God's New Covenant

 The Ministry of the New Covenant

 Book of 2 Corinthians Chapter 3 

 

A covenant is a binding agreement between two or more parties.

 In the ancient days, covenants, would be sealed by each party by swallowing a drop of each other's blood.

 This soon became distasteful, and they began the sacrifice of animals.

 Jehovah settled His covenants with an oath.

Many settled agreements with a handshake.

 Pro 6:1  My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger, 

Pro 6:2  Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.

 Pro 17:18  A man void of understanding striketh hands, and becometh surety in the presence of his friend. 

 God does not like for His children to become a surety; God says Do not sign your name to another person's debt. 

Pro 22:26  Be not thou one of them that strike hands, or of them that are sureties for debts. 

Pro 22:27  If thou hast nothing to pay, why should he take away thy bed from under thee? 

 In our Bible we read of covenants made between men.

 A marriage is a covenant between two people.

 We can make a covenant with ourselves, and we should: Job 31:1  I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid? 

 We can even make a covenant with animals and with the land we live on: Job 5:23  For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field: and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee.

 The most important covenants we can make are those we make with God, and those God makes with us.

 Before we were found by Jesus Christ and adopted into the family of God, we were not a part of the covenants of God.

 Eph 2:12  That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: 

Eph 2:13  But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. 

 It is only by the Lord Jesus Christ that we are part of the New Covenant!

 The Old Covenant was a covenant of "works": Gen 2:17  But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. 

 The New Covenant is the covenant of "Grace": 2Ti 1:9  Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, 

2Ti 1:10  But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:

 Rom 5:12  Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: 

Rom 5:13  (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 

Rom 5:14  Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. 

Rom 5:15  But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. 

Rom 5:16  And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. 

Rom 5:17  For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) 

Rom 5:18  Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. 

Rom 5:19  For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. 

Rom 5:20  Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: 

Rom 5:21  That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

 *****2Co 3:6  Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. 

 We must clearly understand the differences between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant.

 A covenant is an agreement made between two parties, a contract drawn between two people.

 God first made a covenant of works with Adam, promising eternal life for obedience and death for disobedience.

 Adam failed, and death entered the human race!

 Then God made a covenant with Abraham, also a covenant of works.

 Gen 12:1  Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: 

Gen 12:2  And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 

Gen 12:3  And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

Then there was a covenant called the Palestinian Covenant, also a covenant of works.

Remember this area was named Palestine by the Romans just to slander the Jews.

 Deu 30:1  And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee, 

Deu 30:2  And shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul; 

 Then there was what is called the Davidic Covenant, the promise of the true Messiah.

 2Sa 7:12  And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. 

2Sa 7:13  He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. 

2Sa 7:14  I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: 

2Sa 7:15  But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. 

2Sa 7:16  And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.

 The main Old Covenant was between God and His earthly people Israel.

 Both parties took upon themselves certain obligations.

 Israel vowed to be obedient to the law, and God in His turn should bless them if they were obedient.

 This, too, was a covenant of works, which they failed to keep.

 God first dealt with His special people, Israel.

God then promised them a land.

God then promised a posterity, the Messiah.

God promised He would be their true King.

God is still working on Israel to bring them to a true blessing.

 No human can live by a covenant of works, because we are born sinners; it is in our bloodline that we inherited from Adam.

 There would have to be a New Covenant.

 Jer 31:31  Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: 

Jer 31:32  Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: 

Jer 31:33  But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. 

Jer 31:34  And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. 

 God had given Israel a conditional covenant we call the Mosaic Covenant, which we can call God's standard for righteous living.

 This covenant in the Book of Jeremiah has not happened yet, because they rejected the Messiah God gave to them.

 God gives the world His Covenant of Grace!

 God turned His attention to the Gentile world!

 The Covenant of Grace is the covenant made by God, which He offers salvation to those who have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as the true Messiah.

 To the believer: 2Co 6:14  Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 

2Co 6:15  And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 

2Co 6:16  And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 

2Co 6:17  Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 

2Co 6:18  And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. 

 To Israel: Heb 8:7  For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. 

Heb 8:8  For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: 

Heb 8:9  Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. 

Heb 8:10  For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: 

Heb 8:11  And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. 

 God said He would give us His own Son in payment for all the sin of the world and a guarantee for our salvation.

 God said by His Grace, His gift of Jesus Christ, He would give the Holy Spirit to live within us.

 This is a Trinitarian Covenant:

 Eph 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 

Eph 1:4  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 

Eph 1:5  Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 

Eph 1:6  To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. 

Eph 1:7  In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; 

Eph 1:8  Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; 

Eph 1:9  Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: 

Eph 1:10  That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: 

Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: 

Eph 1:12  That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. 

Eph 1:13  In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 

Eph 1:14  Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. 

 1) This is an eternal and unbreakable covenant.

2) This covenant only extends to those, the elect of God. The elect are all those who have accepted this gift of God's "Grace".

These are the same ones who have answered the call of the Holy Spirit in faith.

3) This is the "Good News" from Heaven and the one Gospel by which souls can be saved.

 Gal 1:8  But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. 

Gal 1:9  As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

 The Apostle Paul was very careful to bring this good news to the Gentile world, knowing that there is a limited time for the Gentiles to come to Christ, and God again begins dealing with Israel with this same New Covenant.

 The New Covenant not only introduces us to God's Messiah, but we can have a personal relationship with God through the Holy Spirit who has sealed us until our Redeemer comes to take us home.

 God has called us and equipped us to be ministers of this New Covenant to the world!

 *****2Co 3:7  But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: 

2Co 3:8  How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious? 

How can the law be said to be glorious when, if you broke the law, your punishment was death?

There is no glory in eternal death.

The only thing the Laws of Moses did for the children of Israel was to bring them close enough to God where they could get a glimpse of His glory.

The Laws of Moses were glorious only because it was Jehovah, the Almighty, glorious God who gave those laws to Moses face to face.

This is the place we all want to meet God, face to face.

The laws of Moses, including the Ten Commandments, give us a picture of the of the righteousness of our God.

He is Holy, and He is Righteous above His creation.

Those laws have accomplished one thing if we try to live by them. They show us we have need of a Savior!

Those laws prove to us that we are sinners and come far short of the Glory of the Living God.

This is why the world hates the Ten Commandments; they remind them they are sinners.

Moses experienced God's glory, and it could be seen on his face.

The face of Moses shined with the glory of God.

In fact, the glory of God was so bright that the people could not continuously look upon his face, and he had to cover it with a veil to speak to the people of Israel.

Exo 34:30  And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him. 

What does Paul say? But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: 

God has taken His glory away from that Old Covenant! Why? Because no one could keep all those laws, and we know Israel had 613 laws and not just the 10 commandments we are so familiar with.

They had a law for every aspect of their life.

Before you get to asking why God would do this, you must first know that the Muslims have a law for every aspect of their lives, as do the Hindus, and almost every nation, including our own, has laws for every aspect of our lives.

If we could keep all the laws of our nation, there would be no place for courts or lawyers or any so-called legal documents.

God knew these things, but God had also made some promises that He could not keep if there was no one to give those blessings to.

The New Covenant of God came about because of this, and this Covenant of Grace shows that God demands nothing anymore from His people, as He will fulfill all the conditions of this covenant Himself.

Grace means that the Lord Jesus Christ came to fulfill all the obligations that God had first given to His people.

Only the Lord Jesus could keep all those old laws, and therefore He took all the sin of the world upon Himself and died in our place.

God the Father did this on His own terms, and He explains that to us:

Heb 8:8  For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: 

Heb 8:9  Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. 

Heb 8:10  For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: 

Heb 8:11  And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. 

Heb 8:12  For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. 

Heb 8:13  In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away. 

Just notice the "I wills" in this passage of Scripture. There is no contribution expected from these people. 

This is Grace brought about by the Mercy of God and the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Luk 22:20  Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you. 

Mat 26:28  For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. 

The Lord Jesus Christ has done all the work to get us into Heaven as His bride and then wife.

We as the Church are to be servants of this New Covenant just as Apostle Paul was.

The New Covenant is related to the work of the Holy Spirit in our Hearts.

The Old Covenant consisted of letters and stones.

How can the ministry of the Holy Spirit not be glorious when the Holy Spirit is God, and salvation can only come by the Tri-unity of God?

God the Father made the covenant.

The Lord Jesus Christ paid the price with His blood.

The Holy Spirit comes into our hearts to make it all work toward our salvation.

*****2Co 3:9  For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. 

2Co 3:10  For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth.

That Old Covenant brought condemnation. Anyone who broke the law was condemned and had a broken and severed relationship with the Triune God.

With the New Covenant, and the Holy Spirit, comes righteousness, and the nature of God to us.

2Pe 1:4  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 

The glory of the New Covenant is permanent because the Holy Spirit will never leave us!

*****2Co 3:11  For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious. 

The Old Covenant is fading away with Israel the last holdout after the Church Age.

The Lost must believe that the Lord Jesus completed the work God required for the Holy Spirit to move into our hearts and begin His work.

It is really not that hard to understand except for one thing, and it is the Devil.

The Lord Jesus said these “end days” will be full of deception. We are already finding this to be true.

2Co_11:3  But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

There is no other way to live with God, and these are His rules and not mine!

Rom 8:9  But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 

The knowledge of these things should settle every Christian and bring hope to those who have yet to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as the only Savior.

*****2Co 3:12  Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech: 

2Co 3:13  And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished: 

2Co 3:14  But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ. 

Our hope is not just in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ for our salvation, but our hope is in this New Covenant of God, and God does not lie, and God does not break covenants.

The ministry of God's people is built upon the truth of God and not some fairy tale or some false doctrine.

The language God uses is plain, and it is simple.

Remember the same Holy Spirit who comes to live in the believer is the same Holy Spirit who gives us the Word of God.

1Co 2:12  Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 

1Co 2:13  Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 

We know that in the time of Moses, Israel withdrew from the veiled glory of God.

The veil would not allow people to see the glory on Moses' face fading away.

Moses was saying that he was just the messenger and the true glory of the Lord would come later.

Rom 10:4  For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. 

Rom 10:5  For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them. 

Rom 10:6  But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) 

Rom 10:7  Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) 

Rom 10:8  But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 

Rom 10:9  That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

The world hates the Ten Commandments because they feel bound by them in order to please God, when the Ten Commandments just give us an idea of the righteousness of God.

Honoring those commandments and all the laws of this world does please God!

What truly pleases God is the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ has paid that sin debt and we are to see Him as our Savior.

Now this does not mean we are not to live as close to those commands as we possibly can; it means that if we fail, it is not the thing that brings death and a separation from our Heavenly Father.

We are not to continue in sin at any time!

The lost do not see the real meaning of those laws which were given to reveal the nature of God's glory and perfection.

The lost do not see that those laws show us that no one can keep all those laws.

The lost do not see that those laws show us the need of a Savior.

2Co 4:4  In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. 

Even today the children of Israel remain blinded to the truth of the New Covenant of God.

*****2Co 3:15  But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart. 

2Co 3:16  Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away. 

2Co 3:17  Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

Today Moses is already in Heaven, but the veil he put upon his face is now upon the hearts of God's people.

Acts 15:21  For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day.

That veil over their heart prevents them from seeing the disappearance of the Old Covenant.

That old veil will never be removed unless the children of Israel turn to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Only then will they be able to see as a nation that the Old Testament was written in view of the Lord Jesus Christ, the true Messiah.

This is what the Apostles discovered and every true Christian since that day, and we know that the children of Israel will soon see this truth at or just before the Rapture of the Church and the end of the Church Age.

Luk 24:44  And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. 

All types and all prophecies of the law will be fully accomplished in the Lord Jesus Christ!

Amen

The Comforter

 The Ministry of Comforting

 Book of 2 Corinthians Chapter 1

 

 To have a proper understanding of the Book of 2 Corinthians, we first need to study the Book of 1 Corinthians.

 We know that suffering has always been a problem for us humans.

 It is in every Church service that we recognize a prayer list of people in need of comfort because of their suffering.

There are always others not on the prayer list who suffer but keep it private and unspoken needs.

 People injured, people in the hospital, people spending their last days in hospice care, people recovering from surgery or cancer, or heart disease, and those who have been to the cemetery because a loved one has passed.

 In reality, it can be said that the Book of 2 Corinthians was written for those who suffer.

 Suffering can be said to feel or bear things that are painful, disagreeable, or distressing, and these things are constant in our lives.

 We endure these things, but we are never very happy about them.

 Pain and grief of mind are not pleasant things for anyone!

I read of a new religion last week who call themselves the extinctionists because they have determined that the only answer for suffering and the protection of this world is the extinction of all humans.

We know the only answer is a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ!

 Once we begin to know about the truth of Jesus Christ, we begin to see we are sinners and we begin to suffer with our conscience, and we find that we have offended God and are condemned to suffer the wrath of God.

 There is only one comfort, and there is only one Comforter!

Give your life to Christ Jesus, and you will meet Him.

 *****2Co 1:3  Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; 

2Co 1:4  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 of God. 

 When we choose to be a servant of God, we will have to deal with all sorts of difficulties and trials.

 As we study the Bible, we find that the Apostle Paul is a great example of Christian suffering while he spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

 God will indeed use these trials and tribulations to make us better Christians and better servants.

 That word "mercies" means compassion, pity, and mercy.

 It means that as we witness for the Lord, we see a people in need and have compassion and mercy upon them.

These are characteristics of the Lord Jesus.

 We see that God is the Father of mercies.

 As the Devil is the father of murder and lies, God is the Father of mercies.

 God sees His Children as a Father and not so much as a God, even though He is God.

 As long as we are living, our Heavenly Father will shower us with His mercy!

 Col 3:12  Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 

Col 3:13  Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. 

 As a Father, He floods us with His mercies, and as God, He comforts us in all our tribulations, because He is the God of all comfort.

 We should understand that suffering is part of our human lives! We do live in a cursed world!

 God does not take away our afflictions to comfort us; God carries us through our afflictions.

 Isa 63:8  For he said, Surely they are my people, children that will not lie: so he was their Saviour. 

Isa 63:9  In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old. 

 God will snuggle up closer to us in our afflictions, put His arms around us, and speak gracious, comforting words to us.

 This is a great example of what He wants us to do to others, as we tell the world about our Savior.

 *****2Co 1:5  For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. 

 One of the lessons we are to learn as Christians is that God allows sufferings in our lives so we can experience His mercies and His comfort.

 Notice that God allows, but He is not the cause of those sufferings.

As we know, we live in a sin-sick world!

 We need this experience to be able to comfort others.

 Sometimes this suffering can make us feel like we will perish, but the comfort of the Lord Jesus Christ surpasses all suffering, because He is the God of all comfort.

 2Co 4:10  Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. 

2Co 4:11  For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. 

 Rom 15:4  For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. 

 To understand our own suffering, we must understand the suffering of our Lord and Savior.

 The sufferings of Christ were not exhausted by Him, but overflow to us who have to suffer as He suffered.

 We must bear the weight of His dying so we can share His life. 

He is not suffering in us, but we can have fellowship in His sufferings.

 Gal 2:20  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. 

 *****2Co 1:6  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.

2Co 1:7  And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation. 

 The Apostle Paul is saying that his own suffering was not only designed for his own spiritual training but was a source of direct blessing to all who were saved under his preaching.

 Paul's suffering enabled him not only by example but also by the lessons of experience to be a strength to others who were suffering, while serving Jesus Christ.

 Php 1:14  And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

 It is important that the experience of our own suffering can be a comfort to another person going through tough times.

 We can sometimes become so absorbed in our own grief that we start believing that no one suffers as we do, but we are not alone in our grief, and we can draw comfort from others.

 1Pe 5:9  Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

 Very few Christians will ever suffer like the Apostle Paul did to get the gospel to us, but just because we are associated with the Lord Jesus Christ, we will suffer in this world.

 When we know we are not alone in our grief, that one thing will make us stronger.

 2Ti 3:12  Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. 

 We should never want special attention in our suffering, knowing that we all suffer.

 We must never become like those who are saved today and lost tomorrow.

We cannot trust God today and not trust Him tomorrow and still believe that He is All-Powerful

 We must continue with our Savior through the good times and the bad times.

We must continue with our Savior through suffering as well as good health.

We must continue with our Savior through rejection as well as acceptance.

We must continue with our Savior through persecution as well as honor.

 We learn endurance through suffering!

We learn to share the God of all comfort through our own suffering!

 Php 2:1  If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, 

Php 2:2  Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 

 Every time we suffer from a different kind of suffering, we will experience a new kind of comfort.

 *****2Co 1:8  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: 

 Once we learn that as Christians, we are stronger as a group than as individuals, then we can realize that we can be a comfort to those who are carrying the Gospel to the world.

 There should be no doubt that the Devil works far more to damage a good pastor or the evangelist, or the missionary, than he does to the individual Christian, even though he will attack us all and it is never pleasant.

The Devil can only be in one place at a time, so he will dispatch his demons to do most of his dirty work while he concentrates on certain individuals who may not even be Christians.

 We must become prayer warriors for those who carry the Gospel to the world and also for each other.

 Our prayers are our greatest weapon in this world.

Closet prayer may be the greatest weapon we have against the Devil, his demons, and his followers.

 God wants to know how we suffer and what we suffer from, and He will help us.

 The fact that Doctor Luke traveled with Paul so often should also tell us that Paul needed medical attention often.

 We can learn a lot of it from the Book of Acts, but we should know that the Devil would do anything he could to stop the Apostle Paul and the other Apostles and every missionary called of Jesus.

That man in the pulpit of God, that preaches the truth of the Word of God is one of the Devils greatest enemies!

The devil is still trying to do this today, and it looks like he is winning.

This was what Paul was trying to tell us. 

It may look like the devil is winning, but God is just eliminating all those who do not want to join Him in Heaven.

We are still on the winning side!

 *****2Co 1:9  But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: 

 We wonder sometimes, "What will be the end of it all"?

If we do not put our faith into the hands of the Lord Jesus Christ, these thoughts will hinder us as we try to serve God.

Death is coming to this world just as death comes to each of us but only in the Lord's set time.

Paul was in some situations where it just seemed that it was beyond all human possibility of deliverance.

There are Christians in this same situation today, who live in lands ruled by wicked and evil men who hate the Lord Jesus Christ, and they have to hide just to be able to worship.

God has a special blessing reserved for them if they just hang on to their faith.

God has a special blessing for all who cling to their faith till the end.

We cannot trust our deliverance to ourselves any more than the Apostle Paul could!

All our faith must be in our Savior and in His Word.

Jer 17:5  Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. 

Jer 17:6  For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited. 

Jer 17:7  Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. 

If God allows this world to take our life, He has a reason for it, and it is always a good reason where something good will come out of it.

We may not see it, but He sees it.

The important thing is that our death leads to our victory!

Our true Christian friends will want to know what happened when the Lord does save us from this destruction and we make it through that suffering, and that sentence of death.

There is nothing too hard for God, but when we give our lives to the Lord, we are doing just that; we are giving our lives to Him for His use.

What did Jesus say? Luk_9:23  And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

The cross was an instrument of death.

We must never forget that we are in the hands of God and no one can take us out of His hands.

Paul was threatened by large crowds.

Paul was threatened by the unions of that day.

Paul was threatened by the governments of that day.

Paul was threatened by ungodly Jews.

Paul's friends had to risk their lives for Paul.

Paul's friends were locked up in jail.

Paul's enemies were like beasts who would hunt you down to destroy you.

These are the same enemies the Church faces every day.

1Co_15:32  If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die.

Paul sometimes felt crushed by his burden for the Church.

Paul was locked away in prison on seven different occasions.

Paul was in more than one shipwreck.

My question is, what do we have to complain about if the Lord calls us into His service?

Our Savior is also our Deliverer and our Comforter!

When we cannot go with these men and women who are called into God's service, then our calling is to pray for them and support them.

*****2Co 1:10  Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us; 

2Co 1:11  Ye also helping 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.

Paul was not complaining; Paul was saying, "Look at all the opportunities the Lord has given me to serve, and He delivered me every time".

This is the exact way we should look at it!

Who are we to witness to?

Sinners are wicked, evil people, and we know this because we were once part of them.

Most everyone in the world today hates the Lord Jesus Christ. That should tell us something!

Just the mention of His name will turn some crowds into our enemies.

These are similar things that happened to Paul.

One of our own greatest lessons is that we cannot save ourselves from our sin, and we cannot save ourselves from this world.

We will suffer at times just so the Lord knows He can trust us to remain faithful.

God is not going to call us into His service and then let us suffer death on our first mission unless it is truly important and many souls are saved because of it.

God never said it would be easy to be a Christian, but He did say the benefits would be Heavenly.

Of all the reasons we may have suffering, maybe the greatest reason is the fact that we will spend more time in prayer and thanksgiving with our Heavenly Father.

Every prayer for us from another believer may cause God to move on our behalf.

It is called intercessory prayer.

Intercessory prayer works, and history from men such as Paul has proven it works.

Intercessory prayer in the Church has proven results because we have heard many testimonies from those who were delivered from cancer and heart problems, and treatments, and other sicknesses.

I was delivered from cancer myself on two occasions because of the prayers of righteous men and women of God and the LORD, who said: “I’m not through with you yet”.

We are all called to be intercessors if God has not called us to do something else, and even if He has, He still expects us to pray for one another.

The Lord Jesus prayed for us! 

Jhn_17:9  I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.

Jhn_17:15  I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.

Jhn_17:20  Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;

How can we not pray for one another if the Lord Jesus Christ prayed for us?

Amen    

We All Have Doubts

Dealing with Our Doubts

Book of 2 Corinthians Chapter 13

What is doubt? Doubt is that state of mind in which we hesitate to choose between two opposite conclusions. To doubt is to be "uncertain" of the truth.

There is only one truth, when it comes to eternal heavenly life!

Joh 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. 

Joh 14:7  If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. 

When we ask "show me the way", Christ is the way!

When we ask "what is the truth", Christ is the truth!

When we ask "how can we know true life" Christ is that answer!

Men reveal God by their words, Jesus Christ revealed God by the things that He accomplished and by the facts of His life!

Jesus Christ is the truth, that in His life, we can find the foundations of all truth, morally and spiritually!

Jesus is the only way because He is life. Dead men cannot walk that rode to life. The tomb of the Lord is still empty!

Another truth is, death is "certain".

And still another truth is there will be "Judgment".

In this lesson we will see the Apostle Paul warn this church at Corinth of the chastisement which he is determined to inflict on all offenders of the "Gospel of Jesus Christ", who have not repented of those things.

The truth is everyone on the face of this earth can be prepared for "judgment" because "we can" be saved, "we can know" that we are saved, and "we can judge ourselves" to see if we are living proof of that salvation!

Watch as Paul first gives a minister's warning, then a minister's prayer, then a minister's challenge, and last a minister's blessing. All these by the authority given to him by Jesus Christ.

As every good missionary does, Paul would one day have to make a report of all that he had done on the mission field and especially in such instances as what occurred at this church in Corinth, it would be best to have witnesses.

What did Jesus say?

Mat 18:15  Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. 

Mat 18:16  But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. 

Mat 18:17  And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican. 

So let's learn from these Holy Ghost inspired words of the Apostle Paul.

*****2Co 13:1  This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established. 

The truth is, Paul had received letters, Paul had heard rumors, Paul had sent his own witnesses and now Paul intended to complete a full investigation of the condition of this Corinthian Church, himself.

Paul would assume nothing. Paul would take nothing for granted, but Paul would follow the principles of the Word of God, which at that time was the Old Testament.

Deu 19:15  One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established. 

We may wonder sometimes how God can judge us righteously and be just one person but we forget that we have One God but He is in three persons. The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit therefore God can surely judge us righteously.

1Jn 5:7  For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. 

We should be clear, three times during the life of Jesus was His Father's voice heard from Heaven confirming the ministry of His dear Son!

Matthew 3:16-17; Matthew 17:5; John 12: 28-30

In fact, we will find that those who reject the Word of God in this time of God's "Grace" will be judged more harshly than at any other time in our history.

Heb 10:28  He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: 

Heb 10:29  Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? 

Heb 10:30  For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. 

Heb 10:31  It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. 

The truth is, God will accept no man's judgment of His children so God keeps His own books on each of us, so He can see for Himself but thank goodness He does allow for a "Mediator". As the song says "A Young Jewish Lawyer"

1Ti 2:5  For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 

1Ti 2:6  Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. 

Paul explains that his discipline would go far beyond normal church discipline but those who had been true to the Lord had no need to fear, just those who were false Christians.

*****2Co 13:2  I told you before, and foretell you, as if I were present, the second time; and being absent now I write to them which heretofore have sinned, and to all other, that, if I come again, I will not spare: 

Paul has warned these false Christians before in this epistle and he warns them again now, because Paul is certain that they remained in this church causing problems.

There are some of Satan's people in every church!

God warns and warns, but God also says when He comes He will come as a thief and a thief does not warn you of the day he is coming!

Rev 3:3  Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. 

And to those that insisted that Paul was too loving to act in firmness (all the rest) Paul says he would not spare.

This is also the message of the Lord. Those that repent will not see the wrath of God but those that do not accept that a loving God can also show His wrath, will be fooled!

Eph 5:6  Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. 

Eph 5:7  Be not ye therefore partakers with them. 

We can see that there is nothing confusing in the Word of God!

Paul insisted that he would exercise his spiritual authority and that he would certainly discipline "all" offenders!

The sins of Corinth must not be allowed to continue in any church!

The church cannot live in sin because the church can only survive if it lives by the power of God!

It is also obvious that God expects His church to take a stand on the Word of God because we do not stand alone, the Lord always stands with us!

These at Corinth would certainly see that there was nothing confusing about what Paul was saying!

*****2Co 13:3  Since ye seek a proof of Christ speaking in me, which to you-ward is not weak, but is mighty in you. 

2Co 13:4  For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you. 

2Co 13:5  Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? 

We should understand, the day after Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead, there were still some who demanded that Jesus show them proof of His power over life and death.

You cannot show a non-believer enough proof to change their rejection of the truth of Christ and those that reject the Lord will reject all truth!

These born again Christians in Corinth were Paul's proof and that could not be denied except by those false Christians!

The preaching of the "Gospel" is the power of God unto salvation!

Rom 1:16  For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 

Christ may have appeared weak when He was crucified but that was certainly not weakness that raised Him from the dead!

As Christians we may appear weak in this world but on the day of the "Rapture of the Church" that will all change and the day that the Lord returns to this world, we will then see who is weak.

Rev 6:15  And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; 

Rev 6:16  And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: 

Rev 6:17  For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? 

As Christians we need only to examine ourselves to know if we are indeed in Christ and Christ within us!

If we are still living in sin then we need to question our "faith"!

If we cannot feel the Holy Spirit when we think to do things against the Word of God, we need to question our "faith"!

If we do not feel the need to gather with the "body of Christ", we need to question our "faith"!

God says:

1Jn 5:11  And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 

1Jn 5:12  He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. 

1Jn 5:13  These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; "that ye may know" that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. 

It's not important how we look.

It's not important if we are not eloquent speakers.

It's not important if we have faults, "we all still do".

It is important that we have "faith" in the power of God that lives within us!

We may question our ministry for the Lord but our "salvation" should never be questioned!

We should examine our doctrine to see if it matches the doctrine of Jesus Christ.

More important, we should examine ourselves and realize that errors of the heart are more dangerous than the errors of the mind and we must realize we can never be too sure of our salvation, we certainly do not need to make a mistake here, it is just too important!

What is a reprobate?

A reprobate is someone who may confess that they know God but their actions and their works tell a different story.

A reprobate is someone who has rejected the "grace" of God and is lost to sin!

A reprobate is someone who has been rejected by the Lord!

And sadly a reprobate is someone God has given up on converting!

Rom 1:24  Wherefore "God also gave them up" to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 

Rom 1:26  For this cause "God gave them up" unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 

Rom 1:28  And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, "God gave them over to a reprobate mind", to do those things which are not convenient; 

We must know that we are not reprobates!

*****2Co 13:6  But I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates. 

2Co 13:7  Now I pray to God that ye do no evil; not that we should appear approved, but that ye should do that which is honest, though we be as reprobates. 

2Co 13:8  For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth. 

What is the truth of salvation? The very moment we place our "faith" in the Lord Jesus Christ and in God's promises, the Holy Spirit moves into us and He will never leave us nor forsake us!

Those false teachers may or may not be reprobates but with the Holy Spirit living within us, then as Christians, "can never be reprobates"!

If those of the Church of Corinth were truly Christians and had self examined themselves Paul was sure that they would come to the right conclusion and we know that they did.

All those who do right in the sight of God will reject all those things that are unrighteous!

And then Paul began to pray for this church. Paul prayed that they would do no evil and repent in order for him to bring a blessing rather than his discipline.

No one has the authority to discipline a Church that follows the truth of the "Gospel"! Not Paul, not these false teachers, not the government and not any other house of God! God would not approve any such thing!

No one can destroy the laws of God! The kingdom of Jesus Christ cannot be shaken because it stands on a solid foundation!

The truth of God is to be lived and boldly proclaimed under any and all circumstances!

The early Church overcame many obstacles and has survived, we should not ever think it will fail in our day or any other day!

One of the greatest rewards to the true Pastor is when he believes he preached his message in weakness yet the believers were still strengthened by it.

When a Pastor has complete freedom to preach the truth of God and not spend his time trying to correct a bad message from the world, the "body of Christ" gets all the benefits!

The church that can withstand the attacks of Satan, and their own corruption to still perform the work of the Lord, shows the strength of the "Gospel of Jesus Christ"!

It is then that a Pastor can concentrate on the "edification" and "sanctification" of his body of believers.

After all the Pastor's job is to make "disciples" of Jesus Christ!

*****2Co 13:9  For we are glad, when we are weak, and ye are strong: and this also we wish, even your perfection. 

2Co 13:10  Therefore I write these things being absent, lest being present I should use sharpness, according to the power which the Lord hath given me to edification, and not to destruction. 

So why had Paul been so bold in these epistles?

So he would not have to use that same boldness and sharpness according to the power that the Lord had given to him!

Paul did not want to have to confront those who had caused such problems. "As we have said it is the Church's responsibility to put a stop to all such things".

Paul would rather spend his time and his opportunities to build onto the church and not destroy any part of it or any member.

Paul did not want to tear down lives in order to save this church but he would if it was necessary!

Paul was actually content if he was seen as weak as long as it was understood that he ministered with the full power of God. This was the greatest attribute of the Lord Jesus Christ.

It was not the power of the miracles that made Christ our Savior.

It was not the power of God that made Christ our Savior.

It was the "meekness" of an all powerful God that loved us enough to die in payment of our sin!

It is only those who reject the Lord that will get to see the immense power of God, when they have refused His "Grace"!

What were some of the powers we have already seen?

We saw Ananias and Sapphira both lose their lives for lying to God.

Act 5:5  And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things. 

And

Act 5:10  Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband. 

We have seen Hymenaeus and Alexander and the incestuous person at Corinth, delivered to Satan for destruction of their souls, if they would not repent.

1Ti 1:20  Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme. 

And

1Co 5:4  In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, 

1Co 5:5  To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. 

Did Paul have this kind of authority, we can be certain that he did, because his authority was that of Jesus Christ but church edification was Paul's main goal!

This last thought, "this warning", was intended to remain in their conscience because right after this statement Paul closes out this epistle.

*****2Co 13:11  Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you. 

2Co 13:12  Greet one another with an holy kiss. 

Notice again Paul was writing to the Christians and not to any false christian.

To say "farewell" is a wish of happiness but here it can also mean rejoice in the knowledge that we are Christians who are favored by God through His Son Christ Jesus.

As Peter so wonderfully put it:

1Pe 4:13  But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. 

1Pe 4:14  If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. 

Paul says knowing this then "be perfect". There has never been but one who was perfect and that was Jesus Christ so Paul is saying be more like Jesus than the world.

1Pe 5:10  But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. 

Then be of good comfort.

2Th 2:16  Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, 

2Th 2:17  Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work. 

Then be of one mind.

Php 1:27  Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; 

Php 1:28  And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God. 

Then live in peace.

Heb 12:14  Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: 

The God of love and peace will be with you.

Rom 16:20  And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen. 

The word holy is added to the word kiss so that this kiss is to not be considered anything but as a salute to each other.

1Co 16:19  The churches of Asia salute you. Aquila and Priscilla salute you much in the Lord, with the church that is in their house. 

1Co 16:20  All the brethren greet you. Greet ye one another with an holy kiss. 

To salute is to honor one another!

Rom 16:16  Salute one another with an holy kiss. The churches of Christ salute you. 

Christians honoring Christians. In America we use the hand shake but a hand shake in some places is repulsive and considered unsanitary.

But all Christians are to honor one another because we are all the "saints" of God and we do not need some man or some church councel or some Pope to declare our sainthood!

*****2Co 13:13  All the saints salute you. 

2Co 13:14  The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.

This epistle to the Corinthians was a very harsh letter and we as Christians need to be made aware of our faults and Paul has been as loving as he could and still make us aware of the truth of the Word of God.

Grace is still the unmerited favor of God and the "Grace of God" can only come by Jesus Christ.

Grace is the absolute love of God shown to sinners who deserve Hell but through our Savour, the Lord Jesus Christ will become a apart of Heaven's glory!

How much does God love His creation?

Joh 3:16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 

Joh 3:17  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 

Joh 3:18  He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 

We must never ignore the truth of God's "love" but we must still realize that God had a purpose for His love and that was to join us with the Holy Spirit who is the seal of God ownership!

Rom 8:9  But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 

Rom 8:10  And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 

Rom 8:11  But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. 

We are all subject to having doubts in our relationship with God but we must remain solid in our "faith".

Faith is the only answer to doubt!

We must also deal with our own spiritual shortcomings before we ever question another brother or sister in Christ.

If there were anyone who had more love for the Church than the Apostle Paul then it could only be the Lord Jesus Christ!

Questions?

Let's Pray!

When God Says No

When Prayer Seems to Fail

Book of 2 Corinthians Chapter 12

The biggest problem in the church of today is that the Word of God is not accepted as the truth. It is a great misunderstanding to think of the Bible as just a book of ancient writings. The Bible is the actual Word of God! The Bible is an actual message from Heaven to humanity! God Himself is the author of the Bible!

When we understand these things, we can then begin to understand what God is saying.

Heb 11:6  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. 

After all what is "faith"?

Heb 11:1  Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

"Substance" is something real, not imaginary, something solid! Faith is the assurance of things we hope for! Things we hope for are our personal achievements.

"Evidence" is the things that enables the mind to see the truth. The evidence we see is also the proof of things we cannot see. A Supreme being with a supreme cause for His creation.

Faith then is "Believing all the Word of God".

When we accept the Word of God as the truth, we can then enter in to a new life, a new mode of power and a new mode of existence!

Col 3:1  If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 

Col 3:2  Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 

Col 3:3  For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 

Listen and believe what the Apostle Paul writes by the Holy Spirit:

*****2Co 12:1  It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. 

It is never a good thing to boast of our accomplishments because we could not accomplish anything long lasting without the Lord in our lives!

Paul had begun this church at Corinth by the power of God and because of false teachers Paul saw the need to defend his ministry.

Paul's salvation was real.

Paul's call into the ministry was real.

Paul had to defend his calling.

Paul began his boasting by lifting up the Lord. Paul is saying "let me tell you what the Lord has revealed to me".

*****2Co 12:2  I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. 

2Co 12:3  And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) 

First if we skip down to verse 7, where Paul says "lest I be exalted" we can see that "this man" Paul was talking about was himself!

Paul had kept quiet about this for 14 years and the truth is, deep matters between ourselves and God should never be subject to boasting unless there is a real reason to do so!

No doubt Paul had many revelations from the Lord on many different occasions. This was the birth of the Church of Jesus Christ and we know Christ is very involved in His Church!

Paul recognizes that he did not know what the state of his consciousness at the time of this revelation. In other words, Paul knew he had a vision and he had seen clearly what God had wanted him to see but he did not know if the soul was in or out of his body. Paul did not know if he was conscious or unconscious.

Just so we are clear, the third Heaven is God's dwelling place! The place where the clouds are is the first heaven, the place where the stars are the second heaven. Even the Apostle Paul rejected the notion of 7 heavens and we should also!

No doubt that as Christians we are all a part of the Body of Christ:

Rom 8:29  For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 

Rom 8:30  Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. 

Paul had a glorious vision that had only one answer.

*****2Co 12:4  How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. 

The third heaven and paradise are then the same place.

Paradise is then the unseen world! The spiritual world! The spiritual dimension of being!

These two worlds are separated by a great gulf that is impassable. One world a place of sorrows, known as Hell, which continues to enlarge itself because of unbelief and the other Paradise where all believers go at the very moment of death.

Paradise is a picture of Heaven and Heaven is where God dwells in all His presence and glory.

It would never be against any law for Paul not to speak of Paradise, the truth is there are simply no words in any language that can describe the beauty of Paradise.

Isa 64:4  For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him. 

We should understand that there is nothing in the Word of God that is to be hidden and God does not hide anything from us. God just ask us to believe the words He gives to us!

Paul's life was all about the "Gospel". Paul's life was with the Lord, Paul's dreams were of the Lord, Paul saw God as not many see God. Paul heard a Voice that not many hear because most people have of a lack of "faith".

This is the One in which we all should praise and glorify!

*****2Co 12:5  Of such an one will I glory: yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities. 

2Co 12:6  For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me. 

Paul was answering his critics who said that he had no authority to preach the "Gospel" but Paul does not stay there long, because Paul knows that our true strength comes from our weaknesses!

It is when we know our weaknesses that we can depend on the strength of the Lord. This is not speaking of our weakness of sin but our weaknesses as servants of the Lord and they are different for every one of us.

These are our difficulties in this life, our great afflictions and even our persecution.

We all, at some time, have tendency to glory in our own accomplishments even when we are foolish to do so but we must always speak the truth and that without exaggeration. The truth of the Lord must never be seen as boasting!

It is a fact that Paul had many visions and many sessions with the Holy Spirit or there could not be so many books of the New Testament which carries his name!

Paul clearly understood that these things did not make him special in any way. In fact, had Paul refused God would just have used someone else!

*****2Co 12:7  And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. 

The Strong's Dictionary describes this thorn as a bodily annoyance or a disability.

A "thorn" can also be anything that is troublesome to our mission to serve Jesus Christ.

Paul also says this thorn was "the messenger of Satan to buffet him".

We could also say this was a "demon".

To "buffet", means "to beat with the fist"! So, Paul's thorn was certainly something evil!

We know that a thorn can cause pain and a thorn is impossible to forget. A thorn always seems to make contact with something as we go about our daily routine. To stop this, this thorn must be removed!

*****2Co 12:8  For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. 

2Co 12:9  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. 

Obviously, this was something Paul could not do himself and something that no other human could do for Paul.

Remember Paul had all the powers given to him by the Lord.

Paul had the power to heal others but he could not use those powers on himself!

We should clearly understand, it is the Lord Jesus who chooses His servants and the mission of each servant.

It is the Lord who oversees their qualifications, their support, their trials and their deliverance from those trials. When that person has a problem and they do not take it to the Lord they show that they do not belong to the Lord! To Paul his prayers seemed to fail.

Notice Paul sought the Lord on 3 separate occasions to remove this obstacle of pain by the time he had written this epistle and it is possible he did so on other occasions.

We should understand the purpose of this life time trial of Paul. (lest I should be exalted above measure)

It is obvious that pride can be our greatest enemy after all it was pride that ruined the life of Lucifer and God tossed him out of Heaven along with his followers.

We are to always be humble servants of the Lord and constant physical pain can be the greatest humbler.

But there is an even greater reason than this!

The Lord Jesus Christ sets us free from the bondage of sin, but the Lord does not give us independence to serve ourselves!

Php 2:4  Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. 

God says we are to bear one another’s burdens.

Notice things happen to us because we live in a sinful world, but our trials come from the Lord for His reasons and one day we will understand that these things had a real purpose that we may not understand while we are living.

In this case of Paul, God appointed this evil and Satan with the Lord's permission inflicted it.

Job 1:9  Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? 

Job 1:10  Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. 

Job 1:11  But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face. 

Job 1:12  And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So, Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD. 

Satan needs to have God's permission to bring evil on a child of God! If God allows it then God has His own reasons for doing so!

How did this affect Paul?

****It made Paul a better missionary!

God wanted to reveal His power in Paul. The weaker the vessel the more God will be glorified!

Grace is the unmerited favor of God. God's presence, God's love, God's favor, and God's blessings are all we need in this world to do the work that the Lord has given us to do. In fact without God's grace we would falter and fail in our mission!

God's Grace can carry us through any circumstance we face in this world!

We see that Paul suffered physically and many times this is true of others but there can also be spiritual suffering.

A self-sufficient person is saying that they do not need God!

So the truth is, we should all glory in our infirmities so the world can see the power of God in our lives!

*****2Co 12:10  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. 

This may sound like a hard saying but in fact it is the truth if we remember that God can only do things that are the right thing to do, all the time!

We can take pleasure in the weakness of our mind and body, when we know the power of Jesus Christ will overcome those things.

We can smile and keep going, when we are ridiculed for serving the Lord Jesus Christ.

We can always feel secure, knowing that God will always meet our needs.

We can always feel safe, knowing that we are in the hands of the Lord when persecution comes.

We can always feel the victory, even when we are in tight situations and it looks like there is no means of escape, the Lord will make a way.

All we need to remember is that the power of Christ Jesus is much stronger than all the combined forces that mankind can put together!

Mat 19:25  When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? 

Mat 19:26  But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. 

Nothing on this earth can overcome the "will of God"!

*****2Co 12:11  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 chiefest apostles, though I be nothing. 

2Co 12:12  Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds. 

Paul is saying, "to many of you I may seem to be a fool" but in fact this church was in error "because they had not defended their Pastor".

Every church who has a Pastor who preaches the truth of the "Gospel of Jesus Christ" must come to his aid when he is attacked by those who do not follow the Word of God.

We cannot pick and choose what part of God's Word we will follow. We must accept all God's Word as the truth and we must rightly divide the Word of God to keep it in context.

There will never be a volume 2 of the Word of God. There will never be a revised version of those old Hebrew and Greek scrolls.

We already have the truth of God in our possession!

Every Pastor should ask himself if he can defend his ministry before Jesus Christ.

Every Pastor should ask himself if he is following the lead of the Holy Spirit in his ministry.

Every Pastor should ask himself if he is totally committed to the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

If he can be positive in his answers, then he needs to stand on his ministry and that church needs to stand with him at all cost!

2Ti 1:11  Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. 

2Ti 1:12  For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. 

A church that stands with such a man of God, will not be inferior to any other Bible believing place of worship!

*****2Co 12:12  Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds. 

2Co 12:13  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. 

Paul ended verse 11 saying "though I be nothing".

We are all nothing in comparison to the Lord Jesus Christ!

We can only boast in the Lord, we would fail without Him.

We can only trust in the Lord, if we trust in anything else we will fail.

We are nothing to be considered in the work of the Lord, the Scriptures will be fulfilled with or without us!

What is the truest sign of a disciple of Jesus Christ?

Jas 5:20  Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins. 

Paul had done this many times. Paul had also planted many churches.

Paul had been consistent in his Christian life after his salvation and his calling.

These people had witnessed supernatural miracles showing the Divine Power of God.

These people had seen wonders that could not be explained with man's knowledge.

These people had witnessed many things that just could not be explained away, acknowledging the Power had to come from God.

Act 19:11  And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul: 

Act 19:12  So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them. 

Anything that any of the other Apostles could do had been witnessed by this church by the hands of Paul!

In fact, the only thing Paul had done differently was to refuse to demand that this church support him financially.

Paul says, "if this was wrong then forgive me".

2Co 11:9  And when I was present with you, and wanted, I was chargeable to no man: for that which was lacking to me the brethren which came from Macedonia supplied: and in all things I have kept myself from being burdensome unto you, and so will I keep myself. 

What Paul was saying was, it was this body of believers who had wronged their Pastor!

In fact it seemed to Paul, that the more he loved them the less he was loved by them!

In fact, Paul's critics accused Paul of using the money given for Jerusalem to help him in his ministry which was an absolute lie.

*****2Co 12:14  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. 

2Co 12:15  And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved. 

2Co 12:16  But be it so, I did not burden you: nevertheless, being crafty, I caught you with guile. 

It is a fact that if we have a sin that gets us in the most trouble we are usually quick to believe that all others are just as prone to it as we are but that is simply not true. Over and over again, Paul was accused of making money from his ministry as if it were a business. We can be sure that those false critics were guilty of this very thing. In fact, the more they could stir up the people of the church the thicker their wallets got.

The truth of the "Gospel" is that God requires a personal surrender!

Paul was not interested in what these people possessed, Paul was interested in their person. (I seek not yours but you)

At one time, scientist thought that the earth was the center of the planetary system and then they became confused about the heavens.

When it became clear that the Sun was the center of our system they began to see how truly organized our solar system was and it open the doors to exploration.

When we see ourselves as the center of law and order in the universe all other things are confusing but when we make the Lord Jesus the center of all life, confusion becomes order and reality.

Jesus Christ seeks a personal relationship with each, and every one of us. Jesus Christ seeks us. Jesus first saves the soul and then expects our reasonable service until He has us all. This universe already belongs to God to do with as He wishes!

Paul was not seeking their money.

Paul was not seeking their praise.

Paul was not even seeking their affections.

Paul was trying to get them to give themselves over to the Lord Jesus Christ!

This is the purpose of every minister of Jesus Christ!

We are then to follow the Word of God and make application of the Word of God to our lives.

The treasures of Paul were his love and his mercy which came from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Eph 3:8  Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; 

Eph 3:9  And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: 

Eph 3:10  To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, 

Eph 3:11  According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: 

Eph 3:12  In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him. 

God as our Father in Heaven is laying up all His riches for His children of "faith" the body of Christ!

These Corinthians could not say that Paul had been a burden to them in any way. Paul had truly preached the "Gospel" of Jesus Christ freely and it could not be denied!

The critics then said that Paul had deceived them when he sent Titus and those other two to prepare these Corinthians in advance for those collections making Paul out to be a criminal.

Every man called of God must always be on guard against greed and worldliness and giving the impression that he is a cheat or a thief.

Joh 10:11  I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. 

Joh 10:12  But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. 

Joh 10:13  The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. 

Joh 10:14  I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.

And Paul responded to these accusations:

*****2Co 12:17  Did I make a gain of you by any of them whom I sent unto you? 

2Co 12:18  I desired Titus, and with him I sent a brother. Did Titus make a gain of you? walked we not in the same spirit? walked we not in the same steps? 

2Co 12:19  Again, think ye that we excuse ourselves unto you? we speak before God in Christ: but we do all things, dearly beloved, for your edifying. 

Paul clearly understood that he was accountable to God and not to men!

It is obvious that Titus and those with him also had made no request for financial support. Paul had anticipated that he would be accused of using any monies that were gathered.

Titus walked in the same Holy Spirit as the apostle Paul.

Every minister must be willing to preach the Word of God freely when it is necessary!

Titus walked in the same methods as Paul.

Titus lived in the same manner as Paul, "according to the Word of God".

Titus just like Paul worked with his own hands to supply his needs rather than be a burden to this church.

The ministers of God must never show "covetousness".

Paul was not defending himself, in order for them to judge his actions. Paul was called to build the church and not to tear it down

Paul was called of God, he answered only to God, God expected Paul to keep his ministry clean.

Paul only desired for this church to repent and return to the work of the Lord and this a quickly as possible.

It is for certain that God will unmask every deceiver in His own time!

The Apostle Paul did the things he did for the "Bride of Christ".

What had John the Baptist said?

Joh 3:29  He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled. 

Joh 3:30  He must increase, but I must decrease. 

These are the same feelings of Paul and every true minister of God!

Paul also had the same "Fatherly Fears" as our Father in Heaven!

*****2Co 12:20  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, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults: 

2Co 12:21  And lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed.

We can be sure that Paul was still not completely sure this church would repent and may still reject his ministry.

Paul feared that the church would not deal with these false teachers and Paul's critics.

Those evil attacks against Paul would have to cease in Corinth if the church was to survive and then Paul listed some things that can cause any church to divide.

1) Debates: Quarreling within the church that cause strife.

2) Envyings: Jealousy among the members.

3) Wraths: anything contrary to the Word of God

4) Strifes: Contention, law suits, caught up in things just to prove you are right.

5) Backbitings: Speaking evil of one another, spreading rumors, hurting some one's good name without cause.

6) Whisperings: suggesting evil things of each other.

7) Swellings: Pride and conceit

8) Tumults: Interrupting the worship service for no reason but just to do so.

9) And being unrepentant!

We know of one who had relations with his father's wife but it is obvious that there were others who were committing such sin.

Any and all relationships outside the relationship of one man and one woman in marriage, is sin and is an abomination to God!

It was obvious that some in this church had refused to repent and Paul was sure to address this issue when he returned to Corinth and Paul was making them aware.

Act 17:30  And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: 

Act 17:31  Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. 

We need to clearly understand if we refuse to repent of our sin, God will never hear our prayers!

Psa 66:18  If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:

If God will not hear our prayers they will certainly fail! 

Questions?

Let's Pray!