Transcript

For The Love Of God

2 Corinthians 7:2-7
Sunday, October 5, 2014
Pastor Randy Smith

Relationships with people can be complex. They are all unique and each one carries with it a personality of its own. You know what it is like to be loved by some people - respected - and written off by others - rejected - at the same time. You know the full gamut of emotions that goes with becoming close to others: Everything from acceptance and security and inspiration to disappointment and confusion and rejection. Unless you choose to be a hermit, this is an unavoidable reality when we form relationships with people.

For the pastor of a church who genuinely takes his shepherding role seriously, these emotional responses are magnified. Paul said it best at the close of this letter to the Corinthians: "Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches" (2 Cor. 11:28). Pastors walk the fine line between casting all their burdens on the Lord and yet still being burdened for the church. They walk the fine line between having thick skin to prevent being derailed from the never-ending drama and avoiding a hard heart that does not personally enter into the drama itself. As Phillips Brooks in 1895 said, "The man who gives himself to other men can never be a wholly sad man; but no more can he be a man of unclouded gladness."

We've called 2 Corinthians the most intimate look at the Apostle Paul's heart.

Let me ask you, how would you respond? You labored for a year and a half to start this church in Corinth. You predominately supported yourself and poured your heart into the people - people that were involved in gross immorality, doctrinal ignorance and selfish behavior. And then the moment you move on, you learn that savage false teachers caring only for themselves were leading all your young converts away. Then when you make a personal trip to help remedy the situation, you are insulted to your face, and most of the church refuses to stand by your side. You leave dejected with the completely untrue accusations and allegations still swirling around in your head - he's only in it for the money. He can't be trusted. He has no letters of commendation. He boasts in himself. He has a domineering attitude. How would you respond to something like this? Would you walk away from them? Possibly run?

The letter of 2 Corinthians is our record of Paul's response. There is firmness without unrighteous anger. There is pleading without compromise. There is patience without indifference. Paul's heart, though broken over this church, stayed with this church when staying could have resulted in additional heartache.

Relationships can be complicated, even in the church. And if we have the heart of Jesus for others, we are vulnerable to experience more strain than others. So before we break for the Lord's Table, let's see how Paul addressed his situation and learn how we can apply his principles. Let's look at how God fits in not only in ministry relationships, but in all relationships across the board.

Perhaps I'm oversimplifying this, but it seems to me that there were three different groups within the Corinthian church that were addressed in this letter. There was a small contingency that were still acting rebellious toward Paul. They will be addressed at the end of the letter. They get the rebuke. There was another group that was still on the fence unsure of whom to follow. They were addressed up until this point and implored as we learned two weeks ago to separate completely from being yoked to the false teachers. They get the warning. Then it also appears there was the majority that was won back to the true Gospel and supportive of Paul as their pastor. I believe it's those repentant and loyal folks that Paul now addresses beginning in verse 2 of chapter 7 and running to the end of chapter 9. They get the affection.

1. PAUL'S APPEAL (verses 2-4)

So as Paul speaks to the faithful, let's look at our first of three points, "Paul's Appeal," in verses 2-4.

While the majority had repented, Paul in his deep love for them wishes for them to affirm their deep love for him. That's a characteristic of love. It longs for a response. We desire others to love us with the love which we give them. It's a human response and in this case, the success of Paul's ministry was dependent upon it. Would you fully submit to a pastor's leadership if you had reservations about his manner, motives and message? Before he asked them to "open wide" their hearts in 6:11. Now in 7:2 with hearts he assumes to be open, the specific call is for hearts that have room for his life and ministry. "Make room for us in your hearts."

He reminds them, verse 2, "We wronged no one, we corrupted no one, we took advantage of no one." These were the false charges they heard against Paul. Yet Paul was innocent. Ironically, it was the church that did these things to Paul. He never wronged them, but they wronged him. He never corrupted them, but they both believed and furthered the lies about his character and in turn corrupted others in the church. He never took advantage of them for his own personal gains, but they took advantage of all his sacrificial love and used it to bring greater pain to his heart. Paul simply appeals to the purity of his character in verse 2 as one who is trustworthy. He stays on the high road instead of pointing fingers and attacking the church.

That point is made clear in verse 3: "I do not speak to condemn you, for I have said before that you are in our hearts to die together and to live together."

This verbal display of his affection is amazing. Some might call it insecurity, but I believe it is a love for people, even people that have tremendously wronged him, that refuses to just give up on the relationship. And even when they come around there is a Spirit-led passion that seeks to be sure the relationship is fully healed.

These terms of living and dying together found in verse 3 were used in the day to express mutual friendship and loyalty. The idea is that a friendship will be sustained throughout life even if death is involved.

Now verse 4, "Great is my confidence in you; great is my boasting on your behalf. I am filled with comfort; I am overflowing with joy in all our affliction."

You know, I have preached through 1 Corinthians and now am over half way through 2 Corinthians. Personally, I can't find very much that is positive about this church. They are doubtless the most dysfunctional church in the entire New Testament. So when they march around with blind arrogance and gross sins as never ending spiritual babies in Christ, how can Paul say in verse 4 he has "confidence" in them? Moreover, how can Paul find "comfort" in them, much less 'boast in them" after the way they had repeatedly treated him over the years? "Affliction" is a good word Paul uses in verse 4, but "joy" and "confidence" seem far out of place.

I can't think of a single logical reason that could give Paul this positive attitude about this church. Was he just a dreamer? Was he delusional or a masochist that enjoyed the pain? Was he a fool to suffer for people and deceptively believe that everything would just turn out okay? False hope?

There is no logical reasoning to support Paul's comments in verse 4, but I believe there is a supernatural reason to support it. Remember, this portion of the church confessed Christ. This portion of the church realigned with Paul and the true Gospel. Spiritual fruit was witnessed (more on that in a movement).This portion of the church, despite their past, were children of God. And since they were children of God, endowed with the Holy Spirit, there was hope and confidence that they would change.

This is what we call Gospel-centered pastoring. This is knowing that pastors are only tools that plant and water, but trust God for anything to be produced that is spiritually worthwhile (1 Cor. 3:6-7). This is knowing with confidence that God will not give up on His true children and will finish the good work that he began in His people (Phil. 1:9). That's why Paul could address this spiritually dysfunctional church at the beginning of his first letter as "those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling" (1 Cor. 1:2). Paul's confidence was not in their track record, but in the operative grace of God at work in their lives (1 Cor. 1:30).

I just began reading an excellent book called, "Gospel-Powered Parenting." The main point of the book is exactly Paul's heart from right here in 2 Corinthians. Paul had confidence that God would work in His church among true believers. Parents can have confidence that God will work in their children if they too are truly born gain.

Listen to this quote: "Even a child's testimony that he 'accepted Jesus' or 'asked Jesus into his heart' means very little. This is because God initiates new birth. Of course, the child is responsible to respond to God with faith and repentance. But a child can go through these steps and not have the saving faith and repentance that point to new birth. This is why it is foolish for parents to presume upon new birth. New birth is a radical change of heart that ushers in new desires, new loves, and a new direction."

Spiritual fruit gives evidence of the new birth. And new birth is the start of God's sanctifying work in a believer's life. Just as parents of saved children will see fruit of the new birth that gives confirmation of God working, Paul had reason to believe that God was working upon the majority of the church because he had now witnessed spiritual fruit in their repentant hearts.

As we move to the second point, "Paul's Affliction," we'll see the evidence of these repentant hearts that was revealed to him, but first he's going to set it up by reminding his readers of his suffering.

2. PAUL'S AFFLICTION (verse 5)

Verse 5, "For even when we came into Macedonia our flesh had no rest, but we were afflicted on every side: conflicts without, fears within."

It took us a half of year, but I promised you we'd get back to this verse. Remember what Paul said back in chapter 2, verses 12-13? Of course you don't so let's take a look! "Now when I came to Troas for the gospel of Christ and when a door was opened for me in the Lord, I had no rest for my spirit, not finding Titus my brother; but taking my leave of them, I went on to Macedonia."

Let's refresh our memory with the timeline. Eighteen months in Corinth. As a good missionary Paul moves on. Now he heard there were problems going on in the church. He made a special visit that was horrible with vicious attacks on his character. He left Corinth dejected with a church mutiny on his hands. As he said in 2:1, "I determined this…that I would not come to you in sorrow again." So does he give up on the church? Of course not! He writes them a letter that we no longer have a copy of. It's commonly called the severe or tearful letter and he spoke of it in 2:4: "For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears; not so that you would be made sorrowful, but that you might know the love which I have especially for you" (cf. 7:8-9). He sent it with Titus and waited on pins and needles for the Corinthian response to his letter from Titus.

Not able to take the suspense any longer, Paul leaves Ephesus and as he said in 2:12, made his way around the Aegean Sea to Troas with hopes of connecting with Titus. Titus isn't there, 2:13, so he heads toward Corinth by entering the Greek district of Macedonia. Then the narrative ends (for a long discourse about his ministry), but here in 7:5, Paul picks it up again. "For even when we came into Macedonia our flesh had no rest, but we were afflicted on every side: conflicts without, fears within."

You've got to picture this. Paul is an emotional and physical mess in Macedonia. He says he's got "conflicts without [and] fears within" Concern over the fate of Titus. Concern over the status of the church after reading his letter. His heart is in knots. In verse 6 he go so far to say he's "downcast" (NIV), "depressed" (NASB).

3. GOD'S COMFORT (verses 6-7)

Verse 6 (as we move to the third point), "But God, who comforts the depressed, comforted us by the coming of Titus."

Titus finally arrived! A major burden was taken off Paul's back. His dear friend and faithful partner in the ministry was safe. And there was double comfort because Titus brought back a favorable report regarding the church. Look at verse 7, "And not only by his coming, but also by the comfort with which he was comforted in you, as he reported to us your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me; so that I rejoiced even more." There was true repentance. The church was acting like the church! Paul's heart was full of joy! The two burdens he carried which brought about his deep depression were lifted.

But there is something we can't miss. We've seen Paul's heart. He had a tremendous love for God and because of that had a tremendous love for God's people. It was a love that entered the depths of extreme physical and emotional suffering for the benefit of others. But through it all, Paul never lost sight that he was only an ambassador of the glorious King. And in every occasion, he saw God at work and found reason to ultimately trumpet God's glory and not his own. "But God" as he says in verse 6.

Paul's hope was that God would work through him to right this sinking church because they are ultimately God's people, not his. And although Titus' arrival and the repentant church brought him joy, Paul praised not the humans (Titus' arrival and the Corinthians change of heart), but God.

The pastor is not exempt from trials. He shepherds the flock, but he is still being shepherded by God. Likewise, Paul was reminded that God was working in and through his trials too to increase his faith and continually develop his character. God uses suffering to grow His people, and it's God who knows how and when to provide the necessary comfort either within in the trial or by the removal of the trial altogether. Everything Paul needed was delivered to him from God. And the same is true for you as well, children of God.

The great preacher, C.H. Spurgeon, shocked his audience of 5,000 one memorable Sunday morning in 1866 when he announced, "I am the subject of depressions of spirit so fearful that I hope none of you ever gets to such extremes of wretchedness as I go to." Many of us have been there. Personally I am not aware of many pastors who have been able to avoid it. But we see the hope in Paul's life and know the same God is still working to bring comfort and spiritual growth to His children. This allows us to press on in life with hope while suffering and be like God who perseveres with us and not retreat from persevering in genuine ministry and genuine relationships.