Introduction To 2 Corinthians
Lessons From 2 Corinthians • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Introduction
Introduction
Greetings…
We have been studying through the book of 1 Corinthians and having finished that up recently, I thought it would be good to continue with the second letter we have from Paul to the church in Corinth.
These two letters are certainly not the only letters Paul wrote to the church in Corinth as seen by his mentioning of a prior letter to what we call 1 Corinthians.
1 Corinthians 5:9 (ESV)
9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people
Some have even tried to suggest that 2 Corinthians alludes to it being then the fourth letter but there does not seem to be much evidence for this really.
Though 1 & 2 Timothy, & Titus are consider “The Preacher Epistles” when one reads 2 Corinthians it becomes clear that this is as much a sermon written to the church in Corinth as it is a letter.
We find both Paul’s curt demand of them spiritually speaking and his personal emotions with the church.
This letter is one of his most “personal letters.”
With that in mind, let’s examine our lesson for this evening by first looking at some…
Historical Information
Historical Information
The Author.
The Author.
There is no doubt that the apostle Paul is the author of this letter to the church in Corinth as no less than twice we find him mention himself by name.
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God that is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in the whole of Achaia:
1 I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away!—
Not only does Paul mention himself as such, we have likes of many “church fathers” who quote from this great book and give Paul the credit as its author.
The Recipients.
The Recipients.
As the title given the letter suggest it is to the church in Corinth.
We won’t go into as much detail as we did in the intro to 1 Corinthians but I will highlight a few things for reminders sake.
Corinth, because it is in the Peloponnesian Peninsula it was an ideal spot for commerce because it was dangerous to sail around the Peninsula and therefore became an essential link between Italy and Asia.
Because of this it was a very large city with roughly 300,000 citizens and around 460,000 slaves.
Its culture was inundated with worshipers of Venus at her temple which was no more than a house of harlotry.
The sexual culture of the city was so ingrained into the people that we saw the church in Corinth struggled greatly with sexual sins which Paul spent a great deal of time discussing.
It was a city we might compare to Las Vegas or “sin city.”
The Date.
The Date.
It would appear that this letter was shortly written after the previous letter while Paul was in Macedonia.
Having sent his previous letter to the church by way of messengers (1 Corinthians 16:17-18) along with Titus it appears (2 Corinthians 8:6), Paul became more and more anxious about how the church would receive such a letter of reproving, rebuking, and exhorting.
Paul having gone from Ephesus to Troas, where he expected to meet with Titus, but Titus was not able to come, he continued to Macedonia out of worry for the church (2 Corinthians 2:12), likely Philippi, where he ends up meeting Titus and this second letter is written.
With 1 Corinthians being written in the spring of 57 AD it would appear Paul wrote this letter from Macedonia in either September or October of the same year.
Summary
Summary
So what report did Paul get from Titus about the church’s response to his previous letter?
Let’s look at that now as we examine the…
Biblical Information
Biblical Information
The Context.
The Context.
When Titus met up with Paul in Macedonia he brought “good news” the church, for the most part.
2 Corinthians 7:5–7 (ESV)
5 For even when we came into Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were afflicted at every turn—fighting without and fear within. 6 But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, 7 and not only by his coming but also by the comfort with which he was comforted by you, as he told us of your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced still more.
The majority of the church was with Paul having accepted Paul’s apostleship, read his message with godly fear, received his rebukes with grief, and sought to obey God’s instructions on holiness.
7 and not only by his coming but also by the comfort with which he was comforted by you, as he told us of your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced still more. 8 For even if I made you grieve with my letter, I do not regret it—though I did regret it, for I see that that letter grieved you, though only for a while.
9 As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. 10 For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.
11 For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, but also what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what punishment! At every point you have proved yourselves innocent in the matter. 12 So although I wrote to you, it was not for the sake of the one who did the wrong, nor for the sake of the one who suffered the wrong, but in order that your earnestness for us might be revealed to you in the sight of God.
13 Therefore we are comforted. And besides our own comfort, we rejoiced still more at the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all. 14 For whatever boasts I made to him about you, I was not put to shame. But just as everything we said to you was true, so also our boasting before Titus has proved true.
Unfortunately, there was still a small defiant minority that desired to reject Paul’s previous letter.
This minority seems to have been emboldened against Paul instead of fearfully repenting.
This minority seems to have been even more entrenched in denying Paul’s apostleship with unscrupulous boldness.
1 Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you, or from you? 2 You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all.
11 I have been a fool! You forced me to it, for I ought to have been commended by you. For I was not at all inferior to these super-apostles, even though I am nothing. 12 The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works.
This minority accusing Paul of being a coward because he “just wrote letters from afar” instead of showing up.
1 I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away!— 2 I beg of you that when I am present I may not have to show boldness with such confidence as I count on showing against some who suspect us of walking according to the flesh.
The Outline.
The Outline.
Paul’s Relationship & Work With The Church (1-7)
The Still Not Fulfilled Promised Collection (8-9)
Paul’s Defense Of His Apostleship (10-13)
Key Passages & Words.
Key Passages & Words.
There are several “interestingly key words” discovered when one breaks down each of the 2,652 words found in this letter.
The word “not” is found 110 times.
God is found 73 times with Christ following in at 47 times.
The word “boas, boasting, etc” is found 32 times.
Comfort 19 times and affliction 11 times.
Spirit 17 times with heart being found 15 times.
When you examine this list and how many times we find key words a picture certain arises.
Some key passages are…
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
17 For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.
5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.
2 Corinthians 12:15 (ESV)
15 I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls…
Summary
Summary
There are more we could certainly do but this will suffice for our lesson this evening.
Conclusion
Conclusion
This letter is not like most of Paul’s other letters in that it is far more emotional and less systematic.
That isn’t to suggest it is any less scripture, it is, but that we see more of Paul’s raw emotions and heart on his sleeve here than with any other letter.
Invitation
1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; 2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,
32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.
8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
