# Sunday Setup – 2 Corinthians 11:1-15

Sermon transcript from Cross Church Surprise.
Series: Sunday Setup
Date: September 25, 2025
Watch: https://crosschurchcares.com/surprise/episodes/sunday-setup-2-corinthians-111-15

## Summary

Are you aware of the subtle ways we can be led astray from true devotion to Christ? What does it mean to discern truth in a world filled with deception? Join us as we explore 2 Corinthians 11 and uncover the importance of a sincere faith. Let's dive in together!

## Transcript

[Music] 
 [Music] 
 [Laughter] 
 [Music] 
 Hey, Cross Church. Welcome to the Sunday 
 setup. This is our weekly time where we 
 gather Thursdays at 2 o'clock digitally 
 together as a church family where we get 
 to prepare our hearts for what God has 
 for us this Sunday as we open up this 
 text. Our goal it on this weekend is to 
 be able to pray through this text to 
 pray through this text to preach this 
 text so we can practice it. And we're 
 going to start that today in 2 
 Corinthians chap 11 as we just want to 
 read this passage and have a few prayer 
 prompts for you to pray through uh while 
 you're going through your day and your 
 week just to prepare your heart for what 
 God has this weekend. We're going to be 
 in 2 Corinthians 11. We're going to read 
 the first 15 verses. And Paul starts in 
 verse one and says this. I wish you 
 would put up with a little foolishness 
 from me. Yes, do put up with me, for I 
 am jealous for you with a godly jealousy 
 because I have promised you in marriage 
 to one husband to present a pure virgin 
 to Christ. But I fear that as a serpent 
 deceived Eve by his cunning, your minds 
 may be seduced from a sincere and pure 
 devotion to Christ. For if a person 
 comes and preaches another Jesus whom we 
 do not did not preach, or you receive a 
 different spirit which you had not 
 received, or a different gospel which 
 you had not accepted, you put up with it 
 splendidly. Now, I consider myself in no 
 way inferior to those super apostles. 
 Even if I'm untrained in public 
 speaking, I'm certainly not untrained in 
 knowledge. Indeed, we have in every way 
 made that clear to you in everything. Or 
 did I commit a sin by humbling myself so 
 that you might be exalted? Because I 
 preached the gospel of God to you free 
 of charge. I robbed other churches by 
 taking pay from them to minister to you. 
 When I was present with you and in need, 
 I did not burden anyone since the 
 brothers who came from Macedonia 
 supplied my needs. I have kept myself 
 and will continue to keep myself from 
 burden you in any way. as the truth of 
 Christ in it is in me. This boasting of 
 mine will not be stopped in the regions 
 of Aaya. Why? Because I don't love you. 
 No, God knows that I do. But I will 
 continue to do what I'm doing in order 
 to deny an opportunity to those who want 
 to be regarded as are equal in what they 
 boast about. For such people are false 
 apostles, deceitful workers, disguising 
 themselves as apostles of Christ. And no 
 wonder for Satan disguises himself as an 
 angel of lights. So it is no great 
 surprise if his servants also disguise 
 themselves as servants of righteousness, 
 their ends will be according to their 
 work. Paul in this passage really gives 
 us a warning and gives us resources to 
 be able to identify truth and identify 
 falsehood. And as we start this and a 
 few things I want us to pray for and 
 just two prayer prompts we have. The 
 first one here in verse three he says 
 that he doesn't want us to be deceived 
 by Satan but instead that we have a 
 sincere and pure devotion to Christ. And 
 in that I think it causes us to reflect 
 for a second is and here's our prayer 
 prompt is Jesus you are worthy of a pure 
 and sincere devotion because Jesus you 
 are worthy of a pure and sincere 
 devotion because say those prayers to 
 our Got it. 
 [Music] 
 [Music] 
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 [Laughter] 
 Heat. Heat. 
 [Music] 
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 [Laughter] 
 Jesus, you are worthy of a sincere and 
 pure devotion because you are our 
 savior. Um God, because you are our 
 creator, uh Lord, you are sustainer. You 
 are all holy. You are all powerful. And 
 God, you are ultimately the one who 
 gives us a new life. But God, not only 
 do we see that you are worth a sincere 
 and pure devotion, but there is no way 
 we can have a sincere and pure devotion 
 if we do not know your truth and we do 
 not act out your truth. In verse 10, 
 Paul says, "As the truth of Christ is in 
 me." it it's so polar opposite from what 
 he describes of these false teachers and 
 these false apostles that he calls out. 
 And here is our prayer of we talk about 
 this truth of Christ in us that God let 
 the truth of Christ be seen in me by 
 that God let the truth of Christ be seen 
 in me by. Pray those prayers to our God. 
 Heat. 
 [Music] 
 [Laughter] 
 [Music] 
 Heat. 
 [Music] 
 God, hear these prayers that the truth 
 of Christ can be seen in us by Lord. How 
 we live separately from the world. How 
 we pursue goodness and not evil. How we 
 share the truth of Christ. How our 
 families grow stronger together rather 
 than push apart. Lord, how we just live 
 a countercultural lifestyle. That we 
 stand up for life. That we stand up for 
 what is just. We stand up for what is 
 noble, God. that when our world passes 
 by things, when our world has a 
 different definition of truth or of good 
 and evil, God, that we stand on your 
 word and we represent the truth of your 
 word, the truth of the gospel, the truth 
 of Christ. Uh that is the only truth 
 that is 
 real in our world. And God, as we 
 attempt to live this out, let us just 
 pray and reflect on this passage. as 
 God, as we come back and we gather as a 
 church to decipher how are we 
 recognizing evil and falsehood in our 
 world and how are we pursuing what is 
 greater, what is true, what is more 
 beautiful. And Lord, we just lift all 
 this up in Jesus true name. Amen. 
 Thank you guys for joining us today. 
 We'll see you Sunday. 
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