2 Corinthians 12 (Part 2) Spend Yourself for God's Kingdom

second Corinthians chapter 12 verse beginning of verse 11 our second

part

in this chapter Paul writes I have been a fool, you forced me to do it because I should have been praised by you because I was not at all inferior to these super apostles even though I am noticing that the signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience with signs and wonders and mighty works because in what were you less favored than the rest of the churches except that I myself did not burden you, forgive me this evil here for the third time I am ready to come to you and I will not be a burden because I do not seek what is yours but you for the children are not obliged to save for their parents but the parents for their children Most likely I will apologize.

spend

and be spent gladly by your souls if I love you more should I be loved less but granting that I myself did not burden you I was cunning, you say, and took advantage of you by deception?

To those whom I sent I urged Titus to go and I sent a brother with him. Did Titus take advantage of you? Are we not acting in the same spirit? Don't we take the same steps? Have you been thinking all the time that we've been defending? we to you is before the eyes of God that we have been speaking in Christ and we offer your edification beloved because I fear that perhaps when I come I will not find you as I desire and that you will not find me as I find you. I hope that perhaps there will be quarrels jealousy anger hostility slander gossip vanity and disorder I fear that when my God returns he will humiliate me before you and I will have to cry for many of those who sinned before and if they did not repent of iniquity I excuse impurity immorality sexual and sensuality that they have practiced stop there let's pray Jesus fill us with understanding fill us with insight and truth we ask you Lord your name Amen this last

part

of Second Corinthians chapter 12 begins with Paul as if saying you know that I am a fool, I have been talking Like a fool, he had stooped to the level of boasting that the false apostles had engaged in and was very clear in saying that this is a very foolish thing for me to do, but then he quickly said, but You made me do it.

It's something interesting. Isn't there some reason why he said that? It's because the Corinthians, you know, were very aware of his life, they were very aware of his ministry, they were very aware of everything that he had done among all of them. the ministry, all the miracles, all the things and they, you know, they should have seen through the false pride of those other super apostles that had shown up there in Corinth and they should have remembered what Paul had done and they should have understood you and everything which showed who he really was as an apostle, in fact, he said in verse 12, look with me there again, he said that the signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience with signs and wonders and mighty works, isn't that so interesting?, he calls them. signs of a true apostle in other words an apostolic ministry was accompanied by signs signs and you will notice that he even uses three words to describe those things or phrases in this in the third are signs, wonders and mighty works, you could say well, what is it? the difference, well actually there are differences, a sign is just as you would expect to see on the road, a sign is an indicator that points to something and in a sign that is miraculous, something or other is an indicator, if you will. , this is true and that is why the signs attended the Ministry of an apostle because that sign said this is true this is a true Ministry of a true apostle and then he spoke of wonders and a wonder is just what you would imagine was something to evoke amazement or ah for someone to realize that you know wow, this is incredible you know and finally my tea works are literally a demonstration of divine power in other words, it is a power that goes beyond my power, your power when You see, you say that it is God who can only be God what is right and such great power or powerful works or something that communicates this is from God and there is no way to avoid it.

You know how sometimes something happens in our lives and it's like, wow, that was like that, God and usually me. I have discovered in my own experience that one of the best ways to determine what God is is what is so opposite to me. In other words, if God tells me something I don't want to hear, God is probably right if God does something I believe. it's like it's like oh I wouldn't have done that, it's probably God you know, or here's another way if it's definitely the opposite of the way the world thinks it works, whatever God is, so You know, it's just one of those things that kind of catches your attention, you know we've all had things happen to us in our lives, I bet we're like wow, that was like that, God, maybe we were close to death in an accident. or something like that, but we know that we know that We know that we know that we were saved, that it was God, you know, and obviously there are other things that mark a true apostle, but these are some of the things that Paul says that mark a true apostle, some of the other things that mark a true apostle, our faithfulness to the correct message if he deviates from the message problem also his perseverance in the face of suffering that is a mark of a true apostle he stands firm verse 13 Paul goes on to say in that you were less favored than the rest of the churches, except that I myself was not a burden to you and what he means by that is that I did not take your money, so when he refers to me, I was not a burden to you, in In other words, when I was there living among you.

I never asked for anything I never sought your financial help I worked during the day as a tent maker I did the gospel ministry in my spare hours you know and I never asked you for anything he says and you know he says and that was the only place where maybe you were less favored than other churches. I didn't burden you. I didn't ask you for anything and the reason he says that is because a true apostle and Paul knows that he is entitled to that support and yet Paul never took He refused to accept that support but somehow the people got it.

You know, they thought that made him less apostolic or somewhat less apostolic. Paul goes on and says here for the third time. I am ready to come to you and I will. Don't be a burden because I don't look for what is yours but you for the children are not obliged to save for their parents but the parents for their children so Paul tells them that his next visit is imminent but he also lets them know hey, I haven't state. saying all these things about support so that when I come they start supporting me because I want them to know something.

My policy will not change between you when I come for the third time. I will not allow them to help me and others. The reason is because I want you to know that they are not your belongings. I want it to be you. Look at verse 15 for me. This is the sweet spot of this half of the chapter. I will gladly

spend

and be spent for your souls, boy, when he. He talks about spending and being spent, he's talking about spending his own money to take care of his needs, but when he talked about spending now he's talking about giving of himself, he's literally talking about giving of himself in his name and I have to tell you this. statement this verse convinces me a little no, that's not true, it convinces me a lot a little and the reason it does is because Paul is writing to a group of ungrateful, for the most part he is writing to a group of People who have been believing the worst about him and seemed very willing to do that, know what I mean by believing the worst and have been actively denying him their love.

Think about it, you are a leader, you are ministering to people and to those people. They are actively hiding their love for you, doesn't that endear you to those people? What would you say to those types of people? Wow, what Paul tells them is that when he comes, I'll be exhausted. I'm more than willing to be. spent in his name and this gives us a very important insight into the heart and mind of the apostle Paul, but more than that, the heart and mind of Christ because it communicates something that somehow exposes something in the rest of us that can' You see, because we are human, we really like it when people appreciate us and love us less.

I mean, I just like you. I like getting cute little notes that say "wow." Paul, you are the brag and you know I know it. It's not true, but I like to hear it anyway and I don't like it when someone says, you suck and I think I see a lot of that on YouTube and they often don't use the word, that's so nice, I'm human, you. We are human, we like to be liked, we like to be appreciated and there is nothing wrong with appreciating what others do for us, in reality there is nothing wrong, not even totally, with being appreciated, but when it becomes the main reason why we do what we do, then it starts to dictate what we do, did you hear me when it's because the main reason why we do it and what we do then becomes knowing why we do what we do?

In other words, someone starts in some type of ministry and maybe even for a while. In this season they feel very strongly about that type of ministry, but eventually they are not appreciated as they should be and that begins to erode their zeal and their desire to continue in that area of ​​ministry and I have seen it too many times. Sometimes you know someone says you know I used to serve in this church that I went to and then I stopped, in fact I even stopped going because you know I served in that area for two years and no one ever reached out to me and told me.

He said thank you, I appreciate what you're doing, so I left. I've heard that before and some of you might be understanding or thinking. I can understand how you feel. I mean, I get it okay. They know what we can all, we can all understand. how they feel, we all know what it's like to be underestimated or not appreciated at all, but that doesn't change the fact that what that attitude shows or what it reveals is that appreciation was the main reason for continuing, maybe not for start, because you know you don't usually get recognition when you first start a ministry, but as you've been doing it, maybe you've been working for years, which will keep you connected for years to come, if it's gratitude, if that's going to be. your goal then and you don't understand it then you'll probably say yeah, I think I'm done, you know, I'm just not getting the appreciation and all I'm saying about this is that the apostle Paul wasn't He's not motivated that way because he writes to people. who didn't really appreciate him, he writes to people who were actually actively hiding their love from him, he writes to people who believed the worst about him and he writes to them and says, "Me." I'm going back, that's the first thing that surprises me.

He was willing to return. He would have just written these people off, forget them. I'm going to go where I'm appreciated. I mean, that's humanity that can dictate my steps very easily. true, but instead Paul writes to them and says, "I'm coming back and when I do, I'm going to spend myself on you. Wow, you know what Paul was practicing what he preached. Let me show you a passage where he said something very profound." In his letter to the Church of the Colossians he said that in everything you do, work from the heart as for the Lord and not for men.

I am the one who took advantage so that you know that it is from the Lord that you will receive an inheritance like yours. reward you are serving the Lord Christ he is you don't know ultimately you are not serving men we serve men but ultimately we do not serve for them we serve for the Lord that is what Paul says do it as the Lord not for the men because because men will turn around and say nasty things and won't appreciate you and decide that maybe even someone else can do it better than you and if your eyes are on men and if it's in men's appreciation you'll probably be discouraged. , you will possibly stop serving and you might even start a completely common fellowship and that is so, that passage from Colossians and what Paul is saying here is something that every single believer needs to be reminded of, you know, because we must take up the service of the Lord, but here is the question we have to ask.

Why am I doing it? That is fundamental. Why am I doing this? Am I doing it so people can see? Know? I love people who come here and serve without anyone seeing people come in during the week. You can never see them and they scrub and clean and put things away and they do this and they didn't do it, never, never, and they. could be sitting next to you and it's one of those people that you don't even know because you're not here during the week and you don't see them, nobody sees it, but they're giving and not doing it out of appreciation, but you know this attitude of doing it like for the Lord or doing it, you know, for the right reasons, also reflects the heart of our Savior.

I'm going to show you some interesting words and these words were said. the same night that Jesus would be arrested, beaten, and ultimately taken to be crucified. I don't know what would go through your mind if you knew you were hours away from those things happening to you. This is what Jesus said. Luke chapter 22. He says who is greater, the one who reclined at the table or the one who serves, it is not the one who reclined at the table, yes, of course, it is the one who is being served, look at what Jesus says, but I am among you as the one.

It's not just the statement that blows my mind, it's the moment in which the statement is made that's when I know something is happening.big thing in my life that is probably going to be painful, scary/dreadful. I'm not thinking about serving other people. I'm thinking about myself very intimately, you know, I have all the focal methods that I can use to reach myself and everything is coming at that moment and I'm thinking about my anxiety level and I'm thinking, you know, I'm just thinking about myself, the only reason I can admit it to you is because I know you do the same thing, but here is Jesus, here is this incredible attitude, Jesus is speaking, you must remember at the Last Supper, right after that Jesus finished saying what it was. going to be crucified the disciples started a conversation about which of them would be the greatest and Jesus said things like you know, this very night you know that one of you will betray me and the only thing they could think about was visiting me, they were so focused on my. and and and they talk about lack of appreciation ah and yet what was Jesus' attitude while he was there with those men I am among you as one who serves I am here to serve I am here to serve you not for what I can Get out of this, but just to give and That's where Paul was.

When I came back, he said, "I will gladly spend it all on your behalf. Can you see why I feel convicted by that statement? It is the heart of the Savior. It is a true attitude of service and I fall so short and the guy example that I want I want to have it I want to have it even when you say unpleasant things or even when someone says unpleasant things about you or does things that show their lack of appreciation or their lack of concern for you we need to be the type of people who adopt this same attitude Lord How can I serve that person?

How can I spend, not save, but spend? Do you know? Jesus spoke about the one who saves his own life, he says that he will actually lose it, but the one who would lose his life for me will actually find it and I think there's an element of losing it and saving it related to giving our lives or hoarding our lives is your life, something you can hold on to and keep for

yourself

or is it something to give away, you know, Paul ends the chapter verse 16 , but granting that I myself did not tax you, in other words, he said when I was there.

I didn't take your money, I was sneaky, you say, and I beat you by deceit and apparently this is something Paul was accused of being deceitful about, perhaps outwardly rejecting support but taking advantage of them in other ways we don't know about. We do not know the details of this accusation. All we know is that Paul is heading toward some kind of accusation, so he asked them to reason. He says: Did I take advantage of you? How about some of the guys I sent you? How about Titus? Did he take advantage of you? Do you remember that I sent him to someone else to be held accountable?

Did those guys do or did things like me and that's what it says here? Are we not acting in the same spirit? That's what he says there at the end of verse 18, in other words, didn't they do exactly what I do? Didn't they work all day and take any of your money? So how did they take advantage of you and you? Look what Paul is doing here in any kind of verses 17 and 18, he asked four different questions and he's trying to reason with them to understand that this has no basis in reality. Have you ever wondered why we are so eager to believe the worst in people, when someone says something good, I think the guy is completely misleading, actually, okay, yeah, I'll just be honest with you, I think the guy is Completely misleading, why are we?

Why are we so eager to leave? I never thought. that way I think you're right instead of reasoning it out and saying well, first of all, what do you mean by that? Even um, I don't understand what you're saying because that doesn't match reality, that's what the Corinthians were saying. I should have, that's why Paul said at the beginning of this section that we're looking at, you led me to that, you should have been there defending me when these false apostles were gang yangyang, yeah, saying this and saying that about me, you should have done, you should I have stood up because you know my ministry, you know my life and you know that I did not take advantage of you and none of the men that came and I sent took advantage of you, so why is it like this?

Why is it that we seem so eager to believe the worst? Well, there is a proverb that helps us understand. These are proverbs. Chapter 18 says like this, the words of a gossiper, like choice morsels, go down to the depths of man. Not now. I use the phrase choice morsels which I never say to my wife when she's making a nice dinner, oh honey, those are choice morsels. Marshalls never said that now, what I will say literally looks good or is delicious right, what is being said here in this? proverb is this is making a statement about human nature you see choice morsels is a phrase that means something irresistible What is he saying?

He is saying that gossip is irresistible, it is as if for me it would be something similar to eating pizza or chocolate. I have to tell you that I have a big weakness for pizza and chocolate. I can't eat them like I used to, but I still love them. Know? And I hate that I can't eat them like I used to when I was younger, but that's why I eat them. those things because I love them you with me you know why we listen to gossip we love it like my pizza and chocolate thing right that's why we listen to gossip or gossip what are your first cousins ​​okay, gossip and gossip we like it so here I asked you the question Why are we so eager to believe such negative things about people? we like it it's fun it's like eating pizza give me another slice it's like you know, I got you I love it sometimes my wife is such a lovely creature she'll still have some chocolate and I'll say can I have some of that? and she will break this little piece of me.

I tell him, come on, I want to eat it all, you know, and then and then when I'm done, I want to go to the store and buy more because I like it, it's fun, it's delicious and the same goes for the gossip, it's delicious but it gets to the point. the deepest, yes, it sticks to you well and That's the unpleasant thing about this. You know, when I was young, no one told me that there would come a day in my life when I wouldn't be able to eat so much pizza and chocolate. I'm glad they didn't tell me it would.

I probably sat there and cried, but it actually happened probably sometime in my 40s, in fact, you know, we went to a friend's house on the 31st and just to get together and hang out and I walked in the door and we walked. I walk through the kitchen and what do I see on the counter. There are about five different pizzas, piping hot, on the counter. I knew I was going to see that, so before I went there I had a bowl of cereal, you know? Try just writing. to relax and you know what I went for.

I have to say that I went all night and didn't eat a single piece of pizza. Are you proud of me? Thank you. Just no, no, no, just because we probably will. eat pizza this afternoon, so don't worry about it, but I have to tell you how hard it was, it was very hard to say, I mean looking at that pizza sitting there and I love pepperoni pizza and it was sitting there looking at me Eat me, you know , but I didn't and I started thinking about it and I thought you know what I can do the same thing when it comes to gossip and listening to backbiting.

I can say no and so can you because we know it. It's not good for us and it's not good for the

kingdom

of God it's not good for the body of Christ and you and I can say no, we don't, even though it's delicious, we don't have to swallow it, we don't. I have to be right, I think it's important to remember that it's kind of like what Paul is saying here, the Corinthians had just swallowed these choice morsels, these delicious delicacies, you know about slander and gossip and they believed the worst and Paul said no.

You don't have to do that. Verse 19 says: Have you been thinking all along that we have been defending ourselves before you? Not only does it say that it is before the eyes of God that we have been speaking in Christ, but it has all been for you. building, he says and then he calls him beloved beloved again that's not a term I use when I talk to people, you know, Jay Vernon McGee always finished all of his, you remember listening to Jay Vernon and you know what a great Bible teacher. You know, years go by, he's with the Lord now, but every broadcast ends with him calling his listeners.

You know, my beloved. You know, and I loved the southern way of him. You know the way to say it too, but it's the term of endearment, right? It's a term of intimacy and love and tenderness and again I pulse talking to these people who are ungrateful, he's talking to these people who don't appreciate him, he's talking about people. who have been swallowing these mouthfuls of slander and gossip and believed it and now they are holding back their love and calling them beloved, do you understand how great, that's how Jesus is right, but Paul wanted them to know and what you're saying here in the verse 19 is that he is not defending himself before them as if he considered them the judge? and the jury Paul knew that Jesus was their supreme judge and that he was serving them for Christ, you with me, he was not serving them for them, that is the critical thing that you and I must see, that is where we fail in our service, We serve people for people.

You need to serve people for Jesus, he says, do you think I've been defending myself? You know, I've been saying everything I've been saying before God, right? I've been saying this, I stand or fall before him, that's what it is. what Paul is saying here, but he says, I've been saying these things to build you up and rescue you from this dangerous place that you've put

yourself

in and then he ends, he says because I'm afraid that maybe when I come I'll find you. not as I wish and in the same way you know that you can find me not as you wish, in other words, not the lord. happy grandfather, come and sit on my lap, but in a place where I need to take out my cane.

You know every pastor had a staff for a reason and he says, I don't want to use it on you and he doesn't speak literally. but figuratively he's talking about I don't want to have to come and just bring correction. You know, I want to come and enjoy my time with you, but he says I'm afraid that when I get there I'll meet all of these. things between you like fighting and jealousy and anger and hostility and slander and gossip and vanity and disorder, wow what a long list and yet he injects the most incredible hope at the end of that and by the way this list of sins doesn't It's the typical list of sins. oh, today I was wrong like we all make mistakes every day, right, we all sin, we all sin, we all make mistakes daily.

This isn't that Paul is talking about some pretty nasty x' here and yet he injects into that long list of nasty sins this hope where he says I don't want to have to cry for you I want instead to come and find that you've repented I fear that when it comes you won't have repented but I want you to have repented No I don't know, I just think it's an incredibly important statement, you know, because you see repentance, one of the most underrated elements of our Christian walk. We've allowed it to be tarnished a little, you know, by crazy and half-crazy people walking around. through the streets of major cities with signs and banners saying repent, the world is coming to an end and then everyone says yes and associates that weirdness with the idea of ​​repentance and suddenly repentance takes on this connotation of weirdness, it's like strange people would regret it. no repentance is critical it is key to our Christian existence when we are trapped in sin there is still hope you know, repent, turn to God and that is what repentance is turning to God, turning away from that thing and turning to God, there is always hope.

I love it. I love that Pablo always injects that hope because there is hope. I have sat and talked to people who talk about Jesus, talk about the cross and inevitably they will start telling me why Jesus can't do anything for them and he always has to do it. with the kind of sin you know the kind of sin they like, you know you don't know about my life and then they'll start telling me things that you know made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. Yes, but you know what there is repentance, no matter what it is, no matter what you have done, repentance is always an option, turn to God, there is hope if you stay where you are and say I can't be saved. you are stuck, but don't do that, don't let the enemy keep you there, don't let the enemy keep you in that place of sin somehow thinking that you are the worst of the worst and that there is no hope possible for you.

For you, there is always hope because Jesus died for the worst of sinners and if that is what you recognize, but know this, there is always hope, I always wait for you.