Letter to Corinth #2

Second Letter to Corinth

A Successful Exchange

Intro: A 26-year-old Montreal man appears to have succeeded in his quest to barter a single red paper-clip all the way up to a house.

It took almost a year and 14 trades, but Kyle MacDonald has been offered a two-story farmhouse in Kipling, Sasketchawan., for a paid role in a movie.

MacDonald began his quest last summer when he decided he wanted to live in a house. He didn't have a job, so instead of posting a resumé to look for a job, he looked at a red paper-clip on his desk and decided to trade it on an internet website.

He got a response almost immediately from a pair of young women in Vancouver who offered to trade him a pen that looks like a fish.

Read Verses: 2 Cor. 1:3-11

MP: Paul Encourages the church to let go of their past completely because God has exchanged Himself for them

Paul’s letters are filled with Hope that the church will succeed because God is succeeding.

Here is the relationship between Paul and the church at Corinth in a nutshell. A lot of the members were rich and the Romans society was concerned with status. Paul threw away his status and became a slave to Christ. This caused people in the church to question Paul and his authority because he did not fit their idea of an apostle. He was after all, doing manual labor, he was thrown out or chased out to cities, countries or regions. He is not the recruiter you send to the high schools to get new troops. They wanted someone that looked like them that fit their idea of what a Christian would look like to them.

This explains the content of the letters. Paul is constantly pointing the church back to Christ on the cross and his exchange of his life for theirs and ours.

Paul writes them some kind of sternly worded letter, as we see him mention it in chapter 7:8. that we do not have, but he alludes to it and the pain it caused him to have to write it and send it. He says, “for even if I made you grieve with my letter, I do not regret it, though I do regret it, for I see that the letter grieved you.” But he gets good news.

Verse nine he says, “as it is I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but that you were grieved int repenting. For You felt a Godly grief so you that you suffered no loss through us.

The good news is that some number of the church took Paul’s letter and instead of being angry about the changes Paul was telling them to make or the behavior he was getting them to quit

So the idea of exchanging one thing for another is what Paul is trying to convince the Corinthians. Exchanging their earthy, worldly ways for the ways of Christ.

When we just try to attach Christ to our lives, we lose out. God is not a button we pin on to our vest with all the other buttons of our life, next to the I like Ike or Frodo Lives or Don’t worry be Happy. God is the entire suit of clothes we put on. We exchange our old t-shirt and grubby shorts, as comfortable as we may think they are, for the snow white robes of fine linen.

I want to make sure we are clear because Veronica told me the other day that a lot of what I say is do do do. But I want to make sure we understand that What Paul is saying, and what Jesus instructed us is that we are to be be be. But what are we to be. We are called and commanded to be like Christ. Deuteronomy 6:4-5 says. Love God, your God, with your whole heart: love him with all that’s in you, love him with all you’ve got!,” Love the Lord your God with all of your being. We are to be Christians not to do Christianity. The being produces the doing. We can look at Judas as an opposite to Paul. He was around Jesus for three years and then what does he do? He sells Jesus out. Paul met Jesus on a Road and he gave his literal life to the Lord.

Paul understands the importance of the One because in his first letter, he encourages the church to act as one, to serve the One. The pagans worshiped the many gods to get what they needed or wanted.

Paul makes these gentiles into disciples by getting them to be all in for Jesus. To exchange their old life for a new one.

When You Repent of your sins and turn toward God and believe Jesus as your Lord

1) Exchange Your Sorrow for Hope

“10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. 11 See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done.

Psalm 30:11-12 11 You turned my wailing into dancing;

you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,

12 that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.

Lord my God, I will praise you forever.

2) Exchange Your Flesh for Spirit

Paul explains that the body is a tent and while we groan in our flesh hear we are and will be in the Spirit. The way has been prepared Paul says in verse 5 He who has prepared us for this very thing is God. Who has given us the Spirit as guarantee.

So we can give up the fleshly needs and concentrate on the heavenly things.

5:17 Paul says therefore if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation the old one has passed away behold the new has come.

3) Exchange Your Death for Life

Open or widen your heart which produces more Joy

In Luke 9:23-27 Jesus says 23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. 25 For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? 26 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. 27 But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.”

4) Exchange Your Weakness for Strength

in chapter 11 Paul’s says he was whipped or beaten 8 times shipwrecks three times at this point In his life with another one pending,

But yet he is still going on for Christ. Paul goes to his death in Rome

Paul sums it up in Chapter 13:3 since you seek proof that Christ is speaking in me. He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you. 4 For he was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but in dealing with you we will live with him by the power of God.

Give of yourself

Give up your Pride

Give your your safety for true security

Gain Christ and his forgiveness,

Gain His Grace

Gain His Peace

Gain His Power

Conclusion:

Paul had to be Tough but firm to the church. Everything he wrote about from chap 13 in the first letter, has been used because Paul considers himself to be a father and the churches are his children. And he wants what's best for his children. The church at Corinth seems like they were the most headstrong child but Paul had hope and Joy that his work for Christ was bearing fruit.

Because the story got some press, The guy who traded the paper clip had this to say There's people all over the world that are saying that they have paper-clips clipped to the top of their computer, or on their desk or on their shirt, and it proves that anything is possible and I think to a certain degree it's true,"

If people put that much hope in a paper clip imagine how much greater and more secure you can trade your life for Jesus’

How much better is this news of God’s mercy and grace and what he did for you. And we should be shouting from the mountaintop. I am free because of My God and His love. And he loves you too. Repent and Believe. This is exactly what Paul was doing and it seems like the Corinthian church was getting the message and sending it out to others as well.

Jesus has asked you if you want to trade your paper lip , your life, for a mansion in heaven and everlasting life and more importantly freedom from your sin and the wrath that that brings from God.