This exposition of 2 Corinthians 10:1-6 by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday evening, September 16, 2018.
Intro:
It seems they were relentless in their attack, constantly undermining the great apostle. If they weren’t belittling his appearance they were criticizing his oratorical skills or questioning why a godly man should experience such trials?
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The talk was dividing the church. The pro-Paul folks were fed up with it while the anti-Paul crowd couldn’t get enough of it. Ultimately it is the gospel that suffers as a divided church has nothing to say to a fragmented world. What do you do when there’s trouble in the church? Do you ignore it and hope is goes away? Do you take the nuclear approach and run the risk of destroying the church in the process? It’s not an easy question to answer. It is also important to note it is not an altogether foreign question. By foreign I mean it is a question that rarely comes up. A question or issue that is the exception. The church is a family and like all families there are disagreements regularly. Some disagreements are insignificant others are serious. Because the severity varies wisdom and care should be taken in addressing any disagreement. What is clear in our text is there comes a time when the church must take matters in hand and deal with them directly, with courage and firmness. Our text is found in the 10th chapter of 2 Corinthians.
Text: 2 Corinthians 10:1-6
Paul is writing to a beloved church. He had founded the church while ministering over a period of a year and a half. For 18 months Paul put his heart and soul in bringing the gospel to this thoroughly pagan city. A city known for its corruption. Corinth became a byword for immoral living. To engage in immorality was to “corinthanize.” After a year and a half Paul left behind a thriving church. Trouble soon followed. You remember the problems addressed in 1 Corinthians, divisions, strife, a member living in an incestuous relationship, drunkenness at the Lord’s Table, they were a mess and yet Paul referred to the “saints” at Corinth. Here in 2 Corinthians there is obviously a group who are undermining Paul’s character, his work and even his message. Paul’s concern throughout has not been his personal reputation but rather the gospel. In the first 9 chapters he has primarily addressed the repentant majority within the congregation. In chapters 10-13 he will address the unrepentant minority - the trouble-makers. In chapter 10 the gloves come off!
This evening we focus on 10:1-6
As we work our way through these opening verses we discover that…
Thesis: Love for the gospel emboldens the church to confront those who threaten the unity of the church and thus distort the gospel message.
What is clear in 2 Corinthians is that you have a small group in the church who are opposed to Paul and his ministry.
- They have judged his ministry to be fleshly or carnal
- They have attacked his unimpressive persona
- They have attacked his lack of rhetorical skills
- They despise his meek and humble demeanor
- They ridicule his lack of ecstatic experiences and visions
- They question his incessant trials (such wouldn’t happen to a truly godly person)
All of this combines to show that his is not a ministry of the Spirit.
It seems they are swayed by displays of flash, ecstatic utterance and stories of victorious living and supernatural visions. Does any this sound familiar?
There are three things I want us to note from these opening verses.
- The gospel-centered church dares to confront the rottenness within. (10:1-2)
- The gospel-centered church is committed to an all-out spiritual war. (10:3-5)
- The gospel-centered church unites in the hope of repelling the enemy and restoring the saints. (10:6)
Conclusion:
The goal is to bring some to repentance and protect the church from error. His appeal is that the church flee from strutting preachers, splashy displays, prosperity dogmas and esoteric visions and embrace the apostolic gospel of Christ and the apostles. That’s pretty good advice for today!
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