ICEL Dealing with Disappointment 2 Corinthians 4 ICEL 9 February 2014.

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Dealing with Disappointment

2 Corinthians 42 Corinthians 4

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9 February 20149 February 2014

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Disappointments

• Problems arise in any relationship.

• Sometimes we’re misunderstood.

• But sometimes we’re

• opposed, slandered, and humiliated.

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Blinded

• Sometimes people think they clearly see.

• So they criticize

• trying to help.

• trying to wound.

• They don’t realize they’re blind.

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In The Church

• It always hurts to be misunderstood.

• It really hurts when this happens at church.

• Our experience …

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The Church at Corinth

• The Corinthians were a challenge for Paul.

• Paul faced opposition from the beginning.

• But some responded to his message.

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Scripture text:

1 After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 2 There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of

Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them,

3 and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them.

4 Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.

Acts 18:1-11 (1)Acts 18:1-11 (1)

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Scripture text:

5 When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ.

6 But when the Jews opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am clear of my responsibility. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”

7 Then Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titius Justus, a worshiper of God.

Acts 18:1-11 (2)Acts 18:1-11 (2)

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Scripture text:

8 Crispus, the synagogue ruler, and his entire household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard him believed and were baptized.

9 One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent.

10 For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.”

11 So Paul stayed for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God.

Acts 18:1-11 (3)Acts 18:1-11 (3)

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Opposition

• A year and a half later

• Paul was taken to court and accused of blasphemy.

• The judge threw his accusers out (18:16)

• But people in the church continued opposing Paul.

• Paul stays for some time and leaves Corinth.

• (This is not the case at ICEL!)

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A “Painful Visit”

• Paul later returns from Ephesus to Corinth and deals

with problems (his “painful visit”).

• He writes a “tearful” letter and sends it with Titus to the

church. (That letter is now lost.)

• In Titus’ presence the Corinthian church repents of its

insubordination.

• Paul now sends Titus with two brothers with another

letter (2 Corinthians) and to receive a special offering.

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Accusations (1)

• Paul was accused of being

• Fickle (couldn’t make up his mind) – 1:17-18, 23

• Proud and boasting – 3:1

• Obscure (unclear) in his preaching – 4:3

• Weak – 10:10

• A mean person – 4:7-10; 10:10; 12:7-10

• Dishonest (12:16-19)

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Accusations (2)

• Paul was accused of being

• Unsound in mind (5:13; 11:16-19; 12:6)

• Not an apostle (11:5; 12:12).

• These people thought they saw things clearly.

• They were blind.

• They were unfair.

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Personal Attacks

• These were extremely personal attacks.

• They wanted to hurt Paul.

• This was a church Paul started!

• How did he respond? How did he deal with

disappointment?

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Scripture text:

1 Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.

2 Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.

3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.

2 Corinthians 4:1-6 (1)2 Corinthians 4:1-6 (1)

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Scripture text:

4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

5 For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.

6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

2 Corinthians 4:1-6 (2)2 Corinthians 4:1-6 (2)

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Live Authentically

• Paul chose to live the truth.

• He commended himself to everyone’s

conscience in God’s sight.

• Paul realized that some are blinded.

• Ironically, the blind think they see!

• We remain blind until we deal with our sin.

• God makes “his light shine in our hearts” (4:6)

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Scripture text:

7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;

9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.

2 Corinthians 4:7-15 (1)2 Corinthians 4:7-15 (1)

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Scripture text:

11 For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body.

12 So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

13 It is written: “I believed therefore I have spoken.” With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak,

14 because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence.

2 Corinthians 4:7-15 (2)2 Corinthians 4:7-15 (2)

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Scripture text:

15 All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.

2 Corinthians 4:7-15 (3)2 Corinthians 4:7-15 (3)

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Focus on the Long-Term

• Paul suffered.

• Hard pressed, perplexed, persecuted, and struck down.

• But Paul kept going.

• Not crushed, not in despair, not abandoned, and not

destroyed.

• He carried Jesus’ suffering in his body.

• He looked for the resurrection.

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Scripture text:

15 All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.

16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.

17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

2 Corinthians 4:1-18 (5)2 Corinthians 4:1-18 (5)

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Anticipate The Unseen

• Paul taught the truth plainly, commending

himself to every person’s conscience in the

sight of God (4:2)

• Paul knew that our troubles achieve for us

“an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.”

• Paul didn’t fix his eyes on the visible but on

the invisible.

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Making This Practical

• Problems and disappointments are

unavoidable.

• How we deal with them is key.

• People can be so blind.

• The Pharisees didn’t recognize the Messiah.

• Some of the Corinthians didn’t recognize an

apostle.

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Remember

• Live authentically.

• Focus on the long-term.

• Anticipate the unseen.