2 Corinthians 11:16-33 If You're Gonna Boast

Intro:

I feel I need to address something

People have asked me what our church’s position is on the vaccine

This is because an Elder has said to get it from the stage

That is not the church’s position

In fact, the church’s position is neutral on the issue

Let me tell you why

I am not a medical professional nor is anyone in leadership

Nor are we going to parrot what the government is saying because they change their message all the time

Last week the most respected commission at the FDA recommended against a third job

No one has ever gone against their recommendation in the history of the commission

This week the CDC director overruled their recommendation

Your medical choices are yours and yours alone and last time I checked that is how it is with our country as well

It is not the place of the church to sway you one way or the other

If you have strong feeling one way or other that doesn’t represent this church

What I can tell you as your pastor is that your actions regarding this issue is something that falls into our realm

Jesus said the second greatest commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself

You may think you are loving your neighbors by advocating your position

Jesus also said the world will know our love for Him by our love for each other

Let me tell you that the actions by some people in this church on both sides of the issue have been the exact opposite

If you attack or demean someone, especially another believer, because they don’t think like you do. That is a sin

There are many in this church that need to repent of this sin on BOTH sides of the issue

Second, it is a horrible witness

When the world sees you act that way, Your side may cheer you, but it turns everyone off to the Gospel

Finally, I question if the love of Christ is in your heart.

If your words aren’t seasoned with grace and mercy when you talk to someone who doesn’t think like you, then you are the one in the wrong

This issue needs to be addressed by these people repenting and going to the people they have hurt and begging for forgiveness

God isn’t going to go forward with this church unless this issue is dealt with

It grieves Him and I can tell you this, If you don’t heed this gentle rebuke from your pastor, it is not going to go well with you after this

We have serious work to do going forward and God is not going to stand for repeated attacks on each other

Read 2 Corinthians 11:16-21

Transition:

It’s football season and once again millions of people are in front of their TV’s cheering on their team

Unless you are a UCLA fan and the games are on a channel no one gets

One of the interesting things about football are the celebrations

Last Sunday there were multiple penalties for taunting

This is when a defensive player stands above an offensive player after a tackle and celebrates too much

Many coaches and players complained that the penalties were random

Celebrations have gotten out of control

A player tackles another on a simple play and the player gets up and celebrates like he has won the super bowl

Even worse, his teammates gather around him and egg him on.

We have become a society that likes to boast about ourselves

Corinth was similar

They had these speakers, Paul calls them super apostles, who loved to tell everyone in the church how good they were

This was causing some in the church to question Paul what he has done

Paul has resisted up until this point, but now he is going to unload and silence the critics

I. Boasting in the Flesh vs. 16-21a

The Super Apostles were boasting in the flesh

Paul always boasted of what the Spirit was doing

vs. 16-18 Foolish to Boast

Paul tells us it is foolish to boast

Have you ever noticed that the best player on the team is often the least talkative?

They have nothing to prove and they let their actions on the field talk

That is the way Paul is

He has nothing to prove but the church is forcing his hand

Now he is going to boast and put the rest to shame

Phil 3:3-4 For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh— 4 though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more

He tells the church in Philippi that he has more confidence than anyone who will boast against him

Paul tells us it is foolish to boast in our abilities

It always come back to bite us

vs. 19 Be wise

Instead, he tells us to be wise in who we listen to

The Corinthians we gladly bearing with fools, thinking they were wise

These super apostles were telling everything they were good at but producing no fruit

Christians can be so in awe of a charismatic pastor”s personality or speaking skills that they believe everything they say without question

Paul wants the Corinthians to be wise like the Bereans were

If you aren’t testing what a speaker says against scripture then you aren’t using wisdom

vs. 20-21a Live in Your Liberty

What the Corinthian church didn’t realize is that they were putting up with requirements they didn’t need to

These false apostles had put them under bondage and were abusing them

Sadly, this still happens today

Almost every week you hear reports coming out about abuse in the church

And Christians still endure it because they think they are getting closer to God

Gal 5:1 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

Freedoms in Christ

You are no longer a slave to sin

II. Far Greater Labors vs. 21b-26

Now Paul lowers the boom

His qualifications and character were called into question

This may be the first mic drop in church history

He starts by saying this whole charade is foolish but you asked for it so here goes

vs. 21-23 Paul’s Qualifications

First, he lists his qualifications

He starts with his heritage

A Hebrew of Hebrew, and Israelite, offspring of Aaron

It didn’t get more Blue blood than Paul

In Philippians he goes even farther and tells them he was a good of Jew as there was

A Pharisee of Pharisees

Then he starts talking about his service

He was a far greater servant with far greater labors

Basically, you can’t touch my resume so don’t even try

I’ve seen young pastors challenge older ones and accuse them of not doing enough

Most older pastors don’t say a word then God lowers the boom and shows the younger just how much the older pastors do. It’s humbling

vs. 24-26 Paul’s Trials

Then Paul changes the subject to his trials and suffering

Five times beaten with 39 lashes. This was often done with a whip

It was illegal for a Roman citizen to have this done to them

1 Cor 9:22-23 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. 23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.

3 Times he was beaten with a rod

Once he was stoned, and not the marijuana kind

Three times shipwrecked with one of those times adrift at seas for a whole day

This is before the one we read about at the end of Acts

He suffered a lot of pain to further the Gospel

Paul put in far greater labor than anyone in the early church

The fact that the church in Corinth questioned that is interesting

III. Daily Pressures vs. 26-29

On top of the suffering he gives us insight into the stress and pressure he endured

He loved his churches and worried over them

vs. 27 Toil & Hardship

He was in danger from Gentiles and false brothers

He toiled and faced hardship

1 Thess 2:9 For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.

Paul never had any second thoughts or regrets

That doesn’t mean it didn’t take a toil on his body and mind

He had many sleepless nights

We thru times of hunger and cold without any resources

vs. 28-29 Anxiety for the Churches

Paul experienced the daily pressure of leading so many churches

He suffered from anxiety as they were each dealing with issues

He trusted God but still worried

IV. Boast in Your Weaknesses vs. 30-33

Finally, Paul tells us what to boast in… our weakness

vs. 30-31 Show my Weakness

If Paul is going to boast, it will be in his weaknesses

This wasn’t false humility

He knew that God chose to work through his weaknesses more than his strengths

He couldn’t speak like the experts but the Holy Spirit’s power worked through his messages and people got saved

2 Cor 12:9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

He boasted in his weaknesses because it showed God’s power

That ministered to people and their hearts became open to the Gospel

When we make it about ourselves we crowd God out

When we are brave enough to talk about our weaknesses and how God used them, it gives people hope

People aren’t looking for you to have it all together

They aren’t looking for you to have all the answers

They want to know if the path you are walking is worth them walking to

We need to show them that Jesus is the one who is leading us and that we often don’t have the strength to keep going

The prophet Zech ariah said “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord.”

vs. 32-33 Narrow Escape