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The Faithfulness Of GodHave you ever had someone let you down? Or maybe it was you - that let someone else down? You know when there was a promise to do something or be somewhere, and you, or they, had a change of plans. I think everyone over the age of 10 can relate, things happen, plans get changed, sometimes we just over commit. Other times, like in the text we will consider today, things happen beyond our control and the plans we made, just get changed. Changed by situations that only God has total control over. But God is faithful, in fact faithfulness is one of the main characteristics of God, he is steadfast, and unmovable - that is our God. James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. Mal 3:6 "I the LORD do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. My friends, I will let you down, every person on the face of the earth will disappoint you at some point or another, but God does not change his mind, he does not change his promises, he is constant, and can be totally counted on. The apostle Paul wrote this second letter to the church in Corinth less then a year after the first. It seems there were some folks in the Corinthian church that did not heed what Paul had written. They even questioned his integrity because he did not return to them when he said he would. So in this section of text, we find Paul not so much defending himself, but allowing the Corinthians to see the bigger picture. That plans change for reasons. Paul's main reasons, he wanted to spare them the pain he had been suffering. 2 Cor 1:8... We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Have you ever felt like that? Under great stress because of a huge issue, in fact its so big, its beyond your ability to endure? So bad that you figured life was going to end with it? That happens not just to Paul but to people every day. Some of you have suffered with sickness, disease, and losses, to the point that without God's help you would have given up. Others have suffered at the hands of people, you've been used and taken advantage of by someone you loved. Maybe told by your husband or wife that they want a divorce, that they really didn't love you, when you thought all was ok. And that pain is like what Paul described; “great pressure far beyond your ability to endure.” So Paul explains that to spare the church in Corinth, he lovingly did not return to them. But there is an even greater principle here- where it in fact was just the will of God for him not to visit. The Holy Spirit guided him and his comrades to another place. The principle Paul wants them to understand is God is always true, God can always be counted on – God is faithful. And like our Lord said, when you pray, you should pray, that God's will be done. READ THE TEXT. 2 CORINTHIANS 1:18-2:4 -- THE FAITHFULNESS OF GOD.
When some were questioning Paul's integrity (read V12-17), we find that Paul takes them to the rock. He takes them to God, he takes them to the message that they set their faith upon. He begins with the simple reminder that, God is faithful. If you have your eyes on a human being, a man, maybe your wonderful pastor, you will be disappointed, I will let you down. If you have your eyes on some famous preacher, an author you enjoy, or a radio personality who ministers to you, they at some point and time will let you down. If your looking even to your spouse to never let you down, I've got news for you, your looking in the wrong place. We are all flesh and blood, and we are all subject to all the same things of life where we make mistakes, we over commit, we forget things. So Paul takes us to the rock. He simply says, “God is faithful.” Heb 13:5-6 ...God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" When men and women let us down, even those we love, God is our helper, an ever present help in times of trouble. He will never let you down. So Paul reminds these people who were feeling let down, that the message they believed was on a message of yes and no. The Gospel is not about human action, it is not about what we do, or don't do, its all about what God has done. How Jesus Christ came and bore our sins, in his own body. In Paul's day and even today there are folks who to mix up the Old Covenant with the new. The old was summarized in Deut 11:22-23 If you carefully observe all these commands I am giving you to follow — to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways and to hold fast to him — then the LORD will drive out all these nations before you, and you will dispossess nations larger and stronger than you. IF you do this stuff, THEN God will do this. If and then, action equals response, but the Gospel recognizes that we can not do the “if's” we as humans, flesh, can not keep the commands. We fall short, we let them down – just like we let other people down. I can not love the Lord enough, I can not walk in his ways perfectly. So God had a better plan, the plan that was in motion since the fall of man. That he would send his son, and he would write his laws upon the hearts of men and women. That the law would show us our need for a savior and that none of us are righteous, not even one. So Paul says, that this is the message we preached to you is “Not yes and no, not IF and THEN”, but “yes” and to that we say -- Amen, or “I agree.” I have spoken in some pretty Pentecostal churches and I've got to tell you, its a lot more exciting when everyone is saying, amen, I agree, right on. So this new Covenant is different, it it not “if and then”, rater it is “yes” spoken by God, and “amen” spoken by us. That was the message Paul brought forth, and so did Silas and Timothy, and so do we. One message, not conditional, not based on our performance, but based on what Jesus did. Heb 9:28 So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. Do you see the “yes factor”, once he was sacrificed, and he will appear again, bringing salvation for all who wait on him. Everything about Jesus is yes. The man had spent years in isolation, leprosy, had eaten his flesh and disfigured his body. The law and the culture, said “no one could touch him.” No embrace from his children, no touch from wife nor his loved ones, no no contact, just isolation. But he heard about this preacher, who was in town, and in faith and desperation he makes his way out of the shadows to find him. He falls before him on his knees and knowing that Jesus was his only hope, and knowing that in him it is yes, he say, "Lord, if you are willing , you can make me clean." Matt 8:3-4 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Immediately he was cured of his leprosy. Then Jesus said to him, "See that you don't tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them." Jesus said, yes, and the man said, amen!. I love that event, as Jesus could have been the first human touch that man had in years. He touched him and spoke those words, "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Amen! What did that man do? What conditions were set upon his healing? Nothing, all he did was to have faith, and that is also a gift from God. In Jesus Christ all the promises of God are yes. Today there are a lot of people who tell you to “speak the promises of God.” “Speak them out and they will be yours.” I have found that many of those people take God's promises, and bring them back under the old Covenant, they make them conditional, and they often seem to emphases promises that pertain to Israel, and have to do with temporal things like health and wealth. But Paul says, in Jesus ALL the promises of God are yes. Promises like. Heb 13:5... "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." Phil 1:6 Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. John 14:2-3 In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. Standing on the promises of God for in Jesus they are all yes. He completes the if's and then's of the law, he brings the yes to us, and to that we all say, amen. First we see “God is faithful.”
It is God who makes us all stand firm. Are you doing well in your faith? Recognize it is God who has enabled you to do that. Eph 2:8-9 For it is by grace you have been saved , through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. 1 Cor 10:12 If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall ! No boasting or bragging, just faith that comes from God, so Paul lets the Corinthians and us know that is God who makes us all stand firm in Christ. How does he do that? By the Holy Spirit. He has anointed us, and set his seal upon us, given us the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of our future inheritance. When Jesus spoke to his men, he wanted them to understand that although he would not be with them physically, he would abide with them in the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. John 14:16-18 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Do you want to be more faithful to God? Do you desire to be more faithful to others? It is not by keeping rules of men, it is not by your giving, your attendance, your service, but it is by the Holy Spirit he makes us faithful. Look at V21, It is God who makes us and you stand firm.” I love it, God does it all. When I am flaky, and I've been known to be flaky from time to time, God will empower me to stand firm. TURN TO GALATIANS 5:16-18 “Live by the Spirit”, follow after the leading of the Holy Spirit. And the promise that is “Yes” in Jesus, is that; “You will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” Because if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law, you are not under the performance standard, of - if's and then's. If you do this then this will result. Simply live by the Spirit. Look down at. GALATIANS 5:25-26 Since we live by the Spirit. Its what we do we are living by the Spirit, and like an army keeping cadence to the call from their Sergeant, we keep in step with the Spirit. We are not about competition, we are not about being less then we can be, but we are about serving one another in the fruit of the Holy Spirit. The fruit, listed in V22-23 love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. No if's, no performance, just love, followed by all the virtues of God, including, faithfulness. First we saw that God is faithful, then God helps us be faithful. Finally.
We sing, “standing on the promises of God.” But really those promises are yes in Jesus Christ, so we stand by faith. Faith in God, directed faith. When Jesus cleared the temple because the religious leaders had reduced it to a place of business. He saw a fig tree that had no fruit on it. He cursed that tree, he didn't swear at it but he said, “( Mark 11:14) "May no one ever eat fruit from you again." A picture of the indictment against dead, ritualistic, religion, that bore no fruit. The next morning, as Jesus and his men were passing by, Peter notices the tree had withered and died over night. And Jesus uses that episode to launch into a teaching on the power of prayer and faith. Mark 11:22-25 "Have faith in God," ... "I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins. When you pray, believe in God. Believe those promises that are yes and speak the amen in your heart. Believe and forgive, just like God in Jesus Christ has forgiven your sins, forgive so that he will forgive our sins. Believe and ask in faith, nothing is too big for God. So the bible would go on to tell us, when you ask, do not waver in your faith, because if you do, you should not think you will receive anything. But ask, you can not receive when you do not ask, but check your motives, when we ask, we often ask amiss, because of our own lusts within us. Check your motives and when you pray, pray believing like John the Apostle teaches us. 1 John 5:14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will , he hears us. It truly is by faith that we stand firm, not by our performance before God, not our if's, and God's then's. But God's yes, and our amens because God is faithful. One last thought about Paul's personal message to the Corinthians, look at V24 with me. Paul had a true heart of a servant. He did not lord over those he discipled, he was not manipulating people for his own gain, he did not use people to get ahead, rather he worked with them for their joy, because he knew it was by faith that we all stand firm. Rom 14:16-17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking , but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. God's kingdom is not about things we can touch, foods and drinks, God's kingdom is not about what we can get, blessings from God. God's kingdom is about righteousness, that comes from faith in Jesus Christ, we are positionally righteous in God by faith in Jesus. God's kingdom is about peace, we are at peace with God by faith in what Jesus has done. The kingdom of God is about Joy, joy knowing that we are right with God, for the joy of the Lord is my strengthen. When king David was down and out, repenting from his own folly and sin, he prayed. Ps 51:12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. It is joy that comes from God, the joy of God's salvation. And David prayed, “ And grant me a willing Spirit to sustain me.” In other words, “help me to live faithfully to you.” Paul says, we do not lord over you, we will not manipulate you, we work with you for joy in your life, because it is by faith that any of us stand. Faithfulness, comes from God, because God is faithful. So as we journey in this life, we understand that God is faithful, he will not let you down. You might pray, and not see your prayers answered as you want, but as you grow in your faith. We all come to a place where we understand that we can trust God in our needs because he is faithful. For truly it is him that we crave, and all my wants and desires are irrelevant compared to what I discover just by spending time with Jesus. For in Jesus Christ, all the promises of God are yes. Jesus perfectly fulfilled all the requirements, the IF'S so you can full enjoy the tens. As we do, like Paul reminds the Corinthians, it is Jesus that we desire, it is him we crave, so we respond with a hearty – AMEN. PRAY, INVITE, BENEDICTION, SING. Series: 2 Corinthians -Through the Bible |
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