1 00:00:07,480 --> 00:00:09,960 Would you open your Bible, please, to the New Testament 2 00:00:09,960 --> 00:00:13,480 book of Second Corinthians? And in chapter 6, we find 3 00:00:13,480 --> 00:00:16,640 ourselves tonight we're going to look at verses one through to 4 00:00:16,640 --> 00:00:19,440 13. And the title of the message as 5 00:00:19,440 --> 00:00:23,320 you're turning there is enduring in the Ministry of 6 00:00:23,320 --> 00:00:28,200 Reconciliation. I don't know if you ever have 7 00:00:28,200 --> 00:00:30,440 considered what it takes to endure. 8 00:00:30,720 --> 00:00:34,560 For the marathon runner, it's pushing through the pain, 9 00:00:34,560 --> 00:00:37,200 through the fatigue, kilometre after kilometre. 10 00:00:38,480 --> 00:00:43,160 For the university student, it's late nights, it's endless hours 11 00:00:43,160 --> 00:00:45,040 of study. It's the pressure of 12 00:00:45,040 --> 00:00:49,480 examinations until finally holding that piece of paper that 13 00:00:49,480 --> 00:00:54,240 says mission accomplished. For the mother, it's months of 14 00:00:54,240 --> 00:00:59,600 carrying and then the labour pains to come that ultimately 15 00:00:59,600 --> 00:01:05,239 lead to the joy of new life. For the soldier, it's surviving 16 00:01:05,360 --> 00:01:10,400 hostility, harsh environments and the uncertainty of battle 17 00:01:10,440 --> 00:01:13,880 and conflict. But what about the Christian? 18 00:01:14,680 --> 00:01:16,400 You and I were gathered here tonight and. 19 00:01:16,600 --> 00:01:21,000 And that is who we are. Endurance is at the very heart 20 00:01:21,000 --> 00:01:24,120 of the Christian experience in life and is to be particularly 21 00:01:24,120 --> 00:01:26,720 in the area of ministry. And Paul writes to the 22 00:01:26,720 --> 00:01:30,120 Corinthians, our audience tonight, and to you and I about 23 00:01:30,120 --> 00:01:34,160 the need to endure if we're to live faithfully as Christ's 24 00:01:34,160 --> 00:01:36,680 ambassadors. He declared that at the end of 25 00:01:36,680 --> 00:01:40,000 chapter 5 that we are ambassadors of Christ's 26 00:01:40,000 --> 00:01:43,880 representatives. Just as athletes endure for a 27 00:01:43,880 --> 00:01:47,720 medal, just as soldiers might endure for the victory that 28 00:01:47,720 --> 00:01:51,560 comes after the battle, so you and I as Christians, we endure 29 00:01:51,560 --> 00:01:57,160 not for worldly applause, but for an eternal reward and for 30 00:01:57,160 --> 00:02:01,320 the privilege of working with God in his mission of 31 00:02:01,320 --> 00:02:05,520 reconciliation. So that's again what Paul calls 32 00:02:05,520 --> 00:02:09,520 you and I too in Second Corinthians here in chapter 6 in 33 00:02:09,520 --> 00:02:12,600 our verses. Focus flowing again out of 34 00:02:12,600 --> 00:02:16,040 chapter 5, where he had described himself and you and I 35 00:02:16,440 --> 00:02:21,520 as ambassadors of Christ, Paul. Now he urges the Corinthians to 36 00:02:21,520 --> 00:02:26,600 join him in enduring faithfully just as he has been in that 37 00:02:26,600 --> 00:02:30,120 ministry of reconciliation. So we're going to explore this 38 00:02:30,120 --> 00:02:34,840 passage under 3 headings. We'll see in verses 1 to 2 the 39 00:02:34,880 --> 00:02:39,280 urgency of grace. And then a big portion of our 40 00:02:39,280 --> 00:02:44,480 focus from verses 3 through to 10, the endurance of the servant 41 00:02:45,720 --> 00:02:50,240 to Paul was that's who you and I are as ministers of Jesus Christ 42 00:02:50,240 --> 00:02:53,680 of the gospel. And then lastly in verses 11 43 00:02:53,680 --> 00:02:56,880 through to 13, we'll consider the endurance of affection. 44 00:02:58,520 --> 00:03:01,200 Let's look at and consider the first in verses 1 to 2, the 45 00:03:01,200 --> 00:03:02,840 urgency of grace and follow along. 46 00:03:02,840 --> 00:03:06,440 I'm reading out of the New King James Version tonight, 2nd 47 00:03:06,440 --> 00:03:11,960 Corinthians 6 verse one. We then as workers together with 48 00:03:11,960 --> 00:03:16,320 him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in 49 00:03:16,320 --> 00:03:20,520 vain, for he says he quotes the Old Testament. 50 00:03:21,120 --> 00:03:25,240 In an acceptable time I've heard you, And in the day of salvation 51 00:03:25,240 --> 00:03:29,040 I have helped you. Behold, now is the accepted 52 00:03:29,040 --> 00:03:31,920 time. Behold, now is the day of 53 00:03:31,920 --> 00:03:34,840 salvation. And so Paul begins. 54 00:03:35,640 --> 00:03:39,840 We look at this chapter here as God's coworkers, he says, we 55 00:03:39,840 --> 00:03:42,920 urge you not to receive God's grace in vain. 56 00:03:43,520 --> 00:03:46,240 You know, as Christians, we have this marvellous, this, this 57 00:03:46,240 --> 00:03:48,920 wonderful good news. That is the gospel, the message 58 00:03:48,920 --> 00:03:54,920 of truth, that there is a God who is merciful and kind and who 59 00:03:54,920 --> 00:03:59,320 reaches out to us to fall in sinful humanity and who offers 60 00:03:59,320 --> 00:04:03,640 to forgive our guilt and to wipe away our shame and to pay that 61 00:04:03,640 --> 00:04:08,280 penalty in full to help us to live a life that is a spiritual 62 00:04:08,280 --> 00:04:11,360 flourishing. But we must respond to his 63 00:04:11,360 --> 00:04:15,000 activity, to his work, to his grace and the conviction that 64 00:04:15,000 --> 00:04:16,959 the Holy Spirit brings to you and I. 65 00:04:17,399 --> 00:04:21,600 And we must confess our need for a Saviour for him, Jesus Christ, 66 00:04:21,800 --> 00:04:24,480 and the wrongs that we have done without him. 67 00:04:25,280 --> 00:04:27,880 And so Christians around the world have have taken this 68 00:04:27,880 --> 00:04:30,920 message from the time of what we're reading here and have 69 00:04:30,920 --> 00:04:33,640 shared this throughout time, throughout Christian history, 70 00:04:33,800 --> 00:04:37,080 this message with family, this message with friends, this 71 00:04:37,240 --> 00:04:40,720 message with their neighbours out of love that has been given 72 00:04:40,720 --> 00:04:43,960 to them and a love that extends on out to these people because 73 00:04:43,960 --> 00:04:46,880 of the love of God at work in their hearts and lives. 74 00:04:47,440 --> 00:04:50,520 And so Christians have sold their homes, Christians have 75 00:04:50,520 --> 00:04:53,520 quit their jobs and have have travelled to parts of the globe 76 00:04:54,040 --> 00:04:58,480 seeking to, to share and, and to spread the good news of Jesus 77 00:04:58,480 --> 00:05:00,720 Christ as what we would call missionaries. 78 00:05:01,480 --> 00:05:05,040 And they've moved to, to cities, to plant churches and to be busy 79 00:05:05,040 --> 00:05:07,640 about the business of God. And and they've struck up 80 00:05:07,640 --> 00:05:11,400 conversations with with strangers and with roommates 81 00:05:11,400 --> 00:05:15,120 alike and all sharing in an effort the transformative power 82 00:05:15,360 --> 00:05:18,320 of the gospel. And that's why he says in verse 83 00:05:18,320 --> 00:05:22,240 one here that he wants them to be working together with him. 84 00:05:22,240 --> 00:05:26,280 Now, in some translations and out of the new King James 85 00:05:26,280 --> 00:05:30,160 Version, we have some italicised words and maybe yours has that. 86 00:05:30,160 --> 00:05:32,680 Mine certainly does here in the new King James. 87 00:05:32,680 --> 00:05:37,840 And and what that is, is an addition by the English 88 00:05:37,840 --> 00:05:41,960 translators to help in the grammatical flow and sense when 89 00:05:42,080 --> 00:05:44,200 translating from Greek into English. 90 00:05:44,600 --> 00:05:48,040 And so the Greek, the original has we then as workers together 91 00:05:48,400 --> 00:05:52,160 also plead. And so the idea there is that 92 00:05:52,400 --> 00:05:56,400 Paul is calling his audience alongside in ministry together 93 00:05:56,400 --> 00:05:59,440 with him, this ministry of reconciliation that he's been 94 00:05:59,440 --> 00:06:04,040 declaring in chapter 5. And we are also, and this is a 95 00:06:04,040 --> 00:06:06,840 privilege that is so staggering and so wonderful. 96 00:06:07,120 --> 00:06:12,680 We are God's Co workers in this. We get to be involved in God's 97 00:06:12,680 --> 00:06:16,280 gospel work. The good news and ministry is 98 00:06:16,280 --> 00:06:19,840 not something then that we do for God, but it is God working 99 00:06:19,840 --> 00:06:24,240 through us in spite of us, despite you and I and and 100 00:06:24,240 --> 00:06:28,360 there's great dignity then and responsibility that is given to 101 00:06:28,360 --> 00:06:31,840 you and I as a consequence of being ministers of Jesus Christ. 102 00:06:33,280 --> 00:06:37,920 And he says the phrase in verse one that you not take the grace 103 00:06:38,720 --> 00:06:42,080 that you not receive the grace of God in vain. 104 00:06:42,080 --> 00:06:45,880 And he warns of a danger here and that and that the good news 105 00:06:45,880 --> 00:06:48,520 that the gospel message, the grace of God that has been 106 00:06:48,520 --> 00:06:52,600 extended, which is an unmerited gift, undeserved. 107 00:06:53,080 --> 00:06:56,240 It's something that that God initiated, that God desired, 108 00:06:56,240 --> 00:06:59,080 that sprang out of his love and the kindness of his heart and 109 00:06:59,080 --> 00:07:04,920 his mercy towards us that we don't receive that in vain, that 110 00:07:04,920 --> 00:07:08,280 we empty then therefore the significance of it. 111 00:07:08,720 --> 00:07:11,840 And that might happen by out and out rejection of the gospel 112 00:07:11,840 --> 00:07:13,520 message. And that's certainly the case 113 00:07:13,680 --> 00:07:15,880 for many people. It might happen by 114 00:07:15,880 --> 00:07:18,320 procrastination. I believe it. 115 00:07:18,320 --> 00:07:21,360 I, I sense that there's some truth to it, but not right now 116 00:07:21,360 --> 00:07:25,840 because I, I, I want to hang on to and continue to live the life 117 00:07:25,840 --> 00:07:29,920 that I'm living. Or it might be by, by people 118 00:07:29,920 --> 00:07:33,920 receiving Christ and then living in self reliance and dependence 119 00:07:33,920 --> 00:07:37,640 upon our own abilities and capacities rather than daily 120 00:07:37,640 --> 00:07:42,200 dependence upon the Holy Spirit. I know if you recall in the book 121 00:07:42,200 --> 00:07:47,040 of Acts in chapter 24, that Paul had an audience with a governor, 122 00:07:47,040 --> 00:07:52,240 a guy called Felix, who was hearing and having and giving an 123 00:07:52,240 --> 00:07:56,560 audience regularly to Paul. And Paul would take that 124 00:07:56,560 --> 00:07:59,840 opportunity to preach the good news of Jesus Christ, to declare 125 00:07:59,840 --> 00:08:04,080 the grace of God unto him. He'll preach about righteousness 126 00:08:04,080 --> 00:08:07,280 and judgement. And at one point in time, the 127 00:08:07,280 --> 00:08:09,520 governor, Felix responded with these words. 128 00:08:09,520 --> 00:08:11,200 He said, that's enough for now, Paul. 129 00:08:12,160 --> 00:08:16,160 When I find it convenient, I will send for you and hear this 130 00:08:16,160 --> 00:08:19,480 again. But you know, as far as we know, 131 00:08:19,480 --> 00:08:23,040 the the the biblical record doesn't record that there ever 132 00:08:23,040 --> 00:08:26,840 was a convenient day that returned for Felix to hear that 133 00:08:26,840 --> 00:08:31,920 and to respond to that, the Elogen Ellen Redpath wrote and 134 00:08:31,920 --> 00:08:36,000 said God's grace is always coming to my heart and life in 135 00:08:36,000 --> 00:08:39,320 very wonderful and blessed experience of now. 136 00:08:40,320 --> 00:08:44,200 Yesterday's grace is totally inadequate for the burden of 137 00:08:44,200 --> 00:08:48,800 today, and if I do not learn to lay hold of heavenly resources 138 00:08:48,800 --> 00:08:52,880 every day of my life for the little things as well as the big 139 00:08:52,880 --> 00:08:58,160 things, I will soon become stale, barren, and fruitless in 140 00:08:58,160 --> 00:09:02,080 the service of the Lord. And so Paul issues to them and, 141 00:09:02,080 --> 00:09:05,880 and to you and I tonight the warning of not taking the 142 00:09:05,880 --> 00:09:10,080 precious grace of God in vain, but to appreciate it for its 143 00:09:10,080 --> 00:09:13,800 fullness, for the wonderful power that is the gospel and the 144 00:09:13,800 --> 00:09:16,720 good news. And so he urges salvation. 145 00:09:16,720 --> 00:09:18,960 And he quotes from Isaiah 49 verse 8. 146 00:09:18,960 --> 00:09:22,080 He says, in the time of my favour I heard you, and in the 147 00:09:22,080 --> 00:09:26,360 day of salvation I helped you. This is actually what's called a 148 00:09:26,360 --> 00:09:30,720 Messianic prophecy. It is in fact the Father 149 00:09:30,880 --> 00:09:35,440 speaking to the Son and it's an interesting text for him to 150 00:09:35,440 --> 00:09:37,280 quote. And really what Paul is doing 151 00:09:37,280 --> 00:09:42,720 here is he is applying to his ministry this now as being the 152 00:09:42,720 --> 00:09:47,400 day of salvation promised by God to the Son through Christ that 153 00:09:47,400 --> 00:09:50,040 is now at work and has arrived in the world. 154 00:09:50,480 --> 00:09:53,600 And that's why he declares now is the time of God's favour. 155 00:09:53,840 --> 00:09:58,320 Now is the time of God's grace. Now is the day of salvation. 156 00:09:58,680 --> 00:10:00,800 And to not waste it. He's actually declaring here, 157 00:10:00,880 --> 00:10:07,520 it's actually happening now. It's actually a possibility for 158 00:10:07,520 --> 00:10:10,320 you to experience and to receive and to enjoy. 159 00:10:10,640 --> 00:10:14,840 And so grace then is not to be delayed to to not be dismissed 160 00:10:15,120 --> 00:10:17,960 to to not be postponed. For it is dangerous. 161 00:10:17,960 --> 00:10:21,080 And he says today is the day of salvation. 162 00:10:21,560 --> 00:10:25,040 It's akin to ignoring a a life giving medicine and and having 163 00:10:25,040 --> 00:10:28,240 it just sit on the shelf unaffected. 164 00:10:30,320 --> 00:10:33,680 So for the unbeliever tonight, don't put off responding to 165 00:10:33,680 --> 00:10:36,960 Jesus Christ. If God is calling and and 166 00:10:37,080 --> 00:10:39,960 there's probably a reason that you're here in church on a 167 00:10:39,960 --> 00:10:44,760 blistery winter's evening. And if you are yet to know the 168 00:10:44,760 --> 00:10:48,280 saving power of Jesus Christ as as Lord and Saviour in your 169 00:10:48,280 --> 00:10:50,200 life, today is the day of salvation. 170 00:10:50,760 --> 00:10:57,000 Don't delay, don't postpone. I'll do it when I'm older and I 171 00:10:57,000 --> 00:10:59,120 know there's truth. I know that the Bible's real. 172 00:10:59,280 --> 00:11:02,440 I'll do it when I've graduated uni or I'll do it when I'm 173 00:11:02,440 --> 00:11:05,520 married or or when I'm retired. Then I'll then I'll have 174 00:11:05,520 --> 00:11:07,840 opportunity. You know there is there is 175 00:11:07,840 --> 00:11:10,560 something that is not guaranteed to us and that is tomorrow. 176 00:11:11,920 --> 00:11:14,800 We can plan and we can have the best intentions, but if we 177 00:11:14,800 --> 00:11:18,040 procrastinate, if we delay, then we make void. 178 00:11:18,040 --> 00:11:22,400 We, we, we turn the gift of grace into vanity. 179 00:11:22,680 --> 00:11:27,960 We empty it parents, your children need to see grace at 180 00:11:27,960 --> 00:11:33,160 work in your lives daily. You and I as as workers, we we 181 00:11:33,160 --> 00:11:36,800 need to have God's grace at work in our hearts for integrity in 182 00:11:36,800 --> 00:11:39,800 our workplaces. It's so important and so it is 183 00:11:39,800 --> 00:11:44,440 that that Paul urges this and the the grace at work as Co 184 00:11:44,440 --> 00:11:47,000 workers. He says we urge you not to 185 00:11:47,000 --> 00:11:51,560 receive God's grace in vain and we move on and see this larger 186 00:11:51,560 --> 00:11:53,240 chunk. Our second point, the endurance 187 00:11:53,240 --> 00:11:59,000 of the servant versus three to 10 and Paul shows that ministry 188 00:11:59,000 --> 00:12:02,400 then and what he has been defending all along through the 189 00:12:02,400 --> 00:12:05,080 book of Second Corinthians. Here is, is challenges and 190 00:12:05,080 --> 00:12:09,360 accusations against his character, against him being an 191 00:12:09,360 --> 00:12:14,320 apostle of Jesus Christ. And that ministry is commanded 192 00:12:14,320 --> 00:12:17,360 not by comfort is his point, but by endurance. 193 00:12:17,360 --> 00:12:21,080 And so he says in verse 3, we put no stumbling block in 194 00:12:21,080 --> 00:12:24,560 anyone's path so that our ministry will not be 195 00:12:24,560 --> 00:12:27,440 discredited. And rather as servants of God, 196 00:12:27,440 --> 00:12:31,040 we commend ourselves in every way in great endurance. 197 00:12:31,760 --> 00:12:34,200 And so we're looking now at the endurance of the servant. 198 00:12:34,200 --> 00:12:37,240 And again, there were these false teachers that had crept 199 00:12:37,240 --> 00:12:41,640 into the church at Corinth who were seeking to sow seeds of 200 00:12:41,640 --> 00:12:44,680 discord and disunity in the church there as they would 201 00:12:44,680 --> 00:12:47,040 gather. And particularly they would 202 00:12:47,040 --> 00:12:52,760 fault and and cast all sorts of false allegations against Paul 203 00:12:52,760 --> 00:12:54,880 to try and discredit his ministry. 204 00:12:54,880 --> 00:12:57,320 And then therefore, the message that Paul had been bringing, 205 00:12:57,720 --> 00:13:00,960 seeking to illegitimize him as an apostle. 206 00:13:01,320 --> 00:13:05,360 And especially the point was given the suffering that Paul 207 00:13:05,360 --> 00:13:07,520 had encountered again and again and again. 208 00:13:08,320 --> 00:13:11,240 And yet Paul's argument as we read the rest of these verses in 209 00:13:11,240 --> 00:13:16,080 a moment, is essentially, why would I put up with any of this 210 00:13:16,080 --> 00:13:19,360 suffering that I've been experiencing if it were not 211 00:13:19,360 --> 00:13:22,320 real? And his point is that these 212 00:13:22,320 --> 00:13:25,400 false teachers are all about comfort, are all about opulence, 213 00:13:25,400 --> 00:13:28,320 are all about popularity, prestige, and prominence. 214 00:13:28,520 --> 00:13:32,240 They won't put up with it. And yet I, as a true apostle of 215 00:13:32,280 --> 00:13:34,800 Jesus Christ, I'm suffering, but I endure. 216 00:13:35,240 --> 00:13:38,760 So too should you. And so, so too should you and I. 217 00:13:38,760 --> 00:13:40,880 Tonight is what Paul declares here. 218 00:13:41,360 --> 00:13:44,480 So we have the endurance of the servant and particularly then he 219 00:13:44,480 --> 00:13:48,120 highlights as a part of endurance the trials he faced. 220 00:13:48,120 --> 00:13:52,360 Now endurance, understand, is not just a a passive patience 221 00:13:52,360 --> 00:13:56,040 that we're to display as Christians, you know, kicking 222 00:13:56,040 --> 00:14:00,360 back on the front porch of our, our, our houses and, and just 223 00:14:00,480 --> 00:14:03,320 sipping lemonade as we await Jesus return. 224 00:14:04,160 --> 00:14:08,480 The imagery of endurance is one of a, a slow, gradual 225 00:14:08,480 --> 00:14:12,120 progression and determination, particularly in the face of 226 00:14:12,120 --> 00:14:15,200 opposition. Now with the weather that we've 227 00:14:15,200 --> 00:14:18,400 experienced, perhaps an apartment illustration is if 228 00:14:18,400 --> 00:14:21,480 you've ever taken a walk and there's been strong wind blowing 229 00:14:21,480 --> 00:14:25,360 against you and you find yourself determined to head in 230 00:14:25,360 --> 00:14:28,640 the direction that you must go. But the contrary winds cause you 231 00:14:28,640 --> 00:14:32,840 to almost lean into that wind as you're making progress against 232 00:14:32,840 --> 00:14:35,320 it. This is the picture, the imagery 233 00:14:35,320 --> 00:14:38,960 behind what Paul declares for the heart of the minister of 234 00:14:38,960 --> 00:14:42,400 Jesus Christ to be 1 of endurance, that we're depressed, 235 00:14:42,560 --> 00:14:48,200 to lean in to the suffering, to the trials, and to endure, to be 236 00:14:48,200 --> 00:14:52,280 determined towards the end goal. But know that there'll be trials 237 00:14:52,280 --> 00:14:54,520 faced. And that's what he writes for us 238 00:14:54,520 --> 00:14:56,240 in verses four and five when he says. 239 00:14:56,240 --> 00:15:01,720 But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God in 240 00:15:01,720 --> 00:15:08,400 much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses, in 241 00:15:08,400 --> 00:15:13,800 stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in 242 00:15:13,800 --> 00:15:18,360 sleeplessness, in fastings. Paul here in these verses 243 00:15:18,600 --> 00:15:21,560 describes a a veritable Blizzard of troubles, doesn't he? 244 00:15:22,880 --> 00:15:27,000 He speaks initially of just the general pressures of living life 245 00:15:27,000 --> 00:15:30,160 in this fallen world that we find ourselves existing in. 246 00:15:30,840 --> 00:15:34,080 That's where he declares of tribulations of necessities, of 247 00:15:34,320 --> 00:15:36,800 distresses and and the word for distresses. 248 00:15:36,800 --> 00:15:40,640 Maybe it sums up how often you you might feel in just the 249 00:15:40,640 --> 00:15:46,200 everyday existence of humanity. It literally means narrow space 250 00:15:47,160 --> 00:15:51,000 and the idea is of being hemmed in with no room to turn. 251 00:15:51,960 --> 00:15:53,920 It's like I'm trapped no matter which way I turn. 252 00:15:53,920 --> 00:15:56,760 There's there's this trouble, there's there's this trial, 253 00:15:56,760 --> 00:15:59,640 there's this pressure, there's this tribulation, there's this 254 00:15:59,640 --> 00:16:03,480 experience that just feels so daunting, so overwhelming. 255 00:16:04,040 --> 00:16:08,320 That is what Paul declares that he is enduring and and pressing 256 00:16:08,320 --> 00:16:12,800 on towards and against. But then the next lot really 257 00:16:13,920 --> 00:16:15,720 opposition experience from others. 258 00:16:15,720 --> 00:16:19,440 He speaks of beatings or or stripings, depending on what 259 00:16:19,440 --> 00:16:24,200 version you're reading from imprisonments of riots. 260 00:16:25,440 --> 00:16:30,800 Think of in again the book of Acts chapter 16, when Paul and 261 00:16:30,800 --> 00:16:34,440 his ministering partner, at that time a fellow called Silas, were 262 00:16:34,440 --> 00:16:39,120 beaten for preaching about Jesus Christ and thrown into prison. 263 00:16:40,480 --> 00:16:44,280 And so belted were their backs that they were bleeding raw. 264 00:16:44,280 --> 00:16:47,480 And yet at that night time they found themselves singing hymns 265 00:16:47,480 --> 00:16:50,320 of praise unto God. When when the earthquake that 266 00:16:50,320 --> 00:16:54,000 God allowed shook that Philippian gaol cell, and they 267 00:16:54,000 --> 00:16:56,360 sang into the night, and the gaoler was converted. 268 00:16:56,600 --> 00:16:59,160 It seemed that everywhere Paul went one of two things took 269 00:16:59,160 --> 00:17:03,240 place. There were either revivals or 270 00:17:03,240 --> 00:17:06,760 riots. Paul was either given an 271 00:17:06,760 --> 00:17:10,839 audience about a preach and and great movement of of God and the 272 00:17:10,839 --> 00:17:14,680 Holy Spirit through him took place, or Paul was imprisoned as 273 00:17:14,680 --> 00:17:17,599 the crowd erupted in opposition to the message that was given. 274 00:17:19,640 --> 00:17:22,720 And then he speaks of the the third lot of trials faced from 275 00:17:22,720 --> 00:17:28,520 himself or, or really what this is, is just generally the impact 276 00:17:28,520 --> 00:17:32,200 of hard dedicated work in whatever sphere that you find 277 00:17:32,200 --> 00:17:35,880 yourself labouring in. And so he speaks of labours of 278 00:17:35,880 --> 00:17:38,280 sleepless nights and of fastings. 279 00:17:38,280 --> 00:17:41,880 And particularly for Paul, this was gospel work that was costly 280 00:17:41,880 --> 00:17:44,520 and discipline for him. And think of the intensity of 281 00:17:44,520 --> 00:17:48,160 all that Paul would be about where just in travelling and 282 00:17:48,160 --> 00:17:51,200 preaching and in teaching and and how tired and fatigued that 283 00:17:51,200 --> 00:17:53,320 would be. And of at times when not having 284 00:17:53,320 --> 00:17:55,960 the support of others, when he would have to labour with his 285 00:17:55,960 --> 00:17:58,560 own hands at the tent making business. 286 00:17:58,560 --> 00:18:02,320 And how hard a labour and work that was of times where he would 287 00:18:02,320 --> 00:18:04,720 not know where his next meal was coming from. 288 00:18:05,520 --> 00:18:09,200 That's where it speaks of where he says of fastings and all the 289 00:18:09,200 --> 00:18:13,320 way through this, Paul is an example to you and I of of what 290 00:18:13,320 --> 00:18:18,480 HA Ironside said, that God often breaks his servants before he 291 00:18:18,480 --> 00:18:21,640 uses them. And this isn't something that we 292 00:18:21,640 --> 00:18:24,920 like to hear. This isn't something that we put 293 00:18:24,920 --> 00:18:27,720 on a T shirt and turn into something that I'll wear that 294 00:18:27,720 --> 00:18:30,840 every day as a promise that I'll claim from God. 295 00:18:30,840 --> 00:18:35,440 But but Jesus said that in this world you will have tribulations 296 00:18:35,440 --> 00:18:39,120 and trials, did he not? But he also said that I have 297 00:18:39,160 --> 00:18:43,640 overcome the world. I think of the likes of Jacob in 298 00:18:43,640 --> 00:18:48,800 the Old Testament who wrestled with God and so wrestled to the 299 00:18:48,800 --> 00:18:51,400 point that his hip was put out of place before his name was 300 00:18:51,400 --> 00:18:55,000 changed to Israel. Yes, literally one who wrestles 301 00:18:55,000 --> 00:18:58,520 with God, but but more so the greater definition, Prince of 302 00:18:58,520 --> 00:19:01,320 God. That transformation took place. 303 00:19:01,840 --> 00:19:07,480 Think of the likes of Joseph, who had all sorts of accusations 304 00:19:07,480 --> 00:19:11,000 held against him and found himself imprisoned there in 305 00:19:11,000 --> 00:19:14,520 Egypt, and yet God was able to use him mightily. 306 00:19:15,200 --> 00:19:18,880 Think of Moses enduring 40 years in the desert before leading 307 00:19:18,880 --> 00:19:22,000 Israel. Think of some modern examples of 308 00:19:22,240 --> 00:19:24,120 of the missionary Aden Iron Judson. 309 00:19:24,120 --> 00:19:25,840 Maybe you're familiar with his name. 310 00:19:26,240 --> 00:19:31,560 He buried his wife, his children in Burma as a missionary unto 311 00:19:31,560 --> 00:19:35,680 the Lord and to the people there, ultimately in the 1800s, 312 00:19:35,680 --> 00:19:38,840 but pressed on translating scripture from English into 313 00:19:38,840 --> 00:19:43,080 Burmese language and various dialects, ultimately devoting 37 314 00:19:43,080 --> 00:19:46,480 years of his life in working there in Burma. 315 00:19:47,640 --> 00:19:50,120 And then of course, recently this week we've seen the 316 00:19:50,120 --> 00:19:53,520 assassination of Charlie Kirk and we've mentioned it this 317 00:19:53,520 --> 00:19:58,280 morning, A modern day example of a man unashamed of the gospel, 318 00:19:58,960 --> 00:20:04,760 enduring public hatred, hostility, and faithful he was 319 00:20:05,640 --> 00:20:08,080 to Christ. Call upon his life, even unto 320 00:20:08,080 --> 00:20:11,880 death as it cost him. And his life reminds you and I 321 00:20:11,880 --> 00:20:16,560 tonight that following Christ is costly, but it is worth it. 322 00:20:17,760 --> 00:20:20,280 And endurance. It will cost. 323 00:20:20,280 --> 00:20:23,080 It costs Paul, and it will cost you an eye. 324 00:20:23,400 --> 00:20:27,280 Following Christ is not about comfort, but it is about 325 00:20:27,280 --> 00:20:32,160 commitment. And so for students tonight, you 326 00:20:32,160 --> 00:20:36,640 might be standing for Christ at school, but know that it might 327 00:20:36,640 --> 00:20:44,880 cost you popularity for adults in our workplaces, wherever we 328 00:20:44,880 --> 00:20:49,200 find ourselves integrity. It might cost in the workplace. 329 00:20:49,200 --> 00:20:54,360 It might cost you a promotion for families when you make 330 00:20:54,680 --> 00:20:58,200 gospel priorities in your lives in the direction that you as a 331 00:20:58,200 --> 00:21:01,360 family take. That might mean sacrifice in 332 00:21:01,360 --> 00:21:06,000 certain things. But Paul saw none of these as a 333 00:21:06,000 --> 00:21:08,480 cost far too great for that which he had received from the 334 00:21:08,480 --> 00:21:10,480 Lord Jesus Christ. And so he endured. 335 00:21:12,000 --> 00:21:16,080 But then as he declares, well, these are the things that were 336 00:21:16,080 --> 00:21:19,760 encountered on the trials face. But let me declare unto you the 337 00:21:19,760 --> 00:21:23,360 tools that are at your disposal, just as the tools that were at 338 00:21:23,360 --> 00:21:26,520 Paul's disposal as he writes here in verses 6 and seven. 339 00:21:26,840 --> 00:21:31,080 These, these are how I was able to endure in such circumstances 340 00:21:31,080 --> 00:21:35,320 and situations. Paul endured by verse 6, purity, 341 00:21:36,320 --> 00:21:40,600 by knowledge, by patience, by kindness. 342 00:21:41,080 --> 00:21:45,320 And here is the source of all these by the Holy Spirit, by 343 00:21:45,320 --> 00:21:50,200 sincere love, by truthful speech, and by the power of God 344 00:21:51,280 --> 00:21:56,520 with weapons or the armour of righteousness in the right hand 345 00:21:57,200 --> 00:22:01,240 and in the left. And this isn't about grit. 346 00:22:01,240 --> 00:22:04,680 This isn't about, you know, I pulled myself up by my 347 00:22:04,680 --> 00:22:07,880 bootstraps and I just pressed on and I survived and having a a 348 00:22:08,240 --> 00:22:10,160 stiff upper lip. And that's not what Paul is 349 00:22:10,160 --> 00:22:13,440 endorsing here in his writing, but it is about grace. 350 00:22:13,440 --> 00:22:17,400 You see, these qualities that he declares are in fact spirit 351 00:22:17,400 --> 00:22:20,040 given. They're not self produced. 352 00:22:20,040 --> 00:22:23,480 It's not something that we can contrive in and of ourselves. 353 00:22:24,800 --> 00:22:28,520 And he, he leaves in verse 7, this idea, this picture, this 354 00:22:28,520 --> 00:22:32,440 imagery of the, of righteousness or, or maybe a translation 355 00:22:32,440 --> 00:22:34,920 you're looking at has the weapons of righteousness. 356 00:22:35,520 --> 00:22:38,160 And he says that they're on the right hand and on the left. 357 00:22:39,200 --> 00:22:42,480 Typically in the right hand of, of the Roman soldier would be 358 00:22:42,480 --> 00:22:46,320 the sword and in the left hand would be the shield. 359 00:22:46,320 --> 00:22:49,720 And so for Paul, righteousness was both then defensive like a 360 00:22:49,720 --> 00:22:53,760 shield protecting against accusations, an offensive in 361 00:22:53,920 --> 00:22:59,000 declaring truth boldly. And the two hand in hand were 362 00:22:59,000 --> 00:23:01,360 the weapons in the armour of righteousness. 363 00:23:02,640 --> 00:23:06,560 And so just as a a surgeon doesn't endure long surgeries by 364 00:23:06,560 --> 00:23:10,480 brute force, you know, just just sheer determination of will, but 365 00:23:10,480 --> 00:23:13,560 rather through training, through focus and the right instruments, 366 00:23:14,240 --> 00:23:18,400 Paul here reveals the instruments that enable us to 367 00:23:18,400 --> 00:23:23,520 endure, that are in fact spirit shaped virtues for you and I 368 00:23:23,840 --> 00:23:28,000 purity, patience, love and truth. 369 00:23:29,320 --> 00:23:33,080 And so you and I as believers tonight, as servants, as 370 00:23:33,080 --> 00:23:36,960 ministers of God are going to need to endure. 371 00:23:37,960 --> 00:23:40,920 We face trials, tribulations, distresses. 372 00:23:41,120 --> 00:23:45,320 At times we feel hemmed in those hardships, those difficulties 373 00:23:45,320 --> 00:23:47,800 come. And the question then is what 374 00:23:47,800 --> 00:23:53,760 tools are you relying on? Is it your own cleverness, your 375 00:23:53,760 --> 00:24:00,560 own wit, your own charm, or the Spirit's power as evident in 376 00:24:00,560 --> 00:24:03,640 verse 6? And you and I, maybe you're a 377 00:24:03,640 --> 00:24:06,000 parent tonight. You, you, you need to endure 378 00:24:06,000 --> 00:24:11,280 with patience and kindness. Often for all of us as servants, 379 00:24:11,280 --> 00:24:15,160 as, as workers in the church here, we rely not on programmes 380 00:24:15,160 --> 00:24:18,720 on, on schemes of, of man and, and maybe what works in the 381 00:24:18,720 --> 00:24:23,120 business world, but on the Spirit's truth and love for any 382 00:24:23,120 --> 00:24:26,440 of us who are leaders. We, we wield the weapons of 383 00:24:26,440 --> 00:24:31,680 righteousness with integrity. So these were the tools that 384 00:24:31,960 --> 00:24:36,440 Paul accessed that he employed. And in leaving through this last 385 00:24:36,440 --> 00:24:39,000 component of this point here, verses 8 through to 10, there's 386 00:24:39,000 --> 00:24:45,240 there's tension in that. And he goes on and, and certain 387 00:24:45,240 --> 00:24:49,160 to leave his audience not ignorant of what that reality 388 00:24:49,160 --> 00:24:53,000 might be. He then highlights, let me 389 00:24:53,000 --> 00:24:58,680 describe the paradox of Christian ministry by honour and 390 00:24:58,680 --> 00:25:02,440 dishonour, by evil report and good report. 391 00:25:02,440 --> 00:25:08,520 Verse 8 as deceivers and yet true, as unknown and yet well 392 00:25:08,520 --> 00:25:12,960 known as dying. And behold, we live as 393 00:25:12,960 --> 00:25:17,200 chastened, and yet not killed, as sorrowful, verse 10 yet 394 00:25:17,200 --> 00:25:22,920 always rejoicing, as poor, yet making many rich, as having 395 00:25:22,920 --> 00:25:26,120 nothing, and yet possessing all things. 396 00:25:27,080 --> 00:25:29,120 What's Paul talking about? I'm confused. 397 00:25:29,120 --> 00:25:31,080 He says one thing and then he says another. 398 00:25:31,080 --> 00:25:34,080 And is this just poetic that he's writing here? 399 00:25:34,320 --> 00:25:37,160 Dishonour and honour, bad report, good report called 400 00:25:37,160 --> 00:25:40,120 deceivers, yet true. What he is talking about is, is 401 00:25:40,120 --> 00:25:45,000 how the world might see things. And then looking from a heavenly 402 00:25:45,000 --> 00:25:48,600 perspective, how important the, the everlasting impact of the 403 00:25:48,600 --> 00:25:50,720 gospel, the grace that we've been given is. 404 00:25:51,960 --> 00:25:55,000 And where there's a perceived dishonour given perhaps to a 405 00:25:55,000 --> 00:25:58,080 reputation or something, there's honour that comes from the Lord. 406 00:25:58,800 --> 00:26:02,280 Where there's a bad report that the world might might place 407 00:26:02,280 --> 00:26:06,320 certain labels on on us, you and I, as ministers, as we serve the 408 00:26:06,320 --> 00:26:10,480 Lord, there's in fact a good report called deceive as yet 409 00:26:10,480 --> 00:26:13,160 true. I mean, I think of an example. 410 00:26:13,160 --> 00:26:16,640 Christopher Hitchens, the atheist once called Billy Graham 411 00:26:16,640 --> 00:26:22,080 wicked, a self conscious fraud, he said, and a disgustingly evil 412 00:26:22,080 --> 00:26:25,440 man. You see, the world often 413 00:26:25,440 --> 00:26:27,480 misjudges faithful servants of God. 414 00:26:27,480 --> 00:26:31,160 And aren't we seeing that in in many people's posts and words 415 00:26:31,160 --> 00:26:36,000 said after Charlie Kirk's passing, sorrowful yet always 416 00:26:36,000 --> 00:26:37,960 rejoicing. Like there's times where there's 417 00:26:37,960 --> 00:26:39,760 just the the weight and the heaviness. 418 00:26:39,760 --> 00:26:43,080 But oh, it brings the joy of the Lord somehow through the work 419 00:26:43,080 --> 00:26:47,680 that I'm a part of Paul says Paul yes, maybe materially, 420 00:26:47,800 --> 00:26:51,440 physically, yet making many rich and in the grace and and the 421 00:26:51,440 --> 00:26:55,000 riches that are in Christ Jesus and having nothing yet 422 00:26:55,000 --> 00:26:57,640 possessing everything thinking of the eternal reward. 423 00:26:59,320 --> 00:27:01,440 No wonder this is the life of the Christian. 424 00:27:01,440 --> 00:27:05,000 This this paradoxical existence when the cross itself is the 425 00:27:05,000 --> 00:27:09,360 greatest paradox of all the Paul said in first Corinthians 426 00:27:09,360 --> 00:27:13,320 chapter one verse 18 that it the cross is foolishness to the 427 00:27:13,320 --> 00:27:15,520 world, but it is the power of God. 428 00:27:15,560 --> 00:27:21,040 And so if you're at all about the the business of Jesus Christ 429 00:27:21,040 --> 00:27:23,800 about the the cross of Jesus Christ, then this will be your 430 00:27:23,800 --> 00:27:26,080 experience. Paul doesn't want to leave any 431 00:27:26,080 --> 00:27:30,520 in his audience in in any sort of foolish notion that the 432 00:27:30,520 --> 00:27:35,000 Christian ministry will be a life of of just a a wonderful 433 00:27:35,000 --> 00:27:38,880 kind of bed of roses and beautiful sunshine and and 434 00:27:38,880 --> 00:27:41,160 unicorns and polka dots and all sorts of that. 435 00:27:41,280 --> 00:27:43,560 He says I don't want you to to be due. 436 00:27:43,560 --> 00:27:46,400 This is the reality of what that experience will be. 437 00:27:47,640 --> 00:27:50,480 But he says don't be discouraged when the world misunderstands 438 00:27:50,480 --> 00:27:55,000 you because mockery, rejection, even violence are part of 439 00:27:55,000 --> 00:27:58,120 following Jesus Christ. Think of those mentioned in in 440 00:27:58,120 --> 00:28:02,240 that that famous chapter in Hebrews Chapter 11, what we call 441 00:28:02,240 --> 00:28:07,280 the the Great Hall of faith who it says in summation of those 442 00:28:07,280 --> 00:28:09,600 that of whom the world was not worthy. 443 00:28:11,720 --> 00:28:13,440 You may be mocked at work for your faith. 444 00:28:13,440 --> 00:28:17,240 Yes, might be called naive for trusting in Scripture, but 445 00:28:17,240 --> 00:28:21,480 remember these tensions. This this paradox of existence 446 00:28:21,480 --> 00:28:25,280 is not a sign of failure. It is in fact a mark of 447 00:28:25,280 --> 00:28:30,680 authentic discipleship. I love how Amy Carmichael worded 448 00:28:30,680 --> 00:28:33,880 it in her poem. Amy Carmichael, for those of you 449 00:28:34,400 --> 00:28:37,560 unfamiliar with her, was a missionary in India for some 50 450 00:28:37,560 --> 00:28:42,120 plus years. In the early 1900s she penned a 451 00:28:42,120 --> 00:28:46,920 poem, Has Thou No Scar? And it was the idea that the 452 00:28:46,920 --> 00:28:50,480 Christian life is is not one that is void or empty of 453 00:28:50,480 --> 00:28:54,200 suffering, but that rather it is part and parcel of that of our 454 00:28:54,200 --> 00:28:56,920 existence. And so she says, Has thou no 455 00:28:56,920 --> 00:29:04,440 scar, No hidden wound, no scar. Yet as the master shall the 456 00:29:04,440 --> 00:29:09,240 servant be And pierced are the feet that follow me. 457 00:29:11,240 --> 00:29:15,080 You see we're kidding ourselves if we think that as Christians 458 00:29:15,080 --> 00:29:17,240 and and we've had it so good so easy. 459 00:29:17,240 --> 00:29:20,080 I think in Australia for so long and in the western world that 460 00:29:20,280 --> 00:29:23,200 that to be a follower of Christ has really cost us very little 461 00:29:24,080 --> 00:29:27,160 in the sense of any animosity or persecution from others. 462 00:29:27,160 --> 00:29:30,240 But don't you, don't you see and sense that in these the last 463 00:29:30,240 --> 00:29:34,480 days that that's shifting that to be a follower of Jesus Christ 464 00:29:34,480 --> 00:29:38,400 is, is, is to come at a great cost very soon. 465 00:29:38,400 --> 00:29:44,200 And, and, and the question will be, are we going to endure in 466 00:29:44,200 --> 00:29:49,160 and through that the servant of Christ will endure. 467 00:29:50,560 --> 00:29:53,640 And lastly, there's the endurance of affection in verse 468 00:29:53,640 --> 00:29:57,120 11 through to 13. And he's shown in verses 3 to 10 469 00:29:57,120 --> 00:29:59,760 the endurance in trials. And, and now he shows that 470 00:29:59,760 --> 00:30:03,320 endurance must extend on through interrelationships as well. 471 00:30:03,560 --> 00:30:07,120 You see, ministry endurance isn't just about surviving 472 00:30:07,120 --> 00:30:12,080 external hardship, but about persevering in love even when 473 00:30:12,080 --> 00:30:14,880 others close their hearts to that love. 474 00:30:16,440 --> 00:30:19,240 And Paul effectively says in these verses as we read them in 475 00:30:19,240 --> 00:30:22,680 a moment, he says, and it's very vulnerable in his writing here. 476 00:30:22,840 --> 00:30:25,160 I'm I'm laying it all out for you here. 477 00:30:26,800 --> 00:30:30,840 And I've been open and I've been honest and you've been giving me 478 00:30:30,840 --> 00:30:34,000 the cold shoulder in return. And so Paul's words here are 479 00:30:34,000 --> 00:30:40,040 really, it's it's not me, it's you type of thing here from 480 00:30:40,040 --> 00:30:42,920 Paul. And, and what sits at the heart 481 00:30:42,920 --> 00:30:46,080 of it is that the Corinthian believers were were turning 482 00:30:46,080 --> 00:30:49,520 their heart towards other things, towards other teachings, 483 00:30:49,520 --> 00:30:51,760 towards their old ways of life and living. 484 00:30:51,960 --> 00:30:55,800 And they're being drawn away from the gospel and from where 485 00:30:55,800 --> 00:30:59,800 they should be in being a Co worker and minister together 486 00:31:00,120 --> 00:31:02,320 with Paul. And so he pleads with them in 487 00:31:02,320 --> 00:31:07,200 these words. And he says in verses 11 through 488 00:31:07,200 --> 00:31:11,840 to 13 now, Oh Corinthians, we have spoken openly to you 489 00:31:12,360 --> 00:31:15,960 honestly raw. Our heart is wide open. 490 00:31:17,080 --> 00:31:22,200 Verse 12 you are not restricted by us, but you are restricted by 491 00:31:22,240 --> 00:31:28,160 your own affections. Now in return for the same I 492 00:31:28,160 --> 00:31:30,600 speak as to children. So his father's heart coming 493 00:31:30,600 --> 00:31:36,480 through here you also be open so we have this openness of him as 494 00:31:36,480 --> 00:31:39,560 a minister unto them. Paul says I've spoken freely 495 00:31:39,560 --> 00:31:43,200 honestly to you. My heart has been exposed unto 496 00:31:43,200 --> 00:31:47,160 you his his ministry to them was never just a a cold 497 00:31:47,160 --> 00:31:49,280 professionalism. You know I'm just going to give 498 00:31:49,280 --> 00:31:52,800 you the facts but but a real vulnerable affection coming 499 00:31:52,800 --> 00:31:57,200 through here and so true endurance in this way isn't to 500 00:31:57,200 --> 00:32:01,160 harden us but to enlarge us. Have you ever felt that when 501 00:32:01,160 --> 00:32:06,400 people close off to the ministry and your work as you're trying 502 00:32:06,400 --> 00:32:10,000 to serve them and love them through Jesus Christ, that when 503 00:32:10,000 --> 00:32:12,840 they close off to that, that your heart becomes burdened and 504 00:32:12,840 --> 00:32:15,160 heavy towards them as a consequence? 505 00:32:15,160 --> 00:32:19,000 And, and so it then just causes you to press in all the more to 506 00:32:19,000 --> 00:32:22,480 pray for them and to love them. And this was Paul towards them. 507 00:32:23,840 --> 00:32:27,720 He modelled vulnerability here, speaks very plainly and deeply 508 00:32:27,720 --> 00:32:31,440 and and reveals that I'm enduring in my ministry unto you 509 00:32:31,440 --> 00:32:34,560 in in this openness. And there's not like a a guarded 510 00:32:34,560 --> 00:32:37,880 detachment here, but I'm I'm wanting you to now respond to 511 00:32:37,880 --> 00:32:39,920 that in warmth and graciousness too. 512 00:32:41,040 --> 00:32:43,880 But they were obstinate. They'd shut themselves off to 513 00:32:43,880 --> 00:32:45,600 it. The Corinthians were, he said, 514 00:32:45,600 --> 00:32:50,000 restricted in their affections, and they've been swayed by the 515 00:32:50,000 --> 00:32:52,960 false teachers creeping in. And so the endurance of Paul 516 00:32:52,960 --> 00:32:57,240 here, it meant continuing to love them even when the love 517 00:32:57,240 --> 00:33:00,760 that he had been extending unto them was not being reciprocated. 518 00:33:03,200 --> 00:33:05,600 And in this way, the Corinthians were closing their hearts, 519 00:33:05,800 --> 00:33:09,240 restricting their affections. And the illustration that he 520 00:33:09,240 --> 00:33:13,000 almost gives us is like a parent who keeps showing care to a 521 00:33:13,000 --> 00:33:16,720 wayward teenager. It says, I'm loving you like as 522 00:33:16,720 --> 00:33:19,520 a father unto children and I'm refusing to give up. 523 00:33:21,920 --> 00:33:24,840 And then he extends the opportunity for enlargement of 524 00:33:24,840 --> 00:33:28,520 their hearts as a fair exchange. Paul pleads, open wide your 525 00:33:28,520 --> 00:33:32,520 hearts also. And so then enduring ministry 526 00:33:32,520 --> 00:33:34,560 for you. And I like Paul models here. 527 00:33:34,560 --> 00:33:39,880 It invites others into gospel partnership even when it risks 528 00:33:39,880 --> 00:33:44,360 hurt or pain. Paul, this wasn't just about 529 00:33:44,360 --> 00:33:48,560 sentiment here, but about gospel partnership to endure together. 530 00:33:48,720 --> 00:33:51,160 If if we're going to do this, what do you open with in verse 531 00:33:51,160 --> 00:33:53,080 one? If if we're going to be Co 532 00:33:53,080 --> 00:33:56,400 workers together in the ministry of the gospel of of the grace of 533 00:33:56,400 --> 00:34:00,840 God, of of Jesus Christ, then your hearts must be open. 534 00:34:01,640 --> 00:34:05,000 He says. Isn't this the story of the 535 00:34:05,000 --> 00:34:09,560 prodigal son in many respects? Think of his existence. 536 00:34:09,560 --> 00:34:13,199 He'd experienced and enjoyed so much love so much, so much 537 00:34:13,199 --> 00:34:17,000 privilege, so much prominence, so much in in the home of his 538 00:34:17,000 --> 00:34:19,679 father. And yet he resisted it. 539 00:34:20,800 --> 00:34:22,600 He closed himself off to off to it. 540 00:34:22,600 --> 00:34:24,679 He said, Dad, I, I wish you were as good as dead. 541 00:34:24,679 --> 00:34:28,679 I want my inheritance now. And he embraced other things 542 00:34:28,679 --> 00:34:32,239 instead. And that's the story of some of 543 00:34:32,480 --> 00:34:34,960 of you and I of of some of us as well, isn't it? 544 00:34:34,960 --> 00:34:40,159 Where our heart, our mind, maybe our time, our attention keeps 545 00:34:40,159 --> 00:34:45,280 getting pulled away by other things like the Corinthians may 546 00:34:45,280 --> 00:34:48,600 be drawn away by false teachings in some respects. 547 00:34:48,600 --> 00:34:52,600 As we jump onto YouTube, as we jump online, as we read things 548 00:34:52,679 --> 00:34:56,440 aside from the Bible and we get confused and and well, is this 549 00:34:56,440 --> 00:34:58,400 really the gospel? Is this really where it's at? 550 00:34:58,400 --> 00:35:01,680 Have I got it all wrong about God and the Bible and so on? 551 00:35:02,920 --> 00:35:07,080 Or we start to pursue other things instead of God that maybe 552 00:35:07,080 --> 00:35:10,840 promise us some kind of a joy or, or maybe feel like they'll 553 00:35:10,840 --> 00:35:14,920 satisfy or fulfil us and solve our problems and maybe increase 554 00:35:14,920 --> 00:35:17,640 our social standing or or make our lives better. 555 00:35:18,840 --> 00:35:21,520 And it's not that we're necessarily giving up on God, 556 00:35:22,080 --> 00:35:24,000 it's just that we want to have these things too. 557 00:35:25,800 --> 00:35:28,640 And we might feel a sense of conviction and we're not sure 558 00:35:28,640 --> 00:35:31,720 about it or whether I should do it or, or maybe flat out we know 559 00:35:31,720 --> 00:35:34,120 that we shouldn't do it, but we still go ahead anyway. 560 00:35:35,360 --> 00:35:38,120 And really what Paul is declaring and and what he says 561 00:35:38,120 --> 00:35:42,560 to you and I tonight as a point of application is you cannot do 562 00:35:42,720 --> 00:35:46,720 and have both. You cannot be pursuing the 563 00:35:46,720 --> 00:35:49,800 things of the world or or buying into what these false teachers 564 00:35:49,800 --> 00:35:53,760 are declaring and be a Co worker of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 565 00:35:55,560 --> 00:35:59,720 Imagine with me for a moment, perhaps as an illustration, a 566 00:35:59,720 --> 00:36:02,520 woman marries a a good man and they've got a great 567 00:36:02,520 --> 00:36:06,840 relationship, couple of good looking and and rowdy toddlers 568 00:36:06,840 --> 00:36:10,200 and and she's got pictures of their family all over the house. 569 00:36:11,240 --> 00:36:14,800 You know, from when they were on holidays and that that vacation 570 00:36:14,800 --> 00:36:17,480 that they enjoyed. Pictures from their honeymoon 571 00:36:17,480 --> 00:36:20,560 from from last Christmas when the children got all dressed up. 572 00:36:21,800 --> 00:36:25,480 But also on the wall, she's got some pictures of her old 573 00:36:25,480 --> 00:36:30,480 boyfriend hanging up too. You know, just a few 8 by 10s in 574 00:36:30,480 --> 00:36:33,640 really nice frames mixed in around the house. 575 00:36:34,280 --> 00:36:36,240 He was such a great guy after all. 576 00:36:36,240 --> 00:36:39,560 And they had some really good times together and she just 577 00:36:39,560 --> 00:36:41,800 can't bring herself to take them down just yet. 578 00:36:42,800 --> 00:36:45,440 What would you do or say if you were that husband? 579 00:36:47,400 --> 00:36:50,040 How much do you think her holding on to the past is 580 00:36:50,040 --> 00:36:51,880 affecting their relationship today? 581 00:36:53,680 --> 00:36:57,280 And so maybe as an illustration that helps communicate what Paul 582 00:36:57,280 --> 00:36:59,160 has been writing in these verses. 583 00:36:59,440 --> 00:37:01,520 Paul, he's enduring here and in his love. 584 00:37:01,520 --> 00:37:06,000 He's asking them to no longer close off to him and more 585 00:37:06,000 --> 00:37:07,800 importantly to the gospel message. 586 00:37:07,800 --> 00:37:10,880 And so like a father to his children, he says open up. 587 00:37:12,120 --> 00:37:15,320 You cannot pursue these things and and live after these these 588 00:37:15,320 --> 00:37:18,400 ways and and be coerced by these false teachers if you're going 589 00:37:18,400 --> 00:37:21,160 to Co labour in the gospel of Jesus Christ. 590 00:37:22,320 --> 00:37:25,520 And so for you, you and I tonight, keep our hearts wide 591 00:37:25,520 --> 00:37:29,240 open to the gospel, to God, to his word. 592 00:37:29,880 --> 00:37:34,880 Don't close off to the truth. Endure knowing that it may cost 593 00:37:34,880 --> 00:37:37,920 that it will be difficult, but that there are tools that the 594 00:37:37,920 --> 00:37:41,240 Holy Spirit gives for you and I to be able to endure and to 595 00:37:41,240 --> 00:37:45,160 persevere. Well, I took you back this 596 00:37:45,160 --> 00:37:48,120 morning if you were here to 1980 with a song that we sung. 597 00:37:48,120 --> 00:37:54,520 Let me take you back to 1983 now Cliff Young, a 61 year old 598 00:37:54,520 --> 00:37:57,680 potato farmer entered the Sydney to Mount Melbourne Ultra 599 00:37:57,680 --> 00:38:01,760 Marathon. Dressed in overalls and gumboots 600 00:38:02,840 --> 00:38:06,480 he shuffled along as the elite runners speed on ahead. 601 00:38:07,960 --> 00:38:12,040 But you see, whilst they stopped each night to sleep, Cliff kept 602 00:38:12,040 --> 00:38:16,240 on shuffling. And after five days, he not only 603 00:38:16,240 --> 00:38:20,960 finished, he won. It was his slow shuffle that 604 00:38:20,960 --> 00:38:22,040 beat all of them. Why? 605 00:38:22,040 --> 00:38:28,200 Because he endured in some small way that that, that reflects 606 00:38:28,200 --> 00:38:30,080 that the, the Christian life is the same. 607 00:38:31,120 --> 00:38:36,040 You know, the race is, is not about how swift or how glorious 608 00:38:36,040 --> 00:38:41,160 or how wonderful you start, You know, like a, a, a firework or a 609 00:38:41,160 --> 00:38:42,800 flash in the pan. Oh, look at them. 610 00:38:42,800 --> 00:38:44,280 They're serving the Lord, they're loving God. 611 00:38:44,280 --> 00:38:46,720 But no, it's about endurance to the end. 612 00:38:47,600 --> 00:38:50,720 It's about endurance in the face of trials, in in, in the midst 613 00:38:50,720 --> 00:38:54,680 of persecution, in the midst of of suffering, in, in distresses 614 00:38:54,680 --> 00:38:59,560 of being hard pressed. So the Christian life is where 615 00:38:59,560 --> 00:39:03,000 there's that urgency of grace. Don't delay tonight. 616 00:39:03,200 --> 00:39:08,400 Don't receive it in vain. Rather live it daily and 617 00:39:08,400 --> 00:39:11,040 experience the power of the gospel at work in your life. 618 00:39:11,280 --> 00:39:13,840 And that will flow on out to the endurance of the servant that 619 00:39:13,840 --> 00:39:18,560 yes, trials will come, but God know he equips you and I as he 620 00:39:18,560 --> 00:39:20,920 servants through the Holy Spirit in US. 621 00:39:22,320 --> 00:39:24,560 And then lastly the the endurance of affection. 622 00:39:24,560 --> 00:39:30,800 Keep your heart open persevering in love as you do so well, you 623 00:39:30,800 --> 00:39:32,720 might be young physically tonight. 624 00:39:34,160 --> 00:39:43,120 May I encourage you purpose in your heart like a Daniel, follow 625 00:39:43,400 --> 00:39:49,400 Jesus Christ again. If you're an unbeliever, today 626 00:39:49,400 --> 00:39:54,000 is the day of salvation for parents. 627 00:39:54,960 --> 00:40:01,160 Model endurance as a a minister, as a servant of Jesus Christ 628 00:40:01,720 --> 00:40:04,600 daily in the home. What does that look like to your 629 00:40:04,600 --> 00:40:09,880 children? For the weary here tonight, lean 630 00:40:09,880 --> 00:40:13,360 daily into the tools of the Holy Spirit. 631 00:40:14,720 --> 00:40:19,960 Don't rely on your own strength. For you and I as a church, may 632 00:40:19,960 --> 00:40:23,800 we open our hearts to the gospel, to the truth of the 633 00:40:23,800 --> 00:40:29,000 Lord, and have His love show forth in our interactions, one 634 00:40:29,000 --> 00:40:32,160 to another and to a world that so desperately needs Him. 635 00:40:34,000 --> 00:40:36,520 Again, endurance is not simply about surviving. 636 00:40:36,760 --> 00:40:40,280 It's about serving God. And by God's grace, keep 637 00:40:40,280 --> 00:40:44,640 enduring and so display the reality of the gospel to a 638 00:40:44,640 --> 00:40:45,400 watching world.