Patrick: 00:14

Thank you for listening to 1st day. We're going to continue on here with, 2 Corinthians chapter 2. Paul writes, In fact, I made up my mind about this. I would not come to you on another painful visit. For if I cause you pain, then who will cheer me other than the one being hurt by me?

Patrick: 00:37

I wrote this very thing so that when I came I wouldn't have pain from those who ought to give me joy, because I am confident about all of you that my joy will also be yours. For I wrote to you with many tears out of an extremely troubled and anguished heart, not to cause you pain, but that you should know the abundant love I have for you. What self awareness from Paul. I wish that I wish that I could even have this much self awareness. And sadly, I know that that sort of reflective self awareness is kind of rare in our society as a large at large as well as in the church, unfortunately, at large.

Patrick: 01:22

So do we realize the impact that we have on others and how that affects the work of the gospel both positively and negatively? Paul didn't want his emotions and hurt feelings to hinder the movement of the spirit. In chapter 1, he tells us that everything he does is to be for the sake of God's calling and that everything he does or doesn't do carries spiritual significance. Paul knew that if he went back to the Corinthians in his emotional state at that time, the kingdom would suffer. Paul tells the Corinthians that they are the ultimate source of joy in his life and his greatest encouragement.

Patrick: 02:09

And if he grieves them, how can he find relief? Regardless of any relational strain, Paul is confident that the Corinthians will share in his joy. Of note here is the reason for his confidence and and Paul actually supplies that in verse number 4 because he writes, I wrote to you with many tears of our extremely troubled and anguished heart, not to cause you pain but that you should know the abundant love I have for you. So what's Paul saying here? It appears that the apostle is confident that the Corinthians will be filled with his joy because of his intent in writing to them, that the intent or inclination of the heart is so very important and so often we forget it, you know, we forget this.

Patrick: 03:07

Yes, Paul was harsh with them in this harsh letter, but the correction was not to make him feel better or to put them in their place. He wasn't telling them this stuff just to keep it real. In fact, it it pained him to correct them. How often do we correct people for their benefit? I mean, if we're being totally honest, aren't our corrections more often than not tinged with a little bit of I told you so?

Patrick: 03:40

In in this circumstance here, Paul is acting solely for the Corinthians part with the heart of Christ And because of this he knows, absolutely knows, that the Corinthians will share in his joy someday. Verse 5. If anyone has caused pain, he has caused pain not so much to me but to some degree, not to exaggerate, to all of you. This punishment by the majority is sufficient for that person. As a result, you should instead forgive and comfort him.

Patrick: 04:21

Otherwise, he may be overwhelmed by excessive grief. Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him. I wrote for this purpose, to test your character to see if you are obedient in everything. Anyone you forgive I do too. For what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, it is for your benefit in the presence of Christ so that we may not be taken advantage of by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes.

Patrick: 04:57

Verses 5 through 11 provide some clarity into what prompts Paul's harsh letter that he sent to them. Who specifically does what to Paul is not stated? Paul says here that he didn't take whatever this was, he didn't take it personally. He has caused pain not so much to me but to some degree to all of you. However, we've got to realize that there is whatever this person did, an impact on the church since it made Paul hesitant to return to Corinth.

Patrick: 05:40

Likewise, this is something that Paul demanded that the church correct which apparently according to verse 6 they had done. So what happened? Well, here's what I think. Paul had spent 18 months living and working and ministering with and to the Corinthians there in Corinth. And after he leaves, he makes his way to Ephesus and the apostle Apollos takes over in terms of takes over the reigns there in Corinth.

Patrick: 06:14

At some point during Paul's stay in Ephesus, Paul pens his first letter to the Corinthians called letter A and or known as letter A and it's now lost. But whatever the contents of this letter happened to be, the Corinthians apparently misunderstood it. Paul learns about this misunderstanding from Chloe's people and from ambassadors that had been sent to Ephesus from Corinth. Paul responds to this by sending them a second letter, letter B, which is what we call 1 Corinthians. Things don't get any better in Corinth.

Patrick: 07:00

And when someone from the church comes to visit Paul and relays the fact that things didn't get any better there in Corinth, the person that came might possibly be Timothy but we aren't a 100% sure. The apostle decides to pay the church a second visit, traveling there directly from Ephesus. Now in his letter, 1 Corinthians chapter 16, he explained how he was going to come to see them when he was going to Macedonia. So this is not that visit. This is an impromptu visit, an unplanned visit that he was going to go to correct any kind of problem that was still ongoing.

Patrick: 07:47

And so the attack that Paul references here in chapter 2 precedes this lost letter. In 1 Corinthians 5, Paul singles out for chastisement only one person in the entire letter, one specific individual, although the letter and what he says to this one person or about this one person is obviously aimed at a church that is filled with errant Christians. So if you recall from 1 Corinthians 5, this member of the church that Paul singles out is a man who is in a sexual relationship with his stepmother. Of course, this sinful act is a problem in and of itself because, you know, sons shouldn't be having sex with their stepmothers. But what makes matters worse is that the church appears to be pleased with itself that this is happening even to the point of bragging about it.

Patrick: 08:52

So does that sound familiar with our world today? So Paul, through his authority as an apostle, though absent in the body but present in the spirit, announces judgment on this man and tells the church to hand him over to Satan for the destruction of his flesh so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. That would be 1 Corinthians 5, a paraphrase of verses 1 through 5. I believe that they didn't do this. I think this is I think this is the reason for the impromptu visit is they didn't correct.

Patrick: 09:38

They they didn't they they didn't eject the man from the church. So they stood by and then allowed whatever it was to happen to Paul continue to happen to Paul. So when Paul, though, receives word that the man is still present in the church, that the church still the Corinthian church, that guy is still there, Paul makes his second short painful trip and that prompts letter C. So it seems like the Corinthians hadn't responded to the visit the way that Paul had hoped that they would. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 5:6 that, A little leaven leavens the whole batch of dough and that they should clean out the old leaven so that they may be a new unleavened batch.

Patrick: 10:42

His presence, Paul warns them, hinders the church's ability to be filled with Christ because it is the old leaven of malice and evil and not the unleavened bread of security and truth. So the fact that the Corinthian church this guy was sticking around and they wouldn't get rid of him, Paul said it hinders the calling and the fulfillment and the mission of God's church there in Corinth, that their choices to act or in this case, to not act hinder the spreading of the gospel and hinder the growth of the kingdom. And this is precisely why this man caused pain not so much to Paul, but to some degree not to exaggerate to all of the congregation, 2 Corinthians 2:5. But somewhere between their receipt of the harsh letter, which would be letter C, and Paul's visit from Titus in Macedonia, the Corinthians had done a 180 and had punished the man. It seems though that they might have gone a little too far.

Patrick: 11:59

And we kind of see this at verse number chapter 2 Corinthians 2:6. This punishment by the majority is sufficient for that person. As a result, you should instead forgive and comfort him. Otherwise, he may be overwhelmed by excessive grief. Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love for him.

Patrick: 12:22

I wrote for this purpose, to test your character to see if you are obedient in everything. So they put him out of the church eventually, it seems, and he repented. But now they don't want him to come back in. They don't want to let him back into the church. Paul tells them to forgive and comfort him so that he might not be overcome by grief.

Patrick: 12:50

This action on their part will affirm their love to him and prove that they are obedient to the law of Christ. Aren't these the same reason why Paul states he didn't come to them again after the second painful visit and the harsh letter? If they don't forgive and comfort and welcome back the repentant, what damage might they be doing to the person's relationship with Christ? Paul continues by explaining to the church the events leading to and the reasons for this new letter that he has written to them. Verse number 12, When I came to trials to preach the gospel of Christ, even though the Lord opened a door for me, I had no rest in my spirit because I did not find my brother Titus.

Patrick: 13:42

Instead, I said good bye to them and left for Macedonia. So after Titus fails to show up in Troas, Paul crosses the Bosporus and makes his way to Macedonia where he finally meets Titus who bears good news that the Corinthian church is now on the mend. Verse 14. But thanks be to God who always leads us in Christ's triumphal procession and through us spreads the aroma of the knowledge of him in every place. For to God we are the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.

Patrick: 14:25

To some we are an aroma of death leading to death, but to others an aroma of life leading to life. In the Old Testament God loved the smell of barbecue and appears to be quite a brisket fan. Notice that God doesn't eat this brisket, though. It's the aroma that matters. The smoke of the sacrifice being consumed by the fire tells God everything he needs to know about what is important to the one who is making the offering and reveals things like thankfulness, trust, and dependence.

Patrick: 14:59

If we are willing to burn up this food source as an offering to God, what else are we willing to give to him? I'm reminded of the words that we speak during Holy Communion in the Methodist Church. We offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving as a holy and living sacrifice in union with Christ's offering for us as we proclaim the mystery of faith and through us spreads the aroma of the knowledge of him in every place. Through our actions, words, and lives we share Christ to the world. Putting this another way, we are proof of Christ, for to God we are the fragrance of Christ to the world as a reminder of Christ's faithfulness and obedience and as a warning to those who refuse to answer God's call on their lives.

Patrick: 15:55

Paul finishes up this chapter by saying, who is adequate for these things? For we do not market the word of God for profit like so many. On the contrary, we speak with sincerity in Christ as from God and before God. So Paul returns to the importance of intention and sincerity. Why the Corinthians do or don't do what they choose to do is just as important as their actions.

Patrick: 16:27

And thank you for listening to this episode of FirstDay. Visit the website at www.firstday.us. There you can connect with me if you have any questions or comments or want a deeper discussion. I am Patrick Cooley, pastor of Northport Methodist Church, and until next time. Goodbye for now and blessings.