2 Cor 2:12-3:6 KEEPING THE RIGHT PERSPECTIVE IN MINISTRY
Paul arrives at Macedonia from Troas, not in the best of spirits, saying “his spirit was not at rest.” (13)
• He was troubled by the painful letter he has written to the church in Corinth, and now awaiting for Titus to return with an update.
• The letter was one that he would not wish to write but it was necessary.
Titus came back with the good news that the Corinthians understood him and repented, and that comforted Paul. In response, Paul wrote back to them and we have 2 Cor.
• We see Paul’s perspectives on ministry despite all the persecution and pain.
2 Cor 2:12-17 ESV
12When I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though a door was opened for me in the Lord, 13my spirit was not at rest because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I took leave of them and went on to Macedonia.
14But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. 15For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, 16to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? 17For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.
Paul launched into this doxology of praise. If we look closely, it was a doxology praising the roles of God, Christ and the Holy Spirit.
• He praises God for His triumphant leading, Christ for the beautiful aroma of the Gospel and the Holy Spirit for His transforming work in changing lives.
Despite the opposition and persecution, Paul did not see his ministry as a defeated cause. It might be difficult but not a failure.
• Even with the misunderstanding and the many who did not like him, his work for God continues and he believes it is worth it.
How do we measure success in ministry? We are often tempted to measure it by human standards – by its size, its wealth, its popularity, the number of likes on FB…
• Going by those measures, Paul’s work in Corinth would look quite miserable.
• He has enemies in the church he founded, people were opposing him, and there were divisions and strife, false teachers and sinners.
• He would have been quite a failure. If ministry is the work of men, then it is doomed.
Paul has a completely different perspective. Ministry is a spiritual endeavour. It is the work of God and not men. So we don’t measure it the way the world sees success.
• We do the work of God faithfully and look up constantly to…
1. … the GOD WHO LEADS
2. … the CHRIST WHO SAVES
3. … the SPIRIT WHO TRANSFORMS
IN MINISTRY, WE LOOK TO THE SOVEREIGN GOD WHO LEADS
Paul thinks of his ministry as one of triumph and not defeat, despite all the problems.
• He used the Roman victory parade as an analogy. Paul says God “in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession” (14).
• This is the picture of a General leading a procession through the streets of Rome after his victory in battle. Incense is burned or garlands of flowers scattered on the ground, hence the sweet aroma throughout the procession.
• And Paul sees Christ winning the victory and all of us who are a part of His work, following in the triumphal procession.
HOLD ON TO THIS PICTURE because Paul painted it correctly.
• It is a similar picture apostle John sees in his visions in Revelation. There is only one victor and he is not Satan, no matter how hard he might be working today.
• No matter how messy our world is, the end is sure because God reigns.
• Paul expresses his confidence in God and says He ALWAYS leads us in triumph.
• I believe even if Titus did not come back with good news, Paul would have continued his ministry undeterred. But God is gracious, He works to enlighten the people.
Flowing from the illustration of the Roman procession, Paul talks about the aroma of Christ – which leads me to the second point:
IN MINISTRY, WE TRUST IN THE POWER OF CHRIST TO SAVE
Paul points out that victory is not determined by man’s response to the Gospel.
• Verse 14 says God works through us to spread “the fragrance of the knowledge of Him everywhere.”
• Verse 15 15For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, 16to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life.
The same Gospel is preached to all but there will be some who believe and others who don’t. As Paul illustrated, it smells different to different people.
• It can smell different even at different stages of our lives.
• Many spurned the Gospel at the beginning and called it names, only to find it true and embraced it with faith later on, like someone finding a precious pearl Jesus shared in a parable (Matt 13:36).
• “I should have come to faith in Jesus earlier. I missed out on so much.”
The value of the Gospel is not measured by man’s response to it.
• We might reject it out of pride or ignorance, but the truth remains, the Gospel is important and precious to God irrespective of human response.
• Rom 1:16 “For it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…”
• Paul continues to travel and share Christ regardless of how people respond to it or how people respond to him.
• It doesn’t matter because the world still needs it, despite her failure to understand God’s heart and His salvation.
2:16b-17 Who is sufficient for these things? 17For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.
3:5 Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God.
Who is equal to such a task, of preaching the Gospel or being the aroma of Christ?
• WE ARE! Those who truly know Christ and are commissioned by God to do so.
• Paul says, “For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s Word…” (17)
• Peddling means they are gaining from it, either financially or in other ways, like using it to gain popularity, fame or status. They earn by being recognised as “successful".
• They present the Gospel in ways that can please the crowd, promise them rewards and benefits, and then entice them to give more.
We do not have to “re-package” the Gospel; we are “men of sincerity” saying it as it is.
• As faithful Christians, we bring the “fragrance of the knowledge of Christ” wherever we go, as “the aroma of Christ to God” among the people.
• Our witness to the Gospel is what matters. There will be people who believe and others who reject. Their response does not define our success or failure.
Repentance and salvation through the Gospel are the works of God.
• “Humans are involved, but no human effort is involved” in convincing someone to trust Christ and obey Him.
• Paul has already said it in 1 Cor 2:1-5 1And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
A few days ago a few of us - Lester, Michael and Ben - were talking about how some friends came to know Christ. We are amazed.
We talk about God and Christ, pray and then hope for a change. But God works in their lives in ways that are unseen and unknown to us. On their own, our friends encounter situations and experiences that prompt them to think of their sins and situation and cause them to have a change of heart. Their change is completely beyond us.
God works in ways we cannot see and without our knowledge, to bring about a change of heart and salvation for those whom He loves. God can make a way where there seems to be no way.
There is nothing we can boast about, even as ministers of the Gospel.
Our faith is in the power of the Gospel of Christ to save lives.
• We acknowledge God’s sovereign role in bringing men to Christ. We believe in the work of the Holy Spirit in bringing conviction.
• Our faith is not in our abilities to persuade and convince, not in our eloquence or wisdom, but in the sovereign intervention of God in the person’s life.
• The truth is, we are all incapable of convincing and converting sinners.
Saving sinners is an impossible task, humanly speaking.
IN MINISTRY, WE RELY ON HIS SPIRIT TO CHANGE LIVES
Let me share what I understand to be the third emphasis of Paul here:
2 Cor 3:1-3 1Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some, letters of commendation to you or from you? 2You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; 3being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts.
Is Paul trying to boast again about how great a preacher he is, that he is special and different from the other “peddlers of God’s Word”?
• Of all people, Paul says, he does not need a letter of commendation to convince the Corinthians of his integrity as an apostle.
• Neither does he needs one from them when he travels to other churches.
Letters of recommendation were used in those days to introduce (and also authenticate) travelling speakers. It’s a form of accreditation.
• But Paul says he does not need a letter because the Corinthians’ life-change in Christ is already an endorsement of his work among them.
• That proof is written, not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts.
It’s like asking Paul, “So where are your paper qualifications? What credentials do you have? Where are your diplomas and degrees?”
• “Well, nothing written with ink; just these lives – the lives of these believers you see in Corinth…”, or for that matter, in Macedonia, Troas, Ephesus, Philippi and all over.
• The proof of his ministry is found, not in written characters on paper, but in human characters who live like Christ, whose lives are so changed the world cannot help but notice. They are the fruit of Paul’s ministry.
• At the end of the day, these lives are the “gold, silver, precious stones” revealed by fire on the last day, and gone are the “wood, hay, straw” (1 Cor 3:12-13).
CONCLUSION
Paul’s stressful spirit did not affect his confidence in the work of the gospel.
• The Gospel message will not become more powerful because Paul preaches in good spirits or with persuasive words. The Word of God is always powerful to save.
• We are to “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season…” (2 Tim 4:2)
• Isaiah 55:10-11 10“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, 11so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”
Our confidence is not in ourselves but in God - 2 Cor 2:4-6
4 Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. 5Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, 6who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
The salvation of the lost is a humanly impossible task. Human effort or competence, no matter how great, is not enough. Our adequacy is from God, period.
• God has made us “His servants.” God commissioned us and empowers us to serve Him.
• He “…made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” (6)
• Men can only be transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit through the Gospel – the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
• There is no other way. And we carry His message today.
WE ARE NOT HOME YET
An elderly missionary couple had been working in Africa for years, and they were returning to New York City to retire. They had no pension; their health was broken; they were tired and discouraged.
They discovered they were booked on the same ship as President Roosevelt, who was returning from one of his big-game hunting expeditions. No one paid much attention to the couple as they watched the fanfare that accompanied the President’s entourage [on-tou-rush], with passengers trying to catch a glimpse of the great man.
As the ship sailed across the ocean, the old missionary said to his wife, “Something is not right. We have given our lives in faithful service to God in Africa all these years and no one cares a thing about us. Here is this man who comes back from a hunting trip and everybody makes a fuss over him.”
“Dear, you shouldn’t feel that way,” his wife said.
“I can’t help it; it doesn’t seem right.”
They finally arrive at the port in New York. A band was waiting to greet the President. The mayor and other dignitaries were there. The news was full of the President’s arrival but no one came for this missionary couple.
That night, the man’s spirit broke. He said, “I can’t take this anymore; God is not treating us fairly.”
His wife replied, “Why don’t you go into the bedroom and tell that to the Lord?”
A short time later he came out of the bedroom with his face completely changed. His wife asked, “Dear, what happened?”
“The Lord settled it with me,” he said. “I told him how bitter I was that the President should receive this grand homecoming and no one met us as we returned home. And when I finished, it seemed as though the Lord put his hand on my shoulder and simply said, ‘But son, you’re not home yet!’”
1 Cor 15:58 “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labour is not in vain.”
• Look to God who leads us in triumph…
• … to Christ for the power of the Gospel to save, and
• … trust in the Spirit of God to change hearts and transform lives, in His way and time.
Prayer:
Help us all, for those who do not know you, come to faith in Jesus Christ. Let us experience the forgiveness of sin and a new life in Christ.
Revive us, Lord, and make us faithful ministers of the Gospel, as followers of Christ. May our lives, our words and deeds, tell the story of Your love and grace. Turn the hearts of the people back to you, Lord. Show us your mercy.
This we pray in Jesus’ name, AMEN!
You can listen to the audio sermon with slides at https://youtu.be/1ewdqIC6aS8
Earlier audio sermons are available at https://tinyurl.com/KTCC-EnglishService
