Sermon Central
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2 Corinthians
Contributed by Guy Mcgraw on Jan 16, 2012 (message contributor)
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1. The Value Of Suffering
Contributed on Jan 16, 2012
What if I told you that for you to suffer and be uncomfortable was an important part of God’s will for your life? The more that we avoid it, build barriers to protect ourselves from it and invent theology to condemn it the more we miss out on becoming us
1972: Former pastor of mine stood at airport waiting for an evangelist to arrive. It was Tuesday and the revival had begun the past Sunday morning. The evangelist had been too sick to make the trip but now was arriving. Two flight attendants helped him that the music evangelist and pastor Tom ...read more
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2. How Do You Smell Today?
Contributed on Jan 23, 2012
If there are so many things offensive to our noses just imagine how God must react to the putrid stench of sin or some of the smelly things even believers do.
Some days I wonder why God decided to give human beings noses. I think that and then I have to put on a pair of glasses and I know at least one reason. There are other times I am glad I have a nose: as a child my favorite intersection in Tulsa Oklahoma was 21st and ...read more
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3. Choosing From Two Covenants
Contributed on Feb 1, 2012
Paul presents to the Corinthian church two options for our lives. We can choose a path leading to death and condemnation or the path leading to the Spirit and righteousness.
Paul presents to the Corinthian church two options for our lives. We can choose a path leading to death and condemnation or the path leading to the Spirit and righteousness. Do you want a relationship with God based upon your performance or upon Christ’s? Do you want to want to stand ...read more
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4. How Adequate Are You?
Contributed on Feb 6, 2012
Paul asks a question at the end of chapter 2: And who is adequate for these things? ‘Sufficient…power….ability…fitness’ Literally ‘many’ Who has enough for what God calls their life to?
How confident are you to face each day? How adequate do you feel to take on life? How do you deal with the challenges that life brings you each day and you own feelings of inadequacy? A golfer who had been playing badly went to a psychiatrist who told him to relax by playing a round of golf ...read more
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5. Since We Have This Ministry
Contributed on Feb 13, 2012
Did you know that you have a ministry calling? Paul is not writing to a group of pastors but to a church. Do you know what your ministry calling is as a member of the Body of Christ? Do you know what to expect as you go out to minister?
4:1 Therefore, since we have this ministry, Bernard L. Brown, Jr., president of the Kennestone Regional Health Care System in the state of Georgia once worked in a hospital where a patient knocked over a cup of water, which spilled on the floor beside the patient’s bed. The patient was ...read more
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6. Earthen Treasure
Contributed on Feb 13, 2012
Why doesn’t God put His valuables in the most valuable looking containers? You may think they you are not valuable enough for God to be able to use. You think have too many ‘chips’ and ‘cracks’ or past or present problems and failures. What is valuable
What is the most inexpensive container you have ever put something valuable in? Money in a sock? Cigar box? God chose to place in human vessels the very presence of His Holy Spirit. If I would have been in charge of presenting Jesus to the world 2,000 years ago I would have used a stadium ...read more
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7. The Ministry Road
Contributed on Feb 16, 2012
There is no better calling and no better news to proclaim but in chapter 6 Paul presents some of the challenges that we will encounter along this road.
SBC Convention Booths: Paul would not make a very good recruiter for specific ministries. Instead of handing out highlighters, pens & magnets, give thorns or pebbles for shoes. • Paul shares in chapter 5 about the wonderful news of Christ becoming sin for us that we might become the ...read more
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8. Chameleon Christianity
Contributed on Mar 1, 2012
The concept of changing colors for the sake of adapting is unfortunately the trend of modern Christianity. Paul was writing to a church that had a numerous amount of challenges similar to those that the church in America is dealing with today. We are t
One of my memorable pets growing up was a Chameleon. I loved the idea that it would change colors to adapt to the environment that it was in. It eventually died but the concept of changing colors for the sake of adapting is unfortunately the trend of modern Christianity. • Paul was ...read more
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9. Living Life Beyond The Now
Contributed on Mar 5, 2012
Paul wrote so much to remind and encourage about what it meant to live beyond this life and how we should celebrate that truth that the world cannot understand.
One thing you notice when you study what Paul wrote is that he wrote some much about what we talk so little about. It may be because the people he wrote to faced death on a daily basis. War, persecution, disease and lack of medical advances made death a constant reality. Paul wrote so much to ...read more
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10. We Must All Appear
Contributed on Mar 5, 2012
You would think that the most certain appearance of our lives would be the one we would prepare for the most but the truth is that many are not prepared.
Life is filled with certain events that we want to make sure we don’t miss: jury duty, court appearance for a speeding ticket, April 15th. There will be tremendous consequences if we choose to ignore important appearances. ...read more
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11. What Can Paul Teach Us About Comfort?
Contributed on Mar 7, 2012
Paul teaches us some important principles of God’s comfort in his response to their condition. Might not have 3rd letter because it was of such personal nature.
If we were to have all over Paul’s letters to the church in Corinth then this would be chapter 7 of his 4TH letter. 1st Corinthians would be letter number 2. We do not have his 3rd letter and by the tone we have in this chapter we can assess that letter number 3 was pretty harsh. ...read more
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12. Spiritual Warfare
Contributed on Mar 11, 2012
Every believer should know that they were born again into a battlefield. In order to successfully live as a believer we need to know our enemies and understand how battles are won for God’s kingdom.
Every believer should know that they were born again into a battlefield. In order to successfully live as a believer we need to know our enemies and understand how battles are won for God’s kingdom. The vacuum of Paul’s absence in Corinth had allowed some false ...read more
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13. Compelled By The Love Of God
Contributed on Mar 11, 2012
As amazing as these truths are Paul says the most compelling thing that should motivate us in our love for Christ is what He did in giving His life for us. Greater motivation than how great heaven will be or how horrible to face judgment.
Last week we had two messages based upon the first 13 verses of chapter 5. Paul focused strongly upon the aspects of things beyond this life: the transformation of our earthly body to a building made without hands in the heavenlies, our being newly clothed in our eternal apparel and last Sunday ...read more
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14. How Do You Measure Up?
Contributed on Mar 12, 2012
The question answered in this passage is what is the standard or basis by which we can determine whether Paul or we or anyone measures up?
Somewhere between his 2nd and 3rd missionary journey false teachers had entered the city of Corinth and had turned the hearts of the people against Paul Launched a campaign seeking to undermine Paul’s ministry and to steal the flock in Corinth. These false teachers had said a lot of ...read more
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15. What The Thief Comes To Steal From Your Life.
Contributed on Mar 19, 2012
Paul is concerned that the Corinthians will stray and not be the proper kind of bride by the time they come face to face with the Bridegroom. Satan has been constantly at work in Paul’s absence to deceive the church in Corinth and lead them in the direct
The picture presented in these verses is that of a father giving away his bride. Paul has already called himself their father (1Cor.4:15), he has arranged the marriage with the groom. Paul is concerned that the Corinthians will stray and not be the proper kind of bride by the time they come ...read more
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16. Every Thorn Has A Rose
Contributed on Mar 25, 2012
This morning we are going to talk about boasting and weaknesses and thorns. The question we can ask is ‘How can the power of Christ be made available in my life?’ What is God’s avenue for making me usable in His kingdom?
This morning we are going to talk about boasting and weaknesses and thorns. The question we can ask is ‘How can the power of Christ be made available in my life?’ What is God’s avenue for making me usable in His kingdom? What would you talk about if someone asked you about ...read more
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17. How To Spot A Fake Faith
Contributed on Apr 2, 2012
Christianity has become a surface religious distraction from the hardships and realities of life and is no longer a relevant belief system connecting us to our Creator and Savior. In the western world the fakes are much more visible than those who stil
I think we may finally be living in a day when the ‘Christianity’ that exists in the cultural marketplace is now more fake than real. What began with liberal departures from the essentials of our faith has now moved to a wide spread illiteracy of the very truths of Christianity. ...read more
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18. Final Words From Paul
Contributed on Apr 7, 2012
Paul gives his final preparations regarding his planned trip to Corinth. Paul has tried to counsel and encourage the Corinthian church with only limited success. Now he is coming in person to deal with the problems that have continued in spite of h
Paul gives his final preparations regarding his planned trip to Corinth. Sometimes when the medicine is not taken then the surgery has to follow. Paul has tried to counsel and encourage the Corinthian church with only limited success. Now he is coming in person to deal with the ...read more