This week’s passage is 1 Corinthians 4:6-13, where Paul admonishes the church to not be divided and proud about what they have no business being proud about — namely the gospel that is a gift of God! Paul then unashamedly owns the reality that both suffering and weakness comes with being a follower of Christ. This looks foolish to the world, but as we saw last week, it doesn’t matter!
We’ll begin with “Grace Alone” as a song that owns our own brokenness and weakness, similar to how Paul owned his. After elder prayer we’ll declare our foundation in Christ by singing “Cornerstone”.
“10 While he was reclining at the table in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came to eat with Jesus and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 Now when he heard this, he said, “It is not those who are well who need a doctor, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
We will then pray, asking God to reveal to us our pride when we presume to not need him, and asking that he change our hearts so that we may own our weakness as an opportunity to glorify God. We’ll continue confessing with “Lord Have Mercy”, and rejoice in the one interceding for us broken people with “Before the Throne”.
The response to the sermon will be “How Deep The Father’s Love”, which helps us commit to “not boast in anything” but Jesus Christ.
Benediction: 2 Corinthians 4:5-6 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Pastor Jesse Morgan
