Faithful Are The Wounds of A Friend -Part 2 (WVNE Life Changing Radio Worcester / Boston)

Thank you for listening to this message from the ministry of Morse Corner Church in Leverett, Massachusetts. Morse Corner is a non-denominational church that is committed to the preaching and teaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Our church was founded in 1896 by two students of the famous evangelist D .L. Moody. We seek to encourage and edify the body of Christ through the proclamation of God's word through the ministries of the local church.

If you'd like more information, visit our website morsecornerchurch .com. We hope you enjoy the message. Paul is showing his love for the church by speaking with them honestly and with plain speech. Here's his general approach, and I think this should be our general approach.

For those who are doing well, we praise them or we praise the Lord for them. For those people that are learning, maybe they're struggling a little bit. You should be patient with people like that. Be kind to people like that.

Now, the troublemakers, what did Paul do? He would rebuke the troublemakers. So if somebody is doing well, praise them up. If somebody is struggling, be patient, pray for them. Only the troublemakers got the rebuke.

Ok, now the positive only approach that we're so familiar with these days. You know, it may be popular in some circles, but if you've ever read the New Testament, anyone who has ever read the New Testament from Matthew to Revelation, you know that is not the approach that the Apostles took.

Speaking the Truth in Love with Rebuke and Patience

Alright, back to our main text. But still, they were speaking the truth, and they were doing it with the spirit of love. 2 Corinthians chapter 12, Paul is going on to say, The more I love you, the less it seems that you love me.

Verse 16. But be that as it may, I did not burden you. Nevertheless, being crafty, I caught you by cunning. And I think that's what his critics were saying about him. Verse 17, Did I take advantage of you by any of those whom I sent to you?

Paul is now defending his friends. Ok, he's not just wanting to defend himself. He wants to defend his co-laborers in the gospel ministry. Verse 18, I urged Titus and sent our brother with him. Did Titus take advantage of you?

That's a rhetorical question. The answer is no. Did we not walk in the same spirit? Did we not walk in the same steps? Again, do you think that we excuse ourselves to you? We speak before God in Christ, but we do all things, beloved, for what?

For your edification. For your building up in the faith. So, they were off base, many of them, to say the least. These accusations that some of them were making. Even if it was the minority that was criticizing Paul.

Here's the thing, Paul isn't going to let them get away with it. So, these were the troublemakers, right? The people doing well, he praised them up. We saw that throughout the beginning of the book. He really did praise the church of Corinth up quite a bit.

They made progress. The ones who were struggling, he was patient with them. But the troublemakers, he's not letting them get away with it. You know the Bible says, love covers a multitude of sins. But that shouldn't be an excuse to sweep bad things under the rug.

What happens, we've all heard churches and denominations that had a lot of problems. A lot of terrible things going on. And they kind of swept all the problems under the rug, right? We don't need to get into the examples.

Does that help? No, it makes things worse. Paul's doing the right thing, speaking the truth in love to try to fix things before they got that bad. So, because Paul is addressing these things head on, if he doesn't deal with these things now, they're just going to get worse later on.

And then when Paul actually shows up, then it's going to be a contentious atmosphere. And that's the last thing that he wants. So, what's his motivation? It's from a good place, right? Sincerity, kindness, his love for the church.

Speaking the truth in love. Now, he says, we do all things, beloved, for your edification. So, he lets them know, he calls them your beloved. I love you. So, he lets them know of his love. And this is all for the purpose of doing what?

Building them up in the faith. We speak before God and Christ, he says. So, Paul, even though he wasn't a pastor necessarily, he did have that shepherding role to a degree. Paul had what you would call a pastor's heart.

Okay?

Every pastor, every faithful pastor has a few things in common. They have this desire for the truth of God's word to preach and teach and proclaim the word of God. But also a strong love for the people.

Paul cares about the people. And I think every faithful Christian understands that. It's not just a pastor. As a Christian, you have compassion for other Christians, right? We all understand within a church body when one suffers, we all feel it.

When a group of Christians in a church are suffering, everyone kind of suffers along with them. Now, Paul, speaking the truth to the Jews, he did that because he loved the Jews. Now he's speaking here to the Corinthians because he loves the Corinthians.

And in saying all this, you understand, Paul, remember the Jews got upset? He knows he's taking a risk at upsetting the Corinthians, right? Look at verse 20. So, he knows that going in, but he still does it.

He says, for I fear lest when I come to you, I shall not find you such as I wish. And that I shall be found by you such as you do not wish. Lest there be contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, backbitings, whisperings, conceits, and tumults.

And then he goes on to speak of sexual sin. Now, pretty much any member of the Corinthian church is going to be guilty of at least something at some point, right? And that's where he runs the risk of upsetting people.

But I just want to read what a commentator or two said about this passage where Paul gives this list of vices. One commentator says this. Paul here completely and finally throws off the apologist and puts on the apostle.

He will rule by love rather than by fear, if possible. But if it not be possible in the last resource, he must use his apostolic power. Another commentator says this, and this is really true. A good man, especially a faithful minister of the gospel, will be concerned at the sins of others and as to their spiritual welfare.

A profane person, on the other hand, either rejoices in the sins of others or at least is unconcerned for them. But a good man cannot be so as knowing the sins of others reflects dishonor upon God. So what are some of the sins that Paul mentions that can tear a person apart?

It can tear relationships apart. It can tear a church apart. This is obviously not an exclusive list. But obviously Paul is mentioning, well, let's just go through them. Paul mentions contentions. So what's a contention?

Well, it's just basically arguing, right? People just arguing back and forth, bickering back and forth. You know, one person or one group has to get their way. Maybe feelings are hurt, and it's just never ending.

Many churches that divide, they don't divide over doctrines. Sometimes that happens, and sometimes that's really the only reason to divide is over doctrine. But many churches that divide, they don't divide over doctrine.

They divide over personal disputes that spread to others. That's one of the biggest problems. Paul also mentions jealousies or envy, right? And, of course, we should not be envious of other people. You know, they have their problems, too, just because you don't know about it.

They may be struggling with things. Don't be envious of other people. Just be happy with where God has placed you. Be content with what God has given you so we shouldn't be envious. Next, he mentions outbursts of wrath.

Well, no explanation necessary. I mean, we get why this is bad. Selfish ambitions. I like to read what the Scripture says in Philippians 2, verses 3 and 4. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind.

Let each esteem others better than himself. I mean, if we could just do that, 90 of our problems would just go away. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

You're familiar with, most of us are by now, the acrostic joy, right? J-O-Y. If you want joy in your life, who do you put first? J, Jesus, put Jesus first. And then your others second. And then yourself last.

Put yourself last. That's a hard thing to do, but it really is the formula for joy in the Christian life. Now, the people that tend to be selfish, or when we all do this, let's face it. When we put ourselves first, that tends to make you more miserable.

I mean, it's sort of counterintuitive, but you put yourself first. You make yourself miserable, and that rubs off on others. Then Paul mentions, what?

Backbitings.

Basically, this is defamation of character. This is slander, where people are just waiting. They're just looking for any little opportunity to defame someone else. Now, it doesn't matter if they're guilty, not guilty.

They're just kind of waiting to say something critical about this person, because I just don't like them. That's backbiting. And then the next thing he mentions is whisperings. Well, that's basically backbiting.

Instead of doing it publicly, you're whispering in someone's ear, but you're saying essentially the same thing. And then conceits. I like how the King James Version translates this. What does it say? Swellings, right?

You know people have like a swollen head, right? Conceits. What's conceits? They're conceited. They have a big head.

They're arrogant.

And this is also the sin of pride. This has to be one of the most common of all sins, the sin of pride. And you know, it's one of the most common, but it's one of those sins that God hates the most. You can make the argument that every sin came from the pride of Lucifer.

That's where it all started. You've heard of the seven deadly sins, right? I think everyone's heard of that. Actually, when you hear that list, the typical list of the seven deadly sins, that's actually not in the Bible.

But there is a passage in Proverbs, Proverbs chapter six, that says this. These six things the Lord hates. Yes, seven are an abomination to him. And you know what's first on the list? A proud look. And then finally, tumults.

Well, that's what all of this leads to. Instability, confusion, a state of disorder, chaos, and certainly the Corinthian church was guilty of that at times. And then Paul finishes the chapter speaking of those who had not repented of their sexual immorality, which was brought out so clearly in the first epistle to the Corinthians.

Love That Confronts Sin for the Sake of the Church

So to sum all of this up, after reading all of this and Paul risking making people upset, he made the Jews upset when he preached Christ. Is this really what speaking the truth and love looks like?

Yes.

Yes, it is. A preacher who doesn't preach against sin does not love the people. The false teachers, the false prophets, they didn't want to do this because they didn't want to rock the boat. They didn't want to make people upset.

So if we don't address things and if you have someone who is a friend, a family member, you love them, they know that you love and care for them. These are the relationships we need that you have that opportunity to go and talk to them or they have that place in the relationship they can come and talk to you.

Let's face it. We all need people in our lives who love us enough to pull us aside and say, hey, listen, I love you, but what are you doing? We need that. And these are the types of relationships that should develop in a New Testament church.

So that's what Paul was doing. Speaking the truth in love. And let us do that. Speak the truth.

Do it in love.

Thanks for listening. I'm Pastor Michael Grant from Morris Cornick Church. If you'd like to listen to the complete message or if you'd like more information about the ministry, visit our website, MorrisCornickChurch .com.

We'd love to have you join us some Sunday morning here in Leverett. Until next time, may the grace of God be with you.