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1 Corinthians 3 - The Gospel Lived In The Church · Mount Eaton Church

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All right, 1 Corinthians 3. But I, brothers,
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could not address you as spiritual people, but
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as people of the flesh. I forgot to do the children's
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thing. It's okay. Just totally popped in my brain.
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Like right now, but it's too late. I'm sorry,
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kids. I will get it right one week. I'm telling
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you. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for
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you were not ready for it. Even now you are not
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yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. For
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while there is jealousy and strife among you,
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are you not of the flesh and behaving only in
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a human way? For when one says, I follow Paul,
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and another, I follow Apollos, are you not being
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merely human? What is Apollos? What is Paul?
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Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord
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assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered,
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but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants
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nor he who waters is anything, but only God who
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gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters
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are one, and each will receive his wages according
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to his labor. For we are God's fellow workers.
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You are God's field, God's building. According
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to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled
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master builder, I have laid a foundation and
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someone else is building upon it. Let each one
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take care how he builds upon it. For no one can
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lay a foundation other than that which is laid,
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which is Jesus Christ. Now, if anyone builds
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on a foundation with gold, silver, and precious
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stones, wood, hay, and straw, each one's work
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will be become manifest for the day will disclose
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it because it will be revealed by fire and the
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fire will test what sort of work each one has
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done. If the work that anyone has built on the
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foundation survives, he will receive a reward.
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If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer
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loss, though he himself will be saved, but only
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as through fire. Do you not know that you are
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God's temple and that God's spirit dwells in
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you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will
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destroy him. For God's temple is holy and you
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are that temple. Let no one deceive himself.
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If anyone among you thinks he is wise of this
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age, let him become a fool that he may become
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wise. For the wisdom of the world is folly with
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God. For it is written, he catches the wise in
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their craftiness. And again, the Lord knows the
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thoughts of the wise that they are futile. So
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let no one boast in men. For all things are yours,
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whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world
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or life or death or the present or the future,
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all are yours. You are Christ and Christ is God's.
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Now. A couple things you need to be reminded
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as we're going through this. There is this stirring
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up, this quarreling happening among the people.
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They're literally debating over who follows who
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and arguments and just acting completely childish.
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And what Paul is doing here is he's rebuking
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them for that and the reality of what their responsibility
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is and who they are. It's very important. In
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other words, Paul is clarifying the identity
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of the people here. They are the church of Jesus
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Christ, the temple of God, the people of God.
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And he's saying, so act like it. That's really
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what he's saying here. Now, there are going to
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be four principles as usual. And then we're going
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to go through the verses, okay? True spiritual
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maturity is seen in how we live amongst one another.
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So you want to see how mature a people are? Watch
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how they live with each other. Okay. In John
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13, 34 through 35, it says it this way. A new
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commandment I give you that you love one another
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just as I have loved you. You also are to love
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one another by this. All people will know that
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you are my disciples if you have love for one
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another. Pretty simple, isn't it? Paul clarifies
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some things here in 1 Corinthians 3, verse 1
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through 3. But I, brothers, could not address
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you as spiritual. In other words, the word spiritual
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means to be controlled or governed by the Spirit,
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by the Holy Spirit. He could not address them
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as people who are governed and controlled by
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the Holy Spirit, but only as people of the flesh,
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people who are worldly and sinful. So how should
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God's people be described in how we live and
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how we... communicate with each other how we
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deal with conflict how do we deal how do we as
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God's people should live with each other especially
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around the community in which we reside are we
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governed controlled by the spirit no Paul says
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he actually calls them as infants but as people
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of the flesh as infants in Christ as childish
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untaught and unskilled is the word infants here
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He calls them childish. You're unskilled in the
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simple things of God. You can't even do the basic
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little things. And that's exactly what he says
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in verse 2. I fed you with milk. This word fed
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means to offer water. The simplest thing that
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I could give you as an infant is water. That's
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the idea. It's a simple gesture. It means to
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teach teachings easy to understand. I gave you
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easy to understand truths about Christ. How do
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we know that? Because the word milk literally
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means simple truths. So this is what he says.
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I gave you a drink of simple truths. I gave you
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a drink of simple truths, the simple things that
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are easy to understand, but you didn't even understand
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those things. And look what he says and continued
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in verse two, not solid food. I didn't give you
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solid food. I gave you simple truths, easy to
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understand truths. What is solid food? Solid
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food is that which delights and truly satisfies
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the mind. That's the deep things of God. Are
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we going to be just satisfied with the simple
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things that Jesus died on the cross, was buried
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and rose again on the third day, which is simple,
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but still difficult. We read that in chapter
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two of first Corinthians, did we not? But the
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reality is the simple things of God. Are we going
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to settle there or do we want to know our God
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as fully as we possibly can know him now? We
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should want to know him more. As the scripture
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says. So this solid food, Paul could not give
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them because they couldn't even deal with the
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simple things. And so he says, that which delights
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and truly satisfies the mind. We read that in
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Psalm 119, did we not? In Psalm 119, it says
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that the word of God is a lamp unto my feet.
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Not Psalm 119. The word of God says, how can
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a young man keep his way pure? By living according
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to your word. I have hidden your word in my heart
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that I might not sin against you. So the whole
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point is that everything concerning the psalmist
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in Psalm 119 is the word of God matters to him.
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It is his delight and it truly satisfies as honey,
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as sweet as honey. But, Paul says, for you were
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not ready for it. What were they not ready for?
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They weren't ready for the delights that truly
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satisfy the mind. They weren't ready to eat the
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solid food, the meat. People want meat, but you
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can't eat meat. Because you're not ready to eat
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it. And that's why when we're preaching and teaching,
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and we're teaching deep things of God, it's kind
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of like we got to do a little bit here and a
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little bit there. Sometimes I got to give you
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broccoli, and you don't want broccoli. You want
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the steak, right? Rare to medium rare. Salty.
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Mushrooms with some fried onions. Yeah, you want
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that, but you got to be able to drink the milk
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first. And so, Paul goes on, and even now you
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are not ready. For you are still of the flesh.
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You are still worldly and simple. Why? Look what
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it says in the rest of verse 3. For while there
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is jealousy and strife among you, are you not
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of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?
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Now, second principle. Well, let me say it this
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way. That proves the reality. Of mature believers.
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Is they don't get into jealousy and strife. For
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foolish reasons. You shouldn't be in jealousy
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and strife at all. As a matter of fact. Principle
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number two. All of God's people are one in Christ.
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No one is more valued than the other. Very important.
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Galatians 3 .28, there is neither Jew nor Greek.
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There is neither slave nor free. There is no
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male and female, for you are all one in Christ
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Jesus. Why do I share that? Because in verses
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4 through 9 of 1 Corinthians 3, Paul gets into
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this understanding that Apollos and I are of
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the same fabric. Look what he says here. For
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one says, I follow Paul. And another, I follow
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Apollos. Are you not being merely human? Yes,
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you're being merely human. When you're not talking
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about the reality of following Christ and Christ
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alone, and he is the final and only one that
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matters, and you continue to look at others as
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a source of hope and not look to him as a source
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of hope, you are being merely human. This should
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speak volumes today. What then is Apollos? What
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is Paul? Slaves through whom you believed. Servants
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through whom you believed as the Lord assigned
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to each. God has assigned Apollos to do something.
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And God has assigned me, Paul, to be the apostle
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to the Gentiles. My responsibility is different
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than Apollos' responsibility. But there is one
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mission that we're both on. And guess what that
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is? The gospel. If Apollos waters and I plant,
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that's all that matters. Because planting the
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gospel and watering with the gospel is the gospel.
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That's his argument here. I planted. Apollos
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watered. But who gets the growth? Who makes the
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church grow? Who builds the family? God gave
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the growth. So what's a planter? Nothing. Who's
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a waterer? Nothing. What's it matter if I plant
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and it doesn't get water? Or if I water and it
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dries up, does it matter? Because in reality,
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there's something has to happen for that to grow.
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It's just a seed and it's just a water. God makes
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it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who
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waters is anything. Because without God growing
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it, it's not going to grow. But only God who
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gives the growth. God takes a dead seed and makes
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it alive. Lanny would probably know this more
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than most. He plants a lot of seeds, and I can
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probably guarantee that about 20 or 30 percent
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of the seeds that he plants never grow. Why?
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Doesn't matter how much he waters it. Doesn't
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matter how deep he plants it. If God doesn't
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grow it, it's not going to grow. That's the point.
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Look what it says here in verse 8. So he who
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plants and he who waters are one. This word one
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means one and the same. Same importance and esteem.
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We are the same thing. I'm the gospel planter.
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He's the gospel waterer. What's the same? Gospel.
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It's the same thing. One and the same. What's
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the same? The mission. I want you to hear that.
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That's the mission. You want to know what the
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church's responsibility is? It's to preach the
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gospel. The church's responsibility is to not
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take the seven mountains of influence. It's to
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preach the gospel. The church's responsibility
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isn't to go and take the government. It's to
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preach the gospel. That's the church's responsibility.
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It's the one mission that God gave for us to
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do. And we can't even get that right. We want
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governments. We want seven mountain mandates
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and dominion and Christian nationalism. But we
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can't even get the gospel right. And if you can't
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be faithful with the little, how in the world
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could you be faithful with the much? How about
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if we get people saved? How about if we preach
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the gospel and watch God save people as he grows
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it? And as a result of converted, real, true
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believers, then we start having a godly government
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and a godly schools and a godly. But no, we want
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to go and try to take over. To do what? Not preach
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the gospel. You can't even preach the gospel
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to your neighbor, right? What's most important?
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The heartbeat of the church. The gospel. Nothing
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matters more. For we are God's fellow workers.
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Verse 9. We are co -laborers. We are associates.
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We are helpers. As I said in first service, if
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you guys know Ted Sales, he's an amazing electrician.
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But every electrician, as a matter of fact, Andrew
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knows about this. Before you became like your
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own business owner, An electrician, you were
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what? A helper. He was an apprentice. Well, guess
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who the chief architect of his church is? God.
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Guess who's building his church? God is. Guess
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what you are? You're a grunt, a gopher. You're
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an assistant. You're a co -laborer. You're a
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helper. That's what we do. Why can't we be happy
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with helping? No, we got to build our own kingdoms.
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We can't even build a kingdom that he's given
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us. How about if we remember that, that we are
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his workers, fellow workers. You are his field.
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The word field here means cultivated field. It
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means a land already prepared and being fruitful.
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That's what that means. Not that God is making
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a field. God has already made the field. It is
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a completed field and it's producing fruit. You
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are that farmland. You. Isn't that amazing? We
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are God's building, meaning his structure and
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his temple. I want you to hear that. You're not
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making a field. God made the field. You're not
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making a building. God already made the building.
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How about just play the part you're supposed
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to play? And that's exactly what he says concerning
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the body. One wants to be an ear. One wants to
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be an eye. Can the eye say, I don't need you?
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Third principle. God will not only judge our
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lives lived in service, but especially on how
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we work, care, and guard his church, meaning
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his people. We're not going to be judged just
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on our lives and how we lived. We're going to
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be judged in how we steward. Galatians 6 .10.
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So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good
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to everyone, especially those who are of the
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household of faith. 1 Corinthians 3 .10. According
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to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled
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master builder, I laid a foundation. So what's
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this mean? That Paul, trained by God to be a
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builder of the church, he laid a foundation that
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was already laid. What is the foundation? Jesus
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Christ, the chief cornerstone, the gospel of
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Christ, and the doctrine of Christ. All of it
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is Christ. There is no other foundation besides
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Jesus. You want an excellent education system?
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Build it on Jesus. You want an excellent government?
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Build it on Jesus. You want an excellent medical?
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Build it on Jesus. But the problem is those foundations
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and those things aren't built on Jesus. Wrong
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foundation. Think about it. The only thing that's
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built on the foundation of Christ is this church.
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Now, look what it says here. And someone else
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is building upon it. So here's what Paul means.
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I, the Apostle Paul, went to you, Corinthian
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church, and I preached Christ and him crucified.
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And I have taught you the simple truths of doctrines
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concerning the foundational things of faith.
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And I have given you the gospel, Christ, the
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gospel, the foundational things of Christ. And
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now you, as a pastor, elder of the church, you're
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building upon something that I had already laid
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for you to build upon. And guess what? Someone
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laid a foundation here in 1884. You know what
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that foundation was? Go over to the old church,
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bottom left corner, Lutheran Reformed Church,
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built on biblical reform theology. That's what
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this church was built on. And it's been here
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for 142 years. Why is this important? Because
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it's about sound truth. It's about doctrine.
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It's about Jesus Christ. It's not about what
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I want, what I feel, what I think. It's what
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does the word of God say concerning himself?
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That's really what the church has been built
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on. And it's still thriving for each one. Take
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care how he builds upon it. I'm just building
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upon what was already laid 142 years ago. I didn't
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get the privilege to plant. I get the privilege
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to build upon what was already built. For no
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one can lay a foundation other than that which
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is laid, which is Jesus Christ. There's your
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answer. What is the foundation? Jesus. Now, if
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anyone builds on a foundation with gold, silver,
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precious stones, hay, wood, and straw, each one's
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work will become manifest for the day we'll disclose
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it. Now, I know I've heard, I mean, I used to
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teach this wrongly until I started growing up
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spiritually. Because we've all been told, like,
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it's all about what I do for Jesus. It's about
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my ministry. What I do, am I going to do it with
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gold, silver, and precious stones? The church
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here, he's talking about a foundation that's
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already been laid in Corinth called the foundation
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of Jesus Christ. And the church of Corinth is
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being built upon this. And there's someone who's
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coming and building upon what was already laid.
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Now, if that man comes and builds with gold,
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silver, and precious stones, and you participate
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as a worker, as a collaborator in helping to
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lay the stonework of the building, is it gold,
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silver, and precious stones? Or is it wood, hay,
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and straw? Is it really worthless service and
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worthless work? That's what he's talking about
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here. This is really about building the church,
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not building my little ministry. Are we partnering
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with God, doing what he's commanded us to do,
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building what he's commanded us to build, and
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one day he will come and establish his kingdom
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forever, for the day will disclose it. That day
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we will know who did the work because it will
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be revealed by fire. That word fire there means
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judgment, wrath. It's cleansing, purification.
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The fire will test, there it is, what sort of
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work one has done. If the work that anyone has
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built on the foundation survives. Do you hear
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that? Work. is building, built on the foundation
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that already exists, survives. He will receive
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a reward. If anyone's work is burned up, he will
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suffer loss, though he himself will be saved,
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but only as through the fire. What is the foundation?
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The foundation is Jesus Christ. Concerning what?
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The temple of God, the church. So what's our
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responsibility? Build the church. Do you not
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know that you are God's temple? That God's spirit
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dwells in you, not only in you individually,
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but he dwells in you as a people. Isn't that
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important? God will destroy. If he destroys God's
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temple, God will destroy him for God's temple
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is holy. And you are that temple. Since all things
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concern God's people, we must. Become fools so
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that we may become wise. Wisdom is to be skilled
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in the ways of God. That's what true, real, biblical
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wisdom is. To be skilled in the ways of God.
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Ephesians 5, 15 through 17 say it this way. Look
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carefully then how you walk. Not as unwise, but
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as wise. Making the best use of the time because
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the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish,
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but understand what the will of the Lord is.
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What is God's will? His word is his will. His
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word. This is the will of God right here. If
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you want to know God's mind, it's in his word.
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If you want to know God's ways, it's his word.
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If you want to know what God thinks, it's his
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word. If you want to know what God commands,
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it's his word. So let no one deceive, verse 18
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through 23, let no one deceive himself. If anyone
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among you thinks that he is wise in this age,
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let him become a fool that he may become wise.
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If you think you're wise, if you think you know
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what it is to live in this world, please become
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foolish so that you can become wise and skilled
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in the ways of God. For the wisdom of this world
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is folly. Do you hear that? Let no one boast
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in men. Are we boasting in Christ? Are we boasting
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in men? That's a good question. Where's our hope?
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In Christ or in men? Who do we want to become
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like? Like Christ? Or like a man, I am a Christian.
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I am a believer. We are Christians. We are believers.
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We are not Charlie Kirk. We boast in Christ and
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Christ alone, not in men. For all things are
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yours. This word, this term literally means all
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things concern you. I want you to hear this.
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All things concern us. Why? Because all things
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concern the gospel. All things concern you, whether
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Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life
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or death or the present or the future. All things
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concern you. All are yours, it says here. This
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is not a dominion statement. This is a proclamation
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statement. All things concern you in whether
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it's Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or
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life or death or present or the future. All of
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it is concerning you, priest of gospel. Priest
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of gospel is what he's saying here. You are in
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Christ. You are Christ. You belong to Christ
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and he belongs to you. You are his temple. You
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are his people and he is our God. That's what
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this means. All things concern us because it
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concerns the gospel. And we are in Christ. What's
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interesting is I think they could have translated
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this a little bit better at the end where it
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says, Christ is God's, meaning God owns him.
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No, what I think really is said here, especially
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when you look at the original language, it says,
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if we are in Christ, Christ is God. All things
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concern you and you are in Christ and Christ
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is God, the ruler of all things. That's what
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this means. How do we know? Because it fits the
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context of everything that's been said here.
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So that's my challenge to you. So in closing,
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we must be truly spiritually mature in how we
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live among each other. That we must, as God's
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people, know that we are one in Christ and that
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all of God's people are valued in him. We must
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also... Understand the importance and the responsibility
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of how we are to work and care and guard for
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his church. That's what matters. And lastly,
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concerning all things, it is about the gospel
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because we are in Christ and he is our God. That's
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what all this means. It's like, why are you fighting
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over dumb and foolish things, Corinthians? You
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belong to Christ and he is God. That's how he
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ends it there in chapter three. Father, I want
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to thank you so much for your goodness and faithfulness.
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Thank you, Lord, for your word. Thank you that
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your word is true, that you are the God of all
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creation, and that you have called us as your
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people to do the work, to be fellow workers,
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helpers with you in accomplishing your purpose
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and plan and in building your church and that
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the gates of hell will not ever prevail over
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her. We praise you and thank you for your faithfulness.
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In Jesus' name, amen.