This exposition of 2 Corinthians 12:11-21 by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday evening, October 28, 2018.
Intro:
Sometimes when I read Scripture I wonder if they had twitter or facebook because they were certainly shallow and immature enough to have it!
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Petty bickering and self-promoting was as rampant then as now. The church at Corinth had more than its share of trouble linked to inflated egos and petty criticism. It is apparent that everyone had an opinion about what constituted genuine biblical authority and what a truly godly ministry looked like. That was evident early on. Even in Paul’s first letter he referred to division centered around different preachers. Some where followers of Paul, others of Peter, a few of Apollos and then the spiritual crowd, “We just follow Jesus.” By the time he is writing what we call 2 Corinthians he is dealing with some he calls “super apostles” or the “most eminent apostles.” These braggarts spoke of great visions and ecstatic experiences in order to validate their ministry and teaching. As distasteful as Paul found such boasting he felt compelled to boast a little himself. Yet his boast was dramatically different. He boasted of his weakness. He bragged of his “failures” as evidence of God’s favor and blessing. In fact he goes so far as to say, “I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” Why would he say such a thing? Because as he pleaded with God to remove the “stake” in his flesh, that messenger of Satan to prevent conceit, God said, “No, I will not remove it. My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Thus Paul embraces his weakness so that the power of Christ may rest upon him. In fact he summed up his philosophy by saying, “For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities, for when I am weak, then I am strong.”
If that is the case then perhaps the standard of measurement we often use for determining the value or validity of ministry is all wrong. We focus on size, results and the ever important “wow factor” to determine a God-anointed work. I’m not so sure that’s a wise thing. This evening we will explore the 12th chapter of 2 Corinthians in search of the qualities of a Christlike ministry.
Text: 2 Corinthians 12:11-21
As we work through this passage we discover that…
Thesis: The person genuinely called and equipped for ministry by God, exhibits the qualities consistent with those so identified with the ministry of the Lord Jesus.
We all agree that the Lord Jesus is our model.
The Church is his Church - he is Lord and Master.
Our ministry, the Church’s ministry is his ministry.
So, it should look like his, it should reflect his values and methods and characteristics.
There are three qualities I want to note as we move through this material.
- A genuinely God called and equipped minster exercises power and authority governed by truth and wielded with patience and humility. (12:11-13)
- A genuinely God called and equipped minister exhibits a profound love and a determined willingness to sacrifice all for the sake of others in service to the gospel. (12:14-18)
- A genuinely God called and equipped minister expresses godly fear and sorrow over the presence of sin and a lack of repentance. (12:19-21)
Conclusion:
The bottom line in all of this is when seeking to determine the qualities of a God-honoring, heaven-blessed ministry you should be looking for Christlikeness. You should see great power and authority governed by truth and wielded with patience and humility. You ought to find a profound love and a determined willingness to sacrifice all in the service of the gospel. And you must find godly sorrow over the presence of sin and a lack of repentance.
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