Sunday Morning Service

II Corinthians 2

“From Trouble To Triumph!” • 2.17.13 • Calvary Christian Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service

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Intro.

- Have you ever made a tentative plan with your kids that was amended because of a better opportunity? In a sense, that is Paul's position laid out for us here in chapter 2.

- He had made tentative plans to visit the Corinthians for the winter, but was only able to visit briefly. By the way, how did your kids respond when you returned from the better opportunity?

- Mine have responded, after enjoying the better opportunity, with the cry of unfairness when we could not also do the original thing that I "promised!"

- That's what the Corinthians were doing! There was a group that was doing it's best to undermine Paul's authority, while also attempting to assert their own.

- They claimed that Paul's work was in doubt on account of his unwillingness to keep his promise! Paul explains in our text before us, which is layed out for us like this:

I. The Corinthian's Trouble (v.1-7)

II. The Enemy's Tactics (v.8-13)

III. The Lord's Triumph (v.14-17)

Text

I. The Corinthian's Trouble (v.1-7)

• II Corinthians 2:1,2 : "But I determined this within myself, that I would not come again to you in sorrow.  For if I make you sorrowful, then who is he who makes me glad but the one who is made sorrowful by me?" : In thinking about another visit to the Corinthians, beside the brief visit that he had made, Paul needed to consider the effect.

- He judged or deliberated within himself and concluded not to come again in sorrow or in mourning. In his mind, nothing very constructive would have taken place.

- The only people that could have and should have brought him joy, would have brought sorrow to him instead.

- Paul wanted their visit to be joyful, with a mutual blessing. That would not have happened at that particular time.

- Giving space and time to a circumstance is sometimes the best way to go about things. Paul rightly considered that the Corinthians needed time to process things.

• II Corinthians 2:3,4 : "And I wrote this very thing to you, lest, when I came, I should have sorrow over those from whom I ought to have joy, having confidence in you all that my joy is the joy of you all. For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you, with many tears, not that you should be grieved, but that you might know the love which I have so abundantly for you." : Paul had told them this. He was like a Father, who had the joy of looking at his children do well.

- That is a Pastor's heart. All he wants to hear is that the Lord's kids are doing well, experiencing all of God's best together.

- It's never easy to have to correct somebody, but it comes with the territory. Paul did not like causing them grief. He did not take sadistic pleasure out of the activity.

- In fact, it was out of much affliction and anguish of heart that he wrote to them. He felt tremendous pressure to write and was under the weight of having to correct them.

- "Anguish of heart" is a word picture of a narrowing corridor that a person would have to carefully navigate to get through.

- Paul is saying that every pen stroke, every thought, was carefully constructed and painfully considered. All that he wrote, he wrote through many tears.

- Kids never believe that something hurts their parents more than it hurts them but it's true!

- Paul wrote in such a way, knowing that they'd be grieved, but hoping they would know his love for them, which overflowed toward them.

• II Corinthians 2:5-7 : "But if anyone has caused grief, he has not grieved me, but all of you to some extent—not to be too severe. This punishment which was inflicted by the majority is sufficient for such a man, so that, on the contrary, you ought rather to forgive and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one be swallowed up with too much sorrow." : In the first letter, Paul had instructed the Corinthians to excommunicate the man who had become involved sexually with his step mother.

- The Corinthians followed Paul's instructions but had taken it a little too far. Paul was not effected by that, but they were and so was the man involved.

• II Corinthians 2:5 (NLT) : "I am not overstating it when I say that the man who caused all the trouble hurt all of you more than he hurt me."

- He is not saying that he was not affected, but that it did not affect him firsthand. It bothered him. It disturbed him. But what happened devastated them.

- Maybe it was out of embarassment that they responded with great swiftness and with great severity. The majority had had their say and the man was asked to leave the comfort of fellowship.

- When a person is living in known sin and refuses to repent, it's incumbent upon the church to confront them and if necessary, ask the person to leave. They took it a bit further.

- They said, "get out," the appropriate response but then added, "never come back," the extreme and inappropriate response!

- Discipline in a church always carries with it the desire for repentance and restoration.

- One is confronted on clear grounds of observable sinful actions. For example, the Bible says explicitly that we are not to be drunk with wine.

- A person is caught drunk. The person who saw it is responsible to go to that person alone and remind them of their walk with the Lord and the scripture that prohibits that behavior.

- The person says, "I don't have a problem." The person who confronted is now to bring another person to sit together. There are now 3 people involved.

- The drunk person says, "You don't have any business being in my...business!" At that point, the confrontor comes to the church, ie. a home group leader or the Pastor.

- From there the Pastor makes a call, looking for and hoping for any sign of repentance. In lieu of one, that person must now be asked to leave the church.

- Note again: clear, observable, blatant and unrepentant. This is not seemingly inappropriate. This is not suspicion given warrant. Clear, observable, blatant and unrepentant.

  - This brings us back to our text. It seems that the man had repented. He understood the error of his way in his mind and has shown obedience by immediately walking away from his sin.

- The Corinthians said, "Fool us once, shame on you. Fool us twice, shame on we!" They barred the door back. That's not to happen!

- On the contrary, quite the opposite of being heavy on the punishment, it's appropriate for the church to desire in a greater way, to exercise the gift of forgiveness!

- The church has been given the keys to the Kingdom: Forgiveness and comfort! The word translated "forgiveness" would better be translated "to be gracious toward."

- Be gracious toward those who have repented and comfort them. Strengthen them in their faith. Come by their side and stand with them.

- When a sinner repents, God forgives and assures, coming quickly alongside of that believer. It's sad that the church is a little slower sometimes.

- Here, the church, the visible representative of the Lord on earth, has a chance to affirm someone so that the sorrow does not consume or literally, drown them.

II. The Enemy's Tactics (v.8-13)

• II Corinthians 1:8-11 : "Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him. For to this end I also wrote, that I might put you to the test, whether you are obedient in all things. Now whom you forgive anything, I also forgive. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ, lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices." : Because of the state of this person's walk with the Lord, the Apostle called them to immediate action. He urged, or begged them to reaffirm their love.

- The word speaks to a public ratifying of an item. Confirm this thing so that all can see that this is the proper policy toward this individual.

- Paul had written to see if they would do what they should do with regard to this person. At this point, they now had the opportunity to be obedient in restoring this man.

-  Paul added the Lord's authority to their action. He did this for their benefit. They needed to forgive. We need to forgive people or else the enemy of our souls will take advantage of us.

- The same word translated elsewhere is "cheated" or "defrauded." We need to forgive or else the enemy has a foothold to cheat us.

- Holding back forgiveness elevates pride in our hearts and any sniff of superiority is too much of a temptation for any of us to withstand.

- Additionally, holding back forgiveness cheats us from the forgiveness that God wants to shower over our lives!

- You might think that you are holding the power when you refuse to forgive. You could not be more mistaken! Satan is taking advantage of you! That's why Paul says to forgive!

 This is one of the enemy's devices, thoughts, or schemes. He is actively strategizing in order to steal, kill and destroy. Are you ignorant of his schemes?

- That was a dangerous problem for the Corinthians and just as much of a danger to us!

• II Corinthians 2:12,13 : "Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ’s gospel, and a door was opened to me by the Lord, I had no rest in my spirit, because I did not find Titus my brother; but taking my leave of them, I departed for Macedonia." : Furthermore is the key. They needed to forgive for their own sake and for the sake of the Apostle Paul.

- As he traveled, the issues that plagued Corinth and the internal trouble that the letter caused brought great difficulty for the Apostle's mission.

- When all of this was happening, Paul had come to Troas in order to preach the gospel. Alexandria Troas is located at the Northwest point of Turkey. It's the last stop before the sea.

- The details of that seven day trip are limited to what we find in Acts 20:7-11.

- The highlight of that section happened on the final night of Paul's visit when Eutychus, whose name means "good luck," fell from the 3rd story during the Apostle's farewell sermon.

- For that week, Paul had a very wide, standing open opportunity that he had to take!

- It was in line with his mission, to preach the gospel, and it was opened to him by the Lord.

- When it comes to God's mission, we know that there are not always such open opportunities in this life. We need to be opportunistic and take every single one for His glory!

- But here he is, doing what God has called him to, but his heart, his spirit was not at rest. The concept here is that his mind never let down. He never loosened up. He never relaxed.

- Why? Because he was unable to get news about the Corinthians. Titus was to bring him the news of their response to his letter and he had not yet made it to that area.

- It was in this preoccupied state of mind that Paul went to Macedonia. When we leave accounts open and let tension remain without resolve, we rob ourselves and we burden our leaders.

- Paul was effective, but under the weight of a heavy burden.

III. The Lord's Triumph (v.14-17)

• II Corinthians 2:14 : "Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place." Paul says, "Here I was drowning in the emotion, struggling to keep afloat in the responsibilities that God has given me. It was too much for me, but thanks be to God!"

- Bless God! He always leads us. He is always in front of us. He is always present to move us forward in triumph.

- This imagery here is of a a "Triumph" processional through the streets of Rome. Whenever a conquering General took territory for the Empire this spectacle occurred.

- It was quite a sight to see, as the General and his men rode out in front of trumpeters, the spoils of their victory, art depicting the vanguished city and their captives.

- In the midst of the procession were these fragrant torches, burning Roman incense for all to smell. Paul is telling them that Jesus is leading a Triumph around the world!

- Through the Apostles, God diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.

- That is how the Apostle's functioned: There was an aroma, the perfume of the knowledge of Christ. Their lives would set off a sensory experience in every place that they went.

• II Corinthians 2:15,16 : "For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things?" : Think about this: When a Roman procession would come into town, you would have one of two responses.

- If you were a Roman Citizen, you would see glory. You would be glad, celebrating with thousands of your friends and family.

- It was joyous time for the citizens of Rome. However, that is not what the conquered felt.

- To them, it was the end of life as they knew it. The smell was a harbinger of death, as they were literally marching toward their death in the circus atmosphere of Rome's Coliseum.

- Our lives are meant to be a cologne or a perfume bottle. Everyone in our lives need to smell Jesus! What are your friends smelling? Are you messing up that smell with your own personality?

- Our prayer should be to make sure that there is not a watered down imitation. Lord, let people around me recognize that I have been with you!

- Now, that's who we are. There are two types of people that we will encounter that they encountered. There are those who are being saved.

- Today, you are running around and there are saved people who need your encouragement. They need you to come alongside of them and bless them and build them up.

- Perhaps it will be something that you gather here today as we study together or perhaps it will come from your own personal reading from scripture. Either way, we are needed in their life.

- And there are those who are perishing. There are those around you now, who, unless they are divinely interrupted, are on the road to eternal ruin.

- They have rejected Christ and are living a life that, no matter how successful, will bring them to one eventuality: Separation from God and the eternal fire of His perfect wrath!

- The perishing one smells Jesus and thinks that fragrance is deadly! It's not something that he wants to wear. It signals nothing but death to him.

- It is the death of his own Kingdom where he rules by his own compass. It is the death of his way of life and fellowship of companions that love him. Death, leading to more death!

- If you hear the word of Christ, through one of his servants and this is your response, you are being ruined now and will end in ruin should you reject His grace!

- But the saved one smells a fragrance that is life giving, leading to more life. They have found a purpose and a love and a Redeemer that is showing them the way to live.

• II Corinthians 2:16 (NLT) : "To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task as this?" : This is such a great responsibility! Who can live up to it!?

• II Corinthians 2:17 : "For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ." : The Apostles were not living in the fashion of those who were multiplying in that day.

- There were people who had taken to peddling the word of God. To us, it sounds as if someone is coming and selling something and that part is true.

- But, the connotation is that the person selling the word of God has corrupted it or watered it down. The Apostles were not ones who did that, but were ones who spoke from honesty.

- This is the Lord's Triumph. Despite the trouble that brought great mental anguish to all that were around and in spite of the tactics of the enemy, God is working and winning!

Conclusion
- Paul's point in all of this is simple: Will we seek to live obediently together for the sake of our common peace and our common purpose?

- The church needs to keep clear and clean accounts. Correct when necessary and forgive when it comes time to forgive.

- That will bless the church and her leadership and keep them both out of the enemy's territory.

- Better than that, it will put us in the position to enjoy the Triumph procession that Jesus is leading even now!