 00:11:09,840 There are very few people that are going to come to us and seek us out and say, how can 148 00:11:09,840 --> 00:11:10,840 I become a Christian? 149 00:11:10,840 --> 00:11:13,840 Occasionally that will happen. 150 00:11:13,840 --> 00:11:18,800 But the pattern of the Bible is that we are to go and tell. 151 00:11:18,800 --> 00:11:24,000 Do you remember the story about the lepers in the Old Testament who were outside the 152 00:11:24,000 --> 00:11:25,000 walls of Jerusalem? 153 00:11:25,000 --> 00:11:32,160 The city was besieged, the enemy was camped outside with its multiplied thousands of soldiers. 154 00:11:32,160 --> 00:11:34,160 They were starving the city of Jerusalem. 155 00:11:34,160 --> 00:11:36,160 There was a bad way to fall. 156 00:11:36,160 --> 00:11:41,120 Finally, these lepers said, look, we are going to starve to death here, sitting outside this 157 00:11:41,120 --> 00:11:42,120 city wall. 158 00:11:42,120 --> 00:11:47,120 If we go there, the soldiers may kill us, but let's try it out. 159 00:11:47,120 --> 00:11:50,120 So, early in the morning they went over to the enemy camp. 160 00:11:50,120 --> 00:11:51,120 But what happened? 161 00:11:51,120 --> 00:11:54,120 During the night, God had performed a miracle. 162 00:11:54,120 --> 00:12:00,560 He had caused those soldiers to hear a sound as though Israel was all around them. 163 00:12:00,560 --> 00:12:03,200 They stampeded in terror and panic. 164 00:12:03,200 --> 00:12:06,440 They killed one another and they fell, they were all gone. 165 00:12:06,440 --> 00:12:12,600 And here was a whole camp of food that God supplied for a starving city of Jerusalem 166 00:12:12,600 --> 00:12:13,600 that had been besieged. 167 00:12:13,600 --> 00:12:20,600 One of the lepers said, after they had eaten a little bit, they said, we do not well. 168 00:12:20,600 --> 00:12:25,600 We must go and tell that there's food here for everybody. 169 00:12:25,600 --> 00:12:30,920 Folks, we don't do well if we just come to church and listen to the gospel and go home 170 00:12:30,920 --> 00:12:33,680 and sit there all week. 171 00:12:33,680 --> 00:12:34,680 That's not well. 172 00:12:34,680 --> 00:12:39,680 The pattern of the Bible is that we must go and tell people about Jesus Christ. 173 00:12:39,680 --> 00:12:44,760 And Paul had a deep sense of personal responsibility for that. 174 00:12:44,760 --> 00:12:47,400 And notice the simplicity with which he did it. 175 00:12:47,400 --> 00:12:51,000 He said it was not with eloquence of words. 176 00:12:51,000 --> 00:12:54,840 It was not with powerful arguments of philosophy. 177 00:12:54,840 --> 00:13:01,600 They were just a simple declaration of the gospel, he delivered the truth to them. 178 00:13:01,600 --> 00:13:06,320 Do you ever feel like you don't have enough words to explain the gospel right? 179 00:13:06,320 --> 00:13:10,240 I've heard people say that and I've felt that sometimes. 180 00:13:10,240 --> 00:13:13,680 There have been people I've talked with and I've said, you know, I just don't have the 181 00:13:13,680 --> 00:13:17,280 kind of background that I need to reach this person. 182 00:13:17,280 --> 00:13:20,400 I don't know the right kind of arguments to reach him. 183 00:13:20,400 --> 00:13:26,120 Folks, our witnessing does not depend upon our arguments and our skill with words. 184 00:13:26,120 --> 00:13:32,000 Our witnessing, the crux of our witnessing depends upon our communication of the simple 185 00:13:32,000 --> 00:13:33,280 message of the cross. 186 00:13:33,280 --> 00:13:34,280 That's it. 187 00:13:34,280 --> 00:13:40,200 No fancy words, no powerful arguments, just the declaration of the truth. 188 00:13:40,200 --> 00:13:46,400 In fact, Paul says back in chapter one, that if we surround the gospel with a lot of fancy 189 00:13:46,400 --> 00:13:51,400 talk and philosophical arguments, we rob it of its power. 190 00:13:51,400 --> 00:13:54,160 The gospel is best presented when it's simple. 191 00:13:54,160 --> 00:13:57,800 I didn't say simplistic, it's profound. 192 00:13:57,800 --> 00:14:04,720 But when it's simply communicated to people, that's when it's best communicated. 193 00:14:04,720 --> 00:14:05,720 That's how Paul did it. 194 00:14:05,720 --> 00:14:11,600 We are now going to be more effective witnesses if we will follow Paul's example regarding 195 00:14:11,600 --> 00:14:12,600 his declaration. 196 00:14:12,600 --> 00:14:16,440 Now in verse two, notice his determination. 197 00:14:16,440 --> 00:14:22,760 He says, I determine not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 198 00:14:22,760 --> 00:14:26,240 Paul was a man of single purpose. 199 00:14:26,240 --> 00:14:29,720 What did he say in Philippians? 200 00:14:29,720 --> 00:14:33,240 This one dozen things I do, right? 201 00:14:33,240 --> 00:14:34,240 No. 202 00:14:34,240 --> 00:14:38,560 He said, this one thing I do. 203 00:14:38,560 --> 00:14:44,280 He said that we'd all be better off if we would say, this one thing I do, rather than 204 00:14:44,280 --> 00:14:46,400 these 10 things I dabble in. 205 00:14:46,400 --> 00:14:51,680 Most of us get caught up in a lot of activity in life, don't we? 206 00:14:51,680 --> 00:14:53,680 And we forget our priorities. 207 00:14:53,680 --> 00:14:57,360 Here's where Paul comes to give us a good example. 208 00:14:57,360 --> 00:15:00,120 He says, you Corinthians, I want you to know this. 209 00:15:00,120 --> 00:15:04,840 When I came to you, I had one thing in mind, period. 210 00:15:04,840 --> 00:15:07,400 And that was to give you the gospel. 211 00:15:07,400 --> 00:15:12,880 A single purposed man determined to get the job done. 212 00:15:12,880 --> 00:15:14,880 That's what it takes. 213 00:15:14,880 --> 00:15:22,840 Paul was determined, and I want you to notice this, to communicate Jesus Christ and him 214 00:15:22,840 --> 00:15:23,840 not crucified. 215 00:15:23,840 --> 00:15:24,840 Three important thoughts there. 216 00:15:24,840 --> 00:15:35,840 He wanted to communicate Jesus, the person of Christ Jesus, that he was born in Bethlehem, 217 00:15:35,840 --> 00:15:44,080 that he lived those years in Palestine, that he went through the cross, that he died there 218 00:15:44,080 --> 00:15:45,080 as God substitute Jesus. 219 00:15:45,080 --> 00:15:51,840 He wanted to communicate Jesus Christ, the one who fulfilled that Old Testament office 220 00:15:51,840 --> 00:15:52,840 of the Messiah. 221 00:15:52,840 --> 00:15:57,840 The word Christ is the Greek word for Messiah. 222 00:15:57,840 --> 00:16:06,080 And so Paul says, I want to communicate to you the person of Jesus, his office as the 223 00:16:06,080 --> 00:16:12,840 Christ, and the fact of his work that he was crucified for our sins. 224 00:16:12,840 --> 00:16:15,320 Paul said, I'm determined. 225 00:16:15,320 --> 00:16:19,240 I was determined that that was going to be my accomplishment among you. 226 00:16:19,240 --> 00:16:21,240 What are your determinations? 227 00:16:21,240 --> 00:16:29,360 What have you determined that you're going to do with your life for the grace of God? 228 00:16:29,360 --> 00:16:35,600 It's a matter of decision for us, a matter of priorities. 229 00:16:35,600 --> 00:16:44,920 Our determinations in life forge the accomplishments that we someday can look back upon. 230 00:16:44,920 --> 00:16:48,640 Because what we're determined to do is what we get done. 231 00:16:48,640 --> 00:16:54,440 Paul said, I determined to communicate Jesus Christ and he did it. 232 00:16:54,440 --> 00:17:02,400 If we determine to get rich in this life, we can sometimes do that. 233 00:17:02,400 --> 00:17:09,240 The apostle warns us that if we set that as our goal, we also will have many, many sorrows. 234 00:17:09,240 --> 00:17:12,240 First Timothy chapter 6. 235 00:17:12,240 --> 00:17:18,400 We can determine in life to have many nice things in a big fancy house or a certain position 236 00:17:18,400 --> 00:17:19,400 in the company. 237 00:17:19,400 --> 00:17:25,920 But all of those are so unimportant compared to the eternal things, aren't they? 238 00:17:25,920 --> 00:17:27,600 The eternal is the most important. 239 00:17:27,600 --> 00:17:34,680 Paul said, I determined that my life purpose was to communicate Jesus Christ. 240 00:17:34,680 --> 00:17:37,680 What's your life purpose? 241 00:17:37,680 --> 00:17:43,160 I believe that our decisions are based upon our convictions. 242 00:17:43,160 --> 00:17:50,160 There are certain reasons Paul determined to know Christ and to make him known. 243 00:17:50,160 --> 00:17:55,160 I believe Paul has some convictions that we need to share today. 244 00:17:55,160 --> 00:18:01,480 Let me just list three convictions that we'll need if we're going to be effective communicators 245 00:18:01,480 --> 00:18:02,480 of the gospel. 246 00:18:02,480 --> 00:18:08,360 If we will have these three convictions burning in our hearts, we'll be determined to get 247 00:18:08,360 --> 00:18:10,280 the job done. 248 00:18:10,280 --> 00:18:12,280 Conviction number one. 249 00:18:12,280 --> 00:18:15,280 We will need the message I have. 250 00:18:15,280 --> 00:18:23,280 If we are not convinced that the world is lost and the people outside of Jesus Christ 251 00:18:23,280 --> 00:18:29,400 are headed for an eternity of suffering in hell, if we are not convinced that people 252 00:18:29,400 --> 00:18:36,320 need that message so that their eternal destiny can be secured for heaven and their lives 253 00:18:36,320 --> 00:18:42,120 be put together now, if we are not convinced they need our message, we'll never communicate 254 00:18:42,120 --> 00:18:43,120 it. 255 00:18:43,120 --> 00:18:45,280 Are you convicted about that? 256 00:18:45,280 --> 00:18:51,520 Do people need the message you have? 257 00:18:51,520 --> 00:18:53,360 Conviction number two. 258 00:18:53,360 --> 00:18:55,160 God has called me to share this message. 259 00:18:55,160 --> 00:18:58,800 I don't know why he chose Greek vessels, yes I do. 260 00:18:58,800 --> 00:18:59,800 We'll talk about it later. 261 00:18:59,800 --> 00:19:04,800 He's chosen us, you, me, for the Christ. 262 00:19:04,800 --> 00:19:09,480 We're not apostles, as Paul was, but we're our ambassadors. 263 00:19:09,480 --> 00:19:15,360 We have a commission to fulfill. 264 00:19:15,360 --> 00:19:17,680 God has called us to communicate this message. 265 00:19:17,680 --> 00:19:19,080 Are you convinced of that? 266 00:19:19,080 --> 00:19:27,600 If you're not, you'll never communicate the message except in a haphazard, slipshod way. 267 00:19:27,600 --> 00:19:29,600 Third conviction. 268 00:19:29,600 --> 00:19:35,840 That the greatest thing I can give someone, and the greatest thing that can happen to 269 00:19:35,840 --> 00:19:40,000 them is for them to hear about Jesus Christ and trust him. 270 00:19:40,000 --> 00:19:43,360 That's the greatest thing a person can decide about. 271 00:19:43,360 --> 00:19:48,720 If I'm not convinced that's the most important thing a person needs to hear in this life, 272 00:19:48,720 --> 00:19:53,760 then my witnessing probably will be without much conviction and determination. 273 00:19:53,760 --> 00:20:04,960 If I want to be an effective share of my faith, it begins with some real deep rooted convictions. 274 00:20:04,960 --> 00:20:09,680 Those convictions then make us determined. 275 00:20:09,680 --> 00:20:15,280 Verse 3, the apostle here shares with us his demeanor. 276 00:20:15,280 --> 00:20:24,440 He says, I came to you, literally, in weakness, in fear, and much trembling. 277 00:20:24,440 --> 00:20:27,560 Now here's a real human touch. 278 00:20:27,560 --> 00:20:35,640 The natural thing would have been for Paul to say, when I came to you, I came with a 279 00:20:35,640 --> 00:20:36,640 lot of self-confidence. 280 00:20:36,640 --> 00:20:43,560 And I was bold, and I was strong. 281 00:20:43,560 --> 00:20:44,560 That's human nature. 282 00:20:44,560 --> 00:20:45,560 But Paul's honest here. 283 00:20:45,560 --> 00:20:46,560 He didn't come that way. 284 00:20:46,560 --> 00:20:51,560 He said, when I came to you, actually I was fearful. 285 00:20:51,560 --> 00:20:54,560 And I trembled. 286 00:20:54,560 --> 00:20:57,560 I was nervous. 287 00:20:57,560 --> 00:21:00,560 I had weaknesses. 288 00:21:00,560 --> 00:21:08,560 When was the last time you admitted a weakness or a fear to anybody, maybe even yourself? 289 00:21:08,560 --> 00:21:13,560 Have you admitted a weakness to your wife lately? 290 00:21:13,560 --> 00:21:18,560 If you haven't, she'll give you the list and you can pick one and admit it to her. 291 00:21:18,560 --> 00:21:26,560 When was the last time you admitted a weakness or a thought to a fellow Christian and said, 292 00:21:26,560 --> 00:21:32,560 you know, I've got a real body in this area, and I wish you'd pray with me about it, and 293 00:21:32,560 --> 00:21:35,560 just help keep track of me so that I do a better job. 294 00:21:35,560 --> 00:21:37,560 Makes it accountable, doesn't it? 295 00:21:37,560 --> 00:21:38,560 We need that. 296 00:21:38,560 --> 00:21:39,560 We need that. 297 00:21:39,560 --> 00:21:40,560 That's the real world. 298 00:21:40,560 --> 00:21:45,560 You see, every one of us has fears and weaknesses and trembles. 299 00:21:45,560 --> 00:21:48,560 We're no different than Paul. 300 00:21:48,560 --> 00:21:51,560 We stop fooling ourselves if we're trying to. 301 00:21:51,560 --> 00:21:54,560 Every time I walk on this platform, I'm nervous. 302 00:21:54,560 --> 00:21:55,560 I'm fearful. 303 00:21:55,560 --> 00:22:01,560 I don't amount to mind admitting that because I know you feel the same way. 304 00:22:01,560 --> 00:22:05,560 But I'll tell you what I'm more scared than when I'm walking on this platform. 305 00:22:05,560 --> 00:22:10,560 It's when I have to face one person and share the gospel with them. 306 00:22:10,560 --> 00:22:12,560 You know the feeling? 307 00:22:12,560 --> 00:22:18,560 Sometimes it's easier to communicate to a class than just to one person. 308 00:22:18,560 --> 00:22:25,560 Paul said in both my personal preaching and in my public preaching, I was scared. 309 00:22:25,560 --> 00:22:28,560 Now you have to think back with Paul a moment. 310 00:22:28,560 --> 00:22:32,560 Shortly before he arrived in Corinth, he was in Asia. 311 00:22:32,560 --> 00:22:37,560 And over there, you remember the Holy Spirit wouldn't let him go in one direction than another, 312 00:22:37,560 --> 00:22:39,560 and finally he was in the city of Choraz. 313 00:22:39,560 --> 00:22:42,560 And he had this vision. 314 00:22:42,560 --> 00:22:46,560 And a man from over in Macedonia in Europe said, come over and help us. 315 00:22:46,560 --> 00:22:48,560 And Paul said, that's God's will. 316 00:22:48,560 --> 00:22:51,560 And they left and they went to Philippi. 317 00:22:51,560 --> 00:22:56,560 Maybe it's taking a great revival to break out and lots of people to be sold. 318 00:22:56,560 --> 00:22:58,560 What happened in Philippi? 319 00:22:58,560 --> 00:23:02,560 It was beaten and thrown in jail. 320 00:23:02,560 --> 00:23:04,560 A few people sold. 321 00:23:04,560 --> 00:23:09,560 And after he left Philippi, they went to Thessalonica and then Beirut. What happened in both of those cities? 322 00:23:09,560 --> 00:23:12,560 He was chased out of town. 323 00:23:12,560 --> 00:23:15,560 And so finally he went down to Athens. 324 00:23:15,560 --> 00:23:19,560 And he preached the gospel before those intellectuals of his day. 325 00:23:19,560 --> 00:23:22,560 And what happened there? They laughed at him. 326 00:23:22,560 --> 00:23:25,560 They mocked him when they heard about the resurrection. 327 00:23:25,560 --> 00:23:29,560 They said, Paul, we'll hear you some other time. 328 00:23:29,560 --> 00:23:35,560 And they heard that at the time Paul left Athens and got to Corinth, here's a man who's frightened. 329 00:23:35,560 --> 00:23:37,560 What was going wrong? 330 00:23:37,560 --> 00:23:39,560 May have gone through his mind. 331 00:23:39,560 --> 00:23:42,560 What's wrong with me? 332 00:23:42,560 --> 00:23:44,560 He was nervous. 333 00:23:44,560 --> 00:23:50,560 In fact, he was so much filled with fear that Jesus appeared to Paul while he was in Corinth. 334 00:23:50,560 --> 00:23:52,560 Read about it, Acts 18. 335 00:23:52,560 --> 00:24:00,560 Jesus appeared to Paul and said, Paul, don't be afraid. 336 00:24:00,560 --> 00:24:05,560 And when I read this about Paul, frankly there are two reactions. 337 00:24:05,560 --> 00:24:08,560 First, I'm a little bit encouraged. 338 00:24:08,560 --> 00:24:12,560 I know that I'm not the only one who's scared when I'm showing my faith. 339 00:24:12,560 --> 00:24:15,560 Everybody is. It's normal. 340 00:24:15,560 --> 00:24:21,560 If Paul was scared, then it's not so unusual that I'm scared. 341 00:24:21,560 --> 00:24:23,560 Fear is universal. 342 00:24:23,560 --> 00:24:28,560 If you're afraid to show your faith, join the club. 343 00:24:28,560 --> 00:24:30,560 But just remember this. 344 00:24:30,560 --> 00:24:32,560 What are the kind of fears? 345 00:24:32,560 --> 00:24:38,560 Courage. Courage is not the absence of fear. 346 00:24:38,560 --> 00:24:42,560 It's obedience in spite of it. 347 00:24:42,560 --> 00:24:49,560 It's doing the right thing even though we're scared to death. 348 00:24:49,560 --> 00:24:57,560 So even though Paul had fears inside, he nonetheless was a courageous man because he did what God told him to do. 349 00:24:57,560 --> 00:25:01,560 There's a second reaction I had as I see Paul's confession here. 350 00:25:01,560 --> 00:25:04,560 There's one of rebuke to me. 351 00:25:04,560 --> 00:25:15,560 Because you know there are those occasions when I feel very competent and capable to handle the circumstances. 352 00:25:15,560 --> 00:25:20,560 Paul didn't feel that way, even with his great ability. 353 00:25:20,560 --> 00:25:24,560 In fact, Paul looked upon himself as nothing but an earthen vessel. 354 00:25:24,560 --> 00:25:29,560 Not even a vessel of gold or silver, as he writes to the Corinthians later on in the second epistle. 355 00:25:29,560 --> 00:25:37,560 He said, we are just earthen vessels that God has chosen to use. 356 00:25:37,560 --> 00:25:40,560 He looked upon himself as a weak person. 357 00:25:40,560 --> 00:25:44,560 Maybe he's referring to the physical weakness that he had because of the foam of flesh. 358 00:25:44,560 --> 00:25:46,560 We don't really know. 359 00:25:46,560 --> 00:25:53,560 If Paul saw himself as weak, we ought never to see ourselves as very capable. 360 00:25:53,560 --> 00:25:56,560 Our confidence is in the Lord. 361 00:25:56,560 --> 00:26:00,560 It better not be in ourselves. 362 00:26:00,560 --> 00:26:04,560 Oh, there's a right kind of self-confidence. I don't mean that. 363 00:26:04,560 --> 00:26:11,560 When we feel that we can rely upon our strength and our wisdom, etc., etc., we're in trouble. 364 00:26:11,560 --> 00:26:13,560 That's Paul's demeanor. 365 00:26:13,560 --> 00:26:17,560 I can learn some things about my witnessing by verse 3. 366 00:26:17,560 --> 00:26:20,560 Look at verse 4, Paul's demonstration. 367 00:26:20,560 --> 00:26:29,560 Paul did not demonstrate an ability to convoke people or to manipulate them when it came to a point. 368 00:26:29,560 --> 00:26:34,560 In fact, Paul was not concerned about his, quote unquote, converts. 369 00:26:34,560 --> 00:26:38,560 That's what Paul's a lot different than some preachers today. 370 00:26:38,560 --> 00:26:50,560 Paul abhored cheap emotionalism and superficial thinking and the use of tricky words to get people to convert. 371 00:26:50,560 --> 00:26:53,560 You see, the Corinthians would have picked up on that immediately. 372 00:26:53,560 --> 00:26:56,560 The Corinthians lived in a commercial city. 373 00:26:56,560 --> 00:26:59,560 They were used to salesmen. 374 00:26:59,560 --> 00:27:03,560 We didn't get used to salesmen. Isn't that right? 375 00:27:03,560 --> 00:27:12,560 We can build up a resistance to sales, and salesmen are always going to more seminars to find out how to overcome sales resistance. 376 00:27:12,560 --> 00:27:16,560 Sometimes my resistance is very high and sometimes when it's pretty low. 377 00:27:16,560 --> 00:27:24,560 In fact, I've gone to some of the seminars where they teach salesmen how to sell so I can learn how not to buy and how not to be pressured. 378 00:27:24,560 --> 00:27:31,560 It's kind of interesting to see some of the mental tricks that are used. 379 00:27:31,560 --> 00:27:46,560 We had a home show in Cincinnati several years ago and there was this place that sold our smoke detector equipment and heat detector equipment. 380 00:27:46,560 --> 00:27:50,560 They were selling these units for about a hundred bucks a piece. 381 00:27:50,560 --> 00:27:52,560 We didn't know what you could buy them from the drugstore. 382 00:27:52,560 --> 00:27:57,560 But of course, these were very special and had all these gadgets on them. 383 00:27:57,560 --> 00:28:07,560 They said, we will give you a free fire extinguisher if we may come to your home and explain to you how our equipment works. 384 00:28:07,560 --> 00:28:17,560 I turned right then. I was not going to buy that fire detection equipment, but I was going to get that fire extinguisher. 385 00:28:17,560 --> 00:28:22,560 So I signed a card and sure enough about three weeks later, ring, ring, hello, I come out and show our equipment. 386 00:28:22,560 --> 00:28:28,560 I was like, yes, come on, die not the bird. He came in, sat down. 387 00:28:28,560 --> 00:28:33,560 For two hours, he used every trick in the book to try to get me to buy those things. 388 00:28:33,560 --> 00:28:36,560 He showed me pictures of children who had been burned. 389 00:28:36,560 --> 00:28:41,560 You know, those whole guilt trip. Don't you love your children? 390 00:28:41,560 --> 00:28:47,560 He was so furious when he left there that he almost didn't give me my fire extinguisher. 391 00:28:47,560 --> 00:28:53,560 I got out to the car and got in an aerosol can and that was my fire extinguisher. 392 00:28:53,560 --> 00:28:58,560 So I was the sucker, I wrote, but I didn't buy his equipment. 393 00:28:58,560 --> 00:29:04,560 Paul said, when I came to you, I didn't try to use tricky means to get you to convert to my message. 394 00:29:04,560 --> 00:29:11,560 That was not the demonstration. He says the demonstration was the power of the Holy Spirit. 395 00:29:11,560 --> 00:29:24,560 So did our witness be careful of using trick words or psychological packages so that people easily convert that's not genuine? 396 00:29:24,560 --> 00:29:34,560 There is to do that. You can get people to read a prayer or to say a prayer and it's no more a part of repentance and faith in their life than the man on the moon. 397 00:29:34,560 --> 00:29:39,560 Sometimes it is, but you have to be careful. 398 00:29:39,560 --> 00:29:45,560 Paul said the power is the proof of my ministry. 399 00:29:45,560 --> 00:29:53,560 Now, look at Acts 18, you don't see one miracle. There's now one lame person who's healed, now one blind person who's given sight. 400 00:29:53,560 --> 00:30:00,560 That was the power then. That was the power of conviction as Paul simply declared the gospel. 401 00:30:00,560 --> 00:30:08,560 He didn't manipulate the crowds. Have you ever seen a crowd manipulating a preacher? 402 00:30:08,560 --> 00:30:14,560 I've seen preachers who get crowds to say amen to blasphemy. Literally. 403 00:30:14,560 --> 00:30:21,560 Because they were so capable of whipping up emotions and crowds. 404 00:30:21,560 --> 00:30:28,560 Now Paul, he wasn't concerned about that. He did not manipulate. He preached the gospel. 405 00:30:28,560 --> 00:30:34,560 The Holy Spirit brought conviction and people were saved. Just that simple and that powerful and that profound. 406 00:30:34,560 --> 00:30:39,560 That's how we witness too. 407 00:30:39,560 --> 00:30:47,560 I believe also when he talks about the power, he's talking about the power that produced transformed lives among those people. 408 00:30:47,560 --> 00:30:52,560 The Corinthians were an interesting group of people. We're going to find that in a few chapters. 409 00:30:52,560 --> 00:31:04,560 If you wanted to gossip, the place to go is the Corinth. Because you could look around in that church and see people who were in other sin that you can imagine. 410 00:31:04,560 --> 00:31:10,560 But God transformed their lives. They were rushed and they were sanctified and justified. 411 00:31:10,560 --> 00:31:16,560 And God did a wonderful thing in their midst. That was the proof of Paul's ministry. 412 00:31:16,560 --> 00:31:19,560 That was his demonstration. 413 00:31:19,560 --> 00:31:22,560 Now finally in verse 5, we see Paul's desire. 414 00:31:22,560 --> 00:31:25,560 Let me tell you first what Paul did not desire. 415 00:31:25,560 --> 00:31:37,560 Paul did not want these people to place their faith in him or in any form of human wisdom. 416 00:31:37,560 --> 00:31:40,560 Human wisdom includes religion. 417 00:31:40,560 --> 00:31:43,560 Religion is a big deal. 418 00:31:43,560 --> 00:31:48,560 It's not only a money maker, but it's also a kingdom builder. 419 00:31:48,560 --> 00:31:56,560 A person can build a good kingdom in an area or in a country by starting a religion. 420 00:31:56,560 --> 00:32:00,560 But it's human wisdom. It's man-made religion. 421 00:32:00,560 --> 00:32:06,560 Paul doesn't want these people to place their faith in a man-made religion. 422 00:32:06,560 --> 00:32:12,560 He doesn't want them to place their faith in their philosophies that they're argued about. 423 00:32:12,560 --> 00:32:17,560 Or in science or in politics. And politics was a big deal at Corinth. 424 00:32:17,560 --> 00:32:24,560 He says, I want you to place your faith, notice it, in the power of God. 425 00:32:24,560 --> 00:32:26,560 In the power of God. 426 00:32:26,560 --> 00:32:30,560 God's power can do what human wisdom can never do. 427 00:32:30,560 --> 00:32:33,560 It changes lives. 428 00:32:33,560 --> 00:32:37,560 It resurrects people from the dead spiritually and gives them eternal life. 429 00:32:37,560 --> 00:32:40,560 Human wisdom can never do that. 430 00:32:40,560 --> 00:32:42,560 But God's power does do it. 431 00:32:42,560 --> 00:32:46,560 Do you know what power in your life? 432 00:32:46,560 --> 00:32:58,560 Has God saved you and given you a new heart, a new life, a new purpose, a new destiny? 433 00:32:58,560 --> 00:33:05,560 As we look over these verses, what are some of the lessons we can learn about witnessing? 434 00:33:05,560 --> 00:33:08,560 How can I be more effective in sharing my faith? 435 00:33:08,560 --> 00:33:11,560 Let me mention five things to you in summarizing our text today. 436 00:33:11,560 --> 00:33:18,560 Number one, as I witness, I need to stick to my subject and not get sidetracked. 437 00:33:18,560 --> 00:33:22,560 There are times when people try to sidetrack us. 438 00:33:22,560 --> 00:33:24,560 But I need to stick to the subject. What is it? 439 00:33:24,560 --> 00:33:26,560 The testimony of God. 440 00:33:26,560 --> 00:33:32,560 Paul says, I came and I declared the testimony of God, the gospel in other words. 441 00:33:32,560 --> 00:33:38,560 We need to avoid our arguments over issues, over denominations, over secondary theological issues, 442 00:33:38,560 --> 00:33:41,560 and stick to the subject of the gospel. 443 00:33:41,560 --> 00:33:46,560 It's not always easy, but that needs to be our goal. 444 00:33:46,560 --> 00:33:55,560 The second lesson that I see regarding my witnessing is that I need to remember that it's my responsibility to go and to tell. 445 00:33:55,560 --> 00:34:02,560 And then it's the Holy Spirit's responsibility to produce the fruit. 446 00:34:02,560 --> 00:34:05,560 We often get caught up in this thing. 447 00:34:05,560 --> 00:34:08,560 If I witness to somebody, they've got to make a decision today. 448 00:34:08,560 --> 00:34:09,560 No one. 449 00:34:09,560 --> 00:34:15,560 If they don't, they get depressed and blue and think, oh, we've blown it, and so on and so on and so on. 450 00:34:15,560 --> 00:34:19,560 The whole thing is a pack of lies. 451 00:34:19,560 --> 00:34:23,560 When we share the gospel with somebody, we have done our job. 452 00:34:23,560 --> 00:34:32,560 From that point on, it is the work of the Holy Spirit to bring about conviction for sin and repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. 453 00:34:32,560 --> 00:34:41,560 Now, we need to pray, we need to encourage that we ought not to coerce converts. 454 00:34:41,560 --> 00:34:43,560 Got that? 455 00:34:43,560 --> 00:34:45,560 My responsibility is to go and tell. 456 00:34:45,560 --> 00:34:47,560 I'd better do that. 457 00:34:47,560 --> 00:34:50,560 I've got to give an answer to Jesus Christ someday. 458 00:34:50,560 --> 00:34:54,560 But it's his responsibility after I've told the message to produce the fruit. 459 00:34:54,560 --> 00:34:57,560 Lesson number three. 460 00:34:57,560 --> 00:35:06,560 I will go and tell if I am convicted that it's the right thing to do. 461 00:35:06,560 --> 00:35:08,560 Because they made my message. 462 00:35:08,560 --> 00:35:10,560 God's told me to do it. 463 00:35:10,560 --> 00:35:15,560 And the greatest thing that can happen to them is that they trust Jesus Christ to be saved. 464 00:35:15,560 --> 00:35:21,560 I will go and do that if I'm fairly convinced it's the right thing to do. 465 00:35:21,560 --> 00:35:25,560 Are you convinced about that? 466 00:35:25,560 --> 00:35:29,560 If you're not, we'll never go out and witness. 467 00:35:29,560 --> 00:35:31,560 If we are, we'll do it. 468 00:35:31,560 --> 00:35:42,560 Fourthly, I need to accept fear and weakness as a normal part of being a human being. 469 00:35:42,560 --> 00:35:48,560 Some people like to think that they are supermen. 470 00:35:48,560 --> 00:35:52,560 They're that they're big hoax, you know. 471 00:35:52,560 --> 00:35:56,560 They are macho, no weaknesses, no fears, they're learning. 472 00:35:56,560 --> 00:36:00,560 I need to understand that the weakness and fear is part of being a human being. 473 00:36:00,560 --> 00:36:05,560 But that somehow God and his wisdom has chosen to use me anyway. 474 00:36:05,560 --> 00:36:13,560 And I cannot use my weakness and my fear as an excuse for not doing what I know is right. 475 00:36:13,560 --> 00:36:21,560 And finally, when I share my faith, I must be careful to do it for the glory of Jesus Christ 476 00:36:21,560 --> 00:36:23,560 and not for myself. 477 00:36:23,560 --> 00:36:29,560 I hear some people bragging about how many souls they've won to Christ. 478 00:36:29,560 --> 00:36:35,560 And they're reminded that a gunfighter in the old west who has the matches in his gun, 479 00:36:35,560 --> 00:36:38,560 the people he's cut down, 480 00:36:38,560 --> 00:36:45,560 they have a soldier in the cavalry who had the scouts of the Indians tied to a saddle. 481 00:36:45,560 --> 00:36:52,560 When I share my faith in Jesus Christ, it is not for my credit or my glory, 482 00:36:52,560 --> 00:36:55,560 it is for the glory of the other women. 483 00:36:55,560 --> 00:36:59,560 That must be the motive if God is going to be honored and get his work done. 484 00:36:59,560 --> 00:37:02,560 But in those lessons we watched Paul here, 485 00:37:02,560 --> 00:37:09,560 having looked into his heart because he made himself transparent, 486 00:37:09,560 --> 00:37:13,560 let us now apply these lessons. 487 00:37:13,560 --> 00:37:19,560 And as he tells us later, let's imitate him in our witnessing this week 488 00:37:19,560 --> 00:37:27,560 and be faithful communicators of the greatest message that any human being can ever hear, 489 00:37:27,560 --> 00:37:31,560 the most important message that he needs to hear, 490 00:37:31,560 --> 00:37:36,560 how to get from this place to heaven. 491 00:37:36,560 --> 00:37:40,560 Let's bow together. 492 00:37:40,560 --> 00:37:42,560 Do you know how to get to heaven? 493 00:37:42,560 --> 00:37:45,560 Are you on your way there? 494 00:37:45,560 --> 00:37:48,560 If you've never trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior, 495 00:37:48,560 --> 00:37:54,560 or if you have questions today about what it means to be a Christian, 496 00:37:54,560 --> 00:37:57,560 we have a prayer room that's available for you, 497 00:37:57,560 --> 00:38:00,560 and when we dismiss I want to encourage you to go there. 498 00:38:00,560 --> 00:38:02,560 Stand on the hallway to your left as you go out the door. 499 00:38:02,560 --> 00:38:06,560 Someone will be waiting there for you to talk with you. 500 00:38:06,560 --> 00:38:11,560 They're not trying to pressure you, to force you to do anything. 501 00:38:11,560 --> 00:38:13,560 They simply want to do a help. 502 00:38:13,560 --> 00:38:18,560 If we can pray with you or explain anything to you, please come. 503 00:38:18,560 --> 00:38:22,560 Heavenly Father, I pray that those who may be here today 504 00:38:22,560 --> 00:38:28,560 and who are not sure about heaven as their eternal destiny, 505 00:38:28,560 --> 00:38:36,560 know before they leave this church today, make that most important thing certain. 506 00:38:36,560 --> 00:38:41,560 Give them the courage, do the right thing. 507 00:38:41,560 --> 00:38:45,560 Continue to knock on their heart and grab them. 508 00:38:45,560 --> 00:38:50,560 I pray that someone, some friend who's here today will be saved. 509 00:38:50,560 --> 00:38:55,560 And then, Father, may all of us who've trusted Christ, surely the majority of us, 510 00:38:55,560 --> 00:38:58,560 follow through on the example that we've been given. 511 00:38:58,560 --> 00:39:02,560 We thank you for Paul's willingness to admit his weaknesses. 512 00:39:02,560 --> 00:39:05,560 We can identify with Paul because of that. 513 00:39:05,560 --> 00:39:09,560 And with Paul, we want to be people of single purpose. 514 00:39:09,560 --> 00:39:13,560 God, forgive us for having so many other priorities and activities 515 00:39:13,560 --> 00:39:20,560 that make us people who have the single purpose of knowing Jesus and making him known. 516 00:39:20,560 --> 00:39:23,560 We pray this in his name. Amen. 517 00:39:23,560 --> 00:39:35,560 We're going to close this minute.