2 Corinthians 2:3-17

Well, good afternoon. Good afternoon. Welcome to Coffee and Devotions. This is where every day you and I, we get together, we get into God's word, and we grow in our love for the Lord together. And this year, 2022, Lord willing, we'll make it from the book of Acts to the book of Philemon. It's so good to be with you this morning. We're at 2nd Corinthians chapter 2 beginning at verse 3 and we'll go all the way through to the end of the chapter, verse 17. So starting at verse 3 and we'll go all the way down to here.
Why don't we pray and we'll get into God's word. Lord we thank you so much for this day and we thank you for your word. We pray now that as we read your word that we might know you, trust you, and follow you. Holy Spirit, please do a work in our hearts today, in Jesus' name, amen. All right, so we're at 2 Corinthians, so the second epistle of Paul to the Apostle, the Apostle to the Corinthians, chapter two, beginning at verse three. Why don't we just take one verse at a time, okay? So we're Deborah, daddy, blah, blah. Deborah, daddy, blah, blah. Deborah, daddy, blah, blah. Go ahead with verse 3 Debra.
And I wrote this very thing to you, lest when I came I should have sorrow over those from whom I ought to have joy. Having confidence in you, all that my joy is for joy of you all. For out of much affliction and anguish of heart, I wrote to you with many tears, not that you should be grieved, but that you might know the love which I have so abundantly for you. But if anyone has caused grief, he has not grieved me, but all of you to same extent. To some extent. To some extent, not to be, not to serve. Not to be too. Too severe. Severe, good job. This punishment which was inflicted by the majority is sufficient for such a man.
So that, on the contrary, you ought rather to forgive and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one be swallowed up with too much sorrow. Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him. For to this end I also wrote that I might put you to the test whether you are obedient in all things. Now whom you forgive anything, I also forgive. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ.
Well, Satan should take advantage of us, for we are not ignorant of his devices. Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ's gospel, a door was opened to me by the Lord. I had no rest in my spirit, because I did not find Titus my brother. But taking my leave of them, I departed for Macedonia.
Now thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph, and Christ, and through us, uses the fragrance of his knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To the one we are an aroma of death leading to death, and to the other we are the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things?
For we are not so many for we are not so as so many put dearly peddling the word of God, but as of sin, but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ. All right, so verse three through verse 10 has one thing it's talking about. And then verse 12 through verse 17 has another thing it's talking about.
All right, so in verses three through 11, We find out that when Paul wrote his letter, right? And I wrote this very thing to you, lest when I come I should have sorrow over those from whom I ought to have joy, having confidence in you all that my joy is a joy of you all, right? He wrote them a hard letter, but does he want to have joy in them or to be sorrowful to them? Yeah, right, so he wrote them a letter so when he would see them face to face would they be sad to see him? That's right. Yeah, so oh you're gonna want to move this way look they can only see like your nose And so he wrote his letter and when he wrote his letter in verse 4 did he write it like happy happy happy? Nope Out of much affliction. Out of much affliction. Out of much affliction and what else? Anguish. Anguish of heart. And with what else? Many tears. And with many tears.
So when Paul had told them that they needed to expel the immoral person like he told them in 1 Corinthians chapter 5, do you think he did that like with a mean heart? No, so it would be for their good. exactly he did it for their good right with anguish of heart with many tears with a great deal of sorrow he told them to do this right but now now it's interesting right this punishment verse 6 this punishment which was inflicted by the majority is sufficient for such a man right so that on the contrary you ought rather to what forgive and comfort him Right, so it seems like whoever this person was, it might have been the guy in 1 Corinthians chapter 5, but whoever this person was who sinned and the majority had to punish him, so there was church discipline that happened, now he's repented and what should they do?
They should forgive. Forgive. But not as though as he forgave them in Christ's presence. That's right, you know, forgive them just as Christ forgives people who sin, right? Yeah, so forgive them and come for him, right? Do you want this person to be swallowed up with sorrow? Nope. No, what does verse 7 say they're supposed to do once this person has repented? What's verse 8 say?
Therefore I urge you to reform your love to him. So what should they do? Give love back to him. Yeah, to tell him, hey brother, we love you. We're so glad you repented. We're so glad you turned away from that sin. We don't want you to stay sorrowful. Come on back. We forgive you.
And so he said he was doing this, verse 9, he says he was writing them to test them, to see whether their faith was genuine. Would they actually follow through with hating sin, disciplining someone? and seeing them brought back? Yeah. So he wanted to see whether they were obedient in all things.
Now, if they forgive this man, what does he say he'll do? In verse 10. If you guys forgave him, then what? What will Paul do? He'll forgive you. Paul will also forgive them. So, now, whom you forgive anything, I also Forgive. I've forgiven them. He trusts the elders there. He trusts them that if this man repented, they saw it, they forgave him. They offered to him the right hand of fellowship again. And they said, hey, you're welcome back. He says, I forgive them too. But then he kind of switches in verse 12. He says he left Ephesus in verse 12. This is where he was writing earlier. He says he left and he came to where?
Troasos. Troas. Troas, right? I'm thinking Boaz. Yeah, not Boaz. Troas, right? So Troas is Ephesus is down here in what's modern-day Turkey on the Aegean coast. You guys know where Greece is? By Turkey. Yeah, so Turkey's right across the sea. Rome is to the west, Greece is in the middle, and then a little bit further east is Asia Minor, or Turkey now. So Ephesus is right on the coast. Troas is right above that. And so he goes up to Troas, and who is he hoping to see? His brother. Titus, my brother. Is he his actual brother, or is he his brother in the faith? He didn't find him there, so he goes over to Macedonia.
Have you guys learned about the Macedonians? What ruler came... What ruler came from Macedonia? Because I'm Alexander the Great. I'm the great Alexander. Right? Yeah. He's the one from Macedonia. This is hundreds of years later that we're at this point. But anyways, so he departed. He's going to Macedonia to try to find Titus. And he says in verse 14, this is, I love this part. Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ. What great ruler triumphed the entire world who came from Macedonia? Alexander the Great. But do we have a better conqueror? Who's our better conqueror?
Jesus. Right? And Jesus, are we more than conquerors? Oh yeah. And he says, and through us diffuses the fragrance of his knowledge in every place. So whether Paul was in Ephesus, would people know about Jesus? Yep. Would people know about Jesus if he went to Troas? Yep. Deborah, would people know about Jesus if Paul went to Macedonia? What about if he went to the ends of the earth? What about if he went to Spain? What about if he went to Rome? What about if he went to India? Yep. But it's interesting.
For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. So when they get around, people will be like, oh, I smell a little bit of Jesus on you. Do you think they actually smell Jesus? Like you got Jesus perfume? No, there's no Jesus perfume.
But should people be able to tell that you're a Christian? Yeah. Should they be able to see it? Yep. Should they be able to hear it? Yep. Should they be able to taste it? That's kind of weird. How do you taste that somebody's like Jesus? Do you have like, like licking salts on you? Oh, yeah. Oh, so they come and taste and see that the Lord is good because they're able to hear from the word. OK, good. Well, for we are God's fragrance among of Christ, among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. Right.
So one, we are the aroma of death leading to death. Do you think, what do you think he means by that? We were born sinful and we will die sinful. I'm not sure that's what he's saying here. Let me read the rest of the verse and you can tell me. To the one we are an aroma of death leading to death and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. What do you think he's meaning there?
To one who worships another god this is just hillbilly. into another, it's like gold coins raining down from heaven. All right. Yes. So to those who worship other gods, you said it was like hillbilly. But to those who worship the one true living God, it's like gold coins raining down from heaven. I'm like, good job. I like that. Right. Yeah. It's it's right amongst unbelievers. Oh, get that Jesus stuff out of here. But to people who love God, It's like sweet honey. It's like precious gold. It's like better than the most costly pearl in all the world.
For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God, but as of sincerity, but as from God we speak in the sight of God in Christ. Is Paul just trying to line his own pockets? Nope, he's not trying to peddle the word of God. He's not trying to peddle the word of God.
Well, I think I would summarize verses 3 through 11 as, when someone repents, show them love and comfort them. And then verses 12 through 17, I think I would say something like, Paul is a bloodhound trying to find the fragrance of his friend Titus. Yeah, right. He's kind of trying to smell out where was he? Are there people who became Christ? Did they find him? Did they know him? Where is he?
If I can find people who will radically change, then I know it's Titus. so let's see best verse what do you guys think best verse to summarize this what do you guys think what would you underline in if this were your gigantoid print bible what would you underline 16 16 okay to the one we are the aroma of death leading to death and to the other the aroma of life leading to life and who is sufficient for these things You think you would do that one?
You know which one I would do? I would do... Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ and through us diffuses the fragrance of his knowledge in every place. You knew it! What about you guys? What would you underline in your Bible as the best verse?
Well, let's go ahead and wrap this up. Let's do C, calling. Right, that's the last thing. So A, what is this about? B, what's the best verse? And C, now calling. What are we called to do in response to this? What do you think? What should you do in your life? Maybe for my birthday next year, you should get me some Jesus perfume. Jesus cologne is for dudes. If it's for dudes, it's called cologne. That doesn't make any sense, does it? So I'll let you think about it. You think about it and tell me, OK? What do you think? What do you think you're called to do in response to this? Forgive others. Forgive others when they repent?
Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely, that's good. Spread the word. Spread the word. Good, right? Be like a Paul and a Titus. Go spread the word. Yeah. Yeah, I think for me as an elder, you want to know it's I think the church discipline is part of it. Right? If somebody repents, forgiving them, telling them I love them, I don't want them to be sorrowful. We're bringing them back. Having that right heart with church discipline, I think is a big is an important thing. I think each of us should ask ourselves for calling. Are we living our lives in such a way that we display the love of Christ? And as we walk in a dark world, do we leave the fragrance of Christ behind us?
Well, let's go ahead and pray. You guys ready? Father, we thank you so much for this day. And we thank you for Jesus Christ who leads us in triumph. Lord, we pray that we, as your people, might have the fragrance of Christ upon us. Lord, we pray that we wouldn't be surprised when people smell us and think we're putrid because they have no love for you. But God, we pray that you would save many. We pray for any of those who are under church discipline, that you would bring them back to yourself and that the church would wrap their arms around your people and would receive those who come to you. In Jesus's name. Amen. May the Lord bless you today. May you walk in the joy and peace of Jesus Christ. And I'll see you tomorrow. You guys want to say bye? Bye-bye! Melissa, press that one. That one. Can you press that one?
Thanks for listening to this week's message from God's Word for You, a ministry of Sharon R.P. Church in rural southeast Iowa. We pray that the message would be used by God to transform your faith and your life this week. If you'd like to get more information about us, feel free to go to the website, SharonRPC.org. We'd love to invite you to worship with us. Our worship time is 10 a.m. every Sunday at 25204 160th Avenue. Morning Sun, Iowa, 52640. May God richly bless you this week.