Sunday Setup – 2 Corinthians 11:16-33

[Music] [Music] [Laughter] [Music] Hey, cross church and welcome to the Sunday setup. This is our time every week where we gather together digitally at Thursdays at 2:00 to pray through the piece of scripture that we'll be studying this weekend. Um, our goal is that as we pray through this, it sets up and prepares our heart to praise through it this Sunday, to pray more through it, to preach through it, so then we can practice it throughout our week. And today we're going to be in 2 Corinthians chapter 11. Uh looking at the second half of this chapter and we'll be picking up in 2 Corinthians chapter 11 starting in verse 16 through the end of this chapter. And Paul the Apostle writes, I repeat, let no one consider me a fool, but if you do, at least accept me as a fool so that I can boast a little. What I am saying in this matter of boasting, I don't speak as the Lord would, but as it were foolishly. Since many boast according to the flesh, I will also boast. For you, being so wise, gladly put up with fools. In fact, you put up with it if someone enslaves you, if someone exploits you, if someone takes advantage of you, if someone is arrogant towards you, if someone slaps you in the face. I say this to our shame. We have been too weak for that. But in whatever anyone dares to boast, I am talking foolishly, I also dare. Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I. Are they servants of Christ? I'm talking like a madman. I'm a better one with far more labors, with many more imprisonments, with far more beatings, many times near death. Five times I received the 40 lashes minus one from the Jews. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I received a stoning. Three times I was shipwrecked. I have spent a night and a day in the open sea. On frequent journeys I faced dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my own people, dangers from Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers at sea, and dangers among false brothers. He faced toil and hardship, many sleepless nights, hunger and thirst, often without food, cold and without clothing. Not to mention other things. There is the daily pressure on me, my concern for all the churches. Who is weak and I am not weak. Who is made stable and I do not burn with indignation. If boasting is necessary, I will boast about my weakness. The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is blessed forever, knows I am not lying. In Damascus, a ruler under King Ardus guarded the city of Damascus in order to arrest me. So I was led down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped from his hands. Paul and as he continues to speak against the false teaching and kind of picks up from the early part of chapter 11 to establish his authority to speak the word of God. Here he gets into the details of how hard it's been to suffer as a Christian, to be suffer, to be able to bring the gospel to the world. And I want to pull just a few prayer prompts that look at how glorious God is and how in need of his glory we are. He he uses this word in 31 to describe our God. He says, "The God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ who is blessed forever." I want us to just pray that back to God. is why is our God blessed forever? What are the attributes that have him? So here's our first prayer prompt is God you are blessed forever because God you are blessed forever because you are holy because you are the creator because you are different than anything in our universe. God you are blessed forever because Heat. Heat. [Laughter] [Music] [Laughter] [Music] God, you are blessed forever. ever because you are the ultimate holy one. Lord, you are blessed forever because salvation only comes through you, not through other sources. That God, you are not only the creator of the universe, but Lord, you also sustain everything around us. And God, we just thank you how blessed and amazing you are. But we not only worship how holy our God is, but I love how Paul kind of talks about some of the fleshliness of his own life, but also how he applies that in verse 28. He says, uh, not to mention the other things that there's this daily pressure on him. He says, "My concern for all the churches." And Paul's here is talking about some of the struggles, but his concern prompts something. And he prompts movement in his life in the life of Corinth. And our second prayer prompt is Lord let my concern lead to action of God let my concern and it we should have concern for churches concern for those who are lost is God let my concern turn to action in prayer in sharing the gospel in whatever it is in your life. Lord turn let my concern turn into action in [Laughter] [Music] [Laughter] [Music] [Laughter] [Music] Lord, let the concern of Cross Church for our church, for our community, for our neighborhood, for those around us, God, let it turn into action, of being on mission for you, of making Jesus known in the spheres of influence that we have. God, let our concerns uh prompt urgency in our life to seek you and to share about you. God, hear these prayers of our church and Lord, just bless us as we go throughout our week and that we put try to put into practice what you have in your word as we are ready for the harvest that you are sending. God, thank you for this time. We lift all this up in the holy, amazing, and blessed name of Jesus Christ. Amen. Thank you guys for joining us. We'll see you Sunday. [Music] [Music]