Continuing to look here in 2
Corinthians chapter 12, Paul says there in verse 9, speaking
of the fact that he had besought the Lord three times to deliver
him from this thorn in the flesh that the Lord had seen fit to
give him, and he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee,
for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly, therefore,
will I rather glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ may
rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in
infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions,
in distresses. For when I am weak, then am I
strong. I am become a fool in glorying,
ye have compelled me. For I ought to have been commended
of you, for in nothing am I behind the very cheapest apostles, though
I be nothing. Truly the signs of an apostle
were wrought among you in all patience, in signs and wonders
and mighty deeds. For what is it wherein ye were
inferior to other churches, except it be that I myself was not burdensome
to you? Forgive me this wrong. Behold,
the third time I am ready to come to you, and I will not be
burdensome to you. For I seek not yours, but you. For the children ought not to
lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children. And
I will very gladly spend and be spent for you, though the
more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved. But be it so,
I did not burden you, Nevertheless, being crafty, I caught you with
God. Did I make gain of you by any
of them whom I sent unto you? I desired Titus, and with him
sent a brother. Did Titus make gain of you? Walked
we not in the same spirit? Walked we not in the same steps? Again, thank ye that we excuse
ourselves unto you, but we speak before God in Christ. But we do all things dearly beloved,
for your way to find. For I fear lest when I come I
shall not find you such as I would, and that I shall be found unto
you such as ye would not, lest there be debates, envies, wraths,
strifes, backbiting, whisperings, swellings, tumults, And lest when I come again, my
God will humble me among you, and that I shall be well many
which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness
and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed." Now,
as we talked about this last week's psalm, about the fact
that Paul was given this messenger of Satan, thorn in the flesh,
that he should not be exalted above measure. And he relates
that because of the fact that he was raised up of the Lord
in such an exalted position of having witnessed things that
he said were unlawful for men to speak of. And so he says,
you know, as a result of that, lest I should be lifted up. Now
here's the Apostle Paul, who is, as far as I can see throughout
the New Testament, the embodiment of a follower of Christ. Now
here he is saying forth that it was necessary for him to be
humbled in this way by this messenger of Satan, by this thorn in the
flesh, lest he be lifted up. How prone is it that men are
going to be lifted up in the flesh? I mean, that's just a
common thing, is it not? That we will seek glory. I mean,
it's just in us. We want somebody to pat us on
the back. We want to stand out in the crowd.
We want somebody to take notice of what we did. And that's what
makes us get so aggravated when people aren't thankful for what
we do for them. Have you ever been like that?
Huh? I mean, you know, you did something
for somebody and they just weren't thankful enough. And you get
paid back and your feelings get hurt and you just kind of have
a self-pity party about, oh, all these people don't care about
me. If that be the case, then we
went about it for the wrong reason. You know, if we do something
for somebody, we just do it for them, not for us. We don't do
it to get something back. And so Paul is saying here that
it is a normal thing. It's just natural. It's not a
good thing, but it's natural for men to be lifted up in the
flesh, and especially when men are put up in places of honor
among other men. You know, it is very difficult
for men who are elected to public office to walk in humility, is
it not? I mean, it is a very difficult
thing. Why? Because they are in that place where everybody
is looking to them. And so, you know, we are not
amazed when politicians and people like that are pompous people. I mean, what do you expect? That's
just the nature of man showing itself to be what it is. And
so it shouldn't really amaze us. It's not necessarily a thing
that we're glad about, but it's just the way it is. And so Paul
said that he besought the Lord three times. I don't know if
this was three times right after this thorn in the flesh came
upon him or over the course of his life. He besought the Lord
three times, but in essence, ultimately, the Lord taught him
that his grace was sufficient for him. He said, you know, this
is the thing, that my strength is made perfect in weakness.
And so Paul, responding, says, gladly therefore will I rather
glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest
upon me. I'm thankful, he said, for the
weakness that the Lord has brought on me in showing me my weakness,
that I might not be lifted up with pride so that the power
of Christ alone might be seen. Because that is our ultimate
goal, is that Christ be magnified. Therefore I take pleasure in
infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions,
in distresses for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then am I
strong. Now I don't know if we really
believe that or not. I don't know if I would really
believe that. But that is the fact. Because you see, when we
are nothing and He's everything, then that's the place that we
desire to be by the grace of God as the Spirit works in us. And that's exactly what He's
saying. When I'm nothing, Christ is all. And that's the place
that we desire to be. For when I am weak, then am I
strong." He says, I have become a fool in glorying. Now what
he is saying here, he is just kind of being honest with them.
He says, here I am talking about all these things that the Lord
did for me because I am sitting here trying to prove to you my
apostleship. And he says, I have become a
fool here talking about all these different things that I have
done and that the Lord has done through me. And he said, but
you've compelled me to it. He said, it's your fault. He said, because you have disrespected
me per se as an apostle of Christ. And you said, well, he's not
really one of the apostles. Now, what this arose out of,
as we've said, is that there were false brethren. or at least
brethren who were seeking to have the preeminence who had
come among them and sowed seeds of discord among them. Remember,
some said they were of Paul, some of Apollos. And they were,
you know, coming up and there were divisions among them. And
there were some who had tried to undermine the authority of
Paul. They said, you know, if he was
really an apostle, he'd be spending more time among you. And he'd
be here right working with you. He'd be full time on the field
here, but he doesn't care about you. He's off over there taking
care of all these other people, and he doesn't care about you.
But he said, I have become a fool in glory, but you've compelled
me to it, for I ought to have been commended of you. Now, he's
not seeking a pat on the back, but for the glory of Christ is
what he's talking about. He doesn't want them to think
that his ministry to them is of no use because the Lord did
send him. For in nothing am I behind the
very chiefest apostles, though I myself be nothing. He says,
I'm not anything. He says, you can look at me and
tell that I'm not anything. He says, my speech is contemptible,
as some have said, and he doesn't deny it. But he said, though
I be nothing, Christ is all, but though I be nothing, I'm
not behind even the very chiefest of the apostles, those whom you
esteem the most, if you don't esteem me. For what is it? For truly, The signs of an apostle
were wrought among you in all patience, and signs, wonders,
and mighty deeds." Now, the signs of an apostle. Now, the apostles,
as I understand the Scripture to teach about what the apostles
were, as the Scripture says that the foundation of the church
is built upon, the apostles in one level. Of course, we know
the foundation of the church is Christ, but it's also built
upon the apostles. And the apostles were those first
twelve followers of Christ who were taught the gospel directly
from His mouth. He spoke to them. They walked
with Him. Now, we know that Judas, of course,
turned out to be a devil. And he was not one of the true
apostles, but he was a false apostle. And of course, Paul
was the twelfth apostle. Now, if you read in the first
part of the book of Acts, you see that they come together and
they appointed an apostle. Well, he was not the apostle
of God. Now, he was the apostle that
they appointed, But the Lord had a man born out of due time.
They did not know who this man was and would have never figured
that Saul of Tarsus would become the Apostle Paul. Who could have
ever guessed it? Who would have ever guessed that
this one who was actively seeking the destruction of the disciples
of Christ would one day turn out to be the one that would
be the most influential? writer of the New Testament,
and that one who would go forth doing great and mighty things
as he did. Who could have figured that?
I mean, who could have designed that? If you had been writing
this as a book, if this was written as a novel, would anybody have
ever come up with such an idea as that? But you see, the Lord,
He knew who His apostles were, and He took Paul, and He took
him to the desert, And he told him, and of course as he accounts
here about being caught up into the third heaven, how the Lord
in some miraculous manner told him things. He says it is unlawful
to utter the things that he heard there, but nonetheless the Lord
burnt the gospel into his heart and the glory of who Christ is.
And so he came with the signs of an apostle. Now, the signs
of an apostle, the apostles were given gifts that were not carried
on throughout the church, but continued on in the same fashion. Now, I'm not saying that a lot
of these gifts may not continue in some fashion, but they did
not continue in the same fashion as they were given to the apostles.
Because they were men who had the capability to confer the
gifts of God to other men. But those who came after them
did not have that ability to do so. He said, The signs of
an apostle were wrought among you in all patience. Now the
signs of an apostle, first I believe, is the preaching of the truth
of God. That is the first sign, is to preach Christ and Him crucified. And anyone who is a true apostle
of the Lord Jesus Christ is going to come preaching Him. And Paul
said, I am one of those. And he had those other gifts,
those miraculous gifts that were given in signs, wonders, and
mighty deeds. In all patience, he said. In
other words, he didn't cast them off when they were basically
wanting to cast him off. He didn't cast them off. He had
patience to deal with them because he said, the Lord sent me with
this message to give. And he says, I was going to do
it. In one place he says to Timothy, he said that necessity is laid
upon me. He said, woe is unto me if I
preach not the gospel. This is not something I've decided
to do. This is something that's been
given to me and I can't avoid it. Well, what is it then wherein
you were inferior to other churches? except it be that I myself was
not burdensome to you, forgive me this wrong." He said, how
have I in any wise harmed you? He said, what have I withheld
from you? He said, the only thing that I've done different from
you than other churches is I didn't take any money from you, since
I wouldn't be burdened from you. And then he says more or less
sarcastically, well, forgive me for this wrong. really harming you in this way. Behold, the third time I am ready
to come to you, and I will not be burdensome to you, for I seek
not yours, but you." He says, I'm not coming asking you for
something. And then he says something interesting. He says, for I seek
not yours, but you, for the children ought not to lay up for their
parents, but the parents for the children. Now that's kind
of a principle that's taught in the scripture, is it not?
That the parents are to have concern for their children. And
it is the parents' responsibility to provide for their children.
Now that's a thing that, you know, in great measure is neglected
in our society by many. who don't provide for their children.
And they just kind of, you know, don't really take care of them.
They don't do what they should do with them. And let that not
be named among the people of God. Parents are to lay up for
their children. They are to be concerned for
their children. They are to be spent for their children, to
give themselves for their children. More so, even though the children
do have, as Brother Al read there a moment ago in the Ten Commandments,
the first commandment with promise is to honor thy father and thy
mother, that thy days may be long upon the earth. And so the
children do have a responsibility to the parent for sure. But it
is the common thing rather than the parent coming to the child
to get something, that the child should come to the parent to
get something. And he says, I'm glad to give of those things
that I have to you and not to expect that you should give something
to me. I'm not going to demand it. And
I will very gladly spend and be spent for you. Though the
more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved." Now, I believe
this is indeed the sign of an apostle. And of course, our greater
apostle is Jesus Christ. And Paul is just reiterating
exactly the same purpose and sentiment of the Lord Jesus Christ,
says, I will very gladly spend and be spent for you, though
more abundantly I love you, the less that I be loved. The Lord
didn't come and love His people because they loved Him. He never
did one thing for us because we did something for Him. And
it is a travesty in my estimation to preach a message that would
in any wise make the blessings of God dependent on what men
do, as though the Lord is going to pay men for what they are
going to do. The Lord said, I'll spend and
be spent for you, because I love you. But God, see for a righteous
man, some would even dare to die, but God commended His love
toward us, and while we were yet sinners, Christ died for
us. It's not that which we've done
for Him, but it's that which He's done for us. And it is that,
you see, which compels the children of God to serve Him. It's not,
do this and you'll get some. But it's, look at what He did.
And how can you not serve Him? You see, that's the difference
between the message of a pay-off God and the message of a giving
God. And Paul, he represents that
here and he illustrates it here. And he said, I will very gladly
spend and be spent for you, though the more abundantly I love you,
the less I'll be loved. He says, I don't care if you
love me or not. That's not the issue. He says,
I want to minister to you. I want to help you. But be it
so, I do not burden you. Nevertheless, being crafty, I
caught you with God." He says, my purpose is to minister to
you. He says, not to make you to be,
that you commend me. He says, I'm not coming to you
because I want to get your commendation or your money or anything else.
But he says, I want to get you because I love you. And did I
make gain of you by any of them whom I sent unto you? He's just
continuing the same thought. I desired Titus. And with him
I sent a brother. We're not sure who that was,
possibly Luke. But he said, I sent Titus and
Luke to you. Did Titus make gain of you? I
mean, did he go in there to get something from you? Walked we
not in the same spirit? Walked we not the same steps?
Again, think ye that we excuse ourselves unto you? I mean, are
we making excuses for the things that we do? We speak before God
in Christ, but we do all things dearly beloved for your edifying. Now it's a shame in my estimation
that Paul has to spend all his time going over this. But evidently this was a strong
sentiment among some of the Corinthians at least who did not have any
respect unto those things that he was trying to do and tried
to attribute to him some ulterior motive other than the fact that
he just loved them. For I fear lest when I come I
shall find you such as I would and that I shall be found unto
you such as ye would not." He says, I'm afraid that when I
come I'm going to find some things that you're doing that's not
going to make me happy, and that you're going to find me as you
don't want to find me. I'm going to find you as I don't
want to find you, and you're going to find me as I don't want
to be found by you. But basically he says, if I come
and these things are going on, He says, you have not seen nothing
yet. He says, you think that I have been hard on you up to
now? He says, you will not know anything
yet as to what you will see. He says, for I fear lest when
I come I shall not find you such as I would, and that I shall
be found unto you such as you would not. lest there be debates, envying,
wrath, strife, backbiting, whispering, swellings, and tumult." Now,
he's already addressed them about these very things. Remember,
he talked to them about going to law one with the other. Evidently,
there was a lot of turmoil in that church. They were not loving
one another as they ought. Remember, he talked to them about
when they came together for the Lord's Supper and he said, some
of you come and you eat all your food up and you don't wait on
everybody else and you just, all your self-centered ways. He says, all of this stuff, he
says, I don't want to see any of that stuff. He says, I'm coming
to you. Remember, he told them about
when they come together. He said, let it be done decently
and in order. Don't let there be strifes and
debates and backbiting and tumults and all of these things, but
let every man be subject one to the other. Lest when I come
again, my God will humble me among you. He says, I'm going
to be ashamed when I come among you. He says, I don't want to
come among you and be ashamed. He says, I want to come among
you and encourage you. But he says, May this be so,
lest when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and
that I shall be way o'er many which have sinned already, and
have not repented of the uncleanness, and fornication, and lasciviousness
which they have committed. Now Corinth, historically, was
a very wicked city. A very worldly city. In fact,
their pagan worship centered around a very perverted view
of sexuality. And they had many sexual sins
here in Corinth. And so that's why he specifically
mentions these things. Now, he said this is not to be
named among the sons of God. He says, and when it is found,
it must be repented of. It must be turned from. Now how
do you know when repentance has taken place? It is not known
because somebody says they repent. Everybody is sorry after they
have done something, especially if they get caught. people as men being accused of
all these things and whether they're true or not in these
politicians and movie stars and all that stuff. And they come
on and they're all so sorry, they say and all that. Well,
all that is all right to say you're sorry, but how you know
when somebody is in a repentant state is that they have turned
from those things. It's not just saying that, but
it's turning from it. You know, the sow that's washed
returns to a wallowing in the mire. The dog returns to his
own vomit. That is not repentance. That's
what Peter said. And he said, these things, that's
just all in the flesh. But he says, those who have not
repented of these unpleasants, that is, they're going on with
it, continuing. They had that young man who had
the adulterous relationship. If he had continued on in that,
could he have said to have been repented regardless of what he
might have come and said if he didn't turn from it? If he didn't
walk away from it? If he did not turn his back on
it? And so that's what Paul is speaking about here when he's
speaking about that they have not repented of these things.
He says, I don't want to find that to be the case. Because
when I come among you, I want to find that these things, that
you're truly walking in a fashion that would bring honor to Christ
and not to be identified with the world. He said, you know,
love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.
These are the ways of the world. They're the way of natural men.
That's the way we all are by nature. We're not any different
from natural men except by the grace of God. said, but we've
been called. And if we're going to be the
followers of Christ, turn from these things. We can't walk on
in these things. Now, you know, a lot of times
there are those that make the accusation that because we believe
that Christ has fulfilled the law, that there is no condemnation
to them which are in Christ Jesus. that then we on the other hand
believe that a man can just go off out here and do anything
that he wants to any time his old flesh gets ready and it's
fine. That's a bunch of baloney. And
nothing could be farther from the truth because the work of
Christ in the heart of a man causes him to see sin for what
it is. And it is a heinous thing before
God to walk in those sins that Christ has cleansed us from.
How can we do that? Isn't that foolish? Isn't that kind of a thing that is kind of an oddity? That's what he's saying here.
You can't walk in these things. How can darkness and light have
fellowship with one another? Turn from it. Go the other way. Run from it. He speaks to them as a father
would speak to his son. Because he looked on them as
his children. And he said, turn from these
things. Now, he says, you're my children in Christ. I don't want to see these things
among you. And I believe it is true that wherever the Spirit
of God is, He will cause God's people to turn from those things.
Now sometimes, He brings us according to His purpose, into places that
we get to see up close and personal what we are by nature. And He
reminds us of those things. But He will, according to His
mercy, as the Spirit of God works in His people, give us hearts
and minds to turn from these things and not walk anymore in
them. Isn't that what he said to the
woman at the well? Or not the woman at the well,
but the woman taking in adultery? What did he say to her? He didn't
say, I forgive you, now just go off and do whatever you want
to. He said, go and sin no more. Now what he specifically meant
was, don't do this again, basically. He said, turn from that. I believe
by the grace of God that He gave her grace to do so because that
is the work of the Spirit of God in His people. And may we
be given hearts and minds to walk in a fashion that is becoming
to the gospel of Christ and not to be found as Paul feared he
might find some in Corinth who had not turned from those things.