Missing Pieces

Bottom line

Don’t go through life with out all the pieces.

Opening Line

Have you ever found yourself reading a book or watching a show, feeling like you were missing a key piece of information?

Introduction

Now I acknowledge that in some cases, that is the intention of the author or screenwrite, to leave you guessing until the big reveal, at which point you have to rewatch the movie or re-read the book with your new found piece of information.

But I’m not talking about that. I’m going to use my wife as an example. Since I am a morning person and my wife is a night owl, she has a few shows that she watches after I have fallen asleep. Generally, I try not to get caught up into these shows because I don’t want her to feel obligated to wait for me to enjoy the show, but you know how it goes, right guys? It’s on, you start listening, and you can’t help but get at least a little interested. Then inevitably the current season of the show comes to an end and you are forced to anxiously wait for the next season to air.

Well Michelle recently returned to one of her shows and discovered there was a new season. So she goes to episode one of the new season, and in the midst of the recap, realizes that she has somehow missed some major plot points around the main character. Even I came around the corner, looked at the TV and asked, “Who’s that guy?” to which Michelle responded, “I DON’T KNOW!”

Turns out, she had missed two who seasons, and a lot had happened in those two seasons. So let me ask you: if you were in Michelle’s shoes, would you just press on and hope it all comes together, or would you go back, watch the missed seasons, and fill in all the blanks? Unless you really enjoy living life with unnecessary mystery, you go back and watch everything you missed, right?

Main Point

So I have to ask, why is it that people often go through life without all the pieces?

Why it matters

When you encounter someone who treats you poorly, the default assumption is that the person is a jerk and just wants to make your life difficult. You often miss the fact that their marriage is falling apart and they haven’t been willing to open up about it, so they carry it around. Or they have a kid at home who is seriously sick and they had to be up all night with them, so their energy level is low and it is affecting their mood today. You miss the fact that they just got chewed out by their boss for something they didn’t do, and so they are trying to process the interaction and interact with you.

The point is that just like a good book or show, going through life without all the pieces, without all the information, can cause problems down the road. No matter how hard it might be, it is always worth it to seek them out.

So as we go through 2 Corinthians 1 this morning, we are going to look at the different pieces that sometimes get missed, and what we need to do about it.

Scripture

2 Corinthians 1:1–7 NLT

This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Timothy. I am writing to God’s church in Corinth and to all of his holy people throughout Greece. May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace. All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer. We are confident that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in the comfort God gives us.

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After Paul establishes himself as an apostle of Jesus, he launches into this discourse about comfort. He starts with the fact that God is the source of all comfort, and that God comforts us in all our troubles. God especially comforts you when you suffer for the sake of Christ. In fact, you probably experience God’s comfort even more in those scenarios.

However, there’s a really important component here. You are comforted by God in all your troubles so that you are then able to comfort others in their times of trouble. The same way you are able to forgive others when they sin against you because God has forgiven you all your trespasses against him, and believe it or not that is a insurmountable debt that God has wiped clean. The same way you are able to love others because of the immense amount of love that God showers on you every day. You are able to comfort those in distress because God comforts you in every one of your troubles.

But there is an important dynamic to all this that Paul is going to explain in the next passage.

2 Corinthians 1:8–11 NLT

We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us. And you are helping us by praying for us. Then many people will give thanks because God has graciously answered so many prayers for our safety.

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Did you see Paul says there. We learned to stop relying on ourselves and learned to rely on God. Paul and his companions had to learn to rely on God. I was the book ‘gods at war’ recently and the author asked this question, “What do you turn to in times of stress and trouble?” It may be comfort food. It may be a hobby that distracts you from the moment. It may be some other release. But if God is the source of all comfort, as followers of Jesus, when asked, “What do you turn to in times of trouble?” the only appropriate answer is… Jesus. The same can be said when you’re bored. If God is the source of all joy, then you should turn to him to deal with your boredom. When you feel alone and disconnected, if God is love, then you should turn to him to find belonging and acceptance.

But you should be comforted in hearing that even Paul, the great apostolic missionary, had to learn to rely on God in troubled times. The question is, are you willing to learn to rely on God? It probably won’t be an easy lesson, but it will be worth it, both for you and those around you. Learning to rely on God in times of trouble is the first piece that is often missing in our lives.

2 Corinthians 1:12–14 NLT

We can say with confidence and a clear conscience that we have lived with a God-given holiness and sincerity in all our dealings. We have depended on God’s grace, not on our own human wisdom. That is how we have conducted ourselves before the world, and especially toward you. Our letters have been straightforward, and there is nothing written between the lines and nothing you can’t understand. I hope someday you will fully understand us, even if you don’t understand us now. Then on the day when the Lord Jesus returns, you will be proud of us in the same way we are proud of you.

2 Corinthians 1:17–20 NLT

You may be asking why I changed my plan. Do you think I make my plans carelessly? Do you think I am like people of the world who say “Yes” when they really mean “No”? As surely as God is faithful, our word to you does not waver between “Yes” and “No.” For Jesus Christ, the Son of God, does not waver between “Yes” and “No.” He is the one whom Silas, Timothy, and I preached to you, and as God’s ultimate “Yes,” he always does what he says. For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory.

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Paul then starts talking about his words. First in his letters, he never tried to speak in code or hide things from the church. He wrote very matter of fact, never leaving things unsaid or forced people to read the words that won’t there. He then doubles down on this, reminding the church that his, “Yes” was yes and his “No” was no. He mentions that there were people in the world at the time that never kept their word. Their “Yes” sometimes meant yes, but could just as easily meant no. Good thing we don’t live in those days. Everyone nowadays always keeps their word, right? Why are you laughing?

Why? Why was Paul straightforward in his letters? Why was his yes always yes and his no always no? The first reason is that Jesus is God’s ultimate yes. All through the Old Testament, the people of Israel heard prophecies on the coming Messiah, and yet no one saw him until 400 years after Malachi. They probably wondered of the prophecies would ever come true. But then they did, and Jesus was the ultimate example that God always keeps his word, always keeps his promises. His yes is always yes.

Plus, Jesus taught this very teaching. Matt 5:33-37

Matthew 5:33–37 NLT

“You have also heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not break your vows; you must carry out the vows you make to the Lord.’ But I say, do not make any vows! Do not say, ‘By heaven!’ because heaven is God’s throne. And do not say, ‘By the earth!’ because the earth is his footstool. And do not say, ‘By Jerusalem!’ for Jerusalem is the city of the great King. Do not even say, ‘By my head!’ for you can’t turn one hair white or black. Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Anything beyond this is from the evil one.

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The point here is that you can’t leave out pieces when you are talking to people. When Abby still lived with us, Michelle and Abby would often do puzzles at the kitchen table. One of my favorite things to do was to steal a piece, and watch them frantically look for it. Then I’d pretend to find it, because if I actually admitted what I had done, I would have been in a world of trouble!

But there is a temptation to do this in life. You speak in code, or you beat around the bush, in the hopes of avoiding an uncomfortable sitatution. You withhold information, not sure if you really want to show your hand before the time is right, or to maintain a certain level of control. Your yes has conditions, and sometimes the conditions are communicated, sometimes they’re not.

You withhold pieces, and whatever the reason may be, it takes away from the person that you are interacting with. So Paul’s encouragement for you is to speak plainly, and keep your word, even when it hurts.

2 Corinthians 1:15–16 NLT

Since I was so sure of your understanding and trust, I wanted to give you a double blessing by visiting you twice— first on my way to Macedonia and again when I returned from Macedonia. Then you could send me on my way to Judea.

2 Corinthians 1:23–2:4 NLT

Now I call upon God as my witness that I am telling the truth. The reason I didn’t return to Corinth was to spare you from a severe rebuke. But that does not mean we want to dominate you by telling you how to put your faith into practice. We want to work together with you so you will be full of joy, for it is by your own faith that you stand firm. So I decided that I would not bring you grief with another painful visit. For if I cause you grief, who will make me glad? Certainly not someone I have grieved. That is why I wrote to you as I did, so that when I do come, I won’t be grieved by the very ones who ought to give me the greatest joy. Surely you all know that my joy comes from your being joyful. I wrote that letter in great anguish, with a troubled heart and many tears. I didn’t want to grieve you, but I wanted to let you know how much love I have for you.

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So what is Paul talking about here? This is where sometimes there are pieces missing in scripture, and even though the default assumption works, it actually paints a much clearer picture when we have all the facts.

What can often happen, especially when we read this section, is it sounds like Paul wanted to come back, and the letter he is referring to 1 Corinthians. But the way Paul describes the writing of the letter he refers to is a letter of great sorrow. That doesn’t sound like 1 Corinthians. 1 Corinthians is very methodical and well thought out with clear instruction. So what is Paul talking about.

What we think happened is after 1 Corinthians, Paul went back to Corinth for a visit, and the visit did not go well. In fact, later on in 2 Corinthians, Paul is going to mention that he cut the visit short and left in haste. So what happened? Well after 1 Corinthians, instead of unity being restored, the church got worse, and false teachers moved in and caused a lot of trouble, even questioning Paul’s authority. It was so bad that when Paul arrived, it was a painful visit, ending with him leaving in haste. As a response, he wrote what we now know to be the third letter he wrote to the Corinthians, and it was a doozy! It was clear, but it was a stiff rebuke that he would have otherwise done in person. So what Paul is saying is that even though it was a stern rebuke, he wrote it in great anguish, a troubled heart, and many tears.

The problem is, none of that probably came through in the letter. When the letter was read, it was just words on a page, and since Paul’s authority had been questioned and things weren’t on the best of terms, it caused the church to go into mounring. They repented, and thus Paul wrote 2 Corinthians, which is one his most personal letters he ever wrote. Why? Because he wanted the church to know that he did it out of love.

To this I want to say I relate to Paul. Just as Paul says that his joy comes from the church and when are full of joy, I take great joy in pastoring this church. I love each of you immensely, and I love it when things are happening and I can see God at work in each of your lives. I also relate in wanting to be a source of joy for each of you and not a source of heartache, which makes those uncomfortable conversations I have to have at times all the harder.

But it is also a good reminder to limit the number of conversations you have over text and email. It is too easy to read emotion into a line of text that doesn’t belong. When it comes to missing pieces, sometimes the most important piece is all the other messages you send through tone, emotion, body language, and so on.

This is why Paul sent the third letter with Titus. Titus would have captured the emotion and tone that Paul would’ve wanted communicated. It wasn’t left to some random person to read it.

Transition to Application

There are often a lot of pieces missing in life.

Main To Do

As believers, you need to make sure you’ve got that you keep the missing pieces to a minimum. Make sure you are communicating clearly, not beating around the bush or making conditional promises. Make sure you have more conversations with your voice and less with a text. Above all, make sure that God is your source of everything. When things are tough, find comfort in him, and in turn share that comfort with those around you.

Why it matters

The less pieces that are missing in life, the more fulfilling and complete your life will feel. Nothing is more frustration then getting to end of a puzzle and finding out a piece is missing. Why would you allow yourself to go through life without all of the pieces? More importantly, why would you rob someone else of the much needed pieces they need in their lives?

Closing Line

We are going to take communion, and as the guys come around with the elements, I want you to examine yourself. I want to you to reflect on any areas of life you may be experiencing trouble, or someone in your life that is going through troubles. Have a conversation with God, and allow him to be your comfort in the situation that comes to mind. God is the source of ALL comfort, so allow your loving Father to comfort you. Remember, we come to communion for healing, because Jesus died so that you may connect with God as Father.

Discussion Questions

What stood out from the message?

How can we ensure we are not missing important pieces when interacting with others?

What are some practical ways we can seek God's comfort during tough times?

Reflect on a time you felt misunderstood; how could clearer communication have changed the outcome?

In what situations do you find it hardest to rely on God?

How can sharing our struggles help build community and understanding among friends?