 The title of our sermon this morning is Labor and Love for the Joy of Faith. Labor and Love for the Joy of Faith. That's an exhortation to every Christian in the Lord's Church. We're to labor and love for the joy of faith. We're in 2nd Corinthians, chapter 1, verse 23. And this paragraph runs through chapter 2, verse 4. We're going to take that text verse by verse as we've done through the letter. Paul's second letter here, second canonical letter to the Corinthians. As you well know as we've worked through the letter to this point, the background of our letter involves dire circumstances in Corinth. A full-scale mutiny is underway. We've discussed this in previous sermons. I encourage you to go back and listen to that context, to listen to that setting if it's helpful to you. While Paul is away ministering in Ephesus, traders to the faith are hard at work in the Corinthian church when a mutiny is underway. Paul alludes to the fact in chapter 11 that these false apostles, these false teachers are preaching in other Jesus a different spirit, a different gospel. But the target of their focused attack seems to be the apostle Paul himself. And a key to their victory here is going to be to take Paul down. So they assault his character. They deride his conduct. They ridicule his person. And if they destroy the man, they succeed in destroying the message the false teachers win and the people perish. That's Satan's scheme here. Peter describes these false teachers in the church as carousing in their own deceptions while they feast with you. Peter says that they entice unstable souls. They have forsaken the right way. They've gone astray. They're undermining Paul here in the church and there is reserved for them, as Peter says, the blackness of darkness forever. Why? Because by them Peter says a person is overcome. By him also Peter says he is brought into bondage for if after they have escaped the pollution to this world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ if they are again entangled in them and overcome their latter end is worse for them than the beginning and they return as the proverb says to their wallowing in the mire as a dog returns to his vomit. The stakes here in Corinth then couldn't be any higher. And so for the sake of their soul, for the sake of the Lord's church, Paul couldn't avoid dealing with this and Paul doesn't avoid in any way dealing with this. Paul is extremely concerned. Out of love for these people, Paul continues in Corinth to do what is necessary for their good and for the Lord's church. So of necessity then, 1 Corinthians is a letter that's replete with rebuke and correction. When he himself couldn't go, Paul sent Timothy to try to help with the difficulties in Corinth. On Timothy's disturbing report, Paul made a very painful visit himself to the church there where he undoubtedly had to reprove them severely and that didn't go well and he has since written them a sorrowful or a severe letter confronting them yet again and even his opponent sees upon the fact that his letters are hard toward them. The ongoing problems in Corinth were significant. So considering the circumstances then, under these circumstances, Paul found it necessary to change his plans to travel to them, had to change his plans to visit them. Of course, the false teachers then immediately seized upon that decision as an opportunity to discredit him again and here in 2 Corinthians 1 verse 23, Paul is continuing to answer those accusations, accusations that we have unpacked as we've worked through the letter so far. So Paul is labored in Corinth for 18 months, preaching the gospel to establish this church. He's labored for the church at Corinth ever since, preaching, writing letters, visiting to ground this church in the truth, pleading with them, as he says in chapter 6, not to receive the grace of God in vain. Paul says in chapter 7 that when he came to Macedonia, he said, our bodies had no rest but we were troubled on every side. Outside were conflicts, inside were fears. Oh Corinthians, Paul says. We've spoken openly to you. Our heart is wide open. Open your hearts now to us. Paul says we've wronged no one. We've corrupted no one. We've cheated no one. This is ministry in the church at Corinth. This ministry, ministry is tough there. This is a tough assignment. So why in the world does Paul do it? Lesser men would have thrown in the towel long ago. Why would he put himself through all this? The answer is love. The answer is love. Because the Lord first loved Paul, having given his life on Calvary to save him, Paul now loves the Lord and loving the Lord means loving these people. It's amazing, isn't it? To consider Paul. It's amazing. The one who hated Christians, the one who persecuted those of the way, even to the death, now pouring himself out for the Lord, pouring himself out for his brothers and sisters in the church, loving them. It's like Jesus said to Peter on the beach, in John 21, Peter, do you love me? Lord, you know I love you. Then Peter, feed my sheep. Feed my sheep. Feeding the Lord's sheep is an expression of love for the Lord. It's an expression of love for those people. This is Christ-like love. This is a labor of love. It's Paul's labor of love among those believers at the church in Corinth. After all of this, listen to this from Paul in chapter 12, verse 15. Paul said, I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls. Now think about what's going on in Corinth. The accusations against him, the divisions, the gossip, the slander. All of that misery, so to speak, all of that sorrow that we see in the text, and Paul says, I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls. Even though, he says, the more abundantly I love you, the less I am loved. What a statement, right? I'll love you abundantly, even if you don't love me in return. The more I love you, the less I'm loved. And I will very gladly spend and be spent for your soul. Every member, every member of our church ought to be able to say that. I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls. Even if there comes a time when you aren't being very loving in return, right? When you're sure he's not always going to be easy, there are going to be times when that one that you pursue in love turns and reviles you. Can you say, I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls? When you joined this church, you became a member here. Christianity is not a spectator sport. You're not coming just to listen to a talk on Sunday morning. You're engaged here in ministry. You're employed by the Lord in his church. You are woven together into the fabric of his body, a hand, an eye, an ear, a foot. Can you say today as a member of our church that I will gladly spend and be spent for the souls in this body? If you can say that this morning, how do you know that it's true of you? How do you know that it's true of you? What's an indication that that's true? By the grace of God, ministry in this church isn't heartbreaking like it is for Paul in Corinth. But there have certainly been times when it has been. And if you've been here for any length of time, this is what I'm talking about, right? It's not always been easy. And there were people here then that would have gladly, they wouldn't have hesitated to affirm these words of Paul themselves. But when things got tough, they were gone. Things don't even have to get that tough before people are out the door, right? No love for the people here. No love for the people here. And if you don't love your brother whom you can see, how can you say that you love God whom you cannot see? Ministry in the Lord's Church is a labor of love. Ministry in the Lord's Church is a labor of love. One brother, gladly spending and being spent for the sake of his brother. One sister, gladly spending and being spent for the sake of her sister. Sacrificial love for the Lord and sacrificial love for the Lord's people. It's not always an easy labor. And we should never take our ease from that labor. But ministry in the Lord's Church is a labor of love. And that becomes abundantly clear to us from Paul's words in 2 Corinthians chapter 1 verse 23 through chapter 2 verse 4. Look at chapter 2 verse 4. For out of much affliction in English of heart, Paul writes, with many tears not that you should be grieved but that you might know of which I have so abundantly for you. On prior sermons from 2 Corinthians, we've already clearly established from the Scripture that every Christian is called to ministry in the Lord's Church. Every Christian is called to ministry with a loss with the gospel. We've clearly established that Paul here is given to us as an example of that ministry and we are to imitate Paul as he imitates Christ. And here we see not just Paul's example in ministry but an example, a beautiful example of Paul's heart for God's people in 2 Corinthians chapter 1 verse 23 through chapter 2 verse 4. And it's an example that I want to exhort us this morning to imitate. Look at our text beginning in verse 23. Moreover, Paul says, I call God as witness against my soul that to spare you I came no more to Corinth. I have no opinion over your faith but we are fellow workers together for your joy for by faith you stand. But I determined this within myself that I would not come again to you in sorrow. For if I make you sorrowful then who is he who makes me glad but the one who is made sorrowful by me? 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 and I will not abandon you all that my joy, my joy is the 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. Now drawing principles from this text I want you to consider with me four exhortations by way of Paul's example here. You'll find these four points in your sermon notes in your bulletin. One, we must as Paul labor by the rule of love. We'll see that in verse 23. Secondly we'll see in verse 24 that we must work together for the goal of joy. Thirdly being uncompromising with the word of God we must insist on the obedience of faith. And lastly we must minister with a testimony of love. Labor by the rule of love if you want to have a ministry like Paul's a faithful ministry in the Lord's church to the loss with the gospel we must labor by the rule of love. We must work for the goal of joy. We must insist on the obedience of faith. We must minister with a testimony of love. Let's begin with point one. We must labor in ministry by the rule of love beginning in verse 23. Paul's integrity again has come under attack for his change in travel plans. He sets out to defend his integrity and he does so from the testimony of his own conscience beginning in verses 12 through 14. He then defends his integrity from the basis of his theology in verses 15 through 22. And now speaking specifically of the reasons for why he changes his travel plans Paul lays open his heart in verse 23 defending his decision on the basis of his love for the Corinthians. Look at verse 23. Moreover Paul says in addition to what I've already said verses 12 through 22 I call God as witness against my soul that to spare you I came no more to Corinth. Now Paul's opponents in Corinth are accusing him of being deceitful being double-minded duplicitous. So Paul says essentially in verse 23 listen God condemn me if I'm lying I changed my plans to spare you. God condemn me if I am lying. Ananias and Sapphira would pop up at this point and say that's a pretty serious statement, right? Paul must be telling the truth okay? Paul's not lying he calls God as witness against his soul that to spare them he came no more to Corinth. Now obviously Paul wants to spare them another painful visit. His last visit to them is described in the letter as a very painful visit. Paul says in chapter 22 verse 1 I determined this within myself that I would not come again to you in sorrow. Paul made that very painful visit and the situation in Corinth didn't improve. If he went to them if you put yourself in Paul's shoes so to speak if you think along Paul's train of thought if he went to them again under the same circumstances it would simply be yet another painful experience. Another visit where Paul has to rebuke and correct and reprove. It'd be painful for both Paul and for them. And so Paul determined that in going to them in that way going to them under those circumstances it would again do more harm for them than good. So Paul then decides rather to stay away for a time. Give them some space and write them instead. He references that letter in chapter 2 verse 3. Paul says I wrote this very thing to you lest when I came I should have sorrow over those from whom I ought to have joy. The letter that Paul writes to them that he references here in chapter 2 verse 3 that letter is called the severe letter. It's called the severe letter for a reason. It was severe. Paul far from shrinking back from dealing with sin and division in the church deals with sin and division head on. He just uses wisdom in how he decides to do that. Paul says what needs to be said. He doesn't shrink back from that. He uses pastoral wisdom here in how he deals with it. Now two important points that I want you to consider from Paul's decision here. The decision to change his travel plans, the decision to change his mind and the decision to spare them. So we see in verse 23. Two important points to consider. One is authority. Paul's authority. Two is love. Paul's love for them. First I want you to see the decision to change his plans to spare them so to speak to write them a letter instead demonstrates Paul's authority here. Paul has the authority in the church either to spare them or not to spare them. Do you see? He certainly has responsibility to deal with sin in the church and we see Paul confronting sin, rebuking sin, reproving sin, enforcing church discipline, correcting chastising when necessary. He warns them in chapter 13 verse 2. Paul warns them, I write to those who've sinned before and to all the rest that if I come again I will not spare. That's apostolic authority. It tells the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians chapter 4 verse 12 would you rather me come with a rod or would you rather me come with tenderness and joy? Paul has authority to spare or not to spare. Now for those who bristle against authority in the Lord's church there you have it. That leads us to consider then why Paul has decided to spare them. The second point is the decision to spare them demonstrates Paul's love. This decision, this comment demonstrates Paul's authority but also demonstrates Paul's love. Paul had the responsibility to deal with their sin. He has the responsibility to rebuke their rebellion and he has the apostolic right to head over there with a rod. Amen? We see that in the text so why didn't he head over there with a rod? Because he thought it would be better for them, better for their relationship if he didn't. This is the wisdom of love. Paul has the authority, he has the right he chooses not to exercise that authority he chooses not to exercise that right out of love for them. He just thinks about what would be better for them, what they need, what would be most helpful. He's not sinfully neglecting his responsibility here he's viewing his responsibility through the lens of the love for these people. He's acting toward them in love by refraining from going to them at this time. Paul here hopes and he prays that his letter would be effective. That the Corinthians through his letter would respond with repentance. We see hints in 2 Corinthians chapter 7 that they do. He's hoping here that through his letter, through his prayer that their circumstances would change so that rather than coming to them with the rod, the next time he sees them he'll see them with joy with joy. It'll be a joy both to them and a joy to him. Paul continues with a clarifying thought about this in verse 24. Look at verse 24 with me. Paul goes on to say, not that we have dominion over your faith but we are fellow workers for your joy, for by faith you stand. That word there, verse 24, dominion, it refers to exercising control over someone. Mastering them. Ruling them. Dominating them. Paul says we don't rule over you. We're not masters over you rather than being masters over you you stand by faith. It's not by force you stand. It's by faith you stand. Not by coercion or manipulation you stand. It's by faith that you stand. You don't stand at the crack of a whip. You stand by your faith or you fall for want of it. Not that we have dominion over your faith. We are fellow workers together for your joy for by faith you stand. Now it's critically important for us to understand what's going on here. I want us to understand this. One, Paul understands his authority and this comment is made with an understanding of that authority. He understands the limit of his authority, the scope of his authority. He understands the intent of his authority and the extent of his authority. He understands his authority. Secondly, Paul exercises that authority in love. He exercises his authority by the rule of love. We'll talk about what that looks like, what that means. We, you and I have to do the same. As we minister in the Lord's body we have to exercise authority in the same way. We have to understand the scope of our authority. We have to exercise authority in love. Let's talk about what that means, what that is. First, Paul understands his authority. Paul understands that authority in the church, his authority in the church. He understands as being a declarative authority and a spiritual authority. His authority is declarative. It's a derivative authority. It's not an authority that he himself has within himself. It's been given to him. It's a delegated authority, if you will. The authority that Paul has here, the authority that we as elders in the church have, the only authority that we have is to preach the Word of God to you. It's a declarative authority to explain the Word of God, to commend the Word of God, to appeal to the Word of God, to reason from the Word of God, to persuade from the Word of God, to rebuke from the Word of God, to reprove from the Word of God, to correct, to instruct, to teach from the Word of God, to proclaim its commands, right? To proclaim its judgments, to proclaim its warnings, to proclaim its promises, to proclaim its precepts, eventually to uphold the word of God in church discipline, that's been an authority that's given. In all of this, all of this authority, this derivative authority, this delegated authority, a declarative authority, all of this has to be done in a way that is commensurate with the truth of God's word and the truth of God's word alone. In other words, it's appropriate to plead with tears when a person's soul is at stake. You can preach the word of God with authority, but it's unloving, isn't it, to preach dispassionately about sin, about judgment, about hell, when a person's soul is at stake. This is not a mere cold, dull, academic exercise. You're talking about people's souls. Their souls are at stake. You see Paul pleading with the people with tears in love, right? It's a declarative authority, but that declarative authority should be exercised, commensurate with the truth. Some people think that any confrontational preaching is abusive authoritarianism. If I wave my arms up here like I'm swatting bees, or if I raise my voice out of care or concern, or if I'm preaching against sin, preaching against, or preaching judgment, preaching the truth, the reality of hell, if I'm warning you, if I do any of that, it's perceived as abusive authoritarianism, but that is preaching God's word in accord with truth. I am preaching the word of God to you. I am God's herald, and God is confrontational. When you preach the gospel to someone, you are God's herald, and as such, you preach the word of God in truth. You preach the truth in love, but God is confrontational. The Lord Jesus Christ in John chapter seven said, the world hates me because I testify of it that its deeds are evil, and you are not greater than your master. When you testify of it that its deeds are evil, the world will hate you also. God is confrontational, it's not abusive authoritarianism to preach the truth of God's word about sin, about hell, and about judgment. The very important distinction in this comes at the end of verse 24. It is, Paul says, by faith that you stand. By faith you stand, by entrusting yourself to Christ, by believing and obeying his word. In other words, you're not a slave to Paul and what Paul says. You're not to blindly obey Paul. It's not Paul's words that you follow. Paul is not your Lord. Paul is not your master. You don't hear me up here commanding you to obey me. You don't hear Paul commanding them to obey him. Don't do anything because I told you to do it. Do what the Lord says. Do it because you believe that the word of God teaches what I'm saying. Because Jesus is your Lord, not me. Again, it's a declarative authority. It's a delegated, it's a derivative authority. So I want us to understand this. So many misunderstand this today and what you end up with when the preacher, a pastor and elder of a church, misunderstands authority, what you end up with is weak, ineffective, milk toast preaching that blunts the power and force of God's word. Any authority they say is abusive authority and so you can't preach with authority. Listen, when you share the gospel, when you preach the word of God, if you don't preach with the authority that God's word commends, then what you end up with is weak, ineffective, milk toast, fruitless preaching that blunts the power and force of God's word. When you preach the gospel, you need to say what needs to be said and not to shrink back from that. It'll preach the truth. We're to speak the truth in love but we are to speak the truth in love. It's unloving to withhold that truth from people, do you see? Preaching should be authoritative but that preaching, that authority is not in the preacher. Paul can speak here in this text, Paul can speak of not sparing them, coming to them with a rod of discipline and he can do that at the same time that he's also speaking of not having dominion over their faith, right? He's not duplicitous in this, he's not speaking out of both sides of his mouth. Paul is preaching God's word to them, not his own word, not the traditions of men, not the opinions of men. Paul is preaching God's word and God's word comes with authority. Every hearer of that declared word stands or falls before the Lord alone, right? They stand by their faith. Let me give you an example of what just raw authoritarianism looks like. Turn with me to John chapter nine. John chapter nine. Now, Paul would have understood this example very well. Paul himself was a Pharisee. So he understood how the Pharisees operated. He's well acquainted with their tactics, the way they controlled people. He would have had this in mind when he thought of having dominion over someone's faith. Pharisees were prime examples of what it looks like to have dominion over someone's faith. So in John chapter nine, Jesus heals a man who was born blind. And we pick up the account of this in verse 13. Look at verse 13 with me. So they brought him, in verse 13, they brought him who formerly was blind. They brought him to the Pharisees. Now it was the Sabbath when Jesus made clay and opened his eyes, right? That sets the stage for what's about to happen. Dun, dun, dun. It was the Sabbath when Jesus healed the man who was formerly blind, okay? Verse 15, then the Pharisees also asked him again how he had received his sight. They are interrogating this formerly blind man. So he said to them, verse 15, he put clay on my eyes and I watched and I see. So now the only thing this man has done to this point is to find himself healed of his blindness. That's the only thing he's guilty of to this point. Verse 16, therefore, some of the Pharisees said, this man is not from God because he does not keep the Sabbath. They're speaking here of Jesus Christ, right? Jesus Christ here in verse 16 is the one on trial, so to speak. Others said there, how can a man who is a sinner do such signs and there was a division among them? Now notice with me again, the division is about Jesus Christ, not the man who was healed. Jesus is accused here of violating their man-made traditions, their man-made rules about the Sabbath. You can only walk this far on the Sabbath and no farther. You can only pick up this much weight on the Sabbath but no more weight. You can do this on the Sabbath, you can't do that on the Sabbath, right? These are man-made traditions that the Pharisees added to the law for the sake of appearing holy. So the man born blind now, notice with me again, he's standing there and for the first time he's seeing this whole thing unfold. He's watching this whole thing play out, verse 17. So they said to the blind man again, why do you say about him because he opened your eyes? What do you say about him because he opened your eyes? The blind man said, formerly blind man said, he is a prophet, verse 18. But the Jews did not believe concerning him that he had been blind and then received his sight until they called the parents of him who had received his sight and they asked them saying, is this your son who you say was born blind? How then does he now see? So they began interrogating the parents now. His parents answered them and said, we know that this is our son and that he was born blind. But by what means he now sees, we do not know. Or who opened his eyes, we do not know. He is of age, ask him, he will speak for himself. As parents said these things in verse 22 because they feared the Jews. For the Jews had already agreed that if anyone confessed that he was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue. They didn't fear God here. They feared the abusive authoritarianism of the Pharisees. They feared the Jews. Now notice the threats here and the intimidation. Not God's threats, mind you. Not God's warnings against sin, mind you. Not from the word of God, but threats here against violating their rule. Threats against violating their man-made policy. If you didn't agree with their position, verse 22, not the Bible's position, not the word of God. If you didn't agree with their policy, their position, you were out. Therefore his parents said he is of age, ask him. Verse 24, so they again called a man who was blind and they said to him, they're gonna continue the interrogation. Do you see? Give God the glory. We know that this man is a sinner. Listen, you're going to agree with us on this. He answered and said, verse 25, whether he is a sinner or not, I do not know. One thing I know that though I was blind, now I see. And notice the relentless berating of this man, right? The relentless interrogation. Remember, the only thing that he's guilty of so far is receiving his sight. They said to him again, verse 26, what did he do to you? How did he open your eye? I don't know what they expect to hear from him beyond what he's already said, right? And so at this point, the man born blind is getting a little exasperated. He's understandably indignant. They're basically bullying him and it's starting to provoke him. Right, understandably, he's getting a little provoked. Verse 27, he answered them, listen, I told you already and you didn't listen to me. What more do you want from me, Pharisees, right? Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples? Verse 28, then, and again, this is another example of just abusive authoritarianism. They reviled him. They reviled him and they said, you are his disciple, the disciple of that madman, the disciple of that demon, but we are Moses' disciples. We're in the right here as Moses' disciples, you're in the wrong. Verse 29, we know that God spoke to Moses. As for this fellow, we don't know where he's from and now they get indignant toward him as well. You see, this is not about sin. This is not about sin. This is not about the word of God. This is not about the man's rebellion. This is not about the man's soul. This has become about their reputation, right? This has become about their policy. This is not about the word of God. They began investigating the Lord's apparent violation of their law and they're about to end it with this man in defense of their own policy, in defense of their own reputation. They refuse to accept or even allow any disagreement, any criticism. This is an example of abusive authoritarianism. Verse 30, the man answered and said to them, why, this is a marvelous thing that you do not know where he's from and yet he has opened my eyes. Now we know that God does not hear sinners but if anyone is a worshipper of God and does his will, he hears them. That's biblical, verse 31. Now we get to the Bible and it's coming out of the mouth of the man who was formerly blind. Verse 32, since the world began, it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing. That is biblical truth. They answered and said to him, you were completely born in sin. And now when they say that, by contrast they're saying, not us, right? Another example of abusive authoritarianism. You were completely born in sins and are you teaching us? And they cast him out. Now what do they cast him out for? Again, not for sin, not for wickedness, not for violations against God's word, not in accord with God's word. Are there reasons they would have kicked someone out of the synagogue that were biblical? Yes, the Bible's really clear about that. This is not in accord with God's word, it has nothing to do with God's word. It has everything to do with their reputation, everything to do with their preferences, their opinions, their policies, their man-made views, their traditions, nothing to do whatsoever with God's word. In fact, the Pharisees were in direct violation of God's word here and the blind man knew it. They can't go to scripture to support what they're doing. At this point, they are exercising an exclusively man-made authority. They are lording it over the man born blind, do you see? And this is what abusive authoritarianism looks like. This is what Paul has in his mind as he makes this statement in 2 Corinthians, chapter one, chapter two. Incidentally, it's interesting here that the account of these worthless shepherds in John chapter nine is followed by the example of the Good Shepherd in John chapter 10. The Good Shepherd who acts in love towards his sheep, the one who lays down his life for the sheep. We see that in John chapter 10. Right back in 2 Corinthians chapter one, verse 24. So, Paul in making this statement that he decides not to come to them again, but to spare them, Paul understands his authority. He understands the scope of his authority. He understands the limit of his authority. We're not here to dominate your faith. For by faith you stand, Paul understands his authority. Point to, Paul then exercises that authority with love. Paul then exercises that authority with love. Paul's very careful here to mark the limits of his authority. He's very careful to exercise that it is a declarative authority. He preaches the word of God to them and he does that with love. Even if that means putting someone out of the church under church discipline. Now we're familiar with those texts related to church discipline. A biblical church practices biblical church discipline because the word of God clearly states it and because the Lord has determined that that's the most loving thing that you can do for a person who has rebelled to that point. When the sin just goes on and on and on, unrepentant of, eventually it gets to the point for the sake of that person's soul that the Lord says that's enough and put him out of the church. Exercising his biblical authority with great love for the Corinthians, he says, verse 23, to spare you, to spare you I came no more to Corinth. Not that we have dominion over your faith but our fellow workers for your joy for by faith you stand. I think with me for a moment, let's make an application. Think with me about the way in which this applies to your ministry in the church, your brothers, your sisters. And I want you to make note of five principles that we take from this text, right? With respect to your ministry in the body. One, like Paul, you and I have responsibility in the church to confront sin and to correct error. We have the responsibility to encourage, to love, to pray, to bear one of those burdens. We have the responsibility to exhort. But with reference to what's going on here now in Corinth in our text, you and I have the responsibility in the church as Paul did to confront sin and to correct error. To, like Paul, you and I must not refrain from being faithful in that responsibility. Can't shrink back from doing it. We see Paul faithful to execute his responsibility to this end, right? He's not shrinking back from correcting error. He deals with the error, right? He makes a very painful visit. He writes a couple of very painful letters. One of them, a severe letter. Paul is pouring out his heart and soul in prayer for them. He's concerned over them, weeping over them so much so that he sends Timothy to them to get a report, that he sends Titus to them to get a report. Paul's not shrinking back here from being faithful to that responsibility. Paul is fulfilling his responsibility in that and for that reason he is very concerned about these Corinthians. Three, like Paul in our ministry, ours is a declarative authority. It's a spiritual authority. We preach the word of God. The word of God has the authority, not we ourselves. That makes sense? We persuade from the word of God. We reason, we correct, we reprove, we rebuke, but only as far as the word of God does. We don't preach our own authority. We don't establish our own authority. Ours is a delegated authority. Four, we exercise that responsibility. We exercise that declarative authority with great love. We speak the truth in love. Sometimes the most loving thing that you can do is a really hard conversation, isn't it? The letter was called a severe letter. Paul's not gonna go to them again because he wants to spare them a severe visit. So what does he do? He writes them a severe letter instead, but it is, it's severe, but that is all, that is all in great love. Why is it loving for Paul to be severe toward them? Because their soul, is it steak? Sometimes it gets to the point where this person is on the precipice of hell and you need to turn them back. The only thing that appears as though it will work is a stiff rebuke from the word of God, shaking them, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh. Turn from your sin or you will die in your sins and go to hell. Sometimes a hard word is necessary. It is a declarative authority. We have a responsibility with great love to plead with sinners. One, you have a responsibility in the church to confront sin and error. Two, you must not refrain from that responsibility. Three, it is a declarative authority. Four, we exercise that authority with great love. Five, remember they're not in service to you. They're not there to meet your benchmark, to meet your standard. They serve the Lord Christ and it's before him alone that they stand or fall. In other words, what you're aiming for is for them to be convinced in their own heart and mind that this is what the Lord requires and I will walk in it. This is what the word of God says, that I'm going to believe. For the sake of the Lord, for the sake of my own soul, that's what I'm gonna do. When you counsel someone, counsel them according to the word of God with great love. Sometimes that means a hard word. But let love for their soul be the motive. Let love for their soul be the content of your pleading. When you wear your heart on your sleeve, let it be love for their soul that's motivating you to do that. And then to make sure they obey for the Lord's sake, for the Lord's sake. Can't say to someone, listen, you don't follow my counsel, you're in sin. No, no, no, no. That, quote unquote, is your counsel. What does the word of God say? You can say if you don't obey the word of God, you're in sin, right? Ours is a declarative authority, be careful. Incidentally, let's make a very practical distinction here. If you love the great shepherd, then you love the sheep, right? And you act in love toward the sheep. We see Paul doing that here in 2 Corinthians, chapter one into chapter two. If you love the great shepherd and you love the sheep, then how do you feel about the wolf? Right? When you realize that there's a wolf among you, there's a wolf among the sheep, there's a fox in the hen house, so to speak. What's the only appropriate response? Get the wolf out, right? If you consider yourself sensitive to wolves, you're being insensitive to the sheep. You're being insensitive to the Lord, insensitive to God's word. When there's a wolf, you get the wolf out. God has some pretty severe warnings to wolves. We're not to tolerate a wolf for a second. Are you gonna allow a wolf in your family? No way, kick the wolf out. You're gonna allow a wolf in the Lord's church? No way, you get rid of the wolf. You're being sensitive to the wolf. You're being insensitive to the Lord's people. The greatest example, the greatest example of all of this, of this authoritative and yet sacrificial love for the Lord's people is the Lord Jesus Christ himself. And we can think about that example, can't we? The display of God's authority at the cross, right? Unquestionable, inviolable, infinite authority displayed at the cross at the same time that he is displaying infinite love, immeasurable love. First John, chapter four, verse 10, in this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins. The cross of Christ is the chief expression of God's authority and it's also the chief expression of his love, the chief expression of his holiness, chief expression of his justice, the chief expression of his love, the chief expression of his mercy, chief expression of his grace. God himself stooping to take on human flesh in order to reconcile sinful humans, sinful man to himself. We're warned, aren't we, against grieving the Holy Spirit? We're warned against sinning against grace. What does God do? What does God do when a believer sins or rebels against him? He often places that person under loving discipline, doesn't he? A loving, fatherly chastisement meant to yield in us the peaceable fruit of righteousness for his glory and for our eternal good. Reminds us of his authority and he does so in love. Lovingly redirects our path. Sometimes excruciatingly painful, but necessary and loving and good. We need it. We're considering in this four exhortations from the example of Paul for ministry in the Lord's church. One, labor by the rule of love. Two, work for the goal of joy. Look at verse 24, work for the goal of joy. Paul says in verse 24, not that we have dominion over your faith, but we are fellow workers together for your joy. For by faith you stand. And notice with me in verse 24, we'll finish this up next week, but notice first that Paul contrasts dominating the believer's faith, right having dominion over their faith. He contrasts that with being fellow workers for your joy. So rather than controlling, rather than dominating someone, you work together with them for the goal of their joy in the faith. In other words, we don't work over you. We don't work for you. We don't work instead of you. We work together with you, do you see? Paul wasn't lording it over the people in Corinth by saying these things to them. Paul is working alongside them in the role that Paul's been given with the delegated and derivative authority that Paul has in love. He's working alongside them, writing letters to them, visiting them, praying for them. He sits with them, he eats with them, he fellowships with them, he prays with them, he listens to them, he responds to them, he weeps with them, he labors with them to advance their blessing, advance their good. He labors to see them grounded in the faith, working together with them for their joy, right? Now, a domineering legalism, like we see in the Pharisees, will suck the joy right out of your Christian life. Suck the joy right out of your Christian life. Someone says in response to that, yeah, you know, anytime someone tells me to obey anything, I lose my joy. Listen, it's not legalism and it's not joy-sucking to tell you to obey the Bible. Example of a young man in our church years ago who began courting a young lady in our church. Wasn't long before we started seeing pretty dramatic changes in this young lady, right? Changes in her demeanor, changes in the way that she acted, changes in the way that she served in the church, certainly changes in the way that she dressed and her joy just disappeared, just evaporated. She became this joyless, sunken, kept woman, so to speak. Among other legalistic heresies that this young man was guilty of, he applied God's judgment against the haughty daughters of Zion and their jingling feet in Isaiah chapter three, if you're familiar with that story. He applied God's judgment there to any woman who drew attention to her calves by wearing ankle bracelets or high heels. High heels click on the floor as she walks, it would draw men to look down at her calves and so that was sinful for her to wear high heels. V-necks drew attention to breasts, pants, on girls drew attention to shape. Singing on the worship team could only provoke pride. The result was is that he had no joy and he robbed her of hers. That's what legalism is and that's what legalism does. It's not legalism to obey the Bible. He refused to repent of his legalism, adamantly maintained the holiness of that absurd position. We eventually had to put him out under church discipline. We eventually put him out under church discipline and last I heard he was a certified Neuthetic Christian counselor. How'd you like that? So listen, a domineering legalism, a dominating or alerting it over someone's faith will suck the joy right out of their Christian life. It's not commensurate with joy. It's incongruous with Christian joy to be a domineering legalist. And it's not legalism. In fact, it's our delegated responsibility to preach obedience to the Bible. Paul says to Titus in chapter three verse eight, this is a faithful saying, these things I want you to affirm constantly Titus that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. In other words, it would be within the scope of our responsibility to walk around saying to you, maintain good works, maintain good works, maintain good works, are you maintaining good works? You better maintain good works. Romans chapter one, verse five, Paul says through him, through Christ, we've received grace and a apostleship for what purpose Paul? For obedience to the faith among all nations through his name. Obey the Lord, obey the Lord. Right, obey the Lord. It's not legalism to preach obedience to the word of God. Listen, in the same way that a dominating, domineering, oppressive, legalistic, domineering of someone's Christian faith will suck the joy right out of their Christian life, in the same way a persistent disobedience will suck the joy right out of your Christian life. Both sides, a domineering or a dominating legalism and a persistent ongoing disobedience, both will suck the joy out of your Christian life. Notice the sorrow, the grief, that disobedience in the Corinthian church brought both Paul and the Corinthians. Do you think they were happy about it? It produced sorrow in that church. So when Paul, when Paul corrects them, when he rebukes them, right, when he reproves them, when he kicks that guy out of the church in first Corinthians chapter five, when he maintains the holiness and the purity of the church, when he preaches the word of God to them, exhorting them, commanding them to obey from the scriptures, Paul is working together with them for their genuine joy, right? This is a joy of faith, faithfulness Paul confronts and he rebukes them. He's working together with them for their joy. They were joyless, they were joyless because they weren't standing firm in the faith. They weren't standing firm in the faith. If you're walking in disobedience to the Lord, and you know you are, you're walking in disobedience to the Lord, you should be miserable. And I will pray for you to that end. Wives, when you live in a persistent pattern of unsubmissiveness, you're gonna be joyless. I'm speaking to Christian brothers, Christian sisters now, right? You have the spirit, you're walking in disobedience in that way. You're grieving the spirit of God. When you're just disobedient, you're unsubmissive to your husband, you're not loving your husband, the way that God has called you to love him, you are going, the joy is gonna be sucked out of your Christian life. You're gonna wake up, open your eyes, come to your senses a couple of years later and think, what has happened? Husbands, when you consistently fail to sacrificially lead your family, you're just walking in a joyless, right, am I off base here? Patterns of sin destroy our joy. Patterns of disobedience. At first, your conscience becomes raw, because you're just, you feel the pounding weight of that sin. But because you don't turn, because you're merely being a hearer of the word, not a doer, you're not responding, you're not taking the more earnest heat of the things you've heard, lest you drift away, you're drifting away. And because you continue to drift that direction, your conscience goes from initially being raw to now being seared. All of a sudden, it's okay to you that I've lived this existence, for this long, unsubmissive to my husband, right? That I've lived this long without any concern for leading my wife, leading my kids at home. Second John, verse six, this is love that we walk according to his commandments. This is the commandment that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it. Think with me for a moment. Considering Paul's example, in 2 Corinthians chapter one of a biblical authority exercised in love, what is the response of Christian love to sin? Think for a moment, right? What is the response of Christian love? What is that response of Christian love to sin? It's grief. It's sorrow. It's grief. Paul's loving response to the Corinthians in their sin is sorrow upon sorrow and grief upon grief. You know what to be true. When someone sins in this church and they continue to pursue that sinful pattern, those around them, those that love him, love her, they grieve over that. The point where then you're putting them out of the church and people are weeping and sobbing. The response of Christian love to sin is grief. Paul in this text is grieved over the Corinthians. Sorrow upon sorrow over this church. And he should respond to that way. Concern for all the churches, right? Immorality, division, idolatry, slander, gossip, all grieving to Paul, causing Paul great sorrow. Should cause sorrow to us. And we should in ministry in this church do something about that. Both legalism and license will rob the Christian of true and lasting joy. On the other side, think with me. What is the response of Christian love to righteousness? What is the response of Christian love to obedience? Response of Christian love to righteousness is chiefly joy. This is joy. So when Paul makes the statement that he's working together with them for their joy, he can say that consistently with the idea that listen, I just rebuked you over your sin. I just wrote a very hard letter to you, right? We came to you wearing our hearts on our sleeves, coming to you in love. We had some hard things to say to you. Why? Because we want to rejoice with you in genuine, as you stand firm in the faith and as you walk in it obeying the Lord, obeying His word, we're going to rejoice together in that because standing firm in the faith produces joy. And we are fellow workers together with your joy, Paul says. It's the true joy of the Christian life, right? Think about your own Christian life. Would you acknowledge that chief or primary among your joy-sucking experiences, chief or primary among your disappointments is entirely your sin? Would you say that I'm speaking specifically of your Christian life, that what produces joy is standing firm in the faith, righteousness, right? Righteousness. We need to consider that together and we'll consider that more next week as we can continue in our text. Let's minister in the church, amen? And let's do so following the example of Paul, laboring in love for the joy of faith. Let's pray together. Take a few moments, pray silently before the Lord, asking the Lord to help you, to give you a holy vision of this in your own life, but also in your own ministry to your brothers and sisters in this church, that he may be honored and that they may be loved and edified by you. And let's pray silently for a few minutes and when you're done, you are dismissed. Let's pray.