2 Corinthians - Lesson 10A

• Welcome back guys and good to see everyone this morning. Well, today is the day. The day we end Paul’s teaching on giving (at least for now). Paul began his teaching on this topic in Chapter 8, and I would say we have mined some serious gold out these past several messages.

  • Another way to say it might be, we have made several meals out of this topic. And it’s been good, but more than that it’s been very educational and transformative. As a matter of fact, I would say it’s been the most educational compilation of teachings that I have personally ever taught on this topic.

  • Now, having said that, we aren’t quite out of the woods yet. We still have just a little bit more to go before Paul’s narrative shifts from giving into his next topic, which will begin promptly in Chapter 10. And, with another chapter behind us, we move closer to finishing yet another Book of the Bible.

    • So, without further a due, turn with me if you will to 2 Cor. 9:9-15, and let’s finish the chapter. And to do that, we will back up and read verse 8 for context. Now, before we begin, remember Paul is writing this letter to the church at Corinth, to the people in that church.

2 Cor. 9:8 And God is able to make all grace overflow to you, so that, always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed;
2 Cor. 9:9 as it is written:
“HE SCATTERED ABROAD, HE GAVE TO THE POOR,
HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS ENDURES FOREVER.”
2 Cor. 9:10 Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness;
2 Cor. 9:11 you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God.
2 Cor. 9:12 For the ministry of this service is not only fully supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing through many thanksgivings to God.
2 Cor. 9:13 Because of the proof given by this ministry, they will glorify God for your obedience to your confession of the gospel of Christ and for the liberality of your contribution to them and to all,
2 Cor. 9:14 while they also, by prayer on your behalf, yearn for you because of the surpassing grace of God in you.
2 Cor. 9:15 Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

• I want to break these remaining verses down into what would be one theme and two sections. The theme is the same theme we read about all throughout God’s Holy Manuscript, and that is God’s Sovereignty, which is coupled with His purposes and ultimate control over the process of Sacrificial Giving in the life of the believer, and all for the purposes of His Glory. Look at it again.

2 Cor. 9:8 And God is able to make all grace overflow to you, (who is doing the work here? – God is – and why), so that, always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed; 

• And then, Paul backs up what he says by slipping Psalm 112:6 into the mix as he reaches all the way back into the Old Testament as a backup and proof to what he is trying to convey. That’s where verses 9 comes in:

2 Cor. 9:9 as it is written: “HE SCATTERED ABROAD, HE GAVE TO THE POOR, HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS ENDURES FOREVER.” 

• So, once again we see clearly that God is the one who scatters. He’s the one who gives to the poor, and the result is “His righteousness endures forever”.

  • And then verse 10:

2 Cor. 9:10 Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; 

• Basically, what we can ascertain from these verses along with the ones prior to these verses, is that when we sow (give sacrificially), which by the way, is defined by Paul as what in Chapter 8? As giving above what someone has; above their ability).

  • When a believer obeys God in the area of finances and giving, God will then return it back to them in a greater fashion, so that, that same person will do it all over again. In other words, in the sowing and reaping concept that Paul just spoke about, the whole reason this Spiritual Law exists in the first place is so that you (if you are a believer), can turn around and help another person in need.

  • Hence, verse 9, where Paul quotes Psalm 112:9, which describes how God provided for the poor. That is the whole point of the sowing and reaping concept. Which means, and let me be clear, it is not to make someone rich.

    • I know I have driven this point home over and over again, but it’s really important for us to understand, especially in light of today’s church society. One that teaches a give-to-get principal, which is generally masqueraded through a statement we have all heard before, and that is, “You can’t out-give God”.

    • I’ve heard that my whole life, and it’s true. And I actually have no problem with that statement, other than it assumes, subconsciously, that the purpose of your giving somehow ties back to your wealth. To you obtaining more wealth. But that’s not why Paul is teaching this concept. He’s teaching it so that they (and by extension you and I), understand the impact their giving, and our giving, will have on the world around them and us by providing for the needs of those less fortunate.

  • And oh, let me say just in case you’re wondering if there’s something in it for you, or us. There is Abundance of Joy – Peace – Contentment, which is what we learned from Chapter 8. But there’s more to it than that. And what is it? Well, glad you asked. Look at the second section of these verses.

2 Cor. 9:11 you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, [The Greek reads – in every way enriching you to all generosity] which through us is producing thanksgiving to God.
2 Cor. 9:12 For the ministry of this service is not only fully supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing through many thanksgivings to God. 
2 Cor. 9:13 Because of the proof given by this ministry, they will glorify God for your obedience to your confession of the gospel of Christ and for the liberality of your contribution to them and to all, 
2 Cor. 9:14 while they also, by prayer on your behalf, yearn for you because of the surpassing grace of God in you. 
2 Cor. 9:15 Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

• Guys, let me download on you for just a minute. I want to download about something that is really near and dear to my heart and pertains to something that I often say. Your testimony is not what you say, it’s who you are, and it manifests itself in your actions (your obedience). “It’s not what you say that matters, it’s what you do”.

  • There is a lot being said in verses 11-15, but what screams the loudest to me when you boil it all down to its lowest common denominator, is the following; when we give to the least of these, when we take care of the poor, provide assistance to those in need, when we do that, you and I will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which means God will bless you financially and our giving will produce more and more thanksgiving back to God, through the people receiving the gift, not to mention the bystanders who may have also witnessed what you did or what the church did, which once again, reaches more people for Christ.

    • And this takes me back to what I’ve said over and over again, and that is, in God’s dichotomy, God does not do what He does but for one reason and one reason alone, and that is to bring Glory to Himself and to redeem mankind back to Himself. We are simply the instrument that He uses to accomplish His will.

    • And that, my friends, is the purpose of the Sowing and Reaping concept. It’s real, but not for the purpose of becoming rich. It’s for the purpose of giving sacrificially all over again.

  • Moving on, now we jump into Chapter 10, where Paul does indeed shift his narrative. He moves from speaking about giving in Chapters 8 and 9, to that of, well, I would say, correction again. Let’s see what he says:

2 Cor. 10:1 Now I, Paul, myself urge you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am meek when face to face with you, but bold toward you when absent!
2 Cor. 10:2 I ask that when I am present I need not be bold with the confidence with which I propose to be courageous against some, who regard us as if we walked according to the flesh.
2 Cor. 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh,
2 Cor. 10:4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.
2 Cor. 10:5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,
2 Cor. 10:6 and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.

• I know I say this all the time, so I might as well say it again. Man, there is a whole lot being said here. In verse 1, Paul is doing something, something he had done earlier in this letter, and that was, he was addressing the naysayers. Those in the church who questioned his Apostolic authority.

  • I want you to remember, this was a huge problem Paul was facing, which was odd when you stop to think about it. Paul founded this church, and now he has to re-establish who he is, all because of a few troublemakers who have found their way into this fellowship. And now he has to defend himself.

  • Pretty ridiculous when you stop to think about it, but it was true. You see, since Paul had left, there were new people who began attending the church, who had eased their way into this fellowship, and they began murmuring, telling the church that Paul was not really an Apostle, and therefore, they didn’t have to listen to him.

    • And so, as you can imagine, over time that became a big problem, which led him (once again) to address the issue, and he does so by addressing himself with the all-too familiar statement, “I Paul, myself”.

  • He addresses them this way because He wants the church to know that it was him who was writing this letter, it was him who was speaking, and that it was him who was making an appeal for them to submit to his Apostolic authority.

• Now, I would be remise if I didn’t stop here for just a minute and remind you that those people in that church, the ones causing trouble, are alive and well today. Not them, but people just like them. They are alive and well, and as this fellowship grows, we will encounter them. Here we are in this new facility, and at some point, new people will come.

  • Throughout my ministry I have discovered there are generally two to three types of people who will show up at church. Especially at a new church. The first type is people who haven’t ever really attended church, or maybe they have a little, but not very often in their life. They also don’t necessarily care for church, and they have a preconceived idea about Jesus and the people who supposedly represent him.

    • My hope and prayer is that when they attend here, they see and feel something different. They felt welcomed and loved all because we noticed them, and we went out of our way to shake their hand and say hello. To say, “good to see you”. Warmth will make the biggest impression on these folks, and that warmth will manifest itself because you took time to show you care. They should never leave here and say, well, no one even spoke to us.

  • The second type of people who will attend will be those who have been wandering in the ‘church wilderness’ for years. They are simply looking for a home, a place to settle in for them and their family. They haven’t given up yet, but they aren’t far from it. They are giving it one more try , and we are anxiously awaiting their arrival. We understand them because we once were them.

    • We, too, have spent time in the church wilderness of the church world, often thinking to ourselves, what is the deal? Why is church so hard and why can’t it ever be right?

    • And like I said, on our first day here in this new facility, this place is different. This group of believers is different. I assure you, this preacher is different, and I think we as a body resemble the opening line of one of an old church song, which says, “I am tired and thirsty Lord, send your rain”.

    • And then there is the third group. I call them ‘rubberneckers. They will come because they want to see what’s going on. They heard about us. They heard about this whole ‘bible teaching’ thing and they may come and stay for a while. This group is much like the group Paul is dealing with in Corinth.

  • They are here and they start fine, but soon they begin murmuring, slowly sowing dissent, stirring up trouble. Subconsciously they slowly begin trying to cut the foundation out from under what God is doing.

  • These folks are not hard to identify. You will know who they are by what they say and how they say it. Slowly they will make little comments, complaining under their breath, sowing seeds of doubt about who we are, who I am, and what we are doing. These folks are the folks you as a church body must watch out for.

    • The word is vigilant. You must be a watchman. You can identify them because they will say stuff like, “Now I don’t want gossip, but I heard, or someone said”. They are the secret keepers of the hidden information. You know, the stuff that no one knows. And they feel it’s their responsibility to bring everyone up to speed, inform everyone, quietly inform folks, one by one.

    • They embody the old saying, “It’s still a secret as long as you only tell one person at a time”. These folks are much like cancer. They attach themselves and then slowly grow and gain strength. But here’s the deal, much like cancer grows off sugar, they can only grow when someone lends them an ear.

  • That’s what makes them grow, and if you aren’t careful their words will feed your flesh. Another way to say it is, their words will excite your flesh, cause you to lean in ever so closely, just to inquire and to see what the secret might be.

• My prayer is that they will not find a home here. That our church culture will make them feel uncomfortable. That our love will stamp out their dissent. These people are very dangerous, and I’ll tell you why. They’re dangerous because many of them are believers. They are saved, but they are immature, and as such the enemy is using them, and yet they are totally oblivious to that fact. They actually think they are helping, when in fact they are working to erode the very fabric of what God is doing in this fellowship.

  • These people are the ones you need to be wary of. Watch out for them and don’t get sucked into what they are trying to start, because if they get a foothold, that’s where the trouble begins. And honestly, it’s up to you as a body to deal with it. Because if you don’t deal with it privately in the very beginning, when it starts, we will wake up and look around and say, what has happened? How did we get here?

    • By the way, what’s interesting about these people is they are never happy unless something is wrong. They feed off drama. They are self-appointed quality control inspectors. They feel it’s up to them to point out everything that’s not right.

    • They epitomize the words of a former news commentator I once listened to long ago, and that is, they consider themselves, “Talent on loan from God”, and they truly believe pointing out problems is a gift. That somehow, they were put on this planet to help straighten the world out. They are busy bodies, murmurers, and as I previously stated, they are working for the enemy, and yet they are clueless to this fact.

  • And by the way, these people are the same people Paul is contending with in Corinth.

    • People are people, and the same people Paul dealt with are the same people we deal with today. There’s no difference, it was just a different time and a different culture. Now as I previously stated, these folks are working for the enemy, they just don’t know it. And as I also stated, they may be believers, just immature believers.

  • Which is why Paul says something that we need to recognize and look out for inside our body. And his words of wisdom show up in verses 3-4. Listen to it one more time,

2 Cor. 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, 
2 Cor. 10:4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. 

• Here’s what you need to know. Our battle is not with flesh and blood. The individual or individuals who begin murmuring are not working simply from the flesh. There is a much deeper spiritual component to their actions, and Paul reiterates this point in Ephesians 6:10-13, when he says this:

Ephesians 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.
Ephesians 6:11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.
Ephesians 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 
Ephesians 6:13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 

• Peter said this same thing but in a different way in 1 Peter 5:6-8:

1 Peter 5:6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time,
1 Peter 5:7 casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.
1 Peter 5:8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

• The reality is this. There is spiritual realm in play in this world we live in. One that we cannot see. And that realm is always working behind the scenes trying to destroy the life of a believer. And the only way you and I can wage war against that enemy is by becoming spiritually mature.

  • That’s it. You must mature as a believer if you want to protect your children, your marriage, your life as a whole. And so, when Paul says we walk in the flesh (he’s saying, I am human), and the battle I fight is not in the flesh and it cannot be seen. It’s invisible because it’s spiritual. That’s the concept here, and what was true in Paul’s day is still true today. Your adversary, your enemy does not stand in front of you, rather he crouches like a roaring lion hiding in the weeds, in the corners and shadows, waiting to pounce. And what’s he waiting on?

  • He’s waiting for us to mess up. For you to regress spiritually. For you to forsake the assembling of the believers. To skip church. For you to ease up on your prayer time, on your study of God’s Word. For you to give him an opening, give him an opportunity. For you to open the door.

    • And those who are the most susceptible to his schemes are the immature. Those Christians who have been saved, but really don’t know God intimately because they have never matured. Because they haven’t spent time with Him, specifically in His Word and in Prayer.

    • These are the people who will slip into a church and slowly begin sowing the seeds of doubt and dissention. And so, what are we to do about it? Be vigilant and look for the red flags. The red flags that show up in the little things people say, because remember, people will always flip bait, fish a little, before they move in. They will dig and see if you have any interest.

  • So, recognize it and don’t take the bait. That’s exactly what Paul says next in verses 5&6. Listen to what he says, and this is where we will close.

2 Cor. 10:5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,
2 Cor. 10:6 and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.

• So here is the solution to the murmuring, to those in the church who try to get something going. We should do exactly what Paul says, and the other disciples did. He says they destroyed speculation, and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God. And this is key, they took every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.

  • We know Paul often speaks in military terms, and that’s what he is doing here. His thought is a simple one. Paul is saying when speculation begins to rear its head, especially as it relates to the knowledge of God. Or another way to say it is, when speculation about who God is or who God’s man is or about what God is doing; when God is moving and man begins to ‘nay say’, we shouldn’t just let sleeping dogs lie.

    • Instead, we should grab hold of it and put it under submission to Christ. That’s what he means when he says, “we take every thought captive”. Paul is painting a picture of being intentional, intentional about stamping out any thought that is contrary to God’s Word and will.

    • Meaning, when the wrong thoughts enter your mind, and by the way, if you are a believer, you know what those thoughts are. Meaning, you know if your thoughts are of God or the enemy. And if you don’t know, then let me give you a way you can know.

  • Ask yourself, is this thought bringing Glory to God, or is it exciting my flesh, my pride, my wants and my desires? If you ask yourself that question, then you will know where the thought is coming from.

    • And when those improper thoughts come streaming in, grab hold of them and bring them under submission to Christ. Let me say, we cannot help it when bad thoughts enter our minds. It happens and it will continue to happen. And we especially can’t help it when someone is murmuring in our ear and they begin trying to plant thoughts in our head, but we can recognize it, and grab hold of it and force them to submit to Christ.

• Now, before I close let me ask you a question. How in the world do you grab hold of or take captive your thoughts? And more than that, how do you bring them into submission to Christ?

  • First of all, you must be able to identify which thoughts are of God and which ones are not, and you do that by knowing God, which comes by way of knowing His Word. And then once you recognize those thoughts, you simply isolate them in your mind and ask the Lord to remove them.

  • You pray about them. You don’t let them take hold, and you certainly don’t feed them. In essence, what you are doing is using a technique that the manufacturing world uses when trying to fix a problem. It’s called the 3 C’s: Command – Control – Correct.

    • You grab hold of the thought by identifying it is not of God. You pray and ask God to bring it into submission. Then you ask God to remove it from your mind. And if you do this, you will correct the situation.

    • And so, that’s what Paul is telling the Corinthian Church to do. And he tells them one more thing. He says this in verse 6:

2 Cor. 10:6 and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.

• This speaks to the heart of church discipline, which is not a popular topic, and I am not going to delve into it this morning. Only to say, Paul is telling this church to deal with the people inside your fellowship who are causing all the problems and confusion, and we will back you up when we arrive.

  • The inverse of that is, if you don’t deal with it, we won’t deal with it either. And why? Because we don’t run your church. It’s your responsibility.

  • I’ll make this statement in closing. If we don’t want to be another church statistic, then we as a body must not allow the nay sayers and the murmurings to ever take hold. That’s one of the primary keys to church health, and it’s up to you to make sure it doesn’t happen.