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Good morning, everyone. 
From now till Pentecost, we get 

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to say Happy Easter or Easters. 
Thank you for responding. 

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Happy Easter. 
Yeah. 

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And we celebrate the 
resurrection of our Lord Jesus 

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Christ. 
Focusing on that during this 

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time. 
We're going to be in the book of

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First Corinthians in this Easter
tide period and also all through

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the summer. 
And our passage this morning is 

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First Corinthians chapter 10, 
one verse 10 to 2, verse 2. 

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It's found on page 895 of the 
Pew Bibles in front of you. 

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Now, why this book in 
particular? 

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Well, Corinth was a bustling 
trade city and was filled with 

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Romans and with Greeks and with 
Jews alike. 

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But it was also a very morally 
corrupt city. 

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So that to live like a 
Corinthian became a synonym for 

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depravity, basically. 
And this was where Paul planted 

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a church. 
And he stayed in that place for 

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a year and a half, working with 
his first converts who were 

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mostly God fearers from of Roman
descents or Greeks and Jews. 

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And he stayed there for the 
longest. 

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He stayed anywhere else, 
teaching them how to follow 

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Jesus. 
But after leaving Corinth, Paul 

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received two major reports. 
First of all, some some servants

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from Chloe's people. 
Chloe seems to be somebody 

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really, really important. 
And they came to Paul and they 

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said, yo, Paul, that church you 
planted, they're fighting. 

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There's the vision, then there's
quarreling. 

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And then he gets a letter from 
Corinth as well when he's in 

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Ephesus. 
And the letter asks some very 

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fundamental questions. 
They're asking, well, since 

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Christ has lived and he has died
and he's now resurrected and has

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fulfilled the law, what does 
that mean for us? 

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Does that change our moral 
framework? 

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I mean, there's nothing that we 
can do to add to what he's done.

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So can we sleep with whoever we 
want to? 

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Can we eat food sacrificed to 
idol idols? 

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Were all the rules discarded? 
And Paul responds throughout his

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letter saying, no, the answer is
no, that's not. 

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That's not what's happening. 
And he goes back to the Old 

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Testament often to reaffirm that
the moral framework still stands

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because Jesus Christ's 
resurrection actually enables us

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to live out our lives in 
righteousness. 

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So the book of First Corinthians
is especially relevant to us 

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because it helps us answer the 
question. 

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With Christ's victory over sin 
and over death, how then should 

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we live? 
And at the heart of the 

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Corinthian problem was the 
problem of disunity. 

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There was disunity over leaders,
over the Lord's table lawsuits, 

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sexual immorality, over the use 
of spiritual gifts. 

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There were so many things. 
They were treating the church 

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like social club where there was
like rivalry and status and 

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self-interest. 
And they should have been 

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treating it like a holy temple 
knit together one body by love. 

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And so Paul wrote First 
Corinthians to answer these 

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questions and to address their 
disunity. 

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So our text today confronts a a 
church that is torn by loyalties

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to personalities. 
And it was a division that was 

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driven by worldly wisdom. 
And Paul's remedy to this 

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message of this is the message 
of this sermon. 

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His remedy is look to Jesus 
Christ and him crucified. 

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Look to Jesus Christ and him 
crucified. 

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So if anybody asks you what I 
preached on, that's what you 

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tell them. 
Look to Jesus Christ and him 

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crucified. 
Let me pray. 

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Your name is beautiful and it's 
powerful, and you have done a 

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wonderful thing for us. 
Lord Jesus, by your death and 

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resurrection, help us this 
morning to look to you, our 

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risen Lord, and shape your word 
in our hearts to bear fruit. 

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In your name we pray. 
Amen. 

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Amen. 
So Paul tells the Corinthians to

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look to Christ crucified to 
escape divisions over 

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personalities. 
In Corinth, rhetoric oration 

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were the apex of liberal 
education. 

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You had skill orators and they 
were basically the influencers 

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and the Ted talkers of their 
day. 

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Their YouTube channel was the 
marketplace. 

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Their Instagram was the bema, 
which is the seat of judgment, 

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and Paul's going to talk about 
that later on in this book as 

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well. 
And they had paid contents at 

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their schools and their 
gymnasiums as well. 

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They had battles, just like 
people do on Twitter, except 

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without the word limit. 
And there were followers. 

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They had many followers, fierce 
loyalists who imitated them in 

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deed and in speech. 
And these followers, followers, 

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these loyalists, they treated, 
they treated rhetorical contests

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as if they were sporting events.
And they really, really 

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disagreed with those who 
attacked their own orator. 

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And in fact, there's an 
incident, a recorded incident of

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one such group beating an 
opposing speaker so severely 

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that he died of his injuries. 
That's how rhetoric and the 

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fashions around it could get. 
Was that bad? 

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So when Paul writes in First 
Corinthians one, verse 11, and 

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he speaks to the Corinthians, 
he's talking about the habit of 

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picking a picking a favorite 
leader and setting yourself 

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against others as a result. 
So he says, it has been reported

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to me by Chloe's people that 
there is quarreling among you, 

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my brothers. 
What I mean is that each one of 

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you says I follow Paul, or I 
follow Apollos, or I follow 

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Sephus, or I follow Christ. 
He names himself a Roman 

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citizen, the founder of the 
church in Corinth. 

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He names Apollos an eloquent 
Greek philosopher educated in 

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Alexandria. 
He names Kefas a Jew, the first 

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of the original 12, and a leader
in the church in Jerusalem, 

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Roman, Greek, Jew. 
And that was also the social 

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hierarchy in Corinth, Romans at 
the top. 

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Greeks were second and respected
Jews often marginalized. 

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The church was reproducing these
divisions under the guise of 

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spiritual allegiance. 
But then, of course, there were 

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those who said, I follow Christ 
now. 

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Sounds good, right? 
On the surface, Yeah, I want to 

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be in that group. 
But it wasn't good because Paul 

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includes them in the rebuke. 
These weren't people who were 

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lifting up Christ above all and 
glorifying Jesus. 

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They were actually lifting 
themselves above all. 

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They were like the ones who were
like, oh, bless your heart, 

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we're the real Christians. 
We can show you how it's done. 

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And so they were contributing to
the quarrels. 

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They were being divisive as 
well. 

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And interestingly, the quarrels 
weren't about doctrine. 

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Paul, Apollos, Cephas, they were
preaching the same thing. 

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This was not about doctrine. 
They were about who was the most

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eloquent, persuasive speaker 
manner of presentation. 

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That's all it was about. 
And it wasn't merely a matter of

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preference. 
There are three pastors in this 

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church, right? 
And it's natural that each of 

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you might resonate with our with
one particular speaking style 

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over another. 
Some of you might like, might 

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like Dan's dry humor when it 
lands. 

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Of course he's not here. 
Great. 

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Some of you might like my 
stories, which I tell. 

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Some of you might like the way 
Andrew presents his structure 

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with three points that all start
with P. 

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You know, maybe that's what she 
like, and that's fine. 

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But you're not all fighting 
about it. 

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At least I hope you're not 
fighting about it, You know, but

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the Corinthians were, they were 
fighting about this. 

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And the Greek word that Paul 
uses to describe corals is 

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arides. 
It's connected to Aries with an 

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E, the goddess of strife and 
mischief. 

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Her brother is Aries with an A, 
the God of War. 

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That's the word he uses. 
It gives a sense of of, of of 

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combativeness, hostile conflict.
And it's listed, that same word 

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is listed in Galatians 520 right
next to jealousy and fits of 

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anger and rivalries and 
dissensions and division. 

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So these quarrels weren't just 
light disagreements, they were 

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fighting amongst themselves. 
Unfortunately, this is not a one

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time Corinthian problem. 
The cult of Christian 

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personality is a real thing 
happens today. 

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It may be quieter, maybe less 
heuristic, but it's still there.

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We may say I followed Tim Keller
or NT Wright is my guy. 

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We may be still tempted to align
ourselves with people who preach

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Christ. 
I'm Calvinist, I'm Armenian, I'm

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Wesleyan, I'm Zwinglian rather 
than Christ himself who saves. 

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And so basically, Paul says in 
First Corinthians 113, what in 

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the world are you doing? 
This is ridiculous. 

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None of us were baptized, you 
know. 

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None of you were baptized in our
name. 

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None of us was crucified for 
you. 

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In other words, why are you 
acting like your salvation came 

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from a preacher and not from the
Savior? 

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Are we not all sanctified in 
Christ Jesus called to be Saints

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together with all those in every
place called who call upon the 

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name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
both their Lord and ours? 

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Look to the cross. 
He says, look to the one who 

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actually died for you, Jesus 
Christ. 

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Look to the one whose name 
you're baptized into Jesus 

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Christ, not to the people who 
are preaching his message. 

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That's just ridiculous. 
And he's not saying that they 

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shouldn't have mentors. 
In fact, later on in the very 

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this very same letter, he tells 
them, please imitate me, but 

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only because he's imitating 
Christ. 

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We can be thankful for our 
spiritual leaders. 

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We can learn from them, but 
ultimately our allegiance is to 

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Jesus Christ because mentors, 
spiritual leaders are signposts,

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not destinations. 
Jesus is the destination. 

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Now, the interesting thing is 
that looking to Jesus Christ is 

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the solution to all sorts of 
division. 

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And admittedly, our temptation 
to division doesn't circulate 

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around personalities. 
But yes, I'm going to say 

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politics and policies because we
live in DC, it's important and 

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we work on on the Hill in these 
important theme issues. 

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But what Paul is advocating here
isn't for some kind of 

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uniformity at the expense of 
truth. 

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No, he's not saying that we 
should all agree on everything 

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and never, ever, ever disagree. 
Paul had a very strong 

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disagreement with Barnabas over 
whether or not John Mark should 

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join them on a mission, and it 
was so severe that they 

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separated for a time. 
And then when Peter's actions 

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led to hypocrisy among other 
believers because he stopped 

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eating with the Jews, sorry, 
with the Gentiles, because of 

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some Jews that came to visit 
him, Peter was like, no, bro, 

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don't do that. 
That's not right. 

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He confronted the problem. 
No, we will have disagreements 

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and we should correct one 
another, but they should not be 

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eristic. 
We must not quarrel. 

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We must not be combative and 
hostile to one another. 

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When we looked at Jesus and him 
crucified, our disagreements 

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will not result in division, but
in constructive dialogue and 

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conflict. 
So look to Jesus and him 

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crucified to avoid all sorts of 
divisions. 

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At the center of the division in
Kern was this admiration for 

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eloquence and wisdom. 
So Paul tells the Corinthians to

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look to Jesus and him crucified 
so that they would resist living

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by the wisdom of the world. 
Now, I once heard a trial lawyer

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say that in a jury case, it 
often did not matter whether or 

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not your client was guilty or 
innocent. 

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What mattered the most was how 
you presented your case. 

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It didn't even matter whether 
you were right or not, because 

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the jury wasn't listening just 
to the facts. 

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They were also listening and 
watching you. 

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He said you could simply win by 
being likable, regardless of 

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what you were saying most of the
time. 

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Now, I don't know if that's 
true. 

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I'm not sure that it is. 
I would like to think that if I 

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were on a jury, I would be able 
to see through all the eloquence

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and, you know, presentation, to 
see the truth, hopefully. 

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But the lawyer captured the 
world of Corinth perfectly, a 

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place where style eclipsed 
substance. 

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It didn't matter what you said 
as long as you said it well. 

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And so people ended up believing
things not because they were 

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true, but because the delivery 
was compelling. 

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That's it. 
Now to the Gentiles, the cross 

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was absurd because it was a 
symbol of weakness. 

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They had gods who were wise. 
And if you wanted to attain 

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godhood, you needed to enter 
into this deep knowledge and 

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engage with deeper wisdom so you
can attain to the heights of 

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godhood. 
A crucified Messiah? 

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No way. 
Foolishness, absurdity. 

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And then you have the Jews here.
The cross was a stumbling block 

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to them because they expected 
that when God shows up, there 

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would be miracles, conquest, 
restoration of Israel's glory. 

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That's exactly what happened in 
Exodus 10. 

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Plagues, parting of the Red Sea,
provision in the in the 

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wilderness, miracle after 
miracle after miracle. 

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That's what they expected to see
when God showed up. 

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A man crucified on a tree, 
therefore cursed. 

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That's not the Messiah. 
Can't be. 

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Jesus came in a very upside down
way. 

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His way was foolishness in a 
stumbling block. 

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00:15:06,240 --> 00:15:08,360
So. 
Logic. 

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Dictates that Paul, when he gets
to Corinth, should do his best 

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00:15:13,480 --> 00:15:17,400
so that they will accept the 
message to prop the crucified 

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00:15:17,400 --> 00:15:22,600
Christ with as much eloquence 
and wisdom as possible. 

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So that the Gentiles would think
that Christ was not foolishness 

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and the Jews would be like, Oh 
yeah, I get it, I get it now. 

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00:15:29,560 --> 00:15:34,120
But Paul says, no, if I do that,
you strip the cross of its 

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00:15:34,400 --> 00:15:37,120
power. 
And don't get me wrong, Paul 

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cared deeply about the way he 
communicated, certainly. 

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And he's going to talk about 
God's wisdom in the next 

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chapter. 
And in fact, the way he writes 

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00:15:44,880 --> 00:15:48,800
this section, most of the book, 
it's it's with, it's at like the

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00:15:48,800 --> 00:15:52,680
height, the, the apex of Greek 
rhetoric and excellence. 

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00:15:52,680 --> 00:15:56,560
He's using the very tools he's 
speaking against to make a point

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and to and to and to grab the 
church's attention. 

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00:15:59,240 --> 00:16:03,400
But you see, he cared more about
the content, which is why he 

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00:16:03,400 --> 00:16:10,120
resolved to know nothing among 
them except Jesus Christ and him

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00:16:10,440 --> 00:16:15,760
crucified, so that their faith 
would rest on God, not on his 

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00:16:15,760 --> 00:16:21,200
eloquence in wisdom. 
What's bad with eloquence? 

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00:16:21,840 --> 00:16:26,920
What's bad about wisdom? 
So Paul quotes Isaiah 29. 

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00:16:28,160 --> 00:16:31,080
I will destroy the wisdom of the
wise and the discernment of the 

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00:16:31,080 --> 00:16:32,560
discerning. 
I will thwart. 

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00:16:33,400 --> 00:16:38,000
In that chapter God is speaking,
judgment over is over Jerusalem.

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00:16:38,960 --> 00:16:41,240
The people honored God with 
their lips, but their hearts 

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00:16:41,240 --> 00:16:43,960
were far from him. 
In fact, they were saying to 

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00:16:43,960 --> 00:16:49,160
themselves that who is God and 
God was like, can you who are 

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00:16:49,200 --> 00:16:52,920
the, the, the, the clay mock me,
the Potter? 

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00:16:53,560 --> 00:16:56,920
They claim to know better than 
God. 

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00:16:57,320 --> 00:16:58,720
You should read that passage. 
It's very interesting. 

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They claim to know better and 
have deeper understanding than 

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00:17:01,080 --> 00:17:08,119
even God himself, and so their 
wisdom was dressed up in pride 

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and that. 
Is at the. 

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Center of human wisdom. 
That's the kind of wisdom that 

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00:17:14,920 --> 00:17:17,560
Paul says the Corinthian church 
was in danger of adopting. 

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The kind the bread quarrels, 
self promotion attracts God's 

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00:17:22,280 --> 00:17:24,680
wrath. 
And so he reminds us of what 

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00:17:24,680 --> 00:17:29,680
James says, who is wise and 
understanding among you by his 

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00:17:29,680 --> 00:17:32,400
good conduct. 
Let him show his works in the 

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00:17:32,400 --> 00:17:35,720
meekness of wisdom. 
But if you have bitter jealousy 

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00:17:36,360 --> 00:17:40,520
and selfish ambition in your 
hearts, do not boast and be 

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00:17:40,520 --> 00:17:44,280
false to the truth. 
This is not the wisdom that 

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00:17:44,280 --> 00:17:49,160
comes down from above, but is 
earthly, unspiritual, and 

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00:17:49,200 --> 00:17:54,840
demonic. 
At the core of worldly wisdom is

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00:17:54,840 --> 00:17:59,240
the desire to boast in yourself,
to climb, to dominate, to 

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00:17:59,240 --> 00:18:02,600
impress. 
And God calls this wisdom 

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00:18:03,120 --> 00:18:09,600
earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 
And we're surrounded by this 

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00:18:09,600 --> 00:18:13,160
kind of wisdom all the time. 
Here are some. 

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00:18:13,160 --> 00:18:17,360
YouTube video titles to help you
see how that exists in our world

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00:18:17,360 --> 00:18:20,160
today. 
Stand out or fade away. 

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00:18:20,760 --> 00:18:23,240
Master the art of being 
unforgettable. 

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00:18:24,600 --> 00:18:30,560
I should probably watch that. 
How to gain respect and make 

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00:18:30,560 --> 00:18:35,320
people do what you want. 
Many more titles like that. 

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00:18:36,040 --> 00:18:38,840
And, you know, more dangerous 
are the common messages that we 

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00:18:38,840 --> 00:18:43,320
hear from all sorts of places. 
And these ones have a grain of 

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00:18:43,320 --> 00:18:45,560
truth in them. 
But at the heart of them, it's 

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00:18:45,560 --> 00:18:47,960
about us. 
It's about self promotion, it's 

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00:18:47,960 --> 00:18:50,840
about pride. 
And they they, they breed 

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00:18:50,960 --> 00:18:52,760
division. 
Believe in yourself. 

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Everything you need is already 
inside you. 

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00:18:58,360 --> 00:19:00,840
No one gets to tell you who you 
are. 

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00:19:02,080 --> 00:19:05,640
Read your. 
Bible y'all manifest the life 

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00:19:06,000 --> 00:19:09,480
you deserve. 
Those kinds of things that we 

302
00:19:09,480 --> 00:19:12,080
hear all the time. 
They're in the ether and 

303
00:19:12,080 --> 00:19:15,040
sometimes we say them because 
there is a grain of truth in 

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00:19:15,040 --> 00:19:17,080
them. 
And. 

305
00:19:17,080 --> 00:19:19,920
We see the same kind of 
self-centered wisdom in the way 

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00:19:19,920 --> 00:19:24,560
that we approach education. 
So in Nigeria, there is a 

307
00:19:24,560 --> 00:19:30,000
booming market for degrees. 
People get fake qualifications 

308
00:19:30,000 --> 00:19:34,760
for the right amount of money 
just so they can add a title to 

309
00:19:34,760 --> 00:19:38,320
the front of their name because 
without titles, they are 

310
00:19:38,320 --> 00:19:41,360
nothing. 
It's even worse if you if you 

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00:19:41,400 --> 00:19:43,840
actually earned a degree, it's 
even worse because then there's 

312
00:19:43,840 --> 00:19:46,520
no living with you. 
If you can actually articulate 

313
00:19:46,520 --> 00:19:48,440
your system, the degree says you
can articulate. 

314
00:19:48,680 --> 00:19:53,320
Oof, pride. 
I've actually been told by some 

315
00:19:54,280 --> 00:19:56,360
that I should not. 
I shouldn't make sure that I get

316
00:19:56,360 --> 00:19:59,200
a PhD because a demon just 
doesn't cut it. 

317
00:20:00,240 --> 00:20:03,760
It's not worth. 
It in our society and that's the

318
00:20:03,760 --> 00:20:07,040
problem with human wisdom, this 
pride, this self glorification, 

319
00:20:07,040 --> 00:20:10,160
this self advancement, this 
division and the quarrels that 

320
00:20:10,160 --> 00:20:14,840
it that it that it causes to 
happen and worse off, it leaves 

321
00:20:14,840 --> 00:20:18,040
us trapped in our sin and 
division, always competing, 

322
00:20:18,040 --> 00:20:20,120
always comparing, never 
satisfied. 

323
00:20:20,320 --> 00:20:25,680
And Paul's solution is to look 
to Jesus and him crucified to 

324
00:20:25,680 --> 00:20:29,200
resist living according to human
wisdom. 

325
00:20:29,360 --> 00:20:34,480
You see, in God's wisdom, the 
world's wisdom could never find 

326
00:20:34,480 --> 00:20:39,120
him. 
So out of his justice and mercy 

327
00:20:39,400 --> 00:20:42,560
he makes foolish the world's 
wisdom. 

328
00:20:42,840 --> 00:20:48,920
He shames the strong, he shames 
the wise, he shames the noble. 

329
00:20:49,560 --> 00:20:54,560
And that's shaming, that 
bringing low is the prerequisite

330
00:20:54,560 --> 00:21:02,280
to salvation, because unless the
unbelievers are brought low, 

331
00:21:02,840 --> 00:21:05,040
they will think the cross's 
foolishness. 

332
00:21:05,640 --> 00:21:10,480
But once they are brought low, 
whether they be Jew or Greek, 

333
00:21:11,480 --> 00:21:13,920
they will surrender to God and 
see it. 

334
00:21:14,040 --> 00:21:19,760
Oh, this is the power of God, 
because they are being saved. 

335
00:21:20,160 --> 00:21:23,080
God's shaming leads to 
salvation. 

336
00:21:23,120 --> 00:21:26,960
If we surrender to it. 
It's not just bringing us down a

337
00:21:26,960 --> 00:21:29,000
peg for the sake of bringing us 
down a peg. 

338
00:21:31,960 --> 00:21:34,480
Human wisdom beckons us to make 
much of ourselves. 

339
00:21:34,800 --> 00:21:37,640
Our city runs on ambition and 
boasting. 

340
00:21:37,640 --> 00:21:40,760
We're taught to climb, to 
network, to Polish our resumes 

341
00:21:40,760 --> 00:21:42,440
until they shine. 
We're told that if we don't 

342
00:21:42,440 --> 00:21:45,240
attend the right events, if we 
don't meet the right people or 

343
00:21:45,240 --> 00:21:46,960
say the right, things would be 
left behind. 

344
00:21:47,320 --> 00:21:50,440
And if you haven't made it, if 
you're in a, if you're not in 

345
00:21:50,440 --> 00:21:53,440
the room where it happens, if 
you are stuck on an assembly 

346
00:21:53,440 --> 00:21:56,000
line or in a cubicle somewhere, 
you sometimes feel like you 

347
00:21:56,240 --> 00:21:59,880
don't matter. 
And sometimes, even if you do 

348
00:21:59,880 --> 00:22:03,000
achieve it, the so-called thing,
the promotion, the platform, the

349
00:22:03,000 --> 00:22:05,800
recognition, you can still feel 
empty. 

350
00:22:06,160 --> 00:22:11,160
You feel anxious, disoriented, 
even unqualified, especially if 

351
00:22:11,160 --> 00:22:13,560
you've tied your identity to 
your success. 

352
00:22:14,360 --> 00:22:19,200
Because human wisdom promises 
glory but can't deliver peace. 

353
00:22:20,240 --> 00:22:22,840
It tells you that you'll 
finally, you'll finally feel 

354
00:22:22,840 --> 00:22:25,920
secure once you arrive. 
But when you're there, the goal 

355
00:22:26,040 --> 00:22:30,040
posts move again and insecurity 
settles in. 

356
00:22:30,600 --> 00:22:33,920
And so that's why Paul's words 
in verse 26 matter to you and 

357
00:22:33,920 --> 00:22:37,240
me. 
He reminds the Corinthians and 

358
00:22:37,240 --> 00:22:41,480
us that not many of us were wise
by human standards, or 

359
00:22:41,480 --> 00:22:46,560
influential or noble, And yet 
God chose us. 

360
00:22:47,480 --> 00:22:51,000
He chose the lowly, the 
overlooked, the unimpressive, to

361
00:22:51,000 --> 00:22:54,640
shame the strong, so that no one
can boast in anything except the

362
00:22:54,640 --> 00:22:57,400
Lord. 
You may be small in the world's 

363
00:22:57,400 --> 00:23:02,120
eyes, you may be small in your 
own eyes, but because of your 

364
00:23:02,120 --> 00:23:07,320
allegiance to the foolishness 
that is the cross, God uses you 

365
00:23:07,400 --> 00:23:12,240
and will use you to flip the 
script on human wisdom. 

366
00:23:13,480 --> 00:23:18,840
So don't buy into the lie that 
you need to boast to belong or 

367
00:23:18,920 --> 00:23:21,560
to network to matter. 
Walk through the city with 

368
00:23:21,560 --> 00:23:24,320
confidence, not because of 
what's on your resume, but 

369
00:23:25,120 --> 00:23:26,360
because of what's written on 
your heart. 

370
00:23:26,360 --> 00:23:29,600
You are redeemed, you are 
chosen, you are useful to the 

371
00:23:29,600 --> 00:23:32,320
Lord. 
Boast in the Lord. 

372
00:23:34,800 --> 00:23:37,840
So look to Jesus and him 
crucified to resist divisions of

373
00:23:37,840 --> 00:23:43,640
all sorts and to live according 
to human wisdom and to not live,

374
00:23:44,080 --> 00:23:46,000
not live according to human 
wisdom. 

375
00:23:47,480 --> 00:23:52,040
Our gospel lesson was John 20. 
And Thomas's example is very 

376
00:23:52,040 --> 00:23:54,040
instructive to us. 
After the resurrection, the 

377
00:23:54,040 --> 00:23:59,320
disciples told him we've seen 
Jesus and he's like, unless I 

378
00:23:59,320 --> 00:24:02,360
see the hands, the holes in his 
hands and in his feet and touch 

379
00:24:02,360 --> 00:24:04,040
the hole in his side, I'm not 
going to believe. 

380
00:24:04,280 --> 00:24:06,000
And you know, we call him 
doubting Thomas, but he was 

381
00:24:06,000 --> 00:24:09,000
simply asking for the same thing
that Jesus gave the other 11 

382
00:24:09,920 --> 00:24:12,040
because they were in disbelief 
until they saw there was the 

383
00:24:12,040 --> 00:24:13,720
Lord in front of him in front of
them. 

384
00:24:14,400 --> 00:24:19,640
And so when Jesus shows up and 
says, here I am, you notice that

385
00:24:19,640 --> 00:24:23,200
the pastor doesn't say that he 
actually inspected the the the 

386
00:24:23,200 --> 00:24:24,880
nails and the wounds when he saw
Jesus. 

387
00:24:24,880 --> 00:24:26,880
There was no analyzing. 
There was no arguing. 

388
00:24:26,880 --> 00:24:31,400
He simply felt his knees and 
declared my Lord and my God. 

389
00:24:31,880 --> 00:24:35,480
And that's the posture that Paul
is calling the Corinthians and 

390
00:24:35,480 --> 00:24:39,280
us to recover. 
Whether we see clearly or feel 

391
00:24:39,280 --> 00:24:42,240
unsure, whether we're tempted by
eloquence or tribal allegiance, 

392
00:24:42,240 --> 00:24:46,440
we return again and again to 
Jesus and say, my Lord and my 

393
00:24:46,440 --> 00:24:51,200
God, whether or not we are 
fractured by pride, whether or 

394
00:24:51,200 --> 00:24:55,560
not we are, we are struggling 
with with struggling with 

395
00:24:55,560 --> 00:24:59,040
disunity amongst ourselves, 
whether or not we are striving 

396
00:24:59,040 --> 00:25:01,920
to attain something because we 
are believers. 

397
00:25:01,920 --> 00:25:04,160
Remember, we are knighted by the
cross of Christ. 

398
00:25:04,160 --> 00:25:07,800
And so we come to Jesus over and
over and say, my Lord and my 

399
00:25:08,080 --> 00:25:13,160
God, because God's wisdom in 
Christ Jesus is stronger than 

400
00:25:13,160 --> 00:25:15,920
human strength, wiser than human
wisdom. 

401
00:25:16,320 --> 00:25:18,960
Jesus Christ and him crucified. 
That's the point. 

402
00:25:19,680 --> 00:25:21,600
That's what we celebrated last 
week and that's what we're 

403
00:25:21,600 --> 00:25:23,600
celebrating throughout Easter 
Tide. 

404
00:25:24,120 --> 00:25:29,720
Let's look to our risen Lord and
say with Thomas, my Lord and my 

405
00:25:29,960 --> 00:25:32,840
God, let. 
Me. 

406
00:25:32,840 --> 00:25:41,120
Pray for us. 
You have told. 

407
00:25:41,120 --> 00:25:43,440
Us, that the fear of the Lord is
the beginning of all wisdom. 

408
00:25:44,960 --> 00:25:46,280
And. 
We pray that you would help us 

409
00:25:46,280 --> 00:25:50,760
to approach you to enter into 
the true wisdom of Jesus Christ,

410
00:25:52,720 --> 00:26:00,800
Him crucified and risen forever,
so that, Father, we are living 

411
00:26:00,800 --> 00:26:06,080
as those in the world who are 
boasting in the Lord and nothing

412
00:26:06,080 --> 00:26:08,720
else. 
We want. 

413
00:26:08,720 --> 00:26:14,000
To give you glory, this we ask 
in the name of your Son Jesus 

414
00:26:14,000 --> 00:26:15,720
Christ, Amen.