 We're in second Corinthians today. We're going to be looking together at Versus 8 through 14 And as is my method of teaching what I'll do is I'll remind you of some of the things that we already looked at Because every time I teach there will be somebody who wasn't part of the previous study so this is to help those who weren't with us last week and I'll give you some things just to remind you and a layer foundation then we'll move into the actual study of the verses before us So let me begin reading at verse 8. I'll read to verse 11 though. We're going to go to verse 14 today I'll read verses 8 through 11 and we'll get into our study first Rather second Corinthians chapter 1 verses 8 reading to verse 11 Paul writes we do not want you to be ignorant brethren of our trouble which came to us in Asia That we were burdened beyond measure above strength So that we despaired even of life Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves That we should not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead Who delivered us from so great a death and does deliver us In whom we trust that he will still deliver us you also helping together in prayer for us That thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the gift granted to us Through many so let me give you a bit of a rehearsal of what we've gone through and then move into our study today a study That concentrates on verses 8 through 14 But remember with me that as we looked at this passage and introduced it Paul had just told the Corinthians In verses 4 and 5 of chapter 1 that that God is the one who comforts us He said in all of our tribulation and then in verse 5 He referred to this as the sufferings of Christ so God Comforts us in all our tribulation and he refers to them as the sufferings of Christ now There's a misunderstanding sometimes and I wanted to develop an introduction to explain this There's a misunderstanding of the phrase the sufferings of Christ You see some people think he's speaking of of the suffering that we may go through as We serve the Lord suffering for our faith and And others have gone so far as to say the sufferings of Christ would speak of us Adding to his redemption through any suffering that we endure as Christians and and that's not what he's speaking of in Particular what he's saying is is we have entered into what is called the fellowship of suffering In other words troubles are part of the Christian life We can and and as believers we often do suffer This is something that we have been prepared for When we suffer it shouldn't be something when we go through affliction or trouble or whatever It shouldn't be something that takes us by surprise And yet there are a lot of people who they get saved and they begin to walk with the Lord and Then something happens that upsets them something painful in life And they may immediately think up. I've done something wrong where I'm in sin or whatever and they get taken by surprise by it But we aren't to be taken by surprise by the various things we go through Sometimes our suffering is simply just part of being a Christian And sometimes it's just part of just life itself You see the to follow Jesus is to be put in a position of experiencing hardship That's what happens and it shouldn't be surprising to us because we know there's a purpose in the afflictions we experience In first Peter 4 12 and 13 The Apostle said beloved do not think it's strange concerning the fiery trial Which is to try you as though some strange thing happened to you But rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings that when his glory is revealed You may also be glad with exceeding joy. Don't think it's strange. Don't be taken by surprise Because the Lord is working through all of this You see there's a purpose of it any points it out in verse 6 if we're afflicted He said it's for your consolation and salvation If we're afflicted is so that we might minister to you We're being equipped that we might comfort others because they too go through hard times And and so Paul's patient endurance is a testimony to them And he's saying to them hang in there and become settled in your faith and don't be moved Because of the things that you endure in verse 70 said our hope for you is steadfast The depth of consolation that we experience balances the depth of suffering that we endure and Understand that you see our patient endurance in our tribulation and affliction will have two results one equips us to encourage others because They see our response and they see the spiritual growth that we've experienced through that and and second When you go through something it teaches you to be an encouragement to others also And so that's what Paul had been speaking about up to this point And and now he begins to address some of the gossip that is being spread about him. You see what happened in The church early in its history Infiltrators had entered into the church people who who were not Solid believers in Christ at all they had come into the church and as they did so they began to spread lies spreading lies and accusations Against Paul with the hope to undermine the love that people had in the church for him and in doing so Would undermine his authority and they could replace his teaching with their own And so they came in in order to spread lies to undermine him as well as the message of the gospel because the strength of the gospel very often is is going to be evidenced by its promise to transform lives and If the person who's preaching the gospel's life is not transformed Then you can call into question the power of the message you give that you say transforms Versus the way you really live and so what they're trying to do is they're trying to undermine Paul By saying he doesn't live up to the things that he's teaching and they're spreading these lies They're attempting to get people to listen to him in order that they might start a problem in the church Proverbs 2621 says as charcoal is to burning coals and wood to fire So is a contentious man to kindle strife and that's what they're doing They enter in causing strife the kindling strife and they knew if they could undermine his credibility They could discredit his message Because receive the message of salvation Paul felt it necessary to answer his Accusations that had been lodged by his critics You see this uproar was over Paul's ministry impact on on on the people and they wanted to undermine that and So that's what they're doing. They're attempting to undermine Paul Because the message is so important What they began to do is attack the messenger so that they might be able to say well look at Paul There's something wrong with this guy. So why would you listen to him? His message has to be as corrupt as he is and so that's what he's about to do He's about to defend his ministry. He's about to give some explanations So he says in verse 8 We do not want you to be ignorant brethren of Our trouble which came to us in Asia that we were burdened beyond measure above strength So that we despaired even of life now We Americans have a lot of problems with certain words and if that word is used towards us it bothers us And one of the words that might bother us is if somebody looks at you and says you're ignorant I I don't know about you, but that's an insult normally, right? You're ignorant man. Don't be so ignorant Well, the word ignorant use properly simply means without information or without knowledge And that's what Paul is saying here. He's saying I don't want you to be without information I don't want you to be without knowledge concerning these things and so he begins by saying I don't want you to be unlearned I want to explain to you some things and that's what he's doing And so he's speaking concerning what has happened and notice he speaks in verse 8 of a trouble He said I don't want you to be ignorant brethren of our trouble which came to us in Asia Well, this trouble that he's speaking of is unnamed notice here in 2nd Corinthians He doesn't mention what it is but there are those commentators who think that he's referring to a riot that occurred when he was in The city of Ephesus that is recorded in the book of Acts 19 verses 23 through 41 It was an uproar that was over Paul's ministry impact on idolatry Especially the worship of Diana and and when he came and he ministered and all the city was in an uproar And it may be that he speak in concerning this and as this took place He says in verse 8 that the trouble took its toll on him. He said we were burdened beyond measure above strength In other words, we experienced incredible stress above human ability to endure it He speaks concerning despair notice. He says in verse 8 the last portion. He says so that we despaired even of life That's how much problem. That's how much suffering. That's how much He went through so much pain. We despaired that were despaired means the total Unavailability of an exit from oppression. We were hemmed in there was nothing I could do We got to the point of realizing there's no escaping. There's no way I can get out of this There's no way I can be set free from this. I have no way to to survive. He said we despaired You see the Corinthians were unaware of this stress So Paul begins to inform them of it and they knew he'd gone through difficulties, but they didn't understand the personal cost So he may be saying though though you're aware of my affliction You're ignorant of the cost. I've paid Now that's normal by the way, we know that how could somebody know all the details of somebody else's life? Spiritual unawareness or immaturity sometimes blinds us to the cost that is paid by others So Paul is saying I don't want you to be without information I want you to know what what took place and I want you to know that in in the face of all of this I have remained faithful to Jesus and I've remained strong in my love for you In verse 9 he says we had the sentence of death in ourselves That we should not trust in ourselves, but ain't God who raises the dead Who delivered us from so great a death does deliver us in whom we trust that he will still deliver us We had the sentence that word sentence is a judicial sentence It's an official verdict with no hope of reprieve We came to a place of no human hope We were without strength to save ourselves and I like this letter very much because it shows the humanity of the apostle Paul It was at this point. He said when we despaired we were locked in there was no hope It was at this point that God delivered us. It was at this point that God stepped in You see sometimes we're putting a position by the Lord We're placed in this position where we we discovered that there's nothing we can do It's a place where you're on your face Perhaps praying in your room or maybe in your car. You're driving to work or wherever it may be and you're beginning to The think of the various things that are in opposition to you that the difficulties You're going through the hardships that you're facing the concerns that you have And it's at that point when you begin to despair is at that point when you begin to say I don't see an escape I don't see a way to get out of this. I don't know what to do. Well Paul says this is what happened He said we had the sentence of death in ourselves But there was a purpose notice in verse 9 that we should not trust in ourselves But in God who raises the dead we worship a God who's alive We worship of God who can take us through these circumstances and these situations and because he's a God who is alive and raises the dead He can he can raise us out of our problems, too If you understand that you have a God who brings life if you understand that you have a God who delivers if you Understand that you have a God that nothing is too hard for you're gonna trust him to the very end and that's what Paul is saying Understand this you look at your problem. Wait a minute. I worship a God who gives life to the dead Is this something he can't do is this something he can't step into and fix is this something too hard for him The Lord says I'm the Lord. There's nothing too hard for me. Is there anything too difficult for me? Is there anything I can't accomplish look at they took my son they put him on a cross They buried him for three days, but on the third day I rose him from the dead Are you telling me I can't do something in your life? We have to understand that because the church has forgotten that our Circumstances and our problems sometimes are larger than that than that rock that was placed on the tomb But God had to move that rock so we could know there's life and He'll move her rocks in your life, too If you hold fast to him if you trust him if you don't let go and you say oh that's pie in the sky By and by pastor Dave. No, it's not that's Christianity If there's anything the church needs to remember is we have a life-giving God We have a God who can deliver us There's nothing too hard for him if he could he could cause a virgin to have a baby and life to a dead man What can he do in your life? God can do works in you. We have to learn to trust him We have to learn to wait on him and Paul is saying that Paul is saying my God Raises the dead. He said we had the sentence of death in ourselves that we should not trust in our sounds All of our ideas our schemes our ways of getting through and doing everything. No, we don't trust in ourselves We trust in God who raises the dead We came to the place of no human hope We were without strength to save ourselves In Psalm 116 verses 8 and 9 the psalmist said for you, oh Lord have delivered my soul from death My eyes from tears my feet from stumbling that I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living That we should not trust in ourselves. He says but God who raises the dead God raises the dead therefore. He's able to rescue Paul from death's grip Now what did God remind him of and and what does he want them to learn? He wants them to learn not to trust in their own abilities to deliver themselves They need to learn to trust in God's ability to deliver to deliver them And that's the heart of the Christian faith Trusting in the Lord with all of your heart in John 15 verse 5. Jesus said it like this He said I am the vine you are the branches he who abides in me and I in him bears much fruit for without me You can do nothing for without me You can do nothing and Paul said I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me without him I Can do nothing But through him I can do all things and that's what Paul is teaching us in this passage We had the sentence of death in ourselves That we should not trust in ourselves in our schemes in our flesh in our own efforts We need to trust in God who raises the dead and then in verse 10 who delivered us from so great a death Does deliver us in whom we trust that he will still Deliver us He delivered us Does deliver us and will deliver us past present future God has been faithful to you in the past God is being faithful to you in your present and God will remain faithful in the future I look at my past and I see what God is done. I look at my now when I see what he is doing And I look to my future knowing that he is going to continue to work He begins continues and finishes the works that he's doing in our lives and Paul says I know this is a God who has delivered I know that this is a God who delivers and I know that this is a God who will continue to deliver He is faithful. He's been faithful in the past. He's faithful right now He will continue to be faithful in the future So I'm 34 verse 4 says I sought the Lord. He answered me. He delivered me from all my fears and Second Peter 2 9 the first portion of the scripture says the Lord knows how to rest you godly men from trials God knows how to rescue you God knows how to work with you. God knows how to bring you to the end God knows how to do that. He has done it in the past. He does it now He will do it in the future all you need to do is remember how faithful he's been in the past Where did you begin? What have you seen God do and remember that? Don't forget the good works of the Lord. Don't forget what you were before you got saved Don't forget where you were when when you heard that message and how you were living now Some of you may have been very good people. I have a couple of them in this church But most were like me knuckleheads doing stupid things living to stupid life and Yet God was good and God was merciful and God was forgiving and God showed us his love and God said old things are passed away behold I will make all things new and my past is now buried and I'm alive in Jesus Christ And I look back to those days and I remember what I was like And I remember what I used to do and I thank God for the rescue How that Jesus Christ died and set me free and how he put my feet on a solid rock and moved me in a straight path and Transformed me in such a way that even my family was touched by that because they saw that this crazy kid is now walking Straight and other people who knew me from high school They saw what I was what I did and then they they they now See me walk straight, you know, I mentioned I meet with a couple of friends every month or so and one of those friends his name is art and Art was sharing with us just his last last Thursday we meet once a month if we can on a Thursday And we were meeting this last Thursday and and art was sitting in my office and and he told the guys He said I sat in this church for months He comes to our fellowship. He said I sat in this church for months And I saw him preaching. I've known art since I was 14. He said I saw him preaching And I thought I told my wife. I Knew a guy named David Rosales. I went to high school with him. What an odd coincidence He didn't realize it was me He didn't realize it was me and he was a crazy kid and so was I we hung around in high school did crazy things And he's looking at me what a transformation. No, I didn't outgrow my sense. I'm guys Why is that you're too old to sit anymore? No, there's no center like an old center Now you don't outgrow sin You refine it You lie when you're five years old you get caught when you're older you can lie and you don't get caught Why you refine your sin you get caught when you your kid you stole something and You got caught why because you don't know how to steal you keep working at it You can be a politician you work at it. You get good at it. You don't outgrow it You don't outgrow it You die to it you turn away from it you're transformed because of Jesus What you were at one time? You're not anymore We've seen those cardboard they call them cardboard cardboard testimonies where somebody will walk up and hold cardboard Statement on it, you know was you know Bank robber was a murderer. I mean they'll put there then they turn around and that's a new in Christ or something We had a cardboard testimony For an evening service years ago now, and I I just it just comes to mind now all of these people came up holding their cardboard testimonies and then I went up to share that that evening message and I still remember I I came up And I had a cardboard testimony here, and I lifted it up and I held it to the congregation and it said drunk liar Thief Druggy that was my testimony and then I turned it around and it says pastor and that's what God does He takes the off scouring and he washes and cleans you and he gives you new life And that's what Paul is saying. We have a delivering God We have a God who in the past has delivered us We have a God in the present who delivers us and we have a God who will deliver us to the very end And that's why even though I'm in a position of despairing knowing there's no escape I have a God who will take me through it no matter what and I will stand on the other side Victorious because of what God can do and that's what Paul is saying to the Corinthians. You don't know this You don't understand this he says but this is and let me fill you in he's saying these are things you're ignorant I don't want you to be without knowledge, but this is what God has done And as he's sharing that he says in verse 11 You also helping together in prayer for us that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the gift Granted to us through many so he trusts that God will continue delivering them because of the continuing prayer What he's endured may turn to blessings because of their prayer for him. So he's comforted He's encouraged by their prayer and is actually encouraging for them to pray more You see Paul knew that God would continue to deliver him God doesn't deliver you one time and not in the future God know he knew that God would continue to deliver in 2 Timothy 4 18 He said the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for his heavenly kingdom To him be glory forever and ever amen Although this is true He still knew that spiritual work was accomplished by prayer Spiritual work is accomplished through spiritual means It's not done by the flesh. We'll see that in a minute, but it's through spiritual means And that's why in Ephesians chapter 6 19 and 20 Paul said pray for me Pray also for me that whenever I open my mouth words may be given me So that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel for which I am an ambassador in chains Pray that I may declare it fearlessly as I should I need your prayers He's saying and keep me in prayer. He said in verse 11 that thanks may be given by many persons On behalf for the gift on our behalf for the gift granted to us So in requesting their continued prayer, he's reinforcing a loving relationship In telling them that he has suffered much He's provoking their affection for him. He's not asking them to pity him He is reminding them of his selflessness And he's saying you shouldn't listen to the gossip of the false teachers Who are attacking me Now this gift that he speaks about the gift granted Well, the gift granted to him was his deliverance from danger and From the suffering that he was speaking of And so as he's introducing this now, we're going to get to a part that I was sharing with you in my introduction I mentioned to you that when you read the second the letter of second Corinthians I mentioned to you that it's his most open-hearted Paul's most open-hearted letter I mentioned to you that throughout this letter Paul actually responds to accusations false charges that had been made by infiltrators and and as I've gone through second Corinthians, I've seen at least 24 times and we'll see these 24 times that he's answering an accusation and you'll see The way he formulates his words You'll actually see that he is He is answering something that has been said concerning him and we're about to go into The first two accusations that he responds to And so there had been at least 24 accusations that had been lodged against him And again, why did they make these kinds of accusations? Well, they did so in order to undermine him in order that they may replace him as the spiritual leaders of the church in Corinth So that's a common tactic It's a common tactic To attack the person if you want to undermine them You don't have to oppose the teaching What you do is just simply oppose the teacher And we're going to see a variety of criticisms lodged against Paul throughout this letter One I'll give one example one example will be found in chapter 10 And this shows you how the attacks are more personal than theological Because in that particular portion They they attack him and say he's he's unattractive and he's boring Now no minister of the word wants to be called ugly and boring It's just not a good thing But that's what they called him in second timid rather second Corinthians chapter 10 verse 10 This is what they said his letters they say are weighty and powerful But his bodily presence is weak and his speech contemptible His bodily presence he's kind of like a Is a weakly and he has no strength about him He's not the kind of man that you hear speak and you say now that's a guy I can follow In Calvary Chapel, we have guys that you look at him and you say that guy's a man's man You know Ken graves from Bangor, Maine Whenever some of you guys know him that guy bellows like a moose You know the big old guy and he wears real tight t-shirts. I think well anyway, he But he's got this real Baritone when he speaks and he's a man's man And then you see others who don't have that kind of presence and so they'd say well, you know Ken when Ken shares, you know, I just I can see the authority in that man But then when guys like you little wimpy guys like and that's what they were saying about paul And they were saying that that paul's boring Everybody knows that entertainment is king in church, right? Gotta be something I like for 45 50 minutes Everybody knows that so they're saying that about him. He's boring. I get tired. I look at him. He bugs me. He's ugly And then I have to listen to that and that's what he's doing That is the practical reality of what's going on So that tactic of attacking the the message by attacking the messenger is an ancient tactic If you can't attack And undermine the accomplishment Attack the person that is a very very common to this day Means of undermining and that's what they were doing So we're about to look at at two of the charges that they brought against him The one is that he's selfish And carnal he's fleshly and and two that he exaggerates his accomplishments Using stories and he isn't plain speaking So that brings us to the place of addressing the first charge verse 12 Our boasting is this The testimony of our conscience That we conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity Not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of god And more abundantly toward you The first charge his opponents are saying that he's selfish. He's hypocritical and he's carnal. He uses fleshly wisdom These things that they're saying are intended to steal the hearts of the people These people didn't love the Corinthians They wanted to take advantage of them Paul makes that clear later on in chapter 11 Because in second Corinthians 11 verse 20 He says to the Corinthians you put up with it if one brings you into bondage If one devours you If one takes from you If one exalts himself if one strikes you on the face So these people did not love them at all. They wanted to take advantage of them And that's how they want to Undermine Paul so he's addressing what they've said about him. And so how does he do that verse 12 Our boasting is this the testimony of our conscience that we conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity Our boasting is this the testimony of our conscience when he uses the word boasting He's saying my confidence my reason for boasting my my exaltation is this Paul had examined his own motives. He trusted that they were pure In job 2311 job said my foot has held fast to his steps I have kept his way and not turned aside Paul was saying the same thing and though he was being judged he knew that the ultimate judge Was god man was judging him, but he knew that the ultimate judge was his god He said it in 1st chrithians 4 3 and 4 with me It's a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by human court In fact, I don't even judge myself for I know nothing against myself Yet i'm not justified by this but he who judges me is the lord So he says I have a boasting a place of boasting but notice what he's boasting in he's noticing He's noting his conscience. What is the conscience? You know, sometimes people speak about conscience and they think that the conscience Can save you but it can't a conscience is basically what has been called a moral barometer It's what distinguishes between what is good and what is bad. That's your conscience But your conscience is not the same as the holy spirit Because you could be living in a place where certain sinful behaviors are acceptable to the people But not acceptable to god So the conscience doesn't save you it accuses you or it excuses you It's the spirit of god convicting you through the word of god that awakens you to what is true and what is real and what is right But in this case, paul is saying I can boast in the testimony of my conscience And I can boast that it's clean You see for keeping his conscience clean To paul that was of utmost importance. He says in acts 24 16. I strive always to keep my conscience clear before god and men Now part of the reason for keeping a clean conscience. It makes you confident when you teach Hypocrisy undermines the power of the preacher and it undermines the power of the message If a person is saying that he believes this But lives in an opposite way. That's called hypocrisy And if somebody hears him in a In a pulpit And then sees him living in public differently Then he has reason to call a person into question My son joseph went to the bible college in marietta Many years ago now And at the college calvary chapel bible college He made friends and He told me a story of how that he had met a young man And became friends with him And the young man eventually told joseph i feel sorry for you And joseph said why He says because you see your father the way he really is The way he is outside of that pulpit And joseph came and told me that he said dad this guy said he feels sorry for me because he sees the way you live Outside of the pulpit I said really I said and what did you say to him and he said I told him my father is the same in the pulpit as he is in his home You see when when my kids grew up I didn't have the pastor david face And then the regular guy face I'm just who I am Because i'm a christian first and foremost long before I became a pastor I was a believer in jesus christ and you live for jesus no matter where you are No matter what you're called We are believers in christ and so the preaching I do from this pulpit Is the devotional life I gave to my children and when I would raise my kids I gave them devotions And I treated it like it was my church. I even received offerings. They never gave their cheap None of them would work in the children's ministry, but you know I did my best Because I believe I believe nobody's perfect. I'm not pretending. I am forgive me if it sounds that way But I believe that the power of the preacher and his proclamation Is hinged on the reality of his life living out the things he teaches And that's what paul said. He said my boasting is my clean conscience You've seen my life before you. I haven't lived in one way here and another way there and the testimony of my conscience And my life are combined to present to you the reality of my faith And that's one of the reasons by the way that paul would make it clear that teachers were to have good character A teacher was to have a Life that was without reproach. He was to have a good reputation amongst everybody including those who were not followers of price In 1st timothy 3 7 paul said he must have a good testimony among those who are outside Speaking of outside the church lest he fall into reproach in the snare of the devil He's to have a good testimony inside and outside of that church And so paul said my conscience is clear because I live in simplicity and godly sincerity Now the word simplicity speaks of being without selfishness or pretense or hypocrisy He said i'm the real deal. I lived before he has an open book In psalm 51 6 surely you desire truth in the inner parts You teach me wisdom in the inmost place. So he lived without selfishness or pretense He was not a hypocrite and secondly he said godly sincerity Godly sincerity speaks of a perfect openness. It speaks of purity of motives What you see is what you get. I was sincere and I didn't hide behind Something that was not true in order to to take advantage of you And so he says this is my boast. This is my confidence the testimony of my conscience We conducted we lived in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity and not with fleshly wisdom But by the grace of god and more abundantly towards you not with fleshly wisdom Fleshly wisdom speaks of carnal thinking carnal thinking that's not concerned with god's glory Fleshly wisdom is grounded in the flesh. It's it's grounded in in profit in pleasure and worldly honor It's based on devising plans to promote themselves or their cause not the cause of jesus You know on facebook. I read it and I read the news feed. I was mentioning this yesterday in our Our servants class and somebody had written pastors, you know use the disneyland methodology to grow your church and it's called the disneyland methodology And and so I made a comment Uh, I said using the disneyland methodology. I made on this guy's page using the disneyland methodology means that the pastor is goofy and the church is mickey mouse, so we We don't follow devices of man strategies Try and make this in an interplay entertaining places the magical kingdom There's so many people who are buying into that methodology. Listen my pastor taught me something I think is biblically true The my pastor said if you feed the word of god Healthy sheep will be get sheep if you want to see the church grow. It's not in numbers It's in the spiritual lives of the people and if you love them and give them the truth and they take that and give it to others You will see a multiplication. You will see people getting saved. You'll see the church being healthy You'll see things happening that are good because these people are being grounded in god's word But if it's your idea to have a lot of people show up in a church so that you can call yourself successful You have a lot of filled pews with empty people What you really need are christians who love christ who are willing to do the work of ministry to go out and Preach the gospel to the lost and see people's lives transformed because that's all that really matters And that's what paul is talking about That's what paul is talking about He's talking about the fact that this is how it works. I haven't relied on fleshly wisdom I I haven't done this. I have that clean conscience I spoke to you about and and I'm pursuing the lord And that's why you can you can judge my conduct before you. I live out the message that I'm giving and my life is open I love you and that's why he's taken the time to answer the charges In second chrithians 12 15. He says it like this. I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls Though the more abundantly I love you the less I'm loved His words and his works lined up He relied on god completely And so no I don't use fleshly wisdom He says but I rely on the grace of god And because I love you more abundantly towards you and then he says in verse 13 For we are not writing any other things to you than what you read or understand. I trust you will understand Even to the end Now this is the second lie the second charge that has been circulated about paul And the charge the paul's teachers are saying he tells stories and he doesn't speak plainly We are not writing any other things to you than what you read or understand. He writes One of my commentators that I use is I prepare bible studies is a man by the name of alicott And he paraphrased this And alicott said I have no hidden meaning in what I write and you read What you read You read correctly in its plain and simple sense There are no innuendos my speech is straight There are no hidden meanings. I'm not trying to impress people with fantastic stories I'm not teaching my personal opinions to make me look important I'm not writing with worldly cunning I'm not evasive and how I minister to you You can trust what I have told you. I have no hidden motives I'm not fabricating exciting stories to win your admiration But I want to tell you about jesus In first grinthians 2 4 and 5 he said to them my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom But in demonstration of the spirit and of power that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men But in the power of god I don't want you to be looking at me paul is saying in some fleshly way Listen today we we live in a in a generation It appears to me that is longing for hero figures somebody to stand up and and and and be the brave heart of this generation Go out there and and and win victories and and and I may not do it But I'd like to have somebody some champion who will do it on my behalf And so what happens is we begin to idolize certain individuals who seem to be doing things We can't do ourselves and we champion them But that's not how it's supposed to be God is given to you gifts in a calling god has given to you the power of his holy spirit He's giving you his word god has given you opportunities god It's given to you the things that you need to go out and fight and win and be victorious And ultimately to stand and to say I have in christ I have overcome I am more than a conqueror you don't need to look to me to be your hero You've got one in heaven his name is jesus and what he wants to do is he wants to use you You see that's how it works You don't need to look to me. I have clay feet. I will fail. I have failed But he never does You keep your eyes on the one who matters that's jesus christ And me I don't want to be the hero of the church I want to be a servant of the lord. I want to follow christ. I want to love my wife I want to love my children. I want to love my grandchildren. I want to feed my sheep I want to be a good pastor, but I don't need to be the master I need to be the servant jesus christ needs to be the master and that's what paul is saying Paul is saying i'm not making up stories. I'm not the hero of my own illustrations There are so many unfortunately and I don't speak poorly against my brothers and all of the lord If it sounds that way forgive me. I don't intend it to but i'll tell you I have seen too many men who have gotten caught up with their success to the point that they forget to tell people about jesus It's all about him guys jesus isn't boring jesus following christ is amazing Following jesus transformed life Look around what god has done in your own life Look at what god has done in you What you were What you did and what you are now Think about it What has god done in you? He has changed you He took you from the mirey clay and he put your feet on the solid rock You were a liar perhaps. Maybe you were a thief. Maybe you were into the drugs. Maybe you were immoral Maybe you were hot tempered violent. Maybe you were a gangster Maybe you were that real good person who was jealous and envious and covetous of so many things Nobody knew what was in your heart because you always smiled and looked so kind but inside you knew you were a monster You knew it And then god grabbed hold of your heart by the preaching of the gospel of jesus christ And he said i can change you from the inside and i can make you absolutely new And you became a follower of jesus christ and now it's all about him It's all about him and one of the ways that you can know Whether or not You're in the right place because we have people who bounce from place to place You know, i'm gonna try this place for all i'll try this place for all one of the ways you can know if you're in the right place to grow Is when you walk out As jesus become more dear to you When you take your walk with your friends and you're talking about church If you're talking about how christ changes lives and what god does in the answering of prayer And how valuable and wonderful his word is You know, you're in the right place because you're learning about jesus christ who can transform lives Who has transformed your life as equipped you for works of service and is using you for his kingdom That's how you know And paul could point to himself and he could say i'm not making up stories I'm not the hero of my own illustration. I'm not asking people to come and follow after me I would say and do you imitate me as i imitate him Follow him because he's the one that matters and these false people entering in are saying oh look at him He exaggerates his successes Look at him. He's the kind of person that you really can't trust and he's saying that's not true at all He says the whole bottom line is for you to know jesus christ and then he goes on and we close with these things in verse 13 and 14 And he says now i trust you will understand even to the end as also you have understood us in part that we Are your boast as you also are ours in the day of the lord jesus I trust you'll understand even to the end. I'm confident that you will acknowledge. I'm telling you the truth I trust you will know that my teachings about jesus can be trusted to the very end And also has he says in verse 14 As also you have understood us in part when i'm telling you Is something that you have partial knowledge of but my hope is that in telling you these things you'll gain more understanding You see we are your bows As you also are ours In the day of the lord jesus on that day you will recognize that you have as much reason to be proud of me As I have to be proud of you When we stand before jesus, we're going to be proud of each other In first salonians 2 19 and 20. What is our hope? Our joy the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our lord jesus when he comes Is it not you? Indeed you are our glory and our joy and so We just want to share Of what god has done And so together at the end when you hold fast the teachings you've received On that day that we see jesus and together we will We'll be proud of each other of what you have done for him And what i accomplished for him But it's all been for him Paul wasn't the hero he was the servant And these men were coming in saying he's nothing And he says of course i'm nothing Because he's everything But i love you he was saying to the chrithians and they will use you So that's a heart of a pastor Who is willing to put his neck on the line For people who are willing to hear the lies Because it's easier for the church to listen and believe the lie than it is to believe the truth And paul has to speak and say no I've loved you They don't this is what i've gone through They haven't You can trust me because i love you And that's the heart of a pastor