2 Corinthians chapter 1, beginning
here in verse 6, says, And whether we be afflicted, it is for your
consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring
of the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or whether we
be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. And
our hope of you is steadfast, knowing that as ye are partakers
of the suffering, so shall ye be also of the consolation. For
we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble,
which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure,
above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life. But
we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should
not trust in ourselves, but in God, which raiseth the dead. who delivered us from so great
a death, and doth deliver, in whom we trust that He will yet
deliver us." Now, Paul spoke to them, as we had already looked
at a couple of weeks ago. He said that the God of all comfort,
who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able
to comfort them which are in any trouble by the comfort wherewith
we ourselves are comforted. Now, the comfort of God's people
is found in one place, and that is in Christ, because there is
no lasting comfort that can be brought to the people of God
which does not come to them through the gospel. When a man is dying,
and Paul says here to them that he said, I have the sentence
of death in myself. That is, I am dying daily. When
I go out and I am preaching the gospel, he says, I am already
resigned that somebody is going to kill me. Now some would say
that is a negative way to look at things, but Paul did not look
at it like that. as a negative thing, but he looked
at it as a positive thing. He said, for me to live is Christ
and to die is gain. But he said, I'm already resigned
unto death. He says, I'm not expecting to live a long life. I'm not expecting
to go off into retirement and write my memoirs. He said, you
know, he could see the handwriting on the wall because the message
that Paul was preaching was hated by everybody except the handful
of people whom the Lord was pleased to raise up and give them a love
for Christ because there were many false professors in this
day. There were many false teachers
that had already arisen. There were many who went about
trying to destroy the work of Paul and raise up followings
for themselves. He told the Ephesian elders that
that was going to happen. He said, there's some of you
standing here, and he says, of your own selves that there's
going to be men that's going to rise up to draw away disciples
after them. Men like to have followings.
They like for people to listen to what they say. They won't
like being the big dog on the block, you know. I mean, that's
just human nature. It's the way it is. And apart
from the grace of God constraining a man, as He constrained the
Apostle Paul, to have one purpose and one desire, and that was
to speak the truth as it was in Christ and let the chips fall
where they may. If people liked it, good. If
they didn't, that was all right too. And so He says here, that
we are comforted in the midst of our tribulation. There are
many troubles, but we are comforted. The thing that comforts us is
the same thing that comforts you. If you be followers of Christ,
He said, I am comforted by the same thing that comforts you,
and that is the gospel. And though in a measure we can
comfort one another, We comfort one another in the Gospel because
we don't comfort one another when we get together to talk
about the football game, do we? I mean, we might have some enjoyment
in that in the flesh, but that's not a thing that's of any comfort
or lasting value. We know that such things as that
pass away in a moment, so that can't be of any lasting use to
us. But he said, we're comforted.
For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation
aboundeth. by Christ. And whether we be
afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation. See, he said our
whole purpose in going through doing what we are doing is for
your benefit. Paul is saying we are giving
ourselves unto you. In the enduring of the same sufferings
which we also suffer, or whether we be comforted, it is for your
consolation and salvation. So he is saying that is what
our mutual benefit is to one another. And as we rejoice in
the gospel, he says, as we rejoice as the Lord has sent me to declare
it, and my rejoicing is seeing that you embrace it. Not that
you embrace my words, but that you embrace the Christ that I
am preaching. And our hope of you is steadfast. knowing that as ye are partakers
of the suffering, so shall ye be also of the consolation."
As you understand that and you grasp that, he says, you are
also benefited even if you are partakers of the same suffering
or you are helping me to bear my sufferings as you recognize
those things that have come upon us. For we would not, brethren,
have you ignorant. of our trouble which came to
us in Asia." He said, we've hit some hard times and it's not
been easy. In fact, I believe it's to the
Ephesians, one of the letters, I should have made note of this,
but he speaks about having fought with beasts in Ephesus. Now, he could have reference
to fighting with beasts, men, you know, that are fighting against
the gospel, but I believe he has reference to having fought
with real beasts. Because this was the time when
the Romans, you know, were having a great sport with Christians
and putting them to death in these arenas where they'd put
wild animals in there and have them fight with them and all
that kind of stuff. And evidently Paul was involved
in some of that stuff. He said, don't matter to me.
He said, whatever it comes, it comes. He says, I'm already good
as dead, so I'm just going to do whatever it is that the Lord
has sent me. For we had, that we were pressed
out of measure, he said, our trouble that came, we were pressed
out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even
of life. In other words, we figured this
was it. We were like Daniel in the lions'
den. Now do you think Daniel had a
a restful night when he was in the lion's den? No, probably
not. He was probably figuring any
minute one of those things was going to eat him. But you see,
they couldn't eat him, could they, because it wasn't ordained
of God. But you see, the trial was ordained
for his benefit, and the trial was ordained here for Paul's
benefit, that he might be an example unto the Corinthians. He said, but we have the sentence
of death in ourselves that we should not trust in ourselves.
Now if you, if the state has passed, let's say for instance
you were ordained to be executed, And, you know, you're lined up
on death row and you're next in line. You don't have anything
to do with that, do you? There's not a thing in the world
you can do about it. Now, I know legally there's,
you know, people behind the scenes doing other, but you can't really
do anything if nobody does. If the sentence doesn't come
or the help doesn't come from outside of yourself, you're done
for. Paul said the same thing. He
said we already have the sentence of death in ourselves, that we
should not trust in ourselves. We are already despaired of life,
so that is it. So that we should not trust in
ourselves, but in the God which raiseth the dead. Now that is
our hope, is it not? I mean our hope is not in what
the doctors can do for us. Now, I've read all these things,
people saying, oh, in a few years they're going to have pills you
can take and you can live to be 200 years old or whatever.
Well, you know, what if you can live to be 200 or 300? I mean, I'm going to tell you
what, if I feel incrementally the aches and pains that I feel
now, At 65, I hate to think what I'll feel like when I'm 300.
I won't even be able to get out of bed in the morning. But anyway,
our trust is not in that. Our trust is not in this world.
I mean, who wants to live 500 years in this world surrounded
by the stuff. Can you imagine having to put
up with the stuff that you put up with day by day for 500 years? I mean, that would be a tough
thing, would it not? Now, you know, if everything
is going great, who wouldn't want to live 500 years? You know, if you was in the Garden
of Eden and everything was great, but you know where sin is, it
takes the joy away from you. And as a man, you know, is acquainted
with the heartaches and things of life and the troubles that
surround him, he can't have any trust if he is awakened by the
Spirit of God in anything but Him that raiseth the dead, who
delivered us from so great a death and doth deliver, in whom we
trust that He will yet deliver us. The normal way that people
look at this passage of Scripture, or I say the normal way, the
way that I've often heard it spoke of and others look at it
this way, and I'm not saying this isn't possibly what Paul
is speaking about, but I have a little different understanding
of what he's saying here than generally. When he speaks here
of it delivered from so great a death and doth deliver, in
whom we trust that he will yet deliver us. I don't think he's
talking about physical death. Now that's usually what most
people mean is that this greater death would have been to have
actually died. But I don't think that's what
he's talking about. I think what he's talking about is that we
have been delivered from the greater death, which is the second
death. We've been delivered from the
death of destruction, That is the great death, would it not
be? And if we trust in Him that has delivered us from the greater
death, then all these other things do not make any difference anyway.
What can dying be if we have been delivered from the greater
death? It would not be anything. And so I believe that is what
he is saying here. Who delivered us from so great
a death and does deliver. We see that continual deliverance. Paul knew that he wasn't going
to always be delivered from physical death, didn't he? I mean, he
knew that one of these times, in fact, he confessed to Timothy,
he says, the time of my departure is ahead. He's already come.
So he couldn't say that anymore? Well, no, because this is not
what he's talking about. He's talking about being delivered
from the greater death, which would be to be destroyed, would
be to cast out from the presence. And he says, we trust that He
won't yet deliver us. Because faithful is he that hath
begun a good work in you, who will also do it. He will continue
it to the end. And so He says we have trust.
He has delivered us from the great death, and we believe He
will yet deliver us from it, because that is our confidence.
You also help Him together by prayer for us, that for the gift
bestowed upon us by the means of many persons, thanks may be
given by many on our behalf. Of course, as he came to the
Corinthians and as he came to the other churches, he was raising
funds and money to give to the saints at Jerusalem and in other
places where they were being persecuted. And so he is speaking
here to them that the gift that was given to them By the means
of many persons, thanks may be given by many on our behalf."
In other words, he says, we are glad to see that this is taking
place. For our rejoicing is this, the
testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity,
not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have
had our conversation in the world and more abundantly to you. For
we write none other things unto you than what ye read or acknowledge,
and I trust ye shall acknowledge even to the end. As also ye have
acknowledged us in part, that we are your rejoicing, even as
ye also are ours in the day of Jesus Christ." He said the thing
that makes me happy is to consider that you are walking in the faith
even as you express that you have the same consideration of
me. And so he says, I am not writing
anything to you that is different or new, even though, as we read
on in this chapter, I believe there is evidence that there
were some who had come among the Corinthians trying to undermine
the work of Paul. and to tell the Corinthians,
well, he's not really got your best interest at heart. But he's
saying, yes, I do have your best interest at heart. And in this
confidence, I was minded to come unto you before that you might
have a second benefit. That is, I wanted to come by
and see you. He was prevented from doing that.
He said, it was my intention. Now, evidently, some had come
along and told them, well, you know, Paul said he was coming
to buy, but he didn't. He said, it was my intention.
He said, in this confidence I was of a mind to come unto you before
that you might have a second blessing, benefit by my coming
to you, and to pass by you into Macedonia, and to come again
out of Macedonia unto you, and to be brought on my way toward
Judea. So I wanted to come see you before
I went to Macedonia, and then when I was coming out of Macedonia,
all the way back to Judea, I wanted to come by and see you. But it
did not work out that way. When I therefore was thus minded,
did I use likeness, or the things that I purpose, do I purpose
according to the flesh, that with me there should be yea,
yea, and nay, nay. Now what that means, when somebody
says yea, yea, and nay, nay, that means, well, you do not
know whether they are saying yes or no. It means they're wishy-washy. He says, I'm not wishy-washy.
I intended to come by and see you. Some have said this is what
I am speaking, yea, yea, and nay, nay. Well, Paul, he didn't
mean that. He's all the time saying stuff that he doesn't
mean. He says, I mean what I say. And he says, I meant to do it,
but I thought, do I use likeness? I mean, have I just said these
things? Now, one thing that you find among the Much of the preaching
of our day is that people will say whatever they need to say
to make people like it. Paul said, I didn't use likeness.
He says, I said what I'm going to say. I'm not speaking yea,
yea, and nay, nay. But as God is true, our word
toward you was not yea and nay. It wasn't one thing one time
and one thing the next, but it was the same every time. For the Son of God, Jesus Christ,
who was preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and
Timotheus, was not yea and nay, but in Him was yea." There was
one thing, one message, Jesus Christ and Him crucified. He
said whether it was Silvanus coming to preach to you or it
was Timothy, He said we've all preached the same message for
all the promises of God, in Him are ye, and in Him, Amen, unto
the glory of God by us. Now, you know, speaking about
this matter of lightness, when Paul says, When I therefore was
thus minded, did I use lightness? Now, if something is light, that means
that it's kind of like watered down, doesn't it? I mean, light
beer is basically watered down beer. You know, whatever something's
light, that means it's not the full thing. And, you know, as
I analyze and look around me, and it's certainly not anything
to do with me or anything else, but I can make observations,
that's what we have today, by and large, is Christianity light. You can't say that there's not
anything of the gospel. in what is preached on every
hand. There is some of the gospel preached,
but it's kind of like a light sort of a way of it. It's not
about, you know, that which causes the heart of the man to struggle
to see himself for what he is. I mean, most people have a very
lighthearted consideration of sin in the present time. It's kind of a glib thing. Oh,
well, we were sinners, but we're not sinners anymore. Now we're
just rejoicing every day in the Lord. Well, you know, that's
not reality, is it? Because when the Word of God
comes into the heart of a man, as Paul said, we are continually
brought to that place to say, oh, woe is me. Who shall deliver
me from the body of this death? I mean, we're constantly faced
with it day after day after day. We see ourselves for what we
are. And so it is that this is not a light-hearted thing. Like
a lot of people want to make it out, you know, just everything
is happy and light and fluffy and, you know, dah, dah, dah,
dah, dah, dah, dah. I mean that is kind of the way
it is. It is just kind of like we are whistling in the dark.
We are whistling past the graveyard. Everything is going to be all
right. We are going to all think positive and it is wonderful,
you know. Just have faith. That is all
you have got to have. But you see the Word of God is
quick, powerful. sharper than any two-edged sword,
piercing asunder even to the dividing of soul and spirit.
It's that which gets in the heart and it cuts like a sharp knife. And it cuts and cuts away the
things that aren't pleasing unto the Lord. It shows those things
to us, does it not? And it just keeps cutting. Now
why does He keep cutting? Because there's plenty of stuff
to show you. That's the reason why you never get to the place
where you don't have a problem with sin, is because sin is ever-present
with you. And you might not know it today,
but He'll show it to you tomorrow. And He'll continue to show you
what you are in comparison with Christ. And I believe that a
lot of You know, it really all boils down to how we view Christ. I mean, if you've got a low view
of Christ, then you think, well, you may be acting like Christ.
Well, we're supposed to be like the Lord. Well, how are we going
to be like the Lord? Well, every time I look at the
Lord, I realize I ain't even close. I'm not even able to untie
His shoes. You know, how can I compare myself
to Him? And so it is that the Spirit
of God is not yea and nay, is not light, but it is yea, and
it is always pointing us to Christ for all the promises of God.
In Him are yea, and in Him are amen unto the glory of God by
us. Now He which establisheth us with you in Christ and hath
anointed us is God. who hath also sealed us and given
the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts." This is a reality. He said we are not making this
up. The Spirit of God works in us, both the will and to do of
His good pleasure. He is at work in us and He has
given us the earnest of the Spirit in our heart. The Spirit bears
witness that we are the sons of God. Now some people take
that Scripture, the Spirit beareth witness that we are the sons
of God, and they try to twist it into being that, well, every
day I have, throughout the day every day, I never have any doubts
or fears that I'm one of the children of God because the Spirit
beareth witness that I'm one of the sons of God. But that's
not how the Spirit beareth witness. The Spirit of God bears witness
in the people of God that we are the sons of God because He
works in us a perfect work of showing us what we are. And that
produces sometimes, because of our unbelief, doubts and fears
as to whether or not we are the sons of God. That is a natural
and normal reaction. of the work of the Spirit of
God in the hearts of God's people. Now, the goal is not that we
be doubting every day. The goal is that we be believing.
But when the Spirit of God convinces us of sin, righteousness, and
judgment, and this old flesh is conflicted with that, that's
where the doubts and fears come in. And it's a normal thing But
it is the work of the Spirit of God that causes us to ever
be looking to Christ. We know where our hope is, do
we not? My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. And the Spirit of God bears witness
to the people of God that that's true. We don't go over and start
looking for something else. Well, I wonder whether or not
I really am one of God's people. Well, I don't start going over
to the Buddhist temple to start going there to find out if they've
got something for me. No, because the Spirit of God
bears witness in my heart that we are the children of God. And
it is the things of God that are precious to us. He's sealed
us, given us the earnestness of the Spirit in our hearts.
Moreover, I call God for record upon my soul that to spare you
I came not as yet unto Corinth. Now he's telling them why he
didn't come. by on his first trip. He went straight on to Macedonia
rather than stopping by them on the way. He says, Why came
not as yet unto Corinth? And then he goes on in the first
verse of the second chapter to say why. He said, But I determined
this within myself, that I would not come unto you in heaviness.
For if I make you sorry, who is this Is He then that maketh
me glad, but the same which is made sorry by me? Now evidently
this matter, Paul had pretty well raked them over the coals
in the first epistle, did he not? And this thing was still
fresh on their mind and his. And he didn't want to come back
and revisit that again. So he said, I decided it would
be best if I just went on to Macedonia and then I'll come
back again. So that's why. that I came not
unto you, that I might spare you that. Not for that we have
dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy, for
by faith you stand." He says, I want to encourage you. He says,
every time I come, I don't want to bring you some heavy, dark
message to you. I want to bring a message of
help and hope to you. I want to lift you up, build
you up. Not that I'm going to preach something different, but
he said, let's get a restart, he said, and I want you to quit
listening to these people that would make you doubt that I care
about your benefit because I've spoken harshly to you, because
I love you, he said, and I don't have dominion over your faith.
Now those who would take to themselves, you know, followings, and those
that would heap to themselves teachers having itching ears,
they're just listening to somebody. They want somebody to have dominion
over their faith. He says, I don't want to have
dominion over your faith. He says, don't believe what you
believe because I said to believe it. He says, I don't want you
just to be a follower of Paul. He says, I want you to be a follower
of Christ. But we're just helpers of your
joy, for by faith ye stand.