"Captive to Obey Christ"

He said that is always the elephant in the room. The elephant in the room, the big issue that everyone sees but may be hesitant to address. I actually read this week as I Was preparing for this, that the elephant in the room used to be referred to as the elephant, in the museum. Apparently, there was a story written where this man goes into a museum and he sees all these beautiful things, but he does not notice the elephant in the museum. And so the elephant in the museum and then became known as the elephant in the room. Well, in 2nd Corinthians chapter 10, the the Apostle, Paul addresses, the elephant in the room, so to speak between himself and the Corinthian Church. And so, just to have a little backdrop here to remind ourselves, the Apostle Paul had founded the church in Corinth.

He had ministered there. He had wrote the letter of First Corinthians to them to address certain problems in the church and then he visited Corinth. And this visit didn't go well, apparently he was opposed by either some individuals or a vocal minority within the church and the vocal minority was mainly made up of teachers in Corinth who made their living by espousing. The easiest way of saying it would be fancy philosophy. They were sophists and sofas were teachers who were, who were paid and the the city of Corinth had a fair amount of status, they had the Corinthian games that is being games, that would take place there and so that people would pay the special teachers to come in and, and sort of tickle their ears with philosophical ideas. And so some of those got mixed in with the Christian faith and and there were some of these teachers who were criticizing Paul and turning people in the church against his authority. And so as a result, he writes them, a painful letter or a letter which cause them pain. Urging them to recognize the the the sufficiency of the gospel and urging them to recognize his authority as genuine Authority from God. And so the letter that he wrote them, the painful letter is likely lost. We don't know what that letter has said but it is referenced in the book of 2nd Corinthians. And so by the time Paul writes, the book of 2nd Corinthians and sends it to them, he gets word from Titus that things have improved in the church. After he wrote them this this Stern letter. And to look at what he says in chapter 7 just to review here. He says for even if I made you grieve with my letter, I do not regret it though. I did regret it for. I see that the letter grieved. You do only for a while. Verse 9 as it is. I Rejoice. Not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting for you felt a Godly grief so that you suffered no loss through us. and so the situation in Corinth was that Paul had written them, a Stern letter, and they repented of certain things and he got word back from Titus in chapter 7 that things had improved a bit And to even even in that though there were still these false teachers that had influence and so that's what he's addressing in chapters 10 11 and 12 in particular.

And so it reminds us how painful personal criticism is, isn't it, doesn't it? I mean, they with the, the false teachers would have said things like this Paul did not charge for his preaching, he offered his preaching free of charge and so they were the opponents would have criticized him in This Way. Saint Paul, you don't charge for your preaching, but you must not have much to say, you know, these teachers, who are sofas, who are charging people than earning, a living by doing this, they're there. They must have something really good to say. Cuz, you know, sometimes we get convinced will if you pay a lot of money for something in must be good, right? How many of us have died that made that error sometimes or the opposite are of what we'll do it. You know, if it's low price, it must be a good deal.

Call you are often suffering in your ministry, seems like maybe the spirit of God as an operating in you, because you're going through all this suffering, you're talking about your trials in and and all of that. Paul, you're sending harsh letters when you are far away, let's see what you have to say in person. That was a criticism in verse to write. He he kind of makes an ironic reference to it there in the first one. He says, I who am humble when face-to-face with you, but bold toward you, when I am away. So he's referencing what they, what they said in verse 10, this is their criticism of him in verse 10-4. They say his letters are weighty and strong but his bodily presence is weak and his speech is of no account. So we have some personal criticism. Appalled in the hardest way does respond, I think for any of us when we're criticised is to not respond in a way that makes it about us. That we take it personally. The hardest way to respond is to respond without making the disagreement personal without resorting to an attack on the other person. And so, what we see here is that Paul keeps the focus on the gospel. Keeps the focus on the fact that Jesus Christ is Lord, that the spirit is at work, in the New Covenant, among these Believers making them New Creations, according to chapter 5, apply and Grace to their hearts and Truth to their minds looking for seven, how he appeals to them. He says, let's remember we belong to Christ verse 7. Look at what is before your eyes. If anyone is a confident that he is, Christ's let him remind himself that just as he is Christ. So also are we what is he telling them? We're on the same team here, we're on the Jesus team. We're on the team of the kingdom of God, Jesus. The Lord, the Savior who has come and it has risen, and has given us his holy spirit. He says, look at what is before your eyes, look at what is happening among you Church. Look at what God is doing in Corinth. And remember that if you belong to Christ, if anyone belongs to Christ, if anyone is confident that he is Christ, let him remind himself that. We remind, there is the word, reckon 22 account to take stock of. If anyone is confident that he is Christ. Let him take stock of according to himself that just as he is Christ. So also are we now, Paul's Paul's using, we there in terms of himself and his ministry companions, I think So you Corinthian Church look at what God is doing among you.

You Trinity Community Church. Look at what God is doing among you. You Church of Raleigh area. Of this community Cary. Apex look at what God is doing, among you look at what God is doing in your own heart and your own life and your other's hearts and lives. And live a Christian consider that is takes stock that he belongs to Christ. And may, He remind himself that we do too because we both belong to the Risen Lord. Jesus. Amen. That's what he's telling them. We are both on team Jesus here. And so here's the main truth that I want us to remember today. that since we are in Christ, the foundation of our spiritual confidence is in him, not in our own thinking, or feeling,

cuz he talks about taking thoughts, captive and thinking, according to Christ and not, according to the things that are opposed to Christ, that is the main truth. It, since we are in Christ, the foundation of our spiritual confidence is in him, not in our own thinking, or feeling. Now. I was reading one of the commentaries and I thought, well, Sometimes, I think we can kind of separate things that, that don't need to be completely separate. It was talking about what we have spiritual confidence in God, that means we shouldn't have confidence in ourselves. Well, I understand what they're saying, but if you're applying for a job, or if you're doing something where you need a certain amount of confidence, it's not wrong. I don't think to be confident in your ability or the skills that you have. But we're talking about is the confidence that we have in Christ, our spiritual confidence.

He's telling them.

That is not according to her own thinking or unfeeling, why not? Because our own feelings ebenflow our own feelings and thoughts are like choppy waves crashing, into one another ever been out on the ocean where you see the chop out on the ocean and there's waves going back and forth and they're kind of crisscrossing or or you go out on a lake in a boat and your water skiing or tubing or whatever and then the boat comes around in circles back across the wake of that that you just hit. I mean, that was the fun when we could always throw the person off the tube, right? If the boat does a couple circles and then comes back across and does a figure eight across the wake and you know the person gets tossed off. Well that I mean that's the reason why we did it, but you know, that goes back to the regret in chapter 7, they're getting tossed off the the tube.

but he's talking about the fact that we don't ultimately trust in our own thinking, or our own feeling or our own wisdom as he talks about in The Book of 1st Corinthians chapter 3, He says, in 1st Corinthians chapter 3. He says, if anyone belongs to Christ, he has to consider himself a fool. Why a fool in the sense of of there is foolishness in human wisdom.

And God's wisdom is greater.

So I want to give us two ways in which our spiritual confidence is built on Christ. Two ways in which our own thinking, or our own human wisdom, can be corrupt, or keep us captive. Two ways in which our spiritual confidence is built on. Jesus Christ. First is inverse 10 verses 1 and 2. I Paul myself and treat you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ. I who am humble when face-to-face with you, but bold towards you when I'm away, I think he's making a little bit of a facetious statement, their of ironic statement. He says, I beg of you that when I am present, I may not have to show boldness with such confidence as I count on showing against some who suspect us of walking according to the flesh. So he's addressing his opponents there. What is the word entreat mean? And treat means I'm appealing to you. I'm appealing. I'm making a heartfelt. Heartfelt appeal.

He says, I hope I don't have to be as bold with you as I need to be with these other opponents. No, notice. He Appeals. He doesn't say I appeal to you by the meekness and gentleness of Paul.

He says, I appeal to you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ. You see the difference there? he's not saying, Brothers and sisters, I appeal to you. I entreat you because you know, how humble I am. You know, how gentle I am? You know how list this, in this in this? He says, no, I appeal to you by the meekness and the gentleness of Christ. What is meekness? We might think meekness is the character Agnes. One of Gru's daughters in Despicable Me. If you've seen the movie Despicable Me, there's one of his adopted daughters who's Agnes the smallest one. And she has these, you know, a huge cartoon eyes and a little Little ponytail right on the top of her head and she has, she has a timid semi fearful facial expression. And she looks up at Gruene

Are you going to read us a bedtime story?

Meekness is not necessarily a semi, fearful timid facial expression. Meekness is strength under control. That is Jesus had all the strength and boldness in the universe. But he did not insist on using it. Amen. Exercise. Humility by being gentle. When everyone expected him to take the heavy-handed approach, John chapter 8, the woman caught in adultery.

Jesus, Moses told us to Stone someone who was caught in adultery. What do you say? And they're ready. They're ready. Jesus. What kind of what size Rock are you going to use one? That's as big as your fist? Diesel starts drawing on the ground. Lot of speculation about what he was drawing on in the ground with his finger. But the only other time, one of the other times, I think the only other time in scripture where we see God's finger writing. Something is the Book of Daniel where the king is judged and God's finger writes on the wall. Mini mini Taco Park Carson, which means you will be measured, you will be judged. And so I think there's maybe a parallel there of Jesus riding with his finger in the sand.

But he didn't take the heavy-handed approach with the woman caught in adultery.

A bruised Reed, he will not break a smoldering Wick. He will not snuff out.

Beautiful words of the prophets. A bruised Reed, he will not break a smoldering with Wick, he will not snuff out when we see Jesus and his humility, taking our own sin upon himself. When we are at our worst, we see Jesus being a friend of sinners. We see him in the Garden of Gethsemane saying not my will but your will be done. Father. We see that humility is the way to strength. In the Greek philosophy. Humility was considered an insult. You know, the stoic philosophers, you know, you you have to just toughen up and bear it.

How would we characterize humility today? I would put it this way. Humility is not caring about your reputation. So that, by the way you live, as a result, you gained the reputation of being like, Jesus,

Humility is not caring about your reputation in the world. So that, by the way, you live, as a result, you gained the reputation of being like, Jesus, so, for example, Humility in the workplace. Is to refrain from complaining about others work, or if you're in a class, you're you're you refrain from complaining about a classmates effort if you had a group project, why? Because you did your work with a clear conscience and that is enough and your confidence comes from God.

Humility is not taking the opportunity to say that you did more than someone else.

I mean, I can still remember 7th grade 6th grade, you know the group project so-and-so didn't do anything.

And it's almost like Jesus when he tells Peter, he says, if this other disciple remains what is that to you? Follow me.

Humility is a boy. The Lord's teaching me this week. Humility is keeping your mouth shut.

That doesn't mean that you're a doormat. That doesn't mean that you, you simply agree with with everything that other say, no, it's simply means doing what God has called you to do and not making a fuss about others. How about in your family? Humility is stopping and writing a note of thanks to a family member instead of fixating on how no one has thanked you recently.

One of the artists I listen to Christian artist that her name is Ellie Holcomb. And Ellie. Ellie's husband Drew is a is also a songwriter, he doesn't write necessarily Christian music, but I found these words, very perceptive. The title of the song is love. Anyway. He says, I have been a long-lost. Chris Pilgrim. Excuse me. I have been a long lost Pilgrim. I have built my home on fragile faith. I have been the victim and the villain. I'm still the father to my children. I'm the owner of a heart that is slow to change. Love anyway. Love. Anyway, I think there's a sense of humility there that he's expressing. My faith isn't always strong. I've been the victim in the villain, but by God's grace, still the father to these children, I'm going to love anyway. We look to Jesus and we see the humility and the gentleness that he has especially when it comes to dealing with my own sin. Amen.

We see the humility. Did he has? I mean, if you read the book of Mark, The disciples, stumbling bumbling, you confused. And Jesus is patient with them.

That's how he is with us. We're confused. We set him aside often. We don't go to him in prayer. First will be. No, that's the best thing that we can do. It's like the the saying if you're going to worry, Don't Pray. If you're going to pray, don't worry.

Our spiritual confidence comes from his humility and his gentleness. All right, the second way verses 3 through 6. The second way that our spiritual confidence is built on Christ for though, we walk in the flesh, we are not Waging War. According to the flesh for the weapons of our Warfare are not of the flesh, but have divine power to destroy strongholds, we destroy arguments. And every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every Disobedience. When your obedience is complete. Number 6 is a little tricky there to understand. He's either talking about the scriptures either talking about when Paul comes to the church. There's going to either one scenario is there's going to be some church discipline.

Talking about punishing every Disobedience or he's talking about the End of Time. The end of all judgment. When Christ will come and punish every disobedience.

And I think that's a little bit more likely given the context. But his phrase though, we walk in the flesh, he's not using flash in the sense of sinful nature here. I think he's using flash in the sense of frail. Finite bodies, do we walk in the flesh? Do we live in these frail? Bodies the weapons of our Warfare are not of the flesh.

We brothers and sisters. We are fighting a different battle. Did you know that when you become a Christian, you enter into a war?

The World, the Flesh. The devil are three main enemies.

it's a, we have to remember that we are fighting a war, we are fighting a different battle, then the opponents, then Paul's opponents thought they were fighting, They think the Battle Is Over worldly status and Power.

But here's the second way that our confidence is built on Christ, is that spiritual confidence comes from having the divine power of the holy spirit so that you can battle. Satan. And when

if you are a believer in Christ, you don't fights in from a posture of of defeat you fights in from a posture of the victory that Jesus has already won. Amen. And you say, well Pastor, I wish I didn't have to fight sin every day while. I'm sorry, that's the way God has set it up until we reach glory. Amen.

It's a we fight from the posture of victory. So spiritual confidence comes from having the divine power of the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 6. Put on the armor of God.

The sword of the spirit, which is the what? The sword of the spirit is the word of God. The only offensive weapon of the armor of God. What does the helmet of salvation? Protect the helmet, protect your head, and protect your mind, the helmet of salvation. There's a battle in the mind. How is Faith represented? The shield of Faith? You have to exercise Faith to hold up the shield. And some commentators say will, this was probably the long, the the large Shield where the Roman soldiers would stand next to one another and they would, the shields had interlocking hooks so that they would put their arms like this and it would be one continuous wall of shields across. You have to exercise Faith, take up the shield of faith.

So what is a stronghold?

If there's one battle that I've had in my life, it is battling my own thoughts. Sometimes the the worst prison you can be in is the space between your two years.

What is a stronghold? A stronghold is a thought pattern or belief that goes against the god of the Bible against Christ and which reinforces sinful behaviors or ways of thinking

Rosaria, Butterfield has a Christian Author, she has written a book called five lies of our anti-christian age. I'll give you three of them. That are, I think our strongholds in our culture. Number one homosexuality, is normal number to transgenderism is normal. Those are strongholds of our culture. Number three, being a spiritual person is more kind than being a Christian who follows the Bible. That's a stronghold in our culture.

Other examples of strongholds. Here's just a few human beings are inherently. Good and are continually making progress.

I don't have a newspaper from 1000 ad or 700 AD, but I think the sins are about the same. Compared to our culture today. Another strong. Hold the Earth with all its creatures is the result of chance and natural selection.

When I drive up Kildaire Farm Road from Penny Road, this time of year, there are subsets of, I don't know who owns that property gym, but there's a set of about 6, red bright red, azalea bushes. The heavens declare, the glory of God, the skies Proclaim his handiwork. What does a an azalea bush? Declare this time of year, I am the product of billions of years of random chance and natural selection. No, that's not, that's not the song that the Azalea sings. The Azalea says God made me and he is glorious.

So when you drive by a rhododendron Bush on Holly Springs Road, and you, or you drive out to the Smoky Mountains and you see Wild rhododendrons, all over the hillside, it's creation saying, God made me and God is glorious.

And creation is still under a curse until it's waiting for. Its Redemption is groaning for its Redemption. Like we are for the full ad option as Sons. How about this stronghold? Living successfully and being free to do whatever you want is life's goal. Well, who could argue with that?

That's a stronghold.

Thought patterns that keep us in individual bondage. Number one, for me, I deserve to have blank.

Fill in the blank. Whatever it is. That's a mental stronghold. I deserve to have blank. Or here's another one. I should have a great family with less problems and other Christian families.

When Emily and I got married, I was 26. She was twenty-three. When you say I do with the altar, you have no idea. What's ahead. You think you have an idea of what's ahead? But you don't have an idea of what's ahead. And so, a mental stronghold can be an expectation. Our district superintendent, Glenn, Schreiber retired. Now used to say when he would talk to Pastor is he say now remember the mother of all disappointment is unmet expectations. So, true in our lives. Another stronghold in our minds. If I can change my appearance and look a little better, I'd be happy for good.

Another stronghold, I've been through a lot of Heartache. People should feel sorry for me.

Or how about this one because I have obeyed. And I've avoided really bad sins. Etc. God should do this.

God is not obligated to us in any way whatsoever, that's what makes his grace, so amazing event. The weapons of our Warfare are the Holy Spirit and they are God's word. And in the context here, Paul is talking about the proclamation of the Gospel. When the gospel is proclaimed, it destroys strongholds. Now, personally, we need to remember that when thoughts pop into our heads or thoughts, sometimes. Thoughts come into our heads just randomly other times, we think conscious thoughts and we ruminate on them. Remember, the thoughts are not always neutral. Right. I mean, if I'm driving and I stopped at a traffic light and I see someone walking across the crosswalk and I say, I wonder what that person had for breakfast this morning. Well, that's a relatively neutral thought. But if my thought is that person walks across the, the crosswalk says, if my thought is, I wonder how much that person has in their bank account. That's not neutral, thought.

And the next thought needs to be, it doesn't matter.

Sometimes we are trapped in bondage to our own faults. Were held captive by the thoughts that I think sometimes Satan plants in our heads, the fiery arrows of the evil one. And if we ruminate on them, if we focus on them, then we are LED down the path to send. So the idea here is to take thoughts captive, is to take a thought and recognized is this thought from God? Or is this thought not from God? And how do I discern that? Neil Anderson in his book, victory over the darkness, he book, I read it years ago, that has a lot to say about our identity in Christ, but he talks about depression and he talks about the thought life of the Christian. He says the major strategy of Satan is to distort the character of God and the truth of who we are in Christ, Satan cannot change God. And Satan cannot do anything to change our identity and position in Christ. But if, however, he can get us to believe or he can get us to think a lie. Then we will live as though, our identity in Christ is not true. And he goes on and he says the consensus of psychologists in general is that a person cannot live above the level of what their thoughts are.

Meaning your thought patterns, generally determine how you feel. and the proverb says, so as a man thinks so he is in a counselor told me years ago, he said, well yes, as a man thinks so he is but also so he feels It's a lot of times our emotions are driven by the continual thought patterns in our head. And we have to do Warfare against that we have to say. No Lord. That thought is not from you.

Psalm 54, give you a simple example of how to do this in real time.

Psalm 56. When I am afraid, I will trust in you. Yes, on 56. I'm sorry, this. I know that God is for me. Now, I don't wake up every morning and have that thought popped into my head. The thought that comes into into my head in the morning is, I am really stiff and I ate too many carbs yesterday and I didn't drink enough water and Yeah. But we have to train our minds to think. What is true about us from God's perspective? Amen. This I know that God is for me. In God whose word? I praising the Lord. Whose word I Praise In God. I trust I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?

I shall not be afraid. Lord. I'm afraid of X Y and Z right now. But you say I shall not be afraid. I feel afraid. And Lord. I've acted afraid but I'm asking you to strengthen me so that I will not live afraid. We take our thoughts captive to The Obedience of Christ. Romans 12, 1 & 2. Gives us this, this principle of renewing, our mind by the Holy Spirit, I appeal to you, therefore, Brothers, by the mercies of God, to prevent your bodies as a Living Sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed, do not be molded to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. I'm sorry. I do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that by testing you may discern, what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. by God's mercy, we can present our thoughts to him and say, Lord, is this, is this thought a Biblical thought If it's not Satan go away. I rebuke this thought in the name of Jesus who rose again and lives and Reigns.

That's a training process and God is merciful. And so I pray that he would break the strongholds, the thought strongholds in our lives.