2 Corinthians 1

2 Corinthians 1:1

After hearing from Timothy that some of the Corinthian Christians had questioned his authority to write his first letter of correction and exhortation, Paul wrote a second letter to them. This second Epistle would be the most personal of any he would write. Through it, we see the heart of a man committed to the kingdom. “By the grace of God, I am what I am,” Paul had declared in his first letter to the church at Corinth (1Co_15:10). Here in his second letter, to those questioning his apostolic authority, he says, “Not only is it by God’s grace, but it is by His will that I am an apostle.”

2 Corinthians 1:2

Although many in the Corinthian congregation attacked Paul rather mercilessly, he greets them with grace and peace. In so doing, he sets a wonderful example as one who is a peacemaker even in the midst of difficulty. David modeled this as well, for no matter how many times Saul threw the javelin at him, he didn’t fire back (1 Samuel 18, 19). So, too, I have found that those who walk close to the Lord and are used consistently by Him are those who, even when they have the right, do not fire back. I have also found that I can gauge my own spiritual state by the priority I give to defending my position, motives, or reputation; by how quick I am to throw the javelin back at those who threw it at me. The truly anointed brother, the truly mature sister does not fire back. That is why we will see Paul explaining certain things to the Corinthian congregation, but not brutally firing at them. It is why he is firm with them, but never loses his heart of love for them.

2 Corinthians 1:3

Paul found genuine comfort in God. You will, too. As you go through difficult times, real storms, immense challenges, you will find, even as Paul found, that God is a God of comfort. You will discover that He is the Father of mercy, who will comfort you in order that you can comfort others. This is such a key passage because it clearly explains to us that the degree we can comfort others is the degree we have been comforted ourselves. It is only when we have experienced God’s faithfulness firsthand that we can assure others that God will be faithful to them. Shake It Off! A Topical Study of 2Co_1:4 He was not speaking theologically or theoretically, for Paul was in a pretty tough spot personally. Sailing across the Mediterranean Sea to Rome, a storm began to beat and batter the boat full of prisoners, of which he was one. Finally, after many days, the 270 soldiers, sailors, and prisoners aboard were all cast into the sea. Some grabbed on to the splintered remains of the ship, some started swimming; but miraculously all made it to the shore of Mileta, present-day Malta. The “barbarians” on the beach, showing these waterlogged newcomers “no little kindness” (Act_28:2), lit fires to warm them. And Paul, ever looking for an opportunity to serve others, joined in as he gathered sticks to fuel the flames.

But lurking in one of the bundles was a deadly viper, which leapt out and bit him. When Paul shook off the snake into the fire, the local Miletans, who had initially thought Paul was cursed to suffer such a fate, now thought him a god. Paul used the opportunity to share the True and Living God with an audience eager to hear from this one who had been bitten by the same type of snake that doubtless had claimed the lives of many of their family members and friends. “Make my life count,” we plead. “OK,” the Lord says as He allows us to be smitten by the snake of sickness and sorrow. “I will allow this to happen because the ‘barbarians’the natives in your communityare watching to see if there are any answers, any solutions, any hope for them. A. W. Tozer, spiritual giant of the previous generation, was right when he said, “Before God can use a person greatly, He must allow that person to be hurt deeply.” Why? Is it because God is cruel? Does He enjoy seeing us in pain? No. The issue is not cruelty. The issue is ministry. There are two essential, nonnegotiable prerequisites for those who desire to be used by God… Compassion for People We may have our theology down pat, but if our hearts are not full of compassion for people, what we say will not be fully received. The old adage is true: People don’t care how much we know until they know how much we care. How can I have compassion? By absorbing the bite of the same snake that bites others. There is no other way. Therefore, God puts us in situations and tribulations, hard places and tough times, in order that we might develop compassion for people who are also experiencing difficultiesin order that we might be able to say, “I know what you’re going through.” Confidence in God Many Christians have compassion for people, but it is at the expense of God’s reputation. “I really feel for you,” they say. “I don’t know why this is happening"the implication being, “Where is God?” On the other hand, one who truly ministers will say, “God is good. Here’s what He did in my life, and here’s what He will do for you. Put your confidence in Him.” Quite frankly, gang, I think we should be more concerned about the reputation of our perfect heavenly Father than about our own ability to be relatable. He has promised to never let us be tempted above that which we are able, and that all things are working together for good. He has promised He will never leave us, and He has told us to rejoice in Him always. Paul does that. Because he had endured beatings in prison, storms at sea, and snakebites on the beach, he had compassion for the problems of others. Because he had experienced God’s faithfulness through it all, he never compromised his belief that God is good. Well,” you might be thinking, if the only way to have compassion for people and confidence in God is to be bitten by a snake or two, then count me out. I’ll be an every-other-Sunday believer, but don’t ask me to get involved in ministry or service. You can choose to be left out if you wishbut you must understand that the snake will still bite you. Why? It all has to do with the snake in the Garden of Eden. That is why there is starvation and sickness in the Sudan. That is why there was war in Iraq. And that is why there is pain in your world. “What is God doing?” people cry, when, in fact, it is not God’s doing at all. Having just encouraged His followers to develop faith, when the evening was come, Jesus said to His disciples, “Let us go over to the other side” (see Mar_4:35). But when a storm arose on the Sea of Galilee, the terrified disciples woke Jesus, who was asleep in the boat. “Peace, be still,” or literally, “be muzzled,” He saidthe same term He employed when speaking to demons. Thus, the insurance companies have it all wrong. The flood or earthquake that threatens your house is no more an “act of God” than the storm that bullied the disciples. They’re acts of Satan, who was given permission by mankind to wreak havoc upon the earth when Adam rebelled in the Garden of Eden. You see, the disciples weren’t the only ones on the Sea of Galilee when the storm arose. They were just the ones who had Jesus on board. Consequently, whether you decide to engage in ministry or not, you will still experience the snakebite of sickness and the storm of sorrow because the whole world has been polluted by the fallout of Adam’s bomb. In this life, everyone experiences equal difficulty because everyone has been bitten (1Co_10:13). After murmuring yet again, the children of Israel were dying by the thousands from the fiery serpents God sent to bite them. “What do we do now?” cried Moses. “Make a brass snake on a brass pole,” God answered, “and put it in the middle of the camp so that anyone who is bitten can look at the serpent hanging there and be made whole.” Many were healed. Others, however, thinking it useless, perished in their stupidity (see Numbers 21). Centuries passed, and all the while, no doubt, people were wondering what was the deal with the brass serpent. Then came a Rabbi from Galilee who explained it all when He said, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up” (see Joh_3:14-15). So, too, it might take a year or two, or five or tenor maybe an eternityuntil we understand why we were bitten by the snake of sorrow, smitten with the sting of despair. But when we see Him who was made sin for us, it will all make sense. As in Numbers 21, some will refuse to look upon Him, saying instead, “Look at my snake. Can you believe how bad this is? Help me, help me.” But others will follow the example of Paul and will shake the snake of Satan’s sting into the fire of God’s promise. Years ago, my son Peter-John accompanied me to a speaking engagement. Our flight landed in Orlando at 11:30 P.M. Although there was supposed to be a rental car ready for us at the airport, evidently our reservation had been mixed up. So we found ourselves on a bus headed to the “vacation center” where surplus cars were stored. Upon arriving there, it was obvious that “vacation center” was just another name for “one-step-above-junkyard.” It was midnight by now, and without having any other recourse, we walked into the office to pick up our car. Behind the counter was a tired-looking man. Perhaps expecting us to complain, his countenance changed as I began joking with him and he with meespecially when he learned that I was in the ministry. “I haven’t met any Christians like you,” he said. Half an hour later, nearing 1:00 A.M., he said, “I think I’ve got a car for you. It’s a brand-new, fully loaded, convertible Mustang with no miles on it. You guys want it?” The next day found Peter-John and me cruising to Pensacola with the top down, hearing people say, “Nice car,” all day long. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. If I had walked into the vacation center saying, “What’s the deal? Where’s my car? You guys really blew it,” would we have had that experience? I wonder. Turn your miseries into Mustangs, saint. Sure, things go wrong, but whether they are little inconveniences or major heartbreaks, trust in the Lord. Realize they are opportunities to learn compassion for people and to gain confidence in God. Whether it be a big python or a little garden variety, shake off the snake and see God use you in the lives of the amazed barbarians and rental-car attendants who are watching you.

2 Corinthians 1:8

Demetrius, a silversmith, was angry with Paul. So many people were getting saved in Ephesus that his business was being affected by loss of revenue from the sale of idols. Following his instigation of a riot, soon the entire city was in an uproar (Act_19:29).

2 Corinthians 1:9

The dark days at Ephesus had a purpose: They caused Paul to rely solely on God. Like Paul, the tendency of most of us is to try to solve our problems with our own strength. Therefore, as He did with Paul, the Lord brings us to the end of ourselves from time to time. He brings us to the point where we feel pressed beyond measure, despairing even of lifein order that we will have no other choice but to call upon Him and find in Him greater strength than we could ever find in our own ability. He was a go-getter from the very beginning. After all, he grabbed his twin brother’s heel in a failed attempt to be first-born. Throughout his life, Jacob, or “heel-snatcher,” was one who drew from his own cunning and acumen to get ahead. Then, one day, he heard that his brother, from whom he had cheated his birthright and blessing, was headed his way, accompanied by four hundred men. When an angel appeared to Jacob, he said, “I have no other heel to snatch. I’m at the end of my resources. I won’t let you go until you bless me.” So they wrestled all night. Jacob ended up with a blessing when his name was changed from Jacob to Israel, from “heel-snatcher” to “governed by God.” But he also limped away with a dislocated hip, as though God said, “With every step you take, you will be reminded that when youwho once walked so proudly, who once stood so confidentlycame to the end of yourself, it was the best thing that ever happened to you, for in your brokenness and weakness, you’ll be stronger and more useful than you could have ever been in your own energy and cleverness.” It’s a great day when a man finally comes to the end of himself and realizes, “I don’t need to go to another seminar or call another counselor; I don’t need to enroll in another program or come up with another creative idea. All I need is You, Lord. I’m going to wrestle with You. I’m going to cling to You. I’m going to depend on You because I need to be governed by You.” Maybe your marriage seems dead. Maybe your joy or love or peace or ministry seems dead. Quit trying to figure it out and fight it in your own energy. Instead, seek the Lord. Trust the God who specializes in raising the dead.

2 Corinthians 1:10

I love this. God has delivered us in the past. He does deliver us in the present. He will deliver us in the future. Think about the things that were bothering you a year agohow you thought, It’s all over. This is never going to work out. I’m toast. Then look at where you are today. Unless we really stop and search our memories, most of us don’t even remember the things we thought were going to do us in and wipe us out even a few months ago. Why? Because the Lord delivered us. He saw us through. He’s faithful. I believe one of the biggest obstacles in our spiritual growth is our tendency to forget how the Lord sees us through all the times we think things could never work out. “Because God has delivered us,” Paul says, “He will deliver us.”

2 Corinthians 1:11

“Your prayers are part of the process God used to deliver us,” Paul told the Corinthian church. And the same thing still happens. Have you ever wrestled with something or been discouraged by something, when suddenly you felt an infusion of peace and life and joy, and you knew someone was praying for you? Paul says, “When we were despairing even of life itself, you helped us by praying for us.” The word “sincere” comes from a Latin phrase meaning “without wax"referring to the wax used to hide the cracks in defective pottery or statuary. “We lived a life of godly sincerity before you,” Paul says. “We weren’t trying to deceive you or hide anything from you.”

2 Corinthians 1:14

Paul had a wonderful ability to “know no man after the flesh” (see 2Co_5:16). So often, we point out one another’s fleshiness. Paul didn’t. He saw people positionally in Christ. He saw what they would be by the work of the Holy Ghost. Oh, he was a shepherd who knew there were wolves and false apostles. But when it came to the believers, he had a bigness of heart that allowed him to view them in the best possible light. This is why he could say even to the Corinthians, “You are our rejoicing, a treasure to us.”

2 Corinthians 1:15

Although it was Paul’s heart and plan to return to Corinth to minister again, he was delayed in his journeya delay to which his enemies pointed as proof that his word couldn’t be trusted.

2 Corinthians 1:18

In other words, Paul is saying, “We did not speak to you out of both sides of our mouths.”

2 Corinthians 1:19

In the old covenant, we read over and over again, “If you do this, then you will be blessed.” But in Christ Jesus it’s not a matter of “if and then” but “Yea and Amen!” Yea and Amen! A Topical Study of 2Co_1:20 Of the over three thousand promises given to us in Scripturepromises that deal with health and happiness, peace and prosperity, family and freedom, finances and securitymost of the promises people claim for themselves are based upon the Old Testament formula seen in the Book of Deuteronomy… For if ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you, to do them, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, and to cleave unto him; then will the LORD drive out all these nations from before you, and ye shall possess greater nations and mightier than yourselves.Deu_11:22-23 So many of the promises we embrace follow the formula that says, “If you diligently keep these commandments, then God will drive your problems from you, do wondrous things for you, and take total care of you.” But therein lies the problem. Oh, I know that if I love the Lord with all my heart, walk in all of His ways, and cleave totally to Him, then the Lord will indeed do wondrous things for me and through me, in me and to me. The problem is, do I love the Lord with all of my heart? Do I walk in all of His ways? Do I cleave only to Him? The answer, sadly, is no. Therefore, if I’m not doing the “ifs,” I can’t expect to receive the “thens.” This shouldn’t surprise me, for that was the purpose of the law all along. According to Gal_3:24-25, the purpose of the law was to show us that we’re not righteous, that we can’t earn salvation, that we can’t possibly keep the standard of righteousness that would be necessary to qualify us to receive the blessings we so desire. The lawincluding the Old Testament promiseswas given to produce in us the realization that although we wish we could receive the blessings, we can’t fulfill the obligations. But here comes Paul, telling us that, because Jesus has fulfilled all the “ifs” in the Old Testament, the promises are all “Yea” and Amen” in Him. Look again at Deu_11:22 to see how this works… For Jesus diligently kept all the commandments that I command you. He loved the Lord His God, He walked in all His ways, He clave unto Him. Jesus fulfills the “ifs” perfectly. “I’m thankful that all of the promises were kept by Jesus,” you might be saying. “But what about me? Because I’ve failed so miserably keeping the “ifs,” do I have no hope for the “thens”?” For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence.1Co_1:26-29 By His grace and for His glory, when we opened up our hearts to Jesus, God placed usweak and foolish that we arein Christ. And because Christ fulfilled the “ifs,” we get the “thens,” leaving us nothing to do but say, “Yea and Amen!” If that sounds too good to be true, think of it this way… Suppose I’m in Switzerland and I begin to crave a hamburger, fries, and a shake. The two dollars I have in my pocket will buy just that at Hot and Now Burgers in Medford, Oregon. Therefore, if I can get to Medford, then I will have a burger, fries, and a shake. So I call the airport and say, “Can you give me directions to Medford?” “What is your mode of transportation?” the official asks. “I’m broke,” I say. “So I’m going to walk.” “Do you realize there are mountains to climb, rivers to ford, and a little pond called the Atlantic Ocean to cross?” he asks incredulously. “Yes,” I say, “but if I can do it, then I can have a burger.” “Go west,” he says. “And good luck.” But then, after a moment, he says, “I’m interested in your plight. It just so happens that Swiss Air Jumbo Jet 747 flight 203 is leaving for Medford in about an hour. I’ll reserve a seat in first class for you.” As I board the jet and find my seat, I’m not concerned about directions because I’m in the jumbo jet, and I know the jumbo jet will make it. As we fly, people on the ground won’t even know I was poor and foolish enough to think I could walk all the way to Medford for a hamburger. No, they won’t even see my foolishness because all they will see is a fabulous jet flying through the sky headed for Medford. So, too, when we who were foolish and weak became believers, the Lord said, “I have a seat reserved for you. Come in.” And, because we are placed in Christ positionally, we cruise to our destination gloriouslynot by walking, climbing, swimming, or hiking, but simply by resting in Him. You’ll know if you are living in the Old Covenant if you hear yourself saying, “I prayed for forty-five minutes last Thursday. I read four chapters in Leviticus two months ago. I tithed three years ago. Why aren’t I being blessed?” It is a monumental day in the life of any believer who finally sees that in Jesus it’s no longer “if and then” but “Yea and Amen!” Not only is all that we enjoy because of Him, but all that we crave is found in Him. You see, although we think we need Jesus to give us bread, He says, “I am the Bread” (Joh_6:35). We think we need Him to give us direction, but He says, “I am the Way” (Joh_14:6). We think we need Him to open up a job or a relationship or a ministry for us, but He says, “I am the Door (Joh_10:7). It’s Me you’re craving. All the promises of God are not something that come from Me, but are found in Me.” So there I am on the 747, looking forward to my Hot and Now burger. But then something amazing happens. As I’m sitting quite comfortably in the plane, a steward comes by with a thick, juicy steak, a steaming baked potato, sautied vegetables, crisp salad, flaky croissant, and chocolate mousse. Suddenly, a Hot and Now burger is the furthest thing from my mind. Although I thought the Jumbo Jet was simply a way to get me to Hot and Now, in reality, I’m finding more satisfaction than I ever could have imagined just being on board. So, too, we say, “Oh, Lord, I need help.” But as we talk things over with Him, we find that although we initially thought if He answered our prayer, we’d be happy, we realize it was Him we were craving all along. As a result, little by little, we find ourselves saying, “Whether the relationship develops, the sickness is healed, the job opensit’s all irrelevant compared to what I’m discovering just by spending time with You, Lord.” The price is paid, dear brother, precious sister. You’re in the Jet. Jesus perfectly fulfilled the “ifs” so you can fully enjoy the “thens.” And, as you do, you’ll discover that what you were craving was Him all along. Yea and Amen!

2 Corinthians 1:23

“It was a good thing that the Lord closed the doors and changed my plans,” Paul says, “because had I come as soon as I wanted, I probably would have been too harsh with you.”

2 Corinthians 1:24

Contrary to many churches today who set up pastors as those who have dominion over their flock, the true call of ministry is not to dominate others, but to be helpers of other’s joy in humility as we point them to Jesus.