Case Study of a Troubled Church

Introduction

Arouse Interest

Book growing fruit trees… —> “Troubleshooting”

Some old time farmers / orchardists - when they had an old apple tree that stopped bearing fruit, they’d take an axe and wound the tree.

Somehow - that stress would cause the tree to start producing fruit the next year.

Intro. Subj.

Not unlike one of the great themes of the Bible: God uses pain to produce fruit in our lives.

(Jn 15) Vine / branches… —> Jesus prunes branches to produce more fruit.

All the stories where suffering… —> good things.

Jospeh’s slavery

Job’s trials

David’s running from Saul

Prop.

God brings good things from hard things when we do life His way.

Not a promise that everything will be rosy for us.

(Jeremiah, the weeping prophet)

But hard things are an invitation to the life of God (participate… kingdom)

A front row seat to the god who says, “I make all things work together for the good of those who love me.”

Bond to Scripture

We’ve come to a transition point in Ch. 7 of 2Cor.

"Growing Pains - Encouragement / Rebuke for a Maturing Church”

This passage helps fill in the gaps of what happened between 1 & 2 Cor.

“Case Study of a Troubled Church” (It’s great this church progressed!)

Let’s look at / consider what happened in this situation--

And see what we can learn about how God works in our lives.

Focus (prop.): God brings good things from hard things when we do life His way.

Commitment is a hard thing. (vs. 2-5)

Comfort is God’s good thing. (vs. 6-7)

Commit to your church family.

II. God redeems our godly grief.

Grief is a hard thing. (vs. 8-10)

Salvation is God’s good thing. (v. 11)

Repent, and keep on repenting.

III. God purifies by confrontation.

Confrontation is a hard thing. (v. 12)

Fellowship is God’s good thing. (vs. 13-16)

Engage others with truth and love.

Conclusion