2 Corinthians 1:1-2:11, SURPRISING, COMFORTING, GRACIOUS

Covenant Reformed Baptist Church

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August 16, 2020

2 Corinthians 1:1-2:11 SURPRISING, COMFORTING, GRACIOUS I. No Pain, No Gain

2 Corinthians 2:12-3:18, What’s the Difference?

00:00: 2nd Corinthians chapter 1 starting verse 1 all the way to chapter 2 verse 11. Hear the word of the
00:05: Lord Paul an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God in Timothy our brother to the
00:11: Church of God that is at Corinth With all the Saints who are in the whole of Achaia Grace to you and peace from God our
00:17: Father and the Lord Jesus Christ Blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ The father of mercies and the
00:23: God of all comfort who comforts us in all our affliction So that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with a comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too if we are afflicted it is for your comfort and Salvation and if we are comforted it is for your comfort which you experience when you patiently endure
00:50: The same sufferings that we suffer our hope for you is unshaken
00:55: For we know that as you share in our sufferings You will also share in our comfort for we do not want you to be ignorant brothers of the affliction
01:04: We experience in Asia for we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself
01:11: Indeed, we felt that we had received this sentence of death But that but that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead
01:20: He delivered us from such a deadly peril and he will deliver us on him
01:26: We have set our hope and he will deliver us again You also must help us by prayer so that many will give thanks on our behalf
01:34: For the blessing granted us through the prayers of many For our boast is this the testimony of our conscience that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity
01:45: Not by earthly wisdom, but by the grace of God and supremely so toward you for we are not writing to you anything other than what you read and acknowledged and I hope that you will fully acknowledge just as you did partially acknowledge us
02:01: That on the day of our Lord Jesus you will boast of us as we will boast of you
02:07: Because I was sure of this. I wanted to come to you first so that you might have a second experience of grace
02:14: I wanted to visit you on my way to Macedonia and to come back to you from Macedonia and have
02:19: You send me on my way to Judea. Was I vacillating when I wanted to do this? Do I make my plans according to the flesh ready to say?
02:28: Yes Yes, and no no at the same time as surely as God is faithful Our word to you has not been yes, and no for the
02:35: 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
02:45: Yes for 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
02:55: And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us and who has also
03:02: Put his seal on us and given us his spirit in our hearts as a guarantee But I call
03:08: God to witness against me It was to spare you that I refrained from coming again to Corinth not that we lord it over your faith
03:16: But we work with you with you for your joy for you Stand firm in your faith for I made up my mind not to make another painful visit to you for if I cause you pain who is there to make me glad but the one whom
03:30: I have pained and I wrote as I did so that when I came I might not suffer pain from those who should have made me rejoice
03:38: For I felt sure of all of you that my joy would be the joy of you all for I wrote
03:44: To you of my out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears not to cause you pain
03:51: But to let you know the abundant love that I have for you Now if anyone has caused you cause pain he has caused it not to me
04:00: But in some measure not to put it too severely to all of you for such a one this punishment by the majority is enough
04:08: So you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow
04:14: So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him for this is why I wrote That I might test you and know whether you are obedient in everything
04:24: Anyone whom you forgive I also forgive indeed What I have forgiven if I have forgiven anything has been for your sake in the presence of Christ So that we would not be outwitted by Satan for we are not ignorant of his designs
04:39: May the Lord add his blessings to the reading of his Holy Word on the spring of my senior year of high school by a track
04:52: In or near Houston, Texas. I was bent over with my hands on my knees breathing heavily in In pain,
05:02: I had just run a mile in five minutes and seven seconds not great
05:08: Not even really good for that matter four years later on a track at Mississippi State University I heard the timer call out my mile time 456 11 seconds faster than four years ago.
05:22: I Wasn't in pain. I was actually remember thinking I feel fairly comfortable. I had run over And in fact,
05:30: I felt so comfortable I continued the race I I had over two miles to go in my 5k
05:36: Now, how did I go from? straining agonizing afflicting myself to put out at best
05:43: I could do was a five minute seven second mile to Really easily painlessly doing a 456 mile 11 seconds faster as the first one -third of a 5k
05:58: How did I go from one to the other? Well, I went through a lot of pain To be able to run that fast without pain that sport running is all about conditioning and you get to a certain point when you're
06:13: Stretching your can do what you're gaining conditioning that you go through pain to get better You have to stretch your capacity for endurance and speed and that means when you get to the point of stretching your abilities
06:24: You know you get to where you're you're tired and you just have to go on or you're just this is thinking this is as fast as you could go and you have to keep pushing when you get to that point of suffering and exhaustion a pain
06:39: You have to stay at it. That's how you stretch. That's how you get better experts on exercise physiology Of course
06:44: They can research and they can coach about how to minimize unnecessary Stress unnecessary pain how to get the most out of your workouts
06:51: You got to remember to stretch and warm down talk cheerily about learning to walk work smart Not always harder how you need to have you need to have some easy days.
07:00: You need to get your rest, but the brutal fact remains No pain no gain
07:07: Of course, you could ask same question. Sometimes I ask myself especially in those moments of pain Why would you intentionally inflict pain on yourself?
07:16: What's up with that? You could be lying in bed No, just reading a book or something. Well, the answer is simple because I thought the benefits outweighed the cost.
07:23: I Enjoyed it at least the benefits part. I got more pleasure more satisfaction more joy even scholarship money back than the exertion
07:33: I Put out then the pain I had to experience What about you?
07:40: Have you been willing? to suffer pain To inflict pain on yourself some kind of Deprivation to lose something that you otherwise would have enjoyed maybe like To go through some experience that's that's difficult like sitting for hours
07:57: Studying some boring books when you could be just playing games or watching TV or or are you willing?
08:02: have you been willing to pass on desserts or Save your money or give your money when you could be all you could be splurging it all on yourself
08:10: Have you been willing to break off compromising relationships that you know could bring you some good times Are you been willing to say no to some sexual opportunity that you know could be pleasurable for any good thing you want?
08:22: whether fitness or a good job a good career a good business or a good marriage or being a
08:30: Christian Any good you want? You'll have to suffer some pain
08:38: Now the Apostle Paul here tells the church of the gain that can come through pain
08:44: He does that in three parts three great ironies This seems so strange to the worldly way of thinking both then and today just officially today three of them for verses 1 to 11 the surprising fact of the comfort the pain can bring
09:03: Second from chapter 1 verse 12 to chapter 2 verse 4 the comforting fact of the grace
09:09: It brings and third from chapter 2 verse 5 to verse 11 the gracious fact of the forgiveness it brings
09:17: Well first Paul began 2nd Corinthians is typically introducing himself and his current companion
09:23: Timothy the brother He calls him Paul is an apostle. He was made so by God's will that's where his authority comes from He could speak to them with authority and 2nd
09:32: Corinthians is a useful book for us, especially after Hosea Hosea is kind of partly anyway about the church being worldly Israel was a kind of church and it was worldly.
09:44: It was like the it was like the cultures around them 2nd Corinthians is about what we are to do about the world
09:52: Being in the church and one thing that the world doesn't want to do is suffer
09:59: World hates to suffer and look at our ads for weight loss programs Promising that you that you can quote eat like a man and still lose weight
10:07: That you can kick cigarettes without suffering any cravings that you can get a college degree in record time in your spare time
10:15: Implied that you won't have to suffer long hours and enduring Studying boring books and even some churches are in on it promising that you can have an instant spirituality
10:23: Just by saying the right prayer or getting the right experience Having the right anointed man or woman lay hands on you and it's just it's done
10:32: It's not gonna cost you anything. You don't have to sacrifice anything or experience anything unpleasant
10:37: You won't have to keep any promises to your own hurt. It's all pleasantness and sweetness
10:46: Enjoyment No grief No pain That's what we're sold today over and over again, but as alluring as that is
10:56: That is the world in the church 2nd Corinthians exists to tell us
11:03: How to deal with it? first we deal with it by recognizing the surprising fact of the comfort that suffering and grief brings
11:13: We all won't comfort. We're gonna be comforted and be comfortable The great irony is that to get comfort we must suffer.
11:23: How can I run a 456 mile and be comfortable? through a lot of suffering Maybe drug dealing or gambling or self -serving politicians will promise us today that we can have the easy life
11:34: We can have comfort just handed to us without any pain out any cost Even the world in the church tells us that we can have all the promises of God without any other sufferings of Christ We can have a religion that Likes to talk and sing a lot about heaven, but never mentions death
11:49: But second Corinthians tells us what to do with that a religion about scaping reality singing sweetly about heaven
11:56: But never mentioning death doesn't know how to suffer And so doesn't really know how to comfort either
12:03: You won't comfort well then suffer That is assuming that you're part of the church that you have received grace and peace from God your father and the
12:15: Lord Jesus Christ if so, you will be Afflicted you'll be required to sacrifice some things some time
12:24: Sacrifice some of your attention maybe like right now when you'd rather be paying attention to maybe something on TV You got to pay attention to the sermon some money some luxuries
12:34: Maybe you'll be the strange one out among at work or among friends You'll be afflicted and you respond by he like here praising
12:42: God the father your father the father of your Lord Jesus the father of mercies and Paul calls him in verse 3 the
12:49: God of all Comfort, how do you get to know the God of all comfort?
12:55: by being afflicted For Christ now, don't just be afflicted for your stupidity drive too fast and you get pulled over That's not that's not affliction that is teaching you to be like Christ.
13:07: That's because you drove too fast Not not being afflicted for our stupidity or for our sins, but because we chose to follow the
13:15: Lord and that choice Brought us some pain you have less money now than you could have otherwise because you gave some of it
13:21: You have less time because you spend it seeking the Lord praying and Bible study in church That's some losses some affliction some some right now may be suffering in this country because they're choosing to worship together when the government around them
13:33: Says they can't without afflictions. We can get to know the God of all comfort then in verse 5 He says we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, but we're people who love to be
13:45: Comfortable. Why would we willingly put ourselves through suffering?
13:51: Because through it through suffering we get to know the God of all comfort
13:56: Paul says it a verse 5 so You're afflicted. So this is a purpose statement.
14:02: This is the reason for the affliction Providing the reason we are afflicted through Christ.
14:08: We share abundantly in comfort to were afflicted Because we choose to follow
14:15: Christ he comforts us and So we experience the
14:21: God of all comfort You want to truly? Know the
14:28: Lord you really crave is it the cry of your heart? to know
14:33: Jesus You want to gain a true intimate knowledge of him? Then be prepared to suffer no pain no gain
14:47: There's another good to gain through pain here first you experience the God of all comfort then once you've been comforted
14:54: Then you can comfort others to know God in the comfort he provides and then to turn around and be a provider of comfort to others who are suffering the second half of verse 4 says
15:05: So that again, this is the purpose statement where we suffer so that We may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction
15:17: Like mr. Perry's and some affliction now having to be confined to a nursing home where no one can come and see him so for the staff first for God We get to know
15:27: God through suffering and is being comforted and then is so that we can comfort others
15:32: The comfort comes from God first God then others and when we suffer for when we suffer for him
15:39: We are then to pass on that comfort to others now the world That is in the church the worldly church today had no concept of others
15:48: We talk about others who are these others that I heard you talk about haven't you heard the footprints in the sand?
15:53: There's only him and me walking on the beach. It's all just saw two of us It has a religion that it thinks is
16:01: Individualistic it's unconnected to the to the body of Christ where the church is optional. Yeah, okay
16:07: It had might help for some people but I don't need it you have some Christians around us call themselves Christians Anyway, never go to church and they think that's they think that's fine.
16:15: That's normal It's like it's the being attached to the church is some Optional extra for those who are kind of into that kind of thing
16:23: But they have no no knowledge member from Hosea. My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge
16:30: They have worldly people who think their covenant commitments are just nice -sounding phrases never requiring any
16:37: Sacrifice or any suffering they don't understand They have no knowledge of the
16:42: God of all comfort who invites us to participate in his sufferings So that the purpose again he could comfort us so we get to know him and So that the second purpose we can pass on that comfort to others the church is to be a place of Comforted sinners or it's comforted sufferers
17:03: Comforting other sufferers. We don't have to have This mask on maybe for health
17:10: Maybe for the virus you can have the the mask over your mouth and nose But I mean this this mask this front people sometimes put on Everything's fine, and I smile we look everything's great
17:21: And you know, we say the right spiritual words. I'm a more than it conquers.
17:26: I'm too blessed to be distressed I'm too anointed to be disappointed And we put on a big smile and church shout hallelujah, and then we slink home
17:36: Depressed and lonely and grieved not comforted Because we wouldn't admit we're afflicted
17:45: Starting in verse 8 Paul informs them of the affliction. He suffered he says for cause
17:51: We were so utterly burdened Beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself
17:59: You think it's strange for a Christian to talk like this? Does it sound strange today? I mean so many like to put up this front.
18:05: I'm so spiritual. I'm so Spirit -filled so powerful. Here's Paul the Apostle talking like this.
18:11: We were so utterly burdened so much stress so much on us We didn't have the strength to bear it.
18:16: We almost feel like dying. That's what Paul is saying here That sounds strange to us today because we're so often so fake you put up this front.
18:26: Everything's great Paul says he thought he was going to die. He was down. He felt overwhelmed. It was he felt beyond his strength things were so bad that he felt like he had been condemned to die in verse 9, but he was delivered and so he was comforted and So now he turns with that comfort to comfort the
18:46: Corinthians They feel afflicted and so he assures them first in the end of verse 10. God will deliver us on him
18:53: We have set our hope All right, not in the money we have in the bank None of our doctors not in how the election might turn out in him and God if you're feeling distressed
19:03: Corinthians If you're feeling distressed covenanters then hope in God first Experience the
19:12: God of all comfort gain the sense of his comfort From your from your pain then
19:18: Paul tells them in in verse 11 Then once you're comforted help us by prayer
19:26: God Then others and you can help others by praying for them. You're feeling afflicted then get your eyes off yourself
19:33: Do something for others at least pray pray He says in verse 11 so that many will thank
19:40: God for answering those prayers So you're afflicted for Christ's sake which leads for you being comforted by the
19:47: God of all comfort which leads you to comforting others and praying for others and then
19:53: You know, you're so Thanking God for his comfort. You're so comforting others all the time
19:59: You just really don't have the time left to feel too. Sorry for yourself. You just your times all taken up So you just don't you don't notice your own pain that much anymore the pain has gained you the freedom from pain
20:12: That's the surprising fact of the comfort that affliction brings
20:17: Next we see the comforting fact of the grace that affliction brings
20:25: How do we deal with the world in the church? You know the worldly church. How do you deal with a worldly church?
20:31: The suffering that Paul has gone through is not all suffering persecution From outside powers like from the
20:38: Romans or the whatever local government Afflicting him caning him or lashing him or whatever they were doing.
20:45: He has suffered here sometimes from some inside the church particularly the
20:51: Church of Corinth the church he's writing to because they are Many of them anyway are worldly. They're carnal.
20:56: They're literally they're fleshly that is that they're acting like Unsaved unsanctified people and that's afflicting
21:04: Paul himself That's where a lot of his affliction is coming from Coming from the church and one of the characteristics of the worldly in the church is that they they boast how spiritual they are a lot of time is his fate we talked about that the fakery and They accuse
21:20: Especially they accuse leaders Here here Paul they're accusing him now in this culture here in America worldly people in the church
21:28: Think it is normal and acceptable to accuse leaders even if for no reason
21:34: Mary and I know of a local pastor It's gonna now got to leave this area because they just felt no one's church was responding to them
21:41: They tried to do things and whatever they would try they would get no support from the church And so whatever they would try wouldn't succeed because they get no support from the church and then the people would accuse them
21:50: Blame them for it. Okay, it's just like you'd want to pull out your hair And but that's it that's this normal or this culture and of course, it's worldly it's wrong
21:59: Here and Paul is dealing with that here here. He decides to boast back Our boast he says at the end of verse 12 is that we have behaved with simplicity and godly sincerity
22:13: Okay, just as he's throwing that out there. He's asserting that whatever you he's about to tell us what he's being accused of He's saying first of all that'll be known
22:23: We we acted our words were simple. Otherwise, we meant what we said no hidden meanings behind what we said and we were sincere
22:31: We were like God we were since we meant what we said the world of the church While smugly boasting about how great they are how spiritual they are was accusing
22:42: Paul of being unfaithful a promising They accused him. Well, hey Paul you promised to come and you broke your promise
22:50: You're being unreliable. You're saying one thing and you're doing another But Paul boasts my conscience acquits me
23:00: We have been we've been upfront and we have been honest and he explains in verses 15 to 17 that he had told him earlier
23:07: That he wanted to visit them again. He probably said something like, you know, this is what he probably said to them
23:13: I want to come back to you again Before going going on to Jerusalem.
23:18: I want to but his plans changed and so as the world does in the church or not the accusers just pounce on that otherwise they
23:29: Misinterpret it and they twist it and then they use their interpret a misinterpretation of his words to accuse him that He he hadn't said that he was definitely going to come to them and visit them.
23:42: He only said he had wanted to And and they said well he's not trustworthy and Paul refutes them in the middle of verse 17.
23:50: He asked them if he plans Like carnal people do carnal worldly people do they plan like they say yes.
23:57: Yes Definitely coming that's someone happened this week. So that is
24:02: Debbie's gonna be here. Of course not here That's that's worldly Right, maybe so used to that of this culture.
24:10: We think that's normal, but it's not it's not godly It's not right. You keep your word now if something comes up you have to change your plans
24:16: You can that's you're gonna understand that but just not keeping your commitments is is a problem And that's what they were accusing
24:22: Paul of here. He doesn't give his commitments. He just says yes Yes, when he really doesn't mean it does he act like a carnal person and just tell others what they want to hear
24:31: They they asked him if he was coming to visit them again. He said well, I'd like to But when it did work out he couldn't make the visit and so they said he said yes
24:43: Because he's just like everyone else. He tells people what they want to hear. He doesn't care if it's true He was thinking no all along, but he said yes, because that's the way those worldly carnal people like Paul are
24:54: Smiling and saying yes when it pleases and when they actually have no intention of doing what they say now
25:00: That was the accusation against Paul some here are throwing at him Coming from the world in the church that Paul was boasting.
25:09: Was it true? He had dealt he says With them simply and sincerely
25:17: First notice of verse 17 that Paul acknowledges that they are right that double -talk
25:23: Like they are accusing him of It's carnal literally fleshly, you know, he did Paul doesn't say back.
25:29: I'll stop nitpicking Okay, so what I said I was gonna come but you know
25:35: Whatever. It's not a big deal. He doesn't say he didn't say that at all He said he's admit he's agreeing with him
25:40: That would be a big deal if I said I was going to come and then I didn't come, you know Basically for no reason he he he agrees with them that double -talk like that is indeed
25:50: Carnal this worldly. That's that's the way the world does business simply by so often simply by lying often with a smile when they feel it's in their interest if they think
26:01: I can get away with lying the lie It furthers their interest and it still does we have people today Especially the world of the church that thinks us lying is a virtue right,
26:10: I mean you ever been in a church here somebody sing a special song and And they sing horribly right that happens.
26:17: They say you're just horribly they can't sing you want to maybe you want to encourage them Somehow thanks for trying or thanks for doing that or but you know
26:25: Some people go beyond that and say what a great job you did I remember the speech class when somebody gave up and you got to give
26:32: Practice speaking and somebody gave all of us so bad. He was so boring I couldn't get and I'm thinking about when are you gonna stop get this over with and he stops and he sits down in front
26:41: Of me and some girl turns to him. That was really good. Thank you. And I was thinking no, it wasn't it was horrible Stop lying to him our people today
26:48: I sign a church covenant and they walk away from it as soon as we feel like doing something else it that's worldliness
26:55: That's being that's double -talk. That's being carnal It's the world in the church and here Paul condemns it as indeed he agrees with him
27:02: That would be carnal, but he boasts he did no such thing. He says I was simple.
27:07: I meant what I said. I And I said what I meant He wanted to come
27:16: That then leads to three questions Why do you want to come? Second, why did he believe so strongly in integrity and being faithful to his word and third?
27:26: Why did he change his plans? You know, in other words, he wanted to come and why didn't he end up coming then first?
27:33: Why did he want to come he says in verse 15 that you might have a second experience of grace now
27:40: Don't read some great theological thing into this all this There's salvation and then there's a second experience and that's done what he means
27:45: Paul had been afflicted. He had been comforted He praised God in verse 3 for that comfort for he praised
27:50: God for being the God of all comfort for God first And so he wanted to come to the
27:55: Corinthians to pass on to them this comfort he had others
28:01: To reveal grace to them so that they would know the Lord better experience grace
28:07: Deeper that was his goal To comfort them with grace twice.
28:14: He says in verse 15 and 16. I Wanted to do that to bring comfort
28:21: Second why did he believe so strongly in integrity? The answer to that is related to the surprising fact of the comfort that affliction brings that is we become like the
28:31: God We worship Paul begins this letter here second
28:37: Corinthians Worshipping the God who is the father of mercies the father of mercies
28:42: Otherwise all mercies were begotten by him. They issue from him and the God of all comfort.
28:48: That's that's the God Then he holds up before the Corinthians. This is the
28:53: God we worship the father of all mercies the God of all comfort Hold him up to them.
28:59: So they worship him especially to the world that's in the church so you get to know who this true God is so that as they worship this
29:07: God, they will become more like him and So less worldly they too will become merciful and comforting here with the comforting fact of the grace
29:16: He brings he holds up for them a God Who is faithful verse 18 begins as surely as God is faithful In other words
29:27: God has integrity to God keeps his word He does what he says
29:33: He means what he says and says what he means as God is faithful So have we been we become like the
29:38: God we worship if we worship a worship a sentimental God Who is this focus on us as individuals doesn't care about anyone else just cares about me
29:49: Walking alone, you know, we walk me and God we walk alone in the garden while the dew is fresh on the roses and the joy
29:55: We share as we tarry there No one else in the history of mankind has ever known
30:02: Now if we worship a God like that It's no wonder there were so easily moved by My feelings and so lacking in commitment to the church, you know, what's the church?
30:15: It's just me and God Sharing a joy that no one else knows because no one else matters but if we worship a
30:21: God of all comfort who comforts us so that We go to nursing homes where we have members who need comforting so that We go to some suffering member of the church that needs it so that it's the reason he's comforting us
30:39: So that we're not just all about ourselves Who is faithful and expects us to be too then we're a very different kind of person
30:50: Why does he believe so strongly in faithfulness because he says in verses 19 to 22 the Son of God whom we worship is
30:57: Faithful. He is not. Yes, because that's what we want to hear. Yes We're saved by grace, but no the real fact is you have to work for it.
31:06: You have to do these religious deeds Yes, he's come again he's coming again, but no it's just a spiritual kind of mystical secret
31:15: Thing that maybe it already happened already Yes, there's a resurrection But no, it's kind of like his coming
31:22: It's just a spiritual thing that there will be no new body or new earth indeed all the promises of God He says find their their yes in Jesus He is faithful That is the promises of God all the way back to the
31:34: Garden of Eden all the promises when God told Satan a son of the woman would crush his head the promises to Abraham that he would be the father of many nations that he would have the promised land that He would be a blessing to the nations
31:45: The promises to David that he would have a king to reign forever The promises of the law that if we obey
31:51: God would bless us all these promises Find their fulfillment in Jesus.
31:58: We get them by believing in Jesus Now he fulfills them and makes them all certain for all his people
32:05: So it's not spiritual double -talk in verse 20. What is God who establishes us something sure and certain?
32:13: He establishes us in Christ that is in the anointed one not in our works not in our
32:21: Whatever our religion, but because we are in Christ He is the anointed one and he has anointed us making us a little
32:28: Christ we are the anointed with the Holy Spirit in verse 22, he sealed us and he's given us the spirit and As a guarantee an assurance that we will get all those promises that come to us
32:42: Through Christ so we can be certain He is faithful. He answers some of those questions in Psalm 77
32:49: Do you notice some of the despair and doubt being afflicted you cry out to God?
32:55: Have you forgotten your promises? Have you forgotten your steadfast love? Have you forgotten your covenant? Have you forgotten your grace and Come back the voice all the promises of God are yes in Christ Yes, he will hold you.
33:11: He will he will ensure that you endure to the end Third why did
33:17: Paul change his plans? I Mean he wanted to come to them What happened?
33:24: Because he wanted to spare them Unnecessary pain in verse 23 in chapter 2 verse 1.
33:32: He wanted to comfort them with grace He says there I made up my mind Not to make another painful visit to you another painful visit which implies
33:46: There was a previous painful visit sometime after 1st Corinthians was written apparently
33:53: Paul visited Corinth Found that they hadn't followed all his instructions in that letter
34:00: Maybe they still hadn't disciplined the man who was living in immorality Maybe they were still eating meat sacrifice titles and causing others to stumble
34:09: Maybe they were still trying to be, you know, too rigorous and so not marrying
34:14: Well others were being too lax and getting drunk at the Lord's Supper as though, you know
34:19: Not caring if others came later and couldn't find any of the wine and the bread Some were still showing off their spiritual gifts speaking in tongues in the church like like no one else mattered
34:28: They were still teaching that the resurrection was passed, you know, whatever the case He had asked them in 1st
34:35: Corinthians chapter 4 verse 12. Remember last year with the first Corinthians He asked them there, you know, do you want me to come to you with a rod?
34:45: With discipline or with a loving gentle spirit Now because they hadn't fully repented he came he shows us here in 2nd
34:55: Corinthians He did make a visit indeed with a rod He made a painful visit, you know, he knocked some heads together
35:03: Pointed his finger in some people's faces told them to shape up or ship out or be shipped out
35:09: Then in chapter 2 verse 3 he reveals that he also wrote them a very painful Pointed letter we probably don't have this letter and first is his visit then his letter caused him grief pain
35:24: Paul here delivered from his affliction Paul comforted himself wanting to pass on that comfort to them
35:30: But instead he found that he had to inflict afflict the comfortable
35:37: Why would he do such a thing? Why would he cause him pain? Well first notice
35:44: How strange this seems in our day, you know in our day So much of the world in the church how strange it seems to us that a spiritual leader
35:56: Would act like this You know, we have almost no concept today in the church today in America at least of a shepherd a pastor afflicting people
36:08: Making painful visits if you've even heard of such a thing Oh, I had to make a painful visit to see that member had to go
36:15: Tell him straight up you got to repent writing letters that cause people to suffer suffer any people.
36:20: They just assume The spiritual leader the pastors, but always supposed to be about comforting here.
36:26: He's about afflicting pain Paul intentionally caused them pain
36:32: Now why do you do it why what's going on because he says in verse chapter 2 verse 4
36:38: I Love you. I Made it painful. Is it I wrote you a painful letter, but my purpose wasn't to cause pain
36:47: It was out of an abundant Love he says speaking of affliction Paul says that even though he afflicted them for their sins
36:56: He wrote out of himself. He was afflicted by having to write it His love for them caused him pain in verse 4 out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears
37:12: Not to cause you pain that wasn't his ultimate goal
37:17: He realized he may have to do it But his ultimate goal wasn't you know, just to get he enjoyed inflicting pain on them.
37:24: He had a purpose beyond that He disciplined them for their good because he loved them and he wants to see them eventually in that last day boasting then
37:34: Not of their spiritual gifts not of their their titles of their religion or their powers, but that they had been afflicted
37:43: I had comforted by the Apostle Paul and through that through that pain they gained the knowledge of the
37:52: God of all comfort Chapter 1 verse 14 Paul says that on the day of our
37:58: Lord Jesus and there was on that final judgment day He wants to see them when all of God's true people are are reunited they will boast then of of the
38:12: Lord who comforted them and his grace that came through the ministry of Paul and Paul will boast that the grace of God Saved the
38:23: Corinthians Why do you afflict them What is a pastor elder sometimes need to make painful visits or write anguish letters?
38:34: Sometimes severe pointed. This is sin. You need to repent. Why does a church sometimes need to grieve and expel a member?
38:43: Because we want to we want to wake them up from their worldly comfort so that they will stop being
38:49: The world in the church and start being the church in the world
38:57: So that on that final day when King Jesus is himself fully
39:02: Fully reigning. He has put all his enemies under his feet then Then why do we afflict?
39:11: so that then They will boast of the grace of God that came to them sometimes through afflictions and comforted them
39:23: Does that mean then well Let's just pour on the affliction Let's just go around making painful visits and writing strong pointed letters
39:33: Grace could come from that right? So let's pour it on. Let's unleash it.
39:38: No pain. No gain Let's unleash the pain. Maybe we call covenant the house of pain and dental track people
39:46: You know, maybe not No notice back in chapter 2 verse 1 Paul wanted to make another visit he didn't he did indeed
39:55: Want to visit them? Why didn't he visit? He was afraid it would turn into a another
40:02: Painful visit and he didn't want that He dreaded that he hated it the affliction.
40:09: He let loose on them afflicted him More than it did them As some parents say to their kids before spanking them
40:16: I never said this but some do This may hurt me more than it hurts you. I Think that means you've been you spank harder, but whatever a discipline though is like medicine.
40:26: You only take it or give it When necessary, you know, you don't live off of medicine.
40:32: You don't eat it. You don't feast on it The the exercise physiologists and coaches are right There's no need to have to suffer more than you have to you can work smarter not always harder
40:43: So why did Paul change his mind and not make that visit? He wanted to make because he was afraid it would turn into another painful visit and he didn't want that now at this point after one such visit already more pain
40:57: Was unnecessary. He wanted to comfort them. He wanted to them to experience grace from him again, and that's the comforting fact of the grace that grief
41:13: Suffering pain brings Finally, there's the gracious fact of the forgiveness that pain brings from verses 5 to 11
41:23: Paul deals with the case of a man who was disciplined by the church and Has now repented because of it that the pain of his expulsion has brought him the gain of forgiveness
41:33: Now this man's sin caused the church pain first They dealt with that pain
41:39: Eventually to Paul made them by disciplining him putting him outside the church
41:45: Insisting he did he must repent refusing to serve in the Lord's Supper breaking up fellowship with him that caused him pain and that pain
41:52: Brought him to repentance, but it's a strange thing happened The Corinthians went from indulging sin when
42:01: Paul wrote 1st Corinthians to now Being stern and Unforgiving how dare you?
42:09: I can't believe you did that Not understanding that God is the God of all comfort and now
42:15: Paul goes from demanding Before at 1st Corinthians that they expel the wicked man from among them
42:20: That they hand him over to Satan for the destruction destruction of his flesh. In other words dispense pain on him at 1st
42:28: Corinthians to hear the 2nd Corinthians Begging them to quote reaffirm your love for him comfort him and some of the
42:39: Corinthians didn't understand this it understand Paul because they didn't understand who God was as holy and Love and so they were afraid to include him again after he had repented because they thought well
42:54: Paul said expel him Hand him over to Satan But he assures them here that if this man has repented and if you've forgiven him he says then
43:04: I've forgiven him and it's time to comfort him or he may be overwhelmed and Despair he has shown the man
43:15: He has shown Paul has shown that despite his sin despite the man's sin that his heart still this man is
43:24: Thrown out and now Paul says include him his heart still feels The pain of conviction the pain he felt the pain of being ostracized from the church, you know, the ability to feel pain is a sign of life
43:39: Corpses don't feel pain The spiritually dead they don't feel anything if they throw it out of the church
43:45: This man has it and he so he shows that he was a true believer all along even though he fell into sin if the church
43:51: Hadn't disciplined him that is that they hadn't intentionally caused him pain he may have stated that sin and Been destroyed by it
44:01: But now he is forgiveness from God and so he should have forgiveness from the church
44:07: It is Satan who either wants us to be indulgent to sin Not disciplining, you know, not dispensing any pain on those who are
44:16: Painting the church with their sin pretending is it's not my problem. It's his problem. Not mine so we're just disconnected or Satan will have us do that or on the other hand take to be just as happy if we condemn
44:30: Repentant sinners because we think well, we're too good to be associated with people like that His design
44:36: Satan's design his goal is to keep people away from the grace of God And he can do that by either keeping them in bondage to their sin or By making us stern unforgiving people not at all like the
44:56: God of all comfort But the gracious flat fact is that affliction even sometimes the intentional pain of church discipline brings forgiveness
45:07: No pain No gain But the gain is so great
45:14: It's worth the pain the surprising fact is that pain brings comfort because we worship the
45:23: God of all comfort the comforting fact is That pain brings grace through through stripes were healed through the cross of Christ we experience grace and Then when we share his sufferings
45:41: We know grace Again, and again, we find that all
45:47: God's promises are brought to us because of Jesus Because he bought them for us with his blood mine
45:56: Mine was the transgression, but thine the deadly pain
46:02: He suffered the curses and acquired all the blessings for his forgiven people.
46:08: He got the pain We get the game and his people us are often
46:17: Forgiven we experience forgiveness through pain through the pain of conviction of Sensing our our sinfulness are seeing our sins and turning from them through that We experience forgiveness
46:36: Surprising Comforting gracious, that's the