Afleveringen
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Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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Faithful Stewardship, Disciplined Giving
Please turn to 2 Corinthians 8. Our sermon text will begin with verse 16 and will continue through chapter 9 verse 5. You can find that on page 1150.
I think, of all the passages we’ve studied so far in 2 Corinthians, this one has the most context. It has a lot of specifics about the churches and people. Multiple associates of the apostle Paul’s are referenced. Some are named and others are not.
The big picture is that Paul is sending 3 delegates to Corinth. That includes Titus. They are being sent to collect the offering that the Corinthians had promised. By the way, Paul calls this delegation his “brothers.” They are not literal brothers. Rather, they are spiritual brothers in the faith.
Even though this is a narrative, we learn important things about (1) integrity in financial stewardship and (2) obedience in giving. As I read, listen for those examples.
Reading of 2 Corinthians 8:16-9:5
Prayer
As you may know, our philosophy of preaching involves working through books of the Bible. One of the benefits of doing that is that we are forced to deal with difficult or uncomfortable subjects as they come up in the Scriptures. That’s a good thing.
Well, starting last Sunday, we’ve come to one of those sensitive topics. Giving. I think this is the first time we’ve had a sermon (or sermons), that focuses on giving or stewardship.
I mention that because if you are visiting or have been visiting, these chapters on giving are part of the message of 2 Corinthians. In other words, we didn’t pick these two chapter so we could focus on giving. Rather they picked us. They are just part of the message of 2 Corinthians. And even though it is sensitive, it is important for us.
Truly, matters of giving are matters of the heart. As we learned last week, God’s grace is the foundation to these 2 chapters. Giving is called an “act of God’s grace.” It is God who gives his grace to the giver… He turns his or her heart to give. Furthermore, it is God who blesses the receiver. He likewise bestows his mercy and grace on them. And at the very heart of God’s grace is the grace of God in Christ.
Remember, chapter 8 verse 9 is key to it all. “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.”
Jesus Christ, God the son, became a man for us. He, in humility, bore our sin on the cross. Jesus endured the shame. You see, he became poor in that way… And through that amazing grace, he has given us riches. Not earthly riches, but riches of his mercy and kindness. In Christ, we have been given peace with God. We have been given the righteousness of Christ. We are now honored not because of any goodness of our own, but only because of the goodness of God in Christ.
The grace of God in Christ is what’s it’s all about. That is why these 2 chapters over and over emphasis the heart. It is about God’s transforming grace in us. And an outworking of that grace is a heart desire to give.
If you don’t remember anything else about last week and this week, remember this. The act of grace in giving is God’s act of grace in Christ.
Now, if you are still evaluating Christianity, I want you to know that giving will not put you in the good graces of God. You will not merit his favor by donating. Not at all. God does not want or need your money. Rather, he wants you to give something far more difficult to give. He wants you to give your life to him.
Jesus said, “if anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow me.” To put it in terms of 2 Corinthians 8. God’s grace is what enables us to recognize our spiritual poverty and recognize our need for the riches of God’s mercy. If you are not a believer in Christ, don’t give your resources, give your heart.
Let me make one final opening comment.
There’s an really underlying theme that spans both of these chapters, but it is not explicit. And that theme is the unity of the visible church. You see, part of the message of chapter 8 and 9 is that those in the church around the world are united to one another. The Macedonians are brothers and sisters in Christ with the Corinthians. And both the Macedonians and the Corinthians are united together with the poor Christians in Jerusalem.
Paul is calling on the church to support the needs of one another no matter the tribe, tongue, or nation. We share something far more important than our culture or language or ethnicity. We share in Christ.
To be sure, I’m not diminishing the importance of culture or ethnicity, rather I’m saying that the thing that unites all believers together (all around the world) is Jesus.
There are many Christians and churches around the world that have many needs – some are enduring the consequence of war like Christians in Gaza or Ukraine. Others like in Africa or Southeast Asia are in environments of extreme poverty.
I don’t know what burdens God has placed upon each of you to give… or how we as a church can best support those brothers and sisters in Christ. But God has called us to do so in some way. Perhaps we can find ways to give and support those in deep need.
Ok, with that background in mind, let’s now shift our attention to these specific verses.
We’ll consider two main things this morning.
#1. The Stewardship of Giving
#2. The Discipline of Giving
Stewardship… meaning that the resources of the church are God’s resources. His kingdom resources – we are stewards and therefore we have the responsibility to administer them with integrity.
And discipline… meaning spiritual discipline. we have the responsibility to follow through on the call to give. Giving is a discipline just like other areas of the Christian life.
#1 - The Stewardship of Giving
And both of these points are exemplified in our passage this morning. In other words, stewardship and discipline are principles modelled for us in these verses.
Remember, the apostle Paul is in Macedonia. He’s in the northern part of ancient Greece. He’s experienced their generosity. In the beginning of chapter 8, he uses the Macedonians as an example for the Corinthians to follow.
And now Paul turns his attention to the Corinthians. And one of the things we learn is that the Corinthians had promised to give to the church in Jerusalem. Their promise happened before the false teachers had stirred up dissent. But, nonetheless, they had promised to contribute.
Now, Paul recognized the sensitivity of everything that had happened. And because of that, he wanted to ensure the utmost integrity in giving. In other words, he doesn’t want anyone to question the legitimacy of the giving. He doesn’t want the Corinthians to think that he is taking any of the contributions. He doesn’t want his presence to coerce the Corinthians or make them think that this is just his own personal agenda.
And so, to address that, here’s what he does: he sends this delegation of three men to collect their gifts.
Titus is one of them. He was well known by the Corinthians. In fact, Titus had just returned to Paul after visiting with them.
And then two other brothers are mentioned.
Look at verse 18 – “With him [with Titus] we are sending the brother who is famous among all the churches for his preaching of the gospel.” This brother, whoever he is, had a reputation of faithfulness among the churches. And he was a great preacher of the Gospel. We don’t know who he was. Some scholars and pastors have made educated guesses. I have my thoughts. But he is not named because it does not matter to us.
Ok, then there’s a third guy mentioned in verse 22. It says, “And with them [you know, with Titus and the other brother] we are sending our brother whom we have often tested and found earnest in many matters...” We get the sense from the end of verse 22 that he was also known by the Corinthians.
So, this delegation was sent… But why did they go? Well, look at verses 20. It captures their purpose. It says, “We take this course so that no one should blame us about this generous gift that is being administered by us.”
They wanted to be blameless. Do you see that? They wanted to be above reproach. They were overseeing financial gifts and wanted all to be assured of their integrity in handling the donations.
And why did they want to be so careful? Verse 21 answers that: “…for we aim at what is honorable not only in the Lord's sight but also in the sight of man.” Integrity all around. First, to honor God because they recognized they were stewards of the gifts. And second so that the Corinthians knew of their care in the administration of the gifts.
Do you see it now? How this is an example of Godly stewardship and integrity.
Stewardship and integrity is just as critical today as it was 2000 years ago.
In 2020, a study estimated that 6.5% of donations given by Christians globally is lost to fraud and embezzlement. 6.5%.
The study was referring to Christians around the world giving to churches, to charities, and to other non-profits. 6.5% translates to about 52 billion dollars annually. It’s just an estimate, but it gives us an order of magnitude of the severity of the problem.
That is sad to hear. I suspect some of you know believers who have gotten caught up in fraud of some kind. Or you know of churches that have gone through financial scandals.
When I moved to Atlanta in the mid-1990s, I worked for a Christian ministry. That ministry was duped by a so-called Christian philanthropist. He promised that if they invested in his financial firm, he would double or triple their investment in one year. Churches, ministries, and Christian universities were all fleeced by this guy. It turned out to be a Ponzi scheme. And these organizations, like the one I worked for, lost a combined 135 million dollars in the scam – about 300 million in todays dollars.
Poor handling of money by Christians or worse theft or even worse scandals, like that one, tarnish the name of Christ. It fosters mistrust inside the church. And its hypocrisy turns people away from Christ and the Gospel. It’s tragic.
We are called as the church to faithfully steward the resources entrusted to us. Let me highlight 4 principles from this text:
1. Those who handle money need to love the Lord and love his church. In this chapter, the word “earnest” is used 7 times. It testifies to a heart-motivated love for the people of God, or the church of God or an earnestness to faithfully fulfill the responsibility. The word earnest is only second to the word grace in chapter 8. Those who handle money need to have an earnestness that comes from a heart transformed by God’s grace.
2. Those given this responsibility need to be tested. They need to be trustworthy. They need to have credibility and experience testified by others. In the case of the delegates, each one of them fulfilled this principle in different ways. Titus was known and proven faithful. The second brother was appointed by the churches (plural) – he had that proven credibility. And the third delegate was “tested.” That’s the word used right there in verse 22. He was tested and found earnest.
3. Finances should never be handled by one person. No, there needs to be a team and there needs to be governance. In this example, there were 4 people – the three delegates and Paul from a distance. Just so you know, here at Tucker Pres, we have a finance team, we have a bookkeeper, and we have a third-party accountant. Multiple people involved.
4. And last, #4, transparency. Isn’t that what Paul was modelling? He was being transparent so that there would be no questions about their integrity as they oversaw the gifts.
So, a love of the Lord… a tested and proven faithfulness… multiple financial overseers… and transparency
And every single aspect of this faithful stewardship is to give honor to Christ. As verse 19 puts it, “for the glory of the Lord” and as verse 23 says, “the glory of Christ.”
We seek integrity as stewards to honor God because of his grace given to us.
#2. The Discipline of Giving
Which now brings us to main point number 2. The discipline of giving.
Here’s the thing. We are called not only to desire to give, but we are called to actually give. Earlier in chapter 8, Paul called the Corinthians to “complete the work.” He says in verse 11, “finish doing it as well, so that your readiness in desiring it may be matched by your completing it.” And really, the beginning of chapter 9 emphasizes that.
I think you would agree, it’s much easier to have the desire to give sacrificially, than to actually give sacrificially.
I read a story once of farmer who one day came home with great excitement. He reported with great joy to his wife and family… that their best cow had given birth to twins.
He said to his family, “you know when these twin calves were born… I had a sudden urge that we should dedicate one of these calves to the Lord. We will bring them up together, and when the time comes, we will sell one and give the proceeds to the Lord’s work.”
His wife and children thought that was tremendous idea. But she asked him, “which calf will you dedicate to the Lord?”
He replied, “Oh, there is no need to bother about that now…. we will care for both of them well, feed them well, and when the time comes we will offer one to the Lord.”
Well, after a few months, the farmer came home one day and he was dejected. His wife asked, “honey, what is troubling you?” He answered, “I have bad news to give you. One of the calves has died…” and then he said, “It was the Lord’s calf.”
You see, he had the desire to give, but that was not matched with following through.
Giving is one of the disciplines of the Christian life. It is an outworking of the grace of God’s work in us. It’s similar to seeking discipline in our call to purity of thought and word and deeds… or discipline to pursue peace with others. Or discipline in being faithful to serve others or take a sabbath rest and worship. Or pursuing discipline to follow through on the call to pray and read the Word. As we mature in our faith, God matures us in those disciplines.
Let me put it this way: giving testifies that the grace of God is at work in your life.
Look at chapter 8 verse 24. Paul says, “Give proof before the churches of your love.”
“Give proof.” He was exhorting them to follow through and give to the needs of the saints. It would be a demonstration of their love and their faith.
I mentioned last week that I do not have access to see who gives what offerings to the church. I do not want access. But I had a very interesting conversation with another pastor a few years ago. He would purposefully look at membership giving. Now, not all the time, but he would occasionally ask for a summarized list of members and their annual giving. That kind of shocked me.
But he gave a couple of reasons. He mentioned that little to no giving indicated either a need for spiritual growth or it indicated a need for financial help. In other words, he would give attention to these people. It’s like the opposite of showing partiality to someone with more means. This pastor experienced that a lack of giving often indicated a struggle in the Christian life or a struggle in faith or as I mentioned, an unknown need. To be sure, his purpose in coming alongside people was not so that they would give and therefore help the church finances… that was not the reason… rather it was so he could pastor and care for his flock well.
I’m not suggesting that the elders or I will do that here at TPC. No. But it is true that our money often redirects us away from loving God. Giving or not giving can be a good indication of where our heart is. Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
To say it again, when we are faithful to give generously and sacrificially, according to our means, it testifies to God’s work of grace in us.
And when we give it has the effect of encouraging others to also support the needs and work of the church
Look at chapter 9 verse 2. Paul writes, “for I know your readiness, of which I boast about you to the people of Macedonia, saying that Achaia [by the way, Corinth is in the region of Achaia] …that Achaia has been ready since last year. And your zeal has stirred up most of them.”
There was a mutual stirring up of generosity. The Macedonians gave joyfully. We learned that last week. And they were encouraged by the desire of the Corinthians to give. That is why Paul wants to see the Corinthians fulfill their desire. That’s the reason the delegation was sent! It was not, as verse 5 mentions, to “exact” a gift. Paul does mention that not giving would cause humiliation. But that is because they had promised to give. It was not coercion. He is clear about that. Rather, he wants them to honor their promise. And by doing that, it would encourage the Macedonians and bless the Christians in Jerusalem.
So really, the Macedonians were an encouragement to the Corinthians to give, and the Corinthians were an encouragement to the Macedonians to give. And all of that would be an encouragement to the believers in Jerusalem, who would themselves give back to the Macedonians and Corinthians… and encourage them. We learned that last week. All of it accomplished the building up of one another in good works and godliness… And all of it was because of the grace of God in Christ, who is glorified in it all.
Conclusion
To summarize, faithful stewardship and disciplined giving are both expressions of God’s grace in Christ.
Stewardship is managing the resources that God has entrusted to his church and doing that with the utmost of integrity. When we fulfill that responsibility, as Paul and the delegates modelled for us, Christ is exalted and his bride, the church, reflects his righteousness.
Likewise, disciplined giving honors Christ in our lives. It testifies to God’s work in us who is transforming us into the image of his son.
And to say it one more time, it’s all motivated by the grace of God in Christ… who gave up the riches of heaven and became poor to take us out of our poverty and make us rich in his mercy.
So, in matters of giving in and to the church, may we seek integrity and faithfulness, all to give honor to God in Christ for his grace. Amen.
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2 Corinthians 8:1-15
The Grace of Giving
Our sermon text this morning is 2 Corinthians 8:1-5. You can find that on page 1149 in the pew Bible. As you are turning there, let me note some things.
2 Corinthians 8 shifts to a new matter. There was a need in the broader church. At that time, when the apostle Paul wrote this inspired letter, the church in Jerusalem was very poor and they needed financial help. As you will hear, the churches in Macedonia helped out and Paul encouraged the church in Corinth to respond likewise.
The basis of the Macendonians’ generosity was the grace of God. As I read, listen for the word grace. It is scattered all throughout these verses. Grace is the Greek word Xaris. It means an act of kindness or an unmerited favor or gift.
Reading of 2 Corinthians 2:1-15
Prayer
As you probably know, money is often a taboo topic when it comes to the church. There are many reasons for that. Sadly, some churches have experienced financial scandals. Other churches and leaders are manipulative when it comes to donations and tithing. Some claim that you will reap financial blessings if you give. And then there’s just the general sensitivity of our personal finances. All of that has made many people inside and outside the church suspicious about tithing and giving.
Several years ago, I was reminded about this perception. Before becoming a pastor, my very last work project involved a team of about 10 people for a couple of years. Our task was to build a software platform for a rather large company in downtown Atlanta. We enjoyed working with each other. At times, we spent long days and nights to meet deadlines. We overcame challenges. We celebrated successes. Through it all, we became close friends. They were all aware of my Christian beliefs. Two of them were also believers, which was encouraging. At times, we were able to share our hope in Christ with our colleagues.
Well, then the day came. I called a team meeting and I shared that I was leaving the industry to become a pastor. It sparked some other good conversations. A few weeks later we had a little celebration. I bought them each a nice Bible as a gift. And we looked at a few Scripture passages together.
Well unbeknownst to me, they got together and bought me a gift. It was more of a gag gift… and I brought it today. The got me an offering plate… and they even had it engraved to me with their names on it as well. We got a big laugh about it. By the way, it also says on it “to God be the Glory in all things.” That was a nice touch.
But it was a not-so-subtle illustration about the underlying skepticism about money and the church.
Well, I hope that today, and really over the next three weeks as this theme continues, that we all will be reoriented to a Biblical view of financial giving in the church. I think you will find it refreshing and challenging.
Let me say a couple more things up front before we dive in.
· First, I do not have access to see your individual contributions. I asked not to have access because I do not want to know. By the way, neither do our elders. Honestly, I don’t want the temptation to be consciously or unconsciously partial to you based on your giving. My relationship to each of you and our elders’ relationship to each of you is based on the call we have to spiritually care for and love you in Christ. Though we fulfill that imperfectly, it is our desire.
· Second, Amy and I seek to be faithful in our giving and tithing to the church. We are participants with you in supporting the mission to which we are called. Now, to be sure, these verses are not about tithing. Tithing is a Biblical concept. You know, giving of your first fruits. The word tithe is the Hebrew word for a tenth. Rather, this passage is more broadly about giving. In fact, it’s about giving beyond the needs of the local congregation to support the financial needs of the broader Christian community.
Ok, with all of that said, let’s now draw our attention to this text. There is a sermon outline. It was a little difficult to find a place in the bulletin to fit it in, but you can find it there on the bottom of page 5.
Three points:
1. The Grace of Giving Modelled
2. The Grace of Giving Received
3. The Grace Behind the Grace of Giving. Really, it’s the same grace. I’ll explain that in a few minutes.
1. The Grace of Giving Modelled (8:1)
So, number 1, the Grace of Giving Modelled.
Lets start with some quick reminders. The apostle Paul had written a difficult letter to the Corinthians and he sent it with Titus. The plan was for Paul to then rendezvous with Titus in Troas. However, when Paul arrived in Troas Titus did not show up. And that deeply concerned Paul. So, he left Troas and travelled west to Macedonia. The region of Macedonia included churches like Philippi and Thessalonica. They were in the northern part of ancient Greece.
And two things happened when Paul got there. Number 1, his dear brother in Christ, Titus, showed up. Titus brought good news about the Corinthians – weve considered that. And number 2, while Paul was in Macedonia, he wrote this letter. We know it as 2 Corinthians. In other words, Macedonia was on his mind. He was experiencing first-hand, their love and generosity for the broader church.
By the way, Paul was on his third missionary journey. And one of his objectives was to gather an offering for the impoverished Christians in Jerusalem. So, as Paul travelled, besides teaching and ministering to the churches, he and Titus and others collected financial gifts for the believers in Jerusalem.
And what an amazing testimony! The Macedonians are described in verse 1 as having extreme poverty. Yet, they gave abundantly beyond their means.
Now, there’s something very very important here. It’s not about the size of the gift. Because the Macedonians were themselves poor, their gift wasn’t a large monetary gift. Rather, the Macedonians’ generosity was about their heart’s desire. They had, as verse 2 says, an abundance of joy. And they gave with a heart for the Lord and his grace. They, in fact, pleaded to give, and they gave “beyond their means,” it says.
Isn’t that counter intuitive to our worldly mindset? When we think of generosity, we often think of the size of a gift. Yet, God reveals here that it is a matter of the heart and it is in proportion to our means.
Earlier in the service we read the account of the poor widow’s offering. Jesus had called his disciples to the temple treasury. As they sat there, they observed people giving their offering. They witnessed different amounts being dropped into the offering box. Clink, clink. Some large gifts were likely given. Perhaps they thought, “Oh, now that’s a generous gift…” But then a poor widow came and she dropped 2 very low value copper coins into the offering. And then Jesus made one those paradigm shifting statements. He said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”
It was truly an abundant gift. It was abundant because she gave sacrificially from her thankful heart.
Is that not like the sacrifice here of the Macedonians? They modelled giving from hearts for the Lord. It says they were earnest to participate in the grace of giving. They begged to participate. Those are the words used. Even though their gift was small in earthly terms, yet it was large in heavenly terms. They gave abundantly, from abundant hearts according to their means. Or as verse 12 puts it, a person gives “according what he has.”
God has given us each different means. You know, we have different incomes. Or to put it differently, we fall in different tax brackets. No matter whether you have been given much to steward or little to steward, God calls you to be generous. And that generosity is a matter first of all according to your heart desire, and second of all, relative to your means.
Now, in a few minutes, we’ll get to the source of the heart motivation, which is the grace of God in Christ. I want to be clear about that. We’ll get to what that means in a few minutes.
The point of these opening verses is that the Macedonians modelled joyful heart-motivated giving. And in verse 7, the Corinthians are called to excel in their own giving, just like the Macedonians. Verse 7 says, “But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you—see that you excel in this act of grace also.” In other words, giving is a fundamental part of the Christian life. Just as we seek to grow in our faith, and be enriched in our knowledge of God and his word, and grow in our love that we give and receive, so also, we should excel in this “act of grace,” as it says, the grace of giving.
2. The Grace of Giving Received
Which brings us to point 2. The grace of giving received. In the outline, you’ll see two sub-points. That grace is received by the giver and received by the receiver.
But let me ask, why do you think giving is called an act of grace? Is it an act of grace because the poor in Jerusalem received grace from the Macedonians? In other words, is it because when we give, we are the ones giving the grace?
The answer is no!
No, giving is God’s act of grace in us. For the giver, God gives his grace which motivates the giving.
Look at verse 1 again. “We want you to know, brothers, about [what?] …about the grace of God…” [clearly it is God’s grace. now listen to what is says next] “…about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia.” God has bestowed his grace which has resulted in their generosity.
So, it is God’s grace, and just like other areas of life where we experience God’s grace, God blesses us through it. In the case of the Macedonians, God gave them a desire and he gave them joy.
I want to make something very clear here. The act of giving itself does not result in blessing. Let me say that again. The act of giving itself does not result in blessing.
Rather it’s God’s grace that blesses us… that happens when he turns our hearts to him and gives us a joyful desire to earnestly give.
Now, some so-called pastors would strongly disagree. They would say that giving itself results in blessing. If you give, God will bless you with financial prosperity. Or they say he will bless you through other means. They turn giving into a transactional merit-based scheme. It’s not about the grace of God, rather it is about manipulating people to donate. What it actually does is cover up God’s grace in Christ.
We sometimes we call this teaching the prosperity gospel. It is not the gospel. They say that if God is not prospering you financially, then you need to give more, or you need to trust in God more. Beloved, do not buy this false gospel. There is no place in the Bible that speaks of financial prosperity as God’s will for you. Nor that when you give materially that you will reap materially.
Rather, it says that generosity comes out of a heart disposition that loves the Lord.
Verse 5 makes that priority very clear. Look at it. Verse 5. The Macedonians, it says, “gave themselves first to the Lord, then by the will of God, to us.” Meaning, they first trusted by faith in the grace of God in Christ, and then out of that grace, they gave an offering to Paul for the poor believers in Jerusalem.
Now, I am not saying that there are no benefits to giving. What I am saying is that the benefits come through the changed heart that God gives us through his grace. In verse 10, Paul, talking about this grace motivated giving says, “this benefits you.”
What are those spiritual benefits and blessings? Well, when God gives us an earnest heart-felt desire to give, God helps us to open the grip we have on our financial resources. God helps us to see that we are merely stewards of what he has given us. As you know, money is alluring and when we love our money, we replace God in our hearts with that false love. But when the transforming work of God’s grace convicts us of that sin, we are blessed with joyful longing to participate in God’s missions in the world through his church.
Those blessings are indeed blessings… but they are not our motivation. Rather, God’s grace motivates. It is what changes us.
Let me put it this way. Giving is an act of worship. It is a response. That is why our offering is part of our worship service. In our giving, God is glorified, and we are blessed. And that is because God’s grace enables us to worship, which includes our giving. And through that grace enabled worship, God builds us up in him.
So, for the one who gives… giving is an act of God’s grace which we receive. And the results of that grace are those motivations and spiritual blessings. Again, that’s the giver part.
But also, the receivers of the grace enabled gifts receive God’s blessings. I think that is probably obvious. God bestows his blessing through giving to meet their needs.
Verse 4 talks about the relief of the saints. It’s talking about the Christians in Jerusalem. God used the generosity of the broader church to bring financial relief to these impoverished saints.
Paul mentions that the Corinthians abundance would help supply their need. You see, it is God’s grace through the gifts of his people that bless his people.
There’s a built-in illustration here. It’s in verse 15. It says, “As it is written, ‘Whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack.’”
That reference comes from the book of Exodus. After God freed his people from slavery in Egypt, he brought them into the wilderness. But what would they eat? I mean, not much grows in the desert. Well, God provided bread from heaven – he provided Manna. Every day, God provided this daily sustenance. It was a miracle. Everyone gathered and there was no lack some gathered more, some gathered less. That’s the quote.
What God is saying in verse 15 is that the miraculous provision of manna in the Old Testament… is an example of how the gifts of the church provide for God’s people in the New Testament.
I find that amazingly encouraging. God now uses his people to support the needs of his people. In other words, God’s act of grace and blessing to the receiver comes through giving. It parallels God’s miraculous provision of the manna. You see, even though God’s people are to give, it is still God’s work – his grace.
To summarize point 2, God’s grace is given to the giver, which turns his heart to give. That results in God’s provision and blessing to the receiver. It is all his act of grace – God’s grace.
3. The Grace Behind the Grace of Giving
Ok, that brings us to point number 3. The Grace Behind the Grace of Giving. I’ve already mentioned that it is God’s grace in Christ – all of it. However, I haven’t really clearly defined what that means. So, what I want you to now see is first, that God’s grace in Christ is indeed the center of this text. And second, at that center, God clearly explains the grace of Christ.
About once every year we come to a Scripture text… which has a unique underlying parallel structure. And we have one of those parallel structures this morning. So, you’ve heard me talk about it before. These parallels in the Greek move from the outside in. They move from the beginning and end and they work their way to the central focus of the text. They are very helpful because we are given the explicit driving emphasis that underlies it all.
· On the very outside of this parallel are verses 2 and 14, which focus on abundance. That’s the word. The Macedonians abundance of joy in verse 2 and then in verse 14, the word “abundance” is used two times. The abundance that the Corinthians are called to and which they will receive in times of need. Abundance.
· The second layer is in verses 3 and 12. So we are moving in one layer. Giving should be according to someone’s means – that’s verse 3. And in verse 12, the same idea – giving should be according to what someone has.
· The third layer is one more step in. Again, moving from the outside in - verses 6 and 11. In both is the call to complete the giving. In verse 6, Titus is called to complete the act of God’s grace. And in verse 11, the Corinthians are also called to finish it. Paul says there, “completing it out of what you have.”
· Do you see those parallels? Abundance – abundance; according to one’s means – according to what someone has; complete it – complete it.
And this whole parallel focuses our attention to the very heart of this passage, which is verse 9. “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.” Even in that one verse, we see the same outward-in parallel. Rich, poor, poor rich. This is the focus.
It is not talking about financial poverty and riches. No, it is talking about the mercy of God in Christ. Jesus Christ, though he was rich in the sense of displaying the fullness of God’s glory as God the Son, yet he humbled himself. He became poor. He became a man, he endured the miseries of this life, he suffered and died.
And he did all of that so that we in our poverty may become rich. In other words, in our fallenness, deserving of the punishment of damnation and hell, Jesus Christ has redeemed us. He has, through his death and resurrection, restored us to the riches of the presence of God. We, in Christ, are now clothed with the robes of his righteousness - exalted with him in his resurrection. We are indeed rich in that way.
Friends, this is the grace of God in Christ Jesus – it is the Gospel, and it is the foundation to all the callings we are given in this life, including the call to be generous.
We give because of the joy that we have in Christ, just like the Macedonians. We give out of thankfulness for what God has done for us in Christ. We give because others in Christ who have the same riches of God’s grace have needs. We give to further and foster God’s mission, which is to make known the riches and mercy of his grace. We give not out of human compulsion, nor do we give out of a sense of guilt, nor to somehow merit blessings. No. We give because God has graciously given us eternal riches in Jesus Christ.
May God give us each the joy of the Gospel. And may he in turn, give us abundant joyful hearts to give generously, no matter our means. May we long and even beg to participate in this act of God’s grace. All because Christ Jesus became poor for our sake… to take us out of our spiritual poverty and make us rich in his mercy. Amen
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Living Set Apart as God’s Covenant People
Please turn in your Bibles to 2 Corinthains 6. We’ll be looking at verses 14 through chapter 7, verse 1. You can find that on page 1148.
In the first half of chapter 6, the apostle Paul called the church in Corinth to return to him and Christ. He pleaded with them to open their hearts - to turn their affections back to the true Gospel – salvation in Jesus Christ.
The question that remains is “what does that mean?” What needed to happen in the church for them to be restored?
And that question is answered in our verses this morning.
Reading of 2 Corinthians 6:14 to 7:1
Prayer
#1: Be not unequally yoked (6:14)
Do not be unequally yoked. You’ve likely heard that phrase in verse 14 before. But what does it actually mean? And how does it apply? Those are the two critical questions in this text.
Being yoked is not used much in our common vernacular today. And that’s because the term is a farming term used back when animals powered the farm equipment.
If you go to a modern farm today, you will likely find massive tractors. They have air conditioning. They are driven by GPS. The farmer can be working on other business in the cab while his combine is harvesting the crop.
But of course, that is not how it used to be. No, before the tractor, animals like oxen, or horses, or mules would be hitched together. A wood harness was carved with neck shaped holes that would fit over two animals. That wood harness was called a yoke. The yoke would have ropes or cables that would attach to other devices, which would either pull a wagon or a plow or some other farming implement.
The whole purpose of the yoke was to balance the load so both animals would equally pull the load behind them.
However, if a farmer tried to put a horse and an ox together, or a horse and donkey or a mule and ox, those animals would be unequally yoked. That’s where the phrase comes from. And it didn’t work well. The farmer would have a big problem. Even if a horse and an ox had similar strength, they have different gates, different heights, different temperaments, and different speeds. It would be difficult to plow in a straight line.
The yoke itself would dig into the necks of both animals. It often caused them to be restless and could result in chaos, especially if one of the animals started bucking or kicking or biting.
So to be unequally yoked is to be mismatched in a way that is untenable. It’s unworkable. It ought not be done.
In verse 14, the apostle writes, “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers.”
Now, I’m guessing that many of you have heard this verse before. And likely you’ve heard it applied to marriage. Right?
However, there’s nothing in the entire book of 2 Corinthians about marriage. There’s only one reference to a husband and that is in chapter 11. But that reference is explicitly about Christ as our husband, betrothed to us, his bride, the church.
In other words, when Paul wrote verse 14, he was not explicitly writing about marriage. Now, to be sure, a second or third layer of application could be about marriage. After all, marriage is the most intimate partnership between a man and a woman. So, verse 14 would certainly have relevance. And we do learn elsewhere in the Bible that we should only marry “in the Lord.”
My point is that the context of verse 14 is not about marriage.
You ask, then, what was the apostle Paul referring to in verse 14?
Well, think about this. We’ve been studying 2 Corinthians now for 4 full months. What has been the big issue in the church in Corinth? The big issue has been false teachers. There was a group who claimed to be apostles, but who were teaching “a different gospel” (as Paul put it) and whose lives did not display godliness.
So, with whom should the church in Corinth not be yoked? They should not be yoked with this group. And in verse 14, how does Paul refer to them? He calls them “unbelievers.” They had been received into the church… at least by some… but they should not have been. And Paul calls on the church to separate themselves from partnering with them.
Let me make one more contextual comment.
In our 2 Corinthians study, we’ve also considered the city of Corinth. Corinth, if you remember, was very religious in a pagan sort of way, and also culturally diverse. The temple of Aphrodite overlooked the city – she was the so-called goddess of love. Corinth had a big prostitution problem and had many idols. In Paul’s first letter to the church there, he addresses many of these sins. In fact, the language in our text this morning shares many parallels to 1 Corinthians chapter 10 … especially in regard to idols and partnering with demons.
The Corinthian church was not be unequally yoked with either the false teachers or the broader secular and pagan community.
Furthermore, we’re not just told “to be not unequally yoked,” but we’re also given some explanation. Look again at verses 14-16, again. You’ll notice 5 questions. The next 5 sentences are 5 rhetorical questions. These are very helpful..
They not only answer why, but they also explain what being “unequally yoked” involves.
Look at the 5 questions. Every single one begins with the word “what?” And immediately following the word “what” is a description of the kind of relationship to which Paul refers. He says, “what partnership.” Then next, “what fellowship” and then third “what accord” and then “what portion” and finally “what agreement.”
That’s very helpful, isn’t it? Each of those words implies an intentional alignment between two parties. It insinuates a purposeful agreement.
The word “partnership” and “fellowship” are particularly helpful words. The Greek word partnership involves a shared purpose. And the word fellowship is even deeper. It’s the word koinonia. It’s a purpose-driven alignment when working together.
In other words, the emphasis is on the ministry of the church in coordination and partnership with others. The emphasis is not relationships that we have with our friends and neighbors and co-workers.
The Holy Spirit is not saying through Paul that Christians should separate themselves from the world. Not at all. Christians are called to love their neighbors. In our communities, we should seek to be friends with those whom God places in our lives. We are to be a light in the world. We are called to serve and show mercy and also to receive help from others in our times of need, no matter who is seeking to help.
Even in our worship, we welcome anyone and everyone to worship with us. As you know, we do have membership vows that confirm what we believe, but the invitation to join us for our public worship is for all.
Do you see the difference? These verses are about a purposeful partnership with others in matters of belief and ministry.
Several years ago, there were a few churches in our denomination who learned this the hard way. They partnered with a weight loss ministry called Weigh Down. Their intention was good – the church wanted to help its members be healthy. It appeared on the outside that this partner ministry was an orthodox ministry. However, over time, it was revealed that the ministry founders did not believe in the Trinity! They didn’t believe in what the Bible teaches about God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. These churches didn’t initially realize that, but to their credit, they quickly put an end to the ministry partnership.
What was happening in Corinth was worse. The church had in part received people that were explicitly teaching things contrary to God’s revealed Word. We also learned these people cared more about outward appearances and worldly standards than godliness.
So, they shunned God’s standards and they taught false doctrine, which basically meant they were not true believers in Christ.
That helps to explain the contrasts in these rhetorical questions. Look at them one more time.
· First, righteousness compared with lawlessness. That’s in the first question. The difference is pursuing what God reveals in his word as good and right and pure and rejecting those things which go against his word. Lawlessness is essentially coming up with and living out your own standard contrary to God’s revealed law. The two cannot be yoked together.
· The second contrast is light with darkness. This is about truth verses error. A couple of chapters ago, remember “God who said, ‘let light shine out of darkness, has shone in our hearts to give us the light (of what?)… the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” Light is knowledge about what is true. What is true cannot be partnered with what is false.
· Next, I think the most striking comparison is there in verse 15 – Christ is contrasted with Belial. Beliel, by the way, is another name for Satan. It specifically refers to the personification of the antichrist – of Satan. For God’s people who have been united to Christ, there is no place to have an earthly partnership with those whose doctrine and practice are diametrically opposed to the ministry and mission that God gives for his church.
The last rhetorical question is there in the beginning of verse 16. “What agreement has the temple of God with idols?” Idolatry is replacing the worship of God with something else. Or in this case, worshiping something that is not God alongside of the true God.
Idols were everywhere in Corinth. That was the way of the Roman and Greek culture of the time. They believed in little gods. They would make physical idols of wood and stone. They would ask these false gods to bring rain or fertility or to defeat their enemies.
I remember someone telling me about a small village in southeast Asia. This community had a lake and at one point the lake needed to be drained. One of the side berms needed repair. Well, when the engineers drained the lake, they found hundreds of idols. People had thrown their small idols into the lake. When these little “g” gods did not fulfill their desires, they wanted to get rid of them in protest. Sadly, their idolatry either blinded them from seeing and believing in the true God, or it took their heart away from worshiping the true God in Christ.
For us, our idols look very different. They’re not usually made of wood and stone, but rather we fashion them in our hearts. For example, idols of materialism or money or success or pleasure… or sports …or politics …or technology. There are others.
When the people of God unequally yoke themselves with idols or idol worshipers, they pollute the very temple of God. They pollute the church.
Let me summarize: lawlessness undermines the righteousness of God, darkness supplants the truth of God, and idolatry pollutes the worship of God. All of that is introduced into the church through the yoke of unholy partnerships.
I don’t know if you’ve been following along with the sermon outline. If so, that wraps up point #1, Be not unequally yoked.
2. Live as temples of the living God
That now brings us to #2: Live as temples of the living God
You can think about it this way. Verses 14 up to the beginning of 16 are like the negative argument. They answer the question what should we avoid in order to not be unequally yoked. We should avoid partnering with lawlessness and darkness and idolatry. All of those are signs of unbelief and need to be avoided.
And when we get to the second half of verse 16, there’s a switch to the positive argument. Why should the church seek to be pure?
And the answer is because we are temples of the living God!
That statement was a radical and transformational teaching for first century Christians. For the Corinthians, this was not the first time they heard it. Three times in Paul’s first letter to them, he tells them that they are temples of God. God’s Holy Spirit dwells in them. God’s very presence is in them.
You see, until Jesus Christ came, the presence of God was centered in the tabernacle and then the temple. A big portion of the Old Testament ceremonies happened there. It emphasized two things: (1) the holiness of God and (2) the presence of God.
· First, sacrifices were performed to symbolically cleanse the people – to make them holy. Ultimately that was fulfilled in Christ.
· Second, the temple contained the holy of holies. It was behind a vary large and very thick curtain. Only the high priest could enter the holy of holies once a year. That’s where God’s presence and glory was found.
But when Jesus died on the cross, the temple curtain was torn in two. The temple of God was no longer relevant. That’s because believers in Christ are now temples of the living God.
So, if you are a believer in Christ, God has made you holy and has given you his presence. You are united to him through the Holy Spirit by faith.
To be sure, that does not mean you do not sin. Rather it means that God sees you as holy because of the holiness of Christ in you. Through the union that you have with Christ, you are holy and have the very presence of God in you. In that way, you are temples of the living God.
And because of the status you have as being holy, you are called to live out that holiness by pursuing the righteousness in God.
I want you to jump down to chapter 7 verse 1. Notice how it concludes this section, “Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God”
Again, “bringing holiness to completion.” It means that Christians should pursue holiness in our lives because God now sees us as holy.
This directly relates to chapter 6:14 – “do not be unequally yoked.” 7:1 is the positive statement. Instead of being unequally yoked, cleanse yourselves from every defilement of body and spirit. In other words, since you are a holy people called by God, pursue holiness.
God’s will and desire for his church is that we be pure. Why? Well, that was point 1 – there’s no place for lawlessness, darkness, or idolatry in those who are temples of the living Lord.
Ok, let’s go back up to the long quote. Do you see that there in verses 16-18?
This is a very interesting Old Testament quote. That’s because it doesn’t just come from one place. It’s a compilation of quotes from Exodus, Leviticus, Ezekiel, Isaiah, 2 Samuel, Jeremiah, and others. It displays an amazing cross section of God’s redemptive plan and promises in the Old Testament.
These 2 and 1/2 verses take us from God’s law to his prophecies to the history of redemption… and to God’s covenant promises.
In fact, that’s the thing that ties it all together. God’s covenant with his people. You can see that in every phrase here.
Let’s look at them.
· In the middle of 16, it begins with the covenant promise found in Exodus and Leviticus. The promise is that God would dwell with his people. That certainly ties to being temples of the living God… does it not?
· And then next, another covenant promise that God would be our God and we would be his people. Do you see that there at the end of 16? That quote is actually found in multiple places... Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Ezekiel, and Jeremiah, as we read earlier in the service.
· Then verse 17 is from the prophet Isaiah. The covenant people of God should separate themselves from uncleanness. That’s the outworking of being a people called out by God for his glory and honor.
· And finally verse 18 comes from 2 Samuel chapter 7. That’s when the prophet Nathan gave King David God’s covenant promise. Part of the promise is that God would be the Father of one of his sons in his line. Also included there is that many will be called sons and daughters through this promised son. And of course, those promises are ultimately fulfilled in Christ.
I know that is a lot to take in. But the point is that God has called a covenant people to himself. And part of that calling is to be a set apart and holy people.
So, to tie this all together… the command to be not unequally yoked (verse 14) and instead to bring holiness to completion (chapter 7 verse 1) HAS BEEN God’s plan and purpose from the very beginning.
God wants his church to be pure. He wants us to pursue righteousness and to faithfully teach and believe in the truths found in his Word. Any diversions from that corrupts the temple of the living Lord.
About 100 years ago, a crisis was happening in the church here in the United States. This affected multiple denominations. Ministers were no longer required to believe in basic truths about the Christian faith. There were 5 fundamental beliefs that a pastor did not have to believe: (1) they didn’t have to believe in Jesus’s divine nature. (2) or the virgin birth of Christ (3) or Jesus physical resurrection. (4) or the substitutionary atonement of Christ – meaning that Jeus died to pay the penalty for sinners. Or (5) the inspiration and inerrancy of the Bible – that one really leads to all the rest. In several denominations, you could be ordained as a pastor without believing in one or more of those things.
But each of those things is core to the Christian faith. To not believe in them is to violate the truths found in 2 Corinthians 6:14 to 7:1.
You see, sadly, a cancer had infiltrated the church. That cancer began to spread. It slowly multiplied until it metastasized… it reached the very heart of the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. Now, not all denominations were affected. And to be sure, some true believers remained in those churches and sought to steer them back to faith in Christ. But it was an uphill battle. To use the language of the book of Revelation chapters 2 and 3… If a church abandons its first love, that is Christ, God will snuff out their lampstand.
It has been 100 years, but the broader church in the United States is still suffering from the unbelief. And it all started by being unequally yoked with unbelievers.
There are, of course, many examples recent times that violate these verses in 2 Corinthians. And we should not believe that we are immune from this. We should always be evaluating whether we are being faithful to teach what God has spoken. And we should always be evaluating whether we are living as temples of the living… God seeking to bring holiness to fulfillment.
May we, here at Tucker Pres, seek to honor God in our words and actions…both individually and as a church. May we be not unequally yoked, but rather may we seek to be temples of the living Lord… bringing holiness to completion in the fear and worship of our God.
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Living as New Creations in and through Christ (2 Corinthians 5:11-17)
Please turn to 2 Corinthians 5:11-17 in your Bibles. That can be found on page 1147 of the pew Bible.
In these verses, the apostle Paul transitions from the resurrection hope that Christ gives us in our suffering…. to now focusing in on the heart transformation that we are given in him.
The connection between verses 1-10 and 11-17 is the Gospel. It’s the death and resurrection of Christ. This good news is both the hope for eternity in suffering and it’s the transforming power for godly living.
As I read, listen for two things. Listen for a description of Jesus’ ministry. And listen for a comparison between the old life and the new life in Christ.
Reading of 2 Corinthians 5:11-17
Prayer
There are about 18,000 species of butterflies – 18,000 different species. That translates into billions and billions of butterflies around the world today – it’s hard to even estimate how many. And this is the time of year when they just start coming out.
Kids, maybe you’ve tried to catch one with a butterfly net. Maybe you’ve seen a beautiful Monarch… or one of the different kinds of Swallowtails. As you know, they truly are exquisite –different colors like blues and yellows and cool patterns and shimmery reflections.
But the thing is, they didn’t start that way. No, all butterflies began life as a caterpillar. And some of them are not that appealing. Like the Monarch – it begins life as a worm like caterpillar with pale and dirty looking bands on it. Other caterpillars look like green slugs. One kind of caterpillar apparently looks like bird droppings. Others have spikes or bumpy skin.
But then something amazing happens to each one of them. They go through a metamorphosis… a transformation. Literally inside their cocoons, their bodies melt away into a soupy kind of ooze which is then metamorphosed into a beautiful butterfly.
When they emerge, they are… new creations, in a way. The old has passed away, behold the new has come. You probably saw that one coming.
But the parallel is true. The metamorphosis that a caterpillar goes through in becoming a butterfly is like the metamorphosis that someone goes through in becoming a Christian.
The transformation is an internal transformation. Our insides, our hearts, are changed… they’re melted and we become and are becoming reflections of God in Christ.
Now, the word “transformation” is not used in this passage, but the ideas are all here. In fact, in the Greek, the word transformation is the word “metamorphose”. Like in Romans chapter 12 verse 2. “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds.” Be metamorphosed.
Here in 2 Corinthians 5 11-17, Paul, in part, describes the difference between someone who still has their old nature and someone who has been transformed into a new creation in Christ. And as I mentioned earlier, at the center of this transformation is what Jesus has accomplished for you in his death and resurrection.
On the sermon notes page, you can see those two lists (the old and the new). We’re going to work through those in just a minute.
But first, let’s begin by looking at two things… Let’s begin by (1) considering what it means to be a new creation, and (2) why Paul was writing this section of the letter.
It will be helpful to know those things before looking at the old and new contrast.
Let’s look at the very first verse and the very last verse in our text. Beginning in verse 11. Right in the middle, it says “But what we ARE is known to God.” The word “are” is important. The apostle Paul is referring to their state of being – their identity. God knows if we are still in our old nature or if we are a new creation
Now, keep that in mind and jump down to verse 17. It says, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
An important word here is the word “is.” “If anyone IS in Christ, he IS a new creation.” Do you see the connection between 11 and 17? Each of us has a state of being in relation to Christ. We are either “in Christ” or “not in Christ.” And God obviously knows that.
To be a new creation in Christ is to believe in and live for Jesus because of what he has done. Verse 15 captures that. It says, “and he [that is, Jesus] died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.”
So, to be a new creation in Christ is to… have your old self die with him (your sin, your shame), and to be given a new nature in him, raised with him. A new life. You become a new creation by faith in Christ, who, as it says “for [your] sake died and was raised.”
I wanted to start there because it is that very heart change which is at the center of these verses. The apostle Paul works out what that means for himself and for the Corinthians.
So, keep that Gospel emphasis in mind as we consider what being a new creation in Christ looks like.
The second important thing to know is the context.
Remember, the apostle Paul was dealing with nay-sayers in Corinth. There was a group undermining his ministry. We’ve come across several things so far about what they were saying and doing. They were saying that because Paul suffered so much he could therefore not be an apostle. Remember that? They also critiqued Paul’s change of plans. The irony is that he changed his plans for their sakw. And then, these detractors were, as Paul put it, peddling God’s word and also tampering with it. That’s not good.
And now in these verses, we learn something else about this group. They cared about outward appearances and not about the heart.
Look at verse 12. Let me take a moment to unpack this verse.
Paul begins by saying, “We are not commending ourselves to you again” Now, earlier in the letter Paul had established his own authenticity as a true minister of the Gospel. He included Timothy and Titus as well. Paul is not doing that again here. He’s not “commending ourselves to you again.” Rather, Paul wants them to see the true Gospel transformation in his and his fellow worker’s hearts. He uses the word “boast.” He doesn’t want them to boast about what’s on the outside, but the inside. It’s not about outward appearances, like what the false teachers were saying, but rather what is truly in one’s heart.
Let me read the whole of verse 12 again, and I think you’ll hear that context. “We are not commending ourselves to you again but giving you cause to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast about outward appearance and not about what is in the heart.”
The whole reason that Paul wrote these verses was to tell the Corinthians to look for that true Gospel transformation in someone. Look for a changed heart and mind worked out in someone’s life. That is how you discern a true believer in Christ. That is how you differentiate between a faithful teacher and a false teacher. The old has passed away, the new has come.
Ok, I wanted to begin with those two things. (1) that someone who is a new creation in Christ has been transformed by Christ. And (2) Paul was writing to the Corinthians so that they could evaluate whether someone has undergone that transformation.
With that said, let’s spend the rest of our time seeing how that works out in someone’s life – including your life and my life.
That brings us back to the two points in the outline.
1. The old has passed away
2. The new has come
Now, really, the old and new comparison goes back and forth in these verses. But I thought it would be helpful to first consider what the old nature looks like. And then we can compare that with the new nature in Christ.
1. The old has passed away (5:17)
So first, the old.
It is incredibly difficult today to not boast about outward appearances. We are constantly bombarded with the message of appearance. Who you know, how you dress, the things you have, what car you drive. Those are all status symbols today. Social media influencers make billions influencing you to buy certain things and to achieve a certain look. You see, our culture is very consumeristic and individualistic. Marketing algorithms target you based on your age and interest.
And everything out there is so visual and sensual… and your phone makes the problem worse. It’s overwhelming.
Now, I’m not saying that the Roman and Greek culture back in the first century didn’t have that temptation. It just wasn’t as intense.
And one of identifying sins of the old self is boasting in outward appearances. That word boast in the Greek is to brag or rejoice in. So, in this case, it’s making something that is external part of your identity.
In the case of Paul’s detractors, that could have been eloquence or wealth or cultural status or even health. Their outward boasting indicated that they had not been transformed into new creations in Christ.
So that’s one thing, a focus on external things.
A second identifying sin is there in verse 15. Those who are new creations in Christ “no longer live for themselves.” You see, our old nature is especially a selfish nature. At the heart of the old self is self.
In fact, the heart of all sin is the sin of self-idolatry. It’s doing things for your own glory and reputation… and often that happens at the expense of others.
Let’s go back to those who were undermining the apostles. Their agenda was a self-centered agenda. Once we get to chapters 10 and 11, we will get a clear picture of their self-promotion and how they were using the Corinthians for their own gain.
And that certainly happens today. You know this… there are so-called pastors out there today who use their people for their own gain. They are still “living for themselves.”
Every single one of us lives for something. And most often, those who still have an old nature, live for themselves.
Ok, the third thing mentioned here is in verse 16. Paul writes, “From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh.” That word flesh is used in several different ways throughout the New Testament. Sometimes it’s about our sin nature, sometimes it is about our weakness in the body, and sometimes like here, it is about a worldly perspective rather than a godly one. One translation says, “we should regard no one according to a worldly point of view.” That’s helpful.
Our old nature judges based on the world’s philosophy – you know, the latest cultural value system about what’s good and bad or right or wrong.
Paul even makes that point in verse 16 that he used to regard Christ according to the flesh. Before Paul was transformed into a new creation in Christ, he viewed Jesus as weak. Jesus was just a man to Paul and to the other Pharisees. To them, Jesus’ words were blasphemous. And Jesus’ actions definitely didn’t align with their worldly understanding of power and status.
You see, our old self judges according to the flesh and not according to God’s perspective.
All three of these identifying sin patterns are indicative of the old self. A focus on outward appearance, a self-centered nature, and judging others through the eyes of the world.
You see, many in Corinth needed a transformation. They needed a metamorphosis from their old nature to become a new creation in Christ.
2. The new has come (5:17)
Some of you attended our Pray for Tucker event last month. Our speaker was Lowell Ivey. Lowell is the director of Metanoia Prison ministry. If you didn’t meet Lowell, you definitely met Jeremy Prather – Jeremy has joined us on a couple of occasions. He’s also with Metanoia. Jeremy works for Lowell.
And just like Jeremy, Lowell spent years in prison.
You see, Lowell had been convicted of multiple counts of armed robbery. Before that, he had been a drug dealer while in the military, which led him down that path.
The prison he was sent to was intensely segregated… it was self-segregated on racial lines. Prison gangs were based on race, and these gangs would riot. Prisoners were stabbed because of the color of their skin. So Lowell joined a white supremacist gang and found himself deeply hating his non-white fellow inmates.
At one point, he somehow acquired a knife and soon thereafter attacked a black inmate. He tried to kill him. Thankfully a guard intervened. However, Lowell was sent to solitary confinement. He spent 10 years in solitary confinement. It’s hard to even imagine that.
But it was during that time that God changed him. Lowell was scanning the radio channels one night and came across a Christian station. The Gospel was clearly presented… and the Holy Spirit brought a deep conviction of his racism and his need for repentance.
Lowell fell on his knees and pleaded with the Lord to change his heart. At that moment he became a new creation in Christ. And he describes the sudden change within. God took away the sin of racism in his heart. No longer did he regard others according to the flesh. The old has passed, the new has come.
In fact, he said that the only group in prison who did not segregate by race were the Christians.
To be sure, Lowell explained he still had other sin struggles in his life. Over time, God continued to conform him more and more to the image of Christ. But that particular sin was no more.
Our new nature in Christ should look vastly different from our old nature. Now, we may not go through as radical a change as Lowell experienced but nonetheless when God changes our heart, he turns us into a new creation.
Let me highlight three characteristics of our new nature.
The first is back up in verse 11. Fear. Not fear of man, rather fear of the Lord.
In verse 10, which we considered last week, we were reminded that we must all sit before the judgment seat of Christ. Well, the truth of God’s judgment should drive us to a godly fear of him.
That idea is reinforced in what we already considered in verse 11. “What we are is known by God.” Because God knows our heart, we should have a reverent fear of him. That does not mean cowering in front of him, but it does mean recognizing his justice and seeking to worship him in all areas of our lives.
Let me put it this way: our new nature should include a reverent and deep recognition of God in his sovereignty and holiness. And that recognition should continue to transform our lives.
So that’s the first aspect of being a new creation in Christ – a reverent and awe filled fear of the Lord.
The second and third aspects are a contrast to the old nature. The false teachers in Corinth boasted about their own outward appearances… and “not,” as it says in verse 12, “about the heart.”
We often shy away from talking about ourselves. And that’s generally a good thing.
Someone who is always talking about themselves and what they have done and who they know is off-putting. It may be an indication that they still have the old nature.
However, we should testify to what God is doing in us and in others. I’m not saying all the time. But when we give glory to God for his transforming work in us, we are directing others to the new creation that God has made.
You see, that kind of “boasting” is not in ourselves or in outward appearance but it is boasting in God for his Gospel transforming work.
And at times we should be passionate about it.
I think that is what verse 13 is about. It’s a strange verse. It says, “For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you.”
Being “beside ourselves” means passionately expressing something. You know, animated. John Piper, the well known pastor, comes to mind. He gets very animated because he’s so passionate about God’s work and his word. One time Piper was waving his hands… and his Apple Watch started calling 911. It thought he had fallen… he was just being very dramatic.
Now, we don’t know what the apostle Paul was like when he was preaching or teaching. But Festus, one of the Roman governors said to Paul that he “was out of his mind.” Paul had been zealously appealing to Festus that he believe.
But we also know that the apostle Paul was very thoughtful and measured at times. He was very rational and composed in much of his writing. So, when he says, “if we are in our right mind, it is for you,” it’s likely referring to his thoughtful and calm arguments for Christ.
Anyway, what I’m saying is that to be a new creation in Christ, is first of all, to look to God – to fear him. Second, it’s to testify and boast about the things of the heart – at times fervently, at other times, in a measured way.
And then third, it is living for Christ. Similarly, this is a contrast to the old nature. When we become new creations in Christ, we turn our attention away from self-centeredness to Christ-centeredness.
This takes us to verse 14. “For the love of Christ controls us.”
God’s love for us in Christ compels us. It motivates us. It directs us. It encourages us. God’s love for us in Christ transforms us. And then immediately we’re given the reason. And the reason is the death and resurrection of Jesus.
By the way, let me make a clarifying comment about verse 15. The word “all” means that the atonement of Christ is for all peoples – all tribes, all tongues, all nations. As the apostle Paul has said elsewhere… Jew and Greek, slave and free, male and female. Christ died and was raised for all those categories.
And this takes us back to where we started. The death and resurrection of Jesus is the basis for being a new creation in Christ. When you are transformed, you will no longer live for yourself, but you will be compelled to live for Christ. As verse 15 says, “that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.”
I remember a few years ago talking to a camper who had gone to Camp Westminster for the first time. Some of you have been there. And she said to me, “the counsellors just kept talking about Jesus’ death and resurrection.” Well, that warmed my heart. Yes, there are other important matters of faith and practice, but at the heart of it all is the cross and resurrection. It’s what makes us new creations in Christ.
Now, you may be asking a very important question “How does that actually work? How does Jesus’ death and resurrection actually make me a new creation in Christ.” Well, that is answered in next week’s verses.
Conclusion
In summary, to be a new creation in Christ is to be transformed. It is to be changed, metamorphosed. Like from a prickly, bumpy, slimy caterpillar to a beautiful butterfly.
May God change us from self-centered, outward-focused, and hard-hearted creatures of the world to God-fearing, Christ-centered, heart-focused new creations in Christ.
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Walking by Faith: Longing for Heaven and Living on Earth
2 Cor 5:1-10
Our sermon text is 2 Corinthians 5:1-10. You can find that on page 1147.
The theme of suffering continues here in chapter 5.
Last week, we were encouraged to not lose heart in our affliction. That is because of three things. (1) God is working his Gospel in us – he is renewing us day by day. (2) our suffering, though difficult, pales in comparison to the eternal weight of glory. And (3) God enables us to look to the eternal things in heaven, which we cannot see but are promised.
The beginning of chapter 5, here is a continuation of point 3 from last week. God enables us to look to the things in eternity even though we cannot see them. And in these verses, we’re given a picture of heaven and what it will be like to dwell there.
These verses put meat on the bones, so to speak. They tell us what the future reality will be like in comparison to our present reality.
So, as I read, listen for that comparison. Our present reality on earth compared with our future reality in heaven.
Reading of 2 Corinthians 5:1-10
Prayer
There’s one medical statistic that has remained consistent for all of history… going all the way back to Adam and Eve. The percentage of this medical occurrence has not changed in that long. Thousands and thousands of years of human history.
I’m talking about the mortality rate. It has remained at 100%. By the way, the word “mortality” literally means “subject to death.” 100% in the history of humanity.
Now, I know what couple of you are thinking… “yeah but what about Enoch? God took him but he didn’t experience death? Or what about Elijah? He was taken up to heaven on the whirlwind.” Ok, fine. But you get my point. Everyone in history minus 2
There is only one event that will change that. There is only one event that will end mortality. And that is when Christ returns. We don’t know when that will happen. But when he returns, those who are alive will not experience death. Wouldn’t that be great if it happened in our lifetime.
At that time, the Scriptures say that Jesus will return as judge of the living and the dead. Verse 10 references Jesus’ “judgment seat.” We’ll come back to that later.
But look at verse 1, do you see that word “if?” “For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed”
It’s talking about our mortal bodies. That word “if” is the same word in the Greek for the word “when.” And here it is an “if or when.” It’s an “if” for you if Christ returns before you experience death. It’s a “when” if Christ returns after you pass from this life.
In the meantime, all of us will experience the groaning of our bodies, as these verses describe. And possibly all of us will experience the pains of death as we pass from this life.
And it’s difficult. Our “groaning” is difficult to different degrees now and it will likely become more difficult. We don’t want to struggle with sleep issues or weight issues or chronic issues or disease or mental heath issues… or the general wearing down of our bodies. No, we all have an internal longing to be whole.
And what 2 Corinthians 5:1-10 reveals to us is that one day we will be whole. These verses reveal the amazing reality of what is to come. It helps us to live with the groaning now with confidence in the reality of what is to come for us in heaven. And it’s a beautiful promise.
As you heard, these verse constantly go back and forth between earth and heaven. Our current reality and our future promise. The pains of our current bodies, and being clothed in perfected ones. How in this life we are away from the Lord –we’re not in his physical presence, but in the life to come, we will be with him forever.
And the big question here is this: How do we live in adversity and long for eternity? How can we turn our groaning into longing?
The answer centers on one thing. There’s one thing that is critical. Really, it’s the key to the answer. And it’s right there in the middle of these verses. Verse 7. “We walk by faith and not by sight.” You see, the Bible gives us many promises. And we are called to believe in them by faith.
Faith is the key to it all. It’s the key to living on earth while longing for hope for heaven.
Now, these verses do not give us a definition of faith. In fact, faith is only mentioned a few times in the whole book. But remember, Paul is writing to the church in Corinth. This is not the first letter he’s written to them. No, it’s actually the fourth letter. We don’t have two of them. And also, don’t forget, Paul planted the church in Corinth. He’s also visited them. So, he is not defining the word “faith” because he knows that his readers understand its meaning.
Now, for us, the word faith culturally has a shallow meaning. Mostly.
People often use the word “faith” today in a generalized sense like a blind trust – a blind faith. Like, I’m not really sure about something, but I’m just going to go with it. You know, that kind of faith.
But the word faith in the Greek and its use in the Scriptures is much deeper. Much richer. Its not a blind faith without reason… but a belief and trust in something because of the confidence in and reliance on what is believed. In fact, the same word “faith” in the Greek is sometimes translated “assurance” depending on the context.
In other words, faith includes trusting in something because of real, rational, and true reasons.
Let me take a moment and speak those of you here who are still evaluating Christianity.
When you hear that Christianity requires faith, that’s very true. At the heart of what it means to be a Christian is to have faith in Christ. It’s faith in who he is as God and what he has done. But faith does not mean setting aside your mind or reason. No faith includes engaging your mind.
· It’s believing in God as he has revealed himself in creation all around you and in the Scriptures.
· It’s seeing how consistent and clear the Bible is and its validity. We have almost 6000 New Testament manuscripts going back to the second century and they are amazingly consistent.
· Having faith also includes understanding your own heart. It’s recognizing your need for honor instead of your shame, for forgiveness from your sin, and for redemption because of your debt to God.
· Faith is believing that Jesus has overcome those things for you.
· You see, faith is both a heart and mind belief.
Now, for all of us, faith in Christ does include things that we cannot see. Absolutely. We cannot see heaven. We cannot see God. But that does not mean it’s a blind faith. No, it’s trusting in the riches which have been revealed to us.
So, when verse 7 says, “we walk by faith and not by sight” it’s saying that as we journey through life, we trust in the future promises that God has given us, because of all the things he has done for us.
Ok, with that foundation of faith, let’s look at two things. You’ll see those on the notes page.
First, Longing for heaven by faith. And second, living on earth by faith.
So, longing for heaven while living on earth, by faith
1. Longing for heaven by faith
Some people think that heaven will be like we are in the clouds, and we’ll be floating around like angels. But that is not how the Bible describes heaven. When Christ returns, we will be given new bodies and there will be a new heavens and a new earth – a new creation that is not groaning.
These verses give us a picture of some of that. Look at the contrast. Our earthly bodies are described as tents. Our heavenly bodies are buildings. One is flimsy and it doesn’t take much to tear down. The other is firm and immoveable.
In fact, the end of verse 1 says our heavenly dwelling will be “eternal in the heavens.” Indestructible. You ask, what will that be like?
I’m not totally sure, but we are given a glimpse of that in Jesus’ resurrected body. Ours will be like his in some way. When he appeared with his disciples, he ate with them. Thomas, his disciple, felt the scar on Jesus’ side. There will be a physical nature to our bodies. But they will be imperishable. Immortal. Look at the end of verse 4 – “we will be further clothed so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life.” No longer will our bodies be subject to death, but rather life forever. Let me put it this way, the mortality rate in heaven will be 0%. Death will be no more.
So that is one promise here – resurrected imperishable bodies.
Ok, there’s a second future promise in these verses. Those in Christ are promised to be present with the Lord. Physically present with him. Verses 6 and 8 describe how in our bodies now, we are away from the Lord.
To be sure, the apostle Paul is not talking about the spiritual presence of Christ. No, Jesus is spiritually present with us, now, through his Spirit by faith. But when our earthly bodies are destroyed, we will be with the resurrected Lord in heaven. In his presence.
Let also me clarify something. These verses do not focus on the timing of when we’ll be given eternal bodies. But these verses do tell us when we will be present with the Lord. We will be present with the Lord as soon as we are away from the tent of our earthly bodies.
Think of the thief on the cross. Jesus said to him that “today” he would be with him in paradise.
By the way, elsewhere in the New Testament, it’s very clear that our heavenly dwelling, our resurrected bodies, will be given to us when Christ returns, in the future.
Here’s what I am saying. If you are a believer in Christ by faith, when you die, your soul will immediately be with the Lord. But in the future, when Jesus returns your soul will be united to a new resurrected body.
When you pass from this life, it will be amazing to be in the Lord’s full presence. But when Christ returns and you are found in him, it will be even more amazing. It’s hard to even imagine being in the presence of the resurrected and ascended Jesus, with a new heavenly body like his.
We can’t see exactly what that will be like, but we walk by faith in that promise.
Let me summarize point one like this. Turn your groanings into longings. Long to be present with the Lord. And long for that imperishable, eternal, immortal body that you are promised in Christ.
2. Living on earth by faith (5:5-10)
Which brings us to #2. Living on earth by faith.
8 years ago, I took a paper lawn trash bag, which I had cut open. And I got out some old spray paint… And wrote in big letters, “Alaska or Bust.”
I wanted to tape the sign to the back of our RV, but the kids thought that was weird.
We then set off on a 7,000 mile journey. I wasn’t sure if we would make it. At one point, we were driving toward the Canadian boarder, and all of a sudden the engine made a bad noise… and smoke started billowing everywhere behind us. My heart sank. I thought the engine just blew up. I thought Alaska or bust was a bust.
Thankfully it was just a coolant line. Got that fixed and continued on. Made it into Canada, but then the next day, boom. Blew a tire. The next day, we almost lost another tire. Then the next day, black diesel smoke started pouring out of the tailpipe every time we tried to accelerate. We were in the middle of nowhere. By this time, I was quite sure we weren’t going to make it.
Isn’t that how you feel while on the journey of life? Do you feel like your travel sign says “heaven or bust.” Do you think that there’s a possibility you’re not going to make it. Or that you’ll lose your faith or that God will forget you? We lose hope, don’t we?
Do you know what your travel sign really says. It just says, “heaven!” there is no “or bust.”
Look at verse 5. “He who has prepared this very thing is God, who has given us his Spirit as a guarantee.”
God’s promise is sure. There are no “maybes” about it. It is not a hollow hope. It is the sure hope founded on what God has accomplished in Christ - his death and resurrection.
You see, God will accomplish his promise. If you have believed by faith in what Christ has done for you, God has given you his Spirit as a guarantee.
Jesus, himself, reinforces this. In the Gospel of John chapter 6, he said, “I should lose nothing of all that he [the Father] has given me, but raise it up on the last day.” And he said, “For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” Jesus promised that he will raise you up.
Let’s go back to 2 Corinthians 5… Immediately after Paul reminds us of this guarantee, he writes, “So we are of good courage.” That is verse 6. Then he repeats the same phrase in verse 8. “Yes, we are of good courage.”
Do you know when you need courage the most? In battles, in trials, in affliction and suffering.
So, in this life here on earth, no matter what happens to you -blown tires, engine failures, accidents, you can live with courage and confidence because God will carry you to your destination.
I’ll never forget it. In the distance I could see something big on the side of the road. As we got closer, it turned out to be a big sign. Pretty soon we could read it. It said, “welcome to Alaska.” For this special occasion, I brought a big sharpie. I crossed out the word “bust” on our sign… and underlined the word “Alaska.” We made it. By the way, that sign hangs in our basement.
Beloved in Christ, just cross out the phrase “or bust” right now in your imaginary travel sign. There’s no chance that you will not arrive. No, you are assured of that. And you can live on earth now with confidence and courage.
Ok, so that is one way you are called to live knowing of your future promise. Confidence and courage.
There’s also a second response here.
Look at verse 9. It says, “So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.” In other words, whether we are on earth or in heaven, we aim to please God.
Let me mention the obvious. If you are in heaven, away from the body, you will be pleasing the Lord. That’s because you will be worshipping him for eternity. You will be so overwhelmed being in his presence that you will be giving him the glory forever. And you will be unable to sin, so everything you do in eternity will be pleasing to the Lord.
But the other part of verse 9 is that we make it our aim to please the Lord now. Think of everything that the Lord has done for you. Just in these verses alone there are abundant reasons to please the Lord. He’s promised to clothe you in a new heavenly dwelling. He’s promised that you will be in his presence when you pass from this life. He’s given you assurance. He’s given you faith.
Each one of those is reason enough to seek his pleasure. By the way, what does pleasing him mean? It means honoring him in your life. It means pursuing his commands. It means, loving your neighbor. It means participating in Jesus’ Great Commission, like Paul was doing.
Have you heard this description of some people. “They are so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good.” That is why main point #2 is important. Yes, we should be heavenly minded, main point #1. But that should work its way out in our lives. Our courage, our ministry to others, our life… pleasing the Lord in those things.
That phrase definitely does not describe the apostle Paul. No. He was both heavenly minded and earthly good. His faith in Christ gave him hope. Yes, he longed to be present with the Lord and clothed in Christ in his heavenly dwelling, but he also pressed on in ministry and courage and confidence… with an unending desire to please the Lord in this life.
And that brings us to verse 10.
It gives us yet another reason we should seek to please the Lord. It says, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.”
Now, it’s tempting to misunderstand this verse. It is not saying that if you do good things, your reward will be heaven. This is not a verse that says we merit heaven through our good works.
However, it is a reminder that Christ is the divine judge. Our lives will testify to our faith. As one commentator put it, “everyone who is mindful of their mortality must therefore be mindful of their morality.” That’s a helpful way to think about it.
And notice that it says “we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ.” Remember that there were some in Corinth leading the church astray. They were teaching a false Gospel and peddling God’s Word, undermining it. They also must appear before Christ. And they will be gravely accountable for their evil works… because their life and actions and false teaching demonstrate a lack of true faith in Christ.
But let me also say, if you have faith in Christ for salvation, having repented of those things that do not please the Lord…God will reward you for your good works. Because your works are not your works but Christ’s work in you. God will get the glory because we have sought to please him. And we will receive the great rewards of heaven.
The point is that we should aim to please the Lord in this life. Why? Because he’s given us assurance. He is the divine judge. And (back to verse 5), God is the one who will cloth us with an imperishable dwelling forever.
Conclusion
So may we live by faith here and now, with courage and confidence, pleasing him, and anticipating his coming judgment.
May our groanings turn to longings because the mortality rate in heaven is exactly 0%.
And may the Lord give us faith in Christ or strengthen our faith in him on the journey.
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The Eternal Weight of Glory
2 Corinthians 4:16-18
This morning, we are going to finish chapter 4 of 2 Corinthians. Verses 16-18. You can find that on page 1147.
In the leadup to our verses this morning, we have been encouraged in our suffering. Even though we are like jars of clay, breakable and fragile, yet we have the surpassing treasure of the Gospel of Jesus within us.
As we are given over to death… as our bodies deteriorate… as we suffer, yet, the life of Jesus is at work in us. And we are promised a resurrection hope through Christ.
That was the promise of last week’s verses. A resurrection hope through Jesus Christ.
And that brings us to verse 16.
Reading of 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
Prayer
If you’ve been following the news in Montana, you’ll know that there’s a battle over suffering and death. Legislation has been proposed that would make it legal for someone with a terminal disease to end his or her life with the help of a physician.
And it’s very personal. Those who argue in favor tell stories of difficult suffering of loved ones. Those who argue against it tell stories of difficult suffering of loved ones.
To some extent, I think we can each understand the motivation for such a thing. Physical suffering is difficult and it’s likewise difficult to watch a loved one endure such a trial, especially when the diagnosis is grave.
But life is precious… no matter our age or situation. God is the one who is to numbers our days. Not us. And it may be in those last days or moment that God draws someone to himself – like the thief on the cross next to Jesus.
And not only that, but we have been learning in 2 Corinthians that suffering unto death is part of life. It’s part of the fallen condition that we live in and the fallen nature that we have. And for the Christian, through our suffering we share in Christ’s suffering and because of that, we also share in his comfort.
We learned that back in chapter 1. You see, God often fulfills his purposes through suffering. And when we suffer affliction, he will strengthen and give us hope when we look to him.
As we come now to verses 16-18… whey do is apply verse 14 to us. Verse 14 is about the resurrection. Since God raised the Lord Jesus, he will raise us and bring us into his presence. Look again at the end of verse 14. Paul writes to the Corinthian church that Jesus will bring “us with you into his presence.” You, believers in Corinth, will join us, Paul and those with him, in that resurrection.
That is a great hope. And verses 16-18 then explain how to experience that resurrection hope in our lives… especially in our suffering. Even in despair.
The question is, in our present suffering, how can we not lose heart? How can we live through the trials of this life with the hope of heaven? How do you actually do that? How do you actually have hope in suffering?
Verses 16-18 tell us how.
Look at 16. It begins with those encouraging words. “So, we do not lose heart!”
And then Paul goes on to tell us why and how.
By the way, this is the second time in this chapter that Paul has used the phrase “do not lose heart.” The first time was up in verse 2. Paul was talking about not losing heart in ministry and focus. Even though some will not respond, “do not lose heart.” God is at work. Remember that? Well, this time, the “do not lose heart” is about suffering and affliction.
On the sermon notes page, you’ll see the question, How do I not lose heart in my suffering?
Three answers listed there:
1. Renew the Gospel hope of Christ in you
2. Compare your affliction to the weight of glory
3. Fix your eyes on the eternal not the temporal
Those correlate with the verses, 16, 17, and 18 respectively.
1. Renew the Gospel hope of Christ in you
So, again, number 1. Renew the Gospel hope of Christ in you
Paul writes, “we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.”
He’s talking, first, about the impact of the fall, of sin and the curse on our bodies and minds. They are wasting away. Some of us feel it more than others. And Paul is comparing that to the new hearts that we have been given in Christ. Remember earlier in chapter 4 verse 6. “God… has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” That new heart is the treasure that we have in our jars of clay on the outside.
So, our outer nature is wasting away. And our new nature, the new creation we have in Christ, is being renewed day by day.
It’s like one big decrescendo and another big crescendo happening at the same time. If you’re musical that will make sense. A decrescendo goes from louder to softer. A crescendo goes from softer to louder.
Our minds and bodies are decrescendo-ing. We are always fighting against the effects of the fall. It’s not just aging but sickness and disease and accidents. It may, like Paul, include the scars of persecution – or it may include a “thorn in the flesh.” In chapter 12, Paul describes a thorn in his flesh - some condition that he has endured his whole life.
All of it is leading us down a decline in various ways.
But there is also a crescendo for Christians. It says here that our “inner self is being renewed day by day.” That is talking about the hope of Christ in us. It’s the new creation in us where God through his Holy Spirit has shone his light on us. We’ve been transformed. We’ve turned from our sin and shame to Christ for forgiveness and redemption.
And as we walk through the trials of this life we are enabled to grow in the hope and grace of Christ. I’m being very intentional using that word “enabled.” We are enabled to be renewed day by day.
God has enabled you through his Spirit to mine the depths of the riches of God in Christ. If you are a believer in him, he’s given you the opportunity through his Spirit to be renewed day by day. If you are not a believer, he’s offered that renewal and crescendo.
However, when you are not immersing yourself in his Word. Or not repenting of sin and renewing your faith. Or when you are not weekly participating in worship. Or not communing with the God of the universe through prayer. When you are not engaged in those things, that renewal will not be happening.
That lack of daily renewal will have lots of implications in your life. When it comes to suffering, your spiritual stagnation will result in discouragement, in despair, and in disappointment. You will wonder where God is. You will be asking why you are suffering.
But, on the other hand, when you are renewing that Gospel hope in you (through all the ways I mentioned), God will strengthen you. Your life in Christ will crescendo. And that will help sustain you through whatever trials and afflictions and grief that you are enduring.
You see, that is part of the answer of how not to lose hope in suffering. Engage in all the ways that God has given to be renewed in him. That hope and renewal sustained Paul, and it will help sustain you.
So, answer 1: Renew the Gospel hope of Christ in you.
2. Compare your affliction to the weight of glory
And now, answer number 2. How do we not lose heart in our suffering? We compare our affliction to the weight of glory.
Verse 17. “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” By the way, this is my favorite verse in the whole book.
God is saying that your affliction is “light”… meaning it doesn’t weigh much… and it’s “momentary” meaning it does last long. Does that make you mad? Because, God, it doesn’t feel like my affliction is light and momentary. No, it weighs me down. I can’t sleep. The pain doesn’t go away. The fear sometimes overwhelms. It’s heavy. It doesn’t feel light, no, it feels like a ton of bricks.
Actually, I brought a brick. This is just a regular clay brick. But we used to have a lead brick in our old house. It was actually there when we moved in… and I think we left it there. It was about this size. Now, this brick weighs like 3-4 pounds. But the lead brick was like 25 pounds. 5-6 times heavier. If we still had it, I would have brought it in.
Now I want you to imagine a big pile of lead bricks – a pallet of bricks - maybe 500. That would be very very heavy. Thousands of pounds.
In this verse 17 comparison, that pallet of lead bricks represents your suffering. You probably thought I was going to say that the pallet represented the eternal weight of glory. No, that is way beyond what I can describe. The key is in the phrase “beyond all comparison.” The greek phrase is literally “exceedingly exceeded.” Our afflictions are “exceedingly exceeded” by the eternal weight of glory.
This verse is not minimizing the weight of our suffering.
In fact, that same exact word was used back in chapter 1 verse 8. Paul and those with him had endured intense affliction in Asia. It says they were so “utterly burdened beyond their strength, that they despaired of life.” The same exact Greek word is in there. Their suffering was so “exceedingly exceeded” that they despaired of life itself. They even thought they had the sentence of death.
God is not saying, here, that your suffering is not significant or heavy. Not at all! Rather, he’s saying that the eternal weight of glory “exceedingly exceeds” the suffering that you are enduring here and now.
There are 2 comparisons.
First, something that is light and something that is heavy. And second, something that is momentary compared with something that is eternal.
The weight of glory exceedingly exceeds the weight of our suffering. By the way, that word “glory” is shorthand for heaven. When you who are in Christ pass from this life, you will be with Christ in glory – you will be in his radience and his presence.
In glory we will experience a fulness of joy and peace. We will share the honor of Christ as his redeemed and glorified people. Our worship will be beyond anything in this life. As Revelation 21 puts it, there will be no death, no dying, no pain, no sorrow, no mourning, no crying. There will be no night, there, because of the light of Christ.
You see, even though the weight of our suffering on us is great…. it is no comparison to the weight of glory. Not because our suffering is small… but because glory will be so much greater.
And think about the second comparison. It will last forever. It will be eternal. Even if your suffering lasts your entire life, it is momentary compared to the eternal weight of glory.
Beloved in Christ, the weight of your suffering and trials is heavy. It may feel like a ton of lead bricks. And it may feel like it is never going to end – but it will end one day… and it is nothing compared to the eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.
So, the second answer to the question, how do I not lose heart in my suffering? Is this: Compare your affliction to the weight of glory. Don’t minimize your suffering. But consider the glory of heaven to come. Get a perspective on what it will be like when God raises you with Christ to heaven. Your affliction will be nothing compared to the eternal weight of glory.
Ok, before we get to the third answer, I want to take a tangent. I have been thinking about 2 little words in verse 17 all week. It’s right there in the middle of 17. The words, “for us.” Do you see them there? “This light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.”
I think I’ve been missing out on something about this my whole life.
In my mind, I thought it was saying “preparing us.” You know, “preparing us for the eternal weight of glory.” In other words, I thought this verse was saying that through our suffering, God is preparing us for heaven where there will be no more suffering. That when we finally experience glory, we will be even more amazed because of the suffering we endured in this life. That’s what I thought this verse was saying.
And by the way, it is a true statement. Our suffering is preparing us for glory. However, the focus of verse 17 is a little different. The word “preparing” is not focused on “us.” We are not being prepared. Rather our suffering is preparing glory and we are the recipient of that preparation. Let me read it again for you, it says “this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory.” Somehow our suffering is participating in the preparation of heaven to come.
That could mean a couple of different things. That could mean that when we give glory to God while we are suffering, God in Christ is even more glorified. We will experience more of his glory in heaven because of our suffering.
It could also mean that because we share in the sufferings of Christ (chapter 1), we are therefore participating in God’s preparation of glory in heaven. In other words, because we share in Jesus’ suffering unto death and his resurrection, our suffering is in part preparing the glory that is to come for us.
As you can tell, I am not fully sure of how Paul’s affliction or our affliction is preparing the weight of glory for us. But nonetheless, what is clear is that God has a purpose and meaning for our suffering beyond what we can even understand.
Again, that’s just a brief side note.
3. Fix your eyes on the eternal not the temporal
Back to the question. How do you not lose heart in your suffering?
#1 - Renew the Gospel hope of Christ in you. Meditate on what Christ has done for you OR believe in what Chrit offers you… if you don’t know him. Be in God’s word and in worship and in prayer. Through those things, God will help you to not lose heart. That was answer #1.
#2. Compare your affliction to the weight of glory. Consider the amazing eternal weight of glory. Glory infinitely exceeds the burden of our suffering now. And our suffering is, in fact, preparing heaven for us.
And now, answer #3. Fix your eyes on the eternal not the temporal.
That is verse 18. “look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”
Really, this is an extension of #2. We’re not just to compare our suffering to that which is eternal, but we are to look up. We are to gaze at that which is promised. We’re to look beyond the joys and sorrows of this life. We are to look heavenward.
My favorite Psalms are the Psalms of ascent. Psalm 120 to 134. These Psalms were sung by God’s people on their annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
They are called Psalms of ascent because the people were ascending up to Jerusalem. It didn’t mater if you were come from north, south, east, or west, you were ascending to mount Zion, to Jerusalem – you were going up. And as they ascended, they sang. We read Psalm 121 earlier. It begins, “I lift my eyes to the hills!”
It was not an easy journey, but as they travelled, they looked up toward Jerusalem. They couldn’t yet see Jerusalem, but they knew it was there.
The Psalms of ascent are a metaphor for life for us. We are journeying through this life to the new Jerusalem.
We are bound for the promised land. As we just sang. On Jordan’s stormy banks I stand and cast a wishful eye to Cannan’s fair and happy land where my possessions lie. I’m bound for the promised land. And the rest of the hymn, as we sang, is about the glory of heaven to come.
It is so easy to be caught up in our immediate situation. That’s because it’s hard. It’s hard to lift our head up beyond our pain and struggles and grief.
It’s easy to just focus on what we are going through and either feel that God doesn’t care or even think that suffering in and of itself is virtuous. It’s easy to be an Eeyore, isn’t it? You know, Eeyore from Winne the Poo. “Woe is me.”
Just to be sure, I’m not minimizing our suffering. I’m just cautioning against that first part of verse 18. “look not to the things which are seen… for they are transient.” Besides not dwelling on our suffering, we should not hope in the things of this world. They will pass.
Rather, there is something far greater. We should direct our attention to that which we cannot see, which is eternal. It is that great promise of life beyond this life.
The Puritans used to use the phrase “Die before you die.” What they meant by it was, prepare yourself for death before you get to the point of death. Prepare your heart and mind now for future suffering unto death and the glory that is to come.
Let me slightly change that. “Live in heaven now before you get to heaven.” I know, it doesn’t have quite the same ring to it. But how about “glory in the glory to come.”
Look to heaven. Anticipate your presence with Christ in eternity. Consider all the joys of glory. That is what verse 18 means “look to the things that are unseen… because the things that are unseen are eternal” Our physical eyes cannot see it. But we are given the vision and promise in God’s word.
Conclusion
So how do we not lose heart in our suffering?
Answer 1. We renew the Gospel hope of Christ in us. We press in, every day, to what Jesus has done for us and in his word and prayer.
Answer 2. We compare our affliction to the weight of glory. Eternity in heaven exceedingly exceeds our suffering. And in fact, our affliction is preparing heaven for us.
And answer 3. We fix our eyes, our gaze, on that which is eternal and not temporal. We cannot see heaven, but for those who know and believe in Jesus, you are promised to receive it.
Suffering is not something that we should search out. But neither is suffering something that we can escape in this life.
No, suffering is part of our fallen condition. But God uses our suffering for his glory and for our good AND for his purposes in eternity.
So may God enlarge our vision for his purposes in suffering. May we not lose heart when we do suffer. But instead, may we be renewed in the Gospel of grace, may we consider the eternal weight of glory in heaven, and may we fix our eyes on that which God is preparing for us.
Amen.
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2 Corinthians 4:1-6
Please remain standing for the reading of God’s Word. By the way, a couple of you have recently asked why we stand for the sermon text and not the Old and New Testament readings. I would definitely like us to stand for all of them, just like the people did in Nehemiah 8 when the Word was read. However, we already stand and sit a lot in our service, as you know. So, consider our standing for the sermon text as a representative standing for all our readings. We stand in reverence to God’s Word.
Hear now God’s Word, 2 Corinthians 4:1-6.
Reading
Prayer
“Dr. Livingstone, I presume.”
Maybe you’ve heard that phrase before. It dates back to 1871. David Livingstone had left Scotland 30 years earlier to travel to Africa. He went there with the London Mission Society and he travelled all over central and southern Africa. But in the late-1860s Livingstone had gone missing. Many presumed he had died.
So, a man named Henry Morgan Stanly was sent out to find him. Stanley searched for months. And on November 10, 1871, in modern-day Tanzania, he finally found the missionary. Stanly simply said, “Dr. Livingstone, I presume.”
It's hard to overestimate the impact that Livingstone had on Africa. Not only was he a Christian missionary but also a doctor and an explorer. He desired to put an end to slavery. He opened doors of trade in many places and emphasized education. As a doctor, he helped promote helpful practices to treat and prevent diseases. But most importantly, Livingstone brought the Gospel to central and southern Africa. As he travelled, he would learn the different languages of the people he met. He would translate portions of the Bible for them. He would teach the 10 commandments and the love of God in Christ.
However, despite all his work and ministry, Livingstone did not experience fruit from his labors. No, in fact, by some accounts, he only witnessed one convert to Christ. One. In 1871, when Stanly urged Livingstone to return to England, he responded, "Oh, when will Christ's holy Gospel enter into this dark region?” Livingstone yearned to see the light of Christ in Africa.
Now, if you were in Livingstone’s situation, how would you feel and what would you do? If you had dedicated 30 years of your life testifying to Jesus’ life and the cross and his resurrection but God had not seen fit to turn hearts to him, how would it affect you?
I’m sure, like Livingstone, it would weigh on you. And of course, it is not a theoretical question. Every one of us has family and friends who don’t believe. Who maybe are even cynical or hostile to the message.
Maybe that is you? Maybe you’re here today because of family or friends, but your heart is very skeptical. If that is you, as you listen today, be thinking about two things.
· First, yes, your family or friends who believe in Jesus do want you to know and believe in him. But think about this. If you believed in something that you thought truly answered life’s deepest questions, would you not want your friends and family to know and believe? Questions of existence, meaning, morality, life, and death. Yes, I think you would. If you truly believed something that important, you would want to share it out of love. It’s something to think about.
· Second, be thinking about what is preventing you from believing. Is there a deep-down reason that you are skeptical? If so, try to listen anew to the message of Christ. Maybe there something new to hear.
I mention that to be sensitive. These verses are written to believers in Christ. And in part, they speak about people who do not believe. I don’t want you to feel ignored or dismissed.
Going back to Livingstone. I have no idea if he ever compared his situation to 2 Corinthians chapter 4. Maybe he did. Maybe he didn’t.
But if you were to pick a chapter in the Bible that describes Livingstone’s situation best, it would be 2 Corinthians chapter 4. Really, the whole chapter. But in particular verses 1-6.
What I mean is that 2 Corinthians 4:1-6 is about faithfulness to ministry and mission. It’s about remaining true to Christ even when the message is rejected. Livingstone faithfully continued in his ministry even though the hearts of those to whom he was ministering to were closed.
In fact, Livingstone was a Scottish Presbyterian… that means he believed in God’s sovereignty in salvation. And with that confidence, he persevered. Livingstone knew that God is the one who changes hearts and minds. It is God who shines his light of knowledge and glory. Despite the burden of seeing little response, yet he pressed on in faithfulness.
As we work through these verses, I think you will see the parallels to Livingstone’s ministry.
We have three main points this morning. You’ll see those on the sermon notes page.
Point 1. Do not lose heart - that is verses 1-2 and 5.
Point 2. Because of veiled and deceived hearts (verses 3-4)
Point 3. For it is God who shines his Gospel light on hearts (verse 6)
Let me put that together. (1) Do not lose heart (2) because of veiled and deceived hearts (3) for it is God who shines his Gospel light on hearts
1. Do not lose heart (4:1-2, 5)
As we get into this, let me first remind you of a couple of related things that the apostle Paul has already written. Back in chapter 2 he wrote that we are the aroma of Christ. That aroma is one that will lead to life for those being saved. But it is also the aroma of death to those who do not believe. Some will believe and some will reject.
That same theme is continued in chapter 3. Remember from last week, the old covenant has been fulfilled in the new. The glory of the old is gone, because the new covenant in Christ has come. However, many hearts are still veiled. And that veil, as Paul says, is only lifted by Christ through his Spirit.
When Paul begins chapter 4 with the word “therefore” he is referring to the fact that many will hear but not hear. Many hearts will be veiled. The aroma will not be pleasing but the opposite.
He says in verse 1, “Therefore having this ministry by the mercy of God.” That ministry, as a reminder, is the ministry of the new covenant. It’s proclaiming Christ. And in that ministry, Paul continues, “we do not lose heart.”
As I mentioned, when you believe something deeply, you, of course, desire others, especially those you love, to also believe. You want them to know the love of God in Christ. You want them to see the hope and forgiveness and mercy of God. But often, they do not. Paul is not saying we shouldn’t continue to long and desire others to believe. Rather Paul is saying that we should not lose our motivation and our focus in our ministry. “Do not lose heart.” And essentially the next 5 verses explain why and give a word of warning.
L me ask. What temptations do you experience when your words seem to have no impact? A couple come to my mind. Sometimes I feel like a failure. Sometimes I’m tempted to want to stop. But what about this temptation: are you tempted to change the message? If the message doesn’t appear to have any effect, are you tempted to want to change it so that it will?
That is what was happening in Corinth. We get a clear sense of that in verse 2. Paul says, “we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God's word.”
Paul’s opponents were changing the message. They were tampering with God’s word. The message was no longer the message. They reverted to whatever methods and messages would work. Do you remember that phrase “peddler” at the end of chapter 2? That is what was happening. They were saying whatever they thought the people wanted to hear so that people would respond. They wanted to get a sale, so to speak, and they were using disgraceful ways.
Now, we’re not told exactly what their distorted message was, but based on what Paul says elsewhere in 2 Corinthians, it undermined truth faith. For example, in chapter 11 verse 4, Paul warned, “For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.” To some extent the church was putting up with a different Jesus, a different Spirit, or a different gospel.
It's a great temptation. There are difficult things in the message of Christ. Because of that, we are tempted to change part of the message, or even more common, leave things out. Like leaving out God’s wrath or the need for repentance. But when you leave out the reality of our sin and God’s hatred of it because of his holiness and justice, you are undermining the Gospel message. You are removing the cross from Christianity.
Let me also add, when you remove the wrath of God against sin and the sinner, you also remove the love of God. The amazing depth of God’s love offered in Jesus comes because of the real gravity of God’s condemnation. If you remove God’s wrath, you remove God’s love.
I was reminded of a well-known quote from Richard Niebuhr, which I think I’ve quoted before. “A God without wrath brings men without sin into a kingdom without judgment through a ministry of a Christ without a cross.” It’s no longer the message of Christ.
Now, we do other things today to pervert the message of the Gospel. We turn Christianity into social reform and not salvation. Or Christianity becomes an agenda-based message of liberation or justice. To be sure, justice is critically important. God loves justice and hates oppression. But, as we learned last year in our Proverbs study those things need to be understood through the lens of what God has defined as good and right and true.
So then, what is the central message of Jesus Christ? It is this: the need for all humanity to be reconciled to God. All have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. All are condemned. But God, because of the great love with which he loved us, even though we were dead in our sin, God made us alive together with Christ.
And he accomplished that through the perfect and ultimate sacrifice for sin on the cross and through the hope of the resurrection. The only way to receive that reconciliation is by faith when we see our sin, when we grieve because of it, and give our life to him.
The word “gospel” there in verse 3 means good news. That is the Gospel message.
In verse 2, Paul says that instead of tampering with God’s word, they proclaim it, as he puts it, “the open statement of the truth.” Paul and those with him were not not hiding or manipulating anything in the message.
And look at verse 5, Paul affirms that they are proclaiming the central message. He says, “For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord.” Unlike his opponents who were exalting themselves, Paul and Timothy and the others were humbly exalting Jesus. The word “Lord” implies that Jesus Christ is the sovereign one. He’s the risen king. He is to be the Lord of our lives.
So do not lose heart. And do not practice underhanded ways or distort the message. Rather, be faithful to God’s Word.
2. Because of veiled and deceived hearts (4:3-4)
That brings us to Point #2. Do not lose heart… because of veiled and deceived hearts.
Listen again to verse 3 and the first part of 4. Paul writes, “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world [in other words, the devil] has blinded the minds of the unbelievers.”
We get the sense from verses 3 and 4 that Paul’s detractors questioned his legitimacy because of a lack of effectiveness. In other words, they were saying “Paul’s message was not working and the proof is that people weren’t responding.” To be sure, there were many who did respond. But there were also many who didn’t.
To go back to David Livingstone for a moment. He also was critiqued because of a perceived ineffectiveness. In fact, there was a group in Britan who critiqued him because his message was outdated. He needed, as they said, a “new” message and he needed an expanded message. His problem was his approach. That’s similar to the critiques against Paul.
Paul’s response here is very important. The message is not being responded to… not because there’s a problem with the message. No, rather, the message is not being responded to because of veiled hearts. And that veiling is because the god of this world (lowercase “g” god) has deceived.
It’s very tempting to think that we are responsible to remove the veil… That we are the responsible ones when the veil is not removed. But to say it again, our responsibility is to be faithful to the message. And, just to be sure, we need to listen well. We need to be thoughtful and loving in our response. But we should not compromise the truth of Christ.
Again, I want to be sensitive if you are here and you put yourself in the category of unbelief. Let me ask, why is your heart hard to this message? What is the reason, the veil that lies over it? Would you be willing to ask the Lord to remove that veil? Would you be willing to reexamine your heart and reconsider the message?
Every single one of us was blind at one point – I’m using that word blind from verse 4. We were blind for many reasons. It all goes back to our unbelief and selfishness.
Back when God created man, it was Satan who deceived. The devil questioned God’s authority. He questioned God’s moral command. And Adam and Eve in their sin, they replaced God who had been the center of their lives, with themselves. And from that point on, all of mankind was blinded.
And what are we blinded from in our unbelief? We are blinded from seeing God’s remedy to restoring our relationship with him. We are blinded from seeing Christ.
That is exactly how Paul describes the blindness brought on by Satan. Second half of verse 4. Satan has, it says, “keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” Satan is called the great deceiver. But there is one who is greater than him.
3. For it is God who shines his Gospel light on hearts (4:6)
And that brings us to point #3.
So, do not lose heart because of veiled and deceived hearts. Why? For it is God who shines his Gospel light on hearts.
Verse 6 is the climax in these verses. “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
Did you notice the shift in the object of the sentence? It shifts from third person plural to first person plural. Paul had been talking about the veiled hearts of others. He now talks about his own heart and Timothy’s heart. God “has shown in our hearts.” He has shown his light.
The reference to shining light in darkness refers all the way back to the creation account. We read it earlier from Genesis 1.
The very God who created all things, who created all things ex nihilo - out of nothing – created light. In fact, his very first act of creation was to create light in darkness… because he is the God of light. He illuminates all things. He sees all and nothing is hidden from his sight. He is the one who has shone his light in our hearts.
Do you see what this is saying? Because God is the all-powerful creator God, there is no heart whom he cannot penetrate with his light. And the testimony of that truth is his work in us.
The one true God who in creation shone the light of his truth in the whole of the universe is the same one doing a work of re-creation in our hearts. He is illuminating the light of the knowledge of his glory in us. And that light which illuminates hearts is the light of Christ.
By the way, the idea of light is found all throughout the Scriptures. Light symbolizes God’s glory (which is referenced here). Light refers to God’s truth like the reference here to the knowledge of God. Light also refers to God’s presence and his holiness and his guidance. All those references are fulfilled in the light of Christ. That’s how verse 6 ends… “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” …the presence and fullness of the revealed son of God.
For Paul, this is not something theoretical. No, for him, it was deeply personal. His heart had been veiled. So much so that not only did he reject Jesus, but Paul hated him and hated those who loved Jesus. But Paul was confronted by the light of Christ. For him, it was a literal light. Paul was physically blinded, but the veil over his heart was removed… and Paul could truly see. He fell to his knees. Jesus asked, why Paul are you persecuting me? And Paul then acknowledged him as Lord.
God is the one who did it. Paul’s spiritual blindness was removed by God. He is the one who shines his light on hearts.
Perhaps the transformation in your heart didn’t seem as radical. Perhaps over time the Lord lifted it. Perhaps you remember the very day and hour that the veil was removed. Or perhaps God is removing it even now.
God is the only one who can shine the light of his knowledge and his glory on our hearts. We don’t lose heart because we know that God is at work in hearts. We just don’t know how and when and on whom he will shine his Gospel light.
Conclusion
David Livingstone died on May 1, 1873 while still in Africa – it was only two years after meeting Stanley. His body was found next to his bed in a position of prayer. And do you know what they did? They buried Livingstone’s heart in Africa. He loved the people there. And they brought his body back to England where he was buried in Westminster Abby.
In his lifetime, Livingstone saw very little response to his efforts. Despite the veil over so many hearts, yet he was faithful to shine the light of Christ. Little did he know at the time, but God was at work in Africa.
After Livingstone died, God saw fit to use Livingstone’s labors in a tremendous ways. Even in the decade after his death, the veil was lifted on thousands and thousands who turned to Christ. Even more, through Livingstone’s work and expeditions, the door was opened to more missions work. Today, hundreds of millions of Christians can trace their spiritual legacy back to Livingstone.
In our lifetime, we may or may not see what God is doing, but we can have hope because he is the God of light.
May we not lose heart. May we not tamper with the message. Instead, may we trust in the God of light, to shine the light of Christ.
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The Surpassing Glory of God’s Promises in Christ
2 Corinthians 3:7-18
Our sermon text is from 2 Corinthians 3 verses 7-18.
We learned in the beginning of chapter 3 that the apostle Paul was a minister of a New Covenant. That new covenant is received through the Spirit and resulted in life. That is contrasted with the letter of the law, which, as Paul put it, kills.
The rest of chapter 3 unpacks the old and new covenants. As I read, listen for the similarities and differences between the two.
Reading of 2 Corinthians 3:7-18
Prayer
I don’t know if you have been following it, but later this week, 7 planets will be visible in the night sky at the same time. That is a rare event. In fact, it’s been quite the season of interesting astrological occurrences. Maybe you experienced the partial solar eclipse last year. Or 5 years ago, you saw the great conjunction. That was when Jupiter and Saturn overlapped in the sky. Apparently, that only happens once every 400 years. And coming up in just 3 weeks, there will be a total lunar eclipse.
You are probably wondering, how does this relate to 2 Corinthians 3?
Well, 2 Corinthians 3 is considered by some to be the most difficult chapter to understand in all of Paul’s letters. That’s debatable, of course, but it certainly contains some lofty concepts.
At this chapter’s core is the theological intersection between the Old and New Testaments. That’s significant. And obviously important.
And that brings us to the moon and sun and planets.
You see, the central point is that the glory of the old covenant was a fading reflection of the glory of the new to come. The new covenant has come and it has eclipsed the glory of the old. It’s like the way the moon and planets reflect the light of the sun at night. But when the sun rises, its light is so bright that it completely outshines the moon and planets. The old covenant reflected the new before the new came, but the new has come, and the old has now passed away.
By the way, this is one of two main passages of Scripture that compare the old covenant with the new. Hebrews chapter 8-10 is the other. We read part of chapter 10 earlier. The difference between Hebrews 8-10 and 2 Corinthians 3 is that Hebrews works through how God accomplished his promises in the new covenant. He’s done that through Jesus perfect sacrifice for sin. In 2 Corinthians 3, we learn about the permanent nature of the new covenant and that we receive its benefits through the Spirit. So both teach about the old and new covenant but with different emphases.
Earlier this week I spent some time analyzing how 2 Corinthians 3 compares the old and the new. I put a little chart together as I went. You can see that on page 4 of the bulletin. Really, it was for my benefit as I tried to get my mind around the contrast. But I included it in case it may be helpful to you.
You can see that Paul’s primary purpose here is a comparison of the two.
· He gives us the nature of the covenants. The old carved on stone and the new written by the Spirit on our hearts.
· He speaks of the fading glory of the one and the eternal glory of the other.
· The old primarily focused on Israel, but the new expands that to God’s people from all nations.
· Even more, those who live by the old live with a veil over their hearts. But for those who have been freed by Christ, that veil is lifted and they are being transformed.
· But the most weighty of all the comparisons is the eternal outcome. Those who put their trust in the old and reject the new are condemned. But those whose hearts have been transformed by the Spirit and who trust in Christ receive righteousness and life through the Spirit.
It's really amazing how much is here in just a couple of paragraphs.
Alright. We are going to focus in, first, on understanding the comparison, verses 7-11. And then we’ll look at implications of that, today, in verses 12-18. You can see a few summary bullets there.
Now, you may be wondering, why does it take such work to unlock the differences between the two? That is a great question. I wondered the same. Because it does seem that Paul jumps around and repeats himself. Why didn’t he just spell it out in a clear linear way?
The answer is, to his readers, he did. Paul spelled it out in a way they would understand. He used a Greco-Roman rhetorical argument called “a fortiori.” Lesser to greater. That will be on the test after the service. Just kidding. I had no idea that such a thing existed before this week.
The argument goes that if something lesser is true, how much more sure and true is the thing that is greater. Its purpose is to elevate the greater reality. To do that there’s a comparison and an elevation. And another comparison and another elevation. And then a further elaboration on a comparison and a further elevation.
We can see that in these verses. One thing that clearly comes out is the amazing, surpassing, never ending glory of the new covenant. Look at verse 10 for example. “For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory.”
You see, these verses are not just a technical explanation. Rather, Paul was elevating the hearts of the Corinthians. He wanted them not only to know that the new is greater and eclipses the old, but he wanted their hearts to see and rejoice in what God has done. How he has fulfilled all the promises of the old in the new.
Going back to the moon and sun… you know, when it comes to light and energy, there’s no comparison. The moon can only reflect the light of the sun. Yes, in the middle of the night, when a full moon is out it really lights up the surroundings. You can even see shadows. You can see where you are going. If you wanted to, you could even turn off your car’s headlights. Don’t do that, though… but you would be able to see.
But where does that light from the moon and planets come from? It comes from the sun. The light of the sun reflects off of them. The old covenant reflected the glory of the new which, in the Old Testament times, had yet to come.
But also, let me ask, what is the lunar surface of the old covenant? Meaning what is the light from the new reflecting off of? Well, it reflects off of (1) the moral law, you know, the letters carved on stone – the 10 commandments, and it reflects off of (2) other laws that God gave through Moses like the ceremonial laws including sacrifices… and also (3) festivals and (4) the temple itself. All of it, in different ways, reflected the glory of what was to come in the new covenant.
And they all tie together the Old Testament with the New Testament in profound ways. Ways that help us better understand the new.
In the past, I’ve shared a little of my journey to seeing the Bible as one unified book. I remember when I was, I think, 22 years old. I could not wrap my mind around the purpose of God’s law nor even the purpose of the Old Testament. It was a burning question in my mind. I couldn’t let those questions go. Well, my Bible had cross references in the margins. And so, I set out to read through the New Testament and cross reference every single Old Testament cross reference. I worked on it a little bit every day. It took me about 3-4 months. It blew my mind. By the way, I still have that Bible in my office with a bunch of underlines and notes.
Light bulbs kept going off as I saw more and more connections between God promises and laws in the Old and their fulfillment in Christ in the new. Before then, I used to think that the Old Testament had so many strange practices and peculiar events that had no relevance. But then their beauty came alive to me. I realized how in different ways they revealed God in his glory, they revealed his plan for redemption, and they revealed the need for atonement and the Messiah. All of those old covenant things were driving at what was to come.
You see, for God’s people in the Old Testament, the whole purpose of the different laws and ceremonies was to direct their attention to the promise of what was to come.
Let me say something that is really really important. It was never about offering the sacrifices and obeying the law as a means for salvation. Never. Rather it was so that they could trust in God for what he would do. Their salvation was received by faith in Christ who was to come just as ours is received by faith in Christ who has come.
This is illustrated for us in what happened at Mount Sinai. These verses in 2 Corinthians 3, refer to Moses veiling his face. You see, when the Israelites were freed from their slavery in Egypt, God brought them across the Red Sea and he brought them to the base of Mount Sinai. And God then called Moses to ascend the mountain to receive the law.
And so Moses went. But in the meantime, the people began worshipping a golden calf instead of the one true God. And God’s anger burned against the people. But… Moses pleaded with the Lord for mercy. And God relented. Moses was a mediator between God and his people.
After that, God commanded Moses to go up the mountain again. Actually, he needed a new copy of the law because he had thrown down the first. But also, this time, God revealed his glory to Moses. Moses was only given a glimpse of God in his glory, but it caused Moses face to shine with the glory of God.
When Moses descended, the people were afraid because of the reflected glory. And so Moses would veil his face to protect the people. Look at 2 Corinthians 3 verse 7. It says, “the Israelites could not gaze at Moses' face because of its glory.” Even the reflected glory was unbearable because of their sin. Again, Moses acted as a mediator of God’s mercy by veiling his face.
We learn a couple things from that. We learn there is glory in the law. As I mentioned last week, God’s moral law is good and right and perfect. It reveals God’s nature and his goodness. But it is only a reflected glory. We also learn that God’s law requires a mediator, just as Moses mediated for the people. So, the law both directs us to God and it directs us to our need for Christ because of our failure to meet its standard.
That explains verse 9. Look at it. “For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory.” The law is glorious but without a mediator, it brings condemnation.
But the mediator of the new covenant has come. Christ has come. And he’s accomplished and has fulfilled all that the law required. We are no longer condemned by the law. Through Jesus’ righteousness, we are given life. That phrase in verse 9, “ministry of righteousness” is referring to the righteousness we have in Christ.
You see, the sunrise has come. The sun is up. Yes, in the daytime we can faintly see the moon and we can occasionally see a planet. But the moon and plants no longer light anything up. Because the day has come. There’s no more need for the reflected glory of the old because of the surpassing and permanent glory of the new covenant.
Alright, let’s now turn our attention to the implications for us - verses 12-18.
There are two implications - one negative and one positive. The first is when you only see the old and you reject the new. Look at verse 14. Paul, talking about unbelieving Israel, says, “For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts.”
Now, I don’t think that there are any Jewish people here today who reject Christ. But that is who Paul is speaking about. They read the Old Testament. Some may think that by obeying the laws and celebrating the festivals that they are therefore justified in God’s sight. They may even believe in a coming Messiah. But their hearts and minds are hardened and veiled.
It would be like believing that the moon is shining with its own source of energy and light. And maybe even believing that sun does not exist. It would be like covering your eyes during the day so that you don’t see the sun. Or sleeping when the sun is up and only being awake at night.
They do not believe the new. They are trusting in the old for salvation. And because of that unbelief, to use Paul’s earlier words, they will receive “the ministry of condemnation.”
Let me expand this a little. I think there are some parallels here to the Roman Catholic church. In our church history Sunday school class this morning, we talked a little bit about the counter reformation. That was the church in Rome’s response to the Protestant Reformation. And while yes, much of the immorality in the church was addressed, yet, the church doubled-down on many of its beliefs.
Now, I know there are some faithful believers in the Catholic church, but over the centuries, the church has added unbiblical layers that veil Christ. Like the veneration of Mary, or like praying to the saints, or believing in an intermediate state to work off your sins, or going to a priest for intercession. Those are all merit-based or works-based righteousness things. They are in essence veiling the glory of God in Christ.
It’s kind of like a partial solar eclipse. The fulness of the glory of God in Christ cannot be fully seen. And because of it, many in the Catholic church, trust in these things and not the ministry of God in Christ.
There are other parallel as well… like any rejection of the new covenant in Christ. That would include the “I’m a good person” theology. The belief that God will evaluate our good works and because of them consider us good in his sight. That is just a version of the old covenant which cannot save. It denies the sin and idolatry of our hearts and rejects the new covenant.
Let me ask, how should we respond? How should we, who believe in the new covenant, respond to those groups?
Well, we should seek to be ministers of the New Covenant, like Paul. What does that mean? That means praying for the work of the Holy Spirit to remove the veil over their hearts. It means revealing the failure of the old or the law to redeem. It means doing what Paul does here. Showing the glory of God in the ministry of the new covenant! Its exalting the person and work of Christ through his Spirit! It’s showing what unveiled worship is as we behold God. Remember, it’s not peddling God’s Word, but rather it’s exalting God for the exceeding glory of the new.
Ok, there’s another implication here. A positive one. And it relates to my favorite verse in this chapter.
Look at verse 18. “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” I love that verse.
Paul is speaking about those transformed by the ministry of the new covenant. Those whose hearts are not hardened nor veiled but who, through Christ, can behold the glory of God without condemnation! Those who have the ministry of his righteousness because our hearts have been transformed by his Spirit.
And when we behold the wonder and glory of God in what he has accomplished, he does something in us. Or rather he is doing something in us. He is transforming us. He is conforming us to the image of Christ. More and more we will reflect his glory… in our countenance, in our thoughts, in our words, in our actions – in our hearts.
Now, we can certainly inhibit that transformation. Our sin can block the light of the sun.
As you know, this last week has been a little cold. But if you were outside during the day when it was sunny, you really got warmed by the sun.
Inhibiting that transformation is like blocking the sun in some way. We do that when the comforts of this world become idolatrous. Or when our lust or anger or some other sin goes unchecked and unrepented of. Or when we forget to pray or engage in God’s Word. All those things cause us to become cold. They all inhibit the light of the sun reaching us… by our own doing. They all inhibits the transformation of God within us.
But, as verse 18, says, when we behold God with unveiled face. When we come to him laying our sin before him, letting his Word wash over us. When glorying in the ministry of the new covenant becomes our life and righteousness, then God will be transforming us! He’ll be transforming us from one degree of glory to another.
These verses are not saying that we will become perfectly glorified. That will only happen when we pass from this life to the next. But more and more we will reflect the glory of God in Christ. And we will radiate that glory like the face of Moses.
By the way, did you notice that the Lord is equated with the Spirit… multiple times, here. That word Lord, used here, is in reference to Jesus. What Paul is doing here is he is affirming God’s oneness in the Trinity. It’s not overlapping the roles of the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit applies the work of Christ in us. In fact, multiple times in the New Testament he is called the Spirit of Jesus. Christ works in us through his Spirit, to transform us from one degree of glory to another. It is his work.
And that ties back to the new covenant. The ministry of the new covenant is the ministry of the Holy Spirit in us, not the ministry of the law.
So, God has fulfilled all the promises of the old in the new. The glory of the old has faded away, and the surpassing glory of the new has come in Christ. The moon has set and the sun has risen. So may we all with unveiled hearts, behold the glory of God through the Spirit of the Lord Jesus. Amen.
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2 Cor 2:16b – 3:6 Letters from Christ, Written by the Holy Spirit
Please remain standing for the reading of God’s Word. Our sermon text this morning is 2 Corinthians 2:16 to chapter 3:6. You can find that on page 1146 in the pew Bible. We are going to start with the second half of verse 16.
You may notice that we read the last 2 verses of chapter 2 last week. I decided to include them again because of the question asked. The question is “who is sufficient for these things?” The apostle Paul is asking, who is sufficient to be the aroma of Christ? More specifically, he’s asking about his ministry as an apostle. Who is sufficient to be an apostle and to spread the aroma of Christ?
As I read, listen for the answer.
Reading of 2 Corinthians 2:16b to 3:6
In 1948, a professor from Carnegie Mellon wrote one the most famous reference letter ever. This professor, Richard Duffin, was asked by 19-year-old John Nash Jr, to recommend him to Princeton. You see, Nash was hoping to pursue a PhD in mathematics. You may or may not recognize or remember the name John Nash Jr, but the movie Beautiful Mind highlighted his life. In fact, over his lifetime, Nash received many accolades for his work, including a Nobel Prize.
Well, on February 11, 1948, Duffin wrote a letter to Princeton in support of the young Nash. The reference simply had 5 words. “He is a mathematical genius.”
That’s quite the reference. Wouldn’t we each want something like that said of us. “She’s a brilliant lawyer. He is a renowned chef. She’s a musical virtuoso. He’s a master mechanic.”
And what about the apostle Paul? Couldn’t it be said of him, “There’s none like him.” or “His ministry skills are unparalleled.” Or “he’s the greatest of greats.” And it would be true. Even among the apostles, Paul stands out because of his tremendous ministry.
Many things could be said of him. But when it comes to the question, who is sufficient? Or who is qualified? Paul actually rejects the need for a reference letter. Rather, there’s something better. There’s something more important. To be sure, Paul is not saying that letters of recommendation are bad. No. The whole book of Philemon is a reference letter. Paul wrote it to commend Onesimus.
But when it comes to ministry qualifications… When it comes to evaluating Paul’s sufficiency as a minister, there is something far greater. The greatest testimony of Paul’s ministry is the testimony of the Holy Spirit’s work in those to whom he ministers.
That is what these verses are about. They testify to God’s work through his Spirit in Paul’s life and in the life of the Corinthians. These verses really center on God. They center on God’s work in us, as his Spirit transforms our hearts. And in doing so, they teach us the means through which God ministers.
To boil it down, Paul is making two parallel arguments. First, he is defending his ministry by testifying to the work of the Spirit. And second, while Paul is defending his ministry, he is also revealing the way that God fulfills his promises in us. He changes us through his Spirit and not his law.
By the way, I don’t know if you saw it, but I was able to get a sermon outline in the bulletin this week. You’ll see it on page 4. Those two points are the two things that Paul is emphasizing.
· #1 - His ministry credentials. I’m calling that first point Living Letters from Christ
· And #2, God’s covenant ministry with us and in us. I’m calling that point, Written by the Spirit of the Living Lord.
Those ideas are parallel, because if Paul is a true minister, then the focus of his ministry will be God’s ministry. And the results of Paul’s ministry will prove that God himself is the one at work through the Holy Spirit.
So, that is where we are headed.
And let me make one more introductory point. These truths are very important. If we think that God transforms people through his law and not his Spirit, then our ministry to others may actually lead them to death. I don’t think I’m overstating that. In verse 6, Paul said, “the letter kills (meaning the letter of the law) but the Spirit gives life.”
1. Living Letters from Christ (Paul and the apostle’s ministry credentials)
Ok, let’s begin with Paul’s credentials. #1 - Living Letters from Christ.
We’ve talked about the situation in Corinth a lot. The reason is, it helps us understand why Paul says what he says. Remember, some people were trying to undermine Paul. That has come out a couple times so far. They questioned the legitimacy of Paul’s ministry because of his suffering and because of his changing plans. These people, which Paul later calls “super apostles,” were trying to elevate themselves by critiquing Paul.
He alludes to them in chapter 2 verse 17. Look at how he puts it: “For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God's word.” Do you hear his underlying critique of them? Some people were out there treating God’s word like a business to make profit. And back in the first century this idea of peddling had very negative connotations. Peddling involved aggressively pushing a product with often deceitful tactics.
And Paul’s response is that he and the other ministers of the Gospel are not like these peddlers. No, instead, they speak with “sincerity,” he says. They speak with the truth of Christ. God is the one who “commissioned” them in their ministry. Do you see how Paul is elevating God and not himself in his defense?
If you jump down to chapter 3 verse 5, Paul makes a similar point. Their own ministry does not come from themselves. Rather, it comes from God. It’s God’s work and it’s the truth of his Word.
Really, all of this relates to the opening question. Who is sufficient for these things (for this ministry)? And the answer is, nobody. Nobody is sufficient in and of themselves. Listen for the word sufficient in verses 5 into 6. “Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient to be ministers.” He’s saying, it’s about God and not about us, unlike the peddlers.
Now, you and I, we are not apostles, capital A. But each one of us here ministers in some way to other people. You may be a witness at work. Maybe you are a light of hope and of God’s grace in your neighborhood or your school or your family. Maybe you are teaching God’s Word or participating in another form of discipleship. In whatever ways you are ministering, your sufficiency should be in God and not yourself.
Why? Well, it is not your work, rather it is God’s work through you. You and I are merely instruments in God’s hands.
Let me ask, if someone said to you, “thank you for ministering God’s word to me. It really really help” How should you respond? Well, you should say something like, “Praise the Lord. God is at work.” In doing so, you would be affirming that it’s not you, but God who is at work.
Paul is essentially responding in that way. He says up in verses 1 and 2, we are not commending ourselves. We don’t need, as some do, letters of recommendation. Apparently, some of these “super apostles” had letters that somehow qualified them. “Here’s my letter. Corinthians, you must therefore listen to me.”
But Paul’s response is totally different. It’s like he is saying, “Do you know where to find the highest credentials for our ministry? It’s not a piece of paper written with ink. No, instead, look in the mirror. Corinthians, you are our letter of recommendation! God has changed your heart through his Spirit. We were merely agents of God’s work in Corinth. Look at the amazing thing that God has done in transforming you, a people for himself. It is not our work. No. It is God’s work through us and in you by his Spirit.”
Suppose you were applying for a job. And you wanted to work for some kind of discipleship ministry organization. Like maybe our denomination’s discipleship agency. Of course, that organization is going to ask you for letters of recommendation. Well, there’s someone in your church that you have discipled for years. In fact, let’s say, God used you in his life to share the hope and forgiveness of Christ. He responded to that by professing faith in Christ. And since then, you’ve been walking alongside of him in his journey of faith.
And so, you ask him to write a letter of reference for you. Of course, he agrees. He would be honored to do so. But instead of writing a letter, he gets in his car; he drives over to the ministry, and he meets with the director. He explains that his own life is a testimony of God’s work through you. He didn’t want to write a letter. No, instead, he wanted to be a living letter because God through his Spirit had changed his heart. And with tears, he explains how God used you to bring the message of salvation in Christ to him. And how since then, you have walked with him to further disciple him in Christ. Wouldn’t that be a powerful living letter of recommendation?
Paul is saying that the Corinthians themselves are living letters of recommendation. And the credentials are not in Paul’s work. No, the greatest credentials come through the work of God in Christ, through his Spirit, who has transformed them. Look again at what he says in verse 3. “And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God...”
You see, Paul and Titus and Timothy… and the others who were ministering to the Corinthians were the true ministers of God. And it was not because of anything that Paul or Titus or Timothy were doing in and of themselves. They were being faithful to ministry God’s Word. The true testimony of their ministry was that the Spirit of God was working in them and through them. The Corinthian’s hearts had been transformed. The Corinthians were their letters of recommendation from Christ. These living letters were not written with ink but instead, the Spirit wrote God’s truth and grace on their hearts.
So, to summarize point 1. God is the one who commissioned Paul and the others. God is therefore the one through whom they find their sufficiency. It is God’s work. And the proof is found as God ministers through his Spirit. As we minister to one another, it is not our work. Rather it is the Holy Spirit’s work. He transforms us and we then become living letters of recommendation
2. Written by the Spirit of the Living Lord (God’s new covenant promise with us)
Ok, Number 2 – main point number 2. Written by the Spirit of the Living Lord. Let me put 1 and 2 together. We are living letters written by the Spirit of the living Lord.
I’ve essentially already said that. That’s because these two points overlap. You see, the reason that Paul can stake his credentials on God’s work through his Spirit is simple. It’s how God works. In other words, if the way God works is through his Spirit and not the law, then that reality ought to be reflected in Paul’s ministry.
Before we get into the details, briefly look at verse 6. Paul states that God made them sufficient “to be ministers of a new covenant.” If they are ministers of a new covenant, then of course, their ministry will reflect that new covenant.
There are a couple things to unpack here. But the first thing I want you to notice is that Paul takes his analogy of a letter, and he extends it to speak of the law.
He had just used the example of a letter of recommendation, which would be written in ink. But then he applies the analogy to the letter of the law.
You can see that at the end of verse 3. The Holy Spirit is writing and it says this: “not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts.”
What were the tablets of stone? The law. The 10 commandments. God engraved the 10 commandments on two tablets of stone.
So, in other words, at the heart of the distinction between letters written with ink and letters written on hearts, is the difference between the law and the Spirit.
The law (meaning God’s law) does not and cannot change hearts. It can merely reveal someone’s heart. In fact, the law often does the opposite. It often hardens hearts. In his own life, before coming to faith in Christ, the apostle Paul exemplified this. You see, before God changed Paul’s heart, everything was about the law.
Paul was a pharisee. Pharisees even made laws on top of laws to help keep the law. And none of it worked. That is because, the law cannot change hearts.
I’ve used the analogy of a mirror before. But I think it’s very helpful, so I want to share it again. God’s moral law, in one sense, is like a mirror.
Kids, let’s say you were outside playing. It had just rained like last night, and so you got pretty dirty. When you came inside, your mom told you to get cleaned up. So, you went in the bathroom. You looked in the mirror. And you noticed that you were pretty dirty. What would happen if you tried to clean your face by rubbing it on the mirror? Well it’s not going to work. In fact, it’s just going to make a mess. Why? Because the mirror cannot clean you. It can only show you that you are dirty. Rather, what you need is soap and water. In a similar way, God’s law cannot cleanse you. Rather, you need the cleansing work of Christ which God applies to you through the Holy Spirit.
That is what the end of verse 6 means. Paul mentions they are ministers of a new covenant, and then says, “not of the letter, but of the Spirit. For the letter kills but the Spirit gives life.”
The letter kills. He’s talking about the letter of the law. If you are trying to justify yourself by keeping the letter of the law, you will fall short. It cannot save you.
I want to make something clear. Paul is not saying that the law is evil! He’s not saying that the law is bad and the Spirit is good. No. God’s law is good. It’s perfect. It’ right and true. It reveals the very nature of God in his holiness and goodness. It points us to Christ in the sense that is shows us our need for him just like a mirror.
And furthermore, once we know Christ and trust in him, God’s law directs us how to honor him in our lives. It’s not bad versus good. Rather, death is what happens if we are seeking to be justified by the law. The letter of the law kills, but the Spirit brings life.
I think Ezekiel’s prophecy in chapter 36 is helpful as we consider this. We read it earlier the service. God said through Ezekiel. “I will give you a new heart…. I will take your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statues.”
What a powerful image. Your heart and my heart are like stone. We were all spiritually dead. And the only way we can come alive is if God, through his Spirit, bring us to new life by giving us a new heart.
Do you see how this ties to Paul’s credentials? Paul’s ministry was not to tell people that if they kept the law, they would be saved. No, Paul’s ministry was quite the opposite. His ministry was to show them that they could not fulfill the law. Instead, they needed a new heart. They needed faith in the one who could keep the law for them. Faith in Christ.
In verse 6, Paul calls this ministry the ministry of the “new covenant.” Implied, of course, is that there is also an old covenant. Let me say, the rest of chapter 3 compares these two covenants. Both are connected and they both are about God’s promises to his people… and how he fulfills them. Just to give you a brief summary, central to the old covenant was the ministry of the law. The old covenant revealed sin and it pointed forward to Christ in different ways. The new covenant is the fulfillment of what was promised in the old. Jesus Christ perfectly obeyed the law and fulfilled all the promises in the old. The new covenant is the ministry of the Holy Spirit, because he applies the ministry of Christ to us by faith. There’s a lot there and we’ll work through it next week. But I wanted to at least give you an introduction since Paul mentionmed the new covenant.
Well, let’s end by going back to the opening question. Who is sufficient for these things? Paul’s sufficiency as a minister comes from God alone. It is God’s work, through his Spirit, in the lives of the Corinthians. That is why they are living letters of recommendation. And why is this important? Because if God’s purposes are fulfilled through the work of God’s Spirit, then Paul’s ministry absolutely needs to reflect God’s purposes.
In a similar way, our ministry to one another should reflect the work of God’s Spirit in Christ. We should not be hammers trying to chisel God’s moral law onto each other. Rather, we should be conduits of God’s grace. We should be ministering the grace of God in Christ to one another.
As we see sin in each other, yes, we should go to our brothers and sisters. That is part of our ministry to one another. We should direct each other to pursue God and his commands because of what Jesus has done for us. We do that knowing that God transforms our hearts through his Spirit. He is the one who applies the work of God in Christ to each of us. Because the letter kills, but Spirit gives life.
May we each be living letters of recommendation for one another… as we see the Spirit of the Living God at work in each of us. Amen
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2 Corinthians 2:12-17
Triumphal Procession in Christ
Please remain standing for the reading of our sermon text. This morning, 2 Corinthians 2:12-14. That can be found on page 1146 in the pew Bibles.
Thank you to Coleman for preaching last week.
In the verses that he worked through, Paul further explained his change of plans. He didn’t want to make another painful visit. That would have been hard on them. Instead, because of his love for them, he thought it best to write a letter and send Titus.
Also from last week, Paul exhorted them to forgive a brother of his sin. What an encouragement to hear. One of the men stirring up controversy had repented. Paul encouraged the church to receive this man back into full fellowship. As Coleman put it, repentance and forgiveness are the Most Precious Remedy Against Satan’s Devices.
OK, that brings us to chapter 2 verse 12 through the end of the chapter. In our verses today, we learn (1) where Paul went next and why, and also (2) from where he draws his strength.
Reading of 2 Corinthians 2:12-17
Prayer
One of my seminary professors said to our class once. “If you can do anything else, do not be a pastor.” At the time, I thought, “that is ridiculous.” In fact, I was doing something else. I was working full time in a career and taking classes in the evenings and weekends. And furthermore, I thought, any one of these guys in seminary should be able to do something else.
I didn’t realize what my professor meant until becoming a pastor. It’s not the work-load. Being a pastor is like any career – it often requires long days and unplanned things that come up. Furthermore, he was not talking about work politics. Any job requires navigating difficult dynamics.
Rather, my professor was telling us that being a pastor comes with burdens unlike most careers. Loving and caring for sheep often requires carrying their burdens. It means weeping with them in grief. It means yearning to see change and pleading with the Lord to see reconciliation in families and marriages and in the church. It means suffering with and alongside others.
Now, to be sure, we all carry those burdens for our friends and family. But being a pastor is like multiplying that by 100. My professor was saying “being a pastor is a special calling because of those things.” To be sure, I am not saying “do not come to me or Coleman with your burdens. No, it is a privilege and honor to minister God’s grace and carry them with you.
The reason I’m bring this up is because the apostle Paul carried many many burdens. For him and the apostles, take the burdens of a pastor and multiple that by 100.
Paul not only carries the weight of the people he’s ministering to where he is. But he carries the weight of all of the churches that he helped establish. And that’s a lot
Look back up at chapter 2 verse 4 and you’ll hear what I mean. “I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you.” Anguish of heart. Many tears. Abundant love. What a pastoral heart. He was in Ephesus when he wrote the painful letter he’s talking about. His heart was in Ephesus, for sure. But his heart was also in Corinth. He sent that letter with all those emotions – tears and anguish and love.
And as I mentioned, he sent that letter with Titus. Titus’s objective was to deliver the painful letter to the Corinthians and help them see their need to repent. Then following that visit, Titus was to travel to Troas where he was to meet Paul and give an update.
That was the plan.
Now look at verse 12 “When I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though a door was opened for me in the Lord, my spirit was not at rest (why?) because I did not find my brother Titus there.”
You see, Paul had left Ephesus and travelled north to Troas, which was also in Asia Minor. And when he got to Troas, as he put it, there was a “door opened for me in the Lord.” That’s a phrase Paul has used before. The city was ripe for Gospel ministry. There were believers there and many people were open to hear about Christ Jesus. By the way, in Acts chapter 20, it is in Troas on this same trip that Paul preached late one night. He went on and on. There was a young man Eutychus who was sitting in the window. He fell asleep and then he fell out of the window 3 stories down to his death. But God used Paul to revive Eutychus back to life.
So, Paul is there in Troas, and he is ministering… but his heart is not settled. Titus didn’t show up. You see, Paul was still carrying a great pastoral burden for the Corinthians. The anguish and tears for them were still there.
Maybe Paul thought that Titus was detained in Corinth because they weren’t listening… so maybe Titus needed to stay longer. Paul didn’t know for sure… but the burden was too much. He couldn’t stay in Troas. No, Paul needed to find Titus. So, as it says, he continued on to Macedonia.
Full stop.
Paul pauses the narrative about his travels. In fact, Paul doesn’t pick it back up until chapter 7!
In other words, Paul interrupts himself. He had been sharing about his intense burden and love for them which caused him anguish in his heart. But then he says in verse 14 - “but thanks be to God!” And he gives us an amazing word of Christ’s ministry in him and through him.
Speaking of interrupting, let me take a brief tangent.
Every single one of us here carries different heart burdens. What burdens are weighing you down? Some of your burdens are very very hard. I know some of them. Sometimes we need an interruption. Sometimes we need to say, like Paul, “but thanks be to God.” You may be suffering a difficult illness, but thanks be to God. A relationship dear to you is struggling, but thanks be to God. A child is suffering or is wayward… or a parent is in his or her last days of life. But thanks be to God. Like Paul, you may feel a similar anguish of heart for someone you love, but THANKS be to God.
But thanks be to God… why? Well, there are many reasons to thank God.
But here, Paul hones in on something that directly relates to his ministry.
He writes, “but thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession.”
On the surface, I think we can understand this. Jesus Christ is the victorious king. He has triumphed over his and our enemies – sin, death, and the devil. And now he is leading us. Look at the verb and modifier there. “always leads us!”
Paul is reminding himself this truth. While he is enduring affliction and anguish, God in Christ is always leading him because God is the triumphal king. That is the surface level understanding.
Now, when the Corinthians read this, they knew exactly what Paul was referring to. Remember, Corinth was a Roman city in Greece. It had been destroyed a couple hundred years prior, but Julius Ceasar re-built Corinth. It then became the Roman capital of the region.
So, the Corinthians knew the Roman system. They knew the history of the empire. They knew all the conquests of the emperors and princes and generals of the land. And they knew that when a commander conquered a foreign land, there would be a great triumphal procession in Rome.
It was the highest honor any general could receive. He would be dressed in a purple robe. He would ride in a gold chariot – the triumphal chariot, it was called. His soldiers would march behind him, celebrating the victory. Some of the spoils of war would be carted along. Incense would be burned and the fragrance would waft through the streets masking the usual rancid smell with a sweet aroma. And furthermore, prisoners of war would be dragged behind in chains. And when the envoy reached the Temple of Jupiter, the prisoners would be publicly sacrificed to their false god – Jupiter, by the way their chief deity of justice and authority.
It was quite the display of victory and triumph. Celebrations throughout Rome would break out and many in the city would join in the great celebration.
So, when Paul says … “God… in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere,” …that imagery would come to mind.
Now, there has been two main interpretations of this metaphor. The first is that Paul considered himself one of the soldiers or lieutenants following Christ in the triumphal procession. John Calvin held this view. He’s been on my mind since we were studying him today in Sunday school. Calvin wrote, “Paul shared in the triumph that God was celebrating… just as the chief lieutenants shared in the general’s triumph by riding on horseback behind his chariot.”
That’s a very reasonable interpretation, I think. As Paul is continuing on from Ephesus to Troas to Macedonia, he is like a soldier of Christ, being led by him. Thanks be to God for that.
However, even Calvin agrees that the word “triumph” in the Greek includes triumphing over us.
I’ve been wrestling through this all week. You see, the other main interpretation is that God, in Christ, triumphed over Paul.
In other words, the imagery Paul gives may not be as a soldier, but as one of the captives being led to his death. Now, mind you, he’s a joyful captive. But isn’t it true, God conquered Paul’s heart. He had been an enemy of God, persecuting and killing God’s people, but God took him captive. Paul bowed the knee in submission to Christ. He forsook all his sin and evil ways. The cross of Christ became his life. In fact, multiple times in his letters, Paul refers to himself as a “prisoner of the Lord” or a “prisoner of Christ Jesus.”
And that interpretation aligns with the rest of 2 Corinthians. Paul and the apostles had been enduring affliction and trials and persecution as a testimony of their apostleship. Paul is a prisoner in that sense - bound to God’s call in his life. And Paul is on the triumphal procession to his death, suffering as an apostle. And as I mentioned, it’s a joyful imprisonment because in his death, he will be given new life.
I think this second interpretation is likely what Paul is implying.
But either way, it is Christ who is leading the triumphal procession. Jesus is the one who through the cross and in his resurrection accomplished the overwhelming victory. The burden of our sin fell on him. Satan and his demonic forces thought that they had the author of life destroyed forever. They thought they had won, but what they didn’t know is that through their very act, God accomplished salvation and defeated them. And when he rose from the grave, he defeated death and sealed Satan’s fate forever.
You see, it is finished! Salvation has been accomplished. And now, Christ is leading us, always, whether as a prisoner or a soldier, in that triumphal procession with him.
Thanks be to God. Because even with the burdens we carry, we can rejoice in his victory.
Now, I think… Paul could have ended it there. It’s a wonderful image of being led in Christ’s triumphal procession. But that is not the end of Paul’s illustration.
No, he also uses the imagery of fragrance. As the triumphal procession continued through the streets of Rome, as I mentioned earlier, incense filled the air. Spices were soaked and slowly burned which gave off a pleasing aroma – it was the smell of victory.
When I was growing up, my grandmother had a few little ceramic potpourri bowls. They were filled with flower petals and dried fruit and spices like sticks of cinnamon. All of it was mixed with water. And underneath the ceramic bowls, were little candles. The little flame would heat up the mixture and the smell would permeate the house.
Of course, I was mesmerized by it. Not the smell, but the candles. Anything with fire is mesmerizing for boys… that doesn’t really change when boys grow up!
But anyway, when you entered my grandmother’s house, it had a sweet aroma. And when I smell a similar smell today, it kind of transports me back in time to her home.
In Rome, the incense bowls were big, and the smell would fill the streets. As the triumphal processional passed by street after street the aroma of burning incense would fill the whole city.
Paul likens the fragrance to the aroma of Christ spreading throughout the world.
And what is that aroma?
The aroma is the aroma of Jesus’ sacrifice. The reason I say that because the language parallels how the burnt offerings were described in the Old Testament. In Leviticus, the offerings were called “a pleasing aroma to the Lord.” That very phrase “pleasing aroma” is used 16 times in the book of Leviticus and 18 times in the book of Numbers. What I am saying is that use of the word “aroma” intentionally connects to the idea of a sacrifice.
And all those sacrifices and offerings of old come together and are fulfilled in Christ.
Now to be sure, this text in 2 Corinthians does not make the explicit connection to the sacrifice of Christ for our sin. But listen to what Paul says in Ephesians 5 verse 2: “walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”
When we follow Christ and walk in his love and testify to his sacrifice… then the pleasing aroma of Christ will emanate from us. His fragrance will permeate to those around us. When the church does this as a whole, many will be drawn to the love and grace and hope and forgiveness and community that God has given us in him.
And by the way, look how the fragrance is described in verse 14. “The fragrance of the knowledge of him.” You see, the aroma of Christ in us and coming from us is more than just the testimony of our lives. Yes, it absolutely includes that. But the aroma is also the testimony of our words …as we declare Christ’s sacrifice and his love… which includes the call to repentance and faith.
So, when we love God and reflect that love, and speak of God’s love and the salvation accomplished and offered in Christ, we we do those things, then we will exude the aroma of Christ.
And look at what will happen. Again, up in verse 14. The fragrance will spread “everywhere!” You see that word? The aroma of Christ will permeate to every corner of the earth. Every nation. It is and it will expand to every people, every language, every tribe.
It’s been almost 2000 years since Jesus’ suffering and sacrifice. Yet, his fragrance is still spreading today – more so than ever. The Gospel of Christ which Paul preached has been expanding ever since and will continue to expand until Jesus returns.
And how does that expansion work? Through us. As the aroma of Christ works in us, it then emanates from us. Others then received it. And they, in turn, pass that fragrance on. We “are the aroma of Christ,” as Paul puts it.
Alright, let’s look now at verses 15 and 16.
We learn an important thing here. The aroma of Christ will have one of two effects.
Number 1: The fragrance of Christ will be a sweet aroma to those who are “being saved.” That is the phrase right there in verse 15. In other words, those whom God has called, whom the Holy Spirit turns to him will smell the aroma of Christ. It will be pleasant, and it will draw them to him. Verse 16 reinforces that. The aroma of Christ will be a fragrance from life to life. The aroma will be the sweet smell of life which will yield new life to them.
Burt there’s a second effect: Not everyone who smells the fragrance of Jesus sacrifice will smell that sweet aroma. No, for those who reject Christ, who, as it says “are perishing” the aroma will not be sweet. Rather, it will be the stench of death. The aroma will permeate to them, but it will sadly be, as verse 16 says, “from death to death.” The smell of death will lead to death.
I want to say this... if you are smelling the aroma of Christ for the first time. Meaning if you are hearing about Jesus sacrifice on the cross. It is the most beautiful aroma. It is the most beautiful testimony of God’s love.
Here’s what I mean. Every single one of us. Every single person who ever lived has offended God. We’ve rejected him. We’ve rejected his law and promises. And God in his perfectly just nature is justified to treat us as enemies. Because of the unholiness of our sin we cannot be in God’s holy presence. We deserve to suffer the captive’s fate.
But God, because of his great love, sent his son, the eternal son of God, Jesus Christ, to suffer and die and receive God’s wrath in your place. And the only requirement for you is to believe that by faith – to forsake your sin and turn to him. In other words, in his sacrifice is life.
That is the pleasing aroma that Christ offers you – life in him. As you smell this aroma, so to speak, receive it with joy and with faith. Join the triumphal procession as a captive of Christ… and celebrate his triumph!
May the aroma be a pleasing aroma because God is saving you.
As we draw to a close, let’s go back to the apostle Paul. He is saying that he is spreading the aroma of Christ in his life and his ministry. And he makes an important point in verse 17. Being the aroma of Christ is not like selling goods. It’s not something to be “peddled”, as verse 17 puts it. That’s what was happening in Corinth. The false teachers and so-called “super apostles” were treating the Gospel like a business. They were using it for their glory and using the people in the process. But no, Paul calls us to “sincerity” (that’s the word he uses)… and calls us to “to speak in Christ.” In other words, we’re to let the aroma of Christ overwhelm us. Out of a heart that has the love and grace of Christ, we can then let the aroma of Christ flow to others. And that sweet fragrance will then draw people to him.
Even in our trials, and suffering, and the anxiousness of our souls, may we know that Christ is leading us on that triumphal procession. May we give thanks to God for that. And may God use us to spread the pleasing aroma of Christ everywhere. Amen
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