Alright, let's take our Bibles
once again and turn with me to 2 Corinthians chapter 6. 2 Corinthians chapter 6. I want to just take up the next
few verses where I left off. We looked at this passage and
we started in verse 6 where the Apostle Paul exhorted the believers
Corinth that they receive not the grace of God in vain. They don't hear what had been
stated in 2 Corinthians 5.21. He hath made him to be sin for
us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of
God in him. He said don't hear that and turn
from it. Turn back from it. Don't receive
it in vain, in an empty way. And the reason to not receive
it in vain is because who is the foundation of God's grace? The Lord Jesus Christ according
to God's will and purpose. He who accomplished the work
as the God-man mediator. Scripture said, verse 2, I heard
thee in a time accepted, God the Father has been the one that
heard the eternal surety Himself. Don't receive Him. Don't receive
the message of Him in vain. Don't hear Him in vain who is
the surety and the only Savior of the sheep. Scripture says don't receive
that in vain because beloved, now is the accepted time. Right
now, now is the day of salvation. So knowing the exhortation, don't
hear God's word vainly, in an empty way, in a loose way. Paul said concerning the message
and now the messengers, concerning this glorious message. He's going
to give some exhortation concerning the attitude. Especially he's
speaking of God's preachers, but all believers. We're all
in the ministry. I'm going to mention that in
just a second, but we're all unworthy sinners and we're living
in a world who Because of sin, because of a carnal heart, hates
the message of God's sovereign grace. Because they hate God. The carnal mind is enmity, it's
against God. It's not subject, it's not in
subjection to the word of God, will of God, neither indeed can
be. So Paul is going to give us some truth here concerning
how we are to walk in this world, how the attitude that believers
ought to have. What kind of an attitude? He
says in verse 3, giving no offense in anything that the ministry
be not blamed. Oh, may the Lord teach me this. You know, as redeemed and regenerated
vessels of God's mercy, we are to strive to walk in such a way
to avoid actions and words, any conduct that would give men a
true, a factual reason to reject the gospel. Now listen. Men despise
the gospel, I know, by nature. But what Paul is saying is, don't
you give them a reason to do it. Don't you act or speak in
such a way. Be careful. Somebody says, well,
I'm just a sinner. I understand that, but listen
to the exhortation. We are to adorn this doctrine
that we love and preach and hold to. We're going to be falsely
accused of many things. But the apostle is warning believers,
and for sure God's preachers, don't be a stumbling block or
a hindrance to the preaching of the truth. Don't be a hindrance
to it. But that the ministry be not
blamed. This is what Nathan, the prophet,
told David when he sinned with Bathsheba. He said, you've given
the enemies of God reason to blaspheme. You've given them
reason to do it. Oh, I tell you, I've told you
many times, we're all in a fishbowl. The frailty of our nature, why
I just can't help it. I strive against it, war against
it. Verse 4 and 5, but in all things
approving or commending ourselves as the ministers of God in much
patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, in
stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in watchings,
in fastings. Now, here again, we're to be
striving, striving after, for the glory of God, the good of
God's people, that the ministry be not blamed. I've said to others
before, I say to myself now, for the sake of the gospel, for
the sake of the assembly, for the glory of God, for the peace.
Be careful. Be careful. We are to be commending
ourselves as God's sheep, showing forth, being an example. We're all in the ministry. It's
a work in which every believer is engaged, whether it's preaching,
praying, giving, witnessing, speaking a word of kindness,
or faithfully coming, and hearing the word of the gospel being
preached. Do you realize your very presence
is an example? It's an example. And you know,
Paul admonishes his hearers. He said, we are to commend ourselves,
exhibit, that's the word, exhibit ourselves much patience, in cheerful
and hopeful endurance and continuance. Trials are going to come. The
Lord has promised that. They're going to come our way.
But when they come, and they will, may we be found in much
patience, in large patience, remaining in perseverance, realizing
the Lord sent this. Whatever we're going through,
whatever we're going through, He worketh all things. And with
that patience, we are to be without murmuring against the Lord who
sent it, waiting on Him to accomplish His purpose. All things work
together for good to them that love God, to them who
are called according to his purpose. So walk as a believer. That's what he's saying. And
especially for God's preachers, ministers. Be examples to the
flock. In afflictions, that is in pressure,
burdens, trouble, in necessities, or the necessary needs, the Lord
knows, the scripture says, Matthew 6, therefore take no thought
saying what shall we eat, what shall we drink, Wherewithal shall
we be clothed? For after all these things do
the Gentiles seek. For your Heavenly Father knoweth
that you have need of all these things. He says, commending ourselves
in distresses. What does that mean? When you
don't know where to turn. What do we do? In body or mind? What do we do in these distresses? That's when you just don't know
what to do. What do you do? Listen to this. Psalm 37.5. Commit
thy way unto the Lord, trust in Him, and He shall bring it
to pass. My, do I need to remember that.
Ever been at a point where somebody said, well, what do you think
we ought to do? I don't know. What do you think? Let's trust in
the Lord. Do you think He's going to work
all things after the counsel of His own will? Yeah. Well then
let's wait on him. You think he's going to bring
it to pass? Paul says in stripes, stricken, afflicted, imprisonment. How many times were they thrown
into prison, jailed for the sake of the gospel? In tumults, in
that uncertainty, in labors, pains and weariness, in watchings,
It means sleepiness is what it means, in watching, sleepiness.
But spiritually, being awake into the guarding of the assembly
for any error. He said, just be an example. And in fastings, involuntary
or involuntary for the sake or because of the preaching of the
gospel, Let me just read this. It's 2 Corinthians 11, just a
few pages over. I was reading some of the things
that the Spirit of God put Paul through. 2 Corinthians 11, 24-28. Of the Jews, five times received
I forty stripes, save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods. Once was I stoned Thrice I suffered
shipwreck, a night, a day have I been in the deep, in journeyings
often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils
of mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in
the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils
among false brethren, in weariness and painfulness, in watchings
often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and
nakedness, besides those things that are without, that which
cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches." Here's
what he was saying. This is what God Almighty put
him through for the sake of God's glory and the good of the church,
for the care of the assembly, the care of the church. And Paul
says these things that were sent He was to endure in that patience,
in all those afflictions, that the ministry be not blamed. Oh, the grace of God that keeps
His sheep in the midst of trial and tribulation. How often do
we need to be reminded of these trials that we're going to suffer?
Now we read that, but when we go through them, Now we're in
the midst of them and how quickly we take our eyes off of the truth
of God's promise. I do. I need to hear this again. I need to be reminded of all
these things. So Paul had admonished God's
preachers especially, but all of God's people, for the sake
of the gospel, show yourselves before others in such a way as
to not be an offense in anything that the ministry be not blamed. Now, he's gonna deal now with
the inward, those unseen. This is how he said you are before
men. But there's some inward things
that we go to. He says in verse six, I'm gonna
look at verse six here. He said, by pureness, or in pureness
is what he's saying. He said, now here's the way. Pureness, that is before men,
before men. He's talking about modesty and
chasteness, cleanness, and blamelessness before others. He said, by knowledge,
by long-suffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned. He said this by knowledge, that
the ministry be not blamed. Commend yourselves before others.
When he says by knowledge, it means by knowledge of the scriptures. Knowledge that comes by prayer
and study, by setting forth that which God has revealed in His
Word. Now we commend ourselves before
others by what God has to say. Where do I come up with what
I say. When I'm standing right here,
I'm going to commend myself before you and everybody that will see
this on the internet or they'll see this wherever they see it. Alright? You're commending yourselves,
you're exhibiting that the ministry be not blamed, you know, with
some knowledge. Paul says in 2 Timothy 2.15,
Study, make an effort, be diligent to show thyself approved of God,
to discharge the duty of the ministry, is concerning the approval
of God and not of men, is what he's saying. He said, a workman
that needeth not to be ashamed before God or men, rightly dividing
the word of truth, rightly handling the word by teaching correctly
what the scriptures has got to say. That's what he's saying.
He said, in pureness before men, by knowledge, What I want to
say, I want to say, and I want to do it according to what God
has to say. By long-suffering, by kindness,
by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, and look here, by that long-suffering,
that is patient submission to injustice or undeserved injuries. I mean, all those things that
the Apostle Paul went through, beaten by the Jews, you know,
whipped by the Romans, just thrown in prison. You think he deserved
that? No, but he said, you do this
with a patient submission to whatever God sends your way.
I don't deserve this. Well, maybe you don't. That's
not the issue. The issue is that the ministry
be not blamed. He said by that long-suffering,
by kindness, gentleness, by the Holy Ghost, by the manifestation
of the Spirit of God within, by love unfeigned, that is we're
admonished to love our enemies. Especially are we known by our
love for the brethren. Paul said this is that internal
heart of a believer. Then he sets forth by continuing
to give no offense that the ministry be not blamed. He said we do
so by the word of truth. We do it by knowledge. I've got to know something before
I can say something. He said, you know, verse 7, he
said by the word of truth. What's he saying? God's taught you something? Now
you preach that. You set that forth. The Apostle
John declared, Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the
spirits, whether they are of God, because many false prophets
are gone out into the world. A preacher called of God, he
studies this Word. Ask the Lord for understanding.
Ask the Lord for some guidance and some instruction. And then
you do what Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 4.2. You preach
the word. My opinion doesn't matter. I
am to take these scriptures just like I'm doing right now. There's
some exhortations that the Spirit of God gave the Apostle Paul
to give to the church at Corinth. He said, now you tell them this.
And that's what we're doing. We're saying exactly what God
told the Apostle Paul to tell the church at Corinth. I'm going
to tell the church at Katy just exactly. This is the attitude.
This is the internal and external action or commending before God's
people. And then he says in verse 7,
he said, by the power of God. It says by the word of truth.
Preach it by the power of God. perfect example of this right
here, 1 Thessalonians 1, 5 and 6. The scripture says, for our gospel
came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the
Holy Ghost, and in much assurance, as you know what manner of men
we were among you for your sake. And ye became followers of us
and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction with
joy of the Holy Ghost." Now, whenever the Scriptures, the
truth that is taught, is proclaimed, and it's done so in the power
of the Holy Ghost, what does that mean? When it's blessed. by the power of the Spirit of
God. When the gospel is not merely
heard with the natural ear, but is heard and made clear in the
heart of God's people by the Spirit of God. The Apostle Paul
said in 1 Corinthians 2 verses 4 and 5, 1 Corinthians 2, 4 and 5, he said,
my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's
wisdom, but in demonstration of the spirit and of power that
your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the
power of God." Whenever God blesses the message, God's people hear
it, their hearts are blessed by it. The elect are called out
of darkness, the saints are comforted and established in the truth.
God blesses it. I can remember, It could be years. Religion. Religion, it'll feed
your flesh. It really will. But as far as
burning your heart with joy, God's gotta do something for
you that you can't drum it up. Didn't our hearts burn within
us as he opened unto us the scriptures? God's people are blessed when
God blesses the word to them in the power of the spirit of
God. Then also in verse seven, by the armor of righteousness
on the right hand and on the left. Now when we commend ourselves
before others by the armor of righteousness, that is by the
evidence of the gifts and graces of God's Spirit. Love, joy, peace,
long-suffering, gentleness, meekness, kindness. Those graces that are
given by the Spirit of God and are actually experienced. They're
exercised by God's sheep. And when it says on the right
hand and on the left, it means really that God's people are
thoroughly, completely equipped. by God. He said, my God shall
supply all your need according to his riches and glory by Christ
Jesus. And then as the apostle speaks
in the conclusion of our passage today, he admonishes the saints
in their strivings to not give offense in anything that the
minister be not blamed. And then he sets forth that we
are to expect to meet. There's a walk before men. there's an inward attitude in
the heart of God's people concerning their walk. And then this last
part right here is something that we are to expect. This is,
just understand that this is the way it's going to be. We're
to walk before others for the glory of God, for the good of
God's people, that the ministry be not blamed But then expect
this, in these last three verses, I'm gonna look at 8, 9, and 10,
just make a couple of comments. It says, by honor and dishonor,
by evil report and good report, as deceivers and yet true, as
unknown and yet well-known, as dying and behold we live, as
chastened and not killed, as sorrowful yet always rejoicing,
as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing and yet possessing
all things." Now he said this is what you're to expect. Realize
this, we're not going to be treated, received, or loved, or regarded
by all in the same way. He says in those verses that
I just read He said God's people are either going to be received,
verse 8 says, by honor and dishonor. He said either respected for
the sake of the gospel or despised for it. It's just no middle of
the road. Either men love it or they hate
it. He said by evil report or good
report. You'll continue on that first
thought right there, you'll be received with a good reputation
before men, or you won't. One of the two. It says, as deceivers
and yet true. As being a false prophet, now
I can tell you this, all men, when they hear this gospel right
here, this is not just religious talk. This is the word of God. He said, now you just recognize
this. You're either going to be looked
at and beheld as being a false prophet or being what you truly
are as a true prophet of God. As deceivers and yet true. Those
that know and love the gospel of God's grace, they hear the
gospel of God's grace and they say that's the truth. And that
man preaching that truth is sin of God, he's taught of God and
that's, he's true. Or they're going to hear this
gospel and untaught of God, they're going to say, you know what?
I've never heard such deception in all my life. He said in verse
9, as unknown and yet well known, as being unknown, as being God's
people, the world will look at you if they don't know the truth. And they will absolutely find
fault and not recognize you as God's people. Or, He said they're
going to be recognized and loved for who they are in Christ. They'll
say, that's one of God's elect, their speech. gives evidence
to who they are. He says it's dying and behold
we live as being thought by unbelievers as being those who certainly
will perish under the judgment of God. I experienced, I told
you this one time, I had been preaching and I had a man come
up to me and he told me what the most grew some snarl in his
face, he said, God's gonna get you. I said, for what? He said, because of what you're
preaching. He said, you're nothing but a divider of God's sheep. I said, listen, every one of
God's sheep that have been regenerated by the grace of God, they've
always been God's sheep, but those that have been regenerated
by the grace of God, none of them reject this message. They
love it. And I said the only reason they
would reject, a person would, is because if they're not the
sheep of God and they die in that state, well, it didn't go
over big. But I'm telling you, you will
be those, when he says as dying, that is thought by unbelievers
to be those that are surely going to perish. You're going to die
because of that message. you're preaching. He said, as
dying and behold, Paul says, we live. That is, we're alive
in Christ, being loved, redeemed, regenerated, and kept by God's
Spirit. He said, as chastened, like when
I say chastened and not killed, he's saying, continuing the same
thought, afflicted and regarded as an object of God's divine
displeasure. Whenever the Apostle Paul was
on the island of Malta, remember they had been shipwrecked and
they came in and And Paul, they were throwing some wood, and
a viper came out and got Paul, bit him, hung on his arm. And
he said they just stood there and watched him. They said, well,
surely he escaped out of the water. Water didn't get him,
but God made sure he sent that snake. And they just watched
him, waiting for him to die, and he didn't die. They thought
they were chasing him. Afflicted and regarded as an
object of God's displeasure. But he said, but not killed.
Afflicted. Afflicted, yes, but we're not
cast down or destroyed. Verse 10, he says, as sorrowful
and yet always rejoicing. Looked upon as one always in
sorrow and overwhelmed with sorrow. That's how men look at us. They just don't have any real
joy. But, he said in reality, always joyful in the Lord. One or the other. As poor and
making many rich. He said actually, and that word
poor there, it actually means beggars. You know the world equates
God's blessing as always prosperity in this world. If you're not wealthy, then you're
just not blessed of God. You don't have any faith. The best way to remedy that is
to send us a love gift. It's poor. You remember the woman
that had two mites? That's all she had. And she put
that in. The Lord said, she put in more
than all of those others. As poor, you know, unblessed
of God, but he said, all but making many rich. He said, being
the instrument to the true riches that are found in Christ. He
says, as having nothing, yet possessing all things. Again,
having nothing of this world's treasures, yet possessing all
things that shall endure. being an heir of God and a joint
heir with Christ. Could you imagine, I mean, I
know what the world says. I understand what they say. If
you're blessed of God, you will have everything that you can. But think how many people, we've
read in the scriptures, oh blind Barnabas. You know that woman
I just mentioned, that Syrophoenician woman. The world looks upon poverty
in this world, but God has been pleased to bless the outcast,
the downcast of this world. Child of God, this world is going
to end soon. And we're going to stand before
God accepted in the Beloved. The Apostle Paul admonishes us,
ever strive, ever seek Him who is our strength. Walk as a believer
wherever the Lord has put us. Whatever state we're in, giving
no offense in anything. That the ministry be not blamed. That the ministry here, Katie,
I'll just pick us right here. Again, I know the reputation. I know the reputation that has
been established by this little flock right here, by the grace
of God, in this community. I understand that. But whatever
you do, remember, when you walk in this community, especially
here, especially me, all of us, don't give offense, whatever. Strive to give no offense. Commend yourselves. Commend yourselves. Exhibit yourself. Let the ministry
be not blamed. There is a blessed ministry that's
been raised up here. I thank God that he's kept it
here. I'm so thankful that we're still here. God has maintained
us. It is for his glory and all the
blessed good, the divine good of his sheep. May the Lord bless
these words to our hearts for his glory and our good. No.