MPC
11th April 2021.April 11 - 2 Corinthians 11:1-12:13
MPC
11th April 2021.
Mark Fairhurst
A while ago I heard about a Christian woman who is one of the few Christians to have before and after photos of when she became a Christian.
She has them, because she was converted in the middle of her wedding service.
She says that, when the minister was preparing them for marriage he also talked about God's love for them. And he told them that God was jealous for their love of him. At the time, the woman had thought it was a ridiculous thing to say. She thought jealousy was a bad thing - so how could God be jealous.
But as she married her husband - as she heard him make his vows to her, she realised she was jealous for his love - she only wanted him to make those sort of promises to her - no-one else. And she suddenly realised how God could be jealous for her love - that he wanted her to belong to him, in a way she belonged to no-one else. And so she gave her life over to him.
It's a great story, isn't it?
As we come back to 2 Corinthians today, we hear Paul say "2 I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him."
Paul's longing for these Christians - was that they would bind themselves to Jesus - that they would trust him alone. But his fear is that they are slipping away from Christ: "3 But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ."
It was a real fear - as we've seen through 2 Corinthians, these Christians were being enticed away from the Jesus, and the gospel of grace.
After Paul had left them, new teachers had come claiming to have a better, more powerful gospel than Paul. Teachers who were very impressive and persuasive - much more so than Paul had seemed when he was with them. And the message they preached - which spoke of ecstatic experiences and power seemed much more enticing than Paul's.
So the Corinthian Christians - who loved success and power - were lapping it up. "4 For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough."
They were so very modern in their approach to faith and spirituality - so much like us and our society. Wide open to any new idea that came along. Looking for new and authentic experiences. And these teachers gave it to them. They were great preachers - trained in public speaking - so much more eloquent than the apostle Paul:
But what made them so dangerous - is that they used all the right Christians words, They preached 'Jesus', they proclaimed 'the gospel', they offered 'the Spirit'; They used the same words - but what they said was very different to the Jesus, and the spirit and the gospel we know.
In many ways, we have the privilege of being surrounded by a strong Bible teaching culture, We've had years of solid, clear, faithful teaching of the gospel here at Mitchie. And we can go to great conferences where we will be taught in the same way. Or do courses at QTC and which will lead us into an even deeper knowledge of Jesus.
But for so many Christians in the world that isn't so. They are surrounded by all sorts of 'Christian' influences, and they do not have the well-trained pastors they need to help them discern truth from error. It's why sending bible teachers like Keith and Marion is such a high priority for us at CMS.
But we are not immune - through our computers we have access to a whole world of 'Christian' influences and ideas. - perhaps no more than this last year of COVID, when for weeks on end we couldn't meet together! The latest Christian 'celebrity speaker' was on our screens. Or we could read about new church growth movements. Or ways for Christians to influence our society. And the danger for us - is that just like these Corinthian Christians, we'll be enticed away to the new, and the fascinating!
In the midst of all that - how are we to discern truth from error? The true shepherd from the wolf in sheep's clothing? How do we maintain 'a sincere and pure devotion to Christ'.
As he battles with these 'super-apostles' for the hearts and minds of the Corinthians, Paul gives us 3 tests, that will keep us centred - and show us truth from error.
Firstly, he says, focus on the content of the message you hear more than the way it's being presented.
4 For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough. 5 I do not think I am in the least inferior to those "super-apostles." 6 I may indeed be untrained as a speaker, but I do have knowledge. We have made this perfectly clear to you in every way.
False teaching is so often effective, because it's packaged in very impressive forms - it uses all the modern techniques to grab our attention. It can look and sound, much more interesting and 'relevant' than that 'same old' gospel that we have been taught from the beginning.
The reason the tele-evangelists get such a follow is because they are so good at what they do. Their words, their presentation, the stage they stand on - the size of the audience they speak to, look so much more successful and effective than our own.
They know exactly how to pull at people's heart strings - they speak to our felt needs.
They are very, very good at what they do. But so often what they preach isn't the living Jesus - but a gospel of 'pop-psychology' dressed in Christian clothes.
As Paul says in v.13:
13 For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15 It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.
False teachers don't come with a warning sign plastered across their foreheads - all too often they come from within the church itself. Sadly - in certain parts of the Anglican world I come from - it's the church leaders - the bishops and the theologians - that these falsehoods come from. And we're not alone with that dilemma - it affects us all.
So, whether it's the latest dynamic preacher, or the book that everyone's reading - or the new 'theology' that sounds so relevant, We need to listen to the content of what is said and ask ourselves: Does it lead me to Jesus first and foremost? Is it focussed on the gospel of grace that fills the preaching of the apostles? And will it cause me to grow in the fruit of the Spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control? If it doesn't do that - then it probably has the smell of sulphur about it - and we should turn it off, or throw the book away, and get our focus back where it needs to be.
Secondly, does the teachers life reflect the gospel?
When the false teachers came to Corinth - they expected the Corinthian Christians to support them - to pay them for their services. And they hinted that Paul's refusal to accept financial support from the Corinthian's showed a certain snootiness - a holding back that lacked respect for them:
7 Was it a sin for me to lower myself in order to elevate you by preaching the gospel of God to you free of charge? 8 I robbed other churches by receiving support from them so as to serve you. 9 And when I was with you and needed something, I was not a burden to anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied what I needed. I have kept myself from being a burden to you in any way, and will continue to do so. 10 As surely as the truth of Christ is in me, nobody in the regions of Achaia will stop this boasting of mine. 11 Why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do!
Paul's concern - was to ensure the way he proclaimed Jesus - reflected the gospel of grace that he preached. He preached 'free of charge' wherever he went - because God's forgiveness comes to us 'free of charge'. He wanted nothing to stop them seeing that.
It's a foundational mission principle - the people who need to hear the gospel, should never have to pay to hear it.
The Macedonian churches got that - they knew that Paul would never accept financial support from the area he was in, So they sent support to him again and again, so he could give himself to preaching the gospel 'free of charge'. As Paul says: v. 8 'I robbed other churches by receiving support from them so as to serve you.'
It's right that we should support our pastors - so they can give themselves to teaching and encouraging us, and like those Macedonian churches, we need to 'rob ourselves' so that we can support our mission partners in their gospel work.
The false teachers had never understood the gospel of grace - and so their lifestyle mimicked the world's way of working rather than the gospel.
But it was more than just money - it's the way they treated people as well. Look at v. 19:
19 You gladly put up with fools since you are so wise! 20 In fact, you even put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage of you or puts on airs or slaps you in the face. 21 To my shame I admit that we were too weak for that!
These 'super-apostles' were very aware of their own power and prestige, No doubt part of their teaching was 'if you listen to us, and follow our way, you can become rich and comfortable like us! All very attractive - who wouldn't want that! But how do they gain those riches and that self-assured lifestyle? By exploiting and taking advantage of those they preach to.
Paul, on the other hand - spent himself in serving Christ's people, and serving the Lord. In fact, the next half a chapter is a long recitation of all the suffering Paul went through in order to proclaim Jesus: We didn't have time to read it all this morning, but see how he begins in v. 23:
23 Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again.
And he goes on and on speaking about the persecutions and beatings. the natural dangers he faced in travelling the ancient world, the labour and toil on behalf of the gospel, his agony over the churches.
It's an awe-inspiring and daunting list - I find it such a rebuke to my middle-class ease and comfort.But his aim here, isn't so much to challenge us to be like him - although he does do that elsewhere!
Rather, it's a challenge to see what a true servant of Christ looks like, to help us see the emptiness of the 'super apostles' claims to be servants of Christ - while knowing nothing of suffering and self-sacrifice. And so to turn away from their teaching, to the gospel given to us by the true apostles of Christ.
How do you assess whether someone is a true pastor or a wolf in sheep's clothing - look at their lifestyle and character. Because the true servant of Christ, will reflect his gospel-grace and gospel-servanthood.
Finally, Paul says, look at what they depend on - and what they teach you to depend on.
These false apostles paraded their gifts and abilities, They loved talking about their spiritual experiences - as proof that they were authentic - not just 'apostles', but 'super-apostles' - so powerful were they!
But Paul says - the sign of true apostleship - is their recognition of their weakness, and their dependence on Christ.
And so, in chapter 12, Paul goes on to talk about his experiences. The false teachers were quite clearly trumpeting their dramatic spiritual experiences. So Paul taunts them - as he's done throughout this chapter. He tells them about his spiritual experience:
2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know-God knows. 3 And I know that this man-whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows-4 was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell.
They thought they were special because of their 'experiences' -
Paul could parade something far better than theirs - even though he really doesn't want to.
For it's actually a later experience that was much more important to him:
"Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
Far more important to Paul than that ecstatic experience - was this one of suffering. We don't know what this 'thorn in the flesh' this 'messenger of Satan' was - people have come up with all sorts of guesses - don't listen to them, Paul quite deliberately doesn't tell us. Because what really matters - wasn't the thing itself - but it's effect. It forced him to depend on Jesus and his grace. And that's what really matters - not Paul's strength and power - but God's at work through him.
Please don't get Paul wrong. Despite all the accusations these false teachers levelled against him - he wasn't the 70lb weakling they made him out to be. He was a very able man - it's quite clear from the book of Acts that he was being groomed by the Pharisees for high leadership in Israel. And his resilience and toughness is quite clear.
But that ability and toughness could so easily have become his greatest flaw - because it could cause him to depend on himself, rather than the Lord. So the Lord gives him this 'thorn in the flesh' to humble him, and push him to dependence on him. As Jesus said in John 15: 5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."
Part of my job is assessing people who are considering becoming missionaries. One of the things I have to look for is their strength and resilience to live in very tough situations. The last thing we want to do, is send someone and see them crash and burn under the pressure. But far more important is ensuring that the foundation of that resilience - is their dependence on the Lord Jesus. Their recognition that despite all the gifts and abilities the Lord has given them, they will achieve nothing if they do not remain in him.
How do you know the Lord's servant? You will see it in their dependence on the Lord Jesus Christ - and his grace at work in their lives.
You and I, dear friends, have been promised to one husband - to Christ. Why in the world would we want to stray from him!?
Remember what Paul said in chapter 5:
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation... 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Why would we stray from that? Yet, sadly, too often Christians do: For the Lord's ways can, at times, feel very hard. And the world's way can look so enticing,
So wherever you are at this moment, whether holding fast, or feeling yourself slipping.
The solution is the same: We need to listen to Paul and the faithful apostles - chosen by the will of God - listen to his word entrusted to them, and cling fast to Jesus and his gospel of grace which is the only way by which we must be saved.