Regarding God-2

REGARDING GOD-II—1Corinthians 1:26-31

Attention:

Nice 1 Percenter Boyfriend

One night a teenage girl(Barbara) brought her new boyfriend home to meet her parents, & they were appalled by his appearance: drove up on a trashed out Harley, which they could hear thruout the neighborhood long before he arrived. He sported a WWI style German army helmet complete with a spike on top & a German ‘iron cross’ emblazoned on the front & back. He had two Swastika tattoos, one on each forearm, & a chain attached to his ear on one side & connected to the same side of his nose. He gets off the Harley hangs his helmet on the three pronged ‘devil’s pitchfork’ backrest. Without introducing himself, & with a smug attitude & tone, he says, ‘I’m here for Barb, will you tell her I’m here?’

Later, the parents pulled their daughter aside & confessed their concern. "Dear," said the mother diplomatically, "he doesn't seem very nice."

"Oh please, Mom," replied the daughter, "if he wasn't nice, why would he be doing 500 hours of community service?"

We must have a proper regard for the reality of our situation!

Also read the 'Church Covenant'—

—We can mimic behaviors without regarding God!

To Glory=To take great pride or pleasure in.

Paul guided the Corinthian church to properly ascribe glory to God.

Paul guided the Corinthian church in their regard for God.

Only the church properly ascribes glory to God.

Only the church has a proper regard for God.

*When is God properly regarded?

How is God properly regarded?

5 recognitions properly regarding God.

Previously we had found that one’s,

Regard for God is resolved thru validating Our...

1. COMPANY We Keep(:26)

2. POWER We Wield(:27-28)

3—Regard for God is resolved thru validating...

Our FLESH(:29)

Explanation:(:29)Place/Presence/Powerless

:29—“that no flesh should glory in His presence.”

Thru such Divine nullification of flesh-driven reality, there remains absolutely “no flesh” which can boast in God’s “presence.”

Seeing as the world’s cleverly devised & confusing ‘salvations’ are actually discounted by God, there is no possibility that they will be able to stand boldly before God if they remain in them & reject the salvation of God.

Whereas the believer/Christian, even in his/her flesh, can & is encouraged to approach God boldly!

Heb. 4:15-16—“For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy & find grace to help in time of need.”

“Glory/Boast”(See :31)—kaucaomai—1) To glory (whether with reason or without); 2) To glory on account of a thing; 3) To glory in a thing. Strong—from some (obsolete)base akin to that of aucew(to boast) & eucomai[to wish]; To vaunt(in a good or a bad sense).

Eph. 2:8-9—“For by grace you have been saved through faith, & that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast[kaucaomai].”

“Presence”—enwpion—Prep.—1) In the presence of, before. Strong—In the face of(literally or figuratively).

Argumentation:

*Rom. 8:5-11—“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life & peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”

*1Cor. 2:14—“But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

*Eph. 2:1-10—“And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses & sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh & of the mind, & were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), & raised us up together, & made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, & that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”