Paul's Vision - 2 Cor 12:4-11

Kootenai Church

Subscribe

Download

Share

00

00:00

Good morning, welcome to Kootenai Community Church Adult Sunday School. We will be in 2nd

00:05

Corinthians Chapter 12 Let me just take a quick look here kind of got behind the eight ball

00:28

So we will be starting with that chapter 12 verse 4. Let's open in prayer Father this morning as we look into your word clear our minds and our hearts so that we might be

00:44

Patient and careful to look at what you have to say to us through your word, which is where you

00:51

Speak to your people Father we are grateful for the word for your preservation of it and for your use of it in our lives every day

01:00

To learn more of and to serve you better more of you and to serve you better Lord as we come this morning with with some of us with anxiousness and with concerns.

01:12

Let us put all those aside and just be thankful and Grateful for the

01:17

Word of God, which is going to change our souls even some more today Well, thank you for what you're going to do in Jesus name.

01:24

Amen So let's Read chapter 12 from about verses 1.

01:31

I think we'll make it a ways today. We might make it to verse 2 No, I think we're already past that Let's read through verse 14

01:40

Chapter 12 verse 1 boasting is necessary Though it is not profitable, but I will

01:46

I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord I know a man in Christ who 14 years ago whether in the body.

01:52

I do not know or out of the body I do not know God knows such a man was caught up to the third heaven

01:59

And I know how such a man whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know God knows was caught up into paradise and Heard inexpressible words

02:11

Which a which a man is not permitted to speak on behalf of such a man will

02:16

I boast but on my own Behalf, I will not boast except in regard to my weaknesses for if I do wish to boast

02:23

I shall not be foolish for I shall be speaking the truth But I refrain from this so that no one may credit me with more than he sees in me or hears from me

02:31

And because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations for this reason to keep me from exalting myself

02:38

There was given me a thorn in the flesh a messenger of Satan to buffet me to keep me from exalting myself

02:43

Concerning this I entreated the Lord three times that it might depart from me And he has said to me my grace is sufficient for you for power is perfected and weakness most gladly therefore

02:54

I will rather boast about my weaknesses that the power of Christ may dwell in me Therefore I am well content with weaknesses with insults with distresses with persecutions with difficulty for Christ's sake

03:06

For when I am weak, then I am strong. I have become foolish you yourselves compelled me

03:11

Actually, I should have been commended by you for in no respect was I inferior to the most eminent Apostles Even though I am no a nobody

03:18

The signs of a true Apostle were performed among you with all perseverance by signs and wonders and rack and miracles

03:25

For in what respect were you treated? What were for in what respect were you treated as an inferior to the rest of the churches except that I myself did not become a burden to you

03:35

Forgive me this wrong So this section is we're looking at it this morning.

03:41

Let's keep a couple of things in mind about visions That the actual Apostles had they didn't brag about them

03:49

They didn't use those visions as fodder for their teaching

03:54

They may have been instructed by the Lord, but Paul had this vision 14 years ago, and this is the first We've heard of it, and I suspect it was the first that the

04:05

Corinthian Church had heard of it the idea is Scripture is what we have the finished work of God in the words of God to direct us to guide us and to lead us into holiness and into all service and into Completing the works that God has created for us from time immemorial.

04:24

It says in Ephesians chapter chapter 2 so Paul had this vision and He he he delivers it in such a way

04:34

He delivers it in the third person to start with just to draw attention away from himself because of this foolish boasting

04:40

That seems to be going on When people brag to you about themselves, how does that make you feel?

04:47

Is it uncomfortable don't you know how wonderful I am who would like to polish my boots today

04:59

Vince you want to do that You would be correct to say no. Thank you. You idiot

05:06

How does it make you feel when people brag Paul didn't want to do that He put everything he could into the

05:13

Corinthian into the words of 2nd Corinthians here to make certain that the Corinthians knew that bragging

05:18

That boasting was unprofitable Unprofitable, but they had forced him into it They had forced him into revealing his credentials as an apostle

05:26

Which he shouldn't have had to do with people who knew him. Well, and so throughout this chapter

05:32

Which is the is the the the meat if you will of his defense of his apostolic commission

05:40

He resorts to explaining who he is what he has done and how he did it So that the

05:46

Corinthians will not make the mistake of comparing him anymore with these false apostles someone was pointing out this morning that false teaching has always been a

05:56

Difficulty in the Christian Church, and it has always been something that needs to be called out.

06:02

It has always been something that needs to be Stopped to be crushed to be steppest to be to be removed from our midst

06:11

And so these false teachers were leading people away from Christ and Paul Was horrified at that and troubled and it bothered him greatly.

06:21

He spent many sleepless nights in prayer He talks about that earlier and then

06:29

He spends the last part of chapter 11 in the first part of and the first and most of chapter 12 defending his apostleship

06:37

Explaining to the Corinthians what they already knew about him who he was what he was and what he represented

06:46

So as we continue in this section last last week, we started the we started chapter 12 and our last two weeks ago

06:53

Excuse me. We started chapter 12 and he starts out boasting is necessary, though It is not profitable, but I'll go on to visions and revelations of the

07:02

Lord verse 2. I Know such a man was caught up to the third heaven and and I know how such a man whether in the body or apart from The body

07:19

I do not know. God knows verse 4 was caught up into paradise and heard inexpressible words

07:25

Which a man is not permitted to speak so now

07:34

He he begins Explaining what happened in this vision? He uses the word

07:43

Paul relates his entry into a place that he was not at Liberty to speak about He didn't write a book about his tourist trips to heaven

07:54

So that people would lift him up revere him think he was just the cats

07:59

PJs Whatever that saying really means does a cat really wear pajamas. Are there any cat people in here?

08:06

Do they wear pajamas? Okay. Well, then we're gonna quit using that one Oh, yeah,

08:12

I guess so the fur the fur he was caught up into paradise and he heard inexpressible words which a man is not permitted to speak

08:22

So using those words he uses the word paradise Which is an ancient Persian word which comes from the idea of a walled garden

08:30

In order to show great honor to one of his subjects a Persian King would grant that subject

08:37

The right to walk with him in his royal garden in in single intimate fellowship

08:42

This is very likely a description of Paul walking with the Lord Jesus Christ in paradise

08:49

In another demonstration of humility Paul indicates that what he heard in the heavenly places was not permitted to be revealed on earth

08:58

It may be very well and we don't know all the details here and it's always unwise to build doctrines on silence

09:05

But what we do know is that he says they were not permitted to be spoken It may very well be that Paul was unable to communicate what he heard because it was so glorious and he had no context by which he could grasp it reduce it to human language and then tell it to others or God reveals what he wants about very

09:22

God does reveal what he wants to reveal about heaven in various places in Scripture the rest

09:28

The Scripture says are the secret things that belong to him and he keeps them close to himself the father does

09:35

This is another mark of an apostle a careful dearth about speaking of those kinds of things of the heavens

09:42

Those things are reserved to the afterlife and we need not know about them now other than the information that is vouchsafed to us

09:48

Through Scripture itself and we know plenty about heaven through the

09:53

Scriptures about the fact that it is up the fact that it is reserved for those who have

10:00

Served the Lord Jesus Christ who have been elected to salvation and will spend eternity with him and it's not by the way the hymn

10:07

That bespeaks to us that it's a place where we sit around clouds with little halos on our head playing harps

10:14

That isn't in Scripture We will be busy we will be busy and I could get into I've thought about getting into that Maybe another time we'll get into the to the descriptions of what goes on in heaven and all the things that that we will we were

10:28

We're not going to be standing around Wondering we're going to be busy. We're going to be serving the Lord.

10:33

We're going to be we won't be serving one another anymore Did you know that we won't need to? Because you'll be perfect.

10:40

You'll be able to do everything you need to do to serve the Lord in perfection And so will I believe it or not?

10:47

We will be there eternally serving Christ serving the father and Paul was there and he says some of the things were not permitted to him to speak about Men have an inordinate desire to know about heaven and thus we see many books written on the subject people who claim to have gone

11:05

There and come back The only one we know for sure who went there and came back in this in the epistles is

11:12

Paul himself And he refuses to give any details and that should be instructive to us.

11:17

There should be a warning to those Who would falsely claim that they have traveled to the glories and back if someone did?

11:26

And I'm not saying anyone ever has or ever will since the time of the Apostles They would not reveal any more than Paul did

11:33

They would be true to the scriptural injunction, and they would not be revealed any more than Paul did

11:39

Jim What's the title of your book? Well, you know the one related to this stairway

11:46

Selling the stairway to heaven if you're interested. There's an excellent book. I can recommend right back here in the back

11:53

Selling the stairway to heaven heavenly tourism Going there punching your ticket

11:59

Stepping out of the turnstile visiting all the things and then come back and telling a whole bunch of stories And that's indeed what they are they are stories and they're false stories

12:08

So Paul went to heaven. He went to paradise and How do we know it was

12:13

Paul? Well, we'll get to that. He's still speaking in the third person So in 2nd Corinthians, we'll move on with chapter 12 verse 5 on behalf of such a man

12:23

I will boast but on my own behalf I will not boast except in regard to my weaknesses referring to himself in the third person again

12:31

Paul refuses to continue boasting. He rather contemplates and speaks of his weaknesses

12:38

Remarkably Paul does not want people to form an opinion of him based on visions and such

12:45

He would rather they take him as he is and look to the scriptures for the vision of God the vision of God that they need

12:53

He again refers to weaknesses hearing his desire to speak of those rather than of any great things.

12:59

He might have done How difficult would it have been for people to verify Paul's revision his vision his vision?

13:06

He just spoke of Would it be easy It would be for frankly virtually impossible when someone claims to have had a vision they're the only witness to that vision and Paul was the only witness he knew that he knew that It was it was improper to call attention to that in this in this venue in this way

13:33

But they can quickly and we can quickly look to the scripture and see the truth there and have their lives and our lives forever changed by it

13:44

We don't need visions we have the finished word of God Which is sufficient for everything everything that we will encounter in this life now

13:55

No, it doesn't teach the quadratic equation But it does teach

14:00

Everything that is necessary for living a life that is in service to God Chapter 12 verse 6 for I if I do wish to boast

14:12

I will not be foolish for I will be speaking the truth But I refrain from this so that no one will credit me with more than he sees in me

14:20

Or he hears from me. Here's why he wouldn't speak of that vision Paul wants people to credit him with no more than they see in him or that what they hear from him

14:30

He refrains from boasting especially about the visions But rather speaks of those things which God has put into the scriptures and has given to him through in for inspiration

14:40

Unlike the false Apostles who made up the things that they fooled the Corinthians with this

14:46

Thing Paul's vision really happened it really happened, but Paul would rather not talk about it

14:54

He would rather have the Corinthians credit him with no more than what they see in him or what they hear from him regarding the truth of the

15:01

Lord Jesus Christ His faithfulness to the Word of God his godly life and those things those things were what mattered most to him

15:12

Not the intermittent visions that God might have given him as an apostle This is not to say that they were not important for they most certainly were important But Paul knowing that this was not something that occurred regularly and was limited to those whose task it was to bring the new revelation

15:27

Downplayed the visions he had he boasted of Christ and of the grace of God that God worked in his life daily

15:34

Any questions or comments about those two verses before we move on five and six? Verse seven because of the surpassing greatness of the revelation of the revelations for this reason to keep me

15:49

Now he's not speaking in the third person anymore now He's speaking in the third first person and we know who it was that had this vision who it was that went to heaven who?

15:58

It was that saw things. He was not permitted to speak about who it was that would rather the

16:03

Corinthians Looked at him and his words and his life rather than these visions Because it's a the surpassing greatness of this rebel of the revelations for this reason to keep me from exalting myself

16:16

There was given me a thorn in the flesh a messenger of Satan to torment me to keep me from exalting myself

16:22

Even Paul the Apostle Could fall prey to pride and I say even because We tend to emulate the

16:33

Apostles and rightly we should in many respects But in reality they were men who put on their togas one arm at a time or whatever it was they wore back then

16:43

Who were prey remember Paul and Barnabas had a falling out? Remember Paul had to deal with Peter when he was

16:52

Not as welcoming to the Gentiles as he should have been early on in the book of Acts Everybody makes mistakes only the

17:00

Lord Jesus Christ the Trinity are perfect When God brings great revelation to one of his servants even the best of them can fall prey to arrogance and pride for Paul This was the greatness of the revelations that God gave to him for this reason

17:18

It appears that Paul was given a thorn to prevent him from succumbing To the smugness that comes when one knows for certain one knows something for certain that others do not

17:33

When you know something that nobody else knows It's kind of cool, isn't it? I know something you don't know

17:44

Whether it's it's a good thing or a bad thing but Everyone can fall prey to that kind of arrogance that comes with that Whether it is a genuine inspiration as the

17:54

New Testament writers received or modern -day understanding by properly interpreting a section of Scripture men

17:59

Can be convinced come convinced that they are the best there are best there is over the centuries There's been much conjecture by the way about this thorn.

18:09

The word is a translation of the Greek word state From the earliest times the debate has been whether it was metaphorical or physical this thorn in the flesh

18:19

Tertullian thought it was an earache Anybody have an earache a really bad earache that would that can really really drive you from sleep and just torment you terribly

18:29

I when I first read this I thought earache and then I remembered that When I was growing up one of my brothers had earaches that he just it just it was like he thought something was in his head

18:41

Poking his brain So earaches, it could have been an earache tertullian thought it was crisis stone believed.

18:47

It was a headache Calvin ascribed it to spiritual temptation and Luther believed it was the opposition and Persecution that Paul faced later commentators have suggested eyesight problems

18:58

Epilepsy or some form of a malarial disease Many draw parallels to Galatians chapter 4 where it says in verses 13 and 14, but you know that it was because of a bodily illness that I preached the gospel to you the first time and That which was a trial to you in my bodily in my bodily condition

19:17

You did not despise or loathe, but you received me as an angel of God as Christ Jesus himself

19:24

So the indication there might very well be that whatever it was it had a horrible look

19:30

Whatever it was it it could have been an eye issue I've seen some

19:36

I was looking at some pictures, and then I thought I put some up there, and I thought no no I'm not gonna do that You can look them up pictures of terrible eye issues elephantiasis things like that the things that malarial diseases can cause

19:49

They can they can render your appearance Frightening actually to be sure so It was there were a number of people who think it was that the fact is we do not have enough detail to spec

20:02

Speculate as to the exact nature of this goad. It is my impression That it was something genuinely physical based on the

20:10

Greek term Used in context we can however understand that God will often bring Difficulties specifically designed to humble those of his servants who are to be especially via especially effective for him

20:22

It's very easy to be caught up in our own supposed greatness If one ever becomes effective at something the temptation to make sure that people know about their effectiveness is very great and very difficult to deal with and we can all succumb to it fall prey to it and Question or statement no

20:50

Yeah, I Just saved your guys a painful death No, I have to repeat that the question was asked do

21:01

I really want to repeat this The question was asked if it was possible that it was a wife

21:06

It was the thorn in the flesh and my emphatic answer was no no dear right right dear

21:16

She may be watching this someday Whatever it was It's instructive to us to know that many times

21:24

God will bring into our lives things that he will not remove And it is not because he doesn't care for us or he has missed something

21:31

It is because precisely that he cares both for us and for those who are the recipients of the things that we are doing

21:38

So that we will remain humble humility brings grace, but pride goes before a

21:47

Fall For everyone no one is accepted from that no one

21:57

Wife you guys you're too much How easy is it though to become good at something and to really want to make sure everybody else knows just how good you are

22:08

I Know probably none of you will fall and pray to that But I can say that I have and it's and it's it's especially humbling

22:18

Especially when you come to find out that there's somebody to that's much much better at it than you are

22:25

Those are always but let's go ahead and be humble so that we don't have to be humiliated Remember that God gives us the gifts the father of lights gives the gifts that he will use

22:36

To build his church and those gifts are expressed through your lives through our lives together and individually

22:43

Any other comments other than weird ones about verse 7 verse 8?

22:52

concerning this I Just rolled over and played dead Paul says No, I implored

22:59

I begged I Supplicated I prayed I cried out.

23:04

I Wrestled I lost sleep Over this I implored the

23:10

Lord three times that it might leave me So there's absolutely nothing wrong with asking

23:16

God for those kinds of things to leave to be removed Paul did it This is an excellent opportunity to see that prayer to God to remove a difficulty in one life in one's life is perfectly biblical the question is

23:30

What will you do? What will one do when they realize that God has ordained this and it is not going away

23:38

And there are I've seen nodding heads there are people in this audience who know exactly what I'm talking about You've been given a difficulty and you may be didn't do anything

23:48

Peter. Did you have a question? Okay, you maybe didn't in your mind do anything to receive to justify that difficulty.

23:55

Maybe you didn't maybe you did That's not the point. The point is how are we going to deal with those things?

24:02

God allows into our lives and We're gonna see how Paul dealt with it Christ himself implored begged

24:12

Sought the father three times as recorded in Matthew chapter 26 about going to the cross

24:20

Upon recognizing that the will of God was to continue he went forth to the cross We will see that Paul follows the lead of the

24:27

Lord Jesus Christ who as well, please notice as well That there were no hedges prayed no binding of Satan Just a simple prayer to the father three times to remove

24:38

The difficulty and the father's answer to Paul was explicit verse 9 and he has said to me

24:47

This is a beautiful verse when you think it through There's there's if there's a best verse in Scripture this week, this is it

24:55

This is the best book in Scripture because we're studying it right now He said my grace is sufficient for you.

25:03

My grace is enough. My grace will meet the need For power is perfected in weakness most gladly

25:09

Therefore I will rather Paul says boast about my weaknesses so that the power of quite

25:15

Christ may dwell in me Whatever the thorn in the flesh was it was something given to Paul by the father of lights down from heaven

25:22

From whom comes only good gifts you believe that when the cars new and And when the house doesn't have any mold we believe that But it's when the difficulties come that it becomes more difficult for anyone to believe that But all gifts that come down from the father of lights are good gifts

25:48

This was a tool that the Lord used in Paul's life to make him more effective more productive and of course more humble

25:56

In the grace that God brought to Paul that grace Was sufficient for everything

26:02

Paul needed including surviving this difficulty now. I use the word survive In an informed way here so This is the word to be possessed of unfailing strength to be strong to be suffice suffice to be enough

26:25

With the difficulty the father will bring enough grace Not to survive

26:32

But we're gonna see what what he brings that grace for He brings a grace to overcome

26:37

And I forgot to write these scriptures down Romans 8 Probably route about from chapter 8 from around the late 20s 28 on No heavens.

26:49

We've got a Bible right here What stoppeth me from looking it up That that's the culmination, but but and that is all things do work together for good, but let's just look at this for a second

27:04

Or for a minute we always say second when we actually meant four days but in all things we

27:15

Overwhelmingly conquer through him who loved us this is verse 37 for I'm convinced that neither death nor life

27:23

Nor angels nor principalities nor things present nor things to come nor powers nor height nor depth

27:31

Nor any other creative thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord The grace of God doesn't provide enough energy enough strength to survive

27:41

It provides what you need to overwhelmingly conquer to overwhelmingly conquer

27:49

So that the grace that the father rained down upon Paul throughout his life through the work of the Holy Spirit was exactly what was necessary to meet every need

27:58

It is the same for us God's grace is sufficient is strong is satisfactory

28:07

Provides the correct and perfect assistance and wards off what needs to be warded off It is exactly what we need every day

28:16

What was Paul's response and this is what I found so very instructive to us

28:22

He said, okay, Lord, if that's the way it's got to be I'll trudge along With this thorn sticking out of my side.

28:29

I'll make sure everybody sees it What do you think of the blood? Yeah, and I'll make sure that everybody feels sorry for me.

28:36

That is not what Paul said He said this once I find it here.

28:50

What was Paul's response? He said I am glad about this and I will boast about the weaknesses especially the one that required this infusion of grace so that the power of the

29:01

Lord Jesus Christ may dwell in me and make me what I need to be for service for him and So that others will see that he is a

29:10

God of overcoming And he has done this in my life When faced with the opportunity to have the thorn removed but lose the power

29:20

Paul chose to keep the thorn and gladly Joyfully, that's what the word means.

29:26

I will joyfully Keep it He learned indeed that the true power of the Lord Jesus Christ is most evident in weak servants who acknowledge their weakness and depend upon God for everything the wonderful fact is that God's Word without any help from any man -made source is sufficient for every need

29:44

Psychological mental spiritual and the wisdom found therein is sufficient to deal with all the issues of life

29:51

Any questions or comments about that? Have you found it to be sufficient? Amen Now the older you get the more things that break and the more you find the sufficiency

30:07

When you're young sometimes Everything's working and going. Well, although young folks have difficulties too.

30:13

I don't mean it that way. I didn't mean it disrespectfully in that way but as as life progresses and The difficulties come and you see

30:21

God come through every time You begin to have a sense that the scripture has really spoken true always has always will but here

30:29

He says I'm content verse 10 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses with insults with distresses with persecutions with difficulties for Christ's sake for when

30:40

I am weak, then I am strong and This introduction will probably finish up here but the

30:46

Greek word translated well content Could have been How does this thing know my batteries running low?

30:56

Yeah Now, you know, my battery's running low That's one of the distresses in my life.

31:02

There's a low running battery The word translated well content could have been translated pleased or delighted

31:09

The mature saint of God understands that the difficulties of life reveal character and also reveal needed changes where character is lacking.

31:19

Is there anybody in here that thinks that they've done, developed it all the way that you are, you're 100 %?

31:27

When you step into heaven, it's going to just be like stepping from one room of your house into another.

31:35

Let me disabuse you of that notion. We should work, and the Holy Spirit is working, to make it so that when we step into heaven, the change is small.

31:45

But for me, it's going to be a wrenching blow. Paul was delighted and well -content to have these difficulties, and all mature saints will recognize that God brings these things into life both to develop character and to reveal character that needs change.

32:05

So Paul had to deal with the weakness that is frailty, possibly caused by disease, insults.

32:11

These were the words meant to cause genuine, these were things meant to cause genuine hurt. The Greek word is where we get the word hubris.

32:18

You know what hubris means? When someone has hubris, they're really caught up in themselves, so much so that they feel they can put you in your place because they're the best at doing that because they know everything.

32:29

They're perfect, especially in the area that they're dealing with you in. They use that hubris to put you in your place.

32:37

That's the Greek word. He had to deal with the stresses, which were great needs that he had, sustenance, protection, and possibly some of the most important things in life like sleep and health.

32:49

I have never had a problem with sleep. I pray for people that have that, that can't get enough sleep.

32:55

It's a difficult and trying thing, but it seems like a simple thing, but it's one of the very most important things.

33:01

These are distresses Paul dealt with regularly. He also had to deal with persecutions, and many of those have been detailed here and in the book of Acts.

33:10

He also had to deal with difficulties. This word translates the Greek word for calamity.

33:16

It's almost an understatement, at least in the translation here. Anguish or distress.

33:22

This isn't, you know, the light's not coming on again. Oh, I gotta flip this breaker. That's not what he's talking about.

33:28

The light's not coming on, but the house is on fire. Maybe that's why. That's what he's talking about. It's a calamity.

33:33

It's a distress. He wasn't losing his car keys. This is having the car stolen and then someone trying to run him over with it.

33:43

Paul's response to this thorn is our template for dealing with the persecutions and difficulties that come into our lives that God allows to stay.

33:51

It is when people observe us in dire straits, still serving, still humble, still loving, still caring, still trusting the

34:03

Lord Jesus Christ, that they realize that Christianity is different. It is then that they may, by God's calling, seek

34:13

Him. That may be what he uses. That's something to consider. Paul further sums this up in his letter to the

34:20

Romans where we are reminded, and this is where I actually put this in. I got ahead of myself and stole my own thunder. I do that often.

34:27

Paul further sums this up in his letter to the Romans where we are reminded that not only can we survive the difficulties of life, rather one who recognizes

34:36

Christ as their all in all can conquer, win, overcome, and thrive.

34:41

And I'm going to read Romans 8 .36 -39 again because it's more important than anything I have to say to you today.

34:47

Just as it is written, For your sake we are being put to death all day long. We were considered a sheep to be slaughtered.

34:54

But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.

34:59

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creative thing will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our

35:15

Lord. He covered them all. There is nothing that will happen to you in this life as a child of God that can separate you from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our

35:26

Lord. And is not that the most important thing not to be separated from? Everything else, like they say, is just details.

35:35

And I don't mean to minimize the difficulties that are going on in your life. But everything else besides this relationship with the

35:42

Lord Jesus Christ in eternity is just details. And so he finishes up, well he doesn't finish up, but verse 11 and then we'll quit.

35:51

You thought I was going to quit at 10. Bait and switch. For I have become foolish.

35:57

You yourselves compelled me. Actually I should have been commended by you.

36:02

For in no respect was I inferior to the most eminent apostles, even though I am a nobody. When a good man or woman is maligned and Christians who know better about that person sit in silence, they have committed a sin of inaction.

36:20

Paul is still communicating to the Corinthians the foolishness of self -aggrandizement. Because he says he's a nobody.

36:27

The Corinthians knew Paul well enough that when he was accused by the false apostles, they should have loudly risen to his defense.

36:35

By any estimation he was as important as Peter, John, James and the other founding apostles of the

36:40

New Testament church. Although Paul has both the authority and the ability of the commissioned apostle of the

36:49

Lord Jesus Christ, he is still fully and painfully aware of his own abilities and his need to rely upon God for any effectiveness that might occur in his life.

36:58

He wasn't inferior to the eminent apostles, but he knew about his need to rely on God. If a

37:05

Christian knows that false accusations have been made against a brother or sister in Christ, and he does nothing, that is a sin.

37:16

He should look into them, talk to the accused, find out what is going on and then take some action.

37:23

Even if it is simply spreading the information that the accusations are false. The problem today is that it's so easy to gossip.

37:32

Because you can do it online with a few strokes of a keyboard. It used to be more difficult to gossip.

37:38

Gossip has always been bad. One guy related it. He was talking to a woman who was struggling with her mouth.

37:48

In this particular case it was a woman, but men are just as prone. So don't misunderstand this. How do you deal with it?

37:56

And he took her to the summit of a little hill. And he said, I want you to cut open this feather pillow and then fling it to the wind.

38:04

So she did. And he said, now go gather up all the feathers. That's how you deal with it.

38:10

That's what happens when people gossip. You can't gather up all of the feathers. But when a brother is being gossiped about and we find out about it, and we find out that the accusations are false, then we need to do something about it.

38:24

And Paul should have had people in the Corinthian church, and maybe there were, we don't have record of that. I'm kind of hoping we're going to find out that there were some who went, no, that's not the

38:34

Paul I know. And they may have been shouted into silence at some point. But at least

38:39

I'm hoping that there were some that spoke up. James 4, verse 7 says this,

38:46

Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.

38:53

So now although that was in the context of refraining from boasting about any days to come, it applies to these kinds of areas in our lives.

39:01

The worst kind of malignment, misstatement about you or me, is one that is not true, and is the most difficult to be borne by one who is innocent of the charges.

39:13

It is good for us to come properly and carefully and scripturally to the defense of our brothers and sisters in Christ when they are improperly spoken of.

39:22

And Paul says that here. Actually, I should have been commended by you. There should have been some in the body who said, no, you're not talking about the

39:31

Paul I know. The Paul I know brought the word of God to us. The Paul I know suffered shipwreck.

39:37

He was beaten with rods. He was left for dead. And he continued to get up and spread the word of God to the churches of Achaia and of all of the known world.

39:48

That's the Paul I know. You guys are talking about a different person. Don't talk about him like that. And they should have been fearless in their defense of him.

39:56

But apparently it was not so. And so I guess I'm saying we should not let it be so in our lives.

40:03

So that when we know a brother or sister has been falsely aligned and we can spend some time with them, find out the details, come to their defense, be their brother and sister in Christ.

40:14

Before I close, are there any comments about this idea especially? But it's always a good idea to check with them.

40:26

Maybe this is the one time they did something they shouldn't have done. And you don't want to be out defending something that did happen against something that did happen.

40:36

But it requires relationships. It requires spending time with one another. It requires getting to know.

40:42

Yes, Peter. It's in, you know,

41:14

I'm not going to embarrass myself by trying to find the Scripture in my head. It's in there somewhere. But a so -called brother who commits the kinds of things that can be verified that are fornication, the list of sins, that is someone who we disassociate with.

41:33

And we need to, we can't eat with them. Paul says we can't eat with them. And in those days, that was important.

41:39

Eating together was a sign of communion, more than it is today, I think. So if a brother is difficult, or excuse me, is guilty of, and you can verify committing those kinds of sins, then it's time to break with them.

41:56

Read it for me. 1

42:11

Corinthians 5 .11. That's the one I would have been way off. I was thinking it was in Chapter 7. But yes, 1

42:18

Corinthians 5 .11. And that is a partial list, but that's a good list for those of you who like to pin things on your refrigerator.

42:25

But what is it, who does it refer to? Is it referring to an unbeliever? It's referring to probably an unbeliever, but a so -called brother.

42:34

This is someone who claims to be a child of God and who is doing those things. With that one, for sure, disassociate yourself.

42:44

Any other comments? Let's close in prayer. Father, you allowed your servant

42:53

Paul to go through many difficulties. Some of them, for sure, to develop his character, to encourage him to trust you, to help him to see that you will bring your believers, your children, your elect, through anything that you put them in, that you will never require, that you will never cause them to go through something that you will not sustain them through.

43:12

But also, Lord, and this is instructive for us, you allow those kinds of things to happen so that we will remain humble, that we will remain serviceable to you, that we will not be preparing for a fall, but rather for delivering to the world what it is that the

43:30

Lord Jesus Christ is capable of. Because it is you, it is you who are capable of these things. We are capable of nothing.

43:36

You have prepared works from ancient days past for us to accomplish in this world.

43:43

But you will accomplish those works through us. And we want you to get the glory. And so with Paul, we thank you for distresses, for persecutions, for difficulties, because they reveal the

43:54

Lord Jesus Christ in us. And in that, we thank you for Jesus' name and for his sake.