It is amazing and beautiful to see how Paul comes to know God and experience Him as the God of all comfort despite his trials and tribulations.
• Most people would complain about their sufferings and question God. “Why me?” and “What this?” when we have been serving Him so faithfully?
• Some may turn from God because of the sufferings they see or encounter themselves.
• Like Job’s wife telling Job in his affliction: “Curse God and die.” (Job 2:9)
Paul in his sufferings came to know God as Father of mercies and God of all comfort, precisely because of his trials.
• Just like Job at the very end. He said, “I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear,
but now my eye sees you…” (Job 42:5). He came to truly know God.
• The sufferings did not cause them to doubt God but draw them closer to Him instead.
God was their source of strength and comfort in all their afflictions.
• Learn the lesson here. It might take tribulations for us to truly experience God’s love, comfort and grace.
• We know God, not apart from the troubles of life but through the troubles of life.
Does suffering drive you TO God or FROM God? Our response to this question is an indication of where we are, spiritually.
• Do not let suffering drive a wedge between us and God. Don’t misinterpret it too quickly and naively.
• Let sufferings drive us to God and cause us to experience His comfort.
We SERVE GOD THROUGH AFFLICTIONS.
• Paul says God 4…comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. (1:4)
Today we are going to see another aspect of Paul’s suffering – the emotional pain that he was put through.
• Paul was wrongly accused and opposed by some, not by those without but within the church. He has to explain himself in today’s text.
2 Cor 1:12-24 ESV
12For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you. 13For we are not writing to you anything other than what you read and understand and I hope you will fully understand—14just as you did partially understand us—that on the day of our Lord Jesus you will boast of us as we will boast of you.
15Because I was sure of this, I wanted to come to you first, so that you might have a second experience of grace. 16I wanted to visit you on my way to Macedonia, and to come back to you from Macedonia and have you send me on my way to Judea. 17Was I vacillating when I wanted to do this? Do I make my plans according to the flesh, ready to say “Yes, yes” and “No, no” at the same time? 18As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been Yes and No. 19For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No, but in him it is always Yes. 20For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. 21And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, 22and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.
23But I call God to witness against me—it was to spare you that I refrained from coming again to Corinth. 24Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith.
2 Cor 2:1-4 ESV
1For I made up my mind not to make another painful visit to you. 2For if I cause you pain, who is there to make me glad but the one whom I have pained? 3And I wrote as I did, so that when I came I might not suffer pain from those who should have made me rejoice, for I felt sure of all of you, that my joy would be the joy of you all. 4For I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you.
Let us take a look at the context and appreciate the situation.
• Paul wrote 1 Corinthians from Ephesus and later 2 Corinthians from Macedonia.
• Between the writing of 1 Cor and 2 Cor, two things happened. Paul made a quick but painful visit to Corinth from Ephesus.
• Apparently, it did not resolve the issue and so he had to write another painful letter right after his return. We do not have that letter today.
2 Cor 2:1-2 1For I made up my mind not to make another painful visit to you. 2For if I cause you pain, who is there to make me glad but the one whom I have pained?
• It was painful because Paul had to rebuke them. Besides those who were attacking Paul, there was someone who was acting immorally.
• The next section in our text tells us - Paul urges them to “forgive the sinner”.
• 2 Cor 2:5 5Now if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure—not to put it too severely—to all of you. He caused harm to the church.
The short visit did not resolve the issue. When Paul returned to Ephesus, he has to write a “painful letter” of reprimand (which was lost, so we do not have its content):
• 2 Cor 2:3-4 3And I wrote as I did, so that when I came I might not suffer pain from those who should have made me rejoice, for I felt sure of all of you, that my joy would be the joy of you all. 4For I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you.
• 2 Cor 7:8-9 8For even if I made you grieve with my letter, I do not regret it—though I did regret it (felt sorry that he has to write it), for I see that that letter grieved you, though only for a while. 9As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us.
Look at the number of times Paul said “grief”. This letter was written with much pain, with “anguish of heart and tears” (cf. 2:4).
Imagine Paul’s heart now in Ephesus, having made a painful visit and written a painful letter in quick succession.
• Paul would have been burdened and sad, and emotionally stressed for not knowing how the Corinthians would react to his letter.
• Titus carried the letter to the church and hence Paul was eager to hear from him.
PAUL SUBSEQUENTLY MOVED TO TROAS
• 2 Cor 2:12-13 12When I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though a door was opened for me in the Lord, 13my spirit was not at rest because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I took leave of them and went on to Macedonia.
• 2 Cor 7:5-7 5For even when we came into Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were afflicted at every turn—fighting without and fear within. 6But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, 7and not only by his coming but also by the comfort with which he was comforted by you, as he told us of your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced still more.
Did the Corinthians take his letter well? Yes, most of them repented.
• It was then he wrote 2 Corinthians from Macedonia. It was from this letter that we know of the painful visit and painful letter.
We can now have a better sense of Paul’s afflictions, both without and within - the persecution without and the hurts and fears within his heart.
• Who says serving God is easy and without troubles? Who says we are immune from suffering? Who says we will not be misunderstood and wrongly accused?
• Throughout his journey from Ephesus to Troas to Macedonia, Paul was carrying this heavy emotional burden and unrest caused by the Corinthians.
Yet amazingly he continued in his travelling ministry unabated (3rd missionary journey).
• Many would give up, wallow in self-pity, or hibernate in depression and sadness.
• Paul continued in his work. WHY? 2 Cor 2:12 12When I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though a door was opened for me in the Lord…
• He might not be in a good mood, feeling lousy and not knowing the outcome of his “painful letter”, but the work of God continues.
• The work of God continues, rain or shine, whether you are in good mood or not. God was his strength and comfort in afflictions.
Paul SERVE GOD WITH FORTITUDE and so can we today. We can expect hardship but remain faithful to God.
• Heb 12:3 3Consider Him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. 4In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.
• If God is the God of all comfort, then we can serve with fortitude and remain steadfast in all our afflictions. We can endure suffering and adversity with courage.
Lastly, SERVE GOD WITH INTEGRITY.
Why such a big fuss over a simple change of travel plan?
• Paul has enemies in Corinth. They want to destroy his character and credibility and accused him of not being honest.
• He said one thing and do another. He said he would come but did not. His yes is not always yes. He made promises that he did not intend to keep. He cannot be trusted.
Paul took time to explain, not so much to defend himself (which is right) but to uphold his integrity, which is important.
• If his opponents win, it would cast doubt also on the message he carries.
• Who would believe a trustworthy message coming from an untrustworthy source?
GOD IS TRUTHFUL AND SO ARE WE, HIS MESSENGERS:
2 Cor 1:19-20 19For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No, but in him it is always Yes. 20For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.
• God speaks the truth and reveals to us the truth about His Son, whom we have come to know and believe. We saw how the promises of God were fulfilled in Christ.
2 Cor 1:21-22 21And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, 22and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.
• You know the Gospel is true because you experienced it. “I spoke the truth to you.”
• Paul has only spoken the truth and his conscience is clear. He has no hidden agenda and he has not hidden anything from them.
WHAT WAS THE ISSUE ABOUT?
What was Paul’s original plan that they accused him about?
• 2 Cor 1:16-18 15Because I was sure of this, I wanted to come to you first, so that you might have a second experience of grace. 16I wanted to visit you on my way to Macedonia, and to come back to you from Macedonia and have you send me on my way to Judea. 17Was I vacillating (fickle-minded, inconsistent) when I wanted to do this? Do I make my plans according to the flesh, ready to say “Yes, yes” and “No, no” at the same time? 18As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been Yes and No.
• Paul’s plan to visit Corinth twice – 2:15“so that you might have a second experience of grace” - did not materialise.
• But he did not lie to them. We have already read 1 Corinthians and read this. If they had read carefully what he wrote:
? 1 Cor 4:18-19 18Some are arrogant, as though I were not coming to you. 19But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills…
? 1 Cor 16:5-7 5I will visit you after passing through Macedonia, for I intend to pass through Macedonia, 6and perhaps I will stay with you or even spend the winter, so that you may help me on my journey, wherever I go. 7For I do not want to see you now just in passing. I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits.
Paul moves as the Lord leads. And even with the change of plan, Paul explains.
• 2 Cor 1:23-24 23But I call God to witness against me—it was to spare you that I refrained from coming again to Corinth. 24Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith.
Paul did not want to come so soon after the 1st painful visit and then end up making this his 2nd painful visit. He does not want to “lord it over their faith” like a spiritual boss.
• Paul gave them time and space to think and change so that they can “stand firm in their faith”. When they repent, it would be because the Lord convicted them.
• That’s the heart of a shepherd – “I wrote that letter with much pain but it is out of the abundant love that I have for you.” (cf. 2:4)
Parents would understand this. When one parent disciplines the child, the other spouse would not want to “stand in the way”, or come to the rescue too soon, not at least until the disciplining time is over.
The period of “absence” is necessary for the discipline to be most effective and the lesson learnt. Reassuring time would come surely but later.
Did the Corinthians repent? Yes, they did. Titus brought the good news when Paul was in Macedonia. The time and space given to them proved to be necessary.
• Did Paul lie to them? Was he careless with his promises? No.
Learn from Paul and SERVE GOD WITH INTEGRITY.
• Our message depends on it. We do not speak carelessly or make promises flippantly.
• Let our yes be yes and our no be no. Says what you mean and means what you say.
• Don’t over-promise and under-deliver. Under-promise and over-deliver. Don’t promise what you cannot keep.
Listen to what Jesus says in Matt 5:37. His standard is even higher:
• Matt 5:33-37 33“Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ 34But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil (or evil one).
Let your words be final. We don’t need to take an oath to strengthen our yes or no.
• To make a vow means that our words are weak and untrustworthy. The Singlish way of saying is “Double Confirm?”
• Jesus says ONCE will do. The moment I promise something, it is final and enough.
As we draw closer to the last days, life will be more challenging and our work for God more difficult. But like Paul, we are prepared.
These are the three takeaways from 2 Cor 1:
We serve Him through afflictions, we serve Him with fortitude and integrity.
1 Cor 15:58 58Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labour is not in vain.
Prayer:
We praise You, Lord, because Your grace is sufficient for us, for Your power is made perfect in our weakness. In ministry and life, like Paul, we experience Your presence, comfort and strength even in difficult times. Help us set our eyes on You and trust You.
Let us be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in Your work, knowing that our labour for You is never in vain. We will follow you and serve you, Jesus, until we see you again. This we pray in Jesus’ name, AMEN!
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You can listen to this audio sermon with slides at https://youtu.be/4NMTM8_gYBw
Earlier sermons are available at https://tinyurl.com/KTCC-EnglishService
