2 Corinthians 10:1-7a ~ 20200920 ~ Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org
09/20_2 Corinthians 10:1-7a; Gospel Humility; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20200920_2cor10_1-7a.mp3
We are jumping back in to 2 Corinthians chapter 10, where we left off some time ago. To bring us up to speed, here’s a broad outline of where we are in the book.
Outline of 2 Corinthians
Paul’s integrity has been questioned and his authority undermined. His relationship with this church has been rocky from the beginning. He spent a year and a half when he first came to Corinth, preaching the gospel and teaching them. But shortly after he left, he heard there were serious problems. He wrote to address multiple issues, he made an emergency visit which didn’t go well, so he left and wrote them a severe letter. He sent Titus to check on them, and after Titus reported back to him, he sent him again ahead of him with this letter. Paul is on his way to visit them again, and this letter is meant to prepare them for that visit.
In chapters 1-7 Paul explains and defends the characteristics of authentic Christian ministry, New Covenant ministry. Genuine gospel ministry is ministry that looks like the gospel and is shaped by the gospel. Authentic Christian ministry is sacrificial service that embraces suffering for the good of others. It follows in the footsteps of Jesus; it not only preaches the cross, but also is shaped by the cross.
Chapters 8-9 encourage a response to this gospel ministry; as we experience God's grace, it ought to overflow from us in practical generosity to love and serve the needs of others.
Chapters 11-13 turn to confront head on the false apostles who proclaim a false Jesus, a false Spirit, and a false gospel, who were leading the Corinthians astray.
In chapter 10, Paul transitions from speaking in a positive tone to those won over by Titus’ visit and the delivery of his severe letter that grieved them to repentance. He now turns to address directly in much harsher tones those in the congregation who had not yet repented, and were still enamored by these false apostles.
2 Corinthians 10:1 I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away!— 2 I beg of you that when I am present I may not have to show boldness with such confidence as I count on showing against some who suspect us of walking according to the flesh. 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, 6 being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete. 7 Look at what is before your eyes. If anyone is confident that he is Christ's, let him remind himself that just as he is Christ's, so also are we. 8 For even if I boast a little too much of our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for destroying you, I will not be ashamed. 9 I do not want to appear to be frightening you with my letters. 10 For they say, “His letters are weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech of no account.” 11 Let such a person understand that what we say by letter when absent, we do when present.
Authoritative Entreaty
Paul is being accused by the false teachers of being two-faced, writing powerful letters from a safe distance, but being unimpressive in person. So he starts this section off with an emphatic and authoritative self-assertion; ‘I, Paul, myself.’ Thus far in the letter he has referred to himself in the plural ‘we’. Here he switches to the singular ‘I’. The only other place that comes close to this kind of authoritative self-assertion is Galatians 5:
Galatians 5:2 Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you.
He aims to get their attention. But instead of commanding them, he comforts or encourages them. He entreats them. He opened this letter using the same word, pointing to the God of all comfort or encouragement ‘who comforts/encourages us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort/encourage those who are in any affliction, with the comfort/encouragement with which we ourselves are comforted/encouraged by God’ (2Cor.1:3-4).
This word ‘entreat’ can be translated to exhort, encourage, implore, or entreat; literally to call alongside. Paul musters all his apostolic authority to call them to his side. He entreats them through the character of Jesus, who is meek and gentle. Paul asserts his authority to take the gentle and lowly place, the humble place. He is following his Master, who though he was in very nature God, humbled himself, taking the form of a servant (Phil.2:6-7).
In his letters, they said, he is bold, frightening, weighty, and strong but in person he is humble, weak, of no account. Here he turns the tables on them; as he writes, he begs them in the meekness and gentleness of Christ, so that he doesn’t have to show boldness and confidence when he is with them. It is not that he wants to prove them wrong by coming with an authoritative domineering presence, but rather he would prefer to be bold in his letter so that he can be gentle and meek when he is face to face with them. He wants to be Christlike in all his dealings with them.
The Flesh; Walking and Warring
Paul is being accused of walking according to the flesh. The Bible describes living the Christian life as walking, putting one foot in front of the other. Paul is being accused of ordering his life according to his own sinful fleshly desires, pursuing his own pleasures at their expense. He admits that he does walk in the flesh – he is merely human and laces up his sandals just like any other first century Jew. He is not larger than life as some expect he ought to be. He plods through an ordinary human existence, facing the same (or more) affliction, adversity and frustration as the next guy.
But although he admits his full humanity, he denies that he orders his Christian life according to sinful fleshly desires.
2 Corinthians 10:2 ...some who suspect us of walking according to the flesh. 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh.
Here he changes the metaphor from walking to waging war. The Christian life is war. As he tells the Ephesians,
Ephesians 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
We as followers of Jesus are engaged in an all-out spiritual battle. The church is called to storm the gates of hell (Mt.16:18), and those gates will not stand!
2 Corinthians 10:4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, 6 being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.
Gospel Weapons of Humility
We battle for the souls of people. And the weapon we use is the foolishness of the gospel, the message of the cross, that destroys the wisdom of the wise (1Cor.1:18-19).
1 Corinthians 1:27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.
We want to think something of ourselves, to lift ourselves up. When we do, it is a ‘lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God’. Not one of us is more than a sinner saved by God’s rich and marvelous grace. We don’t deserve it. We didn’t earn it. We cannot boast. The cross dismantles every argument we have of our own self worth and self sufficiency. I am so bad that I deserve death. I am so helpless that God became human to take my place and rescue me. That is the gospel. That is the message of the cross. We must humble ourselves to receive the gift he freely offers. We must repent, turn from whatever lofty opinion we were clinging to, and empty handed, dirty handed receive his pardon, full and free. Every self-exalting thought must be surrendered to Jesus. We must obey Jesus, obey the gospel, which means to come needy, come broken, come helpless, and receive his gift.
Complete Obedience
2 Corinthians 10:5 ...and take every thought captive to obey Christ, 6 being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.
Verse 6 gives Paul’s goal for writing 2 Corinthians. He is ‘ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.’ This is why he didn’t come to visit when he had originally planned. His kindness was meant to lead them to repentance (Rom.2:4). He wanted to give them time to repent. Time to listen, time to complete their obedience and humble themselves. Earlier he said:
2 Corinthians 5:20 ...We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
He is imploring the church to be reconciled to God. He didn’t want to come in with a rod of correction to drive out the false teachers and end up harming some genuine sheep in the process. A shepherd carries a rod and a staff both to comfort his sheep, as well as to defend his sheep against wolves.
Paul wants the obedience of the true believers to be evident so that it is clear who belongs to Jesus and who is false. He is hoping and praying that the church, the genuine believers in the church will step up and deal themselves with those who are promoting a false gospel and a phony Jesus. He wants the local church to take the gospel seriously and to evaluate authentic ministry rightly. He is exhorting them stand up for the truth of the gospel. He doesn’t want to come and punish the disobedience of the false teachers and those who are following them until the genuine believers start acting like genuine believers.
You Look At The Face
2 Corinthians 10:7 Look at what is before your eyes. ...
There is a verbal link between verse 1 and verse 7; I who am humble when face to face; literally ‘according to face’. Verse 7 says ‘that which is according to face, you look at.’ this could be translated, ‘look at what is in front of your face’ or ‘you are looking at outward appearances’ (NET) ‘how things look on the surface’ (NIRF). This connects back to what he said in chapter 5
2 Corinthians 5:12 We are not commending ourselves to you again but giving you cause to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast about outward appearance and not about what is in the heart.
Those who boast in face and not in heart. You are looking at things as they appear on the surface. You are missing the deeper reality. You are failing to look at the heart. The false teachers may present themselves as bold and powerful, and Paul presents himself in humility, entreating them by the meekness and gentleness of Christ.
Don’t be overly impressed by pushy authority. Be impressed by Christlikeness. Authentic ministry is ministry like Jesus
Matthew 11:28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Genuine Christian ministry follows in the footsteps of the Master
Philippians 2:5 ...Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
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Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org