2 Corinthians 1:12-2:11

When was a time you followed your instinct and it was right?

When was a time you followed your instinct and it was wrong?

We are going to start off with a little review from last time followed by a passage by passage talk on this series so please bare with me and I hope you get energized for God as a result of this talk.

We are going to start off with a little review from last time followed by a passage by passage talk on this series so please bare with me and I hope you get energized for God as a result of this talk.

does anyone know, even briefly what we talked about last time?

Review

We talked about how we as Christians we are expected to suffer and we are expected to receive Godly Comfort.

We talked about how there is an expectation that if we are given comfort we remember this so that in the future we can comfort others.

We talked about how when we suffer it is never beyond our ability if we are relying on Christ.

Paul ended by speaking about his affliction in Asia and his expected deliverance and how we can join missionaries in prayer for them.

Now let’s hit on the first section. []

Paul starts off by saying he has something to brag about. And that is the testimony of his conscious. Conscious is probably a popular term currently at Corinth. “The people had been appealing to their ‘conscience’ to justify certain types of behaviour (as in ). And Paul has entered this debate of whether or not he is an apostle on the side of an insistence that conscience alone is not an infallible guide and must be subordinated, or put under, a wider network of issues that bear on a person’s relationship to God and their neighbor’s well-being.” (Word Biblical Commentary) So he enters the explanation with this juicy word at the time, but what is the testimony of his conscience:

That we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God.

Paul was not being high and mighty with the people instead he was speaking out of his heart to the people.

He was not seeking to show his earthly knowledge but was speaking out of the Grace that God had given him. (in ) He even talks about he was not a great speaker.

For we are not writing to you anything other than what you read and understand and I hope you will fully understand

‘His letters were written with no intention to deceive. He was just writing what exactly was on his mind,’(Ralph P martin) and what was on his mind was this accusation that he was being doubleminded which we will talk about later as we are reviewing his travel plans.

Paul is going to address this pastoral issue, problem that what he says is not believable or trust-able. and he is saying in this statement that they have kind of understood before, but he wants them to have a complete understanding.

that on the day of our Lord Jesus you will boast of us as we will boast of you.

He is hoping that once all is said and done they can boast of each other in Heaven.

Because at least in part, coming to understand what Paul says will show that you are a Christian/that you are a believer and that means you will both be able to boast of each other when you are in heaven.

Out of this is How/Why he speaks the next part:

[]

Paul says because of what I just told you, the ministry problem, the grace of God, and wanting them to get into heaven Is the reason he wanted to have two visits. Then he outlays his plans.

[Original Plan]- Corinth(long visit)—> Macedonia

[Revised plan]- Corinth (short visit)—>Macedonia—>Corinth—>Judea

This is actually what the other leaders that wanted to kick him out are using to try and argue why Paul should not be accepted. They also said that he was not an eloquent speaker and not handsome and poor all things that he admitted to, but Paul is arguing right now against this. This was a change of plans from what he had stated earlier in []. Basically the gist of the change was to include two visits.

“evidently Paul’s opponents had pointed to his apparent change in plans regarding coming to Corinth as further evidence that he was a false apostle. They also seem to have argued that Paul’s first change in plans, in which he decided to come to Corinth twice instead of making one extended visit was part of an elaborate scheme to use the collection for the believers in Jerusalem as a front to defraud the Corinthians.

“After all, if Paul were a true, Spirit-filled apostle and not merely after their money, he should be able to rely on the guidance of God, rather than changing his mind concerning his itinerary, not only once, but even two and three times! Paul's plans should reflect the very surety of the God who never changes, his word should be as reliable as the God who never lies, and his authority should be as unassailable as that of God's himself. Hence, Paul's opponents viewed his failure to carry through with his original plan as an indication that the Spirit was not at work in his ministry, but that he made his decisions "in a worldly manner" (1:17; lit., "according to the flesh," i.e., devoid of the Spirit). NIV Application Commentary,

Paul was not having any of this argument. he responds with [read in an angry caring voice]

Was I going back and forth in my decision making? Did I decide to come to you assuredly and then think it was an inconvenience and decide not to. As surely as God is faithful my plans to come to you were not a yes and not a no at the same time.

So why the change in plans is the logical question?

First, I want to say that if you have enemies they can find fault in anything you do. No matter how good the motives. Paul gives us his answer here []

Look at that the reason he gives for not going back and forth is that in Jesus for believers the answer is always yes. This does not mean that anything you ask you will definitely get. Remember last Sunday we talked about how with Christianity there is a promise of suffering with comfort. And he just said that so that can’t be what he is saying. What he is saying is:

With all of your prayers your answer will be yes.... or..... something better. To be clear this is not something better in your eyes but it is what God thinks is better for you.

And the reason that Paul can say this is because all of the promises of God find their yes in Jesus. All of the prophesies of the OT find their yes in Jesus. That is why Paul proclaims him as God. He even argues that is why the church was established in Corinth. The only reason that any Christian, including Paul, is established is because of Christ anointing us and putting his seal of the Holy Spirit on us.

So why did he even want to Go to Corinth a second time []?

Paul says this next thing as a promise to God and the language that he uses he is asking God to kill him if he is lying.

“Paul says he is not going again as a result. Just as Jesus Christ came to save his people rather than to judge the world, so too Paul did not return immediately to spare them a taste of God’s wrath. Paul is willing, as we see from his writings, to judge those who will not repent; but before judgement comes mercy.”ESV Paul’s second visit was supposed to convey the love he had for them. But, now if he went he would have to be harsh again to get them on the right path.

But that was not Paul's intention. Paul intention was for your joy. For their joy. But Paul does not leave it there he says work for your joy. Joy is not an emotion that you randomly bump into in your life it is something you have to work toward. Paul wants them to have a firm standing joy in their faith. It is something that you also work together for.

It is also the same intention that I have for you. I ultimately want you to have a joyful relationship with God. I want you to want to spend time with God. I could care less if you know all of the theological premises and apologetics to the Bible as long as you long and want to spend more deep time with God.

When has someone caused you pain with your benefit as the goal?

[]

So Paul, realizing that his visit will probably hurt them if he goes decides that he will not go for three building reasons.

If he goes and causes the Corinthians pain by being there when he ultimately wants them to experience joy he is going to feel pain. And who could help him get out of that pain.

He decided to turn his thoughts into a letter so that he does not get pain from seeing the people he thought would be faithfully following God reject him.

He is very emotionally invested in the people of Corinth. When wrote with ‘affliction, anguish of heart, and many tears’ not because he was trying to cause them pain but because of the deep love that he had for the people of Corinth.

[] Apparently, the majority had expressed their repentance to Paul and they did this by Punishing the person in opposition to Paul. Paul agrees with them that this person deserves punishment because he led them wrongly. Probably getting kicked out of the church.

How would you feel if one of your teachers had been purposefully teaching you wrong for your year end test? How do you think they should be punished?

How would you feel if you knew someone was talking bad about you to your friends behind your back? How do you think they should be punished?

Many of us would respond to both of these questions by saying that person deserves to be fired. Maybe even retaliate against the person who has talked about us behind our back. At the very least we would feel terrible and probably some sort of hate toward the wrongdoer. But, what does Paul ask them to do? What does Paul ask us to do in those situations?

[] Paul’s response is utterly different then our natural worldly response. In these four verses he says to:

Forgive (mentioned 5 times)

Comfort him

Reaffirm their love for him

Instead of punishing him Paul is urging them to extend the grace that Christ and Paul have extended to them. (this overwhelming love will be enough punishment for him it will make him feel so sorry for his actions.) So they should reaffirm their love for the wrong-doer. If they are willing to forgive him, then Paul is too. And anything that Paul forgives is for their sake.

Additionally, Paul says []. The reason that we forgive our oppressor is because if we don’t we are merely falling into Satan’s trap. Part of Satan’s goal is to get us to not forgive each other. We are not just battling this oppressor or wrongdoer. But we should seek to outwit Satan in every situation where discipline is required to love the person back with forgiveness. To help them to seek repentance. We will then be waging the good war against the unseen forces of this world. Join me in the good fight.

Work for others to have joy in their relationship with Jesus

Push the forces of Satan back by showing overwhelming love and forgiveness to your enemies.