16 I repeat, let no one think me foolish. But even if you do, accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little. 17 What I am saying with this boastful confidence, I say not as the Lord would1 but as a fool. 18 Since many boast according to the flesh, I too will boast. 19 For you gladly bear with fools, being wise yourselves! 20 For you bear it if someone makes slaves of you, or devours you, or takes advantage of you, or puts on airs, or strikes you in the face. 21 To my shame, I must say, we were too weak for that!
But whatever anyone else dares to boast of—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast of that. 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I. 23 Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. 24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food,2 in cold and exposure. 28 And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?
30 If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. 31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, he who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. 32 At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus in order to seize me,
Footnotes
[1]11:17Greek not according to the Lord [2]11:27Or often in fasting
23 Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, 24 but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.”
16 I repeat, let no one think me foolish. But even if you do, accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little. 17 What I am saying with this boastful confidence, I say not as the Lord would1 but as a fool. 18 Since many boast according to the flesh, I too will boast. 19 For you gladly bear with fools, being wise yourselves! 20 For you bear it if someone makes slaves of you, or devours you, or takes advantage of you, or puts on airs, or strikes you in the face. 21 To my shame, I must say, we were too weak for that!
But whatever anyone else dares to boast of—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast of that. 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I. 23 Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. 24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food,2 in cold and exposure. 28 And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?
30 If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. 31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, he who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. 32 At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus in order to seize me,
Footnotes
[1]11:17Greek not according to the Lord [2]11:27Or often in fasting
23 Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, 24 but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.”
Redeemer exists to celebrate and declare the gospel of God as we grow in knowing and following Jesus Christ.
Jeffrey Heine:
Hey, everybody. How was your week? Right? It was a bit crazy. And we're all here.
Jeffrey Heine:
Thank the Lord. It it has been a really bizarre week, and then that happened. So it's still unfolding. Does anybody wanna get that, or is that good? I'm okay with it.
Jeffrey Heine:
So what what we have done together over this last week is we have made a sizable deposit into our bank of stories that we will draw from for the rest of our lives. No longer do we have to talk about the blizzard of 93. We have fresh new stories that we can tell. I mean, if you're anything like me, like, we we really like, everything happened Tuesday Wednesday with the snowstorm, and then we have spent every minute since then just talking about what happened during Tuesday Wednesday and comparing stories and and all of those things. And and I I would venture to say that that we're all pretty exhausted.
Jeffrey Heine:
Physically I mean some of you are physically exhausted? You walked great distances, slept, or did not sleep in convenience stores, or tool sheds. I don't know where you ended up, but but, we we all ended up in some some precarious places. And we're exhausted, physically, emotionally exhausted. It was a trying week for many of us.
Jeffrey Heine:
And something that happens is when when when we're just confronted with our own limitations. When we're confronted with the fact that we are not in control. You felt that this past week. That you were not in control. You weren't in control of the weather, you weren't in control of your location, You weren't in control of your family.
Jeffrey Heine:
You weren't in control of your car. There was just there was no control. And when that happens, usually fear just rushes right in. As we are confronted with the reality that we are not in control. It can be a maddening time full of fear.
Jeffrey Heine:
It can be full of panic. And we recognize that we are weak. We recognize that we have significant limitations. Where we are in this letter, this second letter to the Corinthians, we're in a, we're in a spot. It's a, it's a unique spot in the letter where we're 11 chapters in.
Jeffrey Heine:
And the apostle Paul is still beating some of the same dead horses, it seems like. He's gonna he's gonna keep using some of the same phrases and terms, and he's gonna keep saying what seems like the same thing over and over and over again. And you might be thinking, how are how are we still in these things? Is there anything left to really draw out of that? Have we kept it dry?
Jeffrey Heine:
And and what I would say, especially in light of some of the things that we experienced this past week, there are so many things for us to learn tonight from chapter 11 and 2nd Corinthians. In this section, Paul is continuing this issue of the super apostles. These false brothers who have come in and are preaching a false gospel. They are lying to the people. They are deceiving the people, but they they do it with such, such beauty and such, eloquence, and and and they they really get the attention and the trust of these Corinthians and and they gain the respect and and Paul is really being pushed aside.
Jeffrey Heine:
And so he's writing into this context, and and he is defending his ministry. He's defending his suffering. And he continues that as he moves into chapter 11, where he is, he's going to go through his resume. He's going to defend the work that he has been called to do as an as an apostle, as as a minister of the gospel, the gospel of reconciliation. He's gonna come back to that.
Jeffrey Heine:
And they think that he is a fool. That's fundamental is realizing that the readers, the, the, the Corinthians, they think that that Paul is a fool, that his suffering is not coherent. It doesn't go along with this message that these false apostles are teaching, which is that God wouldn't send these kinds of troubles your way. He wouldn't let you suffer like this if you were really an apostle, if you were really following Jesus, these things wouldn't happen to you. And he's defending these things.
Jeffrey Heine:
And so we enter in where he is saying, well, if you, if you think I'm a fool, then let me talk like a fool. Let me talk like these super apostles. Let me talk like these false brothers talk to you. And so that's where we enter in, in verse 16, verse 16 in chapter 11, and let us listen carefully for this is God's word. I repeat, let no one think me foolish, But even if you do, accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little.
Jeffrey Heine:
Now this is going just to interject here. This is going to be the most sarcastic thing that you read, like, probably in all of scripture. So keep keep that in with this boastful confidence, I say not with the Lord's authority, but as a fool. Since many boast according to the flesh, I too will boast. For you gladly bear with fools, being wise yourselves, for you bear it.
Jeffrey Heine:
If someone makes slaves of you or devours you or takes advantage of you or puts on airs or strikes you in the face. To my shame, I must say we were too weak for that. But whatever anyone else dares to boast of, I'm speaking as a fool. I also dare to boast of that. Are they Hebrews?
Jeffrey Heine:
So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I.
Jeffrey Heine:
Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one. I'm talking like a madman with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings and often near death. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews, the 40 lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods.
Jeffrey Heine:
Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. A night and a day I was adrift at sea. On frequent journeys and danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers in toil and hardship, through many sleepless night and hunger and thirst often without food and cold and exposure and apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. Who is weak and I am not weak?
Jeffrey Heine:
Who is made to fall and I am not indignant? If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. The God and the father of the Lord Jesus, who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. At Damascus, the governor under Aretius was guarding the city of Damascus in order to seize me. But I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands.
Jeffrey Heine:
The word of the lord. Thanks be to God. Let's pray. God, we ask that you would speak into our lives and into our hearts. That you would help us in our weakness to see that you are strong.
Jeffrey Heine:
Help us to listen tonight. Help us to know that we are desperate for you and help us to know that you are all sufficient at all times in every way. That we don't have to be afraid of acknowledging the depths of our need because the depths of your sufficiency are deeper still. Help us to be honest with ourselves and with one another. Speak, Lord, your servants.
Jeffrey Heine:
We are listening. Amen. In many ways, this portion of scripture here in second Corinthians picks up in a spot where we left off actually a couple of years ago when we were studying in Acts. We were studying Acts and, and I preached a sermon on the conversion of Saul. It was called, What Happened to Saul?
Jeffrey Heine:
And in many ways, this is What Happened to Saul part 2. Because we talked about how Saul, who hated the church, Saul hated those who loved Jesus, as he was persecuting them. On the way to Damascus, he was met by Jesus. Jesus met Saul and changed him. He changed him, he transformed him.
Jeffrey Heine:
He met him and said, why are you persecuting me? And that is the conversion of Saul. The one who hated Christ becomes a slave of Christ. And in that time in Acts chapter 9, Ananias is having this conversation with God and God says, you need to go to Saul. And he says, I've heard about him.
Jeffrey Heine:
I've, I've heard about this Saul. He, he is just breathing these threats against the church. He is an awful person and he's, and God says back to him that he has a plan for Saul. And he says that he is going to make Saul know. He's going to learn how much he must suffer for the sake of the name of God.
Jeffrey Heine:
That he will have to suffer for his namesake. And that is what we see fulfilled here in chapter 11. We see this suffering that comes to Paul. And so what happened to Paul part 2? What I'd like for us to do is to spend this time digging through really what happens, what, what Paul's talking about, what he's sharing with the Corinthians, what he's teaching them.
Jeffrey Heine:
And then we'll take a step back and really see what what God has to teach us. Because I think that there are 2 lessons. There are lots of lessons, but there are 2 that we're going to spend time in tonight. The 2 lessons, a lesson in weakness and a lesson in love. So we'll first examine what Paul is teaching here.
Jeffrey Heine:
This would have been read. This letter would have come in. The Corinthians would have assembled and this would have been read to them. I know that we've spent like 20 something weeks on it. Like, so 20 something hours on what would have taken an hour to read.
Jeffrey Heine:
And there was probably at least a couple hands that went up at the end that said, can you read it just one more time? I don't think I caught all the things that Paul was saying there. And so, as as we are spending our time just really trying to analyze what is it that Paul is saying. So in 16 he says, I repeat, but no one think me foolish. But if you think that I'm a fool, if you're gonna go ahead and sign off on the fact that I'm a fool, Paul is a fool.
Jeffrey Heine:
And these super apostles, these false brothers, these are the people to trust. Their gospel, their Jesus, their spirit. That's who we need to be buying into. He says, if, if we're gonna do that, then I'm, I'm gonna boast too. Let me talk like a fool if you already assume that I am 1.
Jeffrey Heine:
And then he says in verse 19, for you gladly bear with fools. Now, this is a phrase that, you you might have heard before, someone who suffers fools gladly. Some people because this is such a tricky section with the sarcasm and all of that, some people think that that's a command, like, you should suffer fools gladly. But really, he's he's making fun of the Corinthians. He says, you put up with fools day in day out as you gather as the people of God.
Jeffrey Heine:
These fools come in and they preach a false gospel and you put up with them. And you bear it. If someone makes a slave of you or devours you or takes advantage of you or puts on airs or strikes you even in the face, you put up with all of that. So put up with me. Look at the, second part of verse 21.
Jeffrey Heine:
Whatever anyone else dares to boast of, I'm speaking as a fool. I also dare to boast of that. So he's giving this resume. Which is something that would happen. A letter of recommendation.
Jeffrey Heine:
These super apostles would come around and they'd have their, the people who have written a recommendation for them. You know? Have you ever written a recommendation for someone before? You're trying to figure out the nice way to say the terrible things about them? Or or not.
Jeffrey Heine:
Maybe you're just talking about the great things about them. All those sweet things that they're just, you know, they're they're intense. They're dedicated. You know? And that's actually one of the ways that people use they suffer fools gladly, or they don't suffer fools gladly.
Jeffrey Heine:
That means that they are very, sharp and to the point, and they're they're maybe they're just rude people. And so he's saying the letter of recommendation let me go ahead and give you my list of things. Are they Hebrews, Israelites, offspring of Adam, servants of Christ? I am too, and I'm a better one. Now, he's not lying here.
Jeffrey Heine:
In all these things, as sarcastic as he's being, he's not lying. He's not making up things about his resume. It's true. And he says, I am a better one with far greater labors and more imprisonments and countless beatings and often near death. And then he lists these out.
Jeffrey Heine:
Look at verse 24. 5 times I received at the hands of the Jews the 40 lashes less 1. That was the most severe of a punishment of lashes that could be given by the Jews. That was for, blasphemy, for false teaching. And he says that he received that 5 different times.
Jeffrey Heine:
He was beaten 39 times. Then after that, there was the the being beaten with rods 3 times. That would have been a gentile punishment that he would have received. Once he was stoned that was by an angry mob. If it had been like a formal stoning, he he would have been dead.
Jeffrey Heine:
They would have made sure of it. But this was an angry mob. Three times he was shipwrecked. That doesn't count one more time that he will be shipwrecked after he writes this letter. And then he goes through danger from rivers, dangers from robbers, my own people, the Jews, from Gentiles, danger in the city, wilderness, sea.
Jeffrey Heine:
And then he leaves kind of as this hanging one. Danger from false brothers. There's a good chance that they would have been in the room while this was even being read. How awkward would that have been? You know, like, they're reading this out.
Jeffrey Heine:
And like, danger from the false brothers. Let's give that a beat. Everybody wants to turn and look at the false brothers real fast and just realize they're getting called out. It's intense. He's saying like that He's getting danger from all these people and danger from the false brothers.
Jeffrey Heine:
And then he goes into the toil and hardships of sleeplessness and the hunger and thirst, being in the cold and exposure. All these different ways that he has suffered and he has suffered for them. He said that in the very first chapter, that, that all of his suffering that he was going to experience, that he had experienced and would experience in the future, was for their comfort and salvation. That's why he was enduring like this. But apart from all of that, all those things that he's already listed, and then the things that he's not even listing, Apart from all of that, what's crushing is this anxiety, this daily pressure concerning the churches.
Jeffrey Heine:
And he explains that a little bit in verse 29, Who is weak and I am not weak. Meaning that he identifies with the weakness. He identifies with the weakness of the people in Corinth and in all the churches. And in this line, who is made to fall and I am not indignant. What he means by that is when these liars, when these false apostles, when these false brothers come in and they preach this false gospel of a false Jesus and a false spirit, when these things happen and these brothers and sisters in the church are made to fall, he is furious and he is pained.
Jeffrey Heine:
And that pain that he experiences when they are made to fall is far greater than 5 times getting 39 lashes. He loves these people and he is committed to preaching the gospel and enduring whatever sufferings might come. And then he goes into this story in verse, verse 30, he says, if I must boast, I will boast in the things that show my weakness. And then moves into 31. The God and father of the Lord Jesus, he who is blessed forever knows that I'm not lying.
Jeffrey Heine:
So he's kind of sworn an oath, a promise for the story he's about to tell. And that is this. At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus in order to seize me. But I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands. Now why, after listing all these things, does he tell that story?
Jeffrey Heine:
And beyond that, why does he put a promise beforehand or swear an oath beforehand? Why? It's probably because that was a rumor or a story told about Paul to embarrass him and discredit him. That that story circulated around and they would get up and say, You're going to listen to that guy, Paul. You're going to listen to that guy who ran scared and jumped in a basket and was lowered down.
Jeffrey Heine:
You're gonna follow that guy. You're gonna trust him. The guy who suffers and gets beaten. You're gonna trust him. You're gonna follow the words that he says.
Jeffrey Heine:
You're gonna trust the gospel he proclaimed to you. I've got a better gospel. I've got a better Jesus that you need to hear about. I've got a better spirit that you need to be baptized in. I I I've got something better for you.
Jeffrey Heine:
And he says, I promise that story, that was me. It's true. Whatever shame is in that story, whatever shame is there and the weakness proclaimed in that story, let me sign my name on it. Because that was me. If he boasts, he boasts in the things that show his weakness.
Jeffrey Heine:
So that leads us into this first lesson, a lesson in weakness. Paul teaches us that we need to see our weakness in a sense. We need to own our weaknesses and trust in the strength of Jesus. See, no one wants to be weak. No one, no one looks for an opportunity to display their weakness, but we are confronted with the reality of our weakness all the time.
Jeffrey Heine:
And like I said earlier, you you were confronted with with your own limitations this past week with this snowstorm. All of a sudden, you can't do everything you want to do. And when you are confronted with that, if you're like me, you start to go crazy. I mean, why was it that the the phone lines wouldn't work? It's because everyone's calling each other.
Jeffrey Heine:
Why couldn't we drive on the roads? One of the main reasons because we were all driving cars at the same time. Mean, we, we all start to panic, and that's what fear does. Fear leads to this panic. So when we see our weakness, when we see our limitations, this fear rushes in, and panic rushes in.
Jeffrey Heine:
And one of the other things that comes along with fear is shame. When we see that we are weak, fear rushes in and brings with it its friend, shame. Another thing can happen if it's not fear that comes in, we, we see indifference come in when we recognize and have to see our own weakness. Fear comes in or indifference comes in, where our culture says, you're not okay, I'm not okay, it's okay. Right?
Jeffrey Heine:
It doesn't matter. It's okay. You have your troubles and problems. I have my troubles and problems. You're weak.
Jeffrey Heine:
I'm weak. Let's be weak together. It's let's not make a big deal about it. Let's not make a fuss. And then there's a third thing.
Jeffrey Heine:
There's a third option. So it's it's either fear, or maybe it's indifference that comes in, or maybe it's this third option. And that is faith. See, Paul isn't just exercising some grand adventure in transparency. He's not just being transparent with his friends, the Corinthians.
Jeffrey Heine:
He's not just exposing himself in that way to be transparent. He is pointing to Jesus. It's not just transparency for transparency's sake. It's not just a virtue of being a good guy who's willing to own up to his mistakes or his sufferings. No.
Jeffrey Heine:
He's pointing to the strength of Jesus because he actually believes that Jesus is strong and present. And when he preaches the gospel and he makes much of Jesus, when he preaches the cross and the suffering of Jesus, he can show his weakness as much as he can, because it makes much of Jesus and his strength. There is a statistic. There is a group, the Barna group, they did a study of 18 to 29 year olds, 18 to 29 year olds, and they were asked their top five goals in their twenties. So 18 to 29 asked their top five goals for their twenties.
Jeffrey Heine:
And in the top five, one of the top five was finding out who I really am. Then they asked people that were 30 and above, their top five regrets of their twenties. And in the top five, not finding out who I really am. Okay. Since we all kind of fall in this demographic here, and since this is a top five thing, I think we've got something to talk about.
Jeffrey Heine:
Finding out who I really am. It's a goal for those who are under 30, and it's a regret for those above 30. Finding out who I really am, that's a bizarre concept. It's like Back to the Future, that there's another me out there, and I have to somehow locate him, and become that person. And a lot of that is because I'm too ashamed to actually believe that who I am right now is really who I am.
Jeffrey Heine:
That all my weaknesses, all my limitations, when I look at me, that that really is just who I am, and there's not some other better me that I somehow need to ascertain. If I can just get to him, the Jeff that's just like, the form Jeff out there, that's just the best, Great father. Always emails back, like, within 5 minutes. Never says, Just got your text. Like, just a really great guy.
Jeffrey Heine:
Like, he's out there. Doc and I are gonna find him. And then somehow, we can we can do this. No. When we see our weakness, we're confronted with it.
Jeffrey Heine:
And I have to realize that I am that jar of clay that Paul's already talked about. That the treasure that's in me, that gospel that is in me, working in me by the power of the spirit, that what he is establishing and transforming in me, that that is my hope and my only hope. We are weak, and it isn't okay that we are not okay. We need Jesus. And Paul is not afraid to wear his needs on his sleeve.
Jeffrey Heine:
He's not afraid to list them out. He's not ashamed to let his weaknesses be known because when he lets his weaknesses be known, he lets the sufficiency of Christ be known. Let me say that again. When Paul lets his weaknesses be known, he lets the sufficiency of Christ be known. He's not afraid.
Jeffrey Heine:
He's not afraid. Some of us live in this constant fear, this constant fear of being found out that our weaknesses will show, that our failures will be made known, that our inabilities and our frailty, that it will just be broadcast for everyone. Tim Kreider, a writer, he wrote an op ed last summer in the New York Times and he said this, I've often thought that the single most devastating cyber attack a diabolical mind could design would not be on the military or the financial sector, but simply to simultaneously make every email and text ever sent universally public. If all of these things were just out there. See, Paul was not afraid to have his weaknesses put on display.
Jeffrey Heine:
He wasn't ashamed because he believed that Jesus is strong. He isn't afraid of his failures being blasted in front of everyone. Because he said to Timothy in 1st Timothy chapter 1, the saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am the foremost. He wasn't afraid because in his boldness, he made much of Jesus.
Jeffrey Heine:
Second thing, a lesson in love. Paul teaches us that we can love others foolishly because Jesus loves us extravagantly. Let me say that again. We can love others foolishly because Jesus loves us extravagantly. See, as he is saying these things to the Corinthians, as he is laying himself bare, as he's laying out all these things that make him sound foolish, he does it in love for them.
Jeffrey Heine:
He loves them. At the beginning of chapter 11, he talks about how he loves them and he cares for them like a father. He cares about their sincere and pure devotion to Christ. He cares about that and he loves them. And we too can follow suit and love others foolishly.
Jeffrey Heine:
We can love the unlovable because Christ has loved us and made us lovable. And we can spend on ourselves on those who neglect us and reject us and dismiss us. And I would imagine that many of you have family members, maybe friends, coworkers, and you have met your, you've been met with this question. Can I keep doing this? Loving them like this.
Jeffrey Heine:
Can I keep doing this? Why did Paul keep loving the Corinthians? As they dismissed him, as they drug his reputation through the mud, as they made jokes about him and laughed at him, and his story of being in the basket, as they, as he was the, the punchline to the jokes, as as he was just a man of disrepute, like, why did he keep loving them? It's because he saw himself in them. That man who stood while Stephen was stoned and approved.
Jeffrey Heine:
That man who drug men and women from their homes and could still hear the children crying out for mom and dad as he drags them through the streets for persecution. He remembers how obstinate he was as an enemy of God. And God's relentless pursuit of him becomes his relentless love for the Corinthians. So we too are free through the work of Christ and his spirit dwelling in us to love people foolishly. Not expecting that big turnaround Frank Capra moment where they come running through the streets and declare that you've been right all along.
Jeffrey Heine:
I've been a terrible insert family member. It's not going to happen all the time. Not for all of us. Not every story ends like that. But he spends himself.
Jeffrey Heine:
He loves them. And we were the same to Jesus and he loved us and he pursued us. And he extended this extravagant love to us. And you are called to foolishly love the people God has placed in your life. Now, looking like a fool doesn't mean acting like an idiot.
Jeffrey Heine:
Let's be clear on that. We're not looking for an opportunity to offend with anything other than the gospel itself. That's offensive enough. Doesn't need your help. But we can love.
Jeffrey Heine:
We can love like this. Paul says in his letter to the Galatians, that he, if he was still trying to please men, he wouldn't be a servant of Christ. Think about that. Still, he knows he did. He knows.
Jeffrey Heine:
He remembers. He was trying to please men. That's what his life was about beforehand. Being that Israelite and that Hebrew and that offspring of Abraham and all of those things where he could just be impressive. And he says, if I was still trying to do that, I wouldn't be a servant of Christ.
Jeffrey Heine:
Are you still trying to please the men and women in your life? And are you willing to lay down the fear and the shame and the indifference and to trust in the strength of Christ that he is sufficient in every way at every point in life. Are you willing to love others in this foolish love? In, Jeremiah's prophecy, Jeremiah chapter 9, let let me read these words. It's in your worship guide.
Jeffrey Heine:
If you want to look along with me. Thus says the Lord, let not the wise man boast in his wisdom. Let not the mighty man boast in his might, but not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this that he understands and knows me that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord. Now God does not say there, Don't be wise.
Jeffrey Heine:
Don't be mighty. Don't be rich. No, he says, don't boast in those things. Don't find your confidence in those things. You will not find the strength that you will need to proclaim the gospel and to strength you need, the power.
Jeffrey Heine:
You will not find the necessary power in those things, but you will find it in knowing me. And we know him through Christ our lord, who has made him known to us. So the question to you, where will you look for strength this week? Where will you look for strength? And who will you foolishly love this week?
Jeffrey Heine:
I would encourage you to answer those questions. Names, people, opportunities, locations, where you will foolishly love for the name of Christ. Not to just be transparent for transparency sake or some virtue of, of, of a good personality, but no, to point to Christ. And also keep in mind that all the things that Paul lists there and his weaknesses, none of them were sin. He wasn't boasting in sin.
Jeffrey Heine:
No. It wasn't a reason to boast. He was honest about his sinfulness. He was willing to admit to it. He, he, he boldly said that he was the foremost of the sinners.
Jeffrey Heine:
He, he didn't skirt around that. But when it came to boasting, when it came to boasting in his weakness, it, it was not sin. It was his suffering. So where will you look for strength this week? The strength to be bold in weakness, to boast in the Lord?
Jeffrey Heine:
Where will you find that strength and who will you foolishly love for the sake of Christ's name this week? Let's go to him in prayer. God, we thank you that you meet with us by your Spirit and your word tonight. And we ask that you would continue by your Spirit to shape our hearts and not just what we're thinking about, but how we're thinking about it. Spirit, transform our minds that we might hope in You and You alone.
Jeffrey Heine:
That we don't have to be afraid, that we don't have to be indifferent, but we can look to Christ that he has found faithful and sufficient, and that he who has begun this good work in us will complete it. He will surely do it, and we can boast in him. Spirit, work this word deep into our hearts that we might love you and obey you from our hearts. Amen.