The following is a sermon transcript from our Sunday Service at The Rock Church in Mount Laurel, New Jersey. Each week, we gather to worship, learn from God’s Word, and grow together. This transcript is provided as a free resource to encourage and equip you in your walk with Christ. While you’re welcome to read and share this content for personal use, we kindly ask that it not be redistributed or published elsewhere without prior written consent from The Rock Church.
Christ Conquers Corruption at Every Level
Transparency International defines corruption as the abuse of entrusted power for private gain. This organization ranks the world’s countries with what’s called a corruption perception index. Denmark is apparently the least corrupt. South Sudan the most. By what measures, you ask? Well, that’s for another discussion.
But as we think about institutions like government, business, and the media, we can easily point fingers:
- “Oh, those politicians are all in it for themselves.”
- “So many businesses — all they care about is making a profit. They’ll take any steps necessary toward that end.”
- “And don’t get me started on the media. You know, it would be nice if they could just tell the truth some of the time.”
You see, the problem with this approach is that we find ourselves always judging others. We say things like:
“Well, I’m so glad I’m not like those people.”
It’s some effort to make ourselves feel better. But what if we were more concerned not with political or social revolution, but with something entirely spiritual?
“What are you talking about, pastor?”
Well, isn’t it true that lasting change only happens when the heart is changed? It’s the mission of the church — as Christ put it — to seek and save those who are lost, to proclaim the gospel to all nations, and to know that the true power of God is in the gospel of God.
Confronting Inner Corruption
And what if our greatest concern was for the corruption that lies deep within the human heart?
“Oh, no thanks. I’d rather not consider that kind of corruption. It’s too hard. It’s too painful. I’m too broken.”
But here’s the good news: we serve the living God who knows all things. And when it comes to our work, our living, our character — yes, our minds — Christ conquers all of its corruption.
But we are forgetful people. We forget the promises of God and the power of God, leaving us to try harder, do more, and be better. I’ve often said we need the reminder:
“It’s all of Christ for all of life.”
But what does that really mean? How does that apply to us today and every day?
How do we know and understand that Christ is all in all — in our work, in our living, in our character, in our minds?
Well, what we often do is compartmentalize Christ.
- Yes, it’s all of Christ on Sunday when we come to worship our King.
- But not in our workplace — “You don’t understand, Pastor. I just can’t bring myself to work as unto the Lord.”
- “Maybe if I had a good boss, I’d gladly do that.”
— But corruption remains.
We also say:
- “My life is just too hard.”
- “I can’t bring myself to understand that it’s all of Christ for all of life.”
- “There’s some part of my life I just don’t want Jesus in on.”
— And so corruption remains.
It’s a problem of belief — of believing what is true — because we’ve become so accustomed to mixing in error.
That’s the problem with:
- the false teacher,
- a poor work ethic,
- and wrong thinking and living.
It’s only by the grace of God that we not only know Christ conquers, but also see Christ conquer in every area of our lives — for the glory of God.
Honor to Christ Demonstrated by Respect for Employers
(1 Timothy 6:1–2)
“So let’s look at that first one. Honor to Christ is demonstrated by respect for employers. It’s verses one to two, 1 Timothy chapter six. Let’s read together:
Let all who are under a yoke as bondservants regard their own masters as worthy of all honor. Why? So that the name of God and the teaching of God may not be reviled. Those who have believing masters must not be disrespectful on the ground that they are brothers. Rather, they must serve all the better since those who benefit by their good service are believers and beloved.”
Bondservants and the Modern Workplace
So what’s happening in the text? Well, these bondservants are much like the modern-day equivalent of an employee. Just like an employee voluntarily agrees to work for pay, so a bondservant would agree to stay with his master.
Now to be clear, some might also use the word slave for bondservant. And just because the Bible describes historical cultural events doesn’t mean that God condones them. Just because Solomon had many wives doesn’t mean that God approved of it.
The point here is that many bondservants in Paul’s day were coming to know Christ — and it changed how they viewed their relationship with their master.
For some, there might have been a tendency to consider themselves better than their heathen master. On the other hand, if their master was a believer, they might have looked at him too casually, as merely a peer.
In both cases — whether a believing or unbelieving master — they needed to give the proper respect.
Asking the “Why”
And the next question we have to ask is why? Isn’t it always important to know the “why” behind anything you do?
You ask your kids to do something, and their immediate response is:
“Daddy, why?”
And without falling into the temptation to just say, “Because I said so,” we would do well to explain the reason behind the request.
Well, it’s the same for you as an employee. Knowing the why is huge.
Why do you come to work every day?
- “Oh, pastor, it’s just a job. I need to make money.”
And of course, that’s true — especially for those who have side hustles to pick up some extra cash.
But when we consider a career, a vocation, a calling of God on our lives to a particular field, it’s important to know the why.
And I would submit to you that the best “why” is:
To the glory of God.
Sunday Worship and Daily Work
We think about it most on a Sunday morning. We consider everything from the parking, to the greeting, to the music, to the preaching. We want it all to glorify God.
We don’t have greeters outside and parking attendants as some show of pageantry. It’s so that visitors and guests are greeted with joy, with hospitality, so that the Sunday morning experience becomes special. That’s right — I used the word experience because there is something special that happens when the people of God gather together.
But coming back to how we consider our employment, particularly how we treat our bosses, is of great importance. Because we can be cavalier about it — thinking we are morally superior to our employer.
We can even get lax in our work ethic, reasoning that:
“It isn’t ministry. It’s just how I make money to do ministry.”
But that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Sadly, we’ve allowed corruption to remain. We’ve separated Christ from our work.
We look at our boss as either below us or as our peer. But the Bible speaks much about our work:
“Whatever you do, do it heartily, as unto the Lord.”
Changing Our Attitude at Work
But what if I have the wrong attitude? How do I change how I think?
Well, it certainly starts with acknowledging there’s something wrong with my attitude. And then, we look to our work and do it as unto the Lord.
It’s not that our bosses in some way become Jesus — it’s that we work as if they were. And something changes.
- The corruption begins to fade.
- The complacency fades.
- Even the bitterness begins to fade away.
Work becomes joyful rather than drudgery, meaningful rather than meaningless.
When Workplaces Are Hard
Now, I’m not saying that you should stay with an abusive, terrible boss. But if God has called you to a company and you sense this is where you need to be, then ask the Lord to change how you think.
Because the last thing you want is a boss who knows you are a Christian but sees a poor attitude or poor work ethic.
Why?
Well, it’s obvious. But Paul tells us here: if a heathen boss — a pagan, one who doesn’t believe — sees that, he might think:
“If that’s how the Christians are, then I wonder about the God of the Christians.”
That’s right. With a poor work ethic, with a bad attitude, you’re bringing reproach on the name of Christ and His gospel. That’s a heavy thing to consider.
Yes, our work can either cause our boss to be drawn to Christ or turned away from Him.
The Unseen Impact of Our Witness
“Oh pastor, I don’t think that’s true. I work hard, but I’ve never had a conversation about Christ with my boss.”
Oh, but can you see into his heart? Do you know what impact your attitude and work ethic have on him? Of course not.
Do you know how God operates in His sovereignty? Of course not.
Your boss might see your good work and good attitude — but you’ll never fully know the impact. God might be using you to show him how Christians operate in the workplace, so that later he might be open to another believer who shares the gospel with him.
God’s ways are higher than our ways. And so we need to rest in Christ, knowing He’s working all things together for our good and His glory.
The Process of Honor and Respect
It goes without saying, but here’s how the process works:
- Inward honor leads to outward respect.
- It makes perfect sense.
- We will never show respect to another if we first don’t honor them in our hearts.
And what’s true for every follower of Christ? Yes, we all want to honor Christ in everything that we do.
But sometimes we just need a reminder.
The law is like train tracks showing us: “This is the way.” But we never use the law as the power source. The power source is Christ — what He did for us.
That it’s all of Christ for all of life. That nothing can separate us from His love.
And as we look to Christ in our work, something changes. It becomes much easier to respect your heathen boss and honor your believing one.
Working Even Harder for a Believing Boss
Because it’s not your power and your effort — it’s Christ in you, the hope of glory. It’s a changed heart.
But since we still walk around in this corpse called the flesh, we need the reminder:
“Oh yeah, that’s right. It’s no longer I who live, but Christ in me. And the life I now live, I live by faith.”
That’s what we sang about earlier.
The Apostle Paul says you should work even harder for a believing boss. Isn’t that interesting? Why?
Because with right motives and a genuine desire to be a blessing, you are honoring your believing boss.
The Word “Beloved”
Notice this word: beloved. When you hear that word, what immediately comes to mind?
Yes — that God loves me. That He loved me before the foundation of the world. And that love was expressed in the person and work of Christ:
- who lived perfectly righteous for me,
- who suffered for me,
- who died for me,
- who rose for me,
- who is seated at the right hand of the Father interceding for me,
- and who is coming back for me — for us.
Let’s remember this: we’ve been reconciled back to God. He did the work of restoring what was broken.
We didn’t initiate anything. It wasn’t like we set up a meeting between Jesus and the Father to fix this. No, it was all of God — He initiated the relationship, He is keeping it, and He will complete it, bringing us to glory.
Bound Together in Christ’s Love
As fellow believers, we’ve been bound together by the mutual love of Christ and our love for one another.
Since we all want to honor Christ in our work, let’s respect our employers. Not because they’ve earned it, but because it’s due to them as unto Christ.
Your boss may be very hard to honor. But you have an opportunity to glorify God — maybe being the only one who can do it.
Your coworkers might even make fun of you when you refrain from gossip and speaking evil of your boss. But your witness is far more important and worth protecting.
So let’s know this:
Honor to Christ is demonstrated by respect for employers.
Right Doctrine Embraced in the Inner Person Leads to Right Living in the Outer Person
(1 Timothy 6:3)
Secondly, let’s consider Christ conquering corruption in how we live.
That’s the second point: Right doctrine. Right teaching.
We embrace that in the inner person, and it will lead to right living in the outer person.
Verse 3 says:
Teach and urge these things. If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness…
The Link Between Doctrine and Living
So who is Paul talking about here? It’s quite clear — these are the false teachers among us. And he makes an important connection between two things:
- Doctrine
- Living
Now, how are these related?
Allow me to submit to you: how you view God is incredibly important.
R.C. Sproul wrote a book called Everybody’s a Theologian. And it’s true — theology isn’t just for academics. We all have opinions about God.
We pray those opinions are shaped by the Word of God — but sometimes they’re not. Sometimes we’re not even aware of it.
That’s why it’s so important that the Word of God is the authority over the church. Because the opinions of man are constantly changing — never settled, never final.
False Teachers and Their Claims
So what’s happening with these false teachers?
First question: do they think of themselves as false?
Well, of course not. They think they have the secret, hidden knowledge — all the answers to successful Christian living.
There are two terms I want you to write down (and don’t worry if you need help spelling them — they’re in the sermon notes, and I had to spellcheck them too):
- Gnosticism
- Asceticism
Gnosticism
Gnosticism (or “gnostics”) is the same now as it was in the early church.
They espouse that there is secret knowledge that, once found, is the way to salvation.
Many false religions hold this idea — including the nirvana of Buddhism, but also secular and scientific philosophies.
In fact, the pagan psychologist Carl Jung proudly supported Gnosticism as far superior to Christianity.
But there’s also something called Christian Gnosticism — and where do we see that alive today?
Of course, in the hyper-charismania movement — the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR).
And they say things like:
“We need to hear the deep things of God.”
“We need to pray for a word from God.”
It becomes mystical, spiritual, and contrary to the Bible.
Asceticism
The second term is asceticism.
It emphasizes the spiritual and de-emphasizes the material. You see it in monks and nuns who separate from the world in order to go deeper with God.
The problem, of course, is that while we are not of this world, God never calls us to separate from it.
And so these false teachers despise the sound words of Christ and His glorious gospel.
Why?
Because they get no credit.
“How dare all the glory go to Christ alone?” they think.
Nothing of humanism, nothing of self-effort, nothing of self-improvement.
No Special Formula – Just Christ
So you’re saying the Christian life has nothing to do with me being better, working harder, or trying more?
That’s right.
There’s no special formula. No five easy steps to successful Christian living.
The simple focus is:
- Looking to Christ.
- Believing Christ.
- Trusting Christ.
And you know what? The more that we do that, the more joy, the more peace, the more freedom we experience.
If we look to self and fall into hyper-introspection, we will become miserable and hopeless.
The Right Place for Self-Reflection
Now hear me on this — I’m not saying it’s wrong to practice self-reflection.
When we come to the communion table, it’s good to look to the Lord and ask Him to search us:
“Lord, see if there be any wicked way in me.”
But don’t spend too much time there. It can become depressing.
As we consider our sin, we may wonder: How could we be saved?
But as we consider Christ, we realize: How could we not be saved?
That’s the grace and mercy of God — that He would send His only Son to suffer and die for us. That He endured all the pain, all the betrayal, all the agony — for us.
And He could declare from the cross:
“It is finished.”
Our Tendency to Add to the Gospel
Yet deep in our hearts, we often say things like:
- “I think I need to add just a little bit here.”
- “A little bit there.”
Surely, we think, I must contribute somehow to my salvation — if not my salvation, then at least my sanctification.
But no — when we believe the right things about God and Christ, it will change how we live.
Negative and Positive Examples
Let me give you one negative example and one positive.
Negative: If we are born again, saved by Christ, but we think God is always trying to punish us, it will change how we live. We’ll constantly live in fear of falling into sin, always afraid that God is angry.
And here’s where we often confuse things: we conflate the discipline of God with the punishment of God. But these are two very different things.
Even though God’s discipline may feel painful, it is always for our good.
Positive: If we are in Christ, then we can rest. But if we’re not in Christ, yes, we should fear God’s punishment — because the Bible says the wrath of God rests upon the sons of disobedience.
But if that’s you — cry out to God for mercy. Ask Him to give you faith to believe. And He will answer. He will transform your life, delivering you out of darkness and into His marvelous light.
The Positive Side of Right Doctrine
As a believer in Christ, you can now rest in Him.
Whatever happens in this life, you can know: everything is going to be okay.
Why? Because your union with Christ, your adoption into the family of God, and your right standing before a holy God changes everything.
We now rest securely in the Father’s arms, trusting that Christ is working in our lives.
Even if we face the worst suffering, there will come a day when it ceases. There will be a day when all sin and suffering will end. And we will worship the Lamb of God for all eternity.
Right Doctrine Produces Godliness
Notice this: right doctrine produces right living.
How? Paul uses the word godliness right here.
With a right understanding of God in Christ, we will live in a constant state of reverence and respect for Him.
That’s true piety. And it’s very different from pietism.
Piety vs. Pietism
Piety is living with reverence for Christ.
Pietism is constantly striving, in anxiety, to prove ourselves to Him.
Pietism sounds like this:
- “Am I doing enough?”
- “Am I trying hard enough?”
- “Did I miss something that God wanted me to do? Now He must be upset with me.”
That’s not the Christian life.
The Christian life is safely resting in Christ — but it’s also active in the works God has called us to.
The Problem of Self-Made Works
Sometimes we’re so worried about missing the good works God has prepared for us, that we create our own works.
But when we do that, we try to accomplish something in the flesh rather than in the Spirit.
And that’s a problem.
The Solution: Agreeing with Christ’s Words
No — let’s agree with the sound words of Christ as He conforms us into His image.
Let’s not get caught up in what doesn’t profit us — the constant pursuit of knowledge, superiority, moral high ground, and virtue signaling.
Instead of boasting in how much Scripture we’ve memorized, let’s pursue knowing the God of the Bible more and more.
Let His words penetrate our hearts as we receive from Him through the ordinary means of grace.
Because God is doing something special when we gather together:
- when we pray,
- when we sing to one another,
- when the Word is preached,
- when we share communion,
- when we witness baptisms.
This is how Christ grows us.
Genuine Faith Rooted in Christ Leads to Love and Humility
(1 Timothy 6:4)
Verse 4 says:
He is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, and evil suspicions.
The Fruit of False Teachers
Here’s the thrust of what Paul is saying: Bad doctrine destroys character.
How do you spot a false teacher? How do you know they’re teaching something contrary to the sound words of Christ?
It will be evident in their character and manifest in some very bad fruit.
Paul lists it:
- puffed up with conceit,
- blind with pride,
- always craving controversy,
- stirring up quarrels.
Blind With Pride
Paul says they’re “puffed up with conceit.” Another way of putting it: blind with pride.
In the Greek, the phrase literally means “wrapped in smoke.”
Ever heard the phrase “blowing smoke”? That’s where it comes from.
It’s like people who are always talking about:
- how successful they are,
- how many possessions they have,
- how much they’ve accomplished,
- how big their church is,
- how beautiful their buildings are.
They assume their success proves they’re doing something right.
The Contrast: Genuine Faith
But here’s the truth: genuine faith rooted in Christ will always produce love and humility.
Sadly, many pastors know that with their minds — but their hearts are far from it.
You know the type: they’re always looking for a debate, always craving controversy.
Paul says it’s like a disease in their hearts — a cancer that needs to be fed. The only way they can feed it is by arguing endlessly.
From Healthy Debate to Personal Attacks
You see it when you watch the news. An interview may start professional and civil, but soon the conversation derails.
No longer is it a healthy debate where people disagree respectfully. Instead, it devolves into:
- name-calling,
- personal attacks,
- accusations about character.
That’s exactly what Paul is warning about — the fruit of false teaching.
The Role of the Confession in Guarding Unity
As elders and deacons, we affirm the London Baptist Confession of Faith. We read from it every week.
It contains:
- encouragement,
- pastoral wisdom,
- and overall comfort for the soul.
But at the same time, we don’t require church members to affirm it.
Why not, if it’s so good?
Because in the Christian faith, there are primary issues, secondary issues, and even tertiary issues.
We can’t make a law that says everyone must agree on every line of the confession. That only leads to division, with leaders constantly arguing people over to their side.
Instead, we ask our members to hold to a subscription of unity.
Even if they disagree on certain parts, we ask them not to cause disunity — and instead to maintain a teachable spirit.
The Confession as Guardrails
So, the confession serves as guardrails — keeping us from going off the rails.
It should always be used for unity and safety, while being charitable to those who disagree.
Anyone who’s been in church life for any amount of time knows how important unity is.
It’s not about being afraid to talk about secondary or tertiary issues — it’s about discussing them charitably.
Otherwise, the inevitable happens: envy, dissension, slander, suspicions.
The Fruit of Division
Paul makes it clear what that looks like:
- envy,
- divisions,
- abusive language,
- thinking the worst in others,
- always being suspicious.
That’s a terrible way for a church to operate.
And sadly, pastors themselves can sometimes foment these things rather than extinguish them.
The Call to Love and Humility
So what’s the answer?
Genuine faith, rooted in Christ, will always lead to love and humility.
It’s the kind of Christian love that says:
- “I’m going to believe the best in my brother or sister.”
- “I’m going to put their needs above my own.”
- “I’m going to consider their conscience above mine.”
- “I’m not going to tear them down with gossip or suspicion.”
But this kind of love cannot be produced apart from the Holy Spirit’s power working in us.
When Pride Creeps In
Yes, there will be times when we sin against others without even realizing it. We may think:
“Well, I just need to speak the truth in love.”
But if it leaves the other person broken and crushed, then we didn’t do it well.
Satan gets a foothold in our relationships when the works of the flesh go unchecked.
- When we hold onto anger,
- When bitterness builds,
- When we’re too afraid to speak about the small things.
And then the small things pile up into a big thing. By then, it’s a crisis.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. We can keep short accounts. We can go to a brother or sister when they’ve wronged us — or when we’ve wronged them.
The Pride of False Teachers
See, pride is the source of the false teacher — not Christ, but pride.
He thinks he has the better way, the most important agenda. But really, he’s filled only with the fumes of self-conceit.
Here’s the reality: no false teacher knows he’s a false teacher.
He genuinely believes what he’s teaching is best. He disregards the problems, blaming them on everyone else’s sin rather than his own.
Praying Against Pride
Let’s pray that Christ conquers the corruption in our character.
That we would not be afraid to admit when we’ve sinned. That when pride creeps in, we confess it.
Because pride is always hiding in the shadows. It whispers lies like:
- “You’re right. They’re all wrong.”
- “You know better than them.”
- “They’re just the sheep — you’re the man of God.”
It’s tragic. It’s destructive.
God’s Justice Against False Teachers
But thankfully, the Lord always deals with the false teacher.
He sees the damage being done to His church — the very people purchased by the blood of Christ.
And while it may seem they’re getting away with it, in reality it’s God being slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love.
He does not punish us as our sins deserve, but casts them away as far as the east is from the west.
Leave it to the Lord to deal with the false teacher.
Gaining Christ Is Far More Valuable Than Personal Advancement
(1 Timothy 6:5)
Verse 5 adds more to the list of corrupt fruit:
- envy,
- dissension,
- slander,
- evil suspicions,
- constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.
The Tragedy of Misusing Christianity
This is the great tragedy of the Christian faith: some use it — knowingly or unknowingly — for personal gain.
Think of the prosperity gospel preacher or the word of faith teacher. They see an opportunity to make money.
But even for the average person, Christ can be misused as a means to achieve personal ends:
- happiness,
- success,
- a stronger family,
- a secure life.
And when they don’t get those things, what do they do? They abandon the faith.
When Secondary Things Become Primary
Now don’t get me wrong — you could very well experience many of those blessings.
Some of you came out of darkness with no hope and a broken marriage. But since coming to faith, God has been doing a restorative work. That’s a very good thing.
The problem is when we take these secondary blessings and make them primary. When Christ becomes second.
That’s when we start asking:
- “Why did God allow this suffering in my life?”
- “Why didn’t I get a better marriage?”
- “Why don’t I have a successful career?”
When hardship hits, we begin accusing God of punishing us.
The Purpose of Trials
But that’s not the point. Trials are not punishment — they’re meant to draw us into deeper dependence on Christ.
Not if trials come, but when they come, we must understand the “why.”
They force us to trust His power and not our own.
And when we come out of trials, we can look back and say:
“Thank You, Lord. Thank You for bringing me through. Thank You for humbling me. Thank You for teaching me to trust You more.”
Has anyone ever thanked God for being humbled? That’s hard. But it’s exactly what trials do — they shape Christ in us.
Gaining Christ Above All
Lastly, gaining Christ is far more valuable than personal advancement. It’s verse five we read together. This is the additional list:
- Envy
- Dissension
- Slander
- Evil suspicions
- Constant friction among the people who are deprived in mind, deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.
This is the great tragedy of the Christian faith, that some use it knowingly or unknowingly for personal gain. It’s the prosperity gospel preacher, the word of faith teacher. They see an opportunity to make a lot of money. But for the average person, they see Christ as a means to achieve their personal ends. Whether that’s happiness or personal success or a stronger family or secure life, Christ will help them get one or many of these things. And when they don’t get it, they do what? Abandon the faith.
Now don’t get me wrong, you could likely get all these things. Some of you who were once in darkness and only despair without a hope and a future, a broken marriage and a family, but since you’ve come to faith, God has been doing a work, starting to change things. And that’s a very good thing. But when we make these secondary things primary and Christ is second, here’s the question that we start asking: Why did God allow this to happen to me? Why did God allow this suffering in my life? Why didn’t I get a better marriage? Why don’t I have a successful career?
It’s when we’re having problems with our spouse, we say, God, why? I thought you were going to give me a better marriage. It’s in rough shape now. It’s when we lose our job or fall sick, all these questions start flying in our minds, accusing God of trying to punish us. That’s not the point. We need to know that these trials will come into our lives. And when they do, not if, but when they do, we need to understand the why. It’s to cause us to be more dependent on Christ, more trusting in his power and not our own.
And when we come out of a trial, we can look back and say, thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. Thank you for bringing me through, for humbling me. Anyone ever give thanks for being humbled? It’s a hard thing. For allowing me to grow in my trust of who you are.
Romans 12:2 says that we are transformed by the renewing of our minds. What’s that mean? It’s when the word of God is applied to our minds by the power of the Spirit, we will think differently. And when we think differently, we live differently. The problem is never with God, it’s with us. We don’t realize how deep our sin runs in our minds, in our attitudes, in our living, in our character. So instead of walking in the light, we hide the parts of us that we’re ashamed of.
That’s why we need each other. As we grow in our love for Christ, we will grow in our love for one another. It’d be much easier to confess our sins to one another and build one another up in love.
So let’s seek to gain Christ more than anything else. We’re gonna sing a song in a minute. It’s called, All I Have Is Christ. And the chorus goes like this:
- Hallelujah, all I have is Christ.
- Hallelujah, Jesus is my life.
You know, that’s much easier said than done. I really oftentimes say this, hallelujah, I have Christ, but I also have a lot of other things too. Hallelujah, Jesus is most of my life, but I really like this stuff over here. One of the benefits of trials is that they form Christ in us. We share in his sufferings and know Christ better. That’s what Paul prayed.
Yeah, withdraw yourself from false teaching, especially those who—as you see—create contention, not only in your heart, but among others. See, doctrine should never divide. We have the whole counsel of God’s word. We are not seeking deeper knowledge and Gnosticism or detaching from the material through asceticism. We need all of Christ for all of life. We need him in our workplace. We need him in our living, in our character, in our minds. Without Christ, we try to be self-sufficient and only give a foothold for Satan. Godliness and piety are the fruit of knowing Christ. They’re not some means to a personal end.
So let’s gain Christ together and do so as a family that loves each other, forgiving one another as Christ has forgiven us.
Closing Application and Prayer
So as we close, let’s be reminded that Christ conquered the grave. He conquered sin and death, and we now have a life of peace in Christ. There’s nothing that can change that. Let’s continue to pursue Christ, to behold Christ, to elevate Christ above all other things in life so that whatever happens, we can rest assured that God is working all things together for our good and his glory.
So an application, if there’s any, if there isn’t peace among you or another brother or sister, it’s time to seek peace. And if you’ve tried to seek peace, not finding it, bring another brother or sister along to help you. We’re a family. Christ is the head. Let’s never forget that. I’d never tell my kids to forget about an issue they had with one of their siblings. Instead, I would say, well, let me help facilitate a solution. It’s not that we all have to be super close with one another, but we do need to live in peace with one another.
So for our one-minute moment, let’s consider these things, and then I will close in prayer before we read a chapter from the confession.
We are so glad, Jesus, that you are the head of the church. We’re so glad that you’re building the church. But we also recognize the spiritual forces of wickedness, that the enemy of our souls seeks to divide from within. And we pray your continued unity in the Spirit by the bond of peace, that you would protect us from the wiles of the enemy, from his deceitful schemes, from his deception, from his lies.
Lord, keep the accuser of the brethren at bay. Keep him away—keep him away from us and his minions. Keep us united by your Spirit in love. And may there be no division among us.
I’m so grateful that there isn’t. I’m so grateful that we have peace, that we can gather together. But Lord, you know that we need to pray for peace, pray for it continually, and be grateful for the work that you’re doing in our midst. As we gather together, that Jesus, you’re with us even now by your Spirit, ministering to us, encouraging us. And for that, we’re grateful.
Lord, we look to you now, our hope, our peace, our assurance, our confidence, our joy, our rest. And to you alone, we pray. It’s in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Confession Reading
Before we stand, I’m going to read to you chapter 27, paragraph 1. You see it on your screen from the London Baptist Confession from 1689. It’s an old one.
All saints are united to Jesus Christ, their head, by his Spirit and by faith. Although this does not make them one person with him, they have fellowship in his graces, sufferings, death, resurrection, and glory. Since they are united to one another in love, they have communion in each other’s gifts and graces and are obligated to carry out these duties. This is the church, both public and private, in an orderly way to promote their mutual good, both in the inner and outer aspects of their lives.
This is the confession.
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