 Second Corinthians, chapter six, I'll begin by reading verse one, then I'm going to give to you a bit of an introduction that'll take a few minutes developing some things and then moving to chapter six by looking at verses one through ten. So we'll begin with verse one where Paul says, we then as workers together with him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain. So as we begin Paul makes it clear that he is laboring in ministry as he presents the gospel. We have seen as we've gone through Second Corinthians how Paul has referred to himself as an ambassador of Christ and I shared with you that as an ambassador that simply means that he represents another kingdom, he represents the kingdom of God. You see as an ambassador he presented a message. He presents the message that comes from the kingdom he represents and the message that had been entrusted to him that he might deliver is called the gospel. The gospel is referred to as a message of reconciliation. It describes how God sent Jesus to save the world. Paul made it very clear that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself and his message was a message of grace and forgiveness and he made it clear that all are welcome to receive from him. And this reconciliation, this forgiveness is all founded on Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. And we know as we read the Bible and Paul made it clear just a moment before in chapter 5 we know that Jesus was perfect and he became a sin offering, a sin offering that God accepted. And as a result when we were saved we received from him something that we didn't have before we received his righteousness. When you look at chapter 5 verse 21 it says he made him who knew no sin to be sinned for us that we might become the righteousness of God in him. So it tells us that God dealt with Jesus as though he was sin itself. Jesus was completely and absolutely identified with sin. In Galatians chapter 3 verse 13 Paul said Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. It is written cursed it is everyone who is hanged on a tree. So in his complete identification with sin Jesus became the sin offering. Now we know that when you look at the Old Testament the offering had to be healthy. It had to be in perfect health. In the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy in chapter 17 verse 1 it reads you shall not sacrifice to the Lord your God a bull or sheep which has any blemish or defect for that is an abomination to the Lord your God. So you're not to offer to God something that is defective but Jesus was not defective he was perfect and that's why in 1 Peter chapter 1 verses 18 and 19 the apostle Peter said you are not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers but with the precious blood of Christ as a lamb without blemish and without spot. So he's a perfect offering and as a perfect offering Jesus took upon himself something that was not his our sin he then gave us something that was not ours his righteousness. In Philippians 3 8 and 9 Paul said it like this he said I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish that I may gain Christ and be found in him not having my own righteousness which is from the law but that which is through faith in Christ the righteousness which is from God by faith. So we receive what is called imputed righteousness we receive something that was not ours it was given to us from Jesus it is his righteousness. Now this is incredible news and this news so thrilled Paul he couldn't contain himself he's already said that the love of Christ compiles us well this is part of what motivated him to do the work of ministry it's also what motivated his young protege Timothy in ministry because as he begins here in verse 1 chapter 6 notice how he says we then as workers together with him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain we then he's speaking of himself as well as Timothy and he speaks of them as working together. So Paul and Timothy as well as any other workers in the ministry are being referred to here now notice how it says he himself and Timothy are workers that word worker well I looked it up I wanted to say what do you mean by worker well the word worker in the original language speaks of them exerting energy so together they exerted energy as they labored in the work of the gospel and we need to remember that ministry is actually a form of work people don't realize that they think pastors will play golf three days out of the week and then we give a midweek study and then we play golf the rest of the week and we give a Sunday morning that's not how it works we exert energy in our service to the Lord it's called labor we are those who work and in Hebrews chapter 6 verse 10 it says God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you've shown toward his name in that you've ministered to the saints and do minister and so Timothy and Paul were co-laborers as well as others were ministering in the work of God and that's why in verse 1 of chapter 6 of 2 Corinthians he begins by saying we then as workers together with him plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain they are workers so ministry is work it's referred to in Scripture as labor for example Romans 16 verse 12 Paul was giving several greetings to members of the body of Christ and he says greet trifena and trifosa who have labored in the Lord greet the beloved purses who labored much in the Lord in 1st Corinthians 15 verse 10 he said the grace of God by the grace of God I am what I am and his grace toward me was not in vain but he says I labored more abundantly than they all yet not I but the grace of God which was with me so labor in the ministry is through the grace of God but it is work and Paul is making it clear he's saying they labored notice diligently they grew weary in their difficulty and hard toil Paul and Timothy were laboring in the ministry they were communicating communicating the gospel now earlier in 1st Corinthians in chapter 3 verse 9 he had spoken in this way he said we are laborers together with God so he's participating in God's work of grace toward them Paul was laboring in the work of communicating the gospel and it's not only with Timothy but notice how he's co-laboring not only with Timothy but with God himself it's interesting when you look at Mark chapter 16 verse 20 how it says they went forth and preached everywhere the Lord working with them and confirming the word with signs following they were co-labors with God the Lord working with them and 1st Corinthians 2 verses 4 and 5 Paul said it like this he said my speech in my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom but in demonstration of the spirit and of power that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men but in the power of God we gave you the word we want you to stand in faith but it's not in our wisdom God working through us is giving to you the ability to stand in his power and so he's a co-laborer as co-laborers with God Paul echoes the heart of God toward last sinners and and notice what he's saying here we then as workers together with him also plead we beseech you we beg you not to receive the grace of God in vain not to receive the grace of God in vain when it says do not receive the grace of God in vain the word vain means without effect or of no purpose in vain would speak of without the accompanying effects of grace and this they would do if they do not become wise godly holy and good due to the grace of God you see when you receive or accept God's grace your life is going to demonstrate it if you're reconciled and have imputed righteousness it's going to be obvious now this is very important and in our day I think is very timely Paul is saying that to not understand grace changes our life actually undermines what grace is grace changes everything in Titus 2 11 through 13 Paul said the grace of God now listen the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men grace teaches us it teaches us to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled upright and godly lives in this present age while we wait for the blessed hope the glorious appearing of our great god and savior Jesus Christ there are a lot of people today guys we don't know that grace changes everything I've seen too many even those who profess to be pastors of churches who have used grace extended grace to cover them not in the biblical way but to give them permission to continue in sin to continue living for the world but to say that they have freedom and liberty in Christ and it's God's grace that they're actually experiencing when in fact they're actually yielding themselves to the flesh it wasn't that long ago for example it wasn't that long ago when pastors began to think that it was okay to stand up in a pulpit and to use profanity there were quite a number of profane preachers they were using mild profanities that happened even in this pulpit before where people took their liberty to express themselves using profanity I've had my conversations with those who who have such a mindset and have tried to share with them that this pulpit is actually what used to be called the holy table it's a place where the word of God goes forth and therefore you honor this this pulpit you honor it because you're presenting God's word but there are those who well I've had people upset at me and even to the point of rejecting me as a friend for sharing with them that they ought not to use profanity when they stand and try and share the most blessed message that was ever given the gospel of Jesus Christ but it's always under the blanket of just exercising liberty and walking in God's grace Paul says no you don't use God's grace as a cloak to cover up and to continue in sin you don't do that as a matter of fact when he was writing to Titus he made it very clear that grace teaches us to say no to ungodliness and worldly passion grace is what teaches us to live self-controlled lives upright lives godly lives and that's because we anticipate the Lord Jesus's return and therefore we prepare ourselves to meet him and walk in the grace of God so the grace of God is a message of the gospel it's called the ministry of reconciliation and to receive the gospel of grace in vain would be to hear it and not respond to it reminds me of the parable of the sore and the seed found in Matthew 13 verses 20 through 22 when Jesus speaks of the sore who went out to sow seed and he says he who received the seed on stony places this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy and he has no root in himself but endures only for a while or when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word immediately he stumbles now he who receives seed among the thorns is he who hears the word and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word and he becomes unfruitful and so receiving the the grace of God in vain is to hear but not to act it's not to continue on and move in the things of the Lord so what he may be saying here is is really a warning he's exhorting them against an external response to the gospel only you see many were open to false teachers and perhaps some had come under their spell maybe some have become as a matter of fact we know that some have been convinced by them and that causes me to remember that not everyone sitting in church or even listening to this at home not everyone knows and understands the gospel clearly in light of the grace of God they need to know that God is willing to receive them he's open giving them mercy and he says it comes at an acceptable time God shows mercy because he's given the Messiah and God is willing to forgive us and to save us and as he's saying that notice in verse 2 how he says in an acceptable time I have heard you in the day of salvation I have helped you behold now is the accepted time behold now is the day of salvation that that's quoting out of the song rather Isaiah that's Isaiah 49 verse 8 and notice how he says he says in an acceptable time I heard you in the day of salvation I helped you now the prophecy was an offer of salvation to the Gentiles when you read the book Isaiah that's the context of of that quotation it's a it's an offer of salvation to the Gentiles but we need to remember that the Corinthians were Gentiles so God had offered salvation and he says notice now is the accepted time in other words now is the moment you need to receive Christ it's not wise to reject or to say oh I'll just wait on this I've got a few more sins to commit I've got some more things to do I have things I want to places I want to go and and and things I wanted I want to continue in sin for a while but when I'm a little older then I'll give up on sin and I'll live for God because I I won't have the strength to sin as much as I used to that's just not true I've never met anybody in my life who's came who came to faith in Christ who've ever said to me who's ever said to me I wish I'd have waited longer to get saved I just haven't met a single person who've ever said to me I wish I'd have gotten saved later on I had more sin to do every person who's been honest enough to share with me concerning their testimony and I'll have always said the same thing and I but assume that everyone in this room and those would be listening online would say the same kind of thing which is would to God I would have heard the message earlier and and it would have come to Christ sooner because it would have saved so many people from so much pain that I caused them and and would have saved me a lot of pain too I just never met anybody who said I wish I'd have waited and that's why Paul is quoting Isaiah but he says now is the acceptable time right now right where you're at right this moment is the acceptable time and it is wise to respond now not next week not next month not next year because we don't have tomorrow promise to us who here could have ever predicted who prophesied what we would be going through right now how many people really knew or could have really said perhaps some had an inkling and maybe some had more information than others but I wonder how many people would have been able to say that churches throughout the United States would be shut down week after week after week after week after week that that we would be forbidden to gather together I wonder how many believers in the United States would ever have thought that was possible that we would be shut out of our own churches that we would be forbidden that you would be able to do so many other things but in the category of essentials and if you level them into various grades we would not be one of the important things in Orange County the Orange County churches were given various guidelines related to shutdowns and there were categories of those things that are essential and the third category the least category in reality included churches the other things that were important well three other levels are more important than churches gathering we are non-essential in the eyes of people we're not that important in the eyes of our governor to be real with you we're not that important as a matter of fact I would not be surprised if many in positions of power would love to see the church shut up for good because we speak out against the evil you see that in the Old Testament when the prophets would speak out against the unrighteous rulers you see it in the New Testament when men like John the Baptist would not kowtow to Herod would not call Herod's girlfriend that he became that he called Herod called his wife but John never speaks of of Herodias as being of being Herod's wife he simply says you took your brother Philip's wife it was never recognized by by John and as a result John did not kowtow to the government John lost his head for preaching the truth and I think that right now the church has been putting that non-essential category which we have been from our inception we have not been necessary in the eyes of some but to God we are his special people he loves us you see when he's speaking here in verse two and he says it's an acceptable time I've heard you in the day of salvation I helped you God is offering salvation and it is of utmost importance to respond when God prompts your heart in Luke 13 24 and 25 we read make every effort to enter through the narrow door because many I tell you will try to enter and will not be able to once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door you will stand outside knocking and pleading sir open the door for us but he will answer I don't know you or where you come from can you imagine how many people tried to get into the ark once the door was closed how many people rushed to it and finally believed the message that Noah had been proclaiming and wanted to get in that ark but could not because God closed the door God is saying today is the acceptable time now is the day of salvation it's not to be put off for a more convenient time that time is now you can't predict the future we have no promise of another day because eternities in the balance Paul and Timothy have taken the gospel seriously it is so serious that they have been careful to live properly they live blamelessly before men notice verse 3 we give no offense in anything that our ministry may not be blamed we give no offense that word offense speaks of something that causes someone else to stumble Paul is saying that he and his fellow workers have labored honorably and they've done so before people and he didn't want anyone to reject the gospel because they rejected him or rejected his lifestyle you see one of the ways to undermine the effectiveness of the gospel is not to live up to it we preach a message of transformation we we say if any man be in crisis a new creation old things are passed away behold all things are becoming new that's what we preach we say you can be Christ like the word Christian means little Christ or Christ like it was first used the word Christian was first used in Antioch and was not used as a way of of of encouraging those believers what it was was a slam it was something to degrade them to be called a Christian was to be said that they were saying you're a little Christ it wasn't something they honored it was something they rejected from the beginning you can offend people in a couple basic ways there's the offense of the cross and there's the offense of the person I want to be careful that if I'm offensive to anybody that it's the offense of the cross it's not hard to be offensive as a person all you need to do is just be rude or unkind or unloving judgmental harsh or whatever and you're offensive but if you're preaching the truth then the truth itself can offend so there's the offend of the cross offense of the cross and there's the offense of the person I pray that God helps me to be careful with who I am so that I do not give offense in an improper way and that's what Paul is saying in verse three we give no offense in anything and anything why that our ministry may not be blamed it was careful not to stumble others because he didn't want his ministry discredited he didn't want the gospel to be discredited he had said in chapter four of 2nd Corinthians verse two we have renounced the hidden things of shame not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves every man's conscience in the sight of God we renounce the hidden things of shame we commend ourselves to conscience but they might see us that we're actually living in the way that we're preaching when he was writing to Titus in chapter two verses seven and eight he spoke to this pastor Titus and he said in everything set them an example by doing what is good in your teaching show integrity seriousness soundness of speech that cannot be condemned so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us live your message live what you give live your message because even when they say bad about you they'll be ashamed because they're lying because they know that's not true again we have liberty in Christ but it's never intended to stumble innocent believers now i want you to notice something it's interesting how that though speaking of the gospel of grace he also speaks of hardship you see even though God gives grace in life we still endure difficulties even when we're living a sold out life to him so Paul is speaking of his ministry and in doing so he begins to invite comparison to the false teachers instead of being a stumbling block Paul speaks of how he has lived his life and and that's intended to provide a sharp contrast between himself and false teachers and he begins here and we'll see this he begins to itemize the hardships he endured and he begins to list his afflictions the things that that he's endured are things that he'd been prepared for Jesus had prepared him for this and all Jesus said in the world you'll have tribulation be of good cheer i've overcome the world but he's going through these things and he begins to list these things and i'll show you these things from verse four following so we'll read verses four and five and notice what he says he says in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God in much patience in tribulations in needs in distresses in stripes in imprisonments in tumults in labors in sleeplessness and in fastings so he begins by saying in it's interesting how he says in and then he goes into verse six and he says by and then in verse nine he uses the word as and you're going to see that there are different things he's referring to as we go through this but he begins with general trials that he'd gone through using the word in one of my commentators men by the name of barns said ministers often do a great deal more good by their example in suffering than they do in their preaching and so paul is beginning to speak concerning the cost of the message what it has cost him the things he's gone through and and he's as a minister setting an example of how a believer responds to difficulties and this is how God allows a minister to illustrate the reality of his his own teachings how he responds to the things he goes through actually provides credibility for that man and that's what he's doing you see there are people who give messages and the message may have truth to it but the message isn't coming from from well of experience so much as a book that he read it takes a while for you to learn the deeper things of the Lord and you you usually begin to learn how to encourage people to walk through the valley by walking in it yourself and when you walk through that valley you develop experience with God that that you can bring in and you can say this is what I've learned God's word is true God word is faithful God has been with me every step of the way you learned to do that I've been walking with the Lord now 49 going on 50 years and I am growing more convinced than ever and that's the way it usually works that each day I walk with him the more faithful he shows himself to me I remember speaking my own pastor Chuck Smith on one occasion Chuck had stated when he was 64 years old Chuck had stated that he was going to retire at 65 and then 65 came and went and I was with him we're teaching at a pastors conference up in the Lake Tahoe area and Chuck and I were having breakfast together and I looked at my pastor and I said listen Chuck you said you were going to retire and you haven't and I just want to know why what has kept you from retiring and he looked at me he said this and I've never forgotten and it's been a number of years now since he said this but he looked at me and he said well he said the world tells you to retire at 65 he said that was what I grew up thinking that a man retires at 65 so he said when I was 64 I began to think I need to retire he said and then the Lord spoke to my heart and said to me every day that you walk with me you have one more day of experience that you can give to somebody else and I came to realize that ministers don't retire we just continue serving the Lord until he takes us to go home with him and which was proof to me in his life because he was preparing a Bible study the week that he died he was preparing for the next study the week that he died and went to be with Jesus and so Chuck had all this experience that he was able to give to us and and over time you are able to not only talk about God in terms of the theoretical but you're able to speak of God in terms of experiential that God moved and God shows God is faithful God doesn't turn his back on us listen churches not meeting on Sundays that's almost a death a death knell for the church we were created for fellowship we were created for fellowship but one of the things that the Lord has just been blessing me with though I'm asking him for us to gather again has been that though we are not able to join the way we want to the word is still going out still reaching people countries that wouldn't be listening to us are listening to us right now countries or the gospel is not even preached in the Middle East we're getting responses from from different Middle Eastern countries that are listening to our preaching and teaching of the gospel what the enemy intends for evil God has turned it around for good and the word of God is going forth and all in and we learn these things through experience and and so he's saying listen I've gone through things I want to share with you I want you to know how God moves and this is establishing credibility once again remember that the false apostles entered into into Corinth and were trying to undermine his ministry and so he's speaking concerning his his credibility being established by the things he's gone through so he speaks in verses four and five and he says in patience in tribulation so word tribulation speaks of troubles in needs in distresses things that I've been pressed by uh sufferings like stripes which are beatings imprisonments and riots he he speaks concerning self-inflicted hardships which are part of the cost involved in preaching when he speaks of labors of sleeplessness and fastings which are part of the cost of preaching and all of these things that he's speaking about were things that he experienced in his travels and evangelistic ministry so he speaks of the things he's suffered things that were inflicted by men the stripes imprisonments and riots he speaks of his self-inflicted hardships his labors his sleeplessness his fasting and again all that is part of what he has paid part of the price that he has paid and part of the things that he has done in order to grow and to be able to go out and be used by God so he speaks of these kinds of things but he also speaks of his motives and his methods when he speaks of his inward qualities in verse six and seven because he speaks of purity and knowledge by long suffering by kindness by the holy spirit by sincere love he says by the word of truth by the power of God by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left by honor and dishonor by evil report and good report as deceivers and yet true so he speaks now of the spiritual warfare and he speaks of his purity his knowledge of Jesus and his word his long suffering the word long suffering speaks of enduring insults by by kindness the acts of love that he has shown by the gifts of the holy spirit that he exercises by the sincere love that comes through loving God as you love others and by the word of truth and he's speaking of all of these things and he's speaking of how that all works together but he also speaks of warfare notice in verse seven how he speaks of the power of God the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left this is a heart of ministry by the way and let me give you a couple of thoughts about this as we look at this passage the armor of righteousness true ministry and true work of the spirit is always going to take into consideration spiritual warfare I believe that what we're seeing take place right now in our nation in our state has practical reality to it but there's no doubt in my mind that it's a spiritual war that we're enduring right now it's no doubt the church is under attack the church is under attack every every person walking in the spirit knows that I'm I'm telling you and you already know it but the church is under attack and it's a frontal attack it it it's an obvious attack let's just stop these people from gathering together reading the word fellowship in doing the things that Christians do we can stop them by just telling them not to go to church we can we can stop what they think but how are we going to deal with this I want you to look at this how are we dealing with this right now guys I want you to see this he speaks of the word of truth the power of God the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left the armor of righteousness you see because he was in spiritual warfare and saw this as spiritual he relied on spiritual weapons when he speaks of the weapon on the right hand you need to understand something when a military person was in full armor his right hand was where he would hold the sword to this day the right hand in Israel is a picture of power to this day it's a it's a picture you have in the old testament and so the military person would use the right hand and that tells me when he says on the right hand that tells us he's speaking of the sword of the spirit because the warrior would use the sword in his right hand when he speaks concerning the left hand that's where he would have his shield so the right hand would be a picture of offense the left hand is a picture of defense so he's giving us a picture of spiritual warfare how do you have victory in spiritual warfare by the weapons of the warfare the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but are mighty in god to the pulling down of strong holds casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of god and bringing into captivity every thought unto the obedience of christ he'll say that in chapter 10 the warfare that we're in is spiritual and so we need power we need the power of the holy spirit you shall receive power after that the holy spirit has come upon you you shall be witnesses to me and Jerusalem Judea Samaria unto the uttermost parts of the earth you cannot do spiritual work without the power of the holy spirit and so he's saying these are things that I have I have character yes and and and I've gone through suffering which has given me credibility but with credibility and character I still need the spirit's power and god gives to us weapons of warfare he gives us the sword of the spirit it is a wrong mentality to bring people to church and not give them bible studies to bring people into a building and not teach them the works of god the ways of god the word of god that word of god is what they need it's not just that they should not be taught certain things I think that you can give good bible studies including contemporary cultural concerns of course you can't but your people have to walk out equipped for works of service they have to walk out saying I know something about god that I didn't know until I walked in or I've been reminded of something that I forgot about I don't go to church in order to get a pep talk I don't go to church in order to dance around to music I don't go to church to hear the latest political thing I go to church so I can know Jesus Christ that's why I go to church I want to walk out equipped for works of service I'm in a spiritual war the enemy is after me it's not that I'm important it's that he hates every believer you need to understand that some people don't he hates every believer every person who loves Jesus Christ is an enemy to him and he will do whatever is necessary to shut you up don't forget that we have been armed and equipped for battle that's what we are warriors in Jesus Christ I hope you understand that we are warriors in Jesus Christ I hope you know that just because we work in a church doesn't mean that's our job that's an expression of our ministry it's what we do as unto him all that we do whether it's eating or sleeping and drinking or whatever it's all unto him for the glory of God that's what being a Christian is right and Paul is saying listen I have gone through many things and I know that I'm going to be victorious all of these things the word of truth the power of God the armor of righteousness on the right hand and the left all of these things are necessary or I will not succeed in the war I will not succeed we need the power of the spirit guys every day walk every day wake up and say God fill me with your spirit God work in me today what is it Lord that that would keep me from hearing you today may that be removed so that I might have a serious mindset in these dark last days because I want to be victorious I want to do all that I should do and then I want to stand as a victorious warrior I don't want to go down I don't want to do anything to bring offense to the gospel again remember he had made that very clear that he in verse three would give no offense in anything that the ministry may not be blamed I don't want to live in such a way that the message of the gospel is sullied by a bad life you say you love Jesus but you don't love me how's that work I'll never forget one of my professors and in uh secular college I went to who said my mother this is the professor he was the professor of social psychology at Cal Poly in the 70s Cal Poly Pomona and he spoke to us in the class and he says I have a mother who claims to love Jesus but she hates Jews now how is that possible he asked us my mother claims to love Jesus but she hates Jews I remember standing at the back after a church service and I mentioned how I'd been in the city of lords in southern France and a man who was from that area happened to be in church that day and he walks up to me as I was standing in the back and he shakes my hand and he says to me I lived in lords and he's holding my hand and he says the Jews this is his comment he said the Jews own everything in lords and he laughs and he's holding my hand he laughs and he says they probably think they own the church too because there's a big cathedral there and I held his hand as he stood there they think they own the church too and I held onto his hand for a minute I said now let's think for a minute I said Jesus was a Jew Jesus bought the church with his blood you know you're right the Jew owns the church he didn't like that but that's the facts that's the truth see we're we have to be aware of the days that we're living in guys we have to be aware of what's going on around us there is an onslaught I think the enemy has removed part of his mask and he's saying I'm going to bring the church down but he can't because the gates of hell shall not prevail against the church we stand in victory we are already in Christ more than conquerors we will take this message out a message is still going on people's lives are still being changed and we are experiencing something in the Lord right now that we wouldn't have experienced had we not gone through this kind of time that we're going through and so he's speaking concerning this and he's saying we need to realize we are in spiritual warfare he begins to in verses 8 through 10 he begins to list some things there of the things that he he has endured the attacks that he's gone through because of the cost that that you have when you follow Jesus notice by honor and dishonor by evil report and good report as deceivers yet true as unknown yet well known as dying behold we live as chastened yet not sorrowful not killed as sorrowful yet always rejoicing as poor yet making many rich as having nothing and yet possessing all things by honor by dishonor I'm not essential that's basically what he's saying there are those who honor us who love us but there are those who dishonor us and see we are not necessary even in the early days of the church we were not essential so he says by honor and dishonor there are those who love us as believers and there are others who think that we shouldn't exist he says of evil report the false apostles as well as others had said bad of him but there are those who are given the good report by those he ministered to there are those who who say he's a deceiver which was a false charge and yet he says but we're telling the truth as unknown we're unimportant people don't care about us and yet well known to God and those that matter as dying to ourselves and going through so much hardship yet in Christ we continue on notice first nine as chastened we're enduring trials these are trials by the way that that have come through God's permissive will and work but we're not killed because we're preserved by God that reminds me of Psalm 118 verse 18 where the psalmist said the Lord has chastened me severely but he hasn't given me over to death and verse 10 as sorrowful we go through such grief there there are believers I believe that believers have the capacity to feel grief in a deeper level than than non-believers why is that I've said this to you many times why is that because one of the things about a believer is we love deep deeply deeply and when you love deeply you grieve deeply you grieve deeply because love takes you deeper and when you really love but that person goes to be with the Lord you miss him you sorrow but not as those with no hope because fellowship tied our hearts together and so we can have sorrow we can go through painful things of course yet always rejoicing why because we know that we're with the Lord and in Christ it all works out as poor Paul Paul had the ability because of many experiences to have experienced many things that required wealth on somebody else's part perhaps for him to experience and yet he had given those things up the things that at one time he considered to be gained he recognized them as loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Jesus Christ who was his Lord and he released all things into his hands he had become poor and yet he says making many rich with the gospel as having nothing and yet possessing all things this reveals that we as believers endure sorrow and poverty we can and part of what he endured was the taunts of the successful false teachers Paul's life was filled with deep grief for others he had a sorrow that people didn't understand there's a sorrow sometimes you can have I'll say this very briefly there's a sorrow that can be in your heart that others don't understand they don't understand it you know I have people who tease me and they're friends sometimes and sometimes they're not being friendly who well what are you crying about today kind of thing you know because I have deep emotion and as I share I express it sometimes as you and my church know quite often because those things affect me deeply it comes out in a deep fashion and and sometimes there are those who not just sometimes quite often there are those who who will will mock that it's been on YouTube where people will write have written and said oh what's this guy crying you know that's that's what happened I I have heard that from pastors teaching at pastors conference and opening up my heart and and people complaining pastors fellow Calvary Chapel pastors said what's he got to cry about they don't understand Paul had a heart that was broken by sin by people's being lost and it showed and the way he ministered the feelings he had that's the truth that's how it works he felt deeply and yet he possessed all things he had nothing but possessed all things he had a sorrow in his heart for the lost and and his life and ministry who were regarded as failures it reminds me of what David wrote in Psalm 69 verses 10 and 11 he said when I wept in my soul with fasting it became my reproach when I made sackcloth my clothing I became a byword to them as poor he says as poor can be a word that describes a beggar he worked hard he accept accepted support from others made him appear as a beggar he lived off of other people's generosity but in spite of this the gospel he proclaimed made people rich in Christ though he had nothing he says I possessed all things I have no home I have no land I have no silver I have no gold but in Jesus I have everything and I'm content I have every spiritual blessing in heavenly places he told the Ephesians and I've learned that whatever state I'm in there and to be content and I've understood what Matthew 5 verse 5 says when Jesus said blessed are the meek they will inherit the earth you see in the end he looked to God to be sustainer and he knew that God was rewarder in Hebrews 6 verse 10 God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward his name in that you have ministered to the saints and do minister our reward is heavenly our reward comes from God and everything that we do is done unto him and one of these days and it isn't that long from now keep this in mind one of these days we'll see him face to face and one of these days we hope to hear him say well done my good my faithful servant we look forward to that and that's what Paul is speaking about he said I don't want my ministry to be blamed I have the credibility and develop the character but I also have a God who has supplied my every need he's given me power he's given me armor this is a spiritual war it in Christ we're victorious don't forget that father we ask that even as we have gathered in this room and so many are watching via the network we ask that we would not forget who we are in you may we give no offense to anyone may we walk in truth and may we live for Jesus even as our eyes are closed our heads about there may be some right now you need to get right with God and if you're listening online and and God is speaking to your heart and it's time for you to give up and to get right with God to to say God forgive me my sin cleanse me of my unrighteousness forgive me Lord because I'm a sinner God I give offense to everybody forgive me if you know that you need to get right with the Lord you need to be born again receive Christ even right now you can do so as our eyes are closed our heads are bound God is speaking to you you can say God be merciful to me I need you and if you want to get saved you can pray and let me pray a simple prayer that you can repeat with your heart and you can be born again even right now just say father forgive me I know that I am a sinner Jesus died on the cross to save sinners Jesus died to save me forgive me my sin cleanse me give me a new life I will follow you from this day forward in Jesus name amen and if you prayed like that you're born again if you by faith have received Christ and we would ask that you contact us write us calvaryccv.org let us know perhaps you can respond right now and you can let us know that you got right with God so we can follow up with you minister to you and so if you gave your heart to Christ right now welcome to the family God be with you and let us know and let somebody else know what you just did and now we'll close in father thank you for all that you do and thank you Lord for all your goodness towards us in Jesus name we pray amen amen