2 CORINTHIANS
Chapter 4, Verses 1-2
Renouncing the Hidden Things of Dishonesty!
[5-21-17]
Review: ““Where the Spirit of the Lord Is, There Is Liberty!”
2 Corinthians 3:17-18) [KJV] Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
2 Corinthians 3:15) [KJV] But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart.
2 Corinthians 3:6) [KJV] Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.
NOTE: We find true freedom only where “the Spirit of the Lord” is.
18) But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
QUESTION: What happens when we behold “the glory of the Lord” in the mirror of His Word?
ANSWER: We “are changed into the same image” that we behold. We become what we see!
1 Corinthians 3:12) [KJV] For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
NOTE: The problem is that “we see through a glass darkly” in the here and now.
QUESTION: What must happen for this transformation to become complete?
1 John 3:2) [KJV] Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
ANSWER: We become like Him when we see Him as He is! When Jesus comes to escort us into Heaven, at the Rapture or when we die, we will behold Him in the totality of His glory, we will not see Him “through a glass darkly, we will see Him “as he is,” “face to face,” and we will be like Him!
NOTE: In the mean time we keep staring at His reflection in the mirror of His Word, praying for clearer vision/clearer understanding, so that we can be “changed into the same image,” which is now a clearer image, that we see, in “ever increasing glory” [NIV].
John 14:14a) [KJV] Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me:
QUESTION: Why does Jesus long for us to be where He is “that” we “may behold” His “glory”?
ANSWER: It’s only when we see Him “face to face” [1 Cor. 3:12], when we see Him “as he is” [1 John 3:2], that we will be “changed into the same image” [2 Cor. 3:18], in fullness of glory; we will be like Him!
This Week’s Lesson: “Renouncing the Hidden Things of Dishonesty!”
2 Corinthians 4:1-2) [KJV] Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not;
(BBE) For this reason, because we have been made servants of this new order, through the mercy given to us, we are strong:
(AMP) THEREFORE, SINCE we do hold and engage in this ministry by the mercy of God [granting us favor, benefits, opportunities, and especially salvation], we do not get discouraged (spiritless and despondent with fear) or become faint with weariness and exhaustion.
“ministry” – “diakonia” – “1) service, ministering, especially of those who execute the commands of others; 2) of those who by the command of God proclaim and promote religion among men; 2a) of the office of Moses; 2b) of the office of the apostles and its administration; 2c) of the office of prophets, evangelists, elders etc.” [Thayer] (emphasis mine).
QUESTION: What is Paul saying here?
2 Corinthians 3:6) [KJV] Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.
ANSWER: He is getting back to vs. 6 of the previous chapter. The ministry he refers to in vs. 1 is the ministry “of the new testament,” the ministry “of the spirit” that “giveth life.”
QUESTION: Along with God giving them this ministry, and making them “able ministers” of it, what else did God give them?
ANSWER: God gave them the “mercy” to endure whatever they had to endure in order to do what God had called them to do.
2) But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.
“dishonesty” – “aischune” – “1) the confusion of one who is ashamed of anything, sense of shame; 3) a thing to be ashamed of” [Thayer] (emphasis mine).
“They do attack the minister. His only safety is in instant and courageous defiance to all the powers of darkness. It is a terrible thing to see a preacher caught in the toils of the tempter” [Robertson] (emphasis mine).
“This glorious ministry was under no ‘veil’ and was not hidden. Its ministers must turn away from all dishonest practices or teachings. Paul intends to rebuke, by his example, the false and deceitful teachers who sought to bring the Corinthians under the old Jewish covenant” [PNT] (emphasis mine).
“The Greek word most commonly means shame, or disgrace. The hidden things of shame here mean disgraceful conduct; clandestine and secret arts, which were in themselves shameful and disgraceful. They denote all ‘underhanded’ dealings; all dishonest artifices and plans, such as were common among the pagan, and such probably as the false teachers adopted in the propagation of their opinions at Corinth” [Barnes] (emphasis mine).
QUESTION: In the above 3 notes what are the 3 schools of thought regarding what Paul saw as shameful?
- One is facing temptations to do shameful things, probably regarding sexual issues [Robertson].
- Another is the misrepresentation of New Testament truths [PNT].
- Still another is using treachery to deceive the listeners into believing your lies [Barnes].
NOTE: They are all true in the sense that they are all things we should avoid as teachers.
QUESTION: However, what was Paul most probably thinking about when he wrote vs. 2?
ANSWER: When you want to know what he’s talking about see what he’s talking about! In other words, what’s the context? In the previous chapter we get a sense of what the subject is. He talks about the Mosaic Covenant in these terms: it is “the letter killeth” [3:6]; it is “the ministration of death” [3:7]; it is “the ministration of condemnation” [3:9]; it is the ministration that was “done away” with [3:11]. I personally believe that the subject matter suggests that Barnes is correct in his assessment of what the “hidden things of dishonesty” were.
NOTE: Again, let me stress that though I believe Barnes’ assessment of what Paul meant in vs. 2 is the most accurate considering the subject at hand, I certainly believe that ministers of the Gospel, and all believers, should denounce shameful acts of all kinds, as well as denouncing any attempt of bringing the Gospel into line with political correctness. In spite of what we are told in the political atmosphere of America today, if political correctness doesn’t line up with the Word of God then there is nothing correct about it!
NOTE: Every Christian in America today has to choose what his/her source of TRUTH is; is it what the politician tells you or is it what God tells you? Much, if not most, of political correctness is diametrically opposed to clear teaching of the Word of God.
QUESTION: Who do you choose to follow, the politician or God?
Joshua 24:15-16) [KJV] And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
16) And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods;
ANSWER: May God give us the grace and boldness to answer “God forbid that we should forsake the Lord”! Understand this, if you choose to ignore what God said in order to fall in line with those around you, then you are forsaking God for the comfort of conforming.
2 CORINTHIANS
Chapter 4, Verses 3-6
The Light of the Gospel Shining Forth On You!
[5-28-17]
Review: ““Renouncing the Hidden Things of Dishonesty!”
2 Corinthians 4:1-2) [KJV] Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not;
(BBE) For this reason, because we have been made servants of this new order, through the mercy given to us, we are strong:
2) But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.
“They denote all ‘underhanded’ dealings; all dishonest artifices and plans, such as were common among the pagan, and such probably as the false teachers adopted in the propagation of their opinions at Corinth” [Barnes] (emphasis mine).
NOTE: I certainly believe that ministers of the Gospel, and all believers, should denounce shameful acts of all kinds, as well as denouncing any attempt of bringing the Gospel into line with political correctness. In spite of what we are told in the political atmosphere of America today, if political correctness doesn’t line up with the Word of God then there is nothing correct about it!
QUESTION: Who do you choose to follow, the politician or God?
Joshua 24:15-16) [KJV] And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
16) And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods;
ANSWER: May God give us the grace and boldness to answer “God forbid that we should forsake the Lord”! Understand this, if you choose to ignore what God said in order to fall in line with those around you, then you are forsaking God for the comfort of conforming.
This Week’s Lesson: “The Light of the Gospel Shining Forth On You!”
2 Corinthians 4:3-6) [KJV] But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
2 Corinthians 2:14-16) [KJV] Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.
15) For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:
16) To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?
NOTE: The Greek word rendered “them that are lost” in vs. 3 of today’s lesson is the same Greek word rendered “them that perish” from our March 12th lesson. Note the following comment:
“(1) That some would reject the gospel and perish, with whatever fidelity and self-denial the ministers of religion might labor.
(2) That though this would be the result, yet the labors of the ministers of religion would be acceptable to God. This is a fearful and awful declaration, and has been thought by many to be attended with difficulty. A few remarks may present the true sense of the passage, and remove the difficulty from it:
(a) It is not affirmed or implied here that the destruction of those who would reject the gospel, and who would perish, was desired by God or would be pleasing to him. This is nowhere affirmed or implied in the Bible.
(b) It is affirmed only that the labors of the ministers of religion in endeavoring to save them would be acceptable and pleasing to God. Their labors would be in order to save them, not to destroy them.
Their desire was to bring all to heaven – and this was acceptable to God” [Barnes] (emphasis mine).
QUESTION: What important truth do we learn here?
ANSWER: People who are not Christians are overwhelmingly most of the time absolutely ignorant of what the Bible teaches. There are a few exceptions; but obviously, those who understand the “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son” Gospel will usually run to God for the free gift of salvation.
“It is not the fault of the sun when people shut their eyes and will not see it. It is not the fault of a running stream, or a bubbling fountain, if people will not drink of it, but rather choose to die of thirst. The gospel does not obscure and conceal its own glory anymore than the sun does” [Barnes] (emphasis mine).
4) In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
Ephesians 2:2) [KJV] Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
Ephesians 6:12) [KJV] For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
QUESTION: How does the “god of this world” blind “the minds of them that believe not,” and work “in the children of disobedience,” and actually rule “the darkness of this world”?
ANSWER: He keeps people focused on things that they deem important in the reality they envision:
- They embrace, if they even believe in God, that God wants to take them to Heaven when they die, but they reject God’s morality as taught in Scripture because they believe that God allows absolute freedom of expression in how they choose to live out their sexual desires. They believe that God made them the way they are sexually bent and therefore desires them to express that bent.
- They believe vehemently in their freedom of speech but are offended by dissenting speech and seek to silence it so they can believe what they choose to believe without wondering if they might be wrong.
- Many of them hate those with dissenting views and seek to silence them even if they have to manufacture stories about them so that sponsors of news networks will threaten to remove their advertising dollars if the news company doesn’t fire someone.
- Worst yet, some will kill you if you don’t embrace their false religious views: repent or die!
QUESTION: Why would anyone buy into these crazy ideas?
ANSWER: they buy into it because “the god of this world” blinds their minds into thinking their ideas have to be right because they feel right.
NOTE: No truth is ever true because it feels true; it’s only true because it’s the truth! All truth originates with God!
NOTE: No true believer of the Gospel, no true follower of Christ hates those with dissenting speech. We love them, we share the Truth of the Gospel with them, we pray for them; but we do not hate them. We hate some of the things they do:
- We hate that they attempt to silence views that differ from theirs;
- We hate that they riot and set fire to other people’s property and throw things at the police;
- We hate that the radical jihadists butcher people around the world who won’t convert to their religion;
- But we love them and pray for their souls.
5) For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.
John 14:6) [KJV] Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
QUESTION: What important truth do we learn here?
ANSWER: Nothing I say to you, or nothing any other preacher or priest says to you, has any eternal value to you unless I am, or they are, preaching “Christ Jesus the Lord” to you! No words of mine, or theirs, will show you “the way” to Heaven, will reveal eternal “truth” to you, or will bring life, eternal life to you, unless they are the words that present “Christ Jesus the Lord” to you!
**NOTE: We preachers and priests are never anything more than “your servants for Jesus’ sake.”
6) For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
(GW) We are his servants because the same God who said that light should shine out of darkness has given us light. For that reason we bring to light the knowledge about God’s glory which shines from Christ’s face.
QUESTION: What is the apostle telling us here?
ANSWER: When all was “darkness” [Genesis 1:2] God said, “Let there be light” [Genesis 1:3]. Just as surely as that is Truth, even now, in the spiritual darkness that was prevalent in Paul’s day, and is prevalent in ours, God has displayed spiritual Light shining forth in the Apostles’ hearts that was given to bring to Light the radiance shining forth from the face of Jesus, which is the Gospel Truth, to full display through the words spoken by the Apostles in the first century, and now through the words written by the Apostles as they are read in the 21st century.
2 CORINTHIANS
Chapter 4, Verses 7-10
Hidden Treasure In Clay Jars!
[6-4-17]
Review: “The Light of the Gospel Shining Forth On You!”
2 Corinthians 4:3-6) [KJV] But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
4) In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
Ephesians 2:2) [KJV] Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
Ephesians 6:12) [KJV] For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
5) For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.
John 14:6) [KJV] Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
QUESTION: What important truth do we learn here?
ANSWER: Nothing I say to you, or nothing any other preacher or priest says to you, has any eternal value to you unless I am, or they are, preaching “Christ Jesus the Lord” to you! No words of mine, or theirs, will show you “the way” to Heaven, will reveal eternal “truth” to you, or will bring life, eternal life to you, unless they are the words that present “Christ Jesus the Lord” to you!
**NOTE: We preachers and priests are never anything more than “your servants for Jesus’ sake.”
6) For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
(GW) We are his servants because the same God who said that light should shine out of darkness has given us light. For that reason we bring to light the knowledge about God’s glory which shines from Christ’s face.
NOTE: When all was “darkness” [Genesis 1:2] God said, “Let there be light” [Genesis 1:3]. Just as surely as that is Truth, even now, in the spiritual darkness that was prevalent in Paul’s day, and is prevalent in ours, God has displayed spiritual Light shining forth in the Apostles’ hearts that was given to bring to Light the radiance shining forth from the face of Jesus, which is the Gospel Truth, to full display through the words spoken by the Apostles in the first century, and now through the words written by the Apostles as they are read in the 21st century.
This Week’s Lesson: “Hidden Treasure In Clay Jars!”
2 Corinthians 4:5-6) [KJV] (From last week’s lesson) For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.
6) For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
2 Corinthians 4:7-10) [KJV] But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
(NIV) But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.
QUESTION: What is the train of thought here?
- Paul did, and we ought to, preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ [vs. 5].
- That Gospel is the Light shining forth from the darkness into our hearts to allow us to see the “knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” so we can preach that Gospel to you [vs. 6].
- This Gospel, this treasure from God is stored in our human bodies, which are but clay vessels that are breakable, given to decay, so that you will realize that the power of the Gospel doesn’t emanate from us, but from God [vs. 7].
QUESTION: What about these earthen/clay vessels in which we hold the treasure of the Gospel?
ANSWER: Please note the following verse:
8) We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
9) Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;
“troubled” – “pressed hard upon; a compressed way.” “distressed” – “compressed; in a narrow place.” “perplexed” – “not to know which way to turn.” “in despair” – “utterly destitute of resources.”
“persecuted” – “to make to run or flee.” “forsaken” – “abandoned; deserted; leave helpless.”
“cast down” – “throw to the ground.” “destroyed” – “render useless; kill.” [Thayer].
QUESTION: Again, what about these earthen/clay vessels in which we hold the treasure of the Gospel?
ANSWER: These human/clay vessels we live in could be broken/destroyed/killed at any moment; yet God places His “treasure” of the Gospel in these very vessels.
NOTE: In spite of the fact that in this life we are “troubled,” we are “perplexed,” we are “persecuted,” and we are “cast down,” yet we are not “distressed,” we are not “in despair,” we are not “forsaken,” and we are not “destroyed.”
Romans 14:8-9) [KJV] For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.
9) For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.
LISTEN NOW: If we die from persecution, or from calamity, or from an accident, or from disease, or from old age we will never be “forsaken” or “destroyed.”
10) Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
(CEV) We face death every day because of Jesus. Our bodies show what his death was like, so that his life can also be seen in us.
(ERV) So we constantly experience the death of Jesus in our own bodies, but this is so that the life of Jesus can also be seen in our bodies.
“A Christian beareth about with him the dying of the Lord Jesus in his mind and soul, while he fetches strength from it to deaden his heart unto sin; being buried with Christ into death, and planted in the likeness of his death; having his old man crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth he may not serve sin, #Ro 6:4-6. He also beareth about with him the dying of the Lord Jesus in his body; either in a representation, while in his sufferings he is made conformable to the death of Christ, #Php 3:10; or in his own real sufferings, which he calleth the dying of the Lord Jesus, because they were for Christ’s sake” [Poole] (emphasis mine).
Romans 6:4-7) [KJV] Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5) For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
6) Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
7) For he that is dead is freed from sin.
QUESTION: What important truth do we learn here?
ANSWER: In a sense which is important to all of us we walk around in our earthen/clay vessels recognizing that when Jesus died, we died; when He arose, we arose. On that basis, even when we don’t act like it, WE ARE DEAD TO SIN! We don’t always act like it because we don’t always believe it!
2 Corinthians 5:14-15) [KJV] For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:
15) And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.
NOTE: Jesus died for all; therefore, all who come to Him died with Him! Consequently, we are not to live for our own desires; but we are to live “unto him”!
1 Corinthians 15:30-31) [GNB] And as for us—why would we run the risk of danger every hour?
31) My friends, I face death every day! The pride I have in you, in our life in union with Christ Jesus our Lord, makes me declare this.
QUESTION: What seems to be the point Paul is making when he said that he was “always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus” in vs. 10?
ANSWER: It seems to me, and the vast majority of commentators agree, that he is talking in vs. 10 of today’s lesson about what he was talking about in the above passage from 1 Corinthians 15:30-31. He was literally facing death every day as he traveled to share the Gospel with everyone he was in debt to [Romans 1:14].
2 CORINTHIANS
Chapter 4, Verses 11-15
Words of Faith That Give Us Courage In Difficulties!
[6-11-17]
Review: “Hidden Treasure In Clay Jars!”
2 Corinthians 4:7-10) [KJV] But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
QUESTION: What about these earthen/clay vessels in which we hold the treasure of the Gospel?
ANSWER: Please note the following verse:
8) We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
9) Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed
NOTE: These human/clay vessels we live in could be broken/destroyed/killed at any moment; yet God places His “treasure” of the Gospel in these very vessels.
NOTE: In spite of the fact that in this life we are “troubled,” we are “perplexed,” we are “persecuted,” and we are “cast down,” yet we are not “distressed,” we are not “in despair,” we are not “forsaken,” and we are not “destroyed.”
10) Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
Romans 6:4-7) [KJV] Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5) For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
6) Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
7) For he that is dead is freed from sin.
NOTE: In a sense which is important to all of us we walk around in our earthen/clay vessels recognizing that when Jesus died, we died; when He arose, we arose. On that basis, even when we don’t act like it, WE ARE DEAD TO SIN! We don’t always act like it because we don’t always believe it!
This Week’s Lesson: “Words of Faith That Give Us Courage In Difficulties!”
2 Corinthians 4:11-15) [KJV] For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.
NOTE: Vs. 11 seems to suggest that Paul was referring, in vs. 10, more to the fact that he literally faced death on a constant basis [1 Corinthians 15:31] (see passage below) than to the fact that we have died with Christ. Both are true; but the context seems to indicate that Paul is here referring to the constant danger he faced while preaching the Gospel.
“we which live” – “Those of us, the apostles and ministers of the Redeemer who still survive” [Barnes].
1 Corinthians 15:30-31) [GNB] And as for us—why would we run the risk of danger every hour?
31) My friends, I face death every day! The pride I have in you, in our life in union with Christ Jesus our Lord, makes me declare this.
QUESTION: What is Paul telling us here?
ANSWER: Paul, and his comrades were always facing persecution, and were suffering physical pain as a result. Please note:
2 Corinthians 11:22-28) [KJV] Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I.
23) Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft.
24) Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.
25) Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;
26) In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;
27) In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.
28) Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.
“G. Campbell Morgan tells the story of a great young preacher who was impressive early on in his ministry. Once he had the young man to speak at his church, and after the sermon Morgan asked his wife, ‘Wasn’t that wonderful?’ She quietly replied, “Yes, but it will be more wonderful when he has suffered.’ Morgan adds: ‘Well, he suffered, and it was more powerful’” [Guzik].
QUESTION: In what way does suffering physical persecution make one’s teaching more powerful?
**ANSWER: Can you imagine if we were Christians in a country where they were being killed, tortured, or simply beaten how much greater our reliance upon the promises of God would become. If we didn’t believe what the Bible says we wouldn’t face torture for it; we would renounce it! If I had faced what Paul faced you would sense a greater urgency in me to relay these Biblical Truths to you.
12) So then death worketh in us, but life in you.
“You reap the advantage of all our exposure to trials, and of all our sufferings. You are comparatively safe; are freed from this exposure to death; and will receive eternal life as the fruit of our toils, and exposures” [Barnes].
13) We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;
Psalms 116:10) [KJV] I believed, therefore have I spoken: I was greatly afflicted:
NOTE: Some suggest we’re not certain who wrote this Psalm; others attribute it to David. Who the author is isn’t as important as the fact that he had a faith which prompted his confessions.
QUESTION: What’s the main point of Paul referring us to Psalm 116:10?
ANSWER: If we truly believe something it will come out of our mouths.
Matthew 12:34) [KJV] O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
NOTE: When I’m not being a con artist I need to listen carefully to what I’m saying! Why? What I’m saying tends to come forth from “the abundance of” my “heart.” In other words, what I’m saying tends to express what I truly believe.
QUESTION: So, what is Paul telling us in vs. 13?
ANSWER: He is telling us that what he has been telling us through his written words are things that he truly believes. Also, he is telling us that what he is about to say is something he truly believes.
14) Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you.
QUESTION: What does this verse tell us about what Paul truly believed that energized him to continue to preach the Gospel in spite of all the persecution it brought to him?
ANSWER: He believed, and therefore he spoke, through his written word, that the God Who raised Jesus from the dead would also raise him, and his crew, from the dead when his journey took him to his death.
QUESTION: What else did Paul express in vs. 14 that He truly believed?
“shall present us with you” – God will “present us before the throne of glory with exceeding joy and honor. He will present us to God as those who have been redeemed by his blood. He will present us in the courts of heaven, before the throne of the eternal Father, as his ransomed people; as recovered from the ruins of the fall; as saved by the merits of his blood. They shall not only be raised up from the dead; but they shall be publicly and solemnly presented to God as his, as recovered to his service, and as having a title in the covenant of grace to the blessedness of heaven” [Barnes] (emphasis mine).
ANSWER: He believed that after God raised him, and his readers, from the dead that together they would boldly enter God’s presence [Hebrews 4:16] as His redeemed children.
15) For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.
QUESTION: For whose sake were these “all things” that Paul suffered for?
ANSWER: They were for the Christians in Rome, in Corinth, in Galatia, in Ephesus, in Philippi, in Colosse, in Thessalonica, and in any other city in where his preaching of the Gospel had born fruit.
QUESTION: What gave Paul encouragement through all he suffered?
ANSWER: He was encouraged by the praise he knew all his converts were giving to God for their salvation.
2 CORINTHIANS
Chapter 4, Verses 16-18
The Truth About Now!
[6-18-17]
Review: “Words of Faith That Give Us Courage In Difficulties!”
2 Corinthians 4:11-15) [KJV] But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
12) So then death worketh in us, but life in you.
13) We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;
Psalms 116:10) [KJV] I believed, therefore have I spoken: I was greatly afflicted:
NOTE: If we truly believe something it will come out of our mouths.
NEW NOTE NOT INCLUDED LAST WEEK: This is especially true when we believe God’s promises!
NOTE: When I’m not being a con artist I need to listen carefully to what I’m saying! Why? What I’m saying tends to come forth from “the abundance of” my “heart.” In other words, what I’m saying tends to express what I truly believe.
ANSWER: Paul is telling us that what he has been telling us through his written words are things that he truly believes. Also, he is telling us that what he is about to say is something he truly believes.
14) Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you.
NOTE: Paul believed, and therefore he spoke, through his written word, that the God Who raised Jesus from the dead would also raise him, and his crew, from the dead when his journey took him to his death.
NOTE: Paul believed that after God raised him, and his readers, from the dead that together they would boldly enter God’s presence [Hebrews 4:16] as His redeemed children.
15) For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.
NOTE: Paul was encouraged by the praise he knew all his converts were giving to God for their salvation.
This Week’s Lesson: “The Truth About Now!”
2 Corinthians 4:16-18) [KJV] For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
(ERV) That is why we never give up. Our physical body is becoming older and weaker, but our spirit inside us is made new every day.
“is renewed” – “Better, is being renewed, the process of renewal going on along with the process of decay” [Vincent].
“outward man” – “Outward man has the same idea as earthen vessels in 2Co_4:7 and mortal flesh in 2Co_4:11. The message is the same: ‘On the outside, we are suffering and taking a beating. But on the inside, God is blessing and renewing us!’” [Guzik].
QUESTION: What is the “cause” that keeps Paul from fainting under the extreme heat of the trials he faced?
ANSWER: The “cause” of his strength is his seeing the fruit of his labor! In a very troublesome time a very unfavorable [by many] message of hope is leading many to salvation. His message was not “politically correct” according to the Jewish government, the governments of idol worshipping gentile nations, or the government of the Roman Empire.
- The Jewish government wanted Moses taught.
- The governments of idol worshipping gentile nations wanted doctrines taught that enriched the idol selling industries.
- The Roman Empire wanted service to the Emperor taught.
QUESTION: What made Paul’s Gospel so unpopular to those listed above?
- He taught that adherence to Moses’ Law couldn’t save anyone.
- He taught that adherence to some idol couldn’t save anyone.
- He taught that adherence to the Emperor couldn’t save anyone.
- He taught that there was salvation in Jesus alone!
“inward man” – “The ‘inward man’ is the immaterial nature in contrast with the material body [PNT].
QUESTION: All the while that Paul was not giving in to the wear and tear on his physical body what amazing thing was happening?
ANSWER: The “inward man,” the real him, the eternal him, was constantly being renewed {given “new strength and vigor” [Thayer]} on a daily basis.
QUESTION: Who is this “inward man”?
ANSWER: The next chapter will go into that: it’s the eternal us that will need a new home to reside in when our current home, “the outward man;” i.e., our physical body dies.
NOTE: The New Testament teaches us that the eternal part of who we are is our “inward man.”
17) For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
“Eternal weight of glory” – “Careful balancing of words in contrast (affliction vs. glory, lightness vs. weight, for the moment vs. eternal)” [Robertson].
Romans 8:18) [KJV] For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
NOTE: Paul amazingly refers to all of his troubles, his receiving 39 stripes 5 times, his being beaten with rods 3 times, his being stoned 1 time, his being shipwrecked 3 times, his being a night and a day in the deep 1 time, his facing robbers during his travels, his being persecuted by the Jews, by the heathen, and by false Christians, etc., as “light affliction” [2 Corinthians 11:24-26; current verse].
QUESTION: What important truth is Paul teaching you and me here?
ANSWER: Life isn’t always what we wish it was; sometimes it’s downright unbearable by our own strength. But, it is bearable when we look to our Creator for strength!
QUESTION: How are our troubles working for us, that is, for our advantage?
ANSWER: We will receive “a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” for our faithfully following Christ regardless of what life throws at us!
1 Peter 5:8-11) [KJV] Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
9) Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
10) But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.
11) To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
18) While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
QUESTION: What gave Paul the ability to look past those horrifying persecutions he endured?
ANSWER: He knew “The Truth About Now!” [this morning’s sermon title]. When we are facing absolutely horrible situations, times of physical suffering, times of mental anguish, “The Truth About Now” is that those horrible things will not last forever! It might seem, at times, that are troubles will never end; but “The Truth About Now” is that everything we see is transitory; it’s temporary! And while our troubles might seem to last for a 1000 years; when compared to eternity they only last “for a moment” [vs. 17].
QUESTION: What is another “Truth About Now”?
ANSWER: Everything we can see with our eyes right now; everything we can hear with our ears right now; everything we can smell with our nose right now; everything we can taste with our mouth right now; and everything we can touch with our hands right now is temporary! Those things are in the process of passing away! The physicality of NOW will be replaced by the spirituality of THEN; that THEN being when we’re in the presence of those things that “are not seen” at this moment!!! Those things that “are not seen” at this moment that Paul is referring to “are eternal.”
QUESTION: What is absolutely great about those things that “are not seen” at this moment that Paul is talking about?
ANSWER: They are a “far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” that the God Who loves us has prepared for us; and those things will last forever and forever!