Living A Truly Rich Life
Notes
Transcript
One day, a financially successful enough father decides to take his son to the countryside to show him how poor some people may happen to be in contrast to them, who live in a nice house in the suburbs of a big city. Like this, his son could understand the value of things, and how lucky he is.
So they went to the countryside and spent one day and one night in a simple countryside home. On the road back home, the father asked his son:
"So, what did you think of this little trip?"
"It was great, Dad!"
"Did you see how poor some people are?"
"Yes."
"And so what did you see during the trip?"
"I saw that we have one dog, they have four. We have a pool at home, they live by a beautiful lake. The street lamps give us light in our garden, whereas they get the light of a million stars. Our backyard's end is at the fence, theirs as far as the eye can see. And finally, I saw they had the time to talk to each other and live like a happy family. You and Mum, however, work all day and I barely see you."
The father just keeps driving without a word, and the kid adds:
"Thanks, Dad, for showing me how rich we could be..."
Historical/Cultural Context -
Historical/Cultural Context -
Sometime afterward (c. A.D. 55), Paul left Ephesus, traveling north to Troas (a port city). There he had arranged to meet Titus and hear how the Corinthians had responded to the severe letter (2:12). Not finding Titus there, Paul crossed over to Macedonia to await him in that location. Eventually Titus arrived, reporting the Corinthians’ response to the recent letter and bringing news of other developments in Corinth (7:5–7). The book of 2 Corinthians (actually his fourth letter to that church) was Paul’s response to the news brought by Titus.
Biblical Text -
Biblical Text -
We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain.
For He says: “In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
We give no offense in anything, that our ministry may not be blamed.
But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God: in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses,
in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in fastings;
by purity, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by sincere love,
by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,
by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true;
as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold we live; as chastened, and yet not killed;
as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.
-[Prayer]-
-[Prayer]-
Life Principle - The Christian Does Not Hope In Vain, But Lives A Truly Rich Life.
Life Principle - The Christian Does Not Hope In Vain, But Lives A Truly Rich Life.
Life Point- The Christian Does Not Hope In Vain
Life Point- The Christian Does Not Hope In Vain
Exegetical -
Exegetical -
As God’s fellow workers, then, we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain.
For He says:
“In the time of favor I heard you,
and in the day of salvation I helped you.”
Behold, now is the time of favor; now is the day of salvation!
Homiletical -
Homiletical -
If we receive God’s grace, let it not be in vain.
The grace of God is transformative. This goes back to what he said earlier in 5:17
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come!
This means that coming to Christ is going to change you, it will cost you something. Maybe a lot of things.
“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be My disciple.
And whoever does not carry his cross and follow Me cannot be My disciple.
Which of you, wishing to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost to see if he has the resources to complete it?
Otherwise, if he lays the foundation and is unable to finish the work, everyone who sees it will ridicule him,
saying, ‘This man could not finish what he started to build.’
Or what king on his way to war with another king will not first sit down and consider whether he can engage with ten thousand men the one coming against him with twenty thousand?
And if he is unable, he will send a delegation while the other king is still far off, to ask for terms of peace.
In the same way, any one of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be My disciple.
You know what is going to happen when you truly come to Him. He is going to change your attitude; He is going to change your desires; He is going to change your friends.
Your desires will be toward Him and living in the way the Bible prescribes
Your attitude, whether it be sour, bitter or something else, will begin to change and be more Christ-like.
Your friends you used to cuss with and drink with. Yeah they are going to drop away
Why?
Because Christ has gotten into you and changed you. That’s why things will change and people will abandon you. Were those things or those people really worth not knowing Christ for? Absolutely not, all that stuff can go.
looking back out our original text
For He says:
“In the time of favor I heard you,
and in the day of salvation I helped you.”
Behold, now is the time of favor; now is the day of salvation!
This is emphatic. This is important.
If you are truly born-again by the Spirit of God then remember to share the Gospel.
You are the only bit of heaven some people will ever see.
If you are too caught up with things that have no eternal value then it is time re-evaluate your life and figure out if you are living a vain life instead of Jesus centered life.
What does the Christian life look like then?
Paul reckoned the Christian life as one who is in an army and he used the Roman army as an example a lot.
We are to be watchful, full of mercy, and spreading the Gospel.
But watch yourselves, or your hearts will be weighed down by dissipation, drunkenness, and the worries of life—and that day will spring upon you suddenly like a snare.
For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of all the earth.
So keep watch at all times, and pray that you may have the strength to escape all that is about to happen and to stand before the Son of Man.”
Join me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
A soldier refrains from entangling himself in civilian affairs, in order to please the one who enlisted him.
Likewise, a competitor does not receive the crown unless he competes according to the rules.
The hardworking farmer should be the first to partake of the crops.
Consider what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all things.
Life Point - What The Christian Life Looks Like
Life Point - What The Christian Life Looks Like
Exegetical -
Exegetical -
We put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no one can discredit our ministry.
Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships, and calamities;
in beatings, imprisonments, and riots; in labor, sleepless nights, and hunger;
in purity, knowledge, patience, and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love;
in truthful speech and in the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left;
through glory and dishonor, slander and praise; viewed as imposters, yet genuine;
as unknown, yet well-known; dying, and yet we live on; punished, yet not killed;
sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.
Homiletical -
Homiletical -
We are to put no obstacles in the way of the Gospel so no one can discredit us by virtue of how we are living.
For example, If I move to a community that has no computers, no TV and no Internet. Not because they aren’t available but because their culture is to not have them then I will not have them either as it will be a stumbling block to the Gospel.
Paul says that He commends himself, which means to demonstrate to others that he is a servant of God in every circumstance or situation.
Can you say the same thing? In every circumstance can we say that we are God honoring?
Are we God honoring in times that require endurance of character?
in the troubles of life do we depend on God?
In hardships and calamities when your life is falling apart do you give your all to God? Do you rely on Him fully trusting in His power?
How about if you’re beaten because of the Gospel, imprisoned, in riots, in labor?
How about during sleeplessness and in times when there isn’t enough food to go around or when you are suffering hunger? Are we God honoring during these times?
How about during times when knowledge, purity of character, and always in kindness. Are we God honoring then?
How does one become God honoring?
By letting the Holy Spirit of God, that lives inside of every believer, sanctify you. That means to clean you up. How do you do that?
By relying on the things that the Holy Spirit gives us.
1. His sincere love - This should be flowing out of us due to Him being inside of us.
2. By always being truthful in our speech - If you don’t like something someone did to you, then tell them. Don’t go grumbling and complaining to everyone around you about it. Practice Matthew 18 and make it right between you and them.
3. The Power of God - We must rely not in our own strength but in the strength that God gives us.
4. With the weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left.
Paul will go onto tell us in a different books what those weapons are in Ephesians 6
I am not going to go through all the armor, but the weapons for sure.
In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Pray in the Spirit at all times, with every kind of prayer and petition. To this end, stay alert with all perseverance in your prayers for all the saints.
The armor is not just something you pray on, but are aspects of the Christian life.
The Shield of Faith - Faith is one of the most important aspects of our walk with Christ without it we cannot please God. So how do we build up our faith?
But you, beloved, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit,
Being sensitive to the unctions and direction of the Holy Spirit is important and praying in the way the Holy Spirit leads you and guides you in prayer is praying in the Holy Spirit
Consequently, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
We must spend time in the Bible for through it comes a supernatural building of our faith. This can’t be overstated or said enough.
When our enemy, the Devil, attacks us in our physical body, our mind, or our circumstances the shield of faith will quench those fiery darts so that they will not hurt nor destroy our lives. We must be build up in faith.
The Helmet of Salvation and The Sword of The Spirit - Notice that the next weapon is actually two weapons that cannot be separated. The helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.
Why can these not be separated? 1) Knowledge of God’s word bring salvation to us and those around us as we share it with others. 2) God’s Word is powerful and cut into a persons thoughts, emotions, feelings and get right down to the nitty-gritty of any circumstance. His Word is the final authority on all things. It is the supernaturally inspired Word-of-God and it is inerrant and wonderful!
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it pierces even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
The Lance of Prayer - This is our only far off weapon. A lance is long pole with a sharp end on it. It can be thrown a great distance or used to fight from its’ length. It is longer than the sword and therefore can keep the enemy from being too close to you.
Very often a Roman soldier would have this lance on his back. But someone is saying “Pastor I don’t see that here.” Sure you do, look again.
Pray in the Spirit at all times, with every kind of prayer and petition. To this end, stay alert with all perseverance in your prayers for all the saints.
The Spirit filled life is one that is bathed in prayer. Let your prayers not be laundry lists, but let them be guided by the Holy Spirit so that your prayer becomes a lance that is throne from afar so that it hits the enemies attack before he can get too close to you.
When do we use the weapons that are given to us?
All of the time
When we are honored for our faith and faithfulness or when we are dishonored because of our faith and faithfulness to Christ.
Our lives show our beliefs in our weapons, in the way we walk out each aspect of the armor.
We will find later in chapter 10 it says
For though we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh.
The weapons of our warfare are not the weapons of the world. Instead, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
We tear down arguments and every presumption set up against the knowledge of God; and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, as soon as your obedience is complete.
Going back to our original text
through glory and dishonor, slander and praise; viewed as imposters, yet genuine;
as unknown, yet well-known; dying, and yet we live on; punished, yet not killed;
sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.
no matter life’s circumstances we as Christians, no matter our reputation our where life finds us we are to be genuine in our life before God.
Even though we are unknown to man we are well known to God
Even though this body is perishing day-by-day, yet we live because we have been born-again of the Spirit of God.
Even though we as Christians suffer punishment from those in the world, yet we remain; and even if they do kill us we are not dead because to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.
Though a true Christians experiences sorrow we are always rejoicing in Christ.
We may be poor by worldly standards, yet when we share the Gospel and they receive Christ they are now truly rich.
We may have absolutely nothing in this world, yet we possess everything because we are joint heirs with Christ.
There is a good old song that has a line it “This world is not my home, I’m just a passing through.”
We must remember that in all that we do and say to others. This world is not my home. I am just passing through. I am waiting to be seen by my king and you oh sinner have an opportunity to be like me. You can be just passing through on your way to glory too.
Life Principle– The Christian Does Not Hope In Vain, But Lives A Truly Rich Life.
Life Principle– The Christian Does Not Hope In Vain, But Lives A Truly Rich Life.
Call to Action – altar call….
Call to Action – altar call….