THE WORD OF GOD
SHOULD CAUSE GRIEF AND RESTORATION
2 Corinthian 1:23 ,24,2:1-11
The Apostle Paul was addressing the previous issue of
adultery that was allowed in
Church that should have been corrected. A man in the Church
was having an affair
with his father's wife. Paul's decision was firm. The
unrepentant member had to be put out of the Church to shame him into
repentance. Some of the members were grieved over this decision.
V:23. " I call God as my witness that it was in order
to spare you that I did not return to Corinth
A. Paul in
consideration of the grief of the congregation decided to delay his return
to check on the progress
of the Corinthians.
1. The hearts of
the members of Corinthian Church
they were
required to do in order to restore Christian order and unity in the
Church.
2. Paul did not
want to grieve them any more by his presence.
B. Sometimes it is
best to give the Church time to heal from the wounds of their
punishment before
challenging them to move forward.
1. It takes time
for people to get comfortable with doctrines of God that had not
been
previously enacted.
2. Sometimes we
get distracted by what we want or feel rather than following the
commands of
God.
a. Our
attachment to someone can cause us to loose focus on what is right before
God.
b. You can't
let a fire burn down a house because you like the color of the flame.
c. Adultery is
a fire that will destroy the family.
d. The fabric
of the Church is based on family unity.
V:24. "Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work
with you for your joy, because it is by faith you
stand firm."
A. Since Paul was the shepherd of the Corinthian
Church
command the Church
to conform to the doctrine of Jesus Christ.
1. Paul wanted the
Church to return to their formal joy before returning to visit with
them.
2. Paul encourage
the Church to stand firm in their faith.
a. Standing
firm in our faith means following God's commands.
b. Standing
firm in our faith means role modeling the righteousness of God.
B. The Church should
derive their joy from following the commands of God.
1. When we get
comfortable with the Lord's commands we will find joy in
our
obedience.
2. Some of God's
commands does not agree with our fleshly desires.
3. What God
commands us to do always works to good of the body of Christ.
V.2:1. " So I made up my mind that I would not make
another painful visit to you."
A. It may be that
Paul was disappointed with the failure of the Church to follow the
the doctrines
he had taught them.
1. May be Paul
wanted to get his mind right before he addressed the congregation
again in
person.
2. When get angry
and upset, it takes time for us to calm down.
3. When you are
upset with another person, you may say the right thing in the
wrong tone.
a. Instead
of reconciling others back to the body we can easily push them away.
B. Paul decide in
himself that if he came to the Church it would be painful for them
and for him,
especially if order had not been restored.
1. Paul
considered the state of the Church and
his affect on their joy.
2. He would rather
stay away until he could be comfortable in their
presence.
3. We should always
be considered of how our actions might affect other
believers in
the wrong direction.
V.2:2. "For if I
grieve you, who is left to make me glad but you whom I have grieved?"
A. Paul derived his
joy from the spiritual growth and development of the believers.
1. If he
grieved other believers, he would also be grieved.
2. As parents,
we can understand when we have to discipline our children, we are
also grieved.
a. Sometimes
we have to relive what we have done to see if their is any change
in
behavior.
b. Sometimes
we have review what we have done to reevaluate the effectiveness
of our
own actions.
B. There is no way
to discipline someone without feelings being hurt.
1. There will
always be someone criticizing what you do in the name of the Lord.
2. As the
shepherd of the God's people, you have to follow God's commands
not the
desires of others.
3. God is not
concerned about our feeling. But He is concerned about our
obedience.
a. God does
not want anyone to perish because of their sins.
V:3. " I wrote
as I did so that when I came I should not be distressed by those who ought to make me rejoice.
I had confidence in all of you, that you would all share my joy."
A. Paul wrote in
strong language to get the Church body
to clear up any disorder and
deal with the
sin that was continuing among them.
1. Paul expressed
his confidence that after being given Godly instructions, the
members of the
Church would act quickly to restore the unity in the body.
2. God is no
respecter of person.
a. No matter
who the disruptive person is related to, he must be counseled and
disciplined when necessary.
b. The Word of
God was not given that we may feel good in our sins.
c. The Word of
God was given so that we are convicted of our sins and
run toward
the righteousness of God.
B. We should be
joyful when love is shown in the Church body through
necessary
discipline.
1. Love requires
discipline when necessary to keep the body reconciled to Christ.
2. The Bible says
that a man who does not discipline his child, does not love him.
V:4. " For I wrote you out of great distress and
anguish of heart and with many tears,
not to grieve you but to
let you know the depth of my love for you."
A. It should be out
love that we correct a believer who is going astray.
1. It is not our
job to criticize, but it is our job to bring to ones attention
the errors of
their ways to bring them back to right fellowship with the Lord.
2. We are our
brothers keeper and we should do everything we can to direct them
in the ways
of the Lord.
B. Paul was grieved and distress when he heard
that the Church was falling away
from God.
1. He was grieved
and distressed to burden the Church with the truth of the Word
regarding
their sins.
2. Paul's grief
and distress was do to his love for the body of Christ.
V:5. " If anyone has caused grief, he has not so much
grieved me as he has grieved all of you, to some extent —
not to put it too severely."
A. Paul states that
those who grieve the Church with their disobedient behavior, also
grieve him.
1. Paul was made
to suffer by Christ for the sake of preaching the Gospel of Jesus
Jesus Christ.
2. Just as Jesus
grieved for his own people who rejected him. Paul also grieved for
those who
rejected the Gospel after hearing the Gospel.
B. Individual
Churches grieve for their own, but Paul's grief was for all who rejected
the Gospel
though out his missionary trips.
1. The grief of
the Churches were not more than they could handle.
2. God will not
put more on you then you can handle.
3. Personal grief
is necessary for spiritual growth and maturity.
4. Handling
problems in the Church according to the Word of God strengthens
the Church.
V:6. " The
punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient for him."
A. Paul turned his
attention to the man in the Church that had to be disciplined
for the sin he
brought into the Church.
1. The punishment
inflicted fitted the sin.
a. A man was
put out of the Church to bring him back to the church.
b. He stepped
away from God in his adultery.
c. The
punishment was designed to cause him to quit his adulterous
relationship, repent and return to fellowship.
B. It is normal for
believers who don't have a good understanding of the
Word to get upset when the truth is applied to them
or someone they
favor.
1. The problem
is that we have a fleshly definition of love.
a. Some
think that love means not hurting someone's feelings.
2. God's love is
designed to cure the soul not ones feeling.
3. God's love is
always just and fair and has as it's objective the kingdom
of God
4. The Word of
God is not given to make you feel better, but make you more
like
Christ.
V:7. " Now
instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be
overwhelmed by
excessive sorrow."
A. Forgiveness is
automatic.
1. All our sins
were nailed to the cross with Jesus and covered with His blood.
2. Repentance and
restoration to body is up to the believer in sin.
B. When we are wronged,
we should not be unforgiving, because God is
constantly
forgiving us.
1. The man in sin
should be comforted with the truth that he has been forgiven
and can
return to fellowship in the Church as soon as he repents of his sins.
2. Once he
returns, the Church should treat him as God's redeemed.
a. Once we
repent and ask for forgiveness, we are restored to fellowship
with the
Father.
V:8. " I urge
you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him."
A. As a body of
believers we must comfort those in sin with the knowledge that they
were never without
our love even though they are not in fellowship with us.
1. Those who
repent of their sins need to know that it was because of God's love
for them that they were punished.
2. There are
consequences for our disobedience,
a. The
consequences are a result of God's love.
B. Those that God
called out of the darkness will be
chastised for their sins.
1. Like the
potter, God may have to shatter our lives to reshape us into useable
vessels.
2. Sin is
rebellion against God. The God we serve
is a jealous God.
a. The God
we serve will act on our behalf with discipline to restore us
to Himself.
V:9 "The reason
I wrote you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in
everything."
A. The Christian life
is a test that will result in a testimony to the goodness of God.
1. At the start
of the earthly ministry of Jesus, He was led to the wilderness to be
tempted.
2. It was The
Father's design to temp His Son before His preaching ministry
begun.
3. We are not
exempt from temptations but assured that temptations will come our
way for our
strengthening and spiritual maturity.
B. In the Garden of
Eden, Adam was given one command to test his obedience to the
Father.
1. The Word
from the Lord was not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge and of
Good and
Evil.
2. The command
came with a punishment for disobedience; death.
3. Because of
Adam's sins, we were all born in sin.
C. It is God's
design that we should live.
1. The way to
eternal life is faith in His Son which is evidenced by our obedience
to God's
commands.
V:10. " If you
forgive anyone, I also forgive him. And what I have forgiven — if there
was anything to
forgive — I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake."
A. The love of our
brothers is the command of God.
1. We show our
love by our willingness to forgive and move forward to comfort
and restore the
brother to fellowship.
1. Our love for
others cannot be conditional on their behavior.
2. God's love for
us is not conditional on our behavior but on our redemption.
3. The redemption
we have is through the Son, Jesus Christ.
B. All have sinned
and fall short of the glory of God.
1. Love and
redemption glorifies God the Father.
2. There should be
no one we can't forgive, because their forgiveness does not rest
with us.
3. We should
forgive because it clears our conscience.
4. We should
forgive because it makes us right with the Father.
V:11. "In order
that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes."
A. Satan is the
author of all sin.
1. Sin in
mankind begin with Satan deception of Eve in the Garden of Eden.
2. Satan is
the father of lies.
3. There is
no truth in him.
a. He
seeks to steal, kill and destroy.
b.
Satan's objective is to destroy any relationship with Jesus.
B. We know of some
of his schemes to deceive man into rejecting the Word of God.
1. By
ourselves, we are no match for his deceptions.
2. With the power of the Holy Spirit we
can recognize his presence and reject
his
schemes.
C. One of Satan's
tools of deception is an unforgiving spirit.
1. Satan will
use our unforgiving spirit against us.
2. When we
can't forgive, we can't see our own sins.
3. When we
can't forgive, we destroy our own fellowship with the Father.
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