2 Corinthians - Lesson 1E

• This morning, we pick back up with the study of 2 Corinthians. Last week we finished up with Chapter 1 verses 4-7. In those verses Paul gave us a deep dive into the Biblical concept of comfort paired with suffering. We learned that these two are mutually inclusive of one another.

  • In other words, one proceeds the other. Specifically, we learned that it is through suffering that we are equipped to bring comfort to those who are suffering. If I have been deathly sick, I am now equipped to minister to those who are currently deathly sick.

  • If I have lost a spouse, I am now equipped to minister to those who have just lost a spouse (in a way that others who have not lost a spouse could never minister to someone). If I lost a child, broke, fired etc. You get the point.

• The circumstances from which I have suffered have equipped me to minister to others in the same circumstance. Now quick, before diving into today’s scriptures, let’s back up and re-read 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 one more time for context.

2 Cor. 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,
2 Cor. 1:4 who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 
2 Cor. 1:5 For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ.
2 Cor. 1:6 But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is effective in the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer;
2 Cor. 1:7 and our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that as you are partners in our sufferings, so also you are in our comfort.

• I want you to remember the circumstances in which Paul wrote this letter.

  • The sequence looked like this:

    • 1) Paul made his first visit to Corinth after establishing the church.

    • 2) He then wrote a letter after that visit, but that letter was lost.

    • 3) Paul then received a letter from the house of Pauly (A person who attended that church), and in this letter he is told that things aren’t going well.

    • 4) This prompts Paul to write another letter, the letter we know to be 1 Corinthians.

    • 5) But evidently that letter doesn’t accomplish what Paul wants it to accomplish, which then prompts him to return for a 2nd visit. Scholars call this visit the “painful visit” - which then prompts Paul to write again.

    • 6) A 3rd letter, which scholars call the “severe letter”. It’s called the severe letter because it was very severe in tone and it cost him a lot to write it (mentally), and we know this to be the case, because it’s alluded to in 2 Corinthians 2. It’s considered “severe” because had the letter not been successful, it is conceivable there might have been a final rupture between Paul and the church that he founded.

    • That letter seems to be lost as well, but many scholars believe it’s captured inside Chapters 10-13 of 2 Corinthians. We don’t know this to be the case for sure, but that’s what has been speculated. Having said that, whether it is or isn’t, is neither here nor there.

• What matters, and what we do need to understand, is that Paul started this church, and they have some serious problems, and he is desperately trying to hold them together. His method of doing so comes from the letter we are studying here today.

  • Think about that for a moment. We live in the digital age - phones, emails, direct messenger. And, even more than that we have planes and cars, which means we can travel a long distance in a short time.

  • Remember, Paul is writing this letter from Ephesus, which is roughly some 894 miles away if you drove it today. So, just imagine walking that far. This is an important fact to understand, because it means he can’t just hop on a plane and head down there.

  • Also, imagine how he must have felt when he received the bad news about this church. How worried and stressed he would have been. I’m sure he began immediately trying to figure out how he could rectify their situation. The only way he could do it, given his circumstances, was to write them a letter.

    • And the letter couldn’t just be any letter, because everything hinged on it, which required him to really think about what he was saying. That letter is the letter you and I are studying here today. I’m trying to give you a sense of what’s at stake here.

• Think about it in your own terms. You ever started a business, a church, or even taken over a group or organization of some sort? Maybe it was becoming the head of, or in charge of, the PTA, or the Little League, or Girl Scouts, or some women’s or men’s group at the church?

  • If so, more than likely you experienced some sort of conflict within the group, and you probably worked hard trying to bring everyone together; trying to get them all on the same page. I have found myself in this situation many times, and every time it required people to put down their personal bias, and agenda, and focus on the common good or purpose of the organization.

    • And it’s tough to do when you are able to talk directly to the individuals in the group. Just imagine trying to do it long distance through a letter.

    • Based on my experience, that would almost be impossible, but that’s what Paul is doing here, which means every word he writes and the way he writes it matters. He’s got one shot at making them think, pause, and process the whole situation, which is why he says this in verses 6-7:

2 Cor. 1:6 But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is effective in the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer; 
2 Cor. 1:7 and our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that as you are partners in our sufferings, so also you are in our comfort.

• He’s trying to establish trust through common ground, which then will help reestablish his authority. From there he then moves on to a statement that he often uses, which shows up in verse 8, where he says:

  • For we do not want you to be unaware (the Greek says ignorant). Another way to say it is, you need to know what’s going on here. I don’t want you to be kept in the dark. So,

2 Cor. 1:8 For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, of our affliction which occurred in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life.

• There is a lot to unpack here in verse 8. First, remember, Paul is God’s man and so are the men who are with him. God has called them out, set these men aside for the laying of the foundation of the Church. Our Church body finds its roots with these men.

• But I want you to notice something. They don’t get the luxury of avoiding affliction, and not only are they not afforded the opportunity of avoiding affliction, but their affliction is also far beyond their strength to bear it. Paul said they were burdened excessively beyond their strength.

  • I want you to look at what’s happening to what is arguably the Greatest Apostle who ever lived, (at least in my opinion), not to mention he’s the greatest writer of the New Testament. Look at what God allows him and the others to go through. They are burdened so badly that it’s more than they can bear.

    • So much so, that Paul says they despaired life. When you read it in the Greek, it means they despaired life to the point of finding it difficult to go on living. In other words, they wanted to die.

• Paul’s words tell us something. They paint for us a picture, and the picture is this. For Paul and his friends, life on earth was never comfortable. And by the way, that is the consistent testimony of scripture for all of God’s people, which means the same holds true for us. Which is tough for us to understand, but it’s still true.

  • But what’s even more difficult for us to understand is why God allows it to be this way. Paul tells us why. So that you and I can become a fully developed useful tool for the work of ministry, and our suffering is what causes or forces this process to happen.

• One of my favorite quotes comes from Benjamin Franklin is “Pain instructs”. The Bible says, “Pain Equips”. I want you to think about what I am saying here. God’s method for the work of ministry to become manifest in your life comes through the training, of which suffering brings.

  • What that tells us is that we need to be ready and expect suffering to come our way. There is no other way around it, and just like Paul, no believer is exempt. Having said that, they did have an advantage over us when it came to suffering. It was much easier for them to accept suffering than it is for us.

  • That’s because of the environment they were raised in versus the one we were raised in. Also, they had an advantage because of the way they were taught versus the way we have been taught.

    • You see, at no point during those people’s lives did they ever actually believe life was supposed to be good, because it wasn’t. Life for someone living in that day was hard, so hard times were nothing new for them.

    • But for us on the other hand, we have no clue. We’ve been taught and believe that we should never be inconvenienced in any way, that life should be smooth. Especially in America, everything we do is set up around making things smoother, more efficient, quicker, and more convenient. Which is an issue, a big issue for several reasons.

• Number 1 - it’s a big issue because if we believe we shouldn’t be inconvenienced, and yet suffering or being inconvenienced is God’s method for equipping us for the work of the ministry, then you have an automatic built-in paradigm problem.

  • Your mindset is completely wrong, which leaves you confused, stressed, and depressed, saying, “Why me”. Many times, when we say, “why me”, our Christian brothers and sisters will say, “I’m sorry you’re going through this or that, and I don’t why it’s happening, but I’m sure it’s for a reason”.

  • Folks, it is for a reason, and here it is in Paul’s own words. You are inconvenienced. I use the word inconvenience because, for most of us (not all of us), but for most of us, in comparison to what Paul experienced, it’s inconvenienced at best.

    • We are inconvenienced for our development, our molding process, all so that we can be equipped for the work of the ministry.

    • But wait a minute preacher. You’re the one who does the work of ministry. No, no, you are as responsible for doing the work of the ministry as I am. But unfortunately, once again, much like everything else in society, even the church (speaking loosely of the institution itself - the staff, the programs, the building), it has become bent toward serving those within its four walls.

  • Believers often say, “You know, we haven’t been to church in a while, so we need to go to church”. That language is totally incorrect. You are the church. You are simply going to an assembly (gathering) with other believers. You’re not going to church.

    • The church was not designed to be like going to the movie. It was designed to be a place where we as believers come together, support one another, assume each other’s burdens, serve each other, lift each other up through fellowship, and become stronger through the teaching of God’s Word.

    • All so that, as we go throughout our week, we can do the work of ministry and effect change for the Kingdom inside a dark and dying world. Your job as a believer is to do the work of ministry as you go throughout your day. Gathering as an assembly simply helps you do that job better.

• And so that begs the question, how are you doing with the job God’s called you to do? Obviously, that’s a rhetorical question, but it’s something we should all ask ourselves. How are you doing? Honestly, if you aren’t doing too good, it is probably because of your mindset and your paradigm.

  • And the church (the institution itself) has evolved us into this paradigm. They didn’t do it on purpose, but it happened, and for that reason, we don’t look on ourselves as ministers. We look at ourselves as the ones being ministered to.

    • You know what’s interesting about that thought process? Whether you look at yourself as a minister or not (which you are), the world looks at you that way. Think about it, why do you think non-believers clam up every time you tell them you’re a Christian? It’s because they view you in the same light as a minister, and they automatically hold you to the same standard.

    • And so, once again, how are you doing with what God expects you to do? God’s method for our development comes by way of suffering. Now we know why he allows it to enter our lives. And in keeping with that theme, Paul moves into his next set of statements.

    • Where he says this in verses 9-11:

2 Cor. 1:9 Indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead, 
2 Cor. 1:10 who rescued us from so great a danger of death, and will rescue us, He on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us, 
2 Cor. 1:11 if you also join in helping us through your prayers, so that thanks may be given by many persons in our behalf for the favor granted to us through the prayers of many.

• What Paul is trying to do through his words is make a connection with these people, relate to them, humanize who he is, explain how he and the others have suffered on their behalf, for their comfort.

  • Now, through his words there is an implied question.

  • Remember, this church is facing two problems:

    • 1) They have allowed false teaching to creep into the church.

    • 2) There is some individual that is causing dissension.

  • He is doing so by questioning who Paul is, along with Paul’s Apostolic Authority. And that’s a serious battle for Paul, because that man (the one causing the dissension, whoever he is), the one causing the problem, he lives among them, and Paul does not.

• So, part of the benefit of Paul mentioning his suffering is to leave them with an implied question, something he wants them to think about, and that is, “you know that we have suffered for your sake to the point of death. We’ve shared in the burdens of Christ, and therefore we are one with you”.

  • So, the question is, has this man (the one who is causing all the problems) done the same? Has he been afflicted beyond what he could bear, or is he simply going about his day causing dissension? Obviously, the implied answer is no. He has not.

  • And not only is he not bearing burdens beyond what He can bare, he’s creating more burden for the church and for Paul, the founder of the church. This man has questioned who Paul is, and now, Paul is asking them to think about it. He’s asking them to logically think about the entirety of the situation.

    • I think Paul’s statement in Verse 9 is very interesting, because in his statement he speaks of a fact, one that you and I must embrace as believers.

2 Cor. 1:9 Indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead.

• I want to start out by focusing on the words “we had”. At first it sounded as if they had it, but now they don’t. The truth is, when you study the original Greek words “we had”, specifically the part of speech, along with the definition, you will find that first it’s a verb and second, its definition means “to have, hold”.

  • The usage in the Greek says I have, hold, possess, which means they are carrying it with them. Inside them. But, carrying what? A sentence of death. And guess what, we carry the exact same thing.

• Now, at first glance you might say that’s terrible or depressing or unfair. But if you understand it, the way Paul is saying it here, it’s liberating and empowering, because look at what Paul says next:

2 Cor. 1:9 Indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead.

• The key words here are “so that”. In other words, they carry with them this understanding of this sentence of death, which means, they know they are going to die physically but not spiritually.

  • And why did He place that feeling with them? We get the answer in the last half of the verse “so that they would not trust in themselves, but in God who raises the dead”. They know they are going to die physically, but they trust in the God who raises the dead.

    • Paraphrasing it for you; if you understand, you carry with you a sentence of death, that means you accept death as a reality, but a temporary one, because you also understand that God is going to raise you into your new heavenly body, that you will be living with Him in eternity forever.

    • When that understanding truly sinks in, which can only come through the faith He gave you, it will cause you to trust Him with the here and now. Next, Paul drives this point home when he says this in verse 10:

2 Cor. 1:10 who rescued us from so great a danger of death, and will rescue us, He on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us, 

• If you are a believer this morning, you can rest easy knowing God has rescued you from the danger of death. And not only has He rescued you, but Paul also says He will rescue you. Meaning, He will continue to rescue you, but only if you do what? Nothing. It’s done.

  • Remember, Paul is writing this letter to believers, so it assumes the people who are reading it are Saved. Which means, for those who are saved He has rescued you, and will continue rescuing you until the day of your death. Which is why Paul said, “He on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us”.

  • God has saved you and no matter what happens, even though you carry the sentence of death, you can set your hope on Him, knowing that one day you will be resurrected into newness of life.

    • So, guess what this means for you and I sitting here today? If you understand this, if you understand that for however many days you have left on this earth, no matter how hard it gets, that God has got you.

    • If you can embrace this concept then you can live out your remaining days, trusting and knowing that the God who saved you, is also the God that sustains you, and that your suffering wasn’t for naught. In other words, it had and has real purpose and meaning.

    • And finally, Paul closes this section with verse 11 where he says:

2 Cor. 1:11 if you also join in helping us through your prayers, so that thanks may be given by many persons in our behalf for the favor granted to us through the prayers of many.

• He asked them to join in with them in with a prayer of thanksgiving, so that through many, they could thank God for the “favor” they have been shown. The word favor is an English translation. The Greek word is “Grace”.

  • Now, if you’re really tracking with me through this text of scripture this morning, at this point you might be a little confused. I mean, Paul just said in verse 8 he didn’t want the brothers to be unprepared. They were so burdened and afflicted that they wanted to die. So, immediately that prompts a question in my mind. Just exactly what “Favor” or “Grace” is he talking about here?

    • He tells everyone to pray and praise God and give thanks to God for the Favor and Grace they have been shown. What is He talking about? I mean seriously, this church, the one he faithfully started, is falling apart. It doesn’t seem to me things are going too well, so what is he telling everyone to be thankful for? What favor is he talking about?

    • I have a few Christian friends in my life that use this word from time to time. Mainly when something good happens in their life. I have often heard them say, God showed me favor.”

    • In other words, they received something positive in their life, maybe monetary, might be a house or a car - something temporal, and their theory is, God gave me this because I am a believer and therefore, this is His favor bestowed in my life.

  • The question is, based on what we just studied, does that line up with the context of favor in a Biblical sense? It doesn’t, does it? The favor Paul is talking about here, is God’s Grace in his life as it relates to eternity.

  • Verse 11 - May many give thanks to God, for the Grace He has bestowed upon us

• The question is, Grace for what? To obtain the answer you must keep Paul’s words in the context of what he has been talking about. This Favor or Grace in the Greek must relate to Paul’s previous words, where he said he was thankful for something. So, what could it be?

  • First of all, let me say God’s ultimate show of Grace in our life comes is by way of Salvation.

  • Ephesians 2:8-9 says it this way:

Eph. 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 
Eph. 2:9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

• Grace is God’s unmerited favor in your life. And as I said, its primary function relates to Salvation and Eternity. God’s Grace/Favor was offered to you, even though you were unworthy of such an offer.

  • But Favor/Grace doesn’t always relate to salvation directly. It also shows up in other ways in our life as well, and Paul is highlighting one of those ways here in verse 9 when he says:

Eph. 2:9 Indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead, 

• You see, Paul realized that because the sentence of death was a reality in their lives, that too was a form of God’s Grace. In other words, because they were saved, along with the fact that God had given them the faith to understand what that meant.

  • Which was that they would die physically but never die spiritually. Because they were given that reality by God, that fact forced them to trust in God and not in themselves. This was a form of God’s Grace. Interesting, isn’t it?

• From our perspective, and certainly from the prosperity movement’s perspective, we, or they wouldn’t call this Grace. Paul has been burdened to the point of death, bringing him to a place which is more than he can bear, and he carries with him a sentence of death. He says to this church, join with him and give God thanks for the favor He has shown us.

  • That seems strange, doesn’t it? It does if your mind is set on the temporal (on the here and now), but it doesn’t if your mind is focused on eternity. And that’s where Paul and his fellow “sufferers of the faith” are.

    • Also, it’s worth noting that when Paul asks if you also join in helping us through your prayers. The words "Join in helping" is the translation of a Greek word used only here in the New Testament: synypourgounton. It consists of three words meaning with, under, and work. It paints a picture of laborers bowed down under some heavy burden that they are working hard together to lift.

    • That gives you a better sense of what he is saying here, and once again, it keeps with the theme of his letter, which is that he is in the same boat they are. They are together. God’s “Favor/Grace” in scripture isn’t tied to the here and now, to stuff or temporal items. It’s tied to eternity, along with anything that makes eternity a reality in our lives while we still live here on earth.

• Now let me say this before we close and move on this morning. There are three Christian views to the Biblical words “Favor and or Grace”, and two of them are on opposite ends of the extreme. One falls in the middle. The one that falls in the middle is the actual correct Biblical use of these words and is where we need to fall.

  • Let me talk about all three quick this morning. This first view shows up with the prosperity movement. It sees all things that are temporal and good (stuff) as a show of God’s Grace & Favor. This person often holds to the view that says, all things that are positive and good in our life come from God, and all things negative - sickness, death, financial problems, whatever it may be - come from the Enemy/Satan. And this is actually true, but not in the sense that they use it.

    • They mean it in an earthly sense not a spiritual sense. They take their view from scriptures like James 1:17, and then bend it to fit their narrative.

    • Listen to what James 1:17 says:

James 1:17 Every good thing given, and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. 

• Now, if you just read that verse by itself it would seem to suggest that all good things come from God. Which then forces us to assume that if all good things come from above, then the inverse of this would say all bad things come from below. And, yes, this is true. But not in the way the prosperity person might think.

  • The key to understanding this verse lies in the definition of “Good thing” and “Perfect Gift”, and to better understand what God is saying here in James you must back up and read the entire section in context.

  • Which begins at the beginning of Chapter 1, and it is all about the Testing of your Faith. In the interest of time, we will back up to verse 12 and read it all the way through verse 18. And from there you will understand what this “Good Thing” is, along with what the “Bad Thing” is.

James 1:12 Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
James 1:13 No one is to say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.
James 1:14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.
James 1:15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it has run its course, brings forth death.
James 1:16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers and sisters. 
James 1:17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.
James 1:18 In the exercise of His will He gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.

• So, this “Good Thing” and “Perfect Gift” comes by way of what? Through the exercising of “His Will” by “The Word of Truth”, which tells us that this “Good thing” has nothing to do with anything this world gives us - it’s not wealth or money can buy!

  • But the prosperity movement has tied all Good Things to meaning earthly things, and that’s simply not the case. Now, let me say this, at its inception, this prosperity thought process started out with the best of intentions (as most good things do).

    • It started out as a good thing, but soon slowly evolved into what it is today, which is very Spiritually Unhealthy. This is the way it always happens when humans get their hands on something. Good often turns to excess which then evolves into bad.

• I would like to talk more about the origin of this movement, but before I do, I want to talk about its counterpart, because its counterpart actually precipitated the prosperity movement. The counterpart view comes from the other end of the spectrum, and it says that suffering and or hardship is proof you are saved.

  • That if you aren’t suffering A LOT - you aren’t Christian. That suffering is the primary sign you are a Christian. This may not be a view you’re familiar with, but it’s real, and it existed way before the prosperity movement ever came about.

  • A person who holds to this view (in an extreme way) is called a Masochist, and the practice of this view is Masochism. The reality is this person takes suffering and turns it into a “demigod”.

    • In extreme cases, this individual says when temporal and or earthly good things happen to a Christian person, it must have come from the enemy. Their Spiritual Satisfaction is derived from suffering. The sense is, If I’m suffering, I am Spiritual.

• And just like the prosperity movement, this too is wrong and Spiritually Unhealthy. But why? I mean, isn’t this what Paul is saying here in 2 Corinthians? The answer is no - he’s not. That’s not what he’s saying.

  • Which leads me to the third and correct Biblical view of suffering, and that is, Sin causes us to suffer, and suffering is part of a fallen world. But God takes that suffering and turns it to good, for His Glory. He uses it as a tool to equip you for ministry.

  • If you suffer, it is not so that you can say, ‘Woe is me, I am suffering’. Look everyone, I am suffering because the enemy is after me, and therefore this lets you know I am Christian. Everyone suffers, even unbelievers. Suffering is a part of life.

    • And yes, the enemy is after you. And yes, God often allows suffering to take place in the life of the Christian. But it’s so that He can point you away from the temporal and back to the eternal. As I said, we will suffer, it’s the reality of living in a fallen world.

    • But the suffering in and of itself is not the point. The point is what comes from the suffering, which is your Spiritual Development. God uses it to equip you for the work of ministry.

• And that brings me to my final point of the day. If good things happen to me, should I feel bad? No, of course not. Use it to God’s Glory but be careful in sending a message to the world that says, ‘Look at this good thing that happened, it’s because God is showing favor towards me because I am a Christian’.

  • That’s what the prosperity movement tries to convey. The problem with that message is if earthly “Good Things” show to the world the “Favor” of God in your life, then what does the world think when “Bad Things” happen to a Christian? Good things and Bad things happening are a part of life. They are a part of the world we live in. It’s okay when Good Things happen but use them to God’s Glory!

  • If God allowed a good thing to happen to you, then ask yourself the question, ‘How can I glorify Him with it?’ You get the point, and to keep this all in perspective, remember, it’s all about Him, all the time! And it’s never about what we can obtain on this earth.