SERMON OUTLINE:
A Clear Conscience (vs 12-24).
A Compassionate Heart (vs 1-11).
A Conquering Faith (vs 12-17).
SERMON BODY:
Ill:
• Anyone know what these words have in common?
• ‘Gadget, Nemesis, Stoplight, Status quo, Internet, Eureka, Kamikaze,
• Connoisseur, Vice versa, Karate, Déjà vu, Gringo, Prima donna, Baptism’
• They are all transliterated words,
• Instead of translating the word into English;
• We just adopted that word or phrase into our language.
Now one of those transliterated words is the word ‘Amen’.
• If you listen to a person pray in Chinese or Japanese or Swahili;
• Or German or French or Russian or Arabic,
• There is a good chance that you will understand at least one word of their prayer!
• The last word they say, "Amen"
• It may be pronounced slightly differently,
• But you will nearly always be able to pick it out.
• It was used in the Hebrew Old Testament;
• And the Greek New Testament adopted it;
• And they transliterated it into their language.
• And it seems every other language has done the same!
• It is practically a universal word.
• Sometimes the word is translated in our Bibles as:
• “Surely, Sure, Truth, Verily and Amen!”
Quote: Bible scholar E.W. Bullinger says:
“When it is used as an adjective, it means FIRM.
As a metaphor it means FAITHFUL.
As an adverb it means Verily, Truly, or Certainly.”
• So if you use the word at the start of a sentence it means:
• “This is sure-fire truth, Assuredly so, and Certainly so”
• If it is used at the end of a sentence it means ‘SO BE IT’,
• Or, “Yes, I want that to be true”.
• TRANSITION:
• The word ‘Amen’ is significant in verse 20:
“For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ. And so through him the ‘Amen’ is spoken by us to the glory of God”
• The apostle Paul makes a simple point;
• God always, always keeps his promises!
• He traffics in truth!
Ill:
• The Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson
• (Treasure Island, Kidnapped, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.)
• Tells of a storm that caught hold of a ship;
• The storm threatened to drive the ship towards a rocky coast,
• It would have been destruction for both the ship and the crew and passengers.
• In the midst of the terror, one daring man,
• Disobeyed orders and went up to the deck,
• He then made the dangerous walk towards the pilot house.
• As he opened the door and looked in he saw the Captain,
• At his post holding the wheel unwaveringly,
• Inch by inch, the Captain was turning the ship from danger to safety;
• The Captain saw the passenger watching him and smiled.
• Then, the daring passenger went below and shouted out to the other passengers:
• "I have seen the face of the Captain, and he smiled. All is well."
• TRANSITION: We know the character of our Captain;
• He tells us “All is well!”
• What he says he will do! God always, always keeps his promises!
Note: Background info:
• The Apostle Paul was going to have to cling to the promises of God;
• Because the background to this letter is stormy seas!
Quote: A poet wrote:
• “Christ is no security against storms,
• But He is perfect security in the storm.
• He does not promise an easy passage,
• But he does guarantee a safe landing.”
• TRANSITION: The apostle Paul will say a loud, “Amen!” to that.
• He is facing a stormy situation;
• But he knows that God will see him through it!
Now there were three things that were troubling him and shaking him up.
FIRST: Criticism.
• The apostle Paul had changed his plans;
• And the opponents of Paul saw this as Paul not keeping his promise.
• Misunderstands can often lead to deep wounds.
• Question: Have you ever been misunderstood?
• Answer: Of course you have!
• But have you ever been seriously misunderstood and perhaps suffered for it;
• Perhaps losing promotion at work,
• Perhaps losing a friendship which you valued,
• Perhaps even losing your good name among people whom you respected,
• Suffering an injury not in your body or your bank balance,
• But in your reputation, having your character called into question.
• The apostle Paul has been misunderstood by his critics at in the church at Corinth.
• He founded that church six years before he wrote this letter;
• But six years is a long time in Church life!
• The church at Corinth has grown;
• It now contains people who never met Paul;
• And they little loyalty toward him.
SECOND: Opposition.
• One of the leaders in this Church had to be disciplined by the Apostle Paul;
• Although this saddened the apostle;
• It also caused some people in the Church to oppose him.
• When sad situations arise;
• And someone has to be publicly disciplined in the Church;
• People tend to take sides, especially if that person is a strong character or a leader.
• No-one can be quite sure what had happened here at Corinth;
• But in chapter 2 verse 5 the apostle Paul refers to a particular individual;
• Who ‘caused him grief’.
• This person had attacked Paul’s character as inconsistent and unreliable,
• Attacked his personal appearance and his preaching as unimpressive,
• And attached his teaching as amateurish and incomplete.
THIRD:
• There were difficult circumstances;
• Paul had to endure extreme stressful situations;
• Which made them almost despair of life itself! (vs 8-11).
• Again we are not told exactly what they were;
• But you can bet that these experiences had taken their toll on him!
• Even the great apostle Paul struggled at times.
Question: How would you deal with this situation?
Answer: Not sure, then look at how the apostle responds.
• First of all the apostle Paul keeps in mind that the critics are not the entire church;
• They are a small minority, they may be noisy but they are few in number.
• And so again and again in this letter to the whole Church;
• The apostle Paul declares his love for them and his confidence in them.
• He left a strong church behind and many of them know his track-record.
• Note: I think we see in these verses 3 things that kept him going!
• 3 Lessons that we can apply to our own lives this morning.
(1). A Clear Conscience (vs 12-24).
“Now this is our boast: our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, with integrity and godly sincerity. We have done so, relying not on worldly wisdom but on God’s grace. 13 For we do not write to you anything you cannot read or understand. And I hope that, 14 as you have understood us in part, you will come to understand fully that you can boast of us just as we will boast of you in the day of the Lord Jesus.
15 Because I was confident of this, I wanted to visit you first so that you might benefit twice. 16 I wanted to visit you on my way to Macedonia and to come back to you from Macedonia, and then to let you send me on my way to Judea. 17 Was I fickle when I intended to do this? Or do I make my plans in a worldly manner so that in the same breath I say both ‘Yes, yes’ and ‘No, no’?
18 But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not ‘Yes’ and ‘No’. 19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us – by me, Silas and Timothy – was not ‘Yes’ and ‘No’, but in him it has always been ‘Yes’. 20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ. And so through him the ‘Amen’ is spoken by us to the glory of God. 21 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us,22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
23 I call God as my witness – and I stake my life on it – that it was in order to spare you that I did not return to Corinth. 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.”
Ill:
• A couple of weeks after hearing a sermon on lies and deceit;
• A man wrote the following letter to the HM Revenue & Customs.
• “I have been unable to sleep, knowing that I have cheated on my income tax.
• I understated my taxable income, and so I have enclosed a check for £5,000.
• Yours sincerely,
• Taxpayer
• P. S. If I still can't sleep, I will send the rest.”
• TRANSITION:
• Our English word ‘conscience’ comes from two Latin words meaning;
• ‘With’ and ‘to know’
• Our conscience knows and bears witness with our spirit when we are doing right;
• But also when we are doing wrong!
Ill:
• Our conscience is a bit like a window that lets in the light;
• Now we can allow that window to get dirty and dirtier;
• But then the light gets less and less.
• When a person has a clear window, that is a good conscience,
• He has integrity and is not a hypocrite and can therefore be trusted.
• Now we see the clear conscience of God in three ways,
FIRST: When you have a clear conscience will be serious about the will of God (vs 15-18)
“Because I was confident of this, I wanted to visit you first so that you might benefit twice. 16 I wanted to visit you on my way to Macedonia and to come back to you from Macedonia, and then to let you send me on my way to Judea. 17 Was I fickle when I intended to do this? Or do I make my plans in a worldly manner so that in the same breath I say both ‘Yes, yes’ and ‘No, no’?
18 But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not ‘Yes’ and ‘No’”
• The opponents and critics of the apostle Paul:
• Where saying that operated on worldly wisdom (vs 12&17).
• He made all his plans to please himself.
They accused him of breaking his promise:
• In his first letter (chapter 16 verses 2-8);
• He wrote that he planned to spend winter in Corinth.
• He was going to visit Corinth on his way into Macedonia;
• And again on the way back from Macedonia as he returned to Jerusalem.
• It was obviously Paul’s desire was to be there in person at Corinth,
• And it was his regret that he had to change his travel plans.
Ill:
• If you have a diary of any kind;
• I can guarantee that you will not just update it,
• But you will also have to change it again and again!
• I still use a Filofax diary (remember them!);
• I have the next year mapped out with meetings and activities;
• Yet this week I have had to changed two of them!
• Other pages of my diary of covered in Tipp-ex!
• To cover over the scribbling out, the changes made;
• That has had to be done.
• Quote: Will Rogers (The American humourist & cowboy) who said:
• “Plans get you into things, but you have to work your way out!”
• Quote: John Lennon (the former Beetle & singer) who said:
• “Life is what happens to you, while you’re busy making other plans”.
• TRANSITION: I guess the problem is;
• We make the plans and other people do not follow the script!
• That is what happened to the apostle Paul.
• His critics and opponents said,
• “You write one thing and then you do another,
• Your yes is no and your no is yes”
• But the apostle says; “his conscience is clear!”
• He is not saying one thing and doing another;
• In fact, in his first letter (chapter 16 verse 7);
• He even added the words “If the Lord permits” to his desire to visit!
• But sometimes people only see or hear what they want to see or hear!
• So the apostle Paul answers his critics by saying;
• His agenda was not his agenda but HIS agenda!
• He did not make his plans carelessly or haphazardly;
• He sought the leading and the guidance of the Lord.
• And that leading did not always match up to his desires and wants.
SECOND: When you have a clear conscience you glorify Jesus Christ (vs 19-20).
“For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us – by me, Silas and Timothy – was not ‘Yes’ and ‘No’, but in him it has always been ‘Yes’. For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ. And so through him the ‘Amen’ is spoken by us to the glory of God”
God is faithful and the apostle Paul says he has been faithful.
• The apostle Paul has been moulded by the message he preached to these Corinthians.
• Jesus Christ is the centre of his life and is his example and model.
• And he alone is the message he has shared with them.
• The apostle did not share a Jesus who was ‘yes, no, maybe’ person;
• In Jesus, salvation is never a ‘maybe’, a tantalising ‘yes and no and perhaps’.
• Jesus is the ‘YES’ of God to our forgiveness and eternal life.
• His words and promises are 100% reliable and dependable;
• He traffics in truth, he will always keep his word.
• The apostle says that was my message,
• Jesus is faithful, God the Father is faithful;
• And Paul the apostle is also faithful.
THIRD: When you have a clear conscience you will be on good terms with the Spirit of God (vs 21-24).
“Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
I call God as my witness – and I stake my life on it – that it was in order to spare you that I did not return to Corinth. 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.”
• When you have a clear conscience;
• You are on good terms with the Holy Spirit of God.
• I love what the apostle says about God’s Spirit.
• He anointed us! He sealed us! He enables us!
• Not just the select few, God has done this for ‘us’ all believers!
• He anointed us – equipping us for service.
• He sealed us – we belong to God and are claimed by God.
• He enables us – so that we can serve others!
• These three truths apply to all true Christians:
• He anointed us, He sealed us, He enables us!
• When you have a clear conscience;
• You are on good terms with the Holy Spirit of God.
(2). A Compassionate Heart (vs 1-11).
“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. 6 The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient. 7 Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8 I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him. 9 Another reason I wrote to you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything. 10 Anyone you forgive, I also forgive. And what I have forgiven – if there was anything to forgive – I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, 11 in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.”
ill:
• There is a Peanuts cartoon where Charlie Brown indignantly says;
• “Of course I love the human race… I just can’t stand Lucy”.
• TRANSITION: I guess at times we all have someone who ‘we just cannot stand’.
• Someone who clashes with our personality,
• Someone who gets on our nerves or rubs us up the wrong way;
• Or maybe it is someone who has offended us!
There was a man in the Church of Corinth who caused the apostle Paul big problems.
• Most scholars think he was a leader;
• Who publicly challenged the apostles authority.
• This trouble-maker was now in the grip of the apostle Paul’s power;
• And Paul could have humiliated and excommunicated him,
• Sending him out onto the Corinthian night a broken and hopeless man.
• But he does not!
• But Paul’s greatest power - and our greatest power - is different to the world’s power.
• For the apostle Paul, it was never a personal dispute over rights and reputations.
• It was the safety of the young church;
• And the survival and integrity of the gospel which mattered and mattered supremely
• The apostle Paul’s power is the power to love;
• And to love where love is undeserved.
• Notice the language used in these verses;
• The apostle the talk is all about forgiveness, reconciliation, comfort, love, sorrow.
• The apostle’s desire is to heal and bring wholeness to the Church;
• To make sure the message of the gospel has integrity and;
• Not to allow the devil an opportunity to cause disorder and to destroy the Church.
This attitude of the apostle Paul is a great lesson in forgiveness for us all:
• Quote: ‘to err is human, to forgive is divine’.
• Satan seeks to entice and entrap and then accuse and destroy.
• Christ reaches out to reclaim and to forgive.
• People will fail us and we can ‘get even’ or ‘put them in their place’
• Or we can seek to bring forgiveness and healing to the situation;
• If we don’t we are giving the devil a foothold;
• If we do we are modelling the grace of God.
(3). A Conquering Faith (vs 12-17).
“Now when I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and found that the Lord had opened a door for me, 13 I still had no peace of mind, because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said goodbye to them and went on to Macedonia.
14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. 15 For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. 16 To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task? 17 Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as those sent from God.”
Ill:
• When Christopher Columbus set out on his journey to America,
• He didn't know where he was going,
• When he arrived he didn't know where he was,
• And when he returned he didn't know where he'd been!
• TRANSITION: The apostle Paul knew where he was;
• Even though it looked like his plans had fallen apart.
• He had ministry opportunities in Troas;
• And new doors of service were opening up to him.
• But where was Timothy?
• And what about Corinth?
• And why was he restless in his spirit?
• In difficult circumstances do not look around look up!
(a). He was sure God was leading him (vs 14a).
“But thanks be to God, who always leads us”
Ill:
• A sheep is always safe if it has its eyes on the shepherd;
• No matter how hard the journey may be,
• He is going where the shepherd wants him to go.
• But if that sheep starts following other sheep, it can son be lost;
• And if it goes off on its own, then big trouble awaits!
• TRANSITION: The apostle Paul had his eyes on the shepherd;
• We see he has confidence in his God.
(b). He was sure God was leading him in triumph (vs 14b)
“But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession”
Ill:
• The illustration the apostle uses here is that of the "Roman Triumph,"
• The city of Rome would pay a special tribute to their conquering generals.
• e.g. a bit like an American ticker tape parade.
• e.g. an open-top bus parade when a football team has won the cup or the premiership.
Now a "Roman Triumph," was not for any general!
• It had to be earnt, there were conditions:
• i.e. If a commander-in-chief won a complete victory over the enemy on foreign soil,
• i.e. He had to have killed at least 5,000 enemy soldiers;
• i.e. He had to have gained new territory for the Emperor,
• Then that commander-in-chief was entitled to a Roman Triumph.
• The processional would include the commander riding in a golden chariot,
• Surrounded by his officers.
• The parade would also include a display of the spoils of battle,
• Such as captive enemy soldiers chained behind his chariot.
• The Roman priests would also be in the parade,
• Carrying burning incense to pay tribute to the victorious army.
• The procession would follow a special route through the city;
• And would end at the Circus Maximus;
• Where the helpless captives would entertain the people by fighting wild beasts.
• It was a very special day in Rome;
• When the citizens were treated to a full-scale "Roman Triumph."
• TRANSITION: How does this piece of history apply to the Corinthians;
• Or to Christians today?
• Jesus Christy our great commander-in-chief,
• He came to foreign soil (this earth),
• He completely defeated the enemy (Satan).
• Instead of killing 5,000 persons,
• He gave life to more than 5,000 persons;
• i.e. to 3,000 plus on the day of Pentecost; i.e. and to all who believe in him.
• Jesus Christ claimed the spoils of battle-lost souls;
• Who had been in bondage to sin and Satan (Luke 11:14-22; Col. 2:15; Eph. 4:8).
• What an impressive and notable victory!
• Note: The victorious general's sons would also be involved;
• The son would wa1k behind their father's chariot,
• Sharing in his victory!
• That is yours and mine position if you are in Christ;
• He won the victory and we share in his triumph.
• We do not fight FOR victory; we fight FROM victory.
• When the apostle Paul wrote this letter;
• His situation did not look like victory!
• But he believed God and God turned defeat into victory.
(c). He was sure God was using him as he was leading him (vs 14c-17)
As the Roman priests burned the incense in the parade,
That odour affected different people in different ways.
ill:
• Shop or a market stall that is burning incense;
• The smell is unmistakable, it hits you as soon as you walk in the shop;
• Or long before you come across the market stall.
• TRANSITION: As the Roman priests burned the incense in the parade,
• That odour affected different people in different ways.
• To the triumphant soldiers, it meant life and victory;
• But to the conquered enemy, it meant defeat and death.
• Because they were on their way to be killed by the beasts.
Using this image of the incense, the apostle Paul pictured the Christian ministry.
• He saw believers as incense,
• Who are giving forth the fragrance of Jesus Christ in their lives and service for Jesus.
• To God, believers are the very fragrance of Jesus Christ.
• To other believers, we are the fragrance of life;
• But to unbelievers, we are the fragrance of death.
In other words:
• The Christian life and ministry are matters of life and death.
• The way we live and work can mean life or death to a lost world around us.
• No wonder the apostle Paul cried out,
• "And who is equal to such a task?”“ (vs 16)
• He gave his answer in the next chapter:
• So make sure you are here next week to find out!
• But if you can’t wait he says in chapter 3 verse 5;
• N.I.V.: “our competence comes from God”.
• K.J.B.: "our sufficiency is of God".
In Conclusion:
The apostle Paul has informed these Christians at Corinth:
• That his heart was pure and his motives sincere.
• After all, there was no need to be clever and "peddle" the Word of God,
• When he was following in the triumphant train of the victorious Saviour!
• They might misunderstand him, but God knew his heart.
• We don't have to fail!
• Circumstances may discourage us,
• And people may oppose us and misunderstand us;
• But we have in Christ the spiritual resources to win the battle:
• A clear conscience, a compassionate heart, and a conquering faith.
SERMON AUDIO:
https://surf.pxwave.com/wl/?id=jw4PFFWqHPcpOhlsahRJb3WuKGeIJVUZ
