Let us examine and probe our ways, and let us return to the Lord. - Lamentations 3:40
I believe that every sermon should end with some sort of invitation. It saddens me to know that many churches today no longer offer a formal invitation at the end of their worship services. I realize that most Sundays no one comes forward, nor do I expect them too. That said, I think it's important that we give the congregation a few moments to respond to the message. We never know what might happen, who might step out, and what life-changing decisions might be made.
In today’s message, the 45th and final sermon in our series through 1 and 2 Corinthians, Paul extends a closing invitation. He has extensively defended his character and apostleship, and has exposed the Corinthians’ obstinance and sinfulness. Now he challenges them to humbly submit themselves to the Lord and respond in obedience to Him.
I. FEARFUL EXPECTATIONS (2 Cor. 12:19-21)
Having spent the last few chapters making his personal defense, Paul explained that he wasn’t as concerned about what the Corinthians thought of him as he was that they acknowledged and abided by the truth of Christ. He said that he wasn’t defending himself to them per se, but rather in the sight of God that they might be built up. Paul referred to the Corinthians as his “beloved”, clearly indicating his love and affection for them. His desire was their renewal and restoration, not their applause.
Paul worried that he might not find the Corinthians walking in faithful obedience to God when he arrived for his third visit. He was concerned that there would be strife, jealousy, angry tempers, disputes, slanders, gossip, arrogance, and disturbances. This is what he had experienced during his previous, tearful visit. In fact, he had addressed some of these issues earlier in 1 Corinthians. Paul feared that if he returned and found them still practicing immorality he’d be humiliated and embarrassed. He worried that he’d mourn yet again over those who were engaged in blatant and unrepentant sin - impurity, immorality, and sensuality.
II. COMING IN BOLDNESS (2 Cor. 13:1-4)
Paul stated that he’d be making his third visit soon. He quoted the law of Moses saying that every fact is confirmed by the testimony of 2 or 3 witnesses (Deuteronomy 19:15). Perhaps he was using this verse figuratively to suggest that his 3rd visit would be sufficient to determine definitively where the Corinthians stood in relationship to God. Were they the faithful, obedient believers that he’d seen during his first visit or the wayward, immoral rebels that he’d seen during his second visit?
Paul set expectations by writing that he was planning to come this time in boldness. He was going to hold the Corinthians accountable for their conduct, confront any unrepentant sinners, and would not spare anyone. They wanted proof of Paul’s apostleship and evidence that he wasn’t the weak, unimpressive person that he’d been depicted as being by their false teachers. Thus, Paul intended to demonstrably show them the strength of Christ. He elaborated that Jesus was crucified in His weakness, but now lived by the power of God. In like fashion, Paul and his colleagues might have appeared weak in their sufferings, but they actually lived in God’s almighty strength which was and would be directed toward the Corinthians.
III. TEST YOURSELVES (2 Cor. 13:5-10)
As he came to the conclusion of this letter, Paul called the Corinthians to action. He urged them to test themselves to see if they were truly in the faith. In other words, was their profession of faith genuine, were they really saved, and were they genuinely committed to Christ? If they were saved, did they have unconfessed sin that was disrupting their fellowship with God and hindering their effectiveness? Paul trusted that, after reading his lengthy defense, the Corinthian church would recognize that he and his fellow missionaries were true Christians, worthy to be revered.
Paul’s prayer was that they would quit doing things that were wrong and instead do things that were right, regardless of whether Paul and his team appeared approved in their sight or not. Paul stood for the truth and nothing else. He rejoiced when the Corinthians were strong and prayed that they would be made complete. Paul’s desperate plea was that the Corinthians would repent of their apostasy, put away their false teachers, and turn back to the Lord.
Paul explained that he had made his defense, laid out his case against the false apostles, and called the church to repentance in this letter in order that they might respond obediently before he arrived in person. Although Paul possessed the God-given authority to address them with severity during his next visit (for their edification, not for their destruction) and was fully prepared to do so, he didn’t necessarily want to. He hoped they’d examine themselves individually and corporately and get themselves and their church right with the Lord before he showed up.
IV. CLOSING REMARKS (2 Cor. 13:11-14)
If the entire book of 2 Corinthians is a single letter, then the final verses of chapter 13 are the valediction of that letter. If, however, it is 2 or more letters that have been combined into a single book, then the closing verses might be the valediction of 1 of those individual letters or a collective valediction that ties the combined letters together with a single closing. Either way, let’s consider what they say.
Paul closed by exhorting the Corinthians to rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, and live in peace. He prayed that the God of love and peace would be with them. He told them to greet one another and sent greetings from all the saints. Finally, he evoked the Trinity with a final blessing on the Corinthians, stating, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.”
CONCLUSION
We did it! After almost a full year of study, we’ve finally come to the end of our sermon series on Paul’s letters to Corinth. We’ve discovered that the Corinthian church was fraught with problems and was truly a “Messed Up Church”. Located in a city known for prostitution, idolatry, and sexual immorality, the Corinthian church struggled to maintain purity and obedience to the Lord.
In Paul’s first letter, he warned them to abstain from sexual immorality and to avoid such people who practiced it. In his second letter, Paul again addressed and gave instructions for dealing with sexual immorality along with a host of other issues and concerns that were plaguing the church and rendering it ineffective. In Paul’s third letter, written while the church was in full blown rebellion against him and far from God, he expressed his grave sorrow for their waywardness, contrasted himself sharply with their false leaders, and earnestly called the church to repentance. In his fourth letter, having received news of their renewal and restoration, Paul shared the comfort he felt knowing they’d turned back to God, gave a further description of his ministry, and reminded them of and urged them to rekindle their earlier virtue and generosity.
In the end, every church is flawed to some extent. We are all “messed up” churches, filled with “messed up” people who lived “messed up” lives. That said, we can all relate to the Corinthians and their brokenness, and can learn from their many missteps. My prayer is that our church, both as a congregation and as individual members, will walk in faithful obedience to and in intimate fellowship with the Lord. Perhaps we can avoid some of the pitfalls the Corinthians stumbled into.
Despite their frequent compromise, carnal worldliness, and propensity to stray from God, Paul sincerely loved the Corinthian church. He honestly identified and confronted their sin, urged them to examine themselves and repent, mourned over their sinful condition, and rejoiced when they eventually responded. Paul boldly contended for them and didn’t give up on them. His patience with and affection for the Corinthians is a reflection of Christ’s love and long suffering for us. Though we rebel against Jesus again and again, still He patiently waits for us, standing ready to forgive our sins, should we simply turn to Him in confession and repentance.
I believe that every sermon should end with some sort of invitation. It saddens me to know that many churches today no longer offer a formal invitation at the end of their worship services. I realize that most Sundays no one comes forward, nor do I expect them too. That said, I think it's important that we give the congregation a few moments to respond to the message. We never know what might happen, who might step out, and what life-changing decisions might be made.
In today’s message, the 45th and final sermon in our series through 1 and 2 Corinthians, Paul extends a closing invitation. He has extensively defended his character and apostleship, and has exposed the Corinthians’ obstinance and sinfulness. Now he challenges them to humbly submit themselves to the Lord and respond in obedience to Him.
I. FEARFUL EXPECTATIONS (2 Cor. 12:19-21)
Having spent the last few chapters making his personal defense, Paul explained that he wasn’t as concerned about what the Corinthians thought of him as he was that they acknowledged and abided by the truth of Christ. He said that he wasn’t defending himself to them per se, but rather in the sight of God that they might be built up. Paul referred to the Corinthians as his “beloved”, clearly indicating his love and affection for them. His desire was their renewal and restoration, not their applause.
Paul worried that he might not find the Corinthians walking in faithful obedience to God when he arrived for his third visit. He was concerned that there would be strife, jealousy, angry tempers, disputes, slanders, gossip, arrogance, and disturbances. This is what he had experienced during his previous, tearful visit. In fact, he had addressed some of these issues earlier in 1 Corinthians. Paul feared that if he returned and found them still practicing immorality he’d be humiliated and embarrassed. He worried that he’d mourn yet again over those who were engaged in blatant and unrepentant sin - impurity, immorality, and sensuality.
II. COMING IN BOLDNESS (2 Cor. 13:1-4)
Paul stated that he’d be making his third visit soon. He quoted the law of Moses saying that every fact is confirmed by the testimony of 2 or 3 witnesses (Deuteronomy 19:15). Perhaps he was using this verse figuratively to suggest that his 3rd visit would be sufficient to determine definitively where the Corinthians stood in relationship to God. Were they the faithful, obedient believers that he’d seen during his first visit or the wayward, immoral rebels that he’d seen during his second visit?
Paul set expectations by writing that he was planning to come this time in boldness. He was going to hold the Corinthians accountable for their conduct, confront any unrepentant sinners, and would not spare anyone. They wanted proof of Paul’s apostleship and evidence that he wasn’t the weak, unimpressive person that he’d been depicted as being by their false teachers. Thus, Paul intended to demonstrably show them the strength of Christ. He elaborated that Jesus was crucified in His weakness, but now lived by the power of God. In like fashion, Paul and his colleagues might have appeared weak in their sufferings, but they actually lived in God’s almighty strength which was and would be directed toward the Corinthians.
III. TEST YOURSELVES (2 Cor. 13:5-10)
As he came to the conclusion of this letter, Paul called the Corinthians to action. He urged them to test themselves to see if they were truly in the faith. In other words, was their profession of faith genuine, were they really saved, and were they genuinely committed to Christ? If they were saved, did they have unconfessed sin that was disrupting their fellowship with God and hindering their effectiveness? Paul trusted that, after reading his lengthy defense, the Corinthian church would recognize that he and his fellow missionaries were true Christians, worthy to be revered.
Paul’s prayer was that they would quit doing things that were wrong and instead do things that were right, regardless of whether Paul and his team appeared approved in their sight or not. Paul stood for the truth and nothing else. He rejoiced when the Corinthians were strong and prayed that they would be made complete. Paul’s desperate plea was that the Corinthians would repent of their apostasy, put away their false teachers, and turn back to the Lord.
Paul explained that he had made his defense, laid out his case against the false apostles, and called the church to repentance in this letter in order that they might respond obediently before he arrived in person. Although Paul possessed the God-given authority to address them with severity during his next visit (for their edification, not for their destruction) and was fully prepared to do so, he didn’t necessarily want to. He hoped they’d examine themselves individually and corporately and get themselves and their church right with the Lord before he showed up.
IV. CLOSING REMARKS (2 Cor. 13:11-14)
If the entire book of 2 Corinthians is a single letter, then the final verses of chapter 13 are the valediction of that letter. If, however, it is 2 or more letters that have been combined into a single book, then the closing verses might be the valediction of 1 of those individual letters or a collective valediction that ties the combined letters together with a single closing. Either way, let’s consider what they say.
Paul closed by exhorting the Corinthians to rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, and live in peace. He prayed that the God of love and peace would be with them. He told them to greet one another and sent greetings from all the saints. Finally, he evoked the Trinity with a final blessing on the Corinthians, stating, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.”
CONCLUSION
We did it! After almost a full year of study, we’ve finally come to the end of our sermon series on Paul’s letters to Corinth. We’ve discovered that the Corinthian church was fraught with problems and was truly a “Messed Up Church”. Located in a city known for prostitution, idolatry, and sexual immorality, the Corinthian church struggled to maintain purity and obedience to the Lord.
In Paul’s first letter, he warned them to abstain from sexual immorality and to avoid such people who practiced it. In his second letter, Paul again addressed and gave instructions for dealing with sexual immorality along with a host of other issues and concerns that were plaguing the church and rendering it ineffective. In Paul’s third letter, written while the church was in full blown rebellion against him and far from God, he expressed his grave sorrow for their waywardness, contrasted himself sharply with their false leaders, and earnestly called the church to repentance. In his fourth letter, having received news of their renewal and restoration, Paul shared the comfort he felt knowing they’d turned back to God, gave a further description of his ministry, and reminded them of and urged them to rekindle their earlier virtue and generosity.
In the end, every church is flawed to some extent. We are all “messed up” churches, filled with “messed up” people who lived “messed up” lives. That said, we can all relate to the Corinthians and their brokenness, and can learn from their many missteps. My prayer is that our church, both as a congregation and as individual members, will walk in faithful obedience to and in intimate fellowship with the Lord. Perhaps we can avoid some of the pitfalls the Corinthians stumbled into.
Despite their frequent compromise, carnal worldliness, and propensity to stray from God, Paul sincerely loved the Corinthian church. He honestly identified and confronted their sin, urged them to examine themselves and repent, mourned over their sinful condition, and rejoiced when they eventually responded. Paul boldly contended for them and didn’t give up on them. His patience with and affection for the Corinthians is a reflection of Christ’s love and long suffering for us. Though we rebel against Jesus again and again, still He patiently waits for us, standing ready to forgive our sins, should we simply turn to Him in confession and repentance.