Series: Reconciled Sermon Title: Taking the healing road Passage: 2 Corinthians 1:12-2:4 Preacher: Dan Weyerhaeuser Date: 9.17.17 Why are there so many jokes about bad relationships?
Bank robber on the way out of bank asks man, “Did you see me?” The man answers, “Yes.” Bang! He shoots him! Then he looks at a woman and asks, “Did YOU see me?” She says, “No… but my husband did!”
There are bad-marriage jokes, racial jokes, political jokes, church conflict jokes…
Shipwrecked man is found after 30 years alone on a small island. As he is gathering his belongings, one of his rescuers notices a hut. “What is that?” The man replies, “That’s where I go to church.” The rescuer, pointing to another hut next to it asks, “What is that?” The man replies, “That’s where I USED to go to church.”
Sometimes we joke about things that hit a nerve in us. TRUTH: I think there are a lot of jokes about bad relationships because in our world there are a lot of people in bad, or broken, relationships. Relationships are in a bad place on an international level (N. Korea shot a missile over Japan this week), on a n ational level (racial tension in our nation emerged again in St. Louis when Jason Stockley, a white police officer, was acquitted of murder charges over the death of Anthony Smita, a young black man), on a p olitical level broken relationships seems as entrenched as ever, and an i ndividual level. (This week I’ve been with people who’s marriages are falling apart, who’ve had conflict at work, or with their kids). INTERACT WITH THE MESSAGE: Scale from 1-10 : I have a serious relationship breakdown affecting my life. Magic Trick (Cut and restored rope) You are in a relationship, and then something happened that hurt you. When that hurt happened, your trust of that person was broken (cut rope). Where there is no trust, there is no relationship. We try to mend it (tie knot), but we only get so far. And so we’re stuck. YOU? (Wooclap report)
If this is you, it’s good you are in church today! As he writes 2 Corinthians, Paul shows how he responded to broken relationships with people in the church in Corinth.
CONTEXT: Paul was an Apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God (1:1) • He planted the church and was the spiritual father of these brothers and sisters (Acts 18) • After 18 months, he left for Ephesus, where he stayed for two years • Paul writes 1 Corinthians, addressing pastoral issues in the church (spiritual gifts, love, confrontation, etc.) • When Titus returned from delivering the letter, he shared the news that a group of men have arrived in Corinth and caused all kinds of trouble. They claimed to be TRUE apostles of the church in Jerusalem. They were impressive speakers and leaders. They established their influence by created a narrative about Paul that discredited Paul in the eyes of the Corinthians’ which they bought. They actually became EMBARRASSED about Paul. Paul made a “painful visit” to confront this (2:1), which did not go well. He left and wrote another letter (we do not posses) confronting this (2:4) • Many in the church were convicted by this letter. They remembered Paul was their spiritual father whom they trusted, and had “godly sorrow” over how they’d acted (7:5-16) • But not everyone got on board. His detractors accused Paul of being hard to understand (1:13), unreliable (1:17), and other things. • Paul wrote 2 Corinthians as a result.
What we will see is how Paul responds to people who have misunderstood him, painted a narrative about Him that was false, and then treated him like the person they now THOUGHT he was, rather than who he was! We will see what God’s grace looks like in Paul who takes, not the high road, but the healing road. He doesn’t just get defensive and attack, or pull back. He leans IN and God reconciles them. Trick part 2… PROMISE: God can bring healing in your relationships. He can remove the “knot.”
He did with Paul and the Corinthians, and He can with you too. THIS puts Him on display and is His kingdom coming. But there is something YOU must do. Paul’s counsel … Main point: Rely on Christ and respond with love This seems simple, but it is real Christianity! This is taking, more than the “high” road… its taking the HEALING road! Rely on Christ and respond with love. HOW? 3 principles Paul shows us: You rely on Christ and respond with love when you… 1) Respond to the person with simplicity and sincerity, 2) Recall the union you share in Christ, 3) Reconsider your response and do what they need. This is the “healing” road. READ
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Principle one speaks to “Self-review.” (Read 1:12) 1. Respond to the person with simplicity and sincerity (1:12) 2Cor. 1:12 For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you.
2 Corinthians includes the word boast 32 times. Paul doesn’t typically talk about “boasting.” But he does that in THIS book because he contrasts himself with these heretics who are really boastful people. POINT: If Paul HAS to boast, what he boasts about is different. Paul says… 1:12 …OUR boast is this, the testimony of our conscience,
“If we HAVE to find confidence in ANYTHING” Paul says, “it is that we have a clear conscience.” Do you see how different THAT is? Clear about what? …that we behaved in the world with… simplicity and godly sincerity…
Paul was simple to understand because he had only one purpose and that purpose was as plain as day. He wasn’t simplistic... the guy was brilliant! But you never had to wonder with Paul if there was more going on in your interactions with him than he was letting on. You could trust that what he showed you and said to you was the WHOLE story because he behaved with simplicity. Paul ALSO behaved with godly sincerity. Not only were his words and actions simple to understand, but his motives were transparent and utterly sincere. He didn’t pretend to care about you more than he did to influence you… he DID care about you (he nearly lost his life SEVERAL times bringing the gospel to these folks), and he behaved constantly in keeping with that love! He was authentic. When he said he loved you, he did! We see one clear example is last week’s text. Look back to 1:8 and notice something. As Paul described his situation in Asia, he was utterly vulnerable with them. 1:8 For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself.
Have you noticed how rare it is that people say things like this to each other. We were utterly burdened beyond our strength…” WE talk to each other about our strengths our accomplishments our connections. We AREN’T forthcoming with our weaknesses and bad moments in our lives where our weakness was on display. But here Paul is, talking to his spiritual children, not about a moment or triumph, but of despair. This man had moments of weakness and he shared them. THAT’S godly sincerity. (He put them in a letter we are still reading closely 2000 years later!) This was the OPPOSITE of the way that the heretics. THEY behaved… 1:12…by earthly wisdom
You behave by earthly wisdom when you boast about things you have said or done in this world that show you as favorable compared to others… (Your life for mine). W orldly wisdom says if I am better than you, if I am more impressive than you, if I am ahead of you (in my career or my family or my (fill in the blank) then I feel secure… I am established These guys were like that. They were professional orators. When they spoke, they were REALLY good at it and this made them feel secure in this world! They brought credentials (they had “letters of recommendation” they claimed from the apostles in Jerusalem). THESE made them feel secure. T hey charged for their services, which they claimed legitimized their ministry. They felt like these things established them as important. These are the things that gave them “self importance.” In contrast, they said Paul was not as impressive as a public speaker, he didn’t have the same credentials (I’ll come back to that in a few weeks), he didn’t charge for his services. So as the heretics boasted about their impressiveness, they simultaneously created a narrative that said that Paul was an u nsophisticated rookie with no credentials who gave away his services because they were not good enough to sell. THAT’s what earthly wisdom does! And the Corinthians bought it and became embarrassed about Paul. (We are so easily biased!) YET, contrary to THEM, Paul…
3 1:12…behaved by the grace of God and supremely so toward you.
Paul responded to the Corinthians like someone who relied on the grace of God. PA: In your relationships, have you behaved with simplicity and godly sincerity, which you CAN do by the grace of God? Or do you present yourself as one thing when you are actually another thing altogether? Especially when it is with someone with whom you have conflict, s implicity and godly sincerity because you trust God REBUILDS your relationship. PRINCIPLE ONE: Behave with simplicity and sincerity. A second principle comes next in the text. If the first principle asks for self-examination (do I behave with simplicity and godly sincerity?), the second principle asks us how we THINK about the Christian with whom we have conflict. We see in Paul’s example that we should… 2. Recall the union you both share in Christ (1:14, 21-22) When you think of another Christian with whom you are in conflict, what do you think first? Paul wrote to his spiritual children he almost DIED bringing the gospel to, whom he led to Christ over 18 months and established this church as a gift of love to God and them, w ho NOW look at him as an embarrassment. What THEY see when they see Paul REPELS them. If that was YOU, what thoughts would come to YOUR mind when you thought of the Corinthians? But what PAUL remembered first about these people who treated him with contempt… was STILL that they shared Christ. They weren’t ungrateful jerks who happened to be Christians. They were Christian brothers and sister who had an incredible future ahead together, with whom he happened to be in conflict for a short time. Its amazing to see. For example, when he writes these people who are harming him, he recalls they will spend eternity together! He says that… 14… on the day of our Lord Jesus you will boast of us as we will boast of you.
Apparently when Jesus returns, Christians will be interacting with each other about what we did in each other’s lives. On that day we will boast about every good thing they said and did and were to each other during THESE days… every way Jesus affected our relationships! How we interact now will matter to us THEN for us all. KEY While these Christians were discrediting him, Paul saw them still first as sharing eternity together! Q: Can you see how thinking of other Christians as those with whom you will share eternity before Christ changes how you see them NOW… especially when you are in a bad place with them? When we get in a bad place with people, we lose sight of a future we will share before Christ with each other. BUT these days are apparently opportunities to prepare boasting in THOSE days… or not. When Paul thinks of their conflict, he recalls the future they will share together. Is there someone you have been thinking about with whom you are not in a good place? It changes you to stop and remember that long after this issue is past, you will STILL spend eternity together before Christ. Q: What would you do on THIS day that you would be glad for on THAT day?
There are OTHER things Paul recalls that he shares in common with the Corinthians… 21 And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ,
God makes us to stand firm in Christ. HE is the One who makes us secure. Where the heretics tried to be secure because of their skills and credentials, God establishes us in Christ. HE is the guarantor of our relationship with Christ. (Anyone glad for THAT?) Video of category of Hurricane. Category 4 rips the roof off of a house, Category 5 carries it away. None of us have been in one of those, but we do have “hurricanes” in our lives often. One of them is relationships falling apart! How good is it that even in the midst of that, God has established us in Christ, that nothing that comes our way can remove us from being anchored in Him!
POINT: As He has established you in Christ, so He has ALSO established the Christians with whom you are struggling in Christ. We are BOTH established in Christ. ACTUALLY He has established you with them in Christ. THAT changes how you think about them. MORE… and has anointed us,
4 In the Bible something anointed was set apart for God’s holy use (Temple, Priests, etc.). Here, God has anointed you AND He has also anointed t he person with whom you are struggling… He has anointed US! 22 and who has also put his seal on us…
In ancient days, a seal was a wax mark that went on a message. It was a symbol of ownership. We should remember… we do not belong to ourselves! We belong to Him Who died for us. One s eal is on US! and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.
Guarantee could also be translated, “deposit.”
If you buy an $8,000 car and put down a deposit, you can’t give them an “I-owe-you.” You have to give them a portion of what is coming in full. You pay $1000 of the $8000.
Christian, you have received a deposit from God. The Holy Spirit is not just the promise of heaven, but a portion of heaven, Who we have TODAY! Anyone glad for these things? We are established in Christ, He has anointed us, and also put His seal on us and given us His Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee? QKEY He has done all of this, not just to you, but to the Christian with whom you are struggling! If you are going to take the healing road, then recall what you share in common. NOTE: I’m not suggesting that the issues that have divided are not real or important. Next week we’ll talk about honesty as needed for real healing. But we CAN enter those conversations when we get THIS part right first. What YOU MOST treasure in your life if you are a Christian you share in common with the person with whom you are struggling. We follow Christ and are a part of healing broken relationships (as much as its up to us) when 1) we respond with sincerity and simplicity, and 2) recall the union we already share in Christ, and finally… 3. Reconsider your response to do what they need (v. 15-19, 23-24) This passage is confusing, unless you know that Paul is talking about his change of plans with the Corinthians. He left his “painful visit” (2:1) saying he planned to return. However upon reflection, if his “painful visit” didn’t solve things, maybe a letter would be better so they can reflect themselves, which he chose to write instead. His opponents used this to say Paul was flaky. But that wasn’t it! 1:17 Was I vacillating when I wanted to do this? Do I make my plans according to the flesh, ready to say “Yes, yes” and “No, no” at the same time?
The key to understanding though is 1:23…
1:23 But I call God to witness against me—it was to spare you that I refrained from coming again to Corinth. 24 Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy….
Paul wasn’t flaky. He ADJUSTED his response to the Corinthians because that’s what they needed. That’s called love… prominently taking into account where the other person is as you interact with them and adjusting to them is called love. That’s God’s grace in action. We take the healing road when we are willing to adjust to the person with whom we have struggle. Urban legend about the Aircraft Carrier that saw a light in the distance and raised it on the public frequency radio. They couldn’t raise the other ship by radio so they signaled with a light by Morse Code: “On a collision course. Turn 10 degrees to the left.” The person on the other end signaled, “YOU turn 10 degrees to the left.” This went back and forth until the commander said, “I am an admiral and Commander of the Atlantic fleet, YOU turn ten degrees.” The person said, “I’m a petty officer… YOU turn.” “We’re an aircraft carrier, YOU turn!” Answer, “We’re a lighthouse… YOU turn!”
The Admiral felt because he was who he was, everyone else should adjust to him. (That’s what these heretics were like). What was raging in the heretics was pride and boasting, and the more of that you have, the more rigid you become, expecting everyone else to adjust to you and, in its worst forms, getting angry that others don’t (This can actually be narcissistic rage). But here the Apostle Paul was adjusting to the Corinthians, even though they threw him under the bus. TRUTH: GOD adjusted US after Genesis 3. After Adam and Eve sinned, God set in motion a plan that would involve not only redemption and worship through sacrifice, but prophets and priests and kings in the Old Testament who all helped us understand the ultimate prophet, priest, and King, His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, Who would Himself come to earth (THINK about the enormity of the universe God made with His
5 voice and that He shrunk to be one of us), and not only show us God in a way we could understand, but DIE for us… on the cross, the Son of God DIED… for you, so you could be reconciled to God! THAT is adjustment! Adjustments: 1) Perhaps you’ve been hurt and decided its up to them to make it right. Paul didn’t do that… he approached the accusers by grace. 2) Perhaps you have decided what THEIR actions should be… you have created YOUR picture of their making things right, and then judged anything they have said and done as inadequate unless they do what you’ve decided. (This is worse if you have this standard and haven’t told them what it is but expect them to understand). 3) Perhaps THEIR pain hasn’t even occurred to you! Maybe that means trying to understand what has been hard for the other person. Key… Paul adjusted. He made a study of the people with whom he was in conflict and he adjusted to them. His heart in all of this… 2:4 For I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you.
How much conflict continues because people aren’t willing to adjust to each other? Q: Are YOU adjustable in conflict? I’m not saying we set aside truth (next week we’ll talk about that). But if we aren’t first of all willing to adjust to love fully the people God has place near us, then the cause of the conflict in part includes US! SUMMARY: What we’ve said: When we face a broken relationship with other Christians, we (main point) follow Christ and respond with love when we 1) react to the person with simplicity and sincerity, 2) recall the union we both share in Christ, and 3) reconsider our response to do what they need. This is what following Christ looks like through Christian conflict. This is the effect of the cross on our brokenness. Response – 2 groups: 1) People considering Christ… Every week we are honored to have folks with us who are here checking out church again and not sure at all if they are in. If that’s you, know that you are welcome to belong here while you figure that out! My question to you… are broken relationships a big part of what’s happening in YOUR life? Is that part of why you are here? Have your previous attempts succeeded in fixing them? M y suggestion to you is this… Have you considered that the thing you MOST need may not be repairing your relationship with another person. Rather it may be restoring your relationship with Jesus! You might wonder if you can HAVE a relationship with Him after what you’ve done. KEY… HE did something incredible in Christ to reconcile you. HE paid the price for what you have done so that you can be forgiven. THAT’s why the cross is so important. It may be more than you understand right now, but the important thing is to know, if you repent and believe, if you can say “S orry, thank you, please”… “Sorry” for what I’ve done, “Thank you” for forgiving my sins through Christ, “Please” come into my life and be my Lord… I trust you. May be for just one person, but let me pray. 2) Christians… Have you had a specific person in your mind as I’ve been talking this morning? Do you KNOW Jesus wants you to do all you can to be at peace with that person? Have I described 1 thing you know you need to do? There is no transformation without obeying. Consider… WOOCLAP: Scale from 1-10, I am willing to take the healing road Key… we CAN love because He first loved us! In the second Narnia book, Lucy was in a bad place with her siblings who were annoying her (if you use that word… good chance you are contributing to the problem). But then she would get glimpses of Aslan (who is Jesus). Finally there came a moment where Aslan stood calling her and she went to Him and they have this incredible reunion. But at the moment Lucy leaves the others and moves towards Aslan Lewis writes, “Lucy went first, biting her lip and trying not to say all the things she thought of saying to Susan. But she forgot them when she fixed her eyes on Aslan.”
You CAN love because He first loved us. My question to you is simple…Will you take the healing road?
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Small Group Leader Notes September 17, 2017 From Pastor Dan… Hello Small Group Leaders and anyone else using these notes, These next two weeks, Paul dives into the heart of conflict he and the Corinthians have shared. Especially in this passage, we see how Paul responded when he was misunderstood and a false narrative was told about him. This is a great opportunity to help your folks live like Christians… I’d encourage you to take your time around the practical in each person’s life… not just the theory, but the application. “Does this challenge how we’ve been living?” “Would living like this look different?” These are all great questions to be asking. Grace to you! Warmly, Dan Our Scripture Study… Series: Message #: Sermon Title: Passage: Preacher: Date:
Reconciled 3 Taking the healing road 2 Corinthians 1:12-2:4 Dan Weyerhaeuser 2017-9-17
SMALL GROUP QUESTIONS
Getting to know each other: Do you know a joke about bad relationships?
Personal Study: As you study (read, reread, consider, ponder, reread) the passage, list observations you make from the text. What is the main point of this passage? How is the theme developed? What “Aha’s” come to you as you read? What questions come to mind? How do you respond to the God seen in these verses? Bring your observations and questions to your Small Group this week! —————————
2 Corinthians 1:12-2:4
Context: The church in Corinth was formed by Paul (Acts 18) • After 18 months he leaves for Ephesus • Paul writes 1 Corinthians to address pastoral issues • Paul learns men have come to Corinth claiming to be true apostles who discredit Paul, which the church “buys” • He makes a “painful visit” (2:1) to confront this which ends badly • During that visit Paul said he would return (1:15-16) • Instead, Paul wrote a letter confronting the issue (2:4) which we do not have • Many in the church were convicted and restored by the letter (7:5-16) • His detractors accused him of being hard to understand (1:13) and unreliable (1:17) among other things • Paul wrote 2 Corinthians in follow up 1. 1:12-14 what does Paul say first as he now addresses their conflict?
8 In this letter, Paul uses the word “boast” 32 times. This is more than 5x more than most books in the bible. He does this because the false teachers who have come are “boastful” people who boast in their accomplishments. Therefore Paul talks repeatedly, if he were to boast (which he does not typically do), what HE would boast about… which is completely different from what they boast about. (eg: He boasts about his weakness…) Here he boasts about how he has behaved when he has been with the Corinthians… with simplicity and godly sincerity.
2. The false teachers “boasted” about outward appearance (5:12), their mission (11:12), etc. Paul says we should “boast” on the day of the Lord about each other v. 14. What might that look like? Have you ever thought of preparing for that moment in this way? How is this helpful? Apparently, quite the opposite of boasting about ourselves, in heaven we will boast about each other and the good we have seen and experienced in each other. NOTE: This includes other Christians with whom we have had conflict. PAUL’s point… when we remember that we are eternal brothers and sisters, it puts a different context on our interactions today, including if we have conflict. Talk about this. 3. 1:15-2:4 Paul addresses his change of plan in not coming to Corinth. What had they accused him of? Why did Paul do what he did? When Paul left from his “painful visit” (2:1) he apparently said he would return, but then chose to write a letter instead. Perhaps he thought if one visit didn’t fix things, why would a second. Perhaps a letter they could digest and reflect upon would be better, which apparently it was. However this change of plans gave reason for his accusers and the Corinthians to accuse Paul of being double minded and flaky, unreliable, etc. 4. 1:19-20 As God promised in the Old Testament, He sent a Savior, Jesus Christ, to reconcile us to God. As God is faithful to His promises, so we too should be. So why did Paul change his plans? Was he unfaithful? Paul adjusted his plans to HELP the Corinthians better. KEY: He adjusted his plans for their sake. 5. Paul’s studied his brothers and sisters and adjusted his actions to where they were. How well do you do at this (studying people and adjusting to what they need?) Share an example of getting this right (or wrong). Group reflection. 6. 1:21-22 what does Paul remember as he interacts with the Corinthians? How do these things affect our conflict with other Christians? Paul rehearses incredible gifts from God that we share in common with other Christians. If these things are indeed the treasures of our lives, then what we share in common with other Christians is greater than what divides us. 7. Summarize what things we see Paul doing to bring reconciliation? He is responding to them with simplicity and Godly sincerity, recalling what they share in common, and reconsidering how he can adjust his response to meet them where they are. 8. What do you think about what Paul is doing? How do you feel about it? Is this a pattern to follow? Why? Why not? What would be good about it? Challenging? 9. How does being a Christian make this living possible? We are called to this way of responding to conflict because this is how God has responded to us in Christ first. We are anointed and sealed and established... from where we are in Christ, we can be this way towards other. 10. Is there one way you can apply this teaching this week?
