SUFFERING FOR CHRIST
2 Corinthians 6:1-13,
7:2
V:1. " As God's fellow workers we urge you not to
receive God's grace in vain."
A. We have all been
saved by the grace of God.
1. God chose us
not because of our worth, but because of His divine love.
2. We are not worthy
of His choice.
3. Before God, we
are no more than filthy rags.
a. The Word
says that there is none righteous, no not one.
B. God chose us because of His plan of redemption for
mankind.
1. He looked
forward from the time before the foundation of the World
and saw a
world that He would make perfect become imperfect by sin.
2. God chose us
(the Church) and commission us to take the good news of
His Son's
redeeming blood to the ends of the earth.
a. Faith in
the crucifixion, death and resurrection of Jesus for our sins
restores
us to fellowship with the Father.
3. Jesus, Himself
said the workers are few, but the harvest is plentiful.
a. The Church
is the "few" among the many of the world.
b. Without
the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the world will remain in darkness.
C. All believers in
Jesus Christ have the responsibility to preach the Good News
of Jesus to all
they meet.
1. We would be
taking God's grace in vain if we do not proclaim Jesus as Lord
and Savior.
2. God has favored
us with redemption and we MUST proclaim Jesus to the rest of the
world.
3. We are God's
workman and His vessels of service.
4. To not serve the
Lord is an ungrateful, selfish and thoughtless act.
5. God chose us to
serve and give Him glory and honor.
V:2. " For he says, "In the time of my favor I
heard you, and in the day of salvation I
helped
you." I tell you, now is the time
of God's favor, now is the day of salvation."
A. What goes around comes around.
1. When we were
dead in our sins, God sent His Son to be sin for us by His death
on the cross.
2. It was the
favor of God the Father to hear our cry for deliverance from the sins
of this world.
3. The time when
God sent His Son down from heaven to shed His blood on the
cross was the
time of our salvation.
B. Now, the time has
come for us (the Church of Jesus
Christ
Gospel of Jesus Christ.
1. Time is not on
our side, because we don't know when our time is up on this
earth.
2. Death is in the
forecast for everybody and only the Father knows the time.
C. Now that we have
the testimony of Jesus in our lives, we MUST proclaim it
to all we meet.
1. We could be
hear today and gone tomorrow.
2. They could be here today and gone tomorrow.
a.
It is a sad day when we see someone laying in a casket that we had a chance to
to be a witness for Christ and did not.
b. Everybody need to hear a word from God
through you.
c.
You maybe the only Church they attend.
d. You may be the light that God intended
for them to see.
V:3. " We put no stumbling block in anyone's path, so
that our ministry will not be discredited
A. It is our responsibility to think like Jesus, talk like Jesus and walk as Jesus walked.
A. It is our responsibility to think like Jesus, talk like Jesus and walk as Jesus walked.
1. If we have
been saved by the grace of God and act like the world, we become
a stumbling
block to the unsaved.
2. We must
continue to grow in the Lord, so those around us can grow in the Lord.
B. We discredit our
Christian faith when we continue to act like the world.
1. Since the old
man in us has died, he should never raise his ugly head.
2. Only the new
man in Christ should be alive in us.
3. When we give
credit, it should be to the Lord and Him only.
4. When we give
honor, it should be to the Lord and Him only.
V:4. "Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves
in every way: in great endurance;
in troubles,
hardships and distresses."
A. Working for God
is not always easy.
1. God promised that in serving Him we will face adversities.
2. God also
promised that He will never leave us or forsake us.
B. In every problem
we face serving God, we should trust
that God will be the solution.
1. As we face
the problems of this life we must always act upon the Word of God.
2. Our Christian
character should always shine before us.
C. All of the
apostles of Jesus Christ faced persecutions and suffered from cruel
the punishment of
their accusers and faced want for the basic necessities of life.
1. They faced at
times insurmountable difficulties, yet they kept their faith in
Jesus Christ.
2. They were able
to endure tough times because they trusted God to deliver them.
V:5. " In
beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and
hunger."
A. Paul was beat at
least five times for preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
1. Paul was
imprisoned for the success of his preaching because others worshiped
idols became
upset.
2. Paul and his
co workers in Christ worked to support themselves.
a. They
chose not to burden the Church who also were suffering.
b. A workman
is worth his wage.
c. They
considered their wage paid in full by Christ death on the cross.
B. Paul was ship
wrecked while on a trip to Rome
1. He ministered
to the men on the ship and to natives on the island they
landed on.
2. Under all of
his conditions, he kept his focus on his mission for Jesus.
V:6. " In purity, understanding, patience and kindness;
in the Holy Spirit and in sincere
love;"
A. Despite all the
adversity Paul and his co workers faced, their thoughts were always
pure.
1. They kept their
focus on words of Jesus and not the actions of man.
2. Paul did not
allow his love for God, his love for the
brethren or is love for his
enemies to be
controlled by the hateful actions of others.
B. Paul continued to
study the Word of God under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
1. Understanding
the Word of God gives us the wisdom to treats others with the
love of God.
2. It is the Word of God that gives us hope in all
situations.
C. Patience is a
Christian virtue that can only be learned when we learn to trust the
Lord to provide
us with all our needs.
1. The Lord has
been patience with us.
2. We must learn
to be patience with others.
D. Knowing that God is our provider, frees us to
consider the concerns of others.
E. When we understand
the love of God, we can treat others with love.
V:7. " In truthful
speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the
right hand and in
the left."
A. Paul spoke the Word of God. He proclaimed
only the Gospel that he received from
Jesus.
1. Paul did not give his opinions, just
the truth.
2. Unbelievers don't need our opinions.
a. They need to hear the Word
of God.
b. The truth does not always agree
with unbelievers, but it is what they need to hear.
B. We can not convince anyone to believe in
God.
1.
The power is in the Word of God.
2. God prepares the heart of those we
come in contact with to receive His Word from
us.
C. The tools God has given His servants are
the Spirit and Faith.
1. In the right hand is the Spirit.
a. We have the indwelling of the Holy
Spirit
b. The power of the Spirit enables us
to be aggressive in our witness for Christ.
2. In the left hand is the Shield of
faith.
a. With faith, we can defend ourselves
against the fiery darts of Satan,
b. Temptations are always present,
therefore we have to be on guard to keep
from falling.
V:8. " Through glory and dishonor, bad report and good
report; genuine, yet regarded as
impostors."
A. The work of a
Christian should give God glory and honor.
1. The world
sometimes dishonors the Christian workers.
2. We must hold
fast to our faith, because any honor due us comes from the Father.
B. Some will give a good report on the work of a
Christian.
1. Others seeing
the same work will give a bad report.
2. There are
those who find joy in the work of the servants of God.
3. At the same
time, there will be those filled with
criticism.
4. God is our
reward.
5. We should not
look for the praise of man.
C. Our genuine work
and love for our brothers will sometimes be consider as false.
1. Not everyone
will see the Christian in a positive
light.
2. God has
predestined those who will receive the
light.
3. Since we don't know who will receive the
Word of Truth, we proclaim it
to everyone.
V:9. " Known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet
we live on; beaten, and yet not killed."
A. God's workers are
known by Him.
1. We must witness
to those we know and those who are strangers to us.
2. We must at all time be Christ role model.
B. Paul and his co
laborers were expose to death during their trials and tribulations.
1. By the grace
of God they survived.
2. When they were
weak, God was their strength.
C. Paul and his co
laborer were beaten for preaching the Gospel of Jesus.
1. Their enemies
intended to kill them on the spot, but their lives were in
God's hands.
2. The lesson to
learn is God is always in control of our
lives.
V:10 "Sorrowful,
yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and
yet possessing
everything."
A. Paul and his co
laborers endured the sorrows of the
ministry of Christ.
1. They were
taunted by some and sneered at by others.
2. They at times
were without food and the comforts of
life.
3. Paul counted
his sorrows as joy.
B. Many was made
rich by the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
1. It is the
knowledge and the wisdom of God that
makes a man rich in the
Spirit.
C. Christians may not possess the riches of the
world, but they are heirs to the
1. The earth is
the Lord's and the fullness thereof.
2. God our
Father has everything we need.
V:11. " We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians, and
opened wide our hearts to you."
A. The speech of a
Christian should be the plain truth of the Gospel.
1. We should
never use deceptive language.
2. Our yes should
be yes and our no's should be no.
3. We should not imply
what we do not mean.
B. The heart of a Christian worker should be
enlarged toward other believers.
1. We must speak
the truth in love.
2. We should
encourage other in the ways of the Lord.
3. We should be concerned about spiritual
growth and development of others.
4. Whenever we
have the opportunity, we should uplift and enlighten others.
V:12. " We are
not withholding our affection from you, but you are withholding yours
from us."
A. Christian workers should hold other believer
in high esteem.
1. We
should be concerned about the welfare of
others.
2. We may find
that others have little regards for us.
B. What we can be
sure of is God hold a strong affection for his servants.
1. Our reward is
stored in heaven.
2. If we don't
faint we will reap a harvest of love.
V:13. " As a fair exchange — I speak as to my children
— open wide your hearts also."
A. A Christian
worker ought to see those he /she teach as children of God.
1. Like a
parent, our love for the brethren should be without limits.
2. A Spiritually
mature Christian should be tolerant with those growing
in the
spirit.
B. Our hope in the
Lord is that some day those we help will show their
gratitude by
helping others grow in the Lord.
2 Corinthians 7:2
V:2. " Make room for us in your hearts. We have wronged
no one, we have corrupted no
one, we have
exploited no one
A. We are commanded
to treat Christian workers with love and respect.
1. Those who love
the Lord treat everyone they way they
want to be treated.
2. True love will
not allow us to mistreat others.
3. If we love
others, we will not attempt to use them for our benefit.
B. We are role models
to others.
1. Someone is
always taking note of how we treat others.
2. We should treat
others as Christ treats us.
Rev. Mitchell, Asst
Pastor of GMBC
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