Sermons

This 2nd aspect of the Spiritual review of the year looks at our giving. Finances can be tricky to speak about, often because we largely think of our money as our own, to do with as we please. It can be true for many Christians that it is the world that leads and directs our financial decisions and priorities. What would your previous years financial giving show about the priority of your money? Is the gospel a priority or is it just an add on? Deuteronomy 14 and 2 Corinthians 8-9 reveal that we as Christians should give. But we do so in order to learn the fear of the Lord and as an act of worship. We give, rejoice and provide. Giving is for our good, for the good of others and the glory of God.

One of the criticisms directed against Paul was that he was all bluff – that he was weak. That he wrote strongly when away but was weak when he was amongst them. Well, Paul is writing that when he comes, he will not exercise the same amount of restraint.  After-all he is an apostle of the Lord Jesus. These are strong words from Paul. The Corinthians had mistaken delay, gentleness, even meekness for weakness. Paul on the other hand had exercised Christian patience. Part of the fruit of the Spirit is patience and Paul has exercised that aspect of Christian character (Chapter 10:1, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ). Still there was an end to his patience and the Corinthians would soon feel that if they failed to discipline themselves. When it comes to disciplining children, you can cut them some slack, but if you never discipline, the lack of discipline will be seen as a licence to be naughty, to cause grief.

Mike P. Andrus entitled his study on this subject, “With friends like these, who needs enemies.” I believe we have seen into the heart of Paul. He desires to be in a good relationship with the church he established. He sees himself as a parent who has delinquent children. He loves them dearly but they have lost their compass, both spiritually and morally. They are also heavily critical of him, their parent. This passage asks us a number of important questions. The first one is this. 1. What kind of spiritual leaders do you recognise and support? 2. Secondly, how are we treating those whom God has placed over us in the Lord?

What Paul did in the Corinthians Church was to do something that he found extraordinarily difficult to do. He had decided to use the worldly tactic of comparing himself to his opponents and last week we spent some time looking at this. This week we continue with the same theme, but Paul now goes on to compare himself with those who are bragging about their communication with God, as we say, “To fight fire with fire” and so he compares their visions to his own but there is always a twist in how he goes about this!

The Corinthian Christians didn’t seem to mind a little arrogance, a little overconfidence, a little assertiveness, certainly it appears that they despised humility. A great man was to boast, to be proud enough to sing of his own achievements. Thus, the so called “Super Apostles” or “False Apostles” that came into Corinth happily exaggerated their credentials and their achievements and claimed things that they were not responsible for. What does Paul do about this? He boasts also but his boasting is different to his opponents in Corinth.

It is easy for pastors to commend themselves and boast in the size of their church or their budgets or how many converts they have or the amount of staff that they serve with. So, when we think of Super Apostles or Spiritual Predators, we first have to be aware of boasting. Of course, someone that boasts doesn’t therefore mean that they are a “Spiritual Predator” it is just one part of the puzzle we are looking at. In Australian terms we would say that we ought to be aware of people who “big note” themselves. They claim credit for things that they cannot claim credit for. They like to tell you how important they are and how they achieved this or that. They lack humility and the ability to see their own flaws as well as how God’s grace might have operated in their lives.

Kent Hughes in his commentary writes this… “Whereas chapters 1-9 were directed to the repentant majority of Corinth, chapter 10 – 13 focus on the unrepentant minority. Paul now goes to war against rebellion.” (p. 180). Paul has suffered hit after hit, insult after insult from his detractors. To give you a brief rundown of what they were saying about him. They judged that he had an unimpressive personality, that he lacked rhetorical skills, that he was too meek and mild, even his poverty they saw as a negative. To them Paul didn’t have their ecstatic experiences and visions. They considered his trials and sufferings to be a liability rather than as an asset.

We note that the Apostle Paul goes out of his way to demonstrate his integrity to the Corinthians. He wants to do right in the eyes of God and in the eyes of the Corinthians. This is all in regard to collecting a monetary gift for the Jerusalem Church.

Often in life we regret things but how is that different to repentance? Which is the Christian response to committing sin, be it against God or a fellow human being? Worldly sorrow goes along the regret line and leads to death says the Apostle Paul. Godly sorrow leads to life!

Being a Christian today can see you labelled a religious “fanatic” and while it seems totally unfair it isn’t uncommon. Even in Paul’s day he was accused of being a crazy person. Even in the churches he was labelled as such by those who opposed him. In 2 Corinthians 5 we read this… 13 If we are ‘out of our mind,’ as some say, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. In Acts 26 we read… 24 At this point Festus interrupted Paul’s defence. ‘You are out of your mind, Paul!’ he shouted. ‘Your great learning is driving you insane.’ The religious leadership of Israel said the same about Jesus… 20 Many of them said, ‘He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?’ (John 10). Today we are going to look at what could be described as a reasonable fanatic as opposed to all the crazy fanaticism we see in our own day.

Paul was motivated in his ministry because he was Christ’s Ambassador. He was a representative of the King of this Universe. Whoever was dealing with him was dealing with God. Whoever was dealing with him was dealing with the Alpha and the Omega, the lamb that was now the lion, the one with the feet of burnished bronze.

One day we will stand before the judgement seat of God and all will be revealed. How will we feel as we stand before the judge of the earth, Jesus Christ, the one with the nail marked hands and feet, the one who died for us and our works are shown to be nothing than straw? Paul did not want to stand naked and ashamed before the one who saved him. That is what motivated him in his ministry!

It is an interesting thing that Paul describes the bodily resurrection in glowing terms but in this passage, he speaks about the fact that even now we are being renewed. While on the one hand the body is wasting away, yet in another sense the body is being renewed day by day. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. (2 Cor. 4:16). Now, when Paul talks about being renewed day by day. What do you think Paul is talking about? We all know or can guess at the wasting away part but do we also know this renewal day by day? The truth is that it isn’t so obvious and sadly many people become bitter and judgemental as they become older.

Why is it that some people accept the gospel and other people reject the gospel? How is it that two people can hear the same message and respond in totally different ways?

I think it is true that packaging is important and that the package must be able to keep the treasure safe inside. However, the role of packaging is to keep something safe and the packaging doesn’t compare in value with what the treasure contains. I have a mobile phone here which I value and so I bought a good cover for it, in case I drop it. However, I would refuse to pay more for the cover than the phone itself. Paul tells us in these few verses a number of things that are truly important when it comes to understanding our role and our importance in Gospel work! Put very succinctly, the treasure is “not us, but Christ.” We are light bearers but we are not Christ himself!

When it comes to what Paul is saying here about not losing heart, I imagine that it is more about seeing ourselves as a balloon with a slow leak in it. We feel deflated. We lack spirit and purpose. I think we all like those helium balloons that are lighter than air and go up and not down. Yet, even they come down somewhere. Even without an obvious leak the helium escapes and the balloon sinks. So, how does Paul not lose heart? How come Paul is not a quitter when he must feel like washing his hands of them and moving on to those who might give him a better reception?

Those words, “Being changed.” occurs only twice in the New Testament. The word comes to us from the Greek word, “menamorphoumetha.” from which we get the word, “Metamorphosis.” That word brings to mind the connotations of tadpoles turning into frogs, of pupas turning into butterflies. In the Old Covenant only Moses came into the presence of God. In the New Testament, each believer has that privilege. Through Jesus Christ we are invited to draw near to God.

We read this… 17 Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as those sent from God. The word “peddle” is not a complimentary kind of word but using an Americanism is can mean “Huckster” or for us “trickster” or “crook”. Perhaps in the old days they would be called, “Snake oil salespeople”. You see, some of those who had come to Corinth were simply presenting themselves as superior Christians but who were doing so for free room and board and who were hoping to profit personally from their presentations. Sadly, these people had received a warm and I would dare say, “profitable” welcome at the Corinthian Church.

What Paul is writing here is that although the smell is the same to both the victor and the conquered, their reaction to the aroma is different. For one the smell of the gospel is absolutely wonderful but to the person who has rejected Christ the smell is abhorrent. It signals their demise and ultimately their final destiny. Paul here is wrapped to be part of God’s victorious church, following in the footsteps of Christ and that overshadows all the pain and heartache that comes with being an Apostle of Christ.

Church discipline is important, and love should be at its root. Not saying something to someone who is living in a way that is not in accordance with the will of God is not loving. That is akin to watching someone walking over a cliff and doing nothing to stop them. It is the duty of all of us to lovingly rebuke and exhort each other to follow Jesus. I have to admit that when it comes to the rebuking side of things that it is extremely difficult. None of us like it but in obedience to the Lord Jesus we must.

We can see what a mess Paul was in with all this tension with the Corinthian Christians and in fact how damaging this kind of conflict can be. Firstly, it is extraordinarily damaging for Paul himself and very costly in both time and resources. Secondly, the gospel suffers. Conflict always has a detrimental effect on the proclamation of the gospel. Here was an open door and yet Paul cannot go through that door because his mind is elsewhere.

Every aspect of Christ’s sufferings, leading to the cross, on the cross, were designed by God to bring about our salvation. Christ’s suffering and death are immensely powerful and effective in God achieving his purposes in the world. In the same way our sufferings and even death can be used by God to his glory.

The word “yoked” means that you have lost independent movement. In that sense, we cannot see ourselves as a church, or me as a minister, formalising a marriage between a Christian and a non-Christian. That would see two people yokes together who are not united spiritually. It of course does bring up many other difficult issues. What of business relationships – can a Christian be united in business with a non-Christian? Can you be tied to an organisation that is non-Christian. That would of course place most of you in a difficult situation! To me it is all about “considered” separation. Paul is arguing along the lines that where the gospel is compromised, where pagan ideas permeate the Christian gospel, that in these situations there can be no compromise, no being yoked together. Paul just reminds them of their calling to be a holy people, separated unto God.