The Advocate in the Courtroom: Finding Peace in Coram Deo

• Anxiety and Expectations [00:44:15 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor addresses the unsettling anxiety that things will not turn out as expected or desired, using the example of winning a dream house on TV only to face immediate tax burdens.
• Living in God's Sight [00:44:55 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor posits that the only viable way for a Christian to live amidst uncertainty is by living consciously in the presence and sight of the living God.
• Expectations vs. Reality in Ministry [00:43:47 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor contrasts the idealized expectations of winning a 'dream house' or a perfect pastoral visit with the harsh realities of taxes, taxes, and mutual disappointment between Paul and the Corinthians.
• Interpersonal Conflict in the Church [00:55:58 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor lists eight specific evils (quarreling, jealousy, anger, etc.) that characterize the unhealthy dynamics Paul fears finding in Corinth, linking them to fan groups and a desire to 'win' rather than serve.
• Resistance to Spiritual Health [00:57:59 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor argues that unhealthy systems push back against attempts at healing, using the analogy of the 'aroma of Christ' smelling like death to the perishing and family members attacking a convert who tries to change.
• Resistance to Holiness [00:57:59 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor explains that bringing health into an unhealthy system causes pushback, using the analogy of the 'aroma of Christ' smelling like death to the perishing.
• Relapse and Lack of Repentance [00:59:41 ▶️ 📄]
  > Discussion of Paul's grief over those who sinned but did not truly repent, highlighting the pain of seeing people walk away from freedom despite ministry efforts.
• Coram Deo (In the Sight of God) [01:05:34 ▶️ 📄]
  > Exploration of the Latin phrase meaning 'before God,' emphasizing that God sees all, judges all, and nothing is hidden, contrasting this with modern surveillance anxiety.
• Christ as Advocate [01:10:50 ▶️ 📄]
  > The theological pivot where the pastor explains that believers are not alone in God's presence because Jesus Christ serves as their righteous advocate and mediator.
• Christ as Advocate [01:11:49 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor explains that Jesus is the righteous advocate and mediator for believers, qualified by His own righteousness and knowledge of the law, contrasting Him with earthly lawyers who would not suffer for their clients.
• Divine Sovereignty and Non-Waste [01:14:11 ▶️ 📄]
  > Using an analogy of Native Americans using every part of a buffalo, the pastor argues that God wastes nothing, including human failure and disappointment, using them to teach humility and rely on God.
• Coram Deo Living [01:16:41 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor outlines three applications of living in God's sight: reconciliation to Christ, trusting God when circumstances fail, and living with an eternal perspective rather than seeking immediate success.
• Communion and Grace [01:19:46 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor transitions to the liturgy of communion, emphasizing that the table is for sinners who need mercy, not for those claiming individual worthiness, and invites unbelievers to seek salvation.

• Sermon Illustration [00:43:47 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses an analogy of television shows where couples win their dream house, noting that the reality often involves owing the federal government 50% in taxes, causing dreams to sour instantly.
• Sermon Illustration [00:43:47 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses the analogy of TV shows where couples win dream houses, only to immediately owe the federal government 50% in taxes, illustrating how dreams can sour instantly due to unexpected realities.
• Sermon Illustration [00:47:36 ▶️ 📄]
  > A personal anecdote about the pastor's aunt visiting in the summer; they planned fun activities like going to the zoo, but everyone got a stomach bug on the day she arrived, illustrating missed expectations.
• Sermon Illustration [00:54:10 ▶️ 📄]
  > A story about a church that fired three pastors in six years for the same reason (conflict with leadership), illustrating how repeated incidents form an entrenched pattern or culture.
• Sermon Illustration [00:55:02 ▶️ 📄]
  > An anecdote about an older apartment in St. Louis where, despite repainting, brown tar beads would seep through the paint on hot days, illustrating how past sins or 'dragons' can bubble up even after apparent cleanup.
• Sermon Illustration [00:58:14 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a personal anecdote about the smell of chili: he loves it normally, but hates it when he is sick, illustrating how the 'aroma of Christ' can smell like death to those who are spiritually sick.
• Sermon Illustration [01:02:57 ▶️ 📄]
  > An analogy of a gorilla raised in captivity who refuses to leave its cage even when unlocked, illustrating people who are not truly freed from the pattern of sin despite being offered freedom.
• Sermon Illustration [01:07:15 ▶️ 📄]
  > A reference to a Super Bowl ad for Ring doorbells using AI to find a lost puppy, which sparked public anxiety about constant surveillance, used to illustrate the unsettling reality of being watched.
• Sermon Illustration [01:08:28 ▶️ 📄]
  > A generational comparison noting that for those under 20, the 'worst' thing is having a video of them tripping go viral on the internet, illustrating the modern pressure of digital permanence and surveillance.
• Sermon Illustration [01:12:25 ▶️ 📄]
  > An analogy comparing Jesus to a special attorney who knows the law because He wrote it, passed every test, and suffered for the crimes of the accused, unlike any earthly lawyer.
• Sermon Illustration [01:13:43 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a story about studying Native Americans as a child, noting their practice of using every part of the buffalo (including spleen and bones) so that nothing was wasted, using this as an analogy for how God uses all aspects of life, including failure, for His purposes.
• Sermon Illustration [01:15:13 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor recounts reading a story about a church planter who spent five years trying to plant a church that ultimately failed and closed down. The author of the book told the planter, 'You didn't fail. No one fails in Christ,' highlighting that the souls fed and glory given to God were not wasted.

• Pastoral Charge [00:50:25 ▶️ 📄]
  > Tell the pastor specifically what they learned from the sermon, how it changed them, and how they applied it to their lives.
• Pastoral Charge [01:05:34 ▶️ 📄]
  > Use a Bible app to search for phrases similar to 'in the sight of God' to observe their frequency in Scripture.
• Pastoral Charge [01:17:14 ▶️ 📄]
  > To trust in Christ and ask Him for salvation.
• Pastoral Charge [01:20:43 ▶️ 📄]
  > To ask for salvation and speak with church leadership for guidance.

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:00:00] Good morning. Welcome to Harbor Church. We are a family of God. We're bound together to glorify and enjoy Him. We do that by sharing the gospel, by strengthening each other in Him, and by showing Him to our community in the world.
[00:06:34] I'm glad you're here, especially visitors. I want to welcome you. A couple of announcements before we get started in worship.
[00:06:41] These are all in your bulletin.
[00:06:44] First, there was an email that went out last week, I believe it was, officer candidates.
[00:06:48] You got about a month or so to look over that.
[00:06:51] Please be in prayer for that.
[00:06:52] There are also printed versions of that in the lobby if you'd like to pick up one of those.
[00:06:58] Today we do have Sunday school for all ages.
[00:07:01] This Wednesday is our youth in Bible study at 6.30 to 8 o'clock.
[00:07:07] The men of the covenant meets this Thursday.
[00:07:10] in the sanctuary. And our women's retreat is coming up this Saturday. So we've been announcing that for a while. So the women's retreat is coming up this Saturday. So several things to consider there and definitely to be in prayer for. So I pray that you would ask that you would do

[00:07:24] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:07:24] that. Thank you, Don. The word worship, the origin or the etymology of it is some old English. It meant worth-ship. It focuses on who is worthy. The reason why we are here this morning is that Christ is worthy of our joy. Christ is worthy of bringing our pain and our sorrows to
[00:07:59] him. Christ is worthy of submitting to him. And so as we come into his presence this morning, let's fix our eyes upon Christ and see how worthy he truly is would you please stand as we respond
[00:08:15] by reciting God's word together I'll begin and if you respond in the bold O give thanks to the Lord call on his name make known his deeds among the peoples sing to him, sing praises to him
[00:08:31] tell of all his wonderful deeds glory in his holy name Let the earth seek the Lord and rejoice.
[00:08:40] Seek the Lord and his strength.
[00:08:43] Seek his presence continually.
[00:08:45] Remember the wonderful works he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he has uttered.
[00:08:50] Oh, offspring of his servant Abraham, children of Jacob, his chosen ones.
[00:08:56] He is the Lord our God.
[00:08:58] His judgments are in all the earth.
[00:09:01] Let's pray.
[00:09:02] Lord God, you see all and you know all.
[00:09:06] Lord, you, by your power and strength and might and intelligence, have been holding together all things from the very beginning.
[00:09:17] There is nothing that we can hide from you.
[00:09:20] Lord, there is nothing that can be covered.
[00:09:22] There is nothing, Lord God, that you do not know.
[00:09:26] And so, Lord God, we ask today that you would know our hearts.
[00:09:30] Test our hearts, Lord, and show us places that we need to grow and change.
[00:09:36] Show us places, Lord, that is still resisting you and trying to run away from you.
[00:09:40] And Lord, we pray that you would chase us back.
[00:09:43] We thank you, Lord God, that if you were to judge our hearts rightly, nakedly, Lord, not one of us could stand.
[00:09:50] But I thank you, Lord Jesus Christ, that you lived a perfect life for me and died a perfect death for all of us.
[00:09:57] So Lord God, that we could now approach the throne of grace.
[00:10:01] Lord, with boldness, because we know that you are for us.
[00:10:07] So, Lord God, we thank you that you provide everything that we need, every time, all the time.
[00:10:14] Lord, and so, to that end, we now pray the Lord's Prayer, as we now say all together.
[00:10:19] Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
[00:10:23] Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
[00:10:28] Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.
[00:10:35] And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
[00:10:39] For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.
[00:10:44] As you stand, let's sing together.

[00:10:47] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[00:10:47] The call to worship has an integral reminder.
[00:10:52] We just read it together.
[00:10:53] Glory in his holy name.
[00:10:55] Let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
[00:10:58] There's rejoicing in the seeking.
[00:10:59] It's not just the finding, it's the seeking this morning.
[00:11:03] A bigger reminder in that psalm is that we are to seek the Lord, not the blessings as much as we seek Him.
[00:11:10] Like the greatest thing I need, the greatest thing we need is not the cure for cancer, although that would be great.
[00:11:16] The greatest thing we need is not perfected marriages, although that would be great.
[00:11:21] Our greatest need is the Lord Himself.
[00:11:23] So let's worship this morning.

[00:11:25] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:11:25] Immortal, invisible, godly light Enlightened, accessible, hid from our eyes Most blessed, most glorious, the ancient of days Almighty, victorious, thy great name we pray Unresting, unhasting, yet silent is God Nor want no wasting us to sideline our story
[00:12:23] Great Father of blue, pure Father of thine Angels adore thee, all filling the sky All faith has led us to see Tis only the splendor of thy name

[00:13:30] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:13:30] one of the speakers, a friend of mine, talked about he was about to go to a meeting with some fellow Christians, and he said, I decided in the car that when I was asked, what is the worst thing
[00:13:44] that you've done this week, I was gonna lie. And then he said, I got to the meeting, the first thing that my friend said was, I have to tell you the worst thing that I did this week. And he said,
[00:13:55] oh no, I have to be honest too. That's what confession of sin does. It drives us to be honest, not just with ourselves, but to be honest with our creator. And so, brothers and sisters,
[00:14:09] let's confess our sins out loud together. Heavenly Father. Oh, I'm sorry. Thank you.
[00:14:18] I was like, am I just speaking alone? Okay, here we go. All right. Heavenly Father, Every day I continue to sin in thought, word, and deed.
[00:14:27] The good I would do, I do not.
[00:14:30] And the evil I would not, that I find I do.
[00:14:34] I am such a fool, and none of my sins are hidden from you.
[00:14:38] We pretend that we can sin in secret, when in reality you are watching us the entire time.
[00:14:45] Forgive us, O Lord.
[00:14:47] grant us today renewed gospel conviction to turn from our sins and love you and follow you in Jesus name amen would you take a moment if there's something that this brought up in your heart confess it to the Lord or perhaps confess to the Lord your worst sin that you committed this
[00:15:06] week take it to Christ and trust in him let's take a moment to pray silently Lord God I hate

[00:15:31] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:15:31] the way in which I crave other people's approval. Lord, I'm sorry for the ways in which

[00:15:42] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:15:42] sometimes unwittingly, Lord, I want to detract from your glory so that I can get glory. And Lord, that is a horrible thing to do as a pastor and as a father and a husband and just as a man.
[00:15:59] Lord God, I pray that you would please forgive me.
[00:16:02] Give me the ways in which I get in the way.
[00:16:05] Lord, please hear all of our prayers.
[00:16:07] Lord, help us to more honestly come to you every single day.
[00:16:11] Lord, more willing to confess our sins because we know that Christ is merciful.
[00:16:16] We ask these things in his name. Amen.
[00:16:20] You're assured that you're pardoned if you come confessing your sins, trusting in Christ alone.
[00:16:26] And you need to hear it from God's word in Romans chapter 7.
[00:16:30] This is Paul writing, Paul the apostle, Paul the church planter, Paul the pastor, the preacher, the spiritual guide.
[00:16:38] He says, wretched man that I am, who will rescue me from this body of death?
[00:16:48] And the answer comes not in a what, but in a who.
[00:16:52] Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
[00:16:56] This is the Christian's hope, because this is true.
[00:16:59] Let's stand together and let's sing.

[00:20:11] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:20:11] rich and free. We tend to use a word very frequently without ever thinking about what

[00:20:55] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:20:55] that word means. Perhaps we're not guilty of doing this with any word more than the word God.
[00:21:03] So our confession of faith this morning comes from Westminster Larger Catechism, question number seven. Let's say it out loud together. I ask you this morning, dear Christians, What is God? God is a spirit in and of himself, infinite in being, glory, blessedness, and
[00:21:26] perfection, all-sufficient, eternal, unchangeable, incomprehensible, everywhere present, almighty, knowing all things, most wise, most holy, most just, most merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth. As we come to our Bible memory verse for this month, Romans 6,
[00:21:54] 23, I just want to give you a reminder that we have all of the memory verses for this year printed off at the table out back. And so if you want to keep up with them and you haven't grabbed
[00:22:06] one of those sheets, I just invite you to grab one of those sheets with all 12 months. And there's a bonus QR code with the songs that our very own Carrie Brown is writing each month to go with
[00:22:17] these. And if you're like me, you need help memorizing stuff. So the songs are really helpful. All right, let's say our memory verse together, Romans 6, 23. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Let's continue to stand

[00:22:40] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[00:22:40] and sing together. Put the chorus up there, please. Sorry. Next slide. There it is. Let's

[00:22:52] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:22:52] start with this. Praise the Lord. Our sins, they are many. That's a key change. They're sunk into a sea with our sin as we constantly. What Father so tender is. Our sin, which is of kindness he lavished on us. His blood was the payment, his life was the cost. We stood
[00:25:33] We stood neath the debt we could never owe.
[00:25:37] Can we sing that again?
[00:25:39] We stood neath the debt we could never owe.
[00:25:48] And said our mercy is more.
[00:25:53] Praise the Lord.
[00:25:58] Mercy is more.
[00:26:20] His mercy is more.
[00:26:32] Our sins they are.
[00:26:41] Mercy is more.

[00:26:56] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:26:56] You may be seated.
[00:26:57] Our scripture reading this morning comes from 1 Corinthians 3, verses 1-9.
[00:27:07] Hear the word of the Lord.
[00:27:12] But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ.
[00:27:22] I've fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it, and even now are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh.
[00:27:33] For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? For when one says, I follow Paul, and another, I follow Apollos, are you not being
[00:27:52] merely human? What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters
[00:28:25] are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God's fellow workers, You are God's field, God's building.

[00:28:39] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:28:39] Amen.

[00:28:40] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:28:40] Our Elder Don Deal will come up to pray for us.

[00:28:49] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:28:49] Let's bow our heads and our hearts in prayer.
[00:28:58] From Psalm 51, Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
[00:29:06] Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.
[00:29:10] Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me.
[00:29:16] Then I will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you.
[00:29:22] Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, you who are my God and my Savior, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
[00:29:31] Open my lips, Lord, and my mouth, I will declare your praise.
[00:29:35] You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it.
[00:29:38] You do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
[00:29:41] My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart, God, you will not despise.
[00:29:52] Lord, we thank you for your presence.
[00:29:54] Too often, Lord, we take that for granted.
[00:29:56] But, Lord, I pray that your church, your people, would wake every morning with a sense of your presence and carry it throughout the day.
[00:30:07] Lord, we thank you for your spirit, for the way your spirit guides us, gives us counsel, rebukes us, teaches us, Lord, and just shows us Christ. Lord, we thank you for Kent's and Timothy's healing, following their treatment. Lord, there's so many other prayers to go along
[00:30:26] with those prayers that we have offered here, prayers that you have answered for healing.
[00:30:30] And Lord, we thank you for those, and we pray for continued healing. We pray for ongoing treatment for Barbara, Lindsay's sister-in-law, for Crystal's father and Janice's uncle Mike, both suffering and being treated for cancer.
[00:30:44] Lord, we pray for this afternoon as Michael and I plan to go visit Jennifer.
[00:30:49] Don't know whether we'll get to see Emma or not, but Lord, we're planning to talk to Jennifer.
[00:30:55] Lord, we pray that you would just use us.
[00:30:57] Lord, that this would be a divine appointment of yours, that you would use us in some way, whether great or small, to just encourage them and strengthen them, Lord, and show them, let them know of your mercy, your deliverance.
[00:31:12] Lord, I ask that you would just set them both on a high tower, that you would protect them, go between them, and Satan who desires just to consume them and just stands ready always to deceive.
[00:31:25] Lord, we pray for that appointment.
[00:31:27] Lord, we pray for Bennett.
[00:31:28] We pray that this season of his seizures has come and gone.
[00:31:34] Lord, pray that he would just continue to grow in strength and he would always know you and continue to grow in the knowledge of his Savior.
[00:31:42] Lord, I ask for prayer for my mom and for so many aging parents in our congregation that are in need of assistance, have been receiving assistance, may be approaching that time where they need assistance.
[00:31:56] so many hard decisions, Lord. Help us to, in those decisions, Lord, to honor and respect our parents. Help us, guide us, Lord, in what we should do. There's just so many choices. It's just a myriad of decisions that we need to make. So, Lord, we pray for your guidance in that.
[00:32:18] Lord, I learned this morning that Todd's neighbor lost her husband this past week, So we pray for that family, pray for their uplifting.
[00:32:27] Lord, pray too for a family of Jim's coworker.
[00:32:31] Lord, Satan just is certainly at work.
[00:32:35] We see it every day.
[00:32:37] Is there a day that goes by where we don't hear about Satan at work in the world?
[00:32:43] Just deceiving people, making them think that the answers to their problems are at the end of a gun.
[00:32:50] Killing themselves, killing others.
[00:32:51] Lord, we just pray for your church to rise up, for your church to be effective.
[00:32:56] Lord, only you can overcome Satan.
[00:32:59] You've overcome death, Lord, and we look forward to that day, Lord, where death and Satan and Hades are just thrown into the destruction of fire.
[00:33:07] Lord, we lift up our missionary family, the M's, serving in Hong Kong.
[00:33:12] They ask for prayer for more workers, and it seems like some may be coming.
[00:33:17] Lord, we ask that you would provide for these new workers, prepare them and use them in that area where so many people come from different areas, especially of Europe. But Hong Kong, it's just an area where so many people are there from
[00:33:31] various areas and are in need of the gospel. We pray, too, for their pastor search, for an associate pastor, and that we would also raise up more godly men to serve there as elders.
[00:33:44] And Lord, we lift up our enemies. So hard to pray for our enemies, Lord.
[00:33:52] we need reminders that our enemy is not flesh and blood.
[00:33:57] It's against rulers, authorities, powers of this dark world, and the forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
[00:34:04] And Lord, we need reminders that when we think about having enemies, that we too, Lord, I was an enemy for so many years of my life.
[00:34:15] Lord, we just ask that you would give us wisdom and mercy and humility to pray for our enemies, to find ways if we can to bless them. But first of all, to start with prayer. Lord, help us to pray for our enemies that they would be delivered. Lord, we lift up
[00:34:35] our children. Lord, I thank you for so many children that you've brought to this church over the last several years. Lord, they need your protection. There are so many forces out there in the world just pursuing them. So many temptations. Lord, we pray for your mercy on them. We pray for
[00:34:54] the parents, Lord, that they would lead them in godliness and holiness and that the children one day soon would come to take their parents' faith as their own. Lord, please strengthen them against all the worldly temptations surrounding them. We pray for our outreach, for the lost in
[00:35:13] our community, our workplace, and our own families. Lord, we want the gospel to advance through us. Too often, Lord, we don't think of, I don't think of, as I wake or as I pray, I go through the day, I don't look for opportunities to use my actions, my speech,
[00:35:33] to reach the lost. And the truth is, Lord, sometimes we can be the only gospel that others will hear just by our presence with them in the presence of your Holy Spirit in us.
[00:35:45] So Lord, teach us to pray for those that we know who are lost. So we pause right now. Lord, that we lift up those who are on our minds who don't know Jesus. Lord, please hear these names
[00:36:07] and use us. Pray for divine appointments for us to be used to reach them with the gospel, to bless them. They would see just by our presence with them and your Holy Spirit in us,
[00:36:18] they would see something different, something that is opposite of the world.
[00:36:22] They would see something attractive, and they would be interested in that, Lord, and you would use us to lead them to faith.
[00:36:29] Lastly, Lord, we pray for our church planning, and planning not just in Harbor but also in our Presbytery.
[00:36:35] Lord, you know where the gospel is ripe, the areas where your gospel is needed.
[00:36:43] Those places are so many.
[00:36:44] but Lord, we pray for your timing, for your resources, for the men that you want to lead those new congregations and the core groups that would help in doing so. So Lord, we lift up all
[00:36:58] of that to you. There's so many things that are in your hands. Lord, we pray for the timing and everything to come together so that the gospel would advance through your church here in Harbor
[00:37:07] and through the presbyteries, the churches in our presbytery. Lord, please consider all these things. We look forward to your answer to these prayers. Pray all of them in the name of your

[00:37:19] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:37:19] Son, Jesus our Lord. Amen. As the deacons prepare for taking up of tithes and offerings, I want to say something that you probably know, but I want to say it to you anyway. Money is not God. Money
[00:37:47] is not God. Michael defined worship for us at the start of our service as ascribing worth to God.
[00:38:00] Something that happens when we worship God by the giving of offerings is we're reminded each week that money is not what we serve. Money is not what's most valuable for you. What's most valuable for you. The greatest treasure is God. And so because he is our greatest treasure, we hold
[00:38:28] these earthly treasures with a looser grip. And so as we come to give tithes and offerings this morning, part of what we are doing is ascribing worth to God. Now, that doesn't mean that if
[00:38:42] the plate passes you by this morning and you don't put anything in, that we're looking at you saying, oh, you don't value God. No, we have agreed as members of Harbor Church to support the church
[00:38:54] in its work, in its worship. And part of the way we do that is by giving. We give our time, we give our service, we give our attention, we give our prayers, and we even give our money.
[00:39:09] And so if you're a visitor here with us this morning, we just want you to know that we're really, really glad you're here. And we don't expect anything from you, But if you do choose to give this morning, whatever you choose to give, give with a cheerful heart

[00:39:24] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[00:39:24] because God is worthy. We get to sing again. Thank you.

[00:39:49] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:39:49] May the mind of Christ my Savior live in me from day to day. By his love and power controlling All I do and say May the word of God dwell richly In my heart from hour to hour
[00:40:17] So that all may see I triumph Only through His power May the peace of God my Father Rule my life in everything That I may be calm to comfort Sick and sorrowing May the love of Jesus fill me
[00:40:50] As the waters fill the sea Him exalting, self-abasing this is victory. May his beauty rest upon me as I seek the lost to win, and may they forget the channel, singing only his. Lord our God, you are our greatest treasure. Let everything on earth

[00:41:41] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:41:41] fade if you would be found our portion. Lord, we are thankful for all the ways that you have blessed us here on this earth, with breath, with life, with homes, with families, with friends, with a church. We thank you most of all for Jesus, and we pray that the offerings that have been
[00:42:09] given this morning, we pray given cheerfully, would be used for the joyful building up of his great kingdom, that as we stand on the shores of eternity, we might even see how the gifts given
[00:42:27] this morning were used for the glory of your everlasting name. And we pray, Lord, that you would do that in us this morning. Meet with us now as we hear your word. Empower Michael to preach
[00:42:46] to us with boldness and with conviction and open our ears by the power of your spirit to hear it.
[00:42:54] We ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Would you stand with me as we praise God together by

[00:43:01] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:43:01] singing the doxology? You may be seated. I don't know if you've ever watched the television shows,

[00:43:47] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:43:47] there's a couple of them out there, where a couple wins their dream house or something like that.
[00:43:53] usually beautiful countertops and a fence and six bedrooms more than you need and large windows that sort of thing the expectation is this is going to be their forever home right brought to you by
[00:44:07] hardware you know the reality behind a lot of those shows is that the moment that you win you owe the federal government about 50 percent and that's not including also the state and local taxes as well, right? So actually, rarely does anybody actually ever live in the thing that they
[00:44:31] want. Dreams can sour in an instant, thanks to you by the federal government. How do you live with an unsettling anxiety that things are not going to turn out the way you expect, or perhaps the way you want? You see, the Christian can live only one way, only one way,
[00:44:55] and it is in the sight of the living God.
[00:44:59] And so that's what we're going to be looking at today.
[00:45:01] Outline's a little modified in your bulletin.
[00:45:05] Just be aware of that.
[00:45:06] But we're going to be reading from 2 Corinthians 12, 19-21.
[00:45:12] This is God's holy and inspired word.
[00:45:14] Have you been thinking all along that we have been defending ourselves to you?
[00:45:20] It is in the sight of God that we have been speaking in Christ.
[00:45:24] and all for your upbuilding, beloved. For I fear that perhaps when I come, I may find you not as I wish, and you may find me not as you wish. That perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger,
[00:45:38] 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 sinned earlier and have not repented
[00:45:51] of the impurity, sexual immorality, and sensuality that they have practiced.
[00:45:57] Let's pray.
[00:45:59] Lord God, we thank you for your word, even when it's challenging, even when it's not the word that we expected, or perhaps even the word that we wanted.
[00:46:10] Lord God, we always know and trust that it is the word that we need.
[00:46:15] So speak to us, God, through the preached word.
[00:46:19] Lord, we ask that you would please keep me from presumptuous speech, Help me to treat the text with care.
[00:46:25] Lord, help me to showcase it and what it is saying and not my own opinions.
[00:46:30] And Lord, may your people get to see the gospel today.
[00:46:33] In Christ's name we pray. Amen.
[00:46:36] So this morning we're going to see an unsettling possibility.
[00:46:40] Then, here's the modification, an unsettling pattern.
[00:46:43] And then finally, an unsettling presence.
[00:46:46] So, an unsettling possibility.
[00:46:50] As Paul has been, he's visited the Corinthians, he planted Corinth, he came once before, now he's planning on coming a third time. This is something he brought up earlier in the letter. In verse 20,
[00:47:01] it says that Paul fears that perhaps, it's not automatic, but it's a risk. It's a risk that when I come, I may, again, not automatic, but it might happen, that I may find you not as I wish,
[00:47:15] and that you may not find me as you wish.
[00:47:19] It's mutual.
[00:47:22] It's like you ever miss somebody and you picture what it's going to be like when they arrive, right?
[00:47:31] And all the things that you're going to do together.
[00:47:34] And then it doesn't turn out the way you expect.
[00:47:36] My aunt always visited us kids in the summertime, usually spent a week with us.
[00:47:43] And one year we had plans, we're going to go to the zoo, we're going to play all these different games, we're going to get ice cream, it's going to be fun with Aunt Linda. And the day that she got there, we all got a stomach bug,
[00:47:54] right? She did not find us the way that she wished, right? So what was it that each one was expecting? Let's start with the Corinthians, the church. What did the church hope to find in Paul when he came? Well, if you read through the entirety of 1 Corinthians, the first letter
[00:48:16] he wrote, you'll know that Paul was their founding pastor. And he compliments them on all the gifts that they have. They have great gifts. It's a great church. And perhaps they hope that when he arrives,
[00:48:29] he will come with those same flowing praises of how you are the best church ever, Corinth.
[00:48:36] The fear is Paul is not going to come with praises, but with challenges. That he's going to criticize perhaps the things that they're doing or acting rather than compliments. Now on the other side, there's another layer to this. Then if you read through 2 Corinthians, which we've been
[00:48:54] working through, some had hoped that Paul would be a little bit different leader than the one that he is. One that they can really respect, like these super apostles have come in. So they would hope that when he comes, he'll be more eloquent like the rest of the world, which he's
[00:49:13] not going to be. They hope that he's more polished, which he won't be, or that he'll wear nice clothes, he'll be healthy and prosperous. Probably none of those things. Some may even, according to chapter 11, verse 4, they might even want him to preach a different Jesus.
[00:49:32] They wanted to preach a different gospel than the one that he's been preaching.
[00:49:36] So Paul coming may be as welcome to the Corinthian church as a tax bill. So what did Paul hope to see when he comes to Corinth. Well, any good pastor does not sign up to be a pastor for
[00:49:53] approval or gifts. If they do, they're in the wrong line of work. A pastor signs up because he loves the Lord and he loves seeing what God can do to change people. He loves seeing that,
[00:50:09] You want to encourage your pastor? Again, I have to be careful about this. Okay, it's fine. Please say, I really enjoyed the sermon. That's fine. It's okay to say. But if you want to really
[00:50:25] encourage your pastor, tell him what you learned. Tell him what changed you. You want to really knock his socks off, tell him how you applied last week's sermon, because you remembered it, how you applied it this week, and what difference it made. That would encourage his heart so greatly,
[00:50:48] right? Because what pastors, good pastors, want to see is they want to see how God's Word is working in the lives of the people, and they're changing and growing and becoming more mature.
[00:51:00] nothing is more disheartening to a pastor when you know you've preached maybe a whole sermon series on like love and then and then you hear somebody say well I've never heard anybody preach about love where have you been for the last three months Paul dreams when he comes to Corinth of
[00:51:27] seeing a transformed church, a mature church, a church that loves the gospel. In fact, he does some of this. In chapter 7 of this letter, he rejoices that the Corinthians repented. He says that they had godly grief over some of the things that were happening. He said that you had earnest
[00:51:48] change. Paul fears, though, that it hasn't quite stuck, that the Corinthians are still thinking the way they used to, and that they are doing and tolerating the same sins they always did.
[00:52:03] They're listening to false teachers. He fears that it's going to be another painful visit, like the one he had before. Now, does that surprise you? We have a picture. What picture of, if I say the church, what picture do you have? Probably something where people are worshiping,
[00:52:21] everybody's loving each other, something like that. And to be honest with you, I feel so grateful to be your pastor. I love y'all. And I need to continue to remind myself, man, these are sweet days. That's a good thing. But I would be a fool not to ask the question,
[00:52:44] will it last? Will it last? The laws of thermodynamics say that a system will tend to turn into disorder, right? And so the same spiritual law, I think, is accurate, right?
[00:53:02] Problems will arise. Disorder will come. And unless there's a hot fire of God glorifying worship and preaching, blowing on a church, a church is going to grow cold or stale, or it's going to wander
[00:53:16] away. That's what I think Paul is fearing. So to summarize, to put it all together, Dane Ortlund puts it really well when he says, what the Corinthians long for makes Paul cringe, and what Paul longs for makes the Corinthians cringe. So what do you long for? What do you
[00:53:41] want to see in your life and in the life of the church? And most importantly, is it right?
[00:53:48] is biblical? Is it faithful? In Corinth and Paul's fears, Paul's not fearful merely for some sort of random things that might pop up, however. He's fearful because he knows the pattern that's been at work in the church. That's really the basis for his fear. So I want to look at the unsettling
[00:54:10] pattern that Paul knows is there under the surface. You know, I knew of a church that let go of their pastor because of conflict with leadership. And so that happened. And then the second guy who came, he lasted two years. And same reason, conflict. And then the third,
[00:54:31] same thing. And then the fourth one in six years, right? One, understandable. Two, coincidence.
[00:54:40] Three plus, that's a pattern. And when patterns get entrenched, they become a kind of culture, like a way of life, a way of doing things, and it's not easily broken, and sometimes it's going to resurface. When my wife and I were in an apartment in St. Louis, it was an older apartment.
[00:55:02] They had rehabbed it a bit, and apparently whoever had the apartment beforehand had smoked for a long time. There's a special paint you can put on the walls that kind of seals it all up. Maybe
[00:55:15] you're familiar with this. And so they did a pretty good job. But on a hot day, there would sometimes be this like little bead of brown, right? So the tar on the walls that are just like
[00:55:27] seeping through, right? So this paint was just holding it back, but it was still there.
[00:55:34] It hadn't gone away, even after all those years. So what could bubble up in your heart?
[00:55:40] What dragons have not been slain?
[00:55:45] So there are two patterns that Paul believes could bubble up within the life of the church.
[00:55:52] And they're in verses 20 and 21.
[00:55:53] So the first one is a list.
[00:55:55] It's eight evils.
[00:55:58] He says there may be, maybe not, but there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and I would say resulting in disorder.
[00:56:10] So if you look at the common theme, these are all interpersonal conflict-type language.
[00:56:19] You ever experienced a click?
[00:56:22] You ever experienced a click in church?
[00:56:26] If you have, you know exactly what Paul is talking about.
[00:56:30] We know from 1 Corinthians 3, which we read earlier, that the church had these little fan groups.
[00:56:37] I follow Apollos. I follow Cephas. I follow Paul.
[00:56:42] And they've all been fighting.
[00:56:44] They've been jealous.
[00:56:46] There's hostility.
[00:56:47] And Paul has a sense.
[00:56:48] They're not completely past all this stuff.
[00:56:54] I mean, after all, they've been fighting with him.
[00:56:57] Some of them have been jealous of him.
[00:57:00] They've been slandering and gossiping Paul.
[00:57:06] And Paul knows this is a horrible place for a church to be.
[00:57:11] It's a death nail for a church.
[00:57:14] There are some people, maybe you were like this at one point, there are some people who will not step one foot within a church because they've experienced the ugliness of the things that Paul describes here.
[00:57:28] You see, when you forget about who you are in Christ, when you forget about God's grace and are not humbled by that, you're going to make life all about winning.
[00:57:39] And so I'm going to score points against everybody else.
[00:57:42] And so all it takes is just one person to attack you unfairly to all of a sudden you put on your battle armor and you're ready to go.
[00:57:54] So what Paul's doing is a relatively dangerous thing to do.
[00:57:59] When you try to bring health into an unhealthy system, unhealthy system will always push back.
[00:58:09] He talks about this in chapter 2 of the same letter.
[00:58:12] He says the aroma of Christ is what?
[00:58:14] the smell of death to the perishing. I love the smell of chili, but there's one time I hate the smell of chili. It's when you're sick, right? Nothing you can stand, right? It's health. It's
[00:58:28] good food, but when you're sick, it smells like death. Some of you have experienced this because you became a Christian or became convicted of something, and you decided you were going to come into your family, and you're going to be different, right? You're going to bring some health. Yeah,
[00:58:46] I know that we fight all the time, we bicker, but I'm going to be different, right?
[00:58:51] And for those of you who experience that sort of thing, you know exactly how it's going to go.
[00:58:56] You're going to try to be different, and what is everybody else in the family going to do?
[00:59:00] They're going to push back.
[00:59:01] They're going to attack you.
[00:59:02] Why?
[00:59:03] Because you're trying to bring health to an unhealthy system.
[00:59:10] Paul knows that the Corinthians still have all these little fault lines everywhere.
[00:59:14] there. And so he knows that when he comes, he fears that they might have those same sorts of fault lines still. Now, as bad as all this is, it's not the most disheartening to him.
[00:59:29] It's the second list that I think really gets him. There are more evils to be had, right? He says in verse 21, look at this. He says, I may have to mourn over many of those who sinned earlier
[00:59:41] and have not repented of their what?
[00:59:45] What's the issue?
[00:59:46] Impurity, sexual immorality, and sensuality that they have practiced.
[00:59:53] Where is this all coming from?
[00:59:55] Well, in 1 Corinthians, if you read it, you'll know there was rampant sexual immorality.
[01:00:00] I can't imagine a situation like what Paul has to do.
[01:00:05] Paul, in 1 Corinthians 6, he has to tell the church, stop using prostitutes.
[01:00:10] I cannot imagine being a pastor having to tell the church, right, what are we going to preach on today? Well, church, it's insane, but that's the kind of thing that Paul's dealing with, right?
[01:00:24] But he said in 2 Corinthians 7, he said, hey, but they repented. Remember? 2 Corinthians 7, verse 11, he says, what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, church, Also, what eagerness to clear yourselves, and what indignation and fear and longing,
[01:00:42] what zeal, and he says, what punishment, which I believe is referring to church discipline.
[01:00:46] You discipline those offenders.
[01:00:48] You're doing all the right stuff.
[01:00:50] You're following the book of church order.
[01:00:52] And he says, at every point, you proved yourselves innocent in this matter.
[01:00:59] So why does he fear that some have not repented when he just told them that they were so good for repenting?
[01:01:08] Well, have all of them repented?
[01:01:11] Deeply?
[01:01:13] Completely?
[01:01:15] Are there any relapses?
[01:01:19] Maybe some have not been entirely honest.
[01:01:22] Maybe some of them decided that when I go to this next church meeting, I'm just not going to tell the truth.
[01:01:29] If so, if this is true, what Paul says is he says, I mourn.
[01:01:36] To mourn means just what it means in English.
[01:01:38] So Greek dictionary is not going to help you.
[01:01:40] It means grief and sorrow.
[01:01:42] just like in English, you mourn when somebody dies. He says, I'm going to feel like somebody died if I see this in the church. And what it represents is something that I think every Christian who's ever tried to help somebody and failed feels, especially pastors. All that blood,
[01:02:03] sweat, and tears, Paul's writings, Paul's many visits seem like they're for nothing because there's no lasting repentance. You know, I've had cases, some of you have, where I've worked with somebody for months, sometimes years, and after all that, they just walked away. To say it's
[01:02:26] disheartening is trivial, right? And Paul, so Paul's not mourning himself. He doesn't feel like he's wasteful, but he just preached just a few verses earlier. He talked about, I'm caring about your souls. I want your souls to be freed from sin and additional vices. I want you to be freed
[01:02:45] to love Christ. And it just grieves me so much that you're walking away from the freedom that you have. I can't even remember what movie it was, but it was about a gorilla that was kept
[01:02:57] in captivity, right? And it always lived and grown up in a cage. And so this one person wants to free the gorilla and the gorilla keeper comes over and unlocks the cage and opens it up. The
[01:03:14] gorilla just stays there because that's what he's always known. He doesn't know even what freedom looks like, even if it's just staring him in the face. There are so many people in your life who
[01:03:23] are exactly like that. He grieves, Paul grieves that they may have initially repented, but they are not truly freed from the pattern of sin. What sin, what desire keeps coming up in your life, even after dealing with it multiple times? I've already confessed mine to you. Mine is approval
[01:03:52] of other people. I want you to like me. And like an addiction, maybe I'm sober today, but the pull is always there underneath the surface. And so the important question is this, if Corinth repented but fell back to the same pattern, was this Paul's failure? Did he fail
[01:04:11] the Corinthians? Or is it the Corinthians' failure? And probably more importantly is where can we find any peace in all this, right? Like, Paul's coming, the plane tickets are bought, so to speak. How's it going to feel settled at all? There is an unsettling presence that hangs
[01:04:34] over this entire text, and that's what I want to look at next. Look at verse 19. This is how he begins. He says, have you, church, have you been thinking all along that we have been defending
[01:04:47] ourselves to you, right? Now, the obvious answer is yes, they do think that. They think that this is us versus Paul, right? Not only that, but they think we are here to listen from you, Paul, and
[01:05:01] why we should accept you. We're the judge. You're the defendant. It's a one-on-one relationship, but they've miscalculated the situation. Look at how verse 19 ends. He says, no, it is in the sight of God that we have been speaking in Christ, and all for your uplifting,
[01:05:24] beloved. In the sight of God, or before the face of God, these are similar phrases, are a major theme within Scripture.
[01:05:34] I just challenge you, if you want to challenge this afternoon, just start on a Bible app or something like that.
[01:05:44] Just search that phrase, similar phrases, because you'll see it all over the place.
[01:05:47] The Latin, which some reformers use to describe this, the Latin for in the face of God is quorum Deo, before God or before his presence.
[01:05:59] So what Paul does, what he says, is before God, and this changes everything.
[01:06:05] Let me show you how that changes everything.
[01:06:07] Number one, because he speaks in the face or in the presence of God, it means, number one, that God knows and sees everything.
[01:06:17] Psalm 139, that we've sung before even.
[01:06:21] Even the darkness is not dark to you, God.
[01:06:24] The night is bright as day, for the darkness is as light to you.
[01:06:28] What's dark to me is light to God.
[01:06:31] There is not one thing hidden from God.
[01:06:34] Every molecule and atom in the entire universe is right before God.
[01:06:43] And for all time, there is no secret.
[01:06:45] There is no crime that can be covered up.
[01:06:48] He sees all perfectly with perfect memory.
[01:06:54] Is that unsettling to you?
[01:06:58] Second, because God sees all and he is holy, therefore he judges.
[01:07:04] And this is the primary meaning of in the sight of God.
[01:07:08] One of the Super Bowl ads from this past year was about, I think it was a ring doorbell, something like that.
[01:07:15] And in the commercial, maybe you remember this, they tried to show how amazing artificial intelligence is when combined with doorbell ringers.
[01:07:24] Because somebody lost a puppy.
[01:07:27] And because all the ring doorbells are on, they could track and find the puppy and get the puppy back to the owner.
[01:07:33] I guess it was supposed to be cute.
[01:07:35] But why people freaked out about it is they said, so we're being surveillanced all the time?

[01:07:43] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[01:07:43] Bonus listing.

[01:07:48] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[01:07:48] And so people are starting to think like, well, who has access to all this?
[01:07:52] Anybody?
[01:07:53] You don't know.
[01:07:55] And what will they see?
[01:07:56] And what will they say when they see it?
[01:08:01] That's an unsettling reality that we live in currently.
[01:08:05] I tell this all the time, just as a bit of a side note.
[01:08:08] I really have a heart for any of you who are 20 and under.
[01:08:13] Because you live in a world that is, in some ways, very different from mine.
[01:08:18] The worst thing that happened when you went to high school is you've tripped down the stairs, chocolate milk goes flying, and everybody laughs at you, right?
[01:08:28] And the worst thing was everybody, you'd go, you'd cry to your mom or your dad and be like, everybody, the whole world knows.
[01:08:35] And mom and dad's like, the whole world doesn't know.
[01:08:38] But if you're under 20, the whole world might know.
[01:08:41] If somebody pulled out their phone, it is now forever on the internet.
[01:08:46] That's a horrifying reality.
[01:08:49] 20-year-olds and over, just be aware of that.
[01:08:53] Be aware that there is anxiety and pressures of the 20-somethings that you just, you can't only fathom.
[01:09:02] So here's the point.
[01:09:05] The Almighty God has been observing all of our conversations and actions and thoughts since the beginning.
[01:09:14] Hebrews chapter 4, verse 13, no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give an account. There's an account you're going to
[01:09:27] have to give. He's the judge. The world thinks that it can get away with things. The world thinks that, you know, nobody's going to find out. But all of humanity lives quorum Deo. All of humanity
[01:09:47] he lives in the sight of God, that God sees all and he judges all. So this conversation that Paul's having, it's not a one-on-one, it's a three-way. Because every conversation you have ever had has somebody observing it all. It's always a three-way conversation. That's what Paul means
[01:10:10] when he says, it is in the sight of God that we speak. In other words, look, there's the judge.
[01:10:16] You and I, we might have some issues, but there's a judge, and it's not you.
[01:10:22] And he sees all.
[01:10:24] Now, that is a terrifying reality.
[01:10:26] All humanity may live in Coram Deo, but they might not want to live Coram Deo.
[01:10:31] They might not want to process that fact.
[01:10:35] And if they were, they were to see, as Paul talks about in Romans chapter 3, that there is no one righteous, no, not one.
[01:10:40] There is not one person who can stand under the scrutiny of Almighty God.
[01:10:46] So here's the good news.
[01:10:50] God hears Paul in this verse through Christ.
[01:10:55] That's the difference maker.
[01:10:57] There's this one phrase that gets slipped in, just two words.
[01:11:01] And those two words make the difference between guilt and innocence, war and peace, life and death, in Christ.
[01:11:13] We have been speaking in the sight of God in Christ.
[01:11:18] Paul is united to Jesus in faith so that now Christ takes up Paul's case before the Lord God.
[01:11:32] He speaks for Paul before the judge and any accusers who may be in the court.
[01:11:40] And he does this for every believer.
[01:11:43] 1 John 2, verse 1.
[01:11:45] If anyone does sin, anybody hear sin?
[01:11:49] Okay, listen up.
[01:11:50] if you haven't sinned, ignore this part. It's tongue-in-cheek. If anyone does sin, we have an advocate. An advocate is a counselor, a mediator, an intercessor.
[01:12:03] We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous. He is qualified because of his righteousness, not our own. As one commentator puts it, Paul is a kind of special attorney. I like that. I like that image. Now, in modern day, a lawyer has to know some things and
[01:12:25] do some things. He's got to know the law well, right, to be a good lawyer. He's got to pass the bar exam. Got to make sure he commits no crimes. Got to work well for you. And Christ is your
[01:12:36] advocate. And he knows the law because he wrote it. And he is approved by his Father. He is worthy of all glory and honor and praise. He has passed every test and every temptation and even suffered
[01:12:50] because he paid for the crimes that we committed. I don't know of a lawyer here on earth that would ever do such a thing. That's why Paul is confident, because Christ is on my side. And so accusers,
[01:13:07] be silent? Who can shrink in fear when Christ speaks for them? Do you know that you're not alone?
[01:13:17] Do you really know that? We live in Coram Deo, and we love that we live in Coram Deo, in the presence of a merciful God, and we can do that not out of an unsettling fear, but in joy because we know
[01:13:31] that we have an advocate, because we are now free. This transforms our disappointments.
[01:13:40] It really does.
[01:13:43] One of the things that was neat about studying Native Americans when I was a kid, I remember being fascinated by this idea, mostly because I had morbid curiosity and I was wondering about it.
[01:13:55] So I'll give you the story.
[01:13:56] So Native Americans, typically when they hunted, they used all the parts of the buffalo, all of it.
[01:14:01] I was like, what do you use a spleen for?
[01:14:03] Again, I'm going through the gristles and the bones.
[01:14:07] They use it for all of this.
[01:14:08] Nothing was wasted.
[01:14:11] When God hunts souls, nothing is wasted.
[01:14:16] Look at verse 21 very carefully.
[01:14:21] He says, I fear that when I come again, that I will be humble.
[01:14:28] No, not I will be humble.
[01:14:29] God will humble me.
[01:14:32] You see that?
[01:14:34] See it?
[01:14:34] Paul is viewing all his disappointments through the lens of what God is doing for him.
[01:14:46] The Corinthians did not humble Paul.
[01:14:49] Not even Paul's own actions humbled Paul.
[01:14:53] God is teaching Paul.
[01:14:55] He is teaching him to be humble, to rely upon God and not on himself.
[01:15:04] God wastes nothing for the Christian.
[01:15:08] So that means even my failure is not wasted by God.
[01:15:13] All the work that Paul did, even if the Corinthian church completely implodes, it's not a waste. I read a story in a book recently on church planting. There's a guy talking about, you know, he had spent five years trying to plant this church. And this happens
[01:15:28] often, right? Church plant, tried to get off the ground, had some amazing testimony, amazing stories, and then just at the end, it just fell apart. And they had to close it down. And this guy wrote in this article, he's like, I failed. And in the book, the book's author says, brother,
[01:15:46] you didn't fail. No one fails in Christ. Okay, yes, sure, the corporation is now no longer there, sure. But think of the souls that were fed. Think of the glory that God received. God never wastes failure. And the point is in verse 19, for the upbuilding of you, beloved,
[01:16:09] it's to build you up. So Paul is saying, I'm doing all this, I'm speaking all this, but I'm not trying to win points against you, Corinth. Defendants in a law case always want to win, don't they? But Paul doesn't want to win. He wants to build up their faith.
[01:16:26] He wants them to find freedom from the patterns of their sins. He wants their souls to be cared for. So how do we apply this? Very briefly, three things. Because we live Coram Deo, because we live
[01:16:41] in the sight of God, we must be reconciled to God. That's chief and number one. If God knows all things, sees all things, how can we hide from him? How can we pretend and lie to his face that we've
[01:16:55] done enough good in our lives that if we were to die tomorrow, we would just get into his eternal glory because we held a door for an old lady? No, it's not enough. You need Christ or nothing.
[01:17:11] So you have an offer for you this morning.
[01:17:14] If you don't know Christ this way, you have a plea bargain before you.
[01:17:20] Christ pays for all of it, and you trust him.
[01:17:25] And even the trust is a gift from God.
[01:17:30] Trust him.
[01:17:30] Ask him today.
[01:17:33] Because we live in the sight of God, because we live quorum Deo, we are to trust the Lord when things go sideways.
[01:17:41] He sees you, dear Christian.
[01:17:44] He sees you.
[01:17:48] His plan for us and our church and our families and our lives may be outside of our abilities to see.
[01:17:56] That's true.
[01:17:58] But Christ is not out of our ability to see.
[01:18:03] So I can't see the plan, but I have Christ.
[01:18:08] The way in which we find lasting peace in the middle of chaos is not in our abilities to fix it or our skills or intelligence.
[01:18:15] It is in the trusting of the sovereign, all-seeing, all-knowing God who judges all things.
[01:18:22] You've got to trust him when things go sideways.
[01:18:25] We live in the sight of God.
[01:18:26] We live quorum Deo.
[01:18:29] Because of that, we must live in the light of eternity.
[01:18:34] You have to know that the promise is not for everything to work out tomorrow.
[01:18:39] It's not for your successes.
[01:18:42] God's goal for your life is to bring you in an eternity of his love.
[01:18:47] So you must live that way right now.
[01:18:50] Not trying to win all the time, but to love Christ and to love others.
[01:18:56] Let's pray together.
[01:18:59] Lord God, I pray that you would please work this message into my heart.
[01:19:04] Lord, I pray that you would help me to live in your sight at all times.
[01:19:10] Not because you won't, without my permission, Lord God.
[01:19:16] Lord, help me to be conscious and aware.
[01:19:19] Let me just see your grace in my life, Lord God.
[01:19:22] And I pray, Lord God, that you would please up-build this church, that we would be a shining diadem of your grace and your love.
[01:19:30] Thank you for your word.
[01:19:31] And thank you for this meal you have supplied for us.
[01:19:36] Lord, drive deeply your promises into our hearts.
[01:19:40] Help us to treasure them and to live them out.
[01:19:42] In Christ's name we pray. Amen.
[01:19:46] I ask the elders to come forward.
[01:19:47] this meal is given to us because because of what christ did you are not a worthy partaker in the sense that you have individual worthiness you've done enough good this week or done not or
[01:20:10] you've not done um so bad that now you're welcome on this table that's not how this works this table is a table of grace this table is is for sinners who know that they need god's mercy
[01:20:23] in Christ. But if you don't know Christ's mercy at all, and you're still wondering if this is all true, let these things pass you by. It would be lying if we ate and drank the symbols of knowing
[01:20:36] Christ when we don't quite know him yet. But hear what was preached, and hear what I say now.
[01:20:43] Make today the day that you ask the Lord, Lord, would you please save me? And if you don't know what that looks like, come talk to one of these men, talk to me. We would love for you to know
[01:20:53] what it looks like to follow Christ.
[01:20:55] It was on a night in which Jesus was betrayed, he took the bread, he broke it, and he said, this is my body, given for all of you.
[01:21:01] Eat of it in remembrance of me.
[01:21:03] And here at Harvard, we like to serve family style, so hold on to a piece of bread until everybody's been served, then we'll eat together.
[01:21:10] And we like to observe silence.
[01:21:13] So I just encourage you, open up a Bible, open up a hymnal, take some time to pray, be still, and know that the Lord is God,

[01:21:20] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[01:21:20] in remembrance of him.

[01:23:57] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[01:23:57] After the supper, Jesus took the cup, he blessed and he said, This is my blood in the new covenant, shed for many for the forgiveness of their sins.
[01:24:04] You're forgiven because Christ went to the cross for us.
[01:24:07] That's the great Christian hope.
[01:24:09] Believe and trust upon Christ alone for your salvation.
[01:24:12] Now here at Harbor, we have wine and grape juice.
[01:24:15] Wine is on the outermost ring.
[01:24:17] All the inner rings are juice.
[01:24:19] And just like the bread, if you want to hold on to your cup until everybody's been served.

[01:26:56] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[01:26:56] The blood of Christ was shed for you.
[01:26:57] Let's drink in remembrance of him.
[01:27:02] Let's pray.
[01:27:04] Lord, we long to be in your presence.
[01:27:09] Lord, we long to live with the reality

[01:27:13] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[01:27:13] that you are watching always over your children.
[01:27:19] Lord, we're sorry for the ways in which we don't see it.
[01:27:22] Help us to believe it.
[01:27:24] And Lord God, we pray that you would please help us to live that reality before us, Lord, and shape our lives to look more and more like Christ.
[01:27:33] We ask these things in Christ's name we pray.
[01:27:36] Amen.
[01:27:36] Would you please stand and sing our closing song together?

[01:27:38] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[01:27:38] For He satisfies, gives upon His beauty, when I see Him as I should.
[01:28:22] As I lift it up for His glory, there is hope in every trial.
[01:28:38] Trust the Lord, He will tell my heart to work.
[01:28:43] We'd love you to stick around for that.

[01:32:57] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[01:32:57] We have Sunday school at a quarter after the hour.
[01:33:00] Adults are in here.
[01:33:00] Their kids are scattered throughout the building.
[01:33:04] The benediction today, I think, is appropriate and poignant from Jude, verses 24 through 25.
[01:33:14] The Lord is able, able to keep you from stumbling.
[01:33:19] So hear these promises.
[01:33:20] Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy.
[01:33:29] To the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority before all time and now and forever.

[01:33:39] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[01:33:39] Amen.