Let's ask the Lord's blessing. Our Father, as we call upon you
this evening, we're so thankful that we can pray, thankful that
we can ask your blessing. Lord, you said we have not because
we ask not. And I ask tonight, Lord, would
you bless the word to our comfort, to our encouragement. Lord, would
you settle our hearts and teach us. Lord, I ask you now, have
mercy. Lord, mercy upon those that are
within our congregation and other congregations that are sick.
Lord, we realize, Lord, you're the great physician. And I ask
you now, according to your goodwill and purpose. Lord, heal. You can if you will. I pray now
that you'd forgive us where we failed you. And bless the word,
Lord, to the calling out of your sheep. For it's Christ's name
we ask these things. Amen. Let's take our Bibles and turn
with me to the book of 2 Corinthians. 2 Corinthians chapter 2. 2 Corinthians
chapter 2. I'd like to just pick up where
we left off last time we were in this book. 2 Corinthians chapter 2. I'd like
to deal with the whole chapter tonight. And this chapter is
going to begin with a continuation of that which Paul explained
to the church at Corinth as to why he did not come originally. He truly desired to not grieve
the people there because of some issues that were found within
the congregation. And Paul knew that had he come
because of the way in which they were handling these issues. He said, you're carnal in what
you're doing. They were taking each other to
court, they were picking and choosing preachers that they
liked, you know, some Paulists, some of them liked this one,
liked that one, and they just, they had grievances and things
that Paul said it would have been better for me just to send
you a letter and deal with them in a letter. And so he purposed
in his heart, and that's where we're going to pick up, right
there. Chapter 2 verses 1 to 4. Paul said, but I determined
this with myself, that I would not come again to you in heaviness. For if I make you sorry, who
is he then that maketh me glad? But the same which is made sorry
by me, And I wrote this same unto you, lest when I came, I
should have sorrow from them of whom I ought to rejoice, 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 unto you with many tears, not that
you should be grieved, but that you might know the love which
I have more abundantly unto you." Now, Paul loved these people. He loved the people at Corinth
and he wanted to have a cheerful and productive visit, but some
of the problems that were going on. They had some many problems
but there was one in particular. And it was an unaddressed issue
about gross immorality. There was a man that was there
in that congregation and obviously it was somebody that had some
influence or affluence and the Apostle Paul dealt with it in
that letter because he said, if I come with a rod of correction,
he said, how is it that I'm going to have to make you grieve, then
I'm not going to be able to have anyone there. There's no one
there in Corinth. He said, except you, that I would
want to rejoice with. Where would my fellowship be?
So here was an example of what the Spirit of God had taught
Paul in the book, hold your places, in the book of Ephesians chapter
4. Here was a true example. What
he was doing, right here, was taking instruction that he gave
under the inspiration of the Spirit of God to the people. He knew that the problems were
bad. He knew they were bad. And he
wanted, he loved them. He said, I wrote you. That's
what he said back in verse 4, right here. He said, I wrote
you weeping when I wrote that letter. When he was writing to
them and just telling them, he said, you're carnal. He said,
what you're doing is wrong. It's wrong. He said, it was just
breaking my heart. But here's what the Spirit of
God said to Paul, Ephesians chapter 4, verses 1-3. This was the spirit
which Paul wanted to deal with the church there in Corinth. He said, I therefore, Ephesians
4-1, the prisoner of the Lord beseech you that you walk worthy
of the vocation wherewith you are called, with all lowliness,
meekness, longsuffering, for bearing one another in love,
endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of
peace." Now, here's what the Apostle was telling the folks. He said, take heed to your conduct. And let your behavior be a credit
to the Lord, who by His grace has called you out of spiritual
darkness and unbelief. And he said, as much as you can
to have an attitude that is becoming to the name of the Lord Jesus
Christ. And he said, let your conduct
toward others be that of modesty and humility, having the best
thoughts toward the brethren, the lowest thoughts of yourself,
bear with others in their faults and infirmities in a patient
way and in a spirit of long-suffering. And he said, make whatever allowances
are necessary because of your love for one another. That's what Paul was striving
to do. He wanted to teach them. He wanted to teach them that
you're wrong. He wanted to tell them, you can't
do this. He said, it's going to destroy
the spirit of the assembly. And he said, I had to tell you
that. I had to. But he said, I love
you so much that I wanted to do it in a letter. Just send
it to you. I told you. I heard Brother Henry
say that, and I told you last time we studied on this. He said,
this may have been where he got it. I don't know. But he said,
you got something you want to say? He said, write a letter. He said, you think it through.
And he said, give them something to hang on to and go back and
read again. He said, he was telling them,
he said, strive to protect and keep the harmony and the oneness
of the spirit in the church. And then Paul, you know, having
told them that, this is what he was truly wanting to deal
with. In this particular letter right
here, it was about that man that that had had that incestuous
relationship with his stepmother is what it was. Turn back to
1 Corinthians 5.1. Hold your place in 2 Corinthians.
He said this is what was going on. 1 Corinthians 5.1. He said
it is reported commonly that there is fornication among you
as such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles
that one should have his father's wife. Now, that's what he was
doing. He was living with his stepmother. And what aggravated the situation
was that it was committed by one, as I said a moment ago,
that the church obviously looked upon with some respect, I guess
you would say, but he said you're doing something and something's
being done that even heathens don't tolerate. But now, he says
in verse 2, back here again in 1 Corinthians chapter 5 verse
2, he said you're puffed up. and have not rather mourned,
that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among
you." He said, now you're puffed up. That is, you're overlooking
something that you should not be overlooking. And here's the
basis on making an issue out of something. He said you're
puffed up over something that shouldn't be going on. it was
unscriptural. And if you want to know what
you make an issue over, it's over something that's scriptural.
Now I want you to hold your place right here and turn to Leviticus
18. Leviticus 18 verse 6 to 8. Leviticus 18 verse 6. Now if you want to know Where
do you draw a line on an issue? I've always said you've got a
preference, you've got an issue. A preference is what I think,
what I like and what I don't like. I don't have any basis
for it, I just don't like it. If you've got a commitment on
something, it's scriptural. Leviticus 18 verse 6, None of
you shall approach to any that is near of kin to him to uncover
their nakedness. I am the Lord. The nakedness
of thy father or the nakedness of thy mother shalt thou not
uncover. She is thy mother. Thou shalt
not uncover her nakedness. The nakedness of thy father's
wife shalt thou not uncover. It is thy father's nakedness. Now, Paul said We're going to
make an issue over something, this is where we're going to
make an issue over it. It's scriptural. And Paul said, this man that
is doing something, he said you puffed up about it, he said you're
overlooking something that the scripture deals specifically
with. That ungodly action of that man
was obviously causing great distress within the assembly and therefore
it was a distraction within the body so that the apostle Paul
had to strongly deal with it. He had to deal with it. He told
him this man is going to have to be put out. You're going to have to put him
out. So Paul acting under the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ
spoke with the authority of an apostle. Now we want to be careful.
No man today has the authority or the discernment to make such
statements. If something is to be dealt with,
we have the scriptures that we deal with. No man has that right
today, but Paul's instruction was that that man in the authority
of the Lord Jesus Christ was to be delivered. Let me show
you this. Just turn back to 1 Corinthians 5 and look We'll just read again
what we did. We dealt with this, but look
at 3 to 5. Paul said, For I barely, as absent in body but present
in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning
him that hath so done this deed. In the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ, when you gather together, and my spirit with the power
of our Lord Jesus Christ, to deliver such in one unto Satan
for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved
in the day, of the Lord Jesus Christ. So Paul said, I want
you to put the man out. What he's doing, he's doing it
blatantly, he's doing it unscripturally, and it's causing much confusion. And he said, we can't have it.
We're just not going to have it. He said, we're going to turn,
deliver this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh
that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus."
Now what was he saying? Here's what he was talking about.
That he'd be buffeted like the Lord allowed Job to be by Satan. Not to kill him, but that he
might be afflicted and buffeted, that he might be brought, hopefully,
to repentance and restoration. So now back in 2 Corinthians
Chapter 2, he says, and continuing, he says, but if any have caused
grief, and he's talking about this man that had caused the
grief back in 1 Corinthians 5, if any have caused grief, he's
not grieved me, but in part, that I may not overcharge you,
sufficient to such a man is this punishment. What he's saying
is, what I advised you to do and what you did on taking and
putting him out. He said that was sufficient punishment,
which was inflicted of many. That was the whole assembly was
in agreement. So that contrary wise, you ought
rather to forgive him and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one
should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow. Wherefore, I beseech
you that you would confirm your love toward him, for to this
end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether
you be obedient in all things. To whom ye forgive anything,
I forgive also. For if I forgave anything, to
whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave it, no, forgave I it
in the person of Christ, lest Satan should get an advantage
of us, for we are not ignorant of his devices." Now, the church
had followed the advice of the Apostle Paul to discipline the
man strongly, and thankfully, the results were good. The scripture,
Paul told him in verse 5, he said, if this man has caused
grief, He said, as this man did, he said, he didn't just grieve
me, but he said, I'm not trying to say this any way other than
I'm just trying to be honest, but he said he grieved all of
you. When that disturbance was in there and that man came in
and here he was living with his stepmother and Paul said it was
just a grievance, grievous thing, grievous thing. Right there in
the assembly, just right in everybody's face. And he said it was wrong
and needed to be corrected. But he said in verse 6, he said
the correction that was imposed upon this offender by all of
us was sufficient. It was sufficient punishment. He was put out. And I had two instances happen to
me like this. when I was pastoring in Tennessee. And I knew what I had to do. It was unscriptural. I said,
no, no, no. I can't do it. We can't do it.
It was way just too distracting. So instead of continuing, he
said in verse 7, he said, so that contrary wise you ought
rather to forgive him now and comfort him lest perhaps such
a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow." And he
said, instead of continuing the rebuke, he said, instead of further
laboring the offense that obviously needed to be addressed and was,
he said, now comfort him. It's over. It's over. He said,
it's done. Encourage him. Lest this man
be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow and despair. You know, it's just
like somebody just won't ever get over it. It just keeps going
on and on and on. And Paul said, that's enough,
that's enough. It's over. The man was obviously broken
and humbled and truly repentant. Then he says in verse 8, and
he says, I want you to beseech you that you confirm your love
toward him. Reinstate him in a kind and affectionate
way and assure him of your love for him in the most tender and
kind manner. Galatians 6.1, he says, Brethren,
if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, you which
are led by the Spirit of God, restore such in one. Set him
or resettle him to a position of fellowship in the spirit of
meekness, in a way that's gentle, without any sense of superiority. I mean don't give him this idea,
well you can come back in, but I can tell you this. Don't think
it's going to be the same as it was, okay? Paul said don't
do that. Don't do that. Reinstate him,
bring him back and consider yourself, he said, lest you be tempted. Keeping a watchful eye upon yourself,
lest you should be tempted and overtaken in a fault too. Then he says in verse 9, He says,
to this end also I did write that I might know the proof of
you. Paul was saying this is the reason for this letter. He said that I might know your
true Christian temper or disposition to behold your faith and love
and obedience to Christ and to his word to his people through
the apostles. Obedience to the Word of God
as the Spirit of God has moved upon men to pen. Paul had penned
a major portion of the New Testament. And when Paul, Paul was a sinner
just like any of us. Paul, you read Romans chapter
7. Paul will tell you what he is. Oh wretched man that I am.
But I will tell you this. Whenever the Spirit of God moved
upon the Apostle Paul or any of the other writers in the Scriptures,
these men wrote as they were moved by the Spirit of God. And what these men wrote, here
were fallible men, sinners, fallible men. But when they wrote, they
wrote God's Word. They wrote the Word of God. The
Lord said, and He was talking to His apostles. He said in Luke
10, 16, He that heareth you, heareth Me. You know when the
Lord said, My sheep hear My voice? Whenever these Scriptures are
rightly proclaimed, whenever the Scriptures are set forth
as the truth as they are in Christ Jesus, This is the voice of the
shepherd. This is the shepherd talking.
These are not our words. All scripture is given by inspiration
of God. And it's profitable for doctrine,
for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness
that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished, that is
well fitted and completely equipped unto all good works." So Paul
was one pinned. So Paul said, I'm writing this
letter, and that letter that we're reading right here is scripture. This is absolute scripture. So
whenever Paul says, He said to this end, verse 9, to this end
also did I write that I might know the proof of you whether
you be obedient and all things. That was the Spirit of God that
wrote that to those people at Corinth to tell them this is
the reason this letter is being written to you. that it might
be made manifest that you are my people. Because they did what
the Apostle Paul was moved to write to them. So Paul wrote
that to test the people whether they were in the faith or no. A disobedient, rebellious spirit
against God's revealed word is a strong indication of an unregenerate
heart. You take this word And it's just straight up just
disobeyed. You're reading it and you know
what it's saying. And disobedience to this word
is the evidence of an unregenerate heart. A believer has a heart
for obedience. So he said, and then in verses
10 and 11, he says, to whom you forgive anything, I forgive also. For if I forgave anything, To
whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of
Christ, lest Satan should get an advantage of us, for we're
not ignorant of his devices. He said, here's some assurance,
Paul said, to you there in Corinth concerning your discernment on
the basis of forgiveness, on that subject, on this brother,
he said, When you forgive and comfort this man, he said, I
have confidence in your spiritual discernment, and I have a hearty
assent to your action, and my assurance is to you. You tell
him I forgive him too. You tell him I said that. So
Paul wanted him to know. He said, in the name of the Lord
Jesus Christ, our Savior, And for his sake, for the sake of
instruction and comfort, Paul says, forgive the man. He was
wrong. He was wrong. But is there any
here that hadn't been? He said, the man was instructed,
the Spirit of God was pleased to teach him, the man was repentant. Obviously he didn't, he quit
doing what he was doing. Now Paul says, now I want you
to forgive him and let it go, just let it go. The Lord gave
some instruction concerning forgiveness. In Mark 11 25-26 he says, When
you stand praying, forgive. If you have ought against any,
that your Father also, which is in heaven, may forgive your
trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither
will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses. Brother Don Fortner made two
statements on that particular passage of scripture and I wrote
them down. He said the possession of a spirit of forgiveness is
the evidence of spiritual life. Possession by nature, we're all
selfish and self-centered. We're all like that. That's the
way we're born. There's a spirit of me, me, me. It's all about me. But to have
a spirit of forgiveness means that life is there. God has done
something for us. Brother Don also said, he said,
but without the evidence or the desire of true forgiveness, To
pardon and forget it, there's no worship of God. He said you
cannot, you cannot worship God. Have a spirit of true worship
without a spirit of forgiveness. We pray and we pray earnestly,
we pray as the Lord teaches us, but we are to pray with a heart
of forgiveness toward others. toward those that as this man
had offended those in Corinth with his actions, but now was
repentant and needed forgiveness. The Apostle Paul has encouraged
them, which they've done and he's done too. He said forgive
him, now you receive him back. And this encouragement that Paul
gave them, he said this is the reason, he said I'm wanting to
bring this out to you. He said because We're not unaware
of Satan's wiles, his devices. We're not unaware of his tactics
to keep Satan from getting an advantage over us. He said we're
not ignorant of his intentions. He's our enemy. He's our adversary
and he will use anything, any harsh or ungodly means against
the Lord's people, which is actually against the Lord, to cause envy
and strife and division among the saints. Here Paul is telling
them, he said that an unforgiving spirit is the way in which Satan
will try to cause disharmony. and convince men that they're
actually serving God while they're doing nothing more than walking
in a spirit of self-righteousness is all they're doing. So he said,
if this man has repented, which Paul says obviously he has, forgive
him and let it go. Let it go. Be one together. Now, he's expressed to the church
his thankfulness. in agreement with him in the
way that they treated this brother that had erred in his ways, but
he's now repented. Then he says in verse 12, and
what he's doing now in verse 12, picking up through the end
of the chapter, he's actually picking up where he left off
in verse 4. He was teaching and then when he got into verse 5,
he changed back over to that topic about this man and wanted
to tell him. He said, now I want you to deal
with him, He said he'd been talking to him about this letter that
he had written to him. He said, I wrote you this letter
to be able to try to encourage you and try to teach you. And
he said, not to do it in a harsh one-on-one. He said, which I
would. I ought to come with a rod of corrections, what he said.
I didn't want to do that. I wanted to do this. But now
he picks back up in verse 12, and he says, furthermore, when
I came to Troas to preach Christ's gospel, and a door was opened
unto me of the Lord, I had no rest in my spirit, because I
found not Titus my brother, but taking my leave of them, I went
from thence unto Macedonia. Now let me tell you what he's
saying right here. This is the most tender, he's,
Paul, like I said, he loved this church, he loved them. Oh, when
he saw what was going on. He saw all of that bickering
and all of that silliness. He said, I'm going to write you
a letter. And he wrote him that letter.
And he went to Troas and he said that when he came to Troas, he
came there to preach the gospel. That's why he went there. And
the Lord was pleased. to bless, bless his journey.
I came to Troy to preach the gospel and a door was opened
unto me of the Lord. He said, the Lord opened up an
opportunity for me to preach Christ here, an opening of labor
with opportunity. And he had some liberty to preach
the gospel and surely the Lord gave some fruit to Paul's labors
and many heard the gospel with effect. But all of the blessing
that Paul saw, There at Troas, he was grieved. He was grieved,
he was grieved. Now, I'll tell you why he was
grieved. I'll tell you why he was grieved
and I'm gonna go back and read that scripture so you'll know
what I'm talking about. He could not find any rest for his soul
while he was there. He was there preaching, the Lord
was blessing, but there was something that was just eating at him,
nagging at him, just in his, it's because his brother Titus,
wasn't there to give Paul an account of how the church at
Corinth was doing, especially after he wrote that first letter.
He wrote 1 Corinthians to him. And that's where I told you he
was dealing with all those issues, bickering over, you know, taking
each other to court, and they were bickering about, you know,
whether you eat meat, offer to idols, and they were just, it
was just constant ya-ya's, all that was going on. And he wrote
him that letter. And he said, you just wrote him. And it was just eating him up.
He said, I wonder how that letter was received. I wonder how, you
know, if that assembly had received, if they've received it and submitted
to the Lord God and to the authority that the Lord had given Paul
as an apostle of Christ, if they had by faith in the Lord corrected
those abuses and mistakes that he had addressed, then he had
some hope for that assembly. But if they refused, if they
refused his instruction, which was actually the instructions
of the Lord, that's what Paul was getting at. He said, what
I'm writing you. That's just like when he says,
I've received of the Lord that which I delivered unto you. When
we have the Lord's Supper, that's what he's saying. The Lord gave
me this word. And he said, I'm just telling
you what the Lord said. And he said, I wrote that letter
and I was so looking forward to see Titus there. Because Titus
was going to give him a report on how that letter was received. But he said, if they received
it and they refused the instruction and they continued in their waywardness
and they didn't deal with these issues, then Paul would have
little reason to believe that the Lord had raised up that assembly. Because if the Lord had raised
up that assembly, the Lord's going to deal with it. The Lord's
going to correct it. He's not going to let it go on.
God will deal with it. Paul said, I was so in hope. I desperately wanted to see Titus. So he said, therefore, taking
my leave of them, I went thence to Macedonia. Now, go back and
read. 12 and 13, this is what he was
saying. He said, furthermore, when I
came to Troas to preach Christ's gospel, and a door was opened
unto me, I had no rest in my spirit, because I found not Titus
my brother. But taking my leave of them,
I went from thence unto Macedonia. Now, it was there in Macedonia
that Paul met Titus. And I'm going to show you that.
Hold your place. Turn to 2 Corinthians 7. 2nd Corinthians chapter 7 verses
5 to 7. This is what happened. He didn't
know this. He didn't know what was going
on. And he was just grieved because he didn't know how they received
that letter. He wrote it with tears. He loved those people.
I love them. I pray God Almighty have mercy.
I pray the Lord break them. I pray God teach them and bring
them to repentance. Oh, I don't know what happened.
I don't know what happened. Look at 2 Corinthians chapter
7, verse 5 to 7. For when we were come into Macedonia,
our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side.
The fighting within were fierce. Nevertheless, God that comforted
those that are cast down, comforted us by the coming of Titus. And not by his coming only, but
by the consolation wherewith he was comforted in you when
he told us your earnest desire, your mourning, your fervent mind
toward me so that I rejoiced the more. Paul said, when I finally
found Titus, Titus told me, he said, Paul, all is well in Corinth. The people there received your
letter. The Lord blessed it to them. And they corrected those
grievous things that were going on. And they did what you said.
And Paul said, oh, I was just so happy. I was so relieved.
He said, it just tore me up. Now, that's the heart of a pastor
that loves He loves the congregation. Paul loved these people. He loved
them. And he didn't want to browbeat them. He wasn't doing that. But
he loved them and he was going to tell them the truth. He told
them. He said, you can't do this. You just can't do this. You're
being disobedient. You're being disobedient to God.
And so then he says in verse 14, Now thanks be unto God which
always causes us to triumph in Christ. and maketh manifest the
savor of His knowledge by us in every place. Thanks be unto
Jehovah. Thanks be unto Him who always
causes us to triumph in Christ the Father according to the everlasting
covenant of God's grace who chose us in the Son and gave the Son
the responsibility to accomplish His will and not lose one of
His sheep make them holy and without blame before Him in love.
He should raise them up at the last day. He says therein we
triumph in Him. We triumph in the Father. We
triumph in the Son who finished the work of redemption and put
away the dead of His sheep and earned their righteousness by
His obedience before the Father and on their behalf He now ever
liveth. to make intercession for us before
the throne. And therefore, we triumph in
Him. And for the Spirit of God, in covenant mercy, who affectionately
calls and seals and teaches and shows the things of Christ to
us, keeps us through faith, ready to be revealed in the last day,
we rejoice in Him. He says, now thanks be unto God. Thanks be unto Jehovah, the one
who loved us, called us, kept us. And he said, this triumph
thing that we have in God, he said, it has a savor to it, has
a fragrance. He said, thanks be unto God which
maketh manifest the savor of his knowledge by us in every
place. He said, every place we preach. He said, there's a fragrance
concerning the message that we're preaching concerning the God
that we serve. It's a fragrance that everybody
smells, or they're aware of, and this savor is going to smell
like one of two things. That's what Paul's saying. Verse
15, 16, he says, For we are unto God a sweet savor of Christ in
them that are saved, and in them that perish, to the one with
a savor of death unto death, to the other the savor of life
unto life. And who's sufficient for these
things? To those who are perishing, to
those whose hearts are resting in their own works of self-righteousness
and unbelief. The fragrance of the gospel of
God's free grace in Christ. The message of salvation totally
by the Lord alone. Salvation is all of God. That
message of the gospel to those that are perishing, to those
that know not the Lord Jesus Christ, it has an offensive odor. I know before I was taught, before
Christ was revealed in me, I did not love this message. I didn't. I didn't. Most ridiculous thing
I've ever heard in my life, to be honest with you. I thought,
surely this cannot be right. But first of all, it's not fair.
I can tell you that, it's not fair. But I'm telling you, this
is the most far-fetched. I've never heard this before.
I've never heard any preacher ever preach this before. I knew
nothing of this. First time I heard it. But when
it pleased God. As Paul says, who separated me
from my mother's womb. He called me by His grace. That
message had a different savor. It was a savor of life. Before,
it was a fragrance of doom, death. But to those who have been given
a heart for Christ by the Spirit of God and see the beauty and
the glory of Christ as being God's mercy to His people, there's
a sweet smell of life. in the gospel. It's spiritual
life now and eternal life later. It has a fragrance of freshness
and pleasantness unto the Lord of glory. And concerning the
proclamation of that gospel, this is the only message that
the Spirit of God blesses to the salvation of His elect, which
avoiding brings absolutely nothing but death and condemnation, but
preached. This is the power of God unto
salvation. And Paul says, for we are not
as many, verse 17, which corrupt the Word of God. But as of sincerity,
but as of God, in the sight of God, speak we in Christ. Paul
said, I know that this message we preach has to many, it's a
savor Death unto death to those that are perishing is the saver
of life unto life to those that are being saved. But Paul says
concerning us who are preaching it. He said we're not as so many
that are found to be hucksters who do nothing but make preaching
to be a trade, like peddlers of God's Word. He said those
who rest and twist the Scriptures and adulterate the truth as it
is in Christ Jesus. He said we are by the grace of
God men of sincerity. Men that are called and commissioned
in sin of God and we preach this gospel in His sight and in the
sight and presence of His people and we preach according to His
word and we believe that this word is not going to return unto
Him void. Almighty God has taught us We're
sinners. All of us are sinners. And we
all have faults. But let me tell you, let me tell
you the best advice that I give all of us. Let's forgive one
another. Let's love one another. Let's
be in fellowship with one another. And may the Lord bless this word
to our heart for Christ's sake and for our eternal good. Amen.