All right. Well, listen, it's a joy to be with you this morning. Man, talk about a full meal last night. That was pretty good, was it? I get a chance to hear Darrell give that talk among others, and I never come away from any of those talks, A, underwhelmed, right, or B, not leaving with something more thought-provoking than I had in the past. And so it's a joy to hear it time and time again and to be impacted by it. I've got the task, A, of following what you just heard, which is a monumental task. but also the task of kind of maybe providing a little bit of clarity. I liken what Daryl does to just kind of coming into a brand new space where maybe there's a rock on the ground. He comes in and jackhammers it all up. and just really unsettles maybe what was settled previously in your mind about things that were not set just right. And then I come in kind of with the task of maybe clearing out some pathways and some directions for you to help you maybe go in the right direction, leave here maybe with some things that you can take away from our time together. I'm gonna first just take a moment And definitely bring you greetings. We mentioned my wife, Tamika, who's at home with my oldest son, who's 18. His name is Price. I have two other children, Princeton and Princess, who are in Omaha, Nebraska. If you're listening to the podcast, you know that I'm called Omaheezy, right? You know that. And I got that moniker from Darryl, doing no small part because of the fact that I resided at the time we started the Just Thinking podcast in Omaha, Nebraska. So he would get on, hey, what's up, Omaha? What's going on, Omaha? And it kind of stuck. I knew that it stuck when I came to the first G3 conference. And someone, just by hearing my voice, turned around and said to me, you're Omaha. And I thought, wow, they've been listening, so that's a good thing. Absolutely love what we do with the podcast. It is an absolute blessing. Darryl, I saw this coming. And Darryl, you'll probably hear about this a little bit later on during our Q&A. was actually reluctant to start. He was happy writing and doing what he was doing, and myself and another gentleman by the name of Dwayne Atkinson convinced him. We really didn't convince him. Through the time that he had spent in prayer, he just kind of made the decision, this feels right, this sounds right, and I'm gonna do this in a way that honors God. You'll hear more about that later on. Definitely want to bring you greetings from my wife, Tamika, our family as well, and then from Josh Weiss with G3 Ministries. G3 stands for Gospel, Grace, and Glory. Gospel, Grace, and Glory. Daryl mentioned yesterday that we always wear two hats, him with GTY. and the teaching ministry of Dr. John MacArthur, myself with G3. G3 is by far the largest reformed conference in the world. Last year we had about 6,500 people from around the country and literally around the world come to Atlanta, Georgia and engage us there for a two and a half day conference which had every name that you can imagine was there, except for you, so you need to be there next time. G3min.org for all those free resources. If you're interested in receiving those, happy for you to take advantage of that. With that, let me jump into one more thing that I want to do. I want to thank just openly Pastor Eric and Barbie and the elders, John Sharp and Stephen Butts. and Colin, man, the work that you did behind the scenes. Trying to track me and Daryl down in the myriad of directions we're going, Colin had his hands full with emails, but he stayed on top of that and stayed on top of us and got to work with us, and so we're here. And again, it would not be right for me not to mention our brother Paul and brother Logan, who've been just our transportation and been lovely. It's been amazing to be with you all. just the last, just evening. We had heard something about over-kinded, someone over-kinding us. I had no idea what that actually was until I got here yesterday evening. And you all have been incredibly kind and gracious to us, and for that we do thank you and appreciate you. Grab your copy of God's Word and turn, if you will, to 2 Corinthians chapter 10. 2 Corinthians chapter 10. And when you get there, if you're able, stand with me for the reading of the Word of God. 2 Corinthians chapter 10. We're gonna begin in verse one, and it reads as follows. This is God's word. I, Paul, myself, entreat you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away. 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. 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. As you're seated, if you will, join me in a word of prayer. Father God, we thank you for your word. We're thankful for this truth. We're thankful for the opportunity to gather as brothers and sisters in Christ, part of one body. Grateful for the sacrifice of your son. Grateful that your mercies are new every morning. Grateful for the opportunity to open up your word and to receive revelation from it. Grateful for this conference, for those who put it together, ask you to bless it. bless our time, help us to see clearly what you would have us to do, how you would have us to operate. We ask all these in Christ's name, amen. Now, what we're reading in this text of Scripture is what amounts to kind of Paul's opening address to false teachers, particularly the false teachers in Corinth. This section of scripture really begins where we started reading in chapter 10 verse 1, as he kind of takes a pivot. He's addressed a number of issues, but in chapter 10 verse 1, Paul takes a pivot to address what's really known as a remnant of false teachers, a small group false teachers still there in Corinth. He won't end his address to those false teachers until we read chapter 13, where Paul kind of bookends his statements to them. He kind of revisits the charge of being bold when away and humble when in person. The charge against Paul was, oh, he's real bold while he's away and You're getting all these letters from him that he's writing while he's away, but when he shows up, he's kinda meek. He's kinda weak. At least that's what the false teachers were saying of Paul. And Paul is gonna address this charge. At the same time, he admonishes those reading this letter to test themselves, to see if they are indeed in the faith. Now, as you read the section of scripture that I just outlined, chapter 10, verse one, until the end of the book there, or the letter, rather, to the Corinthian church, what you're gonna notice is kind of a combination of a couple of things. One is a demonstration of absolute apostolic boldness and authority that Paul uses in this space. But you're gonna find it demonstrated with the combination of humility. Paul actually exercises great humility at the same time. You should be impacted by the apostle's tempered meekness, not weakness, but tempered meekness as a loving shepherd. Now this Corinthian church, which Paul loved kind of since the beginning, you'll find the beginning of this church in Acts chapter 18, verse 11. It's been a source of passion for Paul. And by passion, I mean it in its extreme sense. Passion in the way of excitement and joy, and passion in the way of absolute heartbreak at the same time, combined with sorrow. In 1 Corinthians, Paul addresses the divisions and quarrels that are actually brought about by the first kind of hint of celebrity church culture. And by that, what I mean is you've got this kind of celebrity church culture that we have today where, you know, I'm with MacArthur, or I'm with Sproul, or I'm with this one. The same kind of thing had begun to take place there in Corinth. I'm of Apollos, I'm of Cephas. Others saying I'm of Paul. Others would later say I'm of Christ. You also had these false teachers that I just mentioned. Paul would coin the term super apostles. He's a minor apostle. These folks who are preaching to you, even these false doctors, they're the super apostles. They're the ones to be listened to. And Paul kind of coins that term. This is not meant as a compliment by any stretch of the imagination. In addition, Paul addresses in this letter to the church at Corinth the sexual immorality and numerous errors of Corinthian worship. Now after this letter and a brief visit, which Paul actually leaves Corinth, Paul would spare this church of another visit until the time that we referenced here when he writes this letter. So Paul would write the letter that we have, 1 Corinthians. He would plan on a visit but wait before he went, and write what's called the tearful letter. He would send that on its way and see that that had a result before he would actually take another visit to Corinth. This is referenced in 2 Corinthians chapter two, verse four, where Paul writes, for I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain, but to let you know of the abundant love that I have for you. What is he speaking of? Well, he's speaking of what's known as the painful letter. The painful letter. This is not a letter that we have, but obviously this letter had its result. It had its work in the church at Corinth. We know this because we see that upon receiving a report from Titus, you'll see this in 2 Corinthians, chapter 7, verse 8 and 9, that this letter that was given by the hand of Titus, Titus reports back and says, yeah, it actually produced repentance. All the error, all the chaos, all the immorality that was going on, this letter that you sent, Paul, it produced fruit. And that fruit was the repentance of the people. As a result, Paul would plan this next visit and pen the letter that we're reading in 2 Corinthians. What we see as a result is that, yes, the people have repented, yes, things are better, but there's still this remnant of false teachers kind of waiting in the background, waiting for an opening, waiting for the right opportunity, the right time to strike. Very similarly, in our day, I think this is a fantastic church as I've had the opportunity to experience it. But you all have to know that like any great church, the enemy is in the background waiting, lurking, thinking, strategizing for how to invade the church through some form of false doctrine or ideology or maybe some sense of partiality. I like Pastor Eric, but you know what he could do a little better? You know how, what he does on Sunday morning is great, but if I had the chance, And then there sneaks in some little idea that's kind of funny at the time. Yeah, I think so too. And then later there's deeper things that begin to seep in. It's interesting though, as I read this letter, I'm struck by the fact of how Paul addresses false teaching and false teachers. You all have an entire conference on scriptural sufficiency. As we walk through this text of scripture, you're gonna see how Paul addresses the false teachers and constantly points them back to the sufficiency of the word of God. I think it's no coincidence that we have the opportunity to address it in our time together. The title of my message is the Scriptural Sufficiency and the Culture. Scriptural Sufficiency and the Culture. Now, I want to pause, because here's what I want to do. I want to give you an outline of where we're going. I set up the context of that text of scripture on purpose. Now, I want to lay it to the side, because first what I want to do is I want to examine the culture. I then want to look at our church culture. And I want to revisit this text toward the end and see how Paul would have us to respond based upon a biblically sufficient model in addressing the ideologies of our day. We live in a post-Christian culture. Culture no longer reflects an embrace of the Judeo-Christian worldview. The problem isn't the culture. The problem is not the culture. We absolutely expect the world to world. Darrell and I say it all the time on the Just Thinking podcast. We expect the world to world. We expect the culture to culture. We expect them to do what they're going to do. They're sinners. We, too, at one time were like them, dead in our sin and trespasses, Scripture says, in which we once walked, following the prince of the power of the air. walking in the ways of the sons of disobedience, children of wrath like the rest of mankind. That was us prior to Christ. So we shouldn't be surprised by anything that we witness the culture doing. The problem, however, isn't the culture. The problem is that the church no longer influences the culture. Greater still, or rather, culture has had a maximum impact on the church. As we witness a weakening pulpit with far too many passers and church leaders and fellow believers bending the knee on cultural issues, they do this in the hope of remaining relevant. You've heard this, right? You've heard this term? We want to be relevant to the culture. It's important that we're relevant. I believe there's much that we can learn from walking away from quote-unquote relevancy and embracing and holding tightly to the revelation of Scripture. Paul is gonna walk us through how that looks in his day so that we could be instructed in ours. Today, any Christian actually who finds himself or herself standing firm on the sufficiency of scripture, especially as it pertains to the culture wars. Let me pause here and explain what I mean by the culture wars. The issues of gender, gender fluidity, biblical sexuality, issues of ethnicity, quote-unquote race, or even the issue of protecting life. So as it pertains to a believer saying, I'm not moved by what culture says about these issues. I'm going to hold to scripture on these issues. Anyone holding such a view would immediately be seen as an adversary. Many of you are experiencing this in your workplace. You're being forced to listen to leaders, whoever they may be, someone maybe diversity, equity, inclusion, comes in and gives you this training, and then you're to sign off on that. Or perhaps you've been told, you know, you need to use gender neutral pronouns in your workplace. And for some of you, there may even be the fear of if I quote-unquote misgender someone, I could actually be in trouble or maybe even lose my job. As we witness this in the culture stirring up, it's something for the believer to consider. Any statement that you might make as a believer in Christ that holds to scriptural sufficiency to address the confusion on issues that I've mentioned, the true belief from the culture is that you're actually declaring war. For them, the battle lines are absolutely clear. They're crystal clear. However, I'm concerned that for the believer, things aren't as crystal clear. Our day requires a demonstration of Christian conviction where followers of Christ are actually equipped with the word of God and are ready when necessary to sacrifice for what we believe. We have to be resolved. You are in a day where you have to stand resolved on these issues. It's not sufficient anymore to come to church, have a great time, check a box, hear a good sermon, feel good, and go home. And leave your faith in the four walls of the church while you do something totally different outside of here. Cultural Christianity has died. It's day has long been over. Unfortunately, like the zombie apocalypse, there are still churches trying to embrace that kind of view. I'm thankful I don't stand in one of them today. I want to make this clear for everybody in the room. Anyone who might hear this under the sound of my voice, the reality is the battle lines have been drawn and you and I, like it or not, are in a war. And for some, I recognize that the idea of war makes you uncomfortable. But however, throughout church history, Christians have always understood this truth. The truth is that we are at war for the once-for-all delivered-to-the-saints faith. We are engaged in a perpetual conflict. The battle is indeed a war. However, our war is definitely waged differently than our adversaries actually understand. I'm so glad that you're here at this conference. I'm so glad that they call this resolved. That this is the place where you resolve to stand on Scripture, to equip yourselves with the information and the knowledge of both culture and the Bible. Not so that culture can stand over the Bible, but so that we can understand the culture through the lens of Scripture. and be ready to have impact. In his book, A Body of Divinity, the Puritan preacher Thomas Watson writes this, quote, Now, though he endures a hard fate and the bullets fly about, he fights for a crown." End quote. English author John Wolfe, he writes this, quote, Princes, kings, and other rulers of the world have used all of their strength and cunning against the church, yet it continues to endure and hold its own, end quote. In his commentary on 2 Corinthians chapter 10, John Calvin writes this, quote, That man, therefore, is mistaken, who girds himself for the discharge of this office, and is not at the same time furnished with the courage and bravery for contending. For he is not exercised otherwise than in fighting. For we must take this into account that the gospel, listen closely, the gospel is like a fire by which the fury of Satan is enkindled." Understand this, believer. The Bible is replete with warnings of the hatred and the persecution that we would endure as followers of Christ. John 15, 18, if the world hates you, know that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 2 Timothy 3, verse 12, indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will Don't be persecuted. 1 John 3, 13, do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. Philippians 1, verse 29, for it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ, you should not only believe in him, but also suffer for his sake. As believers in Christ, we are indeed engaged in a battle. However, this battle is not a physical battle. As I just read in Philippians chapter one, verse 29, we suffer for the sake of Christ. Paul further explains that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers and world rulers of this darkness, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places, Ephesians 6, 12. Earlier I said that we are in a war. And for some who hear that, if you took that information in, it kind of jostles you. As someone who was in the military, I served in the armed forces, both Daryl and I did. Daryl was Army, right? I was Air Force. We had so much in common that we didn't even realize before we started the Just Thinking podcast. It's kind of, it's as if the providential hand of God was preparing us for such a time as this. Of course, I took a little cushier route with the Air Force. I'm not mad about that. I just want to put that out there. At the same time, we have to recognize that when we talk about war, even as those of us who've been in the armed forces and prepared for war, when you hear that battle call come, there's something on the inside of you that jostles a bit. It's not something you're excited about that you're racing toward. But as believers, we have to recognize we are in a spiritual battle. And that should stir your heart too. And the reason it should is because for some, they think, well, a physical battle is much worse than a spiritual battle. Well, Scripture would tell you that that's absolutely not true. A spiritual battle is no less severe than a physical, and the spiritual battle may indeed like a physical battle. The spiritual battle may cost you your life. It sure did for the men in Scripture. There were men who were crucified upside down, boiled in oil. The spiritual battle caused men in church history to be burned at the stake, beaten, flogged, stripped of their possessions, placed in prison, abused, and even cut into pieces by those who hate God. You are engaged in a spiritual battle. It's important that you consider that reality. We've lived in an environment of just comfort and ease in our Judeo-Christian society that we live in. And we've embraced the benefits of that upbringing. And as a result, we've gotten a little bit soft. Now, don't look at me too closely when you talk about soft. But the day and time that we're in should cause us to recognize it's time to prepare for battle. We need men who are willing to suffer in the same way as scripture showed us for the cause and sake of Christ. For the idea that scripture is sufficient to address the issues of our day. However, today, the Christ follower with a high view of scripture is but a remnant in today's evangelical church. but a remnant in today's evangelical church. It's a small few. I can't count on, I could count on a number of hands, the number of people who I've talked to who said, yeah, we live in Texas, but we can't find a real Bible-believing church to attend who's serious about scripture. who holds Scripture high and believes it to be sufficient for all matters of life and godliness. American pulpits are actually filled with motivational speakers, modern day super apostles, if you will, as Paul coined the term. They've embraced relevance over revelation. They've embraced self-importance rather than selfless sacrifice. They absolutely have abandoned the sufficiency of Scripture. this truth that the modern-day failure on the part of many evangelical leaders could not have been more clear than it was on the day the Supreme Court actually delivered the verdict in the Dobbs and Jackson decision. The capitulation of many pastors in the culture was very evident on the day that the Dobbs decision came down. Following the verdict, the Dobbs verdict, which ended the constitutional protection of abortion, many pastors raced to pulpits to deliver messages, many of which were in complete opposition to a biblical worldview on the issue of abortion. On the Sunday after the Supreme Court decision, one Jamal Bryant, who's the senior pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, I want to say the name again, on the day of the Dobbs decision, On the issue of abortion, Jamal Bryant, the pastor of New Birth. I'm pausing for effect. Missionary Baptist Church took to the platform to say this quote this week America has turned its back Has turned back rather the hands of time and has declared war on women in this nation I want to stand to say to this nation that if America were authentically pro-life then they would immediately abolish the death penalty and If they were really pro-life, they would put more money into Head Start programs. If they were really pro-life, they would seek to cure the opiate addiction in this nation. If they were really pro-life, they would make sure teachers felt safe in their schools. If they were really pro-life, there would be stricter measures regarding gun control in this nation." End quote. That's Jamal Bryant, pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in my new home state of Georgia. What's really problematic is that Bryant said all of this on the Lord's Day at the church without fear. It would be fear and trembling that would cause me to stand in any pulpit and say something so contradictory to the Word of God that I wouldn't utter it. But he seemed to have no problem. Instead of holding the sufficiency of Scripture, Jamal Bryant invoked the words of U.S. Congresswoman Maxine Waters. when he said this, quote, I stand with the now living matriarch of the movement, Maxine Waters, who said, they have declared war on 32 million women in this nation, end quote. Of course, he thought nothing of the 65 million babies that have been murdered in the name of, quote unquote, abortion. Notice that Bryant had no misgivings about using the language of war. They have declared war on 32 million women in this nation, said Bryant. He had no misgivings about that language. He understands that there is indeed a battle. Unfortunately for him, he's actually on the wrong side of that battle. Before continuing the service at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, which ironically, what followed was a baby dedication. They were actually standing behind him as he made this proclamation go you can YouTube this you can go to YouTube Jamal Bryant new birth missionary Baptist Church abortion Dobbs decision You can watch him do the whole nonsense Right there on your on your laptop Bryant exhorted the congregation finally saying, he said this, quote, one thing about a woman, when she's focused, she is not going to stop until she gets what she needs, end quote. That's probably the truest thing he could have said. The context, however, is absolutely poor. While this might have been a lighthearted comment aimed to soften a more serious declaration on the part of Bryant, consider the context of what he's saying. Consider the context. The context is actually not laughable. Because what he's saying in the context is a woman is going to murder her baby no matter what. She's going to get what she wants at the end of the day. What we're witnessing in comments like these is a modern-day super-apostle, as Paul would coin the term. Saying the things that need to be said to captivate a crowd with itching ears that they've assembled to themselves teachers willing to say what they want to hear. There's much more that I could say about Jamal Bryant's statement. However, in an effort to, as our text says, to destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, I have to insert this issue with regard to his first statement, where he talked about a consistent view. If America were really pro-life, it would abolish the death penalty. If it were really pro-life, you remember that statement? I need to address that. The pro-life position understands that the death penalty adjudicates the most brutal of murderous acts. pro-life proponents advocate for the death penalty for convicted murderers because of the high value we place on innocent human life. Don't be duped by that. I've watched Christian after Christian get on television and get hit with this issue of this conflation of idea that if you're pro-life, well, you can't be death penalty. Have a ready answer for this issue. We're pro-life because we understand that the death penalty is adjudicated in those instances when someone has committed such a heinous act against another human being, and they have been convicted of that crime. We have a high value of life, and in an effort to protect it, we have this law in place. Furthermore, the position that we hold actually dates back to the Old Testament. Leviticus chapter 24 verse 17, whoever takes a human life shall surely be put to death. This is not a new idea. This is not our idea. This is what the Bible has to say about the matter. Furthermore, the baby in the womb has committed no crime worthy of death. The other caveat that I hear is the issue of, well, pro-life in all instances, except for the issue of rape. While I'm on a roll, let's put that on the table. Explain to me how the death of the child is going to wipe away from the memory of the mother the act of rape. Most women who've been raped remember that for the rest of their lives. I cannot fathom the pain of something like that. But the death of the innocent child only compounds the issue. Because now a guiltless act on her part is actually now attributed to her account as guilty as it relates to the murder of the innocent child. Well, Virgil, you don't know, you can't get pregnant, you don't have babies, you don't know how this works, right? At the end of the day, I'm not saying any of this is easy. The whole situation is gripping. the whole situation should cause us all to, with tear-filled eyes and heavy hearts, come alongside that woman and shepherd her through the process. What a beautiful opportunity for the people of God to come alongside a woman who finds herself in that horrific condition. And to the man who committed the crime, I say castration at least, if not something worse. That's a proper adjudication based upon a biblical framework and a biblical standard, a high value of life, an understanding of an act that needs to be dealt with in a just manner. Is it easy? Absolutely not. But if you can show me the manual that provides us an easy life, I'll take a look at it. I just doubt that it's out there. Even the one I'm reading to you says that we're going to go through trials, tribulations, and persecutions. We live in a sin-filled world with sin-filled people. It's time for us to stand up and act as if we're ready to address those issues head on, resolved to stand on the truth of the word of God. Another area where evangelicals accept the false teaching is what Darrell eloquently dealt with yesterday, which is the idolatry of ethnicity. The idolatry, idolatry, this is idolatry of ethnicity, or skin color, or what some call race. This modern form of idolatrous worship, I call it the ministry of melanin. The ministry of melanin, that's what CRT is. I mean, I don't even want to give it any cover by calling it the ministry. We pollute the true word of ministry in that given context. What follows usually this kind of issue, especially in evangelical pulpits, are calls for quote-unquote racial reconciliation, as if Christ's reconciliation was insufficient to reconcile us both to God the Father and to one another. I'll talk more about that on Sunday. In pursuit of greater reconciliation, unfortunately, Southern Baptist Convention has replaced CRT with a new idea that they are calling KRT. K-R-T. How many of you have heard K-R-T? Kingdom, race, theology. This approach to racial reconciliation is offered through the writings of one Pastor Tony Evans, pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas. In his book, Kingdom Race Theology, Evans uses an often abused example to explain systemic racism when he says this. You'll hear this example not simply by Evans, but by many. I've listened to the vice president use this example time and time again. I've listened to a number of people provide this example, it's the example of the race, right? This relay race, if you will, or a sprint, where all the people are on one line, they stand there together, and what they're given is this list. And if they fulfill an idea on the list, they're to step forward. And if they don't, they take a step back. And the idea there is, if you've had two parents, take a step forward. If you are on a certain socioeconomic level, take a step forward. If you've lived in this kind of a neighborhood and had these kinds of experiences, take a step forward. Well, if you haven't, take a step back. And so by the end of this whole example, you've got some who are halfway in the race and they look back and there are people still back at the starting line or back further. And this example is used to say, hey, you see, we're not all equal. And so we need to have an empathetic heart for those who don't have. Evans explains it this way, quote, think of a sprint where some races are allowed to start earlier or are allowed to start at a point much ahead of the other group. The whole group spends their whole time just trying to catch up. The sprint, he says, is intrinsically not equitable, end quote. Evans continues, quote, this illustration may help you develop more empathy for this historical reality of systemic racism, end quote. Now the fallacies associated with this overused example are numerous. First, no one starts life, the race, from an equal starting position. All of us have different gifts and talents and levels of intelligence. Some have two parents, while others had one. Some children were born to wealthy families, yet despite a perceived advantage, they failed. While other children who were in poor families, despite their perceived disadvantage, they've succeeded. How a person begins in life may be helpful. However, none of us are promised an equitable outcome or even the same starting point as Evans and others would have you to believe. Let me pause here to say this. You know this is true, played out in your own families. How many of you have a sibling? How many of you will look at your sibling and look at you, same parents, same condition, same household, same economic, socioeconomic upbringing, but your life looks very different from your sibling's life? So was there systemic racism happening in those homes? You laugh, but I want you to remember that. Why? Because they're gonna use this example time and time again, and as funny as you thought it was in this instance, I want you to laugh when you hear the foolishness of these kinds of ideas being placed in the culture as if this is the example of how all things should function. The utopian idea that had it not been for systemic racism, we all would have started from the same starting point is a myth. Dispelling that myth is absolutely simple. Second, none of us are running the same race. We're not all running the same race. Suppose Evans and others had used scripture, the sufficiency of the scripture, to explain life's conditions instead of popular cultural analogies. In that case, he could have read Paul's admonition to Timothy when Paul writes, I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith, 2 Timothy 4, 7. Paul's race was his alone to complete. God set the successes and the setbacks that Paul would endure along the way in order to conform Paul into the image of Christ. That's the purpose of your race. It's uniquely given to you. Your race is not my race. My race is not your race. My race is not Daryl's race. Daryl's race is not my race. All of us have different races to run, and we need to run them in such a way that they honor God and are used for the purpose of conforming us into the image of Christ. So at the end of the race, we can receive a crown, a reward, and we can hear the words, welcome good, well done, good and faithful servant. In that instance, it's irrelevant to me where you are in the race, only that I encourage you to run your race with the faithfulness God's granted you. I want to mention this as well because with regard to issues in the quote-unquote black church. Daryl and I both understand that while we understand that there is one church, there's Christ's church, right? As a result, we also understand that in culture, there's the quote-unquote black church. And Daryl kind of alluded to some of those ideas and issues yesterday. I unfortunately see these kinds of ideas disproportionately impacting the quote-unquote black church. Why would I share that with this predominantly non-black audience? Well, I share that because I believe that you care. I believe that you have friends and loved ones and neighbors with whom you interact with and others who you consider a part of the body of Christ who you would like to reach out to and know how to interact with and know how to properly love in such a way that they experience the same gospel joy that you experience. And so when you run into them and there's a disproportionate amount of these kinds of ideas running through their theological minds, I want you to be equipped to address them. I don't want you to be fearful to address them. I no longer want to hear my white brothers and sisters make the charge, well I can't say that because I'm white. If that's come out of your mouth or that's the way you think, I've got one word for you, repent. Because the truth of God's word is not said or not said on the basis of the level of melanin that is in your skin. So repent and care enough to be willing to share the truth. I'm gonna stick to my notes so we don't go anywhere. Evangelicalism is absolutely sick. And what's required to revive this ailing patient is a dose of biblical sufficiency. The writer of Hebrews explains it this way, Hebrews 4.12. It is the Word of God that transforms the human heart. It is the Word of God that revises the minds of men. It is the Word of God that restores the soul. It is the Word of God that renews one's life. In Hebrews chapter 6, 19, the Word of God is our anchor. In Psalm 130, verse 5, the Word of God is our hope. In Psalm 119, 62, the Word of God is our joy. In Psalm 119, verse 11, the Word of God keeps us from sin. In Psalm 119, verse 105, the Word of God is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. In Psalm 119, verse 50, the Word of God is our comfort. In Ephesians chapter 6, verse 17, the Word of God is a sword. In Proverbs 30, verse 5, the Word of God is flawless. In Proverbs 19, 7, the Word of God is wisdom. In Psalm 119, verse 160, the Word of God is true. In Matthew 4, 4, the Word of God sustains you. In Luke chapter 1, verse 37, the Word of God will never fail. David would write, the law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever. The rules of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold. Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. If we understand the power of the Word of God, this question must be asked. Where are the men who unashamedly declare with power the truth of the sufficiency of the Word of God? as we examine church culture in our day, we may be tempted to believe that things haven't always been the way they are, that the battle hasn't always been this fierce, that the fight hasn't always been this tough. Paul would beg to differ. Paul gives us four things to consider from the text that I read earlier in the way to approach false teachers, false teaching in the battle that we endure. Let me give you those four things really quickly. Number one, verses one and two, we're going to consider Paul's meekness. We'll consider Paul's meekness in verses one and two of 2 Corinthians chapter 10. In verse three, we're going to consider Paul's mortality in verse three. In verse four and 5a, we're going to consider Paul's might. Consider Paul's might. And in verse 5b and 6, we're going to consider Paul's motivation. Paul's motivation. Let's first consider Paul's meekness, verses one and two. I, Paul, myself, entreat you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I'm away. I beg of you that when I am present that 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. This is Paul, the one who has the authority of an apostle, yet he appeals to his enemies, the false teachers who wish to discredit Paul. The charge that they've brought against Paul is that he's diminutive, he's unimpressive, right? Small Paul. He's not really saying much. He can barely stand over a pulpit really well. What does he have to bring? This is a man, Paul, who struggles at having to work to make tents for a living. Like, he can't even raise enough money from his preaching that he doesn't have to be a tent maker by day and a preacher by night. Like, who is this guy? This is the charge of the false teachers against Paul. He can't really be an apostle. That was the charge of his detractors. But Paul uses the charge by saying, I Paul myself entreat you. How? Not in power and wrath, but how? By the meekness and gentleness of Christ. Consider Paul's meekness. This is the same meekness of Christ, which is different from weakness. It's mentioned, this kind of meekness is mentioned in Philippians 2, verse 38. I'm sorry, Philippians chapter two, verses three through eight, which read this way. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Having this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God as a thing to be grasped, but he emptied himself, taking the form of the servant, being born in the likeness of man and being found in human form. He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Consider Paul's mortality in verse three. Paul's mortality in verse three. For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. Here, Paul is actually repeating the charge of his detractors, and at the same time, he isn't admitting any guilt of any kind for which he's accused. The idea of walking according to the flesh was simply Paul saying, I'm a mere mortal man. I come to you in meekness, and yes, I'm a mortal man. I definitely am one who's going to die. I'm going to lay this body down at some point. But he's not admitting any issue regarding sexual immorality in this instance. He's actually charging his detractors. He's saying to them, I'm not motivated out of selfish ambition or conceit. I'm coming to you in meekness, recognizing my failings as a mortal man. At the same time, Paul reflects upon the fact that these men are super apostles who are making these charges. They're the ones who are actually filled with conceit. They're the ones who are filled with pride. They're the ones who are trying to convince you that they are otherworldly. that they have more than just this mortal life in which to live, that they receive these revelations and these grandiose ideas for you to turn away from the truth of the sufficiency of God's word so that you turn and look at who they are. They have special revelation, special knowledge, different ideas. Verse three, again, for though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. The type of battle in which we're engaged does not resemble that of our adversaries. We see this in the text of scripture. First Peter chapter three verses 15 and 16 read this way, but in your heart honor Christ the Lord as holy. We often forget that section of the verse. I'll come back to that. Always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. Yet do it in gentleness and respect, having a good conscience so that when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. There's much to say there. But it begins with honoring Christ the Lord as holy. Christ the Lord, the living word. Honoring Christ, the embodiment of truth. I am the way, the truth, and the life. The unique thing about the Christian worldview is that we don't look for truth out there somewhere. We have the truth in the pages of scripture, and we actually have the embodiment of truth himself in Christ Jesus. So what do we do? We honor Christ the Lord as holy. And as a result of that honoring, we're always prepared to give an answer for the hope. How? to the word of God. Consider Paul's might in verses four and five. 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. Here Paul employs the idea that the weapons given by God have divine power to destroy. strongholds. Why would you use anything else but a weapon that had divine power to destroy a stronghold? Why would you think that some analytical tool would be needful when you have the divinely empowered word, sufficient word of God? For Paul, his experience of God's divine power to destroy strongholds could prove its point simply by looking at Paul's conversion. In Acts chapter nine, verses one and two, we have Paul still breathing threats of murder against the disciples of the Lord. He'd gone to the high priest to ask them for letters from the synagogue to go into Damascus so that he could snatch away men and women who were following the way. What happened? He encountered the Word made flesh that had the power to destroy the stronghold in his heart. We're trying to, culture in particular, church culture specifically, is trying to identify so greatly with the world that they're using the world's terminologies, the world's ideas, the world's, when everything we need to destroy the strongest of fortresses in the human heart, it can only be found in the word of God. destroying a stronghold. The idea that a stronghold could be destroyed, especially during the first century, was unimaginable. Those who were actually reading Paul's words at this time were really shocked. You mean that the Word of God has divine power to destroy a stronghold? You're kidding. For us in America, I think maybe an equivalent would be the Pentagon until we watched an airplane crash into it, right? It's a stronghold, a place where the plans of the military are enacted so that they're in a safe structure, high up and away from all of the chaos of the battle. And from that position are able to take out their enemy. That our hearts would be set up in such a way that we would have a stronghold against the ideas of God. But that the power of the word of God could penetrate that stronghold and destroy it. If you're in here and you've come to a saving knowledge of Christ, you've experienced the divinely empowered word of God, able to destroy the stronghold of your heart that was connected to the sin-filled world that you thoroughly enjoy. What destroyed it? The gospel of Jesus Christ. It wasn't CRT, it wasn't some ideology, some godless ideology. It was the word of God preached by a man of God or brought to you by a woman of God, ladies, who shared that truth and your heart, the stronghold of your heart was shattered into a thousand pieces and you were broken. perhaps for the first time understanding the magnitude and weight of your sinfulness and your need for Christ. The word of God is sufficient. We've considered the meekness of Paul, the mortality of Paul, the might of Paul. Let's consider Paul's motivation in verses five and six. And take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience when your obedience is complete. Paul's motivation is not a destructive force. This is really interesting. Instead here, what Paul is wanting for his enemies is actually repentance. His desire is to take every thought captive to obey Christ, punishing every disobedience when your obedience is complete. He's wanting to see restoration. He's wanting to see those who don't know Christ come into a saving knowledge of Christ. Our desire should be to see the weapons of our warfare, which is the sufficient word of God, do the work that no other weapon can do. Neither bombs nor bullets can transform the human heart. Hear me. It may stop a human heart. A bomb or a bullet may stop a human heart, but it has no effect in transforming a human heart. And seeing a murderous rebel transformed into a gospel-proclaiming warrior for truth. We need men in this hour, like Paul, who function in meekness, who understand their mortality, men who rely on the might of the Word of God, men who are motivated by obedience to Christ. for them to understand that we do this not for our own vain glory, but for the sake of the gospel. For the sake of the gospel. We are in a war, but the weapons of our warfare are very different. And we're able to deploy them in a manner in which God would use them to transform a human heart from death to life. That's the power of the sufficient Word of God. for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh. They have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God. We take every thought captive to obey Christ, ready to punish every disobedience when your obedience is complete. Proclaim the word of God. Hold tightly to the sufficient word of God. Let me close with a word of prayer. Father God, we thank you for your word. Your word is truth. We're thankful that you've given us a revelation of who you are. And as a result, we could proclaim that truth and be the salt and light of the world. Grateful for those who put this together. My prayer would be all of my words fall flat and yours would do what they they're inclined to do. Penetrate the human heart. Transform us into the image of Christ. It's in his name we pray. Amen.