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Pastor Bennett on the "Unknown."
The Mid-Week Podcast is our on-the-go version of our Mid-Week Gathering that happens at 6pm Wednesday nights at Temple Church in New Bern, NC. This is where we unpack some of life's challenges and learn to overcome them through God's process of life transformation.
Melody Davenport 0:17
Hey, everyone, thanks for listening to the midweek podcast. In this show we strive to open a dialogue of how life recovery and God's work go hand in hand. Every week, our speaker will be going through the biblical process of life transformation. And now another episode of The midweek podcast.
Bennett Holloway 0:40
So if you've got your Bibles going to open them to second Corinthians chapter five. And as you're getting there, we're gonna we're gonna sit in one verse Tonight, we're gonna sit in verse 16. And over the last few weeks, we've been kind of building up to this, we talked last week about this transition that's occurring in this letter in this chapter specifically. And it's getting more upwardly focused. And recognizing, last week, the shift that was made, and in this week, we're going to really just wrestle with man, how judgey we can be. So I'm excited about this, because it was both convicting for me. And also compelling. And I like those those passages, the ones that kind of sting. But when applied, man, I'm excited to experience. So as we open the word, let's just pray that God speaks to us through and then we'll jump into this passage. Father, we pray that man that I get out of the way, I'm empty. And then we hear you. Father, may we be solely fixed on you. But you soften our hearts, open our ears, open our eyes, to the things that are holding us the thing that we are holding onto, really anything that's not of you. Speak to us through your word. sanctify us through it. And then you be glorified because of it. In Jesus name. Amen.
Verse 16, says, Therefore From now on, we recognize no one according to the flesh, even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet we know him in this way, no longer. So therefore, previous passages, we recognize that as a byproduct of understanding the declarations that he made, of sitting in verses 14 and 15, for the love of Christ compels us having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died, and he died for all so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for him who died and rose again, on their behalf. Therefore, because of this, from now on, we recognize no one according to the flesh. Why is that the case? Why do we recognize no one according to the flesh, because of the reality of Christ, one having died for all, that whosoever believes in him will actually live but not for themselves? But for everyone else? Why? For Christ? Why, why, why? Why is this? We can answer this question by looking at other passages, one I'm going to give you because we didn't talk about it, it's in the previous chapter. So Second Corinthians 4:18. And it says, because we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. Second Corinthians five one says, because of our earthly tint will be destroyed. We will have a new body eternal in the heavens, segment these five seven because we walk by faith, and not by sight, 2 Corinthians 5:12, because we do not glorify the appearance, but we glorify what's in the heart. These are the reasons that we do not judge someone based on the flesh. We do not judge someone based on what they've done to us their actions. Therefore, from now on, we'd recognize no one according to the flesh, even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now, we know him in this way, no longer What I love about this is recognize the author, Paul used to be known as Saul, right? He is acknowledging something. And he's in a way, sharing his testimony. He's saying, we knew him in the flesh, Christ, Christ walked, he talked. And so many people saw him, not as Messiah, not as God, but as a man as the future king of the Jews, as a human, who was starting to cause commotion amongst religion, someone that's going to overthrow the power in the physical, the threat to their status, or authority that they had. Saul. So Paul, before he accepted Christ as Lord and Savior, his name was Saul. Saul actually was one of those people. He's admitting guys, I used to be like this. I used to judge him by his flesh, by his actions by the things that he did. I thought I knew him. I killed people. Because they confessed in him, I persecuted I attacked him. I went from village to village. I thought I knew who he was. And I was judging him by the flesh. I was blind. The power of our story that that line right there, what he's saying there and resonating with his target audience, because they know where he once was. They were actually scared to death of Saul. Saul was coming to town. Saul was dragging people out of their homes. Saul was a bad man. So these people that are receiving the establishment of the church that know the story from Saul to Paul, that know his encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus, they they sit there and they hear him and so he says, guys, I thought I knew him. I thought I knew Jesus. And they know what he's talking about, because they know his story. I'll talk more, a little bit more about my story next week and the week after that, but but I want you to realize that that a big part of this verse right here is him acknowledging, tilting his hat and touching on the testimony that he once was one way and then he really got to know Christ.
And you can look at that in multiple different ways here in today's culture. Some people describe it as head knowledge, not heart knowledge. You know the facts. But he does not take residence here. Some people call it like, religious, you do the stuff. And on the outside, it looks like you love him. And we judge it on appearance. But deep down, there's no pulse. man that's where he's addressing he's addressing it right off the bat. He says therefore, from now on, we recognize no one according to the flesh. Oh, and I love that I love that for two reasons. One is like Hey, guys, don't don't judge me, by the way that I once lived. Even though I thought I knew Jesus I had it all wrong. I thought I really knew him. according to the flesh yet now. We know him this way no longer Oh, man. And he's also speaking to Gentiles. Right? So it's it. He's writing to this people. He's like, Guys, but now Now we know him like this no longer because when when Saul encountered the resurrected Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus, it changed everything. He did a complete 180 he was blinded. He was healed. He was filled. And he changed everything that he was doing from that point on. He acknowledges that guys, I thought I had it but now I don't know him like that. The Jesus I know is very different. The Jesus I knows changed me. And you see this theme actually a lot through Scripture. We see it all through Scripture. But But one of the things I want to make sure that we recognizes what's actually happening. And you can find that in Titus chapter three, verse five, it says that he saved us not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing, of regeneration, and the renewing, by the Holy Spirit, this process of regeneration, a definition of it is the radical spiritual change in which God brings in an individual from a place of spiritual defeat and death to a renewed condition of holiness in life. This neat this week, and next week, we're going to talk about that regeneration. And then we're going to be jumping into the next the byproduct of that, which is reconciliation. But this regeneration is the very beginning of this process that starts with what you think you know, is tested by an encounter with Christ. And he reveals to you who he is and what he's done. And it changes the way that you operate. Let me give an example of someone that now I don't think he was not saved until he encountered the resurrected Christ. But he's someone that knew Christ in the flesh, but was radically changed when he encountered them in the Spirit. He was radically changed when he encountered the resurrected Jesus Christ is one of my favorite guys, because he's a total mess. Okay, really relate with him and a lot of different ways. He shoots his mouth off more than anyone else is Peter. Okay. This guy, he goes through and he's time at a time he messes up and makes mistakes. And Jesus really, really loves him. So so if you mess up a lot, or if you shoot your mouth off a lot, go study Peter, he's a great guy. And you're, you were late with this. So Peter, he's a go getter. He's going to conquer the world, he's going to do it all. And he's going to baptize people by force. And he's just going, he's going, he's going and, and he's, he's, he's, he's a leader of the disciples. And he's constantly the one that's pushing, I love how he's depicted in the chosen. He's just rough around the edges stir the pot kind of guy, but he's a go getter. He's a champion for Christ. And he's one he's the only one that's called Satan by Christ, which is kind of embarrassing, but cool. And yet, he's the cornerstone, and he's the one that saying, you know, you're gonna establish the church, Christ tells him, but throughout this process in his journey, he's told by Christ, that He will deny him.
He's told by Christ to publicly deny Him. And we know this to be true, because he does it three times in different ways. Out of fear of being put to death, Christ is going through the process of his crucifixion. And Peter is then asked, time, time and time again. And he denies, he denies, he denies, at a fear, a fear. How many times have we chosen not to act when compelled or not to obey when commanded by the word of God or not to do something out of fear? So how many times do we do that? How many times do we choose to be silent to choose not to act or choose not to do what we know he's called us to do? Because we're scared of the outcome. Right? We're scared of losing our security. We're scared of being judged by other people. Or you know, honestly, some people are scared to be put to death. Like that happens, that happens that literally happened. We are presented with choices every single day. And I want to say more now than ever, but I know that's not true. I'm being dramatic. And I think that we're the only ones have gone through anything. But But whether it be mandates or control or things like that, guys, we are presented with choices and opportunities. more now than I've experienced, I'll just say my little lifetime, now more than ever for me. And choices are needing to be made for me and my family, and lines or we have to draw and the upbringing of our children, and the decisions that we are making. And now it's actually more countercultural than it used to be in my grandparents lives, to follow Christ. We each are given decisions every single day we hit crossroads and moments. Peter was given that and he failed, he failed and he failed. And he beat himself up about it. Christ died and he continued to spiral shared with recovery back A couple months ago, he went back to that which he let go of, he went back to that net, he went back and picked up the thing Christ called him out of, and went fishing. For fish, not men. It pulled people with them. Because that's what we do to make ourselves feel better about the decisions that we make. And then after efficient, and what they once got satisfaction of, and purpose from an income from net came up empty time and time again. And someone on the shore, makes fun of them, call them children. And Peter looks. And Peter's the first one to recognize who this person is. And he knows it's Christ. So everyone else starts rolling in. They actually do what Jesus says and won't finish. And so they look over there they see him, Peter jumps out, start swimming, everyone else turned like what is he doing and starts rowing, and they make their way back to shore. But Peter runs up on the shore and has a moment with Christ. It is beautiful. It's beautiful. And Christ speaks truth over him and into him, reminds him of his purpose. Remind him he has forgiven them and tells him what he has in store. And from that moment on, after having encountered the resurrected Jesus Christ, better understanding who Christ is not just in the flesh that he knew him. But now after seeing and having encountered him the same way Saul did, the resurrected Jesus Christ. He denies him no more. He stares death in the face, and doesn't give it a second thought. He's told to shut up and he says I can't help but speak. I cannot help but say the name of Jesus from what I've seen, and what he's done. I will not keep quiet. And inevitably, he is crucified. Big, there seems to be a difference between Peter pre
encountering the resurrected Jesus Christ and Peter post, encountering the resurrected Jesus Christ. And I think that the same opportunity is available for us. There's a lot of people that know him as a good teacher. There's a lot of people that know him as a man of good morality. There's a lot of people that know him and know his story and think, pretty good. There's a lot of people that that say his name. But don't give them authority in their life. There's a lot of people that wish they could, but haven't let go of all the stuff they've been grabbing instead. There's a lot of people that that think that they know. But I've yet to actually submit and surrender. There's a lot of Saul's. What's really cool is that we're not going to judge you because of it.
Because guess what, we were all there once. And that's one thing, we can look at each other and know that we were all a bunch of salts, to different degrees. But what I really want to make sure that we walk out of here recognizing is that everyone has had an opportunity to experience that name change, that you've had an opportunity to be able to stand up and say one day, I once knew him that way. But now I know him that way no longer because it's completely different. And that starts with acknowledging what he's done, and how he's alive today. Because I don't think for me, it continues to run into this this wall that we hit as a church in the 21st. Like today today in the United States of America. I know the world doesn't revolve around the US. I know that the US really it's debatable whether or not we're even around in Revelation. I know, I know. I know. It's not all about us, right? We aren't the baseline for where we're at in the timeline, but I do think that we're pulled to make a huge impact today and recall to disseminate the hope that we have. And I'm so tired of the idea behind low, it's going down in a handbasket into the going, it's only gonna get worse. So what's the point? I'm like, I get so sad whenever we distract, or we numb ourselves with all the stuff or the activities or the things. And we lose focus on the one thing that has given us hope the one thing that has given us salvation itself, the one thing that is alive today, that heals that empowers that gives purpose, the good answers every single thing that all of us were naturally wired to long for. And for some reason, sometimes we're embarrassed to say I once was this way. But I am not that way any longer. I started and for me, this regeneration process actually has been happening. It is a process right? And it started there. But man, I've had a lot of growth and maturity since I've been here in New Bern, and I've got some of my friends from college and even from high school. One of them in particular have kind of kicked up that relationship again. And I've made fun of me for this. He won't listen to this, but so I like set up FaceTime dates with him. I know that's weird. But he's like a really good friend of mine. We grew up together. I didn't know him anymore. And you know, we follow each other on social media. And I noticed he was posting these things. And he started his lawyer started working for a church. I was like, dude, you work. You work at a church now. I was like, I'd love to talk to you. He's like, Yeah, sounds good. Sounds good. So I set a date. I stood awkwardly hoping he doesn't judge me. Because I'm going to be honest, the guy I was when he knew me is not the guy that sat there. And I even announced it right off the bat. He I said his name. I said, I'm gonna be honest, I need to reintroduce myself. Because I'm not the same one that you grew up with. I'm not the same one that you knew in college. I've gone through a lot. I've messed up a lot. But I've grown so much. And from my story, it all pivoted on the Holy Spirit. So I got to share that with him. And what's so crazy is he looked at me, he said Bennett I'm very different myself. So I said, What's up? Tell me what's going on. Right? So we started talking about right? He never called me back. No, I'm kidding. We did we couple times there. But it didn't matter. So what I'm getting at here is that moment where we're like, Hey, I'm gonna be honest, man, I was dumb in this way. I was immature in this way. I was thoughtless in this way. I wasn't the best friend in this way. I was ignorant. I thought I knew. But I'm not like that anymore. And I want to share why. That's a moment in my life that I pray happens for the rest of my life.
And if we were all honest, I think that's something that we want for ourselves. Because if you think you've arrived, then you're not thinking clearly. I feel a lot better than he is when he said, That's what I'm talking about. So saw later Paul says this, therefore, from now on, we recognize no one according to the flesh, we're not judging anyone. According to their exterior, but the heart is what matters, even though we have known Christ like even though we thought we knew him according to the flesh, yet now we know him in this way no more. And what I want to land on is the reality that there is no better picture. There's no better story. There's no better way that you can share this, then through baptism. A lot of people misunderstand it is true. Baptism is literally one of the most misunderstood things that we do as followers of Jesus Christ. I would like to share with you my view of it, but it could. baptism. Why do we do it? Why do we do it the way that we do it? One, I believe that we do it because Jesus Christ did it. He was baptized by john the baptist. No, he wasn't Baptists they didn't have that back then. JOHN the baptizer, okay, he was baptizing people. And he was showing the symbol of repentance. And, and Jesus comes out. And john, fully aware of how miserable and messed up he was. He says, I'm not even worthy. And Jesus was not baptized me. If anyone didn't need baptism, it was Jesus. It was prophetic, and it was beautiful. And so why do we do it? We do it because Jesus did it. Why do we do it the way that we do it by going completely underwater one because the word actually means that, right? But two, because that's the way that Jesus did it. For me, when I was born, the way I like to describe is my parents. They recognize there was a God when they went home with the baby for the first time. They're like, what are we going to do? We didn't get a manual for this. They didn't make us answer questions. We are held liable for this little ball of flesh, there's a little human right. And and and so there's QA was baptized. So it went to the church with each of us. And they had a sprinkled as infants. Now that baptism, what they were doing, it was it was a special It was important. And it was an it was a it was a moment in their lives that they'll never forget. And that's great. It really, I don't remember. I was not saved at that moment. They were dedicating, they were acknowledging that there was a God even though they really didn't have a relationship with him yet. But then I began to realize, man, that first time you put the baby in the car seat when you're leaving the hospital. I need God. So I get it. I can relate with this. Right? So they dedicated us through baptism, because baptism actually doesn't do anything supernatural. It doesn't. It doesn't wash away your sins. The baptismal is that we have it's, it's hose water, I'm sorry. It's a Jacuzzi. It is, right. It's not it's not holy. It's not shipped in from the Jordan. It's not it's not anything, anything supernatural. But don't get me wrong, the action of baptism is incredibly special.
It doesn't wash away your sins. It doesn't make God happier with you. That's why we get baptized, because Jesus did it. And he commands us to do it and the Great Commission. He says, Go make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Those two reasons. The next question is When do you do that can be found in that same verse, make disciples, baptizing them. A way that I like to frame this as getting baptism on the right side of your salvation. When I was in third grade, I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior. I had been baptized, but it wasn't on the right side. It wasn't. It wasn't an outward symbol of an inward decision. And so I was baptized. I talked to Mr. Danny and he walked through exactly what it was as a children's pastor back then, right? And I was baptized. And so what I think is so important that we recognize is what baptism is, when it's supposed to happen, why we do it publicly before everyone because we're showing them what we're talking about next week. We're showing them that once we were one way, we accepted Jesus Christ, we encountered him, we placed Him as Lord of our life. We died to ourselves just as Christ did. And we walk a new creation. We have a new identity. We have new priorities. We have a new emphasis and purpose in life itself. We are rewired. And our frequency has been returned to the Creator.
So I thought I knew Jesus back then, but I don't really know him like that anymore. Now he's everything. So what is he to you? Father, thank you so much for verse 16. Thank you for normalizing the reality that we've all not actually understood who you are. That we've all been solves. We've been mastered. Some of us still are. But the reality is that as time goes, and opportunities come, we encounter you in a way that leaves us forever changed. So Father, I recognize that there are people in this room that need to take a next step. They do. For some, it's salvation. For some it's baptism. For some, it's repentance. But there's people in this room right now that need to take that next step. So Holy Spirit, I pray that you bring that to the forefront of their mind. Holy Spirit, I pray that you give them boldness to take it if they don't know how to ask, follow, let us be people that share our story. Let us be people that are open and honest about what we thought we knew. But what we actually are realizing today, with your heads bowed and your eyes closed, if you need to accept Him, then do it now. And it goes by saying a prayer God. I don't know much. But all I know is that you sent her son. He died for me. He rose again. And I'm done trying to do life my way. Lead me, change me. I surrender. For some of you that baptism is such a scary thing. That's okay, because you're not doing it alone. But you know, you need to do it. So all you got to do is just tell someone and for those of us that need to repent. It starts with saying God, I see it differently. And I want to, I want to do it differently.
I'm done doing it that way. I'm done picking that up. Give it to you. I surrender. Again, during this worship song, I'm gonna be standing over here on the side. I know Miss Cathy is here. I know Darrell is here. I know when you're small groups, you'll have opportunities. But if you would like to receive prayer, to ask questions, to schedule an opportunity to talk later about baptism, repentance or salvation. Then come down and talk. If you need to do business at the altar, it is open. It will be every week. Because I actually expect none of us to come in here not needing to do business with God. Cuz none of us have arrived. So let us respond and let us worship. Please stand your feet and do as God leaps.
Melody Davenport 34:26
Thanks again for listening to the midweek podcast here at Temple church. If something spoke to your heart today, we'd love to hear from you and walk alongside you. You can reach us at temple@temple.church, or you can send us a text message at 252-521-2093. If you enjoyed this week's episode, we'd love it if you rate and review the show, and share it with your friends. That helps us to get the word out. Again, you can join us weekly for more episodes on how God can transform us. And use us for his kingdom. We'll see you next time.