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love these times just as a church body to be together and just to worship the Lord. It's special being in the presence of the Lord. The saints praising the Lord and exalting his name. Hallelujah. I sense the presence of the Lord so real. There's no one like him. There's no one like him. All of heaven rejoices. Hallelujah. Worthy is the lamb who was slain, seated on the throne. Hallelujah. Thank you, Father.
Thank you. Just in his presence, why don't you find somebody, just give them a big hug, high five, just love on one another. Take a few moments. It's okay to just go across the auditorium, greeting one another. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. There's nothing like the worship of the Lord. Under the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Amen. How's everybody doing? Thank you, Stephen, for that response. How's the rest of you doing? That's better. Come on, come on.
Amen. Well, it is my opportunity to share the word with you, and it's just a count of the joy just being able to bring the word of God today and just declare it. My man, Glenn and Jerry Vaughn are up in Edmonton, Canada today, and just part of the team that's up there, just the connections that we have up there in Canada, and they are... They're ministering up there today and have been up there, and they'll be coming back tomorrow, I believe. Jonathan's over in Wausau, and then I'm here. We're here. All right. We're here. Amen. Well, we have come to the end of 2 Corinthians. Man, I know it. I know it. It's kind of a mixed feeling, isn't it? Because I don't know about you, I have been challenged in each one of these messages. I've been challenged in each one of these messages. I mean, they've really spoken to our hearts. And if you've missed any of them, be sure to go on the website and pull up the messages that have been presented, because they have been rich. Just thinking back to these last two Sundays, just them alone, I mean, it has spoken to me volumes just what the Lord is doing in the church. Because 2 Corinthians, ah, he didn't pull... And he punches. And he was out to make things right according to God's Word, according to the revelation that was given to Paul, and the things that he saw, the abuse, the misuse. And so, anyway, we're coming down to the very last final greeting. It's the last four verses. You know, when we schedule these out throughout the year, and we pick a book like 2 Corinthians, you know, it's just, it's planned out for us. And of course, the guys, you know, the team, we, team of elders, we, you know, it's chosen, okay, who's going to speak what? Ron, you're going to do these Sundays. Glenn's going to do these Sundays. John, then you do these. Oh, yeah, Jim Bell, we'll give you one. Okay, and then we'll just, you know, just treat it that way. And it's great. And of course, you don't know what you're, I mean, you know what you're going to have in advance, but it's like, you don't get to choose what you get. And so, it's okay.
All right, here we go. Verses, closing this out today. And then we're going to jump into Philippians, starting in September. We're going to get into the book of Philippians. So anyway, so here we are. And our theme has been steadfast, steadfast as a church. And of course, Jonathan and I are preaching the same message, basically, over the air. So, we just shared notes. I put some, well, he shared his notes, and I threw in some of the points that I have, and I'm using his slides. And so, it works together as a team. I like it. I'm not that talented and have all the time to do all that kind of stuff. But anyhow, it's just, I love it, the team effort on this. So, here we go. Steadfast as a church out of 2 Corinthians, the 13th chapter and the last four verses. Now, our theme has been steadfast throughout this last section of the series. And I just looked up the meaning of steadfast. I mean, we understand it, but it just says it's firm. It's unwavering and resolute. And with that word, it conveys spiritual strength and unshakable commitment to God and his purposes. Now, right in 1 Corinthians, he speaks this, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord, your labor is not in vain. Hmm. Isaiah, it says it this way, you keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is steadfast or heed on you because he trusts in you. Wow. So, there's a powerful benefit of being steadfast in the Lord and steadfast as his church. But I realize that steadfast is, oh, doesn't always turn out that way. Because as a steadfast church, we claim that, but it's not a flawless church. We're not saying anybody's perfect. There's no perfect church. But it's a grace-formed people who continually allow you to be steadfast in the Lord. And I realize that steadfast is, oh, doesn't always turn out that way. We allow God to restore them and walk together in his love, his peace, and his fellowship. Now, if you're steadfast, well, then what does continually mean? Well, let me kind of give you this example. We all drove here today. I trust there was no, I don't think there's any horses out there, but we drove our cars today. And you got here on some, as Jonathan did, to describe some terrible roads. That's not too, some of our roads are okay. But some of the back roads, you know, you've got to hold hands on the 10 and 12 o'clock position and 10 and 2 o'clock position all the time, or else the unevenness of the road, the potholes, you got to swerve in the midst of potholes. You know, you've got to hold the vehicle in line to stay in your lane, right? I mean, that's just it. How many of you have some of that lane assist features on your vehicle, you know, that tells you and beeps at you, I don't like those features. I don't like them. We've rented them. I rented a car here just recently on a trip, on a vacation trip, and it had that lane assist. And it would, every time I would move lanes, it would kind of, the stream would kind of, it would buck a little bit. And it's like, you're supposed to put your turn signal on before you switch lanes, you know? And I'm sorry, I don't put my turn signal on every time I'm switching lanes, especially if there's nobody around me. I mean, notifying, you know, I'm sorry. I shouldn't respond that way. But anyway. Ha, ha, ha.
Anyway, it's got that lane assist, and of course, it corrects you, you know, and it'll keep the lane. And then if you have some of that, all the features, all the bells and whistles, well, then it'll, you can let go of the stern wheel. Now, that's an experience, and it'll drop, and it will stay in the lane for you. But don't try it on the back roads of Oklahoma, because there's no painted lines, and they, it won't, it doesn't know how to control it then. But anyway, with that idea in mind, you've got to, they're steadfast, you're holding on the steering wheel. But if you say, I am not going to turn, I'm not going to make any adjustment to this steering wheel driving straight, even on a straight road, I won't make any adjustments. Well, you know, pretty soon or later, you're going to be in the ditch if you don't make those little minor adjustments to the left or the right. Well, that's what it is when we talk about being steadfast. Yes, you're firm, but it's like, Lord, He's got to make those adjustments in our lives. Because sometimes we do. Get off in the ditch. We lose the things that God is speaking to us. And so, if we have the attitude with steadfastness, there's a stubbornness to it. If we say, well, I am, I never have to change, or I never need correction, or I've got this figured out. We're going to end up in the ditch. You'll be here pretty soon. You've got to be careful how we respond to steadfastness. Biblical steadfastness is not refusing correction or adjustments. It's continually allowing God to bring us back into alignment with Christ, the author and finisher of our faith. Because so easy it is for us to get off track. And God's going to make those little adjustments and just be open to the Spirit of God to it. You know, it reminds me of Peter on the water when he, you know, saw Jesus walking on the water. And Peter said, hey, can I come to you? And of course, he allowed him to come, stepped out on the water, he walks towards Jesus. As long as he kept his eyes on Jesus, he was able to come to him. And he was able to come to him. And he was able to come to Jesus. But when he got comfortable, maybe, I don't know. I don't know how long of a walk it was. It doesn't give us how long of a walk on the water he did that. But his focus got off because he got distracted. And then he began to sink and he cried out to the Lord. And isn't that so much like our lives? If we keep our eyes on the Lord, then the promises of the Lord, I mean, are true. And his presence strengthens us. And so that's just a picture of what it's like to allow God to bring us back into alignment with Christ. Because a steadfast church is not a church that never needs correction. A steadfast church is a church that keeps responding to grace. Because there are times when we need correction. And so Paul's heart for them was that Christ would be formed in them throughout this whole book of 2 Corinthians and 1 Corinthians. But this letter that he wrote, he was always bringing correction. And I noticed that even from the very beginning to the last verse in 2 Corinthians, one of the first few verses, it says, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort. And then it ends with the God of love and the peace will be with you. So this letter that Paul writes begins with a suffering church needing God's comfort, but it ends with a restored church being called to live together in God's love and peace. And that's what we find in this letter. And as we close it out, he spent much of 2 Corinthians in this letter. And he said, I'm going to be with you. I'm going to be with you. This letter confronting sin, division, false teachings, spiritual immaturity, yet he doesn't end it with condemnation. And that's important. He ends it with a vision of what a healthy church should look like, of what we would look like. And he gives us these five final challenges. So let's dive into it here. 2 Corinthians 13, 11 says, finally, brothers and sisters, and this is the NIV. They were kind enough to include you later. And sisters rejoice. Strive for full restoration. Encourage one another. Be of one mind. Live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.
All right. Finally, brothers and sisters rejoice. Now, when I read that, I realized that. And after he's written all this, I think, well, Paul, how do you say that, man? This is Corinth. They are so messed up, man. I mean, and you're saying rejoice? I mean, they had all kinds of issues. But their failures, I mean, that's something that you've got to rejoice over, even though they're there. You still have to rejoice in the Lord, because biblical rejoicing never requires us to deny reality. That doesn't mean that we can't pretend that nothing happened. I mean, Paul obviously knew that there was stuff going on in the church, and he spent 13 chapters talking about it and dealing with it. But yet he comes down to this, and he says, rejoice. Why could Corinth rejoice? I find a few things here. First, they were in Christ. Why could we rejoice? Because we're in Christ. He said in the middle of that letter, in chapter 5, and this is a famous, I see this on the billboards and stuff, the Jesus saved billboards. You've seen them around the countryside and stuff. People put them up. They'll put this 2 Corinthians 5.17 up there. And it says, therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he's a new creation. That's it. That's why we can rejoice. That's why we can rejoice. That's why we can rejoice.
I have my failures, but I can rejoice in the fact that I belong to Christ. They were messed up, but they belong to Christ. And that's a powerful revelation, knowing that their failures didn't erase their identity in Christ. They didn't erase it. They were secure in him. Our failures may require correction, but they do not change the fact that Christ is able to redeem us. Hallelujah. And make things right. Back in alignment. The second thing, not only were they in Christ, but that God loved them too much to give up on them. And that's true to us today. Because out of Philippians, Paul says this, he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. He who's began the work in you will see it to the end. And that's God's faithfulness. That's his promise to us as believers. So God doesn't abandon his work. It's because his people struggle. That whole, what Paul spoke about in here in the second Corinthians chapter, that correction that he brought was evidence of God's love. He's bringing the correction, but it's evidence that God's love was there because biblical correction is not rejection. It is love refusing to leave someone where they're at. His love doesn't want you to stay where you're at. It doesn't want you to stay where you're at. It doesn't want you to stay where you're at. He wants you to grow in him. Out of Proverbs, it says this, my son, do not despise the Lord's discipline for the Lord loves, the Lord reproves whom he loves. And out of Hebrews, it repeats it again for the Lord disciplines, the ones he loves. If you feel the discipline, the correction of the Lord within your life, know that the Lord loves you. It's just simple as that.
The Lord loves you and he's not giving up on you. The third thing I see in this, why they could rejoice is repentance and restoration were still possible. Some people think, well, man, it's not, I'm too messed up. I can't. No. Proverbs says this, whoever conceals his transgressions will prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy. Out of promise, out of Proverbs. So the presence of conviction is evidence within our lives that God is calling us back. If you have conviction within your heart and life, God is calling us back. If you have conviction within your life and in your mind, that's evidence that God is calling you back, bringing you back in. So if you sense something that the Lord is speaking to, just let him speak because it's not condemnation. It's holy conviction. It's a conviction by the Lord that he wants to touch things in our heart and our life. That's the presence of the Lord. Also, the fourth thing I see out of that is God's grace is greater than our failure. Why they could rejoice? God's grace is greater. Romans says, where sin increased, grace abounded all the more. Wow. So we rejoice, not because everything's perfect, but because grace is still at work. That's why we can rejoice. Now, look, I know that we can grieve over what is broken and still rejoice at what grace is doing within our lives. There are things that we walk through as a church that we grieve over, not denying reality, but I also know God's grace is still at work. Right here in Claremore, Oklahoma. God's grace and his mercy and his correction and his restoration is still at work in every one of our lives. Wow. You know, a healthy church does not deny its problems because there's no perfect church, but neither does it allow its problems to become greater than God. And never should just put us in that feeling of hopelessness that, well, God's forgot about us. No, God's at work. God's at work at every one of our lives. So we have this battle between, well, do we ignore reality or is it faith in the middle of reality? You know, is this situation, the situation is not okay, but I know God is still God.
That's kind of what we say. I don't understand what God is doing, but I trust him. It's in that reality, not ignoring it, but even in the middle of it, trusting the Lord of what he's going to do. It's the saying, I may be hurting, but I know my God is greater than my hurt. And that's what we have to say, even in the midst of any struggle, anything that we are sensing and feeling. And as a church, I know our failure may be real, but God's grace is greater. I know our weakness may be real, but God's strength is greater. I know our conflict may be real, but God's ability to restore is greater.
And so in the midst of all that, we can rejoice, as Paul declared, because God is at work in every one of our lives. Because we are continuing to allow God to change. We are continuing to allow God to change. We are continuing to allow God to change. We are going to restore what needs to be changed and restored. Hallelujah. That's on our hearts. So we can rejoice. Then he goes on, he says, strive for full restoration in verse 11. Now, this kind of directs right back to what he previously said in verses 9 and 10. In verse 9, he says, our prayer is that you may be fully restored. And then in verse 10, it's the purpose of correction is never destruction, it's restoration. And he says, the authority of the Lord gave me... For building you up, for not tearing you down. The purpose of the correction is to restore, to build us up, not to tear us down. And so that is what healthy authority, spiritual authority does. It doesn't ignore what is wrong. It doesn't ignore that, but neither does it expose what is wrong merely to shame someone either. It doesn't bring condemnation. It's easy with our kids. I had... You're always careful as a... As a parent, as a loving parent, you're always careful to bring correction, but do it in the right attitude and the right love. Because if not, the correction becomes condemnation and shame. And then they feel like that, well, I failed. Okay. And it really just changes the demeanor of your child. And I know we have to be careful about that, how we correct. I know we're not perfect. And I know it's easy to correct out of anger, but just let the Lord allow you to bring correction, the correct correction, I'll just say it that way, into your children's lives as parents, because that's what the heavenly father does. He's not trying to tear us down. He's trying to build us up. And we have that.
So healthy authority confronts because it wants restoration. And that restoration might involve restoring our fellowship with God. Well, perhaps our life has grown cold. Our prayer life has grown cold. Scripture has come secondary. We've drifted kind of spiritually. But God is calling us back. If that's you today, God is calling you back into a place of fellowship with him. If that restoration may involve repairing damaged relationships, some relationships don't need another argument. Oh, you're touching on it now, aren't you? They need forgiveness. They need humility. They need reconciliation. Restoration can involve correcting wrong beliefs. Well, the Corinthians certainly had the problems. And of course, I get it. They're brand new to this. Brand new to this church thing. They don't have thousands of years of looking back and knowing, well, how do we do church? How are we supposed to act? Well, the truth of the word of God matters. And a healthy church continually brings its beliefs under the authority of God's word. Continually brings it. And that's why Paul wrote this letter. Well, restoration can involve turning from sinful practices. Repentance is more than just feeling sorry. Repentance means turning around, doing a 180. Restoration can mean bringing back the church into healthy spiritual order. Paul wanted the church to become what Christ intended to be. So restoration is there for building up. Amen. Paul says, I want to just focus in on the word strive. Strive for full restoration. Other translations may say aim, but it's to strive for restoration. We have to cooperate with the grace of God.
You can have the grace of God in your life, but really not cooperate with it. Don't resist what grace is correcting. When you strive, it includes an intentional effort. When you strive, what he means is restoration doesn't usually happen by accident. Oh, wow. One day you went, everything's great. Just wonderful. It doesn't happen by accident. Strive means persistence. Keep pursuing what is right, even when it's difficult. Striving means self-examination. Be willing to change what needs to be changed. Striving means to have a heart of humility. Put reconciliation ahead of pride or even personal preference. Striving means a pursuit of God's will. Striving is not fighting to get our way. It's working toward what God wants. Now, what God wants in our lives, that's what striving is about. You don't just hope things get better. You strive to make them better God's way. You work with grace and strive to make it God's way. That's the way you live. And then the word restoration means alignment. Grace doesn't merely forgive what is broken. Grace begins putting what is broken back into order. That's what God wants to do in restoration. Jonathan used this example, I believe it was last Sunday, the broken bone. Have you ever had a broken bone? I've never had a broken bone, thank you, Lord. But I know there's been probably a bunch of you. In this auditorium that have experienced a broken bone. And you know that obviously a break is painful, but then the restoration of that bone, it becomes even, can be more painful. But thank you, Lord, for doctors that can help give us some numbing effects as they set, reset a bone into place. Why does that bone need to be set in place? Because if it doesn't get set back into place, into alignment, then it won't operate correctly. You need that done. Physically. And that's so much true spiritually. If something is out of alignment, let the Spirit of the Lord begin to reset in alignment things within your life that need to be spoken to and drawn to. It comes from correction, to examination, to obedience, to restoration, to maturity. We see that in this 13th chapter. He laid it out.
I'm just thinking also of the example when Jesus spoke to Peter and he said, Wow. Jesus said that even before Peter denied. Jesus was able to see by the Spirit of God, being the Son of God, knowing what was going to happen in the future. The revelation that he had was because he's God. And he was able to speak that to Peter and to say directly to him that when you have turned against strength in your brothers, I want you to realize that Peter's failure wasn't the end of his story, even though that Jesus said it before it even happened. Jesus knows, the Lord knows everything about us. He knows our ups and downs. He knows our dips in the valley. He knows our valleys. He knows when we have troubles. He knows everything about us. I mean, it's revealed in Scripture. So if he knows that, he wants to make that place, he wants that restored, that your life restored to the right relationship with God. He wants that restoration to happen so that when the restoration happens, you begin to strengthen your brothers. Wow. Going back to the broken bone, you have to have that set. Otherwise, your arm or your leg, if it's broken, it's useless. You can't use it. You've got to use a crutch if it's your leg, or you've got to put it in a sling if it's your arm. You've got to do that. It's useless. But once it's healed, wow, it's back in alignment. It's able to work and help the body. You're able to walk again. You're able to do the things you normally do. That's what the Spirit of the Lord wants to do within your life through the power of his Spirit when you put it in line with God's Word. Out of this, what Jesus said to Peter, he said, Jesus didn't pray that Peter would never be shaken. He prayed that Peter's faith would survive the shaking. He didn't say, hey, I pray that this won't happen to you. No, he says, I pray that your faith would not fail. There's a difference, that your faith would not fail. And then when you turned again, you'll strengthen your brothers. That's just amazing to me that Jesus was already praying for Peter's restoration. The Lord, I want you to know, God himself, is already, the Lord himself is already interceding for you today and me today. He's already doing that for us today. He's making intercession for us so that if we fail, that we will be restored and brought back so that we can, through our story, strengthen other people, strengthen others, and I'll walk with the Lord. Well, grace gives us room to repent, but grace never gives us permission to remain in sin. Well, we're not a church that, that never gets anything wrong, but hopefully we are humble enough to say, Lord, whenever you, whenever we're out of alignment with you, put us right. Put us right, Lord. And because once God begins to put us right, we can be like Peter. We can just be like Peter, who can help strengthen one another. Let the Lord use you in that.
The next set of words he gives there is encourage one another. Now, this is more than just being pleasant or giving somebody a compliment. Oh, you look fine today. I love the clothes you're wearing. I love the clothes you're wearing. I love the clothes you're wearing. I love the clothes you're wearing. Your hair looks wonderful. It's more than just a compliment. I think about what Jonathan used that just, oh, I love your head, but that body, I don't know about that. I just don't. It's more than just a compliment. Biblical encouragement means to come alongside someone with words or actions that strengthen their faith, their courage, their hope, and determination to follow God. It's designed, it's to strengthen, to comfort, exhort. It helps someone keep standing. I'm grateful, Father, the body of Christ. Some of you know that I lost my sister. It's been a month, a little over a month ago. I buried my sister, my younger sister. And that's hard to walk through, to see that happen. And it was the body of Christ. You know, in that, during that time, it was hard for me, that Sunday following the funeral, it was hard for me just to praise the Lord. I'll be honest. I couldn't lift my voice to praise those around me. Praise the Lord. But what strengthened me, was others that came alongside me and said, hey, man, I'm sorry for your loss. I'm praying for you. I've strengthened it for you. And that's what we need. That's what we need in the body of Christ. Because Paul starts this very letter and telling us that God comforts us in our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. That comfort comes from the Lord. So to encourage one another is the call, to look beyond ourselves. A church isn't simply a place where we come to hear something. It's a body in which we supply something. Now, I hope you came today with the idea of supplying. Not to be just here as a social club, but to be a supplier of whatever the body is need of. Man, that's a different way of looking when we gather together as a body. Because that's the church. It's joint supplying joint. When you look at the scriptures, you see that. Because we strengthen one another. When we pray for one another, we strengthen one another. When we bear others' burdens, we strengthen one another. When we remind each other of truth, and we restore, and we stir each other's faith. That's what happens when we strengthen one another. That's what God has called us to do. Look outside of ourselves and look to others. Who can I speak to? Lord, what words have been... What words of encouragement can I bring to somebody who needs it? Lord, use me. Because Peter, well, in the book of Hebrews says, stir one another up to love and good works. It says again, but exhort one another every day that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. So the questions, I have some questions for you. Are people strengthened in Christ because they're around me? Do people experience me primarily as an encourager? And does my presence build faith or does it continually drain it? Well, if you're in the draining category, work on being an encourager. Allow the Spirit of God to use you and to speak words of faith and strength and comfort and come alongside and look beyond yourself and begin to encourage one another.
Because there's somebody you'll come across this week that needs encouragement. There'll be somebody that you may come across in the store and you don't... It's like, wow. I don't know, but the Lord had a plan. Michael, you were telling me earlier about just the security guard at the hospital who just spoke an encouraging word to Michael and it was just such strength. Just out of the blue and never saw him again. You never know the opportunity that you'll have to begin to speak a word of encouragement into someone's life. Let that opportunity happen. Because when encouragement happens, our hearts begin to move in the same direction. And he goes on to say, Be of one mind. Be of one mind. Now he says that because that's significant in Corinth because they were marked by division. One says, I follow Paul. The other says, I follow Apollos, et cetera, et cetera. And they've been divided and enamored over personalities, preferences, judging from outward appearances. And of course, as we went through that, that became very evident and very real in his letter to the Corinthian church. And Paul has sent this letter to try to dismantle that kind of thinking, that whole way of thinking. Marked by division, of not being of one mind. So one-mindedness, what does being of one mind mean? Well, it doesn't mean, I'll start there. It doesn't mean sameness. Not insane-ness, but sameness. It doesn't mean we're the same. It doesn't mean we prefer all the same things. When y'all came in here this morning, you have a preferred seat that you sat in. We're all creatures of habit. You pretty much sat in the same spot. You do every week. You have your preference. And I can close my eyes and point, and you say a name, and I can point. Okay. They sit there, they sit there. I mean, it's easy to do. We're just like that. We all have a preference. I mean, if one Sunday, Glenn or Jonathan come in and we said, okay, I want you, after you sat out, okay, I want you to all get up and find another place to sit. That would just, what are you doing? You just messed my paradigm. I'm all up, man. I mean, that would just ruin it for us. No, of course not. We're not all the same. We see every secondary issue. We don't see it identically. We have different personalities, giftings, and different measures of grace within our lives. I mean, we're all different. So how can you be of one mind if we're all so different? I mean, you didn't, yeah. I mean, just the clothes you're wearing today. You chose the color you wanted to wear. Whatever. I mean, it's just like, yeah, there's so many choices, so many differences. Well, I mean, liking it this way. I mean, it's like an orchestra. And I don't know if you've ever been to or been part of an orchestra to play, but probably you're very familiar with it. Fred, I know that you shared with me in the past, and you're one of those guys I'm going to mention here in a minute. I love an orchestra because they create such beautiful music when it's done right. But you know what? In an orchestra, they don't all play the same instrument. Don't even play in the score of the music that they have in front of them. They don't all play the same notes. They don't all play at the same time, and they don't go off track. A violinist just doesn't decide, okay, I'm going to play what I want to. No. The conductor would probably stop. Okay, correct that violinist right there. Okay, let's get back on track here. It's like, no, because everything that is laid out in front of them, they know that when they play, and under the conductor who is directing them, under the director, it'll be a beautiful sound that comes along. And like Fred, I love the guy with the big cymbals and crash at a certain point and crash. And the dynamics that come up that happen in an orchestra. But it's really under, it's every member of that orchestra being willing to follow the conductor. They are all talented out the wazoo. Everybody, everybody in here would love to be able to play that instrument the way they do. But it's them being led by the conductor. And that's just like us. Even though that we're all different, we become one-minded in Christ because unity isn't everybody becoming the same. Unity is everybody submitting to the same Lord, submitting to the Lord. We become one-minded when Christ is greater than our preferences. We become one-minded when, when Christ is greater than our personalities. We become one-minded when Christ is greater than our platforms. We become one-minded when Christ is greater than our need to be right. Oh my, yes. Comparison asks this, where do I stand next to them? But unity asks, how do we stand together in Christ? There is a difference. Become one mind. He told the Philippian church as well. He said, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in one accord and of one mind. Supports that. You know, when we stop competing for position and beginning submitting together for Christ, Paul says there would be a visible relational result. It'll be powerful when people have one mind and it's centered on Christ. Jesus' prayer was this over the church, over us, was that they all may be one so that the world may believe that you have sent me. Wow. You know, when we're of one mind, centered around Christ and his work and the word of God, it'll be evidence. It's evidence to the world. They will see it. They will recognize it. And it's a powerful witness. So it's important reason for our unity in the church, being of one mind.
And then the fifth one, live in peace and the God of love and peace will be with you. Peace does not mean avoidance. Biblical peace is not pretending nothing is wrong. Paul had confronted, as we know, had confronted, he had conversations, he had called for repentance. I mean, that was very evident within this writing. But peace is what happens when difficult things are brought under the lordship of Jesus Christ. I love the verse of scripture. We've shared it before from this platform out of Romans 12, 18. It says, if possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. So far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Now, we can't control everybody's response, but we can control our own willingness to forgive, our own willingness to reconcile, to listen, to apologize, and to pursue peace. Matthew 5, Jesus in his Sermon on the Mount, he said this very famous verse that we know, blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God. Now, it doesn't say peacekeepers. It says peacemakers. A peacekeeper may avoid the problem. Can we all just get along? Stop it. Settle it down. Okay. A peacemaker helps to resolve the problem, and he's called us to be peacemakers. Peacemakers may require confession, repentance, forgiveness, humility, confrontation, reconciliation. That word reconciliation brings us back to the centerpiece of what we're doing. We're doing what we're doing. We're doing what we're doing. We're doing what we're doing. We're doing what we're doing. We're doing what we're doing. We're doing what we're doing.
In this letter, the 2 Corinthians, in the 5th chapter, it says, God reconciled us to himself through Jesus Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. You want to know what your ministry is? It's reconciliation. Well, that's not my ministry. God's called me to do something. I get it. But every one of us has been called to the ministry of reconciliation. And a church entrusted with the message of reconciliation. Reconciliation should increasingly become a people who practice it. Now, we can't proclaim, be reconciled to God, and still be alienated from one another. Now, I get it. In this church, with a number of people, it is hard to know everybody and really have a connection with everybody. But there's certainly 10 to 15, 20, 25 people that you are connected with, that you have a closer connection. And those are the ones that really you begin to speak into. Those are the ones you can encourage. Those are the ones that you come in contact with regularly. Those are the ones that you maybe even need to reconcile with. Those are the ones that God is calling us to. So it doesn't mean that every disagreement disappears, but it means peace becomes something we pursue because reconciliation is something that we have received. Because we have received it, we need to give. I have received forgiveness. You have received forgiveness. So I need to forgive. He's called us to the ministry of forgiveness. That's what he's called us to, lay down our lives. And then he has this promise there at the end of that verse, and the God of love and peace will be with you. Wow. The qualities Paul is calling for are actually the reflections of his character. So in other words, a healthy church is not produced merely by just a better organization. It's produced by people living under the transforming presence of God. Wow. That's really living. And then verse 12 and 13, he says, greet one another with a holy kiss. Now, I didn't get to pick these verses. All God's people here send their greetings. I love that verse description when I'm with my wife. I love to use it totally out of context. Come on, baby. But in context, it's a holy kiss. What is he after? It's more than just, you know, concerned that they greet one another. It's a holy connection that we have. I can imagine back in the early church like this, I mean, there were Jew and Gentile, and they were so far from one another as far as the background that they had that when they came to Christ, there was a lot of overcoming to do. The Jew and the Greek sitting together, the Jew and the Greek eating together. I mean, even Paul got after Peter at one point in the scriptures because he was eating with the Gentiles, and then some Jews came around, and he got up and pulled back, and even influenced other guys to do the same thing. And Paul addressed that to Peter. So there was correction from Paul to Peter on the very issue, that very thing. So that was a struggle. But yet today, I mean, the cultural differences that are in our world, the things that would divide us shouldn't divide us because we're called under the same name, the Lord Jesus Christ. So he's totally after family, not factions. He's totally after family. So glad to be together. And because Paul said this, there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. We're all one. We're all one. God's people are sending their greetings. Now that's so, I mean, that's just not a nice thing to say. I mean, that's a revelation because oftentimes we think we isolate ourselves. It's easy. We isolate ourselves and not realize what is happening around the world. God is doing on all the earth because the earth is the Lord's, because what God is doing. And we isolate ourselves. So Paul pins that in there because he wanted them to realize you're not alone. And all the churches greet you and support you and are praying for you, are strengthening you. They all support you. That's what it's about. And then he finally closes this with his benediction. Verse 14, the grace of the Lord Jesus. Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit would be with you all. You know, it's the same grace that sustained Paul in weakness is a grace that will stain the church in maturity. Ah, his grace restores us. It's an act of restoration. And the love of God, the love of God holds us. The love of God, you know, you don't have to earn his affection. You just respond to his affection. You got a lot. God loves them enough to correct them. God loves them enough to not. Abandon them to the immaturity. That's the love of God. And he closes it out with the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. I love this because this is one of the only places that Paul closes out a letter written, and he closes it out with all the Trinity involved. Jesus, the Father, and the Holy Spirit. He normally closes it out with, and may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. But here, he includes the Trinity. That's powerful. And so he says, he follows up with that, with the fellowship of the Holy Spirit that forms us. It's more than just each of us having the Holy Spirit. And it's the Spirit of the Lord that is transforming us from glory to glory that is also creating fellowship among us. That's what binds us together is the Spirit of God that dwells within each one of us. And having that fellowship together, having that strength together, encouraging one another, stirring one another up. Fellowship is always not something that we schedule. Now, I know this is a scheduled 11 o'clock service on Sunday. Yeah, this is scheduled. And yeah, we have a reason to be together, but there's times of fellowship that will happen led by the Holy Spirit that goes unplanned. But you know it's the Spirit of God. You know it. I'll close out with this. After everything Paul has written, he says, he ends here, rejoice, be restored, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. You know, that's how we stand.
Not on our own strength, steadfast as his church together in his grace, love, and fellowship, and fellowship of this Holy Spirit. And that's what a healthy church looks like. That's why he wrote this in here as his final greeting. I want you to bow your heads with me because I have one question for you. I just want you to think about this for a moment. When people encounter us, do they encounter something of the grace of Jesus, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit? When people come across your paths, do they encounter Jesus? Do they encounter Jesus? Do they encounter Jesus? Father, today, thank you for your word. Thank you for this letter. Thank you for Paul being obedient to everything that he wrote. Because, Father, today, over 2,000 years ago, we enjoyed the words that have been challenging to us throughout this season, throughout this year. Oh, God, I pray that it would continue, Lord. We continue on in strength. We continue on, Father, in being steadfast as your church. Oh, God, strengthen each one. Lord, if there's areas in any of us that, God, you're speaking to, Holy Spirit, you're putting your finger on, I pray that, Lord, that everyone here, under the sound of my voice, would respond to the Holy Spirit as the Holy Spirit leads, convicts, and guides. Oh, God, thank you for directing us and leading us and encouraging us. We praise you, Father. Thank you, Jesus. In your name we pray. Amen. Amen. Give the Lord praise for all he has done. Hallelujah. Amen. Michael, amen. So grateful for this time in 2 Corinthians as we wrapped it up today. It's not been a book that's been massively theological, but, man, it's been so practical and challenging.
I just feel like I'm being challenged to grow up, to live as a healthy church, and I'm just grateful. At the end today, we're going to ask the prayer teams to come forward. If you are in need today of prayer over anything, they're available to you. Let the body minister to you. So grateful for the word today, Jim. The word of God is so good to us. As we continue in our worship today, we're going to give, and you can text it, you can drop it in the bucket, you can give online, whatever way that you give. This is just a time for those that are part of the body here at DLC to worship unto the Lord and to give him the word. I'm grateful that we're not a body that comes to attend a service, attend an experience, but we are here, each a member of the body with an active part. And here in a moment, we're going to receive some announcements and hear a little bit about what's going on. I'm going to go ahead and warn you, the tone of the video does not match the tone of the room. And so do not let the tone of the video disrupt anything that the Lord may be speaking to you. All right? So here in a moment, let's turn to the Lord. I didn't see you there. Well, my name is Dakota. Let's check out a few announcements for the week. Groups Fair is coming September 6th. If you would like to start a group this fall, scan the QR code on your seat flyer or go to dlc.tv slash groups. Well, I don't have anything ready for breakfast right now, but there will be some breakfast ready this Saturday at 830 at the men's breakfast here in Claremore. See you then. Want to stay in the loop for any upcoming events here at DLC this fall? Check out our events page at dlc.tv. Guys, have a great weekend. I feel informed. Are you informed? If you're new or relatively new, we'd love to connect with you. And we've got these little cards in the seat back pocket in front of you. It's just for us to capture information. You're not going to get any more voting mailers from us. We just want to be able to, I've gotten so many of them. Okay. But we just love to connect with you, drop it in the bucket as you leave. And then also, if you didn't notice, there's a table outside in the foyer of lost and found. This week, it's lost and found. Next week, it's a flea market. I'll be back there with a tap to pay if you want to buy anything. And I'm going to go ahead and confess to the church today. Many of my water bottles are from that very lost and found. If they're left for longer than a month, I go ahead and take ownership. So if you got anything valuable out there, I'm going to be perusing next week. All right. And if you will stand with me real fast, grateful to be together today. Stick around a little bit after service, connect with one another, be the church. Prayer teams will be available to you after service. Lord, I thank you for today. Your word. I thank you for what you're bringing up in our hearts. Lord, let us be mature. Let us have your heart in your eyes. Let us see one another as you see us. God, I thank you for your work today. We lift up all those in need. Everyone that needs a touch from you today, God, I pray that you would reveal yourself to them. We worship you. It's in your name we pray. Amen. All right. We'll see y'all next week.
