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November 2008 Published weekly on Friday
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acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men (and women) to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1Timothy 2:3-4)
2 Corinthians (2:1-17) (Lesson 05)
Welcome to HBS
we’re glad that you took the time to
be here with us today.
Before we begin
this week’s Bible lesson I’d like to remind the group that with each passing
hour the Church is drawing nearer to the next major event on its calendar and
that would be the Rapture. Now, no one
but God the Father knows when the Lord Jesus Christ is coming in the clouds for
the Body of Christ, but God has prophesied that certain events would take place
on this planet prior to His coming.
Jan Markell from “Olive
Tree Ministries” and “Understanding the Times Radio” said God’s timepiece is the nation of Israel; therefore, we must keep our
eyes on her. The minute hand is on
Jerusalem and the second hand is the Temple Mount. Can you name a day when Israel or the Mideast isn't in the news?
She publishes a
list each year called “Top Bible Prophecy Stories,” which appears below. All of these events occurred in 2016 and they
set the stage for the outpouring of God’s wrath during the Tribulation event:
1)
Zechariah 12:3
became a reality on December 23.
This was the day the U.N. Security Council voted unanimously to come
against Israel. The USA abstained which
is essentially voting in agreement with the other members of the council. Israel symbolically became the world’s
burdensome stone. Israel is to return to
her 1967 borders. The holy city of
Jerusalem becomes occupied territory and Israel is further isolated and
alienated as predicted.
2)
The Great Falling
Away Continues Unabated in 2016. Many evangelical
churches became nothing more than advocates for open borders and
multiculturalism. The social gospel made
giant inroads and salvation issues took a backseat. Emergent/Postmodernism grew
even more popular. Other churches fell
into lukewarmness. Very few churches
deal with the coming day of the Lord or the Lord’s return. The focus of many churches today is money.
3)
The Longing for a
“Man with a Plan” was never so prominent.
Even
CNN’s Home Page begged for a man who could restore order. It asks in smaller print, “Is there a leader
who can stop the chaos and heal America?”
4)
Israel’s
Re-Convened Sanhedrin took the Momentous Step of Nominating a High Priest for
the Temple. For the first time
since its destruction since 70 AD, the Tribulation Temple is in the works, even
though the U.N. just declared the area of the Temple Mount off-limits to the
Jews!
5)
Israel Struck
Damascus in early December. Israel targeted
some weapons there; this is a precursor to what is predicted in Isaiah
17:1: “Behold, Damascus is about to be removed from being a city And will
become a fallen ruin.
6)
God Continues to
Intervene for His Sovereign nation of Israel.
In
November, God sent a pillar of a cloud of dust and rain to push back ISIS on
Israel’s border (Psalm 121). The cloud
of dust and rain stayed right at the border.
It did not move or cross into Israel.
7)
The War on Cash
Intensifies. A few Nations are banning cash and this will
eventually lead to the “the Mark of the Beast” accounting system. Technology was introduced that enables the
total payment of goods and services using only an embedded chip.
8)
The Gog-Magog
Players are Gearing up. Russia is the new
power player in the Mideast thanks to America’s absence. So is Iran.
Turkey is in utter Chaos and is looking to Russia for support. These are the three primary players in Ezekiel
38-39, although other nations are involved.
9)
Europe is in
Meltdown Setting the Unstable Stage for the Arrival of the Antichrist from out
of the old Roman Empire. Europe’s godless
culture welcomes all things dark and occultic.
Their refugee policy has thrown the continent into chaos. It will welcome a “Mr. Fix-it” to calm the
storm. On June 1 they had a literal
Satanic ceremony as they dedicated the Gotthard Base Tunnel in
Switzerland. European leaders cheered
this.
10)
The Season of
Mocking the Lord’s Return Intensified. The
Christian publication “Christian Today” scorned the Lord’s return and said a
“zombie apocalypse” was more likely.
********
We closed last
week’s lesson with Paul commanding the Corinthian church to forgive and comfort the remorseful man who
was introduced to us in 1 Corinthians, chapter 5. This apostolic discipline became necessary when
these Believers would not restore him
to the Body of Christ, a.k.a the family of
Believers. Then in verse 8 Paul urged them
to reaffirm your love for him. Since this individual responded to the
correction, i.e. he had been convicted
of his sin; he made the proper lifestyle changes,
now it was time for the healing process to begin.
Paul’s phrase, “To reaffirm”
actually refers to reinstatement or lawful action by an official vote of the
church, motivated by agape love, which means seeking another persons' highest good. This fulfills the law of Christ (Romans 13:8; Galatians
3:15, 6:2).
********
Please
open your Bible at 2 Corinthians, chapter 2, and we’ll read through verses
9-11.
For to this end
also I wrote, so that I might put you to the test, whether you are obedient in
all things. But one whom you forgive
anything, I forgive also; for indeed
what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, I did it for your sakes in the presence of Christ, so that no
advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes
(9-11).
For to this end
also I wrote, so that I might put you to the test - Paul longed to
hear word from Titus as to how things were going in Corinth. To apply the proper church discipline to the
immoral Believer in their midst was an important responsibility, but now that
that the Holy Spirit had convicted him
of his sin and he was remorseful, Paul wondered, did they forgive him? This part of the discipline process was just
as important and no less a responsibility of theirs. In addition to this they had accepted Paul’s
rebuke of their own permissiveness in this matter– his case against them was impossible
to contradict. But had their attitude
toward him changed, since God had called
him and appointed him to be an
apostle? If these Believers achieved
these goals they would have been obedient
in all things indeed (V9).
But one whom you
forgive anything, I forgive also (v10a). Here Paul is saying if you forgive this
individual, then I forgive him also. You have to understand what’s driving this action
or the thing that motivates God’s church to forgive and restore the
sinner not just once but every time they fall into one of Satan’s traps. The church (or the Body of Christ) doesn’t
comply with Paul’s command just because they’ve been told to, if that’s the
reason you’re doing it – you missed it. The
inspiration driving this act is agape love. Paul wrote about this type of love in 1 Corinthians 13. The best example in Scripture of it is when
Jesus Christ willingly died for all on
the Cross, while they were yet sinners (Romans 5:8).
Paul
goes on to say he did this for their sakes in the presence of Christ, i.e.
he is representing Jesus Christ. This is
Paul’s way of asserting the restoration of
the grieving sinner will strengthen the church, from a spiritual perspective, because
the opposite action “weakens” both the Believer and God’s church. Here’s why, every Believer must be “alert” at
all times so that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan. Paul’s saying the devil seeks to take
advantage of our mistakes, as a church and as individuals because Satan is our
adversary.
According
to a George Barna Poll, dated August 13, 2015, 60% of all American Christians
do NOT believe the devil is real, so it’s no wonder evil is running rampant in
the USA. I shudder to think of the advantages he’s gained in their lives
due to their willful ignorance of his existence, but ask yourself, “How can you
engage and defeat an enemy that most people don’t even acknowledge
exists?”
Think
this through – Jesus’ ministry here on earth began with a battle against Satan
that lasted forty days (Matthew 4:1-11).
As His ministry was drawing near an end, Satan was there in Garden of
Gethsemane; the stress was so great on God’s Son that He sweat drops of blood onto the ground (Luke 22:44).
One thing we learn from these accounts is this, the battle with Satan
doesn’t get easier the closer we draw near to God the Father, if anything is
truer; the battle “heats up.” Ask any Pastor, priest, or minister if they
believe in spiritual warfare; if they believe that those who lead in the cause
for Christ come under Satan’s spiritual attacks. I don’t know of one who answers, no.
When
our Apostle Paul went to Ephesus to preach the gospel, he faced immediate
opposition. He was run out of the
synagogue there by unbelieving Jewish leaders (Acts 19:8-9), mimicked by
apostate Jewish exorcists (13-16), and threatened by silversmiths, whose
idol-making business was suffering financial loss because of Paul’s ministry
(23-40). Paul knew where the greatest
spiritual challenge lied was also likely to be the greatest danger and
opposition to God’s work here on earth.
Wherever God’s work is being done, Satan will be there to oppose
it. This is why Paul instructs these
Believers to be alert because Satan is looking for any weakness in their spiritual armour (Ephesians 6:11-17).
If
you’re a true Believer, Scripture says Satan is your enemy. He is always “on the prowl, seeking
someone to devour” and he has his own set of goals which are contrary to
God’s and to your spiritual goals (1 Peter 5:8). If he cannot defeat us by inducing us to
condone evil (see 1 Corinthians 5), he will do so by instilling a
self-righteousness within us that looks down on an apologetic brother or sister,
in the Lord, refusing to forgive
them and restore them to their rightful
position in the Body of Christ.
Take advantage is the Greek word Pleonekteo (pronounced:
pleh-on-cek-teh’-o), Verb, Strong’s Greek #4122, and it means – I take advantage of; to defraud. This term is used in four other places in
the N.T. (2 Corinthians 7:2, 12:17-18, and 1 Thessalonians 4:6). It conveys the idea of cheating someone out
of something that belongs to them. Our English
term Identity Theft conveys the same
meaning. When a Believer is ignorant of Satan’s schemes, the devil is able to
take things away from them that are rightfully theirs in Christ Jesus, things
such as a sense of forgiveness, fellowship, joy, peace, and our victory in
Christ Jesus itself (people actually doubt their salvation).
For we are not
ignorant of his schemes (v11) – The Corinthians failure to show agape love to the remorseful man could be used as a strategy of
Satan. Paul was certainly aware of this but
the Believers in Corinth were clueless to Satan’s
schemes and this was the problem. Permit me to explain.
Satan’s scheme against the
sinning man was first focused on lust
(incest to be precise), then the devil used the emotions of hopelessness and despair against him.
Remember, Paul said he was overwhelmed
with excessive sorrow; these feelings were piled on, as it were, when his church family opted not to forgive
him and welcome him back into
their midst.
Satan’s scheme against the church
was first their toleration of evil, i.e. winking
at sin in their midst; then in using unnecessary, severe punishment.
Satan’s scheme against our
Apostle Paul was to stress him out to a point where he became so upset he
wasn’t able to think straight. He lost
his peace and his ministry suffered for it.
It’s
no wonder Paul could say, “…for we are
not ignorant of his schemes.”
Let’s
go to verses 12-13.
Now when I came to
Troas for the gospel of Christ and when a door was opened for me in the Lord, I
had no rest for my spirit, not finding Titus my brother, I went on to
Macedonia.
Now when I came to
Troas – this
comment actually follows Paul’s itinerary of 1 Corinthians 16:5 (Acts
16:8-11). Paul was under attack by some of the
Corinthians Believers because of his inconsistent travel plans. Here Paul explains why he was delayed: for
the gospel of Christ and when a door was opened for me in the Lord (12).
Paul
sought God’s guidance through prayer in all things. We’ve come across this biblical truth a
couple of times before and here it is again.
Paul used the metaphor “open door”
in two other letters (1 Corinthians 16:9; Colossians 4:3) and you’ll also find
it in Acts 14:27. These all speak of the
effective power of God and the work of the Holy Spirit in evangelism.
I had no rest for
my spirit – the
small “s” indicates Paul is referring to his human self (1 Corinthians 16:18)
and not the indwelt Holy Spirit. “No rest” indicates Paul was constantly
concerned about the Corinthian saints (2 Corinthians 7:5) and his friend and
co-worker in Christ Jesus, Titus. Put another way, Paul’s mind found no rest, which means his thoughts were “all
over the place.”
Let’s
bring this into our day. Have you ever
tried to sleep when a child of yours is out of the home way past curfew? If you’ve “been there,” as they say, your thoughts were probably all over the
place just like Paul’s? A loving parent usually imagines the worst
possible scenario in a situation like this, which is why their mind finds no rest.
Not finding Titus
my brother – Paul
had sent Timothy to Corinth earlier,
but he was not received well by the Believers there, so Paul sent Titus to Corinth with the “severe
letter” mentioned in this letter that was misplaced or destroyed (2:3-4). Since Paul did not meet up with him as
expected, he became very concerned.
Evidently,
Paul made arrangements with Titus,
somehow, to meet him in Troas, which
was located on the western shore of what is now modern day Turkey. From there they planned to go around the northern
area of the Black Sea – it was known as Bithynia at that time, and then they
planned to go back into Asia. So, in some
way, unbeknownst to us, these two men had communicated with one another and
agreed to meet at a specific time in the ancient port city of Troas which was actually the ancient
city of Troy. But Paul didn’t find Titus there as planned, so Paul left there
for Macedonia.
I went on to
Macedonia (13b)
– Why Paul chose the city of Troas to reunite with Titus the Bible does not say. We do know this city was on the regular route
from Ephesus to Macedonia. It’s possible
he chose to wait there for word from Titus
about Corinth. But while waiting he
wasn’t going to sit idle; he intended to preach the gospel while he waited.
Paul
fretted over Titus’ absence while preaching the gospel of
Jesus Christ in Troas, but Paul didn’t decide to get up and leave Troas, a promising “harvest field,” on
his own. God directed his steps “…and when a door was opened for me in the
Lord (12b).”
We
can get a better picture of what’s going on here by turning to the book of Acts16:6-10: They
passed through the Phrygian and Galatian region, having been forbidden by the
Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia; and after they came to Mysia, they were
trying to go into Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them;
and passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. A vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man
of Macedonia was standing and appealing to him, and saying, “Come over
to Macedonia and help us.” When
he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go into Macedonia,
concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
Macedonia
was located in Northern Greece, and according to Paul’s vision this is where
the Spirit of Jesus Christ was directing him to preach the gospel. They immediately made plans to leave.
Let’s
turn back to 2 Corinthians 2:13 and rejoin Paul. He can’t find his brother, in Christ Jesus Titus,
and Timothy isn’t with him
either. Paul’s mind is all over the
place with
his
concern for Titus and the Corinthian saints, but while sleeping, perhaps this
was the first good night’s rest the man’s had in quite some time – he has the Macedonian vision. There stood a man pleading with him, “Please come over to Macedonia and help us.” Evidently, there are people in Macedonia begging for some “good news”
from Paul! According to the Acts
account, he wastes no time in getting there - immediately we sought to go into Macedonia.
Now
we’ve arrived at the parenthetical section of this letter that’s known as the
“great digression” or the “digression of
praise to God for Christ.” Basically,
this means Paul doesn’t mention the Macedonia trip again until 2 Corinthians
7:5. However, due to his departure from
the subject we obtain many memorable quotes from our Apostle Paul.
Let’s
go to verses 14-15.
2 Corinthians 2
But thanks be to
God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the
sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among
those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one an
aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life.
Let’s
start with this: But thanks be to God - Hold it right there. Didn’t we just learn Paul was under a great
deal of pressure because Titus was late in coming to Troas bringing word from Corinth with a
“thumbs up” or “thumbs down” concerning their response to Paul’s letter? In addition, we know Satan was relentlessly attacking him from all sides. Yet, despite these trials and others Paul gives
thanks and praise to God.
Some
people in the church attach “superstar” status to men like Matthew, Mark, Luke,
John, Peter, Paul, etc. In other words,
these men who spent time with the Lord,
dined with Him, and were taught by Him.
They consider these people to be extra-ordinary men. So
they’ve mentally placed them on a “pedestal” and hold them there when reading
about them. Others take that a step
further when they try to follow them as examples in their life.
My
response to that is, “Not so much.” These men were just as human as you or I. We
were born with a sin-nature and guess what; they entered this world with one
too. Furthermore, our Apostle Paul felt depressed at times; he expressed
sadness as well, but he also expressed immense joy. Life for Paul was a roller-coaster ride, as
is ours at times – it’s filled with emotional ups-and-downs. But thanks
be to God no matter the situation for Christ has won the victory over sin
and death at the Cross and if you’re a Believer we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved.
Who always leads us
in triumph in Christ - Paul liked to make up word-pictures taken
from everyday life so that people could understand his message. Here he refers to a Roman military practice
called the triumphal march. This parade through the streets of Rome was in honor of victorious legion
commanders returning from battle (v14).
And manifests
through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place
–In
front of this triumphal march is the
priest burning incense. The odor of
burning incense was meant to signify victory
not only to the general but to his officers, his soldiers, and to the
citizens of Rome who had gathered along the parade route. But here’s the thing, to the captives, i.e.
the prisoners of war bound in chains at the end of this lengthy procession it
signified their death, probably in a public arena, to show the Roman populace
what happens to those who dare to resist the mighty power of Rome.
Putting
this all together, how appropriate then, in verse 14, are the words of Paul: “But thanks be to God who always leads us in
triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of
Him in every place” (v14-15).
When
we talk to others about our faith, when we share the gospel (1 Corinthians
15:1-4) with another person, whether that individual is saved or perishing, it
is like a sweet aroma (incense) to God,
meaning He is well-pleased. The results
of our efforts to reach others for Jesus Christ are of no affect. The fact is we are always victorious if we proclaim Jesus Christ
faithfully, in truth.
Let’s
move on to verses 16-17.
2 Corinthians 2
And who is adequate
for these things? For we are not like
many, peddling (adulterating
or watering down for financial gain or worldly acclaim) the word of God, but as from sincerity, but as from God, we speak in
Christ in the sight of God.
Some
folks presume Paul is asking, “Who is
sufficient to comprehend these things?”
But that’s not what Paul is asking.
Instead, he asks, “Who is equal to such responsibilities?”
Consider
the thought behind such a question. What
manner of minister, preacher, or priest should he be who preaches a gospel that
may determine the eternal destiny of those who hear it; that may very well
prove to be fatal to those who come into contact with it, should he be found
preaching another gospel such as the
social gospel (Romans 2:16; Galatians 1:6-9).
For the word of God
is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far
as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to
judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Hebrews 4:12).
The
preaching of the word of God also
divides humanity eternally. When we get
into 2 Corinthians 3:5-6, we’re going to discover that God equips His children
for the awesome witnessing responsibility.
Therefore, each Believer’s life is a sweet aroma to God that others react to, either in trust toward
Jesus Christ or outright rejection of Christ.
It’s just important how we live our lives as it is in what we say;
people are watching (2 Corinthians 2:16, 3:2-3). As I’ve often pointed out, we’re not in the
salvation business; that is the work of the Holy Spirit. However, we must be faithful to speak the
gospel, to share our faith with others, this is our spiritual responsibility
(John 6:44, 65). You don’t have to be an
eloquent spokesman or the most knowledgeable speaker to get the job done. Be honest, be yourself, but as Paul’s about
to say, be true to the Word:
17: For we are not
like many, peddling the word of God, but as from sincerity, but as from God, we
speak in Christ in the sight of God.
For we are not like
many - Paul
is referring to the traveling teachers in the Greco-Roman world, the trained,
and well paid, philosophers who traveled from place to place teaching as well
as the false teachers who traveled from Palestine like those in Galatians 1:6-9
who attacked Paul, his gospel, and his apostolic authority.
Peddling the word
of God – this
term comes right from the wine industry of that day; it could be used in two
ways:
To
water down wine so as to make more money, i.e. adulterate
To
hawk one’s product to make a profit, i.e. a huckster
Our
Apostle Paul did not alter God’s Gospel for different audiences, i.e. Greeks
one day and the Jews the next. But he
did customize his approach (1 Corinthians 9:19-23).
But as from
sincerity – this
is the opposite of peddling. It conveys the idea of Paul preaching the one
true gospel with nothing but pure motives, in other words he has no hidden
agenda. Paul hammers this thought home
with the following parallel statement
“but as from sincerity” and “but as from God” affirming that his
gospel message is God’s message and the message is Christ Jesus conquered sin
and death at the Cross (1 Corinthians 5:8; 2 Corinthians 1:12, 2:17;
Philippians 1:10, 2 Peter 3:1). We
speak in Christ in the sight of God – Paul repeats this phrase in 2
Corinthians 12:19, asserting the trustworthiness
and truthfulness of God’s Gospel.
(To
be continued)
©
Copyright 2011
GJ
Heitzman’s Ministry
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