2 Corinthians - Lesson 5D&6A

• Good morning, and welcome back to our journey through 2 Corinthians. When we last left off, we ended our teaching in the 5th Chapter of 2 Corinthians, specifically verses 11-17. In those verses Paul told the church at Corinth that, and I’m paraphrasing here, ‘they’ (He and the other Apostles) had a ‘Fear of the Lord’.

  • It compelled them and motivated them to persuade others for the sake of the Gospel. Meaning, because of their mentality, how they understood who they were (more specifically), who they were in the sight of a Holy and Righteous God. Which was what?

  • Unclean, unholy, and unrighteous. Tainted or stained might be a better way to say it. Damaged goods. Flawed from birth. Because they knew who they were, it was that realization that evoked a fear inside of them about the reality of who God was and is. Which then caused them to do what? Be grateful. Grateful that God knew them and saved them.

• Which is exactly what Paul said in the middle of verse 11, when he said, ‘but we are well known by God’. Essentially, Paul and the other Apostles were so cognitive and aware of who God was, and who they were in His sight. Which came by way of them understanding what it took for God to truly know them in an intimate way, which was only through the covering of the most innocent blood, that of God’s Son Jesus Christ.

  • That it moved them, motivated them, and compelled them on a whole different level to share Christ with others. Because of this truth, a truth that resonated deep inside their very being, for that reason, they worked to persuade others, which also led Paul to say, the same reality of who they were, (they hoped), would also be known in this church’s conscience as well.

    • Meaning, regardless of what the nay sayers might being saying inside their fellowship, Paul hoped that inside this church’s heart, his hope was that they would know, deep down inside, that Paul and the other Apostles were who they said they were.

• Remember, part of the reason Paul wrote this letter was to combat the nay sayers; those who were saying that Paul and the others weren’t authentic or real in their ministry, which was highlighted by what Paul himself said in verse 13, when he said that if they had lost their minds, it is for God; but if they were of sound mind, it is for them.

  • Obviously, based on Paul’s words, someone or some group inside the church was saying they had lost their minds. Why else would Paul make such a statement? And so, we ended last week’s teaching by studying verse 17:

2 Cor. 5:17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, this person is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 

• I won’t rehash all of what Paul said in verse 17, other than to say if you have been saved, if you have been convicted and answered the call of God with the affirmative and asked Him to forgive you of your sins (repented), the Bible says you are saved and now you are a new creation.

  • A new creation, and the old things are passed away; behold, new things have come. Which means if you have been saved and are still holding onto the old things, which are things you did when you were not saved, then something is wrong!

  • But having said that, let me say, I understand life happens (I get it). Life happens and maybe that’s where you are. You are saved, but you are struggling to put the old away. If that’s the case, then my advice is simple. Repent. Ask God to forgive you. Start over and get on the right track today; this morning and move forward as the New Creation that you are.

    • Don’t worry about what was, or what happened before, simply hit the restart button by repenting, and according to 1 John 1:9, God will forgive you:

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

• That is all you have to do folks. It’s really that simple. Repent and begin again. Now, moving on this morning, we will pick back up with the last verses in Chapter 5, and move into Chapter 6. And this is what Paul says in 2 Cor. 5:18-21:

2 Cor. 5:18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,
2 Cor. 5:19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their wrongdoings against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
2 Cor. 5:20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
2 Cor. 5:21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin in our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

• Last week I didn’t finish Chapter 5, because I wanted to make sure we had enough time to rightly divide these verses, because inside these verses lies a fundamental truth. A fundamental truth that I feel like most Christians never really grasp or comprehend. And this truth is so important. Let me try and explain it to you.

  • But before I do, let me preface it with something to all the atheist out there, and agnostics. Those who say if sin entered the world through Lucifer or Satan, and Lucifer resided in Heaven with God, if he were an angel in Heaven, wouldn’t that mean that God allowed all this to happen? The answer is Yes.

    • You see, from the agnostic or atheistic standpoint this makes no sense, and from a purely pragmatic and logical standpoint, they would be correct. God did allow it to happen, and let me say, Satan’s fall was no surprise to God.

  • Based on the book of Ezekiel, we know that God had already been planning for Satan’s fall well before it happened. We just don’t know why. And so, my response to the atheist or any other unbeliever is, so what! God is the Creator, and we are the created, and He can do what He wants to do when He wants to do it.

    • Therefore, what does it matter how it happened? All we need to remember is all that God is and all that Heaven is, coupled with all of God’s ways, are not revealed to us! Which tells us that just because we don’t understand it, it doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. And it doesn’t mean God isn’t working a plan, a plan that He hasn’t revealed to us. One that we know nothing about.

• At the end of the day, we know from the pages of scriptures that there was a fall. We just don’t know the why behind the fall. No one knows, because God didn’t explain it to us, and I can’t tell you why He didn’t explain it. All I can say is He didn’t.

  • But what I can also tell you is that God is the creator of the universe, and He didn’t have to explain it to us. He owes us no explanation. He is the creator, and we are the created, and the created does not say to the creator, why did you make me this way?

  • And so, if you want to apply logic and pragmatism to any situation, this would be the place to do it! Because honestly, if you struggle with the “creator verses the created concept”, I will tell you that you have a “pride issue”, and you need to fully grasp the relationship between the creator and His creation.

• The Book of Ecclesiastes the 11th Chapter says it this way:

Eccl. 11:1 Cast your bread on the surface of the waters, for you will find it after many days.
Eccl. 11:2 Divide your portion to seven, or even to eight, for you do not know what misfortune may occur on the earth.
Eccl. 11:3 If the clouds are full, they pour out rain on the earth; and whether a tree falls toward the south or toward the north, wherever the tree falls, there it lies.
Eccl. 11:4 One who watches the wind will not sow and one who looks at the clouds will not harvest.
Eccl. 11:5 Just as you do not know the path of the wind, and how bones are formed in the womb of the pregnant woman, so you do not know the activity of God who makes everything.

• The writer of Ecclesiastes really sums it up best. God is the creator, and He allowed the fall to take place, and as a result, sin enter the world. But having said that, God didn’t allow a problem to enter mankind without also providing a solution for the problem.

  • And, by the way, the solution or provision He provided for this problem wasn’t just any ole solution. He actually remedied the problem by offering or providing the ultimate sacrifice. Now, I want to explore a concept, or a theory that I have, as it relates to this topic.    

  • And what is my theory or concept? It is, if God created Satan, and if God allowed him to fall (which He did), and if God created mankind, and (once again) allowed sin to enter into humanity, and He also provided a provision or solution to mankind, then, by the magnitude of His provision or sacrifice we can know the severity of the problem of Sin.

    • In other words, through the magnitude of the solution, we can know just how bad the problem is. Let me say it another way. God allowed Sin to enter into this world, and we know it’s terrible. It’s a horrible reality.

  • But then, He provided a solution for this problem. The magnitude of that solution highlights just how bad sin truly is. It also highlights the fact that even though God allowed Sin to enter in, He offset that event by providing an even greater solution to that problem. Which tells us that He and He alone is in control of the whole thing, which is backed up by what Paul says next in Verse 18-19 (one more time):

2 Cor. 5:18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,
2 Cor. 5:19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their wrongdoings against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

• What Paul’s saying in these verses is, yes sin entered into this world, and yes, God allowed it. But He also reconciled us back to Himself, through Christ Jesus, His only begotten Son. And there could have been no greater Sacrifice for God to give us, which tells us something.

  • It tells us that we are all victims of something we have no control over, and God knew that, so He provided a solution to the sin that plagues us. And, once again, the magnitude of that sacrifice lets us know just how bad the “sin” of the world truly is.

    • But back to the deeper question. Why did He allow all this to happen? My answer is NO CLUE. All I can tell you about this is number 1 - It really doesn’t matter why. It doesn’t because God has His reasons, and you can lay your head down tonight knowing that whatever the reason was, or is; whatever the reason, it has purpose and meaning.

    • Number 2 - Regardless of the reason, He has also provided an offsetting solution for this problem. And number 3 - Maybe we will find out the why one day when we get to Heaven, but honestly, I don’t think we are even going to care.

  • And let me highlight one more important theme or thought about theses verses, and that is (once again), the Sovereignty of God is behind all of this. God is in control of everything!

• Look at what I am saying. God is front and center. He is the one allowing sin to enter in and He is the one reconciling man back to Himself. Which tells us something, and that is, contrary to popular belief, man is not the center of the universe. You and I have zero to do with anything.

• Listen to Paul one more time, and I want you to count how many times God is doing something versus man doing something.

2 Cor. 5:18 Now all these things are from God (1), who reconciled us to Himself (2) through Christ and gave us (3) the ministry of reconciliation,
2 Cor. 5:19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself (4), not counting their wrongdoings against them (5), and He has committed to us (6) the word of reconciliation.

• Based on my math, it’s God 6 & Man 0 as it relates to who is doing what. Guys, this is so important for us to understand. God is Sovereign and in Control of all things, and He either A) allows things to happen or B) He causes it to happen, and it’s all for His ultimate Purpose and Glory. Now moving on, back to the end of Chapter 5 - verses 20-21:

2 Cor. 5:20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 
2 Cor. 5:21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin in our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

• These last two verses tell us a few things. In particular they tell us that Paul and the other Apostles are Ambassadors for Christ, and as Ambassadors, God is making His appeal to other men through them. And therefore, he says, we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

  • In other words, Paul is saying we are God’s living testimony, and God is making an appeal through us to you. By the way, the same holds true for you and me. If you are a believer, God’s desire is to make an appeal to others through you. The question is, how’s that going? This is what I call a reflective question.

  • Are you working to become an instrument of God, so that He can make an appeal through you to the world, or are you just here, kind of just getting by? Maybe a better question is, do you want God to make an appeal through you to others? Do you want Him to use you as an instrument? Or would you say - I’m good?

    • The hope would be the first rather than the latter, and if that’s true, but it’s not really happening in your Christian life, then just as Paul urged this church, do something about it!

    • Repent and ask God to begin a new work in you.

• Finally, Paul gives us the why, as in why he is an ambassador for Christ, and it’s because He sent Jesus to be sin, even though He knew no sin. All so that we (all of us) might become the righteousness of God in Him.

  • Another way to say it is, so that we might be cleaned up, so that God might have a relationship with us, so that He would be able to commune with us. And once again, that is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

    • Next, we move into Chapter 6 verses 1-10, where Paul says the following. We are not going to complete the study of all these verses today, but we will get through a few of them.

2 Cor. 6:1 And working together with Him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain— 
2 Cor. 6:2 for He says,
“AT A FAVORABLE TIME I LISTENED TO YOU,
AND ON A DAY OF SALVATION I HELPED YOU.”
Behold, now is “A FAVORABLE TIME,” behold, now is “A DAY OF SALVATION”—
2 Cor. 6:3 giving no reason for taking offense in anything, so that the ministry will not be discredited,
2 Cor. 6:4 but in everything commending ourselves as servants of God, in much endurance, in afflictions, in hardships, in difficulties,
2 Cor. 6:5 in beatings, in imprisonments, in mob attacks, in labors, in sleeplessness, in hunger,
2 Cor. 6:6 in purity, in knowledge, in patience, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in genuine love,
2 Cor. 6:7 in the word of truth, and in the power of God; by the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left,
2 Cor. 6:8 by glory and dishonor, by evil report and good report; regarded as deceivers and yet true;
2 Cor. 6:9 as unknown and yet well known, as dying and yet behold, we are alive; as punished and yet not put to death,
2 Cor. 6:10 as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing and yet possessing all things.

• As usual, there is a whole lot being said here, and Paul starts out with a continuation of his defense of who he and the other Apostles are, and he does this by making the statement in verse 1, which is, “And working together with Him”.

  • Once again, Paul is driving home the point that he and the others are Apostles of Jesus Christ. And honestly, it’s ridiculous to think that the greatest writer of the New Testament, the greatest evangelist and Apostle that ever lived, has to defend himself, especially to a church he founded.

    • But he does, and that’s why he says that he is working hand in hand with God. But then in the second half of the verse he says something we all need to think about. He says, “we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain “.

• I want to pause here for just a minute, because it’s important we understand just exactly what Paul is saying. What does it mean to receive God’s grace in vain? And more specifically, what Grace is he talking about?

  • Well, first of all, it’s clear from what he says in the next verse that he is speaking specifically about Salvation, which tells us two things:

    • First, it tells us that he is writing this letter to believers (which we knew to be the case since the letter is addressed to the Church at Corinth). But having said that and based on the way this body of believers is acting, there is some question whether or not they were truly saved. But Paul’s statement pretty much clears that up.

    • Secondly, this verse tells us that it is possible for us to become so comfortable and so familiar with the Salvation that God has bestowed upon us, that we take it for granted (in vain); almost treating it as if we are entitled to it in some way. Which is an interesting thought, and it may be one you are familiar with.

• God saved us, and on the day of our Salvation we should have been full of gratitude and appreciation. But over time, that memory may have faded, leaving us in a place of apathy. Meaning, leaving us in a place where we slowly lack interest, enthusiasm or concern about the position God has placed us in.

  • Another way to say it is, we began taking it for granted, or as Paul says, in vain. Now, I know this seems like a simple statement, but it’s important for us to understand what Paul is saying. We should never get to a place in our walk with God that we take God’s grace in vain.

  • But it happens, and it happens because we are human. This may not seem like a big deal per se, but it’s much more consequential than you may think. You see, once you are saved, you cross over and you become a new Creation, just as Paul told us back in Chapter 5.

    • And as a New Creation, you have a responsibility to grow spiritually, become more and more like Christ, for the purposes of becoming a useful instrument of God. And why is this the case? Because this is God’s method for reaching other people. God uses you to reach other men, women and children.

  • Which means you are a part of the Work of the Ministry. Which means if you are a believer, you are in full-time ministry. It’s not just the preachers that are in full-time ministry. That responsibility also falls squarely on every believer’s shoulders. The problem is, if you lose your sense of ‘gratitude or thankfulness’, as it relates to your salvation, you run a ‘great risk’ of doing more damage for the Kingdom than you do good.

    • And why is that? Because you develop a sort of ‘Spiritual Arrogance’, which is derived by taking your salvation in vain. Meaning, you become almost arrogant about it, but not in the way we might think of arrogance. It’s more like an arrogance that you can’t feel or see in yourself, but everyone around you can see it, especially non-believers.

    • And so, Paul’s instructions to this church, to these believers, is don’t take for granted the salvation that God so graciously gives you. Now, in light of these statements, here’s the question we should be asking ourselves.

  • Are we going about our lives, taking our salvation for granted, or are we operating from a basis of ‘gratitude and thankfulness as it relates to the grace God has given us? You see, this particular spiritual problem is really dangerous. It’s much like a disease, because it creeps in on you without you ever really knowing it’s there. Leaving you blind to it. But unbelievers can see it.

    • And they correlate our arrogance with that of spiritual arrogance, and unless we are confronted with it, we are in danger of walking around in spiritual ignorance. Doing more damage to the Kingdom than we do good. Leaving the world calling us ‘Hypocrites’.

• And so, the million-dollar question we need to be asking ourselves this morning is, what are we doing to prevent this from happening? More specifically, how do we prevent it? How do we stay in a constant state, or at least a consistent state, of thankfulness?

  • We do it through developing and or cultivating our relationship with Him, which comes by way of prayer and the study and ingestion of God’s Word on a daily basis. Through prayer we enter a communing process, and through the study of God’s Word we get to know Him more intimately.

  • The process is simple. By studying and reading God’s memoirs, we draw near to Him because His Word is Him in Word form. And so, the only defense we have from becoming arrogant or vain about our salvation is through developing a deeper relationship with Him. Because when we study (and study correctly, I might add), which is what? Studying in context. When we do that, we become humble, and that humility is the only defense we have from becoming vain.

    • That is one of the most powerful messages for us to consider this morning. As I always tell you, the world is watching. When we put on the jersey, the banner of Christianity, the world watches and they watch closely. You could say our lives are now under a microscope, and for that reason we can never take God’s Grace in vain.

    • Think about that as you move about your life this week. Ask yourself the question, have I taken my salvation for granted? And as a result, have I become vain, leaving a bad taste to the unbelieving world around me? Next week our study verses for the week will be 2 Corinthians 6:2-10. So, study ahead this week and see if next week’s teaching might be a little more impactful in your life.