Wednesday Night Service 7PM - Pastor Rick Hawkins

in 1 Corinthians chapter 3. And the reason I picked 1 Corinthians chapter 3 is because on Sunday mornings, Ryan's been teaching in Hebrews chapter 5 and 6 and talking about the need to get away from just being on the milk and getting into the meat of the word. And 1 Corinthians chapter 3, I think, really fits in with that really well.

We'll start out, and first I'm going to open with prayer because this is not the way I wanted it to start. And then we'll get into it. Also, those of you that maybe never heard me teach before, I quote a lot of scriptures and I have them all typed out. And so you're not going to be, in fact, I didn't even give the people in the sound booth this, hey, Joe, could you go give one of those deals to the people in the sound booth in case they just happen to want to put the verses up on the deal.

My notes for what I'm teaching tonight are back in the bag. Joe will have them and he can give you a copy of them. But I usually, all my scriptures and everything is just right here in front of me. So you're not going to be able to flip them. I'll be already done reading by the time you get there. So just listen. And if you want to take notes, you can, but you don't have to

because all the notes are back there in the back. So if you want a copy of it, you can get, you can get it. You can get a copy after the study's over. Okay, I think everything's settled. I think we can pray. I think we can do that.

Lord, we just come before you and the people in this room didn't come to hear me speak. They came to hear you speak. And I pray that you would just speak from your word. And I pray that you just draw each one of us closer to you. Help us just to live a life that will glorify you. And just help us just to give you the praise and just ask that you just be with this church.

Help us to draw close to you. In Jesus' name, amen. Okay. All right, 1 Corinthians chapter 3.

The first three verses say, And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to babes in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food, for you were not yet able to receive it. And did even now you are not yet able, for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly and are you not walking like mere men?

He calls them brother at the beginning of the deal, saying that they're Christians. But if you'd listen to the way he's talking, it almost sounds like it's a congregation full of non-believers, just the way they're acting. But we know that they're believers because of how he started the letter to them back in chapter 1. In verses 2 through chapter 9, he describes that church as he's talking to them.

In chapter 1, starting in verse 2, it says, To the church of God, which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus. Remember, sanctification is what takes place after you've been justified. After you've come to Christ, you've been set apart unto God. You've been sanctified. And he's saying that they have been sanctified in Christ Jesus.

Saints by calling, with all who in every place call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, that in everything you were enriched in him, in all speech and all knowledge, even as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you, so that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful through whom you were called into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

He says that they were eagerly waiting for Christ's return. The gifts of the Holy Spirit were operating in that church. They possessed a testimony of being in fellowship with Christ. Those are all strong characteristics that are missing in a lot of churches today. Looking for Christ's return, the gifts of the Holy Spirit in operation, people getting saved, the testimony of Christ

is being proclaimed. Those are all important things. And yet, in the midst of them having all that, they were full of jealousy, strife, walking according to the flesh, they weren't walking in the spirit like they should have been, even though they had all this stuff going on. And this church in Korea, the reason I picked this chapter is because this is how Calvary Chapel started 50 years ago.

We were incorporated as a church in October of 1976. This coming October will be 50 years. But when Joe Crowley came back from California to start Calvary Chapel, he was teaching in a little storefront in a little storefront in downtown called Christ is Alive. And the Lord had called him, he was running that coffee house, and the Lord brought him back to start a Calvary Chapel.

We were on the tail end of the Jesus movement that was taking place. And the Lord opened up the doors for him to be able to, there was a church that had a two-story house that McCool's Floral Shop was using as a warehouse. And we weren't set up as a church yet, we were just a little storefront doing business, doing outreaches with movies and stuff. And Joe and his wife were living in the back of a gas station in a little apartment.

And the Lord opened up the doors for them to get this two-story house that had a church attached to it that was being used as a warehouse. And so they bought it, they moved into the house for a little bit. They later on moved out because the house got used as a place for all the children's classes to take place. But he bought that, and when the church took off, it exploded.

I mean, the Lord was just blessing. The gifts of the Holy Spirit were in operation, people were getting healed, people were getting saved, the worship was powerful. And within just a few months of us being actually established, the church was going before it ever got incorporated, we were already functioning as a church. But within just a few months of us being incorporated as a church, the church had a split.

And what happened was the church became spiritually proud. I don't know how else, how to put it. And there was, at that time, just when everything was starting to get bad, there was a person at the church that had a vision that most of the congregation was going to leave, there'd only be a few people left at the church, but God was going to rebuild the church. And sure enough, that's what ended up happening.

The entire congregation left, and when you start going, start a church out of a divisive motive, that church won't stand. So those people left and started another church. That church, after a little while, had another split, and they started another church. And then that church that started there, it had a split until they finally kind of fizzled out. Meanwhile, at Calvary,

after the entire congregation left, there was only eight people left in the church at Calvary. Joe was pastoring. I was running the sound system. Somebody was there in case somebody showed up for nursery. Somebody was there in case kids needed to be taught. All eight of us had something to do. There wasn't anybody sitting in the pew. We were, it was empty. And that Sunday morning,

after everybody had left, God brought five families into this church who didn't know anything about the split, didn't know anything about what had happened, and God rebuilt the church with those five families. And one of those five families was Mark and Ann Fry, who later was to become the pastor of the church. And so this church that's been in existence now for about 50 years, we've had three pastors, Joe Crowley, Mark Fry, and Ryan Nichols. And all three of them, their focus has been on teaching God's word and learning to walk by faith in his word.

And now, in Hebrews chapter five, verse 14, where Ryan's been teaching, it says, but solid food is for the mature who because of practice, because of practice, and it takes time to practice, have their senses trained to discern good and evil. When the church exploded, when we first got going and people were getting saved, we were running on our emotions. There was a high taking place, a spiritual high, and we were just running on those emotions. We weren't, you know, we weren't walking by faith in God's word.

We were living by our emotions. And those emotions, we became spiritually proud. And these are some of the characteristics of a spiritually proud church. Self-righteous, our church is the only place in town where God is moving. Judgmental, look down at other churches that do not think the way, or do not do things the way we do them. Unteachable, come across as though

we know everything better than anyone else. Unable to learn from others, no longer have a teachable spirit. And those who, number four, those who are spiritually proud, seek praise for themselves and their accomplishments or the great knowledge they possess. And number five, they focus on the faults of others while neglecting the focus on their own sins and their shortcomings.

And our church has become spiritually proud because God was moving so much, we thought, we're the only place in town, God's moving, this is it. And then God had to break us. And he had to start all over again. In Proverbs chapter 16, it says, pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before stumbling. It is better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly

than to divide the spoiled with the proud. Jesus constantly used the Pharisees as an example of spiritual pride. In the last days, it is the church that is modeled after the church of Laodicea, the reflex, the form of pride. In Revelation chapter 3, verse 17, it says, because you say I am rich and have become wealthy and have need of nothing, and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.

That is, this Laodicea church is the characteristics of the end times church. People think because God's providing physically that you've got money, you've got things going, everything's going fine, but God's looking at what's going on with your spiritual life. And he's saying, man, you guys may think you got us together, but you guys are miserable. You're spiritually, you're not doing as good as you think you are.

And one thing I want to bring out too is as we talk about this deep maturing thing, be careful about thinking you've arrived and you've matured. Because in 1 Corinthians 10, 12, it says, therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he falls. And I, I guarantee you, I have fallen, I don't know how many times I thought I've had it together. And every time I get that way, God allows me to do something stupid that makes me, me and everybody around me realize just how unmature I am.

I don't have it together. I don't. But anyway, at this church in Corinth, let's read the next few verses, verse four through seven. It says, for one, when one says I am of Paul and another I am of Apollos, are you not, mere men? What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one.

I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants or the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. Paul and Apollos are two totally different personalities, two totally different ministering styles. And the people got to where they weren't looking at what they were teaching, they were looking at Christ.

They got to focusing on the people that were teaching and looking at them and started following the teachers themselves instead of following Christ. And so I want you to, in Acts chapter 18, it tells us what Apollos is like. All right, so this gives you an idea of what Apollos was like. Meanwhile, a Jew named Apollos, an eloquent speaker who knew the scriptures well, had arrived in Ephesus from Alexandria in Egypt.

He had been taught the way of the Lord and he taught others about Jesus with an enthusiasm and a fantastic spirit and with accuracy. However, he knew only about John's baptism. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him preaching boldly in the synagogue, they took him aside and explained the way of God even more accurately. Apollos had been thinking about going to Achaia and the brothers and sisters at Nephesis encouraged him to go.

They wrote to the believers in Achaia and asked him to welcome him. When he arrived there, he proved to be of great benefit to those who by God's grace had believed. He refuted the Jews with powerful arguments and public debate. Using the scriptures, he explained to them that Jesus was the Messiah. So Apollos was an eloquent speaker. He knew the scriptures well.

He had an enthusiastic spirit and he had powerful arguments that he could debate with people and win the arguments. He's an exciting guy to listen to speak. Paul was just the opposite. In 2 Corinthians chapter 10, Paul says, now I, Paul, appeal to you with the gentleness and kindness of Christ, though I realize that you think I am timid in person and bold only when I write from afar.

I'm not trying to frighten you by my letters. For some say Paul's letters are demanding and forceful, but in person he is weak and his speeches are worthless. In verse six, he says, I may be an unskilled as a speaker, but I'm not lacking in knowledge. We have made this clear to you in every possible way. So Paul was just the opposite. He wasn't an eloquent speaker.

He wasn't bold when he spoke. He came across being weak, came across being weak, came across being timid. His speeches were considered to be worthless. He probably, he wasn't a good speaker at all. Rex goes to church, I can't remember his last name right off the hand, but he was having me listen to this about this guy who was giving a speech and he dropped his notes and the guy was totally unprepared.

He's very nervous kind of the guy. And he says, well, I'm just gonna go from where I'm at and we'll just go. And so he started on point number seven and just worked through whatever the pages were, kept stumbling through everything. And when he got done, he asked him if there was anybody that wanted to accept Christ. There was over 400 men that raised their hands

to want to accept Christ. The guy's speech was terrible, but God used it and just spoke through him. And it was just amazing to see that. But anyway, God used Paul to plant that church. And so he started on point number seven. He's the one that started, he planted that church. Apollos comes along after Paul had started the thing and helped water it, helped get that church going better.

But both of them were on the same team. They weren't competing with each other.

But the church of Corinth had lost their focus. Instead of keeping their focus on Christ and what God was teaching them, they began to focus their attention on the vessels God was using. And there's a verse in Ezekiel 33 I wanna read to you. And it describes what I see taking place. And it's something that I want you to be aware of too. So I think this is an important one just to keep track of.

But Ezekiel 33, God is talking to Ezekiel and he says, "'Son of man, your people talk about you in their houses "'and whisper about you at the doors. "'They say to each other, come on, "'let's go hear the prophet, "'tell us what the Lord is saying. "'So my people come pretending to be sincere "'and sit before you. "'They listen to your words, "'but they have no intention of doing what you say.

"'Their mouths are full of lustful words "'and their hearts seek after money. "'You are very entertaining to them, "'like someone who sings love songs "'with a beautiful voice or plays fine music on an instrument. "'They hear what you say, but they don't act on it.'" That's what we don't wanna be. We don't wanna do that. We don't wanna just come and listen and then go do our own thing

with no intention of applying God's word to our lives. We're not any better than what God's talking about here in Ezekiel chapter 33, if we do that. Now Paul, let's go to the next verse, 8 and 9. It says, "'Now he who plants and he who waters are one, "'but each will receive his own reward "'according to his own labor. "'For we are God's fellow workers. "'You are God's field, God's building.'"

Paul and Apollos were on the same team. They had the same purpose, to glorify God, keep the focus on Christ, and to help believers grow in their relationship with Christ. They did this by working with God, with god in the same way it's the same way for every believer you cannot live the christian life in your own strength you must allow christ to live in you and work through you you are the body of christ he has chosen to work through us we are his hands and his feet so i'm going to read to you first corinthians chapter 12 because a lot of times i think people forget if they don't have a position in the church that they don't have a function in the body of christ and they do have

a function in the body of christ god puts you where he wants you and he's going to use you wherever you're at you just have to be willing to let him use you whatever whatever's going on but i want to i will read this how the body comes together in first corinthians 12 it says the human body has many parts but the many parts make up one whole body so it is with the body of christ some of us are jews some are gentiles some are slaves some are free we have all been baptized into one body by one spirit and we all share the same spirit yes the body has many different parts not just one but it is one part of a body it is one part of one body not just one part of a body

one part if the foot says i am not a part of the body because i'm not at the hand that does not make it any less a part of the body and if the ear says i'm not a part of the body because i'm not an eye what what would that make it any less part of the body if the whole body were an eye how would you hear if your whole body was an ear how would you smell anything but our bodies have many parts and god has put each part just where he wants it how strange a body would be if it had only one part yes there are many parts but only one body that i could never say to the hand i don't need you the head can't say to the feet i don't need you in fact some parts of the body that seem

weakest and least important actually the most necessary and the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care so we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen while the more honorable parts do not be seen require the special care so god has put the body together in such that the extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity this makes for harmony among the members so that all the members care for each other if one part suffers all the parts suffer with it and if one part is honored all the parts are glad all of you together are christ's body each of you is a part of it paul had been comparing the church to a field earlier and because he started the church

he planted the seeds to get the church going then paul's came along watered we just compared the church to human body and now in verses 10 through 17 paul's going to look at the church as a building specifically the temple of god so in verses 10 and 11 it says according to the grace of god which was given to me as a wise master builder i laid the foundation and another is building on it but let each man be careful how he builds upon it for no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid which is jesus christ jesus christ has to be the foundation of the church if it's not you just got a religious organization going on we were called and we're called to build upon the foundation of jesus

christ we're supposed to build up the church that's what we're called to do and paul goes into more detail about that in ephesians chapter 4 he says starting in verse 11 and he gave some as apostles and some as prophets some as evangelists and some as pastors and teachers for the equipping of the saints for the work of the church and for the work of the church and for the service to the building up of the body of christ the pastors and the teachers are here to equip but the work of the ministry involves everybody in the congregation everybody's involved in the work of the ministry until we all attain to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the son of god to a mature man to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of christ

as a as a result we are no longer to be children tossed here and there by waves carried about by every wind of doctrine by the trickery of men by craftiness and deceitful scheming but speaking the truth we are to grow up in all aspects into him who is the head even christ from whom the whole body being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies according to the proper working of each individual part causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself and love so we each have a part to play in building up the body of christ to encourage another brother another sister to build each other up in christ knowledge puffs up it makes us arrogant but love

i would much rather be known as a church that demonstrates the love of christ through the fruit of the spirit love joy peace patience kindness goodness faithfulness gentleness and self-control than to be known as a church that is cold legalistic and a lot of head knowledge about the bible but they don't rely on god to do anything they're doing it all in their own strength verses 12 through 15 says now if any man builds upon the foundation with gold silver precious stones wood hay and straw and the earth and the earth and the earth and the earth and the earth and all each man's work will become evident for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with

fire and the fire itself will test the quality of each man's work if any man's work which it has built upon it remains he shall receive a reward if any man's work is burned up he shall suffer loss but he himself should be saved yet so as through fire i've always kidded that after i get done at the judgment seat of christ i'm going to be saved but i'm going to come out smelling like smoke i just just you know i just i just that's just my view on things but the gold silver and precious stones refer to spiritually pure materials used in building the temple of god he's using the temple as an example and those silver gold and precious stones were what was used in building the temple that the jews had

the wood hay and stubble wood hay and straw represents that which when tested will with fire will burn up it's not how much work you do it's not how popular your work is it's not your good intentions it's not your good intentions it's not your good intentions it's not your good intentions or how hard you work but the quality of the material you use to build with upon the foundation of jesus christ that matters that is what will be tested the quality is determined by what type of material you use to build with that pleases god so how do we know what pleases god well hebrews chapter 11 verse 6 says without faith it is impossible to please him for he who comes to god must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him focused on

your relationship with christ and the material you build with will not originate from self-effort but will be spiritually provided to you by god himself he'll give you the material to build with you just got to focus on your relationship with him and john 15 4 through 6 it says abide in me and i in you as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine so neither can you unless you abide in me i am the vine you are the branches he who abides in me and i in him he bears much fruit for apart from me you can do nothing to me and i in him he bears much fruit for apart from me you can do nothing to me and i in him he bears much fruit for apart from me you can do nothing to me

nothing if anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away as a branch and dries up and they gather them and they cast them into the fire and they are burned kind of like what ryan was talking about sunday morning in hebrews chapter 6 in second corinthians chapter 5 verse 9 to 10 it says so whether you are here in this body or away from this body our goal is to please him but we must all stand before christ to be judged we will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body i think it was chuck smith who made the statement one time that what we're going to primarily be just for it at the judgment seat of christ is what we've done with our testimony of jesus in

our life did we drag the name of jesus through the mud or did we live a life that glorified christ because of what he's done for us in the second corinthians chapter 5 verse 15 and this is what i consider my lifers and it says he died for all that they who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died and rose again on their own they died for him who died and rose again on their behalf. He died so that we would no longer live for ourselves, but to live for him. And that's what the Christian life is. You die to self, don't live for self anymore.

You yield your will to him and let him use you however he wants to. You're going to be a screw-up. He already knew you were a screw-up when he first called you. That's not going to change. But he's going to provide all the gold and silver and precious stones, all the spiritual pure materials that you need to build the body of Christ up with. He's going to provide them to you

as you learn to simply abide in him. Just grow in your relationship with him. Verse 16, it says, Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that spirit of God dwells in you? This verse isn't talking about you as an individual. This verse is talking about us collectively. We are the temple of God that's talked about here in this verse. In Matthew chapter 18, it says,

For where two or three have gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst. Now, the reference to us as being the temple of God for us individually as people is in chapter 6. It says, Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price, but you are not your own.

Therefore, glorify God in your body. God is to be glorified in the church as a gathered community, but he is also wanting to be glorified within us as individual believers. And it starts with us as individuals first before it can ever take place in the life of the church. Paul lays this out in a prayer in Ephesians chapter 3. And this is a very powerful prayer in Ephesians chapter 3.

I hope you guys will go back later and look at this prayer because it lays out what needs to take place. In our lives and the life of the church. Starting in verse 14 it says, For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole body in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with powers through his Spirit in your inner being.

He's talking about you being strong spirits so that the Holy Spirit will just abide in your spirit and you would learn to know what it is to walk in the Spirit and let the Holy Spirit just have that reign in your life. He prays for you as an individual that that would take place. That you would be strengthened in your inner man. He then says, So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.

And I pray that you're being rooted. And I pray that you being rooted in step. Let me start with that first part. So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. When he's talking about Christ dwelling in your hearts by faith, it's talking about him being Lord of your life. Not just your Savior. When you accept Christ, you've got him as your Savior. But he doesn't want to just be your Savior.

He wants to be the Lord of your life. He wants you to take yourself. Off of the throne of your life and let him sit on the throne of your life. And if you've got the Holy Spirit working in your life and your spirit is being matured, growing in him, that Christ is going to be able to sit on the throne of your life. It's a stepping stone that's taking place here.

Then he says, And I pray that you being rooted and established in love may have power together with all the saints. Here he's moving now in verse 14, 15 and the first part of 17. It's all dealing with you. It's all dealing with you as an individual. But now he's saying, now he wants us to come together so that we may know the love of Christ together with the other saints.

That we could grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. And to know this love that surpasses knowledge that you may be filled to the measure of the fullness of God. So it starts with you as an individual. He wants you to get to where you know that Christ is Lord of your life and he wants the love of Christ to just dominate your life. Then he wants you to get together

with the other believers in Christ and be able to know the height and the depth and the width and everything about how deep that love is that God has. That it would just multiply within the body, that love of Christ. And what in verse 20 and 21 is the conclusion. He says, Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine, according to his power that is to work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever.

Amen. He ends up by saying, now, after you go, do those things that he prayed about in 14 through 18, now to him be glory in the church. That's when Christ is glorified in the church. It's when we're individually seeking Christ and then when we come together, we're building each other up in Christ. That's when God's glorified in the church. And he's laid that out in a prayer for us

and I think it's exciting. In verse 17 it says, If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are. The temple of God is destroyed when someone introduces non-biblical, man-made, humanistic, moralistic ideas into the church that rob God of his rightful place in the church. This is expanded on in the rest of this chapter.

In verse 18 it says, Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become foolish, that he may become wise. In Colossians chapter 2 it says, See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception according to the tradition of man, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. When you are in a church and the focus gets away from Jesus Christ and it starts going towards anything else, get out of that church and go find someplace else to be.

Because you want to be someplace that's focusing on Jesus. That's the only thing that matters. Verse 19, he says, For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God, for it is written, He is the one who catches the wise in the craftiness. He's quoting Job chapter 5 verse 13 there. In verse 20 he says, Again the Lord knows the reasonings of the wise that they are useless.

He's quoting Psalms 94 11 in that verse. And then the first part of 21 he says, So then let no one boast in men. Don't put your focus on the vessels that God is using. Keep your focus on Christ and what God's trying to teach you through those vessels. And the last half down through 23 says, For all things belong to you, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, which is Peter,

or the world or life or death or things present or things to come. All things belong to you and you belong to Christ and Christ belongs to God. We already have everything that we need. God has provided everything we need to grow in Christ. He promised, he said, They seek ye first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added unto you. The physical things of this world

are not nearly as important as focusing on the spiritual stuff because he's going to take care of you one way or another. He explains this in more detail in Romans chapter 8 verse 31 through 39. I'm going to close with this and I'm going a little bit early but that's normal for me. But in Romans chapter 8 verse 31 it says, What shall we say about such wonderful things as these?

If God is for us, who could ever be against us? Since he did not do anything for us, if he did not spare even his own son but gave him up for us all, won't he also give us everything else? Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one, for God himself has given us right standing with himself. Who then will condemn us? No one, for Christ Jesus died for us

and was raised to life for us and he is sitting in the place of honor at God's right hand, pleading for us. Can anything ever separate us from Christ's love? Does it mean he no longer has to love us? Does it mean he no longer has to love us? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity or are persecuted or are hungry or destitute or in danger

or threatened with death? As the scripture says, for your sake we are killed every day. We are being slaughtered like sheep. Just because you have troubles in life doesn't mean that God's not on your side. No, despite all these things, overwhelmingly victory is ours through Christ who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love.

Neither death nor life, neither angels or demons, neither our fears for today or our worries about tomorrow. Not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below, indeed nothing at all in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The Corinth was an immature church but God still loved him and he still was working with him. We don't have it all together here either just to let you know in case you haven't figured that out. We don't have it all together. But God still loves us. He's still working with us. He's not done with us yet. And he wants you just to focus on your relationship with him

and then ask him in whatever way he wants to to use you however he wants to to build somebody else up. Because if you've got to let that water flow out of you, you've got to let it touch somebody else. Otherwise you're going to stagnate and then you're going to start stinking. There's nothing worse than being a stinking Christian.

So let's go ahead and pray. And we'll close. You guys can have some fellowship. And plus don't forget if you want the copies of the notes, Joe's got them back in the corner back there.

Lord, you have done so much for us and you've shown us so much how that you love us. And it goes just beyond anything we can understand because we know that we don't deserve anything that you have for us, Lord. But you just loved us enough to send your son to die on the cross for us and you've provided everything for us. All you want us to do is come to you, surrender our will to you and let you do what you want to in our lives.

I pray, God, that you would just move by your Holy Spirit, that you would strengthen the inner man in our lives, that Christ would sit on the throne of our lives and be the Lord of our lives and that we would know your love in such a way that when we come together, your love would just multiply and the people that don't know you would come to know you and that they would just be drawn to you, not to any vessels here, not to anything else, but just to you. And we give you the glory and give you the praise in Jesus' name. Amen. Thank you, guys.

Have some fellowship.