2 Corinthians 5:11-16
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I. Reasons to Boast in Ministers of the Gospel
I. Reasons to Boast in Ministers of the Gospel
a. They Fear the Lord.
a. They Fear the Lord.
11 Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord,
Paul is building off of what he had just said in,
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.
He had a healthy fear of the Lord,
R.C. Sproul notes, Paul’s fear was, “not a terror of eternal condemnation, but a healthy, reverent fear of Christ’s displeasure at the choices we have made, the things “done in the body”. Such a fear would have been a healthy corrective for those Corinthians who were making trouble for Paul.”
Paul understood he was not perfect, his partners in the ministry were not perfect, therefore knowing God’s standard is perfection we ought to have this healthy fear, or as pastor David used to say a trembling trust knowing that we may mess up, we may be corrected but that does not mean we are not loved, saved, and clothed in the righteousness of Christ.
I think this is a great truth to remind ourselves of before we make consequential decisions, or have conversations that will have a spiritual impact.
“I am going to stand before the judgement seat of Christ for what I am about to do or say, will it please Him?”
What do you all think? Will that drive us to make more God honoring, decisions that please God?
Notice what this fear of the Lord drive Paul to do,
He writes, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. Paul continues to try and convince, persuade, the Corinthians that his ministry and message was faithful to God and could be trusted, because of His understanding of his accountability to Christ for the care of the church. Specifically here the care of the Corinthians.
Paul’s ultimate reason for persuading men to believe the gospel, obey God, and trust in his apostolic ministry is that he has a healthy, reverential, fear of the Lord.
Paul believed Proverbs 1:7 with all of his heart, soul, and mind.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.
He continues to remind them don’t listen to those attacking me, they are not my judge Christ is! I will stand before him for all that I have said, all that I have done under the banner fo the gospel. Paul says, I know the fear of the Lord, I know this is a weighty responsibility, and I take it seriously. Therefore, don’t judge us by the false accusations and slander of others, but according to the fruit of the gospel and the standard of the Scriptures.
Paul here is reminding them here also, his persuasion differs from that of his opponents. He persuasion is gospel centered, and Spirit empowered.
And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
Paul’s fear of God was not his only reason from seeking to convince men to believe him and the gospel he preached.
Notice where Paul’s confidence comes from,
b. They are known by God.
b. They are known by God.
But we are known to God,
Paul say’s we know the fear of God and God knows us. He knows are strengths our weakness, our successes and our failures. We are confident that God has called us to this ministry, and he makes it known to us when we fall short and convicts of our sin by His Spirit. However, in this case he is not convicting us of sin against the church but instead convincing us of your message and ministry to you.
Paul was confident that God knew his heart and motive and affirmed his methods and message to shepherd the Corinthians and stand against those who were trying to discredit his ministry.
Remember what Paul said back in,
Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart.
If Paul had been granted, or called into this ministry by the mercy of God, it is only logical that God, knows and affirms the motives and message of Paul’s ministry.
Paul then turns to the church and says, and I hope it is also known to your conscience. Here is a godly, biblical example of responding rightly when a minister of the gospel, which can be a pastor, deacon, teacher, or a faithful Christian’s character is attacked, slandered, or falsely accused as Paul was.
First of all Paul remembered,
He would stand before the judgment seat of Christ. This is helpful reminder for all of us. We will be accountable for our words and actions. Not in a sense of condemnation if we are in Christ, but that we may receive what was done in the body, good or evil. This future accountability to Christ should cause every minister of the gospel to respond humbly, with a reverent, holy, fear of the Lord. We fear the Lord because we rightly understand we are servants of the Lord! Paul and every gospel minister since then has been given their ministry by God and should respond in a manner worthy of God and the gospel.
Secondly,
Paul appealed to the conscience of the church. Notice what he said,
But, what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience. Paul is asking the church to consider, all that they know about him and his ministry. He is saying, you know that I have always served you with integrity of heart and faithfulness to the gospel. I have labored as to not be a financial burden to the church. I have preached Christ and him crucified, my life and my doctrine is above reproach. So before you believe these false accusations about me and my ministry, consider what your conscience tells you. Consider what the Corinthians knew and experienced of Paul and his preaching ministry .
He preached a pure, Christ centered gospel.
He was affirmed by the church at Corinth, they were his letter of commendation.
He would not take money from them in order to maintain his financial integrity.
He served along side other men and did not seek to be the man...
He called them too orderly and intelligible worship.
He called out sin in the church.
He called for unity in the church
He pointed them to the resurrection of Christ and their hope in the resurrection.
He pointed to Jesus Christ as the foundation of their faith and the church.
When they truly thought about his life and ministry, how then could they believe these attacks against Paul. Paul was not saying he was a perfect man, but he was saying, God has given him this ministry, he knew he would stand before Christ for the way he shepherded Christ’s sheep. Therefore, he feared the Lord and desire the church to consider what they knew and what their conscience told them about his character in the ministry.
c. They are not Commending Themselves. (12)
c. They are not Commending Themselves. (12)
We are not commending ourselves to you again but giving you cause to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast about outward appearance and not about what is in the heart.
Scott Hafemann, say verse 12 is the main point of this section. He argues,
2 Corinthians Paul’s Motivation for Ministry (5:11–15)
Now, however, Paul indicates the purpose of pointing to the concrete proof of his authenticity: He is defending himself in order that the Corinthians might have the “opportunity” they need to refute those within the church who are still calling his ministry into question (cf. 1:13–14).
He begins by almost repeating what he said in 3:1
12 We are not commending ourselves to you again,
Paul reminds them again, we are not trying to convince you of our faithfulness to the gospel, to Christ, and to his Church.
Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you, or from you? You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all.
Paul seems to be arguing the same point here in chapter 5 he made in chapter 3. That he is not coming again to tell them how good he is, how qualified he is, but that he wanted to remind them of what they know about him and the other men who served along side him.
He says, We are not commending ourselves to you again but giving you cause to boast about us,
He says we want you to remember who we are what we have done for you as ministers of the gospel as you really remember what we have said and done your should be able to speak about our soundness in doctrine, practice, and our steadfast love for you.
Now, I want to stop right here for a moment and get really practical.
How many of us have heard people speak out against our Pastors? How many of us have heard someone says something slandering or making false accusations about Pastor Josh, Pastor Adam, or Pastor Matt or myself. Now I am not asking what they said or who said it, don’t worry. But trust us we know it happens, sometimes it happens to our face. People get sideways with not just us, but every church I have been a part of there are times when sheep turn on the shepherd.
Paul is saying here, I shouldn’t have to defend myself you should defend me!
So how do we respond to accusations against shepherds? Do we say our pastors are perfect, they never do anything wrong? Do we encourage the conversation and see what good gossip we might learn from this slander?
What do we do?
We should encourage that person to stop slandering not just our pastors but anyone, and exhort them to go talk to that person.
We should do what Paul says here, remember the whole of our pastors ministry.
Remember they are God called, and church affirmed to be in their role.
Remember their faithful gospel preaching.
Remember their faithful shepherding during hard seasons of life.
Remember their pastoral care for us personally.
Remember their repentance.
All, of this means we must truly know our pastors, deacons and leaders. If we do no know who they are when they are not in the pulpit then we will not be prepared when they are attacked personally. Let me give you an example.
When we first began attending Pray’s Mill Josh and Kari invited us to their home for dinner. Among other things Josh prepared us that we may read some things on the internet about Pray’s Mill that are concerning. He didn’t realize how I am not that savy on using google to find that kind of stuff. But, he explained a little bit about the church’s history and how he came to minister here.
Then shortly after, I had invited some friends here and they said, “have you seen this stuff on the internet about Pray’s Mill?” And because of Josh’s willingness to prepare us, we were able to explain and defend the ministry.
Now, I am going to get even a little bit more practical. Our goal as pastors is to tighten up our shepherding visits again. We know we have struggled over the last two years, with pastoral transitions and covid restrictions. But one of the most challenging things for us is lining up and scheduling these visits. However, if you would help us with that by telling us we would love to have a visit at this time and place, in your home, in our home, or at the church we will make it a priority to get it done! This helps you to hold us accountable to caring for us the way we desire and are called too.
Ok, admittedly that was a little bit of a trail, but the reason Paul could commend himself is because the has spent time with the Corinthians, and he say you know us, you should boast about us!
Notice the second half of verse 12,
We are not commending ourselves to you again but giving you cause to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast about outward appearance and not about what is in the heart.
Instead of Paul having to commend himself the Corinthians ought to be boasting in him! He says you should be grateful that God has given us this gospel ministry. Your hearts should be overjoyed that God has used us to proclaim the truth of the gospel to you. You know that it was us, even thought were are just clay pots, that God used to bring you to a point of repentance and faith. God saved you by sending us to you to preach Christ crucified! God sent us to teach you the truths of the Scriptures that you would be sanctified. Your hearts have been changed, your minds have grown in knowledge, and your life has been realigned with the will of God, remember, my first letter,
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
This is why you should boast in us. Through our ministry God brought you out of darkness into his marvelous light, through our ministry God delivered you from the domain of darkness into the kingdom of his beloved Son! Don’t let those immature, back biting, glory seeking false teachers and church members dupe you into believing their lies and slander.
When we are slandered, by those who look at the outward appearance and not about what is in the heart, this is how you should answer.
Paul and his partners:
Preach Christ
They aim to Please God.
They have a reverent fear of God.
They care for our souls.
They labored as not to be a burden to us.
They seek to point us to the glory of God.
Now what are some ways today we hear church folks talk negatively about our leaders that reveals they are looking at the external not the heart?
Music is changing.
I don’t like it
Programs are changing.
My children need to be entertained.
Order of worship is changing.
It is not like it used to be.
Shepherding is too strong.
I don’t need your soul care.
How should we respond?
Now that Paul has laid out all of the reasons to boast in faithful gospel ministers. He then provides,
II. Reassurance of the Controlling Love of Christ (13-15)
II. Reassurance of the Controlling Love of Christ (13-15)
A. We are Beside Ourselves for God (13)
A. We are Beside Ourselves for God (13)
For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you.
Paul is saying, look because of the gospel we preach and the doctrine we teach the world and sometimes those within the church think we are crazy.
Turn with me to Acts 26,
“Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance. For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me. To this day I have had the help that comes from God, and so I stand here testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass: that the Christ must suffer and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles.” And as he was saying these things in his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, you are out of your mind; your great learning is driving you out of your mind.” But Paul said, “I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I am speaking true and rational words. For the king knows about these things, and to him I speak boldly. For I am persuaded that none of these things has escaped his notice, for this has not been done in a corner.
When a preacher of the gospel or a faithful shepherd has a passionate zeal for glory of God and the exaltation of Jesus those who lack spiritual wisdom and maturity will think they are out of their mind.
When we speak biblical truth, to someone who has yet to understand it, they think we are nuts, and begin to draw back, defend their own understanding, and may even slander us.
Here is what we must remember, this is a spiritual issue, even those we believe to be saved, have been blinded from understanding that truth we are standing on. We can argue till we are blue in the face, we can beat them over the head with the Bible, but until the Spirit illuminates their mind to the truth we have knowledge and assurance of we cannot make them understand.
Here is the flipside, we can have the same issue. Anyone in here have perfect knowledge of every jot and tittle of the Scriptures? If you say yes, you are going to scare me...
We must be sensitive to this truth. This is why Romans 14 is so important, we must be careful not to make judgements or condemnations where the Scripture doesn’t.
Therefore, when someone, thinks we are out of our mind we must reassure them it is for God, and that if we are in our right mind it is for you.
Paul is trying to get the church to understand, he knows he has written some painful letters, he knows he has said some hard things, but they must understand it is for their good!
John Gill writes,
The glory of God, and the good of his churches, were what concerned them in every part of life.
This is where the rubber meets the road. At work we are constantly trying to help our employees get better. The most important thing we can get them to understand is what we are trying to teach them is for their good. We are never going to ask them to do anything that will hurt them or will not help them to improve their performance.
But all we can do is lay out the principles, they have to believe and apply them. Pastoral ministry is similar, we can’t make anyone obey the command of Christ, and apply biblical principles. We can preach, disciple, teach, pray, and plead, but it is up to individuals to repent, believe, and apply.
And sometimes even making sure they know it is for their good falls short! This brings us to our next truth Paul lays out. He says not only are we fools for God,
B. We are Controlled by Christ’s Love (14)
B. We are Controlled by Christ’s Love (14)
For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died;
Paul says, in all of this make no mistake, the reasons we preach what we preach, the reason we pastor or shepherd the way we shepherd is because we are controlled and constrained by the love of Christ.
This love of Christ Paul described in,
but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Paul said in Romans he died for us, here in Corinthians he said Christ died for all. He said this is what they concluded, this is what they affirm, this is their central message. The death of Christ for all, not every person the whole world, but all who would repent of their sin and trust in Christ’s life death and resurrection for their salvation.
Again I love the way John Gill laid this out,
“The manner of his dying is for, or in the room and stead of all; so that he died not as merely a martyr, or by way of example, or only for their good, but as their substitute, in room and stead, having all the sins of his people upon him, for which he made satisfaction; and this the nature of his death shews, which was a sacrifice, a ransom, a propitiation and atonement.”
This is the manner in which Christ died for all! Jew and Gentile, male and female, boy and girl, black and white. Christ died for a particular people chosen from every tribe, tongue, and nation.
He died specifically for all of his people, all of his sheep, all the members of his church!
Why did Christ do this, why was Paul constrained by the controlling love of Christ,
and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.
that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.
Because Christ died for us we live for Him! We died to self and lay down our life, take up our cross and follow him. We recognize the love he had for us and therefore we seek to show that same love to Him, his Father, His Spirit and His church! Again this ought put to death,
Any slander against God’s shepherds.
Any self-centered view of our life in God’s church.
Any over inflated view of ourselves in God’s mission.
Any belief that we must be wise in our own eyes in worship.
The fact that Christ died for all that we might live for him should redirect our lives and realign our will with the will of God, meaning we are controlled by Christ love revealed to us in His Word!
This morning,
I pray that we would not only boast in Paul’s apostolic ministry, but in Josh, Adam, and Matt’s pastoral care and ministry in our lives.
I pray that just as Paul was controlled by the love of Christ, Pray’s Mill will be known as a body of Christ who is controlled by his love that he demonstrated to us in His death!
I pray that as his church we would no longer live for ourselves but for Him!