in boldness, power, in Jesus' name, Amen. All right, so last week, the sermon was entitled, What to do with ourselves? What to do with ourselves? And the answer to that was, of course, to crucify ourselves, right? The Corinthians had been living a Christian life without self-denial, Christian life without a cross. They'd settled down into a worldly complacency in this we have arrived mentality. Paul says, you're reigning as kings, but he says, I wish you did reign, I could reign with you. The idea there is you're not really reigning at all. But now today's sermon is entitled, What To Do With Jesus. What To Do With Jesus. So if we look at 1 Corinthians chapter four, We're going to be finishing up this major section in the book of Corinthians chapters one through four constitute one major section. And we're looking at these final verses now verses 14 all the way down to 21 What to do with Jesus in verses 14 through 15? We're going to talk about the danger of a carnal state the danger of a carnal state in verses 16 through 17 the rarity of a spirit spiritual walk the rarity of a Spiritual walk and in verses 18 through 21 the power of a crucified life the power of a crucified life some of those themes We've already been talking about This is Paul's great culmination, but I'm telling you, when Paul comes to the grand finale of an argument, does he hit hard. All of these, all of Paul's work up to this point, chapters one through four, is all going to culminate into this section right here. And I'm telling you, if we have ears to hear, it is absolutely powerful. It is absolutely powerful. You know, on Wednesday nights, we've been focusing on seeing the glory of Jesus, treasuring Christ. That's the series on Wednesday. And the idea is that we are putting into practice what we see in 2 Corinthians 3.18. Every Wednesday, we are exercising ourselves to go through the scriptures and behold the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. And through that beholding, to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, to be transformed from glory to glory by the Spirit of the Lord. That is a great component of the mystery of godliness. A great part of the mystery of godliness. The mystery of godliness is not just thinking great thoughts about Jesus. That in itself is not the full mystery of godliness. But it is a great component of it is a great means to attain to a godly life, to Christ likeness. I think what we're talking about today is another piece of the puzzle of the mystery of godliness. Today is a component of the mystery of godliness that when put together with this piece of beholding the glory of God, you've come a long way. If you have any application of what I'm going to be talking about today, what to do with Jesus. And so let's start off here. The danger of a carnal state, verses 14, if you want to read with me here. Verse 14 says, I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons, I warn you, for though you have 10,000 instructors in Christ, you have not many fathers. For in Christ Jesus, I have begotten you through the gospel. And so you could see here that Paul is saying, what I just said to you, yes, it had some sarcasm in it. Talking about how you reign as kings, you're full, you're rich, but you're not really rich, you're not really full, you're not really reigning. You're full of self, you're full of the flesh. Although I was sarcastic with you, although I was a little bit heavy-handed with you, it's not because I'm just trying to beat you down and shame you and make you feel miserable about yourself, Corinthians. No, no. I say it because as your spiritual father, who was used by God to beget you, to bring you to spiritual life by the proclamation of the truth of the gospel, I care about you. And I'm telling you, this is very serious. This is very serious error that you are falling prey to. living in this carnal, crossless state, living, trying to live the Christian life without a cross, trying to live the Christian life and dodge any exposure to possible humiliation for the cross. trying to live the Christian life and still have your self-indulgence, trying to live your Christian life and still have affection for the flesh, still have affection for your own glory, for your own self-aggrandizement, for coming up in the world rather than dying to self. See, this is a very dangerous thing, and I'm saying this not to beat you up, but that you might come to the right way, that you might come to the excellent way and truly walk in the Spirit. That's what he's saying. Saying not to shame you, to warn you, and the word warn could be to admonish you, to admonish you, to instruct you, to correct you. This is not to beat you down. It's corrective. It's done in love. Now, you know, back in chapter 3, what Paul had said about these Corinthians. He says, I, brethren, could not, verse 1, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk and not with meat, for hitherto you were not able to bear it. Neither yet are you now able for ye are yet carnal. You're yet fleshly. You're still walking in the flesh. For whereas there is among you envying and strife and divisions, are you not carnal and walk as men? For while one saith, I am of Paul, and another, I am of Apollos, are you not carnal?" It says you're carnal. It's written all over your behavior. It's written all over your conduct. It's written all over the contention and disunity that is present in the church. And here he gives them a loving warning. The preceding context, if you look at chapter 4, starting at verse 8, the preceding context gives you a picture of these Corinthians in their spiritual state. First of all, he says you're a fool in verse 8. Chapter 4, verse 8. You're a fool. Not fool of the spirit. Fool of self. Verse 8 again. They're glorying in self. Ye are rich. They were glorying, no doubt, probably in their spiritual gifts. It said in chapter 1, they were enriched with all utterance and knowledge. But guess what? Knowledge puffs up. There's a danger. There's a dangerous side to knowledge. If we don't grow in knowledge rightly, with humility. And that's what had happened to them. They're puffed up. They're self-glorying. They're self-indulgent. He says, you reign as kings. You're living the life while us apostles are out there being slandered and abused and persecuted for the furtherance of the gospel. You're there with your slippers and your robes and up on your thrones of theology, picking fights with one another in your crossless Christianity. They're self-indulgent. Verse 10, they're self-conceited. He says, you are wise in Christ. You're wise in Christ, but not with the wisdom of Christ, with the wisdom of the world. Still sarcastic. They're self-confident. You are strong. Verse 10, you're strong. They didn't have what Paul talked about at the beginning of chapter 2. fear and trembling in the work of ministry. Not a sense of, I can do this, I have the equipment, I have the gifts to go and do the work of God, but this sense of trepidation about the work and the need for the continuous supply of the power of the Holy Spirit, the power of God to work. They were self-absorbed, you're honorable. They were focused on maintaining the respect of the world. They found a way to live a respectable Christianity and not to step out into the crosshairs of potential persecution for the Lord. And if you look at that verse, verse 10, chapter four, verse 10. He says they're wise, they're strong, and they're honorable. Those are the very things that God rejects in the world. If you look at chapter 1, verse 26, you remember back to 26? 126, he says, For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called. And yet the Corinthians, after coming to Christ, are trying to maintain a fleshly strength, a fleshly wisdom, and a fleshly respectability. The very things that God says He didn't choose. When Jesus came, He chose a bunch of Galilean fishermen. He chose the nobodies. He chose the nothings because He uses the weak things of this world to shame the wise. And yet here they are trying to have success in the ministry of the Lord on the world's terms. So this is what describes these Corinthians. And so much of this we can see in ourselves if we look in the mirror of God's word. Full of self, full of self-glorying, shown by a lack of praise, shown by a lack of thanksgiving, shown by a relishing our own works and a reminiscing joyfully about ourselves and what we've done rather than thanksgiving in the Lord. Self-indulgent, living the soft, comfortable life. And no cross, no suffering for Christ, no exposing oneself to potential persecution or hardships for the furtherance of the gospel. Self-conceited, self-confident, self-absorbed. We can prove from the text that they were relatively prayerless Christians. And we'll go on to talk about that more. And so this was their state. It was a crossless Christianity they were wearing. They were engaging in. Crossless Christianity. No self-denial. In fact, they were full of self. In Galatians 5.24, it says this. Paul says this. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. You know what the church has done in America today? They have made everything positional. because it's an escape hatch to get out of living the true life of the cross that Jesus lived, that Jesus taught, and that the apostles taught. See, everything now becomes just a matter of position in Christ. You can be just about as wicked as you want to be, and you just say, oh, when the Father looks upon me, he sees the righteousness of Jesus Christ. He doesn't see all my revelry. All my drunkenness and debauchery, licentiousness that I'm living in every week. Oh, he just sees Jesus. Praise the Lord. I can live in complete sin and rebellion against God. And I'm my position is firm in Jesus. Now that's presumption. That's presumption. And now theologians and pastors have taken the idea of being crucified with Christ and they've made it purely positional. There is a positional aspect to this. Absolutely. We're becoming who we are in Christ. We are crucified in Christ. We are crucified in Christ. Romans. Doesn't Romans 6 teach that? It's a fact. It's positional. But guess what? There's more to it than just the positional because we are becoming in sanctification in the practical sense, what we are positionally. We are to put off the old man. We're to consider ourselves, to reckon ourselves dead. Aren't we? That's more than just positional. That is a mentality. I'm dead to that old life. I'm dead to the old flesh. I'm dead to my old sins and my old lust because I'm alive in Jesus Christ. I've been brought out of Egypt. I'm not living there anymore. I'm in the promised land now. I'm with Jesus. That's not me anymore. And so it's not just positional. They that are Christ have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. Daily self-denial is at the very forefront of the gospel life. It begins with that. Jesus said in Luke 9 23, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. One of the biggest neglected Parts of the Christian life and why the church is dead is self-denial has been taken quite out of the gospel. The self-denial aspect of the gospel has been removed. and replaced with this convenient Christianity. No self-denial required. It doesn't really matter if you deny yourself and spend time in prayer and in the Word. And it doesn't matter whether you deny yourself and obeying the Lord's command to be a witness and a light. It doesn't really matter. It's neither here nor there. Maybe you'll get some rewards, but who cares if you do it or not? That's the kind of Christianity we're seeing today. That's the Christianity. That's the kind of Christianity exemplified by the wicked King Jeroboam. He said, it's too hard for you. Israel's too hard for you to go down to Jerusalem. It's too hard for you. Here, I'll set up some golden calves for you up here in Northern Kingdom. I'll set up some golden calves. You can worship up here. You don't even have to go far from your homes. It'll be easy. But was that what God required? This convenient, false version of the faith. Those that are Christ have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. These are the very affections and lusts that crucified Jesus on the cross. What was it that drove those Pharisees to crucify Jesus, to crucify our Lord, the Lord who gave us life for us? What drove them? Was it not the love of prominence and reputation, religious reputation? Wasn't it their envy of Jesus in the crowds? Wasn't it those kind of affections and lusts that they wanted, what they thought Jesus had with this worldly applause? They were going after the applause, which Jesus wasn't going after the applause. They see the crowds and they get jealous. They feel threatened. Their position is threatened. Judas' greed put Jesus on the cross. Covetousness, greed. Pilots cowardice, living just to save your own skin, no backbone, sense of standing up for the truth and what's right? How often do we see pilots cowardice in our own lives? Those are the things which put Jesus on the cross. Those very affections and lusts. And that's why the Bible says they that are Christ have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. Because those affections and lusts are Christ's crucifying affections and lusts. It's either we crucify the flesh by the power of the Holy Spirit, mortify the deeds of the body by the Spirit, or the flesh and the affections are going to lead us into the ultimate betrayal of our Lord. I can prove that. We were looking last night in our men's Bible study at 2nd Peter 2. If you want to flip over there, I want to show you something we saw last night, and it just ties right into this and how dangerous it is to walk after the flesh, to walk, to try to live the Christian life without any self-denial. Watch this, 2nd Peter chapter 2. This is going to show us when Paul says, as my beloved sons, I warn you how serious the warning is. This is no light warning. Second Peter chapter two. It's a passage about the false teachers. Now, of course, these. It's a parallel to Jude, the book of Jude, and verse 19 of Jude says they have not the spirit. But the way that they walk, it says here that they lead many in their pernicious ways. Look with me at this first verse, these first verses. 2 Peter chapter 2. 2 Peter 2 and verse 1. But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privilege shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring swift, bring upon themselves swift destruction. And look at verse 2. Many shall follow their pernicious ways, by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. A way of truth shall be evil spoken of. Many will follow their pernicious ways. What are their ways? What are the ways of these false teachers? I don't know about you, but I want to avoid them. I don't know about you, but I don't want to go down this path into apostasy and deception. I want to avoid it. It says in verse 10 that they walk after the flesh. They walk after the flesh. They don't walk after the spirit. They walk after the flesh. Verse 14 says their eyes are full of adultery. Verse 14 says they cannot cease from sin. They're caught in the cords of their sin, they have the habitual sin and they can't overcome it. They continuously indulge in these temptations to sin. The sin is their master, their slaves. They have a heart exercised with covetous or greedy practices. They have a real strong yearning for things that are sinful, that are abominable. Their heart is exercised with those things. It says in verse 15, they've forsaken the right way. And remember back to the beginning verse, because of these people, the true way of truth, the real way of truth, the real life of the cross of Jesus Christ that Jesus lived and taught is going to be evil spoken of. I wonder what they say about it. I wonder if these folks were living after the flesh. I wonder if they walk after the flesh and therefore do not live lives of self-denial. I wonder what they have to say about the true way. I wonder what they say. to speak evil of the true way which they have forsaken. I wonder, what do you think they say? They malign it. They say, oh, that's legalistic puritanical self-denial. What? What about liberty in Christ? What about liberty? What about freedom in Christ? What are you talking about self-denial? We have freedom. Look down at verse 19. While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption. For of whom a man is overcome the same as he brought into bondage. For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein and overcome, the latter end is worse than them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than after they have known it to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it has happened unto them according to the true proverb, the dog has turned to his own vomit again, and the soul that was washed to her wallowing in the mire. Says at the beginning, denying the Lord. And you might think for a minute that this denying the Lord is just in the form of their heretical teachings, that surely it's just that they're subverting the atonement, they're teaching works righteousness. I fear that a lot of times it's a lot more subtle than that. Because it says in Jude that one of their main doctrines they teach, they turn the grace of God into lasciviousness. That means wantonness. They take the grace of God, which is the grace of God that gives us power to conquer sin, and they turn it around and spin it on its head to now it's the opposite. Now the grace of God makes us free to sin. It's an enablement to sin. That's the gospel they preach. And I think that so many Christians are led right into this apostasy of thinking, even if it's just subliminally, that there is a way in Jesus Christ that now, because of the blood of Jesus Christ, we can sin safely. Is there any such thing as safe sin? I have seen that phrase in a commentary by a very respected theologian. The idea that there is such a thing as safe sin. Is there any such thing as safe sin? I don't see that in my Bible anywhere that there's such a thing as safe sin. I don't see it anywhere. Denying the Lord that bought them, maybe not just by teachings alone, certainly by teachings, by heresies, but also by the mere fact of their walking after the flesh. Titus 1.16 puts it all together. Titus 1.16. You go back the other side of Hebrews to the left a little bit. 1st Timothy, 2nd Timothy, Titus 1.16, the last verse, chapter one. It says, they profess that they know God. They profess the knowledge of God. They profess salvation. They profess that they know God. But in works, they deny him. being abominable and disobedient and unto every good work reprobate. You see, walking after the flesh is a lot worse than we thought. Paul's warning to his beloved children is a lot more severe than we thought. Or maybe many of us have thought. Because when it comes down to it, it's really like this. We either deny self, deny the flesh, take up our cross and follow Jesus, or we deny Christ, take up sin and follow Satan. That's it. Those are the two options. There's no nice way of walking in the flesh. There's no way of walking into the flesh that's not a denial of the Lord. That's not a denial of forsaking of the way of righteousness. Such a way does not exist. There's no middle way. It's either you walk after the flesh, and after the way of Satan, or you walk after the Spirit. There's no other opportunity. There's no other road besides these two roads. You see how severe the warning is. 2 Timothy 3 talks about this deception and how it's prominent in the last days. 2 Timothy 3 says this. It's incredible to me. It's always been incredible to me that this passage, 2 Timothy 3, that almost an identical list to that horrible list of abominations in Romans 1, and now we see it in the church. It's incredible. Here it says this, 2 Timothy 3. This know also that in the last days perilous times shall come, for men shall be lovers of their own selves. See, they that are Christ are crucified to the flesh with its affections and lusts. They that are Christ are crucified to those wicked affections of pride and love of self. But it says these in the last days shall be lovers of their own selves. Covetous. Remember that? Exercise hearts, exercising covetous practices, greedy practices. boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, means no self-control, just self-indulgent, no self-control, no self-denial, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God. Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof. From such, turn away. Get away from these people. Get away from these frauds. What is this in verse 5? Denying the power. Having a form of godliness, but denying the power. There is a form. There is an outward veneer that looks very Christian-like in some ways. But they're denying the power. What is the power? What is the power that they're denying? Haven't we been learning it this whole time in Corinthians? If you go back to Corinthians 1.24, we'll remind ourselves of this power. 1 Corinthians 1 and verse 24. There we read this. But unto them which are called both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God. Christ is the power of God. And we parse this out in verse 31 or verse 30 of him. Are you in Christ Jesus who of God has made unto us wisdom? And then here's the power enacted in the Christian righteousness, power for righteousness before God and power for sanctification, for victory over sin and conformity to Christ, power for redemption, the redemption of our body at the coming of Christ. Christ is power. He is the power. What are they denying? Having a form of godliness, but denying the power. They're denying Jesus. They're denying the Lord. Denying the Lord that bought them. Denying the power. Christ in us. Who would conform us, who would transform us, who would change us, who would restore us, renew us, give us victory over the flesh. They're denying him. And this is the condemnation that the light is coming to the world. Jesus has come. The victory has come. The cross, it's accomplished. But men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil. They go back like a dog to the vomit, like a pig into the mud because they don't want the salvation. They'd rather have this salvation lie of saying, oh, I have this great position in Jesus and God sees me as perfectly righteous. And then I can just go out and live like the devil. That's what they want. They want to live in the mud. They have no heart for holiness. They have no hunger and thirst for righteousness. They have no brokenness over sin. None of those things that exemplify or characterize the true people of God. That shows us the danger of a carnal state. He says, I warn you. I'm not trying to shame you. I'm warning you. This is dangerous. You're trying to live a crossless Christianity. You're trying to live the Christian life without self-denial. It's not possible. It's not possible because the division Corinth, the division Corinthians that is coming into your church, these contentions that are coming into the church are because you have a crossless Christianity and a crossless Christianity is going to be a Christianity that is false and that is going to be crucifying the Lord, that is going to be persecuting the Lord's true people. Because it's the flesh. And the flesh can never be friend, God. The flesh can never be friends with the Lord Jesus Christ. The flesh is always hostile to God. The flesh is always contrary to the Spirit. The flesh can never be redeemed. It can never be reformed. You can't train the flesh to be a good Christian. The only thing that we can do with the flesh is crucify it and put it to death by the power of the Holy Spirit. And so you're either going to deny the flesh, depending on the Lord, deny the flesh by the Spirit in faith, denying the flesh, putting it to death, crucifying it, or you're going to be set against God in your heart, pretending to be a Christian. You're going to be absolutely set against Christ and his people. In verse 16 and 17, we move on to see the rarity of a true spiritual walk. The rarity of a true spiritual walk. Chapter 4, verse 16. There we read, wherefore, I beseech you, be followers of me. For this cause, have I sent unto you Timotheus Timothy, who is my beloved son and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways, which be in Christ, as I teach everywhere in every church. The rarity of a true spiritual walk. Paul says here, imitate me. If you keep that page and flip to the right a little bit, you'll see in 1 Corinthians 11. He says something very similar. He says, Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. Follow me as much as I follow Christ, and no more. That should be the measure of our following of anybody as much as they reflect the cross and the and the true way of the gospel of Christ. Yes, that's a good example. Test it. Measure it against scripture. Consider. Follow those good examples as they follow Christ. You know, Paul says something interesting here about Timothy. He says, for this cause, because I want you to be imitators of me, because I want to remind you of the true way of the cross and self-denial that I've just talked about in the previous verses, I want to send Timothy to you. Well, look at verse 16, chapter 16, I mean. Chapter 16, he says this about Timothy. Chapter 16, verse 10, he says, Now, if Timotheus come, see that he may be with you without fear, for he worketh the work of the Lord, as I also do. Let no man therefore despise him, but conduct him forth in peace, that he may come unto me, for I look for him with the brethren. You see, Paul had great confidence in Timothy. Timothy had served with Paul for many years. They'd been through a lot. They'd been in the firefights together. They'd been in the foxholes together. They'd been in the persecution together at Lystra and at Thessalonica and other places. And Paul, over time, had given Timothy increasingly important missions. Over time, he had let Timothy have more and more freedom and more liberty to go off on his own on these missions to different churches. And Timothy had gained the Apostle Paul's great respect. Timothy had been around Paul and served with Paul so long that by sending Timothy to Corinth, Paul was essentially sending himself. He's saying, follow me. Imitate me. And by the way, I'm going to send Timothy. And if you see how Timothy walks, you can see exactly how I walk because Timothy walks like I walk and I walk as Christ walked. That's wonderful discipleship. Jesus himself said that when a disciple is fully trained, they'll be like their master. They'll walk after the path. They'll have the same spiritual DNA. And Timothy had that. Timothy was dependable. Timothy is called faithful. He's dependable. He's going to get the job done. He's going to show them the true way of the cross. Philippians chapter two. There's another amazing testimony about this man, Timothy. Philippians chapter two and verse 19. Look what Paul says about Timothy here. But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timotheus, Timothy, shortly or quickly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort when I know your state. And look what he says in verse 20. For I have no man like minded who will naturally care for your state. For all seek their own, not the things that are Christ's. Can you believe Paul can say this? In an environment of professing Christians, he can say, all seek their own. So much self-seeking in the churches. Oh, but Timothy, Timothy, I can depend on Timothy to naturally care for your state, to do what's right, to give you a right example, to walk before you in a Christ-like manner. I can depend on Timothy. All others seek their own, not the things that are Christ's, not walking after the cross of self-denial, but Timothy. He's one of those rare ones, he's one of those ones that live the cross, that had walked with Paul and learned that way of self-denial and could really enter into Corinth and show them the true path of power and blessing by example. And this brings us back to that other point that's kind of below the surface here. And that other point is this. Paul says you could have 10,000 instructors in Christ in first Corinthians four, verse 15. You could have 10,000 instructors in Christ, but not many fathers. Not many fathers naturally care for you as a father does lay down the right example. Those are more rare. Those are more rare. And the Corinthians were blessed with a lot of knowledge, a lot of Bible knowledge. But we all know that knowledge is really nothing without love. Isn't that what Paul says later on in first Corinthians 13? What does he say? Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels and have not charity, have not love, I am become as a sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal, though I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge. And though I have all faith so I could remove mountains and have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor and though I give my body to be burned and have not love and profit me nothing. Timothy had love. Timothy had love. He had self-denial and he had love, he walked in love. It's a rare thing for a Christian to really get it, to really get the life of self-denial, of taking up the cross and finding that on the other side of that self-denial, on the other side of that death to self, His wonderful joy and peace and a living righteousness of the Holy Spirit. It's a rare thing. It's a rare thing. Lastly, the power of a crucified life. Finishing up at this point, verses 18 through 20. The power of a crucified life. He says in verse 18, now some are puffed up as though I would not come to you. Apparently there have been some who thought that Paul maybe didn't have the nerve to deal with the situation, but he says he's going to come. Verse 19. But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will know not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power. For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power. What will ye? Shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of meekness? This is a very interesting statement when he says the kingdom of God is not in word but in power. And you could have some superficial understandings of it and see, oh, actions speak louder than words. You know, a lot of the problem with much of Christianity today is Too much action. Too much activity. Not enough spiritual activity going on. Not enough spiritual work going on. A whole lot of energy in the flesh being wasted. Not enough real spiritual work. So it would be superficial to just say, oh, Paul's saying, actions speak louder than words. Or to go so far as others and say, see, doctrine doesn't matter. The kingdom of God is not in word. The kingdom of God is not in your systematic theology and all your doctrines and crossing your T's and dotting your I's. It's in power. It's about Jesus, not doctrine. Doctrine divides. Doctrine causes problems. Really, then why in Paul's pastoral letters written to pastors to know how to conduct themselves in the church is doctrine repeated over and over again? Sound doctrine. And why in the early church do we see in Acts 2, 40 to 42, why do we see they continued in the apostles doctrine? Why does the Bible make such a big deal about doctrine if we're supposed to throw it out and say, oh, the kingdom of God is not in doctrine, but in power? You think that's what he's saying? No, he's not saying there's no place for preaching. He had come to them putting everything into that. Preaching. If you read in chapter two, Especially where chapter one for the preaching of the cross is them that perish foolishness. Sorry, verse 17. Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel. That's the proclamation of truth. That's the proclamation of teachings, doctrines about Christ and what he did on the cross. Or in chapter two, when he says that I determined to know nothing among you, but Christ crucified. Those are doctrines. He's teaching doctrine. So when he says the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power, you have to compare it with a similar phrase used over in Thessalonians. First Thessalonians one. Where it's clarified. 1 Thessalonians chapter 1. And verse 5. Chapter 1 verse 5. For our gospel came not unto you in word only. Ah. but it also in power and in the Holy Ghost and in much assurance as you know what manner of men we were among you for your sake. So he says our gospel came not in word only, the gospel of God, the gospel of Christ is not in word but in power, meaning it's not merely in words, it's not merely in us sitting around and talking about Bible knowledge all day, it's also the power, the efficient power of the Holy Spirit working concurrently by the word and the Holy Spirit resists those who are proud like the Corinthians were full of self. And so they've got all this Bible knowledge, but the Holy Spirit is grieved and offended because of their pride and their lack of self-denial. And so it's not in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Ghost and in much assurance. And he says here in verse 6 to the Thessalonians, that you became followers. Remember Paul says, follow me, become followers of me, become imitators of me as I imitate Christ. And he says the Thessalonians became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction with joy of the Holy Ghost. And you were examples to all that believe in Macedonia and Ikea. The Thessalonians lived a life of self-denial because even in much affliction, they were sounding out the gospel. They were witnessing. They were bold. They were putting themselves right into the face of persecution for the furtherance of the gospel. There was self-denial. There was zeal for the gospel in Thessalonica at that church. They were living the crucified life, and so they were living the powerful life. The gospel was not in word, but in power. And lastly, I'll finish with this one verse, 2 Corinthians 4, and remind us again of the need of the cross of self-denial for every single one of us. If we're to live the life of the spirit, to walk in the spirit, Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4, verse 7. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels. We know what the treasure is. It's the knowledge of Christ. It's the indwelling of Christ by the Holy Spirit. We have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of the what? The excellency of the power may be of God and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed. We are perplexed, but not in despair. Persecuted, but not forsaken. Cast down, but not destroyed. And here it is, always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. Death to self. Life in Christ. Denial of self. Denying self. Take up your cross. Deny yourself daily. Take up your cross and follow Jesus Christ. Let's deny ourselves in prayer. Let's deny ourselves in the things of the world that are taking us away from our Bible, our time in the Word. Let's deny ourselves and serve one another in love and meet needs of one another. Let's deny ourselves in witnessing, in reaching out, in stepping out, maybe to possible exposure to some heat, some persecution. Let's deny ourselves. And in that denial of self, in that embracing that kind of death, that kind of crucifixion, where there will be an experience of the power of Christ in us. And not any time before that. So Father, I pray, Lord God, that we would not settle down into a complacent and crossless Christianity, Lord. I pray, Father, I pray, Lord God, that you would awaken us, Lord, to the reality that the Christian life cannot be lived without the cross. And without the cross, we will be going after Christ, and we will be seeking to crucify him afresh, because that's what the flesh does. The flesh is hostile. The flesh is wicked. It is anti-Christ. It is against God. And we pray, Father, you'd open our eyes to see There is only two choices, deny self and live, or if you live according to flesh, you shall die. The carnal mind is death. Lord, we pray, Father, that we would walk in the true life of the Spirit, Lord, that we would not throw off the self-denial of the gospel like so many in our day, Lord, who are apostatizing, lovers of self, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. But I pray that we would love Jesus, that we would love Jesus and love not our own lives, even to the death, Lord God, that we would place our love for God above all earthly things, even our own lives, Lord. Whoever loves his life in this world will lose it, but whoever loses it for your sake will find it. I pray that we would all find that life, that rich, abundant life in Jesus, as we deny ourselves and our old man. In Jesus' name, amen. All right, well, I wanted to finish with this song, Trust and Obey. Could we turn to 44 and sing this together? Could we stand? And we can even just sing it. Oh, okay. It's not 44? Oh, 414, sorry. 414. We walk with the Lord in the light of His Word. What a glory He sheds on our way. For we do His good will, He abides with us still. And with all who will, trust and obey. Trust and obey, for there's no other way. to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey. One second. Folks, can we settle that in our minds there's no other way? Can we say to the devil, devil, there is no other way! I'm not listening to you anymore! I'm not listening to your lies! I'm not gonna give in to my flesh! I'm gonna follow the Lord Jesus Christ because there's no other way. Amen? Trust and obey. Let's sing it together. Next line. Not a shadow can rise Not a cloud in the skies But his smile quickly drives it away Not a doubt or a fear Not a sigh nor a tear Can abide while we trust and obey Trust and obey For there's no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey. But we never can prove the delights of His love until all on the altar we lay. for the favor he shows and the joy he bestows are for them who will trust and obey. Trust and obey for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey. Then in fellowship's suite, we will sit at his feet, or we'll walk by his side in the way. What he says we will do, where he sends we will go, never fear, only trust and obey. Hey, we can't do it. We can't do it. And that's when we really begin to have the power to do it. When we realize we can, we turn to the only one who can do it in us. Amen? Because He promises to do it in us. So, amen. God bless you. You are dismissed.