2 Cor 5:14-21

2 Cor 5:14-21



For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

2 Cor 5:12-13

2 Cor 5:12-13

We are not again commending ourselves to you but are giving you an occasion to be proud of us, so that you will have an answer for those who take pride in appearance and not in heart. For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you.

2 Cor 5:9-11

2 Cor 5:9-11

Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest to God; and I hope that we are made manifest also in your consciences.

2 Cor 5:1-8

2 Cor 5:1-8


For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven, inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked. For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life.

Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge. Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord--for we walk by faith, not by sight--we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.

2 Cor 4:16-18

2 Cor 4:16-18

Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

2 Cor 4:7-15

2 Cor 4:7-15


But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 8We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 11For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12So death is at work in us, but life in you.

13Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, 'I believed, and so I spoke,' we also believe, and so we also speak, 14knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. 15For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God."

2 Cor 4:3-6

2 Cor 4:3-6

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. 4In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. 6For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."

2 Cor 2:2

2 Cor 2:2

But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God's word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God."

2 Cor 3:18-4:1

2 Cor 3:18-4:1

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.

For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart.

Notice the certainty and confidence in these three statements. God will take care of us. That is what He does!"

2 Cor 3:12-17

2 Cor 3:12-17

12Since we have such a hope, we are very bold,

You, Lord, love to manifest the glory of redemption, healing, life. Let us step out boldly in faith.

13not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. 14But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. 15Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. 16But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.

Lord, open Lawrence's eyes, open Sarah's eyes, open Paul's eyes, open Chloe's eyes, open Noah's eyes. Only Your Spirit can make us to see the same lovely Christ that we have seen, and that You, in fact, are!

17Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

Come Jesus, by Your Spirit and open our minds to understand Your will for our lives! Amen."

2 Cor 3:7-11

2 Cor 3:7-11


Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses' face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, 8will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? 9For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory. 10Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it. 11For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory.

Rejoice! The Spirit is filling our lives with glory, and will fill eternity with glory!

And What is glory? Would we recognize it if we saw it?

Glory is finding Jesus at work in the world, in our lives, in our loved ones. Jesus condescending to help us. Jesus, finding disorder, disease, distrust, disengagement and bringing healing, life, and companionship.

I praise You, Jesus, for Your kind and loving help!"

2 Cor 3:4-6

2 Cor 3:4-6


Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God.

Look back to 3:1-3. Our confidence is that it is the Holy Spirit who is manifesting Christ through us. Because of the Spirit, we can disciple one another. At the graduation showcase at PVCC we saw Christ manifested in the nurture of the children. The result of the Spirit's help is confidence.


Not that we are sufficient in ourselves

A reason to pray hard: we are not sufficient in ourselves.


to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us competent

A reason for confidence: God makes us competent to disciple each other.


to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

It is by His word that he works!"

Paul's encouragements can be summarized by four headings

Paul's encouragements can be summarized by four headings:

1. We do manifest Christ to the world through our lives together. 2:14-3:3
2. We have open eyes and are changed by God's word. 3:4-3:18
3. We increase in growth, even in affliction. 4:1-12
4. We look to great, eternal rewards. 4:13-18"

Read the following snippets of this new section

Read the following snippets of this new section.

Lord Jesus, make us encouragers also!

2:12-5:10


But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession,

Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God.

who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant

the Spirit gives life.

glory...glory...even more glory...glory...far exceed it in glory...glory...glory...glory...glory...glory.

Since we have such a hope, we are very bold

where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom

one degree of glory to another

we do not lose heart

the surpassing power belongs to God

we also believe, and so we also speak

grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.

So we do not lose heart

an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison

what is mortal may be swallowed up by life

has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.

So we are always of good courage

we walk by faith, not by sight

Yes, we are of good courage"

2 Cor 2:12-17

2 Cor 2:12-17

When I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ,
even though a door was opened for me in the Lord,
my spirit was not at rest because I did not find my brother Titus there.
So I took leave of them and went on to Macedonia.

Open doors do not equal God's will.


Note on the text: This ends Paul's treatment of sin and reconciliation. In the following section, Paul turns his attention to encouragement. In the next email, I will snip out all the statements of purpose. But first, let us jump in to the first word of encouragement:


But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God's word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.

Dear Jesus, How we long to be an aroma of life in and with You. That fragrance is the knowledge of You. May all who see Carmen and I together sense that fragr"

2 Cor 3:1-3

2 Cor 3:1-3

Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you, or from you?


You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all.

And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us,

written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God,
not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

Dear Father, please make Carmen and I disciples of each other. Let our love for each other be evident to all. Let our work of love and discipleship for each other also be evident to all. We want this kind of life, but we don't know how to get there! We are not sufficient for this. We need Your help. Please bless us for Your glory."

2 Cor 2:11

2 Cor 2:11

so that we would not be outwitted by Satan;
for we are not ignorant of his designs.

Wow!

Let's not be outwitted by Satan!"

2 Cor 2:5-10

2 Cor 2:5-10

Now if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure—not to put it too severely—to all of you. For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him. For this is why I wrote, that I might test you and know whether you are obedient in everything. Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ,


* See the 'apostolic' ministry of Paul to the church which is the pattern for Sovereign Grace church planters.
* See Paul's wise counsel on forgiveness and quick restoration.
* See Paul's 'testing' for the purpose of resolving this issue without personal confrontation

Dear Father, please help us to relate to others with such maturity and Christ-centeredness...Amen."

2 Cor 2:4

2 Cor 2:4

For I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you.

Paul really cared!!!!"

2 Cor 2:3

2 Cor 2:3

And I wrote as I did,

so that when I came

I might not suffer pain

from those who should have made me rejoice,

for I felt sure of all of you,

that my joy would be the joy of you all.

Paul wanted to resolve the sin without confrontation. He wants them to rejoice which will make him rejoice. May God give us this open-heartedness and unity! Amen"

2 Cor 2:2

2 Cor 2:2

For if I cause you pain, who is there to make me glad but the one whom I have pained?

Paul has a true desire for deep intimacy. He wants the people to unify with him and share the joy of relationship with one another and with Jesus."

2 Cor 2:1

2 Cor 2:1

For I made up my mind not to make another painful visit to you.

This is the biblical language of decision making.
Again, see Paul's desire to resolve the sin without conflict."

2 Cor 1:23-24

2 Cor 1:23-24

But I call God to witness against me—it was to spare you that I refrained from coming again to Corinth. Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith.

This begins a very important section for us. Paul is dealing with the sins of the church at Corinth. We see here a useful model of godly intimacy in times of sin.



Notice in this section:



But I call God to witness against me

1) Paul's earnest sincerity. He even goes so far as to swear. This is very humble. He is an Apostle. Still he accepts the reality that he has to defend his integrity.









it was to spare you that I refrained from coming again to Corinth.

2) Paul's desire to resolve this sin without confrontation.











Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith.

3) Paul's motive to work as a team against sin, since they really are on the same team. It is pain and accountability with the character of pastoral, submisive, redemptive intimacy."

2 Cor 1:15-22

1:15-22


Because I was sure of this, I wanted to come to you first, so that you might have a second experience of grace. I wanted to visit you on my way to Macedonia, and to come back to you from Macedonia and have you send me on my way to Judea.

Dear Father, thank you that Carmen and I have desires to come together, for fun, for learning, for adjustment, and for sharing. All these are expiriences of grace!!!


Was I vacillating when I wanted to do this? Do I make my plans according to the flesh, ready to say 'Yes, yes' and 'No, no' at the same time? As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been Yes and No.

Please help us to have the confidence that if we are not spending time together, it is because of Your good and perfect will.

For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No, but in him it is always Yes. For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.

Thank You that we can rest in Your will and Your promises. Make us single-minded, seeking Your will.

And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ,"

2 Cor 1:12-14

1:12-14

For our boast is this,

the testimony of our conscience,

that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity,

not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God,

and supremely so toward you.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you that we have Your Spirit. And that we do have a sincere conscience, though very imperfect, to honor You in our family. Thank You that we know that the principles found in Your Word are the way to joy and peace. We could be searching the philosophies of our day, but You have given us light to seek Your precepts. Thank you for planting our feet on the solid rock!

For we are not writing to you anything other than what you read and acknowledge and I hope you will fully acknowledge— just as you did partially acknowledge us—

Please help us to be plain and transparent in our communication. That we would say what we really think, and that we would learn a new dance. A dance of seeking each other out to discover motives, a dance of living freely together. Until we can fully "acknowledge" each other and feel safe to share our sins and griefs. We want our marriage to be a place of safety and refuge.

that on the day of our Lord Jesus

you will boast of us as we will boast of you.

Father, please help us to build into each other's lives. To be each other's best friend and encourager. We want to see in each other the product of our prayers, the product of our encouragement, the product of our disciple-ing. You can help us. Please have mercy on Your children.

2 Cor overview

"Second Corinthians is the most personally revealing of all Paul's epistles.





While 1 Corinthians apparently resolved some of the problems in Corinth, a new and potentially more dangerous threat soon arose. False teachers, claiming to be apostles sent by the Jerusalem church, arrived in Corinth and soon wooed many of the congregation away from their loyalty to Paul and the truth. When Paul heard about this threat (possibly from Timothy), he left Ephesus and went to Corinth.

The visit (the 'sorrowful,' or 'painful' visit; cf. 2 Cor. 2:1) did not go well, reaching its lowest ebb when someone (possibly one of the false apostles) defied Paul and openly insulted him (2:5-8, 10; 7:12). To his immense sorrow, the Corinthians did not take action against the offender. Paul returned to Ephesus, wrote a strongly worded letter (which also has not been preserved) known as the 'severe letter' (see 2:4), and sent it to Corinth with Titus (7:5-16).

Leaving Ephesus, Paul went to Troas, where he hoped to meet Titus. Though there was an open door for ministry there, Paul's concern over the situation at Corinth prevented him from taking full advantage of it (2:12-13). Restless, unable to wait any longer for Titus, Paul went on to Macedonia where he at long last met him. Titus's news"

2 Cor 1:11

"1:11 you also joining in helping us through your prayers, so that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the favor bestowed on us through the prayers of many.

Jesus, please help us to share in the work of prayer, so that we can give thanks together. amen"