2 CORINTHIANS SERIES
That Ain’t Jesus
2 CORINTHIANS 11:1-33
2corandmore
PERSON FROM CONGREGATION READS 2 CORINTHIANS 11:1-18
I wish you would bear with me in a little foolishness. Do bear with me! 2 For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. 3 But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4 For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough. 5 Indeed, I consider that I am not in the least inferior to these super-apostles. 6 Even if I am unskilled in speaking, I am not so in knowledge; indeed, in every way we have made this plain to you in all things. 7 Or did I commit a sin in humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because I preached God's gospel to you free of charge? 8 I robbed other churches by accepting support from them in order to serve you. 9 And when I was with you and was in need, I did not burden anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied my need. So I refrained and will refrain from burdening you in any way. 10 As the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting of mine will not be silenced in the regions of Achaia. 11 And why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do! 12 And what I am doing I will continue to do, in order to undermine the claim of those who would like to claim that in their boasted mission they work on the same terms as we do. 13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds. 16 I repeat, let no one think me foolish. But even if you do, accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little. 17 What I am saying with this boastful confidence, I say not as the Lord would but as a fool. 18 Since many boast according to the flesh, I too will boast. 19 For you gladly bear with fools, being wise yourselves! 20 For you bear it if someone makes slaves of you, or devours you, or takes advantage of you, or puts on airs, or strikes you in the face. 21 To my shame, I must say, we were too weak for that! But whatever anyone else dares to boast of—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast of that. 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I. 23 Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. 24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28 And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant? 30 If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. 31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, he who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. 32 At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus in order to seize me, 33 but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands.
INTRODUCTION… IRONY, SARCASM, and SATIRE… rd.com/list/funny-examples-of-irony
This morning we just read from a section of Scripture that is full of irony, sarcasm, and satire. I was looking up the difference between the three words and came across some fun and funny ironic truths:
• The most shoplifted book in America is the Bible.
• Before he became a star, Pharrell Williams was fired from McDonald’s three different times. Years later, he would help write and produce the company’s iconic “I’m Lovin’ It” jingle.
• According to researchers, duct tape should never be used for sealing ducts.
• Gary Kremen, the founder of Match.com, encouraged everyone he knew to join it, including his girlfriend. She eventually left him for a man she met on Match.com.
• The Cult Awareness Network, once a leading anti-cult hotline, is now owned by the Church of Scientology.
• Q-tips, which are usually bought primarily to clean inside your ears, are sold in boxes that expressly warn: “Do not insert inside the ear canal.”
• In 2002, a tree was planted in a park in Los Angeles in memory of Beatles guitarist George Harrison. The tree later died after being infested by beetles.
• The only losing basketball coach in University of Kansas history is James Naismith—the man who invented basketball in 1891.
• In 1990, after 35 years working at Crayola, their retiring CEO, Emerson Moser, revealed that he was colorblind.
As I was reading and praying over 2 Corinthians 11, I noticed that the Apostle Paul seemed to be making some statements that were intentionally ironic, sarcastic, and perhaps even dipping into satire all the while trying to explain Truth to the Corinthians. For you word nerds out there, I do not know the technical difference between irony, sarcasm, and satire… they are all related cousins to me, but I am pretty sure all three are present in 2 Corinthians 11. He is using irony, sarcasm, and satire to point the Corinthians to a particular truth.
Irony means saying the opposite of what you mean to highlight the absurdity of a situation. Paul says in verse 1 for them to bear with his foolishness because he is going to boast about himself which is foolish, but he is doing it to prove a non-foolish point. Irony.
Sarcasm means sharp and cutting irony almost to the point of being rude and sometimes crossing the line into rudeness. In verse 8, Paul says he “robbed” other churches of money to serve the Corinthian church. Paul says in verse 19 that the Corinthians are gladly bearing with foolish false teachers because the Corinthians are so very wise. Sarcasm.
Satire exposes truth by exaggeration or parody. The Apostle Paul calls the false teachers he is talking about “super-apostles” in verse 5 in order to point out that they are doing nothing or teaching nothing beneficial for the Corinthians. He doubles down on this in verses 13-15. Satire. He then, although not in a falsely exaggerated way, puts forth all the ways he has suffered for Jesus in verses 21-33 which shows himself to be a true Apostle of Christ.
The Apostle Paul is using irony, sarcasm, and satire to point the Corinthians to a particular truth. The Apostle Paul uses irony to engage the Corinthians’ attention, sarcasm to sting their heart and emotions, and satire to convince them.
But what is the Truth Paul is pointing at?
What is Paul warning the Christians in Corinth about?
What does Paul want the Corinthians to see after they take in his irony, sarcasm, and satire?
Let’s re-read the first six verses of 2 Corinthians, but I want to read it from the Message Version to help us get a full picture of what the Apostle Paul is saying:
RE-READ 2 CORINTHIANS 11:1-6 (MSG)
“Will you put up with a little foolish aside from me? Please, just for a moment. The thing that has me so upset is that I care about you so much—this is the passion of God burning inside me! I promised your hand in marriage to Christ, presented you as a pure virgin to her husband. And now I’m afraid that exactly as the Snake seduced Eve with his smooth tongue, you are being lured away from the simple purity of your love for Christ. 4-6 It seems that if someone shows up preaching quite another Jesus than we preached—different spirit, different message—you put up with him quite nicely. But if you put up with these big-shot “apostles,” why can’t you put up with simple me? I’m as good as they are. It’s true that I don’t have their voice, haven’t mastered that smooth eloquence that impresses you so much. But when I do open my mouth, I at least know what I’m talking about. We haven’t kept anything back. We let you in on everything.”
The Apostle Paul uses irony to engage the Corinthians’ attention, sarcasm to sting their heart and emotions, and satire to convince the Corinthians that false teachers have been misleading them and they are believing so-called-truth about the Gospel that is not true at all. They know the full and true Gospel and yet other ideas are creeping in and destroying their proper view of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
TRANSITION
This morning I would like to share with you some beliefs that have been around in the past and keep coming back again and again that can… if we are not careful… snag us in our belief in Jesus Christ. There were false Gospels in Paul’s day and there are false Gospel’s in our day. We need to know what ain’t Christ! So, what is out there? What might you hear and wonder if it us true? What might you hear on the radio, TV, social media, or on the internet that is a false idea that will lead us away from the Truth of the Gospel. It may sound good. It may resonate with us, but the ideas are false. Remember, Paul said in verses 13-15:
RE-READ 2 CORINTHIANS 11:13-15 (ESV)
For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness.
We need to know what ain’t Christ!
FALSE IDEAS ABOUT THE GOSPEL
Before we jump in to this part of the sermon, I want you to know I did not go the direction of pointing out groups like Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, Rastafarians, and other cults who definitely share a different message about salvation making them a different religion even though they call themselves Christian. I also didn’t include groups like Seventh Day Adventists which definitely have some concerning beliefs. I didn’t go that direction, but rather we will focus on ideas we might see, hear, and read that change the heart of the Gospel Message.
When I use the term “false gospel,” I mean messages or belief systems that claim to be Christian but distort or deny key truths about Jesus, salvation, and the gospel message as handed down in Scripture. I think that’s what Paul meant and was his aim. I want you to know what ain’t Jesus when you hear it.
THAT AIN’T JESUS: The Prosperity Gospel
You may hear the message that God’s main goal is to make you rich, healthy, and successful if you have enough faith or give enough money. Variations of it are that God wants you to speak into existence victory in life and claim what blessings you want from God. Spiritual teachers say to claim healing and it will be yours. The words breakthrough, destiny, sow, harvest, claim, and speak are often used in a particular way. This is called the “Prosperity Gospel.” That ain’t Jesus.
This type of thinking replaces the suffering of life with comfort and treats God as a means to personal gain. We see the Apostle Peter dealing with this kind of thinking and rebuked it in Acts 8:18-23:
READ ACTS 8:18-22 (ESV)
“Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money, 19 saying, “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” 20 But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! 21 You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. 22 Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you.”
* The Gospel of Jesus Christ is that God blesses us, but He also calls us to follow Him even in suffering and self-denial. Jesus personally meets us in our suffering. That’s Jesus. That is the Gospel.
THAT AIN’T JESUS: The Moralistic Gospel
You may hear a “gospel” message that says being a Christian is mainly about being a good, kind, and ethical person. To be a Christian means you read your Bible and pray, you go to Sunday School and church, and you tithe… of course. “Be good” and “try harder” are the core principles here. I must confess, I like this “gospel” because it makes people get off their pew and actually participate because Christianity is not a spectator sport. And yet, that ain’t Jesus.
This is called “the Moralistic Gospel” and it reduces faith to behavior and moral rules leaving no place for grace. Our salvation is not based on our performance. No one is good. No one is good enough. No one is so good that they earn a mansion on the new heaven and the new earth. The Apostle Paul shares with us in Ephesians 2:
READ EPHESIANS 2:8-9 (ESV)
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
* The Gospel of Jesus Christ is that God loves us even though we aren’t good and He offers us His Son Jesus Christ to transform us into His sons and daughters. That’s Jesus. That is the Gospel.
THAT AIN’T JESUS: The Political Gospel
You may hear that salvation will come through political reform or aligning with a certain worldview or political party or that all real Christians belong to a particular group. The idea is that if Christians can legislate morality that people will finally understand and come to Jesus. This replaces the Kingdom of God with earthly agendas. This type of message has been around a long time and used to be called Manichaeism which is a “good vs. evil” “us vs. them” type of thinking that can be easily applied to Christianity. Now this type of message is called “Christian Nationalism.” There is a good side and there is a bad side. As long as you are on the good side and in the good group, you can be saved. That ain’t Jesus.
Truth is that Jesus Christ transcends all nations and political parties. Jesus said very clearly in John 18:36 that His Kingdom is “not of this world.” We see this clearly in the choosing of the 12 Apostles (Mark 3, Luke 6, Acts 1). Jesus literally picked Matthew the Tax Collector who was a traitor to Rome and Simon the Zealot whose activities would have included killing tax collectors who were traitors to Rome. Both are the Kingdom. Both are believers. Both are Apostles.
* The Gospel of Jesus Christ is that entrance into the Kingdom of God depends on Him and Him alone. The core of the Gospel is our belief about Jesus Christ and nothing else. You cannot legislate someone to believe in Jesus and Jesus doesn’t want that. God desires worshippers in Spirit and in Truth (John 4:23-24). Jesus Christ Himself even said:
READ JOHN 14:6 (ESV)
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
THAT AIN’T JESUS: The Universal Love Gospel
You may have heard that God’s love means everyone will be saved and accepted regardless of belief or repentance or way of life. God’s love is all-inclusive and means He accepts us just the way we are. Usually this type of teaching begins with the phrase “God wouldn’t…” or “I don’t believe in a God that could…” This used to be called Marcionism which viewed that the God of the Old Testament was only harsh and the God of the New Testament was only love. This is called the “Universal Love Gospel” today or “All-Inclusive Love Gospel” and it ain’t Jesus.
Emphatically yes, God is love, but God is love based on His unchanging holy character and not how we define love. This type of salvation message removes the need for repentance and faith in Christ because God loves us just the way we are. The truth is actually the opposite… God loves you so much He sent Jesus so we don’t have to stay the way we are. We see this explained by the Apostle Peter says in Acts 2:
READ ACTS 2:37-39 (ESV)
“Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the Name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to Himself.”
* The Gospel of Jesus Christ is that His boundless love invites us, moves us, pulls us, and pushes us to Himself that we might be saved from ourselves and in spite of ourselves. That love doesn’t run out or shy away, but it also calls us to be more like Him and not more however we want. That’s Jesus. That is the Gospel.
THAT AIN’T JESUS: The Personal Truth Gospel
You may hear a message that champions that each person defines their own truth and faith making proper belief and the Bible secondary to personal experience. A speaker may share that feelings are very important. Salvation is inside us and not external to us. Salvation is private. A key word that has been batted around in the past ten years or so is the word “deconstruction.” What this brand of gospel shares is that our life experience, our feelings, and our own logic is subjectively true over the Bible and over the authority church. This is called “the Personal Truth Gospel” and it ain’t Jesus.
Honest authentic faith wrestles with questions and the disasters of life, but God’s revealed Word provides the objective anchor for our experience and feelings. God’s Word, not our opinions, explains the basis of our salvation. The Apostle Paul tells Timothy:
READ 2 TIMOTHY 3:16-17 (ESV)
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
Paul also tells the Colossian church:
READ COLOSSIANS 2:8-10 (ESV)
“See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in Him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have been filled in Him, Who is the head of all rule and authority.”
* The Gospel of Jesus Christ is absolute Truth that has absolutely nothing to do with our experiences, but everything to do with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. The Gospel is often seen as upside down or backwards, but is the way God has planned to saves us. Salvation is not based on human traditions or our experiences, but on Jesus Christ: His life, death, and resurrection. That’s Jesus. That is the Gospel.
SUMMARY / TRANSITION
There are a lot of ideas out there that seem good, but in the end distort the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That is true today and it was true in the Apostle Paul’s day as well. The Corinthians were listening to voices that made them fools. These teachers and preachers and leaders appeared as ones sharing light, but in fact were sharing darkness. Through irony, sarcasm, and satire, the Apostle Paul is pointing out the false leaders among them.
We wanted them to be careful.
I want you to be carefu.
THAT IS JESUS: The Gospel of Jesus Christ
So what is the Gospel of Jesus Christ? We talked a whole lot this morning about what it is NOT, but what is the Gospel of Jesus Christ?
The Gospel of Jesus Christ begins with the Holy Almighty God creating all things good. That goodness was traded for sinfulness because of free will. Humanity sinned and is under judgment because we choose to go our own way and not God’s way. Sin is a big deal. God knew we would turn from Him and so a plan was in place before the foundations of the world to save us. Because of love and as an act of grace, Jesus Christ, fully God and fully Man, died and rose again to save sinners. Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. When we are immersed into Christ and join the Kingdom of God, we are adopted as children of God being marked by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit transforms believers to be more like Jesus Christ. The Kingdom of God will come fully when Christ returns for those who have believed in His Name. Those in the Kingdom of God have the promise of freedom from guilt, a soul in the palm of the Almighty, and goodness for all eternity. That is Jesus. That is the Gospel.
INVITATION
Re-READ ACTS 2:38-39 (ESV)
“Repent and be baptized every one of you in the Name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to Himself.”
Following Jesus is the Gospel. The Gospel is not about gaining wealth, earning God’s favor by being good, political rightness, love directed wrongly, or even our personal private experience. Following Jesus is the Gospel. Perhaps following Jesus is a decision you need to make today.
PRAYER
