Even for those who don't fully understand the meaning of Christmas, there's something about the season that conveys a sense of hope and of wonder and of joy. And we do well to ask the reason that it does so. Think about who we are as a human race. Think about where we began. Think about the whole idea of God with us was what we were created to enjoy. When you think about the Garden of Eden, a beautiful place where everything is right and good, and a world where everything was right and good, where God the Creator actually spends time with man, Adam and Eve, and fellowships with them. Of course, we lost that fellowship. We believed the lie of Satan that somehow we would be better off to disregard God's commands so that we could be like God ourselves. It didn't turn out well. God gave man great dignity. He made us in His image to enjoy Him, to glorify Him forever. He gave to us the earth to manage well. He blessed us. He gave us everything we would need to do that, and yet what has happened is that we have marred that earth, and we ourselves are marred. We're a broken people in a broken world. And that leads to the question of why God would send Jesus. Why he would send him not just to be born, but that he would be born to die in our place. Why would God do that? And one of his names, Emmanuel, with us God, really tells the reason he came to restore to us the place that we once enjoyed with God. what Christ has done on the cross, what He has done by sending the Spirit, what He is doing as He works in the church is all about building into us, transforming us, bringing us to a place where we were created to be. And that is to know closeness to God, to know the blessing of doing our daily work with God's blessing and to God's glory. And there's so much about the world and our lives that counteracts that. And even as we seek to live for the Lord, we often find the world's rejection of God and leaving God out of the equation kind of worming its way into the way we do things. And that's exactly what had happened in the church at Corinth. They had been born again. They had responded to the good news of the gospel. and yet they lived in a wealthy, decadent culture that prized worldly wisdom and rhetoric and those kinds of things, and so much so it's very difficult for any of us to escape the culture in which we live. that that culture was invading the church, and was causing disagreement in the church, and people were taking sides about which preacher they liked better, who was a better speaker, and they had attitudes toward one another that were just totally out of line. And so what is Paul gonna do to try to correct that? He doesn't just say, you're doing wrong, repent, get right before God zaps you. Now, God can zap people for sure, and we ought to repent, yes. But what Paul does, in the words of Charles Hodge, is he appeals to the dignity and destiny of the church as a motive to right action. In other words, he's saying, look, who you are in Christ and what God has planned for you should really annihilate the way you're thinking and acting toward one another right now. It should change that. It's not in line. In fact, the whole, really, theme of 1 Corinthians is breaking off with the old ways and living this transformed kind of living. Our dignity and destiny has everything to do with what God is doing and the fact that we belong to Him. Like what gives us dignity is God. What gives us our destiny is God. What really teaches us our purpose and how we do things is God and our connection to Him. And this is critical to our survival in the world. The cure for behaviors that rise from the old ways instead of from the transformation that Christ works in people. is what God is doing, our dignity, our destiny. Very few in the church, then or now, are wealthy or powerful. Many suffer not just the common struggles of human beings, but in many parts of the world, and sometimes in our own, the disapproval and even the persecution from those that have rejected God. In one sense, we are nobodies in this world. In another sense, we are the most privileged of all. As Pastor Bates preached not long ago, we are chosen nobodies. It's not in us that our dignity lies. It's in God. We are God's field, Paul has taught us. We are God's building. We are God's holy temple. Elsewhere, the apostles will talk about us as God's people or God's children, a holy nation, a royal priesthood, God's treasured possession. Everything that's good about us roots itself in God and our relationship to Him. And so this is where Paul is going to drive further as he continues to deal with this problem in the church and really the theological, the God-size significance of it. So in 1 Corinthians 3, beginning in verse 18, Paul writes, let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, He catches the wise in their craftiness. And again, the Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile. So let no one boast in men, for all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, And remember, these are the prominent preachers that they were dividing. You had the Paul party and the Peter party, and you had the Apollos. They liked these different guys for different reasons. Whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or the present, or the future, all are yours, and you are Christ's, and Christ is God's. A short passage. but really full of mind-altering truth. So first consider, we're gonna look at verses 18 to 20, the self-deception of worldly wisdom, the self-deception of worldly wisdom. And we're gonna explore why it's obviously self-deception to think that you're super wise in this world. And then the first part of verse 21, the foolishness of boasting in men. And he's been talking about this for some time. And then finally, the riches of belonging to Christ. And that's where our passage will end, and it just makes you want to shout at the end. You almost need like a fanfare to go with it. So let's go to verse 18, the self-deception of worldly wisdom. Let no one deceive himself. if anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise." So the foundation of Paul's argument is centered in what God is doing and on what God has revealed, in contrast to what man can do and what man thinks. So that's the contrast he's been painting all along. He has taught us that true maturity Being a grown-up is seeing the reality of God's power and God's wisdom. You're not playing games anymore. You're not in a fantasy world anymore. The gospel opens that reality up to us. So to make much of man's power and man's wisdom while ignoring God and his wisdom is the very definition of being a fool and being a child, being immature. If I think myself wise, particularly in comparison to God, that's the definition of being self-deceived. I'm living in a land of make-believe. Now, you often hear people think, well, I think this, and I think that, or this is the way I imagine it to be. Well, who cares what you imagine it to be? How about reality? I mean, you wouldn't like that. People say that about God. You wouldn't like that if somebody said, well, I imagine so-and-so to be like this. Have you ever met him? Do you have ever heard them talk? No. Do you know what they do? No, but this is the way I think they are. Well, you're an idiot, okay? And it's insulting. If somebody makes up who you are rather than dealing with the reality, it's insulting at least. So once you believe in a God who is infinite, not just in power but also in wisdom, it only makes sense that limited beings like ourselves, and isn't that obvious? You don't have to be a Christian to be able to understand that. You know, even if we combine all our resources of understanding and intellect, I once heard a lecture where all of us together are God. Oh, well. Good luck on that. even if you put it all together, we can't possibly know and understand more than an infinite God. I mean, by definition, this is so. So how could any of us individually, or all of us combined, have greater wisdom than what God has displayed? in creating the universe and all its interactive design or in giving life to the human race and all the intricacies of the human body and mind. We study it, we try to learn it, we try to explore, but the very fact that we're having to explore it tells us, and by the way, that's the definition of science or observing, the fact that we're observing and exploring shows that we didn't make it. And we don't know everything. If we knew everything, we wouldn't have to explore. So, we're exploring because we know we're limited. God is the one who's put it there. God doesn't have to explore anything. He already knows, okay? So beyond creation is the wisdom and power of God to redeem and to restore what looks to be irreparably marred by sin and doomed to die. You look at our world, you know, if you want to get depressed, just listen to the news. Bad news sells anyway, so you're gonna hear the bad news, okay? But even if people are trying to put a decent spin on it, when you hear about all the problems that are going on in the world, and then you start thinking about the problems in your own neighborhood, and your own family, and the cancers, and the financial troubles, and all of that, it all seems like a great mess, a broken mess. And the question is, what can reverse all the brokenness around us? Who is strong enough and wise enough to do that? Well, we'll build hospitals and we'll build schools and we'll teach people how to manage their money. Great. They still die. And we haven't erased the problems. At best, we dabble in the shallows of an ocean of wisdom and power that it would take for such a colossal rescue. Now, all that's just like perfect common sense. I mean, you don't have to be a Christian to figure this out. If you just look at the world, just pay attention to what's going on. But what can make us reluctant to buy in completely to God's revelation, what God has revealed to be true, is the fear of the ridicule that we're pretty sure we're gonna get from the worldly wise. I don't like it when people look down on me. Do you like that? I mean, I don't know anybody that likes for other people to be dismissive of them and act like they're stupid. I personally, I don't like to be disliked. I like people to like me. How about you? Do you prefer people to like you or dislike you? You say, well, it depends on what it costs. I get that. But the reality is life would be better if we just all liked each other and all respected each other. In fact, we often hear people say, can't we all just get along? Let's just treat one another with dignity. Okay. So when we think that we might lose that, it can be a temptation to say, well, you know, I know God said this, but I'm keeping it. I'm not going to let anybody know that's what I think. Because I know that the worldly wise would view us as simplistic or close-minded to other ideas. We're fearful to think on our own. By the way, I'm just taking these from Facebook posts and stuff like that. unwilling to acknowledge the findings of human philosophy and human psychology and human science. So, do we love true wisdom? Yes, we love true wisdom. Do we care about man's psyche, his inner soul life? Yes. Christians were talking about that before it was cool to talk about it. Okay? God talks about the inner life and who you are on the inside. It's not just the outward stuff. Do we value observation and testing and technological development? Absolutely. But none of this is the same as making much of man's fallible, finite, and often false conclusions in any of these areas. Nor can our understanding of any of these things outstrip what God knows or even what God has revealed. The world, that is the organized culture in opposition, even rebellion to God and His Word, refuses to face realities about God and His revelation. They'd rather make up a fairy tale. They would rather tell you that everything that has all this intricate design, this amazing beauty to it, things that they're still working out in terms of how it works, the codes that are embedded in our DNA and all that, that just happened randomly. It just happened. It's kind of like the way your house works, right? Your house just cleans up itself. And your lawn, it's just weird how the grass just, some days it just goes short perfectly, Nothing works that way, right? But I'd rather believe a fairy tale than have to admit that God created it and that what God says is right. And when I adopt that way of thinking, it's just pure folly. So here's the thing. We have to choose whose fool we're willing to be. Are you willing for the sake of God and His truth to be considered fools by those who compared to God are actually themselves fools? Or, in order to win favor with the world, you know, you've got to get along in the world, do we choose instead to be fools before God? You have to choose which kind of fool you want to be. 1 Corinthians 3, 19-20 goes on to say, for the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written that He catches the wise in their craftiness. And again, the Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile. He's quoting from Job 5.13 and Psalm 94.11. One statement comes from one of Job's so-called friends trying to explain what Job is going through from what he thinks he knows about God. And not everything that Job's friends thought and said was right. God makes that clear toward the end of the book. But at least this statement is accurate. God catches the wise in their craftiness. no matter how shrewd and crafty you might be, nobody's fooling God. Nobody fakes Him out. He catches even the wise in their craftiness. Many a skillful plan of human beings backfires, and no wisdom can avail against the Lord. Psalm 94, 7 through 11 is the context, talks about those who practice wickedness and think that they will suffer no consequences from God. They think they're getting away with it. In fact, sometimes you look around and you see people that are doing what you know is wrong, and maybe even what you're tempted to do is wrong, and say, they're getting away with it. So, you know, what's the point of my holding back? What's the point of my doing the right thing? The psalmist says, and they say, the Lord does not see. The God of Jacob does not perceive. Understand, O dullest of the people, fools! when will you be wise? He who planted the ear, does he not hear? He who formed the eye, does he not see? He who disciplines the nations, does he not rebuke? He who teaches man knowledge, the Lord Yahweh, knows the thoughts of man that they are but a breath." They're futile. Our thoughts die the moment we do. And what is viewed as wisdom by human cultures changes like the wind. I mean, you don't have to live that long to, it seems like every five to 10 years, we totally rewrite the book on what's true and what's not. And you gotta get in step with the spirit of the times. So what are some ways that you can lean on what God has revealed Even if it means others may view you as naive or foolish. And maybe the deeper question is, are you willing to do that? Have you really thought through this enough to say, you know, it's worth it. It's okay if people think I'm stupid. If believing what God has revealed is what it costs. And when have you seen what the world considered to be wisdom dramatically change or even die out? And it might be good just to think back. Think through your lifetime. Think back through the decades. Think through the last 10 years. You know, what once was like, this is absolutely so. And then it flips. And then what are some examples of harm that come from self-deception? So harm, harm is done. Harm comes from self-deception. And what are some examples of that kind of self-deception? Just think about practically what it would be, where you think one thing, but it's actually something else, and then what would it cost you? And this is that way in the spiritual realm. Well, then Paul goes to the second point he's making. He's really been driving home on this all along, the foolishness of boasting in men. So let no one boast in men. And remember, you know, Paul's not, you know, sometimes we're offended when somebody thinks somebody else is just the greatest thing because we're, our own pride is hurt. They don't think we're important. But remember, Paul was one of the ones that they were boasting in. Like, they're boasting in him. So this is not self-serving when he says, don't boast in men. He's just like, this is wrong. Whether you're boasting in me or somebody else, this is just wrong. Remember, the believers in Corinth have been fighting about their preferences of preachers. Good men who are still but men. So let's think through this a little bit. Was Paul a worthy Christian? certainly. Not perfect, but he's a worthy Christian. He tells these very believers to imitate him as he imitates Christ. Christ had worked a remarkable transformation in Paul's life, really a miraculous kind of level. God used him, the one who was once a persecutor of Christians, to lead many to Christ, to plant new churches, to write half of the New Testament. I mean, you would think that if you could choose somebody to boast in, Paul would be the guy. He says, no, not me. What about Apollos? Was Apollos a good man? Yeah. He had believed the preaching of John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus. He came to full faith in Jesus Christ. He was an eloquent, effective preacher that God had used in the lives of many, including the church that was in Corinth. Was Peter one of the good guys? Yes. one of the original twelve apostles, a leader in the church at Jerusalem, a mighty preacher, a miracle-working apostle. But to boast in any of these good men in such a way as to turn against other servants of the Lord out of loyalty to the preacher you like is foolish at best and harmful. God was using these men, yes, but it was God who was powerfully working. The human beings were just His servants, His tools. We dare not idolize the instruments God uses. We have to avoid loving the gift more than the giver. It's a dangerous thing. Enshrining even good men leads to unnecessary division. and sometimes even into doctrinal error. No mere human being can bear the weight of this kind of glory. Even the best of men have faults and failures. You know, you can have a zone of your life where you do a lot of good for people, and then you can, for whatever reason, tail off or divert or get mixed up in your thinking and do great harm. You see this all the time. See, you can't build your hope in a person like that. This is why we need accountability with other believers. It's why we need forgiveness and forbearance. because we're all still growing in Christ. None of us is so important that we don't need to grow. None of us is so sanctified and so far along that nobody needs to confront us about anything. We're still growing in our Holy Spirit sanctification. We belong to the Lord, yes, but I mean, isn't it obvious? I mean, if you look in the mirror, as you look at your own life, as you look at the workings of your own heart, the thoughts that cross your brain, isn't it obvious that we've got a long way to go? So why would we elevate any of us to a level of rejecting others? If you rest your Christianity on the merits of the good Christians you know, You are setting yourself up for disappointment and disillusionment. They don't have to be hypocrites to disappoint you. They're just human. Even if God is using them, even if they are mature in the faith and are, in most cases, spiritually strong, don't expect of them the perfection that belongs to God alone. Paul had to confront Peter about caving to the Judaizers who pressured him to separate from Gentile believers at a meal. It was contrary to the gospel, and it's Peter. Paul has his moments when his temper went too far. James and John were actually called sons of thunder because of how over the top their anger could get. Thomas struggled with doubt. Mark bailed out on a mission trip. We don't know all the sins and faults of God's servants in the Bible, but God has revealed enough for us to make sure that we don't make more of human beings than we ought to. God is the giver of the good gifts. God is the one working through people. And, you know, we kind of vacillate. We either idolize people, we lift them too high, or we get snarky and cynical, you know, everybody's got an angle, everybody's a hypocrite. I can't believe this is, you know, I found the feet of clay that this person has. It's like, well, Like, what planet are you living on? And what mirror are you looking at? Okay, so we know that the flaws are there. We know that the faults are there, and we want to deal with them in a way that God teaches us to deal with them. But when we boast in men, we end up dishonoring God and belittling His power. And the final analysis, Doing so contradicts the very essence of the gospel. The gospel is about, not about what man can do, but about what God has done. We need rescue. That's the gospel. And we are privileged, as those that belong to the Lord, each one of us privileged to be used by Him. to advance the gospel and advance the good of other people. So, when have you seen elevating Christian servants too high create problems? I mean, you probably could come up with a pretty long list, if you think about it. According to Galatians 6, how are we supposed to handle the faults of our fellow believers? Remember how it talks about, tells us if a brother's ever taken in a fault? You who are spiritual, controlled by the Spirit, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness, gentleness, knowing that you yourself can be tempted. Okay, so we don't become cynical, but we also don't become complacent about helping one another. And what are some reasons it's spiritually important to boast in who the Lord is and what he's done instead of boasting in mere human beings? So, you know, God's done a lot of really kind and wonderful things for us as a church body at Hampton Park. And we need to boast in the Lord about that. We need to credit Him with that. Because if you know the inside story, if you know where the sausage making happens, you know that it was God that made it possible. Whoever He used, it was God who made it possible. So we don't want to go around like elevating ourselves. Oh, we're Hampton Park, and at Hampton Park we do it this way. We're like a flagship ministry. We want everybody to be just like us. That's asking for God to put you in your place. Instead, we want to be talking about what God has done. Wow, it's amazing what God did. We thought the COVID years were gonna be a disaster and they were tightening our belt, it's gonna be tough. And God just turned that around for good in multiple ways, with the Christian school, with the giving, with our love for being together as a church. He used something that was bad and produced something that was good. And he's done this over and over and over again. He's used flawed people over and over again. he deserves the praise. And that leads us to the riches of belonging to Christ. For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future. All are yours, and you are Christ's, and Christ is God's. All things are yours. Now, That's such a stunning statement. It seems a little bit over the top. It seems too good to be true. How can Paul truthfully make such a broad statement? So let's look at how he develops it. All things are yours, whether Paul, Apollos, or Cephas, that's Peter. These are people who administered to the Corinthian church in Christ's name. They are gifts of God to you for your good. If you value only one of them, you're throwing away what God has given you through the others as well. Think about all that's available to you through the thousands of human servants of Christ throughout church history to this very day. Don't limit yourself to one person or one church or one denomination or one time period. These servants of the Lord belong to you through your connection to Jesus Christ. By the way, this is why we sing old hymns and new. because they're valuable. We value, these are gifts of God to us. There's the importance of your vital connection with the local congregation of believers. You need more than just an online pastor or even an in-person one. You need other members of the body. The fact is, believers all over the globe impact our lives for Jesus. Believers from every period of history have shaped our growth in Christ. I mean, he didn't know it. I guess he knows it now, depending on how much God lets people in heaven know it. Martin Lloyd-Jones had a lot of effect on my approach to ministry and preaching. I felt like I almost trained under him to some degree. Never met him in person, but I benefited from him. Of course, there are countless others like that. And then he says, surprises us with, all things are yours, the world. The cosmos, the organized system of this age. How can He say that? Well, Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth. Everything in the world civilization that we belong to is something we can benefit from and use as long as it doesn't undermine our walk with God or service to Him. So all the good stuff is ours. We don't expect from this world what it can't provide, but we are grateful for what it can give us. We know it is passing away, but we can invest what we have now into the kingdom that lasts forever. I mean, I think it's a good thing that we got to drive here this morning. That's part of the world system. Other places, other times, you might have had to walk. and a bunch of you wouldn't have made it. We're able to travel further distances in a short amount of time. We give thanks to God who rules over all things for where He's placed us and the resources He's given us to be used for His glory, for the good of others, and for our own good, providing for us. So the world is ours. Life or death, God has given you life, physical life and spiritual life, so live every day He gives you to the full in the power of the Spirit of God who's regenerated you. Every day has its divine purpose. Run with it. Don't just limp along. Don't just float along. Don't just be one of those whiners that's always focused on the bad stuff. Lean into the life God has given you. Even death is yours. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints. Death is not the end, it's the doorway to an even better life. Christ has defanged death. He has removed its sting. The dreadful fear of divine wrath against us as sinners, wrath we deserve, He has borne in His own body on the cross so that we can be forgiven. We will outlast death itself, because one day death will be no more. Death will die. And better yet, Christ will completely reverse death in all its effect. Every believer that we've buried in the ground, death will loosen its grip, and that person will be more alive than ever before. So death is ours. There's a sense in which we will trample death under our feet because Christ has conquered death. And then the present or the future. Some people worry about the future. Some people are more worried about the present. But be where you are. Seize the opportunities of today. They are gifts to you from God himself. Don't succumb to the depressing view that this life is all there is. because to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. And however fruitful you can be here on earth, to be with Christ is better by far. The best is yet to come. So make the most of the present. It is yours from God. But live with the joyful expectation of the future. Your labor is not in vain in the Lord. The days battle will end. The victory is sure. Your reward for whatever sacrifices your service to the Lord required, that reward is certain. The registry of the inhabitants of the heavenly city has your name on it. And you will one day be part of the human race that explores and reigns the new heaven and the new earth where righteousness has taken up residence, permanent residence, and where sin and death are gone, the stuff of fading ancient history." And so he says again, all things are yours. There's no need to envy the wicked. There's no need to covet what you don't have right now because you have everything. And your being convinced of this truth can save you from many a temptation and from a lot of heartaches. Discontent makes us vulnerable to temptation and sin. If somehow we feel like we're not getting what we deserve, we start to reach for things that we actually shouldn't have at all. And more important than all that you have is that Christ has you. You are Christ. You belong to Him. He's your good shepherd. He's your mediator. He intercedes for you at the right hand of God. He is your Savior who rescued you from sin and death. He's your King. He is your entrance into the kingdom. He's your life and resurrection. You belong to Him. He will not lose you in the dust of death. The darkness, however deep, can't remove you from His sight. The battles and the failures, however severe, can't remove you from His loving heart. Paul says it this way in Romans 8, knowing all these things, we're more than conquerors, we're super conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am sure, I've been convinced, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, or anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." And that leads to the final statement, and Christ is God's. Jesus is your connection to God the Father. You are accepted by God in the beloved Son. If you have Christ, you have God. If Christ has you, God has you. Christ rules the kingdom as God the Father's vice regent. He executed redemption to fulfill the Father's will, and when he finished his work, he sat down at the right hand of God to intercede for us there, and God the Son has done for you exactly what God the Father wanted. And that's why he says things like this, my sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one. So we really do have everything now and forever. So we need to ask ourselves some questions. When are you most tempted toward discontent? And how could meditation on all you have in Christ rescue you from your discontent and depression and disillusionment? And why is it important that what you have in Christ be here and now? Not just future, but here and now. And then to flip it, why is it important that what you have in Christ goes beyond the day of your earthly death? And if you listed everything you can think of that God has given you in Christ, what would you put on the list? That might be a good Sunday afternoon activity. something to think about all week long. Before you bail on following Christ, make sure you take inventory of what you actually have in Him. Before you adopt worldly attitudes and actions toward your fellow believers, make sure you're in touch with the reality of who we actually are in Jesus. The deception of worldly wisdom is worth rejecting that. The foolishness of boasting in men don't bring the worldly thinking into the church. And the riches of belonging to Christ, that's where life is. Let's pray. God, thank you for your great grace to us. Lord, it's not just a theological term, unmerited favor. Lord, you've poured out favor on us as a gift. Not something we've earned. You poured it out on us because of Jesus. And Lord, when we think about it, when we meditate on it, no matter how tough life is at the moment, and there are times when it gets really hard for us, and you know that, we still have everything. So Lord, be our shepherd. Feed us. Lead us. Give us comfort and courage in the times of darkness and fear. Provide for us. Use us. Help us build one another up rather than tearing one another down. Help us give praise to God, not praise to men. Lord, help us be wise and not fools. In Christ's name we pray.