2 Corinthians 6:3-7:1
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2 Corinthians 6:3-7:1
2 Corinthians 6:3-7:1
Paul told us in chapter 5 that we are ambassadors for Christ, he begins chapter 6 telling us we are workers together with Christ and that today is the day of salvation, it is time for us to get to work. We made it that far last week through verse 2 of chapter 6. He continues on with this thought in our chapter and actually has to continue to defend his credentials as an Apostle to this church and gives what we might think of as his resume, But before we get to all that…I want to say that...
I missed not being in Growth Group this past week, because I love the process of sitting down after the message sometime during the week, meditating on it, answering the questions for discussion, and then being challenged and strengthened by the others in my group.
This idea of being Ambassadors, workers together with Christ, and servants of Christ has consumed much of my thoughts over the past week....so much so, that I changed the title of our message this morning from what you have in your bulletins, to Actions speak louder. You may have heard an expression like that when you were a kid, especially if you had good parents…You remember it don’t you? Actions speak louder than....words.
What in the world does that mean? Wrong, it does not mean silence! Let me tell you guys something, I know we have some ladies here this morning, as I said during announcements, a huge number of our ladies are away for the weekend, being encouraged and strengthened at our ladies retreat....So I considered hammering away on our men, or challenging our men in a way that is difficult to do when we have a mixed crowd, because then you think I’m calling you out in front of your wives, but god said no to all of that. And truth be told, I’m proud of everyone of you fellas that did what you had to do to make it possible for your wife to attend, so I thought about having a really short message today.
but then realized you’ve had to parent all weekend and if I kept you in here and your kids out there for a couple of hours, it might be a nice break, the only problem it, I’ve got some guys back there taking care of them, and it’s just not smart to push that any longer than necessary, so lets pray and see what the Lord has for us.
I know you thought you got out of it, but what does this mean? Actions speak louder than words....What you say doesn’t matter if it’s not what you do! Because what you do says more than what you say. Probably easier to just say actions speak louder than words. So I’ve been challenged this week by what does what we do say? I’m not going to talk in riddles all day, just these have been some of my thoughts…and verse two from last week, well the end of verse two…especially. 2 Cor 6:2
2 For He says: “In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
And I encouraged those both here and online to make that truth in their life. If they hadn’t yet received Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior, meaning you acknowledge that the Word of God is true, that Jesus is the only way to Heaven. Remember, we read that verse last week that I told you was the doctrine that made that possible, back in chapter 5, the last verse there, verse 21…2 Cor 5:21
21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Jesus came and lived a sinless life, and was put to death, the death on the cross to pay the price, or the penalty for your sin and mine, that we might, or could, become the righteousness of God, that we could be made right with God. And I read the first two verses of this chapter because it all goes together…verse one says 2 Cor 6:1
1 We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain.
Meaning, and I won’t re-preach the whole sermon, but in short, if we continue to insist that we want God to judge us base upon what we have or haven’t done, rather than based upon what Jesus did for us, then We have received the grace of God in vain, because Jesus’ death was in vain for you.
I can’t tell you how many examples I came across this past week of pastors and Christians that had shared the gospel with a person or group of people and they decided that they weren’t quite ready, they wanted to wait, weren’t ready to decide, and then before that opportunity came, a tragedy occured, and that second or third, or tenth chance never came.
Rather than share those stories, or any stories, I’ll just remind you…to not decide is to decide, you are making a choice and the Bible tells us that those opportunities are limited. I’ll go further to say that Hell is full of those that weren’t ready to decide, those that wanted to wait until they were ready. Paul says today is the day.
We pick up our study this morning in verse three with this idea of actions speak louder than words..
Paul says in verse 3 we give no offense, knowing that if we do, it negates every other thing that we do. Let’s look at it together...
3 We give no offense in anything, that our ministry may not be blamed.
Paul knows that we can give offense in the things that we say, the things that we do, text, post, tweet, snap, tic, eat, drink, right? Remember the whole pagan taco truck from Paul’s fist letter, well from us, when we were going through the first letter 1 Cor 8:9
9 But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak.
So not just bad things, but grey areas, or even things that might technically be OK are not OK if they bring offense in a way that could tarnish your ministry. And then he goes on in verse 4, and I think just emphasizes his point…2 Cor 6:4
4 But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God: in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses,
And I know I’m not getting very far and I didn’t finish the verse, but I want you to see, I want you not to miss, that he says in ALL THINGS. Not some things, not even most things, or in all things except…Paul says in all things we commend, we validate, show ourselves to be authentic, to be the real deal as ministers of God (if we were to say the same thing about ourselves, and I realize were not apostles here, just plan old ordinary Christians…but if we were to say we commend ourselves as ministers of God…how much evidence from our lives could be produced to show that’s just not true…what offenses are in our lives that would contradict that?
Now, I said I’d get back to the verse, but I want you to see that Paul gives us a list here of examples, I think there’s 10 of them...see they are all proceeded with the word in, “I” “N”
So in much patience, and I don’t want to bust out the Greek here, well I do, but I don’t know Greek, but I can tell you that if you look this word patience up, how it is used here is different than what we might think of it as. Many of you think you’re being patient when I go 2-3 minutes minutes over and you don’t get up and storm out. Or the ability to sit in a boat and wait for a fish to bite, or a foursome to move onto the next tee so you can hit your approach shot, or if you have a teenage daughter maybe waiting for your turn in the bathroom.
Patience here is something deeper, steadfastness, constancy, faithful endurance to the end, he goes on..in tribulations meaning being under intense trials, stress pressure, what I want you to get as we go through this list....Paul is saying as ministers of God, as servants of God, these are the times when he had to remember that he was a minister of the gospel...., he goes on in needs, in distresses - literally pain, anguish, the type that is pressing and closing in. I was going to use a picture of the Ever Given ship when it was stuck in the Suez Canal, I I thought a better picture could be painted if I used an image of what they call fat man’s misery, on the loop trail section on Tumbledown Mountain in Maine…pressing in on all sides with nowhere to turn.
2 Cor 6:5
5 in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in fastings;
BY stripes he means lashings the 40 minus one, which Paul received several times, ....tumults think of an angry mob, or riot, in labors, some of these were chosen by Paul so that he could faithfully endure, no one made him work so hard, this contributed to sleeplessness along with having to be alert even at night due to the constant dangers he faced, and in fastings. AND here, these weren’t just denying the flesh for the sake of prayer and presence with God, it was due to the scarcity of food that he experienced at times.
Church, people aren’t just watching us when things are good, or when we have an opportunity to share our faith, or to share the gospel, they are watching your lives and how you react when things go wrong. When there is a loss in your family, when there is a diagnosis, or even when we pay to have our daughter’s exhaust repaired in Maine last weekend, and then pay 6 x’s as much to have it repaired again a few days later in MA...
So if these are examples that Paul gives us when he had to remember he was a minister of the Gospel, what is the personal application for us? If we claim the name of Christ, if we profess to be Christians, then we need to act like it. Our walk had better match our talk!
Now in verse 6 Paul starts with a list of 9 by statements. Some say these are the mental and then the spiritual things he endured, I don’t think that’s it though, these seem more to by the this is how’s, these where what was in our tool bag that we used…verse 6, 2 Cor 6:6
6 by purity, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by sincere love,
7 by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,
Kindness even when others where not kind to them or refused to receive it. The power of God, Paul tells us what that is, in 1 Corinthians 1:18
18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
and he ends with 2 Cor 6:7
7 by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,
Think of that as the armor of God having both offensive and defensive weapons. In verse 8 he begins a series of contrasts, and I think it what others judged him as, and who he really was in Christ Jesus.
8 by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true;
9 as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold we live; as chastened, and yet not killed;
10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.
I want to just summarize what we have so far in this chapter. Paul says, look church…we’ve had all kinds of troubles, but we have been faithful and we’ve patiently endured all of these things by focusing on our walk with Jesus and our witness for Jesus. Specifically, the things that we say and the things that we do. We’ve responded to all of these things with pure kindness. Asking ourselves what would Jesus do here, or what would he have us do here?
So that no matter what we face we remember that Paul’s defense of his ministry was to be able to say, say what you want, but I’m living it everyday. But in All of these things we commend ourselves he could say…again application for us in this world, in this post Christian nation, as ambassadors, co-laborers, and servants of the Lord, we have to remember that our lives may be the only Bible some people ever read.
Meaning what they see of Jesus in us may make them thirsty for more. We are called to be salt in this world. What they see of Jesus in us can cause them to realize the darkness in their own lives, we are called to be light in this world and illuminate darkness, shine a light on it. But again, what they see in us when we exercise our liberty, or are rotten, unforgiving, or prideful, they can look at your life and conclude, they don’t have anything that I need, and they then take the grace of God in vain, and die apart from Jesus. Make sense? Actions speak louder than words.
So we, like Paul should seek a life of purity. I’ll go further and say that if you are truly saved, then God will give you a desire to live a life that pleases Him. AND as you grow, there will be evidence that you are becoming more and more like Jesus. He said, John 14:15
15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments.
Verse 11
11 O Corinthians! We have spoken openly to you, our heart is wide open.
12 You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted by your own affections.
13 Now in return for the same (I speak as to children), you also be open.
14 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?
Now specifically in the context of this letter, Paul is talking about false teachers, but the principle is found throughout the scriptures, back in Deuteronomy it tells us to not yoke unlike things together like a big oxen, with a donkey. They are not the same. One is far more powerful than the other. And if you picture a yoke that ties two animals together, and one is an ox and the other is a donkey, what is going to happen when they try to pull the load, they are alway going to go off course.
That’s what it does to us, Christians should not be yoke together dating or in marriage with a non Christian, if you are, break it off, very rarely does it work out like you’re hoping it will. Christians are wise to not partner in business relationships with non-Christians, you have completely different goals, or you should, you are playing with fire. Pre-maritally, I think there can be an unyoking with one Christian that is on fire for the Lord, and another who’s pants smell like their on fire because they are just barely outside the gates of hell. Amos 3:3
3 Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?
There’s actually a biblical example of the perils of yoking with an unbeliever in business. Some of you might remember the story of King Jehoshaphat
3 Now the Lord was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the former ways of his father David; he did not seek the Baals,
4 but sought the God of his father, and walked in His commandments and not according to the acts of Israel.
Distant father David, I think his biological father was King Asa. If you read through the story of King Jehoshaphat, he thought he had a good business opportunity, in 2 Chron 20:35-37
35 After this Jehoshaphat king of Judah allied himself with Ahaziah king of Israel, who acted very wickedly.
36 And he allied himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish, and they made the ships in Ezion Geber.
37 But Eliezer the son of Dodavah of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, “Because you have allied yourself with Ahaziah, the Lord has destroyed your works.” Then the ships were wrecked, so that they were not able to go to Tarshish.
SO bad deal, and it doesn’t honor God.
Paul goes on with his list
15 And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever?
16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people.”
17 Therefore “Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.”
18 “I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”
1 Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
If we want to have an impact for the Kingdom of God, we are going to have to live lives of purity, lives that honor God, and we need to live for Jesus Christ. For some of you it is time to go all in. Time to stop just being Sunday morning Christians. Let me warn you. Because most of what you see on Christian television, or hear on the radio or internet podcasts, is that if you follow Jesus, and go all in, wallet or bank account included, then everyday is going to be like working on a farm that raises puppies and dolphins, that are all kinds of beautiful colors because all they eat is skittles and prime rib.
Well that’s not the Christianity in the Bible, and it’s certainly not Christianity in 2022. If you decide to step up and fully live for Jesus today in this county, it’s going to cost you something. So you’d better chose. Be all in, or be out. DO you remember what Jesus said about being wishy washy? Being lukewarm? Rev 3:15-16
15 “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot.
16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.
The first cost should be giving up your sin. For some that will cost them some pleasure, of others relationships, some will have to break-up those that aren’t married but connected to someone with whom they are unequally yoked. Some will have to get off the fence and get married. Stop playing house and make a covenant before God and to each other. Some might have to get out of bad business relationships. I’m not saying you can work for a non-Christian, but to partner with them is something different.
Others may have to confess some things to a trusted brother or sister, or husband or wife and start a real accountable relationship. Because the world out there has absolutely no interest in hearing about Jesus from you if He isn’t even real in your own life. The stakes are high, and I believe with my whole heart that the time is short.
Salvation is not getting all emotional at a summer camp as a kid and going up front like everyone else. It’s not saying a prayer in some church, big or small and then getting baptised and continuing on in the life we’ve always had. We are to be new creations in Christ. He saved us so we would be completely different that what we were before Jesus.
Christians, we, not just me, we are called to make disciples, and the mission field is outside those doors. AND the world is watching you, before they will ever come and listen to me. I’ll tell you something else…historically, evangelistic Christianity in the United States was to tell someone they are a sinner, let them know that Jesus came, and lived a sinless live, remember our doctrine verse from last week, 2 Cor 5:21
21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
You’re a sinner, Jesus can save you, do you want to follow Jesus? Then repeat this sinners prayer and you can be saved. When that all works perfectly, and there is true repentance and belief that still is not making a disciple, it is making a convert. What we are called to do is make disciples. That’s doing all those things, sharing the Gospel with others, and then taking them by the hand and saying come on, now I’m going to show you how to do it, how to live like a Christian, how to grow in your faith, like Paul does here, by the way Church in Corinth, this is how...
In Paul’s closing here, I just want to clarify something from verse 17 where Paul says 2 Cor 6:17
17 Therefore “Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.”
Don’t forget this has to be taken as a whole with the last chapter. We are in the world, we are just not to be of it. Paul is not saying don’t have any associations or even friendships with those living in this world, otherwise we wouldn’t be very good ambassadors. Again in his first letter to the Corinthians he says, 1 Cor 5:9-13
9 I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people.
10 Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.
11 But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—not even to eat with such a person.
12 For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside?
13 But those who are outside God judges. Therefore “put away from yourselves the evil person.”
Christian, seek to live a holy life with faithful endurance. Paul and his co-workers pleaded with others not to receive the Gospel in vain. They were careful of their conduct so that they protected the reputation of the ministry that they had been entrusted with. IF we are Ambassadors for Christ - Our lives had better represent the King who has called us to serve Him. Your commitment to purity will give authenticity to your words.