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Well, good morning. Glad that you guys are here. If you'd like to, if you've got your Bibles
with you this morning, go ahead and open them up to 1 Corinthians chapter 2. That's where
we're going to be as we continue on. Well, I don't know about y'all. I've lived in South
Carolina since I was five years old, six years old, and I've never experienced a stretch
of cold like we're going through right now, right? Got up this morning and went out to crank
up my truck to get it warmed up, and it was at a nice, toasty 16 degrees. So I'm grateful
that the heat is working when we walked in here this morning. And normally, I don't know that
that you know this, but if you're in the band like you know this, it's hotter up here than
it is down there. And normally, that's a problem. But right now, it's nice, all right? So glad
that you're here with us. Glad that it's warm inside. Then we can open up God's Word and study
together. Last week, we began our studies. Actually, two weeks ago, that's right. When we were
at home, we started our study in 1 Corinthians. Now, if you see this card that's around you,
you'll see the little reading plan. This will kind of help you track through where I'm going
to be at on Sunday mornings, but also where our small groups are going to be. And so what
we would love for every single one of us to do as a church is go through this book of the
Bible together, to do it individually in our quiet time and in our study, to do it corporately
together in worship. Now, in worship, we won't be able to go through every verse like you will be
at your home. But this can give us an opportunity to kind of dive in, go a little bit deeper into
some areas in those passages that God lays on our hearts as we study. But then also, all of our small
groups are working through this. So just a reminder, most of our small groups got started back for
this winter slash spring semester last week. And if you aren't a part of one, we would love for you
to be a part of one. And so please get connected with that. And we've got information about that
as well. But we started last week in our study with looking at that. And Paul, what we dealt with
a lot last week was the challenge to the church at Corinth to be unified. That within the context of
that church, of that local body that Paul had planted and had released to different leadership,
right, Paul addresses some things that are coming to him. He says that he was notified of these issues
from those that were sent from the house of Chloe. And what we find that there are four factions that
we talked about, four divisions within the church. And it's rooted in who each of these individuals
decides to follow. That there's a group there who's like, we follow Paul. Paul is the one that hears
from the Lord and then communicates this to us. And that was probably the Gentile converts as Paul was
a missionary to the Gentiles. There's a group though of Jewish converts who were there. And they said,
no, we follow Cephas, who we believe and understand to be the apostle Peter, because Peter would largely
connect with and was a missionary in a Jewish context. There was another group that was there
that would say, no, we are followers of Apollos. And Apollos was this Greek Christian orator who was
just really good with his words. So the really good story was really wise. And people could just hang on
every word that he shares. And then there was another group there, we had to explain this in a little bit
more depth last week, who says, no, well, we follow Christ. And when we hear that, we think, well, maybe
they got it right. They're the group that's getting it. But they're not. And the reason why I say they're
not, even though they say they're following Christ, is they feel like they had risen above everyone else
and the church in areas concerning spiritual matters. And so, you know, spiritual arrogance,
we're better than you, is where they were. And so Paul comes in this church where he's going to
address a lot of things throughout 1 Corinthians that fall into some theology and practical applications.
And he's like, no, no, the church can't be divided. The church needs to unify. And so he moves
them away from agendas, away from egos, to remind them of some things that are going to be very
important for what we're going to look at this morning. He reminds them all that they are the
body of Christ and that they've been uniquely equipped with who they are to celebrate and to worship
Christ in their context and to reach their community. Paul says that you've been fully equipped
with every spiritual gift needed. You don't need Paul. You don't need Apollos. You don't need Peter.
You've got you. And what God is going to do in you through the power of the Holy Spirit resting in
you, you've been fully equipped. He tells them that he wants them to focus in on Jesus. And Paul kind
of drawing himself as the example. He says, was it Paul's name that you were baptized in?
Was Paul the one who was crucified for you? No, no, no. It's in the name of Jesus that we're
baptized. It's Jesus who was crucified for us. That's who we're here for. That's who we follow.
And if the leader's not pointing you to him, then he's not a leader worth following.
And then he says, we're going to focus in on the gospel. Focus in on what the gospel demands of you.
And that's why Paul says that when he came to them. Now, Paul, like in Paul's day, let's understand
that. That Paul, like Ivy League education, trained under the best of the best. Like when you read
Paul's letters, you understand that this guy has a gift and has a mastery of language and of writing,
communicating. But Paul comes to them and says, but it's a focus on the gospel. He says, when I came to
you and shared, I did not come with eloquent words or worldly wisdom, but instead I came to you with the
simplicity of the power of the gospel. And that's what you need to focus in on. And this is where we're
going to pick back up. And so let's, let's start reading 1 Corinthians 2 verse 1. And he says,
and I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God
with lofty speech or wisdom. So, so Paul's kind of repeating himself here. Verse 2, for I decided to
know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And so let's, let's kind of pause for here
for just a second. So, so Paul again reinforces, I didn't try to use worldly logic, worldly wisdom
to persuade you in the gospel. But here's what Paul says in verse 2 is, is worded kind of funny. It's
one of those where what Paul's saying doesn't communicate very well as it's translated over into
English. But, but what Paul is saying is, is in all that I did and all that I said, I wanted to point you
toward and display for you the gospel. So that's, that, that's my life. That's my purpose. That's my
hope. That, that, that's what I was there doing. And so he says, for I decided to know nothing among you
except Jesus Christ and him crucified. So it's not by the power of Paul, by the words of Paul, by the
intellect of Paul, by the reasoning of Paul, but it's in everything that you saw, everything displayed,
everything that taught was the power of the gospel. Now, verse 3.
And so Paul came to them. He came to them in humility. Look at his words. Paul says, through
weakness, fear, and trembling, right? This is not a man who's trying to wow them by his
presence. This is not a man who, who says through, through my personality and who I am, but Paul says,
in humility, in weakness, and in fear, and much trembling, I came to you. And that I deliver to
you the message that God calls me to. And this is what's important. It's, but in demonstration of the
spirit and of power. So what Paul's pointing to is this message was not powered by man. It's not Paul
sitting back in the back and saying, how can I talk them into this? How can I convince them of this?
How can I persuade them to this? Paul's not sitting back like a, like a politician trying to think of
all of the points to get them on board. Paul's not sitting back like a salesman saying, how can I get
them to, to take a hold of this and do this? He says, no, no, I came in weakness and in fear and in
trembling. And so as you responded, it was not me who you're responding to, but you're responding by the
power of their, of the spirit of God. And so now what Paul wants them to understand, what Paul wants
them to get is now their faith does not rest in the wisdom of the world, but instead their faith is
found. Their faith is powered. Their, their faith is given to them through the power of God.
And so who's their faith attached to? Paul? An event? A meeting? A day? No, their, their faith is
attached to God. And who saved them? Who was their means of salvation? Whose power did salvation come
to it? Was it, was it Paul? Was it the environment? Was it the church? No, who saved them? God saved them.
Christ. And this is what Paul wants them to understand where their faith comes from, who their faith is
found in. Because Paul's left. Paul's sending letters. Paul knows his days are numbered. Why? Because
he's human and they're going to end. But Paul wants it all to rest in who God is because the salvation
that comes from Paul isn't salvation to begin with. Right? And he wants them to understand for them and
for us today that their faith, it's a spiritual work. It's not a work that Paul did. It's not a work
that they did. But it's a work of God of what he's doing. And so this is what we begin to see as it
spills over from, from chapter one and chapter two. But now Paul's going to begin to talk about a
little bit different wisdom. Look at, look at verse six. He says, yet among the mature, we do impart
wisdom. Right? And so Paul's going to make a move and now talk about we didn't have the wisdom of the
world, but the believers here do have a wisdom. Continue on verse, verse six. Although it's not a
wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and
hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age
understood this. For if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. Verse nine. But as it is
written, what no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for
those who love him. These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit, for the Spirit searches
everything, even the depths of God. So Paul says there's this hidden wisdom. There's this hidden wisdom
that's given. There's this hidden wisdom that's imparted, and it's given to believers through the
power of the Spirit, that as men and women, as their hearts are awakened, they're able to respond to this.
And it's the power of the gospel. It's what Paul was talking about. The fact that the Spirit of the Lord
working and moving in a life of a man and woman, as they respond to God as their Savior, Christ is their
Savior in repentance and surrender. And he says, this is not the wisdom of the world. This is not the
conning of man. This is not through the eloquent words of man that this happens, but this is through
the working of the Spirit of God that this is imparted to us. All right? But then Paul says this.
He says there are those who do not have this wisdom. And that's what I want to focus on today.
He said there are those who do not have this wisdom. And he defines them. He doesn't just say they're
saved and they're lost. Paul defines those who are unable to understand this, who God does not impart
this to. And look back at verse 6. He said, yet among the mature, we do impart wisdom. Although it is not a
wisdom of the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age. So this is who Paul says who doesn't have
it and they're doomed to pass away, these rulers of the age. Well, what does that mean? Sometimes when we
look at Scripture, we can look and see things like principalities of this world and there's this
dynamic of spiritual warfare that is existing of what's there and the earthly people who are there.
We don't know what's talking about. And so when we see rulers of this age, are we talking in the physical
manifestation of that, of different individuals that we see? Or are we talking more in a spiritual
world, a spiritual realm of spiritual warfare? So Paul clarifies this in verse 8. He says,
none of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of
glory. So Paul says, here's who I'm talking about. I'm talking about the Pharisees and the religious
rulers of this day. I'm talking about the political rulers of this day who, because of what they did,
they led Christ to his crucifixion in a physical sense. Now, we know you and I, man, we're responsible
for his death. He died for our sin. Our sin nailed him to the cross. But Paul's saying that in this
crucifixion that happened, there were those who hearts had become hardened to the truth of God, even
though it was there. They couldn't see Jesus. They couldn't understand who he was, because they had so
dove into the wisdom of this world that they could not receive the wisdom of God in the gospel.
And that's the sin that we want to talk about this morning. The sin of the Pharisees, the sin
of self-righteousness, the sin of self-righteousness. I think sometimes we look at sin and we don't
understand the condemnation that comes with it and the careful warning that scripture gives us
about sin. And so within this passage of scripture, as we read through it, so that you know too, our staff
on every Tuesday, we have staff Bible study together. And we studied the passage of scripture that we're
going to be talking about this morning. And I believe we were in there for like two hours together this
Tuesday morning, just knocking through this, not getting beyond, talking about how dangerous
the sin of self-righteousness is. The danger that comes with this. The self-righteousness of what
Paul gives us here that prevents someone from hearing and responding to the gospel. And Jesus talks about
this in Luke 18. If you want to flip there, we're going to be here for a little bit as well. In Luke
18, in verse 9, Jesus tells a parable. And we learn some lessons about self-righteousness. It says in Luke
18 verse 9, he also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and
treated others with contempt. Two men walk up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee. All right, so if I've
been using that word and you're unclear, the Pharisees were the religious rulers of the day of Christ,
and in a lot of ways in the day of Paul, who were viewed, who saw themselves as both religiously and
socially good. They saw themselves this way. This is how other people would see them as well. They sought
to follow the law down to the nth degree, to continue to obey every aspect in that. And in there, their
danger was, and this is what they're going to, what we're going to see, their obedience to what God called
them to created within themselves a sense of self-righteousness. So that's one of the men of
Pharisee. But the other was a tax collector. And so let's talk about tax collectors. They were
religiously and socially bad, right? That's how they were viewed. Tax collectors were not the people you
wanted your kids to grow up and be, right? They were the people who had betrayed their faith. They
betrayed their people. They were thieves. And they were considered evil. Verse 11, the Pharisee, standing by
himself, prayed thus, God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers,
adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give tithes of all that I get.
Now let's look at what he does. The Pharisee comes in, stands there before God and says,
God, look at who I am. It's not that the power of God that I do these, but it's out of the power of me
that I do these, right? But verse 13, but the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his
eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, God, be merciful to me, a sinner. Both of these men
approach the Lord. One approaches in his own righteousness, but then the other approaches
through the grace and mercy of God and knows that his only standing that is found in life is found
in the grace and the mercy poured out toward him from God and God alone. And look at Jesus' words.
Verse 14, I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other. For everyone
who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted, right? And this is
the warning of what Paul has given the church. Don't be the Pharisee who comes in and stands in the power
of their own righteousness. Because the people who are this way over time, what begins to happen is the
hardening of the heart, and they can't even hear the power of the gospel and respond to it.
They're lost because of what has taken place and taken root and taken hold in their heart of
self-righteousness. But self-righteousness also, it's got an ugly cousin that I want us to talk about
this morning. And while we see the self-righteousness as those within the loss that prevent them from
being able to hear the gospel, I believe that this ugly cousin that many believers struggle with this.
We can have faith and put our faith in Christ, but yet exude some of these same behaviors in our life.
And so we don't suffer from self-righteousness because we understand and we know that our righteousness
is found in God, but yet there's these characteristics and behaviors that exude from us in the same way.
And it prevents us from living the life that God has called us to, and it's the sin of self-glorification.
Look at, flip over a couple chapters in Luke chapter 22.
We'll start reading here in just a second in verse 24,
but kind of give some of the context of what's going on here.
This is the night that Jesus is going to be betrayed and let off to be crucified.
And Jesus, who's told the disciples repeatedly that their journey to Jerusalem is the journey to his death.
And he's reminding them.
He tells them that he'll be betrayed.
He tells them that they'll die.
They partake in the Passover meal together.
They have the Lord's Supper.
And then this is what happens.
Verse 24, a dispute also arose among them as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest.
I was just going to pause for a second.
Can you kind of miss it right here, you know?
Like you've got these guys that Jesus is like, I'm going to die.
And they're like, but which one of us is the best?
You know what I mean?
Verse 25.
And he said to them,
the kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them,
and those in authority over them are called benefactors.
But not so with you.
Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest,
and the leader as one who serves.
For it is the greater.
For one who reclines at the table or the one who serves.
It is not the ones who recline at the table,
but I am among you as the one who serves.
Jesus, you're going to miss it.
And you're going to struggle with self-glorification in your life.
If you live at this point of how do I rise above the rest?
How do I take on the recognition?
These are men who have given up much to follow Jesus.
But yet, when it comes down to it,
where their hearts begin to struggle,
where their hearts show their spiritual immaturity,
where their hearts show their weakness,
is in self-glorification.
Hey, Jesus, go ahead and just get it established to everybody that's right here
who's the best among us.
Right?
An elevation, a glorification of self.
And so in this context,
when we look at 1 Corinthians chapter 2,
I think there's some warnings that we can take.
The first warning is,
are we people that struggle with self-righteousness?
Right?
Do you feel that in you,
there is a righteousness that's manifested from you
because of who you are?
And if that's who you are,
regardless of what you say,
you've rejected the gospel of Jesus Christ.
But also,
among us here,
is there a sense in some of the hearts of the men and women
who fill this space every single week
who love the Lord and worship Him,
but sometimes in their heart,
there's the wandering both in this place and out of here
to just kind of want to be the best and the greatest
and be recognized and be praised for it.
Right?
What do we see?
I do an examination in my life this week
and in reading that,
I came up with a handful of warning signs
that I want us to wrap up
and we'll talk about and look at here.
To ask yourself the question,
do I struggle with these things?
And if you do,
then maybe your struggle is in self-righteousness.
Maybe you struggle in self-glorification.
All right?
So just a handful of warning signs that we're going to talk about.
And by the way,
you can see them in spiritual context,
but you can also see them in everyday context.
Right?
So apply these to who you are here,
but apply these also to who you are there,
wherever there is.
All right?
Number one,
do you struggle with a sense of entitlement?
Do you struggle with a sense of entitlement?
What do I mean by that?
Are you constantly a person
who feels like you deserve more than you have?
Are you a person who feel like you deserve more
than you are entrusted with?
Do you struggle with serving
and instead feel the need for others to serve you?
When you're somewhere doing what you do,
whether it's here in the context of worship
or there in the context of the world,
who are you there for?
And if you are the object of that,
then maybe you struggle a little bit
with sense of entitlement.
And do you expect others the call to sacrifice
but do not have the same expectation for yourself?
All right?
Maybe then you struggle with a sense of entitlement.
Number two with these.
Do you parade in public
what should be done in private?
All right?
Here's what I mean by this.
When you do the right thing,
when you do what God's called you to do,
when you do what the boss has asked of you,
when he's not there or she's not there,
when you're out in the world
doing what needs to be done,
do you feel like, do you want,
do you need it to be noticed?
Right?
And in that, not in the obedience,
is where the gratification comes from.
But it is the sense of the recognition of others.
Right?
What feeds the monster inside of you.
Right?
Do we have this parade in public?
When you do the right thing,
do you feel the need to tell others,
I always thought this is interesting.
Jesus is pretty bold about this
and about this statement.
In fact, in Matthew chapter six, verse three,
Jesus is talking about when you give to the needy.
And Jesus is so checking us
on the heart of the motivation
of why we do things
that Jesus says,
hey, when you give to the needy,
do so in a way
that the right hand doesn't know
what the left hand's doing.
that even amongst you
and in who you are
and in what we're doing,
that when we do the good,
we're doing it for the right reasons,
out of obedience to the Lord
and glorification for him
so that I'm doing it in a way
that I don't even try to glorify myself
in this,
much less feel the need
to let everyone else know
what I'm doing
so that they can glorify me.
Right?
Do you struggle with these things?
Number three,
do you struggle with a false sense
of elevated spirituality?
And I added this
after I turned my notes in
or even a false sense
of elevated intellect.
Right?
Here's what I mean.
Do we constantly feel
when we're in the room
that we're the wisest,
the most spiritual,
the most mature person in the room?
Right?
Do we carry ourself with that?
Right?
The Pharisees would walk into a room
and Jesus would be there.
All right?
Jesus.
And they think,
nah, I got this.
Watch what I can do to him.
You know?
And it would say,
different places in Scripture
would say
that they would get in their minds
how the questions
that they were going to ask him
in order to cause him to stumble
because they were so much wiser than him
in their own mind
and then before the words
even came out of their mouth
he'd answer their question
and shut them up.
Right?
But do we sometimes
carry ourselves the same way?
That when we walk into a room,
when we walk into worship,
when we walk into small group,
when we walk into work,
there's this self-elevated sense
that I'm the wisest,
I'm the most spiritual,
I'm the most mature person
in the room
or in this,
right,
also,
do we struggle
with learning
the wisdom
that God is giving us
when it's being given to us
by those that we deem
amongst ourselves
to be beneath us?
Whether it's a person
of different age,
of a different sex,
of a different race,
or someone who's just been
a follower of Jesus
longer or shorter.
Right?
They don't have anything
for me
because I've already
got it.
Right?
And this is just
this false sense
of elevated
spirituality
or intellect.
Number four,
do you struggle
with being consumed
with the expectations
of others?
Right?
Sometimes we think
being a people pleaser
is a spiritual gift
from the Lord
and it is not.
But being fixated
on what others think,
right,
either puts them
on the throne
of which you seek
to serve
or,
think about this,
I do this
for you
because of the way
it makes you view me.
Who's at the throne?
I am.
What do you
know about me?
What do you
think of me?
What do you
expect of me?
Right?
This sin
of self-righteousness.
Number five,
alright?
I hope we all
kind of maybe
a little chuckle
at this but maybe
see the truth
where it hits us
in the heart
with this,
right?
Number five,
are you excited
about the shortcomings
of others,
right?
Oh,
they got it good.
You know what I mean?
Right?
When you see
the sins
that others
struggle with
in our hearts,
what it does
to us is
it reminds us
of how good
we really are.
What does
the Pharisee say?
What does
the Pharisee,
let me jump back,
hope I don't lose
my place,
let me jump back
here really quick.
Do you know
what tax collectors
did?
They extorted.
Alright?
So,
if the government
said to the tax
collector,
go collect
15% of their
income,
then what the tax
collector would do
is say the government
said,
give me 25.
And then they would
keep the other
10 for themselves.
They were extortioners.
And the Pharisees
look there
and they say,
when he's standing
in the temple
and the tax collector
is there,
what's the first thing
he says?
God,
I thank you,
I'm not like other
men,
like extortioners.
Because I'm better
than they are.
And when we struggle
with self-righteousness,
when we struggle
with self-glorification,
we look at the people
in our world
and instead of grieving
the sin
that is in their life,
we use it
in a sick
and twisted way
to reinforce
to us
how good
we really are.
Right?
And then when
others struggle,
when others hurt,
when others go
through pain,
right?
What's created
in us,
like Paul tells us
in Romans,
to grieve
with those who grieve
and to weep
with those who weep.
But instead,
when others struggle,
there's this sense
of prideful arrogance
that says to us,
they're just getting
what they deserve.
Right?
And at the heart
of it,
at the heart
of the power
of the grace
of the gospel,
is that every single
one of us
should get
what we deserve.
But instead,
we get Jesus.
And lastly,
do you struggle
with the distorted
view of humility?
Humility is the call
that we see
continually in Scripture.
Humility was what
was embodied
by Christ
as he came
to this world.
Just what we
celebrated,
right?
A little less
than a month ago.
He came to this world
not with parades
and with mansions.
Not as a warrior
and as a ruler,
but as a baby.
He came not
with a celebration
of politicians
and authorities,
but he came
with a celebration
of shepherds.
He came not
born into
an earthly
royal family,
but he came
to a teenage
virgin mom
and her carpenter
husband.
He didn't go
to the palace
and take his throne
and say,
this is mine,
but instead,
he went out
into the wilderness,
out into the outskirts
where he began
his ministry,
not with the best
of the best,
but with the least
of the least,
those who had been
rejected,
those who had been
forgotten about.
And he said,
come and follow me.
We're going to change
the world
with the gospel.
It's humility.
It's who he was.
That in humility,
he bore the nails.
In humility,
he was beaten.
In humility,
he had every inch
of clothing
stripped off
of his body
so that he could
be nailed
to a cross
to die
for you and me.
If you want
to know
what is the
characteristic
of the strength
of the gospel,
it's in humility.
But do you have
a distorted view
of humility?
This world
teaches us
that humility
is a character
weakness.
Be strong,
rise above,
don't let them
push you down
because this is
who you are.
No, no, no, no.
It's because of
who Christ is
and the call
to serve
and not
to be served.
A distorted view
of humility
causes us
to see humility
as a character
weakness,
but on the flip
side of that,
right,
a distorted view
of humility
is seen
as a personal
strength
that you and I
can not only
do within ourselves
but be perfected in.
I kind of use
this joking around
a lot,
but is this
the positioning
of your heart
sometimes
where your heart
says to you,
you know what
you're really
good at,
you're really
good at being
humble,
right?
And then we
carry that
with us,
right?
Self-righteousness,
self-glorification
within there.
How should we
see humility?
Do you see
humility as a
gift of God
that has grown
in you by the
power of the
Holy Spirit
and not of your
own so that
we can go out
into the world
proclaiming who
he is?
I want to
close with this
by actually
flipping back
to 1 Corinthians
chapter 1.
Look at
verses 30
and 31.
Paul says
sandwiched in
between these
two messages
that we
looked at
these two
passages
from the
last two
weeks.
He says
and because
of him
you were
in Christ
Jesus
who became
to us
wisdom
from God
righteousness
and sanctification
and redemption
so that
as it is
written
let the
one who
boasts
boast
in
the
Lord
right
you and
I
we get
to brag
you and
I get
to boast
you and
I get
to make
much
but not
of ourselves
but of
Jesus
and that's
the heart
of it
and so
when Paul
says
for I
decided
to know
nothing
among you
except
Jesus
Christ
and him
crucified
he's saying
in every
moment
that I
was there
with you
through the
power
and the
grace
of the
Holy
Spirit
right
is
Jesus
you want
to be
strong
identify
in weakness
you want
to be
strong
serve
those
who
serve
you
you want
to be
powerful
then understand
that it
rests
in the
power
of Christ
and it's
not in
and of
yourself
but it's
done
it's
not found
in the
wisdom
of this
world
but it's
found
in the
wisdom
of God
through the
power
of the
gospel
two
questions
and we'll
close
number
one
are you
blinded
by your
sin
and unable
to respond
to the
gospel
of Jesus
Christ
because of
self-righteousness
I don't care
if you've
been coming
to church
for 80
years
I don't
care how
many mission
trips
you've
been on
I don't
care how
much
you give
I don't
care how
much
you do
I don't
care what
others
think
or what
you think
about
yourself
are you
the
pharisee
in the
room
celebrating
all of
who you
are
because
of what
you've
done
and in
that
your
inability
to respond
to the
gospel
of Jesus
because
of your
self-righteousness
but number
two
are you
struggling
to live
the life
that God
has for
you
you want
to be
obedient
you want
to see
people's
lives
impacted
for
the
gospel
you
love
the
Lord
but
just
don't
understand
why
you
get
in
the
way
so
much
of
that
right
sign me up
for this
one
and maybe
the struggle
is because
within you
there's a
little piece
that's like
the disciples
and in the
room
there's a
sense of
self-glorification
that says
but I
want to be
the best
and I
want to be
recognized
for being
the best
right
is this
what you
struggle
with
here's the
beauty of
both of
these
it is the
grace
of Jesus
Christ
that covers
them
it is the
blood
of Jesus
that cleanses
and the
Bible tells
us that
God
separates
our sin
as far
as the
east
is
from the
west
so that
you
and I
might
become
children
of God
I love
reading Paul
about this
because no
one understood
self-righteousness
more than
Paul
Paul as
a
religious
ruler
Paul is
the one
of the
persecutor
of the
church
who is
saved
by grace
and grace
alone
as God
opened
his heart
and his
eyes
to the
power
of the
gospel
and this
morning
our band
is going
to come
up here
we're
going to
sing a
couple
more
songs
it's
my
hope
and my
prayer
that
through
the
power
of
the
Holy
Spirit
God
will
open
our
eyes
to
the
sin
that
is
in
our
life
and
will
respond
to
his
grace
and
mercy
would
you
pray
with
me
Lord we
come to
you this
morning
and we
thank you
for your
goodness
and your
kindness
and your
grace
Lord I
pray
for all
of us
Lord
through the
power of
your
spirit
will we
examine our
lives and
our hearts
Lord for
those of us
in here who
came in with
a sense of
self-righteousness
may we
understand that
our righteousness
comes from you
and you
alone
that not one
of us is
deserving
of salvation
not one
of us
is deserving
of your
love
not one
of us
is deserving
of anything
but it is
only through
you
that it's
given to
us
and I
pray
Lord through
the drawing
and the
leading of
your spirit
Lord that
their eyes
would be
opened
their hearts
would be
softened
and in this
moment they
would respond
to you
and you
alone
Lord I pray
for those
of us
who struggle
with self
glorification
with pride
with arrogance
Lord of
constantly
feeling the
need to
look down
on others
with constantly
feeling the
need to
elevate their
self above
the rest
to find a
weakened sense
of esteem
that is found
in them
and in them
alone
but in
Lord instead
to find it
in you
Lord so
that we
can embrace
what Paul
said
and that we
can come
to others
in weakness
and in fear
and in trembling
so that what
they see
is not how
great we
are
but what
they see
is how
great you
are
and so
Lord I pray
that that
would be
what we
reflect
Lord that
we would
get out
of the
way
we would
not be
our own
objects of
glory
but Lord
that you
would be
listen to me
pray
thanks again for
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this week's message
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