Have It All
2 Corinthians • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Paul was an ambassador. for Christ. It was a high position. He pursued this ministry for the sake of the gospel. To be successful we must Work the way Paul did.
1. Work With Jesus
1. Work With Jesus
A. Beg with Jesus for Souls
A. Beg with Jesus for Souls
1 And working together with Him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain—
They had heard the message. Many had received the message outwardly. But, some had not really been saved. Some were saved but were allowing the legalism of the Judaizers to interfere with their sanctification. Both of these groups were receiving the grace of God in vain.
To receive something in vain mean that it becomes empty or of no benefit to you.
If someone offers someone a healthy meal, they can eat it and enjoy it, or just set it on the table and admire it, or throw it away. It has to be eaten for it to benefit a person. Otherwise it is an empty gift.
Paul offered the gospel of the grace of Jesus Christ to the church at Corinth and they were flirting with the idea of throwing it away for a works salvation and his heart is broken at that possibility.
Paul had similar concerns for those in the Galatian church.
6 I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel;
7 which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.
8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!
9 As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!
B. Have the Urgency of Jesus
B. Have the Urgency of Jesus
2 for He says, “At the acceptable time I listened to you, And on the day of salvation I helped you.” Behold, now is “the acceptable time,” behold, now is “the day of salvation”—
A point of decision is necessary and it cannot be delayed. The longer the Corinthian’s wait the more danger they were in of falling short of the gospel of Jesus Christ and having received it in vain.
Warren Wiersbe:
The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Six: Heart to Heart (2 Corinthians 6–7)
A pastor was dealing with a young lady who was arguing that she had plenty of time to decide for Jesus Christ. He handed her a piece of paper and said, “Would you sign a statement that you would be willing to postpone salvation for a year?” No, she would not do that. Six months? No again. One month? She hesitated, but said no. Then she began to see the folly of her argument because she had assurance of opportunity only for today; and she trusted Christ without delay.
2. Suffer As Jesus Did
2. Suffer As Jesus Did
A. Don’t Think of Yourself
A. Don’t Think of Yourself
3 giving no cause for offense in anything, so that the ministry will not be discredited,
Dallas pastor Steve Lawson removed following ‘inappropriate relationship’
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GRAIG GRAZIOSI
September 20, 2024 at 12:38 PM
A Dallas pastor has been removed from his position “indefinitely” over an “inappropriate relationship” he had with a woman, according to the church’s leadership.
Lead Pastor Steve Lawson stepped down from his position with Trinity Bible Church after admitting the relationship. The church has not given any details of the relationship or identified the woman involved.
It announced on Thursday that its elders were “informed by Steve Lawson of an inappropriate relationship that he has had with a woman.”
“Lawson has been removed indefinitely from all ministry activities,” the church said in a statement. “The elders have met with Steve and will continue to come alongside him and pray for him with the ultimate goal of his personal repentance. Steve will no longer be compensated by Trinity Bible Church of Dallas.”
B. Endure Injury
B. Endure Injury
4 but in everything commending ourselves as servants of God, in much endurance, in afflictions, in hardships, in distresses,
2 Corinthians: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Protection)
Endurance = bearing up under hard labor, surviving the shock of battle, and remaining steadfast in the face of death
a. Internal Difficulty
a. Internal Difficulty
1. Negative emotions because of real circumstances.
2. Afflictions = suffering in body, spirit, or emotions
3. Hardships = difficulties that anyone could face in our fallen world.
Distresses = Confinement that cannot be avoided.
5 in beatings, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in hunger,
b. External Danger
b. External Danger
Group of 3 - Beatings, Imprisonments, Tumults
Tumults = riots, mobs.
c. Personal Danger
c. Personal Danger
Labors, Sleeplessness, hunger
C. Serve Faithfully
C. Serve Faithfully
6 in purity, in knowledge, in patience, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in genuine love,
Purity = above reproach
Knowledge
Patience - he had to deal with people like the Corinthians.
“The Ministry would be easy if you didn’t have to put up with the people.”
Kindness - Paul eagerly cared for the poor.
Holy Spirit - was the power that Paul submitted to.
Genuine love - self-sacrificing love that was pure in motive, not 2 faced.
7 in the word of truth, in the power of God; by the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left,
Word of truth - Revelation from God God.
Power of God -
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
Weapons of righteousness
The truths found in scripture.
D. Having the Right Perspective
D. Having the Right Perspective
8 by glory and dishonor, by evil report and good report; regarded as deceivers and yet true;
18 “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.
19 “If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.
20 “Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.
9 as unknown yet well-known, as dying yet behold, we live; as punished yet not put to death,
10 as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing yet possessing all things.
The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Six: Heart to Heart (2 Corinthians 6–7)
The word translated poor means “the complete destitution of a beggar.”
We really do have it all. We are so blessed even if we suffer because we have Him.
