47 2 Corinthians 11-13 - J Vernon Mcgee - Thru the Bible

now in Chapter 11 we get to what is quite intimate Paul now talks about these people who are united to the Living Christ oh, it is so important today for us to see that I am increasingly convinced that the message of this epistle is a message that we all need, it has been beneficial for me. This time I have spent more time studying this epistle than any other book of the Bible I have come across and found that it has a real message for my own heart, maybe I have. I've just been talking to myself, but I feel like there's a tremendous message here and he says, "I wish to God, chapter 11, now, verse one, I wish to God, you could bear with me a little in my madness and actually be patient." with me because I am jealous of you with pious zeal because I have espoused you to one husband to present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

I came to Corinth. A church was born and I espoused these people to Christ. But I fear that by any means as the serpent deceived Eve through his subtlety, so their minds must be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ and I cannot emphasize this too much today, the simplicity that is in Christ in the. old times we need more simplicity and receive the Word of God. I am so tired. Today I will make special young preachers and they are just the fruit of our seminars who are trying to be intellectuals. I heard a young man the other day. was talking and after listening to it.

For 15 minutes I was convinced that I didn't know what I was talking about, I was trying to be intellectual and ended up not saying anything and I tell you, but what I had to do is give the Word of God with its simplicity. that is in the price, oh how it is needed today, now you will notice that this great man has opened his heart to us, so to speak, and you will notice that in this chapter he is going to mention this several times, verse 16 says, I repeat, no you do it. the man faints me like a fool if otherwise still like a fool he received me so that I can boast a little and then he talks about boasting that it is foolish and then verse 19 because you endure fools gladly seeing that you are wise , well, of course, he's using sarcasm there.

On a very high plane now, Paul has made it very clear in this section that the enemy was busy in Corinth, that a small minority had stirred up trouble against him and that they were trying to discredit his ministry, he explains to them why it didn't take more time. with them he says I am an evangelist, that is, I am a missionary, but that is really the word and he says I do not want to build on another man's foundation and the police have been and Peter has been ministered to you and you have listened. these men now and I am moving to the border and that is the reason because this is my ministry this is my service now he says I want to let you know that I have a ministry and that I am an apostle I am an accredited apostle and then he goes on to say I am jealous of you with pious zeal why this man was actually willing to make a fool of himself as if it were for them well he said because I prefer to talk about Christ than to defend myself but it is not necessary with this little group to defend myself and that is why I am speaking foolishly well what does it mean to speak foolishly Lyn what is the word foolishness and fool in Greek I think stupidity ignorance or selfishness all these are meanings of the word it actually means foolishness, it has no purpose, that is, it does not serve the great purpose of spreading the gospel and yet Paul he feels called to do it and said, "Let me be silly for a few moments and he will defend." his Apostolate, this is Satan's method, as we will see that the devil from the beginning persecuted the church and discovered that he was not harming it, in fact, the issue is that the church never grew as it did in the first hundred years and swept the entire Roman Empire and by the year 315 AD. why it had reached every corner of the Roman Empire and it was during the time of persecution, well the devil didn't hurt the church, so what happened?

He decided to join it and that's when he started hurting the church but he started attacking the Word of God and that didn't work and then he did what he always does: he attacked the man who believed and taught the Word of God, in other words, in In this case he has not been able to discredit the gospel, so now he tries to discredit the apostle Paul and goes on to say here that for this reason he would rather preach Christ than do this, but he does it because he is jealous. He loves them and is afraid that the serpent that deceived Eve and do not think of the serpent as a crawling creature, it was the one that shines, it is an angel of light, remember that it deceived Eve through its subtlety, so that your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ and again I draw your attention to the fact that the gospel is simple, we hear a lot today about the current international approach honestly, I think you should be aware that every seminary today is trying to do that the young intellectual preachers and today the gospel needs to be given with sanctified common sense which is what is so desperately needed now he tells them in verse 4 and if the one who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached or if he receives another spirit that you have not received or another gospel that you have not accepted, you might as well endure it now.

Some time ago I gave a message in many places on the subject of Jesus Christ, not the Superstar, but the bright Morning Star, and I fully expected a great deal of opposition to the message because actually some churches have gone for that kind of thing. It denies, of course, the deity of Christ and presents a Jesus who never lived. In fact, it's just the Jesus of liberalism with a new wardrobe and the Closet is a It's a rather hippie type thing and as a result we have the Jesus of liberalism and the Jesus of liberalism never existed.

There is no record of him because they deny the virgin birth and the only record we have says he was born of a virgin and they don't. They believe that he performed miracles and as a result why do they have a different Jesus because the one in the Gospels performs miracles then he died for the sins of the world they deny that he was resurrected from the dead bodily, you see the only record we have is of the one who was God and the man is like the oldest creed says it, he is very god of very God very man of very man and this is another Jesus that is being presented today Paul says that if someone comes to you preaching about another Jesus then we preach to them that It's in the gospels, you shouldn't accept that at all, it says here in verse five now, because I guess he wasn't even one iota behind the main apostles, now I put Paul as number one of the apostles, he himself said.

He was the least of the apostles, he got to the end of the line and I put him on the other end of the line and he wants these Corinthians to know that he is as much an apostle as any of the rest and he says, but even though I'm rude in the speaks but not in knowledge. Paul was a brilliant man but he used simple language but we have truly been manifested among you in all things. There are two men who meant a lot in my life. One was a man in Memphis Tennessee. and he was a brilliant scholar, but how he taught with simplicity and then dr.

Harry Irons said that many of you knew the side of Dark Iron, they always talk about him as a very simple preacher, well he wasn't as simple as you think, he was really a very brilliant man, but he preached simply, he put the crackers. where the children could get them, that's important now Paul, I think he actually adopted the language that the Corinthians would understand and I'm of the opinion that was a pretty rude approach. I received a letter from someone some time ago and he gives me quite a lecture for using the term that psychologists have used today and it is well understood, you know what it means and it is the term hanger, well I have adopted it because I am of the opinion that everyone knows what it means well this man told me how the expression started and how he deals with the dirty side.

Can I tell you that they said that about Paul because he's using foul language, but Paul was one of the most brilliant men that I think ever walked this earth. I believe he had the highest IQ of any man now he says but truly we have been manifested among you in all things and he says you would know this verse seven if I had committed an offense by humbling myself so that you could be exalted because I preached the gospel to you. of God freely you see that Paul would not let the Corinthians give him anything at all and he did and as a result he had to work and this man had to work hard doing temptations and since he had calluses on his hands no That does not mean that he was not An outstanding apostle says that I stole from other churches by taking salaries from them to do their service, not in Macedonia, they told us, and when I was present with you and wanted, I did not have to pay anyone for what was missing.

The brothers who came from Macedonia supplied me and in everything I have kept from being burdensome to you and so I will keep to myself what a tremendous statement this man made he said I will not let you give me anything and since the truth of Christ is in me no one will be able to stop this boasting in the regions of ako now Paul said I am boasting but I do it because it is the truth I am jealous of you and I am afraid of you now He continues, therefore, because I love you, without God knowing what I do, I'll do it so I can cut off the chance for those who want the chance that what they glory in can be found even like us, they're starting to say well, Apollo, you know?

He is such a polished speaker when he comes to us he does not engage in making tents or any work so well Paul did verse 13 but such are false apostles deceitful workers becoming the apostles of Christ now evidently there were false apostles there were deceitful workers and They tried to become apostles of Christ and now they were not worthy of any wonder because Satan himself transformed into an angel of light. I don't have time to develop that as we have done elsewhere and will have. opportunity to talk about this again several times and that is that the idea that Satan has cloven feet and horns and that kind of thing is totally wrong, it comes from the Great God Pan that comes out of Greek mythology and the Great God Pan is half animal you know, and they worship them like Dionysus and that's not the point of view of the Scriptures.

Satan is an angel of light and if you could see him, he became visible to you, you would see the most beautiful angel you have ever seen, now called disgusting because of it. this conclusion verse fifteen therefore it is not a big deal if his ministers are also transformed like the ministers of righteousness whose end will be according to their works now this is something that makes your hair stand on end and this is this satan has ministers and the answer Yes, that's what Paul said and his ministers are very attractive when I was just a child in my teens I didn't know anything I wasn't raised in a Christian family I went to listen to a lecturer from a certain sect and I won I don't mention the name of that sect, but this man read the questions from the audience.

I don't think anyone asks this question, but I wanted to make the point clear. He says someone said. I noticed that there is a halo of light around your head. Can you explain it? Well, a good second look, I didn't see a halo of light around his head, but you see what he's doing, he's becoming a minister of light, all the ministers of Satan glorify themselves and you can see where the man is preaching the simplicity of the Word of God or if he is preaching some other Jesus and preaching some other gospel now again listen to him I say it again let no one consider me a fool if otherwise still as a fool they received me to boast a little of what I speak not according to the Lord, but foolishly and this is mine.

Listen to how Paul says: please me in this and then he continues, he has a great excuse here, since many boast according to the flesh, our glory also because fools suffer gladly. Seeing that you yourselves are wise and blame me, that is holy sarcasm, then continue because you suffer if a man subjects you to slavery, that is, if the law is preached to you, the man devours you, if a man takes you for men, he exalt himself if a man hits you in the face take that now Paul says you will certainly please me this now listen to it and now I come to a section and I want to say this that when I get to this it makes me realize that I just have to make a Confession, I have been in ministry for a long time and when I read what this man went through, I recognize that he was just playing the game that I have not really been a true servant of Christ.

Listen to this man now, I won't. just read this, that's all, it speaks for itself, listen to it, I speak in terms of reproach, this is verse 21, as if we had been weak, yet we are in any aspo, I speak foolishly, I am bold, they too are Hebrews and me too. Are they types of Israel? Me too. Am they Abraham's seed? Paul says I can back up my genealogy. There is no doubt about who he was now. Are they ministers of Christ? He spoke like a fool. I'm more listening to it. He is more. I suppose I can just say I'm a minister, but Paul can say I'm more listen to this in the Labor Party more abundant in whippings beyond measure in prisons more frequent in the death ofJews five times I received forty lashes except for one to see they did not beat anyone to death and to avoid doing so they gave them 13 lashes on one side 13 lashes on the other side 13 lashes on the back and this was Dan Price's math, they beat me with rods, that was the The Roman method of doing so was once a stone price.

I was shipwrecked one night and one day. I have been in the depths in journeys often in dangers of waters in dangers of thieves in dangers from my own countrymen in dangers from the pagans in dangers in the city in dangers and in the wilderness in dangers at sea in dangers among false brothers in fatigue and pain in vigils many times in hunger and thirst in fasts many times in cold and nakedness how many of us today who are ministers how many of We can say that we have been through this, that is why my friend, we have been in the lap of luxury, Most of us live in a rich society and we know nothing about these difficulties, because Jesus says now listen to him along with those things that I am without what comes to me daily the chair of all the churches now many of us know what the burden of a church is.

I have rejoiced and my retirement as part of my ministries has been since I retired all the burden that some of these pastors have today of a church I know what it is now listen to him he says who is weak and I am not weak who is offended and not I burn if necessary glory I will glory in the things that concern my weaknesses the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ who is blessed forever knows that I am not lying Paul says here is my report that is his report as a minister of Jesus Christ now he says in Damascus the governor under Aretas the king held the city of the Damned Essenes with a The garrison wanted to stop me and threw a window into a basket.

When I dropped down the wall and escaped from his hand. None of us know how embarrassing it must have been to be dropped in a basket. I can speak for myself and no. for others and I think they would have to say the same when I go to a city to have a meeting at the Bible Conference they always put me in a nice place and they are very hospitable to me and receive me with dignity but Paul imagines that they lowered him out of the window sitting in a basket, that's embarrassing for friends, but Paul did that for Jesus.

He says: I don't want to hear anyone brag today about how they are suffering for Christ. Read this and then it will make you bow down. your head ashamed and you say Oh Lord Jesus, help me to be faithful to you, help me to be faithful to you now, friends, we come to this remarkable chapter 12 of Second Corinthians, now we have had a lot in our days about space travel and Se Says a lot about it, man, I've been to the moon, but actually let me tell you, there hasn't been much space travel so far. Did you know that in my book there is a long distance to the moon, but when do you start? to measure from here even to Mars or any of the other planets, the distance to the moon is not very great and when you start measuring that distance to our neighboring star of Andromeda, the galaxy that is very far away in space, then, friends I simply have to say that man had still been very far away, but the very interesting thing is that the Bible has a record of three men who traveled to outer space and came back, and nothing else in the Old Testament.

Now I know someone is going to say what about Enoch and Elijah I don't think they were caught up to heaven the Lord Jesus said no man has ascended to heaven now that was in the Old Testament and someone is going to say well I thought Elijah was caught up. to heaven but after all his three heavens he was trapped in their air spaces now until the time Jesus made that baffling statement, no one had ever been to outer space now Jesus is of course the only exception, he said the Son of man came down from heaven, but then we have two others, John on the Island of Patmos, remember that he tells us about a trip he made, he was caught up to heaven and that I suppose it was the third heaven where the throne of God is, he says after this I looked and behold, a door was opened in heaven and the first voice that I heard was like a trumpet speaking to me saying: come up here and I will show you these things that must be in the future, that is Revelation 4:1 John was caught up and now Paul and registration. is here in this chapter and therefore there are three men who had been able to report from heaven, one is the Lord Jesus, but he is God manifested in the flesh and he actually said very little about him and probably said more than anyone else said. , but he said very little and John doesn't have much to say about it and Paul here has nothing to say about it now let's look at this because Paul is saying something here that normally he wouldn't have said at all.

He talks about a trip he took to outer space, now you will hear it, he says that it certainly does not suit me for glory, now you remember what we saw in the last chapter, he talked about what he had endured and something very interesting, the Spirit God allowed him to write that and write it. , so I think no man could say today I have endured more than the apostle Paul and some of us have not endured much for it. I think today I should actually be a little careful when singing certain songs. This song from Princeton, Jesus, my cross, I have taken everything to go and follow you naked, poor, despised, abandoned.

From here on out, everything will be and I heard a supposedly turned Hollywood star sing that, well, I want to. To tell you that the party had not given up much and I think it is critical Kippur, there are songs that I do not sing anyway, but that is a song that I would not and could not see. I think I'd like to sing this one if Alas, my Savior might bleed and my sovereign die. Would you dedicate that sacred head to a worm like me? It is the Lord Jesus who needs to be glorified. Now let me put this as a standard today and many of you listen.

To the testimonies of men and women who tell about his conversion you usually hear from the notables because we simply don't tell about the common one but what I know in these testimonies is what place Jesus occupies. I heard one the other day. and all he had to say was what had happened to him, that he was a sinner and honestly he had very little to say about the Lord Jesus, you wondered what it was that he really needed, but not when it was over, can I tell you ? I didn't feel that the Lord Jesus received praise, glory in that testimony at all.

Paul here tells how he suffered for Christ now he says: I glory in these things that have happened to me, but he said he could also tell you about visions and revelations, he says, I will come to visions and revelations from the Lord now that the Lord had left him. appeared, but have you ever noticed that Paul has very little to say about those personal appearances? Now here's one, but he still doesn't do it. tell us what really happened he says I met a man in Christ more than fourteen years ago if in the body I can't say it or if outside the body I can't say it God knows if such and one reached the third head now what is the third sky, well the airspace is above us, the Lord Jesus spoke of the birds of the sky, well those are the airspaces beyond which they cannot fly and then there are the stars of the sky beyond the atmosphere and then There is the third heaven where the throne is. of God it is and that's how ridiculous it was when that Sputnik that the Russians put up the first time they said they had been out there and on the other side of the moon and I couldn't see God well they didn't go far enough friends, it has to go much further that the third heaven now Paul speaking from his own experience, could we date that?

He says it happened 14 years before he wrote this epistle, which would actually put it at about the time he became his first missionary. trip and we are told in that first missionary trip that he came younger to Lystra in the country of Galatia and I now read acts fourteen nineteen and that certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium came there who persuaded the people and after stoning Paul they took him out of the city assuming that he had been dead, but I don't think they would have left him unless they were pretty sure that he was dead and that God raised him from the dead.

Now Paul was pretty sure if this was a vision or if at that moment he got caught up in reality and he's describing his own experience, which I think is pretty evident, he says and I knew such a man, either in the body or out of the body, I can't tell God that he now killed him and trapped him, actually Paul. I couldn't tell you that or if he was just knocked unconscious, he had this vision and Paul isn't dogmatic about it, maybe we shouldn't be, but I have the idea that God raised him from the dead, the result was the same.

He now he saw the third heaven. What was his report? Well, if a man had written this, we would have several volumes of heavy tomes on this. I tell you that he would have given a great series. There is a message in it and what is very interesting is the man who jumped over the wall. in a basket there is also the man caught up to the third heaven now he says here how he was caught up to paradise and heard ineffable words that it is not lawful for man to pronounce as no report as someone has said man having said that he could not have said much so soon after having mentioned so much you should do it on your own there is no description there is no description of the Chamber of Commerce there is no promotion there are no sales talks there are no details there is no exhibition there is no hero worship of man what is said here about such a person.

Will I still glory in myself? I will not boast except in my weaknesses. Nepal says I'm telling you about my weaknesses but I'm not going to tell you what I saw in the third heaven because well because they told him that he didn't say it. To talk about this he says because although I would like to boast, I will not be stupid but I will tell the truth but now I leave it so that no one thinks about me more than what they see me or what they hear about me. and lest I be exalted beyond measure by the abundance of the revelations given to me, a thorn in the flesh is the messenger of Satan to strike me so that I may not be exalted beyond measure.

I think many times Satan tries to move some of my thoughts. us from the earthly scene wants to get rid of us and uses I believe that sickness is our thorn in the flesh now, what was Paul's thorn in the flesh? And today I won't let you in on something that I think I can give you now. a little secret information. I hope you don't spread this about Stanny because this is kind of a secret between us and I wouldn't want the word to get out and this is what I don't know. Can I tell you no?

I know what he saw up there and I don't know what a thorn in the flesh is here and then the old Scottish commentator said he had a wife and that was his thorn in the flesh and I bet the old Scotsman was having trouble at home. I don't think it was at all that Paul wrote so lovingly about womanhood that quite honestly, I think he had been married but he was a widower at the time and wouldn't marry because he didn't want to subject any woman to these hardships that they had gone through. you understand this very well here God put a closure on Paul's mouth and silenced them he just didn't tell you about this he is quiet he is silent someone has said that the reason a dog has so many friends is because he wags his tail in place of the tongue and I fear many of us would have wagged our tongues if we had been caught up to the third heaven now that he has been given this thorn in the flesh why good that was to keep him humble that would still prevent him from exalting himself above all measure having had the vision that I had had and it says that this is why I prayed to the Lord three times that he could depart from me now I have the notion that it was blindness but I cannot prove that When we get to the Galatians I will try to expand on it, but I am a VIP who thinks that it was blindness and Paul says that I went to the Lord three times about it and asked him to remove the thorn from my flesh and finally the Lord told him the third time.

He says: I heard you the first time Paul and I answered your prayer. I told him no. That's what happens with most of us: we keep asking the Lord for something and he already said no and he said no to Paul. and he told me my grace is enough for you, I will not remove the thorn from you but I am going to give you grace to buy the thorn and that is the wonderful thing about it all, my grace is enough for you so that my strength is made perfect in weakness and in other words, it was obvious. that when Paul was walking around he was so weak physically that it was the Spirit of God guiding this man with great pleasure, therefore, I prefer to glory in my weaknesses so that the power of Christ can rest on that says Paul. glory and weaknesses and not the fact that I have had a vision and you may turn that over in your mind the next time you hear someone tell you about a great vision they had from the Lord, chances are you will need a zipper.

They put them in their mouths and most likely they didn't have any visions they just ate something they shouldn't have had for dinner the night before now Paul says, therefore, I take pleasure in the weaknesses, in the reproaches, in the needs, in the persecutions, in anguish for the cause of Christ because when I am weak then I am strong and what contrast do you have between this man and Samson The spirit of God came upon Samson he was strong you see people marvel at his physical strength but that came one day in which he is very weak, a strong or weak but theweak become strong and God can use the weak man now he says that I have become a fool and glory notices how the laboratory evaluates this he has already apologized a dozen times he says that I have become a fool by glorying, I you have forced because I should have been praised by you for nothing, I am behind the main apostles, although I am nothing, everyone considered themselves the least, but he says that I am not behind even the most important of the apostles and someone should have defended, but apparently not. one really did the signs of an apostle were performed among you with all patience in signs and wonders and mighty deeds.

Now I can say this. I realize this isn't very popular these days, but someone needs to say it. There were certain signs of an apostle and only the Apostles had one and apparently it was to heal the sick, raise the dead and speak in tongues and I am not referring to an unknown language but Paul passed through the country of Galatia, dialects and dialects must have been affected. languages ​​of that areaPaul could speak them all why did he study it no he was not a member of the Wickliffe Bible Translators now today God says that the gospel has to be spread by human beings now in those early days it was necessary to spread it in the Roman Empire hurry and these apostles had the signs of an apostle now they were worked among you now the signs of an apostle will end with the Apostle and I hope it is understood someone will write to me and say how do you know that the tongues have ended well because the fossils are gone , show me an apostle today and I believe in your gift of signs, but the gifts of signs belong to the apostles.

Now this is a very wonderful section that we went through here and Paul accepted the thorn and God sealed these lips. Why are the heavens too wonderful to behold? Take your eyes off that kind of thing and fix your eyes today on a lost world. Heaven is a wonderful place but very little is said about it and where to go and it will be so wonderful that you can describe it in human language, but my friend the day we must try to get it we both want to go no longer because of the place because they can't tell you much but I can tell you about the person who is there and that person is the Lord Jesus Christ and if you fix your eyes on him, oh, how this epistle has emphasized that by contemplating him we will grow and by contemplating the glory of the Lord we need to contemplate him and our friends while we do it, this will make the pilgrim's journey through this world a It is much easier today, the sun will not be as hot, the burning sands of the desert will not be as bad and the storms of life will not be as bad if We keep our eyes fixed on the Lord Jesus Christ, now, friends, Paul told us. about being raptured to the third heaven is experienced, they can't tell us that someone has said that one of the reasons they can't tell us is that if they could have, why would there be a mass exodus out of this world to get there safely, I don't know. , but I do know that Paul was given a thorn in the flesh so that he would not become too exalted.

God kept this man a very humble man indeed and we see that now in this. Section Paul says Why were you inferior to other churches, except that I myself was not burdensome to you? Forgive me this wrong. Behold, the third time I am ready to come to you and I will not be a burden to you. because I do not seek yours, but you, who seek them for the children, you must not save for the parents, but the parents for the children. Pablo had been his spiritual father, you see that he founded the church in Cara and then he says and I will gladly do it. spend and be spent by you although the more I love you the less I will be loved sounds like a complaint doesn't it on Paul's part but the Spirit of God has insisted that he tell these things and not tell what he says?

He saw in heaven to count his burdens here below and one of them was that he loved these people but many had not loved him in response verse 16 but be it so I did not tax you however being clever I caught you deceitful now I believe that here that we must recognize that although we must be fishers of men, but Paul is actually saying here is this, that is what Paul's enemies in the church were saying in the car, I think they were very unfair to this man and they said Well, he He came here and he used cunning and he used these different methods to ensnare us, but Paul didn't use that, he says, Did I take advantage of any of those I sent to you?

He says I didn't use. these methods and I did not send other men to profit from you and he says in verse 18 I desired Titus and with him I sent a brother Did Titus become rich with you what not us in the same spirit what not in the same step and Titus was the same among them now listen to it again in verse 19 it says gain thank you because we apologize before you we speak before God in Christ but we do everything dearly loved for your edification so be afraid that when he comes he will not find you as he would like you and that find me useless as you would not want to bless there will be debates do not realize this these are the things that Paul really expected to find in the church that they expected a lot from Paul Paul expected a lot from them, but what would they find good, there would be debates, the People would argue that I now have the place in my ministry very frankly and this may answer some who listened to the program and write to me every Occasionally I receive a long letter, I always say it from the outside, generally it is a heavy letter and if someone takes up some doctrine or something I have said and wants to debate about it now friends, I am not in the mood for debate right now.

You continue with your point of view and then you pray for me if I'm wrong so that I see the truth but you didn't convince me with a long letter one that debates with men I'll tell you why I don't read them. don't be fooled by reading, someone says, well then you are very intolerant and narrow minded, well maybe I am, but I'm not debating anymore, I don't think that's the way we're going to get anywhere our bussines. I take out the Word of God and I'm not trying to debate anything. I only teach it how to get there and I won't go around corners or escape from anything.

I just take it as we get to it and recognize that we take a step. on tiptoe from time to time, so I won't debate you, but the church is full of it today and I envy how that is in the church today in things and then there are the rats and then they have stripes, oh, they try hard, that is happening and then there is the gossip, I tell you that's the bad thing, the body in the back, have you heard of so-and-so and someone says no, I haven't heard it and they say well, I want to tell you and they tell you something quite bad about the individual murmurings and then whispers and someone has said that some people who believe anything if it is whispered to them, whispers, you know, and swellings, and I have often wondered about this word swellings, probably the best explanation is the explanation that I heard in Ironside give about it, he said.

This reminded him of the frog, you know? Sometimes you see a frog sitting on the bank of a stream or pond and always swelling up, it's twice as big as normal and then what happens? Well, you throw a rock at him and bleed me dry. It becomes small again and falls straight into the water. I would say the best word to describe this would be pompous. There are some pompous Christians you know, very pompous and then there are too many that cause problems in the church, little cliques that get together and cause problems circulate something to be signed that type of thing now watch and lest when my god comes back he will humiliate me among you and I will mourn for many who have already sinned and have not repented of the filthiness and fornication and lasciviousness that they have.

I have committed now Corinth was a vile city, it was known throughout the Roman empire, a center of sin, it was Las Vegas and Reno and any other city you want to put all in one, it was the place where people went to sin and where sin abounded grace did much more but it caused the people there to look lightly at these things and I'm not sure many do that today. This does not present a very pretty picture of the church. I am sure that many of you today, as you read this epistle, say that the Mother Church is certainly not a very nice thing here, the local church, and that is true, and it is not only true in this church.

I think that's true for many today, but now let's look at this for a moment. For a moment, suppose that the Lord took the church out of the world right now, that is His church. The believers who are in the world and what would happen is that we believe that the Great Tribulation is going to begin and part of the contribution to the Great Tribulation will be the absence of the church. , the church today is salt in the world and light in the world and the Holy Spirit dwells in the church and very frankly the question arises if the world is getting better or worse and some people say that the church has not.

The world improved because the world is worse than it was 1,900 years ago. Well, I don't agree that all together someone comes and quotes the evil man and the seducers will get worse and worse by deceiving and being deceived. Now many people quote that, but The Scriptures do not say that the world is getting worse, it says that the evil man will get worse and worse during his lifetime and then another generation will come, but I would say that the world today is a little better than it was nineteen hundred years ago because nineteen hundred years ago The world committed a sin that would have been an unforgivable sin if the Lord Jesus had not said, Father, forgive them, they do not know what they are doing.

They crucified the Son of God. Now I recognize that the world today, by its rejection of Jesus Christ, is crucifying again the greatest sin. in the world is the rejection of Christ he says when the Holy Spirit comes the Lord Jesus said he will convict the world of sin what kind of sin of sin because now they don't believe in me as bad as some of These other sins could be the worst sin today is rejecting Jesus Christ, therefore the greatest crime ever committed was committed nineteen hundred years ago and the Son of God was murdered on this earth.

Now I think the world today is probably just as corrupt. It is as vile and as evil and evil as it was nineteen hundred years ago, but I can tell you that it is a better place to have a home than it was nineteen hundred years ago. You could be more comfortable in today's world and they. There are many things that make life a little better than it was nineteen hundred years ago, but we must understand that the purpose of the church was never to plant flowers in the world anymore. It was Israel's business to plant flowers in the desert.

They were pilgrims. passing by and they had a message and a testimony and that has been the purpose of the church throughout the ages. Now the church today must be a group of people, it must be holy under God or live for God and I want that. We could point to the church and say it is wonderful. I think that's one of the reasons why this current interest in the Word of God Nespresso movement that we see today overlooks the local church, which is so busy with its internal problems, so basic criticizing and finding fault. that the world is simply passing us by, but that does not destroy the fact that the church today is that group that the Lord Jesus Christ loved, they gave themselves for it to wash it, clean it and make us acceptable.

God, we're far from that now, but we should be moving in that direction, so here's an idea of ​​the church in the worst city in the Roman Empire. Not bad. I don't like it when people say that the church today does not affect the world in any way. I think it is affecting her very little, but if it were removed today, I tell you there would be a group of godly people who would be removed from this world and as a result. The world would be much worse when the church is eliminated. Now let me move on to chapter 13 because we are going to finish so help my friends.

Let's finish this today now that we come here to this chapter thirteen, the last chapter we have first the execution of Paul's Apostolate in the first 10 verses then the conclusion of Paul's Apostolate 11 to 14 now again Paul repeats it this is the third time I come to you Paul went to him for the third time by the way and he says that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word will be established, in other words, Paul will not rely on hearsay, everything must be authenticated when he gets there, everything will come to light and Paul will exercise his office as an apostle and will give proof of his Apostolate by the power of Christ working in Paul's weakness.

Listen to him, I told you before and to tell you as if he were present the second time and being absent now. I write which until now I have sinned and to all the others that if I return again I will not forgive since she seeks proof of Christ speaking in me who for you is not weak but strong in you Paul descended weakness but the word of God was powerful and transform them into this six city of sin that we have here, because although he was crucified because of weakness, he still lives, but the power of God, because we are also weakened, he, but we will live with him by the power of God towards you now that we have. here something about the weakness of God but it is the weakness of God is when he went to the cross my friend that was the weakness of God and Paul makes it very clear here that we must take a regular inventory to see if we are in the faith or not, you will hear This, this is important, examine yourselves if you are in the faith, prove yourself, no, you are not yourselves, how Jesus Christ is in you, except that you are reprobates now.

I believe that every Christianregularly this. It has nothing to do with free will or choice, it is the security of the believer, but this is an inventory that every believer should do. I think we should do it two or three times during the year. Examine yourself if you are in the faith or not, you really are. willing to face it and they should see if they are in the faith or not. When my daughter was growing up, she made a confession of her faith to a mother when they returned to visit her grandmother in Texas, she came one day and said: out of a clear sky she said to my wife: I will not accept Jesus as my savior and then they went to the bedroom, she knelt down and accepted Christ and, after that, regularly just one little thing so I asked her and finally when she got up in her teens she said dad why do you keep asking me well am I a Christian or not if I really trust in Jesus I said I just want to make sure later all of you are my descendants and I show you how to make sure that old friends not only did I do it for her, I did itFor me, I think every believer should do that.

Now listen to Paul, but I trust you know that we are not reprobates. He said. Want you to know. I took an inventory. I know I'm not now. I pray to God that you do no evil, not so that we may appear tried, but so that you should do what is honest, even if we are reprobates. Paul says: I just want you to be the kind of believers you should be. Here is another great truth because we can't do anything. Against the truth but far from the truth, my friend, you can't do anything against the truth.

I don't worry about these people who disagree today. Alright. You can't do anything against the truth, but in favor of the truth. This is a great verse. must declare the word of God therefore not defend does not need accused just declare it just distribute it oh that is the important thing let's make it known we cannot do anything against the truth but in favor of the truth and God will bless that for we rejoice when we We are weak and you are strong and this we also desire even your perfection now which means not perfect in the sense that we think but that you grow in grace and in the knowledge of Christ that you are mature. that they are mature Christians is what he is really saying is this grow we hear that sometimes someone says Lady why don't you grow well Paul says grow that's what he means you say that's why I write these things being absent less being present I must use the darkness according to the power that the Lord has given me for edification and not for destruction now Paul says he is glad to be able to write to you at this time now he says finally goodbye brothers be perfect again he comes for this what he is saying we grow, we grow there in a cart and that is something that could be said to many churches today and to many believers today, why don't you grow up, put away these baby things and be of good comfort now that we are back in the word with which this epistle began the consolation from God what does it mean again does it mean hell does it mean a call to our side help us strengthen ourselves encourage God wants to do that today for you friend I don't know who you are where you are hello or why you are but our gender he wants to help you and can help you through his word administering to you by the Holy Spirit he can help you oh my friend this is great and what a great verse we just said I can do nothing against the truth but for the truth Oh, go ahead today for God now he says here be of one mind which is the mind of Christ live in peace live in peace you cannot achieve it but you can live in peace and the God of love and peace will be with you now what is that?

What is the peace of God that passes all understanding? It is the peace that he made with the blood of his cross. He lives in that peace today. Just rejoice in your salvation. And he says here. and the God of love and peace will be with you God is with you Oh miss that is with you today friend oh how wonderful he is you are not alone he is with you today and then he is very personal here so greet each other with a holy kiss I hope you don't mind that tell this to the late dr. wall to Wilson and a friend came to see him and his lovely wife and the friend greeted dr.

Wilson because he was such a wonderful saint of God with a kiss and then he kissed his wife and said that dr. Wilson, he says now that when I greet you it's a holy kiss, but when I kiss your wife, can I tell you friend, friends, make sure it's a holy kiss if you're going to kiss the sisters? I would suggest that we limit it to our same sex by the way now verse 14 the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all and here it ends with that word all of you so don't mind my accent because Paul had with the same accent friend, he says that all the blessing of the Trinity be with all of you and that means that all of you who are there today, old friends, we must delight in what we have in Christ and today we must try to give a testimony today. not only to the world but in our church there should be a real testimony there today and by the way, for many churches it is difficult, it is easier to witness in the world today than in some churches and that is true, but if you are in that church you and I should buy our testimony well, this brings us to the end of 2 Corinthians, see you next time in the book of Esther.