"Rejoice" -- 2 Corinthians 13:1-14

The Tenth and Last in a Series of Sermons on Second Corinthians

Yes, Paul is willing the play the fool with the Corinthians to expose the foolishness of the false apostles in Corinth.  But Paul is also willing to use his apostolic authority to rebuke the Corinthians for tolerating false apostles and their false gospel in their midst.  Having done all that he could do by letter, Paul informs the Corinthians that he will be making yet another (a third) journey to Corinth, and this time, he will deal with the false apostles once and for all.  In other words, Paul is not planning a vacation to the beautiful city of Corinth.  Paul is coming to Corinth to put an to the turmoil the false apostles have created in the church, which Paul himself was so instrumental in founding.

With this sermon, we wrap up our series on 2 Corinthians as we turn to Paul’s stern rebuke of the Corinthians found in the last half of chapter twelve, and in the thirteenth and concluding chapter of this epistle.  Before we turn to 2 Corinthians 12:11 and following, we need to set the context so as to understand the issues being addressed by Paul in our passage.  In the final chapters of 2 Corinthians, it is apparent that Paul has gotten word that a group of false apostles had arrived in Corinth soon after Paul had left the city.  Although Paul had been directed by Christ himself to preach the gospel elsewhere, the false teachers used Paul’s absence as evidence that Paul was not truly interested in the Corinthians.  In his response to the efforts of the false apostles to undermine his Christ-given authority and office, Paul identifies these men as agents of Satan, because they preach a different Jesus, a different spirit, and a different gospel.

Although Paul shows his own mastery of Greek rhetoric through the skillful use of irony (playing the fool throughout this section of 2 Corinthians so as to expose the foolishness of the false apostles), Paul refuses to make himself the issue.  Paul had endured all kinds of persecution, affliction and suffering.  The false apostles who are attacking Paul for being weak could never endure what the “weak” Paul has endured.  Paul could boast about this, but he doesn’t.  Furthermore, Paul had been taken to the third heaven (or given a vision of it).  He had even seen the risen Christ.  None of the false teachers could boast of these things–yet Paul can boast.  But he does not.

Paul responds to the charges that he was weak and indifferent by recounting all the horrific things that he endured precisely because Jesus had called Paul to his office as apostle to the Gentiles.  Although Paul had much to boast about if he chose to boast, instead, Paul takes a different tact.  He chooses to boast about his weakness, reminding the Corinthians that it is because of his weakness that his only confidence is in the power of Jesus Christ which is manifest in that gospel which Jesus had assigned Paul to preach.  Paul may be weak.  Paul may not be an eloquent speaker.  But is it the self-proclaimed “strong” (i.e., the false apostles) who were exploiting the Corinthians with the very same pagan foolishness (which they call wisdom) from which Jesus Christ had delivered them.  For good reason, Paul is exasperated with the Corinthians because they cannot see the damage that is being done to them by these men.

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"My Grace Is Sufficient" -- 2 Corinthians 12:1-10

The Ninth in a Series of Sermons on Select Passages in Second Corinthians

No one wants to suffer.  If there were some way for God’s people to avoid suffering, you would think that Paul would have figured it out.  Paul experienced a number of extraordinary events that might have given him answers to the mystery of human suffering.  Paul was taken up to the third heaven and heard things he was forbidden to tell.  The resurrected Christ appeared to Paul while Paul was on his way to Damascus to hunt down and arrest Christians.  People were healed because they merely touched Paul’s personal items.  You would think that if there were answers to the mystery of why we suffer and how we could avoid it, Paul would have discovered them.  And yet, Paul suffered horribly.  In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul tells us why.

As we make our way through the closing chapters of  2 Corinthians (chapters 10-13), Paul has learned that certain men, whom he identifies as false apostles, were wreaking havoc on the church back in Corinth, soon after Paul had departed from the city.  Paul warns the Corinthians that these men are servants of Satan who masquerade as servants of righteousness.  After reminding the Corinthians that these false apostles will get exactly what their deeds deserve (v. 15), in the balance of 2 Corinthians 11, Paul discusses his own suffering as an apostle.  Throughout his spirited defense of his apostolic calling, we learn a number of amazing things about the Apostle’s own recent history of suffering and tribulation. 

No doubt, the question of human suffering is a difficult one.  In a number of places, the Bible addresses the problem associated with the apparent injustice of the suffering of God’s people, while the wicked seemingly prosper–often times at the expense of the righteous.  Throughout the Psalms, and especially in the Book of Job, the Bible tackles the subject of suffering head on, revealing to all who will accept the answer that all human suffering ultimately traces back to the fall of our race in Adam.  The Bible also gives us hope in the midst of suffering.  We are told that God has a purpose in our suffering (even if that purpose is not known to us).  God even promises to turn our suffering into good–cf. Romans 8:28-39. 

Our own Savior is identified as the “man of sorrows.”  Jesus suffered physical pain and spiritual anguish beyond anything we can imagine that Friday afternoon when he hung on a Roman cross, forsaken by his father, to save us from the guilt and power of our sin.  Although we may not get the answer we want when we raise our questions about human suffering, at least it is clear from the doing and dying of Jesus that God is not some cruel sadist who delights in tormenting us.  In the cross of Jesus Christ, we find a suffering Savior who knows firsthand what human suffering is like.  Because the suffering servant died in agony, and yet was triumphant over death and the grave through his resurrection, we get a hint of God’s way of resolving the suffering of the saints–the suffering we experience in this life, will give way to a resurrection unto unspeakable glory in the next.  Christ’s triumph over sin and death, will be our triumph.

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"It Is No Surprise" -- 2 Corinthians 11:1-15

The Eighth in a Series of Sermons on Select Passages from 2 Corinthians

It is not a matter of if, but when.  False teachers will come.  They have already come.  It was evitable.  If we know our Bibles, this should be no surprise to us that this happens.  The introduction of false doctrine is just one of the areas where Satan seeks to undermine the cause of Christ.  Because we tend to idealize the apostolic era, it is hard for us to believe that false teachers established a significant foothold in a church recently established through the efforts of an apostle, who most of the members of this church knew personally, who had taught them the truths of the Christian faith, and who remained in frequent contact with them through visits, letters, and various emissaries.  But it actually happened in Corinth and we can read about it in the New Testament.  Paul minces no words whatsoever when he explains to the Corinthians why such a thing has happened.  His words to the Corinthians should serve as a warning to us about the inevitability of false apostles and false gospels in our midst.

As we continue our series on select passages in Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, we come to chapters 10-11 and Paul’s discussion of those men undermining his ministry and the truth of the gospel, men whom Paul identifies as false apostles, or even as “super-apostles.”  There is a long history behind Paul’s comments recorded in these chapters, and we have spent a fair bit of time discussing Paul’s relationship to the church in Corinth throughout our study of 1 and 2 Corinthians. 

The issues can be summarized as follows.  Most people in the Corinthian church were new Christians in a city dominated by paganism.  After helping to establish the church in Corinth and spending some significant time in their midst, Paul left the area to fulfill his missionary calling.  He was in Ephesus (across the Aegean Sea) when he got word from Chloe’s family about all the troubles which arose in the Corinthian church after he left.  Paul had also received a letter from the Corinthians asking him a number of questions about things he had taught them.  Paul’s response is the letter we know as First Corinthians.  But even with precise instructions from an apostle in hand, things in Corinth went from bad to worse.

So, Paul sent Timothy to Corinth.  But Timothy brought back to Paul news about a serious issue which had arisen in the church after Paul’s departure.  A group of men claiming to have apostolic authority were now openly challenging Paul’s authority in the church.  They complained about Paul’s preaching–he was boring and not skilled in the flowery Greek rhetorical style which first-century audiences loved so much.  Furthermore, these men were arguing that Paul was weak and unimpressive in person–the result of the hardship of travel, and the effects on his body from the beatings and persecutions Paul had endured on a number of occasions.  So, Paul made what he describes as a “difficult journey” to Corinth, and then followed up by sending what is known as the “harsh letter”–a letter which is now lost to us.  All this was done to respond to the issues arising in the Corinthian church after Paul’s departure.

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"His Inexpressible Gift" -- 2 Corinthians 9:6-15

The Seventh in a Series of Sermons on Select Passages in Second Corinthians

We are going to do something we’ve never done before in the fifteen-year history of Christ Reformed Church–we will address Paul’s discussion of giving, specifically his discussion of the cheerful giver.  That said, don’t run for the doors, or sneak out when the elders are not watching.  I’ve long said that “Stewardship Sundays” and sermon series on tithing will never be conducted in this church as long as I have anything to do with it.  Yet, Paul does address the Corinthians in regard to an offering being taken to help the poor in Jerusalem.  One of the ways we can respond to the unbiblical whining, guilt-tripping, and personal empire-building which many of us have witnessed in the various churches from which we have come, is to work through what Paul actually says about Christian charity to support the missionary endeavors of the apostolic church.  In an age such as ours, when so many seek money to support various worthy causes, it is important to consider what Paul actually says about the topic of Christian charity.

We are continuing our series on 2 Corinthians, and we now jump ahead from chapter six to chapters eight-nine, as we take up Paul’s discussion of the offering being taken in the Gentile churches for the struggling Jewish Christians in Jerusalem.  There are two reasons why this offering is such an important item on Paul’s agenda among the newly-planted Gentile churches in Greece and Asia Minor. 

The first reason is that a serious famine had hit central Palestine about this time (the mid to late 50's of the first century), causing great hardship throughout the Jerusalem area.  This famine was especially tough on those Jews who had become followers of Jesus.  Given the tension between the rapidly growing church in Jerusalem, and the Sanhedrin (the Jewish ruling body), any ethnic Jew who publicly identified themselves as a follower of Jesus Christ would have been immediately removed from the synagogue.  And if you were cut off from the synagogue, you were cut off from the charity offered to synagogue members during time of shortages.  No alms, no grain, no flour.  This created a serious crisis for those struggling to survive a regional famine during a time of religious persecution.

The second reason why this offering was so important to Paul is the message it sends to the those in Jerusalem.  There are two different audiences in view here.  On the one hand, this offering from the Gentile churches would be a powerful testimony to the Sanhedrin regarding the truth of the gospel, as well as to Herod Agrippa, the token king and Roman puppet.  Although some twenty years earlier, Jesus himself had risen from the dead (and had given many convincing proofs that he was alive), the Jews still did not believe the apostolic witness about him.  Now found themselves confronted with a thriving church.  On the other hand, this offering would also be a powerful demonstration of Christian charity to the persecuted and struggling Jewish Christians in Jerusalem.  This offering would have fed many hungry people, and would also serve as a very powerful confirmation to the Jerusalem church about the spread of the gospel, and the transforming power of the risen Christ.

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"They Shall Be My People" -- 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1

The Sixth in a Series of Sermons on Select Passages in Second Corinthians

Although it is very hard for us to believe, the Apostle Paul was forced to defend his apostolic authority in a church which he helped to found.  In making this defense of his unique calling in his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul directs the Corinthians back to the very same gospel which he first preached in Corinth.  This gospel, which centers upon the proclamation of Christ crucified, reconciles God to sinners, sinners back to God, and is the means through which believers are reckoned righteous before God.  Paul proclaims this message (even though it is a scandal to Greeks and Romans) because the New Covenant is vastly superior to the fading glory of the Old, and because the long anticipated day of salvation has finally come.  Paul now exhorts the Corinthians to realize that they themselves are the living temple of God, indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and that they must leave behind all of their pagan ways of thinking and doing.

As we resume our series on 2 Corinthians, we come to the end of chapter six (and the opening verse of chapter 7).  Throughout the past several sermons, we have been looking at Paul’s defense of his apostolic office in the face of a serious challenge raised to his authority by a group of men in Corinth whom Paul calls “false apostles” (chapter 11).  Beginning in 2 Corinthians 2:14, Paul has been defending his apostolic office against this challenge by engaging in a running argument (of sorts) which concludes with our text this morning (at the end of chapter 6).  Throughout this opening section of 2 Corinthians, Paul has covered much ground, but he has focused upon the contrast between the fading glory of the Old Covenant (and its veiled mediator, Moses) with the far greater glory of the New Covenant, which has been ratified by the shed blood of its mediator, Jesus Christ.   

Throughout Paul’s defense of his office, we get a hint at some of the issues being raised in the Corinthian church in Paul’s absence.  The false apostles, apparently, were contending that Paul is too boring a preacher, that he lacks personal charisma, and as skilled rhetoricians, these men knew how keep an audience on the edge of their seat (unlike Paul, who preaches an unpopular message about crucified Savior).  To ensure their own popularity and that nothing too offensive gets in the way of their flowery and lofty speech (so loved by the Greeks of that age), the false apostles are perfectly willing to sand down the gospel and remove the rough edges to make the cross of Christ less offensive to an audience eager and expecting to be stirred and entertained by classical rhetoric. 

Ironically, in their attempts to undermine Paul’s authority, the false apostles and those taken in by them, end up in the same place as those Jews who still rely upon doing enough good works to earn favor with God.  Sadly, whenever the Jews hear the law read aloud, Paul says that their minds and hearts are veiled to the truth of the gospel.  The law stands outside of them (written upon stone tablets and in the Torah), demanding perfect obedience from all, yet giving no one the power to obey the law’s demands.  Tied to the blessing/curse principle (God will bless those who obey his commandments and curse those who disobey them), the law inflicts the curse upon the disobedient.  As Paul says, the wages of sin is death, and the purpose of the law is to both excite sin in us, as well as to show us how sinful we truly are.

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"Now Is the Day of Salvation" -- 2 Corinthians 5:11-6:2

The Fifth in a Series of Sermons on Select Passages in Second Corinthians

Many of you have heard the revivalist preaching that I have.  When Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 6:2, “today is the day of salvation,” revivalists interpret this to mean that right now, at this very moment, the time has come for you to repent of your sin, and accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior.  Paul’s words from 2 Corinthians 5:17–“the old has passed away, the new has come”–are taken to mean that if you truly did accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you instantly become a new creature and all former bad and sinful habits should immediately cease.  But if these bad habits don’t go away immediately, either you didn’t really surrender all and are holding something back, or else you love your sin more than you love Jesus.  But this is not what Paul means.  In fact, this peculiar reading of Paul’s discussion about the greater glory of the New Covenant robs us of the confidence of trusting in a merciful Savior who has reconciled us to God, precisely because we live in the New Covenant era and the age of the Holy Spirit.  Those living under the Old Covenant could only look forward to that final sacrifice which would take away sin.  But as beneficiaries of the New Covenant, we can look back to the reconciling death of Jesus, which once for all, establishes peace with God.  The war is over.  The day of salvation has come. 

We are making our way through that section of Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians in which the apostle is contrasting the fading glory of the Old Covenant God made with Israel at Mount Sinai, with the much greater glory of the New Covenant which has been ratified in the blood of Jesus Christ.  Whereas the Old Covenant was written on stone tablets, through the power of the Holy Spirit, the New Covenant is written upon human hearts.  Whereas the mediator of the Old Covenant was Moses, Jesus Christ is the mediator of the New.  This is why the New Covenant has a greater glory, and will not fade away as did the Old Covenant which was superseded, and is now rendered obsolete by the coming of Jesus Christ.

In 2 Corinthians 3-6, Paul has made a running argument (in which he contrasts the old and new covenant) in defense of his apostolic authority which has been challenged by a group of self-proclaimed “super apostles” (as Paul calls them).  In Paul’s absence from Corinth, these men complained that Paul was not eloquent enough, too weak and lacking in charisma, and not present frequently enough in Corinth, to properly serve as an apostle.  Paul is not as capable as they are.  And so despite his own weaknesses and lack of personal charisma, Paul points the Corinthians back to the power of the gospel and to the greater glory of the new and better covenant.  This isn’t about Paul’s personality, or how to attract an audience.

In the previous section of 2 Corinthians, Paul pointed out that in light of the contrast between the fading and temporary glory of the Old Covenant, and the greater glory of the New, Christians must walk by faith and not by sight.  Although Paul speaks of fallen humanity as “tents” and “jars of clay” (temporary dwellings because of our human weakness and frailty), Paul reminds us that we must live our daily lives in the light of eternity.  Paul knows what it is to have given himself completely to the cause of Christ–in fact, to the point that death shadows the apostle constantly.  Yet Paul exhorts us that even as we wear out physically (due to age, illness, and the wear and tear of life), we need not lose heart, or despair because of our circumstances.  Paul reminds us that we have been given new life in Christ (regeneration), we are presently being sanctified (being renewed day by day), and one day, we will be raised from the dead (in an eternal dwelling not built by human hands–the resurrection of our bodies).

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"We Walk by Faith" -- 2 Corinthians 4:7-5:10

The Fourth in a Series of Sermons on Select Passages in Second Corinthians

Face it, not one of us here is getting any younger.  As Paul puts it, we are wasting away.  In speaking as he does, the Apostle doesn’t mean to say that we are starving to death as a consequence of some fad diet, or as a result of a serious illness.  Rather, Paul says we are wasting away because of the fall of the human race into sin.  Because of the curse brought upon us by Adam, we are all dying.  We are wasting away–some of us faster than others.  Yet, this fact does not cause Paul to despair, or to give up on the Corinthians.  Instead, Paul looks ahead to the glories of the age to come.  That jar of clay, that “tent” which is our body, will not last forever.  But our resurrection bodies will.  In light of our human frailty, says Paul, we must walk by faith, and not by sight.

We are continuing our series on 2 Corinthians, and we now take up Paul’s discussion of the frailty of sinful human nature in light of the glories of the age to come–the focus of 2 Corinthians 4:1-5:10.  Recall that in the opening chapters of 2 Corinthians, Paul defines and defends the nature of his apostolic office in the light of the stinging criticism raised against him by certain men in the Corinthian church.  These men identify themselves as “apostles,” and who in doing so, seek to undercut Paul’s apostolic authority to make room for their own.  Paul, however, sees these men as “false apostles” (chapter 11), men who count upon their impressive rhetorical skills and their popularity among the Corinthians as the basis for their self-proclaimed apostolic status. 

Because these men have charismatic personalities and are eloquent speakers, they are able to rely upon their own natural abilities and achieve some degree of success.  But Paul knows his own weakness and frailty.  This is why he relies upon the power of God, not flowery speech, or lofty rhetoric.  Paul understands that God’s power is revealed in the scandalous proclamation of a crucified Savior.  But the false apostles do not understand this.  They avoid saying anything which might offend their hearers. 

Furthermore, flowery rhetoric doesn’t help much in times of trial.  So Paul reminds the Corinthians that God is the source of all comfort.  Even when Paul faced such severe affliction, and underwent trials so difficult that he (as an apostle) despaired even of life itself, nevertheless God opened a door for Paul to go and preach the gospel in Troas and Macedonia.  In light of this remarkable and unexpected turn of events, Paul describes how the preaching of the gospel amounts to a triumphal procession of Jesus Christ.  This triumph is a fragrant offering unto God, a point in light of the Old Testament background of sin and thanksgiving offerings which are described as an aroma which pleases God.  Paul points out that God is pleased with the proclamation of the sacrificial death of Jesus, that once for all sacrifice for sin, through which sinners are saved, and made forever right before God.

In 2 Corinthians 3, Paul contrasts the fading glory of the Old Covenant–made by God with Israel at Mount Sinai, of which Moses was mediator, and which came in the form of types and shadow–with the far greater glory of the New Covenant, ratified in the blood of Jesus Christ.  Paul has argued that the law–first written upon stone tablets, and then in the Torah–pales in comparison with the glories of the New Covenant, in which the law is now written upon the human heart in and through the power of the Holy Spirit.  When Paul contrasts the law with the Spirit, he is not saying that the Old Covenant (external authority) is torn up and thrown away so that New Covenant believers rely solely upon the Holy Spirit living in the human heart for revelation from God (internal authority).

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"Where the Spirit of the Lord Is, There Is Freedom" -- 2 Corinthians 3:1-18

The Third in a Series of Sermons on Select Passages in Second Corinthians

The coming of Jesus Christ is the critical turning point in redemptive history.  Before the coming of Jesus, God’s people (Israel) related to God under the terms of the covenant God made with Israel at Mount Sinai.  The Sinaitic covenant (or Old Covenant) centered in God’s revelation of his will (complete with blessings and curses) in the form of the two stone tables of the law.  The mediator of that covenant was Moses, and its character was that of type and shadow.  But with the coming of Jesus Christ, through his sacrificial death and perfect obedience, the law of God is now fulfilled, and a new age of redemptive history has dawned–an age we know as the New Covenant era and the age of the Holy Spirit.  The fading glory of the Old Covenant has given way to the glories of the New.  Understanding redemptive history in terms of promise (Old Covenant) and fulfillment (New Covenant) is not only essential in making sense of the Bible, but in 2 Corinthians 3, Paul draws our attention to this matter in order to help us understand the nature of his apostolic office, which is conducted in the power of the Holy Spirit through the preaching of the gospel.

We are continuing our series on select passages in 2 Corinthians.  We have come to Paul’s remarkable contrast between the ministry of Moses and glory of the New Covenant.  Although much mischief has been done throughout the centuries by those who misread Paul’s contrast between the law and the Spirit, this distinction arises from the fact that the coming of Jesus Christ fulfilled everything to which the law and the Old Covenant administration had pointed.  The coming of Jesus Christ reveals that God’s promises have been fulfilled, and that the coming of the Holy Spirit is one of the great hallmarks of the New Covenant era just as Jeremiah, Joel, and Ezekiel had predicted.  Paul now sets forth the superiority of the New Covenant to the Old as the theological basis for his mission to preach the gospel to the Gentiles, and to establish largely Gentile churches such as the church in Corinth.
 
It is important to keep in mind the reason why Paul wrote the letter we know as 2 Corinthians.  Recall that Paul writes this second Corinthian letter instead of undertaking yet another difficult journey to Corinth.  In the opening chapters of this letter, Paul addresses the themes of Christian comfort in the midst of persecution and affliction, as well as the need for brothers and sisters in Christ to forgive one another and not let personal disputes foster division in the churches.  Paul has also spoken of how the Lord has opened a door for him to go and preach the gospel in Troas and Macedonia, and that despite his own weaknesses, and due to those difficult circumstances which left him feeling as though he could not go on (either physically or emotionally), God had blessed his preaching and Paul gives thanks.

In preaching the gospel, Paul witnessed the triumphal procession of Christ, as he calls it.  The gospel establishes the true knowledge of God, and is described by Paul using the metaphor of a fragrant aroma.  This metaphor made perfect sense to Paul’s contemporaries who were familiar with imperial processionals in which the emperor’s passing presence was accompanied by flower petals and incense, while the defeated enemy brought up the rear, wreaking with bodily stench.  In using this metaphor, Paul is also alluding to the fact that throughout the Old Testament, various sin offerings and thanksgiving offerings are described as having a pleasing aroma to the Lord.  Paul describes the gospel as a pleasing aroma unto God because Jesus offers the one sacrifice which is sufficient to remit the guilt of our sins.

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"On Him We Have Set Our Hope" -- 2 Corinthians 1:1-11

The First in a Series of Sermons on Paul's Second letter to the Corinthians

In the past year, we spent some thirty-two Sundays (and nearly a year) making our way through Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian church.  In our series on 1 Corinthians, we saw a number of remarkable parallels between first century Corinth and contemporary Southern California.  Based upon reports from members of the Corinthian church (Chloe’s household) who met up with Paul in Ephesus (where he was staying when he wrote his epistle), and based upon certain questions the Corinthians had put to Paul in writing, we witnessed Paul instruct, correct, exhort, and rebuke the Corinthians about a whole range of subjects; including proper decorum in worship, gifts of the Spirit, the sacraments, church discipline, sexual immorality, and a proper view of marriage.  But what happened after the Corinthians received Paul’s first letter?  Did things improve?  Or, did the Corinthians continue to struggle?  Well, in 2 Corinthians we get our answer.  

We begin a new series on 2 Corinthians, and the first issue to deal with is this:  “What happened after Paul wrote his first letter to the Corinthians?”  Apparently, a great deal, and not all of it good.  Having written and then sent his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul stayed on in Ephesus and informed the Corinthians that he would visit them when he could–remember the “wait till your apostle gets home” comment?  Paul’s reason for delaying his visit was that “a wide door for effective work has opened to me” (1 Corinthians 16:9), meaning that Paul had a current opportunity in Ephesus (or in Asia Minor) which required his full attention.  So, he would come to Corinth if and/or when this door had closed. 

Meanwhile, Paul did send Timothy to Corinth.  But when Timothy got there, he found that the church was a complete mess.  Somehow, Timothy got word of this back to Paul, and then the apostle quickly changed his plans and made what he describes as a “painful visit” to Corinth (2 Corinthians 2:1).  It is also clear that between the time Paul had written his first letter to the Corinthians, and then made his “painful visit,” two or more individuals calling themselves “apostles” were stirring up all kinds of anger in the congregation toward Paul.  In chapter 11, Paul will openly rebuke these men, calling them false apostles because they were, apparently, teaching false doctrine and causing great strife in the church.

In 2 Corinthians, which was written after his “painful visit,” Paul speaks of being horribly mistreated, and mentions that his work in preaching the gospel was being undermined by the false apostles (2 Corinthians 2:5-8; 10, 7:12).  Instead of going back to Corinth again, Paul recounts how he decided to write yet another letter (known to us as the “stern letter”) as he explains in 2 Corinthians 2:4.  “For I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you.”  This so-called “stern letter” was hand-delivered to the Corinthians by Titus (who may have been less timid than Timothy).  This letter has now been lost to us.  Despite all the problems in Corinth, Paul instructed Titus to take up a collection for the struggling Christians in Jerusalem, which is a very clear indication that  Paul did not consider the Corinthian church to be apostate, nor did he believe that the cause was lost.

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"Rejoice!" -- 2 Corinthians 13:1-14

Here's the audio from this morning's sermon--the conclusion to our series on 2 Corinthians

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