Before God In Christ

Again, thank ye that we excuse ourselves unto you. We speak before God in Christ, but we do all things dearly beloved for your edifying. 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, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults, and lest when I come again my God will humble me among you, that I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed. Let's pray. Lord, as we look into this passage of your word, I pray your presence and blessing upon the preaching and the hearing. Bless our hearts with an understanding, Lord, of the depth of our sin and depravity and the need, Lord, to look to you in all things. just to have faith by your grace, Lord. We pray that you'd increase our faith, that we'd look away more and more from this world and from our own wretched nature, and look to you, Lord, and serve you. We need your grace and your presence tonight to teach us, Lord, and we ask for it in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, amen.

Now, in this first sentence that Paul asks, again, think ye that we excuse ourselves unto you, and you know the story if you've been here during the last several studies in 2 Corinthians here, that Paul was being maligned, he was being spoken ill of in the church at Corinth because they said that his bodily presence was weak, that he wasn't an impressive religious theologian, power of positive, you know how they are, dynamic.

He wasn't the dynamic personality that that his preaching wasn't motivational and things like that. We know what it was because we see it now in our day. And he is defending his ministry, the ministry that the Lord gave him, And in doing so, often he said, this is folly, I shouldn't be defending myself, and yet you forced me to, you forced me to do it.

But here he's asking this question, do you think I'm just excusing, am I just making excuses for your perceptions? The intimation here being that if Paul's personal reputation was all that was at stake here, then he wouldn't bother. I'm not just excusing myself. I'm not making excuses personally for me as a man, but as an apostle of Jesus Christ now. He represents the Son of God. It's not his personal reputation he's trying to save. He's not just making excuses. He's trying to get their thinking right and their minds correctly on the ministry of Christ and how it's conducted and what it consists of.

And it's not dynamic, impressive speaking. It's not burdening the people of God, as clearly he that the false prophets were doing, both with the law, religion burdens people with the law, as we talked about a couple of lessons ago, and they burden people financially. And neither of those is attuned with the gospel and the ministry of Christ. So as the ambassador of Jesus Christ unto them, His reputation was a reflection upon his master. And that's a whole different consideration.

Now I'm making excuses for myself. What are you doing then, Paul? Speaking before God in Christ and doing everything dearly beloved for your edification, not for the clearing up of my standing personally, but for your edification. If I am discredited, then the gospel I preach is going to be discredited among you, and that's not for your edification. The Lord, the Savior that I preach, as opposed to the false Christ that they preach, is going to be discredited, and that's not for your edification. So what I'm doing is for His sake, not mine.

That's the elemental I guess the essence of this, and as believers, this is a lesson for us because as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, our actions and words are to be circumspect, we're to be careful at all times and consider who we represent in this world.

That's taught all through the New Testament now. We don't want to be a stumbling block to anyone because of our own personal drawbacks to keep it nice, and have them reflect poorly upon the ministry that the Lord has given us here and upon Himself, the Lord Jesus Himself. Now this passage that I'm about to read with you, if you want to start turning to 1 Timothy chapter 3 please, This is specifically for preachers. You can tell in the language of it that he's talking about preachers of the gospel. But I don't think anybody would argue that those things listed here and spoken of here, nobody's going to say that they don't apply to all believers, because they do. We all represent our Lord Jesus in this world as witnesses of him.

So 1 Timothy 3.2, Bishop, that's, you know, talking about somebody that's given charge over some of the Lord's sheep, must be blameless. He must be blameless. And that doesn't mean sinless. It's not the same thing as sinless.

What it is, is don't conduct yourself in such a way that people have legitimate concerns about your commitment or about your message. Don't be wishy-washy about it. Don't contradict yourself. Don't allow your life to contradict what you preach. And that's blameless. The husband of one wife, in that day there was need to mention that. Vigilant. Always vigilant about representing the Lord in his ministry. Sober. Of good behavior. You see, all of this is very all-encompassing. Of good behavior.

Don't be a troublemaker. Don't be always having an ulterior motive in everything that you do. Don't be having worldly motives in what you do. Live a simple life of God-honoring, honest work, and desire to honor Him in all things. Apt to teach. Not just negative things, not just, don't be that, don't do that, don't be that, but do this. Teach. be as a witness of the Lord Jesus Christ. Teach, not just demean. People love to demean others, but they're not real excited about teaching, being gentle and patient with people. It's not our nature to do that, but it is our calling to do that.

Not given to wine, that doesn't mean you can't have a glass of wine with dinner. It's not given to wine. You use the wine, don't let the wine use you. Given to wine is a pretty strong statement. No striker, don't be a brawler, don't be greedy, a filthy lucre. You know, whatever the Lord gives us. And that doesn't mean don't work hard and don't try to be successful. Do be successful. Meet your goals. Be ambitious, there's nothing wrong with that as long as it's for his glory. As long as it's. Under the auspices of being a child of God. Patient.

These are all things that are against our nature, isn't it? A brawler, not overbearing. Doesn't necessarily mean you just go around fighting, you know, starting to fight with everybody all the time, you know. But it means verbal fights, emotional fights. Don't be overbearing. and oppressive, not covetous, not greedy of filthy lucre and not covetous.

It's two different things. Greedy of filthy lucre is all that matters to you is money, money, money, promoting self, advancing self. And then covetousness is different. It's hating other people for having what you don't have. Evil. Evil. It's all in our hearts. We ought to recognize it because our hearts are all full of it.

One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity, for if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?" Now that one is clearly specific to preachers in the main sense of it. But again, shouldn't all believers, doesn't the Bible say, raise up your children in the fear and admonition of the Lord?

Train up a child in the way he should go, When he's old, he will not depart from it. Not a novice. We're to grow in grace. Living things grow. So even, obviously again, most important for a preacher not to get up and speak to people when he doesn't know what he's doing. But believers, you'd not long not know what they're saying and doing. We don't want to just languish in ignorance. The Lord teaches us things. We're not ever going to know anything as we ought to know. We're full of sin and we're in the body of this death.

But does that mean we should just abandon any idea of learning of the Savior and hearing messages not, you know, just to, and I want to say this right, but, you know, we, It's not a classroom, it's a worship service. It's attributing worthiness unto God. It's a question of honor unto Him, primarily. But also, we're to learn of Him, take His yoke upon us and learn of Him, and find rest, and be able to teach others also, as the Scripture says in another place. Being lifted up with pride, must he fall into the condemnation of the devil."

Notice that it's a novice that is most likely, it's somebody that doesn't know what they're doing or saying, that's most likely to pop off about how much they know. It's the person that doesn't do anything, that doesn't help with anything, that's most likely to pop off about how much he does. Pride.

Those who possibly could confess, honestly, some ability, they're not going to brag about it, not if they're believers. They're not going to say anything about that. They're going to be servants of the Lord in whatever way He would use them. And I could name you many examples of this and not say a word about it. It's the ones that don't do anything and don't know anything that pop off. Moreover, you must have a good report of them that are without. Even unbelievers should not have any complaints against you.

If we're kind and patient and apt to teach and understanding, then also the Lord said, those that love him, he'll make even your enemies to be at peace with you. So it's the Lord doing it. It's against their nature to be nice to you, but they're going to do it anyway, because the Lord's going to see to it. And when they're not, you know why they're not.

Because they hate your Savior, not just you. That puts you in excellent company. Have a good report, lest you fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. Now Paul, again, he's not worried about being well-received and thought of as a man, but as a representative of the Savior. He was jealous over that honor that's due his master.

And that should always be our concern also as believers. If people reproach us for Christ's sake, then that's inevitable. The Lord said they would. They hate me, they're gonna hate you too. That doesn't mean that there, that doesn't contradict what he said about making your enemies to be at peace with you. If it came right down to it, and I whipped out a Bible and started telling everybody at work how horrible they are and how they're going to hell for about 9,000 reasons, then we're going to have trouble. But the Lord, that's not the The way that believers present themselves, they're examples in the faith, and if somebody asks, Scripture says, be ready for them that ask to give a reason for the hope that lies within you. And just in our behavior, in these things that we just talked about, don't do and do, you're gonna stick out like a sore thumb in any crowd, in any group, in any work staff, anywhere you go.

And people may just ask you about it. And the Lord may give you an opportunity to honor Him in that way. But you see the difference? He said, I'm not making excuses for me. doing this for your edification so that you won't discredit me, discredit the ministry, discredit my savior when your only hope is my savior. It's for your good. So it's inevitable that we reproach for Christ's sake.

But don't get it wrong. If you're going to reproach me for Christ's sake, don't get it wrong. Don't lie. Don't distort things. Don't level personal attacks that are maliciously false because you don't like me. That we're going to have to correct. Paul's setting the record straight on that.

This behavior, the good behavior that it's talking about, that's not talking about being a goody-two-shoes and saying, have a blessed day and thank you, Jesus, every time something happens. That's not what it's talking about either. It's about being true to the Lord and his gospel. It's about being a faithful ambassador of Jesus Christ in this world. It's about godly living as the scripture details it, not as religion touts it or practices it. Our Lord told us specifically not to be like them. Don't be religious. Don't wear your religion on your sleeve.

Just be a good person. If you're a painter, be a good painter. If you're an electrician, be a good electrician. Be good at what you do and be patient and gentle and honest and helpful to people and represent your Lord in that way, not in foolish religious clichés.

That's not the gospel, that's not our Lord. The second phrase in the verse, as we've already kind of touched on it, not Paul's personal reputation, but his Lord's, And also, what's at stake is the ministry of the Word. We speak of Christ. We speak before God in Christ. It's what we say. They couldn't leave the Savior because he had the words of eternal life. Paul's saying, don't despise me because I preach the words of eternal life.

That's paramount in the consideration of you not giving anyone reason to charge you with anything or malign you about anything because you need to be out of the way of the gospel of Christ. Don't get in the way of that. Don't get between a sinner and the Savior. Don't get between a sinner and the gospel that's their only hope.

And that's what these false preachers were doing, and that's what the ones that followed the false preachers were doing. You discredit, again, Paul, then you've discredited his ministry. And that ministry is life. It's life and death. He said it's the spirit of life unto life to some, and death unto death to others. But it's a victory in Christ because it's a sweet-smelling savor of Christ unto God, and that cannot be allowed to be ignored or to be evil spoken of.

That's why Paul is jumping up here and saying what he's saying, writing what he's writing, and fixing to come to them and deal with this matter. If people are turned against Paul over stupid things, then they're not going to hear Paul's gospel, and that gospel is the gospel unto salvation. It's by the preaching of that gospel that God is pleased to save sinners.

Think what you want of me as an individual, but don't ever stand between a sinner and the gospel of the Savior. Don't be a stumbling block. I'll read this to you because it's short, but listen, Matthew 23, 13, but woe unto you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites.

The word hypocrites we've mentioned before is the word for an actor. in a play. So they're religious on the outside, they're playing a part. Why do you think they would do that? Same reason an actor plays a part, to get paid. That's what the false preachers are doing too, they're doing it to get paid, because people love a holy atmosphere and holy sounding words that are empty as they can be, Christless, bloodless, rhetoric And so he calls them hypocrites here, but woe unto you for many reasons, our Lord said in different passages, but here, for you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men. You see, these false preachers, that's what Paul is saying. What we're preaching is the gospel of Christ. That's why this is so important. I'm not just making excuses so that I'll look better. The gospel's at stake here.

And our Lord is saying, you being religious, but leading people away from the true Christ of the Bible, you've shut up the kingdom of heaven against men, for you neither go in yourselves, neither suffer you them that are entering to go in. You're determined to go to hell. You hate the Savior so much and you're going to take as many people with you as you can with your false preaching, with your preaching for doctrines, the commandments of men.

So you see how Paul is. One of the ways that men are not suffered to enter the kingdom is by the opposition to the truth that is mounted by such as these false prophets. That had entered the church at Corinth. Our Lord called them out, and Paul is calling them out. And he's telling the people, this isn't about me.

It's about you, it's for your edification, also a lesson to us. Don't be a hindrance to the gospel. Let's never let our petty grievances, and this is gonna take conscious understanding from God, and conscious and deliberate behavior. When the scripture says endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, it don't just happen by accident.

Now, it should. Well, we have everything in common, but our old nature is going to be involved in it, too. And so it's an endeavor. You're going to have to think about it. Is this stupid thing I'm saying to make somebody mad? It's going to make me feel good because, boy, I really got it. But is it going to be a hindrance to the ministry of the gospel of Christ? petty personal issues. And I've seen people destroy or attempt to destroy the reputations of pastors, preachers of the gospel over petty personal issues.

And often they'll try to draw others away with them. Just like the Pharisees. You're not satisfied with just hating Christ and going the opposite direction from him, but you want everybody you know to go with you to hell. The preaching of the gospel is bigger than our petty disputes and grievances. And Paul addresses that in the next verse, doesn't he? Disputes, grievance, disruption, division. In fact, and I don't want to just again say the negative side of it, don't be a stumbling block to anybody, but be far from that, be an encouragement, be a supporter, be a fellow laborer in the gospel.

That's what Paul called the house of Stephanus, addicted to the ministry was the phrase he used for them. The house of Stephanus, must be like that. Fellow laborers in the gospel. Paul tells us here why he was so adamant in defending himself, not as a man, not as a person himself, but not making excuses for himself, but was magnifying the ministry for the purpose of edifying these people.

The last part of verse one, the Lord had sent him to minister to them, an edification building up False, the Antichrist, is tearing down. Paul's business was building it up by God's grace and design and blessing. It was not good for them to be disillusioned about his gospel. It was not good for them to give audience to Antichrist religion, false prophets.

And so for their good, Paul points them back to Christ. Before God, we speak in Christ. It's for your edification, not just to make petty excuses for myself. I remember these words from the previous chapter. If you would turn with me to this one, 2 Corinthians 11. This is one chapter back from where we are in this letter to the Corinthians.

2 Corinthians 11.1 Same letter, same part of the same letter.

Would to God you could bear with me a little in my folly. And again, what he refers to as his folly is the defense of himself against those who were causing discontent in the church and personally calling him out. Which is what everybody does when they hate you and they hate Christ and they can't doctrinally find any fault, because you're preaching it right from the gospel. So they pick personal attacks, don't they? Every time. I've seen that several times in my life.

Would to God you could bear with me a little in my folly. And indeed, bear with me. For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy. For I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your mind should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

You see the context of our text. This whole endeavor of defending himself, but not making excuses for Paul the man, But defending himself as an apostle of Jesus Christ and those who would discredit him, discredit his ministry, it's because there's a fear. Because in doing that and listening to the false prophets, their minds will be corrupted from the simplicity. Paul's bodily presence was weak. He wasn't an impressive man. He wasn't an impressive speaker. He wasn't dynamic.

That's why it's called the simplicity that is in Christ, all-inclusiveness that is in Christ. And that's what Paul's trying to turn everybody back to, the simplicity, the all-inclusiveness that's in Christ. If you attend worship because you think the preacher is a dynamic speaker, and you get a lot out of what he says because of that, you're not worshiping God. Worship is attributing worthiness unto God and his son, not the preacher. I've told you this probably a bunch of times over the years, but I talked to a man that he was bragging on his preacher, believe it or not, and he said, he's so smart, I can't even understand what he's saying.

I'm like, why are you going there then? What's the point of it? He's too smart. God doesn't use smart people. Have you noticed that in the scripture? He deliberately chose the foolish and the weak and the despised and the things which are not to bring to naught the things that are, to bring down into the dust everybody that thinks they're somebody. Everybody's not somebody in this church. Everybody's a bunch of nobodies. That doesn't attract this world.

But if you're sitting here, you know that's true. That's why we're here. Because we need a Savior. We need the Savior. We're poor as Paul and David in his Psalms. Lord, I'm poor and lowly in spirit. I'm nothing. I need you. So there were many in that church. They weren't impressed with Paul's speaking ability. Fine. That's not what preaching is for.

Turn with me, please, to 1 Corinthians 2. Once we look at this passage of scripture, make a couple of comments. Maybe I just have two very short points on verses 20 and 21 after that. So it feels a little warm in here to me. Maybe you are too. And we'll, we'll be through in a minute.

First Corinthians two, one and I brethren, when I came to you came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God, all the things they were saying that were supposed to be bad things about Paul, Paul made sure it was that way.

He deliberately didn't want to impress anybody with his flesh. He was a well, highly educated man. I suspect he could have been a lot more dynamic than he was, and he deliberately. Excellency of speech? Not interested. Not the point. Wisdom? My preacher's too smart, I can't even understand him? What use is that? I didn't come to you with wisdom of man, the wisdom of man. I came to declare unto you the testimony of God, and I determined, I made up my mind from the start by God's grace, not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. That's it. He is the gospel. He is the good news. He is salvation. He is life. He is the way. He is the truth. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. There's nothing to me. And if there is anything to me, I'm going to do my best to shut it down. I determined not to impress anybody. And 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.

The gospel is the power of God unto salvation to all them that believe. Verse 20 in our text, where Christ is preached and sinners come, Let's read the verse. 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. So nobody's going to like what they see when we get together again. That's my fear. That there's going to be grudges, that there's going to be complaints and bitterness. He describes it in all these things, debates and envying's.

Where Christ is preached, And sinners come before God to meet in the presence of His Son, to be fed, yes, but primarily to worship Him. As I've said so many times, it's not just what you can get out of it, although believers get everything out of it. If you need any comfort, if you need assurance, If you need peace, if you need perspective on all of life and everything about it, Christ is that perspective. Christ is that peace.

He said, take my yoke and learn of me and find rest. You know how bad this world needs rest in their minds and hearts? that it just happens one way, and it's the last thing a sinner will ever do, is submit to the Lord Jesus Christ, and just hear Him. God spoke from heaven, as far as I know, just one time, and you know what He said? Here, my son, listen to my son, what's this world doing? They've shut up their ears, shut off their hearts, walled off their hearts, Let's don't be like that.

When we're hurting, when we're in trouble, whatever it is, when things are going just as smooth as silk, whatever, worship. Not just about what you get, it's about what you, it's about honoring the Lord. It's about showing up and actually caring about the ministry of the Savior and honoring Him, attributing worthiness to Him. Thank you, Lord, thank you. My house will be called a house of prayer, prayers of thanksgiving, prayers of devotion and honor. And asking. You know, David and his prayers that were expressed in song, he asked for things like, Lord, give me peace, lift me up. I'm desperate. I'm desperate. It wasn't little things. It was big things.

It wasn't selfish things except in the spiritual sense of crying out in desperation, protect me from my enemies, protect me from the pride of my own heart. But where he's preached and we just come to worship him and be fed and Christ is all, There's going to be fellowship and unity and peace and contentment with Christ. There is no place there for disputes and debates and envy or division or any such thing. We know where all that comes from, don't we?

Don't ever forget this verse. Don't ever forget it. It's an easy one to remember. Proverbs 13, 10, only by pride cometh contention. Did I say it loud enough? My voice gets really soft sometimes. Only by pride cometh contention. Only by pride. If you're nothing, and Spurgeon said, be content to be nothing because that's what you are. And that's not a low self-esteem thing.

That's just realizing that whatever you are, what Paul said was, I am what I am by the grace of God. By the grace of God, not by my own works or by my own ability or by my own wisdom, my own strength. I am what I am by God's grace. He said, when I'm weak, When I'm in the dust, when I'm in submission and looking up to Him, that's when I'm strong. Strong in the Lord. But only by pride. Let's remember that one. In the gospel, in the salvation of a sinner, in the worship of God, where is glorying? The scripture says it is excluded. It is excluded.

Because of the problem that Paul is dealing with in this letter, he feared that when he got there to Corinth that there would be trouble, when there should be rejoicing and worship. He was afraid there'd be turmoil when there should be peace. The other thing that he feared in verse 21, that there'd be unrepentant sin, there'd be people who had committed terrible things that you can read the first and second letters to the Corinthians in the scripture and see what they're about, what they are, what he's referring to, and they'd be unrepentant in that, they'd be proudful in that rather than They go together, disputing, fussing, arguing, fighting, because in both cases, it is a defiance of God. These are sins of pride. You say, well, this sexual stuff, what has that got to do with pride?

David murdered Uriah the Hittite. and took Bathsheba, because he was Big King David, and he determined, I can have whatever I want. I can have whatever I want. And I don't care who lives or dies. I don't care who's shamed and broken over it. I'm the king. That's every one of us by nature.

All sin is sin of pride. And I'll tell you this, you can bet that when someone has a problem in the worship, that's not all that's going on with them. A sinner who, by God's grace, is submissive to the Lord's will in life will reflect that in matters of worship. A sinner who is troubled with regard to the worship, always questioning, always causing upset, always imposing themselves above others rather than what the scripture says, to prefer others better than yourself. And you can bet that in other walks of life, that same pride is being manifest.

Submission to God and his son, his word, his will is all or nothing. So you see how these two verses go together. May this be our constant prayer and practice by the grace of God. Ephesians 4, last verse, if you'll turn there, we'll be through. Ephesians 4, 1, may this be our prayer. Ephesians 4, 1, I therefore the prisoner of the Lord beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you're called with all lowliness.

You know, when this world talks about walking worthy, they're thinking about being puffed up and proud of, you know, I'm the man, you know. The way you walk worthy of your calling is to get down in the dust as far as you can and worship and praise the Savior. with all loneliness and meekness and long-suffering, forbearing one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace. You think about what we have in common as believers. There's one body, one Spirit, one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is above all and through all, Now what else matters than all that? Here's the thing now, according to what Paul said in these last couple of verses here in 20 and 21, if Christ is not enough for you on Tuesday, he's not gonna be enough for you on Sunday either. If Christ is all to you as you walk through this world, then he will be here too.

Paul was afraid if he came there, it was going to be ugly. He didn't want that. He didn't want that. So for their edification, he's beseeching them. He's turning their minds and hearts back to the simplicity that's in Christ. May the Lord keep us there. Amen.

Before God In Christ

Sermon Transcript

About Chris Cunningham

Comments

Articles

Featured Authors

Podcast

Sermons

Featured Preachers

Books

Browse by Format

Music

Recent Comments

About

Legal

Subscribe

Account

Articles

Featured Authors

Podcast

Recent Comments

Sermons

Featured Preachers

Books

Browse by Format

Collections

Music

About

Legal

Subscribe

Before God In Christ

Sermon Transcript

About Chris Cunningham

Comments

More from Chris Cunningham

Related Sermons

Articles by Chris Cunningham

Where this book stands in the tradition

Plato

Augustine

The Western Christian Tradition

This Book