And as you sit, if you have your Bibles with you this morning, please turn with me to 1 Corinthians chapter 16. 1 Corinthians chapter 16. And this morning we're gonna be considering verses 13 and 14. Verses 13 and 14. Beloved of the Lord, Hear now the word of God and give your careful attention to the reading of it. Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love. Amen, let us pray. Gracious God and heavenly Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you, Lord, that it is complete truth and in it you have given us the words of life. You show us our Lord Jesus Christ. Lord, we pray that your spirit would be at work in us now as we consider your word. Lord, that you would work in our hearts and our minds, that we would be doers of your word and not hearers only to the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. And it is in his name we pray, amen. Amen. Well, congregation, as the Apostle Paul brings his first letter to the Corinthian church to an end, in the midst of telling the saints his plans, in the midst of specific instruction to the body regarding men like Timothy, Apollos, and Stephanas, Paul pauses to give a few final exhortations. that serve as strong reminders and encouragement about important duties they needed to keep in practice. Paul was a faithful apostle and a caring pastor to God's people in Corinth as he exhorted and rebuked them at times against error and encouraged and directed them in the truth. Further, he showed them how that truth was to be applied in their lives and the life of the church. As it is true with the church today, Corinth was far from perfect. As you've read through the epistle many times before, it's easy to see their struggles, their sin. It's easy to see their backsliding. If we're not careful, we may find ourselves thinking, yeah, you tell them, Paul. when we are guilty of much sin in our own thoughts and actions. And so in his parting words, Paul circles around again to remind them of three things that he taught them before. Three things that are vital in healthy and wise Christian living, being watchful, standing strong with strength and courage, and loving well. Considering this will be my last Sunday with y'all for a good while, dear friends, I want to encourage you from the word of God in your walk with the Lord. I want you to have courage and zeal as you run your race. I want you to be equipped and all the more diligent and wise in your knowledge of the snares of Satan and the things that must be present in your life to persevere. I want to encourage you as you keep your eyes on Christ and the glorious hope of that which is to come. And these exhortations today are important pieces of that. Paul begins by saying, watch. It's good to consider the answer to the question, what did Paul see as important? Important enough to give us a reminder of what we need to do. Here, he really gives us marching orders. Verse 13 is talking about a battlefield and a fight against the world, the flesh, and the devil. This language was necessary for the saints in Corinth because the church was experiencing significant trouble. There was a divisive spirit. As some said, I'm of Paul, others said, I'm of Apollos. There was fornication and adultery happening in the church. There was drunkenness and gluttony going on at the Lord's Supper without any love for the neighbor that was partaking of the Lord's Supper with them. All of these things, Paul had to write and say after he addressed those problems, one of these last things that he would tell them is to stand and be strong. Fight against your enemy who has sown all of this trouble in your midst. These final exhortations are what the church of the Lord Jesus Christ always needs, because there are always weaknesses. There are always temptations and threats to the purity of the gospel and to the peace and the purity of the church that need to be guarded against. And we find the first of the three here as he commands us to watch. What does this watch specifically refer to? Scripture teaches us really that there are two aspects in watching. We're kind of two types, so to speak. First, watching is keeping an alert guard against temptation. One essential duty of a Christian is to guard his words and actions against temptation. Like a man on a journey, the Christian must plan his path carefully, watching for pitfalls and snares. He needs to stay the course and be watchful for when he becomes lazy, Satan is most likely to strike. Laziness is a battle, isn't it? physical laziness for sure, but especially spiritual laziness. Sometimes it creeps in and gets the better of us without us even being aware at first. But this is a battle worth fighting, my friends, and fighting well by the grace and work of God. Being increasingly diligent in prayer, we need His grace and mercies. Being diligent in our study and our growth in the knowledge of the word, we need this spiritual food and nourishment that he provides. Growing in our relationship with the Lord and being diligent in iron sharpening fellowship with one another. You know, David loved the word. And he understood the work of the Lord through the Word. And this is evident in Psalm 19, verses 7 through 11, where he said, The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes 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 judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold. Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover, by them your servant is warned, and in keeping them there is great reward. Watch, my friends. Be good students of the word and love the word that the Lord has given you. David watched his life carefully to keep from falling into sin. And clearly that was a struggle for him. But in Psalm 39, verse one, he said this, I will guard my ways lest I sin with my tongue. I will restrain my mouth with a muzzle While the wicked are before me, David was mindful of his weaknesses. David was mindful of his own thoughts and desires, but he was also mindful that he needed to guard himself. Remember, Jesus also gave this command to watch to the disciples in the garden of Gethsemane, just leading up to his crucifixion. He told them in Matthew 26, verse 41, watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. The disciples needed to keep awake. They needed to pray while they were awake. There was a great temptation coming and they needed to keep awake and pray that when the test came, they would not be tempted to the place of falling. Watch and pray. The second type of watching is also in preparation for the second coming. We shouldn't live now as though Christ isn't going to return, as if there's no judgment day. Living as though obedience doesn't really matter today. Living as though everything will remain as it is, and there will never be any righteous evaluations of our thoughts and actions. We know that that's what unbelievers think. We may even be tempted to think that ourselves, but sometimes we forget to realize that believers are often unprepared for the coming of Christ. They're not watchful. They're not prepared for the judgment day. All the more reason why watching and being on the alert is so important. But also, he says, secondly, stand firm in the faith. Watching and standing are very closely connected. As we stand firm, we remain in our post. We dig in. We rest on the foundation of our faith. Standing firm in the faith, as Paul has already said in Philippians 1.27, entails us standing firm in one spirit, with one mind, striving side by side for the faith of the gospel. You know, false teachers came and went in Corinth, doing much damage that Paul needed to address and correct. False teachers rise up today as well. Boy, do they rise up. But as we stand firm, they will not shake or lure us off the rock that is Jesus Christ. And so we are to watch and we are to stand firm in the faith. But then Paul, notice, he then tells us how we are to stand. With bravery and with strength. Some translations translate be brave as act like men. In our world today, even within the church, there has been a softening Of what it means to be bold and brave and strong. Being brave or acting like men has been given. Somewhat effeminate face and meaning. However, the true strength. Of these words and even of what they mean. Doesn't lie in the shifting definitions of the world. But in the changeless truth and power of God. Oh, how we need courage for the fight, for we are often fearful and afraid. Oh, how we need strength for the battle, because the battle often takes us to the ground. But beloved, the wonderful reality is that just as our ability to watch well doesn't come from within us, Bravery and strength comes from another as well. We need Jesus, and we need him every day. How thankful we should be that when we are weak, he is strong. It is his strength at work within us that makes us strong in this fight. It is his courage at work within us that keeps us facing and fighting our foe instead of turning tail and running. It is by his strength that we stand. Paul says, in light of all of this, in all we do, let it be done in love. It is through a lens of love that we are to think, act, and speak. This is a tall order, I know, but it's one that we must strive for and work on every day by the grace and mercy of God. Jesus calls us to do so even considering his great love for us. Though we were sinners, dead in trespasses and sins, enemies of God, Jesus out of love condescended to us. He came down, he set aside his glory, he took on flesh and lived a perfect life for us. Died for us, paying for all of our sins, that we would be reconciled and that we would be at peace with God. He welcomed us into His family. Those who were enemies of His are now sons and daughters of the living God. This is love. Christian love is an expression of our gratitude to Christ because He laid down His life for us. Christian love is motivated by Christ's love for us. And Christian love isn't only an expression of gratitude, but it is also selfless and enduring. John, in the Gospel of John, chapter 15, verse 13, we read there, greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. If we truly have the love of Christ in us, my friends, we must have a dedication to sacrificial love. One of the main ways we need to keep that love in check, to keep it pure, is to daily prayerfully assess and purposefully remove any roadblocks in our lives that would hinder it. Sometimes this may mean that we are on the phone or going to visit a brother or sister until things are resolved. Whatever it takes, we are called to love. We are called to do all things in love. We are called to lay down our lives for them. Let's make sure our hearts are in the right place to do that. We are also called to have love and concern for the lost. How is your witness of Christ to the world around you? Are you tempted to be rude? To be selfish? To lash out in anger more easily against unbelievers because they aren't brothers or sisters? It's kind of convenient. We may tell ourselves. It doesn't really matter. It doesn't count. I just need to love my family, right? Let all that you do be in love. Are you concerned and prayerful for their salvation? Do you share the gospel with them in an open and loving way? Sharing the gospel is truly an act of love. Pointing them to Christ is truly an act of love. And so I'll leave you with a few thoughts. Be committed to having a full orbed watch. It's easy to get distracted or preoccupied with one thing or another, but don't be lazy. Stay alert and stay ready. Meditate on the word of God. Learn it, study it, grow in it. Indeed, be fed by it, that you would grow in your sanctification and maturity by the work of the Spirit and the grace of God. And also stand strong, my friends. Be brave and courageous in Christ. Don't be headstrong, but be strong in Christ. and the work that he is doing within you. And love well. Love well. Examine your hearts. And ask the Lord to search and to show you what you may need to change. And then change to the glory of God. Love well. For the glory of your King. Don't be selfish, but be selfless. Husbands and wives, it's so easy to get trapped into these spats, these tiffs, where we want our way in the details. And we're wounding and hurting our spouses in the process. We're not loving them. Be selfless in your love. Like Christ was. And is. Be sacrificial in your love and be committed for the long haul. Be committed for the long haul. These aren't short sprints where love wears out and that's OK. Love goes on and on and on and endures. And in that endurance, there are ups and downs, but it endures, it pushes on, it perseveres, it presses through. Indeed, may God grant us grace to do these things, both individually and corporately as a body to his glory and praise, amen. Let us pray.