The Apology of An Apostle I Mean Bidness... Winter Quarter certainly peculiarities and quirks about it.

Transcription

1 The Apology of An Apostle I Mean Bidness... Winter Quarter Introduction - 2 Corinthians 13:1-4 a. I am a proud native of Mississippi. a.i. As a representative of that state, I recognize there are certainly peculiarities and quirks about it. a.ii. There are certain traits that are true about Mississippi that I have come to recognize through the years. b. One of those characteristics is that people from my home state have a tendency to shrink words and phrases. b.i. We don t enunciate every syllable nor do we fully pronounce certain words. b.ii. b.iii. Instead, we will take a phrase and turn it into just one word. For instance, we have created words like mereferminute which means come here for a minute. b.iv. You all know what synonyms, homonyms and antonyms are but Mississippi has added another to that list and it is a momanem. b.v. We ll say, Is everybody eating lunch at momanem s?

2 c. Folks, I was in college before I realized that the phrase a while ago wasn t just one word. c.i. c.ii. I ve always said, I saw a deer wallago. Is that Mississippi-isms or is that Southernisms? d. I ll give you one more word we have changed the way it is said and that is the word business. d.i. Many Southerners have taken the s out of that word and added what? a D d.ii. An angry father shouts at his kids at a family gathering saying, Ya ll come merefeminute. I told you ll wallago that you can t behave that way at momanems. And if I have I warn you again, I m going take off this belt and I mean bidness! e. As a professional teacher, Janelle Phipps just cringed as I just spoke those words destroying the King s English. f. The title of the lesson for tonight is based on a Southernism which is, I Mean Bidness. g. Last week we examined the fact that Santa Paul Was Coming to Town.

3 h. Do you remember why we called it that? h.i. Paul was getting ready to return to Corinth for his third visit. h.ii. He promised that when he came he would not be a burden but rather a blessing. h.iii. He promised that he would not exploit them but rather encourage them. h.iv. However, he also said that he was making list of everyone who had been naughty or nice. i. Let s read last week s text as we prepare for this week s Scripture. j. After we ve read it, I want you to share with the class anything you remember that you learned from last week. k. (2 Cor 12:14-21 N.V.) {14} Now I am ready to visit you for the third time, and I will not be a burden to you, because what I want is not your possessions but you. After all, children should not have to save up for their parents, but parents for their children. {15} So I will very gladly spend for you everything I have and expend myself as well. If I love you more, will you love me less?

4 {16} Be that as it may, I have not been a burden to you. Yet, crafty fellow that I am, I caught you by trickery! {17} Did I exploit you through any of the men I sent you? {18} I urged Titus to go to you and I sent our brother with him. Titus did not exploit you, did he? Did we not act in the same spirit and follow the same course? {19} Have you been thinking all along that we have been defending ourselves to you? We have been speaking in the sight of God as those in Christ; and everything we do, dear friends, is for your strengthening. {20} For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that there may be quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder. {21} I am afraid that when I come again my God will humble me before you, and I will be grieved over many who have sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, sexual sin and debauchery in which they have indulged. l. What did you learn from that text last week? l.i. Santa Paul was coming to town to be a blessing, not a burden.

5 l.ii. l.iii. He was coming to encourage, not exploit. He was coming to find out who had been naughty or nice. m. That brings us our text for tonight which is... n. (2 Cor 13:1-4 N.V.) {1} This will be my third visit to you. "Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses." {2} I already gave you a warning when I was with you the second time. I now repeat it while absent: On my return I will not spare those who sinned earlier or any of the others, {3} since you are demanding proof that Christ is speaking through me. He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you. {4} For to be sure, he was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God's power. Likewise, we are weak in him, yet by God's power we will live with him to serve you. o. Do you remember the title I have given to this lesson? o.i. o.ii. What is it? I mean bidness. p. Santa Paul was coming to town and when he did, the Apostle was warning the Corinthians in this letter, I mean bidness.

6 q. The Apostle visited the city of Corinth the first time to establish the congregation and that is recorded in Acts 18. q.i. The second excursion to that congregation is what is called the Painful Visit. q.ii. Paul said this about in (2 Cor 2:1 N.V.) So I made up my mind that I would not make another painful visit to you. q.iii. What is the only way the Apostle could have made another painful visit? q.iv. He had a previous painful visit. r. And here in our text he said in (2 Cor 13:1 N.V.) This will be my third visit to you. r.i. Soon Paul would be returning to visit the congregation in Corinth and he meant business would not continue as usual. r.ii. And his goal was this: first, there would be No More Wickedness a. A man named Langton put chapters in the Bible in the thirteenth century but they weren t in the original text. a.i. The chapters and verses were added to help people in their study of the Bible.

7 a.ii. However, Langton didn t always put the divisions in the best places. b. Sometimes when we read God s Word we can get the idea that one chapter ends an idea and the next creates a new one but that is not always the case. c. For instance, look back at the last few verses of the previous chapter where Paul said, (2 Cor 12:20-21 N.V.) {20} For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that there may be quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder. {21} I am afraid that when I come again my God will humble me before you, and I will be grieved over many who have sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, sexual sin and debauchery in which they have indulged. d. Do you see how the end of chapter 12 and the beginning of chapter 13 are connected? What are they both discussing?

8 d.i. They are both talking about Paul s impending visit to the congregation and what was going to happen when he arrived. d.ii. The message was, I am coming and when I get there, there will be consequences for bad behavior. d.iii. His goal was no more wickedness. e. Sadly, the Corinthian church had a long rap sheet when it came to sexual immorality. e.i. (1 Cor 5:1 N.V.) It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his father's wife. e.ii. (1 Cor 6:16-20 N.V.) {16} Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, "The two will become one flesh." {17} But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit. {18} Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. {19} Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom

9 you have received from God? You are not your own; {20} you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. e.iii. And we also read about homosexuality occurring in the church in (1 Cor 6:9-13 N.V.) {9} Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders {10}... will inherit the kingdom of God. f. All that wickedness occurred in the early history of the church and yet in 2 Corinthians 12:21 we still see that sexual immorality was still rampant years after they had become Christians. g. What can we learn from this in 2019? g.i. Sin always has been in the church and sin always will be in the church. g.ii. Is it possible that one elder can have affair with another elder s wife? Yes g.iii. Is it possible that a preacher can be discovered having a homosexual relationship? Yes

10 g.iv. Is possible that the church treasurer can be discovered stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from the congregation? Absolutely g.v. All of those situations have happened in churches down through history and those sins will happen again. h. One of the techniques of the devil is getting us to put on the face of perfection in the church. h.i. h.ii. h.iii. Look at you. You re dressed well, clean cut and prosperous. Yet, when a Christian is exposed in the community as being a sinner, what is the automatic charge against him? h.iv. He s just a hypocrite. i. Is a fallen Christian a hypocrite? i.i. i.ii. i.iii. Not necessarily. He s just a sinner but he s someone who can be forgiven. (1 John 1:9 N.V.) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

11 j. Don t think that I am excusing sin in the church but I do expect there to be sin in the church just like there was at Corinth. k. And when it does, sin must be addressed properly as Paul was doing here in our text. l. One of the reason that you don t see many public responses in the church any more is because we don t practice confession like the early church did. m. The Bible says in James 5:16, Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. m.i. Why do you think there is so little confession of sin in the church? m.ii. Satan has convinced us that concealment is better than confession. m.iii. We have been convinced that our pride can not tolerate confessing our sin to our brothers and sisters in Christ. n. Brothers and sisters, sunshine is a great disinfectant. n.i. What does that mean?

12 n.ii. It means when you confess your sin one to another and you pray for one another that is when you are healed of your sin disease when it s put out in the open. n.iii. When you confess sin, you become accountable for not doing it again. n.iv. King David tried to conceal his sin and it didn t work for him and it won t work for us either. n.v. When David finally confessed and renounced his sin, the King found forgiveness and healing. o. God s people have always had problems dealing with sin. p. In fact, the reason Paul made the Painful Visit mentioned earlier in this book was due to a sin problem in Corinth. p.i. When the Apostle arrived, scholars say it looks like someone tried to stop him from correcting those who were sexually immoral and it turned into a painful visit for Paul and the church. p.ii. When he left, the Apostle later wrote the Severe Letter to deal with that sin that he wasn t able to correct in person.

13 q. Look again at (2 Cor 13:1 N.V.) This will be my third visit to you. Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. q.i. At the end of the verse, Paul quotes Deuteronomy 19:15. q.ii. Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. r. The Apostle s goal would be this: No more of this wickedness in the church. r.i. r.ii. r.iii. He addressed it when he started the church. He addressed it when he wrote 1 Corinthians. He addressed it during the Painful Visit and now he s having to address again in 2 Corinthians. r.iv. And when he arrived in person for his third visit, Paul meant business. s. A couple of years ago, the elders had the entire congregation study the subject of sexual immorality for an entire quarter in our Bible classes. s.i. They called it, Just say Yes.

14 s.ii. The idea was Just say Yes to God s Word in the matter of sexuality. t. Why do you think our spiritual shepherds decided to focus on that issue for an entire quarter? t.i. Sexual immorality always has been a problem in the church and probably always will be. t.ii. Therefore, we must know what sexual immorality is, what it does to us and how to avoid it. t.iii. And we must know what Biblical sexual morality is and practice it. t.iv. t.v. This is what Paul was doing in Corinth as well. He telling them, No more of this wickedness. u. Questions or comments? v. The second thing we see Paul telling the Corinthians is No More Warnings a. Notice what he said in (2 Cor 13:2 N.V.) I already gave you a warning when I was with you the second time. I now repeat it while absent: On my return I will not spare those who sinned earlier or any of the others.

15 b. How many warnings should you give a child before you punish them? b.i. b.ii. b.iii. Is it one and done? Is it two for sure? Or is the third time s a charm? c. So far, Paul had given the Corinthians two warnings. c.i. He warned them to stop the sexual immorality during his painful visit. c.ii. Now he s warning them a second time in 2 Corinthians. d. Each one of those warnings was a witness as far as Paul was concerned. d.i. Remember he quoted Deuteronomy 19:15 where he said in (2 Cor 13:1 N.V.) Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. d.ii. The first witness against the Corinthian s sexual immorality was his painful visit where Paul told them to stop it as he was leaving in anger. d.iii. His second witness is this warning in 2 Corinthians.

16 d.iv. Paul s third visit to them in person would be the last witness against them before He began to punish them publicly. e. His message was clear: Brothers and sisters, there will be no more warnings. e.i. (2 Cor 13:2 N.V.) I already gave you a warning when I was with you the second time. I now repeat it while absent: On my return I will not spare those who sinned earlier or any of the others. e.ii. When you were a child, did you and your siblings ever give your mother so much grief that she finally said, You just wait till your Daddy gets home? e.iii. e.iv. Did she ever say that to you? Did she ever get Daddy on the phone when you were misbehaving and he gave you a stern warning that way? e.v. When Daddy got home, did he ever just line up everyone and give everybody a whipping to make sure all the guilty were punished? f. That sounds like what Paul planned for the Corinthians.

17 f.i. He said in (2 Cor 13:2 N.V.) I already gave you a warning when I was with you the second time. I now repeat it while absent: On my return I will not spare those who sinned earlier or any of the others. f.ii. Paul was planning to punish all the unrepentant sexually immoral members and... any of the others. f.iii. f.iv. Who do you think were the others he mentioned? It was likely the super-apostles and their followers. g. When he was in Corinth the last time, I believe Paul tried to be very diplomatic and gentle. g.i. Yet, do you remember how the guilty perceived Paul s methods? g.ii. (2 Cor 10:1 N.V.) By the meekness and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you--i, Paul, who am "timid" when face to face with you, but "bold" when away! g.iii. When Paul tried meekness and gentleness when them, how did the sinners in Corinth characterize him? g.iv. They said the apostle was timid.

18 h. To that, Paul said this would happen when he returned in (2 Cor 10:6 N.V.) We will be ready to punish every act of disobedience. i. When he returned for the third time, Paul s plan was to clean up the Corinthian mess once and for all. i.i. i.ii. Was he successful? In Acts 20:3, he went back to Corinth again and stayed three months. i.iii. Romans 15:23 tells us that the Corinthians did participate in the collection for the suffering saints in Judea. i.iv. Neither of those two events would have occurred most likely in Paul s visit had been unsuccessful in correcting the Corinthian sinners. i.v. Either this letter fixed the problem or his third visit did or both accomplished the goal. j. Questions or comments? k. The Apostle told the Corinthians there would be no more wickedness, no more warnings and the last thing Paul says in this section is that there will be...

19 4. No More Weakness a. Do you remember a few minutes ago we referenced a charge some at Corinth had made against Paul? b. They said that in person he was timid. b.i. b.ii. They mistook Paul s meekness for weakness. They saw his gentleness as goofiness. c. Some were even openly questioning whether Jesus Christ spoke through Paul. d. Why? Why do you think the Corinthians were questioning Paul s credentials? d.i. d.ii. Because he was criticizing their immorality. Have you ever tried to correct someone s else s child and the kid said, You re not my Daddy. I don t have to listen to you.? e. I think it s interesting that the Corinthians were saying to their real spiritual father, Do you actually have a right to correct us? Does Jesus really speak through you as you claim? What proof do you have for your authority? Are you really our spiritual father in the faith?

20 f. That charge against Paul had to sting. g. Let s look at his response in (2 Cor 13:3-4 N.V.) {13} Since you are demanding proof that Christ is speaking through me. He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you. {4} For to be sure, he was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God's power. Likewise, we are weak in him, yet by God's power we will live with him to serve you. h. What proof did the Apostles of Christ have for their message being authentic? What did they do to prove their credentials? h.i. (Mark 16:20 N.V.) Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it. h.ii. Signs and miracles confirmed those men s message as being from God. i. Did Paul do miracles in Corinth? i.i. (2 Cor 12:12 N.V.) The things that mark an apostle--signs, wonders and miracles--were done among you with great perseverance.

21 i.ii. One of the miraculous abilities of the early church was the ability to speak in languages they had never known or studied as was done on the Day of Pentecost by the Apostles. i.iii. It was proof to unbelievers that God was working in the lives of the early Christians. i.iv. Paul said in (1 Cor 14:18 N.V.) I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. i.v. The number one demonstrator of this miracle in Corinth was the Apostle Paul himself. j. He also said this about the miraculous in (1 Cor 12:7-11 N.V.) {7} Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. {8} To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, {9} to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, {10} to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.

22 {11} All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines. k. Miracles were common in the Corinthian church. k.i. k.ii. However, how did they get that ability? What made it possible for them to do miracles? k.iii. The explanation is found in Acts 8:5-20. l. (Acts 8:5-20 N.V.) {5} Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ there. {6} When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said. {7} With shrieks, evil spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed. {8} So there was great joy in that city. {9} Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, {10} and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, "This man is the divine power known as the Great Power." {11} They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his magic. {12} But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and

23 the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. {13} Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw. {14} When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. {15} When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, {16} because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. {17} Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. {18} When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money {19} and said, "Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit." {20} Peter answered: "May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! m. It says in (Acts 8:6 N.V.) When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said.

24 m.i. m.ii. His miracles validated his message. However, Philip did not pass that ability on to others. n. When Peter and John arrived in v.14, what did they do? n.i. n.ii. They laid hands on the people to receive the Holy Spirit. We all receive the Holy Spirit when we are baptized according to Acts 2:38. n.iii. n.iv. And these people had been baptized according to v.12. So, when Peter and John laid hands on them to receive the Holy Spirit, what do you think that actually meant? n.v. They received the ability to do miracles. o. When Simon the Sorcerer saw what Peter and John did by laying on hands, Simon also wanted to be able to impart miraculous power and tried to buy it from them. o.i. Philip could not impart this power or he would have already done it before Peter and John arrived. o.ii. Simon did not try to purchase this ability from Philip but rather from Peter and John. o.iii. What can we conclude from this?

25 o.iv. Miraculous power only comes through the laying on of hands through the Apostles. o.v. o.vi. This is why we can t do miracles today. The 12 are all in heaven and can t enable us to miracles on earth because they can t lay their hands on us. o.vii. This is why we should be more careful in the way we use the word miracle. o.viii. These were done in the early history of the church to confirm the messages of God s spokesmen but not now. p. Let s go back to Paul and the Corinthians. p.i. How were they able to do all those miracles we listed in 1 Corinthians 12? p.ii. p.iii. Paul laid hands on them. The man who had done many miracles in front of them and for them in the name and authority of Christ... p.iv. The man who had enabled them to do miracles in the name and the authority of Christ, was now being asked, Paul, how do we know you speak for Christ when you are trying to correct us?

26 q. What can we learn from this incredible display of irony? q.i. When you point out sin in another saint it may not be taken well. q.ii. q.iii. Your credentials will likely be questioned. You may be asked, Who are you to throw stones at me? Are you perfect? q.iv. The sinner attempts to make the correcting Christian take the position of being perfect before they are allowed to correct sin in others. r. How do you deal with that charge when you attempt to correct someone else s sin? r.i. You must remember that it s not you who is speaking but it is Christ who is speaking through you. r.ii. (2 Cor 13:3-4 N.V.) {3} Since you are demanding proof that Christ is speaking through me. He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you. {4} For to be sure, he was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God's power. Likewise, we are weak in him, yet by God's power we will live with him to serve you.

27 s. The man who had been called weak and timid, was saying, You people who want proof that Christ is speaking through little old weak me should realize that He is powerful among you. Yes, He was crucified in weakness because He had the strength to allow His death but now Jesus lives by God s power. In the same way, I may be weak in Him but by the same power that raised Jesus from the dead, I now serve in the same power. And when I arrive there, I will mean bidness in His name. s.i. When you correct the sin of another saint, you are not doing through your own strength. s.ii. (Gal 6:1-2 N.V.) Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. {2} Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. s.iii. Correcting an erring brother or sister is not a suggestion for the saints. s.iv. What is it? It is the Law of Christ.

28 s.v. How do we correct the sin of others? As gently as a mother binds the wound of a child. t. Today, when one Christian criticizes another for a sin, who s reputation will be damaged the most? t.i. t.ii. Sadly, I think it s the one who does the correcting. Men who speak negatively in the pulpit about sin are called hell fire and brimstone preachers, or Bible thumpers or he is said to be a Pharisee who is always looking into heresy. u. So it may just be that Christians who care enough to correct straying believers will get more criticism than the sinning saint. v. This past week a Presbyterian preacher in California put a message on the church marquee that said Homosexuality is still a sin and the Bible still condemns it. v.i. v.ii. v.iii. v.iv. Do you know what happened to him? The LGBT community protested against him. What do you think his congregation did? They took the side of the sexually immoral community and forced him to resign.

29 w. It s wasn t popular in Corinth when Paul took a strong stand against sexual sin and it s still not popular today...even among some Christians. w.i. I want to you remind you of their reaction to sexual sin in (1 Cor 5:1 N.V.) 1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his father's wife. 2 And you are proud! w.ii. The Corinthians were patting themselves on the back about metropolitan they were in accommodating the sin of man who was living in open adultery. w.iii. w.iv. They were proud of their tolerance for sin. Doesn t that sound like some so-called Christians today in the way they are accommodating homosexuality? Adultery? Fornication? w.v. This is especially true of the millennial generation and many are leaving Christianity because of it. x. When Paul was with the Corinthians the last time, he had been meek and gentle in dealing with their sexual immorality.

30 x.i. His message to them in 2 Corinthians was, When I come in person, there will be no more wickedness, no more warnings and no more weakness. x.ii. x.iii. This time I mean bidness. The God who raised His Son from the dead will be working through me as well. x.iv. Just as I have done miracles in front of your through the power of Christ, when I come again I will be speaking with the power of Christ. x.v. The Christ who was crucified in weakness for your sin was also raised from the dead with great power and will now judge your sin with that same power. y. Paul s words dripped with confidence because he was not coming in his own strength but rather was coming in the strength of Christ. y.i. When the time comes for you to correct another Christian, this is what you must remember as well. y.ii. It is not you who speaks but Christ is speaking through you.

31 y.iii. It is not done in your authority but in the authority of Christ and with the gentleness of Jesus as well. z. And yet, you must also remember this: When you are corrected for sin, that is also done in the authority of Christ when you are out of the will of God. 5. Conclusion a. Santa Paul was coming to town and when he did, he meant bidness. b. There would be no more wickedness, no more warnings and no more weakness. c. The power of Christ was going to be on full display and judgement was going to begin soon in the house of God in Corinth. d. May we have the same courage and compassion today when it comes to correcting the sin of the saints and when the saints have to correct our sin as well. e. And all of God s people said... f. Questions or comments? g. Prayer

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