Well, by God's grace, I'm here this morning.
So let's ask for the Lord's help before we look at his word together.
Please pray with me.
God, we do thank you for your grace.
We thank you for your grace that has covered all of our sins in Christ.
Lord, we thank you for your grace which shows itself to us in love that has no source in
ourselves that we are lovable, but Lord, comes from you and your abundant and overflowing
love for us.
Thank you for your grace that enables us in our weakness, in our frailty, Lord, and even
in our sin, Lord.
And it was us to look to you, not despair, but find hope, hope of forgiveness, hope of strength,
hope of life with you.
God, as we look into your word this morning, we pray that you will help us.
Lord, may our hearts be ready to receive your word.
May our minds be alert to listen to what you have to say to us.
God, I ask for your help this morning.
Lord, give me clarity of thought and of expression.
Give my body strength, I pray.
In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.
When you walk into a situation, reception, a new neighborhood, a block party, what's the
first thing that you are asked?
Well, it depends on where you are and depends on the context, doesn't it?
Some places you'll be asked the question, what do you do?
Other places you'll be asked, oh, where are you from?
Some places you'll be asked, oh, who's your father?
Who's your daddy?
Some places you'll be asked, what family do you come from?
All of these questions are different ways of trying to get at the core question, which
is, who are you?
Of course, the question, the answer is complicated to that, isn't it?
I may actually go to a block party this afternoon in my neighborhood, and I've been thinking
about how I might answer the question, oh, hi, who are you?
Well, I live at 161.
I lived there for five years.
I'm a pastor.
I'm a father.
This is Eli and Katie.
I'm a guy who lives in the neighborhood.
I'm a widower.
I'm from Boston and Pittsburgh.
I have a degree from Princeton and a degree from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.
I'm a Pirates fan and a Red Sox fan.
Hope I didn't step on any toes there.
And here's the thing.
All of those things are true of me.
All of them are, in God's sovereignty, a part of who I am.
But the question of who am I has to do not just with what those things are, but how I weight
them.
What do I trust in to be my core identity?
And, you know, when we ask those questions of other people, it's worth thinking, why do
we do that?
Sometimes we ask those questions.
Who are you?
Where are you from?
Those kinds of questions.
We do it because we want to make connections.
Oh, oh, yeah.
Maybe we know someone in common.
We make connections humanly through asking those kinds of questions.
But I think that often we can also use those questions to find our place in the pecking
order.
We walk into the room and we think, okay, who am I a peer with?
Who is my superior socially, organizationally?
Who am I over in this group?
We often walk in and we ask these questions because we want to figure out where do I fit
in all of this?
But there can also be an even uglier side to this, can't there be?
It's that we look for ways to distinguish ourselves, this is who I am, as opposed to who you are,
so that we find those places of difference.
And in those differences, then we can find ourselves comparing ourselves.
Am I better than you or am I worse than you?
That allows us to become snobs and critics and to separate ourselves from one another
in an attempt to build ourselves up.
It's the classic elementary school bully routine, isn't it?
You walk into the playground as a bully.
What do you look for?
The one person who's a little different from everyone else.
Oh, she wears glasses.
He's from a different ethnic group.
Um, he's really tall.
She's really short.
And you beat up on him.
And you make fun of him.
To make yourself feel better.
One might argue that this dynamic in the smaller settings of our social lives
are also the ones that are writ large on the social fabric of our world
that lead to things like genocide, tribal warfare.
Things that, as much as we wish would go away, they don't.
We long for a world of peace and unity.
We long for a place where people can get along.
But there are those terrible people out there who do those terrible things.
Well, friends, I think it's actually a little more complicated than that, isn't it?
Because that very same dynamic that may happen largely
in things like the Holocaust
or the refugee crisis today
and our response to it,
the very same thing is in our hearts
and plays out in all these little social settings
day in and day out.
Who are we?
What does the Bible have to say about this?
How does the gospel of Jesus Christ impact
how we understand who we are
and then how does that impact
how we relate to one another?
And that leads us to our passage this morning.
We are continuing in our series in 1 Corinthians.
If you're using the Pew Bible,
we're in page 952.
And for those of you who have asked,
we are actually setting off on a series
that will preach through the whole book of 1 Corinthians.
Don't be afraid that the sermon schedule
only gets us through chapter 4.
That's just how we'll get to before we take a break for Advent.
Then we'll come back after Christmas
and we'll dive on in.
Bucket your seatbelts.
Here we go.
It's going to be a great time
because this book is such a powerful book
where the Lord is going to help us think about
what does it mean to know Christ
and to be a follower of him in this world.
And as Nick preached last week,
Paul has just thanked God
for this church in Corinth,
for the work of grace that God has done in these people
and for the evidence of his gifting,
his calling,
and his bringing them together
into a unity in Christ,
under Christ.
All of it is focused on Jesus Christ.
If you remember,
he said verses 1 through 9,
name the name of Jesus Christ 11 times.
It's a powerful thing.
And after having given thanks,
Paul then begins.
He begins to address concerns.
The whole structure of the book
is really about Paul addressing concerns.
Chapters 1 through 6
are dealing with concerns that he's heard about.
Chapter 7 begins the concerns
that the church themselves have written
to Paul asking him about
or dialoguing with him about certain things.
So we see the first problem
that Paul addresses surface in this passage.
So let's read it together.
1 Corinthians chapter 1,
starting in verse 10.
I appeal to you brothers,
by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that all of you agree
that there be no distinctions among you,
but that you be united
in the same mind
and the same judgment.
For it has been reported to me
by Chloe's people
that there is quarreling among you,
my brothers.
What I mean is that
each one of you says,
I follow Paul,
I follow Apollos,
I follow Cephas,
or I follow Christ.
Is Christ divided?
Was Paul crucified for you?
Or were you baptized
in my name?
I'm sorry,
were you baptized
in the name of Paul?
I thank God
I baptized none of you
except Crispus and Gaius
so that no one may say
you were baptized in my name.
I did baptize
the household of Stephanas.
Beyond that,
I don't know
whether I baptized anyone else.
For Christ did not send me
to baptize,
but to preach the gospel,
not with words
of eloquent wisdom,
lest the cross of Christ
be emptied of its power.
Friends,
this is what Paul wants us
to hear today,
is that God
has called his people,
God has called us
into a unity
that is based
on the deepest
and the most profound identity
we can have,
that of being in Christ.
Paul is going to say
that unity flows
from a proper identity.
And as we work
through the passage,
we're going to see
Paul sort of presents
the problem,
and then he attacks,
or then he puts forth
a solution.
He says,
this is the problem,
that's what we'll talk
about first,
and then this is the solution,
this is how we respond
to it in a proper way.
So first,
what is the problem?
Really,
it's in verses 10 through 12.
Starts out by saying,
there are divisions
among you.
Right?
And these divisions
seem to be related
to a number of things,
don't they?
These divisions are related
to personalities.
Paul,
Apollos,
who was a follower
of Paul's,
a relative,
who had probably
ministered in Corinth
at one point,
silver-tongued Apollos.
He's probably a great speaker.
I follow Paul.
Well,
Paul is the original apostle
to the Gentiles.
I follow Cephas,
which is the Aramaic name
for Peter.
Well,
he was with Jesus.
I want to be on his team.
I follow Christ.
Well,
you guys follow human leaders.
Look at me.
I know that that's silly.
I'm on the Christ team.
And in doing this,
they've separated themselves
from one another.
They've said,
I'm better than you are
by my identification
with this person.
It also seems to be
connected to baptism.
Well,
I was baptized by John Stott.
Well,
I was baptized by Billy Graham.
Well,
I was baptized by the Pope.
Well,
I was baptized by Jesus himself.
You know?
And somehow,
they latched on to baptism
as one of these identifiers.
It also seems
that it was probably
connected to gifting
and speaking.
We see that at the end
and we'll see it much more
as we go on
in the next couple of chapters.
That eloquence
and being able to speak publicly
in the frame
of the Corinthian context
with sophistry
and rhetoric
and filling the pattern
of expected rhetoric
so that you can impress
impress your hearers.
So for all these reasons,
the church in Corinth
was divided.
They were divided
like a piece of fabric
that is meant to be whole
that had been torn up
into pieces.
Notice how strong
this identification
with the leaders is.
It's not just
I like this guy
better than this guy
or I've been blessed
by this guy
and not that guy.
It's not nearly
that shallow.
It's much more profound.
Look at it again.
It's in verse what?
Verse 12, right?
I follow Paul.
This is how the ESV
translates it.
You know how it is
in the original?
It actually just says
I am of Paul.
Look back to verse 2
for a second.
Who does the church
really belong to?
To the church
of God.
But these men and women
in Corinth
have lost sight of that.
Haven't they?
And they've divided themselves.
And it seems like
in identifying
with these human leaders
they're trying
to ride their coattails
to success.
In the competitive context
of the Corinthian world
they're thinking
how do I get ahead?
And they've translated it
from their business practices
and from their social settings
into the church itself.
I want to be a part
of the really cool church
that's really getting ahead.
I don't want to be a part
of that backwater church
over there
that isn't very exciting.
I want to be
I want to follow
these coattails
to spiritual prominence
in the church
and in the world.
Kind of like
I want to find
the right startup guy
to invest my money in
so that I can be in
on the ground floor
of the next
Google, Twitter, Facebook
whatever it is.
they're wielding
their identity
against one another
with this desire
to get ahead.
And it's become
not just their
preferred leader
but it's become
their identity.
I am of Paul
I am of Apollos.
It's also important
this is a slight side note
but it's important
to recognize
that these divisions
are not doctrinal.
Right?
For one thing
Paul and Apollos
and Peter
would be horrified
to know that
their names
are being used by this.
None of these men
advocated for this
cultivated it
or would support it
if they knew
that it was happening.
But secondly
recognize that
this is not
a Galatians situation.
Paul clearly says
there are times
when the gospel
is at stake
the truth
and the clarity
of the gospel
is at stake
and divisions
are important
and to say
that man
is a false teacher
that person
is a false teacher
because they are
distorting the gospel
is an important thing
in the life
of our church.
And yet
friends
how often
and maybe
how often
especially for us
in the Protestant tradition
have we allowed
personality splits
and secondary things
like
what version
of the Bible
do we follow
or
what color
is the carpet
or what kind
of music
do we play.
There are so many ways
that we then
blow little
secondary things up
into
primary and central
things about the gospel
and then divide
over them
in ways
that are unhealthy.
That's what
these men did.
They said
the church here
said
here are men
who I've been blessed
by their ministry
and then they've been
inflated
to a place of prominence
in their identity
and their understanding
of the Christian life
that has completely
distorted it
and torn the fabric
of the church apart.
So we need to be careful
about our motivations
when we go to the place
of doctrinal division
even though there are times
when it is appropriate
and right.
This is why we at Trinity
talk about ourselves
as a gospel centered church
because we want the gospel
to be in the center.
Now we always have to talk
about what is the gospel
and what's an entailment
of the gospel
and what's the implications
of the gospel
and all of those things
and those are all
good conversations
but we say it explicitly
because we want to make
the important things
in our church.
We are Baptist
but we really want to be
about the gospel.
That's a conviction we hold
but it's not
the very core
of our identity
let alone our positions
on the end times
or our denominational affiliation
or our support
of a political party
or a candidate.
we could go on
and on about
different ways
in which churches
could be known
for lots of different things
and Paul says
don't let yourself
be divided
over these things.
This is the problem.
Now
is this really a problem
in our church?
This is a worthwhile question
to explore
don't you think?
Is this really
I thank the Lord
that this is not
a major problem
in our church.
I don't believe
as I walk in here
on Friday
that there are
four factions
that are sitting
amongst you all
that are somehow
fighting and backbiting
and challenging
one another
for the control
or direction
or prominence
in our church
and I am so thankful
for that.
But having said that
let me explore it
a little bit with you.
A couple of reflections
on this.
One
we have a co-pastor
model in this church.
If you're new to it
there are three of us
Greg, Nick and I
who are staff elders.
That means that
we are full time
on the staff of the church
we are called pastors.
There are elders
that we are peers with
who are not
on the staff of the church
that we serve with.
One of the dangers
one of the fears
when this model
was put into place
four or five years ago
was that our church
would very easily
devolve into the
I'm of Nick
and I'm of Greg
and I'm of Matt.
Oh
how thankful I am
that by the grace of God
that has not been true.
And I will say
that I think it is
to a large extent
because of the humility
of the men
that I serve with
that they have
discouraged it
they have
not done anything
to encourage it
they have refuted it
when it has come up
they speak well
of one another
and it's made
a huge difference.
But it has been
God's grace
that that is true.
Friends
may this always be true
of our church.
I think there might be
a second kind of division
in our church
though
that may be
a little more salient
and may strike
a little bit closer
to home.
So let me explore this
for a few minutes.
It's a division
that's woven
into the very fabric
of our community
just like
in the Corinthian community
there was a culture
that encouraged
that kind of division.
The division
that I see
that's at least
possible
in our church
would be this
I am of Yale
I am not
of Yale.
Now this may not be true
some of you
are going to be
fence sitters
some of you
are going to be married
some in
some out
some of you
may not feel this
at all
but let's explore it
for a few minutes
just to think about it.
One of the things
that I think is true
is that
when you come
to a prestigious
university
like Yale
it's very easy
for that to become
very central
to your identity
very quickly.
It's just
it's not a conscious
decision.
You walk into
the culture
and part of it
is the university
itself tells you
that you are the best
and the brightest
and you're going
to change the world
and you're going
to be presidents
of the United States
and you're special
because you're at Yale.
and you're repeated
over and over
and over again.
And I'm not sure
you always know
how deep it is.
I'm not sure
you always
recognize
how much
you communicate
that
to those around you
who aren't
a part of Yale.
It plays out
in really
simple ways
very normal
human ways
maybe your
social cliques
the people
who are in
your professional
school
or in your
college
or in your
you just
naturally
gravitate
towards those
and those
are the people
you talk to
after church
and those
are the people
who you get
a small group
with
and they're
the church
that you
sort of
hang out
with.
Another way
I think it
seeps in
is if you
haven't listened
to Pastor Greg's
sermon that he
preached a couple
years ago
in Jeremiah 29
go back and look
it up on the
website and listen
to it.
He said there
are lots of
people who come
to New Haven
for a while
to get their
stuff and to
get out
and it's very
easy in a
place like Yale
to do that.
You come in
and you're only
here to get
your degree
to get through
your program
and to move
on and you've
got your sights
set on something
else and this
is just a
way station
and you know
just like stopping
at a rest area
you may ignore
all the restaurants
if all you need
is a bathroom
you know
you're just doing
you're getting
what you need
and then you
keep going.
It's easy in the
questions that you
ask when you
meet someone new
oh who are you
right?
What do you do?
Oh what department
are you in?
Well you know
what if you're
just working in a
job in town
those can really
be off-putting.
They communicate
automatically
I'm not a part
of your world.
I say you
but I want
to say this
I remember
doing this
I was a student
once
when I went
off to university
I lived in a town
but I didn't know
anything about it
I didn't care
anything about it
it wasn't until
after I graduated
and stayed
for a little while
that I began
to learn
about the region
and about the
spiritual condition
of it
and the place
of the church
I was thankful
that I was in a church
where I actually
got to know
some of the church
members outside
of just the
university community
through service
it's a plug
for the one thing
you get involved
in those things
you get to meet
people in the church
who are different
which is wonderful
but one of the things
that I realized
is that when I
didn't care
about the town
that I was in
it communicated
to those who
lived there
it doesn't matter
that's very painful
and it's very dividing
now
how about those
of you
who are not
of Yale
often
everything seems
to be about
Yale
doesn't it
you might feel
envious
of all the
attention
all the
resources
all the
opportunities
that people
who are
of Yale
have
you might feel
insecure
and threatened
well they're
really smart
people
I'm not very
smart
how do I
go to Bible
study
with smart
people like
that
that's
intimidating
you may feel
contemptuous
because you've
seen them
try to change
a tire
and you know
they can't
do it
you may be
weary
if you've
been here
for a while
of the stream
that's flowing
through our
church
you may
resent them
for taking
and not
giving
it seems
and you may
feel like
an overlooked
majority
not valued
or seen
very well
in our
society
here in
New Haven
maybe even
here in
our church
church
I expose
this division
not because
I think
it is
tearing
our church
apart
but because
I think
it could
I expose
it because
I want
us to see
that if
we have
taken on
these
attitudes
the root
of them
may be
in our
identity
we see
ourselves
in one
camp
or the
other
and in
doing so
we allow
ourselves
to separate
from people
who are
different
from us
we think
we end up
competing
for the
resources
for the
attention
of the
pastors
for the
money
and the
budget
we could
end up
having a
mutual
attitude
of
superiority
one over
the other
we can
have a
disregard
or be
dismissive
of one
another
and friends
if we
embrace
that
then we're
a part
of the
problem
that Paul
is exposing
and confronting
in the
church
in
Corinth
let me
just say
this
out of
these
two
things
that I
think
are very
salient
in our
church
culture
I would
just want
to ask
a series
of questions
because there
are lots
of things
that we
can put
our identities
in
there are
lots
of ways
that we
can build
ourselves
up
and separate
ourselves
from those
around us
even within
the church
so let me
just ask you
some questions
to reflect
on your
own
when I
introduce
myself
what do
I say
what does
that say
who I
think I
am in
this
particular
relationship
how do
what
how I
share
myself
how does
that position
me with
regard to
the other
person
do I
use my
identity
subtly
or not
so subtly
to make
myself
look good
in the
eyes of
others
we need
to ask
ourselves
these
questions
I think
this tendency
runs pretty
deep
in human
and humanity
the good
news is
there's
hope
we don't
have to
be divided
our longing
for a
unity that
is real
and substantial
is possible
in the
kingdom of
God
and in
Christ
because when
we find
our identity
not in
all of
these other
things
but in
Christ
himself
this
then
produces
a unity
in us
that is
a beautiful
thing to
behold
let's
explore how
Paul talks
about this
in the
passage
look back
with me
in verses
we're going
to start
in verse
10
because you
see
Paul's
initial
solution
it seems
to be
very easy
don't be
divided
agree
be of
the same
mind
think the
same
have the
same
judgment
just get
along
right
and he's
not doing
that superficially
you'll see
he's building
the case
for it
but at the
very beginning
he's saying
don't be
divided
if you
feel
divided
you are
doing
something
that is
contrary
to your
nature
and contrary
to the
nature
of the
community
that God
has called
you into
having
the same
judgment
and having
the same
mind
is not
just agreeing
to disagree
it's not
just shallow
tolerance
in the way
that our
world often
presents it
today
it's a
deeper
unity
of values
and of
priorities
and of
ends
it is that
there is a
core of
truth
that matters
to us
a truth
about who
God is
and what
he's done
in the world
and who
we are
in relationship
to him
and not
only is
that truth
true
but it
is the
most important
thing about
us
so it
is both
the truth
of it
and the
significance
of it
that brings
us together
that's what
Paul is saying
when he talks
about being
of the same
mind
and the
same
what is
the phrase
let me look
at it
same mind
and the
same judgment
right
he's saying
this is at
the core
in Christ
this is
where it
is
and there
are lots
of ways
that he
helps us
understand
the basis
of this
do you
notice
that one
of the
first
things
he did
is to
say
brothers
I
appeal
to you
brothers
and then
he repeats
it at the
end of
verse 11
my
brothers
he's
saying
God
has
called
us
in
Christ
into
a
family
now
your
family
may
be
completely
fractured
your
family
may
feel
like
there's
no
unity
in it
at all
but
the
biblical
picture
the
biblical
picture
of
unity
is
that
God
has
called
you
into
one
family
with
one
God
and
father
over
us
all
and
we
are
called
to be
brothers
and
sisters
of
Jesus
the
redeemer
and
the
king
what
a
glorious
thing
that
is
so
he
says
how
can
we
be
divided
against
one
another
if
Christ
has
called
us
into
one
family
and
then
secondly
he
says
and
I
appeal
to
you
in
the
name
of
Christ
this
is
in
verse
10
again
he's
saying
we
are
not
only
called
into
this
family
but
we
have
one
authority
over
us
the
church
has
one
head
who
is
Jesus
Christ
he
alone
has
the
ultimate
authority
and
so
how
can
we
divide
ourselves
against
one
another
and
claim
identity
in
this
person
and
this
person
when
there
is
one
person
who
alone
has
the
authority
over
us
and
then
Paul
in
verse
13
or
verse
12
no
verse
13
I
love
Paul's
rhetorical
questions
you should
look
particularly
in
first
Corinthians
he
pulls
them
out
a
lot
to
get
his
point
across
and
it's
always
worth
asking
when
there's
a
question
what
is
Paul
expecting
the
answer
to
be
right
look at
verse
13
is
Christ
divided
well
of course
not
how can
you
divide
Christ
so
how
can
you
divide
his
church
that's
the
answer
that
he's
giving
and
then
he
keeps
going
was
Paul
crucified
for
you
well
this is
absurd
of course
not
only
Christ
was
crucified
then
why
are you
making
so much
of
Paul
that
you
are
diminishing
the
excellency
and the
supremacy
of
Christ
he keeps
going
were you
baptized
into the
name
of Paul
right
he picks up
this
baptized
thing
of course
you wouldn't
be baptized
in the name
of Paul
Paul hasn't
done anything
but proclaim
to you
what Jesus
has done
you
are baptized
in the
name
of Jesus
Christ
because
he's
done
the
work
of
redemption
for you
and we'll
explore that
as we get
down a little
bit further
and this
leads him
a little
bit into
this
place
of
baptism
and I
love
how he
does
this
because
he
says
look
I'm
glad
I didn't
baptize
many
of you
because
then it
might
look
like
I
was
trying
to
build
my
own
little
army
sort
of
counting
my
scalps
you know
I'm
trying
to
get
people
to
be
my
people
by
baptizing
him
he's
like
I'm
glad
I
didn't
baptize
and then
in
God's
sovereignty
this
little
aside
in
verse
16
is
so
beautiful
isn't
it
right
because
it's
funny
Paul's
like
I
only
baptized
to
oh
this
what
is
Paul
saying
it
didn't
matter
to
him
it
wasn't
important
at
all
who
it
was
who
performed
the
baptism
ceremony
what Paul
cared
about
is
who
were
you
baptized
into
and
you
were
baptized
not
into
your
church
leader
not
into
your
denomination
not
into
your
particular
church
faction
you
were
baptized
into
Christ
and
in
the
name
of
Christ
so
how
can
you
divide
over
these
things
which
leads
us
to
verse
17
in
some
ways
this
is
where
we
see
the
end
of
where
Paul
has
been
taking
this
argument
he's
saying
you
are
divided
don't
be
of
one
mind
be
of
one
mind
because
you
have
all
of
these
things
in
Christ
in
common
then
in
verse
17
what
he
says
is
read
it
with
me
for
Christ
did
not
send
me
to
baptize
but
to
preach
the
gospel
not
with
words
of
eloquent
wisdom
lest
the
cross
of
Christ
be
emptied
of
its
power
now
look
Paul
didn't
not
baptize
people
right
Matthew
28
18
would
say
that
he
actually
was
called
to
baptize
people
just
like
everyone
else
in
the
church
is
called
to
go
and
make
disciples
and
baptize
people
but
what
Paul
is
saying
is
that
my
job
before
you
is
to
proclaim
what
God
has
done
in
Christ
and
don't
use
baptism
as
this
kingdom
I
wasn't
called
to
do
that
that's
not
why
I
came
I
came
to
proclaim
to
you
the
excellencies
of
what
God
has
done
in
Jesus
and
not
only
did
I
do
that
but
I
did
it
not
buying
into
the
impressive
ways
that I
could
have
spoken
to
impress
you
why
because
I
want
you
to
see
the
power
of
the
cross
friends
this
is
the
very
center
of
what
Paul
wants
us
to
get
to
it
is
the
cross
of
Christ
that
alone
has
the
power
to
give
us
an
identity
that
can
actually
produce
true
unity
when
we
grab
hold
of
other
identities
spiritual
leaders
theological
schools
who
baptized
me
what's
my
education
whatever
it
is
when
we
grab
on
those
things
and
make
them
our
primary
thing
we
deny
the
centrality
of
the
work
of
Christ
in
our
lives
we
deny
that
the
cross
is
as
significant
as
it
should
be
in
our
lives
but
friends
when
Christ
is
our
identity
when
he
is
central
in
our
lives
when
he
is
central
in
our
thoughts
about
who
we
are
oh
friends
it
makes
all
the
difference
because
we
gather
together
under
him
and
when
we
interact
with
one
another
we're
able
to
come
to
each
other
not
figuring
out
and
comparing
and
contrasting
figure out
where do
I fit
with these
people
but we
encounter
each
other
instead
with
the joy
of
exploring
and learning
about
the grace
of God
in this
person's
life
we get
to hear
their
story
and we
get
to see
how
Christ
and the
cross
of Christ
has
intersected
with
them
because
of this
when Christ
is our
central
identity
these
other
things
which are
true
of us
fade
into the
background
they don't
become the
thing that
we need
in order
to connect
with one
another
when Christ
is our
identity
we can
give up
our
comparison
we can
give up
our
competitive
spirit
of
where do
I fit
am I
more
spiritual
or less
spiritual
than this
person
am I
more
important
or less
important
in the
church
is my
role
more
significant
or less
significant
in the
church
none
of these
things
matter
we don't
need to
make much
of ourselves
because Christ
has called
us
and made
us his
own
and so
we can
instead
love
and serve
others
we can
make much
of others
and friends
when we know
that our
identity is in
Christ
we don't
spend so
much of
our time
so much
of our
heart
energy
so much
of our
passions
desperately
seeking
to find
something
that's going
to be so
significant
that will
actually
bear the
weight
of our
human
identity
we think
that if
my success
in my
career
or the
way that
I fulfill
my duties
at church
or whatever
it is
if we think
that those
things are
where we
will find
it
we find
that they
can't actually
bear the
weight
and when we
find that
Christ is
actually the
center of
it
then all
those other
things
are a part
of who we
are but they
don't have to
bear that
weight
and that's
a beautiful
gift
to us
I read a
story
I think it
wasn't in an
evangelism book
it was a long
time ago
I couldn't
find it
but I read
this great
story once
about
in the
1970s
some of you
will remember
this
some of you
weren't born
yet
when people
used to wear
coats and ties
to church
all the time
everybody
and it
was expected
and it
was a way
to honor
the Lord
and it
was a good
thing
and during
the early
70s there
was a revival
in America
and it was a
revival especially
among the young
people and
especially among
the people who
were counter
cultural
some of you
may have been
some of those
people
the hippies who
went to
Woodstock also
became followers
of Jesus
in lots
of ways
and he
tells of a
story of a
young man
with long
hair
and a tank
top
and flip
flops
who walked
into a
church
because he
had been
encountered
Christ
and been
changed
by him
and he
walked
into church
he looked
around
he looked
at all
the suits
thought well
and he
walked up
to the
front
and he
sat
on the
floor
right there
and it
was awkward
and it
was like
whoa
and one
of the
ushers
took off
his coat
walked down
the aisle
took off
his shoes
and sat
down next
to the
young man
and they
worshipped
together
it was a
very
practical
very
pragmatic
very
visible
way
in which
that usher
understood
that though
he wore
a church
tie to
church
because it
was the
culture
of the
day
that wasn't
what his
identity
was
and he
saw in
this young
man
with his
tank top
and his
long hair
and his
flip flops
Jesus
a brother
and he
welcomed him
friends
this is of
course the
very nature
of the
gospel
the reason
why
taking these
identities
and creating
divisions among
you
empties the
cross
of its
power
is because
it has
nothing to
do with
the one
who hung
on the
cross
Jesus
came
not in a
competitive
spirit
not to
assert himself
as the
ruler by
riding on a
horse with
an army
in his
back
but Jesus
came
not to
be served
but to
serve
to give his
life a
ransom for
many
money
he went
to the
cross
to die
for our
sins
he took
the penalty
that they
deserved
that we
deserve
so that we
don't have
to
he lived a
life not of
self
exaltation
but of
self
sacrifice
he bought
us with
the price
of his
very
life
and this
is why
Paul says
how can
you divide
the people
of Christ
around anything
when this
precious treasure
of the blood
of the very
son of God
has bought
you and
brought you
into a
unity
this is the
glory of the
church
this is the
goodness
so who are
you
is a really
important question
the Bible
would say
that the most
important question
for you to
ask is
are you in
Christ
or are you
not
and if you're
here this
morning and
you're exploring
Christianity
I hope you
will see
that though the
church may
look very
fragmented
in its
forms and
in its
modern day
expressions
this is not
the intent
and this is
not the
goal
and this is
not how
it will
be
there will
be a
unity
in the
people of
God
in eternity
that will
be a
beautiful
thing to
behold
and there
is in
fact even
now a
beauty in
the people
of God
as people
from different
denominations
and from
different
socioeconomic
levels
and from
different races
and from
Yale and
not Yale
gather together
every Sunday
to worship
God
and I hope
you will see
that this
is founded
in the very
work of
Christ
and he calls
you to
believe and
come in
and to
the rest
to those of
you who are
in the church
already
may we make
much of
Christ
I don't
want to
talk about
unity
every week
I want
to talk
about
Christ
and as
we talk
about
Christ
and as
we exalt
him in
our hearts
as we
treasure
him
as we
make
him
central
in our
identity
as all
the other
things that
we do
in our
lives
find their
place
under
him
and in
relationship
to him
then Christ
is great
for us
and then we
will be
a church
not divided
but united
let's pray
Lord thank you
for this
word
we thank you
for Christ
and that the
cross
has a power
to transform
us
to give us
a new
identity
far more
profound
than anything
we would
create on
our own
and Lord
in that
identity
you produce
in us
a unity
Lord
that has
beauty
to it
God we
pray you
would
we pray
that in
your mercy
Lord
you would
help us
to be
that kind
of church
that your
love
and your
mercy
your
righteousness
and justice
seen at
the cross
would be
magnified
and proclaimed
through our
body
not by our
divisions
but by our
unity
we pray
these things
in Jesus
name
Amen