Don't Forget What Team You're On I 1 Corinthians 1:10-13 I Pastor Rey Sandoval I Rise Church

Devotional

Day 1: Unity Through Common Enemies and Common Goals

A football team’s jerseys mattered more than skin color. When players shared a mission to defeat their opponents and win the game, differences faded. Unity thrives not when everyone agrees, but when purpose overshadows personal preferences. The church’s common enemy is Satan; its common goal is advancing God’s kingdom. Distractions divide, but clarity on the mission unites. When believers fix their eyes on Jesus, secondary battles lose their power. [02:08]

“I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.” (1 Corinthians 1:10, NIV)

Reflection: What personal preferences or disagreements have distracted you from the church’s ultimate mission? How might focusing on Jesus’ authority over your life shift your perspective on unity?

Day 2: When the Body Attacks Itself

An autoimmune disease occurs when the body’s defenses attack healthy cells. Similarly, the church weakens when believers fight each other instead of the real enemy. Division drains energy meant for spiritual battles, leaving no strength to confront darkness. Satan thrives when Christians prioritize being right over being righteous. Unity isn’t uniformity—it’s harmony amid diversity for the sake of Christ’s mission. [09:00]

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12, NIV)

Reflection: Where have you invested energy in “friendly fire” instead of fighting spiritual battles? What practical step can you take to redirect that energy toward healing rather than harming?

Day 3: The Danger of Mistaking Symbols for Salvation

The bronze serpent healed Israelites but later became an idol. Good things—preachers, models, or methods—become dangerous when they replace Jesus. Tools meant to point to God can distract from God Himself. Division grows when loyalty shifts from Christ to human leaders. True unity anchors not in personalities but in the cross. [16:59]

“So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.” (Numbers 21:8–9, NIV)

Reflection: What spiritual “tool” have you unintentionally elevated above Jesus? How can you recenter your faith on Christ alone this week?

Day 4: The Cross Levels Every Player

At the cross, no one earns superiority—the CEO and the addict need the same Savior. Paul rebuked Corinth’s divisions by asking, “Was Paul crucified for you?” Human leaders didn’t die for the church; Jesus did. His sacrifice humbles pride and unites believers across backgrounds, doctrines, and preferences. The ground at Calvary is level. [26:28]

“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28, NIV)

Reflection: Where have you subtly placed your identity in a leader, tradition, or group instead of Christ? How does the cross redefine your worth and purpose?

Day 5: Healing So We Stop Bleeding on Others

Hurt people hurt people. Unhealed wounds turn into pride, defensiveness, or anger that “bleeds” onto others. Jesus’ grace invites us to name our pain so we don’t project it. Maturity isn’t ignoring brokenness but letting God’s Spirit restore what shame or insecurity distorted. A healed church stops fighting itself and starts freeing others. [32:29]

“All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them.” (2 Corinthians 5:18–19, NIV)

Reflection: What unhealed hurt might be causing you to “bleed” on others? How can you invite Jesus into that pain today to break its cycle?

Sermon Summary

Paul calls the church in Corinth to remember the team jersey. The city’s love of platform, status, and polarizing voices had bled into the church, so the believers started rallying around personalities instead of Christ. The text in 1 Corinthians 1:10 sounds like a sideline captain’s call: live in harmony, let there be no divisions, be united in thought and purpose. Division is not harmless disagreement. The word carries the sense of tearing and ripping a family apart, which is why the body image matters. When the body attacks itself, it is an autoimmune disease. That picture lands hard: the very system designed to protect the body becomes the thing destroying it, and all the energy spent fighting itself leaves no strength for the real enemy.

Verse 11 names the infection: quarrels, rivalry, competition. A divided church cannot clearly show a united Savior. Verse 12 exposes the rally cries: “I belong to Paul,” “I belong to Apollos,” “I belong to Cephas,” even “I belong to Christ,” weaponized as a badge. Preference turns to pride, pride turns to division, and if faith is built on a person, faith fails when that person does. Identity language reveals the root: if identity isn’t in Christ, something else will take his place. Identity in Christ means value, purpose, worth, acceptance, and future are determined by who Jesus is and what Jesus did.

The bronze serpent story clarifies the danger. God used a bronze serpent to point to healing that ultimately pointed to Christ lifted up, the one who became sin and bore judgment so the sinner could become righteous. But later Israel worshiped the instrument instead of God, until Hezekiah smashed it. Good things make bad gods. So do favorite leaders, methods, and styles. Ephesians 6:12 re-centers the fight. Flesh and blood is not the enemy. Division blinds, so believers stop listening to understand and start listening to respond, while the lost watch Christians mimic the world. Purpose gets buried under arguments while houses are burning and people are dying.

Paul’s question breaks the spell: Is Christ divided? The cross levels everyone. Nobody earned it, and nobody stands superior. America looks a lot like Corinth, but grace still holds. Surface pride often hides pain, insecurity, shame, and fear. Unhealed wounds bleed on people who didn’t cut them. The cross reveals sin and need, and Jesus heals deep enough to turn hurt people who hurt people into healed people who can heal people. When Jesus is back at the center, the mission gets clear, the jersey color matters again, and the church remembers who it’s fighting for, who it’s fighting with, and who it’s fighting against.

Key Takeaways

1. The cross levels everyone The cross refuses status games and crushes superiority. At Calvary the successful and the struggling come the same way, by grace, so boasting in leaders or tribes makes no sense. Returning to the cross resets identity and kills rivalry at the root. Unity grows where nobody needs to be better to belong. [26:28]
2. Division is an autoimmune disease When the body of Christ attacks itself, energy meant for mission gets burned on friendly fire. The result is fragility when a real enemy shows up, because the defenses are exhausted. Recognizing this helps believers steward attention and strength toward the good fight, not the comment thread. Guard the body so it can guard others. [09:00]
3. Identity must rest in Christ alone “Belonging” language reveals where the heart anchors. If identity leans on a favorite voice or method, the soul rides their highs and crashes with their lows. Identity in Christ stabilizes purpose, worth, and hope, even when people fail, methods change, or platforms shift. Good gifts point to God; they never replace him. [14:58]
4. The real enemy isn’t people Ephesians 6 reorients vision so believers stop mistaking opponents for targets Jesus died to save. Division narrows the ear until people only listen to rebut, not to understand, and that blindness dehumanizes neighbors. Seeing the demonic backdrop breaks the cycle of reaction and invites prayer, patience, and wise pushback against darkness. [20:18]
5. Healed people can heal people Hurt people hurt people, but grace can flip that script. Deep healing turns offense into intercession, discernment into compassion, and pushback into presence. Those who carry Jesus can lend him in the moment, becoming agents of change instead of amplifiers of pain. Patience becomes spiritual warfare that opens doors for freedom. [36:11]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[01:07] - Panel story and the jersey test
[02:56] - Common enemy, common goal
[03:55] - Don’t forget what team you’re on
[05:01] - Series kickoff: the dysfunctional church
[06:05] - Corinth: social media before social media
[07:05] - Paul’s appeal for no division
[09:00] - Autoimmune disease and the body of Christ
[11:22] - Quarrels, rivalry, and a divided witness
[12:32] - “I belong to” and identity drift
[15:52] - Bronze serpent and looking to Christ
[18:45] - When good things become idols
[20:18] - The real enemy is not flesh and blood
[22:47] - Why the watching world shrugs
[24:55] - Urgency: burning houses and a waiting mission
[26:01] - Is Christ divided? The cross levels all
[27:46] - Corinth in the mirror of America
[29:07] - Beyond spotting pride: ask why
[31:27] - Heal, or bleed on those you love
[33:57] - The cross reveals sin and need
[35:47] - Healed people can heal people
[38:35] - Spotting pride inside the heart
[40:45] - Prayer for deep healing and unity

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
1 Corinthians 1:10-12 (ESV)
10 I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. 12 What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.”

Ephesians 6:12 (ESV)
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Numbers 21:4-9 (ESV)
4 From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient on the way. 5 And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.” 6 Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. 7 And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. 8 And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.

Observation Questions

In 1 Corinthians 1:10-12, what specific behaviors does Paul call out as causes of division in the church? How does the sermon describe the danger of rallying around leaders or methods instead of Christ? [12:32]
The sermon compares division to an “autoimmune disease.” What does this analogy reveal about how internal conflict weakens the church’s mission? [09:00]
According to Numbers 21:4-9, why did God command Moses to lift up a bronze serpent? How does the sermon connect this story to the danger of idolizing good things (like leaders or methods) instead of God? [15:52]

Interpretation Questions

Paul says, “Is Christ divided?” (1 Corinthians 1:13). How does this question challenge the Corinthians’ focus on human leaders? What might this imply about modern churches that prioritize personalities or styles over unity?
The sermon states, “A divided church cannot clearly show a united Savior” [11:22]. Why does division damage the church’s witness to outsiders? How might quarrels among believers distort the world’s view of Jesus?
Ephesians 6:12 says the real enemy is not people but spiritual forces. How does misunderstanding this truth lead to misplaced conflict within the church?

Application Questions

Division often starts with preferences (styles, leaders, methods). What “jersey” (team, leader, or issue) have you been tempted to prioritize over Christ? How can you recenter your identity in Him this week?
The sermon warns that “hurt people hurt people” [32:29]. Is there a wound or insecurity in your life that’s causing you to “bleed” on others? What step can you take to bring this to Jesus for healing?
When disagreements arise, do you tend to “listen to respond” or “listen to understand” [21:50]? How could pausing to pray for discernment (Ephesians 6:12) change your next hard conversation?
The bronze serpent story shows how good things (like leaders or methods) can become idols. What “good thing” in your faith journey might be overshadowing your focus on Christ? How can you reset your priorities?
The cross “levels everyone” [26:28]. How does remembering your own need for grace help you extend patience to believers you disagree with?

Sermon Clips

48s

“That's when the immune system loses the ability to recognize what belongs to the body and what is actually the enemy. Think about this. The very thing designed to protect the body becomes the thing destroying it. The immune system gets confused. It misidentifies healthy cells as threats, and instead of fighting the infection, it starts fighting itself. Think about this. There's an infection coming fighting its body. It doesn't even attack teams with that. It starts fighting itself, and the enemy loves division because divided bodies become weak bodies. Hear me out. Even medically, autoimmune disease weakens the body's ability to fight real enemies because all the energy is spent fighting itself.”

44s

“And meanwhile, people outside the church are looking at Christians thinking if Jesus changes people, then why do they act like everybody else? If if an unbeliever is fighting in their own house and they see that the church is fighting. They hear about God and they how God can can bring healing and unity and they have like problems with their kids and problem in their marriage. And they wanna try this Jesus thing. And so they start scrolling through social media or YouTube or they wanna go to a church, but then they see that the church is fighting as much as their own house. Why would they go to God's house when they have enough problems in their own house?”

53s

“And I will say this, and if God has been that patient with us, I think we should probably learn to be patient with other people as well as we all try to figure out this thing called life. From me to the newest person who walked in with the yellow connect bag, we all have stuff we're trying to figure out. Everybody is trying to figure out their relationship with God. Everybody is on this hunt, this journey. Everybody's struggling with something, bound by something, hurt by something, overcoming something, believing for something, have faith for some things and doubt some things. And we're broken and we see each other and we get so angry at times, but I wanna tell you when we lose focus of the mission, we start dividing. But when we put Jesus back at the center, we start uniting and realize that if Jesus died for you, you're good enough for me. And if Jesus died for me, I should be good enough for you.”

55s

“How about you help them break free from the bondage? Humble yourself. Understand they're attacking you, but they're really being attacked themselves. And God is thinking that you're a big enough person to be able to not just absorb it, but to do something about it. Oh, this is why God calls us to be different. In the world, it's easy. And talk to me like that? Cool. But what if God has assigned you and anointed you and called you to be an agent of change for that person's life? Hurt people hurt people, but what if the opposite is true? Healed people can heal people. Because they're hurting you because they're hurting, but you've been deeply healed by Jesus. You can spot out their hurt and you have enough Jesus in you for them too.”

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Don't Forget What Team You're On I 1 Corinthians 1:10-13 I Pastor Rey Sandoval I Rise Church

Devotional

Day 1: Unity Through Common Enemies and Common Goals

Day 2: When the Body Attacks Itself

Day 3: The Danger of Mistaking Symbols for Salvation

Day 4: The Cross Levels Every Player

Day 5: Healing So We Stop Bleeding on Others

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Don't Forget What Team You're On I 1 Corinthians 1:10-13 I Pastor Rey Sandoval I Rise Church

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