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Christ and Culture · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

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So we have been, as a church, working together verse by verse through the book of Romans.
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You will note today that I had you turn to 1 Corinthians.
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! We finished chapter 8 a couple of weeks ago and have decided for the summer not to go on to chapter 9.
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We believe that in order to remain, keep some continuity going as we get into chapter 10 and 11,
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as many of the college students come back in the fall,
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we would always have to re-preach chapter 9 to catch everybody up to where we're going to be talking in 10 and 11
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and some of the hard issues there.
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And so we preferred to wait.
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Now, that's not the only reason we're putting it off.
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I don't want you to think that you're getting lesser sermons because we wanted to wait on that.
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But there have been some issues both discussed amongst our church and cultural,
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pretty massive cultural issues going on, that we feel deserve some discussion.
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And so today we're going to start a sermon series called Christ and Culture.
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And I'll explain as we go on what we mean by that term and what that's going to end up looking like for us.
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But this morning, the text we're going to be using is going to be kind of the theme text for this sermon series.
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And so starting in verse 19 of 1 Corinthians chapter 9, let's read together.
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Paul writes,
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If I was going to say, there's our theme.
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Verse 24.
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Let's pray together.
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Father, truly, in this hour we need you, as we do all the time.
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I need you, by the power of your Spirit, to enable me to speak with clarity,
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to speak true things from your Word.
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And all of us, Father, need your Spirit to apply them to our lives,
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to understand it, to soak it in, to have it affect and change our hearts.
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And I pray, God, for our church as we go through this study together over the coming weeks,
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that you will show us how we can best honor you in all of the areas of our life.
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We pray this in the precious name of Christ.
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So in this series, Christ and Culture,
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we're seeking to acknowledge culture, that it exists,
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by discussing and demonstrating exactly how we ought to think, act, believe, and interact with culture.
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But before we get going too far,
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the main thing I want to show you from our text today
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is Paul's unwavering commitment to the Gospel.
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Paul's unwavering commitment to the Gospel.
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And his success in it as well.
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And I want to show you five things, two from the text,
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others that are just general about Paul's life.
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Number one, Paul was called by God's Father.
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Paul affirms his apostleship in chapter 9, verse 1.
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And in 1.1 of 1 Corinthians, he says,
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Paul called by the will of God to be an apostle of Jesus Christ.
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And then in 9.16,
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Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel.
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Paul had a definite, a firm call in his life to be a preacher of the Gospel of God,
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as do we all.
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None of us are exempt from this.
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If we are in Christ, we are known by Him,
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that we all have been given the same call.
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We're all, in some sense, apostolic,
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sent to carry the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world.
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Number two, he was given revelation of Jesus Christ.
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He saw the Lord, and he therefore had clarity of message.
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Chapter 9, again, verse 1, he says,
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Have I not seen Jesus our Lord?
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He asked rhetorically, of course I have.
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Galatians 1.11 and 12,
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For I would have you know, brothers,
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that the Gospel that was preached by me is not man's Gospel.
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For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it,
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but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.
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And in the same way, we as Christians today, in the 21st century,
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have been given a blessed revelation of Jesus Christ.
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We have the full, sufficient Word of God,
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which is a clear picture of our Lord,
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and we ought to, as a result, want to share it with Him.
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Number three, he was guided by the Spirit.
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You see the Trinitarian motivation of Paul.
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Acts 13, 2-4, you see the sending, the commissioning of Paul.
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While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting,
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the Holy Spirit said,
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Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.
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Then after feasting, fasting, and praying,
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they laid their hands on them and sent them off.
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So being sent out by the Holy Spirit,
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they went down to Seleucia, and from there sailed, disciples.
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Romans 8-14, Paul says,
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For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
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And his point there in 8-14 is the affirmation.
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If you are a son of God, you will be led by the Spirit of God.
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Your motivations will change.
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What you desire will be different because the Spirit of God abides in you.
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And that motivates, pushes us toward an unwavering commitment to the gospel.
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Now, in the text where we are today,
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fourthly, he was encouraged by joy.
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He was encouraged by joy.
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Paul's life was a rough life.
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By any American standard, Paul suffered greatly.
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Paul had little to count for in this world.
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But yet, he traded the things of this world for the joy that was in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
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We see in verse 23 that he does all of this,
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all of his self-denial for the sake of the gospel,
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that he may share with them those he's winning to Christ in the blessings of the gospel.
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And we see in verse 25 that he's competing for a wreath that is imperishable.
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That is ultimate and final joy forever.
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So he was encouraged by joy.
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And then fifthly, and where we're going to spend a bit of our time,
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he was motivated by love.
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Paul loved people.
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And he cared for their eternal state.
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And I could ask at each one of these points, is this you?
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Have you been called by the prophet?
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Have you been given a revelation of Christ?
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Are you guided by the Spirit?
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And I hope as Christians you can say yes,
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because if you can't, then you're not a Christian at all.
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You merely claim to be a Christian,
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but you are not in fact a follower of Christ.
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I hope that we're encouraged by joy.
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But mostly this morning,
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I hope that we're motivated by love.
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Do you love people?
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Are you self-serving or do you serve others?
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And we see here that Paul is in a state,
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as he's writing this,
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of self-denial and self-nutrival.
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So those are the two things I want you to see.
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Self-denial we see through verse 23.
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He starts in verse 19.
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For though I am free from all.
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He's free.
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In the gospel, he is free from all.
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No longer to serve the ways of man,
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but to serve God.
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But what does he do?
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He makes himself a servant to all.
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He denies himself
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some of the rights he has in the gospel
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in order that he might better serve.
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The letter to the Corinthians
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is all throughout flavored with this issue
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that was going on in the church at Corinth.
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That they were taking their liberty they had in Christ,
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which they certainly had,
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but they were taking it to its extreme end.
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They said,
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Well, I've been free from the law of God.
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I can do anything I want to do, right?
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Paul affirmed liberty.
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He said,
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Yes, you're free in Christ.
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However, you're to be a servant to all.
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We as Christians too often lean on liberty.
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Notice Paul in verse 21.
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He says that he's not outside the law of God,
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but he's under the law of Christ.
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We are still called to keep the moral law.
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In order to what?
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Look at the theme all throughout.
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Verse 19,
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That I might win more of them.
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Verse 20,
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In order to win Jews.
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At the end of verse 20,
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Win those under the law.
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Verse 21,
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Not being outside of,
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Excuse me,
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I don't know why I'm the wrong thing.
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Win those outside the law.
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Verse 22,
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Win the weak.
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And at the end of verse 22,
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That I might save some.
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Paul was willing to give up some of the rights that he had
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in order to serve those to the end of the gospel.
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Now hear me carefully.
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When you don't practice a liberty,
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as many Christians would say,
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when you don't practice a liberty,
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you're not denying yourself freedom in Christ.
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You have the liberty in Christ
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to do something and to not do something that's gray.
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Let me give you the example of alcohol.
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And I hope I'm not opening up a massive can of worms
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because I'm not going to treat it today in its entirety.
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But you would have those who would say,
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if I don't drink,
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then I'm denying my liberty in Christ.
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The freedom that you've given to me,
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I'm giving it back.
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How dare I do such a thing?
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But actually,
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as I've done,
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I've chosen not to drink because of my position.
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I don't want it to ever be a stumbling block
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for the gospel in my life.
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Not necessarily the case for you,
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but for me,
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I'm practicing my liberty to not drink.
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I don't have to do either.
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I'm free to do what's best
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and follow my convictions,
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my conscience in that way.
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And that's where we get into
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as we talk about Christ and culture.
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There's a lot of gray out there.
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There's much this defined for us.
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There's a lot of black and white in the scripture.
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But as we live now in the 21st century,
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believing that the scripture is fully sufficient for us,
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God has left us some gray areas,
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some places that we must be dependent on him
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and led by his spirit,
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act appropriately to engage our culture.
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Look now to his self-control.
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Verse 24 through 27,
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he speaks of this race
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that lots of people run the race,
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but not all of them win.
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So if we're going to win the race,
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he's not saying that as Christians,
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only one of us is getting to the end.
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He's just saying that
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if we're going to run the race well,
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we must discipline ourselves.
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We must be self-controlled.
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Verse 27, he says,
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but I discipline my body
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and keep it under control.
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This is such interesting language.
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To keep your body under control
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is to make it a slave by severe force.
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That's what the Greek phrase means.
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And if you have an ESV,
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which is what I'm preaching from,
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you'll actually see that the footnote for,
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but I discipline my body
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and keep it under control,
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the footnote translates it,
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I pummel the body and make it a slave.
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So it's a fierce act
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to keep the body under control.
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For what?
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Again, remembering the context
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so that we can serve the end of the gospel.
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What do we do?
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How do we act?
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What do we believe?
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What do we say?
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All these things should be highly disciplined
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for the sake of the gospel.
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When he speaks of this wreath that's fading,
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the perishable wreath,
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he's referring,
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as he's talking to the Corinthians,
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to some games that took place.
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For the Greeks,
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sport was very important to them.
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There was games that took place,
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yet the Olympic games,
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we're familiar with those,
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but the Isthmian games were held
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every third year in Corinth.
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And to even be considered,
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to be able to enter into those games,
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you had to have written proof,
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you had to show that you've been training
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for at least 10 months
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to be able to enter into the games.
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And once you were accepted into the games,
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you moved to Corinth,
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if you didn't already live there,
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and you went through a 30-day training regiment.
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There was somebody in charge of the game,
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and they took you through
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this rigorous training regiment
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so that you would be ready
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to run in the race
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to earn the ultimate prize,
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which there was only one winner.
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Ultimately and finally,
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there was only one winner,
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and what they earned
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at the end of it all
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was an evergreen wreath.
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Now in our Olympic games,
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we get the gold medals.
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You know the gold medals
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only worth 110 bucks,
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that little medal
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that they hang around their necks.
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Fairly trivial,
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the prize was,
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but what the evergreen wreath
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symbolized was immortality.
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You have won the Isthmian games.
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You will be remembered forever.
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Have any of you heard
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of the Isthmian games
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before I mentioned that?
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Okay, we got one.
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Okay.
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But to prove my point,
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none of you know
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who won the Isthmian game.
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None of you know that.
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They weren't immortalized at all.
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John MacArthur,
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in speaking on this text,
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spoke of his time in college
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as he played football,
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and he broke a number of records,
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and they had a record board,
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and he went back as an alum
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to an alumni event,
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and the record board,
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he noticed many of his records
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had been replaced
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with new record holders,
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and he returned the following year,
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and the record board
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had been taken down
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for some remodeling,
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and somebody had lost it.
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So it didn't even exist anymore at all.
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And not long after that,
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the school that he attended
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shut down altogether,
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and he used how foolish he was
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for training himself
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and thinking that he would be immortalized
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with his efforts in that way.
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But we are to train ourselves,
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to discipline ourselves,
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to understand how we should act
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and interact with culture
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so that we might win prize.
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So Christ and culture.
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And I think we need to define those terms
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to set us up for the next few weeks.
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When we say Christ,
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we're talking about the Lord.
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The one who sits at the right hand of the Father.
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The perfect spotless Lamb.
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The only sacrifice that was worthy
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of paying the sins of the church.
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That's the Christ we're talking about.
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We're not talking about hippie Jesus,
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or good moral teacher Jesus.
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We're not talking about all the perversions of Christ.
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We're talking about the Christ of Scripture.
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And his effect now in the world.
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So Christ is currently,
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if you don't know this,
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he sits at the right hand of the Father
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in the place of honor,
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and he reigns there.
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He holds the world in sway
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by the power of his word.
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That's providence.
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Christ is totally and completely
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in control of everything
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that's going on in this world right now.
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And he has commissioned us
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by his Spirit as his soldier.
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We are the hands and the feet
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and the mouthpiece of Christ.
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He multiplied us to the world.
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I used to think,
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how great it would be
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if Jesus walked the earth now.
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What could he accomplish now
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if Jesus walked the earth?
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He's accomplishing much more
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at the right hand of the Father
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because he's given his Spirit
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to those who follow him.
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And he's multiplied us
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across the world
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to advance his kingdom.
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He ushered in the kingdom of God.
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He inaugurated the kingdom of God
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when he came, lived, died, resurrected.
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And he's in the process now
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of seeing it come to full culmination.
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So we live in a place right now
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where we're kind of in between two worlds.
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What is the kingdom of God has come
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and what is yet to be
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the full realization of it.
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That's the Christ that we're talking about.
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So that includes us
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when we talk about Christ in culture.
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And that's primarily
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what we're going to be discussing
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over the coming weeks.
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How is it that we function
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within the world that we live in
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as Christians
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for the sake of the gospel?
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So that's the Christ.
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Culture.
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We've got to talk about this
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at a little bit greater length
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and it deserves a short water break.
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This is a much debated topic.
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How do we define culture?
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Now for a lot of people
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when they think of culture
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they think of high culture.
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Like we need to get you cultured.
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So we're going to take you to the opera.
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We're going to have you
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taste fine wines.
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I'm going to teach you
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how to use a knife and a fork properly.
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That's what we think of culture.
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That's not really what culture is.
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Culture runs the gamut.
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You could say
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we're talking about both
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high culture and low culture.
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We could say
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we're talking about those
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who go to fine meals and opera
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and those who play Xbox
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and eat Twinkies.
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We're talking about
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all things in culture.
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So here's your cultural definition
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that we're going to operate under
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although there are many others.
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If you want this for your notes
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see me afterward
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because it's a little bit long.
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So you hear me out here.
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Culture consists of the beliefs,
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behaviors, objects,
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and other characteristics
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common to the members
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of a particular group or society.
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Culture includes many societal aspects.
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Language, art, customs, values,
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norms, folklores, tools, technologies,
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products, organizations, and institutions.
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I'm sure that's not exhausting.
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It includes basically everything
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we encounter day to day.
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Off the website
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Christ and Pop Culture
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which I'll commend to you.
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It's a really fun read.
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They say,
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Culture is everywhere.
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You can attempt to avoid it
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but even if you succeeded
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those around you are immersed in it.
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Culture is more than just
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television, film, music,
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and the things people
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indulge themselves with
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the past time.
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It's politics.
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It's lifestyle.
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It's the common knowledge
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of our age.
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You could say
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it's the common sense
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of our age.
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Now some 50 plus years ago
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a man named Richard Niebuhr
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wrote a book
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called Christ and Culture.
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Culture.
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And I would presume
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that none of you have read it.
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I haven't read it.
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I've read a critique of it
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but I haven't read
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the book itself.
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But it has been
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the predominant narrative
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in the church
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and how we function
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with culture.
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And the danger of the book
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is right in some aspects
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but the danger of the book
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is that it's reductionary.
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It makes things
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too simple.
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And what it has tended
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to cause the church to do
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is one of two things.
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It's either become isolationistic.
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Totally withdraw culture
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altogether.
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The Amish would be
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a good example of that.
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They have said
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all things of the world
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are evil.
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I'm not of the world.
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Therefore we will do
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everything of our own.
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That's the one danger.
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Fundamentalism would be
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another example of that.
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The other side of that
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is an attempt to
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totally meld the gospel
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into current culture.
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The emergent movement
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would be an example of that.
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Where the message itself
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is actually being changed
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to try to make it
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culturally relevant
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as if the gospel
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hasn't always been
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relevant to people
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who need a savior.
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So those are the two
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end extremes
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and that's kind of
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tended to be what happened
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and we could probably
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find ourselves
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in varying areas
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of our life
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doing one of those
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two things.
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That's why I think
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that this is all
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so important
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for us to discuss.
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So let's talk a little
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bit more about how
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complicated culture can be.
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We exist in varying
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cultures.
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There is certainly a
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meta-narrative of the world,
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a broad culture,
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the human culture,
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in which we are all
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sinners separated from God.
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We all have a sin nature.
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We all need a savior.
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That's a shared commonality
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between all of us.
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A subset of that
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would be those
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who know Christ,
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the church,
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and I don't mean
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anybody who attends
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a church,
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I mean those who are
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truly regenerate
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and belong to God
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and those who don't.
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Those would be
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subsets of that culture
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but think about
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some of the other
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things you do,
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the operations
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that you have,
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the groups and societies
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you belong to
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that share beliefs
21:55
and commonalities
21:56
and symbols
21:56
and those types of things.
21:58
I used to
21:59
whitewater kayak a lot.
22:01
I don't get to do that
22:02
really anymore
22:02
but I used to do it a lot
22:04
and that was subculture.
22:06
There was a language
22:07
we had,
22:09
the term booth.
22:10
If you're a whitewater
22:11
kayaker,
22:12
you know exactly
22:12
what that means.
22:13
If you're not,
22:14
you have no clue
22:15
what we're talking about.
22:17
There's terminology
22:18
like that.
22:19
So there are tons
22:20
of subcultures
22:21
we exist within.
22:22
Each of us as individuals
22:23
exist within
22:25
multiple cultures,
22:26
all kinds of cultures
22:27
and they're not
22:28
these concentric circles.
22:30
They're circles
22:30
that overlap,
22:31
that are very fuzzy
22:32
at the edges.
22:33
You might have a group
22:34
that you identify with
22:34
but not in every way.
22:36
Your sorority
22:38
or paternity
22:38
may do that.
22:39
You share some
22:39
of the common values
22:40
of brotherhood
22:41
and sisterhood
22:42
but you may not
22:43
really appreciate
22:44
some of the parting
22:45
that goes on
22:46
within your paternity
22:47
or sorority.
22:48
The lines become fuzzy
22:49
and they overlap.
22:50
Very complicated
22:52
if we look at culture
22:54
and what that means.
22:56
It would be nice
22:56
to just divide it all up
22:57
into nice little pods
22:59
and deal with it
22:59
but we can't.
23:00
So really every individual
23:02
is their own set
23:04
of complicated
23:06
cultural interactions.
23:09
And what we're trying
23:11
to accomplish
23:11
as Christians
23:12
is we're trying
23:14
to filter all
23:14
of our cultural experience
23:16
through the gospel
23:17
of Christ
23:18
and ultimately
23:19
see everyone else's
23:21
cultural experience
23:22
come under
23:23
the auspice
23:24
of the gospel.
23:25
We want it to reign
23:26
in their lives
23:27
as well.
23:28
Which means it'll change
23:29
some of the things
23:30
we do.
23:31
It'll change some
23:32
of our belief structures.
23:33
That's what we're
23:34
going to be talking
23:35
about through the
23:36
varying topics
23:37
over the coming weeks.
23:39
How should Christians
23:40
believe about certain
23:41
things?
23:42
What are the gray areas
23:43
and how can we seek
23:44
the spirit
23:45
to live properly
23:46
in those areas
23:48
of our lives?
23:49
Important things
23:50
to discuss.
23:52
We're ultimately
23:53
waiting.
23:54
As we interact
23:55
with the world
23:55
we're trying
23:56
to disarm them.
23:58
I've heard a great
23:59
analogy this week.
24:01
The guy talked
24:01
about how every
24:02
person you have
24:03
a conversation
24:03
about the gospel
24:04
with is holding
24:05
a rock in their hand.
24:07
And that rock
24:08
is waiting
24:08
to beat you with it
24:10
but it's built
24:10
of preconceived notions.
24:13
It's built
24:13
of their past
24:14
experience with the gospel.
24:16
And what we're
24:16
trying to do
24:17
as we interact
24:18
with them
24:18
is get them
24:19
to put down
24:19
the rock
24:20
and listen.
24:21
Now I fully
24:22
recognize
24:23
the spirit
24:23
of God
24:24
must intervene
24:26
in somebody's life
24:26
for them to become
24:27
saved.
24:28
Must.
24:29
But he's given us
24:30
means by which
24:32
he uses.
24:32
So we should
24:33
have a methodology.
24:34
We should
24:34
understand people.
24:36
We should seek
24:36
first to understand
24:37
then be understood.
24:38
We should try
24:39
to get them
24:39
to put the rock
24:41
down.
24:42
The Protestant
24:43
Evangelical Church
24:44
as well as
24:45
many other
24:47
denominations
24:49
that claim
24:50
to follow
24:51
Christ
24:51
have put
24:53
a widening
24:54
chasm
24:54
between us
24:56
and the lost.
24:57
And it's
24:58
happening all
24:58
the time.
24:59
We live
24:59
in a
25:00
politically
25:01
charged
25:02
nation
25:02
that has
25:03
lots of
25:04
Christian value
25:06
pushed up
25:06
under political
25:07
decisions
25:07
and a lot
25:08
of that
25:09
makes that
25:10
chasm
25:10
wider
25:11
and wider.
25:12
The picture
25:12
in my mind
25:13
is always
25:14
of church
25:15
leaders
25:16
and politicians
25:16
standing on a
25:17
bank that's
25:17
crumbling in
25:18
and they keep
25:19
kicking the
25:19
sides of it
25:20
and they just
25:20
keep crumbling
25:21
and they take
25:21
a step back
25:22
and they keep
25:22
kicking the
25:23
sides
25:23
and this gap
25:24
gets wider
25:24
and wider
25:25
and wider
25:26
and our goal
25:27
as Christians
25:27
is not to
25:28
make the
25:29
chasm wider
25:29
but to build
25:30
a bridge
25:30
and we might
25:31
share the
25:32
gospel
25:32
with those
25:33
who are
25:34
lost.
25:35
So culture
25:36
is a complicated
25:36
thing.
25:37
What I really
25:37
want you to
25:37
see in all
25:38
of that
25:38
not to
25:39
dishearten
25:40
you
25:40
but to get
25:41
you to see
25:42
that you
25:42
cannot avoid
25:44
interacting with
25:45
culture.
25:46
There's no
25:46
way around
25:47
it.
25:47
And as a
25:49
Christian
25:49
as a follower
25:50
of Christ
25:50
he must
25:51
permeate
25:52
all of those
25:53
interactions
25:54
and all of
25:55
those things
25:55
that you do.
25:57
So let's look at
25:58
Paul a little
25:58
bit as to
26:00
how we should
26:01
then function
26:02
in our varying
26:03
cultural context.
26:04
He says in
26:05
chapter 9
26:06
verse 22
26:06
and 23
26:07
here's kind of
26:07
our theme
26:08
verses
26:09
I have
26:09
become all
26:10
things to
26:10
all people
26:11
that by
26:11
all means
26:11
I might
26:12
save some
26:12
I do it
26:13
all for the
26:14
sake of the
26:14
gospel that I
26:15
might share
26:16
with them
26:16
in its
26:17
blessing.
26:18
But we
26:18
know that
26:19
Paul doesn't
26:20
seek the
26:20
approval of
26:20
men
26:21
right?
26:21
Paul doesn't
26:22
seek the
26:22
approval of
26:23
men
26:23
Galatians
26:23
1 10
26:24
for am I
26:24
now seeking
26:25
the approval
26:25
of man
26:26
or of
26:26
God
26:27
or am I
26:27
trying to
26:28
please man
26:28
if I
26:29
were still
26:29
trying to
26:29
please man
26:30
I would
26:30
not be
26:31
servant of
26:32
Christ.
26:34
Interesting.
26:34
2nd
26:35
Corinthians 4
26:35
2 he says
26:36
remember in
26:50
verse 21
26:51
of chapter 9
26:52
he says
26:52
that he's not
26:53
outside the
26:54
law of God
26:54
but under
26:55
the law
26:55
of Christ
26:56
so we
26:56
don't
26:57
become
26:58
the culture
26:59
we don't
27:00
become
27:01
the people
27:02
we're trying
27:02
to share
27:02
Christ with
27:03
but we
27:04
figure out
27:05
how to
27:05
understand
27:06
them
27:06
that we
27:06
might
27:07
better
27:07
share
27:07
the truth
27:08
with them
27:09
you've
27:09
probably
27:10
if you've
27:11
been in
27:11
the church
27:11
long
27:11
heard the
27:12
phrase
27:12
we're called
27:13
to be
27:14
in the
27:14
world
27:14
but not
27:15
of the
27:15
world
27:15
and that's
27:17
not actually
27:17
found anywhere
27:17
in scripture
27:18
nowhere did
27:19
Jesus say
27:20
you should be
27:20
in the world
27:21
but not of
27:21
the world
27:21
it's kind
27:22
of an
27:22
extrapolation
27:23
it's kind
27:24
of a
27:24
combination
27:24
of a
27:25
number
27:25
of verses
27:25
so it's
27:25
certainly
27:26
true
27:27
we're
27:28
meant to
27:28
be here
27:28
we were
27:29
left behind
27:29
with a
27:30
very
27:30
specific
27:31
mission
27:32
but we're
27:33
not meant
27:33
to look
27:34
like the
27:36
set apart
27:37
Jesus said
27:38
that he was
27:39
not of the
27:39
world
27:39
John 8
27:40
23
27:40
he said
27:41
to them
27:41
you are
27:42
from below
27:43
I am
27:43
from above
27:44
you are
27:44
of this
27:45
world
27:45
I am
27:45
not
27:46
of this
27:47
world
27:47
Jesus said
27:48
that his
27:48
followers
27:49
are not
27:49
of this
27:50
world
27:50
John 15
27:51
19
27:51
if you
27:52
were of
27:52
the world
27:53
the world
27:53
would love
27:54
you as
27:54
its own
27:54
but because
27:55
you are
27:55
not of
27:56
the world
27:56
but I
27:57
chose you
27:57
out of
27:58
the world
27:58
therefore
27:59
the world
28:00
hates you
28:00
Paul taught
28:02
that we
28:02
are not
28:02
to be
28:03
conformed
28:04
to this
28:04
world
28:04
Romans 12
28:05
2
28:06
do not
28:06
be
28:06
conformed
28:06
to this
28:07
world
28:07
be
28:07
transformed
28:07
by the
28:09
renewing
28:09
of your
28:10
mind
28:10
so we're
28:12
meant to be
28:12
set apart
28:13
we're meant
28:14
to be
28:14
sanctified
28:15
that's what
28:16
that term
28:16
means
28:16
Sam and I
28:17
have a plate
28:18
a red and
28:20
blue plate
28:20
and it says
28:21
on it
28:21
you are very
28:22
special
28:22
and it is our
28:24
set apart
28:25
plate for
28:26
honored guests
28:27
and for birthdays
28:28
and things of that
28:28
sort
28:29
that's what that
28:29
term
28:30
sanctified
28:30
means we're
28:31
meant to be
28:31
set apart
28:32
we're meant to be
28:33
holy
28:33
as God
28:34
is holy
28:35
so I'm not
28:36
talking about
28:37
compromise
28:38
I'm not talking
28:40
about becoming
28:41
something that
28:41
doesn't look
28:42
like Jesus
28:43
Christ
28:43
what I'm
28:45
talking about
28:45
is operating
28:47
as Paul
28:48
operated
28:48
in the
28:49
gray areas
28:50
in those
28:52
things that
28:53
aren't explicitly
28:53
spelled out
28:54
for us
28:54
being led
28:55
by the
28:56
spirit of
28:57
God
28:57
so that we
28:58
might serve
28:59
those who
29:00
are lost
29:01
D.Ed Carson
29:03
who's a
29:04
professor of
29:04
New Testament
29:05
at Trinity
29:05
Evangelical
29:06
Divinity
29:07
School
29:07
wrote a book
29:08
called Christ
29:09
and Culture
29:09
Revisited
29:10
which I have
29:11
a copy of
29:11
here
29:11
if you are
29:12
in the mood
29:12
for something
29:13
incredibly petty
29:14
I tell you
29:15
this is a
29:15
great read
29:16
I'm working
29:17
my way through
29:18
it right now
29:18
but I wanted
29:19
to read you
29:19
a quick quote
29:20
from it
29:21
he says
29:23
the unease
29:24
we feel
29:24
at such
29:25
tension
29:25
the tension
29:26
of being
29:27
Christian
29:28
being in
29:28
the world
29:29
but not of
29:29
it
29:30
will not
29:32
be resolved
29:33
until the
29:33
last day
29:34
we await
29:35
the return
29:36
of Jesus
29:36
Christ
29:37
the arrival
29:37
of the new
29:38
heaven
29:38
and the new
29:39
earth
29:39
the dawning
29:40
of the
29:41
resurrection
29:41
the glory
29:42
of perfection
29:42
the beauty
29:43
of holiness
29:44
until that
29:45
day we are
29:46
a people
29:46
in tension
29:47
on the one
29:48
hand we belong
29:49
to the broader
29:49
culture in which
29:50
we find ourselves
29:51
on the other
29:52
we belong to
29:52
the culture
29:53
of the consummated
29:54
kingdom of God
29:55
which has
29:55
dawned among
29:56
us
29:57
our true city
29:58
is the new
29:58
Jerusalem
29:59
even while
30:00
we still belong
30:01
to Paris
30:01
or Budapest
30:02
or New York
30:03
or Lumpkin
30:04
or Hall
30:04
or Dawson
30:05
White County
30:07
and while we
30:08
await the
30:09
consummation
30:09
we gratefully
30:10
and joyfully
30:11
confess that
30:12
the God
30:12
of all
30:13
is our God
30:13
and that we
30:14
have been
30:14
called to
30:15
give him
30:15
glory
30:16
acknowledge his
30:17
reign
30:17
and bear
30:18
witness to
30:18
his salvation
30:19
by the
30:20
proclamation
30:20
of the gospel
30:21
we anticipate
30:22
the conversion
30:22
of men
30:23
and women
30:23
from every
30:24
language
30:25
and people
30:25
and nation
30:26
and as
30:26
redeemed
30:27
human beings
30:27
we seek
30:28
the peace
30:28
and prosperity
30:29
of the city
30:30
in which we
30:30
find ourselves
30:31
until the new
30:32
Jerusalem comes
30:32
down from
30:33
heaven
30:34
this is that
30:35
critique I was
30:36
talking about
30:37
of Niebuhr's
30:38
Christ and
30:39
culture
30:39
the reductionary
30:41
nature of it
30:41
and Carson
30:43
fully affirms
30:44
that we're going
30:44
to live in
30:45
this tension
30:46
but we must
30:48
as Christians
30:49
understand it
30:51
we must get
30:52
why there are
30:53
chasms between
30:54
us and a lot
30:54
we must
30:55
understand the
30:56
stones they
30:57
hold in their
30:58
hands
30:58
if we
30:59
love them
31:00
there's the
31:02
motivating power
31:03
of love
31:03
in Paul's
31:04
life that we
31:05
can see
31:05
that he was
31:06
willing to
31:06
become all
31:07
things
31:07
all people
31:08
he was willing
31:09
to lay down
31:09
some of his
31:10
rights
31:11
a wonderful
31:13
example of this
31:13
in scriptures
31:14
from Acts 16
31:15
when Paul
31:16
takes Timothy
31:17
with him
31:17
to go along
31:18
with them
31:18
to build
31:19
disciples
31:20
and plant
31:20
churches
31:20
do you recall
31:21
what Paul does
31:22
to Timothy
31:23
he was
31:24
Greek
31:24
he circumcised
31:26
him
31:26
he's a grown
31:27
man
31:27
he circumcised
31:28
Timothy
31:29
that seems
31:30
crazy to us
31:31
doesn't it
31:31
not if we
31:33
have this
31:33
perspective
31:34
what Paul knew
31:36
was that
31:36
Timothy's
31:37
uncircumcision
31:38
would be a
31:39
stumbling block
31:40
to weak
31:41
Jews
31:42
back in our
31:44
text in 1 Corinthians
31:45
he says
31:46
to the weak
31:46
I became weak
31:48
he's not talking
31:48
about weak
31:49
in physical
31:51
strength
31:52
he's talking
31:53
about those
31:53
who are willing
31:54
to see
31:55
who cannot
31:55
yet see
31:56
the liberty
31:57
that we have
31:58
in Christ
31:58
he's talking
31:59
about those
32:00
judgmental
32:00
narrow minded
32:01
people
32:02
that drive
32:02
all of us
32:03
so crazy
32:04
in the church
32:05
part of what
32:06
he's talking
32:07
about here
32:07
right
32:08
so as he's
32:09
taking
32:09
Timothy
32:10
along with
32:10
him
32:10
he knows
32:11
he's going
32:11
to encounter
32:12
those
32:13
type
32:13
of people
32:14
and as
32:15
such
32:15
he asked
32:16
Timothy
32:17
to also
32:17
be weak
32:18
to follow
32:20
some of
32:21
the old
32:21
law
32:22
in order
32:23
to
32:23
because it's
32:23
a gray
32:24
area
32:24
in that
32:24
case
32:25
it wasn't
32:26
necessary
32:27
that he be
32:27
circumcised
32:28
but it didn't
32:28
matter if he
32:29
was or was
32:29
not
32:30
so they were
32:31
led by the
32:32
spirit to
32:32
circumcise
32:33
him
32:33
that they
32:34
might
32:34
close the
32:35
chasm
32:35
have them
32:37
drop the
32:37
rock
32:37
and they
32:38
could share
32:39
the true
32:39
gospel
32:39
of Jesus
32:40
Christ
32:41
it's a
32:41
really
32:41
wonderful
32:42
example
32:42
of what
32:43
I'm
32:44
trying to
32:44
get you
32:45
to see
32:45
so we're
32:46
going to
32:46
be talking
32:46
about
32:47
what is
32:48
optional
32:49
and what
32:50
is not
32:50
optional
32:51
what are
32:52
the
32:52
closed
32:53
fisted
32:53
issues
32:54
that our
32:54
Christian
32:54
culture
32:55
should
32:55
have
32:55
and what
32:56
are the
32:56
open
32:56
handed
32:57
issues
32:57
we talk
32:57
a lot
32:57
about that
32:58
about our
32:58
church
32:59
here
32:59
the
32:59
non-negotiables
33:01
of the
33:01
closed
33:02
fisted
33:02
issues
33:02
there are
33:02
things
33:03
that you
33:03
should
33:04
not
33:04
even
33:04
come
33:04
and
33:05
talk
33:05
to
33:05
me
33:05
about
33:05
changing
33:06
about
33:06
our
33:06
church
33:07
our
33:07
statement
33:08
of
33:08
faith
33:08
don't
33:08
even
33:09
ask
33:09
you
33:10
want
33:10
to
33:10
add
33:10
something
33:10
to
33:11
maybe
33:11
we can
33:12
talk
33:12
about
33:12
that
33:12
but
33:12
those
33:13
are
33:13
doctrinal
33:13
statements
33:13
that we
33:14
have
33:14
affirmed
33:15
together
33:15
as a
33:15
church
33:15
and we
33:16
will
33:16
not
33:16
change
33:17
those
33:17
are
33:17
closed
33:17
fisted
33:17
issues
33:18
open handed
33:20
issues
33:20
those are
33:21
things we
33:21
can talk
33:22
about
33:22
the order
33:23
of the
33:23
service
33:24
we have
33:25
convictions
33:26
as we should
33:26
have convictions
33:27
about everything
33:27
we do
33:27
we have
33:28
convictions
33:28
about the
33:28
way we
33:29
do
33:29
things
33:29
but I'll
33:29
talk about
33:30
that
33:30
with you
33:31
talk about
33:32
if you'd
33:32
rather have
33:33
all the
33:33
music at
33:33
the end
33:34
or all
33:35
We split
33:35
it in
33:36
the middle
33:36
it doesn't
33:37
really matter
33:38
that much
33:38
right
33:39
we can talk
33:40
about these
33:40
things
33:41
but not
33:41
these
33:41
so that's
33:42
what we're
33:42
going to be
33:42
seeking to
33:43
find together
33:44
as we talk
33:45
about culture
33:46
and praise
33:47
God
33:47
we have
33:48
the spirit
33:49
of God
33:49
to lead us
33:50
in those
33:51
things
33:51
much of the
33:53
coming sermons
33:53
are going to
33:54
have some
33:54
opinion
33:55
I promise
33:56
you I will
33:57
state it
33:57
as opinion
33:57
I will tell
33:59
you I think
34:00
this would be
34:01
best but I
34:01
don't know
34:02
scripture doesn't
34:03
explicitly say
34:03
that is how
34:04
you must
34:04
interact
34:05
with your
34:05
culture
34:06
but there
34:07
are definite
34:07
things
34:08
that are
34:09
close-fisted
34:09
that we
34:10
must
34:10
believe
34:11
to be
34:12
true
34:12
to interact
34:14
with our
34:14
culture
34:14
around us
34:15
Mark
34:17
Driscoll
34:18
uses a little
34:19
easy to remember
34:21
deal to talk
34:23
about culture
34:23
he uses three
34:24
terms
34:25
reject
34:25
receive
34:26
redeem
34:26
so as you
34:27
filter culture
34:28
through your
34:28
life
34:28
you can think
34:29
about those
34:30
things that you
34:30
should reject
34:31
there are
34:31
definitely
34:32
things in
34:32
culture that
34:33
we shouldn't
34:33
interact with
34:34
pornography
34:34
for example
34:35
there's no
34:36
reason that
34:36
any Christian
34:37
should ever
34:37
involve themselves
34:38
in anything
34:38
like that
34:39
you shouldn't
34:41
watch pornography
34:42
with a friend
34:43
that you might
34:43
get a chance
34:44
to share the
34:44
gospel with
34:44
and you
34:45
shouldn't
34:45
you should
34:45
reject it
34:46
entirely
34:46
as a
34:47
Christian
34:47
there's
34:49
some things
34:49
we should
34:49
just receive
34:50
there's
34:50
some things
34:50
that are
34:50
just good
34:51
and enjoyable
34:51
food
34:53
can be one
34:54
of those
34:54
things in
34:54
our life
34:55
there's
34:55
just some
34:55
good food
34:56
and you
34:56
don't have to
34:56
really worry
34:57
about what
34:59
it means
34:59
for you to
34:59
eat certain
35:00
foods
35:00
you just
35:01
receive that
35:02
and there
35:02
are some
35:02
things that
35:03
should be
35:03
redeemed
35:04
and a great
35:05
example of
35:05
that is
35:06
Halloween
35:07
I don't
35:08
think as
35:09
Christians
35:09
and this is
35:09
opinion
35:09
I'm going to
35:10
tell you that
35:10
I don't
35:10
think as
35:11
Christians
35:11
we should
35:12
reject
35:12
Halloween
35:12
I understand
35:13
that it's a
35:14
pagan holiday
35:14
it's got some
35:15
roots in that
35:15
I get all that
35:16
but I think it's
35:17
something we should
35:17
be working to
35:18
redeem
35:18
the night of the
35:19
week that we
35:19
get together
35:20
and the kids
35:20
dress up
35:20
and we give
35:21
them candies
35:21
not inherently
35:23
evil
35:23
we should be
35:24
working on
35:25
building connections
35:25
with our community
35:26
and loving people
35:27
even though we
35:28
don't completely
35:29
agree with what's
35:29
going on
35:30
but there's an
35:33
example of
35:34
what it would
35:35
be to
35:36
redeem something
35:37
and all of
35:38
these things
35:38
these fuzzy
35:39
edges
35:39
these gray
35:40
areas
35:41
we can depend
35:42
on the Holy
35:42
Spirit in our
35:43
lives to bring
35:44
us conviction
35:45
so as we
35:47
study these
35:48
various topics
35:49
and I know
35:49
that some of
35:50
you may not
35:50
even be here
35:51
but as you
35:51
think through
35:52
these various
35:53
topics we
35:54
really need to
35:55
ask ourselves
35:55
two important
35:56
questions
35:56
how should the
35:58
Christian culture
35:59
true Christian
36:00
culture
36:00
Christ
36:01
think
36:02
believe
36:03
about
36:04
particular
36:05
topics
36:05
and then
36:06
how then
36:06
should we
36:07
interact
36:07
with other
36:08
cultures
36:08
to best advance
36:10
the gospel
36:10
do we love
36:12
people to that
36:13
degree
36:13
to the degree
36:14
that we will be
36:15
self denying
36:16
and self controlling
36:17
that the great
36:19
end of the gospel
36:20
is more important
36:21
to us
36:22
than the things
36:23
that we've
36:23
been liberated
36:23
to do
36:24
I hope that we
36:26
can all
36:26
confidently say
36:27
yes of course
36:28
we would gladly
36:29
serve the world
36:30
that way
36:31
and I'll tell you
36:32
if you can't
36:32
say that
36:33
then you don't
36:33
know the heart
36:35
of your savior
36:35
he certainly
36:37
wants to see
36:38
and save the
36:39
lost
36:39
to do so
36:40
in the most
36:41
effective means
36:41
possible
36:42
he wants
36:43
his kingdom
36:43
to advance
36:44
and he wants
36:45
to use us
36:45
praise God
36:46
he loves us
36:47
so much
36:47
he wants to
36:47
use us
36:48
to make that
36:49
happen
36:50
and so I
36:51
pray for us
36:52
as a church
36:53
as we meet
36:55
together
36:55
that we might
36:55
have this mind
36:56
that Paul
36:57
had
36:57
this willingness
36:59
willing
37:00
willing
37:01
the desire
37:05
to do
37:07
whatever it
37:08
took
37:08
provided you
37:09
to cross
37:09
the lines
37:10
but to
37:10
function in
37:11
those gray areas
37:12
in the second
37:13
of the gospel
37:13
let's pray
37:14
let's pray
37:16
let's pray
37:17
let's pray
37:17
let's pray
37:18
let's pray
37:19
let's pray
37:20
let's pray
37:20
let's pray
37:20
let's pray
37:22
let's pray