All right. Good morning. Let's get after it. Two corinthians, chapter two. Go ahead and grab your bibles. I gotta tell you, it was a little while back. I was at a conference with a buddy, and it was during the week, so there wasn't a lot of people there at the hotel. But I went down early in the morning to get some breakfast. And I'm sitting in the little foyer area of the hotel getting your self serve breakfast. There was just me at a table by myself, and then there was a few other people. And the chef that was making all the food came out into the room and just kind of looked about the room. And then he saw me and he came over to me and he said, you look like a biscuits and gravy guy. Right. Well, I'm glad you laughed because I was a little taken back. I was like, don't know how to respond to that. Not sure what a biscuits and gravy guy looks like. I have kind of an idea, and now that I know I fit that description to you, but here's what's worse. When he said that, I kind of looked at him, and then I looked around the room and there was a guy sitting across there that in my mind is more of a biscuits and gravy guy than I am. But this guy saw us both and he concluded that I won that contest. So he came over and said that to me. And he had tried a new recipe of biscuits and gravy and wanted my opinion. And it was the most average hotel. Biscuits and gravy. I don't know how to tell this guy. I was like, yeah, it was great. Thanks. But I was a bit offended. Like, man, he just called me a biscuits and gravy guy. But you know what? I am a biscuits and gravy. He wasn't wrong in that at all. And sometimes you can just tell. I know we're not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but there's a lot of information on the COVID Like, you got the title, you got the subtitle, you got the author, you got who wrote the foreword, you got people who endorsed the book. You can tell a lot by a cover of a book. Now, I know we can't know what's going on in the heart, but there's a lot on the outside that points to what's going on in the heart. So let me ask us this question. What do you think a Christian should look like on the outside? Like, what does a genuine christian life look like? Have you ever interacted with somebody, and maybe just for observances, you're like, I think they're a believer. Like, there's some things that lead you to that conclusion, or let's put it the other way. Have you ever interacted with somebody who professes to be a believer? And you're just like, I don't think so. I don't think that that's matching. I don't know if you're really a genuine, born again, like, regenerate, heart changed Christian. Like, your profession and your life aren't really lining up. In fact, Titus, who is an important character to Paul, as he ministers in Corinth, when he wrote a letter to Titus at the end of chapter one, he kind of identifies this problem. There's people who profess to know God but deny him by their works. Like, there's people who profess Christ, but when you look at their works, their life, you're just like, some's not jiving here. Like, there's not a clear connection. So they don't really, you put it, they don't really pass the smell test. You know what I'm saying by that? The smell test, where you have to kind of bring in a new sense to authenticate. Like, you pull the milk out of the cart, and you're like, it looks good. And then you smell it. Like, no, it's not good. Like, there's, there's this smell test. Well, what is genuine Christianity supposed to smell like? What's the test here? And I know some of you are thinking like, this seems pretty judgmental. We're not supposed to judge, but in this situation or this issue, here's what Paul told the Corinthians about it. This is in one corinthians five. He says, for what am I to do with judging outsiders? And the implied answer is, nothing. And then he says, is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? So he's saying, like, hey, if you're in the church and you're professing Christ, we're to judge. We're to make judgment. In fact, the next sentence he says, and purge the evil person from among you, as in, if you're saying you're a Christian and your life's not lining up with a Christian, we have some judgments to make. We are to do that. In fact, in two corinthians, the end of the letter, Paul says this. Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? And then he goes, unless indeed, you fail to meet the test. Like, Jesus Christ is in you. That should be evident. You should see it. Unless you fail the test. And you're like, wait a second. What test? What's the test? I didn't know there was a test. And you hear that and you might wonder, appropriately so, would I pass the test? Like, what is the test of just genuine Christianity? What does it look like? Does it smell like. Because Paul is being judged by these corinthians, like, his authority, his apostleship, was being undermined. You're not the real deal, Paul. We don't want to follow you. There's these super apostles that they seem more appealing to us. And in this text, and he has been. Paul's trying to defend his apostleship. But the Corinthians, the reason he is trying to defend his apostleship is because the Corinthians, there was people there that were attacking his apostleship. You're not the real deal. And the best way I can might illustrate this dynamic is in our culture, we have influencers. Like, you can actually get paid for this. Like, you just have a lot of. Is there any. I shouldn't ask that question, so I'm gonna scare myself in trouble. There's influencers in our culture that have a lot of followers, and typically, maybe not all the time, but typically, when you look at influencers, they're wealthy, young, and beautiful, because that's what we really value. And we look at that life, and it's like, that's what I want. So I want to listen to whatever you have to say. And they tend to get the followers. And there's these super apostles in Corinth that it's like they're talking. They have power. They value power and status and wealth. And it's like, there's a draw to that. And then Paul comes into town. He's got, like, pleated khakis. He's got his shirt tucked in. He's got a phone that's clipped to his belt. He's balding a little bit. And they're just like, that's not appealing, Paul, you're not very cool. Like, we don't want to follow you. And Paul's like, you got a role model problem. Like, what you're really drawn to is status and power and wealth and prestige, and you're looking at these people in the name of Christ. But it's like, that's not what real Christianity looks like. That's like Christianity baptizing worldliness. It's not the genuine faith. So Paul's defending his apostleship or his genuineness of his faith or his position. And in giving of this defense, we get a picture of the authentic christian life. Like, he puts himself forward in contrast to these super apostles. He's like, this is what it's supposed to look like. This is what the real thing smells like. And here's the thing. Hopefully, through understanding what Paul is saying here, we will better know how to pass the test that he's talking about at the end of the letter. What is genuine Christianity look like? You ready for that? Okay, I'm gonna say some challenging things, but I don't want you to just get mad at me for saying it or just believe it because I said it. But if I can help you see it in the text, then I want you to embrace it. I want it to shape your life, and I want you to die for it. So let's go there. Two Corinthians, chapter two. We're just gonna look at six verses, starting with verse twelve. We can go twelve through 17. Let's get after this. Here we go. Verse twelve. When I came to troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though a door was open for me in the Lord, my spirit was not at rest, because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I took leave of them and went to Macedonia. Now, understanding some context and geography helps us get what Paul's saying. So he had the severe letter. You guys remember that? We don't have that letter. He wrote to the corinthians, but he didn't hold back. He addressed some tough stuff. He had a painful visit where he was confronted, maybe publicly embarrassed, undermined. He's like, you gotta deal with this. And he moves on. Well, he moves on up in the ministry of Troas. So Corinth is in southern Greece, and you go further up into the northern peninsula. It's Macedonia. You have, like, Thessalonica, I think Philippi is up there. And then if you go east across the sea, you get to Troas. So that's where Paul's at, and he's ministering there, and he's got a powerful ministry that's happening. The Lord is opening a door. He's seeing some really cool things happening. Yet despite all this cool God stuff that's happening around him, he's saying, my spirit was troubled. Like, I was bothered because my heart was still with what's going on in Corinth. I was looking for Titus. Why is he looking for Titus? Because Titus is the one he sent to Corinth. Like, give me the report. I want to know how they're doing. So he's eager to hear this report. So when he says he left Troas and went to Macedonia, he's moving back towards Corinth, and he's moving back towards Corinth to hopefully meet up with Titus to find out how's it going. And basically, he's saying, hey, my heart's with you. I want to see you, even though I got good stuff going on, like, I'm thinking of you. Because you remember this whole argument started with him defending his travel plans. If you go back to chapter one, verse 15, it says, because I was sure of this, I wanted to come to you first so that you might have a second experience of grace. I wanted to visit you on my way to Macedonia and to come back to you from Macedonia. So he's went to them, visited them on his way to Macedonia, but now coming back, he's like, I wanted to come see you, I guess, my heart. But he goes on in that to say, like, I don't make plans according to the flesh, like, I'm not making my own travel plans. I'm a servant of God, and I'm going where God calls me to minister for him. And I think he's about to make that same point a little bit more graphic or pointed, if we understand the context. So let's look at verse 14. It says, but thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession. So this is a loaded statement, this phrase, triumphal procession. It's referring to a grand roman victory parade that was done in honor of generals to kind of show off the spoils of their victory and what they've accomplished. And Corinth was a city that attracted a lot of roman soldiers to settle there. In fact, when Julius Caesar refounded the city as a roman colony in 44 BC, many of the settlers were vets. Like, this is a place of prosperity. This is a place of opportunity. This is a place that maybe a lot of wrong kind of fun. Like, it was a place that they attracted, and there was a lot of vets that lived in Corinth. So when he speaks this language, they get what he's saying. And in these triumphal processionals, what happened would be, like, what would lead out in this parade through the city was all the captives, all the people that they took captive in their military victory. So they would kind of lead out chained hand and foot, walking through there, and behind them, there's people probably burning incense to help with the smell of all these prisoners, and then behind them are these soldiers, maybe roman officials, some of their family. They're in this parade. And then kind of the tail end on a chariot is the general, and he's the one being honored. And he's like, look at all my military accomplishments. It kind of gave him honor to do that. We hear this, but thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession. We hear this, and we can quickly think, well, we're one of those soldiers in the parade. Like, this is God's victory. And we're kind of, you know, I'm in the Lord's army. You guys remember that Sunday school song? Like, this is like, this is me. This is where I'm at. And it's this triumphal procession of our victory. And I'm marching in there as a soldier. And there are plenty of texts that speak of our victory in Jesus Christ. I just don't think that's what Paul's saying here. That's not the point he's trying to make. That doesn't make the most sense in this context. What makes the most sense in this context? Is he saying in this triumphal procession, this is God's victory? Yes. How did God accomplish his victory? Through the death of Jesus Christ. And Jesus Christ is leading this procession. Well, who's out front leading this procession? It's the captive prisoners. And Jesus Christ is leading out and modeling a life of sacrifice and servanthood. I didn't come to be served, but to serve. I came to give my life as a ransom. And Paul is saying, he's leading it, and I'm following him, which means in this triumphal procession, Paul is saying, I'm one of the prisoners chained up, being led to my death. That's where I fall in this triumphal procession. Now, on one hand, when it comes to his travel plans, this interpretation, Beth says, he's saying, like, I'm not in charge of this parade. Like, I don't get to control where it goes. I'm not dictating all my travel plans. I'm obedient to God's call. But on the other hand, you get this picture of an authentic christian life, and it's one of servanthood. It's servanthood to God. Now, would you say that you're a servant of God? Now, we like a child of God, which is a biblically true thing, which is great news. Amen. We would say we're a friend of God because of Christ. That is a wonderful statement. That's true to us as Christians. But would you say you're a servant of God? Do you live like a servant of God? And how do you think this illustration would go over in Corinth? This pitch of the real christian life is like being a prisoner captured, a servant being led to our death in Corinth. When you got all these vets, you know, all this military pride, in a culture that values prosperity and power and wealth and status, and you're pitching servanthood, how do you think that's going to go over in Corinth? Let me put it this way. How do you think that's going to go over in America? But that's what Paul's saying. No, we tend to not want to be the captured prisoner. We want to be the man in the chariot. We want to be the soldier that people are cheering our name and we're victorious. So if someone is selling a Christianity that is about your prosperity and about your power and about your comfort and about your success, and then you have someone else who's preaching a gospel of die to self, be a servant, which one do you think is going to be more popular? All right, let me put it this way. Which one's the real one? Cause didn't Christ say, hey, if you want to follow me, take up your cross and follow me? If you want to find life, lose your life for my sake. Hey, there's a broad road, and a lot of people travel on it, and it leads to destruction, and there's a narrow road, but it leads to life. There's this contrast of what a society values and then the call of Christ on our life. So what if it's like, I believe in Jesus, I believe I'm a sinner. I believe I need forgiveness. I'm just so drawn to power and status and wealth and prestige and success and fame. Do you see how there's going to be, like, a collision between what Christ is calling us to and our cultural values, and then there's this temptation to just kind of marry the two. Like, how do I have a Christianity that embraces these cultural values of status and success and prosperity? Because we're so. Like, we tend to make life so about our success, our comfort, our prosperity, and anything that violates or presses back on our comfort or our joy or our stand, anything that violates that. That scene is bad. Like anything that would challenge our comfort, anything that would challenge our success, anything that would challenge our happiness, then we would see that as bad. In fact, I read this week that the surgeon general. So this is official. If you want to take notes, the surgeon general came out saying that parenting can be hazardous to your health. Just be aware that it's stressful and it should come with a warning label. Now, I don't think that's new news. If you would have interviewed any parent in the last 6000 years. Parenting is stressful, but the values of our society, it needs a warning label now from the surgeon general because anything that might cause you stress is dangerous. Anything that might be hard is harmful. And we've lost. It's like, yeah, parenting is hard. Like news flashing. Everybody knows that. And children are a blessing from the Lord and something can be hard and a blessing at the same time, and we miss that. So I don't know if this is official, but if I could add something else to the surgeon general's warning label, it's Christianity. It will probably not be good for your mental health. It's going to be really stressful. Traveling the narrow road, you may find yourself being outcast and rejected in society. You may find yourself not fitting in in this world. It is a cross to bear and it's also the path to life. But if our life is all about our comfort and our ease and our prosperity and our fame and our status with Christianity tagged onto it, I don't know if that passes a smell test and there is an odor to it. Look at verse 14. Let's read it all. But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession and through us, through this kind of sacrificial living for him spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. So there's this fragrance. The fragrance is the knowledge of him. And it's like, what do you mean, the knowledge of him? Of Christ. Like, if you know who Christ is, there's an aroma to that. And who's Christ? He's God Emmanuel. God who left the luxuries of heaven to put on flesh to dwell among sinful men. He was born in a barn, he was raised in a poor carpenter's home, and he died on a cross. You get the knowledge of him. You get some of that in your nostrils. Not prestigious, humble, sacrificial. And they were spreading the knowledge of him. In fact, this argument continues into chapter five where he puts a little bit more meat on it. Verse 13, he says, if we are beside ourselves, it is for God. Like, if you think we are crazy, it is because we are living for God. If we are in our right mind, it is for you. Like we are trying to minister to you. It says, for the love of Christ controls us or compels us because we have concluded this. We've concluded this about Jesus Christ and what he's done. This is the knowledge of him, that one Jesus has died for all, therefore all have died, and he died for all that. Those who live might no longer live for themselves, but for him, who for their sake, died and was raised. We get the knowledge of Christ. We've concluded that this is, he came to die for us, and we've concluded because of that, we don't live for ourselves anymore. We live for him. And his love compels us to do that. I know it may look crazy to you, I know this sacrificial. I'm gonna lay down my life, pick up my cross, not live for my own pleasure, but God's glory doesn't always make sense in this world, but I'm compelled by the love of Christ. I mean, Paul talks about it in romans twelve for, like, the first eleven chapters of Roman. He's talking about the mercies of God, how we've been saved by God and how we've been justified by God, how we've been forgiven by God. And then he gets to chapter twelve, and he's like, in the view of God's mercies, in the view of everything that he's done for us, offer your bodies as living sacrifices, like this is your act of worship. Like you live as a sacrifice to God. Your life is sacrificial, and it is your act of worship. And just like sacrifice is in the Old Testament, it gives off a fragrance. There is a smell to it. Not everybody likes it. Look at verse 15, for we are the aroma of Christ to God, among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To one, a fragrance from death to death, to the other, a fragrance from life to life. So a life of sacrificial service to God as his prisoner gives an aroma to both people who are being saved and to people who are perishing. Paul saying, hey, the way that I live my life, sacrificially for Christ, everybody can smell it. People that are being saved can smell it. People who are perishing can smell it. People who like it, smell it. People who don't like it can smell it. I get it. It gives an aroma to everybody. I'm not out trying to win a popularity contest. Not everybody likes this aroma, but it's the real thing. It's the real thing. And to those who are dying, it confirms their lostness when they reject it. And to those who are being saved, it confirms their salvation. To those who embrace it. Because then he says at the end of verse 16, who is sufficient for these things? He's like, who's qualified for this? This is a weighty role that I have, that I go into town, I live, and I preach the gospel, and some people like it, and some people don't like it, but it is revealing that those who reject it are perishing and those who accept it are being saved, and it's a weighty matter. So when you hear the gospel, not just that you are a sinner in need of salvation, not just that God's grace is sufficient to you, not just that his sacrifice covers all of your sins, past, present, and future, but also the call to the narrow road, the call to take up your cross and follow him, the call to lose your life, to find it. When you hear that, what's a smell like to you? How do you react to that call? And I'm not talking about the call to eternal life. Who wouldn't that smell good to like if you're talking about dying and living forever in a paradise, like, who doesn't want that? Do you remember the rich young ruler, Luke 18? In the summer we went through that text, and then this rich young ruler goes to Jesus. Do you remember the question he asked him? What must I do to inherit eternal life? That's a legit question. I want that. Who doesn't want that? And Christ eventually challenges him. Well, sell everything you got and come follow me. And the man walked away sad. And you contrast that to, like, Peter, who dropped their nets and left everything and followed Christ. There's a division that's happening here. Paul is saying we're living wholeheartedly, sacrificially, not for ourselves, but for Christ and his glory. And some people get it and some people don't. Now, listen, this is important. Church. There is a division that good ministry produces. There is a division that good ministry produces. So if we are doing ministry that some people in a self centered, materialistic, power hungry culture are not rejecting, then we're doing something wrong. We're doing something wrong. Paul is saying, I'm not catering my ministry to fit within everyone's comfort zones. I'm not getting, like, let me give you a Christianity that you like, and let me give you a Christianity that you like, and let me package Christianity differently so you like it. And let me just package Christianity differently so you like it. And as long as the essentials are there, it doesn't really matter. Let me just kind of custom make it for you and your convictions and your preferences and what you like and you don't like. Paul's saying, I'm not doing that. He's saying, this is what it means to follow Christ, and either you get it or you don't. So do you get it? Do you get how glorious God is? Do you get how worthy Christ is? Do you get what he calls you to? Do you get where that leads you to? Do you get it? Does sacrificial servanthood to God stink to you? Because then maybe you don't get it. And Paul's going to contrast his expression of real Christianity to what these super apostles are offering. Look at the first part of verse 17. It says, for we are not like so many peddlers of God's word. I now, that word peddlers was used to describe, like, people in a market selling wine that would dilute the wine with a lot of water, kind of cheat you out, kind of lengthen their product to get more money from it. Or the same word was used to describe people in the marketplace that would use false weights and scales to cheat people. He's saying there's some hustlers out there that are tricking you. And in the context, he's saying there's some religious hustlers. They're just trying to get their influence, their status, their followers, your money. Like, they're just, they're hustling you. He said, that's not who we are. He says, we don't tamper with the message to be more successful, to be more liked, to get more followers. It's like, oh, you don't like what the Bible says about gender? We don't have to talk about that. Or you don't like what the Bible has to say about sexuality? We can twist that for you. You don't like what the Bible has to say about the sovereignty of God? Well, we can ignore that. Or you don't like what the Bible has to say about whatever it may be. It's like, we can twist that so you like it better? So we don't do that in church. The temptation to do that is real. Like to be liked to have a people's approval, because sometimes you get into the word of God and you're like, oh, if we just read that, do you know how that would come across in our society? Do you know how people would hate that? Can we just skip that? Like, there's that temptation to do that? Cause who wouldn't want a Christ who's just all for you? Like, he exists for your pleasure and your joy and he wants to help you fulfill your dreams. And whatever you want, he'll do. And whatever your convictions are, he'll put his stamp of approval on it. Like, who wouldn't want a Christ like that? Just doesn't pass the smell test. It's not real. I mean, it stinks of worldliness all over it. And there are a lot of religious hustlers in America that are telling people, you can have your best life now. You don't need to suffer. You don't need to carry a cross. God loves you. Of course he'll want you to be happy. God loves you. He'll want you to do that. And it's all built around you. Not God in his glory stinks. And in contrast to that, Paul gives himself as a picture of a genuine christian life. Let's read all verse 17. For we are not like so many peddlers of God's word, but contrast as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God. In the sight of God, we speak in Christ. So we get three marks here of what genuine or sincere Christianity looks like. And really, there's a contrast between peddlers and speaking. So he's like, they peddle the word of God, but we speak. And what they do is they kind of cheat you and tamper with the word of God, but we speak. And then there's four qualifying aspects in this verse to what they speak. So you have. We speak from sincerity. We speak from God. We speak before God, and we speak in Christ. So speaking from sincerity is like, there's a genuineness, like, we're not trying to cheat you. We're not trying to get you to like us. Like, there was a real work in our heart, and there's a real care for you, and this is why we're doing this. There is a genuine to it. And then there are three marks of that sincerity or genuineness that they're from God, before God and in Christ. So when Paul says, we speak as commissioned by goddess, he's saying, we're not doing this because it's like this smart career path. We're doing this because God told us to do this. Like, we've been commissioned to God to spread his message. He's been made an apostle to the gentiles. Like, this is why I'm doing this. God told me to do it. That's why I'm doing it. And then he says, and we speak inside of God. He's like, I'm not doing this to make you happy. I'm doing this in sight of God, as in God is my audience. I'm doing this to please God. I'm doing this to honor God. I'm not doing this for your approval. And then he says, and we speak in Christ. Now, he doesn't say we speak of Christ, or he doesn't say we speak about Christ. It's interesting. He says, we speak in Christ. And what does he mean by that? What he means by that is it doesn't ultimately matter what you think of me. I'm in Christ. So, yeah, I'm trying to, like, show you that I am a genuine apostle and that I'm real. But ultimately, at the end of the day, it doesn't matter what you make of me. I am in Christ, and I know who I am in Christ. So Paul is saying, hey, here's what genuine Christianity looks like. I am a servant from God for God and in Christ. I am a servante from God for God and in Christ. And this is really bold. Basically, his point is, if that smells bad to you, you're perishing, but if it smells good to you, you get it. You get it. Or in chapter four, verse four, he's saying, in their case, the God of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel. The glory of Christ is the image of God. He's saying, if you don't, if you don't, that doesn't smell good to you, you're blind. You don't see the glory of Christ. You don't see how he's worth your life. But if you do get it, God has opened your eyes. You see the glory of Christ. You see that he is worth everything. He's precious. He's that pearl in Jesus parable. Like, you sold everything just to have this. Like your eyes have been opened to understand Christ is worth your life. You have been compelled by the love of Christ too. So put it this way, genuine faith is shown through God focused Christ rooted servanthood. Genuine faith is shown through God focused Christ rooted servanthood. Or basically a genuine Christian knows who they are in Christ and they're so absolutely blown away by that they joyfully make their life about God. That's what it means to be compelled by the love of Christ. I don't live for myself anymore. I'm not living for my comfort zone and my dreams and my desires and my status. I'm living as a sacrifice for God and his glory. I was like, that's what it means to get it. That's what genuine Christianity looks like. So here's my question. Do you want to join this triumphal procession? You're not the one in the chariot like Paul. We're the ones chained, being led to our death. But here's the paradox. We love it. It's the best life to be captivated by Christ. We rejoice because to us, to live as Christ and to die is what it's gain. And the world can't figure it out in this triumphal procession. Why are all the prisoners dancing? What's going on? Ought to live as Christ. To die is gain. And some people are going to look at that and think, oh, you're crazy. Why would you live that way? Why would you do that with your money? Why would you do that with your time? Why would you do that with your life? That doesn't make any sense at all. And there's going to be some people that see it and get it, like you're onto something. How have you found a joy like that? And their eyes are going to be open to a king worth living for and a king worth dying for. Listen, church, don't buy into the lie of a counterfeit Christianity that is built all around you and your comfort and your desires, that just tags the name of Jesus on it. It stinks of worldliness. But if you want to truly find life and lose your life for his sake, and I so hope that this church is full of genuine believers, God focused, Christ rooted servants. And we live that way, in such a way that our whole city gets a big whiff of it and they're forced to deal with a savior that demands everything from us and is worthy of everything from us. Amen. Let's pray. Father, I pray that you would wake us up from this drunken stupor of worldliness where we chase after pleasures and fleeting things. We care far too much about our earthly status. We care far too much about pleasures of this world. We care far too much about what other people think about us. We care far too much about fitting in. We've changed heaven with you for eternity, into retirement someday. And I pray that you would captivate us so much that we would live a life of sacrifice to you. We would gladly be your servant, knowing that that's where we find true life. We would embrace the folly of the cross and gladly bear ours. And in so doing, we'd bring much glory to you and give others an aroma of real Christianity. We pray this in your name. Amen.