The Corinthian Correspondence, Part 48; 2 Corinthians 11:1-15 - "Entertaining Strangers Unaware"

The Corinthian Correspondence, Part 48; 2 Corinthians 11.1-15 "Entertaining Strangers Unaware" Here are some common things practically every parent says to their kids. They really mean well! But for those of us who have kids or have adopted them, how often do we tell them what our parent told us? Things like: "If you tell a lie, your nose will grow." "I hope you have a kid just like you." "If you cross your eyes, they will stay that way." "Touch a toad and you will get warts." "Drinking coffee will stunt your growth." But there are good things our parents have told us that are actually helpful. "Look both ways before crossing the street." As a personal story, I didn't and got hit by a car! "What's the magic word?" "Finish what you start." "I love you." And finally, one that most parents tell their kids, "Don't talk to strangers." Why is that? Pretty obvious. How many horror stories have been told, let along the ones which have not, about strangers befriending innocent kids only to have things done to them beyond horror. How many are scarred for life because some failed to heed their parents' advice: "don't talk to strangers." Well, as terrible as things can be regarding the victims in their bodies and souls, the worst abuse is one of spiritual deception. How many what we would call miracle stories have we heard regarding those horribly abused, and after turning to the Lord Jesus for salvation, they were completely changed? I'm reminded of 2 Corinthians 5.17: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. Anybody who receives salvation in Christ is a new person. God can heal body and soul. God can restore. And our God is mighty to save! But a person who is spiritually deceived by false teachers, especially those who began following Jesus, but fell away and went after another god, another gospel, another Jesus and remain there? When someone is physically abused, God can heal. But when someone is spiritually deceived, where can he or she go? What is to become of him or her? This is the issue Paul was facing on behalf of his beloved Corinthians. As we will see, Paul had a great fear that the Corinthians were in the process of falling away from the Lord. They were entertaining strangers unaware. Today in our passage, 2 Corinthians 11.1-15, we will see Paul's concern about his beloved Corinthians entertaining strangers, the false teachers, unaware. They were unaware in 3 ways. First, the Corinthians were unaware of the real relationship they had with the Lord Jesus, and this is found in vv. 1-6. Second, the Corinthians were unaware of a primary motive of these strangers--a motive that Paul vigorously exposed in vv.7-12. Finally, the Corinthians were unaware of the spiritual identity of the strangers they were entertaining in vv.13-15. So, let's read together 2 Corinthians 11.1-6 to see the kind of relationship the Corinthians had with the Lord. I wish you would bear with me in a little foolishness. Do bear with me! For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough. Indeed, I consider that I am not in the least inferior to these super-apostles. Even if I am unskilled in speaking, I am not so in knowledge; indeed, in every way we have made this plain to you in all things. So, let's make some observations of the text here. First what kind of relationship did Paul have with the Corinthians? That of a spiritual "father-daughter." Paul told the Corinthians that he "became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel" in 1 Corinthians 4.15. And as the Corinthians' spiritual father, he took a vital interest in seeing them as a church remain faithful to the one he betrothed them to, their husband, the Lord Jesus. Now, if we don't understand the culture of the day we will miss something vital. This word, "betrothed" in the culture back then means legally married. "Married in all ways", as it has been said, "except for that which leads to family." And what does that mean? Simply put, though the betrothed couple are legally married--only a divorce can dissolve this--they cannot consummate the marriage until after the wedding. During that time, the bride is to remain a pure virgin, saving herself unto her groom, her legal husband. Think Christmas. And Mary and Joseph. So, here is Paul. As their spiritual father, his vital interest is in seeing his spiritual daughter make it to the wedding as a chaste virgin, waiting for the time when Christ will take her to himself. But Paul had a problem with the Corinthians. They were entertaining strangers--as in potential spiritual suitors. It was as if the betrothed Corinthians were allowing other spiritual persons to entice them to commit spiritual adultery. To violate their betrothal with their husband. Remember how he described these suitors. First, Paul reminded them of what happened in the Garden of Eden. The serpent lied to her and she bought it. And the rest we know is a history of horror. But notice the serpent engaged her mind. And Paul makes this connection regarding the Corinthians and the false teachers. The false teachers were speaking enticing lies to the bride of Christ. And the Corinthians were torn. And Paul was afraid for them. And he experienced jealousy over them. Jealousy, as in a fear that any exclusive, healthy relationship has. Not a jealousy as in overly possessive of the person. Not the person but the marriage. For all of us who have ever been married, jealousy is a normal part of marriage. That motivates us to guard the marriage carefully, to maintain the exclusivity of it. Well this was Paul's attitude. But by their lies, the false teachers were in the process of leading the Corinthians away from their husband. How so? The bottom line is presenting another Jesus. If it is another Jesus, another spirit and another gospel goes along with it. The result? Apostasy. Falling away from the Lord. And Paul was bewildered. One would think that the first time the Corinthians heard a counterfeit gospel and a false Jesus they would immediately turn away from the ones carrying this message and slam the door. But they not only entertained them, the Corinthians were beginning to become mesmerized by them. And that is a problem. And speaking of problems, Paul knew that he could not compete with whom he called the super apostles in his oratory skills. Paul admitted that he couldn't talk so good. Now I find it pretty funny that Paul was injecting a little biting, humorous sarcasm here. Paul called these false teachers "super apostles". Certainly they could move a crowd with their speaking ability. But were they super apostles? Were they even apostles? As Paul will reveal they were not true apostles at all. So, I think he poked fun at them. Paul here was a master at highlighting absurdity with absurdity. First in v.1 he began this section by describing what he was doing as foolishness. I can imagine that if Larry Boy was a thing back in Paul's day, he would not call them super apostles. No, I think he would label them as "Thuper Apothles", in Larry Boy's unique style. I can hear him say in mocking tones, "I. Am. That. Thuper Apothle." Second, Paul described himself as "unskilled" in speaking. "Unskilled" in the original language is "id-i-o-tas." What does that sound like to you? In a word, could Paul actually call himself an idiot in standing up to these thuper apothles? Of course, idiotas means one is an apprentice in the presence of a master. But Paul made it plain. He did not consider himself inferior in any way to his opponents. Again, he was using biting sarcasm to highlight the absurdity of the false teachers' claim of apostleship. Or should I say "apothleship." And can you see yourself here? I can. In 2 ways. First, every true disciple of Jesus in every local church, to include Grace United, is betrothed to our bridegroom. We are waiting for him. That is in part of what the return of Christ is about. One day, our heavenly bridegroom will be here. What does this mean for us? In a word, faithfulness to our bridegroom as we wait for his return. See, becoming a Christian means by definition that we enter in to an exclusive spiritual relationship with him. No idols. We entertain no other gods. Because that is spiritual adultery. This is what idolatry is. Time fails us to even scratch the surface of exploring this issue. But let me recommend that you read that book of Hosea this week. This book fleshes out in detail of how God deals with his spiritually adulterous people. They went after other gods. And aroused Yahweh's anger and tender compassion on them. Again, our relationship with our bridegroom is to be a loyal one. It won't be a perfect one, unfortunately. A question: for those of you who had or have a married experience, did you ever experience perfection there? Me neither. I don't see how my beloved puts up with me! But why do marriages stay intact? Perfection? No. But loyalty to one another and especially to one's wedding vows. So, as followers of Jesus, let's stay loyal to him. No other gods! We are his betrothed. Let's live like it! I see us in this picture in a second way. Every person who has a mentoring relationship with another Christian is a spiritual parent. This is certainly true if you were the "last link on the chain," and in your sharing the gospel with him or her, this person became born again. This is also true for every person leading someone else to be more like Jesus. Take Paul's relationship with Timothy. Timothy was already a disciple of Jesus when Paul met him. His grandmother and mother led him to the Lord. But Paul called Timothy, "my son in the faith" in 1 Timothy 1.2. We see how Paul agonized over the Corinthians and sought to help them stay loyal to Jesus. We are to as well. The primary means is prayer. The secondary means is living an example before them. The third means is to encourage them to follow you as you follow Christ. There is much to be said, but let's be encouraged to keep going! Let's live our lives as faithful disciples ourselves and then to pour out our lives for the sake of those we are mentoring. Having seen how unaware the Corinthians were of their relationship to Paul and to Christ, let's now take a look at how the Corinthians were unaware of a primary motive of these strangers in vv.7-12. Or did I commit a sin in humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because I preached God's gospel to you free of charge? I robbed other churches by accepting support from them in order to serve you. And when I was with you and was in need, I did not burden anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied my need. So I refrained and will refrain from burdening you in any way. As the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting of mine will not be silenced in the regions of Achaia. And why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do! And what I am doing I will continue to do, in order to undermine the claim of those who would like to claim that in their boasted mission they work on the same terms as we do. Did you catch it? What was the primary motive the false teachers had in trying to woo away the Corinthians from the true gospel? In a phrase: "Follow the money." Notice what Paul is doing here. His tightly woven argument about money and his ministry is a complete contrast of that of the false teachers. Paul's deliberate approach was to preach the gospel for free. He was not going to be a burden on the Corinthians in any way, shape or form. He would rather take support from any other church just so he would not be a burden on the Corinthians. In fact, he intimates that he would not take their money if they insisted they give to his ministry. Indeed, the only reason he asked the Corinthians for money was for the Judean famine relief project. And this was not for money's sake. It was a strong declaration of unity throughout the body of Christ across the miles. And Paul's reason for boasting in this region was this very thing--that he did and continued to preach the gospel for free to the Corinthians. These false teachers needed to be called out for their greed, but the Corinthians were not going to do that. The false teachers without a doubt wanted to get paid for their "ministry." This was standard "across the industry" as the saying goes. But Paul preached for free and he was shouting it from the rooftops. My brothers and sisters, do you realize how offensive that would be today--and perhaps even in Paul's day. Think about it. The Corinthians did not help with Paul's expenses. Apparently never have but definitely never will. Ok. But what is Paul's response to this? Boasting in the "regions in Achaia" that Paul would not take 1 shekel from the Corinthians. Can you imagine what probably went on in the minds of faithful Christians in Corinth? Probably the same if someone were to do that today. What would that sound like? "What's wrong? Too good for our money?" How would that apply even to the famine relief project? Do you think they might have been a little hesitant to give to that worthy cause in light of Paul's boasting he received no money the Corinthians? What would the neighbors think about this? "Really, Corinthians? Really?" No wonder Paul wrote v.11: And why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do! "You have a fine way of showing it, Paul!" But it was not about the Corinthians here. It was about exposing the false teachers. It may have caused his dear friends to doubt his love for them. But Paul had much bigger fish to fry. He was committed to undermine the claim that the false teachers were "just like Paul" and his friends. As we can see here, such was not the case--by a super long shot. Paul wanted to expose their heart--the false teachers have a huge financial motive in trying to bring the Corinthians to their way of thinking--and separating them from their money. Truly, the false teachers were making money off of Jesus. I see in these verses a great thing on one hand and a cautionary tale on the other. It's a great thing because the false teachers will be shown for who they are. Greedy for the things of this life. And they will be found out. Because the false teachers will become known for their primary motive--increasing their profit margin. Doubtless, Paul wants to shut down these false teachers by hitting them where they live--in the pocketbook. I also see this as a cautionary tale. Again, why would Paul write verse 11? Because he knew how the people would feel over this. That some would misjudge his motives for letting everybody know that the Corinthians never paid him anything--but the Corinthians paid the false teachers. And the Corinthians would misjudge Paul's motives. How often are things not as they seem? You come into the Fellowship Hall ready to serve the Lord on a gorgeous Sunday. You just know it will be a good day. Until. Your brother takes deep offense at a comment you make during Bible fellowship. So much so that he refuses to talk about it. No matter what you say to him, he just sits in the corner. See, your comment brought up in this brother's mind a profoundly sad and tense moment that he experienced more than a decade ago. So, what happened here? This brother has misjudged your motives by misjudging your words. And now there is broken fellowship between brothers. But what was your motive for sharing what you did in Bible fellowship? Nothing but helpfulness to the brothers and sisters in the fellowship. And many were helped--they told you. The cautionary tale should be obvious. Make sure that you truly love your brother, your sister. Remember what love is! It is patient and kind. It is not envious. It keeps no record of wrongs suffered. In other words, give your dear brother, your dear sister, the benefit of the doubt. Avoid misjudging motives. We don't have the power or the authorization to evaluate the motives of our brother or sister. As Paul says in Ephesians 4.3: with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. A third way the Corinthians were unaware as they entertained strangers is found in vv.13-15: For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds. The Corinthians indeed were unaware of the nature of the false teachers. What was animating them. They weren't Thuper Apothles. They did not represent the Lord Jesus. They were false apostles. They were deceitful workmen. They promoted a gospel that did not save. They, Satan's servants disguised themselves as servants of righteousness. This is really the bottom line for Paul. God gave him wisdom and insight to look into the unseen world, and what was really going on. These false teachers were Satan's servants. No wonder they said the things they said. Did the things they did. Satan's primary objective, as the Lord Jesus said, was to steal and kill and destroy. So, the Corinthians should not have been surprised at the goings on with the false teachers. Tragically, they entertained strangers unaware. They were attempting to lead people down the path that leads to hell. But the end of the false teachers will "correspond to their deeds." Even as Jesus tells us in Matthew 7:20-23: Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.' These words of our Lord ought to be our watchwords, especially when it comes to the false teachers of our day. The Lord Jesus is deadly serious. There will be actual flesh and blood people whom he will tell to depart from him. Into everlasting fire. The false teachers of our day don't just promote something that is clever, or fodder for a religious debate. This is deadly serious. Any teacher bringing teaching that does not conform to the truth is to be shut out of our lives. Regardless of how much charisma. Regardless of apparent miracles. The truth of the matter is that we become what we behold. What we fill our minds with when we have the choice goes far to shape our character. There is no neutral here. So, what can we take away from this passage chocked full of warning today? Remember who you are-a betrothed member of the bride of Christ. He will come again and he is looking for a bride who has been loyal during their betrothal. We need to make sure that we don't misjudge the motives of our fellow servants. Let's love them. Give them the benefit of the doubt. Finally, let's be ever more committed to reality--it would be easy if Satan's servants were obvious. But no! they have to disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. This goes to really every area of life. Fake news is what comes to mind here. Every major issue of our day has something to do with what happens in our minds--trying to persuade us to join their team. So, what will it be? Following after disguised servants of righteousness? Or following real servants of righteousness? Let's make sure that we follow our parents' simple advice: "Don't talk to strangers." Don't give lies any lodging in our minds and hearts. And I think it is very appropriate if we remind ourselves of God's spiritual thought checklist. We affectionately call it "THRPLGREP." This command found in Philippians 4.8 is vital for making sure we don't talk to or listen to spiritual strangers. Let's say it together. Finally brothers and sisters whatever is True, Honorable, Right, Pure, Lovely and is of Good Repute. If there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.