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MAIN MESSAGE: UNDIVIDED DEVOTION

Introduction:
"Devotion" Noah Webster definition:
The state of being dedicated, consecrated, or solemnly set apart for a particular purpose.
A solemn attention to the Supreme Being in worship, a yielding of the heart and affections to God, with reverence, faith, in prayer and meditation
"Divide"
To part or separate and entire thing, to part a thing into two or more pieces.

So, to divide one’s devotion to God, is to separate one’s entire state of being solemnly dedicated and consecrated to Him and His purposes, in two pieces - one piece of you to God, the other piece of you to someone or something else; yielding half of your heart and affections, half reverence, half faith, semi focused prayers and meditation…

Can we all see that divided devotion is actually no devotion at all?
Undivided devotion is true devotion.
In today’s chapter of II Corinthians, Paul addresses the devotion of the church to the original Jesus, Holy Spirit and the gospel that Paul preached to them, and warns them against anyone who would corrupt, distract or lead them astray to another Jesus, Holy Spirit or gospel.
Paul presented them with the true identity, character and purpose of Jesus, the Holy Spirit and the gospel, which led to their salvation and the start of their devotion to Christ. Jesus didn’t change, the Holy Spirit didn’t change, the gospel didn’t change, but the words of certain people started to influence their thinking of the true nature of these three.
The challenge of their compromised devotion is also linked to other so-called leaders criticizing, defaming and slandering Paul. So as they attack Paul’s true identity, character and purpose, in the process they also cast doubt on the Jesus, Spirit and gospel that Paul preached.
Therefore in this chapter, Paul also goes into detail to explain to them how what he has sacrificed and suffered for the sake of the raw, simple truth of Jesus, the Spirit and the gospel.
For all of us who say we wear the name of the one who wore our sins, calling ourselves Christians… we need to make sure that we believe in and hold on to the correct, Biblical simple truth of who Jesus and the Spirit are, and what the gospel is.

READ:
2 Corinthians 11:1-15,19-30 - NLT - 'I hope you will put up with a little more of my foolishness. Please bear with me. For I am jealous for you with the jealousy of God himself. I promised you as a pure bride to one husband—Christ. But I fear that somehow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted, just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent. You happily put up with whatever anyone tells you, EVEN IF they preach a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different kind of Spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of gospel than the one you believed.
In NKJV: II Corinthians 11:2-4 - 'For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the SIMPLICITY that is in Christ. FOR if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it!'

A Different:
Jesus?
Spirit?
Gospel?
Paul says, I promised you as a pure bride to Christ - a bride is devoted to her bridegroom, they are betrothed, a very serious matter. He is speaking like a father who had made a promise to man that wants to marry his daughter.
But he fears that the church’s pure devotion has been divided, corrupted… just like Eve’s with the serpent - what happened there? God created them to be devoted to Him. He put a test in the middle of the garden - because faithfulness and devotion is non existent if it is not tested by another option. The serpent tempted the woman by first making her doubt the character and intentions of God - he called God a liar. “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
Lie about God being a liar.
Paint God as holding out on them
Hanging the carrot on a stick that they can be like God - pride, self, rebellion.
He then says they happily put up with whatever someone tells them - he’s basically saying, “you have no discernment of when someone is lying to you, and even if you do discern it, you have no backbone to stand up for what you know to be true”
Do not let your minds be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. He’s saying, “guys, the gospel is not complicated. You know who Jesus is, I’ve told you. It doesn’t need more. You’re a sinner, you need a saviour - Jesus is the only One who can save you.”
So who could the different Jesus, Holy Spirit and Gospel be?
Basically anything someone teaches or preaches that does not line up with the Holy Scriptures
Anything that soothes your flesh and makes you feel comfortable.
Anything that makes you feel more important than God, or makes you believe you deserve something or are entitled to something.

So what is the correct Jesus, Spirit and Gospel that Paul preached? If we know what that is, then we will know what it is not:
JESUS:
Colossians 1:15-20 - NKJV - 'Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see— such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together. Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything. For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. '

SPIRIT:
1 Corinthians 2:4,10-14 - NKJV - 'And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us. When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths. But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. '
GOSPEL:
1 Corinthians 15:1-7 - NKJV - 'Let me now remind you, dear brothers and sisters, of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then, and you still stand firm in it. It is this Good News that saves you if you continue to believe the message I told you—unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place. I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. '

5 But I don’t consider myself inferior in any way to these “super apostles” who teach such things. I may be unskilled as a speaker, but I’m not lacking in knowledge. We have made this clear to you in every possible way. Was I wrong when I humbled myself and honored you by preaching God’s Good News to you without expecting anything in return? I “robbed” other churches by accepting their contributions so I could serve you at no cost. And when I was with you and didn’t have enough to live on, I did not become a financial burden to anyone. For the brothers who came from Macedonia brought me all that I needed. I have never been a burden to you, and I never will be. As surely as the truth of Christ is in me, no one in all of Greece will ever stop me from boasting about this. Why? Because I don’t love you? God knows that I do. But I will continue doing what I have always done. This will undercut those who are looking for an opportunity to boast that their work is just like ours. These people are false apostles. They are deceitful workers who disguise themselves as apostles of Christ. But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no wonder that his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. In the end they will get the punishment their wicked deeds deserve.
19 After all, you think you are so wise, but you enjoy putting up with fools! You put up with it when someone enslaves you, takes everything you have, takes advantage of you, takes control of everything, and slaps you in the face.
In NKJV - II Corinthians 11:19-20 'For you put up with fools gladly, since you yourselves are wise! For you put up with it if one brings you into bondage, if one devours you, if one takes from you, if one exalts himself, if one strikes you on the face. '

I’m ashamed to say that we’ve been too “weak” to do that! But whatever they dare to boast about—I’m talking like a fool again—I dare to boast about it, too. 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 know I sound like a madman, but I have served him far more! I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again. Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not. I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm. Then, besides all this, I have the daily burden of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak without my feeling that weakness? Who is led astray, and I do not burn with anger? If I must boast, I would rather boast about the things that show how weak I am. '
Paul sacrificed and suffered for the truth of who Jesus is, who the Holy Spirit is and what the gospel truly is.
He has people going around telling others lies about his character, integrity, ability and credibility. This in turn makes the ones who so foolishly listen to the false prophets, doubt the Jesus, spirit and gospel that Paul preached.
The serpent was able to tempt the woman to sin because he first sowed doubt about the source of the truth she believed. With the source in doubt, the commandment was in doubt. By casting doubt on the source, he took her from being fully devoted to God and heeding the command to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil lest you will die, to rebelling against God for her own gain.

Modern day lies about Jesus:
He is weak
Only a prophet, not the Son of God.
He loves everyone so much that their sin does not matter.

Modern day lies about the Holy Spirit:
He doesn’t exist
It’s all about experiencing goosebumps
He doesn’t move in power anymore - no more miracles, no more gifts of the spirit.

Modern day lies about the gospel:
The is more than one way to the Father
All people are basically good and God is a loving God and will let everyone into heaven
I’m sure God will have grace for my sin, it’s not that bad - afterall, Jesus died for it, didn’t he?

Reflect:
Do I believe in the