I love the word. Because it reveals God to us. Some people don't read the scripture because they may think it's boring, but I think it's wonderful. Because the whole purpose, and we'll talk about that as we share the worst morning, but the whole purpose of the scripture is God revealing himself to us. I heard the question and I'll ask you the question if if God desires and has expectation of us to praise and to worship him, how could we do that if we didn't know him? How could we do that if we do not understand who he is? Now we cannot fully define God. Can talk about and describe him. But to divide to define him, we cannot do that because he is infinite. And how do you describe that which is infinite? You ever thought about this? And I'll get to the 2 Corinthians here in a moment, but have you ever thought about this? We talk about eternity, but how do you define eternity? How do you describe eternity? We describe it in terms of time and space. But eternity is not time and space. I mean, you know, I just think about that. I don't know if maybe that's just where my mind goes, but I think about that and and It just boggles me. He always has been. As the little child said, who was before God? Well, God is. Always is. And we get to worship him. And we get to back.
Well, we are in 2 Corinthians. And my assignment today is from
2 Corinthians 11. And it's the first 15 verses. Now, I'm not as tech savvy as some are, and so therefore I don't have slides. I might. We won't have any scripture up here, so you get to look it up and follow with us or take notes. I do want to read the passage of scripture that we are preaching from this morning. And in 2 Corinthians, excuse me,
chapter 11, beginning at
verse number one. The scripture says, as Paul is writing this to the church at Corinth, he said, Oh, that you would bear with me in a little folly. And indeed you do bear with me. For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy, for I have betrothed you to one husband, that I might present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest somehow has the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit, which you have not received, or a different gospel, which you have not accepted. You may well put up with it. For I consider that I am not at all inferior to the most eminent apostles, even though I am untrained in speech, yet I am not in knowledge. But we have been thoroughly manifested among you in all things. Did I commit sin in humbling myself that you might be exalted? Because I preach the gospel of God to you. free of charge. I robbed other churches, taking wages from them to minister to you, and when I was present with you and in need, I was bur a burden to no one, for what I lacked, the brethren who came from Macedonia supplied, and in everything I kept myself from being burdensome to you, and so I will keep myself. As the truth of Christ is in me, no one shall stop me from this boasting in the reach Why? Because I do not love you? God knows. But what do I will continue to do, that I may cut off the opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the things which they boast. For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ, and no wonder. For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore, It is of no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.
So we're talking about being steadfast in truth. Now, Paul, as we've read this and as has been shared in the last couple of weeks, in chapter 10, especially, he's talking about dealing with those who proclaim that they are somebody. And they were, Paul says that they are false apostles. They come and they preach to you really another gospel. So he's dealing with false doctrine and false apostles, and he really tells us how to identify these false apostles. He said they compare themselves back in chapter 10, they compare themselves one with another. In fact, they try to outdo one another. I've got this, I've got this. Let me tell you what I got from God. And so they compare themselves and really trying to outdo themselves, and they go beyond their measure, and they are trying to influence people beyond that which God would have given to them. And Paul said, I'm going to stay within my measure. I know what I have, and I know what has been given to me, and I do not go beyond my measure. Can I say that I've I that's one of the things that God has dealt with me, and I I try to stay within my lane because I know measure. And if I try to go beyond that, you ever tried to talk about something you didn't know anything about? And you tried to make yourself look better than what you really are? Doesn't work. Eventually, you will be found out. Not as smart as what they made themselves out to be. Everybody thinks you're real wise until you begin to talk. And then your speech betrays you. And you know, I just don't want to go beyond. What God has given me. And his cons his concern for Corinth, that they were being moved by a presentation and an appeal to the senses. I've heard preachers preach, and they can turn a good phrase, they can sound wonderful, and they can stir up your emotion. And just they they know how to work a crowd. And they appeal, and people will follow after that, which appeals to their senses. That which makes them feel good. It sounds so good. It sounds wonderful. And people begin to follow after that because it tickles their ears. It makes them feel good. Instead of that which is established in the truth of the scripture, Paul says, guard your devotions. He said,
Bear with me a little in folly Possibly quoting 2 Corinthians 11:1. You know, Paul didn't want to, he really didn't want to quote unquote brag on himself, but he did need to establish the foundation that was there that he had laid with them in Corinth. And he said,
For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy Possibly quoting 2 Corinthians 11:2. Jealousy, when someone is jealous, that means that the one that they have been given to, they take and they give something to someone that it doesn't belong to. A jealous wife. I'll meddle a little bit here. A jealous wife is probably jealous, sir, because you're giving attention to some other woman. And Paul says,
I am jealous of you with a godly jealousy Possibly quoting 2 Corinthians 11:2 because you're giving your affections to someone and to something that you you were you're not given to. He says, He says. For I have betrothed you to one husband. I have promised you to one husband. And that husband is Jesus. And you're moving away from the gospel that has been preached to you. Your move away. You're running after something else because you see. Middlesome. Affairs do not start physically. They start emotionally. You begin to look because this person makes you feel good. They honor you. Why do you flirt? My wife has been such a good help to me. I don't think I'm being flirty, but she says, you are because of what you're wanting to get and illicit out of that person. Jealous. Because I'm trying to get from someone else what she alone able to really give me. Glorify God and to praise God and to bring God glory and to bring God honor and just feel it's not good.
So, guys and gals, because gals can do this too, I want you to check yourself. I have to check myself. And again, I thank God for my wife who helps me to see things. That I don't see, I think I'm just having fun and just being a, you know, you know, me, I'm fun loving and and all. But she helps me to make sure that I'm not desiring and really giving something to someone else, something that belongs only to her, my devotion to her. The pure love that God has given to us. He says, He says, I fear. As somehow,
as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ Possibly quoting 2 Corinthians 11:3. The purity of the gospel. To run after someone or something other than Jesus. How did Eve get deceived? Well, the serpent came to her and said, Has God not said that you could eat everything that's here in the garden? Now he started off with something that was true. He said that God said not to eat of this tree, nor even touch it. Now here's where the deception comes in. Because he started off with that which s was was really true that God said now. But then he diverted her attention and he said, in essence, you know, yeah, God said that. But you know why he didn't want you to partake of that fruit? Because he's trying to keep something from you that's really good. To come and to give our devotion to someone else or to something else, it gives us the idea that this over here can be even better. You ever heard the statement: the grass seems to be greener on the other side of the fence, you know, cows will be eating or whatever, and they're always straining at the fence and trying to get the grass. Tell you something. Grass side of the fence is just like the grass inside of the fence. And the fence is there to protect you. So if you're being tempted and drawn away by false doctrine, Even this just seems to be where it's going here. And even being tempted to look somewhere else outside of your marriage, the grass, it's still grass. I remember I was talking to one guy, and he he was wanting to divorce his wife. They were having some problems. And finally he divorced her, and after he divorced her, I asked him, I said, Well, did you get what you was wanting? And he said, No, I got more problems now than what I have. Duh. You get outside the fence and you get in the road, and you're gonna get hit by a car. Because God sets fences for our protection, not to keep us from something that is good. The reason why that God said need of this fruit, of this tree, is because it is something that is reserved to me and to me only. Because if you try to do what I and be who I am, because did not the serpent say to her, God knows that if you eat that, you're gonna be like him. Now he didn't say you're gonna be greater than him. He said you're gonna be like him. And that's what the sir, what, what the what what Satan got kicked out of heaven to begin with. Scholars tell us
Isaiah 14 tells us that Lucifer was cast out and and he said in his own heart, I will rise up in the heavens and I'll be like God. He didn't say he's going to be greater than. He said, I'm just going to be like Him. Because, see, we want to set our own standards. We want to do that which is pleasing to us. And we become man-centered instead of God.
Love what the saints of old. They said this, what is the purpose of man? The purpose of man is to glorify God. And to enjoy Him forever. How do we enjoy Him? We enjoy Him by getting to know Him. That's why it is imperative that we take time. In the word for ourselves. Why were they deceived? They were listening to voices on the outside. There are many voices around today. You can hear all kinds of preachers. I remember years ago, they had this radio station that was out of Mexico. And these preachers. Get on there. So y'all may be old enough to remember. X ERF, Aracia, Data Cunha, Quavila Mako. And they had this one guy on there, Reverend Ike. You ever heard of Reverend Ike? And his thing was: you can't lose with the stuff I use. And he was preaching another gospel other than Jesus Christ, and he was drawing attention to himself.
But I say that because there are many preachers that are out there, and how are we going to protect ourselves from being deceived except by us knowing the truth? You know, I don't want you to believe something just because I say it, just because I'm an elder here at DLC. I don't want you to believe just because I say it. I want you to be like those who are in Berea. And Paul went there and he preached there and he taught there. And he said they were more noble because they searched the scriptures to see if they were if what was saying was true. But James, I don't have time. You don't. I have so many responsibilities. You know, I think probably one of the best things that ever happened to me was when I came to DLC almost 40 years ago. And I no longer was making my living. I had to work at a job. I had family. A family that was increasing because when we came, we had three children, and after we got here, somehow we had four more. And I had But it didn't take away from my responsibility of being in the word and to study. Now I couldn't maybe give myself as many hours, but I still had to give myself so that I could know God. You know. The scripture says in in
John chapter number eight, Jesus was talking to the disciples, and he said, Abide in my word, and then you are my disciples indeed. And then he went on to say, and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. Now he didn't say, people misquote this, they live part of it off. They just say truth will set you free. No, he said,
You abide in me, and my words are going to abide in you Possibly quoting John 15:7. And then you're my disciples, and then you shall know. That is, that you will have experience in the word. That you will have communion with me, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. We're always wanting eternal life. Jesus came that you might have life and that you might have it more abundantly. What does that mean? Does that mean you're going to have more money in your pocket and better houses and finer cars and more trendy clothes and no eternal life and the abundant life. Is that you get to know God more? Jesus, whenever he was praying to the Father in
John chapter number 17, he said, He said, and I pray for them that they may have eternal life. And he said, This is eternal life. I'm going to die. You know? I'm going to be joyous and all this. No, he said, this is eternal life. That they may know you. No is not just about knowing about God, but that word know there means to experience. That you may experience the only to God. And Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. That's eternal life. The eternal life is a kind of life. Eternal is the kind of life that is that we enjoy the presence of God and the reality of God, and that we know him.
There are two aspects that I think of of knowing God. And that is, first of all, to know his transcendence. That's just a big word that means that he is over everything. That He is the creator and that He rules over everything. He is transcendent. It's what I was having reference to a while ago as we were wrapping up our time of our singing, is knowing that we experience God, the creator of the ends of the earth and all that He is, the galaxies that you cannot see and that you can see, that God created everything, that He is transcendent over all, but yet He is imminent. That is, that He has come. To dwell with us, and we can abide with him forever. Paul said, I'm jealous. He said, because I want to present you to the one you have been betrothed to as a chaste virgin, one who is pure. He said,
For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached. Or if you receive a different spirit, which you've not received, or different gospel, which you've not accepted, you may put well Possibly quoting 2 Corinthians 11:4 put up with it. Paul kept having to deal with this in all the churches because if you if you read over in
Galatians 1, he asked them, said, How are you so quickly removed from the gospel that's been preached to you? He he kept having to deal with these guys that were coming in and expressing and trying to share with these people, we really have something that you need to hear. And they were trying to be like Paul. And they had a false gospel because they were drawing people to themselves. Follow after me. I got something better. See, that's the craftiness of the serpent in the garden. Follow after me. You follow after me, you'll have full knowledge, you'll have full understanding of all things if you follow after me. Because I'll tell you everything, and it they don't focus on Jesus. They're like Reverend Ike. You won't have lots of money? Do what I do. Send me money and but how are we going to not be deceived? It starts with us guarding the truth and our eyes not being diverted from God's instructions. Again, Eve saw that it was good. It looked good. It sounded good. And surely God wouldn't want me not to be happy. Doesn't God want me to be happy and enjoy life in the fullness? But the way that we enjoy the fullness of life is in Him. And besides that, the scripture does say, and this is what we don't like, and we'll talk about it.
But be of good cheer. I have overcome the world Possibly quoting John 16:33. Because we're not just living for this moment and what we have in this world, but we are living for an eternal perspective. The eternal God. If God was just temporary and a temporal thing, then I could understand that. But our God is not temporal. He's not just for a season, but he is eternal, and he has called us to enjoy him forever.
We think about going to heaven. And so many songs. Oh, oh, and by the way, I'm gonna see Jesus. You know, we can't forget about Jesus because you know he's there. But but really the big thing we're looking for is I'm I'm gonna see mama, I'm gonna see Aunt Pearl, I'm gonna see grandpa, I want to see all of these, and we're gonna have us a big family reunion. Oh, and by the way, Jesus is there too, as if you know, he's that he's that crazy uncle. You know, we we gotta put up with him a little bit too. I know I'm being funny, but but you know, that's really sometimes the way that we we look at this.
But everybody, you know, we're still But his Paul told Timothy, he said, Study to show yourself
approved unto God, a workman that does not need to be ashamed, but rightly dividing the word of truth Possibly quoting 2 Timothy 2:15. He said, You have to give yourself. I challenge you, if if you don't get any challenge out of me today, other than this, let it be this. Take time in the word so that you will not be deceived, you will not be moved, but you will be established, firm, and steadfast to glorify God, because it's not about us and our ease and our comfort. It's about Him and bringing glory to Him. All things, the scripture says in
Revelation 4, when they're there before the throne and they're saying, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord, for you have created all things, and for your pleasure they are and were created. For your purposes, they are and were created. You are here to glorify him. You are here for him. Is he for here for you? Yes, but our glory in him and in him alone. Paul said, even though I'm untrained in speech, because that's what they kept saying, you're not a good preacher. Paul's not a good preacher. I may not be good at the points in the poem. Hom homiletically, you know, you're supposed to have three points, poem, and and all of this and have it all wrapped up. He said he said, I I I may be untrained in how to speak. But I'm not I didn't ask you to take care of me. I did wasn't taking an offering for myself. I wasn't trying to do anything for me. In fact, there were others that were taking care of me. He said, Maybe I did wrong in that, but he said, That's what I did. He said,
as the truth of Christ is in me, no one shall stop me from this boast in the regions of Achaia Possibly quoting 2 Corinthians 11:10. Why? Because I do not love you. He said, God knows, but what I will do, what I'm going to do, that I may cut off the opportunity from those. Now notice what he says in this phrase, next phrase, who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are. He said in message that Glenn preached so great in first in chapter number 10 about
the weapons of all warfare, not carnal, but they're mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds Possibly quoting 2 Corinthians 10:4–5, casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. We just moved into a a house this last year. Some of you may or may not know. We purchased a home. We lived in a mobile home for years and we purchased a home. But you know, that thing if you have a hundred and fifty room mansion, get lost in that. Now I'm not saying anything. If you've got a big house, that's okay. I mean, I'm not I'm not saying anything, but if that is our goal. God is God whatever it is that we can glorify again with that's why. And don't do so super spiritual, God's gonna be glorified. But no, let's check our hearts and see our relationship is with God.
So we guard the truth. We guard our devotion. We guard our truth. And we then we guard our discernment. How are we discerning the truth? Paul did say in
Romans 12, he said, Don't be conformed or be fashioned after this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. How are our minds renewed? It's in the word. How do we know what God desires? How do we all laid down his life for them? He gave himself. He did not demand anything from them. You know, and I'll just take take a moment here. I say this when They've got to be a good one. Some people don't read the scripture because they think it's boring. Well, how you know? That's like saying, I, you know, I don't want to get to know my wife. I don't want to get to know my husband because that'd be boring. Honey, if you're bored, you need to go back and start off with Jesus and then thank God. Have a problem with getting the first time. I tell my wife every once in a while, I love everything about you and I like everything about you, even those things which irritate me, because those things irritate me show me where I need some some some changing and some correction in my life. And we've had a lot of them. I have had a lot of them. But I search the word so that it will correct me. They correct me. They bring about the peaceable fruits of righteousness. Guard your discernment.
How do I guard my discernment? In the word. In the word. I keep hammering this. It's Your decision guard the truth that has been taught to you and guard your design. So that you can be steadfast. Challenge us and stir us to desire you more than anything else. That we would guard our hearts. We would guard that which you have given to us, that we may glorify you and bring you praise and be bring you honor. We are betrothed to one, Jesus Christ. We are married to Him. And when we come to communion, we are celebrating His death and His resurrection, what He did for us on the cross. But on the cross, it just simply brings us into that community. And do they cut to the custody marriage? We are devotion. We are declaring our devotion to him. That he has given himself to us. And we are giving ourselves to him. He has given everything that he could give. His very life. And how can we give? You alone you have full devotion in Jesus' name. Let's partake of the cup. Thank you, Lord. Thank you. Just give him a moment to praise. Thanks, Kidding. Thanks coming. Good point. Challenge.
Lastly, on the side of the well, we have what we call our welcome card. This is for anyone who may be a little newer to DLC that would be interested in getting a little more connected. It's in the seat back in front of you. If you can fill that out, it just asks for your name, your email, and your phone number. What we'll do is we'll get in contact with you and let you know of a few different ways here at DLC that you can get connected, get some of our church leadership here, more about VR and the vision of the house, that sort of thing. So please um fill that out and you can put it um offering buckets at the end of each of these double doors on your way out. Guys, if you remember, we've got Compassion Venezuela going on. We are deeply connected with the Venezuelan community out there through Jerry and others and the church there. And as you may have heard, they face some tragic, truly tragic conditions with earthquakes and other things going on. And we're currently doing a clothing drive. So lightly used clothing goes a long, long way for them. So go to uh oh our website for a full list of the needed items even outside of that um it'll be on the qr code on the flyer um on your seat if you want to see like a full list of ways that you can support i've seen people coming in with full bags just of clothes it's just wonderful wonderful wonderful and it's more of a blessing than you would realize um so please consider doing that for us and lastly um Dakota had a hard time saying we've got hermeneutics coming up um at Christclitch Because it's called Christ College, you might think that you have to register for a full year or two years. And that is not true. You can actually just do individual classes. And I think it's very timely that James brought the word that he did today about hermeneutics because hermeneutics, if you don't know, is simply discovering the meaning of a text, the truth of the text. And so who it was written to, or why it was written, when it was written, and the context as a whole. Of the Word of God. I am a graduate of Christ College. I am telling you, it is incredible. I more than anything, I learned all the things that I don't know. But they give you incredible teaching tools and ways for you to grow um in your faith, particularly with the word of God, because the word of God can be, you know, sometimes for people it can be overwhelming. Is as James has given us this call to be in the word, to study the word. That can be a challenge for many reasons. You might think it's boring or you might think it's over your head, but the gospel is meant to be simple. The truth of the Lord is meant to be simple to us. And so Thank you for the time of the season. Thank you for a practical Bible. God, your word to us. God, that we can come um with expectation that we will learn and grow in our faith and knowing who you are, Lord. That we won't be swayed at different doctrines, but we will be able to get into the word and grow in your wisdom, in your truth, in your heart. And Lord, today I ask in Jesus' name. God, that there be if there be any need among us, Lord, that that need would be met emotionally, spiritually, financially, physically, Lord, that you meet every need today. In Jesus' name. Amen. Again, if you guys need prayer, please don't leave. Um, we'll we'll be here in this atmosphere for as long as we need to be. Otherwise, you are dismissed. Thank you. Just probably ended like that. Sounds great. Yeah, that's nice. I began to put it. The de ocean in our heart was feeling away. For the coming of our cheese for the clearings. Let us give you the But showing him so the hands we're just And no one wants to I tour should forget none of the chemist road. This be found a wall to won't go on. Your thing shall be impossible. Your kingdom remains unstoppable. We'll shower your grace forever. Keep the star God unstoppable. Nothing shall be impossible. Your kingdom the rains unstoppable. Will shower your grace forever. Seems unsure. Walking red dust up on the shy small sheets. Oh it's nothing. Thank you for doing the incompatible things. We ask that your glory should just give us place, Lord. You are so so so awesome. And we thank you so much. See the glory high up on holes, hear the heavens echoing. Oh Kyesha bows down in woo sh to the king above the key. Sing it again. Seated in glory, how y upon all these hear the heavens echo creation bows down worship to the king above all kings. Off with all you have all the way. Curse your flips is a key dogs, is a power. Yes. There I wasn't.
