HOW WILL YOU BE FOUND?

Jeff Pagel

Sunnyside First Baptist Church

Reconcilliation • Sermon • Submitted 3 years ago

2 Corinthians 12–13

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Review and Introduction

Paul’s most personal letter to a congregation is found in 2Corinthians. It is emotional and filled with feelings of uncertainty, frustration, sympathy, and relief.

This emotional spectrum was due to Paul’s close relationship with the Corinthians. He had planted the church in Corinth, stayed with them for a year and a half, visited them a second time, and had written several letters to them prior to 2 Corinthians.

Though it is named 2 Corinthians, this is at least the fourth letter that Paul had written to them. Second Corinthians reflects the tumultuous relationship that Paul had with the church in Corinth.

Paul at his heart was a Pastor. Invited and invested in by Jesus himself to bring the Gospel of Grace to Jews and especially Gentiles in the Mediterranean as far west as Spain is the late first century.

Paul was bold with his message that to follow Jesus is the end of the Old Testament law!

Jesus life, death, burial and resurrection sealed the world in the new covenant.

Hebrews 9:15 (NLT)

15 That is why he [Jesus] is the one who mediates a new covenant between God and all people, so that all who are called can receive the eternal inheritance God has promised them. For Christ died to set them free from the penalty of the sins they had committed under that first covenant.

IF you have committed your life to Christ this verse concerns you.

You will receive the promised eternal inheritance. And we will be free from onerous Old Testament laws by Faith alone and by Grace alone in the person and work of Jesus Christ alone.

The whole message of the both the Old and New Testaments. The time before Christ and the time after Christ hinges on the work of Jesus to fulfill many of the open prophecies from the Old Testament.

Paul’s calling, as he states in many of the introductory verses of his letters to the churches was to bring the Good News, The Evangelion, to EVERYONE who believes

Romans 1:1–6 NLT

1 This letter is from Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, chosen by God to be an apostle and sent out to preach his Good News. 2 God promised this Good News long ago through his prophets in the holy Scriptures. 3 The Good News is about his Son. In his earthly life he was born into King David’s family line, 4 and he was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord. 5 Through Christ, God has given us the privilege and authority as apostles to tell Gentiles everywhere what God has done for them, so that they will believe and obey him, bringing glory to his name. 6 And you are included among those Gentiles who have been called to belong to Jesus Christ.

and from Galatians 1.1

Galatians 1:1 ESV

1 Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead—

Nearly all of Paul’s letter’s begin with such a message. As Paul traversed the Medtrainian Sea that the message he brought to Corinth, to Thessalonnica, Colossia, Ephesus, Galatia and to many thousands of people who in turn changed the world from the inside out.

Sitting here today… you and I are a product of those first missionary journeys and the letters that Paul sent to them.

Of course those form in a large way the church that we worship in and the place that God has placed us.

So that we too can be apart of this great and fantastic journey. Us, citizens of Heaven on temporary duty here in earth.

For what purpose do you ask… Why us?

Let’s look at what Paul did to accomplish his mission on earth.

He was called and sent

1 Corinthians 9:22 ESV

22 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.

Our faith would be much different without Paul. I don’t know what form it would have taken… It would NOT look anything like it does today.

So we come to our transition. Away from Paul for a season but certainly to return.

Our passage for today is a big swath of scripture.

Our BIG IDEA begins like this: “Depend on the Lord...”

Our passage this week is:

2Cor12&13

2 Corinthians 12:7–10 (ESV)

7 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.

8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me.

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.

10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Paul knows that he is coming to the end of his missionary journey to the Corinthians. He has come to them as a father, as a brother and as a friend. For us too know that depending on the Lord for the GREAT THINGS he has and will down.

It was his desire to remain well grounded and to not become conceited. He pleaded with the Lord not to have this constant reminder.

But the Lord reminded Paul to “Depend on Christ alone.” Christ gave Paul a new message

2 Corinthians 12:9 ESV

In all of the Lord’s wisdom about you and I. God Grace is sufficient and our weaknesses are made perfect, allowing us to boast through our weakness so that the power of Christ MAY rest upon me.

Paul then gives us a revelation from 2000 years ago that is pretty much spot on for those that walk in step with Jesus today

2 Corinthians 12:10 (ESV)

10 For the sake of Christ, then, I [Paul] am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

I think for our sake Paul was given the Thorn in the Flesh so we could look back and see what Paul was able to do even with this cumbersome thorn.

I am:

Weak

Wounded from insults

I hate it when life gets hard

When I feel persecuted by others

and when it seems the world is against me and

everything I touch is falling apart

Paul had those same afflictions and still did GREAT things. All the same things I can do!

And had this to say, “ For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

I don’t, we don’t want to weak so we can be strong. I want to strong and be seen as strong. But The Lord knew different, he knew that if we were strong and knew it we would be conceited, stuck on ourselves, we would push away those who needed to hear the message, of Grace and Forgiveness loud and clear.

DEPEND ONLY ON THE LORD!!! [PERIOD]

Our BIG IDEA continues: “Depend on the Lord. By the power of His Spirit...”

Paul fears and those fears have come true for Christians today.

2 Corinthians 12:20–21 ESV

20 For I fear that perhaps when I come I may find you not as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish—that perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder. 21 I fear that when I come again my God may humble me before you, and I may have to mourn over many of those who sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, sexual immorality, and sensuality that they have practiced.

OK Paul is laying out his deepest, darkest concerns for the Corinthians.

Quarreling

Jealousy

Anger

Hostility

Slander

Gossip

Conceit

Disorder

This list is NOT complete, nor is it unique only to the first century.

These fleshly responses, evil as they are, work themselves into the very fabric of us, our city, state, nation.

How do we, you and I fight against these things today..? It is tough sometimes not to fight back in the same fashion that we are being fought… Right?

There is a power that provides us the resources to fight against this mighty foe.

Jesus knew what he was doing at Pentecost when he sent His Holy Spirit. This Spirit transforms and empowers God people

In the depths of the Old Testament God is sending His Holy Spirit to transform individuals

Ezekiel 36:26–27 ESV

26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.

God has been giving and giving and giving his Spirit to these situations since deep in the prophecies of the Old Testament.

Still it was necessary to continue pealing this onion back more and more as people learned or didn’t learn the message.

From Gal 5.

Galatians 5:16–17 ESV

16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.

Your and my “fleshly” desires are handled are controlled are eliminated by our “Walk by the Spirit.”

Paul goes on in Galatians 5 and adds to the list of battles that we will need to fight and win by the “Power of the Spirit”

Galatians 5:19–21 ESV

19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

The Word of God is alive and active and when we think that the bible has NO part in 21st century culture verses like this hit us right between the eyes.

How do we fight..?

Our BIG IDEA continues: “Depend on the Lord. By the power of the Holy Spirit, to bring restoration and wholeness to a sick and dying world.

2 Corinthians 13:11–14 ESV

11 Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. 12 Greet one another with a holy kiss. 13 All the saints greet you. 14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Regardless of the battle that we are involved in weather we’ve called it up on ourselves or it has been thrust on us.

We must, must always aim for restoration and comfort for one another.

That is the command of scripture. We have all of the tools, we have the Holy Spirit, God Himself the creator of the universe is on our side, its up to us what and how we use it.