2 Corinthians 10:7-18
2 Corinthians • Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 40 viewsNotes
Transcript
Building this building story
Acts 9:19-31
7 Look at what is obvious. If anyone is confident that he belongs to Christ, he should remind himself of this: Just as he belongs to Christ, so do we.
This is best translated as a command here in verse 7. The command is to look at what is obvious. That is, everyone should know and understand what I am about to say.
What I am about to say is obvious to everyone. This should be a given.
So what does he say is obvious?
If anyone is confident that he belongs to Christ, He should remind himself of this: Just as he belongs to Christ, so do we.
This statement makes it clear that some are denying that Paul belongs to Christ. They are questioning his life and they are questioning his message.
Paul says if they profess to belong to Christ, then they should remind themselves: just as he belongs to Christ, so do we.
Later, in chapter 11:13-15 he will deny that some of them who are questioning him belong to Christ.
Here he builds the argument that if they profess Christ then they need to remind themselves that so do we.
David echos this idea of others questioning his faith in Psalm 3 when his son Absalom is pursuing him.
2 Many say about me, “There is no help for him in God.” Selah
David says that many say about me there is no help for him in God.
King David’s faith is questioned and also Paul is brought into question and he says you must remind yourself that if you profess to belong to Christ, then so do we.
Paul is questioned and he is questioned about his use of authority. Later you will once again see that some questioned him because his letters were heavy but when he was with them in person he was weak.
How does he respond?
8 For if I boast some more about our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for tearing you down, I am not ashamed.
Paul speaks of his authority in Christ. It is clear that he has authority to speak. Many are questioning his authority in Christ. Many saying that he does not have letters of commendation. That is that he is not a creditable person and he does not have authority.
Paul says if I boast about our authority then I am not ashamed!
In parenthesis, Paul gives the reason he has been given authority.
It is one thing to have authority but it is a whole different level to know what the purpose for you getting that authority is
Example: It is one thing to know you have authority over your children as a parent.
It is a whole different level to know why you have been given that authority over your children.
Take it one more step and say that the right use of this authority is essential.
The Why to his authority
The Lord gave for the building you up and not tearing you down.
He has this authority for the purpose of building up. I love this.
Many question authority. I would say that living and pastoring in Rockaway that I have noticed that many question authority.
Perhaps this is because they have experienced authority being used in the wrong manner and so they no longer trust any authority.
Paul says this authority has been given to me by the Lord for the purpose of building you up and not tearing you down.
It is so much easy to tear down than to build up. On Rick’s recent home repair project it took the mission team one morning to tear off the old siding and take out doors and windows. I am talking by lunch this was accomplished on Monday morning.
The team spent the rest of the week from Lunch Monday till they left Friday at lunch building back what they tore off.
Some are tearing down the body of Christ here in 2 Corinthians and it is clear that it takes less effort, less time, and less energy to tear down.
Paul says I have been given authority to build up and not to tear down. He will repeat this in
10 This is why I am writing these things while absent, that when I am there I will not use severity, in keeping with the authority the Lord gave me for building up and not for tearing down.
Paul knows where his authority comes from and he also knows the purpose for which this authority was given to him. The purpose was to build them up.
9 I don’t want to seem as though I am trying to terrify you with my letters.
10 For it is said, “His letters are weighty and powerful, but his physical presence is weak, and his public speaking is despicable.”
11 Such a person should consider this: What we are in the words of our letters when absent, we will be in actions when present.
Verse 9
he says I don’t want to seem as though I am trying to terrify you with my letters. The purpose of his authority was to build them up. He had written some very strong letters and he says here that I don’t want to terrify or frighten you with my letters.
verse 10
They attack his physical presence and say that his public speaking is despicable.
Paul identifies his public speaking as a weakness.
1 When I came to you, brothers, announcing the testimony of God to you, I did not come with brilliance of speech or wisdom.
2 For I didn’t think it was a good idea to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
3 I came to you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling.
4 My speech and my proclamation were not with persuasive words of wisdom but with a powerful demonstration by the Spirit,
5 so that your faith might not be based on men’s wisdom but on God’s power.
6 Though untrained in public speaking, I am certainly not untrained in knowledge. Indeed, we have always made that clear to you in everything.
He does not allow the attacks to define him or his authority. He says in verse 11
11 Such a person should consider this: What we are in the words of our letters when absent, we will be in actions when present.
Just because he does not show his authority does not mean that he doesn’t have it or use it. The one who writes the strong letters is prepared to stand up to his critics when he comes to them on the third visit.
No should mistake his humility in their presence as one who is lacking authority.
Paul knows his authority and the purpose of the authority. Now he addresses those who are attacking this authority.
12 For we don’t dare classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. But in measuring themselves by themselves and comparing themselves to themselves, they lack understanding.
These Judaizers who are attacking him have created a system of measurement for their authority on their own and for themselves. They are saying that Paul does not measure up to their standards that they created.
Paul says we don’t dare compare ourselves with someone who creates their own system of measuring one another.
He then says the standard by which they measure themselves is by themselves. That is they compare others to themselves. They make themselves the system of measurement and look to see that others are adding up to their own ideas.
He says about this that they lack understanding.
The Judaizers are judging by themselves and Paul responds with how he measures what God is doing.
Warren Wiersby says Paul suggest three questions we may ask ourselves as we seek to measure our ministries by the will of God.
Question #1: Am I where God wants me to be?
Question #1: Am I where God wants me to be?
13 We, however, will not boast beyond measure but according to the measure of the area of ministry that God has assigned to us, which reaches even to you.
14 For we are not overextending ourselves, as if we had not reached you, since we have come to you with the gospel of Christ.
God assigned a field in which Paul was to work: he was the apostle to the Gentiles
15 But the Lord said to him, “Go! For this man is My chosen instrument to take My name to Gentiles, kings, and the Israelites.
21 “Then He said to me, ‘Go, because I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’ ”
He was to be a pioneer preacher to the Gentiles that is he was the first to take the Gospel to the Gentiles.
13 We, however, will not boast beyond measure but according to the measure of the area of ministry that God has assigned to us, which reaches even to you.
14 For we are not overextending ourselves, as if we had not reached you, since we have come to you with the gospel of Christ.
The area God has assigned to us is what we will boast of. We will not boast of areas that God has not assigned to us. He says the area that God has assigned to us included you.
The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Nine: Ministerial Misunderstandings (2 Corinthians 10)
God is not going to measure us on the basis of the gifts and opportunities that He gave to Charles Spurgeon or Billy Sunday. He will measure my work by what He assigned to me. God requires faithfulness above everything else
verse 14
We did not overextend ourselves like the false prophets are doing. The Gospel did reach you through us.
Question #2: Is God Glorified by my ministry?
Question #2: Is God Glorified by my ministry?
15 We are not bragging beyond measure about other people’s labors. But we have the hope that as your faith increases, our area of ministry will be greatly enlarged,
16 so that we may proclaim the good news to the regions beyond you, not boasting about what has already been done in someone else’s area of ministry.
17 So the one who boasts must boast in the Lord.
The Judaizers were taking credit for areas that they had not ministered in. They were padding their stats based on others work.
When one ministry grows because another ministry splits, no one gives credit to the church that split.
Paul says we don’t take credit for other peoples work.
Our hope is that as your faith increases our area of ministry will be greatly enlarged. He says you grow then the ministry will grow.
If this growth takes place then we may proclaim the good news to regions beyond you. We will not boast of what has already been done in someone else’s ministry.
Then he quotes Jeremiah 9:24
24 But the one who boasts should boast in this, that he understands and knows Me — that I am Yahweh, showing faithful love, justice, and righteousness on the earth, for I delight in these things. This is the Lord’s declaration.
The Judaizers are taking over the church by impressive speech and letters of recommendation. The church was quite carried away by these things and flocked to them that is impressive speech and letters of recommendation.
In these standards Paul and his ministry looked very small.
Paul says if you boast then boast in this...
That he understands and knows me
That I am Yahweh
That I God show faithful love
Justice
righteousness on the earth
These are the things God is glorified in verses great knowledge, impressive speech, or letters of recommendation.
Question #3: Can the Lord commend my work?
Question #3: Can the Lord commend my work?
18 For it is not the one commending himself who is approved, but the one the Lord commends.
We may commend ourselves or be commended by others, and still not deserve the commendation of God.
Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 668). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
The word approved in this verse means to approve by testing.
There is a future testing at the judgement Seat of Christ, but there is also a present testing of the work that we do. God permits difficulties to come to the local church in order that the work might be tested and approved.
The important thing is are we where God wants us to be, doing what God wants us to do so that He might be Glorified.
The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Nine: Ministerial Misunderstandings (2 Corinthians 10)
If we are seeking to glorify and please God alone, and if we are not afraid of His evaluation of our hearts and lives, then we need not fear the estimates of men or their criticisms.
1 When Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, “David is in the wilderness near En-gedi.”
2 So Saul took 3,000 of Israel’s choice men and went to look for David and his men in front of the Rocks of the Wild Goats.
3 When Saul came to the sheep pens along the road, a cave was there, and he went in to relieve himself. David and his men were staying in the back of the cave,
4 so they said to him, “Look, this is the day the Lord told you about: ‘I will hand your enemy over to you so you can do to him whatever you desire.’ ” Then David got up and secretly cut off the corner of Saul’s robe.
5 Afterward, David’s conscience bothered him because he had cut off the corner of Saul’s robe.
6 He said to his men, “I swear before the Lord: I would never do such a thing to my lord, the Lord’s anointed. I will never lift my hand against him, since he is the Lord’s anointed.”
7 With these words David persuaded his men, and he did not let them rise up against Saul. Then Saul left the cave and went on his way.
8 After that, David got up, went out of the cave, and called to Saul, “My lord the king!” When Saul looked behind him, David bowed to the ground in homage.
9 David said to Saul, “Why do you listen to the words of people who say, ‘Look, David intends to harm you’?
10 You can see with your own eyes that the Lord handed you over to me today in the cave. Someone advised me to kill you, but I took pity on you and said: I won’t lift my hand against my lord, since he is the Lord’s anointed.
11 See, my father! Look at the corner of your robe in my hand, for I cut it off, but I didn’t kill you. Look and recognize that there is no evil or rebellion in me. I haven’t sinned against you even though you are hunting me down to take my life.
What took more strength? to kill his enemy or refrain from killing his enemy when his enemy was in his hands.
Think about this when it comes to the authority. Just because The Lord gives you the authority does not mean you have to exercise it.
Sometimes the one who is the loudest is not the one with the authority.
God gives us authority we must use it wisely.
