Father, we ask that you would lead us and guide us into all truth, that you would lead
us and guide us into all truth about who we really are, about how we really see the world,
about how we relate to you and your word and your gospel.
And at the same time, Father, more than that, we ask that you lead us into all truth about
what your word says and who you are.
Father, we ask all of these things in the name of Jesus, your Son and the one and only
Savior.
Amen.
Please be seated.
When I was doing my equivalent to training to be ordained, I had to do a lot of very, very
weird stuff.
And, you know, I think if I was probably to tell this to some of the people that I
talked to in coffee shops, they would just sort of listen and think it's curious because
I think for a lot of people who aren't Christians, they expect Christians to do really odd stuff.
They might not always be aware of the odd things that they do, but they would just expect that
we do weird stuff.
One of the things that we were supposed to do, I'm not making this up, was aura massaging.
Now, you've already gathered that I did not go to an evangelical training place, if you
know anything about Christian sort of streams of spirituality, but I'm not making this up.
We were supposed to eight to ten inches out of far apart from a person's body to move our
hands in certain ways to rearrange their aura so that they would be, I don't know what they
were supposed to be, more balanced or whatever.
I also was supposed to be taught that I was to go into deep states of relaxation and seek
out animal guides from my unconscious who would help me to sort out, help me to get in touch
with God.
I, of course, always knew that that was wrong.
And so being a male and being in a darkened room at three o'clock in the afternoon when
I was told to go into a deep state of relaxation, I did.
I fell asleep.
And I always worried that I snored or something, but nobody ever said, George, you fell asleep
during the exercise.
But the point is that it's often that, at least from the eyes of the world, that Christians
are told to do really weird things.
One of the things that, one of the reasons why Hollywood loves Roman Catholicism is because,
I don't know, you know, when there's a big trouble or something like that, there's a terrible
disaster, the monster's about to eat, eat the people.
Well, you know, you can see people doing all these crosses like this or saying, Hail Mary,
full of grace, something like that.
I mean, what would they do about Protestants?
We're so boring.
I don't know.
What would we do?
We'd read the Bible and have an offering or something.
I don't know.
There wouldn't be much that we would do that is very dramatic.
The text that Emily read is a very, very interesting text because it touches on a lot of the fears
that people have in our culture about what it means to be a Christian.
Because the Bible text seems to say that we're sort of willingly, to willingly embrace and
pursue weakness.
And, you know, in our culture, weakness is often just being odd.
It's just being different.
It's just, well, you know, it's generally speaking, unless it's sort of a culturally accepted type
of kookiness, kookiness makes you weird, makes you weak.
And so this text, you know, if people were just to hear it, and it's odd fascination with embrace
and weakness and pursuing weakness.
For many people, it sounds like those, you know, legendary Christian practices of wearing
really uncomfortable clothing or whipping yourself or just doing something to make you
weak and uncomfortable.
Fasting, all those things to make you weak.
So is that what's going on in the Bible?
It'd be a great help if you were to take your Bibles and open them up to 2 Corinthians
chapter 13.
We're going to go 2 Corinthians chapter 13.
Actually, so now go first to 2 Corinthians chapter 12.
We'll read the sort of the key bit that's just before the text that Emily read earlier
on today.
And next week, by the way, we finish, God willing, the book of 2 Corinthians.
So this is our second last go at it.
And as I shared with you last week, most Bible scholars, it doesn't matter whether you're
a very conservative or a very liberal scholar.
Most scholars would agree that this verse I'm about to read in verse 9 is like the basic
message of the whole book of 2 Corinthians.
Corinthians.
And it's this verse 9 of 2 Corinthians 12.
But he said to me, Jesus said to me, my grace is sufficient for you for my power is made
perfect in weakness.
Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses so that the power of Christ
may rest upon me.
For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions,
and calamities.
For when I am weak, then I am strong.
And the text that Emily read that's very similar to this, that sort of puts this idea of the
weakness and strength and all together, that's in verses 3 and 4 of 2 Corinthians 13.
And, you know, just before we read it, is this text telling us as well that, I don't know,
like, I mean, is that why these weird, legendary Christians would wear a shirt that's really,
really, really, really purposefully uncomfortable?
That by being made weaker, then God's going to do something for them?
Is this like a type of spell that Christians are being encouraged to use?
That, I don't know, you whip yourself and you beat yourself?
You get pain and therefore God's going to somehow give you power?
Is that what it's?
Well, listen again to 2 Corinthians 13 verses 3 through 4.
Just to catch you up, he's sort of finishing a sentence.
Since you seek proof that Christ is speaking in me, but here's the bit, the second part of
the third verse, he, that's Christ, is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you.
For he was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God.
For we also are weak in him, but in dealing with you, we will live with him by the power of God.
He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you.
For he was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God.
For we also are weak in him, but in dealing with you, we will live with him by the power of God.
It does sort of seem a little bit, doesn't it, as if it's saying that in all of these texts that somehow our weakness makes us strong.
And you could easily see how people would then think that doing sort of kooky things would somehow give us some type of power.
But the real puzzling thing about all of this is this central little bit that was there in those, you know, that three beat of four that I just read.
Did you notice it?
For he was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God.
For he, that's referring to Jesus, was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God.
And that changes everything and everything to do with the text.
I mean, it's describing very, very simply that when Jesus died upon the cross, I mean, he obviously appeared to be very, very weak.
He was whipped.
He was beaten.
He's hanging on the cross.
He's between two thieves.
He's being abused by those in power and authority.
There's nothing he can do.
In the entire history of the Roman Empire, of the hundreds of thousands of crucifixions that they did,
there's only one recorded case of any person surviving, even being on a cross for a day.
All of recorded history, hundreds of thousands of crucifixions, only one recorded instance.
And even then, it was only for a day.
And there were doctors present and everything like that that came in and swept in and were able to nurse the man back to health.
So you see him.
He's obviously weak.
And obviously, Christians as well believe that after Jesus had died, on the third day, he rose from the dead.
But the text is trying to remind us of more than that because there's been, those of you who've been here throughout many of the services,
you might remember that there's these two powerful verses in 2 Corinthians that come up before this
that try to really bring home this idea of what Jesus was doing for us on the cross.
If you just turn back to the one that's the closest to it, if you turn back, it's in 2 Corinthians 8, verse 9.
2 Corinthians 8, verse 9.
And what Paul does there is Paul uses the image of money to try to help us to understand what Jesus was doing for us on the cross.
And look what it says in 2 Corinthians 8, 9.
And so what is this text telling us?
This text is telling us that when we see Jesus, what we're seeing is we're seeing grace.
We're seeing undeserved favor, undeserved love, undeserved kindness, which is also perfectly good and perfectly just.
It doesn't violate justice.
It doesn't violate goodness.
But it's perfect love, perfect kindness, perfect affection that comes with real power to change lives.
That's what you're seeing when you see Jesus.
But then after giving that sort of very big description and very couple of words, right?
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Then it says, goes a little bit, but how was that grace shown?
Well, that grace was shown because if you think about it,
before God, the Son of God, was created in the womb of Mary, who was a virgin,
that that same God, the Son of God, well, he was rich.
That's a simple way of describing that he was in heaven,
that he was in perfect union with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
that he was surrounded by angels, that he had all of the glory and all of the splendor
and all of the power and all of the majesty and all of the praise of God.
He was rich.
Yet what does the text say?
That though he was rich, yet for your sake.
And here he's speaking to you and me,
that if Paul was here beside us right now,
if Jesus was here right beside us now,
he would say, yes, I was thinking of you.
I knew of you because I'm God.
I knew of you and you and you and you and you.
And I saw how you were,
and the Bible again uses the word, the imagery of money,
that you were poorer than poor,
that you were mortal, that you would die,
that you were separate from me,
that you were at enmity from me,
that you would be separate and at enmity from me from all eternity.
And I saw that you were poor.
And so for your sake,
Jesus became poor.
Him being on the cross and him dying.
And here the image is just like,
you know, there was a time in Louise in my life
where we had a real miracle that happened.
And we were really burdened with a lot of debt.
And it was very, very, very hard.
We had bill collectors calling us and everything like that.
It was very, very hard.
And through a series of things,
you know, but ultimately just in prayer,
one day we got a check in the mail.
It's one of those stories, you know.
And I remember opening up the check,
and I thought at first it was,
you know, a lot of money.
And it was going to go a big step towards helping us.
But then,
because we were living in Eganville,
and I was walking back from the post office,
then after I'd gone about 200 steps,
I paused and I thought,
there was one more zero.
And I opened up,
and there was.
And it covered all my debts.
Like the overwhelming debts,
it covered it.
It was one of those real miracles in our lives.
And the text is saying here
that this is what Jesus does for us on the cross.
That if you think about somehow his riches
and him becoming poor,
it's all in a sense,
I spend, I spend,
I cover your debt,
I cover your debt.
And more than that,
so that you by his poverty might become rich.
Because,
you know,
he rises from the dead.
He sits at the right hand of the Father.
And when we put our faith and trust in him
and he takes us as his child,
he will fit us
to spend all eternity
in the new heaven and the new earth
with his people and with him.
And those riches are ours.
And that's what Paul means
when he said he was crucified in weakness
but lives by the power of God.
But Paul uses earlier,
remember,
I said two of the most wonderful verses
in the Bible
about what Jesus does for us
in the cross
are in 2 Corinthians.
The other one is just a little bit earlier.
2 Corinthians chapter 5,
verse 21.
Why don't you turn to it?
2 Corinthians 5, 21.
For our sake,
God made him
to be sin
who knew no sin
so that in him
we might become
the righteousness of God.
Now,
this is far more complicated
theological language.
Once again,
notice it was for our sake.
God,
the Son of God,
God the Father,
and in other texts,
we know that the Holy Spirit,
all of the Trinity,
is involved
in this mighty act
to save us.
But God made him
to be sin
who knew no sin
so that in him
we might become
the righteousness of God.
Some of you have heard
this story before,
but the very, very,
when I got ordained
on a Wednesday night
and the fellow
who was going to be my boss,
the rector,
he said,
oh,
you can take Thursday,
Friday,
Saturday off.
And I did.
Just show up at church
on a Sunday morning
and I did.
I helped at the two services.
And in between the two services,
he said,
I have two funerals tomorrow.
One of them is going to be
a really big funeral.
It's a great way
for you to begin your ministry
to come and help me
with the funeral services.
And so the first funeral
that I helped at,
and obviously,
I had just shown up
on Sunday morning,
so I didn't know
either of the deceased.
And I might have
the details
just slightly wrong,
but they're fundamentally right.
The woman who had died
taught,
I think it was grade five
in the public school
was right across the street.
She died of cancer
relatively suddenly.
So she taught
grade five students
at the public school
in the neighborhood.
She left behind
three children,
12,
17,
and 19,
and they now
had no parents
because the father
had died tragically
in an accident
about a year or two later.
As you can well imagine,
the church was packed.
All the grade five students
and their parents,
you know,
and everybody else,
it was one of the,
probably the teariest funerals
I have ever been at
in my entire life.
It was the first one
I helped at.
I didn't know the woman.
I could hardly read
the Bible passage.
That's all I was asked to do
because it was just,
the emotion was immense.
The sorrow was immense
in the room
and I,
I,
I was just,
you know,
I was just overwhelmed
by it
and just like trying to,
it was just like on me,
you know,
probably would be for you too
unless you're really hard-hearted.
You know who you are
and maybe actually
your friends know who you are.
That's a separate sermon.
That's a separate sermon topic.
Anyway,
so I get into the,
the,
I didn't know this.
I'm learning how to do it,
right?
So I get into the,
the rector and I,
Peter,
Peter and I go out.
The funeral director
ushers us to a special car
and we go in and sit there
and the funeral director
looking very,
very solemn,
very,
very serious.
He,
he goes out
and is helping the family
and all that
and then he sits down
in the car,
starts to pull off.
He asks,
you know,
is the air conditioning all right?
We said,
yeah,
it's good
and then he said,
what about the Blue Jays?
He meant the baseball team,
by the way
and,
and it sort of really struck me
that he has to go to funerals
like that all the time
and if he let
the sadness
and the sorrow
and the death
and all of that,
if he let it affect him,
it would probably break him
and so for most of us,
in some ways,
that's what we want
but what this text
is saying here
when it says,
for our sake,
he made him to be sin
who knew no sin
so that in him
we might become
the righteousness of God
that what the Bible
is saying here
is that God,
the Father
and God,
the Son
looks down
and sees our great need.
He sees
that we are burdened
with things
that we've done wrong.
He sees
that we are burdened
with a fear of death.
He sees
that we are burdened
with shame.
He sees
that we are burdened
with weakness.
He sees
that we are burdened
with emotions
and memories
that we just cannot handle.
He sees
that we are burdened
with so many things
and he himself
is not burdened
with any of those things
because he is in heaven
but for our sake,
he comes down to earth
and he is not
like the funeral director
who just has learned
how to have
all of the emotion
and all of the things
that are going around
in the face
of tragic death
and he has learned
how to have it be
just like water
off a duck's back
and Jesus
is not like that
funeral director.
God made him
to be sin.
Not just grief
and shame
but everything
that weighs us down,
everything that keeps us
from God,
everything that accuses us,
everything,
everything
that what we see
when we see Jesus
dying on the cross
is we see
in a sense
him saying,
George,
for all of that
that is on you,
it comes on me.
I am not
the funeral director.
I am the savior.
I will take
all of that
upon myself.
I, in my weakness
of death,
is taking
all that that
makes you weak
and it is on me.
And so
when the text
is saying
for our sake,
not for his own
but for you and me,
God made him
to be sin
who knew no sin.
It's describing
in the terms
of relationship
and of evil
and of shame
and of fear
of death,
it all being
laid upon him
and absorbed
by him
and dealt
with him
and all
of it's done
when it says
that we might
become the
righteousness of God,
all of it's done
is so that we
can be made
right with God.
That's what the
word righteousness
here in this
particular context,
that it's made
right.
You know,
how many of us
have, you know,
relationships
and we wish
that we could
be reconciled
to them,
that we could
make it right
and we just
can't make it
right?
It's a constant
thing that comes
up in counseling
and conversation.
We just can't
be reconciled.
It just can't
happen.
We can't
make it
right.
And this,
what's described
here is that
by all of
these things
being laid
on Jesus,
there is a
way by which
his weakness,
his death,
when we
accept what
he's done
for us
by faith,
it makes
us right
with God
and doesn't
just make
us right
with God
for a tiny
moment while
we have a
type of
emotional release,
but objectively,
truly,
in the eyes
of God
and for
all eternity
that he's
made us
right with
him.
You see,
that's what
the Bible
means.
If you go
back to
2 Corinthians
chapter 13
verse 4,
for he
was,
listen to it
again now,
in light of
what I've
just said,
what Paul
has already
said,
listen to it
again,
beginning at
verse 3b,
he is not
weak in
dealing with
you,
but is
powerful
among you.
For he
was crucified
in weakness,
but lives
by the
power of
God.
For we
also are
weak in
him,
but in
dealing with
you,
we will
live with
him by
the power
of God.
you see,
as the
gospel
grounds us,
as this
thing that
he was
crucified in
weakness,
but lives
by the
power of
God,
as this
grips us,
as it
starts to
become the
ground on
which we
stand and
we can
see ourselves
and we
can see
our world,
it starts
to shape
us,
as it
grips us,
it starts
to pull
us into
doing certain
things that
we would
never have
done before,
it starts
to push
us,
nudge us
into doing
things that
we have
never done
before,
and as
it's
grounding us
and helping
us to see
the world
in maybe
a way that
we hadn't
realized that
you could
see the
world,
and that's
how you're
starting to
grow in
Christ,
is you
start to
realize that
when you
look at
others,
and you
look at
the church,
and you
look at
God,
and you
look at
yourself,
and you
look at
your family,
and you
look at
sexuality,
you look at
money,
you look at
time,
meaning,
you look at
purpose,
you look at
art,
you look at
culture,
you look at
dance,
and as
you're
grounded on
that and
gripped by
that,
it starts
to,
by standing
in such a
place and
being gripped
by such a
truth and
believing that
that really
actually happened,
and being
pushed and
pulled and
shaped,
it changes
you.
You see,
this is
Paul's
second letter
to Corinth,
and if you
go back to
his first
letter in
Corinth,
and you
know,
this is
really hard
for us to
look at
chapter one,
this is
really hard
for us to
understand
that there
was a
time in
the world
where there
was no
television,
no radio,
no
newspapers,
no Twitter,
no Facebook,
no Instagram,
and so it's
hard to
remember that
there was a
time when
words were
few,
and so
because words
were few,
they often
stuck longer.
So the
people in
Corinth would
have very
clearly
remembered
this part
here in
1 Corinthians
1.
I'll begin
reading verse
18.
Once I
start going
into it,
you'll
recognize it
as a
famous
passage if
you've
been a
Christian
for a
while.
For the
word of
the cross
is folly,
it's
foolish to
those who
are perishing,
but to
us who
are being
saved,
it is
the power
of God.
For it
is written,
I will
destroy the
wisdom of
the wise
and the
discernment
of the
discerning
I will
thwart.
Where is
the one
who is
wise?
Where is
the
scribe?
Where is
the
debater
of this
age?
Has
not God
made
foolish
the
wisdom
of the
world?
For
since
in the
wisdom
of the
world,
the
world
did
not
know
God
through
wisdom,
how
do we
know
God
through
He
became
poor
so that
we
might
become
rich.
He
took
upon
Himself,
He
wasn't
like
that
funeral
director,
He
took
upon
Himself
everything
that
we
might
be
made
right
with
God.
See
that
again
in
verse
21,
for
since
in
the
wisdom
of
God
the
world
did
not
know
God
through
wisdom,
it
pleased
God
through
the
folly
of
what
we
preach,
what
I
just
told
you,
what
Paul
just
writes
in
Corinthians
to
save
those
who
believe,
for
Jews
demand
signs,
that's
a type
of
miracle,
powerful
miracle
with a
sign,
and
Greeks
seek
wisdom,
but
we
preach
Christ
crucified,
a
stumbling
block
to
Jews,
a
stumbling
block
to
those
who
are
in
love
with
power,
that's
what
it's
really
saying,
and
folly
to
those
who
are
in
love
with
wisdom,
but
to
those
who
are
called,
because
you see,
even now,
right now,
if you're
in this
room,
and I
don't know
if you
consider
yourself
a
Christian
or not,
if you're
in this
room,
hopefully
right now,
at least
in some
sense,
emotionally,
if not
intellectually,
you understand
that Jesus
is calling
you right
now.
That
pressure
you might
feel is
him knocking
on the
door of
your heart,
and he's
calling to
you,
and he's
saying,
whatever
your name
is,
I'll
just say
George,
he's
saying,
George,
open the
door,
and let
me
come
and be
your
savior.
But to
those who
are called,
both those
who love
power and
those who
love
wisdom,
Christ,
the power
of God
and the
wisdom
of God,
here's
the key
verse,
for the
foolishness
of God
is wiser
than men,
and the
weakness
of God
is stronger
than men.
For the
foolishness
of God
is wiser
than men.
By that
he means
all human
power,
and the
weakness
of God
is stronger
than all
human
power.
So let's
go back
to 2 Corinthians
13.
You know,
those of you
who come
here often,
you know,
I don't
often flip
around a
bit,
but we're
coming to
the end
of the
book,
and weakness
has been
a theme
all the way
through the
time of
2 Corinthians,
and it's
time to
sort of
try to
gather
that up
a little
bit as
to what
the Bible
means.
Look at
here again
at 2 Corinthians
3,
verses 3
and 4,
the second
part of
verse 3,
he is
not weak
in dealing
with you
but is
powerful
among you
for he
was crucified
in weakness
but lives
by the power
of God
for we
also are
weak in him
but in
dealing with
you we
will live
with him
by the
power of
God.
And last
week we
talked a
little bit
about Paul
having a
thorn in
the flesh.
and so
part of
this
teaching
of
weakness
is
some
of
you
know
the
story
of
Gideon
where
God
is going
to deliver
the people
and he
gets
Gideon
to be
the leader
and I
can't
remember
what it
was
but he
has
tens
of
thousands
of
soldiers
and God
says
to
Gideon
too
many
soldiers
why
are
there
too
many
soldiers
because
you're
going
to
end
up
thinking
it
was
your
might
that
delivered
you
and I
need
you
to
have
an
army
of
tens
of
thousands
of
people
he's
left
with
300
guys
and
the
thorn
of
the
flesh
is
that
there's
going
to
be
times
in
our
Christian
life
where
what
God
really
wants
us
to
do
is
to
step
out
in
faith
and
then
afterwards
whether
we're
aware
of
it
or
not
but
we
should
be
people
will
have
to
say
only
God
could
do
that
because
George
if
you
looked
at
you
and
your
church
there's
no
way
you
guys
could
do
that
and
that
should
warm
our
heart
and
the
other
sense
of
weakness
which
we've
talked
about
a little
bit
up
until
now
was
just
the
constant
reminder
that
at
the
end
of
the
day
our
God
project
is
a
complete
and
utter
vain
and
futile
thing
and
that
we
are
called
just
to
remember
that
we're
jars
of
clay
that
we're
mortal
that
we're
not
God
and
that's
the
second
type
of
weakness
but
the
third
type
of
weakness
is
what
we
need
to
look
at
right
now
it's
the
type
of
weakness
that's
been
hinted
around
but
maybe
never
always
been
especially
clear
and
I'm
going
to
put
it
this
way
if
we
think
about
it
prayer
is
weak
humility
is
weak
reading
the
Bible
is
weak
thinking
about
what
the
Bible
says
about
money
will
only
make
us
weak
thinking
about
what
the
Bible
says
about
sexuality
will
only
make
us
weak
because
chastity
and
faithfulness
is
weak
and
having
to
obey
and
having
to
submit
and
having
to
trust
and
having
to
believe
and
having
to
surrender
is
all
weak
I
want
to
help
you
to
see
that
Andrew
could
you
put
up
the
first
point
it
is
weak
to
trust
and
obey
what
the
Bible
says
about
money
it
is
weak
to
trust
and
obey
what
the
Bible
says
about
money
remember
I
said
we're
going
to
look
at
what
Emily
said
look
just
I
don't
have
to
go
all
the
way
through
the
2nd
Corinthians
just
look
at
how
Emily
began
chapter
12
verse
14
2nd
Corinthians
12
14
here
for
the
third
time
I
am
ready
to
come
to
you
and
I
will
not
be
a
burden
for
I
seek
not
what
is
yours
but
you
I
seek
not
what
is
yours
but
you
for
children
are
not
obligated
to
save
up
for
their
parents
but
parents
for
their
children
by
the
way
it's
not
Paul
has
a
bit
of
a
purpose
here
for
your
aged
parents
he's
not
talking
about
everything
to do
about
parents
and
children
he's
trying
to
drive
home
a
particular
point
you
have
to
keep
going
I
will
most
gladly
spend
and
be
spent
for
your
souls
if
I
love
you
am
I
to
be
loved
less
but
granting
that
I
did
not
burden
you
I
was
crafty
you
say
and
got
the
better
of
you
by
deceit
did
I
take
advantage
of
you
through
any
of
those
of
whom
I
sent
to
you
I
urged
Titus
to
go
and
sent
a
brother
with
him
did
Titus
take
advantage
of
you
did
we
not
act
in
the
same
spirit
did
we
not
take
the
same
steps
and
so
if
you're
just
a
guest
here
and
you
haven't
heard
this
text
before
what
Paul
is
reminding
them
of
he's
talked
about
it
earlier
is
that
Paul
came
and
all
the
time
that
he
was
building
the
church
and
all
of
his
visits
he
never
took
a
penny
from
the
congregation
not
a
penny
he
either
trusted
God
to
provide
him
in
a
miraculous
way
from
outside
of
the
congregation
outside
of
Corinth
or
he
worked
with
his
hands
and
rather
than
him
and
not
only
did
he
do
that
all
of
his
co-workers
did
that
they
didn't
take
a
single
penny
they
became
financially
weaker
by
doing
that
because
the
people
there
would
have
loved
to
have
given
him
money
but
in
this
particular
case
his
desire
was
to
so
show
for
people
who
were
so
confused
about
money
and
so
used
money
to
analyze
situations
and
so
were
thinking
about
money
all
of
the
time
and
how
to
make
a
buck
and
how
to
put
a
dollar
with
every
type
of
thing
and
I
know
Canadians
can't
identify
with
a
world
where
everything
has
a
monetary
price
to
it
and
you're
always
thinking
about
money
and
bills
and
value
and
getting
a
good
job
and
thinking
other
people
are
getting
paid
more
than
you
or
worried
that
other
people
like
I
know
that
doesn't
happen
in
Canada
that
was
a
joke
by
the
way
if
you
didn't
gather
it
and
so
Paul
had
this
sense
that
when
he
was
to
go
here
all
he
was
called
to
do
was
to
spend
and
spend
and
spend
and
spend
and
spend
out
of
love
and
for
their
good
it
didn't
make
him
at
all
rich
you
know
you
know
for
us
we
give
a lot
of
our
money
as
a
church
away
to
things
that
don't
benefit
us
you
know
most
of
the
money
that
we
spend
on
some
of
the
staff
salaries
go
to
do
things
like
church
on
Wednesday
or
the
youth
group
that
doesn't
benefit
us
our
supportive
missionaries
doesn't
benefit
us
you
know
and
obviously
in
some
benefits
us
but
really
at
the
end
of
the
day
we're
investing
money
in
people
who
might
then
go
on
to
have
a
10
20
30
40
year
career
blessing
other
churches
and not
us
and
our
support
for
orphans
in
Africa
or
to
bring
in
refugees
or
to
develop
royal
seminary
is
not
benefiting
us
it's
making
us
weak
the
biblical
teaching
which is
so
very
hard
for us
to
understand
is
that
as
we're
gripped
by
the
gospel
we
come
to
the
point
in
time
to
realize
that
if
we're
going
to
deal
with
idolatry
of
money
and
if
we're
going
to
deal
with
our
preoccupation
with
money
and
if
we're
going
to
deal
with
the
different
ways
that
money
bends
us
out
of
shape
that
as
the
gospel
grabs
us
as
we
understand
that
the
foolishness
of
God
is
wiser
than
human
wisdom
and
that
the
weakness
of
God
is
stronger
than
human
strength
and
as
that
grips
us
as it
shapes
the way
we see
the world
as it
grips
the way
that we
see
ourselves
then
the
biblical
teaching
that
we are
to
give away
10%
of our
money
for the
furtherance
of the
gospel
that always
makes us
weaker
doesn't it
now I
can add
that in the
eyes of the
world it
makes us
weaker
and I
earlier
told you
of a
story
where God
miraculously
helped
Louise
and me
and I
could tell
you other
stories
but the
biblical
teaching
doesn't
say
give
money
so I'll
give you
10 times
more money
that's not
what the
Bible
says
it says
you know
the grace
of our
Lord
Jesus
Christ
that though
he was
rich
yet for
your
sake
he
became
poor
so that
you
through
his
poverty
might
become
rich
and as
that
grips
us
and
grounds
us
and
shapes
us
and pulls
us
and draws
us
it
comes
to
that
point
in
time
where
we
realize
you know
what
every
financial
planner
in the
nation
will
tell
you
that
if
you
give
10%
of
your
money
away
you
will
not
become
richer
choose
weakness
anyway
what about
power
Andrew the
next point
it is
weak to
trust
and
obey
what
the
Bible
says
about
power
look at
verses
19
21
have
you
been
thinking
all
along
that
we
have
been
defending
ourselves
to
you
it
is
in
the
sight
of
God
that
we
have
been
speaking
in
Christ
all
for
your
up
building
in
other
words
Paul
said
you know
listen
if you
think
I'm
spending
all
my
time
in
this
letter
just
trying
to
puff
myself
up
it's
not
I
want
you
to
be
stronger
I
want
you
to
be
wiser
I
want
you
to
be
more
holy
than
I
am
I
want
you
to
have
greater
trust
and
everything
I've
been
writing
is
so
that
you
are
stronger
if
at
the
end
of
the
day
when
I
die
you
are
all
vastly
better
Christians
than
I
am
that
will
not
make
me
depressed
or
sad
that
will
only
make
me
happy
you
know
you
can
pray
for
me
and
for
us
as
we
take
on
interns
no
our
desire
should
be
that
each
of
the
interns
that
comes
our
way
that
God
sends
us
any
person
that
we
can
mentor
that
they
will
be
vastly
better
Christians
and
vastly
better
pastors
and
vastly
better
speakers
that's
not
how
power
works
is
it
but
look
how
it
even
gets
better
or
worse
depending
on
your
point
of
view
for
I
fear
that
I
perhaps
when I
come
may
find
you
not
as
I
wish
that
you
might
find
me
not
as
you
wish
that
perhaps
there
may
be
quarreling
jealousy
anger
hostility
slander
gossip
conceit
and
disorder
I
fear
that
when
I
come
again
my
God
may
humble
me
before
you
and
I
may
have
to
mourn
over
many
of
those
who
have
sinned
earlier
and
have
not
repented
of the
impurity
sexual
immorality
and
sensuality
that they
have
practiced
so here's
the thing
there's
all this
disorder
going on
in the
church
there's
a type
of
evil
order
that's
starting
to
take
over
the
church
and
Paul
is
writing
the
letter
partially
because
the
type
of
evil
order
that
is
bending
the
church
out
of
shape
and
is
hurting
people
and
beating
people
up
he's
going
to
come
and
have
to
deal
with
it
and
how
do
you
deal
with
unrepentant
people
because
that's
what
they're
going
to
do
the
unrepentant
people
he's
worried
that
when
he
comes
what's
going
to
quarrel
they're
going
to
yell
at
him
they're
going
to
express
their
jealousy
they're
going
to
be
angry
they're
going
to
be
hostile
they're
going
to
slander
him
they're
going
to
gossip
they're
going
to
build
up
the
word
hostility
there
can
also
be
translated
as
creating
factions
against
people
and
conceit
and
disorder
and
I'm
not
just
saying
that
that's
the
world
but
often
the
way
you
deal
with
power
is
you
bring
your
game
face
you
don't
back
down
they
give
you
one
you
give
them
two
you
do
that
you
do
that
you're
going
to
go
how
to
be
strong
how
to
be
assertive
how
to
be
aggressive
how
to
not
have
doubts
how
to
be
confident
keep
your
chin
up
for
you
know
the
grace
of
our
Lord
Jesus
Christ
that
though
he
was
rich
yet
for
your
sake
he
became
poor
so
that
you
by
his
poverty
might
become
rich
Paul
talks
about
that
God
is
going
to
humble
him
and
that
part
of
his
response
to
the
order
which
is
an
evil
order
which
is
hurting
people
in
the
church
yet
so
many
people
in
the
church
love
this
order
that
hurts
them
is
that
his
primary
response
is
to
mourn
for
them
to
be
humbled
to
be
clear
and
to
pray
but
to
show
rather
than
that
he
has
a
harder
heart
than
them
to
come
against
them
with
power
that
what's
going
on
breaks
his
heart
very
briefly
next
one
Andrew
it
is
weak
to
trust
and
obey
what
the
Bible
says
about
sexuality
and
sex
this
is
a
real
problem
this
might
be
other
than
money
this
is
probably
the
bigger
problem
for
most
of
us
listen
again
to
verse
21
part
of
the
problem
he's
having
to
deal
with
is
I
may
have
to
mourn
over
many
of
those
who
have
sinned
who
sinned
earlier
and
have
not
repented
of
the
impurity
sexual
immorality
and
sensuality
that
they
have
practiced
impurity
here
means
basically
sexualizing
relationships
I know
it's hard
for us
to imagine
because
you know
advertising
isn't
sexualized
and
we
don't
want
to
sexualize
children
in
schools
but
it's
sexualizing
everything
that's
in a
sense
what
impurity
means
and
sensuality
could
also
just
mean
what
it
really
means
is
times
when
you
just
let
go
let
everything
go
doesn't
mean
you
let
go
all
of
the
time
but
it
means
that
you
just
say
you know
there's
really
just
some
times
in
your
life
you
want
to
sexually
just
let
go
you
know
a
guy
a
girl
guys
and
girls
just
sexually
let
go
and
sexual
immorality
here
the
Greek
word
is
pornea
and
it
means
anything
outside
any
sexual
knowing
or
sexual
expression
outside
faithfulness
in
heterosexual
marriage
anything
out of
faithfulness
any
type
of
sexualization
outside
of the
intimate
relationship
of
heterosexual
marriage
is
viewed
as
a
sin
now
why
is it
that I
say
that
in
the
eyes
of
the
world
it
is
weak
to
trust
and
obey
what
the
Bible
says
about
sexuality
and
sin
well
try
saying
what
I've
just
said
on
a
university
campus
I
know
there's
probably
people
here
who
struggle
with
sexual
identity
and
to
say
to
your
friends
who
are
identifying
themselves
as
transsexual
that
this
text
is
what
base
your
life
on
would
be
seen
as
unbelievably
weak
for
those
of
you
who
are
same
sex
attracted
and
to
say
to
your
friends
that
because
of
what
Jesus
did
for
you
on
the
cross
you're
going to
trust
that
this
verse
is
wisdom
you
would
be
seen
as
unbelievably
weak
and
in
profound
denial
and
I'll
just
use
the
example
of
young
women
how
many
of
you
young
women
face
pressure
when
and
how
much
of
the
advice
and
how
much
of
the
pressure
in
you
says
this
seems
like
a
nice
guy
and
not
a
jerk
and
if
I
don't
sleep
with
him
he
won't
stay
with
me
and
if
you
say
to
your
friends
that
because
of
the
gospel
when
I
hear
this
biblical
teaching
about
faithfulness
and
heterosexual
marriage
or
sexual
absence
and
singleness
it
means
I'm
going
to
trust
God
that
not
sleeping
with
this
guy
will
end
up
for
my
good
your
friends
will
think
you're
a
fool
how
many
of
us
get
pressure
to
say
what
you're
going
to
get
married
without
living
with
each
other
first
like
are
you
stupid
like
are
you
idiots
like
who
nowadays
gets
married
without
living
with
each
other
don't
you
think
that
virtually
every
advice
columnist
in the
world
would
say
that
after
you've
been
gripped
by
the
gospel
that
to
trust
this
text
would
be
seen
as
weak
and
foolish
do
you
see
why
we
have
problems
and
troubles
listen
again
to
verse
three
and
four
he
is
not
weak
in
dealing
with
you
but
is
powerful
among
you
he
saves
you
he's
fitting
you
for
heaven
he's
doing
things
only
for
your
good
for
he
was
crucified
in
weakness
but
lives
by
the
power
of
God
the
cross
he
died
on
the
cross
but
the
grave
is
empty
the
body
is
gone
he
defeated
death
he
defeated
sin
he
defeated
all
hostile
spiritual
powers
in
his
resurrection
he
shares
that
with
you
when
you
put
your
faith
and
trust
in
him
like
this
bible
text
isn't
telling
you
that
to
feel
really
guilty
because
you know
maybe
you've
slept
with
your
boyfriend
maybe
you've
done
it
with
many
boyfriends
maybe
you've
lived
with
different
people
and
this
text
isn't
just
saying
these
things
because
it
wants
to
make
you
feel
guilty
it's
so
that
you
know
how
much
your
savior
loves
you
and
how
he
will
not
turn
you
away
and
how
that
when
you
come
and
you've
received
what
he
has
done
on
the
cross
because
though
he
was
rich
yet
for
your
sake
he
became
poor
so
that
you
by
his
poverty
might
become
rich
and
as
you're
gripped
with
understanding
that
is
his
heart
and
that
is
his
power
and
that
is
what
he
has
done
for
you
and
that
he
really
exists
and
then
you
start
stronger
than
the
power
of
human
beings
this
biblical
teaching
in the
context
of
the
gospel
is
an
invitation
to
be
healed
to
be
received
and
made
right
with
God
and
to
begin
to
be
restored
to
sanity
very
briefly
the
last
ones
I've
gone
a
little
bit
long
Andrew
if you
could
put it
up
it
is
weak
to
trust
and
obey
what
the
Bible
says
about
the
gospel
just
bear
with
me
I've
used
this
analogy
before
I mean
what is
the
gospel
how do
we
receive
the
gospel
by
faith
it
is
an
act
of
surrender
if
you
view
your
life
as
like
a
medieval
castle
and
you
are
a
mighty
warrior
and
you
come
before
God
and
you
have
all
these
scars
and
wounds
you
have
the
scars
and
wounds
of
people
who
hurt
you
the
scars
and
wounds
of
your
death
the
scars
and
wounds
that
you
have
done
to
hurt
other
people
but
you
have
your
armor
and
you
have
your
castle
and
you
have
your
moat
and
you
have
your
strength
and
everybody
is
around
you
just
trying
to
tell
you
better
ways
to
fix
your
armor
better
ways
to
sharpen
your
sword
better
ways
to
fight
with
the
sword
and
what
does
the
gospel
tell
you
the
gospel
says
that
on the
other
side
of
your
moat
sitting
on
a
donkey
is
a
man
with
wounds
in
his
hands
and
wounds
in
his
feet
and
scar
in
his
side
who
died
for you
who
became
poor
for you
that
you
might
become
rich
and
how
do
you
become
rich
you
get
out
of
your
tower
and
you
let
down
the
draw
bridge
and
then
you
take
off
you
drop
your
sword
and
you
drop
your
shield
and
you
take
off
your
armor
and
you
get
down
on
your
knee
and
you
surrender
to
the
wounded
guy
and
the
donkey
you
surrender
to
the
wounded
guy
and
the
donkey
and
we're
fit
for
heaven
and
we
begin
to
know
the
power
of
God
because
the
wisdom
of
God
is
wiser
than
human
wisdom
and
the
foolish
the
foolishness
of
God
is
wiser
than
human
wisdom
and
the
weakness
of
God
is
stronger
than
human
power
Andrew
could you
put up
the two
prayers
here's
the first
one
just
this
isn't
any
type
of
I
don't
have
time
to
go
into
it
but
dear
Lord
please
help
me
to
recognize
and
then
eliminate
all
of
my
attempts
to
either
manipulate
you
or
to
put
you
in
my
debt
amen
you
can't
sort
of
embrace
weakness
hoping
that
if
you
can
trick
God
into
making
you
powerful
and
the
final
one
Andrew
could
you
stand
I
mean
this
is
the
challenge
of
the
text
to
have
you
want
to
pray
this
from
your
heart
if
you
haven't
given
your
life
to
Jesus
this
can
be
your
conversion
prayer
the
day
that
you
the
means
by
which
you
lay
down
your
sword
and
you
lay
down
your
shield
and
you
take
off
your
armor
and
you
get
on
your
knee
and
you
let
the
wounded
guy
and
the
donkey
cross
into
your
castle
to
be
your
lord
and
your
savior
and
as
you
call
out
to
him
this
can
be
your
prayer
to
call
out
to
him
to
begin
the
Christian
life
for
all
whom
the
Lord
leads
would
you
pray
with
me
dear
Lord
please
make
me
a
disciple
of
Jesus
gripped
by
the
gospel
who
chooses
the
weakness
of
knowing
trusting
believing
and
obeying
all
of
your
word
will
live
for
you
and
I
don't
have
the
right
words
down
those
are
the
right
words
let's
just
pray
father
thank
you
that
you
sent
Jesus
to
be
our
savior
thank
you
that
though
he
was
rich
he
became
poor
so
that
you
the
people
like
jars
of
clay
rebels
like
me
through
his
poverty
might
become
rich
father
make
us
help
us
to be
so
gripped
by
the
gospel
that
it
grounds
us
and
shapes
us
and
pushes
us
and
pulls
us
to
know
and
trust
and
obey
and
believe
even
though
it
seems
weak
in the
eyes
of
the
world
just
to
believe
and
trust
knowing
that
as
we
do
that
we
are
fit
for
heaven
that
we
in
fact
become
strong
as
we
are
saved
by
you
all
these
things
we
ask
in
the
name
of
Jesus
your
son
and
our
savior
amen