 So the title of our sermon this morning is All Things for Edification. All Things for Edification. And our text is 2 Corinthians chapter 12 verses 19 through 21. We're coming to the end of 2 Corinthians really rapidly here. We're about to close out the letter as Paul is. Paul is coming to the end of his second canonical letter to the church at Corinth. We are coming to an end of our verse by verse exposition of this book. I think we've got about three or four sermons left. And as we near the end of this letter, and we think back now on the ground that we've covered through the letter, it often seems to us, doesn't it, that Paul's relationship with this church is frequently strained to the point of collapse. The people often appear alienated or estranged from Paul. Paul often appears to be exasperated. He is laboring and toiling for their benefit. A very serious divisiveness plagued the church almost immediately after Paul originally left Corinth. Upon Paul's departure, accusations began to fly. Immorality begins to spread like a leaven in the church unchecked. Many of the Corinthians are living like the world. False teachers almost immediately begin to infiltrate the church, teaching another gospel, another Jesus Christ. And the circumstances in Corinth deteriorate to the point that Paul then makes an emergency stop in Corinth that he would later come to refer as the sorrowful visit. The sorrowful visit followed by a severe letter, letter of rebuke, followed by a heartbroken apostle. By the time that Paul begins this second canonical letter to the church at Corinth, Paul is on defense. His opponents, enemies of the gospel whose God is their belly. They're chipping away at his influence in Corinth, attacking his character. They're attacking his actions. They're attacking his ministry. And they're attacking the very message that Paul preaches. It's temporarily, only for a moment, interrupted by a ray of hope that Paul references in chapter 7, where many of the Corinthians have repented of earlier failures to deal with the sin that has been growing in their midst. And Paul's confidence is restored. But then he's right back to answering accusations, right back to being in anguish and agony over this beleaguered church. Concerned with their faithfulness. Concerned with sin in the church. Concerned with striving to restore their confidence in him. It was, it is, an incessant battle. That's ministry, right? Welcome to ministry. It is an incessant battle. Weary summit times. Isn't it agonizing? Emotionally draining. The moment you think there may be some relief, you're hit by another wave. Right? You think you've got this over here fixed and things are falling apart behind you. It can be very difficult. Have you ever been through circumstances like that? Now, if you've been in this church for any length of time, you have, we've been through that together. Someone mentioned to me last week we have shared trauma together. You're not exactly sure in that circumstance how it's all going to turn out. We don't know how it's always going to turn out. Maybe you're losing sleep over it. One really difficult conversation after another. Maybe things have blown up at work. Fingers are pointing at you. You're losing friends maybe. Your family turns against you. Does this sound familiar? You've got a sword in one hand and a trowel in the other. You're trying to build up and fight off at the same time. Your family turns against you. You're being cut off. No fault of your own. You're laboring for the Lord. You're laboring in the gospel for their benefit, for their good. And yet you are estranged from them because of the gospel. It's a small taste. It's a small taste of what Paul is going through with this church. All the while, all the while, Paul's motives here are being slandered. He loves them. All that he's doing is for their good, for their benefit. And yet he's being slandered. He's being accused. He's being attacked. They might say, right, Paul wants to appear like he's sacrificing for your good. He wants to make it look like he's doing everything for your benefit. Being crafty, he intends to exploit you. He intends to catch you by cunning. And so, if you think about it, the one who's laboring tirelessly, the one who is fighting for their eternal good, is the one who refuses to take a penny from them. That same one is the one who is after your money. Can you see how foolish the accusation is? Now the tent-making business just isn't what it used to be. People are buying brick and mortar now. So if this apostle thing doesn't work out, I've got to have a fall-back plan. Paul is after their money. It's ridiculous. It's absurd. Paul wants to appear like he's the Lord's apostle, like he has some kind of authority. But look, his letters are harsh. He's a coward when he's in person with you. And his preaching, his speech is contemptible. Chapter 10, verse 10. It's an absurd accusation, isn't it? So the one who is determined to know nothing among them, but Christ and him crucified, is the one who is now singing to lead disciples away after himself? Makes absolutely no sense. They should know better. Amen? But even now, in 2 Corinthians chapter 12, they might say, look at how defensive Paul is. We're getting to him. We're getting under his skin now, aren't we? Look at how self-serving Paul is. Listen to him boast. Boasting in how sacrificial he is. Boasting in how much he's been through. He doesn't care about you. He cares about his own reputation. And so the one who is always delivered over to death for the Lord Jesus Christ, chapter 4, verse 11, so that life may be at work in them, is the one who is self-serving? You see how ridiculous, how absurd the accusations are. They should know better. And it's shameful that they don't. Do you see? Shameful. Paul may be on the defense here, playing defense, foolishly boasting in his own ministry, to his own confession, to his own acknowledgement. But he's not out for his own reputation. This is not self-vindication. He's not trying to keep a personal grip on his own personal kingdom. He's not in this for personal gain. Paul's not given to covetousness. He's not given to covetousness for numbers. He's not given to covetousness for money. He's not given to covetousness for the praise of men, like so many are today. Paul says, chapter 12, verse 19, we do all things, beloved, for your edification. It's for them that Paul tirelessly labors. It's wicked and unscrupulous people who take advantage of others in the way that Paul is being accused of doing. Do you see? The false teachers in Corinth, they're the ones doing the very things that they're accusing the apostle Paul of doing. That's where they come up with the idea. They think to themselves, this is what we would do. They lie about the gospel. They get you down an aisle. They tell you you're saved. And they don't know you. They don't know you. You're just another notch on their belt. You're just another giving unit. In addition to their membership role, they've caught you. They've caught you by cunning. What they do, they're not doing for your edification. There are other motives, other agendas involved. Edification comes through the truth, amen. Or they lie about spiritual gifts. Speaking in tongues, words of prophecy, spirit baptism. There's no power in the false gospel that they're peddling. There's no real power in their preaching. No life transforming power. And so they have to manufacture it. They produce it themselves. And then they pedal it to the simple and to the ignorant. The disciples of Simon Magus are crafty. They're crafty. What they do, they're not doing for your edification. Paul spends 1 Corinthians rebuking them for that very thing. There are other motives. There are other agendas involved. The edification that Paul speaks of is an actual fruit of the Spirit of God. So what is the purpose? What is the measure of Paul's ministry among them? The purpose and measure of Paul's ministry is the edification of the saints. The edification of God's people. Paul says in chapter 12, verse 19, we do all things, beloved, for your edification. Paul gives reason for boasting as he has. It isn't self-serving. Paul gives reasons here for sacrificing as he has, for laboring among them. It's for them. It's for their good. It's for their spiritual well-being. It's for their up-building, their edification. And we, brothers and sisters, must imitate Paul as he imitates Christ. Through Paul's explanation in verses 19 to 21, we can see one, our motive for edification in verse 19. We see our great need for edification in verse 20. And we see the aim of edification in verse 21. Our motive, our need and our aim for edification. The earnest desire of every true disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ should be the edification of God's people. Should be the edification, the up-building of his brothers and sisters and the Lord. That should be the earnest desire of every true disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul said, Let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to excel. If you want to excel, let it be for the edification of the church. Consider with me first, point one, our motive for edification in verse 19, where Paul says again, Do you think that we excuse ourselves to you? We speak before God in Christ, but we do all things, beloved, for your edification. Are there two motives that I want you to see from the text in verse 19? Two motives. One is our responsibility to God in this work. Two, our responsibility to God's people. We have a responsibility or an accountability before God, and we have a responsibility to God's people. Look first at our responsibility to God in verse 19. Or the NASB has a better translation of verse 19. Again, at the beginning of verse 19 should be long ago, or all this time, all this time is a better translation of that. The verb translated, we excuse ourselves. The verb clearly used for defending oneself. It means we defend ourselves. So a good paraphrase of verse 19 might be this. Have you been thinking all this time that we have been defending ourselves to you? Do we understand what Paul is asking, don't we? Have you been thinking all this time, all this time, have you been thinking that we've been defending ourselves to you? Paul is about to answer his rhetorical question. All this time, now in verse 19, could certainly refer to the last two chapters where Paul appears to have been boasting. In chapters 11, chapter 12, he's endeavored on his fool's speech. Sounds like Paul is boasting. He could be talking about that. But all this time, very likely, Paul has in mind his entire letter. Paul's been on the defense since chapter 1, hasn't he? He's been defending his ministry since chapter 1. Now just in case that that's what they're thinking, Paul wants to correct that notion at the outset. And he says, listen, we're not defending ourselves to you. We speak before God. Now Paul and his coworkers, that's the we, likely Titus here, they're not coming to the Corinthians as if the Corinthians themselves are judging jury. Paul doesn't stand before a Corinthian bar in a Corinthian courtroom in front of a Corinthian jury. Paul clearly understands that he's going to give an account to whom? To God. To God for what he says for all that he does. No doubt, no doubt, many Corinthians, the false teachers, wanted Paul on trial. Wanted Paul under the bar of their judgment, so to speak. So gloating now in subjecting Paul to an inquisition to an embarrassing cross-examination, attempting to publicly embarrass him. Paul anticipates that. And he says in verse 19, essentially, it's not to you that we defend ourselves. It's not to you. He told them before in 1 Corinthians chapter 4, it's a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. Why? Because I'm judged by God. He who judges me is the Lord, Paul said. So Paul's saying here, what we say, we say for God's sake in Christ, meaning as a Christian. Paul is speaking as a Christian in union with the Lord Jesus Christ. We say in what we say, we say before God. Essentially repeating exactly what he said in chapter 2, verse 17, where Paul said, 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. Paul has that understanding. You and I need to have that understanding that what we do, we do in the sight of God. Our hearts are laid bare before him to whom we must give an account. We do all in the sight of God. God is the one who examines me. God is the one who examines you. He is the one to whom you will give an account. Now Paul here, no slave to the fear of man. Paul was not enslaved to the praise of men. Paul was not living his life in anxiety over what other people thought of him. In other words, this is not of a defense ourselves. Paul says to you. It's not a defense to you. First Thessalonians, chapter 4, verse 4. We speak not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts. Paul said, we speak before God in Christ. We see that throughout the Scriptures, don't we? The Lord told Ezekiel, son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with my words to them. And despite God's very clear command, there are false prophets, false teachers today that speak anything but his words to men. We need to stick to his word. He said to Ezekiel, speak my words, whether they hear or whether they refuse. The Lord told his disciples in the upper room on the evening before his crucifixion. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will keep your word also. We see that in Peter in Acts chapter 10, verse 36. Listen to Peter's sermon in the household of Cornelius from Acts chapter 10. Peter preached the word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ, he is Lord of all. That word that you know was proclaimed throughout all Judea and began from Galilee after the baptism in which John preached. What is that word? What is the content of it? How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil for God was with him. And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they killed by hanging on a tree. Peter preaching Christ and him crucified, amen. Him, God, raised up on the third day, him openly, not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God even to us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. They were eyewitnesses to the resurrection. And he commanded us, Peter says, to preach to the people. And listen, he commands you and I also, amen. He commands you and I also. He commands us to preach to the people and to testify that it is he who was ordained by God to be the judge of the living and the dead. To him all the prophets witnessed that through his name whoever believes in him will receive remission of sins. We're charged with preaching that, aren't we? They died for speaking those words. They died for preaching that message. Not for themselves. Who do they die for? Who died for him? Who died for them? That is our commission as it was their commission. We speak before God in Christ. Beloved, we cannot fear man. We must labor to overcome our fear of man. It is to God alone that you and I will give an account. Fear him. He alone is worthy of that honor. He who judges me is the Lord. We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. Fear him. Paul's not fearing man here. He's not giving a defense of himself to man. Paul speaks before God in Christ. In 2 Corinthians 12 verse 19, Paul then sets up a contrast rather than giving a defense of himself before men. Paul says, Have you been thinking all along that we're defending ourselves to you? No, but rather, we do all things, beloved, for your edification. We're not defending ourselves to you. We're working to build you up. I'm not seeking my own profit. I'm seeking your profit. I'm not seeking my own glory. I'm seeking your good. So in that now, we see our responsibility to the Lord. We speak before God in Christ. We also see our responsibility here to the Lord's people to build them up, to labor for their profit, not to labor for our own personal glory, our own personal kingdom, but to labor for the good of our brothers and sisters, to labor for the good of God's people. We do all things, beloved, for your edification. What a good example on the part of the apostle Paul, right? All things, all the letters that I've written to you, all the evangelism, all the late night conversations, all the tears shed, right? All the preaching, all the teaching, all the time, all the confrontation, all the rebuke, all the encouragement, all the correction, all the counseling, all the blood spilt literally on the part of the apostle Paul, all the pain, all the labor, all the anguish, all the tears shed. It's not for me, Paul says. It's not for me. It's for your edification. It's all for you, Paul says. Other translations use the word upbuilding. Upbuilding. The word literally refers to the act of building, building a house, bringing that which is under construction closer to completion. Literally means building. Now Paul uses this word to refer to the church corporately as the church is being built by the Lord. It says this in Ephesians 2 verse 20. It says the church, God's people, corporately, is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets. Built uses the same terminology, okay? Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone in whom the whole building being fitted together grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. Listen to me, think about that picture in Ephesians 2. That means there are no bricks that are left out off to the side not being built up into that building. Right? So there are many today who would think to themselves, now I'm a Christian, I just don't go to church. Listen, you're not a part of that holy temple. You're not being built up into that building if you're not a part of that building. You're not a part of that building, do you see? Upbuilding, used for the corporate building up of God. Jesus Christ said, I will build my church. That's what he's doing, right? He's building his church, growing together into a holy temple in the Lord in whom you also, now he refers to the individual upbuilding of God's people, who also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. So edification or upbuilding also used to refer to the individual growth of God's people. Building them up, not tearing them down, maturing, growing, moving on to completion, moving on in our conformity to Christ, increasing in holiness, promoting their godliness, pursuing their sanctification, upbuilding. So then Paul says, knowing this, Paul says, everything I'm doing then is for my reputation. No, no, it's for your edification. Everything I'm doing is for my vindication. I've been attacked. I want to defend my name? No. Everything is for your edification. Everything is for your spiritual good. In chapter 10 verse 8, these themes are repeated throughout the letter. In chapter 10 verse 8, the Lord gave Paul authority for edification, not for destruction. Chapter 13 verse 10, the Lord gave Paul his apostolic authority for edification and not for destruction. For building up, not for tearing down. The purpose was for building up God's people. Now notice with me, edification here what happens apart from means? It happens precisely through means. In this case, it happens through the means of all that Paul is doing. How does it happen in our church? What happens through the means of all that y'all are doing? I want to keep the rhyme going. The Spirit of God works in and through means. Now we have Paul, the apostle Paul, as a means to us we're reading the letter that he wrote. Praise God. We have apostolic preaching that is proclaimed in this church. But it works, the Spirit of God works. He works through the means of all that we do, just like he works through the means of what Paul is doing in Corinth. So we have a responsibility then to our brothers. I want you to see this in a text. Turn with me to Ephesians chapter 4. Let's remind ourselves of this good instruction, Ephesians chapter 4. And look there with me beginning at verse 11. We have a responsibility to be about this good work. This is the work that every Christian is called to. Ephesians chapter 4, look beginning at verse 11. Where Paul writes, he himself, he gave some to be apostles, he gave some to be prophets, some evangelists and some pastors and teachers. Some of those roles are not in effect today. A couple of those roles are. Look at verse 12. He gave pastors and teachers, verse 12, for the equipping of the saints so that the pastor could do the work of ministry. No. He gave those pastors and teachers for the equipping of the saints, for them to do the work of the ministry, for the building up, the edifying of the body of Christ. Until what time? Till we all come to the unity of the faith till the building is complete. We are to edify the body of Christ, edify our brothers and sisters, labor for the upbuilding of the people of God until the building is complete. Until we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ that we should no longer be children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the trickery of men and the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting. But, verse 15, speaking the truth in love may grow up. See this picture being painted, right? Grow up. Speaking the truth in love may grow up in all things into him who is the head Christ from whom the whole body joined and knit together by what every joint supplies according to the effective working by which every part does its share. Every part doing its share causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love, for the edification of God's people. That's our responsibility in the church. When you come to the Lord's church you're not coming to be a spectator. You're not coming here for dinner and a show once a week. You're being employed, engaged in the work of ministry, the upbuilding of the body of Christ, the edification of the people of God. That's our responsibility. Verse 25, Paul goes so far as to say that we are members of one another. We are members of one another. Verse 29, use only those words that are good for our necessary edification. This is throughout Scripture. Romans 14-19 Paul says, let us pursue the things which make for peace and pursue the things by which one may edify another, building them up. 1 Thessalonians 5-11 Comfort each other and edify one another just as you also are doing. How do we do that in 1 Thessalonians 5? What does the text say? Now we exhort you. Brethren, warn those who are unruly. Comfort the faint hearted. Uphold the weak. Be patient with all. That's what edifying the body looks like. It's active, engaged, labor with the word of God for their spiritual good. See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all. This was Paul's aim. This was Paul's aim. What was Paul's motive? What was his motive? You see it hinted at back in 2 Corinthians 12-19. You see it hinted at in that little word, beloved. Paul loves these people. Paul loves them. Paul loves the Lord. And because Paul loves the Lord, Paul loves the Lord's people, loves the Lord's church. Beloved, this is what we must be laboring for in the Lord's church. Do you love your brothers and sisters here? How can you say that you love them if you're not laboring for their edification for their outbuilding? How can you say that you love them? You love the brothers if you're not actively engaged here in upbuilding them? Do you see how simple that is? How clear? Using your time, your resources, your energies to edify God's people. We need to be laboring for that in this church. Laboring to abound in this grace. Heating the call, right? Following Paul's example, sacrificing our comforts. Utilizing our resources. Spending our time. Sacrificing our comforts. Did I repeat that one? Exhausting our energies. Weathering adversity. Preaching the Word. Evangelizing the lost. Building up the saints. Magnifying the Lord Jesus Christ. Right? We need to be about that. We need to be about that. We need to be about that work. We need to be about that work. Why? That's point two on our notes. Why? Because we have a great need for edification. A tremendous need to be built up. Look at verse 20. Paul says, For I fear that when I come I shall not find you such as I wish. And that I shall be found by you do not wish. Lest there be contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, backbidings, whisperings, conceits, and tumults. Paul is drawing this letter to a close and he has on his mind this third and rapidly approaching visit to Corinth. He desperately wants his third visit to go better than his second visit. And he's concerned about seeing them again in sorrow. He's going to do it for their edification. That's what Paul is about. He's willing to face the accusations. He's willing to confront. He's willing to go in there, plunge into the midst of conflict if he has to. But he'd rather the visit be a mutually blessed one. A cause for rejoicing, a cause for joy, not a cause for sorrow. This letter, really the letter, this second canonical letter to the church at Corinth for that third visit. He is giving them in this letter, he's giving them fair warning to turn from their sin to repent of their stinking thinking. Get back on track. Paul wants them to deal with their sin now rather than finding it necessary to deal with their sin when he arrives. The need for the Corinthians to mature, the need for their edification is punctuated in verse 20 by Paul's fear. Notice that connection. I fear, lest when I come I shall not find you such as I wish. I fear that I'll not find you growing in grace. I fear that I'll not find you maturing in godliness. I fear that I'll not find you increasing in holiness. I fear that I'll find you unloving, unrepentant, rebellious, obstinate, stiff-necked. I desire to find you having turned from your sin making progress in sanctification growing and maturing in the faith dealing effectively with sin becoming more like Christ. I wish to see you more faithful in the means of grace. I wish to see you growing in your knowledge of him more fervent, more faithful in evangelism, more engaged in loving and serving your brothers and sisters genuinely repenting of sin and the Lord in your marriage. Making wise decisions by seeking the Lord first and foremost. Clinging to the word of God as your daily food. Doing all things for the edification of the body. That's what Paul would like to come and see them so doing. But the church had in the past grown complacent, even negligent, even self-willed and rebellious dealing with sin in their midst. They had become self-serving. Serving. They were not laboring for the edification of the body. They were weak and tolerant and feckless when it came to dealing with false teachers and false teaching. And that fact is only magnified in their gradual but steady and certain estrangement from the apostle Paul. Paul knows that for them to separate themselves from him is to separate themselves from the teaching of God's Word. To separate themselves from the gospel that Paul is preaching. Calvin says this. He says, on the ground that he had come into contempt with them, many in Corinth grew wanton, as it were, with loosened reins. In other words, Calvin's saying, with Paul being distant from them in their affections, if not in reality, distant from them with influence for the sake of the gospel, they grew wanton. They became licentious with loosened reins. Now, Paul says, respect for him would have been a means of leading them to repentance. The longer they hold Paul at his arm's length, the more unlikely it is that they're going to come to repentance. Why? Because Paul is preaching the Word of God to them. Paul is holding them accountable. He's applying the text of Scripture to their circumstances and calling them to repentance. The more that they disregard that, the more that they push repentance far from them. It would have been a means of leading them to repentance for they would have listened is now the fear of the apostle Paul. There are two categories of sin here that Paul lists that mark out a people who are not growing and maturing in the faith, who are not being built up or edified by their neglect of the Word of God. Two categories of sin. The first category refers to interpersonal conflict, conflicts between sinners, conflict between people, in this case in the church. Bottom line is a sinful person has difficulty getting along with other sinners. There's going to be conflict, there's going to be strife. When you are consistently involved in conflict with the Lord's people, it's a good indication that you're making little progress toward maturity. And when you see yourself continuously getting in conflicts particularly with other mature believers, there's a problem. You're making little progress toward maturity. Your sins are getting in the way of peace and harmony and unity. Of course, it's always the other guy's fault. It's that guy, it's not me. But it's amazing that when you leave, contention ceases. It's amazing how that happens. It's not me, it's them, but somehow when you leave, all the strife comes to an end. Don't let the door hit you on the way out. I say that in love. Verse 20. I fear now. Essentially Paul is saying I fear now when I come. Lest there be contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, backbidings, whisperings, conceits and tummals. I fear that might be the case. Contentions. Word means bitter disagreements. Conflict, strife, discord, quarreling, arguments, jealousies. Jealousies are greedy or prideful desire for that which belongs to another. In particular, in the church, it refers to a divisive or a party spirit. A partisan spirit in the church. Rivalries in the church. Jealousies describes that. Outbursts of wrath. Anger. It's an outburst in the sense that it may subside quickly and someone may even say I repent, but they continue to come up. Outbursts of wrath. It's a regular occurrence. Outbursts of wrath. Selfish ambition. Looking out for number one. Self-seeking, putting your own personal interests ahead of the interests of others, esteeming yourself more highly than others. Backbiting. It's biting it's someone behind their back. Slander. It's pretty clear, right? What is backbiting? Biting it's someone behind their back. Slander. Words intended to make someone else smaller. Words intended to harm their reputation. To demean their character. Whispering. Whispering. Tail-bearing. Gossip. Spreading. Stories. Private meetings intended to harm someone's reputation. I don't know what Paul's talking about here. I haven't seen these things before, right? What in the world is Paul talking about? No, we've seen every one of these, haven't we? Conceits. Pride. Puffed up with self-importance. Tumults. Literally insurrection. Insurrection in the Lord's church. A group disturbance. Disorder. Each one of these fuels and drives the others. Fomenting up, right? Frothing up strife and contention. And people who engage in this kind of sin, if they persist in that kind of sin, have got to go. It destroys the peace and unity of the Lord's church. We are called to labor, to endeavor, to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Titus chapter 3 verse 10. Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition, knowing that such a person is warped and sinning being self-condemned. It is crystal clear, isn't it? Paul is laboring for this church in Corinth because he doesn't want to find them in that condition. That is a fearful, fearful thing. We have to labor against it. Labor to maintain our peace and unity. Labor to resolve conflict. Labor to put an end to backbiting and slander and gossip and jealousies and rivalries and contingents and outbursts of wrath. We have to labor against these things. Paul has every reason to fear these things on his third visit to Corinth. Paul may be walking into a hornet's nest. And that's not all. It's not all. There's a second category that Paul references. This category is personal sin. Uncleanness. Look at verse 21. Less when I come again, my God will humble me among you and I shall mourn for many who have sinned before and have not repented of the uncleanness, fornication and lewdness which they have practiced. It's difficult to tell which comes first in Corinth. Were the personal sins of the people were they the polluted soil out of which grew their detachment from Paul, their departure from God's word giving an ear to false teachers? Did that grow out of the soil, the polluted soil of their own sin? Or was it their departure from sound doctrine, their departure from Paul, a failure to submit themselves under the word of God and to follow off after false teaching that then became the diseased soil from which spread or grew up the personal decay. Either will be the case. Either will be the case. Bad theology will produce bitter fruit and sin makes you susceptible to deceit and error. Either will be the case. We must cling to the truth of God in Christ. We must cling to our brothers and sisters cling to the Lord. In either case, they had been sinning in these ways. Paul feared that he would find them continuing in them. Notice what he says in verse 21. Those who have sinned before and have not repented of their uncleanness, fornication and lewdness they had been sinning in these ways uncleanness means dirty, filthy, impure, particularly used of sexual sin. Fornication porneia means sexual immorality in all of its lurid forms and lewdness we see a pattern don't we? Lewdness, licentiousness indulgence in sinful or sensual pleasure self abandonment Bidag says self abandonment to sinful or sensual pleasure. I was recently reading an article written by J.D. Greer the president of the Southern Baptist Convention where J.D. Greer in trying to draw some kind of moral equivalency between sins in the Bible made the statement that the scriptures whisper about sexual sin the scriptures don't whisper about any sin the scriptures certainly don't whisper about sexual sin here we are rampant in Corinth uncleanness fornication lewdness now when you or when a church when a pastor when the leaders of a church in those ways when they begin to think about sin in those ways it's not long before the church is overrun with those sins what does all this point to? it points to our great need particularly in this wicked and perverse generation it points to our great need to be continually built up in the faith we need edification we need growth and maturity we need knowledge of him we need knowledge of his word when we stop moving forward we are moving backward when you think you're taking a rest you are plummeting downhill we need our minds renewed because we don't think straight we don't think naturally according to the truth of God's word we need our hearts renewed by his spirit we don't act right we don't believe rightly apart from him we need building up we need edification Paul says in verse 20 and Paul fears that he shall be found by them such as they do not wish listen to Calvin again as to my striving at present to maintain my authority he's speaking in the place of Paul here as to my striving at present to maintain my authority endeavoring to bring you back to obedience I do this Paul says lest I should find occasion more severely if I come and find among you nothing of amendment we need to amend our sinful ways it's a constant battle in the Christian life amen we're not in that work alone praise God that work is not possible by yourself it doesn't happen by yourself you need the spirit of God the spirit of God accomplishes that work through the means that God has appointed and one of the means that God has appointed is the people of God we need edification and we need to be about the work of edification in the Lord's church Paul plans to hold them accountable they must and we must deal with sin for the sake of the Lord's church you cannot turn a blind eye to sin and just simply hope that it's all going to work out we are responsible to the Lord Jesus Christ to do something about it to apply the word of God to it Paul is going to do that when he comes we need accountability we need to be faithful to confrontation we need to be faithful to loving correction even when it's difficult especially when it's difficult we cannot be superficial in our love for one another we cannot be superficial everything else in life is just superficial isn't it think about your friendships the groups that you belong to the people that you knew before Christ before God's people in the Lord's church how just deplorably fake and superficial it is how are you doing today I'm doing fine having a great day I'm doing fine lying, cheating and stealing from their neighbor everything is going great did you see the game did you see the game it's just horribly horrendously superficial we cannot be that way in the church when we sit down with one another it needs to be meaningful purposeful intentional loving we need to love one another build one another up that should be the aim of our edification in your notes in verse 21 we see Paul's aim for edification we should share that aim with him Paul says, lest when I come again when I come again my God will humble me among you and I shall mourn for many who have sinned before and have not repented of the uncleanness, fortification, lewdness which they have practiced if Paul finds them such as he does not wish it's going to be a source of sorrow of humiliation to the apostle Paul why why would that be the case because Paul's reputation is at stake is that the reason why no Paul's not concerned about his reputation here he's made that point multiple times he's there for their edification why will it be a source of sorrow and humiliation to Paul Paul's not sinned in that way Paul's not wronged them hasn't deceived them, hasn't cheated them remember that no but because their souls are at stake and Paul is invested in them Paul is invested in them, Paul loves them he's the protective father of the bride remember devoted to her purity devoted to her love for her bridegroom he's the loving spiritual father text we just looked at he's gotten them through the gospel he's devoted to the good of his children in the faith Paul loves them he loves them such that their sin is his sorrow he loves them such that their sin is his shame that identification with them in love for the Lord, in love for the Lord's people that's the way that we're to be devoted to one another we can't just stand aloof from one another and say, well, that's his deal that's the way that he is if you love one another then their sin becomes your sorrow their sin becomes your shame you're identified with them in the body of Christ and you labor for their upbuilding we've got to be faithful to the Lord in that and it is a constant work to battle our own weakness in that but to labor in love for their good that's the way that it is when we are truly devoted to the Lord and truly devoted in love to one another what is Paul's aim, verse 21 for doing all things for their edification we see it in verse 21 their repentance he aims for their edification lest they not repent of uncleanness, fornication, and lewdness do you see he is after their repentance our edification of the body needs to be in love, it needs to be devoted, it needs to be fervent we need to labor sacrificing our time, our energy our resources in love for our brothers and sisters to see them built up to see them encouraged to see them maturing in the faith and when necessary for their repentance we need to labor encourage admonish, instruct correct rebuke when necessary lovingly confront when necessary and then write back to encouraging and comforting and consoling and bearing with them and praying with them preaching and teaching the word of God to them we need to be about the work of edification all things for your edification that's a beautiful testimony a beautiful example from the apostle Paul amen all praise, honor, and glory to our Lord who works all things together for our good all praise be to him, let's pray we want to pray silently and ask the Lord for help in applying this text and when you're done praying you are dismissed let's pray